Always sunny

Looking out my office window at the port, everything was in lockdown as this tropical storm hit us, with the flash of lighting and the crack of thunder; I hear my office door shut. Turning around I see Javelin standing there, two mugs in hand. She has this knowing smirk on her lips, with a raised eyebrow I ask, "What?"

Javelin walks up to me, hands me a mug, and sips from hers as she asks with that Scottish accent of hers, "So? What are you planning on getting Illustrious for her launch day?"

Sipping my tea, "I have no idea what you're talking about. In the four years I've been here, I had not taken part in the launch day festivities, not even for Implacable."

"I know, I'm about the only one you buy something for on their launch day." She says with a smirk.

"No, I don't." I counter.

"Aye, you do, normally it's a day at the auto-spa in town." She pauses to wink and adds, "You just don't know that you do it."

Pressing my lips together and snorting, "You cheeky little," She holds up a finger to my lips, "Really Merlin, with a name like that, I'd expect you to be wise. But honestly, after everything I do for you, a spa day on my launch day is well deserved thank you."

Closing my eyes and slumping my shoulders I nod as I concede, "Fair. But back to your question, I wasn't planning on doing anything."

"Why not? You like her right?" Javelin asks me and sips more of her tea as lightning flashes in the storm clouds.

"I do, but we had one not-a-date-but-it-really-was-a-date, date. I don't want to overstep with Illustrious, especially without Unicorn not on my side." I admit.

"I think you should do something, but nothing over the top." Javelin counters before lowering her mug to look at the tea in it as she sighs, "I can work on Unicorn, and try to get her to not hate you."

Reaching over I warp an arm around her shoulders from the side and pull her into a light hug, "Thanks, Javelin."

"Anytime, oh grand wizard." Javelin snickers.

"You are never going to let that go, are you?" I sigh while hanging my head.

"Not a chance." She laughs, "But seriously, what are you going to do for Illustrious?"

With a shrug and a sigh, "I don't know."

"Come on, you must've learned something during your not-a-date-but-it-really-was-a-date." Javelin asks while sipping her tea as the rain started to beat against the window.

Snapping my fingers just as it came to me, "Javelin, where do we get our ice cream from?"

"We, uh, kind of trade for it with nearby Eagle Union ships." Javelin admits while fidgeting.

"Do I even want to know what we trade?" I ask, not really wanting to know.

"Better that you don't know." Javelin tells me with an evasive tone before adding quickly, "But it's nothing important to the operation of the base. Why?"

"I need to source some special ice cream, made with more milk than cream." I answer.

"Oh, gelato?" Javelin asks me.

"Yeah, you know it?" I ask with a bit of surprise.

"Yeah, I had it once, it was so silky. Anyway, last I heard there was an Eagle Union carrier group in the area, I can try to reach them on the wireless." She offers.

"That would be fantastic." I grin then return to sipping my tea while watching the tropical storm rage.

XXXX

XXXX

The flight out to the Eagle Union fleet had been an interesting one, and unnerving, sitting in the cockpit, watching the controls do things without me touching them, as per the note that had been left on the control stick. I'd never actually flown on a kansen-controlled aircraft before, so well a smooth flight, was just eerie and left me feeling like it was a little haunted. The plane I was in started to descend and I could see it, an entire group of kansen hulls in escort formation around a singular large flat top.

"Wow, the Eagle Union sure makes their carriers big." I muse and sit up in my seat more to take a look at the carrier while we get into the glide slope.

From around me, I hear a mature woman speak, "I prefer the term full figured, thank you."

"Sorry, I… you know what, forget it." I sigh and twist around to look at the sealed package in the middle seat and how it was strapped in.

"Hang on to something, Captain." The voice said again while the plane slowed and landing gear clunked into place.

Turning back around, I reach for anything to hold on to as I watched the deck start to pitch and roll with the sea and start to get closer and closer. Just before impact, I shut my eyes, wondering if this would be it, holding my breath, I felt the impact of the wheels on the flight deck and the woman said, "And we're down, please stay put until the plane comes to a complete stop, Captain."

Letting out my held breath and opening my eyes, I watched the while the plane taxied about on the flight deck and came to a stop by the island off to the side of the flight deck, and the canopy opened. Taking that as my cue that I could exit the bird, I undid my straps, then reached into the second seat to undo the straps around the package that Javelin said I'd need. Lifting it off the seat, I notice that it's rather lightweight, so now I'm kind of curious what could weigh so little, but be considered both valuable enough to be a trade item for kansen, but not valuable to the base's day-to-day running.

Once I was out of the plane, I turned around and saw a tall woman with a slender, yet well-endowed figure standing in front of me, she had long pink hair and warm purple eyes, and on the side of her head, she had what looked like a miniature version of her smoke stacks. She was in a white and blue dress that hugged her curves and a long open white coat. Her purple eyes locked onto the box in my hands as she said to me with a playful wink at the end, "Welcome aboard, well me, the Eagle Unions' CV Two, Lexington, due be gentle inside me, Captain."

My cheeks got so hot and I felt a little awkward.

Clearing my throat and handing her the package as I say, "Thanks for letting me use your ice cream maker for a few hours, here is the package."

She takes the sealed package and holds it close to her chest and I have to ask, "What's in it, anyway?"

Lexington winks at me again and breaks the seal before whispering in my ear, "Oh my, I'm not sure the Captain would like to know."

"I kind of would." I repeat myself, I really wanted to know.

She leans back and shrugs, "Suit yourself." She pops the box open and lifts out lingerie, and I feel my cheeks get hot again as she says, "Really, getting good stuff can be hard out here."

Closing my eyes I sigh at the sort of letdown but at the same time, I'm kind of glad it's something so mundane. Shaking my head from side to side, "I wonder why Javelin wouldn't just tell me what was in it."

"Because maybe, you didn't need to know what we trade with each other, Captain." She winks at me while linking arms with me and walking me inside the superstructure as she adds, "Now, let's get you to that ice cream maker."

XXXX

Several hours after following the recipe, I was impressed, Lexington was loading a hollowed-out and lined torpedo into one of her devastators, that torpedo's only filling was vanilla gelato, looking at her I ask, "Are you sure?"

"Yes I'm sure, I already have the flight plan in mind, I'm going to keep you near the max service ceiling for this plane, some nineteen thousand feet up, the air should be cold enough up there to keep the ice cream cold and it's far enough away from the engine by being in that special torpedo." She assures me while the straps start to lock the torpedo into position.

"Okay, okay." I concede putting my hands up.

Lexington smiles at me and winks, "Pleasure doing business with you, Captain, if you ever need any more," she pauses and slips a hand into her top taking out a card and slipping it into one of my pant pockets, "here's my number."

Clearing my throat and rubbing the back of my head, "Thanks, I'll keep it in mind."

She nods and steps back, with a wave of her hand the canopy opens up and she says, "Your flight is ready, and remember, don't touch anything."

Climbing into the plane and strapping myself in I give her a thumbs up and call over to her just as the engine fires up, "Got it!"

Lexington waves at me and steps to the side while the plane starts to lumber down the deck, and over the edge, the sudden drop filling me with worry, then pulling into the sky and starting to circle the fleet as it gained altitude to take me back to the base.

XXXX

XXXX

As soon as the torpedo was unloaded, and emptied into the vats for the gelato, it vanished off the runway in an explosion of blue glowing cubes, but the work was done and now I had this gelato stored in a massive freezer that I had no idea we actually had down at the airfield. Leaving the cold storage I let out a huge yawn, it'd been a long, long day. Opening my phone to check the time, I see it is a little zero-two-hundred local, no wonder I'm tired, with a stretch and groan I start to walk towards my quarters.

Not long into my walk in the dead of night back, I hear footsteps walking towards me, looking up and tilting my head to the side, I'm kind of curious who it is, but when the cross into the light, I get a smile on my face. Illustrious is walking towards her quarters, looking at her mobile, scrolling through things on it, she's dressed in her oversized tee shirt and workout pants. Her long white hair is tied back in a ponytail and on her shoulder is a workout mat that's been rolled up. I see her smile at someone on her screen and she starts to laugh, not a little giggle, but an honest to god belly laugh.

She looks up from her screen, likely to make sure the way is clear up ahead, but she sees me and smiles, putting her phone away then waves to me, "Captain Fox, what brings you out so late?"

Walking over to her, I shrug and yawn, "I doubt you'd believe me."

Illustrious adjusts her mat on her shoulder as she says, "Oh, I am sure that I would, you have never given me a reason to doubt you."

"Fair," I sigh before smiling sadly, "Say, Illustrious, about your launch day."

She shakes her head and looks off to the side, "It is alright, Captain Fox, I am aware that you have a history of not taking part in the celebrations for any of the girls, as a way to avoid showing favoritism."

Damn, that kind of hurts to hear her say that.

Looking around and rubbing the back of my head, "True, but come with me, it won't take long, I promise."

Illustrious looks at me with her blue eyes and blinks before taking hold of my arm as she says, "I trust your judgment, Captain Fox."

XXXX

I stood back and watched as she lifts a spoonful of the gelato to her lips, and to my surprise, she was able to lean over the side of the tub just fine to get that scoop. She rolls it around on her tongue, and a noise of enjoyment escapes her, "Mmmm, gelato."

"And it's all yours, I made it today and just got it here," I pause and smile while looking off to the side, "you said that you missed it."

She closes up the lid, then closes the freezer, walks up to me, and kisses my cheek before saying, "And you remembered, thank you for the gift, Captain Fox."

"Merlin." I whisper, my cheeks feeling like fire, "You can call me Merlin in private."

She looks at me confused for a moment and asks, "Like the engines?"

I shake my head, "No, my dad had a thing for the Arthurian legend and named me after the old wizard."

Illustrious smiles at me, "Well, Merlin, thank you for such a wonderful gift, but it is late and I should return to my dorm."

Nodding my head and feeling like I was on cloud nine for the first time, after hearing a woman say my name. Not even Implacable ever got to know it or say it. Fidgeting with my hands a little as I agree, "Yeah, I should get home too, it's late."

Illustrious touched my left hand with her right one, lacing her fingers through mine as she asked, "Then would you walk me home first, Merlin?"

"Of course." I whisper as we leave the hangar and start to walk back in silence.

XXXX

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