The Fledgling Eagle

It's always good to be back home, Ensign Jeremiah Halsey mused as he walked toward his quarters from the parking lot—even though he couldn't help feeling bad for his comrades who were still fighting in the Pacific halfway across the world.

It had been a year and a half since he left Pearl Harbor, fighting against...whatever they are and wherever they come from. He would rather not think about those anymore; he had enough sleepless nights already.

He would've fought there longer, but a chance incident sent him packing back home with injuries he cannot remember getting but was enough to warrant a temporary discharge.

You've earned your rest. Make good use of it, and be ready for combat again once you recover.

Halsey smiled bitterly, recalling what his superior told him, but he pressed on nevertheless until he reached his destination.

Apparently, there had been some renovations on the officers' housing during his time away, as he barely recognized the exterior. For a while, he ended up looking around.

That was the moment he saw her—lit by the nearly-setting sun, a girl was standing in the nearby clearing, aiming a bow almost as tall as herself into the sky. And though at first Halsey believed his eyes were playing tricks, he soon realized she was indeed shooting rays of light.

Even without her silver hair, merely witnessing that scene was enough to convince him that the girl was not some child of Navy personnel fooling around.

'A KANSEN?'

He had never met any, but he was aware of them. Everybody did. Humanity's hopes against those invaders, people said. He didn't know how they came to be—and military personnel aren't supposed to ask questions, anyway. But it seemed they were effective; at least, they managed to force the Sirens into a stalemate, and the brass were pleased with their new 'weapons.'

He finally decided to leave the girl be, but just as he was about to walk away, he noticed her wobbling on her feet. Against his better judgment, he approached the girl.

As soon as he was about to call out to her, she noticed him. However, neither had the chance to strike up a conversation as the girl promptly passed out into his arms.

"Whoa...?! Hey! Are you okay?" he rocked her back and forth to no avail. Looking closely, he had an inkling why—the flushed cheeks, the sweat drops, the short breaths—she was overexerting herself.

He knew he'd need to act quickly, and while the thought of taking her to the hospital did cross his mind, Halsey soon decided his place would be closer.

Please, hang in there, he muttered as he raced towards the building with the girl in his arms.

***

Halsey was glad nobody noticed him carrying the girl. Now that he thought about it, if someone did, he would have to explain—and they wouldn't believe him.

The girl was now lying on his couch, still unconscious, though she would stir on occasion. He figured she would wake up soon.

"Some honey lemon would be good, I guess...Though if she's a KANSEN, I don't know if it's going to be of any use..." Halsey muttered, recalling that he received some lemons as part of a get-well gift and that there was some honey on his shelf, supposedly the only food item he left there before his departure. He was relieved to find out it was indeed unspoiled and immediately set to work. It took longer than it should, largely thanks to questions in his head distracting him.

Just as he was done, a thud followed by a brief whine was heard. The girl was awake.

For a split second, when she noticed Halsey emerging from the kitchen, the girl seized up but quickly recollected herself and backed away. But her gaze, which to him was reminiscent of an eagle, stayed with him as if a silent threat—even though whatever impact it may have was diminished by the fact she was rubbing the back of her head as she did.

"Well, glad you are okay," Halsey said as soothingly as possible, though he could not really hide his amusement. "I was worried when you collapsed in front of me, you know."

Hearing that, the girl's stare just seemed to grow more intense, though Halsey could not tell if it was hostility or just embarrassment.

And though she seemingly tried to resist, her lips eventually pursed into a pout.

"... Don't worry about it; it happens to the best of us," he continued. "Well, if they push themselves, that is..."

"I have to..." she muttered.

"Have to what?"

"Have to..." she hesitated, likely having just realized she was talking to a stranger.

"Okay, you don't have to tell me. Anyway, though you seem okay now, I have some honey lemon with me; would you like some? It will keep you refreshed."

He certainly didn't expect her to make that kind of reaction over the concoction—part abject horror, part disgust. Seeing that, Halsey set the glass aside.

"Okay, I guess you don't like honey lemon. So...how about some chocolate?" He offered, remembering the chocolate he received at the hospital. The girl's face brightened for a second, and he took that as a yes. Rummaging through his bag, he found it, the packaging already dented on all sides.

"Here. Sorry if it looks like this. Rest assured, it's not because I sat on it," Halsey said. The girl hastily received the item and began eating it with gusto, which contrasted sharply with her reserved demeanor before.

"You must be hungry if you didn't even comment on the taste," Halsey laughed; the girl blushed, but she finished it nevertheless.

"Thank you very much," she said, taking the tissue Halsey offered and clearing the smudge off her mouth.

"No worries. By the way, I'm Ensign Jeremiah Halsey. What's your name?"

"Enterprise," she declared. There was no fear nor pause but only pride in how she spoke her name.

"Enterprise, huh," replied Halsey; hearing that, he realized she was indeed a KANSEN—but one so young? He never thought there would be one, and the thought of her going into battle disturbed him.

He didn't know if he was too obvious or if Enterprise could sense his concern, but either way, Halsey soon found her hand holding his as she looked at him with the same eagle-like gaze.

"Don't worry about us. We were born for this, Ensign," she said. "For kind people like you, I'll fight."

She spoke with a conviction quite atypical of a child but one Halsey could not help but admire—despite whatever misgiving he might have had.

"But we still have a long way to go before we can, though," she continued; a flash of disappointment came and went, but it didn't go unnoticed.

"...What do you mean?"

"We still need to get stronger. My sisters and I."

"Sisters? You have sisters?"

"Yorktown...Hornet. They are my sisters," Enterprise's gaze softened as she spoke the names.

"I see. So you guys... won't be going to battle anytime soon, right?" asked Halsey, relieved yet also feeling stupid because he thought he had been worrying over nothing.

"That's what they say. For now," Enterprise replied; as she did, Halsey found her staring at him again.

"Why do you ask? If required, I would gladly fight, Ensign," she continued.

He didn't reply and looked at her tiny hands instead. He had just realized it now—a child's hand shouldn't be that rough.

"Ensign?"

"You know what? Just call me Jerry."

Her head leaned aside as she let go of the hand and asked, "Why? That wouldn't be appropriate."

"Jerry is fine. A young girl like you shouldn't be concerned with ranks and all that."

The words were meant to be reassuring, but Enterprise's discomfort was apparent. Still, she did as she was told.

Her first attempt came out stilted. But she didn't stop there. Not after she saw the encouraging smile.

"Jerry," she said again; she wasn't sure at first if she did it right this time, but she thought it sounded less awkward.

"Well, you're really a quick learner," Halsey laughed, which Enterprise took as a sign she did well. He rose from the couch after that and put his cap back on. "Now, would you like to rest some more, or should we find your sisters?"

"Finding my sisters would be preferable. They must be worried about me by now," Enterprise followed suit, a small smile on her face.

***

Halsey noticed a rather odd pair gathering where Enterprise once was. One was a blonde child, and the other a white-haired teenager. They seemed to be arguing about something and didn't notice him and Enterprise coming.

"What if she's kidnapped? I want a search party now!"

"Hornet, there's no way she could be kidnapped. This is a heavily guarded naval base."

"Look! There's her hat, and her bow is over there! Why would she leave those…?!"

"That's…"

"Sis, Hornet," Enterprise spoke, gaining their attention. The blonde one immediately launched herself into her, causing her to recoil a bit.

"Uwaaah! I thought you were kidnapped!" she cried. Enterprise shook her head and gave the girl a pat.

"No, Hornet, It's just...I…"

"She's about to collapse, but I took care of that," Halsey chimed in. Enterprise didn't seem too pleased about the revelation but didn't say anything.

"..Hmm…" the girl called Hornet removed herself from Enterprise and began circling Halsey with eyes narrowed, scrutinizing.

"No, really. That's all I did."

"Hornet, I think he's telling the truth," the oldest girl gently said, passing a glance at Halsey, who seemed to have grown restless as Hornet continued to orbit him.

"He is," Enterprise, much to Halsey's endless gratitude, concurred.

"Well, if you say so, then it's true!" Hornet stopped before Halsey and broke into a grin. "Thank you, mister...err..."

"Halsey. Ensign Jeremiah Halsey. So you two are the sisters Enterprise mentioned. You're Hornet and…" Halsey turned from Hornet to the oldest girl. Unlike her two sisters, she's as gentle as her appearance suggests.

"Ah, um, I'm Yorktown. Thank you for taking care of Enterprise, Ensign," she said with a slight nod.

"Not a problem. Also, just call me Jerry."

"Is that okay?" Yorktown blushed and started looking down and away.

"Yeah. Enterprise does it. Why don't you two as well?"

"Alright, I will call you Jerry from now on, then!" Hornet threw her arms up as she declared, already liking the idea.

"If you're okay with it, I guess I'll do that, too," Yorktown murmured, "Jerry."

"Well then, that's that, I guess. See you guys around," Halsey was about to turn back to his place but paused when he saw Hornet's pleading look.

"Hey, why don't you join us, Jerry? We're gonna watch the sunset with big sis Enterprise!"

"Well, I've no objection…"

"Alright then! Let's go!" Hornet caught Halsey off-guard by latching onto him. Her hold was strong, and he couldn't really push her away anyway, so he just let her do as she pleased.

Enterprise found it amusing for a grown man to surrender so easily to a little girl. Then again, it's Hornet, and she knew firsthand how willful she could be.

As Yorktown tried in vain to pry Hornet off Halsey, Enterprise let out a little laugh and went after them.