Strike Witches Boy Meets Witches
Episode 6.2: The Art of Winning Wars
It had been a few days since Stephanie's accident. Even though Steve had healed, he was still severely lacking the long curly blonde hair he had come to love.
At around 6 o'clock in the morning, Steve awoke to a knock on his door again.
'I'm kinda starting to hate it here.' "Come In!" Steve groaned.
"Steve please come to my office when you wake!" A voice said from outside the door. It was Minna and she sounded angry.
"Arrgh! Fine, I'll be there after breakfast."
"Be there in Five Minuets Steve."
'Good grief! Doesn't she ever sleep!'
Four minuets and fifty nine seconds later in Minna's Office.
Steve stood in Minna's office dressed in his "male" officers uniform.
"What did you want?" Steve asked Minna as she was looking down at what seemed like a large pile of papers.
"Your brilliant idea has gotten us into a bit of mess."
"How is that?"
"The name Maloney, ring any bells?" Minna said her eyes glancing up at him.
"Maloney…you mean Trevor Maloney?"
"Yes that's the one."
"What does that back stabbing bustard want?"
"He wants to meet you and make sure you can still fly, both he and a general are going to be coming to inspect the base."
"Whose the general?"
"Dwight D Eisenhower."
"Ike? We got this in the bag Minna."
"How so? Maloney expresses he concern that we as a unit are failing."
"Trust me, Minna, if we can win Eisenhower, we will be in the clear."
"How? Don't you understand?! Steve, we are at war! People are dying everyday out there on the front lines! This is not some anime where everything ends all happy–" Minna blindly shouted at Steve.
A scaly red fist slammed down into Minna's desk, breaking part of the top. Minna was scared. In front of her was a human sized red dragon.
"Steve? Is that you?" Minna squeaked, completely terrified of the dragon that stood before her.
The dragon let off a deep growl.
'I know that you lost your boyfriend during an evacuation, but that is NO way to talk to me!' Steve said directly into her mind.
"How-ww are you d-doing that?" she stuttered.
'Psychic! This new familiar of mine, has shown me the vast amount of magical powers she posses, including taking on her form, which you are seeing for the first time.'
"S-she?"
'Yes, my dragon is a female. The last of her kind. She will allow me to preform as good if not better than Erica and Hanna. She will also allow me to charm Eisenhower if nessicary. And besides that, I do have an Ace up my sleeve.'
"What is that?"
'You'll see. And I would breath if I were you.'
The dragon lowered itself and walked out the door on all four legs dragging its tail behind it. Minna sat down in her chair she let out a huge breath. She took a look at her hands; they were as white as snow. She took a look at herself in the mirror. She had a slight bluish tint to her face.
'I think even Mio would have be scared at that sight.'
Minna sighed and looked at the front of her desk, which now had major dent in the oak and mahogany tabletop.
'I should probable get this desk replaced, but I think I'll hang onto it until after the brass leave.'
After a few near freights and scares, everyone knew that Steve could take on the shape of a "baby" dragon as Erica had so cutely put.
The day of the inspection.
A Liberion B-24 Liberator came to a landing on the landing strip of the 501st Joint Fighting Wings base. Twelve witches stood at attention, one looked like she was ready to go to war in a sandstorm.
Maloney and Eisenhower exited the aircraft. The Witches saluted the two higher ups.
Eisenhower returned the salute and smiled.
Maloney just saluted.
"Lt. Colonel Dietlinde Wilcke, a pleasure to meet you at last."
"Like wise general."
Maloney coughed.
"Lets get this over with." He said unenthusiastically
"Every well, can we meet this Stephanie Clark before she takes off?" Eisenhower asked.
"Yes sir." Minna motioned for Steve to step forward. He was the one who was rapped up.
"Lieutenant Stephanie Clark?" Eisenhower asked.
"Yes sir!" he responded.
Minna blinked. 'Since when has Steve been able to change his voice?'
"You ready for take off?" Minna asked.
"Yes Ma'am!" he responded.
He turned on his heals and ran to the docking bay for his Hell Diver Striker. Shadow had brought it back, just in time.
After almost and hour of flying and preforming air maneuvers, Eisenhower said he had seen enough. He ordered him to land. Steve landed and stood at attention before Eisenhower and Maloney who seemed to be frowning ever so slightly.
"Lieutenant Clark. Please step forward." Eisenhower commanded.
Steve complied.
"Turn and face your fellow Witches."
He did.
Eisenhower motioned to Maloney who grunted and seemed to be mumbling something as he reached into his pocket to pull out a small black felt box. He handed it to Eisenhower, who opened it and took out a purple heart, and pinned it on his chest.
"Lieutenant Stephanie Clark, as a General of the Allies, I am sorry to have to present to you the Purple Heart, no witch should have suffered the way you did."
The girls looked at Steve in awe. Minna breathed a mental sigh of relief, they had bought it, Steve had indeed preformed just as good if not better than Erica and Hanna.
"However." Eisenhower said.
The girls held the breath. Eisenhower reacted into his own pocket and pulled out two small boxes, these were blue.
"Lieutenant Stephanie Clark, as a General of the United States of Liberion, I am proud to present to you the Army Distinguished Service Medal and the Soldiers Medal, for bravery, courage, and heroism; for shear determination in continuing to fight the Neuroi."
The 501st started to applaud and cheer for Steve, even thought they were saying Stephanie.
"I want proof." Maloney said suddenly stopping the applauding.
"Pardon?" Eisenhower question.
"I want proof that this witch was wounded because of "faulty" equipment."
"What proof to you want, Trevor?"
"I want to see her scars."
"She was badly ingerd during the cras-" Minna started
"That's Bullshit! She has an automatic healing ability. she should be fine. I want to see her scars!" He said sternly.
"Stand down Maloney! Stephanie, You don't have to if you do not want–"
Steve raised his hand to stop Eisenhower. He started to unwrap his hands. Reveling some red marks on his hands. He then removed his jacket, which Minna held for him. He must have had padding in his white t-shit he had on underneath, but everyone could see what looked like fresh burn marks and scars running across his arms. He then removed the tan tights he had on reveling more scars and burns on his legs.
Steve what are you doing?' Minna panicked.
'Trust him, he knows what he is doing.' A female voice said in her head.
Steve then took off his white t-shirt to reveal bandages wrapped around his stomach and somehow enlarged breasts. He even seemed to have a more feminine look to his body. The last thing Steve removed has his pilot mask and goggles. Everyone gasped with the exception of Maloney, whose eyes just widen.
There before them stood a girl with no hair on her head, but instead was covered in burn marks and scars. She even had a scare running down crossing her nose.
She turned to face Maloney.
"I hope that you never forget this day." She said starting to cry.
"I –ah." Maloney stuttered.
"Because I won't. When I first came to this unit, everyone liked me, telling me how beautiful I was. But now, I'm a… I'm… I'm a…" She said trying find the word.
"You're a?" Eisenhower questioned.
"A…FREAK!" Stephanie whispered harshly.
Maloney seemed to jump back a little by this.
"I can no longer have a career in modeling, because of this!" she said dragging her a finger a long the biggest scar on her face.
"No man, will could ever love a freak like me." She said coldly.
"But you're a war hero that's got to count for something?" Eisenhower said.
Stephanie began to remove the bandaged that was wrapped around her stomach. She pulled it off to reveal her stomach, which had several scars and burns on it. But the most noticeable was one that went across her belly right above her low riding white panties.
"It doesn't matter, I will fight, so that others will not suffer my fate."
"What is that fate?" Eisenhower asked looking annoyed at very terrified Maloney.
Stephanie sobbed and collapsed to her knees, Minna having place the jacket down on a near by chair ran over to her to help her up.
"What is that fate?" Eisenhower asked again.
"I CAN NEVER BEAR CHILDREN."
The witches gasped.
"They had to give me a complete hysterectomy." She sobbed.
Maloney was looking like he was a sweeting bullet.
"I'll never know the feeling of having a child kick in my belly, never get to hear the words 'Mama' coming from my own flesh and blood." She cried.
"The RAF will" Maloney started only to be interrupted by Eisenhower.
"The RAF will do NOTHING as this is none of their concern! This is a Liberion matter Maloney! Stay out of it."
"But"
"Don't 'But' me Maloney! As it is, I think we have overstayed over visit."
Eisenhower pretty much pushed Maloney back onto the plane and no sooner had they taken off. Stephanie stood up and grinned. Mio began clapping.
"Impressive perforce Steve, but stripping like that. Wow! You have some guts. And talent too, nice job on panting those scars."
"These are not paint Mio. There are real."
"Beg pardon?" Mio asked.
"If I did not have the healing ability I have, I would have ended up like this."
"So are you a girl know or…" Shirley asked
"I can change into this form when necessary. It's like another body that I have in storage, if I wanted to I could live in this body and live out the rest of my life as a girl."
"Can you really not have children though in this form?" Erica asked
"No I can. I kind of exaggerated that part, but in this form I did have to have one of my ovaries removed."
Yoshika seemed to pale.
"Yoshika?"
She ran up to him, crying.
"I'm sorry you body is so scarred like this. If I only could have healed–"
"Yoshika, I could still have a baby if I wanted to, besides. Most of these burns and scars will fade away."
They enjoyed the rest of the day and went to bed.
The next morning Steve awoke to a couple of "Get Well" soon cards.
'You know, I'm kinda starting to like it here.' He smiled as he read one of the cards. He smile soon faded as he read he was to remain in this female form for the next two weeks until the storm from the crash died down, and he was to do the dishes.
'I am really starting to HATE IT HERE!' He thought as he fell back onto his bed.
You know I was on the verge of tears writing this one.
