Part 17: Darjeeling
HMS Ark Royal
Yokohama City
The next day
"A break, however short, was exactly what she needed."
Darjeeling set her phone on the table after reading a short but happy text from her beloved, just across the bay aboard George Washington. She smiled softly as she allowed her companion and protegé Orange Pekoe to fill her tea cup.
"Ehh… I'm glad your… meeting with Kei-sama went well, Darjeeling-sama." Rukuriri said, still feeling uncomfortable from her commander's surprisingly detailed account of the previous day.
"Respectfully," Orange Pekoe began as she sat back down. "Do you believe it did you the same amount of good?"
The commander blinked and eyed her friend. "An astute question, my darling Pekoe." In truth, she wasn't quite sure.
Her visit to Saunders had been mostly focused on Kay. Helping her relieve some stress. However, while Darjeeling had been able to enjoy herself, Kay wasn't often able to continue late into the night like she was. The St. Gloriana girl wasn't exactly surprised in this case. Over the last few months, Kay had been running herself ragged with work. She had been so exhausted that her beloved had put her to sleep with her activities. Despite that fact, Darjeeling was taken aback by how soon her companion had left that morning. The commander had all but begged her girlfriend to stay a little longer, and it had worked in her favor, but still hadn't been quite enough.
Darjeeling opted to summarize her feelings with a short, but not very truthful reply.
"I believe it did."
"Great." Rosehip said from across the table, one elbow resting on the back of her chair. "Now we can talk about something else."
"The health and wellbeing of our commander is an important conversation topic, Rosehip." Pekoe reminded her pink haired friend, who rolled her eyes. "Sexual tension or frustrations can lead to a build up of mental stress, which contributes to poor decision-making and lacking mental clarity." Rosehip covered her ears and shook her head.
"Jesus, Pekoe. Stop! You guys call me unladylike, desu-wa? How the hell is Darj's sex life any of our business? Let alone a 'proper lady's' conversation topic."
"Well, do you agree with my medical prognosis?" Orange Pekoe asked calmly.
"If I say 'yes', will you stop talking? It's so weird hearing you of all people saying this stuff."
While her friends argued, Darjeeling gazed through one of the windows at her school's ally ship, still parked in drydock across the bay. Saunders had taken a pounding during the war, and being a firsthand witness had been nothing short of heartbreaking. The elegant commander closed her eyes and lightly shook her head, trying to get the desperate cries for help out of her mind. She found herself glaring at the ship's Island, or more specifically the Bridge. So much chaos and death. The countless times they had been nearly overwhelmed by attacks. The power failure.
In the distance, like a decent portion of the massive vessel, the Island still bore the ugly scars from the battle. Nearly all of the windows were simple sheets of plywood, for weatherproofing reasons. It was believed, and hoped, that the ship would be seaworthy by the end of the year, but so much of the hull was damaged that that window was quickly closing.
The commander spotted a shower of sparks fly away from the hull as Orange Pekoe caught her attention again.
"Sorry, dear. What did you say?"
"I simply wondered what you might be thinking about." The young Loader said politely. "You've been staring at the Saunders ship for some time."
"We know what she's thinking about." Rosehip retorted, rubbing her temples. "Enough, desu-wa."
Darjeeling smiled at the girls. "I'm thinking about Saunders. In general. How my heart goes out to them."
The Crusader commander glanced up. "...Oh. I stand corrected."
"Those were the longest four days of my life."
"I concur." Rosehip sipped from her cup, spilling some when Rukuriri kicked her chair.
"Stop interrupting." She scolded.
"Nono. Rosehip is correct. And I would imagine you would agree as well, Rukuriri-san."
The brunette closed her eyes. "I would rather not be reminded."
"Eh." Rosehip lifted one foot and reached up her pants leg, rubbing a scar on her ankle. "Despite being blown up, I was able to enjoy myself."
Rukuriri glared at her friend and fellow veteran. "Really? You're telling me that you had fun? Dodging bullets and artillery, watching your comrades die all around you? Nearly being killed? That was fun for you?"
"Yes it was." Rosehip shot back. "I have never felt that invigorated before. Not even during my first time in a tank."
"How could you-"
"Ladies. Please." Darjeeling said calmly, silencing everyone. "Regardless of our own opinions, the battle was quite devastating. Simply look at the ship for proof of that." The three girls in front of her turned their heads towards the crippled vessel. "I find myself wondering if she will ever sail the same."
"Well, plenty of our tanks have come back with devastating damage, and we rebuilt them as good as new." Orange Pekoe pointed out.
"Yes, but those are tanks, darling." Darjeeling replied. "That is a ship. Countless times larger, and with tens of thousands living on board. One of the holes in the hull was nearly the size of the Zuikaku. How can a vessel, even as large and powerful as George Washington, come back from damage like that?"
"American engineers might surprise you, Darjeeling-sama." An unexpected voice said. The commander turned her head to see Saunders' own Naomi approaching the table. Assam was close behind her, holding a large envelope. She also had a slightly embarrassed expression on her face, and the collar of her button up shirt was popped, covering her neck.
"Hello, Naomi-san." Pekoe said before Darjeeling could question the scene. The young girl quickly stood up and headed to another table where the kettle was kept. "Assam-sama. Would either of you care for some tea?"
"Th-that would be great, Pekoe." Assam spoke with a noticeable stammer.
"Extra sugar in mine, please." Naomi said. "May I?" She gestured to an open seat at the table, which had Rosehip's foot resting on it. Darjeeling nodded, and Rukuriri slapped her pink haired friend on the knee. Rosehip stuck out her tongue at the girl before giving up the chair. Naomi, instead of taking the seat, offered it to Assam. The blonde did her best to sit calmly and gracefully, but couldn't hide the rosiness in her cheeks. She set down the folder as Naomi sat next to her.
"We have the information you asked for, Darjeeling-sama." Assam said after taking a breath.
"About time, desu-wa." Rosehip sipped her tea. "Y'all took the scenic route, I see."
"We were following an… interesting lead." Naomi explained. "It… took a while, and had a few… twists and turns." Assam's cheeks went aflame and she swatted the Saunders girl on the shoulder.
"What kind of lead?" Orange Pekoe inquired, setting the pair's teacups down. Assam quickly picked hers up and sipped from it. "Judging by Assam-sama's expression and body language, it took a bit of exertion." The blonde nearly spit out her tea and glared at her ginger friend, and Naomi let a smirk slip as she took her cup.
"Oh… my… God." Rosehip rested her head in her hands. "You seriously need a new hobby, Pekoe-chan."
"A lead that didn't pertain to the investigation, and isn't important." Assam quickly dismissed the topic. "The point is, we think we've figured out the movements surrounding Katyusha. Exact locations, guard shift changes, her cell number, even the name of the guard who is with her at this very moment." She slid the envelope towards Darjeeling, and the commander began to notice small red welts on her friend's neck, only just hidden by her collar.
"Of course, names aren't that important." The Spymaster continued. "They change at random, anyway." Darjeeling curiously opened the envelope. "Other than that, this should be everything you need. Or… everything Kay will need, at least. I also got access to the visitor list. We'll have to come up with aliases, though."
"Well done, Assam. Naomi. Thank you." Darjeeling flipped through a few pages and found snapshots taken from around Fuchū Prison. Some were screenshots from security cameras, others taken at the prison itself. "Very well done. I'll let Kay have a look at these, and we'll decide on a course of action. Be ready for… Operation Undertaker… in the coming days."
"Undertaker? Sounds badass, desu-wa."
Rukuriri threw a crumpled napkin at Rosehip, striking her in the back of the head. When the pink-haired girl turned around, her brunette friend feigned ignorance.
A/N: Apologies for the delay in posting here. Real life is a drag
So things are getting laid out. The military intentionally didn't announce where Katyusha was, to avoid what the girls are planning.
However, somebody didn't account for Assam the Spymaster...
There are other things going on in the fleet as well. Other teams still picking up the pieces, a drunken one night stand, and whatever could be happening between Hana and Saori? We may even touch on B.C. Freedom recovering from their involvement.
As always, any and all feedback is welcome. I read every comment and will respond if I can.
More to come. Stay tuned!