004
A HELPING HAND
"Ugh…my stomach…"
Staggering out of Kalinin's quarters an hour after she'd entered, Tessa groaned as her stomach waged a war with her throat, trying desperately to push the Commander's borscht back the way it had come. Half an hour into lunch, she would've preferred to have walked in on Sousuke completely naked then take another spoonful, but her manners prevented her from leaving until her bowl was clean.
A string of unladylike curses were then placed on whoever it was that first thought it polite to remain at the table until the meal was done.
But at least some good had come from that disgusting encounter.
She had information….not good information, but information regardless on her whereabouts last night.
As she had suspected, sometime between Melissa leaving and her…encounter with Mr. Meriden this morning, she had wandered out of her room, supposedly to supervise a test of the Base's early warning system. Then at around 0300 hours she had most likely run into…Mr. Mardukas. A shiver ran down her spine, one not caused by the storm that was raging within her stomach. It was bad enough she had ran into Corporal Meriden, but that hypercritical loud-mouth as well?
She didn't need Alex's evidence to ruin her career after that meeting.
But still more questions bounced around her head: How did she get to the ship? Why hadn't Mardukas woken her up if he'd found her traipsing around the base in her underwear? And more importantly: Where was her favourite stuffed animal!?
Another deadly protest from her stomach caused her to double over as she leant against the wall.
"Ugh…I think I'm going to die…" she swore she felt her cheeks go green as the borscht tried to return to the open air, "And now…I have to go to Mardukas' quarters…ugh…" another groan caused her to go weak at the knees, "But I really…don't wanna go…"
"Madam Captain? Madam Captain!"
A now oh-so familiar voice pierced the sickly aura that seemed to surround her, a wave of dread overtaking the nausea as she heard urgent footsteps running down the corridor, a pair of standard issue combat boots entering her field of vision as she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Captain Testarossa are you alright?" he was surprised at the note of concern in Alex's voice, the Captain slowly raising her head to gaze into the Corporal's worried eyes, "You don't look too good. Are you unwell?"
"To that, I have…one piece of advice…Mr. Meriden," Tessa smiled shakily as she clutched at her stomach, "Never…accept an invitation for lunch…with Mr. Kalinin…if he is the one cooking,"
Alex blinked in mild bewilderment, before relaxing into a small smile as he breathed a sigh of relief.
"For a moment, I thought it was something serious," he froze slightly, quickly processing his last sentence, "That is to say…you becoming ill is a serious issue Ma'am…but I the way you were buckled over, I thought it might be something more severe, like flu or malaria,"
"He was worried? That was sweet of him. No wait!" she shook her head slightly, "Of course he'd be worried! I'm his Captain. Ugh…focus Tessa!"
"Shall I escort you back to your quarters Ma'am?" the Corporal suddenly smirked slightly, "Or should I tell the medics to be standing by with a stomach pump?"
Tessa smiled slightly, before it suddenly became a frown.
"Mr. Meriden…shouldn't you be angry with me?"
"Angry Ma'am?"
"I've shouted at you. Called you names…called you a coward…" she shuddered slightly from the memory, "By all accounts, any other man would've…"
"Madam Captain," the softness of his voice quickly caused her mouth to abruptly shut with a click of her teeth, "I will admit, I'm…irritated…by your behaviour concerning our meeting this morning, but you are still my Captain, even if my tour of duty only started yesterday. And when you've got a dad and three older brothers already with an armed force, you tend to have a code of conduct beaten into you…" he frowned slightly, "So to speak. You are my Captain, and as such, unless I feel you're defying the orders of our superiors without good reason, I will serve you loyally for as long as I am under your command. This morning's incident was not a defiance against Mithril; it was merely, with respect, a misinterpretation of events. Therefore, by my family's code of conduct, I see no reason not to be concerned for your health,"
Professionalism. She could understand that.
"Thank you Mr. Meriden. I believe I'm feeling better now," another groan from her stomach told her otherwise, "Maybe not,"
The Corporal chuckled as he moved round to Tessa's side, a supporting arm coming round her shoulders.
"Come on. I'll take you back to your quarters; I think you need to go lie down. Take it from a guy who was forced to be my eldest sister's taste tester," he shuddered slightly, "Not pleasant,"
"You're very kind Mr. Meriden," she smiled slightly as he slowly began to walk her down the corridor, "But really…I don't have time to lie down…I have to go see Mr. Mar…"
"WOOHOO!!! OUTTA THE WAY!!!"
The pair had barely reached the intersection before almost being knocked down as Kurz came sliding round the corner, a large barrelled pistol in hand.
"Mr. Weber?"
"Oh! Hi Tessa! Hi Alex!" the sergeant grinned as he tore off down the corridor, "Nice to see the two of you made up! If you'll excuse me…"
Neither soldier had time to reply as Weber suddenly jumped into a nearby alcove behind a crate, Tessa worming her way out from under Meriden's arm out of curiosity for her friend's bizarre behaviour.
"Excuse me Mr. Weber?" she peered cautiously behind the crates as Alex joined her at her shoulder, her sickness all but forgotten, "What exactly are you…?"
"Shh!" the blond popped up from his hiding place, a finger to his lips, "Tell him I ran past you. I'm counting on you to save my butt!"
"Save his…" Meriden looked at his Captain with bewilderment as Weber ducked back down, "Butt? What from?"
They didn't have to wait long for an answer.
Charging around the corridor like an enraged bull seeing red, Lieutenant Belfangan Clouseau glared up and down the corridor with wide angry eyes, a sweeping brush held tight in his grasp.
"Mr. Clouseau?"
"Damn! Madam Captain! Corporal Meriden!" the tone of his voice caused the pair to flinch with fear, "Did that idiot Sergeant Weber go by here!?"
"He went that way," Alex pointed down the corridor behind him with a jerk of his thumb, Tessa far too stunned to even reply.
"Thanks a lot!" the officer tore down the passageway in a rage, "If you will excuse me I have to stuff this object down that scrawny runt's thr…"
"Mr. Clouseau!" the thought of violence within the base brought Tessa's voice back to her lips, the Lieutenant stopping in his tracks at the sound of her voice, "What happened with you two?"
"Well…you see…" Clouseau's shoulders shook from barely contained anger, his breath coming out in short pants, "It's about my DVDs Ma'am…I had just been watching them in my room…when…when…something appeared on the tape. Something that shouldn't have been there. A scene so horrible…so disgusting…"
"So…someone messed around with the video?"
"Yes…it was psychological warfare," the brush's head now rattled against the handle from the lieutenant's shaking hands, "My feelings have been shattered by this indignity. But…I've identified the vandal…and I will make him pay for the crime OF VIOLATING A MASTERPIECE!!! EXCUSE ME!!!"
The pair could only watch in bewilderment as he tore off back down the corridor, his brush held high.
"Okay…" Tessa blinked in bewilderment, "Well that was just…"
"Plain weird," Alex nodded in agreement.
The two glanced at each other in surprise as he finished her sentence, a small smile gracing their lips as Kurz leaped over the crates.
"Looks like we're finally even for that spat at the bar," the blond sniggered, "Nothing like serving up revenge when someone least expects it!"
"So what did you do?" Tessa glanced uncertainly at the Sergeant, half afraid of the potential mischief Weber may have invoked.
"I just modified his videos before I handed them over to Lost and Found," Kurz smirked devilishly, "I found the perfect scene to substitute for something a little more shocking!"
"That…seems a little mean Sergeant," Alex frowned slightly, "I mean he is our superior officer, and those videos are his personal belongings…"
"Hey, compared to what he did to me, I was being nice!" the blond scoffed, "He humiliated me, I tamper with his stuff…Even Steven right?"
"Wrong Mr. Weber," the two soldiers glanced down in surprise as their Captain spoke up, her face set and serious, "You've gone too far. Really, we all have something that's important to us Mr. Weber. You have to give him a proper apology. And that's an order!"
"Erm…" the Sergeant swallowed thickly as he ran his gun wielding hand across his long hair, "I'm not so sure the Lieutenant would accept an apology…"
"WEBER!!! YOU LITTLE BASTARD!!!"
"Judging by the tone of the Lieutenant's voice," Alex winced as his superior charged around the end of the corridor, "You might be right there…" he turned quickly to the charging man, "Lieutenant Clouseau please calm down," he winced as Kurz fired a large dummy shot the large man's way, their senior officer expertly deflecting the rubber bullet with the staff of his sweeping broom, "This will only get us all in trouble if you continue like this Sir! Please calm down and…"
"Sergeant Kurz Weber…" the sheer anger and venom that dripped from Clouseau's voice was enough to stop the Corporal's words with a click of his teeth, the younger soldier immediately stepping back to his Captain's side, leaving the blond sergeant standing defiantly in front, "Your guilt runs even deeper than the sea! You've crossed the line dirt-bag, and now you're gonna pay!"
"Pay for what?" Kurz smirked rebelliously with hands on hips, Tessa and Alex forced to watch uneasily as he continued to rile his superior up even more, "And even if it was me…what're you gonna do?"
"I'LL KILL YOU!!!"
"BRING IT!!!"
"Madam Captain, I really don't think this fight is such a good idea," the Corporal winced as the two men clashed, Kurz breaking away from the pistol/broom lock to fire a shot Clouseau's way, only for the older man to expertly dodge and send him crashing to the floor.
"Really, Mr. Meriden?" for all the fear for her friends' and comrades' welfare, Tessa couldn't help but let a note of sarcasm leak into her voice, "What on earth gave that away!?"
"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE IT IF I MESSED WITH YOUR STUFF!?"
"I THINK YOU COULD BE A LITTLE MORE MATURE ABOUT THIS!!!"
"Stop this right now gentlemen!" Even Tessa was tiring of an admittedly almost childish fight, the young Captain wincing as Kurz's pistol came flying through the air to smack Alex square between the eyes before falling into his open right hand, "You two break it up or I'll…" she fumed quietly as the broom quickly followed, the corporal dropping the plastic bag he had been carrying to expertly catch the makeshift weapon before it too slapped him round the face, "Oh for the love of…LISTEN TO ME!!!"
"Gentlemen!" Tessa blinked as Meriden's voice entered the fray, his tone hard and cold as he aimed his newly acquired hand-gun at the duelling pair as the fight dissolved into fisticuffs, "Captain Testarossa has ordered this bickering to come to an end, and you have not heeded that order. I will give you to the count of three, or I will break you up by force! One…"
"Mr. Meriden I really don't think…"
"Two…"
"Mr. Meriden could you at least tell me what you're about to…"
"Three!"
The pistol went off a third time, the weapon tossed in the air before it's bullet had even struck the stunned lieutenant in the centre of his forehead, his amber eyes rolling up into his head as he collapsed off the exhausted Weber.
"Whew, thanks Alex!" Kurz grinned tiredly, "For a moment there…Ugh!" his eyes bugged out as the Corporal slammed the head of the sweeping brush into his abdomen, the sergeant groaning as he curled up around his stomach, "That's…not…cool…man…Ow…"
"But that's how you stop a fight," Meriden smirked as he caught the falling pistol as he swung the broom over his shoulder, "And people said five sisters fighting over one bathroom in the mornings was a bad thing!"
"CORPORAL MERIDEN!!!"
The handgun and brush fell to the ground with a clatter as Alex almost involuntarily snapped to attention, his eyes casting a fearful gaze down the corridor as a certain Executive officer stormed passed his Captain in a rage, a rolled up newspaper in on hand.
"C-C-Commander Mardukas! Sir, I was just…"
"No excuses Corporal!" the elder man waved his paper over Meriden's head threateningly, "I investigate a commotion and I find this!? A direct assault on two superior officers? What do you have to say for yourself? You've been here two days and already you feel the need to take out…"
"But Mr. Mardukas…" Tessa tentatively approached the commander, the officer blinking in surprise as though only just realising his Captain stood behind him, "Mr. Meriden was actually trying to stop a fight between Mr. Weber and Mr. Clouseau. They'd been scrapping over…something…and I ordered them to stop, and when they didn't…."
"Ah…I see," The Commander rose an eyebrow slightly, the only sign of any embarrassment, before turning back to Alex, "Corporal, I apologise. It was noble of you to defend the Captain's authority…although I question the manner in which you executed such defence,"
Alex quickly snapped off a sharp, if not late, salute, "Sir! Thank you and duly noted Sir!"
"And as for you two!" Mardukas turned his glare on the two soldiers sprawled out on the ground, Weber groaning as he slowly got to his feet, Clouseau taking the moment to regain consciousness, "Didn't you two hooligans hear the Captain's orders? Clouseau, on you're feet man! Your behaviour is unacceptable for a commissioned officer!"
"Sir…" the tanned man clutched his head as he groggily rose from the floor, "You're…absolutely right…There's no excuse for this…"
"Damn straight there was no excuse for it," Kurz rubbed his stomach as he glared at the Lieutenant, "And Alex, what's up Man? Whose side are you…OW!!!" the Sergeant saw stars as the newspaper smacked him round the back of the head.
"Corporal Meriden is on the Captain's side clearly," The Commander scowled darkly at the three pilots before him, "She gave you a direct order, which neither of you obeyed, and while his methods are not to my liking, I applaud his enthusiasm to reinforce the Captain's authority. Now listen up, all of you! Fighting on the base is simply deplorable! And shameful. Don't you realise that behaving as you just did is an incredible waste of your time and talent? If you can't find a proper use for all that energy, I'll find one for you! Stop throwing your youth away! After all it is a precious time that will never come back again…"
And so it went on…
And on…
And on…
For three whole hours…
For three whole hours Commander Mardukas continued to talk and lecture, going on about the shortness of youth, how not to waste it on arguments and how things were done back in his day.
By the time he began to wind down, the sun was starting to dip below the horizon, and the three soldiers before him looked to be on the verge of collapse.
"…You can go ahead and say I had a boring youth if you want, but as the years went by, all of my efforts were rewarded! It would serve you well to learn from this. Understood?"
No one spoke, no one even moved from their slumped positions until Kurz's legs seemed to give out from under him, the man having fallen into comatose state.
"It appears Sergeant Weber may be taken ill," Mardukas cocked an eyebrow with mild bemusement, "Lieutenant Clouseau, please take him to the medical bay. Consider it a part of your punishment for this travesty. We'll devise a proper punishment for you and Weber at a later date. Corporal Meriden, you're dismissed,"
"Sir," the two men saluted half heartedly, Alex staggering over to a nearby wall to collapse near his bag while Clouseau hooked his arms under the unconscious Kurz's armpits and proceeded to drag him out of sight.
"Honestly," the Commander rubbed the bridge of his nose from underneath his glasses, "Those men are so damn aggravating. I mean Mithril does have a great deal of young talent…but those egos are an absolute detriment," he blinked suddenly as he noticed a certain grey haired girl still stood near his side, "Captain, I didn't expect to still see you here. Are you alright?"
"Yes I'm fine…at least…I am now," Tessa winced as she raised her gaze to meet his, "Mr. Mardukas…about my behaviour last night around the base…" she sighed as he lowered her eyes to the floor, "I really must apologise. My conduct was highly inappropriate for someone who is supposed to be in charge of the fleet. I will never conduct myself in that way again,"
"Ma'am?"
She blinked in surprise as her head snapped up again, her eyes quickly taking in the confusion that filled her Commander's face.
"I'm not sure I understand Ma'am," Mardukas frowned slightly, "However…I don't think that not appearing at a simple security system test would be a reason to call your character into question,"
Now it was the Captain's turn to look confused, "But…weren't you the one who told Commander Kalinin that I wasn't going to be there?"
"Yes, but someone shared that information with me to start with. He said: "I'm sorry but the Captain is exhausted and she's turning in,". So I passed that information on to Commander Kalinin just to be safe. There shouldn't be any worry,"
She stared up at him with wide eyes of disbelief, before turning away, relief and puzzlement setting in at the same time.
"Oh…so that's what happened,"
"Captain? Is there some sort of problem?"
"Huh? No! No problem at all! Thanks for asking!" judging by Mardukas' face, he wasn't entirely convinced, "Since there isn't any problem, you're dismissed. Oh! I do need to know one thing…Who told you I wasn't coming to the security system test?"
"It was…" The Commander suddenly seemed to be uncomfortable, his dark eyes moving away from his Captain slightly, "Sergeant Sagara. Come to think of it…Isn't it about time for him to return to Tokyo?"
He didn't get a reply. By the time he'd turned back to her, Tessa had tore off up the corridors towards the Hanger, leaving the bemused Commander alone with Meriden as the former tried to get the blood pumping back to his legs.
"That's right! It was Mr. Sagara," Tessa's feet pounded against the tiled floors as her memories came flooding back to her, "I staggered my way over to the Danaan's mooring spot over by the pier…and he was there…" she cringed as she rounded the corner into a elevator, "And the things I said to him…About him and Chidori…Ugh, I can't even think about it! Then he said he'd walk me to my room, and I said it was this way…and we ended up on the Bridge, and I fell asleep in the Captain's seat," she doubled over as she lent against the wall of the cab, her breath coming out in heavy pants as she watched the numbers descend, "That still doesn't explain how I got to be half naked, but that's not important right now…He's going to be leaving soon!" She ran out the doors before they had even fully opened, "I have to apologise, I have to thank him and…I have to tell him how I feel!"
The plane was already starting up as she burst into the hanger, the man she desperately needed to see now halfway up the steps as she slid to a halt.
"MR. SAGARA!!!"
Sousuke looked round in surprise, "Captain? What are you doing here?"
"Um…It looks like I've caused you a bit of trouble lately," her breath came out in heavy pants as she doubled over in front of the plane, "And I just came here to apologise," She took a deep breath as she looked up into his bemused grey eyes, "Mr. Sagara…I'm sorry I…I just need to…to say…"
The last rays of sunlight suddenly poured over the metal deck as the plane rose up to the open air, her hand closing over her chest as she felt her determination rise.
"I'm…I'm in love! Please don't hate me, I beg of you!"
He didn't reply. He didn't even react at all for a few moments. When he finally spoke, his voice was cold and neutral.
"Captain, I'm very sorry…but I do hate it,"
"Huh?"
"You shouldn't tell your subordinates…about your love of alcohol Ma'am!"
"What?!"
With a roar of it's engines, the plane slowly began to move out of the launch bay, the Captain too stunned to even move as Sousuke continued over the noise.
"Alcohol destroys brain cells. You should refrain from drinking it if you want to remain at your best efficiency. Listen Tessa, I'm giving this advice to you as a friend, you can quit! I'll keep last night's incident a secret, I promise!"
"What!?" her legs suddenly kicked into high gear as she tore after the departing plane, "Please wait! Mr. Sagara I wasn't talking about alcohol!"
"Don't worry I'll see you later," the plane's hatch slowly closed, blocking her sight of her Sergeant, "And I asked a Corporal Alexander Meriden to deliver your stuffed animal to Mao. He seemed to be a trustworthy soldier, so it's in good hands!"
"No, please wait!" she knew it was a futile effort as the hatch slammed closed, "Listen to me, you've got the wrong idea! Gimmie a break, you can't possibly be that dense!"
She could only watch as the aircraft finally lifted off into the darkening skies, the Captain collapsing to her knees, her hat in hand, as she watched it disappear with a pathetic moan.
"Dammit…" she cast her eyes angrily to the floor as the planes engines were quickly lost to the wind, "And after I summoned all of my courage too,"
She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream, she wanted to do something, anything to get rid of the horrible embarrassment that had now overtaken any gruesome feeling Kalinin's Borscht had induced several hours before.
But she didn't move, she just sat there, on her knees, her eyes staring miserably at the ground before her. She didn't even shift until she heard someone come up beside her a few minutes later, an all too familiar rustle of a plastic bag a slight comfort in her ear.
"Is he gone?"
She nodded silently.
"Was he the one who found you…?"
Another nod.
"And…did you tell him…?"
Another, albeit slower, nod.
"Ah…" Alex frowned slightly, his free hand flexing slightly as memories of his conversation with Kurz quickly resurfaced, "And his response was…good?"
This time, her head shook from side to side.
"Ah…" a woman scorned. Something he'd seen his fair share of after living with five sisters.
"He's such a dumbass," her voice was angry and frustrated, yet low and sulky, "He is so seriously hopeless…"
"Ah…" no, not a woman scorned, a man too dense to see a confession of love when he saw it.
…
He'd heard about plenty of those from his sisters too.
As such, he came prepared.
"Come on," the Corporal gently gripped the top of her arm and pulled his Captain to her feet, "I can't say I can cheer you up, but I know something that'll make you feel better,"
