Chapter 10 – Intel

After the plane started, Adolfine asked Toshiro:

"C-Could you turn around while I'm changing clothes?"

Toshiro put on a wry smile and asked, "Is that an order?"

"Yes. Consider it an order from your superior officer."

"Oh okay…" Toshiro turned around disappointed.

"Lecherous perverted pig…"

"Oh come on, Yuki… Yoshika has barely anything protruding from her chest… Let me at least feast my eyes on some ersatz boobs…"

"Ersatz boobs… You would think everything up for your benefit, would you?"

"As long as it's not bad by definition."

"Okay, okay, I'll give you a dispensation… As long as you don't touch, you can look. But contain yourself, for the love of Amaterasu…"

"I always knew you were a good sport, Yuki."

"Calling a snake a 'sport'… Ehhh…"

"O-o-okay, you can look back now." Adolfine said stuttering a bit.

Toshiro turned around, but instead of seeing the usual 'buttoned up to the neck' Adolfine, he saw her in her trousers, but with nothing on her upper body. The nipples of her perfectly rounded breasts were erected, and Adolfine was looking at him with a peculiar look.

"So, do you like them?"

"You are doing this on purpose, right?"

"Heehee… Yes, I want to rile you up a bit, since I know that you cannot do anything to me… A little payback for our first encounter, and also a way for me to gain some confidence."

"If it works for you… But please, put those melons in a basket, or I'll get a nosebleed…"

Adolfine smiled and put on a bra, and the rest of her usual outfit. Toshiro however had a devious plan in mind already.

"Hey, Adolfine." Toshiro said to gain attention.

"Yes?' She said while turning her head to him.

Toshiro pulled of his trousers with one swift movement, revealing his manly parts. Adolfine made enormous eyes and yelled:

"Pervert! Uber pervert! Exhibitionist galactic class…" She calmed down in an instant and continued. "Oh I'm kidding… Nice piece of meat you have dangling there." She said in a frivolous tone. "Put your eggs in a sack, or you'll catch a cold, heehee. And to be just, I'll return the complement: you look like a demi-god, or maybe a whole god… Like Adonis or somebody similar…"

"Hey, I'm a champion of a goddess; I have to stand up to it, right?"

"Of course. Now get yourself clothed, I'm starting to feel… Weird…"

Toshiro put on all of his attire and his medals, and sat on a bench beside Adolfine.

"You said you've got some reading material for me?"

"Ah, yes, of course." She said and pulled out a few folders out of her trusty locker. "Dossiers of the 31st, a bit incomplete, but you should get to know them a bit better; you'll be their supervisor and get to command them. A good commander should know his people, right?"

"Right." Toshiro took the dossiers from Adolfine. "Let's see… Keiko Katou.

Toshiro looked at the photo, and a gentle yet determined face of a girl from Fuso looked back at him.

Age: 25

Date of Birth: October 31

Height: 164 cm

Rank: Major

"Commander of the 31st JFS… Hmmmm… So this is the current CO of the 31st, and the one who I'll undermine if I'll have the urge?"

"Heh, yes… She was a participant in the Fuso Sea Incident, and had a 23 shot down count. We know each other by the way."

"She still fights at that age? Mio's shield is basically as effective as a wet paper towel now, and she's only twenty…"

"Well, the Fuso witches are always reckless when it comes to combat it seems, heh… She mostly does reconnaissance duty, and commands the rest in fight from a distance."

"Good enough… Okay, next patient… Hanna-Justina Wallia Rosalind Sieglinde Marseille… What a fucking mouthful… And she's got a look like 'kneel plebe, your queen has come'…"

Age: 17

Date of Birth: December 13

Height: 172 cm

Rank: Captain

"So, what's her deal?"

"She is called the 'Star of Africa', and that is an ambiguous nickname, because besides her exceptional combat skills, the press made her a real star, a hero for the entertainment of people. Exactly what you didn't want to happen to you, Toshiro."

"And I'm glad of that… Neeeext! What do we have here…? Mami Inagaki … Another fit-face…"

Age: 16

Date of Birth: February 14

Height: 137.5 cm

Rank: Warrant Officer

"Seriously, she's only that tall?"

"Don't underestimate her, Toshiro. Thanks to her magic she can carry an 8.8 cm Flak 18 cannon into battle as easily as you carry your cannon…"

Toshiro nodded impressed.

"Can't argue with that… Okay, next one is… Raisa Pöttgen. She reminds me of Erica somehow…"

Age: 16

Date of Birth: September 16

Height: 158 cm

Rank: 2nd Lieutenant

"She doesn't look like much…"

"She is the average girl, kind and caring. Especially caring for Marseille, if you catch my drift…"

"Huh? Is it 'that' relationship again or just worshiping?"

"You will always think of perverted things… No, she is just her… groupie, nothing more."

Toshiro opened the next folder, and only saw a brief note with two photos.

"Furuko Kitano and… Matilda… What, Intelligence had a free day?"

"Well yeah, one's only a Sergeant, and the second one is a servant to Marseille…"

"Servant?" Toshiro looked at the photo of the ebony beauty. "You know that sounds… strange in context?"

"Oh, no, don't get me wrong. She supposedly came to Marseille of her own free will, something about gods and stuff…"

"Weird… But hey, thanks for the intel on the girls, at least I know how they look. And… We still have about 23 hours of flight left, and nothing to do…"

"I only have this with me, sorry…" Adolfine said while giving him a book.

"V.I. Lenin, Complete works… Adolfine…" Toshiro sighed disappointed.

"Don't judge a book by its cover, Toshiro."

Toshiro looked inside and saw another title.

"Faust, Wolfgang Goethe. Well, what a nice surprise, I always wanted to read it."

"Really? Not mocking me here?"

"Really, Adolfine. Thank you."

Prolog im Himmel.

Der Herr. Die himmlischen Heerscharen. Nachher Mephistopheles.

Die drei Erzengel treten vor…

Toshiro sunk into the lecture, forgetting about his surroundings.

"And done." Toshiro said, closing the book silently.

"Done already?" Adolfine asked surprised. "How was it?"

"Truly a nice book. Makes you think about various issues… Got any more?"

"No, sorry…"

"No need to apologize. Truth be told, I'm a bit drowsy… Good night, Adolfine."

"Good night, Toshiro."

He was standing in the middle of the green fields of Amaterasu's realm, with the goddess approaching him slowly from the side, eternally beautiful as always.

"Hello, Toshiro, what brings you to me?"

"I wanted to ask you of the name of that technique I couldn't learn back then…"

"You know I didn't tell you of it on purpose, right? That's one of the key factors in mastering it, you must gain insight of it on your own. Besides, remember what happened last time? You couldn't lift the amount of energy being stored in Aganaimaru…"

"Yes… I remember…"

"Don't worry though, Toshiro. When the time comes, even that technique will be available to you…"

"Sure… Ummm… I wanted to ask something else…"

"Do it."

"Really?"

"Yes, I permit it."

Toshiro slowly approached the goddess and gently hugged her, like a child hugging his mother.

"My spirit is always so calm around you, Amaterasu…"

"The small speck of me in you is resonating with me, giving of positive energy, so you feel something akin to nirvana, only without enlightenment… You really miss your mother, do you?"

"Yes…" Toshiro said with a sad voice.

"Don't worry, I placed your mothers' soul in Takama-ga-hara, as a reward for her sacrifice…"

"Thank you…"

"Toshiro… Wake uuuup…" Adolfine's calm voice woke Toshiro up.

"Hmmm… Wahhh… How long did I sleep?"

"You slept for the whole remaining time; we are a few minutes away from the port in Gibraltar. And you had such a peaceful face when you were sleeping…"

"Did I…? Hmmm… Anyway, thanks for waking me up."

"No problem. As I got news, it's sunny and rather warm, so you don't have to change clothes, we are in the Mediterranean after all."

"Good to hear, no more stripping for you, heh…"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that… But let's leave that notion for now, prepare for landing."

When they got out, a crew immediately formed around their plane, and some entered it.

"Well, they certainly are diligent in their work… But tell me, how is this plane going to be loaded?"

"Watch and learn, Toshiro."

He saw that a crane arm was lowered over the plane with four chains hanging from it. One of the crewmen attached the hooks to the roof of the plane, and after a few seconds, the whole plane's roof was lifted.

"No way…" Toshiro said amazed.

"Way, Toshiro. This is a modified version of the BV222, refitted for unloading from the top. If you are concerned, there are struts inside, which you must have saw, that keep the rigidity of the whole construction. It's a bit trickier to operate, but it gives a better loading area than a top-opened hatch."

The two of the looked as the crane loaded palettes of goods covered with gray canvas. When they finished, the roof was installed back on it's placed, and one of the people, a well-tanned man with a moustache, gave them a shipping manifest.

"Want to take a look? You should, because you will be responsible for the cargo once I'll leave you."

"Sure, why not…"

Toshiro skimmed through the list, finding various foodstuffs, some liquor and tobacco. But the last two entries made him wonder.

"Adolfine… Why would they need a ton of fodder and twenty salt licks?"

"Really? Such things are present in the transport?" Adolfine asked surprised.

"Yeah, see for yourself."

She looked at the entries in question and gave of a dumbfounded look.

"I really don't know… But knowing you, you'll probably get to the bottom of this mystery, right?"

"Definitely. So, how much time till we land in Tobruk?"

"About nine hours. After clearing things with command in the city, we should be in the base of the 31st by dusk."

"Sounds like a reasonable timespan… And we actually made it faster than in a week?"

"Yes, we did. It was planned for a week, but we slept in the plane while it was flying, so we gained a lot of time."

"You wouldn't probably make us sleep in a lodging nonetheless, huh? A true soldier of Karlsland and the works?"

"Heehee, well… If you said it in the beginning, I would probably make us sleep in the ports we visited, but since you seemed to like it rough…"

"True, Adolfine… But now that I know that I could have slept in a normal bed, and not on a riveted piece of duralumin…"

"Truth be told I would have also enjoyed a bed… But what's the past is the past; let's just wait inside while the fuel is being tanked."

"Yeah, lets…"

They both went inside and waited for takeoff. After a few minutes, the plane started moving and they took off in the direction of Tobruk.

Nine hours later…

"So, Toshiro, this is it, Tobruk is only a few minutes away… Let's get dressed; our current attire won't work for shit in that climate."

Toshiro pulled out the Afrika Corps uniform from his chest. His new insignia were put on it, and, unexpectedly, the Fuso moon-on-sun was replaced with the palm insignia.

Seems Adolfine did a good work with her sewing…

Toshiro looked around and saw Adolfine in her underwear.

"Hey, don't look! It's a surprise!"

"Okay, okay…"

Toshiro dropped of his black uniform and changed to the desert one.

"Okay, you can look!" Adolfine shouted with a girlish voice.

When Toshiro looked around, he expected something along the line of his uniform, but he saw something slightly different. The trousers were the same, maybe a bit shorter, but the top was cut up just under her breasts, revealing her washboard stomach.

"Ho ho, Adolfine… What a daring piece of wardrobe… You wouldn't put it on just like that, right? You used me to gain confidence, so you could wear that skimpy uniform?"

"Heh, yes…" She said with a slight blush. "I don't endure heat well, so I had to modify my uniform a bit…"

"And a good modification it is."

"Say, Toshiro… From what I've heard, you were introduced to the 501st wearing a hood and mask, correct?"

"Yes, why are you asking?"

"Because I want to repeat something like that, but with the local clothing flavor."

"Ugh… Fine, whatever… Gimme the clothes already…"

Adolfine pulled out some rolled up clothes and threw them to Toshiro. He saw a long white tunic and some kind of scarf.

"The tunic is called 'thawb'. Almost all people wear white because it deflects the sunbeams the best, and in this desert climate, it is crucial. The scarf looking thing is called a 'kufiya'. You can wear it in various ways, but for now, you'll wear it in a matter that conceals your face. Now, put the tunic on your uniform, and I'll arrange the kufiya for you."

Toshiro put on the robe, and Adolfine wrapped the kufiya around his head so only a part of his face around the eyes was visible.

"There you go!" She shouted proudly and gave him his sunglasses. "Now put these on, and you'll look like a dictator from a banana republic."

"Heheh…" Toshiro let out a dry laugh. "Oh, we are landing now."

"Yes, I also felt it. Ready to begin a new chapter in your life?"

"Slightly unsure, but ready, Adolfine."

The plane landed.

And if you want to praise/rant about my story, please leave a signed review, so we can continue via PM's. Seriously, I don't bite. Unless provoked :]