Chapter 4: The General and the Politician

Location: Ooarai School Ship, Upper Deck

Time: Aug 25. 2125 HRS

Outside the school ship's conning tower, a girl covered with a heavy cloak and hood waited to watch a massive plane fly.

Right next to her sat a girl in her wheelchair with a stuffed bear wrapped in bandages sitting on her lap. She, too, also sported the same incognito attire as hers.

Both said nothing as they watched a C5 Galaxy, a kilometer from where they stood, aligning itself with a dirt runway for take-off. The beams of light coming out from the arrayed trucks' headlights marked the makeshift runway's boundaries for the plane to move.

Even at their distance, they could hear the sharp shrill of the plane's engine.

With a roar and a rumbling of the ground, the massive transport plane sped forward through the runway, gaining momentum and lift for flight. Its four jet engines roared as it propelled the flying behemoth into the air. Turbulent winds whipped and swayed nearby trees and street lights.

Instinctively, the hooded girl tightened her grip on her companion's shoulder.

In what seemed like a couple of awfully long seconds, the plane's wheels finally left the ground, with its front nose lifted up high at a steep angle.

The plane was now airborne, and it whooshed its way passed by them. Like a dragon from a mystic legend, the flying behemoth flew higher and higher until it became a blinking star up in the night sky.

"That was a Lockheed C5 Galaxy transport plane," her partner marveled. "Our school would definitely benefit if we have one of those."

The hooded girl scowled. "We'd just get even more indebted with Uncle Sam."

Her partner took off her hood, revealing the face of a smiling girl with long silky raven-black hair brushed up all the way to the back. She turned her attention to face her. "Is there anything wrong with American weaponry?"

The girl shook her head as she too took off her hood, exposing her short silver hair tied into pigtails to the chilly summer night.

"Not at all," she replied. "It's just that I'd prefer Maharlika to stay independent of any influences from foreign powers, be it from the Americans or from the Russians or anyone else."

The girl in the wheelchair studied her for a couple of seconds before letting out a chuckle. "Luna, you are definitely emulating the values of your namesake."

Luna's face turned red. She immediately averted the gaze of her friend. "Apollina, I told you not to compare me with the actual Heneral Luna. I'm… I'm not worthy."

"Well, you did get the namesake because you are the leader of our school's CQB club," her companion offered. "Plus, I thought you don't like people calling you by your real name, yes?"

"I do prefer to be called Luna," she admitted. "But not be compared with the Heneral Luna."

Luna's namesake was that of General Antonio Luna, a prominent Filipino figure during the Philippine-American war. He was an exemplary sharpshooter who formed the Luna Sharpshooters, an elite guerilla force of snipers known for their ferocity in battle. He was also known as a military reformer who had to reform the disorganized army of the newly formed Philippine Republic into a formidable fighting force. He fought the Americans in numerous battles and often led his troops from the front. His men loved him, but his brash and volcanic temper earned him the ire of his fellow generals. On one sweltering summer afternoon in June 1899, he was murdered by a rival group within the Philippine military.

"Well, you could continue the legacy of the great general," Apollina offered. "For example, if we succeed in bringing this school-ship back home, you would definitely be regarded as a hero."

"And I supposed you would be hailed as the brain behind this operation just like your namesake?"

Apollina's face darkened, which caused Luna to flinch.

Apollina's namesake was Apolinario Mabini, the first prime minister of the First Philippine Republic. Apolinario was a brilliant statesman who was known to be the brain behind the revolution. Though struck with polio and losing his ability to walk, he still strived to perform his ministerial works, even contributing to drafting the first Philippine constitution.

Unlike Luna, who got her namesake simply because of her position as the leader of the CQB club of their school, Apollina personally chose her namesake. She deeply admired the first prime minister as his works and struggles showed one can still achieve greatness despite a disability. Apollina could relate to him as she too contracted polio at an early age, which prevented her from walking normally without special braces.

"You know, I never did like how they gave us this operation," Apollina said, her voice low and guarded. "If I was the one in charge, I would never have greenlighted this mission."

"What do you mean?"

"Call it gut instinct, but I smell something fishy with this sudden deal with the Japanese Education Ministry." Apollina expounded. "If I'm right, then this could pose some serious trouble for us."

"Then why did you agree to accompany me?" Luna asked.

"Would you rather if President Rizal accompanied you?" Apollina countered.

Luna felt a shiver run down her spine.

"No, the president will only add another lover to her already crowded harem."

Apollina smirked. "Exactly."

"But why you?" Luna pressed. "I mean, if you don't like this operation, why not let Andrea or anyone from the Student Council come?"

"Because I'm the Vice President, and I'd be damned if I let you all get the blame if something goes wrong with this operation." Her companion replied instantly. "I'll be here with you, at your side, to face any consequences if we fail."

Apollina saw the worried look on her friend and immediately brightened her expression with a smile.

"Oh, don't worry, it's just a hunch of mine," she assured. "I'm sure we'll complete this operation without any problem."

Luna's lips formed a straight line.

"Apollina, I've known you for a long time," Luna began. "You rarely make mistakes with your judgment."

"The keyword is, 'rarely'," Apollina countered. "It means I do make mistakes."

Luna furrowed her brows, still unconvinced at her friend's assurance, but didn't pursue the topic further.

"Alright, if that's what you say." Luna sighed.

For the next minute, they remained silent.

Together, they enjoyed the cool summer air and the clear night sky. Luna noted that the stars' positions had shifted entirely from where she usually saw them back in the Philippines. For starters, the north star was further up in the sky compared to when they were near the equator when it would usually be found closer to the horizon.

"The night sky is different here," Luna quipped, trying to change the subject. "I wonder what the students in this ship would think if they sail to the equator and discover a completely different night sky?"

"I'm sure they'll appreciate the change," Apollina suggested. "Then again, maybe not."

"Ok, look… What was it that you felt out of place?" Luna finally asked, unease in her tone. "As the general of this operation, and you as my aide-de-camp, I need to know your input."

Apollina didn't respond immediately. Instead, she wrapped her arms around her bandaged stuffed bear, drawing it closer to her chest in a tight hug. She looked down at the bear and smiled sadly.

"This deal was rushed with many corners being cut," Apollina revealed.

"But isn't that a good thing? Less red tape?" Luna queried. "I mean, if an order for disposal of a ship is sent, shouldn't we grab the opportunity while it's hot? Other countries will get this ship instead of us if we hesitate."

Apollina shook her head. "And this is why you're the general, and I'm the politician."

Luna opened her mouth to respond, but her aide-de-camp held out her stuffed bear to stop her.

"Deals that are rushed are often telltale signs that something is amiss."

"You think corruption is afoot?"

Apollina shook her head.

"I'm hesitant to outright say it's corruption as of now," she admitted. "But from reading past records, I've never seen an opportunity to scrap a school-ship being closed in less than a month."

Ever since the school-ship boom after World War II, both Maharlika's Boys Academy, and Girls Academy had been involved in delivering decommissioned school-ships to various ship-breaking yards found all across the Philippines.

For years, this was a lucrative business for the school. Maharlika would get a deal for a decommissioned school-ship once in every two years. However, due to fierce competition with other ASEAN schools and strict environmental laws newly implemented by the government, this school-ship would be their third haul after a decade of no operation.

"That. That's really concerning." Luna muttered, still shocked at the revelation. "I never thought of it that way."

"Nor did I intend to tell you that since it was just my hunch, and you were too busy planning this operation."

"I was indeed busy," Luna nodded slowly. "But, we already got our orders, and I intend to follow them."

"And that's why I volunteered to come with you to ensure the orders you got are law-abiding." Apollina smiled.

Luna smiled back in return.

Just then, they saw a bunch of high school girls on the sidewalk walking towards them. They all wore a white standard Japanese seifuku with matching green trims and green skirts. In addition, they sported big black ribbons and black socks of different lengths. From their fair complexion, they were indeed Japanese, a clear contrast with their own Filipino brown features.

Luna furrowed her brows with confusion.

"Why are they still here?" she muttered. "From their uniforms, they're not from this school's Naval Department."

"I'm not sure," the aide-de-camp replied. "But they came from the direction where the plane stopped, so they might be related to that."

Now the silver-haired general eyed them with suspicion. "If that's so, then what were they trying to load in that humongous transport?"

Try as she might, she couldn't discern clearly what was being loaded into the plane due to clouds of dust blown by the plane's massive jet engines.

"Perhaps they're tankers of this school's tankery club?" Apollina suggested. "And they're loading their tanks into the plane?"

"Hmm," Luna pondered for a few seconds. "Perhaps you're right. Anything still in this ship by dawn is already good as ours."

"Aye," Apollina concurred. "And that might be why they asked Saunders to help them transport their tanks out."

"Saunders?" Luna gave her friend a quizzical look.

"Oh, that's the name of the American affiliated school here in Japan," the aide-de-camp clarified. "The plane was an American one, so I'm assuming it came from Saunders."

"Huh," the silver-haired general wanted to say something further but chose to keep her thoughts to herself.

The Japanese high schoolers were now only a few meters from their position. As they approached, they bowed their heads in greetings. Luna bowed in return, and Apollina did so as well with a smile.

They all remained silent as they exchanged greetings until one of the Japanese high schoolers, the one with short light-brown hair, stopped in front of the sitting Apollina.

The light-brown haired girl's eyes seemed to sparkle with awe as she stared intently at the aide-de-camp's stuffed bear.

Luna narrowed her eyes. Slowly, she reached out for the hilt of her cadet sword hidden underneath her cloak. She couldn't take any chances on how these Japanese high schoolers would react if they knew they were here to take away their school-ship.

"Ano, sumimasen," the light-brown haired girl started in Japanese, pointing at the stuffed bear. "Sore wa Boko desu ka?"

Apollina gave the girl a beaming smile. "Hai, Boko desu."

The girl's face lit up, and immediately proceeded to speak excitedly in rapid Japanese.

Luna frowned and let go of her hold on her sword. Though she did take an elective in Nihongo in her first year of Senior High, she still couldn't catch up to what this Japanese girl was saying. However, she could hazard a guess that she was an avid fan of the stuffed bear, just like her friend.

On the other hand, her aide-de-camp could speak decent Japanese, so she had no problems conversing with a fellow fan of what's-its-name bear.

For a minute, the two fans spoke while Luna and the Japanese girl's friends waited.

Then, both Apollina and her new-found friend took out their phones to exchange contacts.

Another minute passed by before the two took a selfie. With a hug and a handshake, the Japanese girl then bade the aide-de-camp goodbye.

When the Japanese high schoolers were no longer at earshot, Luna let out a sigh.

"So, what was that all about?"

"I just met a fellow Boko fan!" Apollina answered gleefully, clutching tightly her stuffed bear. "It appears Miho-san is also into collecting Boko toys."

"I never thought your bear had a name," Luna said blandly. "I assumed it was just some quirky bear you got from Divisoria."

"How rude," Apollina pouted. "Boko the bear is an internationally renowned teddy bear. It has millions of fans all over the world. Boko transcends national boundaries, and I believe he's the key to world peace!"

For a few seconds, Luna stared at her friend before bursting out laughing.

"That's the first time I've heard that," she said between giggles. "And frankly, world peace? That's the stupidest thing I've heard!"

Apollina pouted even more as she swung her stuffed bear at the laughing general.

"Stupid Luna," she mumbled.

"Sorry, sorry, my bad," Luna apologized, wiping tears from her eyes. "It's just that I never saw that cute side of you before."

"Don't tell anyone about this," her aide-de-camp warned. "I forbid you, general, as the Vice President of Maharlika's student council."

Luna raised her hands to her side, showing her friend her open palms. "Understood, Vice President, I'll keep this secret between us to the grave."

She gave her friend a wink, which completely failed to reassure her friend.

"Anyways, we should go inside the bridge and meet with the captain of this ship," Luna pointed at the entrance of the conning tower.

Apollina's expression returned to her usual smile. She maneuvered her wheelchair to face the tower's entrance. "Should we be calling our expeditionary force to move out?"

Luna shook her head.

"There are still a lot of non-naval students aboard the ship," she noted. "We don't want to cause any unnecessary confusion during the turnover."

"Understood." Her aide-de-camp nodded. "I'll tell Gabriela to remain on standby."

Luna looked up to the night sky one last time.

"The stars are indeed in different positions," she muttered to herself.

"Yes, Luna?" Apollina tilted her head.

The silver-haired general shook her head.

"It's nothing," she said before walking towards the conning tower's entrance.

===0===0===0===

Location: Ooarai School Ship, Lower Deck, Internal Dockyard

Time: Aug 25. 2130 HRS

If it comes to it, I might need you to captain the Hamakaze once again.

Ogin's jaw dropped at what she saw in front of her.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes a couple of times, but the scene in front of her didn't change.

"What in the seven seas?" she muttered to herself.

In her call with the student council president, Anzu revealed that MEXT had broken their agreement with her, and now they want to proceed with closing their school. To counter this, Anzu needed her help.

Ogin told her to jump off the bridge wearing cement shoes, but the chibi president insisted she was serious. Thus, to show she meant business, she told Ogin to march off towards the school-ship's internal drydock located at the aft of the ship and see for herself the degree of her seriousness.

And just as Anzu said, Ogin couldn't believe the scene in front of her.

Like most school-ships, theirs had a drydock inside that could cater to smaller ships' repairs and maintenance. Some school-ships could even fit in a battleship inside. However, theirs was modest compared to others and could only accommodate smaller vessels like the destroyer in front of her being serviced by dozens of student-sailors.

"Ah, Captain Ogin," a student-sailor wearing glasses and holding a clipboard greeted her. She was dressed normally in her sailor uniform, which meant she was not a delinquent. "It's a pleasure to meet you here. I'm Supervisor Ooyodo."

"How," Ogin pointed at the destroyer, her mouth agape. "Is that?"

Mai nodded. "Yes, Captain, that's indeed the Hamakaze."

In front of her was a ship elevated above a dry-platform with its under haul exposed. It was a destroyer class, which meant it had a smaller yet sleek design. It consisted of a conning tower, two exhausts in the middle, three main gun platforms with one at the front and two at the back. It also contained two quadruple torpedo launchers and a dozen secondary armaments.

Ogin swallowed before speaking.

"I thought the Hamakaze was already beyond repair?"

"It was," Ooyodo concurred. "Due to lacking spare parts, there is no way we could return her back to the sea. However, the president said she'll acquire some parts from Saunders, which they will deliver to us later."

Ogin frowned. She did notice a humongous plane swooping to land before proceeding down to the lower decks. Was that from Saunders?

She felt her phone vibrate.

"Um, Captain Ogin," Ooyodo started with a big smile on her lips. "Let me just say, I'm a huge fan. The way you united the delinquent gangs and how you commandeered the Hamakaze to-"

"Yes, thank you for your service, Supervisor Ooyodo," Ogin chuckled as she held out her phone, showing someone was calling her. "It's nice meeting you, but I need to take this call."

"Ah, of course, s-sorry to be a bother," Ooyodo stammered.

Ogin nodded at her before walking towards the exit.

When she was already alone inside the corridor, she finally picked up her call.

"What the hell are you playing, Anzu?" Ogin growled at her phone.

"Did you visit the drydock?" The voice on the other line asked.

"You told me the Hamakaze was beyond salvage!" The pirate snarled. "And now you're telling me it could be repaired all along?!"

"We didn't have the spare parts to fix the Hamakaze, and I couldn't divert extra funds for the repairs since we diverted everything into the revival of the Senshado club."

Ogin gritted her teeth. She wanted to say more but decided to hold her tongue.

"Anyways, Ogin, I need you to come here to Bar Danzoko. There are some things I need to discu-."

Ogin ended the call, annoyed that she had to listen to Anzu Kadotani's voice. Her day was now completely ruined, and not even a drink of Habanero would save it.

"Who the hell does she think she is?" She grumbled before plotting her way towards her usual hangout place.

A/N:

The OCs of this story finally make their entrance. Just to make it clear, Luna and Apollina are named after Philippine heroes.

Also to clarify, this chapter actually happens before chapter 2. In fact, chapter 3 also happened before chapter 2.

The reason for this is that I wanted to immediately introduce Ogin at the earliest possible chapter before I introduce the other characters of this story.

By the way, you can also read this story on Wattpad. Just search for the title or my penname in Wattpad to find this story. The advantage of Wattpad compared to FF is that I am able to upload artworks for this story. I'm planning to have 1 artwork per chapter all drawn by my artist friend Kuroumikei.

Anyways, I can't thank enough all those who reviewed/favorited/followed this story. It shows me that people do like reading my stories.

Again, thank you and enjoy!

Revision History:

- Originally published on Nov 3, 2020