Chapter 11 – New and old friends alike
"No, no, you don't have to." Adolfine said when Toshiro grabbed his chest. "Just lock it; it will be transported to the base."
"You sure?"
"Yes. It's on the second shipping manifest." She said and gave him a piece of paper with a few columns of writing.
Toshiro skimmed through it briefly. He found all of his gear, ammunition for his guns, and various other types of munitions, probably for the 31st itself. There were however some few odd positions on the manifest.
"A trumpet? What would they need a trumpet for?"
"Bugle calls?"
"Meh, probably… Hmm… A radio… That I can understand… Ok well, I suppose I have to take this one with me?"
"Correct, Toshiro."
"And should I just stay silent all the time, or can I say something now and then?"
"Only when I permit you. I want you to make a better entry than with Mio!"
"Jealous?" Toshiro asked with his eyebrows raised.
"Ambitious."
"Well, pfff, whatever, are we going out or what?"
"Get your wallet and pistol just in case."
"Okay."
Toshiro attached the ammo pouch and pistol holster to his belt, and put the wallet in his right pocket.
"Good, we can go now." She said with a confident voice and opened the door.
The setting sun was being reflected by the white building of the town of Tobruk. The two of them, some shady big figure and a Brigadier General in a skimpy uniform ventured deep into the streets. They came across a villa, which was guarded like a fortress by the looks of it. Both Karlslandian, Liberian and even Britannian soldiers were guarding the premises of the small palace.
"What gives with the defenses of this place…? Last time I was here, only two guards were here, of which one drunk like shit… Come on, let's go…"
The approached the guard post at the main gate, and were immediately halted by the guards.
"Halt! Ausweiße (ID's)!"
They presented their ID's to the overzealous guard.
"Hmmm… Can the big guy at least show some of his face?"
"Sure. Do it, Toshiro."
He pulled of his glasses and slightly pulled down his kufiya. The guard looked at him and said:
"Gut…" He then looked at a list. "Major Edelweiss und Generalmajor Galland to visit Feldmarschall Rommel, ja?"
"Yes." Adolfine answered.
"Come with me, there's a… situation right now."
"What kind of situation?"
"You won't believe it until you see it, Frau Generalmajor…"
They were lead into the mansion before a big double door. The soldier that led them knocked on the door and said, "Herr Generalfeldmarschall, your guests have arrived."
"Ah, gut, let them in!" Somebody shouted back.
"Please, enter." The soldier bowed and went back the same way he came.
Adolfine opened the door and entered the room, Toshiro following her.
The room was spacious, and had a burning fireplace installed. Various hunting trophies were hanging on the wall, both of land and aerial game. A simple chandelier was hanging in the center of the room, giving out a dim light. Four people were in the room, three siting on chairs, and one on a wheelchair. Just by a quick glance at those sitting on the chairs, he could see that he found himself in a tight situation. Even the meeting at Downing Street was an afternoon tea party compared to what he saw here. The wheelchair man, which had a blanket on his legs, didn't have any insignia or uniform, but the rest were, from right to left: Field Marshal, another Field Marshal and 3-star General. Toshiro praised his goddess in his mind, because if he hadn't been wearing sunglasses, his eyes would be the same as Adolfine's now: big, round and showing utter surprise.
"Ah, Adolfine! Wunderbar that you joined us. We are currently drinking tea, care to join us?"
"W-w-w-what is happening here? Why are so many important people in one room all of a sudden?"
"I will explain alles (everything) to you, Adolfine, but please, introduce your companion; I believe everyone is dying to know his identity."
"Ah, um, yes, Herr Generalfeldmarschall!" She said out loudly and looked at Toshiro. "Don't stand like a dunce, introduce yourself." She said silently through clenched teeth.
Toshiro unwrapped his head and pulled down his sunglasses. His long white hair fell down and wrapped his upper body from all sides. Toshiro assumed a proper stance, saluted, and said, "Major Toshiro Lucas Edelweiss, Karlsland Wehrmacht, wizard and nephew of the Kaiser, heh…"
The reaction to these words from the people besides the Karslandian Field Marshal could only be described as shock.
The Liberian General spoke up first.
"Fucking impossible! Ike was at your damn funeral!"
"Bloody impossible indeed!" The Britannian Field Marshal joined.
The man in the wheelchair looked at Toshiro silently, but finally spoke up.
"Nothing is impossible in this world, gentlemen… Just tell me one thing, sonny - was it set up or some accident?"
"Nothing was set up, sir. My absence however is not a matter I can freely discuss about, but rest assured: no political, military or whatsoever intrigue was plotted around me."
The man nodded, and it was a nod of a wise man.
"I see… Well, I think we should introduce ourselves, because from your eyes I can see that you don't have an idea who are you dealing with, right?"
"Yes sir… I see the ranks, but don't know the people behind them, so to speak…"
"Then I'll start!" The mustached Britannian said and got up. "Bernard Law Montgomery, a pleasure to meet you!"
He took Toshiro's hand and shook it vigorously.
"A pleasure to meet you sir. How is Winston going?"
"You know Churchill?"
"Ah, well… We had a drink with him and Ike, and they invited me to play cards with them one day…"
"I understand. Well, he's still drinking like a water pump, and smoking like a chimney as I heard, but besides that, nothing changed in the last few months."
Toshiro turned to the Karlslandian Field Marshal.
"Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel, but people call me the Wüstenfuchs (Desert Fox). A pleasure to meet the Kaiser's family in person."
"And pleased to meet you, Herr Generalfeldmarschall."
They took a manly handshake, and the Liberion General approached.
"So… You are the Karlslandian Emperors nephew… Not too shabby, I have to admit… Put up your dukes, I want to see if you're a real man." The elderly looking Lieutenant General said to him.
"General… I'd abstain from that idea if I were you…" Toshiro tried to talk out the General out of it.
"Chickening out already? Pffft! What kind of man are you?! Mommy and daddy didn't teach you how to fend for yourself?"
Toshiro's eyebrow twitched. Although he was now rid of the Sacred Flame's bad influence, he was still human after all.
"General… Really… I wouldn't like to hurt you…"
"Hurt me?! A man in a skirt can't hurt me! Come on, I'll give you one free punch!"
"Herr Rommel, do I have to do this?" Toshiro asked.
"Just do what the man says; let's be over with it…" Rommel sighed.
"Okay, General… You'll get one punch from me, but that's more than enough."
"Just hit me already you damn sissy!"
Toshiro coiled himself and with blinding speed unleashed a hefty one-handed push to the Generals chest, making him fly back into his chair, surprisingly not breaking it.
"What the fuck was that?!" The General screamed.
"That was my weakest punch. Wait, it wasn't even a punch, it was rather a nudge…"
"God damn son…" The General said, stood up from his chair and approached Toshiro. "George Smith Patton, and may I never cross your path as an enemy…"
"Heh…" Toshiro looked to the man in the wheelchair. "I'll hope you don't want to spar with me, sir?" Toshiro said and giggled.
"Oh no, no… I'm just an old man in a wheelchair… But I probably should say who I am right now. Sorry that I can't stand up, but my legs are a bit busted… Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the 32nd President of Liberion." The man said with a smile.
"P-p-president of Liberion?! But how… here… now?!"
"I was returning from a conference in Europe, and my flying boat broke down near Tobruk. Now I'm waiting in this villa for it to be repaired."
"A true honor to meet you, sir!" Toshiro shouted.
"Likewise." Roosevelt said and extended his frail arm to Toshiro.
He grabbed it gently, and then Yuki spoke to him, "Toshiro… This man… He's not going to live long…"
"What are you saying, Yuki? He doesn't look that bad…"
"I can feel it, Toshiro. He may look sort of lively, but his life force is fading…"
"Hmmm… A shame… Good that I got to know this man…"
"So this whole racket with the guards is because of you, Mr. President?"
"Oh no, I wouldn't claim all the glory for myself..." He responded.
"But your guards are either very open to people, or plain stupid, Mr. President…"
"Why is that so?"
"They didn't frisk me when we entered. I have a Mauser C96 and four clips attached to my belt."
Everyone looked at Toshiro with attention.
"That really is alarming, son… But frankly, I don't give a damn anymore… My legs are 'kaput' as you, Karlslandians would say… Maybe I should stand down already, Harry Truman is a good sport, and he'll make a nice president… If the people pick him in the election of course…"
"Oh please don't say such things, Mr. President, as long as you live, you shouldn't give up hope."
Roosevelt put on a faint smile, and said, "Maybe… Ike was right about you, you really are a fine lad…"
"Thank you…"
Monty suddenly said, "So, will you be joining us for this god damn tea or not?"
"I'm sorry, but we have to go now, it's getting dark already, and we want to arrive at the base of the 31st before it's too dark." Adolfine responded
"Oh what a shame… Well, nice meeting you two."
"Likewise, Field Marshal Sir…"
"The driver should be waiting for you outside, have a nice trip." Rommel said with a smile.
"Jawohl!" Both Toshiro and Adolfine shouted and left the room.
While they were walking to the gate, Adolfine said, "Whew… Finally I can breathe easily…" Adolfine sighed.
"Compared to our little chat in London, this was something of an even bigger caliber…"
"This totally surprised me… I only thought that Rommel would be there, but damn it, the three Generals of Africa met in one room, and with the President of Liberion to boot! You sure are attracting the finest people, Toshiro."
"Heheh... Well, I am unique and… Oh my, is that…" Toshiro saw the driver standing before the Opel Blitz supply truck.
It was a familiar person to him, a certain gray-blonde girl from Britannia.
"Horbie!" Toshiro shouted.
"Hey, don't go shouting just like that! Your face is exposed!" Adolfine scolded him.
Toshiro wasn't listening, because he was already running to Horbie, which was looking at him perplexed.
"Toshiro? But how can this be? I was at your funeral! I cried my eyes out back then damn you!"
She shouted in anger and suddenly slapped him in the face.
"Please, calm down, Horbie…"
"Oh… Okay… I'm sorry… But you probably understand…"
"Yes, I do… But if I were some stuck up martinet, I would have to report this, and believe me; I know a thing or two about military law…"
"Oh? So you are a Major, just like you were promoted posthumously?"
"Yup. And I also have judicial officer papers, so…"
"Oh come on…"
"Yeah, just teasing you… Say, you will be our driver? How did you end up here?"
"I will be your driver, yes. And as for how I got here… I turns out that Maloney had pulled strings to take me off active duty, but apparently Sir Churchill himself reinstated me, and… here I am, in Montgomery's witch squad. I sometimes drive supply trucks, if I am asked to, especially for the 31st, but mostly I'm fighting… Fighting like hell like some say, heehee…"
"So you are an acquaintance of Toshiro?" Adolfine said from behind Toshiro.
"Yes ma'am, Captain Eugenia Horbaczewski, pleased to meet you."
"Well, a friend of Toshiro is my friend. Brigadier General Adolfine Galland, also pleased to meet you."
They shook hands and Adolfine said, "So, we should get going, right?"
"Yes ma'am, please get seated."
"Toshiro, get your head wrapped up and… Horbie is it? Please, don't tell anyone about Toshiro yet, okay?"
"Yes ma'am."
Horbie climbed into the cabin of the truck, with Toshiro taking a seat in the middle, and Adolfine sitting by his right side. The 6-cylinder engine of the truck started and they were off.
Toshiro looked to the left and saw a power and phone line going over the sand, with poles placed every 500 meters. After some time, they had to stop at a checkpoint. A witch in a land Striker Unit was on guard. Toshiro recognized the individual; it was Furuko Kitano. She was clad in a short-sleeved uniform on her upper body, but her lower body was only a skimpy loincloth that barely covered her even more skimpy panties. In her hands, she had a Type 38 rifle, with a bayonet attached.
"Good evening Horbie, how are you doing?" Furuko asked.
"Oh fine, Ruko, thank you. I have guests for the 31st, can I go now?"
"Hmmm… Do they have any clearance or something?"
Horbie looked at Adolfine, and she in turn leaned over forward to have a better look at Furuko and said, "Isn't it enough that a Brigadier General is visiting you?"
"G-General?! Please, you may pass!"
"Thank you, Sergeant."
"Bye for now, Ruko."
"Bye Horbie..."
The truck moved on, and in a few minutes, they arrived at the center of the base. The three of them jumped of the truck. There were a few lamps dangling from poles, which also had speakers on them.
"Toshiro, follow me closely and don't utter a syllable until I tell you, okay?"
Toshiro almost wanted to say 'okay', but he bit his tongue in time and only nodded. While they were making way to one of the tents, Toshiro saw a cow in a pen.
A cow… In the middle of a desert… A cow in the military base in the middle of the desert… Oh the humanity… But at least that solves the mystery of the fodder and salt licks.
Toshiro also saw the witch called Matilda, looking curiously at him, but soon disappearing in one of the large tents. As the three of them approached a tent, they saw a short plank with 'Knock before entering' written on it, dangling from a rope.
Adolfine was a bit surprised and baffled by this, but she took the plank and knocked twice.
"Come in." A voice came from inside.
"Stay here, time to start the show." Adolfine whispered.
Toshiro nodded, and the two entered the tent. He turned around, his back to the tent, and stood there, listening to the conversation.
"Horbie? Oh, and we have a guest? Woah, Adolfine!"
"Nice to see you after all these years, Kei. I'm here leave you a supervisor for the next month."
"Ehh… EH?! A supervisor? Why? Where is she?!"
"Oh, the Wehrmacht has decided to give this particular person a job as a supervisor as a way of training and improving skills. You should assemble your witches, so everyone knows what's going on."
"Wait, wait… What will this supervisor do?"
"Supervise, what else? The duties of this supervisor are as following: watching you, evaluating you, sending reports, procuring supplies etc. Also, what should be noted, this supervisor has nigh unlimited power, and the only thing taboo is disbanding the unit or moving staff."
"I want to see that in writing!" Keiko shouted.
After a few seconds of rustling, Adolfine said, "Here, everything legit and certified."
"Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww… And it was so peaceful here… Might as well call the witches…" After a brief pause, the few speakers that were mounted on poles awoke. "This is your commander, everyone assemble before my tent, now. And I mean EVERYONE."
"Thank you for your cooperation, Keiko."
"Uuuugh… Whatever… Let's go in the front of the tent already…"
After a few seconds, the pale-blonde haired Fusan got out of the tent, and looked at Toshiro. She scanned him from top to button, and said, "So you are the supervisor… I hope you won't be a bother?"
How direct… So this is the Commander? A miko outfit with a short hakama, a black scarf around the neck… Modest yet elegant I must say… An her hair is so bright…
Toshiro only shrugged.
"Ugh…" Keiko turned around to see the space before the tent.
Soon all of the Witches were assembled before the commander's tent. Toshiro saw all the witches from the dossiers, except for Furuko, which was on guard duty. But something struck him as he was counting heads. He saw two faces that were all but unknown to him - the red headed Liberian and black haired Romagnan.
My goddess… What are Shirley and Francesca doing here? And why are they looking so tired? To look so tired, one would have to unload a fucking trainload of coal!
"As I see that everyone is present, I would like to make an announcement… From today, we have a supervisor in our base, so you'd better behave at your best…"
The eyes of the gathered started darting between the masked Toshiro and Galland.
"Oy, which one is it?" The one Toshiro recognized as Mami Inagaki spoke up.
At the same time, Toshiro stepped forward, lining up with Adolfine. Toshiro saw that the crowd reacted a bit, but the biggest reaction was from Shirley. Her eyes started welling up with tears and she started moving forward, pushing through the gathered witches.
"No… Impossible… You can't…" She was talking while walking forward like a living corpse.
"What is this behavior, Captain Yeager? Back in line." Keiko commanded.
Toshiro raised his left hand and made a 'come closer' gesture.
Everyone around was stupefied, except for Adolfine, who already knew about their relation.
Shirley approached Toshiro, took of his sunglasses and undid the lower part of the kufiya. Tears started to flow even more intensively and she hugged him tightly.
"Thank God… You are alive… Toshiro…"
"Yes, Shirley…" He said with a calm voice, embracing her lightly.
Notes:
Roosevelt in Tobruk – not quite an asspull, might I say. FDR visited Egypt on February 12, 1945, after attending to the Yalta Conference. So a little adapting and poof, he's in Lybia. :P
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 :]
