First Impressions
The unification of Azur Lane and the Crimson Axis had not been the smoothest of transitions. However, the news of the commander's arrival sent a spark of activity throughout the naval base. Someone who was to provide guidance and structure to a heavily divided armada. One who could provide a clear strategy to finally defeat humanity's eternal enemy once and for all. The mere news of this arrival helped quell the petty conflicts and kept those with grudges in check, even if it was just to keep appearances. After all, first impressions are important, and everyone at the base wanted to give their best.
Fantastic First impressions were exactly the reason Queen Elizabeth, head of the Royal Navy, decided to organize a majestic welcoming party at the dock.
"I propose we welcome our new commander with a most splendid celebration," the queen had declared during a previous meeting with other faction representatives.
Unanimously, all the faction heads agreed to the plan, with no petty argument supplementing it. The decision was pulled through, and soon the shipgirls of the various factions got the work. Sandy, Saratoga, Lexington, and various other idols got together to practice their routine. Z23, Laffey, Ayanami, and Javelin prepared the tables and helped with logistics. Belfast and the Royal Maids prepared treats to be served. The girls from Sardegna readied their best dishes. Akagi and Taihou spent most of their time in their rooms, making themselves as beautiful as possible. The rest of the Sakura girls prepared dishes and entertainment. Ironblood ships helped with organization and setting up a grand podium for the commander's welcoming speech. The U-boats and destroyers, in particular, were especially excited about having someone new to hang out with. Even factions such as the Northern Parliament, Dragon Empery, and both Iris factions found things to help with. Not only to prepare for the party but also themselves for the commander's eyes. A feeling of excitement was hanging in the air as every shipgirl wanted to meet an actual human commander.
Everything was ready by the time of the commander's arrival.
"Now this is a splendid sight," Queen Elizabeth exclaimed proudly, standing alongside other prominent ships as she observed the massive gathering of ships at the dock, "Nothing like a wonderful welcoming banquet, isn't that right, Warspite?"
"It certainly is your majesty," Warspite stood firmly with sword in hand next to her Queen, "Everyone is most excited about the Commander's arrival, even Enterprise."
The Grey Ghost blushed slightly in response to the remark, but made no attempt to respond. She, too, was ecstatic about the prospect of a new commander. Azur Lane was desperate for direction, and she believed that having someone directly in charge of the fleet would improve everyone's performance. She was also looking forward to meeting someone who she could look up to and who could possibly give her a sense of purpose.
"Hopefully, the commander will be able to guide us," were the only words that escaped Enterprises' lips.
"My only hope is that he has the strength, will, and determination worthy of a leader," Bismarck commented honestly. Sovetskaya Rossiya surprisingly agreed with the Iron Blood battleship as she nodded her head. They needed someone strong if they were going to reel in all the unique personalities present at the base. The Northern Parliament's values aligned well with Iron Blood's, despite their faction's hostilities.
Speaking of unique personalities, a red, nine-tailed, aircraft carrier stood at the edge of the group. She giggled away as many watched her with caution. The Enterprise took a couple of guarding glances in Akagi's direction, but the fox was too busy swimming in her own perverse thoughts to notice. It took her sister, Kaga, a poke on the shoulder to finally bring her back from the well of her mind.
"Nee-sama, please calm yourself." Kaga spoke in a hushed tone, "It is not a good look for you to laugh so maniacally."
Akagi made an effort to regain her composure, but her grin was as wide as ever. A fire burned in her eyes as she turned to respond to her dear sister. Still, the echoes of her laughter can still be heard in between her sentences.
"Oh Kaga, I just can't help myself," Akagi sighed whimsically, "The thought of someone to give my love to fills my heart with so much joy."
"Oh my beloved Shikikan, I can't wait for you to received my love and my love alone," Akagi's eyes began to darken, "Otherwise, I might have to clean up a few insects before finally claiming what is rightfully mine. hehehehehe."
Richelieu and Littorio, who were standing nearby, took a few steps away from the giggling fox. To be honest, they were both a little creeped out by Akagi's behavior. Littorio knew when to give someone space, despite being a romance connoisseur herself. She had the impression that Akagi was not the type of person who would be stymied by such restrictions. Akagi's love was daring but too aggressive for the Sardegnian battleship. Richelieu didn't want to be near Akagi while she was laughing. It made her appear a little too demonic for her liking, but she kept such unseemly thoughts to herself.
However, there was one ship that held more authority over the red castle.
Akagi, that's enough," Nagato's voice rang out, "You don't want to be acting strange around the new commander, do you?"
Immediately, Akagi recomposed herself. She really did not want to make a bad first impression on her future lover- I mean commander. The Sakura carrier accepted the fact that she had to go through the formalities and bide her time.
"Well, that was quite the show," Warspite commented on Akagi's situation, "Makes you wonder if the commander will be alright?"
"Hmm, it matters little as long as he makes a dutiful servant," Warspite's eyes shrank at her majesty's seemingly unconcerned attitude, "Besides, I see his ship coming over the horizon right now!"
Everyone's attention was drawn to the direction where Queen Elizabeth's staff pointed. A ship could be seen approaching steadily towards the dock. A wave of excitement washed over the crowd as groups began to discuss among themselves. Many wonder what the new commander will be like.
"Is he tall?"
"Is he scary?"
"Is he handsome?"
"Can he fight?"
"Does he play video games?"
"Does he work out?"
"Wait, is the commander even a man?"
The lead ships turned their heads slowly towards Warspite. The Grand Old Lady could see how wide everyone's eyes had gotten, so naturally she responded by shrinking hers.
Meanwhile, in front of the reception area of the welcoming party, four destroyers, an armored carrier, and a light carrier were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the commander. At the front of the group stood the Royal Navy destroyer Javelin, her arms swinging side to side in eager anticipation.
"I can't wait to meet the commander," Javelin exclaimed while shaking her arms in a giggly fashion, "I hope he's friendly enough to hang out with us."
"You can ease yourself Javelin," A reassuring voice from the Iron Blood destroyer Z23 sounded, "The commander should be able to interact with his subordinates. Afterall, it is necessary for command."
"Hehe, maybe you're right Nimi," Javelin teased, much to the flustered Z23. The Iron Blood destroyer was quite fond of the nickname, but it didn't stop her from being embarrassed when it was being used so casually.
"The ship is about to dock," The destroyer Ayanami pointed out. She was just as excited as Javelin about the commander's arrival. However, unlike the Royal Navy destroyer, she knew how to keep her emotions on the inside, "Let's make a good first impression."
"Okay…" The sleepy destroyer, Laffey, said distantly, "Let's give him a drink."
"No Laffey!" exclaimed Javelin as she and Z23 dashed forward to catch their friend before she almost fell off the dock. The Iron Blood destroyer immediately gave her a small lecture about her clumsiness and that she should stop playing video games so late into the night.
"Oh my, it seems that everyone is getting along just fine," The gentle voice of the busty armored carrier, Illustrious, commented on the scene, "Come on Unicorn don't be shy. Join your friends."
The little support carrier shrunk behind her stuffed unicorn, unsure what to do in the scene in front of her. Ultimately, Z23 slapped Laffey around in an attempt to get her to pay attention. Ayanami waved her hands in an attempt to calm the enraged destroyer, but it was in vain. Javelin laughed awkwardly at her friend's antics, one arm behind her back. She smiled at Unicorn and motioned for her to join them. A perplexed support carrier looked to her older sister for approval. With a reassuring smile and a nod, she approved it. Unicorn returned the smile and dashed forward toward the group of four, who calmed down slightly as they approached. Nimi decided that now was not the time.
"WHATSSS-aaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
A wave of gasps and shocked reactions rang out throughout the audience. Everyone's expressions contorted in surprise. Some of the ship girls had their mouths agape and expressions that resembled horror, confusion, laughter, or a combination of the three. Even the more stoic ones, such as Enterprise, Nagato, and Ayanami, couldn't keep their mouths shut. Except for one small destroyer.
"I'll give the commander a drink," Laffey said nonchalantly, walking off the dock after the figure. Another little plop could be beneath the dock.
…
"Well, that was quite the show," commented Warspite. Her face was still recovering from shock and her eyes were shrunk once again.
What followed the long silence after the silence was a mixture of various reactions at the comedic fall of their supposed commander. Many chatted and murmured among themselves, saying that this could not possibly be the person that was going to be in charge. The more maternal and sisterly ships expressed worry to the wellbeing of their new fleet head. However, there was a prominent roar of laughter from many groups of ships as they were entertained by the spectacle of their commander's entrance.
No one stood still for long as the many ships among the crowd were ordered to be dispersed by their leaders. Everyone made their way to various parts of the party, from the banquet table, game stalls, and the announcement stage.
Meanwhile, Laffey and Enterprise organized a rescue operation to fish the felled female from the water. The ramp had been connected to the ship as another smaller figure was seen exiting the ship. A look of worry and disappointment flashed across his face as he made his way to the form of his sister, now dripping wet, being shoulder carried by Laffey and Enterprise.
"Sis, what was that?" asked Emile.
"An entrance," The brunette laughed as she exited the arms of her two rescuers and turned to face them, "Thanks for helping me up. I would have swum up myself but something fell on top of me."
"Sorry...Here... have a drink." replied the bunny destroyer as she offered her cola to apologize.
"Oh certainly," Maddy took a swig of the drink and gave the destroyer a thumbs-up. "Ahh… Well that hit the spot. A bit of Cola to warm me up."
"We should get you dry," The carrier Enterprise interjected while wrapping her coat around Maddy's form. The brunette thought to turn down the offer, but she noticed she was shivering a bit and knew that she absolutely needed to keep her composure. Not only for her brother but also for the group of ships approaching towards them.
"I can get dry later but now it's time to meet the Queen," Maddy brushed off Enterprise's offer and made her way towards the entourage approaching her. Her little brother lingered behind a bit as he exchanged greetings with the Grey Ghost and the sleepy bunny.
"Ah, it is an honor to meet you, our majesty," Maddy knelt on one knee in respect to one of the core leaders of Azur Lane. Her hand clasped onto the shipgirl's hand in a seemingly dramatic manner. Queen Elizabeth's face reddened at the action. However, laughter could be heard coming out of Akagi's mouth, and a light chuckle escaped the girl whose hand was clasped too.
"Hmm? What wrong," asked Maddy with a slight grin on her face.
"Umm, that's not the Queen," Warspite pointed out, "That's Illustrious."
Maddy looked to see that it was indeed a pair of massive breasts in front of her face. She nodded her head and got up while trying to avoid a soft collision. Illustrious gave out a quiet 'oh my.'
"My mistake," Maddy cleared her throat and extended her hand towards Warspite, "It's a pleasure to meet you your majesty. I thought you would have been a lot taller and wore pants."
Warspite let out an awkward chuckle as she took the handshake. Warspite's awkward laugh soon turned into a frightened gape as she saw Queen Elizabeth's face turn red with anger. Warspite signaled to the brunette, who was shaking her hand, that she was not the queen by desperately shaking her head and pointing towards the furious tomato that was Queen Elizabeth. Maddy acknowledged her distress and turned to face the Queen.
"Oh I'm sorry, I should have known you were the Queen by that shiny crown on your head," Maddy made an apologetic bow before swiping the tiny crown from the Queen's head and placing it on her own, "I quite like the look of it."
Elizabeth snapped. She emitted a screech before pouncing onto the brunette who dared defile her royal visage.
"You stupid, uncouth, disgusting, dirty, peasant! I ought to lob your empty head onto a spike and have it decorate my thrown room! I'm going to cut off your filthy hands and peel your eyelids-" She continued to lob insults and claw at the downed officer. However, Maddy couldn't help but give a roar of laughter at the situation she was in.
Warspite and most of the other leaders tried their best to peel the Queen off of their supposed commander. However, it would take some time because the Queen wasn't done giving the jester girl a piece of her mind.
Meanwhile, Emile watched the scene in disappointment. Both of his hands covered his face to try and hide from the embarrassment. A small voice called out to him, which made him look around and look down. A girl with violet hair and that was actually shorter than him was hiding behind an adorable unicorn plushy.
"Um… Hello," She slowly emerged from her hiding spot as Emile didn't intimidate her, "Are you here with the commander?"
"Well you could say that," Emile responded before observing the unicorn plush. It seemed alive, "I like your plushy, it matches you."
"Oh…" Unicorn squirmed adorably, "U-chan is my friend, and I want to make friends with the commander."
"Then I'll be your friend," Emile asked, feeling comfortable talking to unicorn, "I have my own plushy collection."
"Wow…" Unicorn gained a bit more confidence as she asked one final question, "Can I call you big brother?"
Emile blushed at the unexpected request. He looked into Unicorn's eyes. They were wide and hopeful, which already meant that he had no choice no matter what.
"Sure, I always wanted to be a big brother." Emile answered sincerely. The smaller unicorn beamed in awe as a small smile graced her face.
The moment was broken when a clump of footsteps approached the pair, followed by ominous giggling. Unicorn immediately hid behind her new big brother as the figure stopped just in front of them.
"Ara Ara~" Sang the carrier Akagi as she observed the pair in amusement. Her eyes were concentrated on the only male in the naval base, "What a cute pair you two make."
"You must be Akagi," Emile tried to keep himself from shivering in fear. He knew that this was one of the Sakura Empire's lead carriers. And quite possibly one of the scariest ships considering her combat record and personality, "It's a pleasure to work with you."
"Hehe, same to you as well little one," She looked done and gave a frightening smile towards the boy and the light carrier still hiding behind his back. She continued to cackle in amusement before kneeling herself down to eye level with Emile, "Are you working with the new commander over there?"
She gestured her eyes over to Queen Elizabeth, who was off Maddy but was still trying to claw her way towards the brunette. It took the strength of Bismarck and Richelieu to hold her back. It was incredible how Maddy was still laughing despite being dripping wet with scratch marks on her face. Emile stared deadpan at the situation.
"Yes, in a way," Emile answered distantly.
"Well, why don't you help me dry her off and keep that little insect away from her," Akagi offered, with menace in her voice.
"I think that would be for the best," Emile responded.
He made his way over to the groups to finally give formal introductions. Still, the pair forgot to mention that Maddy was not the new commander.
The stage preparations were complete and every shipgirl was directed towards their seats. Whispers and conversations passed the time among the crowd as they prepared for their new commander's inauguration speech.
Queen Elizabeth finally calmed down, but was still seething underneath at the treatment she had received from Maddy. Luckily, she still had the composure to watch her climb the stage. The brunette girl was dried off and, oddly enough, was carrying a stepping stool. Everyone in the crowd noticed and wondered what she intended to do with it.
Maddy approached the podium and gave the mic a tap check before giving her statement.
"Hello everyone, the name's Maddy. I've been assigned to act as lieutenant commander for the renewed Azur Lane alliance," Some raised an eyebrow at the mention of 'lieutenant commander.'
"However, despite my dramatic and epic entrance, I want to clear up a misconception. I'm not the new commander, I'm his assistant and older sister," Even more eyebrows were raised, and confused faces were visible, "In fact here he comes right now. Everyone welcome the Commander!"
Everyone observed what seemed to be a young boy with light brown hair and bright blue eyes marching up the stage with a nervous expression. Maddy gave the boy a thumbs up and a fist bump before setting up the stepping stool behind the podium. Silence filled the air as the mic was adjusted and the audience tuned in, curious at what he had to say. The boy stood there for a few seconds, frozen, quite possibly from stage fright or trying to find the words to his speech.
Maddy's pupils nervously darted between him and the crown, "Hey bro you okay?" she asked.
Yet, Emile continued as the faces in the crowd seemed to morph into indistinguishable shapes. His mind began to flash him lucid images of something from his past. An overwhelming sense of dread began to creep through his mind. But he mustered the courage to begin his inauguration.
"Greetings everyone, my name is Emile and high command has chosen me to lead the new fleet to victory…" Emile coughed a bit to collect himself, "And I… umm…oh… uh."
Something started to prick the inside of Emile's skull. He had no idea what it was; it simply felt like a sharp pain trying to escape his mind. He groaned as he clutched his head. To the audience, it appeared to be stage fright. It was bad enough that Maddy stepped in and carried Emile off the stage. A shocked expression was still on his face.
At first, the crowd was silent before a storm of reactions manifested themselves across the different factions. Some girls were silently stoic, the younger destroyers were confused, the submarines laughed, and some girls squealed and cooed at what they saw as an adorable display. Atago and Taihou drooled, Bismarck shook her head, Queen Elizabeth was flustered, Akagi had a comical expression of shock, and the Enterprise just stood there trying to process what had just happened. Warspite's eyes shrunk once more.
"I think we made a fantastic first impression, right Em?" Maddy spoke to her still frozen brother. The expression of stage fright still remained on his face.
"You alright?"
She waved her hand in front of his face.
"Shit, not again."