"That is the most stupid, bold, un-fair, mean, brazen all around unsporting deplorable dishonorable idea you've had yet. We're bound to get caught and definitely get killed!"
"Okay, well, do you want to steal a tank or not?"
"... yes"
000 Present Day Beach City
It was pouring rain outside with occasional flurries of snow lit by the frequent flashes of lightning bolts skittering across the low clouds. Out in the bay the fishing boats bobbed and swayed in the blowing winds as the powerful nor'easter lashed the coast with nature's fury. All through Beach City the residences huddled in their homes doing their best to stay calm and pass the time as they waited for the storm's fury to move past them.
Inside a certain house perched above the pristine, but not always peaceful, beach cradled by the protective arms of a motherly statue a battle raged.
"Go right go right! drive right! YES! We made it!" shouted Steven in triumph as he nearly tossed his controller into the air.
"Not yet Stev-O, we made into the military base, but the best is yet to come. Pick up that controller and follow my character!" said Amethyst with a menacing grin as she guided her avatar through the military base blasting anything and everything with her heavy machine gun.
"What do you mean? We stole the cop car, we blew up the jets, robbed the banks and rampaged about town? How can it get better?" inquired Steven as he picked up his own remote and steered his own avatar to follow after Amethyst's
Pearl smiled as she listened to the two playing their video games as she read through the latest edition of Air and Space magazine. This particular issue celebrated the life of the recently passed John Glenn as it covered his exploits and rise to fame as a pilot and astronaut.
"We're going to steal the tank" replied Amethyst with no small amount of malice in her voice and a crazed gleam in her eyes. "With the tank the police won't be able to stop us at all and we can just blast our way into the banks or enemies!"
On hearing this Pearl set down her magazine and climbed up onto the loft bed to watch the two young-lings play their video games on Steven's new big-screen TV that Gregg had bought him.
"Hey P! Want to watch us steal the tank and rampage around town!?" cackled Amethyst
"Hey yeah, maybe you'd like to join us and play too? It gets a little hard when the screen is split three way, actually, how about you use mine for now!" said Steven in an attempt to persuade his mom.
Grinning to herself Pearl sat down and accepted the console controller from Steven, after taking a moment to get used to it she soon had the avatar running around … trying to fix things.
"You know, I actually did for real steal a tank and went on a rampage with it." teased Pearl as Amethyst's character climbed into a virtual tank on screen and began to drive it around.
Smiling even larger at Steven and Amethyst's stunned reactions Pearl paused the game and settled in for story time. "It was 1939 and we'd been driving for a day or two after the battle of Pozan. We had been doing pretty well avoiding the Germans but on the second day…."
000 Poland September 4rd 1939 - just outside the town of Kwieciszewo
The mistake happened; such a small thing but it changed everything for the squad.
A simple turn down what should have been a long straight farming road had lead them on an easterly heading instead of the intended north one. On attempting to turn around and backtrack they noted the tell tail dust clouds and air-cover of a large German formation heading in the same direction. Their decision made for them they had no choice to to press on-wards and hope another opportunity presented itself in the form of friendly Polish troops or a new route north.
"Bollox! We're getting nowhere!" shouted Darren to the heavens in exhaustion and frustration as they turned down yet another farm road and were soon surrounded by a small wood. He was sitting half-out of the turret in the fresh breeze trying find landmarks he could compare to their map.
"Shush! Don't yell or you're bound to alert some nearby enemies or something and get us in trouble" cautioned George from his position inside the cars small turret. A grough harrumph of agreement was heard from Frank who was sitting on the back of the car with James as they took their turns outside in the breeze instead of the cramped car interior.
Pressing on through the thick brush the road narrowed and degraded till it was barely wide enough for the scout car and the ground beneath the wheels grew soft. It wasn't long before the heavy scout car's wheels found a patch of mud and lost traction.
"Bloody hell! Seriously! How are we this RUBBISH !" shouted Darren as he began to lose his composure and punched the side of the turret. "Youch! Fek Fek Fek" he grumbled as he rubbed his now sore knuckles, "Fek it, I'm going for a walk, everyone can relax, I'll be back in five". With that he climbed out of the turret, hopped down to the soft ground where he paused to kick the offending tire before storming off into the brush to try and regain his composure.
Surprised by the sudden outburst from their normally calm and cool under pressure leader the squad simply sat in silence, each of them pondering what to do next. Finally it was George to break the all enveloping silence. "Should we go after him? There are Jerry's everywhere out here and if he's on his own he won't have support if anything comes up."
"No, give him some time. Poor guy must be under tremendous stress, what with being leader and all he must feel like he can't let himself be seen as weak around his group. My father was kinda like that at the family house; always stoic and never showing much emotion. Except around ma, when he thought myself and my brother's weren't around he would be in his study just talking and venting while ma listened and tried to comfort him." surmised James glumly as he climbed out of the car to get some fresh air. "Care to join me for a rest?" he asked the others.
Finding a comfortable spot he sat down in the grass next to the car, a moment later the others joined him in leaning next against the car to rest in the pleasant sun and breeze.
"Rose would sometimes go off like this too after a particularly costly battle or failed raid on the Home-world bases. She always appeared happy and cheerful to the troops but in private when it was just the two of us she would let down the facade and just vent." shared Pearl "Actually, I think I could do with some meditation time as well, my energy reserves are depleted."
Taking her leave Pearl headed into the woods figuring she could find a quiet clearing to meditate and maybe even check in on Darren to make sure he was okay. A minute later she found her ideal clearing under an ancient oak tree that showed signs of pollarding with fresh green grass growing all around it. Sitting down she holstered her pistol to place it in her lap (just incase) before she closed her eyes and willed herself to relax, to forget the world and let the sounds of the forest sooth her. Still as a statue she opened her ears and mind to the forest; while not as soothing as the waterfalls back home it was adequate to let her begin to rest and recharge her energy reserves.
The wind swaying the trees … birds calling each-other …. the creak of ancient branches bending and swaying … the rustling of a small animal in the brush … clank of metal on metal …. birds singing … the scent of flowers in the air … voices in German with more metal sounds … the soft rustling of animals … "Wait what? Clank of metal?" she almost shouted that but remembering where she was whispered instead.
Opening her eyes she once again opened herself to the forest's sounds, this time alert and searching for the sounds again. "Are the boys working to get the car unstuck? No, that was German I heard." Just as she was about to dismiss it as her imagination she heard it, loud this time and gradually growing closer; the tell tale sounds of an approaching heavy armored vehicle. "Best check that out, see what's around" she whispered as she got up to move deeper into the woods towards the source of the sounds.
Making her way brush she moved as if she was a phantom, always waiting for some background noise of the forest before moving to mask any sound she might make. Gradually a clearing became visible through the trees that eventually resolved itself into an improved dirt road running through the forest. Peeking from cover she spied the source of the sound's she'd heard earlier, a convoy of trucks and halftracks was passing through the forest. Looking down where they were going she could see a larger clearing with what appeared to be tents and a few watchtowers, but from her low vantage point down the road she couldn't see much more.
Having seen enough she withdrew back into the forest to report her findings; the squad needed to hear about this development soon. Once she felt she was safely away from the road she turned around and came face to face with the wrong-side of a Mauser K98 rifle pointed at her head. "Ah crud, caught without an energy boost and if I make a move he'll either shoot my gem or miss and alert everyone with the shot" she thought with a heavy dose of irritation, "Might as well try talking to him"
"Um, hello, don't mind me, just passing through, don't mind me" she ventured using her best meek voice to try and throw the German soldier off guard.
Apparently it didn't have any effect as the soldier just frowned and shoved the rifle into her chest then gestured for her to start walking. When she made no motion to move he made a show of loading a fresh cartridge and tapped his finger against the trigger in silent threat.
"Not buying it are you, okay, fine, I'll play along" said Pearl dropping the act and began walking as slowly as she could manage in an attempt to stall and build up energy in her limbs.
She'd only taken a few steps when she nearly cried out in surprise and pain as the rifle's muzzle was jammed into her back hard enough to knock her to her knees. "Nnnhhh argh that hurts; you'll pay for that." she growled as she looked back at her captor with eyes full of fury.
By way of reply the soldier just shrugged and raised his rifle to her chest; apparently he'd decided that keeping her alive would be too much trouble after-all. Closing her eyes Pear she dumped what little energy reserves she had into her limbs to make one last attack or dodge.
Instead of a rifle shot she heard a low whistling and opened her eyes just in time to see the soldier turn to look at the sound; and receive a heavy rock to the face knocking him out. Frozen in pace by shock at her near-poofing experience she could only lay on the ground and stare at the still form of the unconscious soldier as Darren and James ran up to her.
"Good throw Darren, got him right in the face on the first try, no sound too!" complemented James as he arrived and knelt down next to Pearl. "Hey love, are you okay, you're not wounded or anything are you, I didn't hear a shot so I assume he must have hit or stabbed you?" he was trying to hide it and sound confident but the shakiness of his voice betrayed just how shaken he was.
Smiling up at him as she allowed him to help her to her feet she brushed the dirt from her uniform and checked herself over. "I'm fine, just a little sore in the back where I was jabbed but otherwise just a little shaken, it was a near thing, you two showed up just in-time"
"Yeah, we got worried when Darren returned before you did and quite a bit of time has passed. We came looking for you and found you held at gunpoint .. scared the daylights out of me you did" confessed James as he too looked her over and checked her back for injury.
"Well, all well that ends well, what's say we go check out that camp. Frank and George have got the car un-stuck and should be along shortly; figured we should all stick together as much as we can so we don't have a repeat of this eh?" said Darren confidently. Apparently the time alone had done him some good as his confidence seemed to have returned.
A moment later George and Frank emerged from the brush and helped to strip the captive of his uniform before tying him to a nearby tree to keep him from alerting his friends.
With a third captured uniform Pearl, Darren and James now looked the parts of German soldiers and officer which would make it easier to slip through or observe un-noticed.
~{0}~
A little later the group had found a good observation point from a the branches of an oak tree that afforded a view through a break in the trees into the German encampment.
"Bloody hell, it's a whole German supply depot, there must be hundreds of soldiers and dozens of vehicles here. Look at all those half-tracks and jeep/cart looking things" whispered James from up on his branch, his large spotting binoculars were cumbersome to use but afforded a good view.
"Everyone take notes, when we get the car to a safe area we're going to try and make contact via radio to any friendly units and report this area. Maybe what's left of the Polish air-force can mount a raid or something." said Darren thoughtfully as he began to write down notes while James had begun calling out everything he could see.
Looking through her own binoculars Pearl scanned the camp doing her best to remember every vehicle type, description, number of troops, types of supplies at the base, everything. She was just starting her second scan over the camp when she heard it; a large engine rumbled to life then the sound of tank tracks clanking for a few minutes then just the engine idling again.
"I hear a tank, somewhere in that camp is a really big tank. It didn't sound like the others we've encountered. It had more base to it, move volume and the clank of the tracks sounded different too. Guys I think there is a new type of tank over there, we should check it out." At this she packed up her binoculars in the carry case and began to climb down from the tree.
"Wait up little sister, you got all that from sound? I didn't hear anything, just normal engines and the sounds of a busy camp!" whispered Darren as loudly as he dared, after the incident earlier he was much more cautious of alerting another guard or patrol.
Reaching the ground Peal didn't stop to wait or answer, rather she continued heading towards the German camp much as she had done before; silently and carefully. But this time on the alert for any roaming sentries as a repeat this close to the camp would be deadly.
"Pearl, blast it wait up, we need a plan, besides, it's just a tank, so what!" hissed Darren as he caught up to Pearl just as she reached a good hiding place within sight of the tank in question.
"By the powers that thing is huge, that is way bigger than the tanks we saw at Pozan, even the main gun looks bigger. Darren I'm with Pearl, this was worth a closer look; besides, we're all wearing german uniforms, even if we're scene we can bluff or try and blend in" whispered James from the other side of the hiding area.
A moment later George and Frank arrived but hung back a bit further owing to their lack of uniforms to blend in. For a few minutes the group just sat and watched as the German tank crew checked over and serviced the tank with fuel and ammunition. Eventually the five soldiers finished their tasks and shut down the tank's engine before wandering off towards what looked like the mess tent where the rich smell of cooking sausages and breads was emanating from.
"Okay squad, this has been fascinating but we should get going, they are bound to notice that soldier we knocked out earlier is missing and go looking for him; we need to be far away when that happens." commanded Darren as he began to back away from their hiding spot.
"Let's steal the tank and wreck the camp; looks it's already serviced, ready to go and completely unguarded." said Pearl with a hint of malice to her voice.
"Say again Pearl? It sounded like you want to run out there, hijack a German tank and use it to wreak havoc on the supply depot.? Did I hear that right?" asked Darren cautiously as he turned back to face Pearl.
Her eyes were locked unwavering on the huge armored tank, her hands clenched and her body already half rising as if to dash forwards.. "Christ on a bike you're serious aren't you!" he nearly shouted as he barely remembered where he was.
"It could work, look, there aren't any other heavy vehicles, I don't see any anti-tank guns or rockets, that thing would go unopposed, they have nothing that can stop it. If we succeed it would be a boon for the Polish Intelligence office and we can mount some nasty ambushes with it." piped up James excitedly as he too began to have visions of what they could do with the tank.
Darren could only stare at the two soldiers in front of him as he ran the idea through his head. After a long pause to consider the proposition he made his decision.
"Pearl, That is the most stupid, bold, un-fair, mean, brazen all around unsporting deplorable dishonorable idea you've had yet. We're bound to get stuck or crash, and definitely killed!" he said quietly as he looked past the two Commando's to observe the nearby tank.
"Okay, well, do you want to steal a tank or not?" asked Pearl with no small amount of frustration, this was a golden opportunity and one that should not be wasted if they could help it.
Darren just cracked a smile and adjusted his German officer's cap. "Yes, Yes I do want to steal a tank. George, Frank. Head back to the armored car, wait until you hear a tank gun which will mean we've succeeded; bring the car down the road and use the mounted MG's to help secure an escape path while we savage the camp before we make our own escape. Set the radio to channel 30 and we'll do the same with the tank's radio if it has one."
Grinning widely Frank and George nodded their agreement before hurrying back off through the forest. This time not bothering to try and move slowly or hide as in a few moments the camp would be on high alert or be in the process of being demolished anyway.
"Which positions do you want once we're in, there are three of us and that needs a crew of five." asked Darren as he crouched and got ready to make a run for the tank.
"I'll take driver, I think the radio is next to the driver so I'll handle that too." Replied Pearl as she boosted the energy output to her limbs to make the run to the tank.
"Loader and Gunner for me, I was the best shot with the rifles, how different can a tank gun be?" said James as he got his pistol ready, it would be easier to shoot it on the run.
"Guess I'm spotter and commander" shrugged Darren, "okay, when it's clear, we run for it"
As one the trio broke cover and began a casual walk through the camp doing their best to look like they belonged there. With their captured uniforms and focused non-threatening walk most of the soldiers in the camp gave them only brief glances before returning to their multitude of tasks. All of them but one rather large soldier with a dark eyes and chiseled features who at cleaning his rifle next to the tank; looking up at the approaching trio his eyes flashed with recognition.
~{0}~
Eberhard Waldemar was happy, his day had been going splendidly and he doubted little could break up his enjoyment of the pleasant afternoon. The sun was warm but not hot, the air was fresh with the scents of the woods, a hot lunch of first grade sausages and vegetables, and now solace in the peaceful task of cleaning his weapon. Even his wool uniform wasn't itching anymore which put him in an especially cheerful mood as he hummed some old folk songs to himself. Truly it was a great day to rest and recharge after battle; until he saw her approaching.
"Was macht sie hier?" he mumbled to himself as he set down the mostly disassembled rifle and drew his luger pistol from its holster. "Stop, sagen Sie Ihren Namen und Ihren Zweck" he commanded as he stepped between the trio and the tank; remembering the last time he'd scene her he was taking no chances and set himself to block them.
Much to his shock instead of stopping the strange woman he recognized from the temple turned into a blur of speed as she flashed forward and slammed into his chest knocking him to the ground. Wheezing to refill his lungs with air as his chest felt like it was on fire with pain he tried to get up only to feel a heavy foot step on his back and slam him back into the mud. All around there was shouting and sounds of the camp coming alive; one of those that caught his ear was several loud clunks from the direction of the tank.
~{0}~
Once past the obstructing soldier the trio of commandos practically dove through the hatches of the tank before anyone outside could react. Shutting the doors and securing the hatches they got seated into their positions and began to examine the controls and mechanisms.
"Does anyone read German? Or have experience driving a tank before? Anyone?" Asked Darren as he looked over the confusing panel of dials, knobs, switches and radios.
From her station down at the drivers controls Pearl was furiously flipping switches in various combinations to try and get the tank started. Already she had the radio on and was talking to George and Frank via her microphone as it was the same type in the scout car.
"Nope, not a word. I don't think she can hear us, sounds like she's relaying our status. I found the ammo and the gun but give me a minute to figure out the firing process." said James from his position in what appeared to be the gunner's seat. "Ah, found the breech block controls"
TINK! Darren was about to reply when a something hit the tank with a loud hit the outside of the tank followed by a torrent as if a hail storm on a thin tin roof. TINK TINK TINK TINK TINK !
~{0}~
Outside the tank most of the officers and soldiers had no idea what was going on as only a few had seen the brief fight as the Commandos boarded the tank and locked themselves in. A few climbed on to try and open the hatches or walked around the mechanical steel beast pondering what they should be doing or wondering if there had been some mistake in the alarm sound.
Finally regaining himself Eberhard stood up from the mud, brushed off his uniform, and after a quick look around to assess the situation he took charge and began to issue orders. So much for a nice afternoon and nap; okay, back to work.
"Sie, Ihre Gruppe, Weg vom Tank. Bringen Sie das Maschinengewehr und starten Sie schießen auf den Tank. Halten Sie sie abgelenkt, während wir die schweren Rüstungswaffen erhalten." shouted Eberhard to a squad of soldiers standing around looking confused. Hearing the command they quickly ran and got the machine guns; once setup they opened fire on the tank.
Turning to another group now alerted to the emergency he shouted "Sie, Ihre Gruppe - erhalten die schweren Waffen." They took off running towards the far side of the camp towards where the heavy infantry weapons and anti-tank equipment was stored.
~{0}~
Back inside the tank the commando's were getting themselves organized; it was a race against the clock to see who could get their weapons going first. The German's with their anti-tank rockets or field guns or the Commando's to figure out how to get the behemoth moving and fight.
"Got the turret working"! Shouted James in triumph as the vehicle jerked and swayed a bit as he gave it some tentative movement tests to the sides to see how fast and far it could move. "Loading what I think is a blast-fragment shell into the gun. Darren give me a target!"
From his seat in the turret Darren had gotten the radio working and was now checking out the narrow portals to figure out where their first targets should be. "Nevermind those machine-guns, they won't get through it's just noise. I see a group running towards some crates, we should prioritize them first. Another group off to the left of us is warming up a field gun."
A moment later the engine of the tank boarded to live and began to idle as it warmed up to operating temperature. "WOO HOO! Got it going" shouted Pearl in excitement.
Immediately the power-assist to the turret kicked in with the generator power and the turret smoothly traversed and adjusted the gun's aim to point at the ammo crates just as the soldiers reached the boxes. "Ready to fire!" shouted James, all his energy and focus was on operating that gun.
Darren grinned to himself, payback time. "FIRE !"
~{0}~
The moment the huge turret and gun began to move Eberhard new his group had lost the race.
"In Deckung gehen!" he shouted as for the second time that day he found himself laying in soft mud, as he dove behind cover. All around him others realized the gravity of their situation and also began to scatter away from anything that looked like an appealing target for the tank.
An instant later there was a thunderous blast from the tank, it's force knocking over anyone standing too close to the barrel and sending others to the ground holding their ears.
On the other side of the camp the ammo dump and the men sent to fetch the anti-tank rockets vanished in a column of fire and flying red hot shrapnel as the ammunition began to explode en mass. Soon burning debris began to fall all around the camp as still more ammo exploded.
~{0}~
"Huzzah! Huzzah! Bloody great shot James, way to start things off right.!" Shouted Darren as he observed the newly started Chaos through the portals. "Next target the anti tank guns; Pearl get us moving; make us hard to hit"
From down in the drivers pit Pearl nodded her agreement and engaged the throttle and steering tillers. The tank jerked forwards a couple times in false starts before she smoothed out and accelerated; turning she presented the front (and thickest armor) of the tank to the field guns giving James and Darren an easier shot at them.
Smiling Darren gave the command "FIRE!" ….. Nothing happened ….. "James? What gives? If we don't shoot they will and then it's all for nought."
Across the turret James checked over the gun breach trying to figure out what the problem was as he scanned over the controls "Ah! Let me reset the breach" … click … "Fek"
~{0}~
Out near the entry road the defensive Pak-36 towed guns were being loaded and aimed at the now enemy tank. Seeing his chance when the tank apparently had some trouble firing its gun Eberhard got up and ran towards the emplacements shouting for them to open fire.
He'd just reached the guns and ducked behind them when the gunner pulled the firing trigger. Instantly the gun rocked back on its mounts as a ball of fire briefly appeared to envelop everything in front of the gun and a thunderous blast of displaced air flattened the grass.
~{0}~
Looking through the periscope Darren could just see the gunners readying their anti-tank guns and lining up their shots. "Bloody hell, Pearl, back us up, back us up; if we can't shoot we gotta run…."
Hearing the urgency of Darren's voice over the tank's communication system Pearl slammed the tank into full reverse and pivoted it just as the distant guns flashed with fire.
KLONG ! The whole tank rang like a bell causing the occupants to hold their ears and wince in pain. Checking the vehicle over they realized their luck hadn't quite run out yet.
"Too close, get us moving around, see if you can run some stuff over while we get the gun working again!" Shouted James as he continued to fiddle with the guns mechanisms. "Hey Darren, if you're not spotting targets get on that MG and open up, we can still suppress them"
Nodding his understanding Darren gripped the hilt of the MG-34 and soon the clink of brass and the chattering of the machine gun added to the already noisy tank compartment.
~{0}~
Once the dust had cleared and their ears stopped ringing Eberhard and the gun crew looked out from behind the guns splinter shields feeling confident they'd halted the hijacked tank.
However instead of a burning tank they saw a fully intact tank bearing down on them with its machine-gun chattering way. Rather than being on fire or near wrecked the only damage visible was a long gash along the turret and some missing equipment attachments. A moment latter bullets began to ping off the gun-shields and impact all around the gunners. "Schießen Sie wieder! Schießen Sie wieder! Alle Waffen schießen!"
Quickly the other guns were readied; this time all six guns would fire on the target.
Elsewhere in the camp the tasks of putting out the spreading fires momentarily forgotten as men scrambled to find adequate cover. No one wanted to be caught in the open as the tank and the field-guns exchanged cannon and machine-gun fire.
~{0}~
Speeding down the access road Frank drove the little scout car to its limits; the engine shrieked with the high-RPMs and the wheels were throwing up a fountain of dirt as they sped down the road. They had heard over the radio that the tank had been activated and the squad was now engaged in combat with the German's at the camp but something was wrong with the main-gun.
Reaching the end of the road Frank spotted the anti-tank guns trying to hit the wildly maneuvering tank as it ran over tents, crushed supply boxes and generally was making a mess of the supply area. Occasionally its machine-gun would open fire on a cluster of soldiers to mow them down like so much grass before the steel behemoth. As they watched one of the German field guns fired at the tank but missed as the tank dodged out of the way; the shell still had to go somewhere and that was right into the camp's radio tent which exploded in fire.
"Hey George, think we can do something about those field-guns?" shouted Frank from the driver's seat
Grinning to himself at how easy this would be "You bet". And with that he slewed the cars little machine-gun turret to point at the unprotected rear of field-guns and opened fire.
~{0}~
It must have been instinct that saved him again as Eberhard found himself planted in the mud for a third time that day. As soon as he'd seen the scout car speed into camp and point its gun at the gun-crews his reflexes had taken over and launched himself behind solid cover.
The rest of the gun crew's weren't so lucky as all around him men were being hit and collapsing to the ground in heaps. A minute later the scout-car stopped firing, probably to reload, seeing his chance he shouted for the gun crews to try and get some of the guns turned around and aimed at the new threat that had arrived behind them.
~{0}~
"YES! Got it" shouted James in triumph as the conundrum of the gun's firing mechanism was finally solved. "Darren, we got a blast-fragment ready to fire, give the order when ready!"
"Pearl, get us pointed back at those field guns while we aim the gun!" shouted Darren as he felt a wave of relief wash through him. With the main gun working they could really fight back now.
A moment later the tank was lined up and had its main gun trained on the center gun emplacement. Darren smiled wickedly. "Fire"
~{0}~
His head was aching from a splitting headache, his muscles were sore, his body felt sore, everything hurt and he felt week. Groaning he opened he slowly opened his eyes and slowly sat up to see what had become of the supply depot and the battle they'd been fighting earlier. He was surprised to see that night had fallen and a million twinkling stars shined back at him from a now very dark evening sky. "How long was I out?" he wondered to himself.
All around him was death and destruction in the aftermath of the battle with the stolen tank. Everywhere were burning half-tracks, some with obvious blast-marks from the tanks primary canon had blown them open like soup cans. The field gun's he'd been commanding had been destroyed as well, the gun-tubes lying at odd angles or missing entirely; the unfortunate crews still lay where they had fallen as no one had yet been able to clear the bodies.
Slowly, painfully he staggered to his feet and made his way over towards where a group of surviving soldiers had gathered around one of the few undamaged vehicles. A few minutes of painful walking later he arrived to find that it was the command half-track with its working radio.
Pushing his way through the gathered group he snatched up the radio and pressed the talk button to begin making his report. Intelligence would would want to know about the re-appearance of the pale woman and her Commando friends.
000 Szosa Bydgoska road heading north - late evening September 4th, 1939
They were exhausted, utterly and completely exhausted; but nothing could dampen their spirits as despite it all, each of them felt as if they were a mile high in the sky. A day that had started off in total frustration at being lost, stuck in the mud, close hot confines of the scout car, and nearly running straight into a German army had instead become a victory; all except Pearl.
After the German anti-tank guns had been destroyed by several well placed shots the tanks rampage had continued unabated as the enemy had nothing that could penetrate its thick armored skin. The only thing they could try and do was to get it stuck or unable to move but Pearl's quick learning of the controls and reflexes had prevented that from happening. For two full hours until half the tank's ammo and fuel were gone they had destroyed everything useful.
Jame's had since taken over tank-driving duties which allowed Pearl to relax in the radio/hull gunner's cramped seat to try and meditate; but it wasn't going so well.
Taking his eyes of the road James dared to glance over at his friend and saw the troubled look on her face as it was clear that something wasn't sitting well with her and he had a good guess what it was.
"Hey P, feeling all right? If it's about what we did at that supply depot, it was worth it. Without those supplies, fuel or, well, troops then they'll have to stop and wait for replacements which gives our Polish friends some breathing room." lectured James in an attempt to snap his friend out of her current depressed state.
"Hm? Oh, it's actually not that, I mean it is a little but I've since moved past that. This is the war I signed up for so I may as well do the best I can at it. Besides, while this was a bit - up close - I'm pretty sure we killed more directing the field guns than at the depot." replied Pearl with some note of weariness in her voice. "Mostly I'm just tired, it's been a long time since I was able to properly meditate and recharge my energy reserves and I can't properly rest in this tank."
"Sorry to hear that P, when we get some place with good cover we'll stop for the night so you can rest. At least Darren isn't having much trouble resting; lord knows he needs it." Said James gesturing up to where Darren was slumped against a bulkhead snoring with his head resting against his jacket.
The two continued on in silence as the machinery noise of the tank once again filled the space between them. Up ahead Frank and George were leading the way in the scout-car making sure the road was passable for the heavy tank so it wouldn't get stuck in the mud or soft road.
Up ahead a small town was spotted and remembering what happened last time they attached a large Polish and British flag set to the turret of the scout car. The flags had been a gift from Sgt Aurek before the Pozan battle began by way of apology and to help avoid a repeat mistake.
"Think they'll see the flags? It's getting dark but I dare not turn on a light for fear of being spotted by the wrong side or mistaken by a distant spotter." asked Darren as he now sat alert and scanning for trouble from the open hatch of the tank.
KABLAM !
Up ahead the scout car seemingly leaped into the air on a column of fire before crashing back down in a burning hulk of twisted metal. Thick black smoke poured from the portals as fire rapidly began to engulf the armored vehicle.
"MINES - Bloody damn mines!" cursed James as he immediately James pulled full reverse on the tank's transmission to bring it to a sliding screeching stop as fast as possible. Already Darren was out of the tank and sprinting towards the wreckage of the scout car followed closely by Pearl who had had to first get out of the drivers area. Following after them was James shouting for them to watch for danger.
First to reach the wreckage Darren grabbed the armored side door of the scout car and began to pull as hard as he could. Inside banging could be heard indicating the two men trapped inside were still alive and fighting to get free from the wreckage. "Move aside Darren!" shouted Pearl as she shoved him out of the way, no time for being polite, and after getting a firm grip and bracing herself dumped all of her energy into her limbs, everything. With superhuman strength she ripped the heavy armored door from its hinges and tossed it to the side then reached in and dragged a burned and injured George and Frank out of the smoke filled cabin.
"Not breathing! Not breathing!" shouted Darren as he flipped the two men on their backs and began to give CPR to George. "James, CPR, Frank! Now!" Now arrived at the scene James quickly began the life saving maneuver on his friend to try and pull him back from the brink.
After what felt like hours but in truth was only minutes both George and Frank began to cough and sputter as their bodies began to function again. "Water get them some water, come on boys, breath with us, breath, that's it, deep breaths" coaxed Darren gently. "Bloody hell boys, don't scare us like that. It's too soon in this war for this kind of nonsense"
Off to the side Pearl lay on the ground utterly and completely out of energy having used the last of it to stay awake and see that her friends had resuscitated successfully. Feeling her eyes grow heavy and her strength fade she gently lowered herself to lay on the ground; and closed her eyes to rest. For the first time in millennia, Pearl fell asleep peacefully laying on the muddy ground.
For a while the squad just lay on the ground resting and getting their senses back under control. When James saw Pearl's still form he'd initially feared the worst but soon relaxed when he realized she was just in a deep sleep. George and Frank were mercifully alright for the most part with only minor burns and cuts; both agreed that they needed to be careful for smoke inhalation and so took to discussing the medical procedures for how to best treat it.
But the night was still young and it would be awhile yet before it allowed them to take a much deserved break from events to recover. For where there are active landmines, someone is sure to be waiting and watching for an opportunity to counter-attack and destroy those who set it off.
A loud shout of "atak!" was the only warning the squad got as from the sides of the road a dozen men with rifles and swords burst from the bushes near the road in a battle charge.
Seeing the approaching danger James threw himself over the unconscious Pearl and drew his sidearm ready to protect and defend his friend with everything he had left to fight with.
"Ah Fek, not again" groaned Darren as he raised his hands in surrender. "Przyjazny, nie strzelaj! Przyjazny, nie strzelaj! He shouted as loud as he could, thankful that Kaplan had taught him those critical Polish language words.
This seemed to have the desired effect as the soldiers halted their charge and rather than shoot held their weapons ready and pointed at the group of Commando's. From behind the largest cluster a man in a familiar looking officer's coat and hat stepped from the shadows to inspect the commandos.
Smiling broadly as he seemed to recognize the soldiers he motioned for his platoon to stand-down before stepping over and helping Darren to his feet.
"Ah! Corporal Darren Williams! Wonderful to see you again. Glad to see you are doing well. Sorry about the land-mine, we were expecting a German column to pass through here. From the captured tank behind you I take it you got to them first?" Said Sgt Aurek.
Turning to the soldiers behind him "Zadzwoń do lekarza, ci ludzie potrzebują pomocy medycznej" With a solution one of them ran off into the darkness shouting "lekarski! Lekarski!"
"Glad to see you again Aurek, truly. Thank you for calling the medics. Mind if we rest and catch a meal?" asked Darren. Relief flooded through him as Aurek smiled and nodded yes.
000 End chapter 13
Author's notes
Hello Readers!
Pinhead here at the end of another action filled episode of Pearl in WW2; I hope you are enjoying yourselves as the story as much as I am.
Please leave a review to let me know what you think or if you have suggestions on what should happen next. I will almost always reply to reviews when I can. If you don't want to review then please bookmark, follow, or favorite the story 8-)
Little note - I almost killed George and Frank in this chapter. Why didn't I? Because I'm lazy and it's a bit early in the story to kill off main characters. That and I also realized that killed if I killed them I'd then have to create and develop from scratch new characters to replace them.
PS: Don't worry about the soldier the squad tied up earlier; he was found later by his friends and released to fight again another day. Maybe we'll see him again?
000 HISTORY
The Tank - Was a Panzer_IV Ausf. D one of about only 50 available at the time of the invasion with the larger 75mm gun and long-barrel combination. Most of the other tanks had smaller guns or twin 20mm guns for use against thinly armored (or no armor) targets. Early in the war the Germans realized they needed something heavier and so the Type IV was introduced but only in limited numbers at the time of the Poland invasion. Thus when the squad found one they had a real incentive to steal it and it's heavier armor is why the German's couldn't stop its rampage.
Jerry's - "Jerry was a World War I British Army slang for "German," 1919, probably an alteration of German, but also said to be from the shape of the German helmet, which was like a jerry, British slang for "chamber pot" (1827), probably an abbreviation of jeroboam.
K-98 Rifle - German standard issue rifle - I don't own one but I have some friends that do. These are really fun to shoot but are a pain in the but to keep clean and operational.
Pak-40 / Pak-36 - Bring up youtube and search for the "Forgotten Weapons" channel then the video "Pak-40 German 75mm AT Gun Firing". It's something to see and hear when it fires. Update - Anzac-A1 correctly pointed out that the PAK-40 was only in early development at this time and did not enter any kind of actual service or production until 1942. I've corrected the gun used in this chapter to be the Pak-36 which was a smaller and more primitive towed gun. I checked for youtube video of the Pak-36 firing and, well, its allot less impressive to see and hear it shoot but nevertheless we do strive for history around here.
Grand Theft Auto - A crime spree video game the title of this chapter is based on. In the game you can steal a tank and rampage around the virtual Los Angeles blowing up and crushing things.
Pollarding- An ancient method of directing the growth of trees that forced the trunk to grow long and the useful branches (often with fruit) to be out of the reach of animals.
The Mine - The landmine the scout-car hit was sized for half-tracks and heavier tanks. It was excessively powerful when the relatively thinly armored scout-car rolled over it.
Kwieciszewo - small farming village east of Pozan and about half-way to the larger town of Toruń and Bydgoszcz. Why is this significant? Because if you read this far you deserve a hint at the next chapter. They will meet up with the 'Pomorze Army' who had been tasked with defending the two towns and will soon be redirected to the 'Bzura' river to make a final last stand against the German invaders. After the battle of Bzura the war was basically over for Poland.