Chapter 4 - Our Fight

A shadow fell over the ocean as the LZ-127 began a slow descent from cruising altitude. With the storm bearing down on Kumamoto far behind the craft, the occupants of the Zeppelin had enjoyed a serene, uneventful journey over the South China Sea.

While much of the LZ-127's design remained from its historical predecessor, significant changes had been made in the gondola for the purposes of Sensha-dō: a section meant for a dining room, kitchen, and lounge had been redesigned into a vehicle hangar.

Staterooms, washrooms, and a small meeting area still existed, aft of the hangar wall. Each were fully furnished, and were enough for at least two tank crews to relax and coordinate between matches.

In the meeting room, Momo sat alone at a table. In front of her lay a packet with general admissions forms for Kuromorimine, only partially filled out. She stared blankly at the paper, her brain feeling like lukewarm tapioca. Why is this so hard? She thought, feeling a migraine coming on. She squeezed her temples, staring at what she'd written. The characters on the page melded together in a garbled mess as her vision went from blurry to clear, then back.

At another table, Ms Akaboshi sat with an identical set of papers – Erwin's admission forms, which had been completed with little delay. While the historian was off exploring the airship, Koume was checking for any inconsistencies or missing information, of which there were few. While occupied, she wasn't unaware of the distress that Momo seemed to be in, and calmly set her pen down as she witnessed Momo squeezing her temples, eyes tightly shut. "Ms Kawashima, are you feeling alright?" She asked, with a light and caring tone.

Momo shook her head, gritting her teeth as she slowly stood up. "No… may I be excused, please?"

Koume nodded, standing up as well. "Of course. Do you need anyth-"

Momo shook her head again, holding a hand up dismissively. "No, no, I have something…" She grabbed her purse, left the table and walked down the gangway leading to the washrooms.

Passing several staterooms on the way, one of which had its door cracked slightly ajar,, she came to a brief stop. She noticed Roman lying on a bed, asleep. Shortly after takeoff, he'd felt the effects of a severe caffeine crash and was taking in as much rest as he could before landing on Graf Zeppelin. Across his chest was a light novel – The Chronicles of Everglade. A series about an order of magical pagan nuns.

So, so odd… Momo thought as she made her way into the washroom and closed the door behind her. She took a moment to stare blankly at herself in the mirror – her eyes were as lifeless as she felt. She set her purse down next to the sink and rifled through it, feeling frustration building as her cellphone and a bottle of painkillers eluded her, as most things in her bag did whenever she needed them.

Finally finding both, she took two tablets with some water, then removed her monocle and proceeded to wash her face with cold water; something that helped with her symptoms in the past.

Deep breaths. She thought, studying her face in the mirror, watching as her left eye slowly began to wander to the left and up, as it would, skewing her vision as she was all too familiar with. Damn you… She thought. You lame, inferior piece of…

She stopped her train of thought, hanging her head in shame, biting her lip in frustration. She knew there was no sense in tearing herself down, especially when she'd dealt with this problem her entire life. It was something she could never admit to anyone, outside of her family and closest friends - - of course Anzu and Yuzu knew, and they did well to preserve her secret.

Putting her monocle back in place over her right eye, her vision would re-center, but the focus would always be a little off, especially with the migraine, which would take time to go away. She took several more deep breaths, then seated herself on the closed lid of the toilet, clutching her phone. She slowly scrolled through a long SMS message she'd been drafting.

She stared at the words on the screen, moving her lips silently as she read them back to herself again and again. "...do not believe this is the best choice for my future, and wish to return to Oarai immediately."

She took her time, reading back and forth, seeing if there were any further revisions to be made. There were several paragraphs detailing the misgivings she felt about the entire situation; her role as a driver, her academics. She'd even thrown in some thoughts about Hunter and Oono's gung-ho attitudes toward an otherwise dangerous sport, but found herself deleting that portion.

Once satisfied, her thumb hovered over 'Send', and began to shake as she willed herself to try and press it.

Aww c'mon, you're gonna give up that easily, Momo? She could hear Anzu teasing her in her head.

Momo stared at the screen one more time, scrolled up and down, sighed, then finally pressed 'send'.

{NO CARRIER}

Momo sighed again, grumbled, then dropped her things back into her purse. "Of course there's no signal out here. Just as well." She muttered, making a mental note to send it later. She then turned and stared out the window at the ocean. Unlike her days on Zuikaku where the distant waves were usually a beautiful and calming backdrop for everyday life, the ocean now seemed to beckon to her in an unwholesome way. It wanted to swallow her whole, much like the airship's constant, distant drone of its engines, which murmured the lyrics to a very simple but effective song:

Alone… Go home… Alone… Go home… Alone…

She let her mind drift, losing herself in the distant roiling abyss. Would I really jump from this high, if I could? She asked herself. All too quickly she rebuked herself for such thoughts. She longed to be rid of her stresses, to be back somewhere she felt she belonged.

After some time, she finally got hold of herself, realizing that Ms Akaboshi would wonder where she'd gone for so long, and didn't want her thinking that she was having 'toilet troubles'. She picked up her purse and took a few more deep breaths. Perhaps I should talk to Hunter about it first. I at least owe him that. She thought, finally opening the door to head back out.

As she re-entered the gangway, she heard voices coming from Hunter's room. She slowly approached, held short of the threshold and peered in.

Having awoken from his nap, Roman had his back turned to Akaboshi and Corporal Oono, who stood with their backs toward the doorway. The former had her head turned toward the window, away from the lieutenant as he adjusted a pair of teal trousers that he'd just put on.

"You can look now, Ms Akaboshi. So… as I was saying, we get two packets mailed per month, bi-weekly. And supplementals, if needed. We study on our off-time, but don't attend classes. Just training."

"Lots and lots of training." Aono added.

Jotting details onto a notepad she carried, Koume nodded. "And what about remedial studies? What if you boys have questions that can't be answered?"

"Well, we usually find out every two weeks. With a few red marks here and there…" Roman and Aono exchanged wary glances at each other.

At this, Koume shook her head disapprovingly. However, as usual there was a smile on her face. "I'm afraid that simply won't do, Lieutenant. I will go over your work in my spare time to make sure you two don't fall behind, and perhaps give guidance."

"If you deem it necessary." Roman turned, having straightened his blue tie. He'd put on the cleaner-cut version of his regiment's gray shirt, with the appropriate pins for the 3rd Armored Cavalry and the dual gold-bars for the rank of Senior Lieutenant on his lapels. He then slipped into his teal dress coat, which had several unit citations over the left breast pocket. On the opposite pocket were badges for 'Tri-Di' – Triple Discipline, for all levels of tanks – his name plate, and a set of jump wings.

"Don't worry. When teaching, I think of myself as fair and firm." Koume asserted, looking him up and down with notable approval of his attire.

Roman lifted his eyebrows, then winked. "Firm's good. I like firm. Corporal? Firm sound good to you?"

"Can't argue at all with firm!" Aono chimed in with a grin.

"...eh?" She looked at them with slight confusion, unaware of what the joke was, if they were telling one. "Er… good, then!" She decided to just continue, turning a page in her notebook and clearing her throat. "So… now that we've gone over the rules and regulations for the campus, did either of you have any questions?"

Aono raised his hand. "What will our quarters be like?"

"We have some apartments off-campus where we can arrange lodging. As for Ms Kawashima and Matsumoto, we have on-campus dormitories where they will stay, as they'll be attending their first classes tomorrow."

Tomorrow…! Tomorrow…! Tomorrow…! Around Momo's head, a series of mini-Koume spoke the word in varying pitches, making her migraine want to come back.

Roman raised a hand as well. "You mentioned a gymnasium? Because Aono's a growing boy, and I need to put muscle on him."

"Hey, I've got muscle. Plenty!" the corporal tensed up and flexed with all of his might, but his tanker's jacket made any difference unnoticable. His tallish, lanky frame made him look like a stiff breeze could knock him over.

"See what I mean?" Roman pointed with his thumb.

Koume laughed. "Ah, yes. Unfortunately, I just realized that may be a problem. You see, it's usually all girls in the gymnasium, and they may not… ahm…" She paused, a nervous tickle in her throat.

"Say no more. The corporal and I can just find heavy things to lift around the hangar…"

"N-no!" Koume waved a hand at him, sounding rather insistent, nuances of her command voice coming through. "I… I will find something for you two. I'll make a point of it."

The boys looked at each other, having only been half-joking. However, their liaison seemed rather eager to help them, even though they hadn't made it an issue yet. It almost seemed like she were hiding something – or perhaps just feeling guilt.

"It's appreciated." Roman replied solemnly, his voice tinged with a certain coolness. "You can take your time on it, Ms Akaboshi. We don't want to impose on your school's hospitality any more than we have to."

She nodded, grabbing her notebook and pointedly jotting something down. "It will be done. Well, I'll leave you two be. We should be landing fairly soon."

Momo took a step or two back, flattening herself against the wall as she heard Koume exiting the room. She backed herself into another stateroom, crouching down as footsteps came her way, then passed by on their way to the washrooms.

Thankfully, she wasn't seen, and could hear the boys' voices faintly through the wall. If she pressed her ear to it, she could hear even better.

Somehow, though, Momo felt a strange presence to the room, and as she tried to focus on what she could hear through the wall, her monocle caught some glare, revealing something bright behind her.

Reflexively, she turned her head, and was speechless as she saw both Erwin and some other girl crouched down, one after the other, their ears to the wall. They were equally speechless, staring blankly at her.

The other girl broke the silence, winking and chk-chking at Momo. Fit, trim and about as tall as Momo, she had blonde hair trimmed down to a pixie-cut, and was dressed like something out of steampunk – goggles around her neck, a jumpsuit with the top half tied off around her waist, a white tank top, boots, and a long leather overcoat.

"Wha…?" Momo exclaimed. "Why are you..."

"Quiet." Erwin whispered, her eyes intense, as though she were tracking a target through a periscope. She didn't even flinch, just kept listening.

Momo could only nod, stunned as she went back to listening as well over the constant drone of the engines.

Once Koume had left the room, Roman turned to look in the mirror, positioning his blue beret precisely atop his head. "What do you make of our hosts so far, Corporal Oono?"

"Honestly? It's better than Pravda. The whole crew here is friendly. There's this one girl who took both me and Ms Matsumoto up into the envelope. She's hilarious. Pretty cute, too!"

None of the girls could help but stifle giggles at their commentary. Momo and Erwin both thought the same thing: Boys really can't help themselves, can they?

However, the unknown girl grinned cunningly, a different thought on her mind: That's right, say my name, bitch!

"Yeah?" Roman lifted a curious eyebrow, nodding in cocky approval. "You follow the Geneva Convention? Name, rank, and number?"

Aono grinned almost as much as the hidden girl next room over. "Miki, or Key-Key, or Kida, or KikiKida, whatever works!"

THUMP

Both Momo and Erwin turned their heads then, having heard a thud on the wall from behind them. The girl with the overcoat rubbed her funny bone, still grinning even through the intense, odd pain that came with such an impact.

"He got it right! The whole damn thing!" She whispered in a pained gasp, trying not to burst at the sides from laughter as she slid down to the floor, still with her head against the wall.

The two girls from Ooarai looked confusedly toward each other, then back at this odd girl's curious behavior. Momo's blurry eyes focused in on a nameplate on her coat, and after a few seconds she made the connection: The one rolling on the floor in her hilarity was Key-Key Kida.

Roman made a rolling motion with his index and middle fingers, having not noticed the thud from next door. "And? Come on, make me proud."

"She's the chief engineer and radio operator, and her number…"

They both stood silently, Roman staring intently at his subordinate. The lieutenant began to make a tick-tock sound with his tongue.

"Her number, ah… you see…"

"RNNNNNNN!" Roman imitated a buzzer, then rolled his eyes. "He shoots, he misses. Come on, man! Did I not teach you in my ways?" He scolded.

"I mean… I'm getting better, aren't I? Besides, perhaps it's best we be careful?"

At this, Roman pointed a finger affirmatively. "That's the answer. Nailed it. Close the door there, would you Corporal? I think it's time we had a long overdue talk about a few things."

The girls each shifted themselves, struggling to hear more. This had to be more serious if they needed privacy.

Aono obliged, turning and closing the door to the stateroom so their conversation wouldn't carry down the gangway. He then stood at a position of attention.

A moment passed as Roman took a breath and focused on his words. "Where we're going, it's going to be the real deal. We thought Pravda was strict, but at Kuromorimine… It sounds like they're much more accomodating, but let's face facts: You and I are going to be under very close watch. And this school… if what Ms. Miho told me is right, we can't afford mistakes. Not many. Especially not like what happened at Pravda with Alexandyr Volchok."

"I don't want to think about him." Aono muttered, shifting his body uncomfortably. "After what he said about Aya, what he'd do if ever met her? I don't want to think of what I'd do, Commander."

"We barely made it through Pravda, and at Oarai, we had paradise in comparison." Roman continued. "But Kuromorimine doesn't play around. We need to stay sharp. But beyond that…" He clapped a hand onto Aono's shoulder. "We've got to have each other's back. Keep each other out of trouble… and keep trouble away from each other. Got it?"

"Of course. Of course!" Aono nodded his head profusely.

Roman stared stone-cold into his eyes, his tone darkening. "It was our guts that ensured it didn't go any farther than what happened that day in the field. We owe it to the sisters we made that day, in Klara, Nonna, even Commander Katyusha… and of course, Sandra. We owe it to all of them to do this better than we've ever done it."

"Yes sir." Aono answered, with a similarly dark tone. The girls' spines all tingled with a slight sense of fear, as none of them could ever feature such a thing coming from a boy who seemed so terminally carefree.

Roman stopped to take a breath, remembering the tension of the fateful confrontation. "Between us two, there's enough evidence to make sure that bastard never touches another tank. Or girl."

At this, the girls' hearts collectively sank, and they listened even harder, hoping for more detail. What had happened in the field with this Volchok and some girl? And what did the girls from Pravda know?

"D-did the academy ever get back to you on that?" There was a tone of hope in Aono's voice. Ever since the pair had left Kiev and stepped foot on Zuikaku, Roman had kept any details about the disciplinary action to himself. They both knew of the danger that the academy wouldn't act against Volchok any more than deemed necessary. He'd be barred from Panzerkraft, but not from Blithe. It was, after all, a military academy. He'd be circulated to some other discipline, provided he didn't flunk out entirely on his way down.

Gravely, Roman shook his head. "Not yet. It concerns me, but if all else fails, I know the major, the commander and the rest of the 3rd Armored will hold the integrity of the unit. They'll put him in his place. They've been informed."

"What about Sandra? Has she spoken to you since then?"

Roman shook his head again. Mentally he'd tried to confront what had happened to his former driver, but the thoughts never did him any good. Sandra was a sister of the Ligen, who trusted her brothers as she should have. Unfortunately, one of her brothers was a coyote in wolf's clothing, and certain events led to Sandra resigning her position on the team just short of their transfer to Zuikaku. "Sandra Temple, our sister, deserved better. Much better. I failed her. That's something I have to carry, every day."

Aono shook his head. "None of us knew what we were against until we saw what Alexandyr was writing. What he was planning. Or capable of."

"He was one of us. A hell of a talented gunner. Paid his dues to get into the 3rd Armored. Hangar duty, chow hall duty, range cleanup, training… Competing. Winning. Top Gunner award twice, at Regionals."

The low drone of the engines overtook everything, save for the heavy breath that both of them took in remembrance of those times. A person they both had trusted as one another, as anyone in the Ligen was inspired to do, was a complete piece of garbage underneath. The moment was like a eulogy for the memory they'd once had of a good tanker.

"I know I don't need to ask, but as your commander and as your friend, Aono..."

Aono nodded briskly, not allowing Roman to finish his sentence. "I don't need to swear an oath. I'm with you. After all we've been through together, and what you have done for me, I will never call you any less than Brother, Commander."

Roman then smiled, letting out a breath. "Can't believe your parents even let you call me 'Onii-san' in front of them."

"They can't get a word in when Aya's shouting it too!" Aono laughed. The two boys shook hands heartily, but that quickly developed into a brotherly hug.

"I appreciate that. You have no idea what that means to me. And I promise: I won't fail you, nor Erwin, nor Momo. Not this time." Said Roman.

"Never. You never failed, Onii-san."

The girls had each sunken down to more relaxed positions on the floor, and now looked to each other with varying expressions of conviction.

That's you, Aono. Always seeing the better part of the picture. But until I hear it from Sandra herself… Roman thought. They patted each other on the back. Then as though it were programmed into both of them, the boys broke from their embrace, facing each other as they straightened their postures and clicked their heels. They then raised their voices and spoke in unison, tilting their heads upward.

"No brotherhood
No sisterhood
An order of strength and pride
By fire and by thunder
We'll conquer side-by-side."

They then leveled their heads and strongly clasped hands.

"My blood is your blood
My sweat is your sweat
We are of the Integrierte Ligen
Your fight is my fight!
HOO-RAH!"

Their voices echoed through the airship's bracing, and made the girls pull away from the wall in surprise at the sudden rise in volume.

Once their oath had been sworn, Roman and Aono silently nodded to one another, smiling cunningly as they felt pride burning deep in their bones.

"Get into your blues, Corporal. And make sure Roza is prepped to roll. As for me, I think I'll pay a visit to the bridge, find a certain chief engineer who can help me solve a math problem."

"A math problem, sir?"

Roman tapped Aono's elbow with his own as he headed for the door, mouth bending into a teasing sneer. "Something to do with a number or two."

Kida rose to her feet, took a few pronounced steps forward, then a few back, her boots not making a sound. Erwin and Momo both witnessed her rather odd dance.

"And that, ladies, is my cue!" She said to them, her motions animated and energetic as though she were a professional Broadway dancer. She comically tiptoed to the door like a ninja and timed her exit. When Roman exited his room and proceeded down the gangway, Kida slipped out and moved silently behind him, keeping her tiptoeing act like a cat-burglar as she followed him through the meeting room and out into the vehicle hangar without a word.

"Okay, what the heck just happened?" Momo asked Erwin, closing the door once she was convinced that they wouldn't be discovered. She wasn't sure if a new sensation in her head was due to what they'd just eavesdropped on, or if her migraine was about to take new heights. "What were you two doing in here?"

Erwin adjusted her cap and stood up, stretching her legs. "The same as you, if I would venture a guess: Listening in on what Ms Akaboshi had to say to those two. Mostly about what they can and cannot do at the school."

Momo nodded, feeling conviction yet again. "Is it bad?"

Erwin shook her head. "Not for us. Their rules don't differ greatly from what we're already used to. There is no public morals committee as we know; however, I was told that Kuromorimine does have a sizeable and well-equipped security force."

"I understand, but what about for them?"

Crossing her arms, Erwin's brown eyes peered intensely at Momo under the dark brim of her cap. "Guess. We'll be safe from them, if it's ever been a worry."

"You haven't worried?"

"You have?"

The girls both fell silent, realizing the weight of what their discussion had come to. The boys had just sworn an oath they both seemed proud of, one of loyalty, strength and trust. Yet, they had been eavesdropped, and the two girls were now like two hunters on safari, staring down the charging elephant in the room.

"You know, maybe it's better if we don't take it further than here. I think the last thing we want is to be enemies, Matsu… Erwin."

Erwin's intense stare didn't change. In fact, she wanted to tell Momo that only her friends call her Erwin, but what would come after that? "Don't fight a battle if you don't gain anything by winning." She replied, nodding softly.

The two of them turned to each other and bowed. Then, one by one, they left the room without further words. Once they were in the hangar, the two went in two separate directions, Momo heading to one of the side windows to stare back out at the consumptive, beckoning ocean while Erwin calmly went to where Roman stood, chatting with Kida next to the tank.

After letting off a sigh, Momo was startled as her purse suddenly vibrated. She looked inside, found her phone within a few seconds, and flipped it open. There were two signal bars, and the phone had never stopped attempting to send her message.

And there was a reply.

Her thumb trembling, she pressed the 'OK' button to open the incoming message and waited for it to appear on the screen. It was a picture message, and started off as an incomplete blur.

Then she saw it: Anzu, reclined in a high-backed office chair, holding up one hand with her fingers in a 'peace' sign, while her other hand held up a letter-sized sheet of paper with a single word drawn in big letters in ink from a pink pen:

NOPE!

The bottom of the exclamation point was a heart.

Momo's brain turned to tapioca again, and she dropped her phone back into her purse.

"The universe hates me." She sulked.


Meanwhile, after seeing the corporal and the other girls head off, Akaboshi carefully re-entered the stateroom where Roman had been staying. She took careful, purposeful steps toward a set of drawers near the bed, which were empty since nobody would be traveling long enough today to make use of them.

From the top drawer, she removed a micro-cassette recorder that was still running, and hit the 'stop' button. She looked at the little window on the device, at the tape within, and exhaled a silent breath, her heart pounding. She ejected the tape, held them both in separate hands, then pocketed each.

Her breath was held the entire way back to the meeting room table, where she went back to working on the myriad forms still laid out for her to fill in and review, to be turned in before the day was over.

As much as she reminded herself that it was only her imagination, she felt the tape resting in her pocket. It felt like it was getting heavier and heavier, a burden that she would hope not to shoulder forever.