Part Seven – Glory to the future
Flopping down on the couch in my office I let out a relaxed sigh, my mother had returned home, after her visit, which I had learned was done to put some space between her and my stepfather, apparently, there had been some kind of fall out over and indiscretion. I honestly didn't care who was at fault, I mean I know that she had cheated on my father with the man that became my stepfather. On some level, I wondered if she cheated again or he did, but really, it wasn't my business at this point.
Closing my eyes and letting out a slow sigh before opening them again and spotting that half-open model kit box I had on my shelf of the Courageous class battle cruiser my brow wrinkles and I say "I forgot all about that."
Sitting up and getting off the couch I take the kit down and go back to the couch, opening it up I look at the work I had done to get it ready to be an in-process conversion from battlecruiser to aircraft carrier. Thankful that I hadn't glued anything down yet, just done some test fits with double-sided tape, I pull always all of the scratch work I'd done and started to assemble it as a battlecruiser. Stopping part way through to check my decals and photo-etch parts I let out a breath of relief, I had the nameplate for Glorious.
Picking up the hull and laying it on its side, I carefully take off the photo-etch nameplate, resting it on the hobby knife as I put down a touch of the adhesive then carefully, using one hand to steady the other I lay the name down before using the flat of the blade to smooth out the nameplate as I whisper to myself, "I think I'll make you as you should be."
I had just laid down the nameplate when my door flew open and that Scottish voice of my secretary rang out, "Commander, this is bad! You can play with your girlfriend later!"
I drop my hobby knife when she said that, my face going bright red as I stammer out, "She's not my girlfriend!"
At least, I don't think she is. I mean we still haven't had that talk yet, I'd like to think she is, but I don't want to rush it.
"That doesn't matter right now, this is bad, sir!" she protests, I can see that her green eyes are wide and the color has drained from her face.
Pinching the bridge of my nose I take a centering breath before saying, "Just leave, Abercrombie to me."
"That's only part of the problem! She was last seen heading to the docks with someone's brassiere and a lot of rubber ducks, the other part of the problem is we've got a battleship trying to dock, her hull is white and gold and she says her name is," Javelin tells me in high pitch near squeal.
My eyes go wide and I say the name before she does, "Vanguard."
Javelin blinks at me a couple of times, I seemed to throw her off track when I said that, once she's got her train of thought back on track she says, "Aye, Commander, but it's not just her, she's escorting the First Sea Lord Sir Nigel West!"
That got me out of my seat, knocking my table over and sprinting over to the door, to grab my cap as I call out, "Bollocks, why didn't you tell me?!"
"I told you Vanguard was coming! I didn't know the First Sea Lord would be with her!" Javelin maintains as we both start sprinting from the command center.
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I had just made it to the docks when I felt my stomach drop as I saw a barrage of yellow rubber ducks in flight, mere seconds after I heard Abercrombie yell out, "Fire!"
It was like everything slowed down, the ducks tumbling in the air slowly towards a tall blond woman and an older man dressed in the uniform of the First Sea Lord, his closely trimmed grey beard turning slowly skyward as the ducks closed the gap. Out of instinct, I called out, "Abercrombie, no!"
But the words left my lips too late, and I knew it, still, I dove forward and tackled the little monitor from behind, just as the first duck impacted against the face of the First Sea Lord, Abercrombie giggled out while we both flew in the air, "Direct hit!"
As soon as we impacted against the ground, it was like the world caught back up and I heard the splashing and thudding sound of the ducks hitting the dock and water. Keeping Abercrombie pinned under me I scolded her, "What did I tell you?"
"That you couldn't be the target." She said in a matter-of-fact tone.
Damn it! She's got me there.
I let out a sigh and said, "I'm extending that to any human officer, especially the First Sea Lord!"
"Fine." The monitor says in a tone that suggests she's just saying it to avoid being in trouble before she adds, "But he's Papa Nigel."
Papa Nigel?
It started as a low rumble and I feared for my job when everything went dark and I looked up slowly to see the look of fury on the face of that old man, his voice like thunder as he said, "Abercrombie."
The little monitor somehow managed to wiggle out from under me, stood up, and hugged the First Sea Lord and she said, "I've missed you, Papa Nigel."
The First Sea Lord's expression softened as he pushed Abercrombie back a little and knelt to hug her back as he said, "I've missed you too, how are the rest of the girls doing?"
"Granny Hood still gets mad at me, and Mama Nelson is still prickly." The monitor says with a giggle before letting go of the First Sea Lord and turning to grab her make-shift catapult and adding, "Don't worry Commander Wilks, I'll put Belfast's bra back before her shift is over."
Bobbing my head up and down I say to her, "Thank you, Abercrombie."
Once she had taken down her makeshift catapult she waved at the First Sea Lord before skipping off, I still had that sinking feeling in my gut as he called my name, "Commander Wilks."
Snapping to attention and saluting him as I say, "Sir!"
I watch as he fixes his cap before taking off his glasses and wiping them as he says, "At ease, Commander."
Relaxing my stance, but still showing good drill discipline, I can feel my cheeks are bright red as I say, "I'm sorry about that, Sir, I'll…"
He held up a hand, stopping me mid-sentence as he said, "Do not worry about it, I know firsthand that this place has its own unique challenges." He pauses and looks over his shoulder as he says, "Vanguard, you may head out and find Glorious."
The blond woman nodded and spun on her heels, leaving me and the First Sea Lord on the docks, with a hand gesture from behind I waved for Javelin to follow and help Vanguard in tracking down Glorious. As the First Sea Lord started to walk towards the base, I hurried to keep up as I continued to apologize, "Thank you for understanding, Sir, but I still…"
"This place doesn't work if you maintain good order and discipline. The girls need something different; I learned that in my first week here, during the war." He says over his shoulder at me, pausing to add, "The fact that I've not had any reports of major incidents or property destruction reports is a testament to how you are managing this place, Commander Wilks."
"Thank you, Sir." I say as I look down at my feet and feel like a weight lifted off my shoulders.
I sense the First Sea Lord coming to a stop and he asks, "How is Nelson these days?"
Nelson? Didn't Abercrombie call him Papa Nigel and Nelson, Mama Nelson?
I rub the back of my head as I say, "She's… she's Nelson. A bit prickly, but Rodney seems to delight in pushing her buttons."
The First Sea Lord nods before saying to me, "I think it might be better for my health if I can avoid seeing Nelson, do you know what her schedule is like today?"
"She's supposed to be at the firing range for most of the day, she and Rodney are trying to outdo each other." I say, sounding a little puzzled before asking, "If you don't mind me asking, Sir, why?"
He goes bright red and looks off to the side as he mumbles, "Things didn't end well between myself and Nelson, I think she was hurt that I didn't try to take her with me when I was promoted away from this base."
I clear my throat and look off to the side as I say, without actually asking what I want to ask, "Does that mean, what I think it means, Sir?"
He clears his throat and turns to continue his pace as he says, "Likely, Commander Wilks, and I wouldn't be surprised if you have found yourself in a similar position."
My own cheeks got very hot as I mumbled, "Seems like it."
He laughs as he says, "I would've been in awe if it hadn't."
Hanging my head I sigh before asking, "Sir, might I inquire as to what brings you out to this base?"
"Nostalgia, mostly, Commander." He says before stopping and turning to look out over the water as he adds, "But more importantly, I'm here to inspect how you have been handling this base, to see if you are ready for a larger port."
I nod and move to stand beside him as I say, "If I am, Sir, I'd like to make a personal request then."
"And that would be?" he asks me without looking at me.
"That I can bring two of the girls with me, I don't think I want to train up a new secretary, not when I have one that knows me as well as Javelin does at this point. And the other is much more of a personal reason." I pause and look off to the side as I mumble out the last part, "I'm just starting to explore something with her and I want to keep exploring it."
"Who?" he asks me, folding his hands behind his back.
Taking a deep breath I say her name, "Glorious."
His head bobs up and down before asking, "How did her conversion to a carrier work out? She was in a bad way after the loss of Acasta and Ardent."
I blink a couple of times before asking, "You knew her as a battlecruiser?"
"I did, she was cheerful, a bit proud, but a good girl." He says with a pause before adding, "But also unsure of herself, like she had something to prove, after her fight with Scharnhorst, it was like something was broken inside of her."
I nod as I tell him, "She's a good person, but that loss of Acasta and Ardent weighs on her. She also seems to forget that she lacks her cannons, and it has caused some issues, but generally speaking, she tries to put on a fun-loving face."
The First Sea Lord looks at me and says, "If everything goes well with this inspection, I'll see to it that you can bring them both with you."
"Thank you, Sir." I say to him and return my attention to the water, off in the distance I can see a familiar blond skimming towards the port, her aircraft carrier rigging glowing in the mid-day sun.
After a moment the First Sea Lord clapped his hands together and told me, "Now, off with you Commander, I want to make my inspections without you around so that I know you are not hiding anything."
"Yes, Sir." I respond automatically before adding, "Is there anything you would like from the kitchens? I can make sure that it's hot and ready for you in my office at mid-day."
He tapped the end of his nose before saying "Some beer-battered cod would be nice."
"Of course, Sir, I'll get that information off to the kitchens as soon as I get back to my office." I say to him with a salute then hurry off to my office.
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After getting the order into the kitchen, I kept pacing around my office, I really worried about what the First Sea Lord was going to find, but he did seem understanding, like more than I would've figured. Checking the clock above my door, I note that it's closing on noon and I hadn't heard from the First Sea Lord yet. Taking a deep breath to try and center myself, I just about jump out of my skin as I hear a clicking sound, behind me. Turning slowly I see one of the bookshelves on that wall move forward slightly. A moment later it swings open and I see the First Sea Lord standing there, adjusting his uniform, my mouth dropped open and he walked calmly into my office, stopped, and closed the up this hidden passage before saying to me, "I had this installed during my time here, you wouldn't believe how handy it was to have a passage from the docks to this office, that no one else knew about."
He could see the confusion on my face and he adjusted his uniform again as he said, "I ran into Nelson," His cheeks going a little red as he said, "it seems she's still angry, even twenty years later."
Blinking a couple of times and shaking my head as I reset my brain I say to him, "I can see that, Nelson is a bit prickly."
He moves to take a seat on the couch as he says to me, "I'm to blame for that; she wasn't always this prickly, if anything I think I broke her heart when I left."
Moving to take a seat across from him as I tell him, "Even after a year or so, I still find it very intriguing that these girls are so like us and yet not at the same time."
The First Sea Lord pours a cup of tea and sips it as he asks, "Belfast?" When I nod he continues, "right from the start, she knew how to brew the perfect pot of tea, though don't tell her, but I much prefer Edinburgh's cooking."
I looked off to the side, he had the information I really wanted, but it was too important to know about my future. My hands started to fidget and I just say it, "What is your evaluation, Sir?"
I can hear him put down his cup before reaching into his jacket and puts down an envelope on the table as he says, "Your new orders if you want to accept them."
Picking up the envelope and opening it to read the orders, my eyes darting over the page and after a moment I say, kind of numbly, "I'm being ordered to take care of a joint operations base with the Eagle Union in the Pacific?
He sips his tea again and says, "If you want the assignment, if not, I'm sure I can find someone that will."
I was about to accept right there and then, but something stopped me when I spotted the box of the Courageous class battlecruiser model kit, looking back at the paper I say, "Before I accept, I think I should talk with the girls I would like to bring with me, as this would impact more than just my life."
He nods, putting his tea back down as he says, "That's good to hear, I would hate for you to make my mistake. Think it over and get back to me by the end of the week, just let the switchboard know what this is about and they will put you through to me directly."
"Thank you, Sir." I respond as he starts to stand, causing me to stand as well.
Once he reached my door he paused and asked me, "Do give Nelson my regrets about leaving her behind, I do miss her." He paused and laughed slightly as he added, "Though best to wait for her to calm down a bit first."
"Aye, Sir." I say to him as he opens the door and leaves my office.
When the outer door clicks shut, I move to the kitchenette and lean around the side and watch Javelin bopping around in the kitchen and then I see it, I see her take out my favorite snacks, jaffa cakes, and when she spins around, the box flies free from her hands as she calls out in surprise at seeing me as she says, "Commander!"
The box lands at my feet and I pick it up, checking inside to see it empty, I sigh and toss the box into the bin as I ask, "So that's where my cakes have been going?"
She went bright red and started to tap the ends of her fingers together as she mumbled, "I put them on the supply request."
With a sigh, I step closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder and ask, "Javelin, how attached are you to this place?"
Her brow knit together and she said, "I like it well enough, why?"
"I've been offered a promotion and assignment to a base out in the Pacific, a joint operations base with the Eagle Union. I'd like to take you with me, that is if you'd be willing to go." I say to her, offering a reassuring smile.
I was surprised when she hugged me, Javelin doesn't really do that with me as she said into my belly, "Of course, I'd come!"
Wrapping my arms around her smaller frame I say to her, "That's good, I'd hate to leave you here."
When she lets go of me, Javelin looks at me with a head tilt and asks, "What about Glorious?"
Rubbing the back of my head I tell her, "That's the next conversation I need to have, I'd like her to come as well, but I can't make her do it."
To my surprise, I see Javelin with my mobile and she's typing away on it before saying, "Sent her a message, saying you want to talk to her tonight."
Feeling around my pockets I ask, "When did you?"
"When I hugged you," She says with a smirk before adding, "I wanted to be prepared for the chance you weren't going to talk to her."
I reach over with one hand to rub her head as I take my mobile and say, "What would I do without you?"
"Get yourself into much more trouble." Javelin laughs before turning her attention back to the fridge.
I was about to say something else when I spotted Belfast carrying a silver platter towards my office and I say to Javelin, "Take the rest of the day, I think I can manage a few more hours on my own."
The little destroyer hugged me again before going to her desk and grabbing her mobile then she was out the door, leaving me alone in the kitchenette, trying to figure out what I was going to say to Glorious tonight.
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The evening had rolled in and I was out back of my quarters, on the back porch, a grill going and I had some sausages on it, a can of beer beside me while I looked out over the south beach. On some level, I knew I was taking in this sight, knowing full well it was going to be one of the last times I saw it, at least for a long, long time, even if Glorious didn't want to go, I was still going, I knew that deep down. Sipping from my can and giving the sausages a roll over the heat I was still agonizing on how to talk to Glorious about this.
Even from my spot in the back, I heard my front door open and close, I knew it was going to be Glorious and I was kind of curious as to how she managed to get a copy of my key, only myself and Javelin had it. I didn't look in her direction, even when I heard the patio door open and close, out of the corner of my eye I saw her blond hair flow just before she was in my lap, straddling me and kissing me.
When the kiss broke she stroked my cheeks as she said with that Irish accent, "I don't know what this is yet, but I want to keep exploring it, so yes, Anthony, I will come with you."
My head tilted to the side and I asked, "How?"
Her blue eyes were shining with the evening light as she said, "Javelin gave me a heads up."
I stroked her thighs as I ask, "Are you sure?"
Glorious straightened up as she said, "If we face it together, there is nothing we can't overcome, Anthony. Are you ready to accept your Glory?"
Whatever I was going to say, died on my lips as she took off her top and kissed me again, when she started to move down to my neck, I whispered into her ear, "I am, but only with you."
She paused nibbling on my neck to whisper in my ear, "Good."
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A/N: Thank you for sticking with this story, I hope you enjoyed it!
