Part 7: Kay

USS George Washington

Sensha-do Garage

Yokohama

Signature teacup in hand, snow crunching under her shoes with her trademark lady-like grace, Darjeeling made her way to the Saunders University garages in search of someone. Some time ago, the vessel had been reopened for students, and the arduous process of rebuilding the various teams could begin.

On her way here, the St. Gloriana Commander had witnessed dozens, if not hundreds of girls being put through the Saunders University Shooting Team Recruit Training Program. Student-soldiers who had survived the war had become trainers, teaching the new girls everything they knew and had learned. The recruits climbed, jumped and ran through obstacle courses, crawled through mud under coils of wire while the officers fired guns at them. They learned how to march, how to position themselves during firefights, and most importantly, how to shoot.

Darjeeling glanced to the side where a company of recruits were running along one edge of the tank parade field, while their instructor barked loudly at them.

"Left! Left! Left, right!" The senior girl shouted. "Your other right! Stay in step up there, Hannah! Jesus! You girls run like old people fuck, you know that?! I could keep up while running this backwards! Fall out of step one more time, an' I'll hogtie you to the back of my jeep and drive full speed through the mortar range!" The Commander found herself shaking her head at the brash manner the Saunders instructors used to teach their recruits. Using insults, threats of violence, and foul language as a motivator. Something she herself had never used, nor did she ever want to.

Earl Grey wasn't the Commander anymore.

Upon entering the garage, Darjeeling was greeted by a madhouse. Mechanics were everywhere, painting, repairing, or flat out rebuilding a seemingly endless line of American Sherman tanks. She passed several that were being christened with names, and a few stood out. 'Thunderstruck', 'Corky', 'Peace-Pipe', and 'Green Marie', among others. She found herself reminded of some of the named tanks among her own team. 'Sack Time', 'HMS Splendid', her own 'Ace Of Spades', and Rosehip's Crusader 'Kiss My Arse-nal'. Or Earl Grey's former Command Tank 'Tanky McTank Face.'

"Hey, Darjeeling!" Someone called out. The St. Gloriana Commander looked up and waved at a girl holding a flaming blowtorch. As she continued, the girl dropped her protective hood and returned to work, cutting away at a broken piece of armor.

At the very end of the line, untouched and pristine -if a bit dusty-, she found Commander Kay's own M4 Sherman. 'Fury' was written along the gun barrel in white paint, a name the Commander had decided on shortly after returning from Abashiri. "An emotion I had never felt before then." As she had put it.

A few steps from the tank was a small office, where Darjeeling could see someone pacing around. She opened the door and found the very person she was looking for.

"Last month, I was told that Second Squadron would be up and ready three days ago. I didn't like it, but I played along. Now, you're telling me you need another two weeks? This close to the holiday?"

Darjeeling quietly closed the office door and waved at Kay. Her girlfriend nodded as she puffed away at a cigarette.

"I don't give a shit! Right now, the Flying Aces have a grand total of zero air-worthy planes, and Second is in the best shape. I want them up!"

…

"Yeah, I know exactly why. The flight mechanics have far too much power, is what the problem is." Kay tucked the phone into her shoulder and thumbed through a mechanical daily report. "They can ground a whole flight if they find one rivet missing on one plane!"

…

"Likelikelike, right here. Aircraft BN-104. 'Witchcraft'. Portside diagonal strut crack, which… sure, it is a downer. But grounding the whole flight for reinspection? Explain that one, without using the phrase 'Jerking me around'!"

…

The Commander held one hand up and made a talking gesture, making her girlfriend giggle.

"It's been six months. Six months of your girls doing… whatever it is you're doing down there, and you have dick to show for it!"

Kay halted next to her cluttered desk, picking up a grungy coffee mug and sipping from it.

"Look. Elaine, look. You need to talk to your girls." The cord from her phone stretched every which way as the impatient Commander paced back and forth. "I've been lenient since I've been so busy up at the garages, but we're catching up, and you guys haven't even left the start line."

…

"Hey, you have any idea how hard it is to find Sherman tank parts in bulk? I'm paying out the wazoo for bits and pieces from the States, and it takes over a week for each order to get here."

…

"Half of 'em oughta be scrapped anyway…"

…

"Okay. Yeah, I can order that. Anything else, Your Highness?"

…

"Good. Tell them that I'll have Alisa come down there and kick their asses."

…

"You know she will."

…

Kay stopped pacing, glaring down at a stain and scribble-covered calendar on her desk. "Get Second Squadron up. Before the new year. At least one flight. I don't care if it takes till eleven fifty nine on New Years Eve. I've had enough of your team's bullshitting."

…

She smiled, a smile that was overflowing with frustration. "Okay. Great. Appreciate it. Two weeks is a beautiful fucking thing." She slammed the phone down. "Damn these people…" Kay stubbed her cigarette out in a fairly weathered ashtray, nearly overflowing with crumpled butts.

"Hello, darling." Darjeeling said warmly.

"Hey, Darj." The Commander was dismissive as she headed to a bookcase and pulled out a large binder, flopping it onto her desk. She flipped it open and turned several pages, running her finger along the lines of text. "Ugh… so many numbers..." She growled.

"Having a bad day?"

"That would be an understatement." Kay sat down in her desk chair and rolled towards the phone. She picked it up again, tucking it into her shoulder as she rummaged through the drawers. "Where did I leave that damn...?"

Darjeeling took a moment to look around the room. Kay's office could best be described as 'barely contained chaos'. Stacks of papers and rolls of prints and schematics littered the entire room. Crumpled and grease-stained tank manuals, listing things from track types to fluid capacities, road wheel dimensions to weld angles, and everything in between. The air was hazy and smelled of cigarette smoke, coffee, and some kind of industrial solvent. In the corner, an overworked coffee maker filled yet another pot, surrounded by mugs in various states of cleanliness and grubby fingerprint coverage.

Kay herself was wearing a dirty and worn mechanic jumpsuit, with the top half tied around her waist. Her tank top, which had been white at one point, was now darkened with oil, sweat and some stains Darjeeling couldn't nail down. Kay's normally sandy blonde hair was thick with soot and grime, tied up in a messy ponytail. The expression on her dirty, scarred face was a mixture of tired irritation, which lifted slightly when she found what she was looking for.

"Aha!"

Kay dropped a pad of sticky notes down in front of her and tapped out a short number into the phone. While it rang, she looked up.

"Sorry." She said, blowing some stray hairs out of her face. "The house is burning down, and I'm a headless chicken with a water gun."

Darjeeling giggled, but before she could respond, the person Kay was calling picked up.

"Izzy? Yeah, it's me. Listen… I'm gonna need a pallet of… hang on. Babe, can you pass me that binder?"

Darjeeling slid the open binder closer and Kay quickly found her place.

"I need a pallet of JO-5257 brought up to the airfield. For the flightliners… Because I know you love your part numbers… Yeah, now. And hurry up." She dropped the phone back onto its holder and sighed, massaging her temples tiredly. After a moment, she looked up at her girlfriend again.

"Sorry. What's up, beautiful?"

"I just came to check on you. You haven't left the garage in almost a week."

"Just a week? Feels like longer to me." Kay said. Darjeeling plucked a cigarette butt from the tray.

"Been living on coffee and nicotine the whole time, I see." She said, wrinkling her nose.

"Not… necessarily." Kay mumbled, looking away from the overflowing trash can in one corner that was surrounded by takeout and pizza boxes, soda cans, and beer bottles. "There's just so much to do, and not enough people to do it."

"St. Gloriana has seasoned mechanics who could lend a hand." Darjeeling offered. "Rosehip for one has been itching to get back into the shop. Or what about Dahlia-san? She has her Operating Engineers."

Kay shook her head, leaning back in her swivel chair and resting her untied boots on her desk. "No. This is something Saunders needs to do on our own. To show Japan, and the World, that we can take it. That we can bounce back from anything. Besides, I still feel bad about that crap I said to Dahl back on the boat. I wouldn't want to ask for her help after that. She's tied up at Kuromorimine either way."

"She's one of your closest friends. I'm sure she's forgiven you by now. Regardless, you'll get the people. And the job will get done." Darjeeling said, stepping around Kay's desk. "What's the hurry?"

"I just want us to be back in some form of fighting shape." The Commander's phone suddenly started ringing, and she picked it up with an annoyed growl. ["Inspector Gadget]… oh, what now, Dottie?"

"Are you worried about a follow-up invasion of some kind?"

"No. No… nothing like that… So? That's for the Corps of Engineers. Why are you calling me?"

"Kay."

The Commander threw up her free hand. "Fine. Maybe a little." She hid the receiver in her shoulder. "There's rumors of holdouts around Hokkaido and Aomori, and I want to be ready for anything. Call me paranoid… What?" She asked the phone. "Sorry, I got two conversations going on here."

"You're paranoid, darling." Darjeeling leaned against the desk, taking a sip of her tea. "Though, as the saying goes… Luck favors the prepared." Kay waved her off and stood up, looking out of her office's small window, taking the phone's cradle with her. She could see her teammates hard at work rebuilding the Sherman fleet.

"Well, call Evelyn then. She's the head honcho of the Shooting Team. I'd imagine she could point you the right way."

…

"02057. I don't know her personal number."

…

"Super." Kay hung up her phone again, sighing loudly. She stepped towards the window and rested her hand against the glass. "Well, enough about me. How was your day?"

"I miss you, Kay."

She turned her head. "Huh?"

"You're here all the time. I understand that you're the Commander, and you and your school have your pride, but isn't this getting to be a bit much?"

"I'm fine, honey." Kay said. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine."

Once again the phone rang. Kay glared at the device, but Darjeeling beat her to the punch. Taking the whole landline away, she picked up the receiver and immediately hung it up again.

"When's the last time you slept?" Darjeeling sniffed. "Or… bathed?"

"Who keeps track of that?" The Saunders girl questioned tiredly.

"See? It has been too long."

"I know it has, but I can't just leave."

Darjeeling looked down at the floor in thought. An idea crossed her mind and she bit her lip. "Well, if you can't leave, I would wager that the next best thing would be… a distraction." She set the phone cradle down.

Kay turned all the way around as Darjeeling stepped over to her, reaching out and closing the window blinds. Her Saunders companion gave her a side eye glance.

"What kind of distraction?"

"The kind… that goes…" The St. Gloriana girl traced the collar of Kay's tank top, before tucking her finger under it. "A little like this." She pulled Kay forward and kissed her, a gesture her beloved warmly returned.

The Commander stepped forward, pushing Darjeeling back with each kiss. They eventually reached the desk, but Kay didn't stop. She tucked her hands under her girlfriend's legs, lifting her up and sitting her onto the table. As their lips danced, Kay's fingers wandered under Darjeeling's skirt and lightly squeezed her hips, earning a light moan in response.

Darjeeling wrapped herself around her beloved, pulling her closer with her legs and tangling her fingers in her hair. One hand began exploring the jumpsuit. Wandering up and down, Darjeeling found a handful of Kay's rear and she gave a firm squeeze.

Kay responded in kind by shoving her hand under her girlfriend's sweater. As her fingers marched up Darjeeling's side, Kay's phone rang. She instinctively stopped kissing and reached for the receiver with her free hand. Darjeeling halted her with a firm grip on her wrist.

"Let it ring." She demanded hungrily, biting her lip, her cheeks ablaze.

The Saunders Commander grinned before obeying, pressing forward with enough force to push Darjeeling all the way down onto the desk. Her hand continued its adventure, pulling the St. Gloriana sweater up with it. The phone continued ringing off the hook as Kay took a handful of her beloved's breast, squeezing as their tongues intertwined. Darjeeling copied her every movement, pulling Kay's tank top up and tucking one hand down the front of her jumpsuit pants. Moans, squeals, and smacks filled the office as the Saunders girl's lips began wandering down Darjeeling's neck.

The pair's bliss came to a screeching halt when someone knocked on the door before opening it.

"Hey, Kay. That next pot ready ye- …oh."

Both Commanders looked up, cheeks on fire, to see Helmet-chan Eileen standing in the doorway. Her eyes locked on the scene before her, shifting rapidly between the two Commanders.

"Nothing happened." Kay said, pushing herself up and scrambling to secure her garments. Darjeeling did the same, quickly retrieving her teacup. "We were just ehh…"

"Nonono don't worry, I didn't see anything, I promise." Helmet-chan closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. "I knew Darjeeling was here, so I shouldn't have just walked in." She kept one hand on her brow, blocking the pair from her vision. "Totally my fault. Uhmm… just… I thought you might want to know. Assam is on her way back from her little Spy Kids thing. She thinks she's nailed down Katyusha's location."

Kay looked up from fixing her hair, though her shirt was remaining uncooperative. "Really?"

"Yeah." The Loader glanced up, then quickly back down when she saw the half-dressed Commander again, her face flushing redder by the second. "So, uh… finish… whatever it is that you're not doing, and… she'll meet Darjeeling back on Ark Royal tomorrow." The flustered girl headed through the door, but stopped and peeked back in. "And for Chrissakes, hang something on the doorknob next time!"

Eileen quickly departed, leaving Darjeeling and Kay staring at the doorway for a moment.

"That poor kid." Kay said. "She already deals with enough from Alisa…"

"Maybe next time, we wait until the garage is less populated?"

"Hey, you started it." The Saunders girl lightly poked her girlfriend on the nose, pulling a pack of smokes out of her pocket.

"By the way." Darjeeling said. "That just now…" She looped her fingers around Kay's tank top strap. "Was an 'appetizer'."

Kay chuckled, pulling a cigarette out with her lips. "Well, if the main course is anything like that, how could I turn you away?"

"You can't. Especially since I have the whole day to be with you."

Her companion's eyes shot up, the gears in her head turning. She snapped her lighter closed and took a drag. "Well… the break for lunch is pretty soon, and most of the girls go ashore…"

Darjeeling gently plucked the cigarette out of her girlfriend's mouth, taking a small puff from it.

"That works."

"We have ourselves a date, then." Kay grinned.