Muse section chapter 2
5th June 1944 Somewhere over the English Channel
Amber eyes marvelled at the sight before them. The greatest naval armada ever assembled was basking in the moonlight below her. All in all over one hundred and fifty thousand men; naval vessels from Torpedo boat to Battleship were travelling below her to Normandy. She was part of the air armada that was going ahead to disrupt and distract the German forces, the sky was filled with transports and gliders, the same sight would be seen all along the Normandy coast tonight.
Umi considered the odd beauty of it all as she leant on the door frame of the door in the side of the Dakota. The roar of the engines making communication nearly impossible the rush of the wind chilling her to the bone, yet she stayed. It was a habit she had developed in North Africa that on the way to a drop as the last woman in the squad to jump she stayed by the door for the flight often with the door itself open, like it was tonight, although she didn't seem like the kind of person to enjoy it, Umi relished in the buzz that she got from standing in the door looking down upon the earth.
It was something that you didn't get in the old Whitleys or the Halifaxes. The small feeling of power, of control she got when she stood looking upon the ground was akin to that that she got when she strung an arrow. It was her way of killing pre-operation nerves.
Umi looked back into the plane's belly she noted a few of her section mates were all reacting in the same way they always did Kotori was simply looking out the window opposite her, playing with one of the straps on her chest. Conveniently Honoka was sat beside this window as well But Umi knew Kotori would deny any ulterior motive.
As the section sniper, or as she preferred to be called markswoman, Kotori often hung back in combat shooting enemy officers and decapitating their command, her hands that used to be refined at sewing the latest fashions were now perfectly steady for killing. Umi had noticed long ago that she spent a lot of time with Honoka and despite her role Kotori tried to stick to their sergeant like glue.
Umi certainly wasn't blind to the looks that the sniper's golden eyes had been giving their sergeant, at times practically fawning over her, for Umi it was a little shameless but she also thought it was sweet. The only problem was how dense the ginger haired girl was. Umi just hoped Kotori wouldn't get hurt.
The two more energetic squad members were gawking out of the windows and pointing out every little thing they could see, Honoka was especially enthusiastic, as always.
Umi rolled her eyes at the display wandering exactly how she managed to keep those three stripes on her arm.
Rin on the other hand was a tad more subdued, but only by a fraction if Hanayo wasn't asleep next to her dreaming of white rice (judging by the drool and blissful expression) Rin would probably be bothering her as well.
Yet Honoka's and Rin's energy and in Rin's case her cat-like athleticism was what made both of them so great in combat. Her fast reflexes had also earned Rin the role of the Section's runner, where she relayed messages between the team when they split up, and her affinity for cold steel made her the close quarter's expert as well. If Honoka hadn't forbade it on pain of being taken off active duty Rin would probably jump with her bayonet fixed to her Sten.
The Bren team on the other hand were being all too affectionate. Nozomi and Eli, or rather just Nozomi, were cooing over each other whispering and giggling like school girls despite the fact that they shouldn't be able to hear each other over the drone of the engines outside.
Just looking at them was enough to make Umi turn as red as the beret that was stashed in her bag. The two of them were sweet together but they were a little too public about it for Umi's taste, having had a very conservative upbringing with regards to that sort of thing.
Their closeness however meant that they operated as one in the field; if it was needed they would always provide fire at exactly the right point. The Girls also acted as surrogate big sisters for the rest of the section and authority figures despite the lack of rank. They were certainly good enough to be NCOs being singled out many times, but each time both had turned it down knowing they'd have to transfer to another section if they took the stripes offered to them.
Yet they were too close now, neither would want to risk being separated from one another. Despite the embarrassment she felt Umi knew that it was their way of dealing with the nerves, still she had to avert her gaze. Unlike Nico she couldn't deal with the couple by sleeping.
That left the redheaded Medic. Umi's heart raced a little as she indulged herself in the sleeping form of the girl. The moonlight reflecting off of her ruby tresses giving her hair and skin a resemblance to alabaster, the cute smile on her face as she slept was one Umi had seen before yet she knew she would always treasure it and the golden feeling it sent to her heart.
Her feelings for the pianist of their group went so much deeper than respect, perhaps even than love. Yet she would never admit it to herself, she just didn't function that way. It had been the biggest obstacle to their relationship; her shyness and Maki's Tsundere tendencies made a perfect storm of taking it slow. But they had got this far since their meeting at the tail end of Tunisia to the point where they were both able to admire the object of her affections without fainting or insulting each other; although a blush was still very visible on her cheeks, complimented by the softest of smiles.
It was perhaps a rare perfect moment that Umi wanted to engrave on her memory, just in case… just in case the worst happened.
That moment however was shattered by the crump of anti-aircraft fire. Umi gripped the door frame as she observed they were no longer over the channel. The fields below her and the AA fire meant they were nearing their drop zone.
The aircraft banked sharply to the right. The section was aroused from their usual routines and stared out of the window at the scene before them.
Orange tracers streaked across the sky, lighting up the clouds above them like lightning. Bursts of flak exploded all around like orange fireworks that were a lot more deadly than their apparent inaccuracy suggested. Search lights scoured the sky searching for the aircraft in great beams of pearl coloured was another scene with an odd, if deadly, beauty to it that Umi couldn't help admire.
The formation of transports that had now detached the gliders they were towing started to jink around the sky hoping to avoid and confuse the AA Fire. It worked for some but not for all.
The section watched in solemn silence as one Dakota plunged towards the ground, one of its engines on fire. The smoke and flame producing a spiral as it corkscrewed towards the ground. It disappeared into a cloud bank, obscuring the squad's view of the plane's ultimate fate.
Another transport was even more unlucky to receive a direct hit by a shell. The aircraft exploded into two halves in a brilliant orange fireball. The grisly sight of burning bodies that spilled out of the hunks of metal that used to be an aircraft, falling to earth produced a collective thought that none said but all knew the others were thinking.
Are we next?
The aircraft began to slow down and began its descent towards the drop zone the AA fire increased in intensity. It was obvious but a singular thought ran through Umi's mind.
"It's time"
As the No.2 in command of the section she was on door duty and that meant that she had to give out the orders.
"Hook up!" even though she shouted the noise of AA Fire and the drone of the engines was overwhelming.
The squad all stood in unison as the aircraft clutching the hooks that would open their chutes. They clipped them onto the rail that was above them as Umi did likewise.
Honoka walked to the door to begin the briefing, as everyone checked the parachute of the girl in front of them Honoka walked slowly down the aircraft giving everyone's equipment the once over while shouting the final briefing. It was a well-rehearsed routine that ran like clockwork
"Prepare For Action!"
"Right we're about to drop into France!" Honoka yelled to the rest of the team. "You all know the exit drill! Count to three! Then check your canopy! Once you're on the ground try to meet up with everyone else, but realistically we're going to be scattered so any Allied unit will do! You know our targets but we'll go over them once we're on the ground. Plans can change!"
Honoka finished her speech as she made her way back up re-checking equipment before hooking up by the door. She was always the first out even in training.
A red light came on illuminating the cabin in a blood red glow that did little to alleviate the anxiety the section felt.
"Action Stations!" Umi yelled the penultimate order
"Oh and one other thing…break a leg girls!" Honoka's slightly morbid idea of a pep talk got a few nervous laughs out of the section.
The crimson light turned green bathing the girls in the bright colour all emotion drained from their faces as their training took over each girl a blank faced robot.
Umi yelled to the squad "Green on! Go! Go!"
The section responded immediately like clockwork beginning to jump out of the aircraft each girl pushing the one in front of her to prevent delays and make sure that nerves didn't take over, they were jumping even if they didn't want to.
The squad rapidly filed out into the blankness within a few seconds most of them were out of the door into the blackness travelling feet first into hell.
Even as noise and death from flack burst around them due to the months of training they'd put up with before this most vital of operations and the years of experience before that, everything was going smoothly.
A violent explosion suddenly shook the aircraft as Nico stood in the door. The shudder throwing her out of the plane arms flailing even before Umi could see how everything went she knew instinctively it wouldn't be a good landing.
Herself and Maki both had to grip the metal ribs of the plane in order to keep their balance, both girls staring briefly in awe at the smoke that was billowing from the left engine and metal shards that had perforated the side of the plane. If they hadn't jumped the section would've mostly been caught in the killing zone.
The light turned red once more, the jump window was over supposedly any attempt now was prohibited.
"That's not right we haven't jumped yet!" a panicked confusion gripped Umi as she un-hooked her chute running to the cockpit to shout at the pilots as the plane shuddered banking slightly.
"Hey what's going on…" her tirade died in her mouth as she opened the door the explosion had been a shell that had exploded in front of the cockpit. The shrapnel had torn through both pilots. Blood coated the seats windscreen and the instruments.
The Pilot lay dead in her chair her chest blossoming with black stains that were expanding slowly across her flying jacket; the dim light of the instruments adding to the horror of what she was witnessing.
The Co-pilot was alive barely blood was streaming down his face and one arm hung limply at his side, the glistening mess of sinew and muscle that was his shoulder resembling the pulled-pork that the Americans were so fond of. He was straining against the instruments trying to keep the aircraft level. He looked at Umi.
"What are you doing?" he asked weakly. The light quickly fading from his dull blue eyes
"The light…the light turned red" Umi's composure was shocked by what had happened, despite it all she hated blood and she hadn't seen this sort of carnage in a year.
"Jump…I can't hold on for much longer!" the dying man ordered.
Umi nodded before turning around and running up the aircraft hooking on as she went.
"Maki! We've Gotta GO!" she yelled to the medic who stood confused by the open door; waiting for the blue haired girl.
Maki nodded once taking stock of the situation.
"See you on the ground." She propelled herself forward using the door frame flinging herself feet first into the night.
Temporarily alone in the fuselage Umi reached the door, seeing the white of Maki's chute open behind the aircraft, something struck her as she flung herself into the inky blackness of the night .
"We're really going to be lost when we get down there."
A/N: So our dynamic duo are going to be lost for a bit. Also as bullets start flying I make no promises about everyone surviving. for those who made it this far thank you. see you in a week.
a note about orders. if I can find it I use the contemporary British orders hence the unfamiliar orders in the plane to those who've seen Band of Brothers.
Glossary
Whitley: Armstrong Whitworth Whitley a bomber used in the late inter-war period/early WW2 by the RAF, re-purposed by the Airborne Forces for their training and first jumps over the UK
Halifax: Handley page Halifax- Four engined heavy bomber like the Lancaster used by RAF Bomber command and transport command alike , the only plae capable of towing a Hamilcar heavy glider.
Dakota: C-47 Dakota, a re-purposed civilian airliner built in the US, one of the best transports of the war. this one is the plane used by Muse as they have windows.
Flack- shells that burst in the air the shrapnel from which was used to damage planes
Static line: a line that deploys the Parachute automatically.