A/N: All characters belong to their respective owners and another author's note at the end of the story

Chapter 27: Gather at the rallying point

"What the hell?! Why are we just sitting here we should be fighting back!" Charlotte rolled her eyes as Lucas was again complaining. It has been a day since the announcement from Lelouch that the capital was taken by the Germans. Mara tried to get command on the radio but there was nothing but static, confirming that the capital has been taken. Now, the squadron or what's left of it were debating on what to do next. Some of the ground crew want to surrender as the war is officially over. However there were those like Lucas who want to continue fighting. Currently, she is in one of the hangars with Lucas, Anya and Ben sitting on crates.

"Lucas, we don't have enough pilots to even think about launching an attack. Plus, the entire Luftwaffe controls Gallian airspace. We would be shot down before we even reach the capital," Anya reasoned.

"Yeah, plus we are pretty low on ammo enough as it is," Charlotte chimed in. Lucas glared at Charlotte.

"And what do you recommend? Just surrender?" Lucas asked.

"No, for me I'm an American so I can just head to the French border and be back to the U.S on the next ship," Charlotte stated.

"Then why aren't you?" Lucas asked. Charlotte sighed and sat up.

"Because I actually want to stay and help. There hasn't been an official surrender of any Gallian forces yet so here I am," Charlotte stated.

"Well, we are in a bit of a limbo since we don't know what we can do now," Anya stated from her position.

"Best we can do right now is just sit tight and wait it out," Ben replied.

"That is something we are not doing," A voice rang out through the hangar. All of them turned their heads to see Mara and Jack walking up to them with Mara in her flight suit.

"There is an airfield in the forests near Kloden that was being used by international volunteers. We are going to head towards that airfield," Mara stated.

"There was a group called the International Volunteer Brigade operating down near the Kloden forest and some of them brought aircraft with them. The airfield runway is long enough to support our aircraft," Jack noted.

"But why are we heading there?" Anya asked.

"Because, if you think we are surrendering then you have another thing coming. There are already some units heading down there now. Also, we believe the Luftwaffe is going to demand our surrender or bomb us into submission. If we can make it to this airfield, then we would be protected by friendly aircraft," Jack responded.

"What about the ground crew?" Ben asked.

"Those who want to come with us are packing what is not bolted down into trucks and are heading south. We are taking all our remaining aircraft and are heading south as well. So, get geared up we are flying in half an hour," Mara ordered. Everybody was silent for a minute as this information was being processed in their heads but Charlotte got up and smiled.

"Well, it's about time. I have missed flying ever since that damn radio broadcast," Charlotte stated. Mara was a bit surprised by this but then recovered and smiled.

"Well, in that case then make it twenty minutes," Mara stated. That got the group going as everyone went about to get ready. Charlotte raced to her room and began packing. As she was packing, she came across a picture of her wedding day. Charlotte and her husband were in the middle with her husband holding her close while on each side of them were their families, her husbands to their right and her family to the left.

Charlotte looked at the picture lovingly and then giggled at the memory of the best day of her life so far.

October 28, 1933

Charlotte laughed as a lot of confetti fell on her and Andrew as they entered the reception hall. Their families and friends were applauding as the newlyweds were making their way to their table. As they finally reached their table, Andrew's little brother Nicholas jumped on the pair.

"Congratulations you two!" He cheered as both of them laughed.

"Thanks little bro. Honestly, this should have happened a while ago," Andrew answered as Nicholas got off.

"Oh, so why didn't you?" Charlotte teased.

"Well, we did have a war going on," Andrew answered back, earning him a nuggie from his older sister, Qun'mi.

"No, he was just really nervous to actually ask the question that he had to ask all of us older siblings for advice," Emina teased causing Andrew's ears to turn red.

"H-H-Hey, you said you wouldn't let that out," Andrew argued.

"Bro, you should know by now that I would tell be telling her eventually," Emina responded, pinching her little brother's cheek.

Charlotte giggled and said, "Well, I would love to know more secrets that my new husband has."

Andrew paled as Emina and Qun'mi smiled evilly, "Charlotte, oh the amount of secrets we can tell you."

"Yes, yes we all know that you all have some embarrassing things to tell Charlotte but we should probably take our seats and hear the best man's speech," A voice stated. The group turned to see Alexander Vandegrift in his dress blues for the wedding along with his wife. She was clinging to his arm and was dressed in a long white gown trimmed in gold. She had long silver hair as well as red eyes and she was giving Charlotte a sweet smile.

"I hope my children aren't making you reconsider the marriage," The woman said to Charlotte.

"Oh, no. Of course not! They are actually making me feel more at home Mrs. Vandegrift," Charlotte stated.

"Please, call me Irisviel or Iris. It feels odd to have my daughter in law call me by my last name," Irisviel replied.

"Oh, of course Mrs- Irisviel," Charlotte corrected herself.

Irisviel smiled and then looked at Andrew and gave him a hug and whispered, "I am so happy for you Andrew. My little boy is growing up."

"C'mon, mom. I think I grew up when I joined the Marines," Andrew responded and returned his mom's hug.

"That is too true but enough of all this. We should be celebrating your wedding. Andrew, can I have a small chat with you for a moment?" Alexander said. The two walked a bit a distance as Charlotte looked confused.

"They are talking about the war," Qun'mi stated.

"How can you tell?"

"There was a briefing the other day. After retaking Attu, the Joint Chiefs want to give the Soviets a taste of their own medicine. While for now it is just planning, we are going to be hitting their defense line soon," Qun'mi stated.

"The Red line?" Charlotte asked. Qun'mi nodded.

"Andrew's unit is being folded into an infantry regiment since we really can't use the raiders to do recon on Russian soil so he is just letting him know that," Qun'mi responded. They both looked at where Alexander and Andrew were talking and Andrew clearly didn't like the idea.

"My husband does have bad timing on things," Irisviel said, then suddenly a slow song began to play, "Well, the newly wedded bride should not be here alone." Irisviel then walked over to the pair and Charlotte saw that Irisviel whispered something to her husband and he seemed to clear his throat. Andrew raised his eyebrows a bit before looking over to Charlotte. She looked at him with worry and a bit of sadness before Andrew finally took the hint. He straightened his uniform and he shakes his dad's hand before walking over to Charlotte.

He approached Charlotte and took her hand. She leaned into him and they began to slow dance. They danced for a few minutes before she asked.

"So, what did your dad wanted to talk to you about?"

"Just some things about the war is all," Andrew responded. Charlotte nodded and then said.

"I heard that we may be invading Russia," Andrew nodded at this.

"Yeah, but right now, let's not think about the war but instead just focus on the moment, ok?" Charlotte nodded at this and leaned back into his chest. As they continued to dance, for both of them they were the only ones in the entire room but in the back of her head Charlotte couldn't help but worry about what will happen next for them.

Charlotte sighed as she remembered. Following their wedding, they only had a month for their honeymoon before the invasion of Russia was commenced. Next thing she knew, her husband was soon dishonorably discharged from the marines.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when she heard knocking on her room door and Anya's voice.

"Charlotte are you done? We are about to head out," Anya said through the door.

"Yeah, I am finishing packing," Charlotte responded. She placed the photo in her luggage and then exited the room. She and Anya then made their way to the hangar where a couple of trucks were being loaded up.

Charlotte approached one of the trucks and handed one of the soldiers and asked, "Be careful you guys."

"Don't worry about us ma'am. You just make sure you get to the south real quick," the soldier responded. Charlotte gave them a lazy salute before turning around and walking towards her P-40.

Ben was waiting for her near the cockpit. As she was getting into the cockpit, Ben stated, "You are loaded up with a full load. You got an external fuel tank at half full since we don't have much oil to spare. The engine still needs a bit more work so I'll check it up on it when you reach Fort Drakon," Ben stated.

"Got it, see you there," Charlotte replied. Ben nodded and jumped off the plane as Charlotte started her engines.


Since the taking of Randgriz, the German forces have not let their guard down. They continued to monitor Gallian forces and their movements. This also goes for one of the few airfields left in Gallian hands.

A German scout and his spotter were observing the airfield for some time. This airfield in particular had only Darcsen pilots and surprisingly were the few pilots that are still flying even after multiple air strikes. The squadron that was here had even fought against Emilia von Richtofen and survived. This has sparked interest in the German high command and thus ordered surveillance on the base.

Normally, there wasn't much to report but today was different. As the scout took a sip of water from his canteen, he began to hear the sound of engines. He turned his head and then saw a group of fighters taking off.

The scout picked up the radio and reported, "This is Eagle to base. I am seeing aircraft leave the airfield. Judging from their flight path, they are heading south."

"Roger that. Can you confirm the number of aircraft?" The other voice on the radio asked.

"I am counting four aircraft leaving the airfield as well as it looks like a small convoy of vehicles leaving the base," The scout reported.

"Roger. Continue your surveillance. We have a patrol that will handle the four aircraft."


Charlotte yawned as she stretched a bit in her cockpit. So far, they have been flying for an hour and they should be nearing the location of the airfield that the forieng forces were using.

"Ok, we are about 6 minutes away now. So far, we have been pretty lucky that the Luftwaffe hasn't jumped us yet," Anya reported.

"Anya, don't jinx us." Luca responded.

"C'mon, we have been flying for awhile now and haven't even encountered a patrol. I think we can say that we have some luck on our side," Anya replied, being a bit too cocky.

"As much as I hate him, Lucas is right. Someone has had to have seen us flying so we should expect something," Charlotte stated. Unknown to anyone, high above them from a distance, a lone aircraft was following them. The plane was a ME 109 as it spied on the four Gallian fighters heading south. In the cockpit, it's pilot Emilia von Richtofen looked on.

"Looks like 4 fighters. They also have those darcsen markings so it must be that squadron from the raid on Randgriz," Emilia commented as she looked through some binoculars at the fighters. Since the surrender announcement, she really hasn't been doing much flying outside of testing some of the new weapons for the 262. Now, she can finally engage in a dogfight against some real pilots.

"Well, let's see if that pilot I fought against is still alive," Emilia stated as she pitched her aircraft forward and dived against the fighters.

Charlotte was getting the feeling that something was wrong when suddenly, her fighter was raked with bullets. Charlotte made a sharp turn and dove away as did the rest of the squadron as something fast passed by her.

"What the fuck was that just now?" Anya shouted over the radio. Charlotte looked around and saw a ME 109 fighter speeding away, though she recognized the emblem on the tail of the fighter.

"It's the 'Grey Sparrow'!" Lucas called out. Charlotte jinxed her fighter as the fighter singled her out.

"The Grey Sparrow is going after Charlotte," Anya stated. Mara cursed and then tried to get her fighter behind Emilia's fighter but it was going too fast.

Meanwhile, Charlotte was trying to get away from Emilia but because of the 20mm rounds that hit her engine, it was not putting out 100%.

"Damnit, I won't be able to out maneuver her. I need to get her off my back," Charlotte said to herself. She reduced her speed, surprising Emilia as she tried to reduce her speed to match Charlotte's but because of the sudden maneuver, flew past Charlotte's fighter.

"Dodge this," Charlotte called out as she pressed the firing mechanism. Six 50 cal machine guns roared and hit the 109's engine. She fired for only 4 seconds until her guns ran dry. Then her engine began to give in as a fire began to come out of her fighter. Charlotte then began to land her fighter on a nearby field.

Meanwhile, Emilia was also having some problems of her own. The Gallian fighter fired a burst at her and it hit her left wing engine. There was now smoke coming from the engine and she was having a hard time maintaining control of her jet. She saw the other fighters circle her like vultures but for some reason, they didn't come in for the kill.

"I wonder why those fighters are not going in for the kill," Emilia asked herself and then surprised her by flying away. She checked her instruments and swore.

"I won't make it back to Randgriz airport. Might as well land this jet," Emilia said as she looked around for a landing zone. She looked towards a field and had an idea.


"Ben is going to fucking kill me," Charlotte moaned as shelooked over her now destroyed aircraft. She was able to land her fighter and got out just as the engine exploded and consumed the fighter in fire.

"Now, I need to figure out how to meet up with everyone else," Charlotte noted as she looked up and saw the rest of her squadron fly away with one wiggling their wings. She took that as being Mara and watched as they flew towards the south. Charlotte memorized the flight path until she heard another sound. She looked up to see the German fighter coming down near her. She looked as it lowered its landing gear and with some elegance landed near her fighter.

"That must be the Grey Sparrow. Damn, she is one hell of a pilot," Charlotte noted as she saw the fighter come to a stop and then the pilot exited the fighter. The pilot took off their helmet to reveal long brown hair that was tied in a braid.

Then Charlotte remembered what Ben and Mara have told her about Germans taking prisoners and reached for her holster and unlocked it just in case she needed it.

The German pilot approached her and Charlotte said, "Well, looks like both our wings get clipped."

"A common occurrence in our line of work," said the German pilot.

"Yeah, though a bit of shame really. Just fixed the engine too," Charlotte said, then pulling out a small flask and opening the top and offering it to the pilot.

"Lieutenant Charlotte Vandegrift, American volunteer, Royal Gallian Air Force," Charlotte introduced herself to the pilot.

The German pilot took the canteen and drank a bit before introducing herself as "Emilia von Richthofen, Luftwaffe."

"Ah, you are the Grey Sparrow? Your reputation is well known," Charlotte commented.

"Seems so and also because of my father. My father is Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron from the Great War," said Emilia as she handed the flask back.

"The Red Baron? I am surprised you are at the frontline and not at some base being like a commander or something," Charlotte commented as she took the flask back.

"Oh, my father wanted that. But I wanted to fly. Just like he did," said Emilia.

Charlotte giggled at that and said, "Same with my dad too. He fought in the Second Mexican War and wanted me to be a nurse like my mom but I went ahead and joined the Marines. Just in time for the Soviets to invade Alaska."

"Well here's to us then. Daughters of two veterans. At least you weren't related to my father. People always expected a lot from me because I'm the Red Baron's daughter," said Emilia.

"Yeah, guess I should be lucky but I got a lot of people expecting a lot from me too," Charlotte responded.

"Maybe so. Curious though. Why are you fighting for the Gallians? Shouldn't you be in the American Army?" inquired Emilia.

Charlotte looked at her flask and ran her thumb over the Marine Corp emblem and responded, "I actually was a captain in the Marine Corp but the war started and I later found out my husband was here. So, I volunteered to find him and make sure he was safe."

"I guess you have better luck with men than I do," said Emilia.

"C'mon, there has to be a guy you are interested in?" Charlotte asked.

"It's not so much as that it's that a lot of guys, most of them in the military, try to date me in order to get in my father's good graces," said Emilia.

"Ah, I see. Well, there will be one guy that will come by eventually. I mean, I met my husband on the battlefield," Charlotte noted.

Emilia chuckled, "Then I guess I should have crashed near my army's lines." There was a brief silence before both women started to laugh. Then all of a sudden, thunder roared. The two pilots looked and saw that a storm was coming from the east.

"Well, I guess we better be going," Emilia said, then faced Charlotte and extended her hand.

"Wait, you aren't going to take me prisoner?" Charlotte asked, confused.

"My father always said to respect your enemy. There was one time where my uncle killed an enemy while it was trying to land and after he landed my father chastised him. I believe that if a fighter pilot is to die then they should die in combat," Emilia responded. Charlotte looked at Emilia to see if she was lying or not and saw that Emilia was being sincere.

"Well, I never thought someone from Imperial Germany would say that to a Darcsen," Charlotte stated and then took Emilia's hand and shook it.

"I don't care if you are a Darcsen or not, I know a good pilot when I see one," Emilia responded with a smile.

"I hope one day we can fly in the skies together without shooting at each other," Charlotte replied.

"Same," Emilia also responded before each of them let go and saluted one another in mutual respect. They then walked away from each other, Emilia walking north while Charlotte headed south.

Charlotte headed south, trying to remember the general direction her flight headed. She walked for about an hour until she reached a crossroad.

"Ok, now which way do I take?" Charlotte asked herself when she heard guns clicking. She immediately reached for sidearm when a voice called out to her in English.

"Now, I wouldn't do that if I was you missy," Charlotte perked up. The accent reminded her of Jersey and she turned around to see not one but five American soldiers pointing their rifles at her. They all had leaves on their helmets tied to the webbing and looked like they were waiting to ambush some German forces.

"Am I glad to see you all? You guys are part of the Devil's Brigade?" Charlotte asked. SHe had heard of an American volunteer force in Gallia but she had yet to see for herself.

"That's right ma'am," The soldier in charge of the group, who appeared to be a sergeant as they all began to lower their weapons.

"Yeah, I was about to decide which way to go. You know the way?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, ma'am. You can tag along with us. We were about to head south to meet up with the rest of the foerign volunteers and then proceed to a forest where some Gallian forces are massing," the sergeant stated.

"So the Gallians are actually not going to give up huh?" Charlotte asked.

"You didn't hear the radio broadcast ma'am?" One of the soldiers asked.

"What broadcast?" Charlotte asked. When they told her, she couldn't keep the smile off her face.

Author's note: Soooooooo I am truly sorry that it took close to a year that this new chapter came out. A lot of personal stuff came in my life and I had to put writing this story on the back burner. But don't worry, this story isn't dead and I am now getting back in the groove to write this story. The next chapter won't take too long to come up so look out for it. Again I can't thank everyone who reads and follows this story. You all are the best. Thank you for your support and I'll see you all next time. Also, feel free to PM me if you have any questions