Chapter 7: Reassignment
Author's note: i do not own Valkyria Chronicles, they are owned by Sega and there will be more news at the end of the chapter.
Marine Corps Air Station Quantico. United States of America
Marine Corps Air Station Quantico. Home to six squadrons of bombers, scout bombers, fighters, transports, utility and observation planes, the air base was built as a way to train new pilots for the Marine Corp as well as serve as an airbase for defense for the capital. Around the airbase, base personnel were around and about doing their daily jobs. Then a buzzing sound can be heard. In the skies above the base, a pair of F4U Corsairs approaching the airbase from the west.
The F4U Corsair was the Marine Corps premier ground-attack fighter. Originally designed to be a carrier fighter, it encountered problems with it's landing gear as well as having a big engine making it difficult to land on carriers. However, the Marine Corp gave the fighter an opportunity and adopted the fighter. It had it's trial by fire during the Soviet Invasion of Alaska and proved to be an effective at providing close-air support for the Marines. The plane also was a good dogfighter, handling well against the Yaks and Lavochkin fighters that the Soviets fielded as well as intercepting Ilyushin 2 ground attack fighters. It was later adopted by the Navy for the Essex class carriers.
One of the Corsairs of the pair sported markings similar to those seen on certain Darcsen clothing. The Darcsen markings were on the tail and wings as well as a painting of the Grim Reaper with his scythe in one hand and the other hand pointing outward is on the nose of the plane. The plane belonged to First Lieutenant Charlotte Vandegrift. Called the "Grim Reaper" by the Soviets, she has taken out many tanks and armored vehicles that she has lost count of how many she destroyed. As she and her wingman approached the runway, she contacted the control tower.
"Nest, this is Reaper 1, requesting permission to land along with Reaper 2." Charlotte said over the radio. After a few minutes, the control tower responded back.
'Reaper 1, you and Reaper 2 have permission to land." Charlotte then switched over to her wingman's frequency.
"Alright, rookie. Follow my lead for landing. Lower your speed and align with the runway."
"Roger ma'am." Charlotte then reduced her speed until she was comfortable with and began to lower her landing gear. She angled her Corsair to line up with the airfield and began to make her descent. Her Corsair landed without any issues and her wingman landed as well. They guided their plane to a set location and soon were surrounded by mechanics. Charlotte turned the engine off and got out of the cockpit. She pulled off her cap and shook her head, letting her dark blue hair to wave a bit.
"How was the flight ma'am?" One of the mechanics asked. Charlotte turned to him and smiled.
"She's like an angel. The fifty cals might need to be recalibrated but overall, everything is alright." Charlotte then stretched a bit then hopped off. She made her way to the rookie pilot who was stretching himself.
"Nice job today rookie. Work on calculating your angle of approach for when you strafe better and you will be one hell of a pilot. Plus always be aware of your surroundings. That was why I was able to get on your back, you need to always check around you."
"Got it, ma'am." Charlotte nodded and headed to the main headquarters building. Inside, marines were out and about doing their duty. Charlotte weaved her way through the hallways and made it to her commanding officer's office. The marine secretary in front of the office looked up from their work and looked at the lieutenant.
'What can I do for you ma'am?" The marine NCO said.
"I have an appointment with Colonel Katzroy?" The marine picked up the phone at his desk and dialed a number. He waited a few minutes before someone on the other side picked up and spoke for a few seconds before hanging up.
"The colonel would see you now ma'am." The marine said. Charlotte then headed towards the office and opened the door. The office wasn't really big, it was a standard officer office with two shelves on both sides of the room and a desk at the center. Sitting at his desk, Colonel Sazh Katzroy, CO of the 118th Marine Fighter Squadron, was looking over some papers. He looked up and saw that Charlotte had entered and was standing in front of him at attention.
"Ah, Lieutenant Vandegrift. Have a seat." Sazh said. Charlotte took a seat in a chair in front of him. She had a neutral face but Sazh knows that behind that mask was an anxious and scared woman and he knew the reason why.
"Lieutenant, I got your letter for reassignment. And I just want to ask if you are absolutely sure about this?" Sazh asked. Charlotte answered without hesitation.
"Yes, sir. I believe that Gallia needs all the help they can get, especially against the Luftwaffe." Sazh sighed. He knew exactly why Charlotte requested the transfer so he might as well address it now.
"Charlotte, if this is to look for your husband, then-"
"Sir, I want to make a difference in this war. Whether I am able to find my husband would be nice but the people of Gallia takes priority." Sazh saw her twitch a bit and sighed again.
"Charlotte, we know that answer is bullshit. I know you want to-"
"Sir, I would have to disagree. I simply want-"
"Lieutenant, let me finish my say!" Sazh said, raising his voice a bit. Charlotte remained silent.
"Charlotte, I understand your feeling. I felt the same way when I was seperated from my wife and son but I want to know your honest answer before I decide if this reassignment will go through or not." Charlotte took a deep breath and finally spilled everything out.
"I miss him! Everyday i don't know if he is alive or stuck behind enemy lines again or he might be alone out there. He could be injured or worse. Sir, please I beg you just please let me get this reassignment so I can at least get information about whether he is safe or not. Please sir."
"You also understand that by being assigned to this squadron, there will be no guarantee that you will be able to find him. He is not registered in any military unit and is a freelance mercenary and can be anywhere in the country. Do you still want to go? Also, it means giving up your commission in the Marine Corp and being a Second Lieutenant again." Charlotte answered without hesitation.
"Yes, sir. Even though there might be a small chance in meeting him, I want to try sir. So please, let me go sir. I have some experience fighting Soviet fighters so I can at least fight against those Krauts." Sazh thought about it for a moment. She had a point, since she fought against Soviet Lavochkin,Yaks, and Ilyushins in nothing more than in a Wildcat. The unit that Charlotte would probably end up will be in worse condition but he believes she can handle it. Plus, she won't give up on this until she gets the transfer so he caved in.
'Very well, I will get this reassignment up the chain of command and most likely it will get approved since Gallia is looking for more pilots. Report to the USAAC representative on the tarmac at 0800. Dismissed." Charlotte smiled a bit but returned to being neutral and saluted.
"Thank you sir. I won't let you down sir."
'I know you won't. Now get out of here before I change my mind." Charlotte smiled a bit before shaking hands with Sazh and exited the office. She broke into a jog back to her room and once there she began to pack her stuff. As she was looking for stuff to pack, she comes across a small item that Andrew got her a while back. It was a red star-shaped lucky charm that is used to provide luck to travelers according to the locals of the island they visited when they were on their honeymoon. She picked up the charm and held it to her heart.
'We will see each other again soon Andrew. So don't die on me or else I will go to heaven and drag your ass back on Earth and kill you for leaving me.'
Fort Amaranthine
Andrew was laying on his bed, looking up at the lucky charm he always kept on him since he got married. Like Charlotte's, it is star-shaped lucky charm but his is black. As Andrew stared at it, he can't help but feel like Charlotte and him are connected by it. Like she will always be with him. Andrew then shook his head. Now was not the time to think about that, now he had to get ready for that meeting with his new CO. He got off the bed and head towards the closet where his new uniform was. He opened the closet and eyed the new uniform. It was the standard Gallian scout uniform but instead of being blue with either red or gold trimmings, it was instead black with red lines here and there along the uniform. His jacket had two breast pockets along with the units logo on the left side of the jacket, a Doberman with a muzzle bounded around it's mouth. Andrew checked his watch and decided to get ready. He put on his uniform and looked at his uniform in the mirror. He had gauntlets around both his arms that is separate from the elbow armor along with gloves over his hands. He had knee armor plates above his laced up boots. He turned around and saw that on his back were the letters "Altaha Abilia" which were similar to what was on his armband on his left arm. Actually, now he thought about it, the armband is similar to what the Waffen SS wear on their uniforms but he just puts it out of his mind for now. Right now, he just straightens his uniform out and collects his belongs which at this point only consists of his new rifle and ammo, his black balaclava, and a canteen. He left his room and made his way to Crowe's office.
As he was making his way to the office, people he ran into would often give him dirty looks or would just avoid his gaze. Andrew notices the looks and is really not surprised. Ever since he has been in this country, many Gallians, specifically the nobles and officers, have been looking down on him because he was a foreigner. Gallia has always been proud of the claim that they are able to repel any invasion by themselves like they had back in the Great War. Andrew, however, knew the truth. In reality, Gallia is lucky to have survived this long by itself. Germania's superior air power as well as it's blitzkrieg tactics have decimated Gallia's forces and it is due to sheer luck and heroism that Gallia is still alive. Andrew knew this but he kept his mouth shut most of the time. Nothing good would happen if he argued with a Gallian officer or civilian about it. Though, sometimes a punch or two usually shut them up as well.
Andrew climbed a flight of stairs and was surprised to see Kurt waiting outside of Crowe's office as well. He also wasn't wearing his Gallian uniform but instead it was the same uniform that Andrew was wearing but he had more armor plates on his shoulders and hips. He also had a pistol holster on his left side of the chest. Like Andrew's uniform, there was the unit's insignia on the left and Kurt's number on the right which was a 7. Andrew noticed that Kurt was frowning about something, and as Andrew approached him he looked up and offered him a small smile.
"Good to see you again Andrew." Kurt said, extending his hand. Andrew took it and shook it.
"Good to see you too. But I am curious, why are you here? Shouldn't you be with your unit?" Kurt frowned again.
"I got transferred here." Andrew recoiled a bit.
"You got transferred to a penal unit? What the hell did you do?" Kurt opened his mouth then closed it. He doesn't know if he should tell Andrew or not the reason.
Earlier in the day
Kurt approached his commanding officer's office and knocked on the door.
"Come in." A voice called out. Kurt opened the door and entered into the office. He approached his CO's desk and saluted.
"You called me sir?" Kurt said. His CO saluted back and Kurt went at ease. Kurt noticed that his CO was frowning, uneasy about something.
"I have some regrettable news for you, Second Lieutenant Irving." Kurt stiffened for a bit, unsure how to react.
"What is it sir?" Kurt asked. His CO produced a sheet of paper from a drawer in his desk and handed it to Kurt.
"These orders are from command, please take a look." Kurt took the piece of paper and read it. As he read it, he slowly became more and more shocked until finally he saw his orders.
"These orders… Are they real? This must be a mistake!" Kurt exclaimed not believing this was real. Unfortunately for him, his CO only nodded his head.
"These are official orders , you are hereby relieved of your current command and reassigned to the 422nd Squad." Kurt just couldn't believe what was happening to him.
"But the 422nd is made up of the Nameless, it's a penal battalion!" Kurt exclaimed, trying to reason with this CO. HIs co gave him an uneasy look before replying.
"That's correct, this transfer is your…" the commander hesitated a bit before replying.
"... penalty for treason." Kurt, upon hearing the reason, began to become angry about this accusation.
"Treason?! On what grounds?! I demand a better explanation!" Kurt just couldn't believe it. He was charged for treason, when he didn't do anything that would be considered treason. And yet he was being treated as a traitor to his own country.
"Honestly, I don't understand it myself. The higher ups didn't think I needed to know." His CO replied. Kurt just got more and more confused.
"How is that possible?" Kurt asked himself. His CO looked at him sympathetically but he had to do his job. He then continued with his orders.
"Starting today, your commanding officer is Lieutenant Colonel Ramsey Crowe from Intel HQ. Report to Lieutenant Colonel Crowe for your new orders. You are dismissed." Kurt just stood there for a few minutes before regaining his composure and saluted his former CO.
"Yes, sir…" Kurt said, dejectedly and then proceeded to exit the office.
Modern time
Kurt decided that not to tell Andrew. He doesn't know how Andrew would react if he knew that Kurt was sent to the 422 for treason.
"I don't want to talk about it." Kurt replied. Andrew gave him a perplexed look but shrugged.
"Hey, if you need someone to talk to, I am here to listen. But first let's go meet our new boss." Andrew said as he opened the door. Both men walked through the doors and saw who was suppose to be their boss taking a nap at his desk with his legs propped up on the desk. The two men approached Crowe's desk and Andrew banged his hand on the desk. Crowe stirred from his sleep and upon seeing the two men, stretched and addressed the two men.
"My gift?" Crowe asked. Kurt looked at him with a confused look.
"What?" Kurt asked.
"Dontcha usually bring a tribute or something? Ya know booze, women, that kind of thing?" Crowe asked. Kurt continued to look at him confused but Andrew sighed and then pulled out a small flask from his back pocket.
"Here you go old man." Andrew said, tossing the flask to Crowe. Crowe caught it and took a swig from the flask.
"Ahh, that hit the spot." Crowe said, tossing the flask back to Andrew who caught it and tucked it in his back pocket. Kurt just sighed and massaged his forehead.
"I was told to report hereby command. I haven't prepared a gift. Kurt replied.
"Oh… I see. You must be number 7 then," Crowe then looked at Andrew, " and you are number 28."
"When you say those numbers you referring to us?" Andrew asked, a bit confused by it.
"Starting today, both of you will be part of the 422nd. You both no longer have a name. You will be identified by your numbers." Crowe said, pointing at the numbers on both men's uniforms. Kurt pinched his nose while containing his anger while Andrew grit his teeth a bit but stopped, reminding himself that he was now part of a penal battalion and would have to accept it.
"There aren't any military records of your missions, so you guys don't need names." Crowe explained, noting that both men were a bit mad about being referred to as numbers.
"You're basically criminals, referred to only by your penal number. It's the reason your squad is called Nameless." Crowe said.
"Wait, I never did anything that would be considered criminal. I volunteered for this unit." Andrew stated. Crowe opened a drawer and pulled out a file. He flung it at Andrew.
"It seems like you had a sort of 'incident' involving booze and punching a Gallian officer, breaking his jaw." Andrew went wide eyed and looked opened the file. Sure enough, it was a form looking for a "foreign mercenary" that had punched a Gallian officer and a warrant for arrest. Andrew sighed.
"Fine, I guess you got me there." Crowe nodded and continued.
"Now, for number 7 here. If you put your life on the line enough, there is a chance you might get pardoned, and returned to the regular army." Kurt beamed at this.
So if someone recognizes my achievements, I can be transferred?" Kurt asked. Crowe thought about it then nodded.
"To be honest, I never seen that before. But it is possible." Crowe said.
"I will try to be the first then." Kurt said, determined to clear his name and get back to his unit. Andrew just shrugged.
"Hey, as long as news of this incident doesn't reach my wife I am good." Kurt and Crowe gave Andrew a look.
"What? I am married after all. Is that a surprise?" Andrew asked. Both men shook their heads, deciding to move on from the subject.
"Here are the orders from HQ for the Nameless' next mission. Deliver them for me." Crowe handed the set of orders to Kurt. Kurt looked them over and nodded.
"Before I leave, I would like to know the reason for my transfer." Kurt asked. Andrew gave the man a perplexed look.
'What does he mean about the reason? What the hell is wrong with this army?" Andrew thought.
"How the hell should I know? Get going, already!" Crowe stated as he waved both men away and leaned back into his chair.
'What the…? He has so little discipline… Is he really an officer?" Kurt thought to himself. Andrew meanwhile, was thinking about something else.
'This guy reminds me a lot like one of my old NCOs back in the Corp. Well, at least I know how to deal with them.' Andrew thought to himself. Both men then saluted Crowe and left the office. As both men were walking through the hallway, Andrew asked Kurt a question.
"So, what was that about asking for the reason for your transfer?" Kurt hesitated before answering.
"It was just something I wanted to know. That's all." Kurt replied. Andrew was a bit more confused but shrugged it off. It wasn't his problem so he will just move on.
"So this new unit, you think they will be any good?" Andrew asked.
"They are a penal battalion. I am hoping they are but we just have to wait and see." Kurt replied. Andrew nodded and both men went to find a jeep to get into the encampment.
"Finding a jeep around the base was a little hard. Judging by the looks, they were hesitant to even help us. I guess this "Nameless" squad was as bad as they say. We eventually found a jeep, after I 'persuaded' him to give it up. As we drove to the 422nd encampment, Kurt and I talked a bit. Turned out he came from a merchant family in the city and he was top of his class at Lanseal. It just made me more confused as to how he was reassigned to the Nameless but I didn't push that. We drove to the encampment and finally after a few hours and turns, we finally arrived and let's say it was what I expected of a penal battalion encampment." Andrew W. Vandegrift.
"So here we are. The 422nd encampment." Andrew said, stopping the jeep at the encampment. Kurt and Andrew got out and looked around. There were tents and trucks around the encampment. There was a truck that looked like a weapons truck as well as what looked like a makeshift shooting range. There was also a truck that appeared to carried a huge tank, the same one Andrew saw that one day. As both men looked around, they noticed a woman lifting some boxes.
"...and lift…" the girl said. Kurt saw her and approached her.
"You there…" Kurt began to say. The girl twirled around in surprise. Andrew recognized the girl from that one battle and was about to say hi but then he saw her face. Her face was what worried Andrew, because he saw she had a killing intent.
"Wha.." She then saw Kurt and Andrew and with a speed Andrew has rarely seen she went up to Kurt and pulled out a knife, pointing it at Kurt's throat.
Merry Christmas everyone! Since, its Christmas I decided to post this chapter for you all. I hope you like and I want to say sorry for not posting a chapter. Work has been hell and finals zapped the energy from me to write. The next chapter won't be out until after New Years so you guys will have to wait for awhile. i haven't given up on this story and will try my best to update more after the New Year. Once again, if you have any questions just PM me and I will answer back to you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone.
