After inspecting all the ambulances and fire trucks thouroughly, DS takes off his bulletproof vest and puts on his orange one. Since the state of combat is over, he has no reason to wear the military vest anymore. He's in a safe zone, so he'd rather appear in his 'ceremonial' uniform. And while his hazmat suit can hardly be considered a uniform, it's definitely better than nothing. After all, it is the only thing available in his stocks. Even if he wants to change clothes, he'd still have to wear one of the backup hazmat suits he has with him. Well, at least he won't look like somebody from the nuclear apocalypse that way.
After putting on his orange vest, he takes off his goggles and surgical mask, and lowers the suit's hood for a few seconds. It's a good thing there aren't any mirrors or cameras at the section of the hangar he's in. He doesn't know what his face looks like, but he's not eager to see what he looks like either. Some might think it's because he hates his own face and that he can't bear to see it, either because of scars or burns. That's not what it is though. On the contrary, he has no problem with his face. It might sound ridiculous, but in reality, he likes to keep the mystery of what he actually looks like. To reinforce that opinion, he tells himself that he's ugly so that he can discourage himself from looking at the mirror. Whether this is true or not, only he knows that. But better to be mysterious than straightforward sometimes.
After activating his walkie talkie radio, he puts on his white F2-XTREM helmet and lowers its face shield, covering his face completely except his eyes. At least now his eyeglasses won't fog up every time he breathes. Lately, he's had a few problems with this as his goggles and surgical mask were airtight with his suit. They were so airtight that all the air was redirected back to his face for every breath he took. Now with the helmet, he won't have that problem anymore. He can keep his face covered while also being able to see where he's going. Normally, the F2 is a fire helmet worn only by Red Cross and Red Crescent firefightes. Ambulance crews don't wear any helmets as it hasn't been necessary so far, although they do have their own hard hats just in case. The reason the Red Cross and Red Crescent chose the specific helmet for their fire brigades is because it was much cheaper, lighter and could be easily customized in comparison its American or Russian counterparts. So while DS doesn't have a hat, he prefers to wear the F2 helmet rather thatn having to keep the hood of his suit lifted up all the time.
After adjusting the walkie talkie radio to the right frequency, he hears a voice, which is none other than Universal.
-'Doctor Solace, are you receiving me?', she says in her calm voice tone.
-'Affirmative Universal, I'm receiving you loud and clear', replies DS, also in his calm voice tone.
-'You've been given the green light to disembark', continues Universal.
-'Copy that, I'll be there right away', replies DS again and gets up and lifts his helmet's face shield.
-'Okay, we're waiting for you, over and out', says Universal and hangs up the radio.
After looking around him for a few more seconds, he lowers the face shield again and walks towards the main door which slowly opens, revealing the sunlight which appears to be blinding him. He must have been in that hangar for a very long time cause it's been like nine hours since the battle ended. Ever since, he hasn't gotten out in the sunlight. The way he puts his hands in front of the transparent part of the helmet's face shield suggests he probably slept for a while. Thankfully, this only lasts a few seconds as he's quickly able to snap out of it and return to his senses. Sure the sun can blind someone temporarily, but this is ridiculous. He's never had problems with the sun, no matter how many time he looked at it. To have problems now suggests he's beginning to have problems with his health, more specifically, his eyesight. As soon as he's done with the meeting, he'll need to get that looked at.
As soon as the door opens, DS walks out and contacts his ambulances.
-'DS to all vehicles, you are clear to disembark', he says, still in his calm voice tone. 'Turn left as soon as you roll out of the ramp and form a convoy'.
-'Copy that DS', the vehicles respond and begin rolling out one by one. The first vehicle to roll out is the signle Hino Ranger ambulance that he decided to take with him. So far, this is the biggest of the three ambulances he decided to take with him. It's not as big as the Hermes or the IVECO Vigile fire truck, but it's big enough for him to set up his surgery room. Besides, if he needs more room, he'll connect the truck to ts awning tents to make it bigger.
The next vehicles to roll out are the Toyota HiAce ambulances followed by one of the single Rosenbauer crash tender and the single Scania V8 aerial water tower truck that he didn't leave behind. Not much of a medical convoy, but it's much better than nothing. Besides, this 'Azur Lane' faction has its own ambulances and fire trucks, so his vehicles will be acting mostly as a backup relief force that will provide the necessary assistance only when needed. The last vehicle to roll out is the Jeep Cherokee ambulance he had decided to bring with him in this mission. Sure he has his ambulances and fire trucks, but with the Jeep he can move around more freely and is able to interfere much faster. Besides, the Jeep is made for rapid intervention, not transport patients or wounded victims. With the Jeep, he'll be able to move wherever he wants and whenever he wants, assuming there's no emergency situation to deal with. But even if there is, he'll get in the area in no time. He doesn't know how big the island is, but hopefully it won't be as big as the Austronesian Republic, cause he's not in the mood to deal with really long roads or traffic jams, if there are any.
With the vehicles unloaded, DS walks towards Universal and her sister who are unloading a few boxes with the assitance of their cranes.
-'Hey girls, you need any assistance?', he asks as he waves to make sure he is seen.
-'Oh, is that you DS?', asks Universal who has just spotted DS, nearly dropping the box out of surprise. 'I didn't recognize you with that helmet'.
-'That's my fire helmet', replies DS, still in his calm voice tone. 'Though it's mostly meant for firefighting, in the Red Cross we use it rather for rescue operations and missions as well as patrols'.
-'Oh, I see. I must admit though, it looks far more cool than the ones you gave us', continues Universal, seemingly with a voice tone that indicates jealousy.
-'Well, every helmet has a different use', replies DS again. 'What I gave you are military helmets. Mine is a rescue helmet, it's not meant for combat'.
-'Fair enough', says Bulin as she picks up another box of ammunition.
-'So, do you need any assistance?', asks DS again as he tightens the chin strap on his helmet.
-'Yes, we've got plenty of boxes to unload and we're still a long way', says Universal, struggling to carry her own box. 'Now I did tell Vestal we're going to use your ambulances and fire trucks to transport the supplies to the main base, so they won't bring any trucks'.
-'Vestal? As in, USS Vestal? The repair ship USS Vestal?', asks DS, seemingly surprised from what he's just heard.
-'Yes, you know her?', asks Universal, also surprised.
-'I've done research on various warships from various historical timelines', replies DS, trying to explain while picking up two ammunition boxes. 'And USS Vestal is one of the ships I've researched. In my universe, gathering information is very easy', he continues as he puts down the ammunition boxes to open the right door of one of his ambulances. 'Everything is automated nowadays', he concludes as he puts the ammunition boxes in the vehicle.
-'Interesting', says Universal. 'Pity we don't have any automated systems here'.
-'Well, automated systems might be good, but doing some manual labor is sometimes good for your body and brain', explains DS as he loads the second box in the ambulance. 'If you want to stay healthy, you need to move constantly sometimes. It's exhausting, yes, but it's one of the things that keeps you healthy'.
-'Point taken', says Universal as she hands over another box, this time consisting of metal parts.
As they continue to unload the boxes one after the other, transferring them to the ambulances, USS Vestal, who had just finished the inspection of the damaged areas, approaches the vehicles. It took her rather a short time to finish. Apparently she had inspected the rest of the damaged facilities and ships prior to their arrival. No wonder she just completed her tasks so fast. On the other hand, when she heard of DS being a male ship, the thought of what he might look like has distracted her from doing her job properly and she couldn't focus on anything else. She might as well have skipped a little bit of work. Not the wisest choice, but when curiousity gets the best of you, you can't help yourself. So in the meantime, she just sits down and waits, inspecting DS' ambulances and fire trucks instead, admiring their designs. Can anyone blame her? These are vehicles she has never seen before, and while the Azur Lane faction has various ambulances and fire trucks of its own, they are nothing like the ones DS uses. Their curvy designs look like something straight out of a science fiction book or film. The only designs she's familiar with are the boxy designs of the ammunition and trasnport trucks she's been using for the transfer of shells and metal parts. Maybe there's something different about those vehicles.
After inspecting the ambulances once more, she presents herself in front of the Universals who along with DS are transferring more ammunition and metal boxes to the Hino Ranger truck.
-'Oh hey Vestal, I didn't expect you to come back so soon', says Universal.
-'Yeah well, the inspection ended sooner than I expected. So, here I am', replies Vestal, trying to sound cheerful. She then turns to look at DS. 'I believe you are Doctor Solace?'.
-'Yup, that's me', replies DS as he places another ammunition box in the truck. 'Doctor Solace, lead ship of the Solace-class hospital ships, and the only ship of my class. I take it you are USS Vestal'.
-'Indeed I am', replies Vestal. 'I never thought I'd get to meet a male ship', she continues, though it's hard for her to shake the awkward feeling she has. Of course she would be nervous. She's just met the first ever male ship, how is she supposed to react to that? The best thing she can do is act calm like she always does. It's not going to be easy though, considering how new this situation is to her.
-'Well, I'm glad I could be the first', says DS, trying to jke about it and make her feel relaxed.
-'Welcome to Azur Lane Doctor Solace', continues Vestal, still attempting to act as cool as possible. 'I must say, I didn't think you'd be wearing a helmet as well'.
-'That's my fire and rescue helmet', replies DS as he points at it with two of his right fingers. 'It's meant for firefighting and rescue missions'.
-'It looks very weird to be honest', says Vestal, looking at DS' F2 helmet. 'Nothing like what we use here'.
-'Like I explained to Universal and her sister, each helmet has a different use', explains DS, still in his calm voice tone. Mine is not meant for combat, but it does offer me some limilted protection from shrapnel and falling objects. If you're interested, I'll give you a tour of my ship and I'll demonstrate the different gear I'm using on various situations'.
-'Fair enough', says Vestal as she looks at the ambulances once again. 'I've never seen such ambulances though'.
-'And you ain't seen nothing yet', says DS as he picks up his walkie-talkie and contacts his vehicles. 'DS to Med convoy, are you receiving me?'.
-'Affirmative DS', all vehicles reply in their usual electronic voice, surprising Vestal. 'Oh, I forgot to mention. My ambulances and fire trucks are what we call 'self-aware'. They can talk, drive by themselves, and scan the vitals of wounded victims'.
-'What? Is that even possible?', asks Vestal, not believing what she's just heard. Can anyone blame her? She's never seen vehicles that can talk before, so it's no wonder she looks so spooked and horrified. First DS the male ship, and now talking ambulances? Just how more insane can that get? At this rate, she's willing to accept just about anything.
-'Well, you just got a first taste of what they look like so, you can't deny it', says DS, still trying to unsuccessfully make a joke.
-'Point taken', says Vestal again.
-'I'd like you to take me to the highest officials who are in command of this base', continues DS, trying to make his point clear. 'I want to clarify my intentions of my stay here and the approval to set up my field hospital'.
-'Understood, I can get you there right away', says Vestal and puts on a smile on her face.
-'Before we go, I have to get my last vehicles out', says DS as he tries to adjust his walkie talkie radio to the right frequency. 'And they aren't just any types of ambulances. They are very special vehicles. Just give me a second to fix this radio'. After about three minutes, the WT radio is finally fixed. Looks like he'll need to change the battery, it's starting to malfunction. 'This is Doctor Solace to SAS squad, you are clear to disembark the vessel. I repeat, you are clear to disembark the vessel. Make a right turn as soon as you're off the ramp'.
-'Copy that DS', replies an electronic voice similar to the one of the Toyota ambulances, though this one sounds much lighter than the one the ambulances use to communicate.
After hanging up the radio, DS picks up another munitions box and puts in the Hino Ranger. So far, he's halfway through with completing the transfer. He did expect all that work to take some time, but he never thought he'd complete it so fast. Maybe it's because of the limited cargo capacity of his vehicles. Well, they are ambulances, not transport trucks, they aren't meant to carry anything other than wounded and sick patients. If they could use some of the base's trucks, then the weapons and equipment transfer would have taken much less time. They might as well unload and come back for the next package of boxes and metal parts. It's an exhausting method, but it's also practical.
After waiting for two more minutes, an engine sound is heard through the hangar of DS' ship and five white Lotus Esprits, one Turbo and four V8s, all painted with the Red Cross logo on their doors and the letters S.A.S. on their bonnets, roll out at high speed.
These aren't just any type of Turbo or V8s. On the contrary, these are Lotus Esprit M supercars, a version of the specific supercar made by Lotus exclussively for the Red Cross during their mission in the Austronesian Republic. The vehicles were inspired by the Ghost Camaro that was driven by Danish army officer Helge Meyer during the Bosnian War. The idea was to create a specialized medical car that would respond as fast as possible to less serious emergencies where a regular ambulance wasn't required. That way, the Red Cross doctors would be able to arrive both in style and in time, saving as many as lives as they can. As a result, the Special Ambulance Squad was founded, which consisted of ten former rally and race car drivers who had volunteered for the Red Cross. Thanks to their driving skills, many lives were saved and many more medical supplies were delivered through the warzones. The most unusual result of that story, is that Lotus sold those five cars to the Red Cross for free, refusing to accept money no matter how many times the Red Cross insisted. This was one of the unusual moments where a major automobile company decided to show some sort of gratitude for all the hard work done by the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. How these cars ended up in DS' hangar, even he doesn't know, but at least he can now use them to his advantage.
After making a right turn, the five supercars drive straight ahead and stop near the Hino Ranger truck. DS then puts another ammunition box in the truck and walks over to the Lotus Turbo.
-'Vestal, Universal, Bulin. I want you to meet the cars of the Special Ambulance Squad', says DS as he puts his right hand on the left door of the Lotus.
-'What are those cars?', asks Vestal, staring at the five supercars in complete surprise.
-'These are Lotus Esprit M supercars', replies DS and begins to explain. 'M for medical. They are specialized medical cars meant for rapid response at emrgencies where ambulances are not needed. They can achieve a top speed of around 245 to 280 km/h'.
-'280 kilometers?', the three shipgirls ask in amazement. They've never heard of cars able to achieve speeds that high. For a car to achieve such speeds would only be a miracle.
-'Yup, 280. With their Lexus 5.0 litre V8 engines, these supercars can get you wherever you want to go in no time', continues DS. 'Ain't that right fellas?'.
-'Yes sir', the five Esprits reply in their electronic voices.
-'Well, if that's true, then we're lucky to have them here', says Vestal, staring at the five supercars in amazement. If what DS is saying about them is true, then the response time to a disaster, an inspection or any other emergencies will be reduced significally. Well, she'll just have to wait and see.
-'I agree', continues Universal, still surprised by the details of the supercars.
-'I'll demonstrate you their abilities later', says DS and adjusts the frequency on his WT radio once again. 'Right now I need to see the commanding officials. Shall we?', he continues and shows the way.
-'Sure, we're going in your cars?', asks Vestal, eager to ride in one of the Esprits.
-'Sure, but not in the supercars', he says and attempts to contact his Jeep. 'DS to command car, are you receiving?'.
-'Affirmative DS', replies the Jeep.
-'Then get over here ASAP, I need you', says DS and hangs up his radio again.
In a few seconds, the Jeep reverses out of the convoy and stops right near DS, opening its two front doors after doing so and leaving Vestal surprised once again. Of all the things and vehicles she's seen so far, this is by far the most creepy and amazing feature in an ambulance. But then again, she's just heard the ambulances talking and saw them driving themselves, so anything is possible. It might seem new to her, but she'll eventually get used to it. As soon as DS demonstrates his and his vehicles' abilities and equipment, then she'll be able to make a little more sense. For now, the meeting is top priority, both for her and Doctor Solace himself. He doesn't wish to cause any panic with his presence, so the sooner he states his intentions to the Azur Lane officials, the sooner he'll avoid a similar confrontation to the one he faces back at the Universals' base.
With both DS and Vestal having gotten inside, the Jeep rolls away with the ambulances, the fire trucks and the medical cars following. It would have been more practical to go with just the Jeep, but he's got boxes to unload from the rest of his vehicles. And even if they weren't transporting any cargo, it's better to keep the convoy together for security reasons. Leaving even one vehicle behind would mean exposing it to danger, and DS cannot allow that to happen. He'd rather risk getting himself killed than losing his vehicles to enemy fire or any accidents. After all, this convoy will be his field hospital for as long as he stays. This 'Azur Lane' faction might have their own medical facilities, but since he's just arrived here, he's not willing to work anywhere else. Maybe as the time will pass, he'll eventually manage cooperate with the other warships and medics, but for now, his field hospital will be enough.
(And that's all for today's chapter. I apologize for rushing things, but that's all I could come up with. Let me know what you think in the comments below. Also, feel free to check out and subscribe to my Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/@LiteratureDefenseForceTV), (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3NFEl7QVOGicwHf47sx2kA) and Dailymotion (https://www.dailymotion.com/dm_3d747a802541c2896c380556ac124866) channels. Until then, see you next time. Remember, your opinion is always important)