"If killing is such a sin, then why did you join up?"
000 September 1st, 1939 - Beach City - Deedee's Cafe
Soft music played over the cafe's radio as Deedee Fryman went about the business of running her soda shop serving customers, cleaning up messes and directing the wait staff. It had been several months since her friend had left to pursue her adventure and each day that passed without news her worries grew. At this moment she sat in the small back office trying to balance the checking accounts as her subconscious mind ran through a list of now familiar questions.
Why hasn't she written? Was she accepted and integrated into the military or was she subjected and run experiments on? Where is she, what is she doing? Will she come back?
She was just wrapping up the latest ledger when a knock at the door shook her from her idle thoughts. Glad for the welcome distraction she tucked the ledger away in its cabinet and clearing a place on the old wooden desk for the next task. "Come on in, what can I do for you?" she called to the door in a voice more pleasant than she felt.
"Deedee, it's me, may I come in?" asked a now familiar voice from beyond the door.
Deedee chuckled a bit to herself at the request "No offence on your lovely figure Rose but I don't think you'd fit, the office is pretty small. I'll come out and meet you at the back table."
"Okay, see you shortly, I have news of Pearl." replied Rose as her footsteps could be heard thumping across the floor in the direction of the dining area.
Deedee's breath caught in her throat, Rose didn't sound upset or put out so it can't be bad. With that in mind she finished clearing the desk before exiting the office; just as she was about to close the door she heard the radio news announcer started up after the last music set.
"It's war ladies and gentleman, last night around 6pm Greenwritch time attacks began all along the Polish and German border. Casualties are heavy among the civilian populations and there is some suspicions that these might have been be a false-flag attacks but no proof yet. Polish positions are being overrun and annihilated by German shock troops even as the two governments attempt last minute negotiations to avoid total war. It's not looking good out there folks, stay tuned for more news as this station hears more."
"My God" whispered Deedee to herself "It's really happening, just as she predicted, oh, be safe my friend, be safe and come home from all this" she pleaded weakly to the empty air. Closing and locking the office door she headed out towards the dinner area to see what news Rose had.
Making her way to the indicated back table she took a moment to check on the servers before sitting down across from the large woman in the white gown. "Anything to snack on Rose?"
"Yes, Pearl spoke highly of the pie and soda here; I think it's the only thing I've ever seen her eat" said Rose reading over the desert menu, but her voice lacked its usual upbeat tones.
After flagging down a waiter to take the order she returned her attention to Rose intent to to get information. "So Rose, I heard on the news that Pearl's predictions of war have come true and if I know anything about her I'd wager she's somewhere in the thick of it, do you have news of her?"
Rose nodded glumly, "Pearl is fine, I went to visit her just yesterday and she seemed to be in good spirits, she's integrated into the a human army, British Commandos if I recognize the uniform." she paused to take a deep breath before continuing and lowered her gaze to the table, unable to look Deedee in the eyes when she spoke. "She was in Poland and appeared to be getting ready for battle as she was dressed in combat fatigues and wearing a combat harness along with a large pistol on her hip."
Deedee leaned back in her chair to gaze at the ceiling for a bit as her imagination began a slideshow of various situations Pearl could be in at this moment. Images of her friend charging into battle with bullets flying and bombs exploding, others of her lying broken on the ground with a fractured gem, her body slowly fading to nothing.
"Deedee? Are you okay?", Rose's voice was soft as she reached across the table and gently prodded her friend back to the present. "I lost you for a moment there, don't let your imagination run too far, I'd know if Pearl was…. gone, and I know she's not. I do know that your guess is right, she's probably in the thick of things."
"That doesn't help much Rose" scoffed Deedee, "I already know my friend is in grave danger but there is nothing I can do about it! I mean, I figure you'd know if she was dead but what if she's captured or hurt and can't move, or her gem gets cracked or or, I don't know, something bad!" fretted Deedee as she began to stand up and turn towards the small office. But she hadn't taken two steps before a large hand reached out and stopped her then softly guided her back to sit down again.
"Deedee, you mustn't worry so much, how old did Pearl say she was? How many adventure stories has she told you? I've known her for thousands of years, through thousands of dangerous adventures and even an intergalactic war. Pearl knows what she's doing, she know's how to take care of herself." chided Rose as Deedee seemed to begin calming down at the reassurance that her close friend was, indeed, probably fine.
Seeing Deeded calming Rose continued doing her best to sound more cheery than she felt, "The best thing we can do for her is keep the home front working and functioning, you know how she gets when things aren't properly cleaned up or running at optimal efficiency. Can you imagine how she'd react when she returns home and finds that we'd spend all this time worrying and none of it actually doing anything?"
At this Deedeed finally relented and allowed herself to smile again as she looked out over the busy cafe and its bustling noisy customers carrying dozens of conversations. Somewhere a drink spilled followed by a brief curse as a man stood up to try and brush the liquid off his jacket.
"Oy, okay Rose, thank you for stopping buy and cheering me up, I gotta get back to the customers." said Deedee as she again stood and left the table, this time Rose didn't stop her.
000 Beach Temple
A few minutes later Rose was back at the Beach temple where she found Garnet mediating in the lava room, the fusion's legs were crossed with her hands resting peacefully on her knees. The fusion's usual eye cover was missing allowing all three eyes to be visible. On closer inspection Rose could see that there was tension behind those eyes as they were tightly squeezed shut and Garnet's body was lightly trembling.
Not wanting to disturb her friend and spoil whatever vision quest she was on Rose opted to seat herself opposite the Fusion of Love and await a vision of the future. Closing her eyes she settled herself in to relax and indulge in a dream of her latest boyfriend instead of the usual increasingly depressing news and visions.
After what felt like hours Garnet's eyes opened and took in the sight of Rose sitting across from her, the large woman was slumped over and nearly at the human equivalent of sleep. Her large pink hair had fallen forwards obscuring her face and light mumbling about someone named Antonio could be heard and the occasional giggle.
Sighing Garnet stood up and lightly rumpled Roses' hair to get her attention.
"Huh wuh!?" blurted Rose as she sat bolt upright with her large eyes searching for what had disturbed her rest. "Oh, Garnet, I see that you've come out of your trance, what did you see?" queried Rose once she had settled back down and remembered where she was and why.
"Pearl is fine but her oath is broken, she has killed and is in mental agony but she is otherwise safe and stable for the moment. I don't know where she is but she was in a human vehicle moving down a dirt road, the dawn wasn't far off. Sorry but I can't tell you more, the thread is very thin and it keeps breaking the moment I try and pull more information."
Rose nodded her understanding. Garnet's future vision was powerful but any vision into the future first required a seed to act as a starting point and even then it could only reliably pull in solid information related to that seed. Rose's visit to Pearl had provided the knowledge of general location and confirmation of impending action but nothing else to connect the thread into causing it to be very thin and unstable.
"Thank you Garnet, you did your best; at least we know she's okay. Now please, go and rest to recover as we may have need of your abilities again soon." soothed Rose as she helped Garnet to stand. Garnet, stoic as ever, just smiled and allowed herself to be lead to Rose's room where a soft bed of clouds awaited to rest her stiff and aching form.
000 August 31st, 1939 10:00pm - Gleiwitz radio building
She was exhausted, physically and mentally, her mind was numb and her eyes empty of emotion as she sat on the stone wall that had provided shelter during the firefight. Her eyes unseeingly surveyed the scene before her as the local police were taking statements, the medics were clearing the bodies, and all around the glow from a dozen fires provided ample light to see by. Her uniform was filthy having been through the dirt, mud, fires, gun powder residue, and the blood of her friend that had soaked into the wool as a dark stain. In her mind the firefight played as if a movie stuck on repeat as
"Pearl?" prompted a gentle voice, it was so soft it could have been a million miles away to her.
Gun battle, I don't have to kill them, just wound them….. Take cover! Get down…. BANG!
"Pearl? Please speak to me, Pearl?" the voice prompted again, a bit louder this time but full of worry.
Pearl's eyes suddenly stopped their randomly survey the area when two of the local police carrying a stretcher with a white sheet covering its occupant passed in front of her. From the blood stains and the bit of uniform visible from underneath it clearly Adelajda's body.
Blood everywhere, blood and brains on my face, in my cloths, her eyes are empty now, never to shine or sparkle or smile again. I hate them, they must pay! I'll kill them, I'll kill them !
"Pearl ! James get over here and help me out, I think she's in shock, maybe you can get through to her!" said the voice with a mix of worry and annoyance.
There! the killers! I tried to scare you away, to get you to surrender but you shot her anyway! BANG! BANG! He's screaming, stars it's so loud, they're dead, I killed them, I killed them!
"PEARL! Snap out of it! It's me, James, come back to us P, it's going to be okay love, come on P talk to us" pleaded another voice, this one gentler, one that brought happier thoughts, one that carried genuine warmth and caring behind the words.
"James? Frank? said Pearl softly as she fought through the waking nightmare to regain her senses. "I'm sorry, I'll explain later but right now, I think I need to rest, I'm not okay." whimpered the ancient gem.
"Sssshhhh, it's okay P" whispered James as he sat next to her and wrapped an arm around her to pull her close. "They're taking …. her… away now and we need to go with them to the police station, they have a telephone there we can use to contact Oziewicz and Edmund, can you stand?"
Pearl allowed herself to lean into him as she found the embrace oddly comforting. She felt the warmth of his body, listened to his deep steady breathing and to the faint sound of his heart beating steadily. "I wonder how he's so calm? I've seen dead humans before, seen human battles, I'm certain this was his first taste of actual combat. So how is he so calm? Sigh. I need to get moving"
"Yeah, I can stand, thank you James, I think I'll be okay for now but this has been…. more stressful than I imagined… it would be, I'm going to need some time to recover later" sighed Pearl as she slowly pulled away and stood up. Taking stock of her surroundings she located the other squad members climbing into the back of a beat up farm truck and started walking towards them with James following close behind.
"That makes two of us, well, five of us actually, the other's aren't looking so good either" noted James as they approached the truck. Checking inside they observed that Frank and James were already sound asleep slumped together against back of the cab while Darren was laid out on the floor snoring. "You take the bench, there's room on the truck bed for both me and Darren and I'm used to sleeping on the hard ground."
Too exhausted to argue Pearl climbed in and lay down on the thinly padded bench while James crawled in and with a low groan collapsed down on the for to immediately fall into a deep sleep. Lying awake on the bench her restless mind refused to calm down or grant her a moment's peace, singing to herself she rolled on her side to watch her comrades sleep. It was a habit she had developed while they stayed at the Skierniewice barracks as she kept watch over the squad to keep them safe from harm. Finding peace at last that her squad was safe for now, her mind finally relaxed and her eyes drifted closed into the Gem equivalent of sleep.
A moment later the driver's door slammed shut and the engine roared to life; with a sudden jerk the truck lurched forwards and began the hour long drive to the local police office.
~{0}~ Brief scene at the local police station - August 31st - 11pm
The drive from the radio station battle to the local police station wasn't an especially long distance, but it took an hour just the same. Since the attack roadblocks had been put up and the town folk where out in the streets trying to evacuate the town or gathered supplies to weather the storm. The result was a level of congestion previously unknown in the sleepy town.
Once the small group arrived at the local police office Darren went in on his own to make their report using the stations telephone while the rest of the squad remained in the truck to rest. To their surprise he returned only a few minute later carrying a large satchel over his shoulder and a grim expression on his face. It didn't take a psychologist to guess that something had gone wrong. Hopping up into the bed of the truck he rapped twice on the back of the cab and called for the driver to head for the A4 Autostrada at best speed.
"That was fast, what happened in there Darren?" inquired James sleepily, still laid out on the floor with his arms behind his head.
Hearing the beginnings of a conversation Pearl pulled herself out of her ruminations on the last few hours to sit up on the bench and look towards Darren who was settling back onto the truck bed.
The low rumble of the engine starting and the truck jerking into motion briefly roused Frank and George from their slumber. "You look pretty worked up, news not so good then is it?"
Taking a moment to look over his squad he closed his eyes and got himself comfortable before beginning his explanation. "Good guess George, yes the news isn't good and it was brief because the phone line got cut half way through the report. I only had enough time to relay a quick summary but Oziewicz wasn't interested; as we heard on the radio there are attacks up and down the frontier and reports of German units crossing the border."
At this news the squad exchanged worried looks. The cable being cut meant that there were indeed many more infiltrators instigating sabotage and violence across the land. What's worse is that they were now in the middle of a warzone with no support, no backup, and no definitive orders. In short, they were going to be on their own for the foreseeable future.
"Everyone ready for me to continue? Good. So, what I did get is that Britain wants us to make haste to escape back to Britain or link up with the nearest available friendly allied troops."
Pearl couldn't believe was she was hearing, the grief and shock from earlier returned in full as anger surged through her. "Wait, Darren, are you saying that we're not going to back-up or fight with the Pols? Didn't we just spend weeks training them and bonding with them and now we're going to run home? Hell we just fought a group of Germans a few hours ago, Adelajda was killed and it's a damn miracle the rest of us got out of it in one peace! And now, and now…."
Abruptly the anger vanished as Pearl realized she was now standing up in the truck as the squad was staring at her. She was expecting anger on their faces but instead all she saw was sympathy, even Darren who normally expected good discipline didn't look upset.
"Sorry, just still feeling the shock from earlier" she said quietly as she eased herself back down onto the bench. "Please continue Darren, I won't be a problem", her voice low and pained.
"It's okay Pearl, everyone is a bit shaken up and allots happening all at once; just try and get a handle on your emotions as its only going to get uglier from here out." replied Darren.
"So, what's our next step? I heard you call for the driver to head for the A4, are we making a run north?" asked Frank from up near the cab.
"Yep, the police chief gave us a bag of civilian clothes to change into if we need to and some false documents to pretend to be civilians if stopped. Frank and George, you were helping farmers with some imported equipment. Me and James are bankers who had come along to help with the loan and Pearl, our secretary." Said Darren as he nudged the large satchel with his foot, taking the queue James reached down to pull it up where the others could see inside.
"Okay but the A4 runs along the border, we'll run into German's for sure won't we?" inquired George as he checked the clothing within. It was a mix of old farm and office wear.
"Yes but they'll be thin, we expect the main units to be driving deep into Poland, only a thin rear guarded will be left behind and we can void them easily enough, plus all the civilians moving around will create allot of confusion and easy cover. We just have to move fast to take advantage of all this chaos before it settles into the lockdown routines of occupation. As for fighting back, we're to record enemy movements, structure, and conduct sabotage where we can confidently do so." Concluded Darren confidently.
"Okay, everyone get some rest, Pearl, since you don't need to sleep or rest you go first watch."
To her surprise Pearl didn't feel offended in the slightest, rather just curious and a little cautious as apparently Rose was having Garnet keep track of her. "That was fast, I confirm I'm not human and you guys are already looking for ways to leverage that? You do remember that I said that I'm not allowed to use my Gem abilities right?"
"Don't worry Pearl, we haven't forgotten, it's just to keep watch while us weak humans rest up. Oh, by the way, you'll need to tell us if there is anything special we should know to help you if you're injured. I suspect our basic first aid won't work on you right?" soothed James as he resettled himself on the floor to rest.
A moment later the human members of the squad were sound asleep and she was again left along with her thoughts.
000 Farmers truck on route A4 autostrada (Poland) – August 31st, 1939 – near midnight.
Mediation eluded her, she didn't really expect to be able to fully rest given her position on the bench and circumstances but it was worth it to make the attempt. She was feeling better than she did a few hours ago but the breaking of her oath still weighed heavily in her thoughts. "Sigh I killed them, both of them in cold blood. They weren't a threat anymore and I killed them anyway" she mumbled quietly to herself staring at the night sky and the bright stars overhead.
"Don't worry P, it's going to happen again soon but will be much easier next time; though honestly it's all going to come back and haunt us later when it's done." Looking down from her place on the bench Pearl was surprised to see James was awake and apparently able to think.
"What do you know of killing? I was under the impression that this is your first combat experience?" replied Pearl skeptically. Meditating wasn't working, may as well try talking.
"Well, my father sent me to work on a farm for a year, said it would be good for me to round out my experiences, one of my jobs was to slaughter cattle for the butcher shop. At first it was painful and I felt terrible but eventually I just got used to it." said James quietly so as to not disturb the other members of the squad who by now were sound asleep.
"Killing humans is allot different than killing cattle you know. Besides, I've seen humans die before, often violently, when I fought for Earth's independence from Homeworld, so humanity could be free, I took an oath to stand aside and let human civilization develop without Gem interference. That oath also included to do protect and act as guardians to humanity, not to kill them or participate in their wars. Tonight I broke both parts of the oath, and in cold blood no less as those two soldiers weren't a threat, they were retreating without their weapons!" cried Pearl as she felt her eyes grow wet as her grief and pain began to surface again.
Sitting up from the truck bed James reached over to pull her into a gentle hug to try and calm his friend. "Hey dry those tears P, it's okay P, you're not alone in this and if it helps it's not easy for me either; it's just, I guess my time at the farm got me passed the initial shock of being up close to death. But I have yet to come to terms with the fact that I've also committed the sin of killing another man."
Pearl held the embrace for a moment taking solace in James's firm grip and warmth before pulling back to look back out at the night sky again. "What do you mean committing a sin?"
"I was never really that religious, but my parents were and insisted that we go to church every Sunday to pray to the lord in heaven. The bible and the priests say that God gave Moses ten basic commandments on which to build upon and guide the faithful to guide their lives and how they should treat each other. The fifth commandment was "Thou shalt not kill". replied as he adjusted himself to sit next to her. "It means that unless I make amends or justify it then my soul gets a mark on it that would damn me to hell in the afterlife."
"I see, but if killing is such a sin then why did you join up?"
"My grandfather was in the first war you know, the 'great war' he never talked about it, every time I asked he would just say that he wished that no man would ever have to go through what he had or see the things he'd seen. I guess I signed up because I figured it was my duty to family and country, after all, if no one stands up to fight then who will push back against evil?"
Pearl took a moment to think this revelation over, realizing that it's not all that different from the oath she took herself. "I see, I guess that means that you and I are closer in situation than I realized, I'm sorry I didn't inquire earlier, I've been so caught up in my own worries and troubles I'd clearly forgotten the impact this must be having on all of you."
"Meh, don't worry about it P, water under the bridge and seeing as you're from another planet I can hardly blame you for not being clued in… but for someone with 6,000 years on earth you sure are a bit clueless on humans." said James with a hint of a smile forming.
James stopped talking for a moment to just lean back and allow his eyes to take in the woman who sat before him, she'd since returned to looking at the stars and he couldn't help but marvel at her. Here before him sat a creature from another world, entirely alien and yet so very human in her failings and worries. She must have noticed him gazing at her as she coughed lightly into the air. Startled out of his thoughts he noticed she was now smirking back at him.
"Remember James, friends only." She teased lightly.
"Ahem, right then. So Pearl, do Gem's have a concept of an afterlife or sins or heaven?" prompted James with a bit of embarrassment at being caught again and now fervently wishing to return to the previous conversation.
"Gem culture doesn't really have a concept of an 'after life' as humans would understand. When a Gem is badly wounded they just poof and retreat into their Gem until ready to reform, and if the gem is shattered beyond repair then the parts manifest as uncoordinated limbs, much like the Zombies in that comic book of yours. If a Gem is to be discarded or no longer needed, well, then we are 'poofed' and used as a kind of battery for machinery." replied Pearl softly as from the depths of her memory images of some of her old comrades in arms brought long forgotten faces and names emerged.
A long silence stretched out between the two soldiers as both leaned back against the truck's wall to stare up into the night sky and its glittering sea of stars above. Finally, after a few minutes Pearl turned to James and took his hand in her own, then lifted it to point to a cluster of brighter stars off just a little south of the north star. A trio of bright yellowish stars twinkled back.
"That's where I'm from, Homeworld is in that distant galaxy. It's been over 6,000 years and I wonder what's happening back there, was there ever another rebellion, are the Diamonds still in control. I wonder, being wrapped up in this war, if I'm making some kind of mistake, that perhaps Rose, my leader, was right and involving myself in this war will bring ruin to humanities civilizations" said Pearl as she tried not to choke up as her worries and fears remained strong.
"I fear, I fear that now that the German's know about Gem's, that they'll seek out our technology or the remnants of the Homeworld invasion and turn it against the free world. That through my involvement I've somehow ushered in the ruination of all that I've fought for, all that I've tried to protect, all that we've achieved. All because I got an idea in my head and ran off to adventure." The tears were flowing freely now as she couldn't hold back the tide of emotions any longer.
Shifting his arm across her shoulders to pull her close James just held her and let her cry as he whispered reassurances to her that everything would be fine and that she wasn't alone.
000 Farmers truck on route A4 autostrada (Poland) – September 1st, 1939 – early morning
It was early morning with the sun just a warming glow on the horizon as the truck pulled off the A4 highway and into the midst of a small farming village. Pearl had taken over driving duties a few hours ago, their driver, a Pvt Kaplan she had learned, was resting on the passenger side bench. She'd tried speaking to him to strike up some conversation earlier but found that he spoke little English and didn't seem much for words anyway, his mind was clearly elsewhere. She did learn that he'd been assigned to the squad to act as a guide to get them to the next city and that his only kin was a brother back in Warsaw who worked as a painter.
The highway was surprisingly devoid of German invasion units just as Darren had predicted, the main force was moving rapidly deeper into Poland leaving only a few patrol units behind and those were easily avoided. What was common on the road were civilian refugees who were trying to make their way to safer territory, or at least so they thought as in Pearl's experience once an invading force had secured the territory they would consolidate and enforce their own rule of law across the land.
Seeing a fueling station she pulled the truck in behind the low service building where it wouldn't be as visible from the main road and shut off the engine. The stopping didn't go unnoticed by those in the rear as she soon heard stirring from the cargo area's occupants. Hopping out of the cab she and Kaplan made their way to the rear to get the jerry-can's to begin the process of refueling and servicing the truck.
"Oy, why are we stopping" yawned George as he poked his head out from the cargo area. "I see we're off the main road, was there some trouble or enemy to avoid?"
"Nope, it's had been a long drive and the fuel gauge was showing the tank half-empty. I felt best to refuel when they had the chance and things were still quiet and the sky not yet bright giving some limited cover of darkness." Replied Pearl as she made her way around to the front to begin filling the fuel cans.
"Why we stopped?" asked Frank as he too shook the slumber from his body and sat up. Across the truck bed James and Darren had already gotten up and were standing outside the truck looking around. "Fuel and rest stop" replied George and gestured in the direction of the pumps.
"Smart idea, we never let our ships get below half-fuel too just in case the next port wasn't friendly or there was some long delay. Simple rule but it kept us out of trouble." Replied Frank thoughtfully as he adjusted his boots and hopped out to walk around and stretch.
Heading around to the front James found Pearl dutifully hard at work running the hand operated fuel pumps and transferring the gas into the jerry-cans. Already Pvt Kaplan was making his way back towards the truck with two full cans while Pearl was filling up a second pair. Once finished James collected them to be taken back to the truck while the first was brought back; soon a form of bucket brigade was formed until the truck was fully filled along with the spare cans.
By the time the truck was checked over and everyone was ready the sun was just over the horizon and the morning light was spreading over the land giving illumination to everything. Pvt Kaplan was about to start up the car when the unmistakable sound of an engine and squeaking wheels was heard approaching the station, a moment later the noise stopped followed by doors opening and people talking loudly in German. One of the German patrols had stopped at the station; all conversation and noise stopped as the squad quietly readied their weapons for a fight, hoping that it was just a small group and they would leave without a fight.
No such luck. One voice was growing louder and footsteps could be heard approaching the side of the building. Thinking quickly Pearl jumped out of the cab and ducked into the bushes on the side of the driveway then began to move quickly and quietly as only a Gem could towards where the German soldier would soon emerge to wait in ambush.
Back in the truck Darren and James laid their rifles on the rear truck gate to get some limited cover and steady their rifles while behind them Frank and George slipped over the sides to take cover behind the large truck's wheels. If it came to a shoot-out they were as ready as they could be but the first shot would surely alert the rest of the enemy and re-enforcement's would be called in.
They needn't have worried for as soon as the soldier rounded the corner he only had a moment to see and process the truck and soldiers in front of him when a second later a blur flashed from the bushes and grabbed him into a sleeper hold. The man kicked and struggled for a moment but he was no match for Pearl's enhanced strength, a moment later he went limp as she dragged him into the bushes with only a light rustling of the brush and footprints to mark that the attack had taken place.
"Holy crud, remind me never to make Pearl mad" remarked James dryly as Pearl emerged from bushes next to the truck. Pearl apparently heard him as she looked up at him with a cocky grin.
"Darren, what's our move? We only have a few moments before they come looking for their friend, I heard six voices and the single engine we heard sounded like a small patrol vehicle, not a tank or big truck" inquired Pearl as she eyed the roof of the small service building.
Following her gaze Darren looked-up and apparently started thinking the same thing. "Okay, James and Pearl, up onto the roof. George and Frank go to the side of the building and wait for the shooting to start, I'm going around the other-side. We'll catch them by surprise from all around. Any objections?" There were none and the squad quickly took up their positions.
Reaching the top of the roof Pearl and James crawled on their belly's to the edge and looked down at the scene below. As predicted there was only a small armored scout vehicle with two men attending to it accompanied by a motorcycle with rider drinking from a canteen.
Steeling herself for another round of shooting, and killing, Pearl readied her rifle and took aim at the man on the motorcycle when James nudged her and pointed at the scout car. Nodding her understanding the two of them shifted their aim on the unsuspecting men below. Waiting a breath… checked her shot was lined up… then both soldiers squeezed the triggers.
Instantly the scout vehicle was splashed red as two thunderous rifle cracks split the morning air, the two Germans dropped to the ground without a sound or shout from either of them. The one on the motorcycle was luckier as he immediately kick started the bike and revved the engine as the bike jerked into motion and began to accelerate. He didn't get far as two more rifles sounded out as with a spray if red mist the man's body jerked to the side and fell off the bike. Now riderless it continued for a few feet before tipping over and running into a ditch with the engine idling.
As was practiced hundreds of times during training, the squad did not immediately move from cover or assume the area was clear of the enemy. Rather they waited a full five minutes, eyes scanning the roads and nearby countryside while their ears listened for the slightest human made noise. Once satisfied that the ambush was successful they reconvened around the scout vehicle and began the grim work of hiding the bodies and clearing the scene. It had to look as normal as possible lest any other passing patrol spot the vehicle or bodies and call in reinforcements. A few minutes later the bodies were in the ditch behind the station covered with brush while the scout vehicle and motorbike were tucked in behind with their truck.
"That went surprisingly well, seems the coast is clear. What do we do with our sleeping friend there?" asked James as he looked towards the bushes where their captive lay unconscious.
"Should we kill him? We don't want him talking or relaying to his friends that there are active military units in the area attacking the rear guard" suggested Frank as he checked rifle.
"We should let him live, I'm quite certain this isn't the only patrol the German's are losing contact with as I'm also certain we're not the only group running around hunting their troops. Besides, it's one thing to kill in ambush an obvious and credible threat; it's quite another to kill someone who is unable to even defend themselves and is no current threat" countered Pearl. There had been enough killing these last few hours and despite the recent conversation with James in the truck she wanted to at least try and keep it honorable.
Darren took a few moments to think as he weighed the different arguments presented before finally arriving at a decision. "Cut his achilles tendon and leave him to wake up on his own. Pearl's ambush was fast enough that he can't have seen anything and his memory will be fuzzy, with a cut tendon he won't be able to fight and will be sent home."
"Thank you Darren, that sounds like a good compromise" said Pearl with more than a hint of relief in her voice.
With that Frank made his way into the bushes carrying his combat knife and a small role of bandages. A few moments later he returned sans bandages and cleaning blood off his knife with a handkerchief. "Jobs done, he'll live but won't be doing any fighting for some weeks."
Some tapping from Pvt Kaplan go the squad's attention to see that he was pointing at the scout vehicle and motorcycle urgently and gesturing to indicate movement and travel.
"I think he means that we should take those vehicles, it's a good idea, if we look like we belong then we'll have an easier time moving around in daylight to make faster progress." suggested George as he walked over to inspect the interior of the little vehicle. "Success! Looks like we got a map and a short range radio in hear, we can listen in on German units and relay some of this info to our own troops!"
"Good word George, anyone else before we put plan to action?" asked Darren
"I think it's a light recon vehicle, there's room for three in here, those look like light machine guns mounted on it and it looks to be a quick little scout car. If our German friend there will donate his uniform, we can have one on on lookout above and the others can be hidden inside the interior but it would be a bit cramped." said Pearl thoughtfully as she too examined the vehicle more closely.
"What about Pvt Kaplan? There isn't room for everyone in that thing?" asked Frank eyeing the motorcycle. "Kaplan, do you know how to ride that thing? Yes? Great, Darren let's let him ride that, he can more easily guide us along the roads, hide, and move about with it."
"Let's not ditch the truck, it's fully fueled and will come in handy if we encounter any more soldiers or civilians. Frank can handle the truck and follow the scout car; he can use his cover if stopped but those in the scout and Kaplin should be able to give enough warning for him to park under cover." added James
"Good call, James, okay anymore ideas? No, break and let's move people." Commanded Darren as he moved towards the bushes. "I'm about the same size as our captive so I'll wear the uniform, the rest change into civilian clothes and stow the uniforms in the satchel."
A few minutes later with extra gas stowed in nets on the rear of the scout ca, Frank in the truck ready to move out, Darren assumed look out of the scout car while Pearl drove and Kaplan raced ahead on the bike. It wasn't long before the group passed by more German units but owing to their hastily plan and cover no one gave them a second glance as they sped past looking like they had places to be.
Back on the A4, Pearl pushed the throttle and brought the car up to its maximum speed to cover as much distance as possible before their cover could be compromised.
"So far so good, let's pray it stays that way" mumbled Frank as he quietly up Pearl's rifle to cut a third notch in it then a fourth into his own.
000 End chapter 11
Author's Notes
Hello Readers
I'd like to extend a big thank you to 'Martyrex' who included my story on his latest Youtube video documenting his favorite fanfictions. If you haven't heard of him before please look up his channel under the name 'Marco Hanenbergh'; is a nice little series of videos explaining fandoms, animations, fanfictions, and more to those who are new to the subject.
So Martyrex, if you're reading this, Thank you very much for featuring this story 8-)
To everyone else, please like, subscribe, favorite, and of course, leave a Review to let me know how I'm doing with the story and if there are suggestions or ideas on what to-do next.
000 History Notes
Not much in the way of historical facts this time around. I didn't have much access to internet while writing this chapter and so researching events, maps, etc was much more difficult.
A4_autostrada_(Poland) – Only small sections of this had been completed in 1939 by the Polish Government. The German's expanded it during their occupation to aid in supply routes and troop movements but it still didn't connect along its full planned route. For the sake of this story we're pretending that it was much more complete in 1939 or at least the route was fully planned out and consisted of passible roads be them improved gravel or pavement.
Leichter Panzerspähwagen – Small German scout car with a crew of three, two mounted light machine guns, and light armor. Built for speed over mild terrain it had a small radio for short range communications with command posts. It served the German army well and is currently the commandeered property of Pearl's squad as they make a break for safety.
German Invasion of Poland – The actual invasion began almost at the same time as the false-flag attacks across the frontier. Contrary to popular belief invasion fronts are actually very fluid and not set lines of enemy territory or friendly territory. Even during later stages of the war the 'front line' was very porous and it was common for small units from both sides to find themselves, sometimes by total accident, on either side of the 'line'. In the early chaos of the invasion of Poland the main focus was to drive to Warsaw and take the city, little attention was paid to securing the rear areas beyond supply lines and the beginnings of an occupation force.
A note on why the chapter was late an has a few more typos than usual.
I posted this early as I wasn't sure when I would next have access to reliable internet or time to login and perform the needed formatting and setup prior to posting. I had been on travel the those weeks which had induced quite a delay in writing anything. I present to you this little diddy by way of explanation and to share some of my travel experiences.
I'm waiting here I sit, stuck in an airplane seat
Its twenty-three hours' flight with two small kids
I'm burnt out here I sit, jetlagged and still no rest
Trying hard to keep my sanity among all the madness
I'm visiting here I sit, chatting with relatives
Kept so busy I have no time to think of plots
I'm planning here I sit, stuck with no internet
Trying to find a way to get online that's fast enough
I'm happy here I sit, I've found fast internet
But I have no laptop with which to type or plan
I'm typing here I sit, writing six thousand words
Thinking of my deadlines and how late I am
I'm medicated so here I sit, cursing food poisoning
Wondering why Indonesia always makes me sick
I'm typing here I sit, cursing Telkomsel
For not giving me access to fanfic net
I'm grouchy here I sit, cursing Indo-Government
For censoring fanfic webs and blocking websites
I'm happy here I sit, I've found my Internet
Time to quickly post before my free time runs out
I'm offline here I sit, planning my flight back home
The next update will be in January when I have time