Fantastic Mr. Fox
Pumping my arms as I run, my light football clothing in my home team's colors, the gold cannon logo over my heart catching a bit of the sunlight, dribbling the football from my left foot to my right, just before I reach the goal area, with a twist I put my back to the goal area, kick the ball up, following it with foot and throwing myself into a half back flip. My foot makes contact with the ball, sending it with a good amount of force into the empty net behind me. Crashing down to the pitch on the flat of my back, I pump my arms forward and shout, "Yes!"
"Not bad, Captain, though wouldn't it be harder against some actual players?" Javelin asked me from the side of the field.
"Way to kill the mood, Javelin." I sigh, starting to get up as I add, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to do a bicycle kick?"
"Nope, and I'm not about to try." She grins at me, just before a mobile phone starts going off. Javelin reaches behind her head to dig around in the little hood she always had on, and takes out her phone, before reaching back into the hood and taking out my phone, looking at the display then running it over to me.
Wiping my hands on my shorts before taking the phone I see it's from the radar station, with a raised eyebrow I hit talk and listen. First comes the meowing, followed by the robotic voice translation, "Captain, we are picking up a sea mosquito on approach, identification marks it as from the H.M.S. Indefatigable." A pause with more meowing, "Transmitted information indicates it is ferrying one passenger, marked as V.I.P. They will be arriving in fifteen minutes."
My insides twist in knots, the First Sea Lord wasn't meant to get her for a couple more days! "H…how come you didn't pick them up before now?" I shout as the panic starts setting in.
More meowing, "Apologies, the largely wooden construction of the mosquito gives it a very small radar cross-section, we were unable to detect it till just a few moments ago."
Running a hand down my face, I close my eyes and nod as I sigh, "Yeah, fine, thanks for any kind of heads up." The line went dead and I walked around in a circle, clutching my phone tightly, my chest heaving in and out. "Why, why is he flying this last leg? What is so important that he gets here today?"
It felt like ice water rand down my spine bringing me to a halt as I muse to myself, "No. I highly doubt that's why."
"Captain?" Javelin asks me from the side with her head tilted.
Waving a hand dismissively as I grab my ball and start to leave the field, "Doesn't matter, Javelin, we have approximately ten minutes before the First Sea Lord arrives at the airfield."
"Wait, one more time, nice and slow?" she asks falling in beside me,
"Rather than making the rest of the trip via ship, he's in a plane, flying the last leg here. The radar team didn't pick him up, because he's in a Sea Mosquito." I sigh, tilting my head to the side as I start to jog towards my quarters, I had next to no time to get dressed and get to the airfield right now.
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Standing near the empty hangers of this place, I used a hand to keep my cap on my head while the big props slowed to a stop on the sleek two-tone dark grey and white of the Sea Mosquito came to a stop in front of me. My heart was pounding in my throat, but I couldn't show how outwardly I was nervous, I mean I don't know what I have to be so nervous about, I know my base is posting the best data on the girls, there have been no issues from my command… and yet….
The hatch on the side of the cockpit opened, my chest getting tight, I see a pair of shiny boots, then black pants, my breathing starts to get faster, I know there are only two ways the next ten seconds can go, and in both of them, I am screwed!
Just as the shiny boots touch the tarmac, I see the tall, slender frame of the First Sea Lord, his black duty jacket covered in a bright yellow P.F.D., I close my eyes, taking a breath to center myself, and when I open them again, and my eyes lock with his. His blue eyes held wisdom, determination, and pride, everything that made me want to sink into the background.
During his approach, I snapped to attention and saluted him, "Welcome to Fiji, First Sea Lord Cunningham."
His return salute was crisp, clean, everything I would expect out of him. He kept his attention on me, while the engines of the plane spun up again and it started to taxi away. This was getting awkward, the silence between the two of us, till the roar of the engines on the Mosquito started to lumber away down the runway and into the sky. Just as the bird leaped into the air, the First Sea Lord put his arms out, a crack in his hardened expression and he said the words while embracing me and patting my back, "Happy Birthday, Merlin."
I'm so screwed.
Looking to my right, I see Javelin blinking at me as she mouths the word, 'Merlin?', when I nod a confirmation she bites her lower lip and holds her sides.
I might as well just roll with this.
Patting his back, "Thanks, Grandpa, but you didn't need to come all the way out here for that."
Letting me out of the embrace and stepping back, he places a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it as he stated, "While true, it did provide me an excuse to get in a little vacation and have it pass off as work-related, an inspection of a far off base." He pauses to look at Javelin, whom I didn't have to look at to know she was suddenly snapping to attention, hiding her amusement at my name, "Really Merlin, I do not understand why you insisted on using your father's name rather than mine when you enlisted into the fleet."
"No hooks." I reminded him of the words he left me with when I told him I'd be joining the fleet.
"And I would've provided you with none." He says to me as we start walking away from the airfield.
"True, but who is to say, other officers wouldn't have tried to gain your favor by treating me differently?" I ask, leading him to the jeep.
"Then they would be fools." My Grandpa states in his matter-of-fact tone, making me tilt my head to the side and sigh.
Climbing into the driver's seat, I ask, "Is there anything duty related you would like to see?"
"I'd like to see, just how exactly the kansen in your care routinely post higher data points than any other base." He says to me, adjusting his legs in the foot well.
Looking ahead at the road, I thought about that request and I'm reminded of what Illustrious had told me about their previous posting, then I shift into drive and start to head down towards the beach as I shrug and say, "Might be easier to show, rather than tell."
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Turning off the engine and getting out of the jeep, I walk over to the railing by the beach and just lean over it, watching the scene before me, Juno and Unicorn building a sandcastle, Illustrious sitting on a beach chair reading a book, Indomitable sun tanning, Sussex floating out in the water on an inner tube, and Rodney standing at the water's edge, dipping her toes in.
Behind me, I hear the door of the jeep open and shut before my Grandpa speaks up, "Why did you bring me here?"
I point out at the scene before me and ask, "What do you see?"
He looks out at it, I can sense he has a knee-jerk reaction to it, but stops himself and says, "Women, enjoying the beach."
"Exactly," I confirm, I feel the smile on my face as I continue, "Women enjoying their time off." I pause and point at Unicorn and Illustrious, "Those two seem to have a relationship that leans more towards that of a single mother and daughter, rather than ships of different classes."
Of course! That's why Unicorn has been glaring at me! I know Illustrious flirts with me, so maybe that's what's going on, Unicorn is worried I'm going to take Illustrious away from her.
"But they are different ship classes." My Grandpa points out.
"They are, but as Illustrious asked me to house Unicorn with Illustrious and her sisters, Unicorn's hull is a miniature version of Illustrious' own, so it was more like they were family." Rubbing the back of my head while I thought about that word, family, and how at first it felt so strange to hear the kansen talk about their sister ships in that way. Turning around to face my Grandpa I continue, "That word, family, when I first heard one of them use it when refereeing to their sister ships, it made me realize that they are so much more than warships and that treating them like hardware wasn't right."
"They are a complicated issue, I will grant you that, Merlin." He states folding his arms across his chest.
"You asked how I get them to post better results," I gesture behind me, "I ask two things of the girls in my care, one; don't set fire to the port. Two; don't make life hard for anyone else. Beyond that, I encourage them to find something to do outside of patrols, whether it be a role on the base or picking up a hobby that they enjoy. And in return, these girls are happy and enjoying themselves, knowing they are going to be treated with respect and decency."
My Grandpa leans forward resting his arms on the railing, then he asks me something I honestly didn't expect, "Have you fallen for any of them?"
Clearing my throat and rubbing the back of my neck, "That is complicated. I have a few relationships with them that are not exactly professional."
He looks at me with a raised eyebrow, "Do those relationships involve being naked with them?"
With a nervous laugh, "One of them was, but that is over now since she was ordered to another base."
"I'm not judging you, Merlin; lord knows Indefatigable has become very important to me in my twilight years." He sighs, leaving me to shudder on the inside knowing I was sleeping with the sister to the kansen he's getting close with.
I wonder how much she looks like Implacable? Doesn't matter, not the right time for those kinds of thoughts.
"So, my question to you is, do you see Indefatigable as a woman or as a weapon?" I turn the question on him.
When I see his cheeks turn pink, my insides make me feel like I want to throw up, he tugs down his cap and clears his throat, and mumbles, "Woman."
Oh god, I'm going to be sick!
At the same time, go Grandpa.
"Let's uh, change the subject, alright?" I ask, turning around to look out over the beach. My eyes land on Illustrious as she gets up from her chair, walks over to the sand castle that Unicorn and Juno were building then bends at her hips, the long white nearly see-through skirt doing little to hide the more opaque of her swimsuit lines.
Three.
Two.
One.
It happened slowly, but she let out an audible squeak that we could hear from here, her body start to lean forward, her bust catching the highest tower like a wrecking ball demolishing it. From here I could see the look of horror on Juno's face as Illustrious continued her slow-motion fall into the sand, flattening the castle. Looking at my Grandpa I sighed, "I'll be back in a minute."
Walking down onto the sand, I made my way over to the collection of Unicorn, Juno, and a face-down Illustrious. Bending at my knees, I put out my hands and ask, "Need a hand, Illustrious?"
She doesn't speak, just nods her head up and down while reaching for my hands. Getting her hands in mine, I notice just how soft they feel; next she gets her rear up in the air while getting her knees under herself. She lets go of my hands, places her palms against the sand, and pushes herself upright, she's bright red as she looks at Juno and offers, "I am so very sorry, Juno, I will happily help you rebuild it."
Juno just clutches her shovel, looking at the ruined castle, the tears starting to build and I turn my attention to her and ask, "Would you like me to help you build a new one tomorrow? I'd do it today, but I have a guest here today."
Juno puts down her shovel and hugs me around my stomach and asks, "Do you mean it, Captain Fox? We can play on the beach tomorrow?"
Out of instinct I rub her back and smile, "Of course."
Looking up I see Illustrious is looking at me differently, her normally soft expression is still there, but there seems to be something else in her eyes, and she's turning slightly pink. Unicorn stands up and places herself between me and Illustrious, offering, "We can move a little more down the beach and start again, Juno."
Juno lets go of me, grabs her shovel, and follows Unicorn down the beach, turning my attention to Illustrious she looks down and sighs, "Sometimes I wish I was not so top heavy."
Standing and offering my hands to her again, I smile, "I think you are just fine the way you are."
My cheeks got hot, and she turned bright red. One of her hands tried to brush some hair behind an ear but found nothing to brush. She then took my hands and let me help her up. Once she was up, she bent at her knees to give me a curtsy before thanking me, "Thank you for the assistance, Captain Fox, but I should not keep you from your guest."
Right.
Doing my best to sound natural, "Right, yes, you're welcome Illustrious."
She goes back to her chair sticking her nose into her book, while walking back up the beach, I look over my shoulder to see Indomitable say something quietly to Illustrious, enough to make her turn so red that her swimsuit looks almost pink against her before she kicks some sand at Indomitable and hides her face deeper into the book.
When I got back up to the railing, I see my Grandpa nodding as he says, "Interesting interaction to watch from here, how did you manage to solve that so quickly?"
"Juno was sad that her sand castle was ruined, so I offered to help her build a new one tomorrow, Illustrious' balance is always questionable when she bends at her hips." I pause and brush the sand off of my knees as I add, "Though, considering I've seen her dance, I wonder if she falls over for show."
"What makes you think that?" he asks me, giving me a knowing look.
Clearing my throat and rubbing the back of my head, "Call it a hunch." Looking off to the side I change the subject, "How long are you planning on staying?"
"Only a few days, the flight here gave me a two-day lead on Indefatigable, when she gets here, I'll return to her and we will set sail for home." He tells me pushing himself off of the railing and making his way back into the jeep.
Okay, a couple of days with Grandpa I can do this.
Climbing into the jeep, I look at the First Sea Lord and ask, "Shall we go and find something to eat at the mess?"
He leans back in the passenger seat and motions to the road, "Lean on, Merlin."
Starting the jeep, I can't help but worry what Javelin is going to have in store for me, now that she knows my given name.
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