Guess what? Three story things in one night!
At any rate, this chapter is the start of Arc 2. Which, as I said before, is going to be a heavy
political focus, thanks to Washington. But I will keep Little E and Halsey as a major secondary focus, to keep something more
fun around. And they're fun to write too, so there's that!
Also,
this is a thing now, for those wondering why I use Sara so much.
Chapter 22:
"You know, Sara?"
Admiral Thompson smiled at the carrier standing beside him, the two perched outside her bridge once again. Only, now, a light sea-breeze blew both their hair back. Though the short strands of the Admiral's hair could hardly compare to the streaming blue locks of the woman by his side. Nor could his smile compare to the bright one on her face.
"Yes, Admiral?" Her voice was just as bright, unequivocally happy in a way that neither of them had been in a long time.
"It's nice to be out here again, even if it won't be for very long." Thompson couldn't help his own smile widening. Oh, her attitude was infectious. It was all too rare, that either of them could just...be like this. Happy.
With all the stress that had accumulated over the months since his trip into the past, the Admiral had come to truly treasure moments like this, when he could just...be himself. They were all too rare, in all honesty. He didn't like that, but well, that was life. And at least now, for a short time, he would be able to enjoy himself. Too bad that it was just him and Sara, Arizona already gone for refit and Enterprise back at Pearl.
"We're going to be separated soon though," Sara pointed out, seemingly reading her Admiral's mind.
For his part, Thompson just nodded, though it didn't do much to dampen his smile, "I'm aware. Even if I
weren't going all the way to Washington after you're in dock, I would have had to shack up with Lex until you were done."
"I should feel jealous, shouldn't I?" Sara tapped her chin, hiding a wide-grin behind her curtain of blue hair.
Thompson just rolled his eyes, "Like I'd do anything. No, I would just be waiting to come back once you got out of refit. Lex is nice and all, but you're my best friend, here."
Electing to ignore the bright flush that crossed the carrier's face, the Admiral instead looked out at the waves. He wasn't joking, really. Sara was the one he wanted to serve this damn war with. He was closer to her than anyone else, really, aside from maybe Arizona. Lex was a sweet girl, if a bit of a tease, but he had no intention of serving aboard her for any length of time longer than absolutely necessary. In that regard...
Well, going to Washington wasn't that bad.
"At any rate, I won't have to worry about that, at least not at first. God only knows how long I'll be stuck up in Washington really." The young man sighed softly, brushing back a stray bit of hair. This was going to be a test of everything he knew and had prepared for, in ways that he wasn't quite sure how to deal with. "At least I'll have Richardson and the other's word to back me up. Still not going to be fun."
And wasn't
that an understatement of the century contender.
"I'm sure everything will be fine, sir," Sara was quick to protest. She always did.
"One can hope." Thompson placed a hand on the girl's shoulder. His smile remained, at the least, the Admiral squeezing gently. "And thank you, Sara."
The flush refused to fade from Sara's face, as she nodded. Though confusion was in her tone when she spoke again, "What for, sir?"
"Just being there. I've said it a lot, but that never does change. It'll be tough having you in Washington while I'm off in..."
Thompson trailed off, shaking his head in clear amusement. At first, Sara just stared at the man in confusion. Her green eyes clearly didn't know what he was thinking. But...
Then it hit her.
And she collapsed into helpless giggles, while the Admiral just sighed and squeezed her shoulder again.
"Yeah, I walked into that one." Thompson didn't have a hint of bitterness in his voice, just amused fondness. Indeed, his smile widened slightly. "Anyway...it'll be hard having you in
Bremerton while I'm in D.C." At Sara's continued giggles, the Admiral did shake his head though. "And yes, that is less confusing. Not used to talking about the state and the city in the same breath."
Sara didn't comment on that, instead holding her hand to her mouth until her giggles died down. The mirth was still
very clear in her dancing green eyes though, as she continued talking. "Thank you, Admiral. I hope that you'll be okay with just Admiral Richardson."
"Well, not
just him." Thompson pointed out.
As he did so, his own green eyes shifted past Sara and towards the side of her hull. Difficult as the surface of the water was to see from their position- her island was quite far from the surface -Sara followed his gaze. Sailing in formation with the rest of their little taskgroup, was one unique sh...well, boat, technically. A sleek submarine, entirely unlike the more bulbous nuclear subs that Thompson was familiar with.
Technically inefficient, but there was something to be said for the more
traditional hull-form of the old diesel boats.
More specifically, something to be said for USS
Skipjack. A newer submarine for the time, and the first to actually make a breakthrough with her crew. Something that was...well...
I'll never hear the end of this, will I?
Submarines of the United States Navy may not have the same reputation that some of the Japanese ones did, but their definition of 'uniform' still stretched things. A lot. Even in the future, leave alone the much more conservative sensibilities of the 1940s.
"You know Admiral, I don't think even Captain Halsey has ever been that angry with someone." Sara spoke up, again, seemingly reading the older man's mind.
Thompson just nodded, "I know."
Oh, did he
know...
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Doing his utmost to
not show his discomfort, Thompson shuffled in the cramped confines of
Skipjack. He had never been in a submarine before, leave alone one this
cramped. Even old
Bowfin wasn't quite as cramped.
Of course though, it wasn't the cramped nature of the sub that had him shifting. No
that was the other officer staring at him, a young girl peeking out from behind his slim body. The submariner was somewhat pale for someone who lived in Hawaii, and both shorter and slimmer than the Admiral. Living in a sub likely was the reason for that...but it didn't do much to make his incredulous glare much lighter.
Somehow, I knew this would happen when a sub made contact. But we need one of them...
"Admiral Thompson, sir," the other man finally spoke, his voice...surprisingly soft. Considering how most other officers spoke, anyway. "I was told you could explain this?"
"To an extent," Thompson replied, inwardly cringing despite himself. Destroyers and submarines...they
would be the issue, wouldn't they? Even moreso than the others. "I've never actually been aboard a submarine so I wouldn't know what to expect."
"
I didn't expect this." The submariner groused, twisting his body so that girl behind him could be visible. "Get out here Skip."
"Captain Hawkins!"
That voice had Thompson blinking at how
young it sounded. The girl who stepped out from around the submariner-
Lieutenant Hawkins, technically -was certainly not
old by any definition. She looked to be in her early teens, and sounded even younger. Though...that was probably not helped by the clothing the girl was wearing. If one could call it that.
For while what Enterprise and Sara wore stretched the limits of 'uniform', Skip didn't even go that far. Her thin body, nearly flat-chested as she was, hardly helped the image. Nor, for that matter, did her wide hips.
Hips clad in a dark red swimsuit, that barely covered them.
Well, at least it's period appropriate?
Taking what he could get, Thompson hunched down, looking the short submarine in the eye. Her brown eyes widened at that, the sub self-consciously brushing at shoulder-length red hair.
"You okay?" Thompson asked softly, resisting the urge to reach a hand out. Damn it, did she
have to look so young and vulnerable? He had never been comfortable with how
young some of these girls really looked.
"I'm fi...fine!" Skip shook her head, and if she had hair any longer it would have been flying around and smacking someone in the face. The violent motions betrayed how she really felt though.
"No, you aren't. You're uncomfortable," the Admiral shook his head, and turned to look at her 'captain'. A single eyebrow was raised, in addition to asking, "Lieutenant, has she been like this since you started seeing her?"
"No," Hawkins answered. His voice was dryer than it had any right to be now, as the man patted the submarine on the shoulder. He was hardly
old himself, but compared to the submarine?
Well.
"In fact, she normally won't
stop talking. When she's not lazing about." Despite the reproach in his voice, the Lieutenant didn't look all
that angry with the submarine by his side. In fact, he looked more amused. "Then, when we're off duty that's what most submariners would do."
Nodding along with that, Thompson turned back to Skip. He had a theory now...if she had no problem talking with the Lieutenant, but was all nerves around him...
"You're not comfortable talking with me because you're not used to being seen by anyone but your crew and other submarines, right? Being a sub, you're used to being the one no one looks at and if something does look at you..." Thompson trailed off, as Skip's pale face went bright red. The little submarine girl nodded in clear embarrassment, in fact.
"Yes..." Skip whispered, her voice low and soft. "If I'm seen, I'm sunk. I'm not...not really used to the idea of anyone seeing me, let alone someone who isn't in my crew."
With a comforting smile on his face, the Admiral shook his head. This time he
did place a hand on the girl's slim shoulder, gently gripping it. "Well, you don't need to worry about me. I'm here to help all you girls, and I would never hurt any of you."
A bright, if very small, smile crossed the sub's face at that. It was a start at least, and hopefully, one day...Thompson would be able to see the girl that the Lieutenant saw.
Speaking of whom...
"Now, Admiral, if I may speak freely?" Hawkins cleared his throat, sending a look equally as dry as his voice had been.
"Granted," Thompson braced himself, already having an
inkling of what he should expect.
Hell, he would do the same if the situation were reversed.
"Why in God's green Earth, is Skip wearing
that instead of a uniform?"
And that was about what the Admiral had expected. Hawkin's voice had lost the dry tone, and taken on the angry tone only an affronted officer could really manage. Especially if that officer were affronted by a subordinates
uniform. Like the fact that Skip was not wearing anything resembling one. Even for a loose submariner, who likely didn't care about uniform regulations as much as a surface officer, well...
That had to be frustrating.
Probably didn't help that the submarine was trying to hide a glare directed at her 'captain' as well.
"I assume it has something to do with her being a submarine," Thompson smoothly lied, shrugging his shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know even half of why the girls look like they do. Your guess is as good as mine."
"The Admiral's right!" Skip added hotly, only to flush when she realized how loud she had spoken. Shrinking back in on herself, the submarine shuffled her feet. And muttered, much more softly, "I have the swimsuit because trying to go underwater in a real uniform would slow me down..."
Hawkins looked between the Admiral and submarine with a suspicious glance, only sighing when he didn't get any real reaction, "Put a spare uniform on while on duty, at least. I'm not comfortable seeing someone as old as my sister wearing...
that."
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"Yeah, I thought the Lieutenant might have kept arguing the point if I weren't an Admiral," Thompson sighed softly, looking at Sara as the breeze kicked back up again.
The two had turned away from the distant form of
Skipjack, and instead, returned to looking out at the featureless horizon. They were far enough away from Pearl
and California that there was no land in sight. Nothing but endless stretches of crystal blue water, the calm Pacific only gently rocking Sara's large hull. The sound of men going about their duties- including Thach continuing to drill his pilots and ground crew -was there of course. But otherwise, it was just the two of them.
At least, while Admiral Richardson inspected the crew. Transporting two Admirals had everyone on edge, and Thompson knew that better than anyone.
"Little E said that Captain Halsey felt the same way, at least until she got him used to her uniform," Sara smiled fondly, rolling her eyes. There was no bite to it though, the action one of a fond aunt. "I imagine the Captain still isn't happy about it."
"No, probably not," Thompson agreed with a small laugh. Leaning against the carrier, the Admiral looked out at the water. There was silence for a minute or so, the man gathering his thoughts while he felt the gentle swell of waves. And the soft heat of Sara's arm. "At any rate, let's get back inside. I need to talk over the plans with Admiral Richardson, and see if we can get you a better refit this time. I don't want you going into the war at anything but your absolute best."
"Of course, Admiral." Sara nodded, though she was hesitant to pull away from the Admiral.
Thompson didn't blame her for that, never had. The War was a subject none of them were fond of.
But it was coming, and he would be
damned if Sara wasn't as ready as she possibly could be.
The same sun that shone down on
Saratoga shone down on Pearl Harbor. The almost constant presence of the massive carrier was missed, however, leaving the harbor feeling almost...empty. For the first time in months, in fact, there was only one carrier present. USS
Enterprise, currently loading aircraft for a ferrying mission to Guam. With the cancellation of the last Fleet Problem, acting as a glorified aircraft transport was what the carrier
did, when not assigned to training. It was a thankless job for the crew, but one that the isolated island outposts understandably appreciated.
It did, however, annoy one Bull Halsey to no end.
"We're no damn ferry.
You're no ferry." The old Admiral grumbled darkly. He was pacing along the floor of his cabin, occasionally glaring at nothing in particular.
For her part, Enterprise just smiled and held back a giggle. Her Admiral always did get like this when he was ordered to do something he didn't like. That he had become rather
protective of her now, just added to that. And she did appreciate it...acting as a glorified transport did bug her somewhat.
It was hard to make Yorktown proud, when all she did was carry around planes that she couldn't even use.
"It's our orders, Admiral." Still, that didn't stop Enterprise from speaking up softly, her crimson eyes following her Admiral's pacing form. The small smile didn't leave her face as she did so, even when she continued speaking. "I thought you were happy to get out of the harbor?"
"Of course I am." Halsey didn't
scoff. The man never did, honestly. But he
did make it clear he didn't like being cooped up in Pearl either. "But that doesn't mean I enjoy playing transport. There are other ships that can do that."
"Like Mama Langley?" Enterprise suggested, aware that was what her mother-figure did. Langley was no longer a carrier, instead a seaplane tender or transport, depending on her designated duty.
While Halsey didn't scoff, he
did turn around and raise an eyebrow at Enterprise, "Yes, like your...mother."
It was impossible really. Enterprise couldn't hold back her giggles anymore at the dry tone to her Admiral's voice, the carrier helplessly holding a hand to her mouth as her body shook with her mirth. That Admiral Halsey sighed and rubbed at his forehead just helped in that regard, making her even
more amused. He never had adjusted to the idea that Langley was her mother.
Said it made no sense, being as they were entirely different ships.
Then again, part of Enterprise, the part that was currently making her giggle harder...just thought he was embarrassed considering her own inclination to consider him her father. Admiral Halsey had never commented on that, but Enterprise knew that
he knew. It was why he was so protective of her, even beyond an Admiral caring for his ship.
"Leaving that aside," the Admiral coughed, getting Enterprise to stop her laughing. Though the smile refused to leave her face, even when Halsey continued speaking gruffly, "You're much more useful as a combat ship. And I'm no freighter Captain."
In point of fact, he sounded
insulted at the very insinuation.
Admiral Halsey is a fighter, and I know he doesn't like running...milk runs, Admiral Thompson called it. Still, we need to work though!
Not that Enterprise liked it either, of course.
"I'm not a transport, and I know that." Enterprise spoke up herself, her voice carrying an undertone of mild annoyance. "Yorktown would never let me live this down, if she weren't doing the same."
"She'd be right not to. This is a waste of both our abilities and experience," Halsey hardly denied that point. The Admiral just returned to pacing, looking nothing more than a caged animal eager to get out and
do something.
Which was, in a way, fitting. Enterprise would
never call her Admiral animalistic, he just wasn't. On the other hand, he hated being cooped up. He hated being made to do something he didn't like. No matter what it was, or no matter how important it was.
And unfortunately, Enterprise herself wouldn't deny that what they were doing was important. Those bases needed the planes, and then some. They needed replacements for training accidents. They needed newer models. All of this was true, and even if neither the carrier nor her Admiral liked doing the job, they needed to do it anyway. Especially if Admiral Thompson was...well. Was right about the coming war.
"But they need the planes, Admiral." Enterprise even pointed out at as much. She
did still flinch when Halsey turned an unhappy look- he couldn't glare at her, not now -in her direction. But she was getting better at squaring her shoulders, and staring right back with her otherwise unnerving red-eyed gaze. "If Admiral Thompson is right about the war..."
Halsey just held up a hand, "Yes, I know. And I do agree. We keep pushing the Japs into a corner, they'll hit back. It's what I'd do, and I don't think they're
that stupid to let their country fall apart around them. Stupid enough to attack us, yes. To fall apart, no."
"And that's why we need..." Enterprise began, only for her Admiral to slap his hand on the table. Flinching again, the young carrier stared as Halsey worked himself up again.
"I know they need the planes. I know we're going to end up dragged into this goddamn war at some point. But there are other ships, and it should
not be us. However convenient it is."
As he said that, Halsey thrust his square chin out at the harbor. Or, at least at the porthole looking out into the harbor.
"We should be training for the war, not doing a transport's job." The Admiral almost growled that. His displeasure with the orders from on-high was abundantly clear. And, it only grew when he walked away from his desk. When he placed a hand on Enterprise's small shoulder, the Admiral quite a bit larger than the girl. "
You should have better. Goddamn, Enterprise, but you should have better. It makes my blood boil to think that the Navy is using you like this."
While the anger remained in his tone, there was a hint of...almost protectiveness in it now. Even that hint had Enterprise feeling her heart pound in her chest. No matter how many months it had been since they started talking. Or how much they bonded. The amount of
love her Admiral had for her never ceased to amaze her. He cared, so much. Always had.
But it was even stronger now, that he had her as almost a daughter.
Or, at least in her mind, the closest she ever could be to his daughter.
"Admiral..." Enterprise sniffled, feeling her eyes get wet. She acted tougher than she was, honestly. She was still the same old Little E, deep down, and that had never changed.
"Chin up sailor," of course, it wouldn't be
Halsey if he didn't push her to be stronger. He pulled away, nodding his head fiercely. "If we're stuck doing this job, I want to at least get some
proper work done. James can always use more help in Washington, so let's get busy. The destroyers are next, finally."
"Right!"
While she still surreptitiously wiped at her eyes, Enterprise smiled at her Admiral. Halsey made a show of acting like he didn't notice, but she saw. She saw his expression soften, the Admiral's lips twitching up into a slight smile.
He cares. He's harsh about it, but Admiral Halsey truly does care about me. I can't let him down! I want to make him proud of me!
Squaring her shoulders again, Enterprise held a hand to her head.
"Everyone, we're moving on to the destroyers now!" She barked out in her best impersonation of her fa...Admiral's...tone.
If the approving nod was any indication, Halsey appreciated that.
"Whoa, Big E. What got under you?" The first other girl to respond, unsurprisingly, was California.
"We need to get the destroyers moving," Enterprise replied, her voice not once changing tone. The commanding tone was unlike her but...
I will make Admiral Halsey proud of me.
"Well, I get that. We need to get them talking. But damn girl, you're talking like Admiral Halsey!"
The shock in Cali's voice had Enterprise flushing, but with pride more than embarrassment this time. She
wanted to sound like Admiral Halsey. It meant she was doing what she was doing right. And
her Admiral was the best Admiral she knew. If she was talking like him, using his tone of command, then she was doing something right!
In fact, she said as much, "That's what I was trying to do. Now, do you have any ideas for the destroyers?"
"...a couple, yeah." Cali replied, sounding like she had been sent spinning.
And even if she had, it wouldn't matter. Enterprise would make her sisters and Admiral proud. And the best way to do that, was to help Admiral Thompson convince the President that what he was saying was true. And the way to do
that?
Breakthroughs. And so long as she was loading planes for Guam, Enterprise would do the utmost she could to help!
