The Marine Demon's War Diary

Going once, going twice...

POV Tanya Von Degurechaff

Location: Saboady archipelago, Marine base.

The journey to the Saboady archipelago had gone smoothly. Traveling at night made navigation more complicated for sailors, but it helped avoid unpleasant encounters, as most ships preferred to anchor at night to let their crews rest.

Instead of taking a full day to connect MarineFord with the archipelago, the small ship was able to dock at the port of the locally established Marine base on the island in the late afternoon.

Tanya had quickly left the ship to reach the base, taking care to duly thank the crew that had brought her to port. While she may not have meant any of the words she uttered in front of these men, it was important to her to maintain a good image of her colleagues. Relationships with minor personnel may be considered by senior officers as an important element in their selection for a higher position in the Marine hierarchy pyramid.

Tanya's eyes widened when she noticed that the architecture of this base was very similar to that of Marineford. The corridors resembled the corridor of HQ. "At least I can acknowledge that the architect who led the work on the Marine's infrastructure was very efficient."

Because the Marine's buildings were essentially similar, it was easy for any soldier to find his way through this maze of offices and corridors. Ammunition depots and food supplies were located primarily on the second floors of the buildings, allowing soldiers to gear up for missions as they exited the building. The mezzanine floors, in turn, provided accommodation for the various officers' offices and command and administrative offices. Finally, the staff quarters were located on the upper floors of the building. Tanya had no trouble going to the base personnel office for temporary access to base records, as required by Marine military protocol.

When she arrived in front of the personnel officer, Tanya saw that he was slumped under various paperwork and did not seem to have noticed the presence of the young officer, who, thanks to her small size, did not tower over the stack of documents in front of her. She looked enviously at her superior because if he took care of the staff, this man probably did not need to return to a battlefield or even to be constantly on alert for fear of being attacked.

"Captain? What can I do for you?". An old, grim voice snapped Tanya out of her thoughts. Slightly startled, Tanya quickly stood at attention to respectfully greet her superior officer. "Colonel, I have come to inform you that I wish to take up residence at your base to take advantage of my days off, as per regulations."

"Have a rest, Captain, forget about formalities, especially since you are on leave," the old man replied nonchalantly as he retrieved a form from the cabinet behind him. All his movements were slow and limp, so Tanya thought he was doing it on purpose. "I do not think he ended up here for his gun skills," Tanya joked inwardly.

After a few seconds of searching, the old man handed over the attendance form along with a small black briefcase with the Navy logo, no bigger than a large notebook. Amused by the young girl's questioning look, the old colonel smiled broadly before continuing.

"I have already been informed by HQ that you are coming. The crew of the ship that brought you here must have made their report the moment you entered their ship..." After a brief moment of looking at the young girl, the colonel gave a long sigh before continuing his remarks. "To confirm your arrival at this base, you must fill out this document and affix your seal to it. Once you have signed, you can move into room 203, which is located on the right wing of the building."

The colonel continued his presentation of the location while Tanya looked at the form. She made sure to read each line of the document. Having worked in Human Resources in the past, Tanya was well aware that these types of documents, which may seem innocuous and anecdotal at first glance, could contain undesirable clauses that could prove to be very detrimental.