An eternity passed as her eyes locked on the objective, noting every detail as her arm stretched out towards the little device of death. The chipped paint, a serial number, a 1939 date-stamp, the little trail of smoke as the fuse burned, and Jame's horrified face just visible beyond the target.
000 May 10 1940 - Ardennes forest
Stillness, only the rustling of the breeze gently swaying the branches of the forest. Quiet, only the faint scuffling of small forest creatures moving from cover to grab some food before returning to their dens. Darkness, only a sliver of moonlight made it past the tall trees with thick canopy above. The hunting pack sat together as statues, patiently waiting for their quarry to make a mistake tjat would reveal its position to the small group. Somewhere out in the forest the faint crunching of dry leaves and twigs is barely heard, the telltale sound is almost lost to the forest but keen ears detect it just the same. The leader signals the other hunters with a wave. The followers nod their understanding; as one the trio heads towards the source of the disturbance.
After a few moments the hunter's slow the advance and take cover as, large deep green emerald colored bore is briefly glimpsed moving between the trees. Its huge tusks digging at the earth as its large nose softly snuffling as it processes the scents in the earth search of nutrients. Off in the distance an unnatural noise is faintly heard by both hunter and prey; disturbed from its foraging the corrupted gem lifts its great head to the sky as its ears twist and turn seeking the source of the disturbance. Slowly it's body begins to tense, readying for a mad dash for safety deep into the forest.
"Charge!" shouted Rose as she broke cover and threw herself towards the corrupted gem beast; her a large ax in one hand and her shield in the other ready for battle.
Garnet rushed forwards angling to the right intending to block the beast's escape path from the rear vector to hopefully land a few heavy hits on its back.
Seeing the others attacking Amethyst grinned as she knelt down to began a spin-dash attack that would bring her in from the left side of the beast and towards its face to try and distract it.
Reaching the boar in two great strides Rose swung the battle axe down in a move at its neck. The axe almost connected with its target when the beast shrieked and leapt sideways out of the way with surprising speed. With nothing to impact against the axe with Rose still hanging onto it continued forwards into the mud of the forest floor where she landed with a squishy thump.
With the beast no longer between them Garnet and Amethyst found themselves on a full speed collision course with Rose positioned to be smashed between them. Using reflexes only available to a Gem the two barely avoided collision as they instead passed opposite each other to smash into, a few of the trees surrounding the brief battle.
With all three of its attackers recovering from missed attacks the bore took advantage of the momentary reprieve to take off into to the forest leaving a trail of broken branches and disturbed earth in its wake.
"At least it will be easy to re-acquire, all we have to do is follow the trail of destruction" remarked Rose dryly as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Are you two okay to continue?"
"A little warning next time please! I think sometimes you forget you're the only one with future vision!" complained Amethyst as she kicked a nearby tree stump into splinters. "You almost poofed me!" she continued as she paced around the splinters of the now destroyed stump.
Garnet just frowned at the little gem's display as she spoke in her usual calm voice. "Sorry Amethyst, there was a fifty percent chance you would have been able to disable the boar and a twenty five percent.." but further response was cut off by a now annoyed Rose.
"Quiet, both of you! I'm just glad that no one got hurt and that corrupted gem is a bit more… maneuverable than any of us anticipated." Closing her eyes and rubbing her forehead in frustration she took a moment to collect her frayed thoughts. "Besides, it was ready to run away anyway. Garnet, any idea what might have spooked in into flight before we were in position?"
"Yeah G? What gives, how come your future vision didn't predict the fight or the boars flight?" asked Amethyst as she looked up at Garnet, on hearing no similar response from the tall gem she gently elbowed her in the leg to get her attention.
Garnet raised her glasses a moment to look down at the smaller gem as if seeing her for the first time that evening. "Oh, yes, we're sorry too; just…" but her words faded as she lifted her gaze to look out towards the mountain valley below them. "I feel something coming, it's thin but we should move. We can deal with Phaea another day."
Hearing this Rose turned to look down into the valley searching for whatever danger her companion was warning them about but saw nothing. At least not at first.
"Look between the trees Rose, there are shadows in the valley on the old roads" prompted Garnet as she reached over to take Rose's hand and gently guide it to the indicated tree-gap below.
"I see them" was all Rose managed to say as her eyes finally beheld the shadows of what could only be large armored vehicles moving in column formation down the narrow roads.
"I don't see anything, whats going on? Who is down there?" groused Amethyst from below the two taller Gems. On hearing no reply she sighed in frustration before leaping high into the trees to find a better view leaving the two senior Gems down below.
"What should we do? What does your future vision see?" asked Rose quietly. Ever since Pearl had run off to join the war she'd been reading the newspapers more frequently and checking in with her friends in the military's of the world. The news was getting increasingly worse and now here she was with a front row seat of what appeared to be the opening of another invasion.
Garnet was silent for a long moment as she too simply stood and watched as shadow after shadow passed between the trees, each one denoting another machine of war heading towards battle.
A minute later Amethyst dropped down from the trees then walked over to stand in front of her elders. For once her face was downcast as she too had seen the shadows and realized their meaning. "Yeah, Garnet, what can we going to do? I mean, we all vowed to stay out of it right?"
"Garnet?" prompted Rose worriedly as she placed a hand tenderly on her friend's shoulder.
Stirred from her silence the fusion of love removed her glasses to look up at the night sky and the twinkling stars beyond, her normally stoic face betraying her conflicted emotions. "I… I don't know, if we intervene here it will only delay the inevitable, if we don't intervene then a Belgian group will slow them with road blocks later before being annihilated." Putting her glasses back on she continued her prophesy "unless we use our Gem powers and weapons there is nothing we can do to stop this; France and Europe will fall into darkness soon."
Rose nodded her understanding as she felt Amethyst grab onto her waist and hug tightly as she buried her face into the cloth of Rose's gown.
"So that's it? We're not going to-do anything? Not even to assist Pearl or give her an edge! She's out there all alone with no support, we've abandoned her and now she's going to get captured or killed by these, these," cried Amethyst as her normally cheery demeanor dissolved completely.
Rose knelt down to sweep Amethyst into a tight hug as she tried to comfort the young Gem's fears over the danger her mentor was currently facing. "Don't worry young one, Pearl can take care of herself, she's already survived many dangers and come through unscathed" At this Rose and Garnet exchanged knowing looks; they'd not told Amethyst about Pearl's recent capture adventure for fear of upsetting the young-ling with unneeded anxiety.
Rose filled her voice with reassuring warmth as she gently raised Amethyst's face to her own. "She'll be just fine and she's not alone, remember the letter she sent us and Deedee? She's got friends to watch her back and apparently is even dating now! Trust her, she knows what she's doing"
"Besides, we can do something, at least a little bit" remarked Garnet dryly now back to her stoic self. Looking back up at the night sky she pointed up into the sky, the others looked where she was pointing and soon a faint shadow was seen slowly crawling across the sky. An Allied reconnaissance aircraft. Without warning Garnet fired one of her gauntlets out over the valley where it shown like a bright signal flair as it's light briefly filled the narrow forest valley.
Someone down on the vehicles must have been paying attention as within a moment bright flashes were seen from a few vehicles that had stopped to observe the flair. Within moments the forest came alive with the snap of shots passing too close and the dull thumps of bullets hitting trees. A few smaller vehicles split away from the main group to begin an advance on the Gem's position.
"Time to go!" shouted Rose as she turned and began moving rapidly through the forest, away from the road; her companions following close behind.
High above the shadow changed direction and soon circled the road a few times before seeming to speed up and head off towards the north east.
~{0}~
After putting a comfortable distance between them and their pursuers the three Gems finally slowed to a halt to refresh their energy reserves. Once they were sure they were safe they checked themselves over for injuries and finding none began to discuss the events at the valley.
"That was a French reconnaissance plane; it's not much and won't change the outcome; but at least now the defenders have some warning and can better prepare the defenses." declared Garnet as she watched looked up at the sky hoping to catch a glimpse of the reconnaissance plane safely flying home.
"Once again, a little warning would have been nice. That was too close, I think I felt one pass through my hair!" complained the little purple gem as she frantically ran fingers through her wild white hair. "You're lucky my hair's intact and I wasn't poofed!"
Rose just smiled feeling more relief that everyone was okay than angry about the recent danger. "Good thinking but Amethyst is right, next time give some warning. But remember our oath, this was cutting it close but we must not intervene, no matter how much we might want too"
Garnet just nodded her understanding but internally she know it had been the right action to take.
"Good, now let's get moving, it's a long way back to the warp pad, we can resume the hunt for Phaea again when the forest is safe again." ordered Rose as she began fast walking back into the forest.
000 Fort Eben Emael - May 10 1940
"INCOMING! Shouted someone from up on the fortifications, as one all eyes looked towards the early morning sky searching for the supposed danger. At first no one saw anything and began to think it was a false alarm until the first gliders began to touch down on the roof of the fortress. The defending guards immediately brought their guns to bear but it was no use as soon dozens of gliders had landed and dispersing hundreds of SS Shock troops. Within moments all the defenders on the roof where captured or dead and soon the mighty gun turrets protecting the precious bridges were ablaze. To the town's folk watching from the nearby village it was clear that evacuation was in order as oily black smoke began to rise from the fortress accompanied by the faint thunder of demolition charges destroying the defenses.
Elsewhere the bridges the defenders had so carefully prepared were dealing with their own airborne assaults. The defenders fought valiantly but in the end the lack of advance warning and overwhelming numbers of hardened troops brought swift doom. The one bright light in this was the successful destruction of several bridges but those too proved only a nuisance as assault bridges were soon constructed.
By the afternoon of the May the 11th the fortress was overrun, the last holdouts in its lower levels surrendered and the Nazi flag was raised over what remained of the once formidable fortress. The way through Belgium was open and soon multiple army units were flowing across the captured bridges.
000 Leuven - May 11th 1940
"Bloody idiots, the lot of them!" grumbled General Montgomery as he returned to his command tent to plan out the next phase of the 3rd Infantry Division's defensive strategy. Around the room the soft rustling of cloth was faintly heard as subordinates and the Belgian's attache's shifted nervously as they stood at attention while the General continued his complaint. "We drive all day and night racing to re-enforce them just for them to fire on us thinking we're the Bloody Germans! The Germans are behind them to the East, we are approaching them from the West damn it!" growled the upset General. has he paced about glaring at the strategy map setup on the table. All across the map the various unit markers denoting known friendly and enemy positions where being updated by the staff officers as couriers relayed information from recon.
"We already apologized General. With your group integrated with ours there should be no further confusion" replied the Attache as politely as he could manage. "We have been dealing with multiple para-gliders across the battlefield. Already we are getting reports of enemy units behind our lines. You must forgive us for being paranoid."
"Yeah yeah, I forgive you, whatever, look, just keep your group off to the north flank and let us handle the center group." ordered Montgomery as he nodded to the attache before he returned his full attention to the unit maps.
After a moment he turned to one of the officers standing at attention off to the side. "Corporal Darren! I want your Commando's forward up down towards the south east a bit and see if you can get eyes on the airbase at St. Trond. Maybe we can take out some of their bombers on the ground and get some breathing room.. Take a Bren Gun Carrier with a radio from the motor pool"
"Sir!" barked Darren as he returned a crisp salute before taking his leave and disappearing out the tent door. A few hours later a small tracked vehicle with a couple of light machine guns, four humans and one Gem where headed out into the early morning light searching for the enemy.
000 N3 highway heading towards St. Trond - May 12th, early afternoon
The little UC Bren Carrier's tracks churned in an endless series of metallic squeaks and clunks as if it was being powered forwards by hundreds of little rodents. The little cart had nicely armored walls but no roof which allowed its occupants the comfort of good view and cool breeze but limited cover if attack came from an elevated position. Not that a roof would have made much difference against the heavy guns or bombs of an attacking aircraft or tank canon. Better to have the clear view to spot and avoid danger or exit the vehicle in a hurry. This particular little battle taxi was presently speeding down the N3 highway towards the enemy's last known positions giving its occupants a chance to do something they do very well; reconnaissance.
"Why does this feel so familiar?" grumbled Frank from his position in the back of the little tracked UC. His feet where up on the armored wall of the cart as he reclined back to comfortably watch the sky. One hand rested on the stock of the light machine gun while the other held a flask of water mixed with fruit from a local tree. "I mean, we all know what happened last time we were doing recon or evading in a cart like this. Right George"
George remained silent as he just nodded his head in agreement; his eyes searching the passing countryside for any signs of an enemy ambush as it was his turn on watch. A faint snoring drew his attention to look down at his lap where James was using his legs as a makeshift pillow he had tried to make himself comfortable within the tight confines of the car. George grimaced but made no motion to push away his friend knowing that he'd put in a double shift earlier so George could recover from a slight fever.
Pearl, who was presently driving, spared a moment from watching the road to glance into the back cargo area of the little vehicle and smiled at the sight of the two soldiers. "Aww you two are just adorable together, James looks so peaceful resting there, if you want a go at him George I can step out of your way" teased Pearl with a large grin and mischievous eyes as she returned her attention to the road ahead.
Darren looked up at his map to see for himself and just grinned at the sight of his subordinates before he to resumed his navigation task.
"If any of you take pictures or breath a word of this to the other squads I'll never tell you where I hid the extra beers left over from new years." growled George but he made a point of looking out at the fields.
Chuckling at the teasing the squad returned to their duties as the remainder of the trip passed in silence.
~{0}~
An hour later the scout car slowed as it neared a tree lined section of the highway as the scout car approached a small village just visible down the road; smoke was rising ominously from several of the low structures. What slowed them wasn't the possibility of danger but the column of civilians walking towards them away from the town. Each were clearly dressed in whatever clothes had been close at hand and each carried a bundle on their backs full of the essentials of life and whatever valuables could be grabbed and carried.
"At quick for action squad, you know our track record on approaching towns" remarked Darren dryly as the irony of what they were about to do wasn't lost on him in the slightest. With practiced ease the squad readied for battle as Frank and George manned the two bren-guns while James got some ammo cans ready and readied the riffles. "Everyone all set? Okay, onward!"
"Is there anything we can do for them?" whispered Pearl as she watched a cart loaded with supplies and two small children roll past; the plow-horse pulling it and its master looked weary but continued on.
"Not much" replied Darren as he reached into his bag to withdraw a bag food. "OY! CHILDREN, this look this way!" Once he had their attention he tossed the bag over where it landed with a thump in the cart. The two kids giggled with glea as they opened it to begin consuming its contents as if they were half starved. The man pulling the cart slowed a bit to see what was happening then offered a smile and wave of thanks before continuing the long walk to hopefully safety.
"Is the way ahead still clear?" Called Frank to one of the passing villagers who turned and called back that it was but the enemy had been sighted near the airfield.
"Good, let's head into town and see what we can see; these people seem mobile but there might be people still in the town who cannot evacuate on their own." ordered Darren.
Nodding her agreement Pearl had just begun to press the accelerator when the alarm went up from someone further down the road leading from the village. "ALARM! STUKAS ABOVE !"
The effect was immediate as the villagers made haste to take cover behind whatever was available for cover. Some dove into the ditch along the road, others behind the trees lining it, the children from the cart accompanied by their father jumped out of the cart and took cover in the ditch as well.
Turning their guns to the sky the squad searched for their targets, a moment later four of the six black dots circling high in the sky turned and dove down on clear attack runs. Four of them headed for something only visible to them beyond the town; the crackle of their guns echoed across the fields as a shrill whistle soon grew into a demonic screech as the aircraft neared the ground. Four specs left their bellies followed by columns of fire and a thunderous blast as the bombs impacted and obliterated whatever it was their targets where. Their tasks done the four aircraft pulled up, circled once then headed away eastward.
For a long moment no one spoke for fear that somehow the slightest whisper might draw the attention of the remaining two attack aircraft circling high above the battlefield.
"Why don't they just move on?" whispered James as he watched the aircraft circle lazily high above
~{0}~
High above the battlefield Corporal Ekkehard circled his Stuka in a lazy figure eight as his eyes searched the ground below for his quarry. The hunting had been good ever since his exploits in Poland with a seemingly never ending stream of victories under his belt. Already four of his attack flight had found and obliterated a retreating formation of troops with their vehicles but he suspected there were more still below as evidenced by the tracks on the road below. Something heavy had been on the road and as he circled lower he finally saw that the tracks had ended at the tree canopy but didn't resume ou the other side.
"Dich gefunden" he muttered grinning before pulling alongside his wing-man and signalling with his hands an attack order and location of suspected targets. On seeing message confirmation the two attack aircraft formed up and began to line up and dive on their targets suspected location.
~{0}~
"Here they come!" growled Pearl as she lifted her rifle to her shoulder and began to sight it in on the nearest of the approaching aircraft. "Rifles on the left MGs on the right?" suggested Pearl to the others as they readied their own weapons. Nodding agreement George and Frank readied the light machine guns.
"Sounds good to me, not like our little pop guns will do much against an armored flying tank" grumbled Darren as the squad dismounted the car to tale cover behind its thick armored sides.
"He's starting his run, wait till you see the prop then open fire!" ordered Daren as he chambered a round and sighted in on the rapidly approaching war machine. "Come on you bastard, let's dance!"
"Hold, hold, ready….. OPEN FIRE!"
~{0}~
Having reached optimal approach angle Ekkehard tipped the nose over to began the steep dive towards where he thought the enemy vehicle would be. Just as he was about to pull the trigger to fire his guns his windshield was suddenly peppered with small cracks and dents as the squads small rounds impacted the armored windscreen. Ekkehard just grinned "Amateurs, should have run." with that he squeezed the trigger and the sound of the chattering of machine guns joined the shrill whistling of the howling siren"
~{0}~
It was a valiant effort but one that was doomed to failure; though the squad fire was accurate and the brief sparks visible on the aircraft's front confirmed this. But even a high-powered 308 round wouldn't do much but present an annoyance to the armored attack aircraft bearing down with guns blazing.
"TAKE COVER!" shouted George as all the squad hit the dirt and ducked behind the battle taxis armored walls as high power bullets kicked up dirt, splintered trees, and thunks off the sides of the vehicle. Mercifully there were no blasts from released bombs as evidently the aircraft had chosen to strafe first.
Peaking up for a look around Pearl surveyed the area around them, her eyes filled with horror at the sight of bodies lying crumpled on the road. Branches and leaves fell as if from the shredded tree canopy to lay across the ground as if the forest itself wept for the fallen.
No time to think or dwell on it as shouting was heard from some of the civilian men on the other side of the road "THEY'RE COMING BACK AROUND! TAKE COVER! THEY'RE COMING BACK!"
~{0}~
Ekkehard smiled and signaled his wing man; the first pass had forced their quarry to expose their position and the strafing run had cleared the tree canopy leaving the target open for their bombs.
With their courses corrected the two Stukas circled as they lined up for another pass, this time with bombs.
~{0}~
Pearl held her rifle steady to line it up on the lead aircraft as it circled their position. Reaching up she checked that a round was loaded as she rested the gun on the battle taxi's side to steady her shot. She stopped breathing as she aimed for what she prayed was a weak point as she tracked her target giving it a long lead as she poured energy into the computational part of her gem to solve the complicated ballistics of the shot.0
Just as the targeted Stuka began to change course, she fired.
An instant later the Stuka's cockpit turned opaque with a spray of blood as the bullet struck the pilot in the head killing him instantly. Now out of control the aircraft twisted in the air and began a death dive for the ground; the rear cockpit opened as the co-pilot attempted to escape but it was too late. The aircraft slammed into the ground with a thunderous crash then burst into flames with oily black smoke rising into the sky.
But the victory was short lived as the lead aircraft completed its attack dive and released its bomb.
~{0}~
The drive back to the headquarters passed in silence; Pearl was once again driving while the others rested or kept watch for pursuit from the air or ground. The bomb had missed the battle taxi but its effects were just as horrific as it had landed near where most of the civilian's had been sheltering. The two children from the cart now rested on the benches along with a mother cradling her small child; the father had survived as well but his leg was badly injured. Not long after the Stuka attack enemy troops had been spotted entering the town prompting the acceptance of others who simply clung to the vehicle's sides in a bid to reach safety faster.
James sat in the front between Darren and Pearl, his face full of worry not just for their passengers but for the woman who sat quietly next to him. Though she expertly steered the vehicle along the road it was clear that her mind was somewhere else; sighing he reached over to began to gently stroke her hair. The gentle touch had the desired effect as Pearl's expression softened as she began to pull herself back from her mental solitude. "Are you going to be okay love? That was pretty hard back there eh?"
Pearl spared a quick glance at the young man seated next to her; putting on a soft smile she reached up with her free hand to softly guide his hand back down to the bench between them. "Yeah, I'm … not well I just need a little time with my thoughts for a bit; reign-check? I promise we'll talk later" she comforted as she returned her attention to the road and once again seemed to withdraw into her own world of thought.
"Sure Love, reign-check it is" replied James as he leaned back to look out towards the horizon and the slowly setting sun as it completed the last part of its day's journey. "I'll be ready when you are, just relax"
000 Headquarters camp, BEF 3rd Infantry Division - May 12th, 1940
A few hours after the squad had returned to camp and completed their reports they were resting in their barracks tent trying to get some desperately needed rest. About part way into the night the distant thunder of large caliber guns firing could be heard but so far the squad had not been called back to action. James sat alone in the tent he was sharing with George, sleep was badly needed but as yet was proving elusive as he tossed and turned; images of the day's recent battle played behind is eyes.
"Having trouble sleeping?" asked a soft feminine voice from the tent opening.
James sat up on the cot to look towards the tent flap that served as a door. Pearl was peaking inside, her eyes looked tired, her hair was unkempt, and her uniform was dirty. "I can't sleep either, can I come in?"
"Sure love, have a seat, George is off for a bit, probably won't be back for an hour or so." Sitting up he patted the seat across from him; Pearl hesitated only a moment to glance around outside the tent before going in and sitting on the other cot. "What can I do for you?"
"I miss home, I miss Rose, I miss my family, I hate this stupid war. It could have been prevented, it could have been over with quickly, I hate not being able to use my full power… Stars those poor people just trying to get to safety, not even involved… if I'd been able to use my full abilities...but I, I can't " she had to pause for a moment as her voice broke and the tears began to flow as the emotional walls she'd built up began to crumble.
Without hesitation James reached across the gap to wrap his arms around her as she wept. "But…. I….. I … think… but I can't quit now, I can't…." her voice trailed off as her shoulders slumped as her thin body shook as she sobbed. "Easy love,I've got you, you're safe here, just let it out" soothed James as he gently stroked her frayed hair.
After a few minutes the tremors began to subside, the tears slowed then with a final great release of breath Pearl leaned back as she gently pulled herself out of her lover's arms. "Thank you James, I just needed to vent to….. well I um… I don't want to be alone tonight, is it okay if I stay a bit longer?"
James nodded as made a show of adjusting George's cot , it was still mostly clean as the other man had insisted on keeping at least his sleeping area clear of debris and dirt. James looked at Pearl's dirty uniform then looked at the cot, "Go ahead and lay down, that is if you lay down while you meditate, I'll clean it then make it up to George tomorrow. One moment" quickly he scribbled a peace of paper, scribbled something on it, then put it outside.
With that James lay back down into his own cot and rolled over to give Pearl a bit of privacy to remove her outer uniform covers. Much to his surprise he felt a pair of hands on his back gently nudging him to move over. "Pearl?" he whispered quietly, "what are you doing?" Without answering Pearl finished pushing him over before climbing into cot next to him with her wrapped her arm around his back as if she was a back pack. Her soft breath gently brushing his hair. Twisting around a much as he dared he noted that she was just in her undershirt as her uniform jacket lay on the other cot. Her eyes were closed as if she was deep in peaceful slumber.
James resumed facing forwards to stare at the wall of his tent; dozens of emotions swirling in his head as he struggled to decide on a course of action. "Go to sleep" Pearl whispered faintly into his ear; "it's hard enough to meditate in this position without you all tense". His mind made up for him James relaxed and the soft embrace of a deep sleep tugging at his tired mind.
"James?" whispered Peal quietly into his ear.
"Yes love? Are you comfortable? The cot is pretty small" whispered James back on the verge of sleep.
"You smell terrible, you're taking a bath next chance we get." replied Pearl back snickering
"Hah ha very funny, my water rations ran out earlier, I'll bathe tomorrow if we're not being shot at" mumbled James as he finally was able to fall into a deep sleep noting as he did so, that even when exhausted and dirty, Pearl still smelled nice.
000 Meuse bridgeheads - May 15th 1940
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt was in his element once again as he stood on the edge of the river outside the captured town of Sedan cooley surveying the scene before him. The charge to the river had gone surprisingly well as the defenders in Luxembourg were swept aside like grass with only a few moderate counter attacks by allied bombers and some Belgian troops. Truth be told the only major hiccup to the whole plan had been the traffic jams from the unexpectedly rapid advance! There had been the strange lights in the sky but after an hours searching nothing had been found. After some discussion it was written off as some defenders trying to make a nuisance of themselves.
Pride filled him as yet another armored division began its crossing into France's soft underbelly as an Infantry division marched alongside the tanks. Satisfied with the rapid progress he returned to his motor transport for the short drive to the command area to begin planning the next phases of advance..
000 Leuven Eastern business district - May 15 1940
It was a cool clear morning as the sun crested the horizon beginning the slow processes bringing with it a warm orange glow below a still deep purple morning sky. All around the small city was quiet as if it anticipated the coming battle; its remaining inhabitants had gone to shelter in basements or buildings with thick walls. Everywhere troops were sometimes glimpsed darting between buildings, often carrying supplies or messages between command points; always moving with a sense of urgency to reduce exposure. From her position in the window of an office building with a clear view to the East Pearl watched the sunrise as she scanned the sky and the land below for the anticipated enemy forces.
"Where are they?" Pearl though to herself as she hefted her rifle to her shoulder to re-check its sights, the large anti-material rifle was much larger than her usual Enfield but also much more powerful. After re-checking the sights and the chamber she set it back down on its tripod and leaned back on the buildings wall. "Maybe they'll bypass the city? The Dutch are heavily engaged to the south, maybe we're not in the right position?" Sighing wearily to herself she started humming the opening notes to Swan Lake.
Unexpectedly her companion on watch picked up the next part of the tune just as she finished hers.
Surprised she looked across to George was situated next to the other window where he sat cleaning his rifle once again. Next to him a large spotting telescope on a tripod was setup at the other window which was to be used to spot targets and call shots. "George! I didn't know you knew Swan Lake".
George finished re-assembling his rifle then set it aside as he turned to smile at Pearl. "I might be a gruff dirty soldier but I do have some culture; my family never had much money but Pop always insisted that we should get a bit of culture from time to time. Swan Lake was the last one we saw before I enlisted."
"Your Pop was a wise man" replied Pearl with her own smile as she resumed looking out the window, still humming the tunes to herself.
George scooted over to pick up the huge anti-tank rifle to heft its weight a bit before setting it back down to examine it more closely. "We all trained with these things but how come you got the big gun?"
"Because I'm a living ballistics supercomputer AND a much better shot than the rest of you. Besides, the weight isn't an issue or don't you remember me ripping the steel door from the scout car?" replied Pearl with a hint of saucy confidence as she made a show of reaching over to pick-up the 16 Kg (35 lb) rifle one handed. "See?"
George just grinned as he shook his head. "You seem in better spirits, you and James have some fun the other night? I was surprised to find myself evicted from my own tent so I slept in yours, in my dirty uniform and boots!" cackled the soldier as Pearl grimaced at the thought. "Got some funny looks by the other soldiers when I left your tent in the morning, after all everyone knew it was yours."
Pearl huffed as she leaned out the window to look across to the building next to and across from hers. James spotted her, gave a mock salute as he smiled before disappearing back down behind cover. Satisfied that all was well in the other building she resumed her place sitting on the floor. "Nope, nothing happened, we talked, he fell asleep, I meditated to recharge my energy; felt much better after venting a bit….but…. yeah, Darren was giving me an odd look too. I think maybe he thought we DID something but he didn't say anything or confront us." Looking back over the window sill Pearl scanned the sky again. "Must be some rumor mill circulating back at camp" she thought privately to herself.
Before George could reply the radio set between them gurgled static loudly before clearing up into a panicky human voice. "CONTACT! Approaching from South East! Enemy aircraft and …"
The transmission was cut off as a shrill shriek was heard followed by deep thumps of artillery impacts. Pearl dared to peek out the window towards the command area, relief flooded her as the smoke from the impacts indicated the first volleys had missed.
Soon the radio resumed broadcasting… "Enemy has artillery support, not yet accurate, expected ETA of enemy ground forces in about an hour if the enemy keeps to their usual schedule"
~{0}~
He was thirsty, he'd been hiding in the bushes most of the previous night and into the morning. The last of his canteen had run out earlier but with any luck he wouldn't have to wait much longer for a drink. He'd been watching them for the last hour or so through his spotting scope, only setting it down to make the occasional call back to headquarters. Glancing behind him he inspected the thin field-telephone line again to make sure he hadn't snagged it on his boot again; the last time he'd nearly torn it. Satisfied that his position in the bushes about a mile from the town was secure he checked in again to command.
"Befehl, Leutnant Eberhard Waldemar Berichterstattung aus der Position Alpha, Feindliche Scharfschützen in den roten Bürogebäuden, markieren als Priorität für Panzer "
Picking up the powerful optical tool again he scanned the building again; he was just about to put it down again when he saw her. That is he thought he did as someone who looked like her had just leaned out a window to wave at someone. Disbelieving his fortune he focused on the suspected window for a long while with the powerful telescope, but only a man briefly appeared but no one else did.
Shrugging it off he dismissed it as an over-active imagination owing to dehydration.
~{0}~
With the artillery starting to fall and enemy advancement imminent they'd move to their firing positions set back from the window. The huge rifle had been attached to a table to stabilize it and buffer the powerful recoil for its user. This also had the benefit of preventing the barrel from sticking out the window and making the muzzle flash harder to see from the sides. Only a target already in their sights could see the shooter.
"Got a Panzer advancing, dead ahead, range about 800 yards, too far for a shot" said George as he'd taken up position on a bench setup at the other window with his spotting scope.
"What type? I don't think this will stop the heavier types" replied Pearl as she shifted her aim to the mentioned Panzer. From this distance it was just a dull grey outline but it's features were becoming clearer as it got closer. "Is it a Panzer 1 or 2?"
George studied his target for a bit longer; "Looks like we got a mix, that one's a Panzer 1, I think we can kill it but I'm seeing some heavier tanks out there with some infantry support accompanying them"
Pearl nodded in agreement as it got closer, "Signal James, I'm going to begin shooting as soon as it's within 500 yards."
A long moment passed as George counted down the range; already the smaller rifles of the general infantry had begun to fire on the approaching vehicles and accompanying enemy troops. Soon a furious fire fight was raging outside as both sides fought for position and to clear paths to advance. With the battle raging the tanks had slowed down to provide cover for the troops; their canons making short work of some of the more active strong points set up by the defenders.
Through it the squad held their fire waiting for the enemy light-tanks to come within effective range. Finally George called out the range. "500 Yards! Time to got to work Pearl!" he shouted as the adrenaline of the coming battle began to flood his system..
Pearl lined up for where she thought the drivers window would be, waited for a good target profile, then squeezed the trigger.
The room flashed bright white from the muzzle flash followed by a thunderous blast as if a bomb had exploded rattling the windows and leaving their ears ringing. For their efforts the targeted tank jerked to a the side as if it had struck a wall before it began driving in a series of lazy circles; its driver was dead.
Pearl held still for a moment waiting for her ears to stop ringing and her vision to clear. Dimly she could hear the sharp reports of the other snipers and heavy-rifles firing at the advancing enemy tanks.
"Whats say we move this a bit closer to the window so the blast goes outside yeah?" suggested George as he stood up and motioned for Pearl to help him re-position the rifle to a safer firing position.
~{0}~
"Warum schießen sie nicht auf die bauten?" shouted Eberhard into the battlefield telephone as he glared daggers at the offending structures. Already he had personally witnessed several of the smaller Panzers halted by the snipers, probably wielding anti-material guns. "Sie töten unsere Panzer!"
"Bestätigt, Brennen auf Gebäuden… bereithalten…." but the last of the transmission cut out with a hiss of brief static as the line went dead. Growling in frustration he risked excessive movement to shift to where he could look out behind his hiding area. "Verdammt!" he shouted, a tank had rolled directly over where the communication wire was located, ruining the fragile wire in the process. "Ich muss es selbst selber machen" he shouted to himself as he began to gather his equipment and prepare to make a more direct contribution to the battle. He waited for the enemy snipers to fire then made a run for it while they reloaded.
~{0}~
"Enemy in the open, single soldier, looks like he's running from a hunting hide. Bastard was probably scouting us all night." grumbled George as he followed the soldiers progress as he ran across the fields between cover. "Doesn't look like we have a shot on him, oh well, not worth wasting a heavy shot on him"
"Doesn't matter, the tanks are our objective" ordered Pearl as she took aim at and fired at a larger Panzer III, a moment later there was a spark and flicker of light indicating the bullet hadn't penetrated. "Damn it! No point shooting at the frontal armor or deflection angles, if it isn't a perfect 90 degree shot don't bother"
"Didn't we cover that in training? The heavier tanks just laugh at anything less than a perfect side shot." remarked George dryly as he looked for more targets. "I think we're out of light tanks anyway, let's join James and co….." but he never finished the thought as he suddenly threw down his scope and dove for the floor shouting "INCOMING TAKE COVER!"
Not wasting a second Pearl followed close after as she hit the floor and pulled her helmet tight over her Gemstone. Not a second later the front of the building exploded inwards with a hail of flying brick and splinters followed by a thunderous BOOM that shook the building as if an earthquake had struck.
After the first blast Pearl dared to lift her eyes to check on her companion when another artillery round struck the building, this time further up on the next floor, again the building shook as bricks and timber supports gave way. Holding her position for another minute she again carefully raised her head to look around the room, ready to resume covering herself if another round struck the building.
"GEORGE! Are you alive over there?!" called Pearl as she stood up and took in the now fully wrecked room around her. Everywhere was a thick layer of dirt, clouds of thick dust and smoke blurred her vision as she made her way through the debris to George's last known position. "GEORGE!, you there!"
A sharp wizz-snap sound caused her to hit the floor again as she looked out at the battlefield through the now destroyed facade of the building. The infantry that had been accompanying the tanks had taken position behind some low dirt mounds, likely a drainage canal, and were now shooting at the buildings with machine-gun and rifle fire. "That was too close, way too close, got to stay under cover"
"Yeah Pearl, I'm here" answered George as he eased himself up onto his knees, then crawled over to her to avoid been seen by the infantry battle raging outside. "Just a bit dazed is all, I think it's time to go."
"Agreed, let's get our things." Quickly while trying to stay under cover the two gathered their equipment and made their way down the building's back entryway. Behind them they could hear the shouts of the other platoons shouting for covering fire and a tactical retreat.
~{0}~
Eberhard was on his own now; after rushing ahead towards the buildings he'd accidentally found himself behind the allied lines. With the battle still raging and most of his platoon still advancing he'd been forced to find a new hide spot to wait for the optimal time to begin his own attack. He'd briefly considered shooting some of the enemy from the rear but eventually decided against it as he'd just the one rifle, limited ammo and no means of evading a counter attack.
Running down a narrow alley between buildings his only warning was the heavy footfalls of someone running in the building next to him. Skidding to a halt he narrowly avoided being seen as just as the two soldiers from the building charged passed him not bothering to check it first. Eberhard stood gobsmacked for a moment as he watched the slim figure with unmistakable peach hair just visible under the helmet.
"Sie war es!" he breathed before breaking into a run after the departing figures.
~{0} ~
James and Darren were running as fast as their legs could carry them as the threaded their way through the city's narrow streets; Frank trailing a bit behind watching their rear. fatigue pulled at their legs, their lungs felt empty, but their hard training and long periods of extended combat had strengthened them enough to push through it. The enemy advance had finally managed to smash through their defenses after the artillery barrage on their sniping positions. His heart had stopped when her building had been hit fearing he'd lost her again, but resumed beating again when he saw her and George moving in the rubble.
"They can't be far ahead!" he called over to Darren who was just keeping pace.
Darren didn't answer as he slowed a bit to check behind them, seeing Frank rounding the previous corner he picked up the pace again. "Head for rally point St Michael's, that's where they should be headed too."
"4th Platoon sighted, friendlies behind us!" shouted Frank as he had seen someone dressed in the uniform of a friendly somewhere on the road behind them.
~{0}~
She was fast, much faster than he had anticipated as she ducked around corners, lept over ditches and only slowed for her companion to catch up. A couple times he'd thought he heard footsteps behind him accompanied by someone shouting but he paid it no mind. All he needed was a long clear line of sight for just a few seconds as no one could run faster than a well aimed bullet.
~{0}~
"Someone's ahead of us! Black uniform!" shouted Darren as he just briefly caught a glimpse of someone dressed in black with a red arm band.
"Must be a scout, watch for ambushes and keep running" replied Frank as he caught up to the two companions. His voice raspy from the stress he was putting on his body.
Darren noted the state of his two companions and his own. "Just a bit further then we stop for a couple minutes. We've put enough distance between us and the battle area we scan rest a spell" he wheezed out before redoubling his efforts.
~{0}~
"Pearl, stop, I need to stop!" Wheezed George as he stumbled to a stop to lean against a nearby wall, his legs gave out as he slumped down to sit. His breath coming fast and quick as his body fought to oxygenate itself again. "Damn it, I think I inhaled some dust back there in the building too"
Pearl skidded to a halt and quickly running back over to George, "one moment, this will help" she soothed as with a bright light she reached into her Gem to withdraw a fresh canteen of water. "I saved this from camp earlier, it's got some fruit flavoring with salt to to help replenish your electrolytes."
George chugged the bottle greedily then handed it back to Pearl. "Where did you find fruit?"
Before Pearl could answer a shadow dressed in black flashed from around the corner.
~{0}~
"JA! Hast du jetzt" shouted Eberhard as he rounded the corner and immediately came upon his quarry; resting with guard down. It was too close for the rifle so he opted for the next best, and most fun, solution. Hand to hand combat. Wailing a battle cry he maintained his speed, wield his rifle like a club he first struck out at her companion catching him in the arm before allowing himself to fall forwards to slam his objective to the ground. Immediately his free hand went for his knife.
~{0}~
Their pace had slowed, it was unavoidable under the exertion of the long run through town but they were getting close. They were slowing to a jog to rest when they heard the battle shout echo down the street.
~{0)~
Pearl had no time to think as she raised her arm up to block the attack as her attacker smashed into her driving her to the ground. If she'd been human the impact would have knocked the breath from her but as a Gem it simply made her mad. "Get off me you CLOD!" she shouted as she struggled to push him off of her with one hand and holding his other, with the knife, at bay.
"REMEMBER ME YOU ! DO YOU RECOGNIZE ME ! I GET REVENGE NOW !" the man shouted in broken English, her eyes squinting against the spittle flying at her face. She would have simply shoved him off but, his immense strength fueled by adrenaline was surprisingly strong even by Gem standards.
"GEORGE! Little help please!" shouted Pearl as Eberhard tried to stab her with the knife. When George didn't reply she spared a quick glance to the side to see that he was slumped over holding his arm and looking as if he'd been hit by a truck. "Ugh, never-mind, you just sit and take it easy" she growled out.
"DO YOU RECOGNIZE ME PEACH HAIR, I KNOW YOU, I REVENGE!" Shouted the man again as frustration began to cloud his thinking, redoubling his efforts he raised the knife high to strike.
BAM!
Eberhard cried out as his raised left hand was blown to pieces, the knife clattering to the ground. Both he and Pearl glanced in the direction of the shot to see a young commando chambering a fresh round into his rifle. "GET OFF MY GIRL!" he shouted as he fired again, this time striking his enemy in the helmet.
~{0}~
Luck was with Eberhard as the famously thick and sturdy helmet saved his life as the bullet had hit at an angle causing it to deflect off harmlessly into the alley wall. But the impact still left him dizzy.
Holding his bleeding stump hand close he rolled to the side playing dead; carefully he reached down to his belt for his final-option to escape capture by death or delaying the enemy. Falling onto his back, still faking a death fall, he rapidly recovered himself to reveal a small grenade.
"Tod vor dem Capture!" whispered the wounded SS soldier as he threw the grenade at his enemy.
~{0}~
James smirked at the easy victory and the chance to play hero as he watched Pearl's attacker slump to the side. But victory soon turned to horror as the man suddenly went from dead to very much alive as a grenade was suddenly making its way through the air towards them.
~{0}~
Pearl was fast, with her attacker out of the way she flooded her body with energy to leap after the grenade. Time slowed for her as she felt her body leave the ground as she chased after the little metal ball. An eternity passed as her eyes locked on the objective, noting every detail as her arm stretched out towards the little device of death. The chipped paint, a serial number, a 1939 date-stamp, the little trail of smoke as the fuse burned, and Jame's horrified face just visible beyond the target.
Time sped up again as her hand connected with the grenade slapping it hard enough it changed course to fly through a nearby window. An instant later it blew up with a deafening CRUMP! That shattered the rest of the glass in the wall, shook the dust from the bricks, a moment later smoke from a small fire wafted through the now shattered windows.
"Everyone okay?" asked Pearl as she picked herself up off the street from where she'd landed. "Yes, even you George, I forgive you for not helping, looks like you took a nasty hit there"
George looked back up at her lazily as if half drunk. "Sorry little sister, I'm a bit tipsy at the moment and it looked like you had him handled, now where did that bastard get off too?"
Indeed, their attacker was gone, his path of escape marked by only a few drops of blood leading around the corner.
"Who was that man anyway? He seemed to know you"? Inquired James as he helped Pearl to her feet then began to carefully inspect her for damage. "That was some mid-air save love, thank you."
Pearl looked down the alley as she searched her memories, eventually finding nothing.
"No Idea"
000 River Scheldt - Evening May 15th
The retreat from the city of Leuven had been disappointing but in the end there wasn't much to be done about it. Without full artillery support, ammunition running low, no air-cover they'd been forced to surrender the city in order to prevent the total destruction of the division. Now on the banks of the river Scheldt the squad rested while headquarters figured out what to-do next.
On a clearing next to the river under the eaves of an ancient oak, two commando's rested as they reflected on the day's events.
"The moon looks beautiful tonight" whispered Pearl as she leaned back against James, felt safe and comfortable as his arms were wrapped around her, holding her close against him.
"River's nice and peaceful too, was nice to be able to bath earlier" replied James softly as he lowered his head to breath in his love's scent. "You know, you smell nice, even when you're exhausted." Satisfied he returned his attention to the sky and its billions of twinkling stars. "You going to be okay Love? That was a near thing back in the city, we all almost bought it there."
Pearl closed her eyes as she snuggled against him humming contentedly. "Yes, I'll be fine".
"What's that? Out in the river?" asked James suddenly, something he'd scene caused him to drop all pretense of romance as he tensed up, body going to full alert for danger.
Hearing this and feeling his change in demeanor Pearl sat up, her senses alert as her arm instinctively reached over to pick up her rifle. Her hands moved on autopilot to chamber a round as she lifted it to her shoulder, sharp eyes scanning the river water. Then she saw it.
The wreckage of canal barge was floating down the river, small fires burned from the deck house casting a flickering glow across the water. As it drew closer more details could be scene in the dim light, its serial number, bits of cargo, bullet holes from large caliber guns, and the bodies of the crew strewn about the deck.
Unable to do anything Pearl and James could only watch as the barge with its macabre cargo drifted past to eventually disappear around the bend in the river.
000 End Chapter 19
Author's Notes
I'd like to extend a thank you to fellow writer MarquisObsurite for taking the time to help review this exceedingly long chapter. Please take a moment to head over to his profile page to give his well written bad-Pearl AU story 'Lacrimosa' a read as it's full of brilliant writing, emotions, and a great take on Pearl.
Please like, favorite, follow, and of course, leave a review to let me know how the story is going or how it can be improved. I'm also open to story ideas as writing is hard, I'll be sure to give you credit too.
History Notes (lots this time)
Phaea - The Crommyonian Sow (also called Phaea or Phaia - Greek- after the woman who owned it) is a mythical pig in Greek mythology.
Leuven - Small Belgium town about 10 miles to the east of the edge of Brussels. Most of the heavier fighting was by the Belgium and French forces to the south between towns of Gembloux and Namur. Leuven was notable as it was reached by the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) 3rd Infantry and marked the primary headquarters location for the division. Though 'relatively' quiet for most of the initial campaign (mostly small skirmishes and such) the 3rd Infantry was eventually driven from the town about May 15th.
General Montgomery - Leader of the BEF 3rd Infantry; was quite upset when his division was fired upon as they approached the town of Leuven by justifiably skittish Belgium troops. He later went on to command British forces in North Africa then eventually back to Europe to oversee Operation Overloard then the drive to the Rhine as the war progressed. (Thank you reader unknown with review number 41 for pointing out the error, I'd originally meant it as Commander all British but I see now that what I had typed previously mistakenly indicated a much wider authority over Europe forces in the late-war)
Ardennes Forest - French and Belgium reconnaissance planes did spot the advancing German columns moving through the forest but leadership was convinced the main force of the invasion was going through Belgium. It was thought the narrow roads and thick forest of the Ardennes made it impossible to move a heavy fighting force through it. There were bombing raids on the advancing columns as well as some delaying battles but none had much effect and the allies lost allot of bombers in the attempts.
Boy's Anti-Tank rifle - 1937–1943 effective against light tanks such as the Panzer 1 and II if shot from the sides or other weak point. Nearly useless against the heavier tanks that came later in the war. Fires a .55 caliber (13.9x99mmB) 926 gr hardened steel core bullet at about 2,450 ft/s (747 m/s) for the Mark 1 version.
Stuka Dive Bomber (Junkers Ju 87) - highly developed and effective ground attack aircraft used by the Germans. Basically a flying tank it shrugged off damage from most small arms and even some heavier stuff.
Dyle Line - The Dyle Plan or Plan D was the plan of the Commander-in-Chief of the French Army, Général d'armée Maurice Gamelin to defeat a German attempt to invade France through Belgium; the Dyle (Dijle) river is 86 km (53 mi) long, from Houtain-le-Val through Flemish Brabant and Antwerp
Fort Eben-Emael - Constructed in 1931–1935, it was reputed to be impregnable and at the time, the largest in the world. The fort was neutralized by glider-borne German troops on 10 May 1940 during the Second World War. The action cleared the way for German ground forces to enter Belgium, unhindered by fire from Eben-Emael.
Battle of Sedan - German Army group A from May 12 - 15 1940 crossed rapidly through the Ardennes forest then bypassed the French defences via erecting their own river crossings over the Meuse. Combined Arms tactics meshed heavy artillery, infantry, tanks and air support into a coordinated framework to smash a break-out. The unexpected large enemy invasion from the flank was severely demoralizing to the French government as several counter-attacks were swept aside.
Field Marshal Gerd von Rundsted - Leader of German Army group A as it made its dash through the Ardennes Forest and later the battle of Sedan. At least from what I've read; do correct me if I'm wrong.
Eberhard Waldemar - OC villain, Last seen in chapter 13 - Panzer theft; made report to Aldebert that Pearl was sighted. First appearance was Chapter 2 in Tibet accompanying the expedition.
Corporal Ekkehard - Real Person, was a German fighter pilot during the war. Last scene in the story at the battle of Poznan where his group of bombers destroyed the Polish artillery guns.