Chapter 42: Discovering Secrets

Another small arch closes. We move on to the inter-season season.


I was having a great dream, the kind where you feel so good you don't want to wake up. So real, so vivid. I was walking calmly through the countryside, a beautiful green field of grass that extended as far as the eye could see, with a beautiful landscape of snowy mountains; surrounding what looked like a valley; in the distance. It seemed like my homeland, my real homeland, no. I recognize that mountain; it's Suomus; Some part of me had already got used to this world and designated Suomus as my home, even if it wasn't.

Something hit my foot, I looked down and there was nothing to trip over, no rocks or root balls; Then I felt myself rising from the ground despite standing, and on the ground a feeling of weightlessness invaded me and soon I stood on tiptoe and then took my feet off the ground. A breeze caressed my face, the breeze grew stronger and stronger until it entered my eyes, which made me squint to glimpse a figure in front of me; Was it blowing hard against my face? Then I began to slowly and lazily open my eyes, even with tears in my eyes to find myself face to face with a stranger. I widened my eyes in surprise.

I tried to focus to try to recognize the person in front of me, when I finished focusing and trying to remember I came to the conclusion that this person was the same person who had praised me in the makeshift field hospital after I passed out trying to cover Georgie from shrapnel rain.

Then it dawned on me that my impression of rising off the ground while dreaming was not so wrong, was the veteran witch had lifted me almost a meter off the ground. She was standing on her two huge air units, which is why she was now to be just over two meters above ground level and I was without my units and this young body was barely height one and seventy. Of course, there was also the fact that my body was just over sixteen years old and the girl must been around twenty.

Her magic must have given her a great deal of strength, for it seemed as if she were lifting me effortlessly.

I finally decided to open my mouth to demand the reason for my early awakening.

-What happens? Enemy attack? -
-No, nothing like that,- the witch replied as she continued to keep me on the wing so that we could look at each other face to face.
-So why do you keep lifting me off the ground, and why have you woken me up?-
-General Galland called on the radio and you did not answer her.- The witch answered neutrally, still holding me. Then I remembered that I had turned off the radio after announcing that I was going to sleep.
-And did you come up here just to come looking for me?-
-I had nothing better to do and was curious to see if you slept like a normal person.-
-Why would you sleep strangely? Is there a different way to sleep than to lie down and close your eyes, Liberian?-
-I have never seen a wizard in the army and I was curious, Karlslander,- she replied annoyed by the denotation of her country of origin.
-Why? In your country is it not normal for magic users to access the army together? - I asked curiously, this was the first time that someone under forty years of age seemed to have seen a living wizard and I had the urgent need to know a little more about my peers; even if they were from another country.
-Wizards are normally much weaker than witches. And most have no familiar; like you, so in the army they do not have as much room as women. - The woman answered with a shrug and, with it, raising another centimeter.
-Could you, if it's not too much of an inconvenience, get down on the ground?-
-Ehh ... - The woman seemed to realize, finally, that we had had the whole conversation with her, still keeping me off the ground. -Sure, sorry.- I had not realized. - She lowered me without any softness to the ground. She directly released me, and I fell abruptly to my own feet. -Sorry, you look like my little brother. I used to pick him up when I was still on the mainland.-
-Understandable, if you are the older sister. Now if you don't mind I'm going to get dressed and equip the units. I'll go down to ground level as soon as I'm ready.-

The woman nodded and activated her units, as soon as she did a huge blizzard formed around her and gracefully and slowly took flight and then moved away from the platform on the first floor of the tower and shortly afterwards went down to ground level, there Other witches with units similar to her awaited her; probably her teammates.

As soon as she made landfall I started dressing and getting ready. In a few minutes it was fully equipped again. Then I just jumped over the platform railing, it was the easiest and fastest way to go down. As I went down I could see how the witches waiting downstairs changed their faces. The colonel paled and hurried to catch me in flight, a slight side wind blow allowed me to avoid her incoming trajectory, then I stopped the fall in the same way that I was already used to going down from high places.

And the last two meters without assistance; to increase the drama of my "entry in scene".

-Well, I'm here now,- I announced to the still incredulous witches. -Where have you set up the radio tent?-
-This way, captain.- I was guided by the witch who seemed to be the first to come out of her stupor.

I followed the witch to the bridge in front of the tower, where they had decided to set up the logistics, radio and command tents.

On that bridge there was; among other things; tents with a red cross painted on the canvas, tents with long improvised tables with planks on fuel drums that served as dining rooms to the soldiers who still had breakfast with tears around their eyes, tents with huge tables with lots of maps and aerial photographs of what must have been the next move, tents full of what appeared to be officers from different places and armies arguing with each other and, already in a corner, they had set up the radio tents around the electricity generators and a huge tower that seemed be made of wood joined together with nails and the strange statue of the bridge with wires; It probably came here with the idea of taking advantage of the height of the statue and not having to make the tower taller, and thereby using resources on it that could be used elsewhere.

Karlslander radio was by far the largest.

You have to see how the Germans like brutalism and big things.
Yes, in fact they are very similar to their counterparts in your world.
I don't think it was necessary to have such a large radio, it is as if they wanted to compete in everything with the Liberians.
It is the same in fact. They are the two great world powers and they are not at war, so they must demonstrate their superiority in another way.
It is a great stupidity as well as an unnecessary expense of resources. We are all supposed to be allies. An enigma machine and a receiver would have been enough to dock with the Liberion transmission system. Much cheaper and just as effective.
But then the Liberians could monopolize the radio.
Ahh yes. I forgot that there are fools everywhere. To all this, why have I dreamed of Suomus? You have nothing to do with it, do you?
It can, I need you to get used to this world. Since; you know; You will not be able to return to your Earth, and I wanted to make this planet your new home.
I will never forget my true home, whatever you do. I have assumed this responsibility and I am here to fulfill it. But I can't forget that I really don't belong in this world. And what will happen to the twins? Will they be able to return?
Probably not. They will have to get used to this world too. But something tells me that by the end of the war you will all be well received in the respective counterparts of your countries of origin.
So when the war is over, will I have to cross the Pyrenees?
We have already discussed it, now you are Karlslander. Look, we arrived at the tent, there was a technician waiting with headphones and the microphone.

I disconnect the plug from my laryngophone and headphones and offer it to the waiting technician to connect with Frau Katze.

-Here, connect this to the radio, I like that the conversations with the remote control are private.- I tell the technician while I offer him that connector and point to the huge radio.
-Jawohl, Herr Hauptmann.- The technician responds. While turning to the bulky radio equipment and disconnecting some cables. Then he gets up and goes to the back of the tent and after a few seconds he comes back with some cables that he connects in the same place where the headphones and the microphone were connected, and then I approached the other end of those cables and so I can connect mine to the huge radio.

I connect the cables and hear a static snap from the connection established between the hardware. Then I hear muffled voices, and in the distance from people I don't recognize, Galland must be using the microphone of his radio station instead of a discreet laryngophone like me.

-Frau General, this is Erik. What was the reason for your call? -
-What, do I need a compelling reason to want to contact my combat units?- Frau Galland sounded truly annoyed. Waiting for me must not be something she was used to doing.
-Well ... The truth is that I don't know. I would only call to give orders or receive reports.-
-Reports… Are you still writing reports? - Frau asked without question.
-Of course Frau. Every night and without fail.-
-Very well I will read them all when I return. Now I need you to listen carefully.-
-I understand Frau, but after this I don't think I'll go back to that horrible country.-
-You will go where you are ordered,- Frau replied dryly and curtly. - Now the mission. We need you to go to Versailles to investigate the origin of a certain control module for a certain air unit. I do not know if you understand me.-
-Perfectly, Frau.-

-Then, when you have finished investigating and collecting evidence, you will go to Metz, where you will join the Fallschirmjager deployed by Karlsland to finish expelling the neurois from the Gallic ground. You have one month to fulfill both objectives. As soon as the month is up, you can enjoy a three-month permit.- Her tone changed from total seriousness to a playful and somewhat joking voice. - Ahh, and when you get to Metz ask for the postal mail to your name and rank. You have a little surprise.-The mocking tone left an impression on me, as if the surprise was not going to be to my total liking.

-Verstanden, Frau General.-

After my answer, a static click sounded louder than the last. And the technician announced that the transmission had ended.

Then I moved away from the radio area and reconnected the peripherals to my own radio to call my troops and to gather under the tower, which served as a shelter for me the night before, to give them the new orders.

Then I went to the shadow of the tower to wait for my little battalion, accompanied by the witch who woke me up and her three companions.

Some time later and after a long and uncomfortable silence in which no one dared to raise their voices or start a conversation, my companions arrived, first Georgie and then the twins. Only a few seconds separated them.

I waited for them to form and got up from the floor where I had waited patiently sitting.

-Very well troops, we are going to Versailles. Frau Katze's orders.-
-What are we going to do there?- Tommy asked with curiosity in his eyes due to the announcement of the new mission.
-I'll reveal it to you when we get there- I replied with a shrug.
-Can't you tell us now?- Georgie asks.
-Have you ever seen one of those folders that says "for your eyes only"? Well, the folder that Frau Katze must have been reading must have been one of those, but since it was not here in person, she gave me the orders due to a secure radio channel. Therefore, if she owed so much security, it is our duty to follow the example and continue to maintain confidentiality. Now let's march, then we will have to go north and we technically have little time for both missions.-
-We can escort you to both destinations.- announced the colonel who woke me up.
-No, you will stay here and receive your own orders, if Frau Katze has not ordered them to come it is because they are not supposed to. I appreciate the gesture but this is as it should be. I am sorry.-
-No, you're right, I get it captain. Good luck in your missions. And try not to die. - The colonel replied in a cordial way and ended in a joking tone.
-I try that on every mission, but the enemy thinks otherwise and on top of that the command always finds a way to get them to kill us in a more creative way.- I blurted out sarcastically, paraphrasing a certain character from a certain book of the black library.

We then took the road to Versailles, where the core of the warlock's control cylinder was believed to have been removed.

We follow the road along the river until we reach an avenue that, according to a sign (and google maps), would take us directly to Versailles. No idea what we were really looking for.

Frau Katze only told me to look for evidence of warlock research and development, but I really had no idea where to start. Luckily he had Sybilla and his search pulse. This could cause my brain to fry but it would also reveal all the information we might want to look for.

-Follow me, I have the route drawn in the "browser". We have to go to the center itself and then look for a large building that could contain a large number of people and material.-
-Ahh. In that case the palace could be a good starting point. Almost all the rooms and floors were normally closed to the public, but guided tours of the building and its beautiful gardens were organized. Father promised that when the war was over he would take me to see the gardens. It seems that today I will get ahead of him.- Georgie report.
-Excellent Georgie, thanks for the information and the idea. We will go there. - I equate my speed with the rest of my colleagues to talk to them without using the radio. -Today we will go there to find what is probably the beginning of the Echelon. And it seems to me a good choice if you want to hide something.-
-Yes, in history classes we learned that this was a very very large building and if it was open to the public it would be easy to hide something there. You could argue that you would never hide something dangerous in a public building.- Iona explains.
-Indeed sister. In fact, if the palace has a cellar as the fre... Gallians, the Gallians. It wouldn't be weird to think that I could was to have a bunker hidden around there.-
-Good idea Tommy. Secret mission to the Echelon research and development bunker.- I order pointing the index finger forward.
-What will we do when we finish this mission? Will we rejoin the invasion forces in Paris?- Georgie asks curiously to anticipate the outcome of the current mission.
-No, we will go to Metz to join the Karlslanders forces to seal the border and eliminate the last remnants of enemies in the north. But I did not want to announce the next mission until we finished this one so that you focus on the present.-
-Of course Erik. We'll look down under the rocks for any neurois evidence at the base of the Echelon. - Tommy announces with confidence.

We accelerate the step to arrive as soon as possible to the town, neighborhood? Anyway to that area.

As we got closer and closer to the palace, our view of what must have been a splendid palace grew, before the war, of course, now the walls that must have been pure calcium white were now a dull gray.

Despite the war he had been through, the building did not appear looted, only faintly run down.

The enormous palace, fenced by a heavy and resistant bronze and steel gate, still supported everything that had happened in these lands. I approach what looks like the door, a rusty chain and padlock keeping the gate closed. I hold the padlock with my new gauntlet sheathed hand, and applying pressure as I close my hand around it increases the concentration of mana in my hand. As a result, I hear a muffled rustling as my hand reopens bits of the padlock falling to the ground and I pull on one end of the chain to free the door from the bindings that kept it so long in that position.

Then he gently but forcefully pushed one of the gate leaves and after a few seconds the hinges creaked and squeaked to let the door swing to one side.

-And ... Open.-
-That's, as a minimum crime.- Georgie said scared.
-Oh, come on Georgie, if by now you should not care what we do to fulfill the mission. Also, how did you want to access the palace without opening the door?-

Georgie just kept silent. And then we all entered the palace courtyard. I ran a search pulse to try to find out if there was anything that could be useful on the first floor. Nothing, but in a huge room that seemed to be the kitchen there was a staircase that went down a few meters below ground level. A very promising starting point.

I guided my team to the aforementioned kitchen. Once there, I announced that we would divide into pairs like during the attack on the Chartres multiple fortress in order to maintain communication using the twins' ability since the radio would not work very well underground in the tunnels.

The ladder must go down to hell because the descent to the depths seemed eternal. We found out that Georgie did not like the dark, cold, deep and wet tunnels like this one we were in and that this was why during the assault on Chartres Fortress in the first attack they were targeted by enemy fire; Due to Georgie's reluctance to return to the tunnels the enemy was given time to set a target. Then she had to endure fear to preserve life in such a dangerous situation. Then she made Iona promise never to tell, but recent events had brought the secret to light.

We continued down the stairs and people who did not wear a skirt that covered half the unit activated the lights to illuminate the passage. Georgie seemed a little calmer but she was still gripping her magic cannon tightly as if she was willing to take down anything that dared surprise her now.

-Dudes, seeing the situation, I think it would be a very bad time to give Georgie a scare, so that you sign up and take away the desire, she is the only one who can deploy a shield and now also the one with the prepared cannon so do not try any nonsense, we are in a narrow tunnel and I would not like this to be my end, and more for such stupidity.-
-None of us had thought of something like that, right sister ...?- Replied Tommy.
-Sure ... I don't know why you say it.- Her sister answered with a confident and mocking smile on her face.
-Thanks, sir. Probably he would shoot at this moment, and at full power. - Georgie's answer made the twins see the gravity of the situation and seemed to behave.

We were still walking through the tunnels of the cold and dark Gallic cellar illuminated only by the headlights of our units. Soon we arrived at a large room with rows of barrels and shelves with bottles. The room was huge and, as if this were not enough, on both sides of the room there were a couple of side tunnels that lead to another place. It was then that I told my group that we would separate into pairs as advertised in the kitchen before going down here.

As soon as I announced that we were separated; Georgie began to tremble and, advised by Iona, she rolled up her skirt long enough until the lights of her unit were exposed, then she activated them herself.

Then we use the twins' special link to start the search operation.

We started looking the old way, after fifty minutes I got tired of looking in the dark I decided to launch a search pulse to finish realizing that the side tunnel they were looking for was indeed the place where the secret entrance to a forklift that lowered several more floors.

We meet the girls to announce the find, and try to go down the forklift shaft.

The entrance was hidden behind a false wall covered by one of those shelves with bottles, the twins coordinated with Georgie began to search throughout the room in control that opened the access hole to the forklift. I opted for a slightly more drastic but also much more effective solution.

Wait for my teammates to leave the room to extend their search for the access device to other areas of the tunnel to literally blow up the wall with a wind blow.

The twins came back scared and Georgie appeared on the threshold of the room with the cannon ready. Then they understood what had happened. Behind the huge gap was a pair of metal swing doors that must have belonged to the forklift system itself; They were very large doors, it was very obvious that this access was usually used to enter and remove not very current equipment from the complex.

Georgie helped me a little and we managed to open the access doors, a huge and vertical dark and deep tunnel down a few floors into the abyss.

Luckily the forklift drawer was down and the thick cables that raised and lowered it were visible from here, making the task of going down without killing yourself immensely easier.

To avoid Georgie's fear and the fact that the twins did not want to separate from each other I made the decision to go down myself first.

It just occurred to me that if I press the cable with my two units and activate the reverse while using the gauntlets to firmly grasp the cable, I may go down it more or less safely.

I held on tight to the cable and braided my legs against each other for better traction up or down, just as I planned.

Then I just dropped down, and started descending vertically, with the headlights of the units on. I can see inside the lift shaft as I go down. At some point I just touched something with the units and looking down I see that the end of the cable is here and just underneath is simply holding the forklift with the cable itself. I stand on the roof of the forklift, carefully, fearful that it may break from years of disuse or just rust and peek into the gap between the wall and the forklift, it's the top floor; from here I can see the floor of the forklift shaft.

Now I have to access the forklift and open its door to access the floor. It was easy, I found an opening that I could get in due to my small size. Once inside I only had to open the doors for which it was easier to destroy them, but I did not want to do it for fear of damaging what was on the other side. So I chose to cut one of the swing doors with a wind cut, I moved the edge across the door surface to cut a square entrance the size of an adult person; Enough so that we could access with the units equipped without having to bend down.

Before venturing to the new room, I told my colleagues and I assisted them during the descent, the worst part or the most difficult was when Georgie had to go down, she had to be calmly encouraged so that she would not be scared of the darkness of the hole. Once we were all together inside the forklift, gently pushed the cut steel plate so that everyone could see the other side of the room at once.

It was what looked like a reception and waiting room. It reminded me of the ones I saw during the Portal 2 game, only this one had no yacht posters, trophies, or red carpet.

Across the room were two doors, it could have made another pulse but it would have taken away the fun of discovering the secrets of a place that was supposed to be secret.

We spend the rest of the day searching for the place. In the end there were only eight rooms. One of them contained the generator room, which already had two groups, another was a kind of laboratory. There were also a few bedrooms, a few bathrooms, a dining room, and offices; some of them truly great.

In the end we decided to try to restore the electricity, it would not work, but at this point we lost nothing to try. We went to the generator room and saw that the starting system of the main engine was fried and rotten. However in the laboratory there was a device that, according to the documents; it transformed magic into electricity directly.

We couldn't use it to power the underground because it would force someone to stay here supplying electricity, but we could use it to start the generator motor.

After a few moments of experimentation and a little botch we managed to dock the engine, then we were lucky to find out who should activate the strange device.

How could it be otherwise I touched myself, applied mana to the device and the motor came to life purring at first and then roaring.

The lights came on, some exploded but many stayed on and we began to search in conditions for the subway.

At dinner time we met again in the dining room and put together all the pieces of information that we found separately.

Apparently this was Gallia's new technology research center that was dedicated to studying magic itself, but we also found that they studied neuroi. His studies went back to the time of the first crusade, a time that if I remember correctly about the history classes that Sybilla gave me when I arrived in this world, it was more or less during the first Karlslanders expeditions against what they called the Rätsel.

It coincided, at least in time. The research center's goal was to either control the neuroi or find an effective and efficient way to destroy it. With the discovery of their nuclei and the fact that if you destroy them you will destroy the entity itself they concluded that they needed a means to try to suppress and control the neurois.

The ultimate conclusion was that we discovered that the "control cylinder", the device in which the neuroi core was contained within the warlock, was designed at this institution.

We take all the documents and save them for delivery to Frau Katze when we see her in the future. Then we all went to sleep, well; I do not; I dedicated the necessary time to my daily chores and then if I went to sleep.

The next morning we used electricity to try to activate the forklift, which surprisingly managed to get us all up to the top floor without breaking. Then we went outside, closed the gate again, and wound the chain or what was left of it around the two gates, and left from there heading for the River Seine.


Gallia's liberation arch is almost closed, one more chapter and will be done.
By the end of the arc I will write another interlude. Ask whatever you want and I will answer in that interlude before starting the next arc.