The rest of the day both somehow dragged and flew by at the same time, but I managed to get through it fairly well. Intrepid did, too, getting still impressively high scores despite the lack of sleep. In all honesty, even if we weren't romantically involved, I would have been impressed. I'd also taken it as a good sign-war doesn't let often let people get a full night's rest before resuming combat. All in all, it looked like a core group was slowly taking shape. The South Dakotas, the Essexes, and the Baltimores all looked like they would be prime candidates for Operation Siren. Well, most of them so far. Bremerton still needed to start her exercises, but I was confident in her abilities if her own post-battle reports and prior training evaluations were anything to go by.

As the day drew to a close, I bid Bremerton good night and headed home for some well-earned rest. By the time my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light, a deep, dreamless slumber that I awoke from feeling much more rested and refreshed. Little did I know how important that rest would be as events had begun to set in motion…


I arrived at my office just as Essex did, and I greeted her with a smile as we headed into the office together. "Morning, Essex. How're you feeling?"

"Still a little sore," she admitted with an awkward smile. "Got hammered pretty hard in that first match and didn't have a lot of time to recover after that. But gimme a day or two and I'll be good as new, sir!"

I smiled at the irrepressible enthusiasm she had and wondered if that was a trait of all her class. "I know you will. And, uh, how's Intrepid doing? She holding up okay?"

For a second, Essex looked like a deer caught in headlights until she composed herself and nodded quickly. "Y-yeah, doing good. A bit tired, but I think we all are."

Her sudden, unusual behavior worried me. "Are you sure? You seemed a bit…surprised there."

"Fine, fine," she in a tone that suggested she was clearly not fine. "Like I said, just a little tired."

If my anxiety levels were elevated before, they were spiking now. "Is she okay?" I asked as I came around to her desk. "Is she pushing herself too hard? I don't want to see her get injured on my account."

Strangely enough, rather than getting even more flustered she relaxed and shook her head with a genuine smile. "No, no, not at all, Commander," she sighed. "She's doing her best, but she knows how to keep fighting fit and not strain herself. She's fine, I promise."

I stared her down, looking her in the eye for a few moments. When I was certain she was telling the truth, I finally relented and headed back to my desk. "Alright. But you let me know if she or anyone else starts pushing too hard. We need everyone we can get, and it'd be a damn shame if we lost someone with real promise to fatigue."

"Yes, sir," she nodded solemnly as she returned to work. "I'll keep an eye out."

"Good."

As we got back to work, Essex spoke up. "Still can't tell us where we're going?"

"Afraid not," I answered as I put the daily fuel consumption logs in the outbox. "HQ hasn't given me the green light for a full briefing yet, but I'll let everyone know as soon as I do. I promise."

"We know you will, Commander," Essex smiled. "Just wondering why they've been so tight-lipped about it."

"To be honest, I've been wondering that myself," I admitted. "I've got my theories, but sadly, that'd give away the mission." In all honesty, HQ had been playing this one very close to the chest. I doubted it was entirely due to operational security. It wasn't like the kansen talked with the rest of the outside world, and mobilization on this scale was already going to tip them off that we were up to something. So why the sudden secrecy?

The only thing I could think of was the Crimson Axis. If they suddenly got word that we were committing a large force, they'd use it to take advantage of our weakened areas. Although HQ said they had a plan for dealing with that, so…

In the end, all this speculation would get me nowhere and the paperwork was piling up, so I decided to put it aside and get to work. At least, until the mutiny happened.

The sun had begun to set, bathing the office in its orange glow when the door swung open, and Shangri-La and Bunker Hill marched in. They were quickly joined by Essex as they stood imposingly over my desk. I looked between the three women, wondering just what was going on.

"...is there something I can help you with?" I asked suspiciously as I set my pen down.

"Commander, we're here to relieve you," Bunker Hill matter of factly stated.

"Oh, you are, are you?" I asked, somewhat amused at this change in pace. "May I ask why?"

"Your dress whites."

Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat before taking off like a rocket. "Ah," I said, hoping to not sound as anxious as I felt. "So it's time."

"We'll take it from here, sir," Shangri-La said as I got up. "Enjoy your night off."

I smiled over at her as I made sure everything related to Operation Siren was still in the encrypted section of my computer and inaccessible before finally relenting to the three women. "I will. And thank you."

"Quit dawdling, Commander," Essex playfully scolded. "Don't leave a lady waiting! Oh, and she said to meet you down by the canteen!"

With a final wave goodbye, I headed out the door, wondering just what exactly Intrepid had in mind…

That question preoccupied my mind the entire time I was getting ready for our date. What was going to make this date so special? What had she planned? Was Bremerton somehow involved in helping or just acting as a sounding board for Intrepid's idea? So many questions, and none of them I could even begin to hazard a guess at. After I made a final check in the mirror, it was time to quit wondering and go find out.

When I rounded the corner to the canteen, I saw that a few changes had been made to the facade. Palm trees had been put up in front of the door, which had a handpainted sign over the frame. Rick's Cafe Americain.

"What?" I laughed softly to myself as I took a few more steps forward, wondering just how she'd put this together so quickly.

"Like what you see?" Intrepid's voice came from behind, and I turned to answer, but I was stopped dead in my tracks by what I saw.

She had opted for a beautiful midnight blue evening gown with a satin bodice that was a lighter blue than the velvet that comprised the rest of the dress. A shoulder wrap and elbow-length gloves completed the outfit and made her, in a word, stunning.

Ever the orator, I managed to get out, "You…that…I…wow!" Truly, I had the soul of a poet in me.

Intrepid laughed as she walked up next to me and wrapped her arm around mine. "Good to know this dress is having an effect on you. Do you need a minute?"

I nodded, then quickly shook my head as I managed to get my thoughts under control. "I…I think I'm good. I just wasn't expecting…well, any of this. You look amazing tonight!"

"Glad you like it," she smiled at me as she guided us back to the "cafe's" entrance. "Took a bit of work to get it all put together, but so far, going by the look on your face, I think it's worth it."

Still trying to form words, I stammered, "I-I…I just…I'm stunned that you went out of your way to set this up! Did you know you were going to do this as soon as you mentioned the special date or did you brainstorm?"

Intrepid thought about it for a second, her finger on her lips. "Mmm…I'll answer that in a minute," she said with a coy grin. "But first, I wanna see the look on your face when we get inside."

I raised an eyebrow as we got to the door and it swung open, revealing Baltimore, clad in a rather fetching tuxedo, and a bright smile as she beckoned us inside. As I looked beyond Baltimore into the canteen I was taken aback for the third time in as many minutes by the utter transformation that had occurred. The entire interior had been changed, made to look like a near-perfect replica of the inside of Rick's Cafe from Casablanca.

"Welcome to Rick's," she announced, "Do you two have a reservation this evening?"

"Two for Intrepid," my dinner date announced with a playful smirk. And I could see why, the place was nearly empty, save for the all-manjuu jazz band in the corner and South Dakota on the piano. She looked up from the piece she was playing and gave me a small wave, which I returned before she went back to her music. At this point, I was simply dumbstruck by the herculean effort Intrepid must have put into this.

She tugged on my arm to get my attention, and I numbly followed her lead, still looking around at everything. Fortunately, I still had the presence of mind by the time we got to our table to hold out her seat for her before sitting in my own.

Her blue eyes peered into me for a long while, watching my reactions to everything. "You gonna be okay?" she asked. Her tone was playful, but I could tell she was a tad worried about this being too overwhelming for me.

"I…uh…I think so…" I muttered, finally turning my attention back to my dazzlingly beautiful companion. "Just…a lot to take in. And I know I said this earlier, but you look gorgeous in that."

Her cheeks colored as she glanced away for a moment. "Th-thanks," she stammered, "I was hoping you'd like it when I picked it out, but I wasn't sure. Well, until I saw your face, that is."

"And here I was thinking I'd played it off so casually," I joked, drawing a giggle from her.

"Super cool, John," she grinned back. "Very smooth."

We smiled and gazed into each other's eyes for another moment or two before I remembered my question from earlier. "So…when'd you come up with the idea for this, and exactly how did you get all this put together so quickly?"

Her blush returned and she idly toyed with one of the spoons as she told her story. "I wanted to do something really big for our first date, kind of a real grand slam sort of thing, but I couldn't really think of anything specific when it came to the theme. My first thought was astronomy-related, but there are no planetariums out here on the island and with the war on, any and all low-orbital flights are canceled, so I asked Bremmy about it. We talked, and she reminded me that we both enjoyed the movie, and here we are."

"God bless Bremerton," I smiled, "Woman deserves a medal for what she's done for us. But that doesn't explain how you got this set up so fast."

Surprise crossed her face as she realized she hadn't finished her tale. "Oh, right! That's the easy part. We found some production stills online and got a few manjuu who weren't busy to get it built. Only took a few hours to get it put up, and they'll have it back to normal by tomorrow morning."

Even though I'd been on-base for a few years now, it never failed to surprise me at just how quickly those little birds could build up and tear down a structure. "They did a great job, and you did a great job, too. I can't tell you how touched I am that you went through all this just for me."

Intrepid smiled warmly over at me as she reached out and took my hand in hers. "You're worth it, John. I know you're going through a lot right now, but I just wanted you to know that to me, doesn't matter who you were, but who you are, is someone very special."

I wanted to make a quip about how subtlety wasn't her strong suit, but all I could manage was, "Intrepid…I…" before my voice failed me.

"Shhh," she soothed as she placed her gloved finger on my lips. "Talk later, dance now." Her hand tugged on mine, and I got to my feet, following her to the empty dance floor as the band struck up a new tune.

I laughed softly as I recognized the iconic melody. "I should've known," I grinned, and Intrepid turned to face me.

"C'mon, Commander," she beamed back as she stepped in close to me, her hand on my hip. "Didn't think I'd forget something like this, did you?"

"You? No," I shook my head as I wrapped my arm around her waist, pulling her in even closer as we began to sway in time with the music. "But I didn't think the band would know As Time Goes By."

"You'd be surprised," she replied, resting her head against my shoulder as we slowly moved around the floor.

"Does that mean I can tell them to play La Marseillaise later?"

I felt Intrepid laughing before she looked up and shrugged. "If the Iron Blood stop by for a drink, sure."

"Deal," I smiled, and leaned in to kiss her tenderly, the last notes of the song fading away as we broke the kiss. "The Victor Laszlo to your Ilsa, huh?"

She shook her head as she blushed. "I'm no Ilsa."

"Are you kidding?" I all but exclaimed. "Bold, beautiful, willing to go to great lengths. I don't know your dating history, but I'm pretty sure if you had to hold an ex at gunpoint to save me, you'd do it."

Her blush grew even deeper as she shook her head. "Don't have an ex to hold up at gunpoint, but if you ever fall into the ocean, I'll come to save you, Commander. Just send me your general location, and I'll find you as quick as Mercury and Gemini in the night sky!"

"I'll hold you to that," I murmured as I leaned in for another kiss as the band struck up another tune…

The rest of the evening was a blur of dancing, drinks, and surprisingly good food. I forgot to ask who was cooking that night, but whoever they were, they did a fantastic job. When it started getting late, we finally left, bidding all good night with a wave as we strolled down the empty streets.

"I know I've said this about a dozen times already," I happily sighed, "but I'll say it again: That was amazing, thank you."

"Anytime, John," she smiled as she wrapped an arm around my waist. "Like I said, I wanted to really hit it out of the park on our first official date."

"And you certainly did that," I grinned. "Now I'm wondering what I'm going to have to do to top it. Moon date?"

Intrepid giggled and shook her head, setting her twin ponytails swaying. "When they say 'shoot for the moon,' John, I don't think that's what they meant…"

"Eh, details," I dismissively replied. "But don't worry, I'm going to think of something." I hope.

"You've got this," she reassured me. "Speaking of which, are you the one who put me on the sortie list for tomorrow?"

"Yep," I confirmed with a nod. "You've been asking for one for a while now, and even with all the training going on, we still need ships out there to keep up the appearance that it's business as usual. So you're getting your wish."

She hummed happily and leaned her head on my shoulder. "I thought so. Thanks, John, I won't let you down."

"I know you won't, Intrepid. Just be safe out there, okay?"

"I promise."

We walked on for a little while longer until we reached the door to her apartment. "Here we are," Intrepid announced, with more than a bit of sadness tinging her voice. I could definitely understand the sentiment.

"Here we are," I repeated as I took her hands in mine. "Hate to leave you, but thank you for the absolutely wonderful evening, Intrepid. Best first date I've ever had."

She smiled lovingly at me, her blue eyes as bright as the stars in the sky. "Thank you, John, that means a lot to me. I, uh, I think we're leaving bright and early so I don't think I'll see you before we go, but I'll check in when I get back."

"See you then," I whispered softly before I moved in for one last kiss, this one passionate and longing, one returned with equal fervor by Intrepid. "Good night, Intrepid."

"Good night, John."


Please fight until the last light has faded.

Once again, I found myself beset by monstrous foes, surrounded by fire and death as we fought desperately to survive the onslaught as the stars winked out one by one. Once again, I found myself floating in the void, and once again, I found myself drawn to a pale blue star that appeared. This time, it was closer now, and I could feel the warmth suffusing my body as I drew nearer and nearer to it. It beckoned to me, offering me safety and comfort.

And then it began to flicker, to fade. Like a light bulb that was starting to burn out, it sputtered and dimmed, and as hard as I tried, despite all my pleas and efforts, I could not reach it. With one final flicker, the light vanished, plunging me back into darkness.

I screamed into the void. I screamed her name until my throat felt like I'd swallowed razor blades and I screamed some more. But she did not return to me. I was alone, and would be alone, forever…

"Intrepid!" I shouted as I bolted upright in bed, sweat pouring down my forehead. As I caught my breath, I looked around and found myself back in my quarters, trying to convince myself that this had all been a bad dream. But I couldn't help shake the feeling that something bad had happened, or would happen, to Intrepid. With that growing sense of doom gnawing in my gut, I threw off the sheets and got ready for the day.

It would be the hardest day of my life.

A/N-Independence, Biloxi, Halsey Powell, Stephen Potter, and Bunker Hill. Until next time, fair winds and following seas!