The wire entwined stone embedded in its chest glowing an angry red as the beast loosed a bone-chilling shriek that was something between savagery and agony. Then it attacked.

000 El Adem road hills South of the coastal city of Tobruk - April 1941

If she could sweat or be affected by the temperature she would have melted into the rocks. However being made of hard-light her 'body' was not affected by the various temperature or weather fluctuations of the land she was presently in. She still needed clothes for modesty, blending in, and the occasional blanket more for comfort or peace of mind than any real need. Sometimes it was freezing cold of night, other times it was boiling heat of day that made the equipment hot to the touch. Mostly it was just a dry heat persistently chipping away at their endurance. It was one of the few times in her long existence that she was genuinely, most certainly, glad she was not human.

It was near noon and the squad was presently huddled within their camouflaged spotting blind as they observed the mountain pass they'd been assigned to. Presently she and Frank were on duty watching for signs of the enemy making another attempt to push deeper into Egypt along one of the few roads that connected the widely distributed towns. This was a double edged sword in that they only had one avenue of attack or defend along but supply-lines were going to be a problem for everyone.

The soft clink of metal on metal drew her attention to her companion as he drank deeply from a canteen. Replacing the cap he offered it to her, then tucked it back into his back when she refused.

From behind her, the thump of something hitting a table followed by a soft curse announced that George had lost another card game to Darren. Soon the sound of coins landing in a bag followed. A chuckle of annoyed laughter from James indicated that he too had probably lost to their boss. Sighing to herself she returned her gaze to the distant road the squad had been assigned to watch.

"See anything on the roads?" asked Frank from his position to her side, his voice strong despite the weight the intense heat must have been putting on him. "Aerial recon reports the Jerry advancing towards these positions. Should be here any day now."

Setting down her binoculars again Pearl looked back over their ridge position towards the city just visible in the distance from their advance scouting position. "Just be glad for the quiet, things could just have easily be much louder if Command had opted to send us to Crete instead of posting us here on recon."

Frank took another deep gulp from his canteen as he drained the last of its contents greedily. "You're right of course but then the weather would be much more pleasant and we'd have something to-do."

"You should conserve your water you bloke, we only have what we could carry out here!" muttered Darren from the card-table at the back of the spotting hide. "Besides, we'll be needed here when Rommel arrives, we've already bombed and shelled the piss out of them over the last few days but they may still push forwards."

"Don't worry about the water, I go you boys covered" mumbled Pearl quietly. Darren heard her anyway.

"Got water stored in your Gem? Like those German documents you captured a few months ago?" asked Darren inquisitively. Pearl sighed as she replied. "Yes but don't expect me to be able to carry all your stuff, the space isn't unlimited and it does take a lot of my energy reserves the larger it gets." This seemed to mollify Darren as he returned to his card game, much to her relief as she'd party lied on her storage ability. "Sorry boys, I can't cheat too much but I'll be damned if I lose any of you to simple thirst"

~{0}~

"Movement on the road below, I see multiple scout-cars with tanks trailing behind along with infantry carriers." called George as he scanned the horizon during his turn on watch.

Immediately the squad dropped their various camp activities to get into position, some with powerful spotting binoculars while others had just their rifle scopes. A tense minute passed as all watched.

Sure enough others confirmed the initial report as they began to scribble notes on the distant formations, most especially bearing and range estimates.

Once sufficient notes were ready the call was made into head-quarters as Darren grabbed the radio. "Royal Horse! Royal Horse!, this is Brimstone, enemy movement, coast road, Grid A2 moving B3 relative to hill A106, armored motor columns, harassing rounds, fire when ready."

Only static was heard on the radio as the squad watched the advancing columns begin to resolve from distant dots into more defined types, great clouds of desert dust following in their wake. Darren repeated the fire request again, again they waited. Finally the radio answered.

"Brimstone, Brimstone, this is Royal Horse Battery, enemy is beyond range of our guns. They are to be allowed to pass, do not summon fire unless your position is under direct attack" replied a thick accented voice.

Pearl huffed as she traded her spotting binoculars for her rifle's scope to begin dialing in the range and windage she would soon be needing. "Never thought I'd say this but I miss those big guns from Poznan, anyone know why they wont open fire!?" she grumbled.

James chuckled lightly as he scribbled notes on a distant formation. "Morbid but yes, it was nice being able to reach out and touch something. No idea, maybe command has something planned?"

Darren just shook his head. "Sorry, I'm as in the dark as you are, need to know, just keep calling out their positions to the artillery groups. As you say, maybe Sir Ming the Merciless has an idea."

With nothing else to-do the squad hunkered down, checked ammo, then waited. It wasn't a long wait as the German formations soon ran headlong into a prepared ambush deep within the fortified city.

~{0}~

"Ming you cheeky bastard, that is not playing fair." commented James dryly as the squad observed the remains of the German 5th Panzer and 8th Machine-gun groups were in full retreat. All along the main road tanks and armored cars burned in the dim morning light as flashes from impacting British artillery briefly silhouetted the survivors still retreating.

Pearl's voice was heard shouting into the radio over the din of battle in the valley just below the spotters. "Royal Horse! Brimstone, Fire Mission, coast road, Grid G4 moving F3 relative to hill A107, exposed infantry, fire for effect." It was her turn on the radio while the other spotted.

Within seconds a number of 25lb shells rained down on the hapless enem soldiers; soon none were left moving. Elsewhere aircraft bombs were landing in and around the enemy formations.

The loud crack-snap of a passing bullet prompted the squad members manning the wall to duck behind cover. "Contact below, looks like they're on to us, ready weapons." commanded Darren as he set aside his spotting scope to pick up and ready his own sniper rifle. "Fire when ready squad!"

Further back, Pearl remained on the radio relaying enemy positions or summoning fire-support as the thunder of battle echoed through the morning. By afternoon it was over as the last of the enemy passed out of range of the artillery beyond the fortified perimeter.

The Siege of Tobruk had begun.

000 Tobruk middle line trenches - April 1941

For once the day was pleasant as though the sun burned bright in the sky a cool ocean breeze was blowing and with it bringing relief from the usual dry heat of the day. Having done their turn at the outer perimeter line the squad had been withdrawn to the second line to recuperate. The fighting had quieted down some since the opening actions, the large minefields surrounding the city preventing any further un-announced large formation attacks, now it was just artillery and air attacks to worry about along with the occasional skirmish. In short, the squad was growing restless.

Pearl sniffed at the contents of the tinned meal presented to her at the mess tent; it did not smell pleasant but she accepted it with a smile just the same. The quartermaster on the other side of the table just rolled his eyes as he motioned her to move along so he could serve the next in line. Making her way through the narrow trench lines she arrived at her squad's current quarters. Ducking through the narrow opening to the cave dug into the ground the world went from daylight bright to dimly lit by lights strung along the walls. Blinking a few times to adjust her eyes she set about completing her errand.

"Here you go Frank, extra ration pack for ya, dig in and enjoy!" said Pearl happily as she plunked down into the chair across from the young man. "Fresh from the ration canteen, re-heated to perfection!". Evidently she was having too much fun teasing the men about the food she didn't have to eat owing to her Gem physiology. "Eat up now, before it gets cold and spoils again."

Frank chuckled as he picked up the tin of food and dug in with his fork; shoving a fork-full into his mouth his face scrunched up as he chewed. "Ugh, that stuff terrible, never thought bully beef and rice could taste so bad, whoever prepared this ration pack put way too much salt in it."

"Oh don't you complain, at least you can get Pearl's ration to make up for the one you spilled earlier. Beats eating the alternatives." replied George from his bunk on the other side of the cave. "But then maybe stewed rat and harbor fish might taste better eh?"

Pearl slapped a hand over her mouth as she fought back a sudden urge to spit. "Ugh, thats disgusting, you know those rats have parasites and the fish are full of chemicals from the ships!"

Frank grudgingly swallowed another mouthful of the unpleasant meal. "Don't mind him Little Sister, he's just teasing you, aren't you George. At least these ratios are safe to eat… I hope."

The flapping of the cloth that served as the caves door signaled the return of the other two members of the squad who had been out getting orders. Darren dropped his pack down next to the door, threw a manila folder onto the table marked 'orders' then marching over to his cot he promptly flopped onto the cot, a moment later loud snoring filled the space as the squad-leader slept.

James, having been a bit more rested, opted to take a seat at the table with Pearl and Frank. Pulling his own ration tin from his pack he opened the now cold meal and began to eat. He too cringed at the taste. "Don't mind boss, he was up all night planning out our next mission set, trying to keep us busy."

Pearl watched him eat for a moment, the sensation of disgust welling up again this time threatening to make her actually wretch. "James, would you like me to fetch you something more pleasant to eat?"

James shrugged as he took another bite. "Thanks but its okay, it's not too different from the salt-beef my Dad used to serve for lunch. He used to survive on the stuff during his turn in the navy and it became something of an acquired taste for him then in turn his sons."

"Okay then, just the same, if you want something better I might be able to figure something out." replied Pearl as she made a point of picking up the manila envelope to distract herself. "What's in here now? Any idea what these orders are all about?"

James finished up the last of his ration then tossed the now empty tin onto the rubbish pile.

"Yep, tell me Pearl my Love, how do you fancy a date? A moonlight stroll along the white sand beaches, the warm ocean offering a relaxing swim, and the two of us, cuddling on the sand?"

A bright, merry smile blossomed on her face, her eyes full of happiness as she vigorously nodded. "James, that sounds wonderful, yes, you'll have to fill me in on the details, actually, make it a surprise!". James was grinning ear-to-ear as he began detailing out the coming evening date.

On the other side of the cave George rolled over in his bunk to face away from the happily chatting couple. "The young lad is going to get himself killed" he muttered quietly as he drifted off to sleep.

000 HMS Glengyle - Early evening off the beaches of Bardia - April 20th 1941

James huddled in the corner of the landing barge; a chill ran through him but it wasn't from the cold ocean breeze or the freezing desert night. Pearl sat across from him, her eyes cold as Ice as she went back to preparing her combat harness with an annoyed huff. It was bad enough that the boats were behind schedule but the added barb of the poorly timed joke had left the young Commando fearing more than just the enemy's guns. No going back now, the boats were making landfall on the beach, it was go time.

"Don't be too hard on the lad little sister teased Darren from his seat next to Pearl, his voice raised to be heard over the roar of the landing crafts engines. "He's just trying to mix things up a bit."

Pearl gave James on last glare before she leaned back against the boats armored wall and blew out a frustrated breath. "Sorry, you're right, I shouldn't stay mad at a simple tease."

James nearly wilted with relief but his reprieve was short lived as a he was Pearl grabbed him roughly by the front of his coat and pulled him towards her. "But you owe me a proper date and swim in the ocean when we get back to Tobruk, understand young man?"

James nodded agreement enthusiastically. "Good" with that she pulled him into a deep kiss full of promise then releasing his shirt to switch back to checking her equipment. "Okay, get ready, we land soon." James wasted no time in following suite as he re-checked his own battle harness.

~{0}~ Boarding house, hills above Bardia

The room was lit by a single dimly glowing light bulb dangling on its frayed wire from the ceiling as if it was trying to end its misery by hanging. A warm fire burned in a cast-iron stove lending some welcome warmth from the cool nights that balanced out the often sweltering days of the desert. The rooms furnishings were spars for its occupants but it was of little concern to them as they were traveling light with only the essentials for their tasks. For soon, they were going to be testing their newly acquired capabilities against the allies to see if further development was worth the efforts.

Aldebert had made a reading-nest for himself in a corner of the room, leaning against the wall with his torso covered in blankets he thumbed through the latest dispatches from his various spy reports. Setting down his latest report he looked across to see his companion in room wrapping up his work. "How goes it Heir Schafer? You've been at it all afternoon, surely you need to take a break at some point?"

Ernst Schäfer only grunted his reply as the ignored the spy-master as he continued to concentrate on the delicate work of their latest experiment. His expression was blank as he concentrated on his task of attaching the electrodes to the deep black of the Hematite stone within. The stone itself was embedded in a latticework of wires and glued with strong resin to a PCB circuit board. After attaching the last electrode he placed the Hematite-Wire contraption into a smaller containment box within the enclosure then withdrew his arms from the access ports then collapsed in exhaustion to his cot.

"Thank the stars that's done, endless wires and redos! I swear I'll be dreaming of this mess." complained the researcher as he wiped his face with a damp cloth. "I hope the white-coats back home had some success with this in their own experiments or this is going to be a monumental waste of my precious time. I'd much rather be out finding new discoveries, this land must be full of ruins to explore!"

Aldebert nodded agreement as he reached over to pass Schäfer some of his tray of semolina cake. "Eat, you need to get your blood-sugar back up, the baker down the street makes it, quite good if you ask me. The locals know how to make some choice sweats from the deserts plants."

The room grew silent again as the two men chewed their confectionaries, both pondering the looming test of their experiments. Either it would succeed in giving an advantage to their army, at worst it would prove an interesting curiosity but little more than a distraction.

Somewhere in the distance the unmistakable crackle of machine-guns started up in earnest, followed by thumping blasts accompanied by the thunder of heavy guns. The stone-huts door was soon flung open, Waldemar was standing in the doorway holding his sides and breathing heavily. "We are attacked! They came out of the hills and are presently making a mess of the Italian's in the village."

Aldebert threw off his blankets as he made to grab his 'go-bag' full of supplies, key documents, and his personal weapons. "Heir Schäfer, grab your notes, we're under attack, we must get to our vehicle and make ready to escape if the enemy isn't repulsed."

Schäfer hesitated for a moment before he too grabbed up his own grab-bag, only pausing to reach into the case to extract the little box containing the wire-entwined stone. In his other arm was another box, this one a bit larger and more refined in its construction.

Aldebert started at the larger of the two boxes for a long moment as the gears and cogs of his mind turned formulating a plan. "Schäfer! Thats it, this is the perfect test under field conditions. We'll wait for the optimal time and then use it to cover our escape or disrupt the attackers.

Schäfer frowned "Well sure, but what happens if we lose it? We don't have a lot of samples and it was difficult enough to subdue the last time it touched sand."

"I agree with Aldebert." replied Waldemar, "You two are always planning, testing, planning, testing, why not do something besides research! So what if we don't get it back, that thing is cursed anyway"

Sighing in defeat, Schäfer handed the large box over to Waldemar. "I hope you know what you're doing."

~{0}~

An hour later the trio was perched in some bushes atop another hill with a good view of the town. From their vantage point they could see the lights of the attackers flashing from building to building searching for enemy intelligence. Mercifully they had apparently missed the trio's boarding house on the other hill, at least for the moment. Out in the harbor lights from the faint silhouettes of the landing-ships and accompanying escorts idled in black-out conditions.

Suddenly a couple of loud blasts shook the earth from the directions of the Italian gun-batteries and the town's military supply depot. Soon the commandos would be departing back to their ships.

It was time for the test. Opening the box Schäfer extracted a large red pillow with an over-sized Emerald embedded in its center, attached to it were wires like the ones on the other smaller stone.

"Waldemar, would you do the honor?" offered Aldebert as he handed the large soldier the power switch. Waldemar smiled as he took the device and flipped it to the power-on position.

~{0}~

Pearl smiled as she watched the prisoners being rounded up for escort back to the landing craft from her holding position near the towns water well. The battles had been relatively short and fortunately casualties on both sides had been light. The war was over for them as they would become temporary guests of the British but it was much better than the alternative and Pearl was glad she hadn't had to kill anyone tonight. "If only all battles could be this clean, i'm starting to get numb to killing men"

The soft crunch of boots on gravel prompted her to check behind her, her weapon raising a bit in anticipation of a possible fight. Relief was quick to replace tension as James strode into view from around the corner to take up position next to her. "Hi Love, looks like a nice clean sweep eh? With the raid so quiet do you think the Col Laycock would let us go for a swim and siesta on the beach?"

Pearl chuckled as she lightly punched him in the arm. "Too soon lover boy, too soon. But I'm sure if you ask the Colonial he'll find a way for you to get that nice ocean swim…. back to the ships."

Whatever else James was about to say died on his lips as without warning the wind began to rapidly pick up. Soon it was nearing gal-force as all around men struggled to cover their faces and stand upright as the strong winds began to pick up progressively larger pieces of debris from the ground.

Blinking against the sandpaper-wind Pearl felt around in the sudden darkness as she searched for her quarry. Luckily it was a short search as her hand soon found James's jacket sleeve. Yanking it hard she pulled him down into a kneeling position with her body protecting him from the onslaught.

"We need to get back to the boats! NOW!" she shouted into what she hoped was his ear but she couldn't tell in the swirling darkness. "THIS WAY!" She shouted again. Engaged her Gem stone's light to try and signal others to follow her as she led James carefully through the streets trusting her natural direction sense to guide her.

Pearl released a startled yelp when a hand grabbed her from out of the darkness to grab her by her own jacket. She felt a face press close to her own head. "Pearl is that you? I've got the others with me, are you heading to the boats?" It was Darren.

Despite her enhanced hearing it was still a challenge to hear him over the wind. "Yes, its me, how did you find me?" She shouted back. A hand touched her glowing gem. "A light guided us" was the reply.

As quickly as she could manage the squad threaded their way through the town and back out to the beach where their landing craft was still securely tied up to its anchor post. "Everyone in! We wait as long as we can then we need to leave before the boat fills with sand and sinks!"

A few minutes later the boats departed the beach to make a cautious withdraw back out to sea with as many commando's and prisoners as could be found crammed inside. As they pulled further from the beach something strange happened; as the sand-storm suddenly fell away just as if the landing craft had passed through some invisible boundary. The night was calm again with a clear sky above.

"Bloody Hell, would you look at that, what is going on there?" said a soldier from Pearl's side of the boat.

"I don't know exactly, but I have an idea" replied Pearl. "But never-mind that for now, is everyone okay? All present?" Quickly she counted her own squad, all present, then the boats.

"Where is boat number four? There should be four boats but I count only three!?" shouted Frank as he stood up on the engine compartment for a better look around them. "Did we lose one?"

~{0}~

Up on the hills the trio was feeling euphoric. The test had gone splendidly as the electrodes had prompted the Sand-Gemstone to perform exactly as planned. It was time to report the results to Rommel and get authorization for an actual offensive use-test of the suspected creature-type gemstone. Heading back to their accommodations the trio sang loudly as they celebrated.

~{0)~

Once back aboard the transport ship the squad, now completely exhausted headed to their barracks compartment. There was none of the usual jostling for bunks as now there were plenty for all.

Up on the stern deck Pearl meditated as she pondered on the sudden appearance of the fierce - and highly localized - sandstorm. "Would the lady fancy some company?" inquired a James's voice as he stepped out of the access hatch to step over and take a seat next to her. Pearl nodded as she leaned over to rest against his side, his rhythmic breathing, the steady sound of his heart beats, a comforting arm placed gently across her shoulders as he pulled her close. She felt much more relaxed now.

"Want to talk about it?" asked James, his voice soft and encouraging as he gave her an encouraging squeeze.

Pearl hesitated a moment as if deciding whether to release some great secret or not, finally she shook her head no. Standing up she took one last look at the moon-lit coast before heading back down into the ships leaving James sitting alone with his thoughts.

000 Tobruk perimeter - May 20th

A sea of stars filled the midnight black of the sky above casting a faint light on the desert landscape below. To the common human the distant points of light where little more than a curiosity, an inspiration for poetry, or a map to guide their travels. On this night the stars ghostly light was all the illumination a Gem needed as she scanned the desiccated landscape for signs of the enemy. Somewhere in the distance a pack of wild dogs was heard, their faint cries and barks carried by the evenings breeze. Shifting her rifles aim she zeroed the scope on the pack, soon she was watching as they employed pack teamwork to hunt and take down what she guessed was an injured gazelle.

"Fascinating, no matter how harsh the landscape organic life still finds a way to survive and thrive." commented Pearl as she set down the rifle scope to survey the wider perimeter.

"You're surprised by this?" asked James curiously from his place on the other side of the watch hide. "You've been on his planet for thousands of years, you've even spoken of the ancient Greek and Roman ruins as if you had just visited them yesterday. Frank has been busy with his camera documenting some of the artifacts and ruins you've pointed out the locations of."

Pearl smiled as she lightly punched him in the shoulder. "Don't mock me, remember, its only when I set out on this adventure that I really bothered to look closer at life. The Gem Empire could learn a lesson by studying the survival methods of organic life. Take those dogs over there, water is essential to survive and yet in this arid landscape there are hundreds of them."

James rubbed his shoulder in mock hurt, "that hurt ya know, you forget your strength. But still, the other day you mentioned something about a desert-gem that could control sands. Care to expand on that?"

"Well, back during the Gem rebellion there were experiments with Gems being turned into weapons after their stones were too damaged for the original body to reform. Rose sometimes spoke of one such corrupted gem out in the deserts that could summon sand-storms to provide improvised cover. But honestly I've never encountered the gem and Garnet never says anything about it." replied Pearl as she resumed her watch of the wild dogs, she grimaced when she saw they had begun to eat their kill.

"Interesting, if you're thinking that stand-storm back at the village was caused by a corrupted Gem then that just raises a lot of questions that probably have bad answers. Have you spoken to command about it yet? Something like this should be relayed back to headquarters." suggested James, his voice growing sleepy at the late hour.

Pearl frowned at the thought. "No, I don't think I can report it, at least not yet as we have no evidence and I'd rather not bring up some very complicated questions that would need answering just yet."

"You'll have to tell command eventually." replied James, a large yawn interrupted the rest of his speech.

"Come on, lets get you to rest, our shift is over and I can hear the relief group coming up the path." With that Pearl helped James to his feet then let him lean on her as she guided them back to camp.

000 Tobruk harbor - May 25th 1941

The load master's whistle blew loudly over the throngs of soldiers lining up to board the transport ships for the 200 mile journey across the Mediterranean Sea to the island of Crete. All around Commandos from various units had formed up to board the transports, at the head of the force, Lt Col Laycock shouted orders to the various platoon leaders organizing the operations. Down with one of the platoons Pearl was doing her best to stay out of sight as she made a point of standing behind Darren anytime the leaders looked in her direction.

"Worried they're going to spot you and bring up the paperwork issue again?" asked Darren as for the third time in the past hour he felt her bump into his back.

"Partly, just tired of explaining that again and again. Mostly I'm just feeling nervous and I don't want them seeing that and make me stay behind." replied Pearl, her voice just loud enough to be heard.

"Aw, don't worry little sister, we've got your back." guffawed George as he roughly slapped her on the back. The force of the blow was enough to knock her off balance and into Darren who in turn stumbled into the soldier in front of him. After a tense moment of glaring the other squad let it go.

"Don't do that!" grouched Pearl, resuming her place in line she made a point of pretending to ignore the chuckling laughter of her squad mate. "I've just got a bad feeling about this is all. We don't normally deploy in bulk like this! Commandos are scouts, infiltration, trouble-makers! Not line infantry."

"Don't worry Love, we'll be fine, remember. Live together, fight together, move together." replied James from further back in the line. "As long as you remember those lines we'll be fine."

"You forgot die together" piped up Frank from further up the line. Darren smacked him on the head.

Frank couldn't have known it then, but those words would soon haunt the squad.

000 Hills above Souda Harbor - May 26th 1941

Dusk had fallen bringing a welcome respite from the heavy fighting that had dominated the day's actions. The army was already in retreat when the Commando's arrived as evidenced by the endless stream of weary soldiers arriving at the harbor to board evacuation ships. All through the hills the sounds of battle mixed with the thunder of artillery guns from ships in the harbor to big guns on land. High above the flashing strobes of RAF fighters guns were sometimes visible followed by occasional shower of spent brass casings falling from the sky; or bullets that missed their targets.

Pearl huddled at the bottom of her foxhole, rifle tightly gripped in her hand as she awaited the current barrage to clear. All around the earth shook as each shell slammed into the earth throwing fountains of dirt into the air all around her little hiding spot. During a brief pause in the bombardment she dared to peak out above ground to look around. Most of the makeshift fortifications are in shambles, she readies herself to shift position when the whistling of shells signals another inbound barrage.

Unbidden she screams as a shell lands near enough to nearly collapse the earth around her, the ground seems to have come alive as it shook. Gritting her teeth she waits for another pause to shift position, when it comes she dares to glance at the other side of the camp… its gone. Time to displace, there is nothing here now.

As fast as her legs can carry her she speeds through the makeshift fortifications back to her squads rally point. Relief floods through her as she rejoins the rest of the squad. For the umpteenth time that day she takes count….. One, two, three, four and I make five.

Gazing out at the ships she was relieved to see that at least their sacrifice was not being made in vain as one of the fast cargo ships, its decks awash with soldiers, was heading to the ship channel. But it wasn't a total success as for every ship that cleared the harbor two more were burning out at sea.

000 Mountain peak East of Malaxa township - May 27th 1941

""Bist du sicher, dass das funktioniert?" asked the young Paratroop lieutenant assigned to guard the SS Officer and his accompanying muscle. The young man's eyes were locked on the large metallic suitcase handcuffed to the agents hand. The box itself was nondescript except for a stamped serial number on its side and a universal hazard marking denoting explosives or some other Pearl.

Aldebert grinned in the moonlight as he gazed through his binoculars at the distant hills around the harbor. As he watched a quartet of flashes rapidly appeared then faded just as fast around one of the defenders strong points. ""Ja, es sollte gut gehen, wir haben schon einige Tests gemacht.."

"Heir Aldebert, Ich habe den Artillerieoffizier im Radio, er ist nicht glücklich, wird aber Ihrer Bitte auf der höheren Autorität Ihrer Herren nachgeben" said Waldemar, the large radio backpack he carried didn't seem to hinder him as he walked up to join his employer at the lookout point.

Turning to the large soldier Aldebert uncuffed the briefcase then handed it over to Waldemar. "Gut, lass sie diese Granate auf den Feind abfeuern und dann Feuer halten."

Nodding his understanding Waldemar turned and headed back down the hill to the artillery base. Reaching his destination he unpacked a surprisingly lightweight shell and handed it to the artillery officer. "Feuern Sie diese auf eine Rakete und halten Sie das Feuer, bis wir Ihnen signalisieren."

The artillery officer looked at the odd rocket-nose cone quizzically then shrugged as he carried it over to the arming depot where it the explosive tip of one of the rockets was replaced with the odd one.

The Pvt handling the loading procedure was also curious as to the strangely shaped rocket, "Was für eine Art von Rakete ist das?"

"Das ist mein Nebelwerfer! It Werfs! Nebels!" chuckled Waldemar from his position near the Artillery officer who just glowered at the bad joke. Still grinning Waldemar gave a more formal explanation "Es ist eine Überraschung für den Feind, Wenn der Kampf vorbei ist, bombardieren wir es, bevor es uns tötet"

Once ready, the signal was given and a single rocket launched towards the British positions.

~{0}~ Hills around Souda Harbor dock yard

"INCOMING!" shouted Lt Howard Jr on hearing the tel-tale sound of incoming rocket artillery.

Ducking down into his foxhole he braced for the expected multiple impacts from the area-affect bombardment rockets. But instead of a loud blast or shaking of the earth, instead there was a crashing of breaking branches followed by a loud crunch like a jar breaking open.

Swallowing his fear, Lt Howard Jr hesitated to make sure the area was clear, then stood up to walk over to the strange impact zone. "What was that?" asked another curious solder from the platoon.

Before he could take a step towards the strange impact area a brightly glowing object floated into the air bathing the area in a blinding light. There in the night, a twenty foot tall scarab beetle stood.

"Mary mother of god" whispered Lt Howard as standing before him was a twenty foot tall scarab beetle. The wire entwined stone embedded in its chest glowing an angry red as the beast loosed a bone-chilling shriek that was something between savagery and agony. Then it attacked.

There was a brief round of rapid gunfire and agonized screams that seemed seemed to go on for several minutes before it grew quiet. The beast detected another group of soldiers, soon it was crashing through the forest for more blood. It wasn't a long search owing to all the troops in the area..

~{0}~ Command tent, three miles from the Rocket touchdown.

Pearl sat bolt upright from where she had been meditating, her eyes searching the dimly-lit landscape for the source of the sound. "Did anyone else here that? Some kind of loud shriek?"

"Did you hear something love?" asked James, he too had begun to scan the night, his rifle held at the ready. "I don't think the artillery can reach this spot, I just hear the usual sounds of battle."

Rather than answer Pearl waved for everyone to be quiet so she could listen.

"Probably just a Stuka siren, there are alot of those prowling the skies." suggested Darren.

Satisfied with the answer Pearl and the rest of the squad returned to planning their own evacuation.

~{0}~ Hills above Malaxa

Aldebert felt uneasy as he watched the carnage unfold through his binoculars, the scarab beetle having found another group of soldiers to rip into. The desperate echos of both small and heavy arms firing as rapidly that would quickly fade to the occasional shots or loud screams.

Though the evening light shrouded most of the details that was fine with him as he was pretty sure he didnt want to see too clearly what wa going on. It wasnt that he detested violence, he was a soldier after all and had done his fair share over the years. This felt different, it wasn't man against man in combat or a hunter stalking its prey; this was just raw violence directed against anything humanoid.

"I've lost control of the monster" said Waldemar as he fiddled with the radio control box. "Its passed out of range or the receiver ran out of battery. I can't lower the amplitude of the stimulation anymore."

Aldebert shrugged, "Thats okay, it was to be expected. Artillery will just shell the area till its subdued and we can collect its stone if its still intact." Lifting the binoculars Aldebert once again resumed his observations of the beasts progress, it had finished with the group and was no hunting for more.

~{0}~

That time she heard it, she was sure of it. It was somewhere down near the base of the hills and moving north relative to where she thought she heard it before. The cry of a corrupted gem.

"Darren! quickly gather the squad, we got inbound and its not German!" shouted Pearl as her mind kicked into overdrive to try and figure out how to deal with this unexpected threat.

Once the squad had assembled Pearl quickly explained to them what she suspected was out there. When she finished her description their faces were a mix of surprise and shock as the implications of what they'd heard hit home.

"So what do we do?" asked Darren. "We don't have any heavy weapons, just rifles and grenades"

With a bright flash of light she drew forth her spear "You leave it to me, this is Gem business and your weapons won't be of much use. Take cover and let me deal with the threat." ordered Pearl. Expertly she twirled the spear a few times to warm up as she steeled herself for the coming battle.

James looked like he was about to protest but a sharp look from Pearl stopped him in his place. He wasn't happy about but the tone of her voice and the hard edge to her eyes left no room to argue.

With the squad safely clearing the area Pearl took off in the direction of the beasts roars. But one question lingered at the back of her mind, why here and why was it attacking humans?

~{0}~

As Aldebert watched, the beast entered a large clearing, devoid of anything but a singular figure standing in the middle of the meadow. There standing before the beast in challenge was a tall person with a slender build, in their hands was a large white spear that glowed dimly in the evening dusk. There was only one person to his knowledge who was associated with Gems and fit that description.

"Pearl? What is she doing here?" whispered Aldebert quietly.

Waldemar must have heard him as he lept up from the control box to stand next to the SS Officer. His own binoculars firmly pressed to his eyes as he too watched the developing battle. "Her" his voice barely a whisper as he unslung his rifle, attached bi-pod and scope, then setup to snipe.

Aldebert kicked over the sniper rifle. "No, let them fight I want to see this, revenge is secondary."

Waldemar glared icy daggers at the spymaster, for a moment he looked like he would resolve his disagreement with violence. Aldebert briefly reconsidered his order but relaxed as the rifle was put away. "Careful spymaster, don't get between me and my revenge."

~{0}~

If she was feeling nervous she didn't let it show, corrupted Gem's could often sense fear and press an attack on those they thought were weak. Though originally a lowly servant class Gem she was anything but weak, she was every bit a warrior, a predator, as the corrupted Hematite she was now facing down.

Slowly, the beast began to circle her, keeping its distance, as it evaluated this new threat that had appeared before it. As it moved the moonlight reflected off its silvery metallic hide, it was covered in dark smears she assumed had to be the caked on blood of its victims. Occasionally it would whimper as if it was in pain but whatever pain it was in was fueling its violence instead of tempering it.

"Come on you monstrosity, stop toying with your prey and make a move" growled Pearl a she diverted some of her energy to the spear. When ready she fired a bolt at the beast then lept up and to the side to rapidly change position. Hitting the ground behind she charged at the beasts exposed flank

It had anticipated her move for instead of plunging her spear into its side a heavy beetle leg slammed into her sending her flying towards the trees. Pearl's body smashed into one of the trees so hard her hard-light body glitched a bit as she struggled to hold herself together. She cried out in pain.

~{0}~

James watched from the clearing with the rest of the squad as Pearl and the beast squared off. Rather than hide the squad had followed along at a distance rather than let her face the beast alone.

Darren had to hold him back from interfering when Pearl had hit the tree. His struggles eased a bit when she got back up, dusted herself, off, then charged at the beast again with her spear.

Carefully, quietly, the squad began to setup a light machine gun they'd picked up as they followed her.

~{0}~

Thurst! Lung! Parry! Doge right, stab, block! Pearl moved with all the fluidity and grace of a seasoned swords-woman as she harassed the giant scarab beetle. Several times her spear had struck home causing the beast to wail in pain but with all the maneuvering she was having trouble landing a solid hit against its thick hide.

The beetle tried to gain advantage by rearing up on its hind legs so it could charge and lash out with its front, spear like, appendages. Pearl moved and dodged through the maelstrom of rapidly moving spears, her concentration never faltering, as she parry the latest attack then twisted around to ram her spear into the beasts underside. Both howled in pain, the beetle staggered back with a spear in its gut while Pearl clutched her side where the fabric was torn open. Her form glitched a bit.

The scarab monster used its jaws to pull the spear out. Pearl grimaced against the pain as she resumed her fighting stance. Again the two began to circle, daring the other to strike again.

~{0}~

James winced as he watched the latest developments from the battle. "Darren, if she gets anymore hurt we have to interfere. I don't think any of us could live with ourselves, myself especially, if she dies and we did nothing to prevent it."

Darren hesitated for a moment, then gave the order. "Frank, Open Fire!"

~{0}~

She had a plan now, her reserves were low but she felt she had what she needed to carry it out. Leaping back away from the beast to gain some distance, she landed in a large tree then immediately started to meditate. It would be a near thing but she had just enough time to pull it off.

Her gem began to glow brightly, soon a dozen holo-Pearl's began to form along with a fog over the field. If she was to strike the killing blow, the beast needed to be too distracted to fight back.

Just as the sixth holo-Pearl formed her concentration was broken by the unmistakable sound of a light machine gun opening up nearby. Opening her eyes she rapidly followed the stream of tracers to its source. There in the trees was the rest of her squad...and a very annoyed beast was heading towards them shrieking its challenge as it charged.

"Stars Damn It, you guys just had to try and play heroes." No time for to finish the plan, she had to attack now. Rising to her feet she charged after the monster rapidly closing the distance.

~{0}~

Aldebert had his camera out again as he tried to capture what he could on film. He didn't really expect to get great photos but his film and camera-lens was up to the challenge to get something.

Despite himself Aldebert found himself quietly cheering her on as Pearl fought the giant scarab one on one. Her words from all those years ago echoed in his mind "Even enemies can show respect".

~{0}~

"This was a terrible idea!" shouted George as he and the rest of the squad scrambled to get away from the on-rushing beetle, its jaws snapping with loud clicks as it anticipated is next kills.

"Shut up and disperse! Spread out and keep moving, don't let it settle on a singular target!" shouted Darren as he scrambled to climb a tree. He didn't stay in it long as the monster slammed into its base shaking him out of it, landing on his feet, the Commando loosed a few shots with his pistol then ran.

~{0}~

Aldebert was ecstatic, as he watched the holo-pearls, looking like the ghosts of old stories, swarmed around the Scarab. Each one doing something to distract it either stabbing it with spears or twisting and twirling in its line of sight to hold its attention. Soon it was drawn back into the clearing and away from whomever was firing on it from the trees. He rapidly ran out of the good film and so had to settle for committing as much of the battle to memory as possible by direct observation.

He nearly shouted when Pearl made a high jump into the sky, to land on the beetles back. Despite the beasts bucking and shaking she held fast as she made her way towards its head. Reaching her target she raised the spear high above her head, it glowed with power for the killing blow, then plunged it deep into the back of the monsters head between the armored plates.

The giant scarab gave one final scream of agony, then vanished with a flash of light and dust.

When the air cleared, Pearl stood triumphant with the Hematite stone contained in a white bubble.

~{0}~

"Is that what was attacking us? A stone?" asked James as he gazed at the white bubble in front of them. The wire-wrapped Hematite stone floated within, it was intact but the wires were sparking from some unknown power-supply still working within. "Its just a stone!"

"Its a corrupted Gem, yes. Normally these avoid humans or just defend their territory, something has happened to this one to make it aggressive." surmised Pearl gazing at the stone within. Tapping the top she waved her hand making the thing vanish into nothing. "And now its gone."

Darren looked annoyed at this development. "Pearl! Shouldn't we have kept that for headquarters to review? They need to be made aware of the dangers that are out here."

Pearl sighed wearily as she sank to her knees, her energy reserves had been severely depleted and she simply didn't have the energy for such an argument right now. "No, the containment bubble is very fragile and I doubt I would have been able to defeat it again. No, samples. I'll make a limited report for headquarters but this IS Gem-business, my leader, Rose, will deal with this stone."

"Well, no point arguing it now, we need to move. That fight probably drew a lot of attention" said James. Stepping close, he helped Pearl to her feet and together they headed deeper into the hills.

000 Wahet Khattab restaurant - Alexandria Egypt - June 1941

Late afternoon found the squad taking some much needed R&R at one of the more popular restaurants in the bustling port city. They were in their dress uniforms for some desperately needed R&R following the hours long after-action review meetings at the local divisions headquarters. Questions about how the evacuation went, troop dispositions, but mostly about the strange monster that had savaged the allied units.

Those were the hardest for Pearl to answer. She had been able to obscure her gemstone well enough that no one seemed to notice it but giving neutral answers instead of hard truths was the tricky part. They deserved answers about the corrupted-gem that had killed so many soldiers, but in the end she wasn't able to be truthful about everything. In the end they pinned a medal on her, said good job, then buried it all under classified document stamps.

"Ugh, I thought that would never end." whined Darren. He was presently resting his head on his arms at the table, eyes closed as he tried to think of something other than the talks with headquarters.

"That makes two of us" agreed Pearl, she had spent the second longest time in debrief. Taking a long drag from her cigarette she stubbed it out into the already full ashtray. Taking a bite of her lokma she leaned back in her chair to close her eyes, she could feel a headache developing. "James, this desert is wonderful but I don't think I can finish it, George, Frank? Either of you want extra.?"

"Oy!, I used my meal-ticket to get the desert, I claim the leftovers!" declared James, with a flash of his hand he snatched up the plate before either of the others could make a move. "Besides, its got Pearl's spit on it and I'm the only one allowed to swap spit with her!"

*snirk* "James that is the second terrible joke you've made. If you want more kisses then I suggest you dial down the innuendo a bit." said Pearl. Despite herself she was glad for the change in subject after the disaster at Crete, too many commandos were lost, so few managed to escape to safety.

Conversation stopped as a shadow spread across their table, looking towards it source there was a soldier dressed in an officers uniform holding a large envelope in his hands.

"Excuse me, are you Corporal Williams?" asked the un-named officer.

"Yes, I'm Williams, who wants to know?" asked Darren lifting his head from his arms to observe the messenger.

"Wonderful, I've a letter from a letter for you to share with your squad." At this the messenger handed over a thick, wax-sealed envelope. It was heavy with several book-shaped lumps within.

Opening it, Darren found a handwritten letter along with five small pamphlets containing unit patches, orders, and travel instructions. Startled by this he began to read the letter aloud to the squad.

"Dear Corporal Williams

Due to the heavy casualties sustained on Crete, the Layforce Commando group is being disbanded as there are no longer sufficient troops of the needed skill level to maintain the group. All soldiers are to return to their original units.

However, your squad is unique. your squad has been noted as possessing of special talents, knowledge, and capability that has far exceeded that expected of a regular Commando unit.

I would like to personally extend an invitation to you to join a new group being developed to carry out special action and missions against the enemy. We will be using and expanding on the core concepts of the former Commando regiments to bring about a new form of warfare in the service of our nation.

Please find attached orders and directions should you choose to take us up on the offer. Do not that if you do not respond or accept then you and your unit will be returned to regular army units and service.

Sincerely

Captain Sir David Stirling

PS. Jack sends his regards and best wishes."

Setting the letter down Darren scanned the faces of the soldiers under his command. "Well, This doesn't sound like any fun. I think I'd like to go back to my quiet, normal life instead of whatever this is."

Pearl looked like she would leap across the table at this. "Not funny, my mission isn't over yet, I haven't yet shortened this war and with the …" A loving pat on her shoulder stopped her argument.

"Pearl my love, you still have a lot to learn about … culture. He's joking." chuckled James.

"Oh, Good. Okay Darren, where do we sign up?"

000 End chapter 22

Dear Readers

Thank you for sticking with me on this journey and a sincere thank you to all who have commented, followed and favorited this story, You guys are great! You are the reason I write. That people still read, follow, favorite, and share this story, even when its on hiatus, gives me motivation to continue!.

000 History

Siege of Tobruk - 10 April – 27 November 1941 - Eventually the Axis powers took the city and it changed hands several times during the war. It was a major thorn in the advance of Rommel as it drained supplies, troops, and more. Though surrounded the allies were able to maintain easy re-supply via using fast navy destroyers to ferry supplies in and wounded out at night. Look up the 'Tobruk Ferry Service' for how it worked, its how Pearl and her squad left the area. There was some scandal with various allied troops leaving early while others fought on but I'll let you read up on it here.

Leslie Morshead (Ming the Merciless) - was the leader of the garrison at Tobruk. He was told he only needed to hold the line for 3 months, in the end they held it for 8 months. The German's had taken to calling the defenders 'the rats of tobruk' which the defenders proudly accepted as their nickname. Morshead earned his nickname for the tactics used during the defense of Tobruk including the fake-out early in the siege which resulted in the near destruction of 5th Panzer when they were allowed to enter the secure perimeter on a 'fake win' then savaged in multiple ambushes.

Aldebert (fake), Earnest Schafer (real), and Waldemer (fake) - the three were last seen in chapter 21, Intermission collecting 'gem-samples' for use by the axis against the allies. Onl Schafer is based on a real person who was doing archaeology and other related studies for the German propaganda machine.

HMS Glengyle and the raid on Bardia. - This was a largish commando raid to try and break German communications from behind enemy lines as well as capture important documents. The raid was a tactical failure with one group of some 60 soldiers getting lost then captured, friendly-fire, and missed schedules compounded by equipment failures. But in our story that was all a cover for the classified events that really happened. It was however a strategic victory as it forced Rommel to expend resources garrisoning and reinforcing his rear lines which in turn took pressure off the front.

Tobruk Perimeter - The German advance was broken by this all surrounding line of fortifications. It consisted of vast, densely packed minefields, trenches, sniper points, strong points and lots of pre-calibrated artillery targeting grids. The Germans came close to breaking it a few times but between the aircraft bombardments, artillery, minefields and more each assault petered out.

Crete and Souda Harbor - Crete was supposed to be the allies forward-operating base of operations once they were pushed out of Italy and Southern France. As such the troops from Europe were garrisoned there, airfields were under construction and the harbor facilities were being improved. Then the Axis powers attacked with paratroops and rapidly took control of most of the island. After a long battle that went back and forth the Allies eventually were forced to admit they couldn't hold the island and began to retreat at several key harbors. This is where the Commando's were brought in and used as static-defenders instead of, well, commandos. The result was that of the 800+ Commands landed to provide security and cover for the retreating regular troops, only about 100 made it off the island to Alexandria. So high were the casualties and with the blunders at Bardia and other failed raids the group was disbanded with the soldiers re-integrated back into regular army.

Wahet Khattab Alexandria - real place, I found it on Google Maps while researching locations in Alexandria. The food looks REALLY GOOD! Look em up!

Colonel Sir David Stirling - the founder of the British SAS, nuff said, you know where this is going.

Sand-Gem - Desert Glass - taken from episodes "Buddy's book" and "Steven's Lion". This is the Gem embedded in a pillow that conjures a sand-castle when it touches sand. We'll have a talk with Lapis and Peridot in the next chapter about it possibly as an opening flash-forwards? Spoilers!

Hematite - came out of the Scarab Beetle box from the previous chapter. Its a dark colored, almost metallic like, stone with a smooth glassy surface. If you've ever seen those shiny dark rocks in the stone-bins at tourist shops, thats Hematite. It was used in lots of ancient Egyptian jewelry.