November 5, [REDACTED] - 07:00

One year later...

Their new base almost looked like a joke from first glance. Seagulls…everywhere. Bird crap and rust covered almost every inch of the two platforms they were bargained. Hiding the stench of the birds was the salty ocean breeze. Nonetheless, it was so much cooler than what she was expecting.

The platforms were constructed as a hex-type, which gives a lot more surface area than any other types of platforms. Hexagonal structures are some of the strongest out there and would sustain almost any damage attempted. A fascinating place to say the least. Nonetheless, there was a lot of cleaning to do on the three primary structures that awaited their assistance.

"So, what do you think?" Draco patted Kate on the shoulder, whom was admiring the filthy surroundings.

"Besides for the ocean part of it…I think it's a piece of shite…quite literally."

"Well, we can fix that before Scotty wants to make his way over from ARTEMIS Headquarters. There are plenty of cleaning supplies in that command tower." He pointed to the tall tower in the middle of the platform. "Did you happen to find out where the sleeping quarters were?"

"They're below deck." Kate turned to him. "Looks like we're going to have to invest in some new furniture for us. But as of now, we have cots we can set up."

"I'd say if we get our new home all cleaned up in three days, then we've earned more than just beds!" Draco tapped her butt with the palm of his left hand before walking to the command tower. Kate narrowed her eyes as he got farther away. She couldn't help but smile to herself not long after and follow him into the tower. He might be a idiot and a flirt, but he wasn't the type to try to steal her from Percy.

"So, what are we gonna do? The pilots worked over-night taking supplies to a fro. We should prolly give them a break." Kate spoke as she caught up with Draco, whom was looking around for a supply room. The tower was a pretty large area, it reminded her of a hospital with how clean it was on the inside. It was a shame most of the upkeep is going to go to the exterior.

"That sounds like a good idea. I guess we'll round up the other guys and have them start working on the exterior."

"Gotta get down and dirty before everything else." Draco stopped in his tracks and turned around, facing her with a sly smile on his face.

"My word... Kate…are you coming onto me?"

"What?" Kate raised an eyebrow, backtracking on her words. "Ohhhhh, no I didn't mean it that way. Pervert." She poked his chest with her index finger, clicking her tongue against her cheek on impact.

"I'll go down below and round up the guys, you just get all those cleaning supplies ready, yeah?" Kate quickly saluted and jogged off toward the entrance of the building. Draco stood there confused for a moment, before he remembered something...

"Oh yeah... I'm second in command..."

Hours later, everyone was still hard at work scrubbing and scraping off any type of unappealing gunk that seemed to be branded onto the platforms. It took a lot of elbow grease, but everyone was able to clean it spit-spot in only a few days! Draco had found some suitable quarters for him, Kate and Scotty. They were located with the other Legionnaires, but on the top floor in one medium-sized building that was planted on the platform directly north from the Command Base. From the size of the buildings, it looks like everyone would be able to get a room fit for two! They could harbor nearly three-hundred soldiers in these buildings if need-be!

Whoever owned this place before had a ton of money put into it, the structure was incredible! Not only that, but they installed some kind of ocean thermal energy conversion system…so all their electricity was converted in from the ocean from some type of turbines! Amazing! There was so much storage space and even places for expansion if they were looking to develop any more platforms in the future. It was an excellent deal so far! It made Kate wonder how exactly it was possible to get a hold of such prime real estate.

November 8, [REDACTED] - 19:00

The Base had finally received an order of mattresses and metal bed frames by supply-drop for any room that needed them. Finally, the crew can sleep comfortably for a change! Besides the extra various supplies, the base had come together quite nicely. It was clean, smelling loads better and a lovely place to call home. Everyone had gathered into the mess hall to celebrate with some food and beer to bring the cleaning spree to a close!

Kate stood in front of everyone with a beer in her right hand, holding it up in a toast fashion. "Everyone, I want to thank you for all you hard work these past few days! We're only getting started, but I'm glad we can call this our home. Here's to the future!"

"To the future!" All thirty Legionnaires shouted, bringing up their glass bottles.

"Speaking of future!" Draco stood up from his seat amongst the crowd. "Scotty gave me the ok to create different branches within our unit. Starting tomorrow morning, we're going to assign every one of you to a group based on the attributes you're most efficient in. Scotty is going to be recruiting as many men as he sees fit, so there will not be a shortage of new faces around here. Be model soldiers and show them how it's done, alright?"

"Yessir!" They raised their beer bottles another time at Draco's words. As the celebration continued, Kate had decided to stop drinking and retire outside to meet with the fresh evening air. She made her way to the edge of the platform and sat on the ledge, dangling her feet off the side. Leaning back on her hands, she stared out into the dark depths that were being lit by the plethora of stars that littered the sky. The lights expanded as far as she could see and no doubt continued beyond the horizon. It's strange how something so vast and beautiful as the ocean could potentially be so terrifying and destructive.

They've really come far. The Legion was now getting bigger and more confident by the day. Everything that Scotty had envisioned was becoming a reality. Kate felt proud to be a part of every minute of it. It still comes to her mind what she would be doing if Scotty had not found her back in Afghanistan. Would she still be out there being a flight medic? No doubt!

She wouldn't have met Draco, Naka, or any of the other guys and gals either if it wasn't for his arrival. It suree is a small world. She smiled at the recollection. Draco had crossed her mind. He had seemed happier these past few days, especially with him convincing Scotty to let Delacroix join the unit. The Captain was one hell of a guy...

"Something on your mind?" A familiar voice called out from behind her.

"Heh, think of the devil and he shows up, huh?" Lydia joked as she kept her eyes on the horizon. From her peripherals, Scotty had taken a seat next to her in a familiar fashion to her current position.

"Glad to know you're thinkin' of me." He nudged her. "Anyway, how do you like it?"

"What, the base? I think it's a great start and there's a lot of room for recruiting and improvement."

"I agree...it's our own little slice of heaven"

Kate nodded. The silence that was to follow wasn't awkward…it was calming. The sea breeze gently touching their bodies, no cares or worry. This was it, this is where everything would begin. Maybe it was the captain at her side that made her feel at ease, if that was the case…she wish he would never leave. Her right hand moved on its own, finding its way on top of Scotty's. She could feel his hand tense up the moment she touched him, but soon relaxed. He removed his left hand out from underneath her's and wrapped his arm around her shoulder, bringing her to rest against the side of his body. She comfortably leaned her right cheek on the ball of his shoulder as they stared out into the distance. His left thumb was rubbing against her arm. She felt like her heart was going to melt. Her stomach started to coil the more she sat with him in silence.

"It's getting late, yeah?" Kate finally spoke. "You wanna be a gentleman and walk me to my room?"

"Didn't I already tell you that 'gentle' was my middle name?" Scotty smiled, slowly dragging his hand down her arm before returning it to his side. Scotty was the first to stand up and help her afterwards. He placed his hand on the small of her back and led her to their quarters on the platform directly north of the command center. Once in the hall, they stopped outside of her room, which was only two doors down from Scotty's. "You know, I'm right there if you want to stop by." He nodded his head toward his room.

"Oh, I know. And I'm right here if you need me." Kate smiled. "Thanks, Percy." She opened the metal door, then was abruptly stopped when he snatched her hand.

"Kate…uhh…" He nearly tripped over his words. "Can I…May I come in?" Kate smiled to herself, feeling her heart flutter with excitement.

"I though you'd never ask."

November 9, [REDACTED] - 06:00

Kate opened her eyes every morning like clockwork. Although, there was something different this time. The warm body of Percival Cameron decided to stay the night for the first time since the start of their bedroom escapades. Kate smiled as her eyes roamed his sleeping face. He was so handsome, what had overcome him to actually stay the entire night? The butterflies hatched in Kate's stomach and started to float around the more she stared at him trying to conspire his motive. Ive gotta move. She resisted all urges to touch him and decided to roll out of bed to prevent herself from doing so.

In her new room, there was a small full-service bathroom that came equipped with a stand-in shower. She waltzed into the bathroom, slowly shutting the door behind her making sure not to not wake up Percy. Her eyes then turned to greet herself in the mirror. Her Ginger hair was messy and unbrushed. She had darker circles around her eyes than normal, her skin was paler…something about her didn't feel right…then again she did just wake up. Kate faced the shower and turned it on, letting the water heat up before stepping in. She let the warm water travel down her body. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed before she heard the door swing open, as if someone was trying to stealthily maneuver in...

Kate brought her right hand to the edge of the curtain and drew it back just enough to see Percy attempting to sneak up on her. "Got you, Captain. You know you can't sneak up on me."

"I've done it before." He grinned. "Mind if I join you?"

"Join me?" Kate blushed.

"What're you blushing for?"

"The water's just too warm, ok?!" Kate shut the curtain to shield herself until Percy broke the barrier and just stepped right in.

"Oh please, the water isn't too warm." Percy smiled. She looked away from him in embarrassment. His right hand found its way to the crevice of her neck, gently gliding its way over her scarring.

"Uhhh, thank you, Percy." Lydia finally sounded out the words she kept in.

"For what?" He asked dumbfounded, keeping his hand on her shoulder.

"You know…you spent the night. It was nice waking up to see you for once. Your normally always on a mission or doing Commander duties..."

"Now that I can thank you for..." Percy grinned, guiding his hand to the back of her neck. He pulled her out of the trickling water and kissed her on the lips.

Within no time, it was the hour to suit up and round up what troops they had for assignments. Kate and Scotty made it out of their own quarters and met up with the men not long after. They were all standing at attention in an organized fashion, each on eager as to what position they will be holding in their new home. "Good morning, men." Scotty greeted.

"Commander! Good morning, Sir!"

"Your all so serious so early, haha! Can't help that." Scotty shrugged. Out from his breast pocket, he pulled out a folded document and proceeded to fumble with it until the font written on it was readable. Kate kept her eyes on the men as they waited in anticipation. "As you know…" Scotty cleared his throat. "I will be staying the Commander and Kate the Sub-Commander and Draco is the Executive officer."

"Sir!"

"Without further ado, here are the squad leaders. Congratulations on your promotion. Rosal, Head of the medical team. Klaus, Head of Research and Development. Dragon, Head of combat team. We have someone in mind for intelligence work for mission support and staff in the mess hall as well, but we just don't have the man-power just yet to form that group. Here are the rest of your assignments…"

November 10, [REDACTED] - 11:30

Scotty had received some intel that a Spec ops group was being held captive at a boat house on Guadalcanal…not too far from the base's location. He left the base with a small team, himself leading the mission. It wasn't long until he radioed in. "Base, do you read me?"

"Yes Captain, go ahead?" Answered Delacroix, she was now our new comms officer, since she had helped out Scotty and Draco during the supercarrier mission.

"What was this you just sent me? Is this a Fulton system?"

"Ah, glad you got it! I'm glad their air-drop worked! Use the Fulton Recovery System to send us any troops you see fit. In the long run, it will really help us expand. Make sure not to bring back too many troops, we don't want to get over-crowded." Draco added.

"Got it." Scotty mumbled.

"Fulton? Nice thinking, Draco..."

It wasn't until a little past 13:00 when Draco's radio buzzed. "Legion HQ here." Draco responded. "Acknowledged."

Draco made eye contact with Kate, motioning for her to approach him. Kate stood up from her chair and walked to him while he spoke though his radio again. "The mountains? You think that's where they're taking the captives?" There was a short pause before the conversation was ended. "Kate, we're going to take a trip to the helipad. Scotty is sending us someone for medical treatment."

"Got it." Kate nodded. "The both of you wait here. No doubt one of us will be back." She spoke to two Legionnaires.

"Yes ma'am!" They saluted.

Once out of the room, Kate and Draco made their way outside. "You know who he's sending us?"

"He didn't say. Must be someone important." Kaz shrugged.

"I'll give Rosal a call." Kate dialed into the Medical team frequency. "Rosal, do you read me?"

"Loud and clear, ma'am." He responded, as if he was waiting for her to call his whole life.

"I need you to come to the command platform right away. You're about to have a delivery."

"On my way. I'll bring two others with me. Do you require a stretcher?"

"That may be necessary, bring one just in case."

"Yes ma'am. Over and out."

Kate turned off her radio and kept her eyes on the horizon.

"Hey Draco, how long does the Fulton recovery take?"

"Well it depends. I would say about an hour or so. The Ballon has to inflate, lifting the subject. Then the AC-130 snags the Fulton Ballon, hauling the subject on board and lands at a nearby friendly Airfield. Then a chopper should ferry in the subject soon."

He was right. About forty-five minutes passed before the Iroquois chopper that was gifted to The Legion by ARTEMIS. Rosal and a team of two medics jogged to the chopper with the rolling metallic stretcher. Kate watched Rosal crawl into the chopper and drape a woman over his shoulders. She looked like she was in pretty bad shape. Rosal jumped out once he had a strong grip and had help from the other two men to place her on the comfort of the stretcher.

"Scotty, this is Kate. We got her safe and sound. Rosal is taking her to the med bay to fix her up."

"10/4." Scotty replied though her ear-piece.

"Wow." Kate heard Draco breathlessly sigh as she was wheeled by them. It sounded like he was in a trance! Lydia didn't get a good look at her up close, but she could tell from the distance that she was a very attractive woman.

"What? See something you like?" Kate raised an eyebrow and nudged him in the arm.

"W-wait! It wasn't like that!" Draco caught himself.

Kate followed Rosal and the other two guys to the medical facility where they would work on the mysterious woman. I wonder who she is. Kate thought as she sat outside of one of the operation rooms. It wasn't until 15:00 until Rosal was done doing what he could to keep her stable. He waltzed out of the room, rubbing his palms together as if he had just washed his hands.

"She's stable. She was in pretty bad condition when she arrived. I have no idea how she survived. It looks like she has been through a terrible battle." Rosal explained.

"Wow, she lucked out." Kate nodded her head.

"She's resting now. It might take a few days for her to recover. She's still knocked out from all the sedatives."

"Hell, I would be too." Kate smiled.
"Good job Rosal, I'm glad we can count on you."

"Any time, Sub-C." He happily answered.

"I'll wait in the room until she wakes up. I know what it's like to wake in an unknown place, it's not the best experience in the world if you don't see a friendly face."

"Got it. I'll be in every now and then to check her vitals. Call me if you need anything."

"Gotcha Doc." Kate patted him on the shoulder before she waltzed into the room. She was sleeping peacefully; laying in bed with her leg elevated into the air by a small hammock. Her clothes were folded neatly on a small table by the door, they resembled a American Revolutionary uniform. She was dressed in an operation robe and covered by a thick blanket for comfort. Draco was right when he audibly complimented her beauty. She had an oval face with the perfect bone proportion for her face-type. Her brown, voluminous hair fell past her shoulders. Even with her eyes closed, Kate could only imagine how beautiful they would be when they opened...

The problem was though, Kate could swear the knew this woman. She couldn't place from where though...

Author's Note-

Scotty and Percy are the same person, Draco's real name is Jimmy Wilkins. The prolouge helps clear this codename debacle up. Kate being the Sub-Commander does not mean she is second in command, she is the one who runs the base if Scotty and Draco are out on a mission.

The inspiration for the base is somewhat obvious, Mother Base from Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker. The legion base is located in a different location however, it is located in the Pacific.

Uh oh! A new TDoll arrives?! Does Draco finally get his own?