Azur Lane a FanFic

Chapter 4

Hood: Say commander, how much do you like studying?

Shikikan: I do what I need to do to get things done.

Hood: Good enough.

Hood stands up and walk towards the big book shelf by the fireplace. She looks at the various sections, trying to find a book. Shikikan, keeps looking at her while Hornet plays with the world globe.

Hood: Umm....

Finally Hood gathers enough books to create a tower as high as Shikikan's height with each book as thick as his fist.

Hood: Well commander, these books have 70 years of battle experience of our fleet.

Hornet: Ohhh...... hehe...Commander...that is a big pile of books.

Shikikan takes the smallest book he could find and to his dismay even that book was bigger than the thickest book he had ever read.

Shikikan: I have to read them all?

Hood: Well I think these two books are also important to properly understand the chain of command and rules of engagement of our fleet.....

Hood adds two more giant books to the pile. Shikikan takes a deep breath, he knew he needed the knowledge and if he was going to war, he had to be prepared.

Hood: Lord Commander, we are in dire need of a commander, well versed in the art of naval warfare, but it does not change the fact that your are a young and inexperienced officer. You were not chosen just for your valor in the battle, you were chosen for the potential you have.

Shikikan looks at the pile of books and reads the title of each one. A book in the middle of the stack grabs his attention, it was named "Commanding a Battleship". He takes the book out carefully and starts reading it. He could command a battleship? was what he thought. The battleships were now relics of past, the changing nature of war had made these war machines obsolete. He had never thought of commanding a battleship, just thinking about standing over such a behemoth gave him goosebumps and he could feel his heart beat raising. Hood saw Shikikan's smile he looked like a child realizing his dream.

Hood: Tell me commander. Have you ever been on a true battleship?

Shikikan: I have just been to the restored museum ships........Belfast!

Shikikan suddenly stood up and calls Belfast, he remembered the time he had visited the restored hull of HMS Belfast.

Belfast: You called me my lord?

Belfast comes running to the living room. Shikikan looks at Belfast, he remembers the time when he visited the river Thames, there he had seen HMS Belfast for the first time, but what disturbed him was the fact he just realized, he was forgetting some parts of his memory.

Belfast: My lord are you okay?

Shikikan: There are some things I can't remember.

On hearing this Belfast comes closer to Shikikan and holds him by his arm.

Belfast: Have a seat my lord. There is something you need to know.

A certain seriousness took over the room Hornet, Hood and Belfast were now sitting much closer to Shikikan and had a serious expression.

Belfast: My lord, right now you must be forgetting many things. This is a common occurrence and you don't have to worry about any of it. As days pass your memories you will get those memories back.