Welcome back, everyone! So in this chapter, Daniel will be introduced to a whole new Joint Fighter Wing – the 502nd, a.k.a. the Brave Witches. I hope you like the insert of this group into this story!

November 4, 1944

Over the next week, Daniel took the time to say his goodbyes to the people in town he had gotten to know, and especially Yoshika and her family. While they were sad to see him go, they all understood that he could not ignore the call to duty. In particular, he thanked Yoshika and her family profusely for the hospitality they had shown. He also promised to write to them while on assignment.

Daniel also took the time to arrange for a proper set of winter clothing to be made for him. Finding a specialty shop in town, he purchased a parka, bomber-style hat (the one with earflaps), a pair of winter boots, a couple of heavy sweaters, a few heavy-duty long-sleeved shirts, several pairs of warm socks, and a couple of pairs of heavy-duty pants, which he special-ordered to have fleece material lined on the insides.

As it wasn't winter quite yet, and he had limited space in the cargo area of his fighter, he arranged to have these things sent to St. Petersburg, where he would receive them after he arrived. He also arranged to send a case containing bottles of a drink that he had taken a great liking to – a combination of yuzu juice and ramune that was similar to a slightly fizzy lemonade (quite refreshing, in his opinion) – to the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing's base.

On the morning of his departure, he was seen off by Major Sakamoto and Sergeant Hijikata, as well as Yoshika, her mother and grandmother, and Michiko – all of whom wished him luck. After thanking them, he promised Yoshika that he would keep in touch, and soon, he flew off into the wild blue yonder.

St. Petersburg, Orussian Empire

"So he's on his way now?...By tomorrow evening, huh?...Yes, I just received it last night….I will. Thanks, Major. I owe you one!" As she hung up the phone, a girl with slightly less than shoulder-length orange hair in a green Karlsland military uniform looked out her window, which overlooked the now-empty city, and smiled. 'Having him here will be a big help,' she thought to herself.

At that moment, she heard someone knocking on her office door. After gaining her permission, two other girls entered the office – one a shorter girl with similar-length hair, albeit this one's was more silver in color, wearing a grey and black Karlsland uniform. The other had slightly longer than shoulder-length blonde hair and wore an Orussian army jacket with a red star on her right collar.

"You wanted to see us?" asked the short, sliver-haired girl. "Indeed," said the carrot-top motioning for the other two to take a seat. "Although it looks as though Hikari is going to work out for us, she still needs quite a bit of training before she can be relied upon in a major combat situation," she started. The others nodded as she continued, "To that end, I was able to contact Major Sakamoto in Yokosuka, and she was able to recommend and arrange for us to get a skilled and experienced pilot to help in our fight against the new Neuroi nest – plus, we'll be getting an increase to our budget." The other two girls looked excited until she added, "He'll be arriving here by tomorrow evening."

At that moment, the other girls got a confused and concerned look on their faces. "Wait, did you say HE?" asked the silver-haired girl. The orange-haired girl nodded in response. The blonde then replied, "Nothing against Major Sakamoto's judgment, but how will a male pilot – even a very skilled one – help us against Grigori?" The carrot-top just smiled and replied, "Normally, your concerns would be warranted, and I wouldn't have even considered a male pilot." She then handed then a manilla folder containing a personnel record. "However, this pilot also just so happens to be the only known active Jedi knight in the world."

The other two witches then gasped slightly in surprise, as they looked at the personnel file, confirming what the orange-haired witch had just said. "Really? We're getting HIM?" asked the short silver-haired witch. "That changes things, then. No wonder you're excited," she said. "How exciting!" exclaimed the blond-haired witch. "I hear he has advanced technology that is amazing to behold – I hope I get a chance to really take a look!" The other two witches smiled and sweat-dropped at the same time, knowing that their friend and colleague was always excited to get her hands on the latest technologies – in whatever form they came in – whenever she had the opportunity.

The orange-haired witch then got up from her desk and said, "Well, let's gather the rest of the unit and tell them the good news. We need to prepare for his arrival." The other two gave a quick salute and said, "Yes, ma'am" simultaneously before exiting the office.

November 5, 1944

The trip to St. Petersburg was a lot more pleasant that Daniel had anticipated – something that he was very grateful for. Plus, thanks to his fighter's speed and fuel efficiency, he was able to make very good time. He had to make one overnight stop at an Orussian army base on the Asian side of the Ural Mountains. There, he was able to refuel his fighter, and refuel himself with a meal and a bed for the night, as well as breakfast the next morning.

After crossing the Ural Mountains, it was another few hours before he saw the city of St. Petersburg in the distance, just as the sun was getting ready to set beyond the horizon. He soon spotted the base of the 502nd Joint Fighter Wing and radioed them – telling them that he was about to land. As he powered down his fighter, he noticed a group of nine girls in the hangar waiting for him to emerge, with three in front of the rest. 'Probably the unit's ranking witches,' Daniel thought. As he pushed back the visor cover and exited the fighter, he removed his helmet, took a deep breath, and prepared for the ensuing set of introductions to his newly assigned comrades.

The unit's commander, Lt. Colonel Gundula Rall of Karlsland, was the first to greet Daniel and welcome him to St. Petersburg. A serious, yet cunning personality, Daniel could tell that the welcome was genuine, as was the fact that she really cared for everyone under her command. This was important, as it would help dictate his working relationship with his new carrot-topped commander. He would later learn that she was both a friend and rival to Commander Minna.

Flight Sergeant Edytha Rossman, despite her relatively low official rank, was the unit's flight instructor, having taught many Karlsland witches over the years, including Lieutenant Hartmann. For this reason, everyone called her 'Meister.' She was also very experienced in battle, not only with the 502nd, but also having fought against the Neuroi in Hispania. She was highly respected by everyone in the unit, something Daniel saw as well-deserved.

The 502nd's battle commander was Orussian native Captain Aleksandra Pokryshkin (she quickly told him to just call her Sasha like everyone else). A smart and level-headed girl, she was immediately curious about the fancy gadgets and technology he had brought with him. Daniel said that he would be more than happy to show her later, after he had gotten himself settled. He definitely felt that this girl was someone he could get really get along with.

Sergeant Hikari Karibuchi was a newcomer to the group, having joined only about a month prior in an unusual turn of events that saw her step into the slot meant for her older sister, Sub-Lieutenant Takumi Karibuchi. Although she had no previous combat experience, she tried to make up for it with her high stamina and enthusiasm levels. She was definitely eager to prove herself to the rest of the unit.

Flight Sergeant Nikka Edvardine Katajainen, or Nipa as everyone called her, was a very cheerful girl who always tried to keep everyone's spirits up and do things for her comrades when she could. Although she was most well-known for crashing and breaking her striker units in various ways, her enhanced self-healing special ability allowed her to take the punishment and always bounce back. As she introduced herself to Daniel, she told him that she had heard about him through Eila's correspondence, to which he replied, "Oh, you know Eila? Well then, a friend of Eila's is a friend of mine!"

Ensign Naoe Kanno was definitely someone you didn't want to cross, as she put up a tough exterior and definitely took a harsh tone in her conversations with most people. A more than capable fighter, she was always on Hikari's case, partly due to her inexperience, and partly due to the fact that she had been expecting the elder Karibuchi sister to join her in battle.

The next to greet Daniel was Lieutenant Waltrud Krupinski, who tried to give an air of nobility about her, and even tried to get Daniel to call her Countess, despite the fact that she wasn't from a noble background – something that seemed to be a constant source of consternation with Meister Rossman. Daniel also noticed that, while a nice person, she also tended to flirt rather intensely with the other witches in the unit who weren't superior to her in rank. 'Nothing wrong with that per se,' he thought to himself, 'but her brazenness would make even a lot of the playboys I knew in high school blush.'

Next was Flight Sergeant Sadako Shimohara, who, like Daniel, had undergone training under Major Sakamoto. "We'll have to trade stories on that later," he commented. A very smart and knowledgeable girl, thanks to having a scientist father who taught her quite a bit, Shimohara was also the one who did most of the cooking for the other witches there. At learning that, he offered his assistance if she ever needed it.

Right behind Shimohara was Ensign Georgette Lemare. A healer witch similar to Yoshika, she was gentle and good-natured, making her far easier to get along with than a certain other Gallian witch he knew. She was also one who tried her best to look out for the well-being of her fellow witches, though she could be very shy at times.

As Daniel took the time to observe and become accustomed to the group dynamic of the 502nd, he noticed that Hikari was provided significantly more training with a higher intensity level than the other squad members – even considering the fact that Hikari was inexperienced. When he asked Meister Rossman about this, she explained that this was not only due to Hikari's inexperience, but also the fact that her magic power output was lower than the average witch.

At this explanation, Daniel thought back to when he was starting his own training with Master Kenobi – specifically about how the Jedi master's lessons allowed him to not only control his powers, but also tap into a greater amount of energy for his techniques, while using them in a more efficient manner. As he considered this, he also remembered what Master Kenobi had told him upon passing the trials – that as a Jedi, he had a responsibility to pass on what he had learned to others. Although Hikari wasn't a Jedi, Daniel thought there were enough similarities between a Jedi's power and a witch's power where his knowledge would help her along.

Daniel then offered Hikari the opportunity to supplement the training she was receiving from Meister Rossman with some from him. Her face immediately lit up at the prospect of being the first student of the world's only known Jedi knight and she accepted the offer wholeheartedly. Rossman also agreed to allow Hikari the extra training, though partially out of curiosity as to how Daniel would be able to help her improve. At that question, Daniel invited the Meister, as well as anyone else who was interested, to observe.

The next morning, Daniel met Hikari in a part of the hangar where they could have space to move about. Meister Rossman was there, standing at a distance, along with Sasha, curious as to what Daniel was going to do. The first part of this modified training came in the form of meditation. While a Jedi's power came from the Force, which required a Jedi to search outward to connect with the universal energy source, a witch's power required a more inward search, as Daniel told Hikari to concentrate on connecting with her inner power and inner strength, and being able to channel all that within her.

Once Hikari was able to do this to a certain level of satisfaction, Daniel began the more physical aspect of his training, which mainly consisted of rhythmic and martial arts movements that combined tai chi with kung fu. He explained that these movements, combined with the meditation, would help her to be more efficient not only when she was moving in her striker unit, but also when she used her powers. With time, he felt that there was a good chance that she would be able to increase her magic power output.

They continued through this routine several times a week, with Rossman and Sasha observing on most days, and the rest of the unit dropping in on occasion. Shimohara even joined in once or twice – excited to have the opportunity to learn something from a Jedi knight!

A few weeks after he arrived, the winter clothing and case of yuzu ramune he had shipped from Fuso finally caught up to Daniel – and just in time, as a blizzard hit St. Petersburg a couple of days later, and with Hikari, Shimohara, and Georgette out on patrol, no less!

As the three witches were still out, and with the blizzard still raging to the point where going out to search for the missing patrol was impossible, it was up to someone else in the unit to prepare the meals. Early in the evening, Daniel was passing by the kitchen when he noticed Krupinski preparing what looked like some sort of soup, and had a stack of unopened tin cans in her food prep area. "What exactly are you making?" Daniel asked. Krupinski just smiled with pride as she responded, "I'm making a meal filled with love made from the finest ingredients that Meister had in her stash!"

As Daniel looked at the unopened cans, he saw that they were all filled with caviar – most of it very expensive, he guessed. "Does Rossman know you're doing this?" Daniel asked. Krupinski shook her head. "Nope. It's going to be a surprise!" Daniel paled at this declaration. Not only was she using these very expensive ingredients without the owner's permission, but he also knew enough about cooking that the end result would be disastrous if he didn't do something quick!

Luckily, Krupinski hadn't gotten further than just preparing a base of boiling water and some basic spices. Daniel then gathered up the cans of caviar, took Krupinski by her left arm, and dragged her out of the kitchen. "Put them back," he said sternly as he handed the cans of caviar back to Krupinski. She tried to protest, to which Daniel only repeated in an elevated tone, "Put them back!" As she took the cans in her arms, Krupinski asked, "But what about dinner?" Daniel quickly responded, "I'll take care of that. Just put the cans back where you found them and stay out of the kitchen!"

Once he was alone, he scoured the kitchen to see what ingredients were available. He was able to find a whole chicken, some root vegetables, some basic spices, dill, and some greens – enough to make some of his grandmother's chicken soup. He took the time to prepare a stock with the chicken bones before adding the root vegetables and the chicken (after he had boiled it and removed the skin). Once everything there was cooked, he added the greens, the spices and the dill and simmered everything until it was done. He then took the chicken skin, fried it, and chopped into bits to use as a topping.

While he wasn't as skilled a cook as Shimohara, he could tell that his comrades liked the soup he made, and was doubly glad that he had been able to prevent them from being served Krupinski's inedible creation. Plus, it was definitely something that was appropriate considering the blizzard raging outside!

The next day, just as it seemed that the blizzard would never end, the skies suddenly cleared, and the sun shone through. Shortly afterwards, the trio on patrol the previous day came through the hangar door safe and sound. After explaining that it was a Neuroi that had caused the blizzard and describing their harrowing experience battling the Neuroi-created elements, the rest of the unit was just glad that everyone made it out alright, but also knew that this could be a problem when dealing with the Neuroi in the future.

As the entire squad sat down to Shimohara's Fuso cooking for dinner that night, Daniel thought to himself, 'This is certainly an interesting group – complete with its own quirks and foibles.' And yet, he also felt that he wouldn't have them any other way.

Just FYI, while I realize that the ranks mentioned for each witch in the Brave Witches series are the British-used designations, I have converted the ones that I could to the Americanized version so as to be consistent with the rest of the story. For those who don't already know, the rankings translate as follows (at least the ones that I know of):

Pilot Officer = Ensign

Flying Officer = Lieutenant

Flight Lieutenant = Captain

Wing Commander = Lt. Colonel or Colonel

Also, I did a bit of guestimating in terms of the timeline – Daniel doesn't come to St. Petersburg until after Episode 4, but before Episode 5. I hope you've enjoyed this so far. Please let me know how you think I'm doing!