AN:Well... Time for Kay to visit home before the big departure...
My Armor is Contempt
Book 1:The Fall
Chapter 4:Home
"The Weekend of the Founding. Saunders had a lot of weird holidays I managed to read up on, but this one was the best one I could have ever attended. I think it may just be my memories talking, though. Heh..."
-The then-major Kay, of the 33rd Saunders Armored, about the days before they were shipped out.
Argos outskirts
Planetary capital
Total population:500,000,000
Saunders, Navadis System, Sabbat Worlds Eastern Reaches
Kay stared like a moron at the city ahead of them, her jaw threatening to dislocate.
Argos was MASSIVE!
Sprawling over an awe-inspiring 600 Square Kilometers, or around 231 Square Miles, the city was a beacon of light whose skyscrapers and central spire rose high above the clouds and into the deep blue sky of the planet. Called a 'Hive City' by the Imperium, Argos was one of the better-maintained, but smaller cities of its type, having just freshly been constructed over nary one hundred years, and housed over half the planet's civilian population, with the rest being evenly distributed between the smaller cities, villages and suburbs of the main city itself.
The girls rode in aboard an open-topped halftrack transport, through the streets and into the Outskirts, where hundreds of Hab-Blocks rested on each side of the major boulevards and roads and every-which-way you looked, one could see small shops, bars, pubs, restaurants and food stops. People waved at the convoy of transport vehicles that the Schola had sent out.
Kay beamed, realizing that she had an entire weekend of Shore Leave. She could go to her family's home, sleep in her own bed, enjoy a little life as a civilian before she shipped out. The best thing out of all of this was that she would get to see her lil' bro, her sis and her mom and dad. She dangled her feet, humming the Battle Hymn of the Republic, or the Battle Hymn of Terra, as it was referred to around the bend here in the 41st Millennium, while Alisa and Naomi listened and smiled too.
Kay looked to the two, then asked "What's the first thing y'all will do back home?"
"Fuckin' sleep in my own bed." Alisa chuckled, "I love Saunders, but by god does the Guard cheap out on proper cots. Nae?"
"Probably eat some of mom's food..." The sharpshooter remarked, "We'll be having a parade as our going-away party, by the way. Command will want the entire Regiment, plus a few armored assets, rolling down the main boulevard of the City. From there, we'll head for the Mustering Field and aboard the incoming Munitorum transports, to take us to our first War Zone."
"So, this is it then." Mary remarked from in front of them, "We're finally going in."
"Looks like it." Smirked Kay, "You ready?"
"'Bout as ready as we'll ever be, Major." Penny grinned broadly. Right, Kay had just gotten her Major's pins and was actually put onto leading a Company after that little bit of spectacle in the final course. "Can't believe she actually is leading Company Five. Those poor girls won't know what hit'em." The ginger remarked, garnering the laughter of the entire party.
"Hey, we'll be there to keep her ass awake and alive." Alisa chuckled, "Kay isn't gonna go anywhere without us."
"True." Naomi nodded, smiling and patting their blonde officer on the shoulder. Truth be told, Kay was glad she had them with her. Fellow commanders that she knew would be a bloody major boon in operational effectiveness. Saunders just made its best unit, Kay wanted to say. Cockiness wouldn't get her very far, but at least it'd pep up her teammates into doing their work prim and proper.
"Coming up, first stop!" The driver called out from the front, "That's yours, Major!"
Kay shifted, then said "I'll be seeing ya girls on Parade detail, eh?"
"That, we will." Naomi nodded.
"Have a good nights' sleep for us, Kay! We'll go on a pub crawl tomorrow and I'm getting your ass drinking again!" Alisa smirked, "See ya!"
"We'll see! Bye!" She waved as the vehicle stopped. She jumped down, taking out the paper that pointed her toward the Hab-Block where her family lived. Crossing the street and clearing the Convoy to allow it to travel further into the town, the girl took to the streets, reading up the numbers on the gothic-styled buildings to provide herself a guidance. The only indication she had of where it may have been was the street intersection. Thirty-Fifth and Macharia.
She found it after about five minutes of walking down 35th Ave. A house. An actual, genuine, Small-town American house sat before her. Of course, it had the added and, she imagined, obligatory Gothic architecture of the Imperium. Through the windows into the living room, she could see silhouettes moving about. Her breath hitched in her throat. She hadn't as much as sent a letter to them, had she? Did she even send letters? Did Scholas even allow one to send letters to close family?
She swallowed, pulling at her collar and taking a couple of steps forward, holding close her duffel bag of the few personal effects. She knew that she had technically been in the Saunders Schola since she was six. Alisa and Naomi had made several allusions to it, but apparently, they were allowed to be seen by family, since it was like kindergarten at first. Heck, she was pretty sure they were raised by family and only travelled between the schools. From age 10 was when the real training and study had started.
She extended her hand toward the door, balling it into a fist to knock, but she hesitated, feeling her heart racing again. What if they didn't even want her back? She didn't know her relationship with her family here. She shook her head. Emperor dammit, Kay! These're your folks! Of course they'd love you, even if they let you go to the Schola! She thought, moving her hand to knock.
She froze as the door opened and a middle-aged woman, maybe 40, with greying blonde hair and wearing an apron and civilian clothes appeared. She gasped, her diamond-blue eyes glimmering with surprise. She and Kay stared into each-other's eyes, before the girl herself finally caught the shaky courage to ask "M-Mom...?" her voice trembling. Tears welled in the corners of the woman's eyes. Before Kay knew it, she was pulled into a tight hug, a bear's hug even.
"My Kay... It's you...!" Whimpered Sera, or Sara, in this case. She spoke quietly, "My baby Kay is back...!"
She turned back to yell, "Tom! Rose! Cal! Get your asses down here! She's home!" as her voice cracked, hot, salty tears running down her cheeks. The woman turned to Kay again, smiling and pulling her into an even tighter embrace. Three pairs of footsteps, one heavier than the other two, echoed. Turning the corner, a black-haired middle-aged man with deep, dark-blue eyes and wearing bog-standard civilian clothing as well, appeared, followed by a short, black-haired girl and a young, blonde boy.
"Sis...?" Rose, Kay realized. Her younger sister... By the Emperor, the girl even looked like her. It was her, just in the darkness of the 41st Millennium. Her beacon.
"By the Emperor..." Kay's father, Tomas, or Tom as his mom called him, smiled, "You're... Home."
"A little earlier than planned..." Kay's voice cracked as she smiled, wrapping her arms around her weeping mother. Her eyes stung, tears pooling and running. Even her little brother seemed to recognize her, despite there being ten years' difference between them. Mom and dad must've shown him her face. The last three members of the family walked up and wrapped their arms around the blonde. For the first time since she awoke on the planet Saunders, she felt it.
Warmth.
She loved her friends to hell and back, but this was the kind of warmth only family could give. That of unconditional love. The young blonde, little tumblin' Kay, broke finally, tears of joy flowing between her, her mother and her younger sister. There was only a 3-year-gap between her and the youthful Rose, but it didn't look it. Both looked like pitch-perfect copies of each-other.
Kay wept for well over ten minutes, comforted by her parents and siblings. So many thoughts swirled around in her mind, so many questions and words that she found herself unable to voice. They'd welcomed her and here she was, making a fool of herself! Wailing like a little baby! Heh, what kind of messed up situation had she found herself in? She'd missed them, all four of them so dearly. Even back on Saunders-the Carrier School-she'd write to them and call all the time to check in on the kiddos.
Slowly, the group hug broke up, but the family stayed around Kay as she wiped her tears. Her mother asked "What happened? We thought the worst when you stopped sending letters!" with fear in her eyes.
"A lot of things..." Kay sighed.
Her other hummed, then snorted and said "Well, you can tell it to us over dinner! I swear, girl, the Emperor must've blessed your timing! We made your fave!"
"You're kidding..." Kay smirked
"Nope!" Her sis smirked, "Burgers!"
"Your mom swindled some poor fool out of prime-quality beef at the market." Her father quipped. Kay snorted, then looked around. Much like the houses they'd stay in during her dad's travels, this looked exactly like one of the base houses on Okinawa. It was their home, transposed here. Inside, the girl was sat down at the table by her mother after washing her hands, plates were set and the family started eating. Actual french fries made out of potatoes and beef burgers. She'd have actually half-expected the food to be that Grox stuff she kept hearing about and maybe even ate at School.
If she did eat Grox in the Schola, the stuff tasted halfway decent. She chowed down onto one of her five Burgers, then moaned pleasurably as the sweet taste of fresh beef hit her. Nothing and she meant this, nothing compared to the beef her mom made. Seasoned to perfection and made just the way Kay liked it, on a wood-fired grill, the beef had cooked through just right.
"By the Emperor, mom..." The girl grinned, the sides of her mouth stained by actual mustard, not that replacement shite they had back in School, "I missed this taste."
"Heh. Glad to see you like it, baby girl." The woman beamed. She hummed, diving into her own portion. Her father looked to her, then asked "So... Kay. We're all glad that you're home, baby, but I think we also wanna know..."
"What brings me home, right?" She smiled sadly, "Well... Truth be told, I got Leave from the Schola... Our Regiment is... About to be founded."
All three members of the family old enough to understand this gasped. Her mom coughed, punching herself in the chest and beaming, "Oh, HELL YEAH! MY BABY GIRL IS GOING OUT TO KICK ASS AND TAKE NAMES!"
That was... Not the reaction Kay had expected. She snorted, then tapped her Major's pins and grinned. Her sister beamed, saying "And she's a commanding officer at Company-level. Nice job, Sis." as she looked over the polished 'brass'. They were really gold pins and were heavy as such. The girl remembered she still wore her tanker's uniform and had her parade one in her duffel. Then, it hit her. She'd be in an Emperor-damned parade. An Emperor-damned parade her family was gonna be watching. And her mom was into it, her smile as big and warm as Kay remembered.
"A little early for a deployment. Wasn't the Founding next year?" Rose asked.
"Major Rosa's orders." Kay shrugged, "The Warmaster needs troops to liberate the rest of the Sabbat Worlds."
"They're really goin' at it, then." Her father remarked, "Must be a lot of enemy armor."
"Well, the Arch-Enemy did seize the Forge World Urdesh, which was producing a lot of gear for the Sector Militias." Rose said. Kay gave her sister a curious look, to which the girl said "I read some battle reports. Just because I wasn't shipped to the Schola like my big sis doesn't mean I can't keep an eye on things." to which Kay smiled. Yeah, that was her sister Rose alright. A little Smartass with a lot of info. Kay remembered talking to her about Saunders back on Earth and her being excited at the idea of her sis enrolling.
"Will big sis go fight the bad guys?" asked Cal as he was fiddling with a toy Leman Russ.
"You betcha. Big Sis's gonna be kickin' butt with the best of'em." Kay smirked, trying to restrain herself from saying any words any meaner than 'butt'. Cal was still barely 10.
"Cool..." The little boy smiled. IT was a warm, buck-toothed smile from a boy whose baby teeth were still there. The girl smiled back at him, then looked to her parents. They continued eating, exchanging small-talk regarding the situation in the Galaxy, Kay's young sister keeping them appraised of the battles ongoing, including events that could somewhat be old news, such as the loss of another planet named Tanith.
Kay had become a Major with fully-instated rights as a Guard soldier. Their Regiment's Founding was soon to happen and she'd depart to fight in the Emperor's name on other worlds. Still, her mind always floated back to her own, her old school, her friends there that came with her here and her family. Either these people were perfect copies of themselves that the universe made to ease her into the task of being a soldier, a bunch of sick creations of a vile nightmare that lasted far too long for her while lasting nothing in real life, or they were here with her and would be aware of their past on Earth. Her Earth.
After Dinner, Kay had played with her little brother for a bit, before tucking him in to let him sleep. Her sister was in her room, reading from a series of dataslates and books, probably following along with the Sabbat Worlds campaign. In the living room, the Holo-Television played idle transmits via Vox-Pict about local news from the rest of the planet:Food production quotas, Tithe payment, armaments, training of the other regiments that would join them in their Founding, that kind of thing. It almost felt like old broadcasts from Japan's Diet about preparations in case of heightened aggression between them and the other major power that had a bone to pick with'em:China.
She walked into the kitchen, to see dad reading a newspaper and mom cleaning up. She hesitated. Should she tell'em? How would she anyways? She couldn't just outright say 'Hey, mom, dad, do y'all remember life back on this weird planet called Earth? How I went to school, drove tanks there as well and my best friends and you were also around?'
Nah, fuck this. Kay needed to tiptoe around the idea of her actually being from some other planet. Not for risk of her parents not believing her, but really for the risk of her parents not believing her and ratting her out to either a Psych Ward so she got Section-Eighted out of the Guard, or the fucking Inquisition. No, she'd make this out to be a really, really strange dream.
She sighed, then entered and spoke "Mom, dad? Can I talk to you two about something?"
Her father turned and immediately set down whatever he was reading, while her mom set aside the plate she was cleaning and undid the straps tying her apron to her waist. The former said "Of course, anything you want!" with a smile on his face. They had missed her dearly, so mom had said. And by the Emperor, they were showing it. Her mom smiled as they sat themselves down at the table.
She swallowed, breathed in, then breathed out and said "Okay..."
"Kay, do you really have to wind yourself up to talk to us?" Her mom asked, raising a brow, "We're your family, after all. Emperor, my girl, just... Spit it out."
"Right..." She smiled, wiping away a tear, "Mom, Dad... This is about... Well... Saunders, the Schola." And she saw the two exchanging looks. Her mom had been a lover of Sensha-dō in the other world as well. In her world, she reminded herself, "I've been having recurring dreams while there for the past year. I've gone to the head-doc of course and they say it's normal, but to me it remains the weirdest thing ever. I'm seeing Saunders... Home, of course, but, not this home, this planet. It was on... Another world. It could've been an undiscovered planet, some random ass-end world that the Explorators never found, really... Its name was Earth."
Her parents seemed surprised, staring at her and listening on as she rambled, "Everything was nearly the same, except there was no major wars to speak of, no preparation for military... Saunders was a normal school, one that taught girls like me how to do basic stuff in life, with Tanks being a side-thing a... Sport, I guess..." She chuckled, thinking how silly that sounded, "A sport I loved. One that you yourself loved, mom."
The more they heard, her mom's surprise seemed to grow. Then, her mom smiled even as Kay continued, "We were fighting other schools with tanks from history, stuff I wouldn't have believed if I didn't actually have such vivid dreams about it... There were other girls, but we were all of the same nationality, a small nation-state on a series of islands in the Pa-"
"Pacific ocean. An Island nation known as Japan." Her mom smirked. Kay went pale, eyes growing wide. Her mom snorted, "Oh, dear Kay, you wouldn't believe me if I told you..."
"Mom... You know it?" Kay raised a brow.
"I've had similar dreams, of a world at peace. Silent, left in some forsaken corner of the Galaxy to do its own thing. Earth, a world of a hundred nation-states." She could tell mom was lying about the 'dream' bit, but her dad was listening intently. He must've not known or not been sent here with them. Her mom continued, chuckling, "I didn't know dreams were a hereditary thing, but here we are... Mine happened at around a similar age as yours, Kay. They passed, though."
"Oh..." Kay sighed, then smiled, "Phew! I thought I was having a fit, really. Haha..."
Her mom winked at her, "Nah, like I said, I think stuff's hereditary."
Her father sighed, "Your mom wouldn't shut up about it at one point." And he chuckled, "She really loved reveling in the idea of such a detailed dream. Even wrote a couple books once she got outta Saunders."
"You were at the Schola, mom?" Kay raised a brow, "Wait... Wrote BOOKS?"
"Of course! How do you think we can afford an actual house in the midst of this crowded city! Also, every woman of our family went to Saunders! It's tradition! Just... We all usually dipped out because we wanted a family at some point. I think you're the only one who managed to even get to the Founding." Her mom stated, elbowing her father, "This hunk stole me before I had a chance to say bye to my friends."
"Eww, mom!" Kay shivered and the three laughed. Her mom had come with her, truly come with her. She had what to come back to on Saunders. If she could survive combat... She would, for her own sake and for that of her folks. She spoke, smiling, "Well, I'm glad to know I'm not the only one, then. Dad, you alright?" and turned to her father. The man nodded.
"Just fine, Kay. Don't worry."
"Alright... Well, thanks for listening." She said, then stood up and voiced "I love you both."
"We love you too, darling." Her mom beamed.
Kay walked off, up to where she knew her room would be and propped open the door. Lining her walls were various posters, a bookshelf on the far right near the window, a desk with a series of magazines on Imperium fashion and shopping catalogues, an actual, honest-to-the-Emperor/Omnissiah home-variant computer with a holographic display and her bed, a long, single-person wood frame with stickers abound it and a wild, unmade and thick blanket with a cover made out of a Saunders flag. She sat herself down on her bed, then fell backward, feeling the mattress wrapping around her as she stared up at the ceiling.
Tears flowed down the side of her face. She wiped at them, then looked at her hand. Home was here. Home existed. She was at home, at her family's home. With her parents and siblings. She was there, even if it was the 41st Millennium. Of course, she'd been born in Nagasaki, in Japan, but to her, this Saunders could've easily been home proper, no matter if it was space or not.
She smiled, then looked over to her side. She turned over toward the poster on the wall, that of a Cadian regiment. These were some of the people she would fight beside, to both get home and to survive the unwavering tide of nightmares that this world may throw at her. She knew she had what it took. For the Emperor's sake, she was her parents' daughter and her father was once a veteran.
Mankind had spread through the stars in aeons past and ruled a Galaxy of a million worlds. Its army was Legion, its men and women, countless in a tide, heroes and heroines whose names may well be recorded in history. Once Kay could, she would ask her friends what they remembered of Earth. She figured if her mom remembered, at least they would know too. Not necessarily the whole school or their whole regiment. A few too many girls to recount Earth and the tank tournaments, but those she held close would remember. She held all her family close, though.
She heard her door open and turned to see her mom. The woman smiled, pulling the girl's chair from the desk and sitting herself down, before asking "Comfy?"
"You bet..." Kay smiled back, brightly, "You know..."
"I do... I don't know why the God-Emperor brought us here, Kay, but I think we both know He did..." She nodded.
"That's a heck of a thing to say, mom..." Kay noted, standing up straight, "You think... You think my friends know?"
"I don't know, Kay. But I would ask them the same way you asked me and your dad." The woman smirked, "IT's good to see you well, Kay. Up until now, I was actually worried I was the only one who'd remember stuff like this. I always saw faint sparkles of memory coming back to you when you were young, but you never said anything until you came back."
Kay chuckled sadly, "It's strange to think I have a life here I don't really remember."
"You will, slowly. It's what happened to me."
"How did you get used to it?"
"... I just lived on." Her mom smiled, "Because I had my kids and my husband with me, even if they didn't remember everything. Kay... I want you to know something." And she saw the girl raise a brow. The woman walked up to the bed, sat herself down and took Kay's face into her hands, "I love you, baby girl... Never forget that, even as you're going out there to serve the good Warmaster. We all love you."
Kay smiled awkwardly, "Mom... I'm gonna come back."
Her mom shook her head, "I hope you don't have to..."
"Mom?" She asked
"Trust me, baby girl... Okay?"
Despite the confusion, Kay nodded. Her mom said "Okay... Good... Sorry for that little confusing tidbit at the end, darling, but... I had to say it. I'm sure you'll make the finest officer our homeworld has seen since General Pattern herself. Now, get some sleep. I'm sure you'll wanna go meet Alisa and Naomi tomorrow so you girls can enjoy your weekend of freedom before deployment." She smirked now, "Do me a favor and don't do anything stupid with boys, would ya?"
Kay blushed, "Mom!"
"Heh... Sorry, hon..." She stood up, then wished her "Sweet dreams." and she left, leaving the blonde to her thoughts. Kay changed herself to her home Pajamas and laid down onto the bed, wrapping her flag covers over herself. She thought it'd be harder to get used to her old bed at home again, after all she'd undergone, but she'd fallen asleep, out like a particularly heavy brick.
'twas a dreamless sleep.