A/N: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it.
TWENTY
(Headline of The Britannian Imperial – April 18, 2005)
North African League counter-attack fizzles, 8th Army holds the line
Cairo, Egypt – Four days ago, elements of what is believed to be the North African League XVIII Corps and III Corps attacked a fifteen kilometer wide sector of the Britannian lines held by elements of the 56th Home Guard Division.
In what was supposed to be a North African League counter-attack, fifteen thousand infantry, supported by over a hundred tanks, including tanks transferred by the Prussian League prior to the war, tried to cut a gap wide enough for their forces to use in a line held by what used to be local militia units.
Instead of the quick victory and rout that the generals of the North African League were expecting, the two North African League corps commands fell into a hastily organized trap. As elements of the 56th Home Guard Division withdrew eastward in an apparent retreat, the 55th Home Guard Division, and the 19th Infantry Division, the former located to the south of the 56th while the latter located north, pivoted in their position, reorienting their lines to face toward the surging North African counter-attack pincers.
At the right moment, the 19th Infantry Division and the 56th Home Guard Division launched an offensive against the exposed flanks of the North African counter-attack. As the 55th Home Guard Division catches its breath and prepare to join the fray, aircraft from XXXIX Air Corps fell upon the exposed North Africans.
The Banshee Fighter-Bombers and Wraith Fighters of the 19th and 21st Fighter Wing strafed the front most elements of the North African units, while the 27th Fighter Wing worked mostly on the approaching reinforcements of the North Africans.
After the strafing run from aircraft of the XXXIX Air Corps, the 55th Home Guard Division, along with the 56th Home Guard Division and the 19th Home Guard Division, launched a counter-attack against the North African League and forced them to withdraw.
What the North African League military commanders did not know was that Ghost Bombers from the 23rd and 56th Bomber Wing of the XXVI Air Corps were already waiting for them at the corridor that was deliberately left open by the 8th Army.
After the 'Flying Tortoises' have totally demoralized the North Africans and even as their leaders struggled to regain control, the 4th Armored Division surged through the Britannian lines from the least expected direction of the North Africans, west.
Fourteen tank commanders from the 4th Armored Division would go on to claim the title of tank-ace during the eight hour battle that followed, with most scoring more than the required five in order to secure the title. Their will broken, their leaders having fled, and the wits of their men at the frayed end, the North African League counter-attack fizzled just thirty hours after it had begun.
As the beleaguered North African League divisions retreated westward, forward elements of the XXVII Corps followed suit, engaging the retreating North Africans in dozens of battles over the last few days that barely lasted more than five hours. Each piece meal battle was, according to a tank commander from the 12th Armored Division, 'one more step to the ultimate defeat of the enemy at the sands of North Africa.'
Lieutenant Jasper Green, a twenty four year old native of Butte, Montana, and the platoon leader of 4 Platoon, 'B' Troop, 2nd Squadron, 'A' Regiment of the 4th Armored was the highest scoring tank-ace during the battle, chalking twelve tank kills in addition to the two that he and his crew had already scored during previous engagements. Six of the tanks that Lieutenant Green and his Chariot Mark II Tank – 'Matador' – had taken out of action were AMX-30 Main Battle Tanks, the most advanced main battle tank available to the North African League.
Lieutenant Green is one of the nearly fifty men who was honored in a ceremony presided over by Lord High Admiral Sir Alexander Charles York last night here in Cairo. The Archduke of England and commander of the Imperial Grand Fleet who is also the man in charge of the campaign in North Africa, was at hand to present a total of no less than six Victoria Crosses, four of them posthumously, to members of the Britannian Armed Services.
For his part and his accomplishment, Lord Alexander awarded Lieutenant Green the Distinguished Service Cross, while the rest of the crew of Lieutenant Green was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.
"Britannia is a nation of heroes," the Archduke was quoted as saying prior to the awarding ceremony, "and today, these brave men from all corners of the Holy Empire, serving under her flag at different services have once more proven that, not only to us here, not only to their families and to the Empire, but also to our enemies, to the whole world, and to posterity and history that the Holy Empire, our Empire, is a nation of heroes."
Lord Alexander, who normally oversees the conduct of the war from his headquarters at Gibraltar, was reportedly the person who had insisted that the awarding ceremony be done at Cairo and as soon as possible. Sources indicate that this is because the Archduke was keen on visiting the front himself and assessing for himself the situation.
Other sources, however, indicate that the reason that Lord Alexander was on hand was not only to discuss the conduct of the war with his field commanders, but also to personally see to some of the prisoners taken during the height of the fighting. The same sources indicate that amongst the four thousand prisoners taken were sons of the ruling members of the North African League.
"Well, there is bound to be some important people among the rank and file of the captured soldiers," Admiral Kevin Francis Cline, chief-of-staff to Lord Alexander, said in reaction to a question asked during a press interview the morning after the ceremony, "We are still not sure as to who they are, but we are sure that there is bound to a few of them among the captives."
With the end of the North African League counter-attack, the initiative has once more shifted to the Holy Empire of Britannia, but no official word had been given regarding any counter-offensive. Still, there had been some talks that the Holy Empire and the North African League are soon going to enter into negotiations in order to end the war, shifting the battlegrounds from the hot deserts of North African to the richly appropriated negotiation rooms of whichever third country would be chosen.
"Well, it certainly would not be Prussia," Kevin Rogers, a noted military analyst, geopolitical expert and professor from the University of Albany, said during an interview last night, "but if the House of Commons and House of Lords are serious about going to the negotiating table, it would actually be more demeaning for the Holy Empire, especially with the news coming from the frontlines that our boys had won some sort of victory over there."
In an earlier interview, Lord Alexander was quoted as saying, "Certainly, if we could solve this situation in North Africa with such peace talks, then all the more reason that we should celebrate, but in general, I find that such peace talks would only work when both sides are sincere with their desire to achieve the same. The question is: Do both sides want peace in the region? We know that the Kingdom of Spain and the other nearby countries – even Prussia – is urging peace, but in the end, there could never be peace in the region if both sides to this war do not want it."
With the recent victory, the position of strength that Lord Alexander wishes to obtain first before going to the negotiating table seemed to be achieved, but sources from the headquarters of the Archduke of England are not exactly mum in regards to their opposition to such negotiation.
"The Holy Empire did not start this war," an unnamed source from within the headquarters of the Grand Fleet was quoted as saying, "and while in the end, negotiations would something be that the political brass would decide about, the military brass, and the commanders of the men who are at the field right now, would most certainly not support such a move."
Whatever decision may be reached by the 'political brass' would be, however, the war at the front continues as units from the 8th Army continues to move westward, chasing after retreating North African League units.
Headquarters, Britannian 8th Army
Fifty kilometers east of the Britannian-North African League frontlines
April 19, 2005
Lord Alexander tossed the crumpled newspaper toward the direction of the makeshift desk before he turned his attention toward the assembled men inside the room. the look on the face of the High Admiral was not one of amusement, but at that moment, none of the men inside the room could blame him, even if all of them would rather that the Archduke of England turn his angry visage somewhere else.
There are many things that the General-Admiral of the Imperial Grand Fleet cannot stand, and a reporter misquoting him is one of those things.
"I would have thought that the editors of one of the most widely circulated newspapers back home would check on their sources before they run the news," the Archduke said a few moments later, "but apparently, they are in too much of a hurry to even go through that process."
The anger that Lord Alexander was reverberating to the men inside the room was something that they had never witnessed before, and that was saying something considering that three of the men inside the room were members of the staff of Lord Alexander.
There was, however, one person inside the room who could control the Archduke, and before the man who was appointed to command the Britannian military operations in the North African Theater could say anything else, she reacted.
Lady Emma stood from where she was seated and placed her right hand on the shoulders of her husband. Considering the height difference between them – Lord Alexander is considerably taller than his wife – she had to raise her hands a bit, but the effect of her hand on his shoulder – even if it was not bare skin contact – was obvious on the face of Lord Alexander.
The Archduke of England exhaled once – and as he did so, his face calmed down, as if he was afraid of his wife seeing the angry look upon his face – before he turned his attention behind him and toward his wife.
"One could hardly blame them for such a mistake when we are keeping things so close to our chests, my lord," the Archduchess of England said. The reaction of Lord Alexander to the way that his wife called her brought a smile on the face of the Lady Emma, and for a few moments, there was only the two of them inside the room.
Reality, however, was quick to reassert itself, and the General-Admiral of the Britannian Grand Fleet quickly tore the smile that had already blossomed upon his face. Instead of saying anything, Lord Alexander merely nodded, and he returned his attention toward the military officers gathered in front of him.
One of the officers that were inside the room that the General-Admiral had chosen as an impromptu meeting place was Lieutenant Commander Harry Potter. Recently promoted for his actions during the North African League offensive, Harry also sported a new decoration on his uniform in the form of the Distinguished Service Cross, awarded by Lord Alexander for his actions during the height of military operations that saw Harry capture three enemy mages. Of course, the real reason for the awarding was kept classified.
"Indeed," the Archduke replied with a nod. There was a pregnant pause as the commander of the Britannian military in North Africa stared at his men. Exactly was going on in the mind of the General-Admiral, there was only one – 'maybe two', Harry thought as he turned his attention toward Lady Emma who remained seated at her chair even while her husband stood just a foot or two in front of her – person inside the room who could tell with certainty.
Finally, the Archduke shook his head, "It does not matter," Lord Alexander said a few moments later, he returned his attention to his men and for a few moments, they all thought that he was looking straight at them, Harry certainly felt as if his liege lord was staring right at his eyes, "The war will continue until the politicians back home and the politicians hiding in whatever city the North Africans had chosen for their capital had come to an understanding," Lord Alexander continued, "the problem with that, of course, is the fact that it is highly unlikely that our politicians and theirs would come to an understanding."
No one would comment on that, and the truth was that no comment was expected. Everyone inside the room was well aware of the feelings back at the mainland, and everyone included the youngest officer in the room, Harry.
'The politicians are more likely to ask for an escalation,' the young naval commander thought. He turned his attention away from his liege lord and toward the other people inside the room and not for the first time; he wondered why his parents are not here. Of course, not for the first time since this evening, he already knew the answer.
Lord James is the personal representative of Lord Alexander to the House of Commons back at the British Isles. The Duke of Oxford would not be doing his job if he would be with Lord Alexander for this tour. In any case, Lord James would probably not be comfortable being in this meeting, not because the Duke was not up to date with the military, but rather, because the men of the 8th Army are not aware of just how much Lord Alexander trusts his personal representative. It is not surprising that soldiers would dislike politicians, though with the situation being what it is right now, Britannian soldiers and politicians are actually looking at the face of each other.
"It is still alarming that the Imperial went ahead with this news," Admiral Cline said a few moments later, he turned his attention toward Lord Alexander and said, "I am surprised that the Empress or the Crown Prince had not yet called you up, sir."
Lord Alexander scoffed, "I had been given complete authority to prosecute this war," the Archduke said, "And in a strange sense, Admiral Cline, this is what the public needs to hear right now, that we are looking for peace even as we prepare for our offensive," a small smile graced the features of the Archduke as he continued, "Of course, just because this is what the public wants to hear does not mean that I am happy with the way that it was presented to them, or the fact that I had been misquoted."
"You should actually be honored that they misquote you, husband," Lady Emma said a few moments later. The face of Lord Alexander was not the only one that was now staring at Lady Emma, but the Archduchess of England did not cringe as she continued, "They think that running your name would get them to sell more papers back home."
"A fleeting fancy, nothing more," Lord Alexander replied. He did smile toward his wife before he turned his attention back toward his officers, "And something that none of us in this room should be overly concerned with, now that I think about it."
Harry nodded, as did several other officers. Privately, the young commander wondered why he was ordered into the meeting in the first place. If there was something that Lord Alexander wanted to speak with him with, Harry would have guessed that his liege lord would have requested for a private meeting, but the Archduke of England was adamant that Harry be allowed to join the impromptu meeting that actually included the senior most commanders of the Britannian war effort in North Africa.
Together with Harry inside the room were General Neville Tovey and his direct corps commanders. The commander of the Eight Army stood at the front of the congregation of army officers which included his five corps commanders and his entire army staff. Harry knew that if for one reason or another, a bomb were to go off inside this room, the entire Britannian war effort in North Africa would end, and that was probably the reason why the security in the room was so tight.
"These newspaper reports had gotten one thing correct, now that we are at that," Lord Alexander said, he nodded toward General Tovey and the burly army officer nodded back before he stepped forward toward Lord Alexander. The Archduke was quick to give his post at the center of the room toward the commander of the Eight Army and return to the side of his wife, whose presence inside the room was something that not even a single officer would question.
"My Lady," General Tovey began, even as he respectfully inclined his head toward the direction of Lady Emma. He returned his attention toward his gathered officers and continued, "the recent North African League offensive, we believe, had reduced their ready divisions to as much as twenty percent of their pre-war readiness, and intelligence indicates that their reserve and ready reserve divisions, while fully manned and eager, are short of everything but confusion."
"In particular," Lord Alexander suddenly said, forcing his subordinate commander – the man who is the lord and master of the Britannian Eight Army, the principal Britannian unit on the field – to pause and turn his attention toward Lord Alexander, but the Archduke of England ignored him and continued, "their armored divisions are so badly shot up, they have resorted to using old KV-1 and T-34 tanks from the early forties," the Archduke smiled as he shook his head.
Harry could get what Lord Alexander was saying. Of course, those tanks would still be deadly when facing infantry, but against all modern tanks, those tanks may as well be sitting ducks. The armor of the Chariot Mark I could stop the rounds fired from the main gun of both tanks, at the same time that the Chariot could deal with them easily enough. In fact, it is conceivable that the Chariot could mark the position of the North African tank first and not have to be hit by the North African at all.
"Morale is at an all time low back at their lines and we have people on the inside sowing more discontent even as we speak," Lord Alexander continued. He seemingly became aware of the fact that he had taken over from his field commander at that point and with a pointed glance and a polite incline of his head toward the general, Lord Alexander silently instructed General Tovey to continue the briefing.
There was a pregnant pause, but the commander of the Eight Army was quick to return to the fray, "At this critical juncture," General Tovey said, "we are going to launch our own offensive against the North African League with the intention of taking back as much territory as we could," there was a brief pause as he allowed his subordinate officers to digest that information that they were just given – and it was a lot to digest despite the limited words – before he continued, "Our original orders had always been to get back to the border and to hold the line there, we have not yet reached the pre-war border, but we would soon be there."
"Gentlemen," General Tovey continued, "There is nothing in our orders that said that we are not going to attempt to invade the North African League, in fact, we had been warned from the very beginning of the war that this might be needed, we are simply taking the war back to them."
Harry could see the neutral expression on the face of the generals inside the room, and he privately thought that there was no need for General Tovey to explain the reason why they are now expanding the orders of the Empress. It was common sense – at least to Harry – that the war would not end until the Holy Empire could dictate peace terms against the North Africans inside their parliament building – though here, Harry wondered how uncomfortable such negotiations would be after the Holy Empire had torched their parliament building.
"Actual operational planning is not the reason that you had all been called here, away from your critical and crucial positions in the front," Lord Alexander said, and here, he inclined his head toward the direction of two particular officers, Major General John Bedford – commander of the 4th Armored Division – and Major General Michael Withers – commander of the 12th Armored Division.
The Chariot tanks and their crews that belong to the division of both men had borne the brunt of the fighting that had seen the North African forces into the retreat, and the two divisions are still at the front, leading the charge of the entire XXVII Corps – of which, both divisions are part of – under the command of Lieutenant General Francis Nathaniel Sherman.
The other three corps that makes up the Eight Army is strung up behind the XXVII Corps, with XXII Corps just a few kilometers behind and to the north, while XXIV Corps is to the south. Directly following behind the XXVII Corps is XXX Corps, though with just three of its usual four divisions as the last one – the 7th Infantry (Airborne) – is being held back because of its additional capabilities.
Supported on the air by the aircraft of XXXIV and XXXIX Air Corps, and with the bombers of XXVI Air Corps, on their call, the advance of the Britannian front has been generally successful, with the North Africans unable to muster enough of a defense to seriously slow the advance.
"For the time being, gentlemen," General Tovey continued after receiving a nod from Lord Alexander which the commander of the Eight Army had interpreted as permission, "one can say that the first phrase of this campaign had ended, or if it had not yet ended, then it certainly would end soon," he paused for dramatic effect before he continued, "the second phase of the campaign would begin right after the end of the first phrase, and that is the time we take the North Africans by their balls and hurl them back across the border, the threads of our tanks and the boots of our soldiers following closely behind."
Harry caught the slight smile on the face of Lord Alexander, and the young Commander realized that his liege lord was pleased with the aggressiveness that General Tovey was demonstrating.
As he thought about the conduct of the war over the past month, Harry realized that the commander of the Eight Army was not someone who would boast emptily. It is true that it has only been a month since the beginning of the war, but in that month since, General Tovey had recovered from the initial shock that has been handed to the Holy Empire and had forced their enemies closer and closer back to the North African-Britannian border.
Lord Alexander would certainly be pleased with such aggressiveness and competence, but Harry privately wondered if the fact that the General had used such strong words in front of his wife would upset Lord Alexander, though that would mostly be a pedestrian concern given that Harry knew that Lady Emma is not a delicate flower. The woman, after all, is the wife of one of the most powerful men in the Holy Empire, if not the world.
Although very few people would be privileged enough to see Lady Emma using those same words that the General in command of the Eight Army had just used, Harry knew that the Archduchess of England and the personal representative of the Golden Throne to the Kingdom of Spain was well used to using the same words.
"The intent of this new offensive would not be merely to push the North Africans back to their last cities and force them to negotiate with us," and here, the Archduke of England allowed a small smile to grace his face.
Harry knew the reason behind that small smile, and the young commander was sure that most of the officers inside the room knew the reason to. It was because there would not be much of a negotiation when the time for the negotiation came. Britannia would be the one who would be dictating the terms of the peace treaty and the North Africans would have no choice but to sign them, lest they be totally destroyed.
"Our intention would be the total destruction of the North African League capability to wage war," Lord Alexander said. He paused for a few moments before he clarified his position, "of course, a permanent destruction of their capability to wage war is impossible, and no doubt the Prussians would attempt to interfere at some moment, but that is our goal and when this war ends, we would achieve it, more or less," another paused was had as the General-Admiral focused his gaze at the men before him.
Somehow, every officer in the room felt the eyes of one of the most powerful men in the Holy Empire – a man who has a claim to the Golden Throne, a man who is actually thought by everyone in this room to be a better successor to the Empress – bore into theirs, and whether consciously or not, the backs of the commanding generals of the Eight Army stiffened as they brought themselves to seated attention.
"'We know not how far such a peace would bring, but peace, it will bring'," Lord Alexander said, quoting the words of his ancestor and predecessor as Archduke of England, "Gentlemen, General Tovey, in deference to your standing duties and because I know that you have to plan the coming offensive, you are dismissed."
There was an almost deafening sound despite the economy of movement as the assembled officers inside the room stood at one and offered a salute toward Lord Alexander. The General-Admiral returned the salute and as the generals walked out of the room in impromptu groups that they had formed for themselves, the Archduke of England caught the eye of Harry and wordlessly told him to stay behind.
As was expected, General Tovey was the last of the generals to leave, and before the commander of the Eight Army walked out of the room, he exchanged one last salute with the High Admiral before leading his staff out of the room, much to the amusement of Lady Emma, but because she was off to one side of the room already, no one – save Harry – saw the amused smile on her face.
It probably would not have mattered because Lord Alexander probably already knew that his wife was amused by the spectacle even if he could not see her smiling. They are that close, after all. It was hard to believe that there is no such thing as a soul bond, because if there are, then Lord Alexander and Lady Emma would probably have shared one.
As soon as the door to the office closed and the only people left inside the room are Harry, Lady Emma, Lord Alexander, and the staff of the Archduke, Lord Alexander actually let out a sigh, but it was Lady Emma who was the first to break the chatter that had slowly died – anyway – as the generals left the room, "Is he really that much of a stickler for protocol or is he just trying to impress his supreme commander?" she asked, a smile on her face.
It was clear, however, that she was not really that interested in knowing the answer, but then, one of the jobs of Admiral Cline could be summarized as answering whatever questions his commander would ask, and given that Lady Emma is the wife of his commander, it was clear that the chief-of-staff to the General-Admiral, Imperial Grand Fleet thought that the question needed answering.
"Probably trying to impress, my Lady," Admiral Cline answered, and when he saw the incredulous looks that were being given to him, at least the Admiral had the decency to defend himself, "It is a bit annoying."
Lord Alexander shook his head, twice, before he motioned for the people inside the room to resume their seat. It was the clear sign that now that the only people inside the room are the officers that he trusts the most, formalities could be set aside.
"I did not lie when I told them that there would be an offensive," Lord Alexander began, "and it would most certainly come from the east, and it would most certainly be conducted by the Eight Army."
Upon the appropriate signal from his commander-in-chief, Admiral Cline took up the pulpit – as it were.
"At the same time, however, a newly formed Britannian Army, now staging at Gibraltar, would stage amphibious assaults and landings centered on the city of Oran," Admiral Cline continued, "Operation Orange Sunset."
"Two pronged assault, one from the east, and another from the west," Lord Alexander said, "At the same time that the Grand Fleet would be increasing its activities up and down the coast of North Africa."
"I take it that General Tovey and the staff of the Eight Army are unaware of this plan, sir," Harry said, and when Lord Alexander nodded, the young commander continued, "but the fact that you asked me to stay means that I, or at least, the Imperial Special Forces that I am now part of, per your instructions, would have a part to play?"
Even though most commanders would label the tone that Harry had used as insubordinate, Lord Alexander was not most commanders, and because this was a close meeting anyway, the tone was excused, "Of course," the Archduke commented, and he actually seemed amused when he said that, but the Archduke did not say anything else, instead, he motioned for Admiral Cline to explain.
"The offensive that General Tovey and his Eight Army is going to launch within the next few weeks," the chief-of-staff of Lord Alexander explained, "Imperial Special Forces – Marine Force Recon in particular – would be sent out on reconnaissance patrols, the objective being to locate, identify, and, if necessary, neutralize enemy strong points and other targets of opportunity, secondary to intelligence gathering and, of course, taking enemy prisoners for further enemy intelligence."
Harry nodded, what the Admiral had just described was essentially exactly what he and the men under his command had been doing since they arrived in the dessert. Although then the various Special Forces that are doing that job were divided under different commands, Lord Alexander had now organized them under a unified command and had promoted Anton Carleton to Brigadier General in order to command the unified command.
Marine Force Recon, Imperial Navy SEAL's, Ground Forces Rangers and Green Berets, as well as dedicated Air Controllers and Combat Search-and-Rescue Groups now operate under the command of Brigadier General Carleton, and owing to the fact that the general is needed at the front where his men are supporting the advance, he had elected to send Harry to this briefing – though Harry knew that the fact that Lord Alexander had requested for him had something to do with the selection.
"Granted, that is not where I am going to use you," Lord Alexander suddenly said, prompting Harry to turn his attention toward his liege lord with a surprised expression on his face. the action of Harry actually prompted the General-Admiral to silently laugh before he said, "You really think that I am going to waste a reserve member of the Imperial Knights doing a job that Special Forces is more than capable of doing?" and he shook his head.
Aware that that was rhetorical question, Harry did not answer, and that was exactly what Lord Alexander wanted, because the Archduke just continued, "Aside from the fact that I want to know more about the North African Mage threat, I also need to know the conditions on the beaches where the second front is to be opened, that is where I plan to use you, together with every reserve Imperial Knight that I could get my hands on and as much Force Recon and SEAL team that I could muster."
"We really should have built up intelligence regarding this area long before this war began," Vice Admiral Ashford commented, "unfortunately, that is neither here nor there anymore, we are now in the middle of the war, and we really could not sneak a few intelligence agents disguised as tourists to take pictures of the beaches."
"What about old pictures?" Harry asked.
"The beauty of having a centralized immigration office is knowing exactly where your citizens went and when they went there," Admiral Ashford commented, "Not exactly something that our citizenry is aware of, you understand, but then again, we only need the more recent pictures of the area that they may or may not have taken."
"What about security?" Harry asked, he turned toward the man that he knew would someday become his uncle-in-law and the man who, while not in charge of headquarters security, was probably the one amongst the three staff officers whom Lord Alexander had brought with him who knew the most. After all, the man in charge of headquarters security for Lord Alexander reports to Vice Admiral Granger.
"We doubt that the North Africans would have agents back at the mainland," Vice Admiral Granger explained, "And even if the Prussians or any of their allies, or even our own inadvertent actions, would reveal the exercise to the North Africans, with the hard-hitting offense of General Tovey, they would naturally assume that the collecting of intelligence back home would be a mere deceptive ruse."
"Until they realize that we are landing people up and down their north-west coast and taking samples of their sands, sir," Harry added.
"Quite," Vice Admiral Granger replied, nodding once toward his nephew-in-law, "but then again, the teams that you would be leading are not going to be there to get them caught, Harry, you know that."
Harry nodded, "When do we start?" he asked.
"The North Africans have, by now, noticed the build-up in Gibraltar and, to a lesser extent, the one in Bermuda, but they still think that those units are going to go to Egypt," Vice Admiral Ashford said, a thin smile appeared on the face of the boyish admiral as he added, "they are sending their best units eastward where General Tovey and his people are preparing to eat them alive, leaving nothing but third – I'd actually say fourth – class regiments and battalions to meet the landing."
"Armored divisions with no tanks or respectable armored fighting vehicles, mostly pick-up trucks with machineguns, recoilless rifles, and sheet metal, supported by infantry with rifles older than the fathers of the men holding them, most of which still operate manually with bolt-action, machineguns as immobile as the bunkers they are hunkering down in," Admiral Cline said, "our worst enemy would be the terrain, which is why we need to know everything we can about it."
"Understood," Harry said.
"You and the Imperial Knights already in theater are coming with us tomorrow, Harry," Lord Alexander suddenly said, "General Carleton has already been informed and while he does not like it, the man knows better than to disobey my orders, besides," and here, Lord Alexander grinned, "I need a mage to guard against some mage guests that Special Forces found for me."
The eyes of Harry widened at the implication of what Lord Alexander had just said, but the young commander merely nodded his acknowledgement of the instructions that he had received from his liege lord.
"We're bringing them back to the Rock aboard the flagship tomorrow," Admiral Cline said, though that was more to Harry than anyone else inside the room. Harry did notice that Lady Emma frowned when the chief-of-staff said that, but she said nothing, "You will be aboard the flagship as well."
"The enemy is well aware that we have caught their mages," Lord Alexander suddenly said, and at that moment, Harry realized the reason behind the frown of the Archduchess of England.
"Wouldn't that mean…?" he began.
Lord Alexander cut him off, "That is the plan," he said, and with a grin toward his wife – which caused her to frown at him – he added, "Which is why my Lady Emma would not be joining us tomorrow, instead, she would be taking flight to Malta, and from there, as representative of the Golden Throne, she would be visiting the Vatican to convey our greetings to the new Pope."
Lady Emma did not say anything, but it was clear that she did not like the mission that she had been given. Harry suspected that it had something more to do with the fact that she was not going to go back to her posting in the Kingdom of Spain with her husband, and the fact that her husband was deliberately placing himself in harm's way.
Still, this was exactly how Lord Alexander would have played his cards, and with a nod toward his liege lord, Harry said, "Understood."
Weasley Residence, Trondheim
Norway, Scandinavian Union
April 19, 2005
It certainly was not the first time that Molly Weasley was seeing a child – or two – of hers off.
She had done it the first time when William, her eldest, finished Hogwarts. Off to Egypt to work with the goblins and the dangerous field of curse-breaking.
She had done it the following year when it was the turn of Charlie. Despite his natural Weasley talent for quidditch – aside from red-hair that was one thing that they always seem to inherit – the second eldest Weasley child opted for a career with magical creatures. Traditionally, that meant magical reserves in Eastern Europe, but Eastern Europe is Prussian territory. Molly did not think that she would like her son living in Romania, but at least that was closer than Australia. Unfortunately, Australia is where Charlie is, given that it is the only Commonwealth state that could actually afford to maintain dragon reserves.
Things changed a little for Percy and the twins, as both opted not to go to another country, though Molly knew that that had something to do with the fact that the Weasley family are now amongst the most wanted people in most of the countries of the world.
With Ron and Ginny, however, it is different. The two may have already finished their education, and they may now be qualified adults, but in the eyes of Molly – or probably any mother for that matter – her two youngest would always require her to be close. Unfortunately, the mission that they are now about to embark on would not allow her to even be in the same country as her.
'Mainland Britannia,' the Weasley matriarch thought, but further musings on her part were interrupted when Ron and Ginny entered her domain, the kitchen or her tiny – or at least in the opinion of everyone in the room – house. Both were already dressed for the cold weather outside, indicating that both are now ready to embark on their journey that would see them – if all goes according to plan – in New Orleans in a month.
"Come and give me a hug before you leave," Molly told her children, and both did not even hesitate. Rather, they approached their mother – Ginny first because she is closer – and accepted the hug of their mother, both thinking that it would be quite some time before they could feel the crushing hugs of their matriarch again.
Arthur Weasley, patriarch of the family and one of those who actually regretted the fact that he joined the Order after the Order fled the British Isles, entered the kitchen while his wife was in the process of embracing his two youngest. Privately, the former ministry official disagreed with the fact that his two youngest are being sent on a mission, but he knew that there was little he could do about it. After all, both Ron and Ginny are already legal adults, and they had been for quite some time now.
"Dad?" Ron asked.
Arthur nodded toward his son, "Good luck," he said, he extended his hand toward his son with the intention of shaking hands with him, but even as Ron extended his hand to meet those of his father, Arthur suddenly changed his mind and pulled his son to a hug. Ginny soon followed.
"I know Albus says that this is an important mission, but if, for any reason at all, you do not think you could accomplish it, come back," Arthur said even as he continued to hug his children, "Albus wound understand."
Later, as Molly and Arthur stood at the porch of their home, their two youngest slowly fading from their sight as Ron and Ginny walked down the road together with two older Order members, Molly placed her head on the shoulder of his husband, a clear indication of how worried she is.
The response of Arthur was to pull her closer to him and softly whisper to her, "It'll be alright,"
Kottelberg Castle, West Pomerania
Prussia
April 19, 2005
Lucius Malfoy was not one who made a habit of opening his house to guests. In the view of the former British aristocrat and now the secret magical advisor of the Prussian Premier, the more you deny people entry into your home, the more they would want to get inside your home, and that translates to not only more party guests when you actually host a party, but also power because these people who would want to be invited – and seen with influential people – would be willing to do anything to bag one of those invitations.
It was a tactic that he had used when he was still in the British Isles – and here, he had to fight a sigh as he remembered his guests at the annual Malfoy New Year Party which included the Minister of Magic and his close staff, now that was power and influence all in one go – and it was a tactic that he intended to continue using even though he is now in a foreign land – 'well not as foreign as most would think, really, the Malfoy family, after all, came from France, and France now forms part of Prussia.'
As his thoughts returned to the present, his gaze involuntarily turned toward his only son – Draco was entertaining Pansy Parkinson by surreptitiously pointing toward some of the guest as said guest approached the buffet table.
Lucius knew that his son would never be like him, no matter how hard he tried, Draco just would not learn the lessons that Lucius tried to instill in him. Many times the blond aristocrat who was the former second-in-command of the Dark Lord – or at least, he was in the mind of Lucius – wondered if the seemingly un-Malfoy attitude of the scion of the family came from the mother side, the Black Family, but Lucius was also quick to shut that down. If anything, the Black Family is sneakier, more cunning, and more dangerous with their words and actions than the Malfoy Family.
The only reason that a Black is not the apparent second-in-command of the Dark Lord is because there was no Black who joined the Dark Lord who could take that position, after all, the Blacks also lorded it over the Dark Lord. Sure Bellatrix and Regulus joined, but neither was in the running to ever become the Head of their House.
The noise of someone clearing his throat behind him tore Lucius out of his reverie and he turned his attention toward the direction of the sound. One of his old colleagues in the forces of the Dark Lord and now one of his business partners – Peter Crabbe – stood just behind him, and upon seeing that Lucius was looking at him, the other man nodded.
The study room of the new Malfoy Manor was located just behind the Grand Ballroom. Like the Grand Ballroom, the lord of the Malfoy family had no need to convert this room, because the family who owned the castle before the Malfoy family also used this room as their study. Of course, Lucius had to do some redecorating and where a family portrait of the family that used to occupy this castle once hanged – at the place of honor in front of the fireplace – there now stood an oil on canvas painting of Lord Lucius Malfoy in Prussian court dress.
It cost Lucius a quarter of a million reichsmarks to have that painting made, and another five for all the paintings and refurbishments that he had added over the years since he had made this castle his home, but in the opinion of the blond-haired dark-minded wizard, it was all worth it.
It was well worth it to remind the people inside the room right now – his old war comrades – that he is still their leader. Inside the study, the former Death Eaters of the Dark Lord Voldemort – from inner circle members who had managed to evade capture and incarceration like Lucius himself to lower class Death Eaters who just joined because they thought it would be fun like –Thorfin Rowle – mingled and chatter amongst themselves.
None knew the reason that Lucius had asked for them, but all of them knew that the reason for the impromptu party being held outside was to cover for this meeting.
"Gentlemen," Lucius said as he entered his study, and exactly as he planned, the moment that he said that, all small conversations stopped, and all eyes inside the room turned toward him.
Lucius allowed them to watch him as he took his seat, but as soon as he is seated – and when he saw that the ever-impatient McNair was ready to say something – he finally said, "I asked for all of you here because we have a situation regarding one of our experiments over in North Africa."
Lucius pretended not to see the snorts and scowls that greeted that announcement. He knew that many of his old comrades did not like the fact that he is meddling in a war between muggles, but they did help him with the recruitment, without the knowledge of the Prussian government who was supposed to be the primary sponsor of the program.
"What kind of a situation are we talking about here?" Vincent Yaxley – always one of the smarter ones – asked. A former Ministry official who had risen high, the man is as ambitious as Lucius himself, but despite his considerable intelligence, would never actually be a match to the blond patriarch of the Malfoy family, something which even Yaxley himself knows, which is why he would not even bother.
"A group of our mages had been captured in North Africa during a training mission by the Britannians," Lucius elaborated, he paused for effect before he added, "Goyle was with them and was captured as well."
A worried hiss went up down the spine of everyone inside the room. Although common opinion amongst the people inside the room was that Nigel Goyle had become a liability since the death of his son, they still could not ignore the possibility that the man would talk. If nothing else, everyone in the room knew how weak the mental shields of the man are, and how powerful the mind-reading skills of Britannian government mages are.
"This is a problem," Yaxley said, "While he has been a liability over the past few years, he is still a comrade. If nothing else, the secrets in his head could compromise us," he stared hard at Lucius before he added, "Should those secrets be compromised, we may need to flee to a new home once more."
Lucius smiled, "But I did not ask for all of you here to ask for your opinion in regards to what should be done," he said, he inclined his head toward Yaxley in a patronizing move, before he added, "I have already made the decision and I have already implemented it, you are here simply to be informed."
Most of the people inside the room frowned, but no one would dare say anything against Lucius. The man may be annoying most of the time, but he was smart, he was powerful, rich, and he is the unofficial leader of the Death Eaters, now that their master is gone.
Unable to contain his own voice, Lucius finally said, "I have tasked the North African Fleet with the mission of sinking the warships that I know are carrying Goyle and the other mages from Egypt to Gibraltar."
There was no need to mention that Lucius had gotten the North Africans to cooperate by essentially manipulating their intelligence services.
It was not really that impressive of a plan when one thinks about it, but it was merely a preliminary plan. Lucius had kept the other part of the plan a secret, for now. The North Africans might actually succeed, anyway, so there was no need to inform his comrades about the fact that he already has a strike team of mages waiting at Gibraltar.
Tunisia Naval Base, Tunisia
North African League
April 20, 2005
It was not the first time that the eight armored cruisers that made up the strength of the 1st and 2nd Independent Strike Squadron of the North African League Naval Fleet had raised steam for a sortie. They had done that many times before and during the war. This, however, was the first time that they are going to raise steam to sortie with the intention of actually hitting a Britannian patrol.
The fact that Britannia had established patrols between Gibraltar to Malta, then Malta to Cairo, and vice versa is something that high command was well aware of, and there were many times that the high command had hoped that they could hit such a patrol, but the Britannians are masters of not only patrol scheduling, but of dreadnought battles in general, and combined arms in particular, including using the newly developed aircraft carrier.
This time, however, word had been received that no Britannian aircraft carrier had actually left their ports in either Gibraltar or Malta, and that the ports in Cairo have no aircraft carriers in them. In addition, intelligence had assured the Admiral who has command of both squadrons that he would only be facing heavy cruisers, not battleships or battlecruisers, even if it is known that Lord Alexander is currently in Cairo.
It would not have mattered, in any case. The eight armored cruisers had sortie many times, but the only time that they had actually fired a shot in anger against a Britannian squadron, the battle was short-lived as both squadrons turned around, seemingly unwilling to offer battle. That would change today.
Defeat after defeat in land means that the North African ruling elite is desperate for a victory, and it would seem to them that the fates had just handed them one. All they have to do now is to take it.
E/N: More than four months...my apologies... It was a difficult semester, and it only ended last week...