Chapter 9
The clock had just passed the midday as Sanders stepped through a gate. Adapting to ordinary life was always a bit tricky when you should have been focusing on the present rather than thinking about the past. A little wistfully, he looked around. The roof of the barn needed repairing, but it could not be started before spring. Sanders heard a yell coming from the house:
"It's Artie! Yo, Artie!"
Sanders saw his blond and blue-eyed sister standing on the stairs of the house. The girl ran towards him but stopped right in front of him as if to make sure it really was him before she lunged to hug him.
-"Hello, Anna."
-"It's so nice to see you… Mom has been really worried about you and Dad… Well, you know… He's been his grumpy old self."
-"I know."
They let go of each other and Anna studied Arthur for a moment before she started a bit nervously:
"So, uh… How long can you stay?"
-"Only two weeks, then I have to go again."
A little sadly Anna hummed, and they began to walk towards the house. On the porch, their mother met him, and they greeted. He was not allowed to rest for long and was persuaded to take a bath almost as soon as he sat down at the kitchen table. And it was no wonder. He or his men had no opportunity to clean themselves for a long time. After washing he started to wander outside and look at the buildings. They were no longer in very good condition, after all, when he was a young boy, they were almost as old as he was now. He stepped into the barn over the high doorstep and saw his father turning milk churns upside down.
-"Good day. I came to visit again."
-"Hmh. Hello… and good day to you too."
Arthur's father watched his son for a while, as if examining whether the son had changed since they last saw or not. He knit one of his large eyebrows and he raised the other one. He sat down on one of the overturned milk churns and dug his pocket for his pipe.
-"How long can you stay?" He said after getting his pipe filled and lit.
-"I can't stay more than two weeks. After that they need me to be there again."
-"Is that so? Oh well."
Again, their conversation paused, but the breaks in their conversation never became awkward. Both were accustomed to a slightly more reserved discussions and because of that it was fine.
-"Have there been any major problems here?" Athur asked and broke their silence.
-"No. There is always some small problems, but they have been solved and they will be solved. Anna can look after the cows almost on her own now, so it makes our jobs a bit easier.
-"Hmh… We probably need to fix these building next summer. Especially the roof of this barn.
-"Yeah… Your grandfather helped to build that roof. Do you remember him? You weren't very old at the time, maybe five of six."
-"Yeah, I remember something. Wasn't it him that build this farm?"
-"That's right. There were no fields here back then, just forest. He built this house into the forest and it's still here.
Their nice conversation ended when Arthur's younger brother David rushed into the barn to look for his older brother. He had just gotten home from the school and had heard the news of Arthurs arrival from Anna. David and Arthur greeted each other. They spoke at first about David's schooling, but then he started asking Arthur about the war and the attack:
-"Did you have big cannons with you? Did you shoot them all? What was it like?
-"Some, yes. It's nothing nice."
Arthur was always uncomfortable by these questions. Yes, he knew his brother was still young and that he didn't understand things like he did, but there was still something distasteful about it. He too, must have been at least by some standards similar to his brother, albeit less talkative and less enthusiastic about things at least on the outside. Their first conversations when Arthur came on vacation usually followed the same pattern. Arthur did not talk about the war unless he was specifically asked about it, and even then, he did not talk in detail or gladly about it.
Anna had been told to go and pick up coffee from the general store and she wanted to boast with her officer brother, so she asked Arthur to go with her. Arthur understood his sister's intent and did not like it, but he didn't refuse because he too had to go to the general store.
When they got to the store, they met Arthur's teacher from his school days, and they greeted each other with a handshake because they hadn't seen in a long time. The store wasn't a big one. It had been built about 10 years ago on a small patch of land at a crossroads, close to the local church. As they entered the store, the old merchant exclaimed when he saw Arthur:
"Well, well, well if it ain't the living legend! How's it going?"
-"Standing on my own two feet, so pretty good I guess."
-"Ha! I just wondered what had happened to you."
-"Nothing special."
They talked about futile matters and the old merchant asked Arthur about the events of the war, like soldiers often were asked. After a while, Anna got bored and they started to leave with the coffee, but before leaving Arthur asked:
-"You wouldn't happen to be selling cigarette cases would you?"
-"Ah, I'm sorry, but I sold the last one yesterday. Though, I can put one aside for you from the next patch I get."
-"No need. I don't know when I'll be back but give me a couple of packs."
-"Oh well. Just say if you need anything. I have this and that and a lot more."
-"Thank you, but these are enough."
Outside they saw some of Anna's friends cycling towards the store and waited for them. Almost every one of them seemed to shy away from Arthur, probably because he was much older than the others. However, one boy wasn't shunning away from him and behaved a bit rudely towards him. He hadn't heard about Arthur's reputation, if it even could be called that. At first, he silently looked at Arthur's uniform before saying:
-"Huh, they now even train the likes of you to officers. They told me already that I'll be a captain when they recruit me… Not to brag, but I'll get to directly command those Kansen-things in the frontlines. Have you even been in a fight with those Sirens, or have you just been cleaning offices?"
-"A few times." The boy did not notice that Arthur's face stiffened slightly when he answered.
-"Daniel~" One of the girls giggled.
-"Have you seen or even heard of those kansen-things? They are supposed to be ships in human form."
-"Daniel, that's enough." Anna said.
-"No, no, which unit are you part of?"
-"6th infantry regiment, second machine gun company, third platoon leader. The regiment was part of the California liberation."
-"Whoa! Really? I'm sorry… Then… then you have seen those things in action. What are they like? Do they have a lot of firepower?"
-"Yeah, and they're strong like hundred bulls!" An unknown voice yelled behind the group.
The group in front of Arthur and Anna turned around to see the yeller. A dark-haired man in soldier's uniform walked through the group and stopped in front of Arthur. The man was perhaps a year or two younger than Arthur. It was John Cox, son of a local taxi entrepreneur. He had hung in the same groups as Arthur when they were young, but after turning 18 years old he had moved into a city.
-"I see you've sold yourself to the devil." John then said to Arthur. Arthur admitted with a laugh and explained his stay in few words.
-"The 2nd MG company, right?" John asked. Arthur nodded and the man continued. "I was part of the 4th MG company. You were in that shithole too back in California?"
-"That's right."
-"Huh… When did you leave?"
-"Uh… about a week ago."
-"So you don't know?"
-"Know what?"
Cox sighed and said:
"Aright, kids give us some privacy."
-"Hey fuck you, man!" Daniel said angrily to Cox.
-"Yeah sure whatever. Just go."
Daniel snarled at Cox, but they left them and entered the shop. Cox turned towards Anna and said:
-"Didn't ya hear me?"
-"She's my sister." Arthur explained. Back in the day when John was still around, Anna had been so young that they had not met before.
-"Oh… Well, I don't need you hearing this so can you leave us for a bit?"
-"But I-" Anna protested but Arthur stopped her with his hand. Anna sighed but obeyed and walked to lean against a nearby tree.
-"Right… you were in that town. You saw how it was there." John Cox said.
-"I saw."
-"And you know they left the town without much fighting, right? You ever wondered why?"
-"No, why?"
-"Those bastards lured the regiment there and then bombed it to hell. A few companies were sent away before the bombing, but the rest of us stayed there."
XXX
Arthur walked over to Anna, who was waiting for him. Anna asked what was so important and so secret that she wasn't allowed to hear, but Arthur only gave some vague answer. John had asked Arthur to take a horse in the evening so they could hang out together, but Arthur had denied:
-"Not today. There is a lot of work to be done at home."
They started to walk home with the coffee packs and Anna said to Arthur:
-"That Daniel is so boastful."
But Arthur noticed something in the girl's voice that made him feel uneasy. He just answered:
-"Hmh Isn't he a Clark? He's a chip off the old block alright."
-"He thinks everyone's is in love with him and that he can get away with anything."
-"Yeah… I've heard."
-"And he boasts that they have money and power… Bah. I Wouldn't care about him even if he was the president."
Arthur smiled and said:
-"Well, do you need to assure it so much then?"
Anna stammered out something to deny it and quickly changed the subject. Arthur looked at Anna from the corner of his eye. His expression was thoughtful at first but then a small smile appeared on his face.
XXX
While Arthur was on vacation the newspapers reported information about the liberation of California and the fighting in the rest of the world. The liberation of California was the most successful operation of all of them by far, at least according to the news. In Moscow, Northern Union, their operation had gone completely wrong, and half of Moscow had to be abandoned.
Ordinary folk did not know much about the Ship-Girls. All they knew was that they were some humanoid creatures helping the soldiers to fight against the Siren threat and that they were very powerful. Arthur did not talk about the Ship-Girls at home at all, and if he referred to them, the others did not connect the two until one night, while they were all sitting at the kitchen table chatting.
-"Tomorrow we have to go to get a few tree trunks from the old pasture… If you could come along then it would be easier… David is a bit too young to help much, even though he gets a bit done.
-"Yeah, I'll help. Does that old cart still work?"
-"To my knowledge, at least. Maybe the base needs a bit strengthening but it should be easily done.
Anna, who had not joined the conversation with the others, was reading a newspaper and said in amazement:
"Listen to this: 'the KANSEN-program has helped Eagle Union and Royal Kingdom soldiers in countless battles against our enemy. They have achieved some of the humanity's greatest achievements against the Sirens especially in the battle for Pacific Ocean, the battle for Atlantic Ocean and the latest recapture of the state of California.' Artie, have you seen these KANSEN-things or whatever?"
Arthur shifted uncomfortably on his seat. He looked around at first before he sighed and said:
"I have. I got that Bronze Star for helping one of them to destroy a bunker."
-"No way! Now all that Daniel was saying makes more sense. What are they like? What do they look like?"
-"… How do I put it?... They ah, they look and behave like girls."
-"Girls? Who would make military machines look like girls?" Their mother asked while adding firewood to the stove.
-"That I do not know. Maybe they try to keep the morale high, I don't know."
-"Well, that's pretty sick if it's because of that." Anna said
Arthur's father coughed for a moment before he slowly started:
-"So, uh… When did you first meet these Kansas or Kaunas or whatever?"
-"A few months ago. A few of them saved me and few other squads' lives."
-"Whoa really! What happened?" Anna asked and leaned her head on her palms.
-"I'll tell you some other time."
-"Aww… well, have been around them a lot?"
-"A bit, yes. When I was the commander of a company, we were acting as a garrison to their base."
-"Holy-… Well, were anyone of them the one for you?" Anna smiled and teased him.
-"Anna, that's enough. Those things are some kind of machines. Besides they are military property." Their mother stepped in and placed her hands on Anna's shoulders.
Anna raised her hands to surrender and stood up:
-"I'm only joking! Oh well, I'll go hit the sack. Goodnight."
The conversation later began to bother Arthur. He didn't know what Ship-Girls were, but he knew they were not machines. They looked like people, behaved like people, and had thoughts, hopes, and dreams like people did. For him, they could have been people.
XXX
One of the last days of Arthur's stay, all evening, Arthur, and his father had been chopping firewood for the winter. They sat resting on their chopping logs and watched the clear starry sky. Arthur had inherited his father's habit to always at the evening, before going inside the house to watch the sky and the stars. It was the last moment of the day to wonder if any tasks had been left undone. The last minute of peace.
Arthur's father, Thomas Sanders, experienced a quiet fifty-two-year-old man's soul crisis about his life. He didn't talk about it to anyone, nor did he show it. He had worked his whole life just to leave a better chance to life to his children, but two of them would never be able to experience this better chance fully. While working alone he sometimes fell into a state of great despair because while looking to the future, he saw nothing. What good would all his work be, if no one were there to benefit from it after he was gone?
Arthur's vacations reinvigorated the man momentarily before he sank into his lonely depression again. On top of their drawer in their living room there were already two Purple Hearts and a Silver Star medal that Arthur had brought on his second vacation and now he had brought the Bronze Star medal.
Although the most important thing was the boy himself, his quiet being, which seemed to make him more manly every time he visited. As they discussed the war and the situation of the world, he spoke to his son like an equal. Thomas stared quietly at the night sky and tested the sharpness of his axe with his fingers as Arthur expressed his views.
-"I'll leave as soon as the war ends… But anything can happen with it. Nothing is set in stone."
-"But haven't you had a lot of success, especially there in California?"
-"Yeah, but if they had put all their strength there, they would still be there and there they would remain."
-"Well, what if we lose? What will happen then?"
-"…I don't know. I guess we'll see then If that happens."
The boy fell silent not wanting to talk more about it. He didn't complain, though his heavy and pensive gaze showed that it did matter to him. When Thomas tried to return to the matter a bit later, Arthur just said:
-"I can't do anything about it. It's better not to worry about it… If they won't leave us in peace, we of course have to fight."
On his return to service, Arthur left home some money and a photo of him and Brown sitting on the roof a captured bunker.
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The weeks rolled on at base Lima. There was a small layer of snow on the ground and on top of the buildings. At first, all the free time had been very nice, but after the fourth consecutive week of doing nothing, it started to annoy the men. The entertainments at a regular military base were quite lacking, as many of them had noticed years ago. They had received the "new" M1 Garand rifles in the middle of the second week of slacking. Many of them had cursed their lack of semi-automatic rifles in their company for a long time, and it had become some sort of a joke that they would have only been given the others' leftovers.
Not much had changed in their normal daily lives at the military base. They spent their free time as they did before, they practiced as before, and lived as before. But one thing had changed, and it was Corporal Edward Brown. He no longer joked like before nor did he try to keep the mood up. It was as if his world had come crumbling down. He sent a lot of letters to Helena and he also got a lot of letters from Helena. He received letters so frequently that the postmaster had angrily asked him what kind of fucking celebrity he had become. Brown's melancholy was not pleasant to watch, but everybody knew that sooner or later it would pass. Although Helena had often threatened to run away, fortunately she had not done so.
Brown sat outside in front of their barracks with Taylor, carving a block of wood, but as soon as he saw Sanders approaching, he stopped and sheathed his knife.
-"Good morning."
-"Morning… What are you doing here?" Sanders said and sat down next to Brown.
-"I would like to know that myself." Brown answered.
-"Yeah, not much to do right now. Never thought I'd get bored in my free time." Taylor stretched.
Sanders dug a cigarette from his jacket's pocket and lit it. He took a couple of puffs and said:
"It happens."
-"Have you heard anything about it?" Brown asked Sanders
-"No. Nothing new."
In silence they watched as men walked in and out of buildings. Many of them seemed to be in a great hurry and half-ran from building to another.
-"What is going on now?" Taylor asked as they watched officers hurrying towards the command building.
-"No idea."
Then they heard someone shout from their left and turned towards the shouter.
-"Sanders! Sanders, there you are!"
Lieutenant Smith walked quickly to them. She stopped in front of them and straightened her uniform. She seemed to have dressed in a hurry and only now tried to look presentable. Her blond hair was not on her usual twisted bun, but now on her shoulders.
-"Let's go, we need to go to the command building quickly." She said and brushed some of her hair behind her ear.
-"Why? What's going on?"
-"I'm not entirely sure, but what I heard is that a lot of unknown signals have been spotted near Base Azure. I'm guessing they are going to need help there."
Brown jumped up when he heard the news and quickly said:
"Base Azure? Are you sure?"
-"Well I'm pretty sure. Come on, we don't have time to waste."
Sanders and Smith quickly walked toward the building where they had been told to show up. Along the way, Sanders asked some things, but Smith's poor knowledge of the matter gave him no answers.
-"Not sure if they'll send us there. We are the only full company here. Aren't there men closer to the base than we are?"
-"Well, what I heard passing by is that the units closer to the base have not answered and we are now the only whole unit that has answered that is even somewhat close."
-"Well, we'll see."
The news had filled Brown with a bit more life and he thoughtfully looked at the command building. While he was glad to maybe be able to see Helena a little earlier than he had planned, he couldn't but to be a little worried about the situation. Brown had already planned to use his next vacation to go and see Helena, but it seemed he didn't have to do that now. He probably wouldn't have been allowed inside the base, but they could visit the nearby village to look around. A small smile appeared on his face when he heard Taylor say:
"Try not to get too much heartache if we don't go there."
-"Who has said anything about heartache? I miss the action, nothing more." He playfully responded to Taylor's mocking.
-"Yeah right. Even a blind could see that you want to go there and not just because of the action."
-"Maybe, but it's probably best to go prepare. They won't wait long before sending us there, if they send us that is. How does that one saying go? Always be ready?"
-"Something like that. Should we take that record player with us? It would be a shame to leave it here someone would surely take it.
Then they too disappeared inside their barracks. Somehow, they had managed to find a record player and some records. There was nothing particularly good about the player, its needle was slightly bent and the sound it produced was for the most part only humming and buzzing, but it was still nice to have around. Nobody remembered who had brought it with them, maybe it had been Hubbard, but he didn't admit it. Or maybe it was left by some previous resident that was now missing his player a lot. Hard to say. Nonetheless they now had the player and they had not thrown it away even though many officers had ordered them to do so.
A great commotion broke out among the soldiers when they saw the hurry and running outside. As usual, rumors and gossips quickly began to circulate, even those that would otherwise have seemed absurd now seemed very reasonable. Some of them longed for action, but many would have been content with their current boredom filled lives. The morning was bright and beautiful, but it would be left to see what the afternoon would look like.
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A/N: Alright I did it. It's a bit shorter than usual, but I wanted to cut it here. My life has been consumed by Valheim so that's a thing now.
Like every time reviews are very much appreciated no matter what you want to say.
See ya hopefully next time! Some Dood out!