A Random Start of a Story I did

I wrote this a bit while I was releasing the latest Lonely Summoner arc, after getting the idea of a group stuck together on a zeppelin for periods of time. No idea if this will be any good, and I don't plan on turning it into a full series right now, but it scratched my creative itch XD

Besides the zeppelin thing, I thought it would be interesting having the whole group together from the beginning and learning more about each one over time, instead of getting introduced girl by girl. Names and maybe some slight details might change if I decide to actually write it regularly.

This is all I have written so far. I'm working on releasing the next Capable Kingdom next.

Ch. 1 – The SAS Victoria

Albert stood in the rain, umbrella over his head, waiting on his ride to ride to arrive. He tried to resist the urge to roll his luggage around in the puddle to occupy his mind from the nervousness. Normally, he would have just called a cab to get to the base, but cab drivers were in short supply due to the war effort, so the Air Corps had to pick up their off-base personnel.

After a few minutes, and two minutes before the scheduled pick-up time, a car drove into view. The door opening, and a woman in full Air Corps formal uniform came out. Saluting him, she said, “Captain Stolphus, I'm here to pick you up.”

Albert blinked once. Despite the drizzle, she hadn't bothered to hold an umbrella. She was taller than him, with long dark hair, and glasses. “Good to meet you...” he glanced at the Lieutenant pin on her chest, trying not to let his gaze linger on her breast, “Lieutenant.”

The Lieutenant lowered her hand, standing at attention. “I'm Lieutenant Ida Vanchaff of-”

Albert didn't wait for her to keep talking, and opened the door to get into the back.

The Lieutenant seemed surprised, but then quickly recovered and got back into the drivers seat.

Albert watched as she sat down and started driving. “You should have used an umbrella,” he said as the water drained off her hair and hat.

“The Air Corps uniforms are waterproof, sir,” Ida replied.

Albert nodded.

The car was silent as they drove to the base. There was almost no traffic, so they made quick time through the city streets. When they got to the checkpoint, the guard saw their vehicle and waved them through.

He looked in silence at the rows of planes on the tarmac, many in different states of repair, work crews out even in the rain, pushing planes in and out of hangers to work on. “I feel bad for them...”

Ida replied, “They're just doing their part for the war effort, like we are.”

Albert sighed at the comment.

“Captain?” Ida asked at the sigh.

Albert shook his head. “Nothing.” I want to win the war too, but blind patriotism laws don't get us anywhere...

Their country, the Swabian Empire, had been at war for 11 years now. While the intensity had ebbed and flowed, a huge amount of people had died in the that time, many in the trenches at the front lines, but no few in the naval an air arenas as well. In fact, Albert had been 'lucky' enough to test into the Air Corps Academy, avoiding the fate of many young men in getting sent straight into a frontline platoon.

Lieutenant Ida didn't seem eager to confront him further, and they went back to silence.

After they got past the plane hangers, they reached some much larger ones. After going past a few, Ida turned and pulled into one. Albert took a deep breath. Here we are...

Inside were several colossal zeppelins. Some were being worked on or patched up, near the door was one, already running with hits fans on.

They parked, and Albert opened the door. Seeing what was in front of him, he was confused, “Wait...”

Lieutenant Ida stood next to the zeppelins control room, shouting over the drone of the airship. “Captain, welcome to the SAS Victoria.”

Albert shook his head, “I was told I'd be captaining a new ship.”

Ida blushed, “Sir, I...can't hear you...” she shouted over the drone.

Albert looked over the ship. I get not getting a new one, but this isn't even a nuclear reactor model...

New Air Corps zeppelins were generally outfitted with nuclear fission reactors that allowed them to operate for near-limitless amounts of time, usually only stopped by when their supplies ran out, or if they sustained damage. The trips he'd made while at the Academy had been on these types.

This, the SAS Victoria, was a helium-cell ship, that had been out of production for twenty years, before the war even started. While they did have a couple of advantages, they could only stay in the air a month before their cells needed replaced, or less if they needed to do maneuvering or adjustments during flight. This is probably older than I am... He sighed, then shook his head, It's fine, I'm sure the missions will reflect the age of the ship.

Ida seemed confused, her salute slipping a bit. “Sir?”

Albert sighed again, then started rolling his luggage towards the ship's ramp.

The inside of a zeppelin was separated into two parts. The top two-thirds were mostly empty, filled with the helium that kept the zeppelin afloat. The bottom third was the crew quarters and storage, a mess hall, and the bomb bays, along with a separate captain's quarters Albert would be staying in. Underneath the zeppelin was the attached wheelhouse and operating room, where the helm and all the navigation equipment was housed. And underneath that was the ball turret, the zeppelin's only defense against enemy planes.

When they got up the ramp, awaiting them was two more women in their uniforms. Luckily, the inside of the zeppelin was equipped with sound dampeners, so the loud drone was now toned down to a quiet hum.

Lieutenant Ida turned sideways and saluted. “Crew, introduce yourselves.” She seemed a bit irritated.

One, a short girl with large breasts, saluted. “I'm Elizabeth. You can just call me Lizzy, though. I'm our gunner.”

Albert tried not to look as her breasts jiggled slightly, when she saluted, and nodded.

The other, a slightly older looking woman with a motherly smile replied. “I'm Ingrid, the quartermaster and cook.”

Ida looked at her, “Ingrid, you need to salute the Captain.”

Ingrid giggled, “Hehe, sorry,” and gave a cheeky salute with her tongue peaking out.

They waited a moment, but Ida seemed to be getting angrier. “Where are the other girls...” she said, trying to hold back her anger.

Albert raised an eyebrow, “The whole crew is women?”

Ida looked at him. “The Air Corps has been recruiting women heavily the past few years, since it's the only branch that allows them in any position besides logistics or medical. Ours just happens to be all women. Besides the Captain, of course.”

Albert nodded. I did remember reading about that, so many men have been dying that they needed to fill some roles with women. I didn't expect this though... As he was thinking, Ida turned to him.

“Captain, I apologize, I don't know why the other two didn't come.”

Ingrid giggled again, “Zoe is probably working still, she wasn't happy with some of the repairs the ground techs made. And Alice is probably sleeping again.”

Ida nodded, “Please follow me, Captain. Ingrid, please take his luggage to the Captain's quarters.”

Izzy excitedly said, “Ida, you forgot to introduce yourself.”

Ida blushed slightly, “Ah, I did earlier, but...yes, I am Lieutenant Ida, the helmsman.

Albert nodded and followed as they went farther in. He heard a noise and noticed the ramp had been pushed up and the hatch door closed. Taking a deep breath, he continued in.

Ida started showing him the inside, although it was the exact same as the models he practiced in during the Academy, so it was nothing new...besides some random drawings in the corridor.

“Ingrid, I told you to take these down!” Ida said, pointing to the drawings.

“Ahhh, but they lived up the ship. What does the Captain think?” she said, giving him a big smile.

Albert blushed slightly, looking at the crayon drawings of scenery. They weren't half-bad. “Ah...” I don't want to upset the crew on my first day. “Um...they're fine for now.”

Ida seemed confused as Ingrid giggled, “See?”

Ida coughed and continued on. “Here is the bomb bay,” she said, sliding a door at the back. Inside were rows and rows of bombs. They made Albert feel a bit on edge, even though these were just practice bombs for their training mission. Ida walked in front, then knocked on the bomb rack.

“Waaahh!” came a scream from inside. Out between two of the racks arose a girl with short back hair. “Ida, I...” she said, then blushed as she saw Albert.

“This is Alice, our bomber. She has a bad habit of falling asleep on the job.”

Alice blushed, “I made sure they were all stacked up properly first!”

I guess bombers do have a lot of down time.

Ida shook her head, “Let's continue,” she said.

They went back down the hall towards the ladder that led into the wheelhouse. However, about halfway there, a vent on the side opened, and a short girl with pigtails rolled out. She was not in her uniform, but wearing a white shirt and overalls. She stood up and coughed, and Albert could see that there was grease smeared on her face.

Ida grabbed her own temples, and sighed, “Zoe, what the hell were you doing?”

Zoe coughed once more, then looked up at Ida, “I had to check the patches those numbskulls outside put on. Last time there was several holes still.”

Ida shook her head, “But a few holes won't take down the ship.”

Zoe stamped her foot, “Of course not, but each one lowers our efficiency a bit, and with enough of them we might not be able to maintain altitude.” She turned and saw Albert, and looked him up and down, “Who is this?”

“This is our new Captain, Albert Stolphus,” Ida explained. “You were supposed to come greet him.”

Zoe looked him up and down some more. “Are you gonna get upset at me for not showing up?”

Albert shook his head, “You're the mechanic, right? I think it's good your inspecting the ship.”

Zoe giggled mischievously at Ida. “Haha, even the Captain doesn't care.” She then stuck her tongue out at Ida and slipped back into the vent.

“I'm sorry, Captain,” Ida said.

Albert shook his head, “Um, it's alright.” She seems eccentric, but at least she takes her job seriously.

Ida then continued leading him to the ladder, and they descended down.

Albert looked around the wheelhouse. He could see through the windows the interior of the hangar. Mechanics were scurrying around every which way, preparing for their takeoff. “Are we leaving soon?”

Ida nodded, “Yes, in around twenty minutes we should be taking off.”

Albert raised his eyebrows. “I guess they don't waste time.”

Ida shook her head, “They want to get our training mission over so they can start sending us on real missions, sir.”

“How many have you been on so far?”

“Personally I have been on seventeen, sir. This crew has been together on five so far. We were cobbled together from...other ships,” she said, pausing a bit during the last part.

Albert knew why. People transferred from other ships were generally done so for a reason. Did they hand me an old ship with a reject crew? With the exception of Ida, and maybe Elizabeth, no one else seemed to care about protocol.

Ida seemed to be reading his mind. “Are you going to ask about us?”

Albert blushed slightly form embarrassment. “Ah, no...I was just wondering...” he tried to think of something quickly. “What happened to the previous Captain?”

Ida bit her lip. “He...requested a transfer. Since there was a new graduating class from Academy, it was accepted.”

Albert nodded, assuming he knew exactly what had happened. Normally requests for transfer weren't accepted without good reason, but since they could just throw a new graduate on this ship, they decided to keep the veteran Captain happy and accept it. Yup, I got a dud crew. Oh well, I knew this was a possibility. I'll just make sure I have my parachute with me at all times.

A message came from the radio. “Victoria, this is AC03 speaking, are you ready to fly?”

Albert instinctively grabbed the radio, his training kicking in. “Air Command, this is Captain Albert of the Victoria. All crew accounted for. We are ready for liftoff.”

“Copy that, be ready in five.”

Albert watched as Ida started flipping several switches, and he felt the ship lurch slightly as the fans sped up.

Albert reached into his pocket and took out his mission briefing, spreading out the map attached. It was the course for their training mission, which he had already meticulously studied, where they would be dropping some practice bombs on targets in the Swabian countryside. He would need to brief Alice on this later, although they were several days away from even the first target, so it wasn't a huge issue right now.

Ida came over and inspected the map quickly, then went back to the helm, grabbing the wheel.

“You memorized it already?” he asked, a bit astonished.

Ida didn't reply right away, then said, “The training mission flight path is always the same, so I've flown this before.”

Albert nodded, even though Ida had her back turned. Of course. “I'll got let the rest of the crew know.”

He climbed up the ladder and heard voices from the mess hall. Inside, Ingrid was sitting with her back to him, across from Izzy and Zoe.

“The new Captain is so cute, I want a boyfriend like him,” Ingrid said, her voice sounding airy.

Zoe started snort-laughing, “I don't think a fresh graduate wants a hag like you,” while Izzy blushed. “Uh, Ingrid,” she said, pointing.

Ingrid turned around, then her face went red, “I'm sorry Captain, I was just...”

Albert shook his head, blushing slightly as well. Deciding to just pretend he didn't hear, he said, “Airmen, we'll be leaving soon.”

“Well, duh, the main fans kicked on, we'll be zooming out once they un-tether us...” Zoe said, like Albert needn't have bothered.

Albert wasn't even sure how to respond. It's basic procedure to tell the crew before liftoff and descent... He decided to just walk away, and heard the others start chatting again in hushed tones as he left.

Walking down the hall, he opened the door to the bomb bay. “Airmen Alice?” He heard nothing. Remembering their first meeting, he walked down the bomb racks, and found Alice sleeping in between two, wedged up against one of the racks. “Alice?”

She didn't stir.

He walked up and grabbed her shoulder. “Airmen Alice?”

Alice stirred slightly, then let out a “Waaawuh,” as she saw him in the dingy light of the bomb bay. “Capta-wuhhhh...” she said, sticking out her tongue. “I biwu ihhh.”

She bit her tongue in surprise? Albert shook his head, going back to his original purpose. “We're ascending soon.”

Alice nodded, standing up. “I'll make sure the racks are secure,” she got out, speaking carefully.

Albert nodded, then headed back.

Ch. 2 – Training Mission - Start

As he got back into the wheelhouse, he saw the hanger was mostly clear through the windows, and Ida was on the walkie. “AC03, this is Lieutenant Ida...” she looked at Albert, who nodded at her, “...we're ready to ascend.”

“Roger that, you're cleared to go. Have a safe flight.”

Ida went and grabbed the wheel, while Damien sat for the first time in his Captain's chair. The Victoria started sailing forward, with Ida doing some minor corrections so they safely cleared the hanger. Once they were fully out, she flipped several switches, and the zeppelin began to ascend. I don't even have to give her orders on liftoff? Not sure why she got transferred... He pulled up the periscope that looked underneath the zeppelin, and watched as the ground slowly growing more distant, until the whole air base fit in his view.

“Captain, is everything reading fine?” Ida asked.

Albert quickly slid the periscope back down and looked at the readings. The wind was heading slightly southwest, which would aid them in making good time. “Wind southwest at 8 kilometers an hour. Altitude progressing steadily.”

“Roger.”

Albert continued watching, but there were no issues as they continued ascending. He could feel it getting a bit chilly, and remembered his coat was in his luggage. “Do you need your coat, Lieutenant?”

“No, sir, I wore extra layers under my uniform.”

Albert realized she was still wearing the same uniform she had picked him up in the rain in. “Lieutenant, you should probably change, your uniform is still wet.”

Ida blushed slightly, her glasses fogging up. “Sir, there isn't any need.”

Albert came over and grabbed the wheel. “That's an order. I'm not having someone get sick on my first training mission.”

“I...” Ida started, but then decided not to argue with an order. “Should I tell the crew it's okay to switch to casual dress?”

Albert nodded. “Sure. Have Ingrid start preparing dinner, too.”

“I'm sure she already is, but I'll let her know.” Ida replied, before heading up the ladder.

Albert grabbed the wheel, but he only need to turn slightly to account for the wind. This wheel is kind of stiff compared to training. As Captain, he had knowledge on all the other tasks. He could steer, was an okay gunner, knew how to drop the bombs if needed, understood the supplies logistics of the ship, and could do at least some basic maintenance.

After a few minutes, he heard Ida come back down the ladder. He looked over, and she was wearing the Air Corps issued workout jacket and pants. It was zipped up all the way, though her breasts were pushing the chest out a bit. He did his best not to stare. “I can take back over, Captain.”

Albert quickly let go. “It should be ready to put in auto-pilot.”

Ida shook her head, “If it's okay, sir, I'd rather get up a bit higher first. It's less likely to throw off our heading.”

Assuming she would know this particular ship the best, he nodded.

“Ingrid said dinner would be ready in thirty minutes, if you wanted to change as well.”

Albert nodded, then headed up the ladder. At the top, he ran into Ingrid, who was wearing a pink shirt and white blouse, like she was going to a cafe, although over top it she had a cooking apron on.

“Oh, Captain...I was just going to tell you the food would be ready in a half hour,” she blushed.

Remembering the earlier conversation, he also blushed, although tried to remain composed (and decided not to ask about her 'casual' outfit). “Thank you, Ida told me. I'm looking forward to it. What are we having?”

Ingrid nodded, “I was able to procure us some beef this time, so we'll be having that in some stew, with potatoes and carrots.”

Albert nodded. It was a basic meal, but he knew from his three Academy excursions that any cooked meal onboard a ship was a boon.

Ingrid quickly scurried back towards the mess hall, so Albert went the other way back to the Captain's quarters. Inside, he spent some time unloading his clothing and several snacks he had been allowed to bring. He also hung up his one personal item, a picture of he and his mom from his graduation ceremony.

After finishing, he stowed his empty luggage under his bed, and put on his own Air Corps workout outfit. He also had a few coats and other outfits as well, but decided to go with what Ida had worn to match the crew.

It had been about thirty minutes, so he decided to head out and walk down the ship to the mess hall.

When he walked in, everyone else was already there. Ida stood up and saluted, while the rest of them kept sitting. Ida looked like she was going to be upset, but Albert waved her off and shook his head, walking over to sit down.

Alice was wearing what looked like pajamas, Izzy was wearing a t-shirt that barely covered her chest and really short-shorts that barely covered her butt, and Zoe hadn't changed, still wearing her overalls. He tried not to have his gaze linger on Izzy for too long, although was soon greeted by Ingrid's chest, which almost hit his face as she put a bowl of stew in front of him.

“The new captain can have his first,” she giggled, seeming to have gotten over her earlier embarrassment.

“Come on, I'm staving!” Zoe said, salivating at the bowl.

Ingrid giggled, scooping out another bowl and handing it to her. She continued serving until she also had a bowl for herself.

Normally at this stage you would say a prayer to the future of Swabia, at least according to the handbook. Ida had her hands together and seemed to be silently saying one, but everyone else was stuffing their faces.

Albert decided to be like Ida, silently say one (though more praying for the health of his mother, and that the mission would go well) and then started eating as well.

Zoe finished quickly, walking up and pouring herself some more. Normally only the cook was supposed to dole out food, to make sure it was divided equally, but again he decided to not say anything.

When his bowl was empty, Ingrid immediately grabbed it “I'm glad you liked it, I'll get you some more.”

“I can pour my own, if that's how it goes on this ship...” he said, looking at Ida for direction.

Ida was focusing on her own bowl.

“Nonsense, you're the captain,” Ingrid replied, before handing his full bowl back.

They continued eating, until starting to filter out as they finished. Ingrid started cleaning up the bowls, and Ida came over to Albert. “Do you have any orders?”

Albert shook his head, “No, let's go back to the wheelhouse for now.”

They headed back, and he looked over the instruments to verify there was nothing wrong. The wind had picked up a bit at their current altitude, but nothing seemed amiss. “Is the auto-pilot fine?”

“Yes, sir. I've set it into sleep mode,” she said, turning to look at him at attention.

“Do we need any overnight course corrections?”

“We should not, sir. Permission to sleep through the night?” Ida asked, still at attention.

“Oh...yeah, if we don't need to, I'll trust the auto-pilot.” No need to make her get up if it's not warranted.

Ida seemed to breathe a slight sigh of relief. “I'll be heading to bed then, sir.”

Albert nodded, “I'll make my night round in a minute then go myself.” He then walked over to the windows and watched the ground below. It was mostly dark, although he could see a few twinkling of lights here and there. We're definitely over the countryside, now. Mom should be down there, somewhere.

After a bit, he went up the ladder to make his rounds. The supplies closet was full. Next he went to the mechanic's closet, which he could see was a mess (they hadn't actually gone in during the initial tour). Zoe seemed to just leave her tools and supplies scattered everywhere. Sighing, he kept going. The mess hall was cleaned up. I'm glad Ingrid at least keeps her areas tidy.

Down the hall, he half-expected to see Alice sleeping in the bomb bay, but it was surprisingly empty. He then went to the crew quarters. Alice, Izzy, and Ingrid all seemed asleep. Ida was sitting at a desk next to her bunk, writing in a book. He slipped away before he would notice. I guess Zoe is doing some late night maintenance? Or maybe she's on the latrine...

He went over to the Captain's quarters, and pulled out a sheet of paper to start a mission log, writing down the few events that had occurred that day. Deciding to leave out some of the...eccentricities of his crew out, he slipped it back into the drawer of his desk, then rolled into bed.

Staring at the ceiling of his room, he thought about what had transpired. I don't know about this... I can see why some of them got transferred. I know the Air Corps is hurting for crewmen, and that's probably why they weren't let go. Still... He sighed and shook his head. I don't understand why Ida was, though. She seems like a consummate professional helmsman. And if it wasn't something that would get her demoted from Lieutenant...it's confusing.

Wondering if maybe he should inquire, he slowly fell to sleep.

Albert woke up, feeling really hot. Why am I sweating? I have the covers on, but we're two miles into the air! He also felt a bit constricted. Deciding he wanted a drink to cool off, he reached up and grabbed the lantern string and turned on his light. Pulling off the cover, he saw that Zoe was in bed next to him, her arms and legs forming a vicegrip around him. “Zoe!?”

“Mmm...it can't be morning yet...” she said.

Albert went to grab her off, but wasn't sure where to. She had taken off her overalls, and was only wearing the white t-shirt underneath, and black panties. Her overalls seemed to be on the ground next to the bed.

“Zoe...” he repeated.

“What, who is-” she said, opening her eyes. Her face slowly got redder as she saw Albert, then looked at what she was doing. She then leapt out of the bed, looking around. “What...I...uh...”

Now that she wasn't wrapped around him, Albert was able to think a bit clearer. “Um...is there an explanation for this?”

“I thought this was my bunk!” she then realized she was in her panties, and grabbed her overalls to cover herself. “I must have gone to the wrong room in the dark. I was half-asleep after checking the helium cells.”

Albert nodded, taking a deep breath. “I see.”

Zoe blushed harder, then quickly ran out the door.

Albert blinked a few times, then sat up in his bed. He couldn't get the image of half-naked Zoe out of his mind. Ugh, I know it's normal to work on the same ship with women, but I wasn't expecting sometime like that...

Since women were becoming a common occurrence on ships, it was normal to have separate quarters for them separate from the men's. Of course, since this was an older ship, that wasn't the case. And it doesn't make a difference if the women come into my room anyway!

After some thinking, he decided to chalk it up to an honest mistake. She seemed pretty embarrassed...

After a few minutes, he had calmed down, but was now not very tired. Still wanting that drink, and thinking a walk would help him calm down, he decided to head over to the mess hall to grab some water. As he got closer, he thought he heard some humming coming from the hall. Is Ingrid already preparing breakfast? As he turned into the mess hall, he saw it was dark, but the kitchen light was on. He walked up to the door and peered inside.

Ingrid was sitting in one of the large cooking tubs, completely naked. Her hair was tied up in a bun, and she was pouring water over her arms and humming as she scrubbed. Her back was to him, and he could see the top of her chest pressed against her knees.

“Hmm..hmm. Hm-hmmmmm...” she hummed as she scrubbed.

Albert was entranced. He stood there for what felt like ages.

“I wonder if the Captain is single...” she said to herself, giggling. “Of course, Zoe's right, he won't be interested in an old hag like me,” she sighed.

Albert could feel himself tingling a bit at his nethers. That's not true. He was about to grab it, when someone grabbed his shoulder.

He turned to see Ida, her glasses glinting a bit in the light so he couldn't see her eyes.

He was about to freak out, but before he could say anything, she held up a finger to her mouth, then pulled him away from the door. She then walked into the kitchen. “Ingrid, what have I told you about using our cooking water to bathe?”

This must have been a regular occurrence, because he heard a pouty voice from Ingrid. “But the shower only has enough water for one a week. I need to keep my skincare routine up, or I'll never find a man. Plus we always have extra cooking water left over...”

Ida shook her head, “Be that as it may, it's against regulation. And what would happen if the Captain walked in on you doing this?”

“Well, I might not mind...” Ingrid replied.

Ida blushed slightly, “Just dry off and go back to bed.”

“Yes, ma'am...” he heard a sad Ingrid reply.

Ida turned back to Albert.

Albert wasn't what to do, so he just nodded, before turning around to leave.

Heading back to the room, he realized he never got his drink.