Reaching the two guards her mind shutdown as training, and something else, took over the instant she struck.
000 Beach Temple - Present Day
"HUMANS DID THAT!" shouted Lapis, her voice strained, eyes wide with shock, she takes a step back as if the thing within the white bubble might burst forth and bite her.
"I doubt they were controlling the gem, at least not in the sense of full remote control like my Robonoids or the automated cars humans are working on." Replied Peridot casually leaning closer to the bubbled mass of wires, the stone itself was barely visible. "More than likely they were stimulating it with high voltage, like a human taser, which would have caused it to.."
"Must you always be so technical Peridot!" shrieked Lapis, "Think about what this means about the humans! Their cruelty and manipulation is just as corrupt as that of the Diamond Authority."
Peridot looked stunned for a moment at the sudden flash of anger from her friend. "Sorry Lazuli, its just, until now I've never encountered any other species doing this kind of….thing. Its, interesting is all from an engineering standpoint….but….I.." her voice trailed off for she realized she was just digging a deeper hole of trouble for herself. "I'll just be quiet now."
Lapis glared at Peridot a moment longer before she whirled on Pearl, her eyes full of anger. "Do you intend to leave it there forever as you left me for eons?"
Pearl held the blue gems gaze for a moment before she blew out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "I'm sorry Lapis, but there isn't much we can do at this point. Whatever they did the wires are too deeply embedded into the stone. We fear that if we tried to extract it we would end up shattering it or worse."
Stepping to the stone she waved her hands to summon a slight breeze bringing it closer. "Rose tried a few times to heal it but it was to no avail. In your case we simply didn't realize you were conscious, we thought you, well, dead."
"Sorry, you didn't deserve that." Mumbled Lapis, "I guess, I can't help but see some of my own situation reflected by that poor Gem." She shivered at the thought. "They tortured it, it must have been in such pain. Being stuck in the mirror was confining but it must have felt..."
Pearl smiled as she reached out to Lapis to pull her into a comforting hug. "Its okay, we understand. But remember that darkness cuts both ways, Humans and Gems aren't all that different when it comes to emotions or choices."
Releasing Lapis from the hug Pearl went over to the center of the room to sit next to the lava pool. "Even I have some darkness in me, one time it got loose but a human helped me to heal."
"I'd like to hear this, your stories at the primitive airfield were pretty good and from what Steven's been saying then statistically I can say this should be a good story." said Peridot as she sat down on the floor, her legs crossed as she prepared for story-time.
"Well Lapis? Would you like to hear the tail?" offered Pearl. Lapis smiled and nodded agreement. "Great, please be seated, this will be a long one."
000 British 8th Army camp - Sidi Barrani, Egypt - July 1941
They've been training for a couple months again, off the hundred that attempted the training only a precious few remain. Those who are most driven to succeed. She doesn't bother remembering their names, instead she focuses on her own squad, her brothers, to stay together, to live together, to succeed, together. The training is finally over, they've made the cut, they're in with the elite. Again.
James gasped will unrepentant pleasure, a blissful smile on his face as he melted into the cot. Though the air carried an autumn chill he felt flush with warmth. "Oh, right there, thats the spot." he mumbled as gentle handles worked their way across his body. "Oh yes, thats perfect, just like that." breathing out a long sigh he twisted a bit so he could better see his companion.
"Sir, please keep your yap shut ya skive, you're just lucky its a pulled muscle and not a torn ligament or worse." grumbled the nurse. Shifting his weight he increased the pressure on Jame's back causing the young soldier to suddenly shift from ecstasy to searing pain. "I said shut up! The pain means its working!"
A few minutes later the nurse, calling himself Travis, finished up the procedure and released James to go back to his squad. After getting dressed he exited the medical tent into the bright sun and dusty expanse of new newly formed units section of the camp. Blinking to clear his eyes he made his way quickly passed groups of soldiers training in combat techniques till he arrived at his destination.
The squad had been pushed to their limits as Cpt Sterling had insisted that only the hardest pushing, most capable, most in-it-to-win-it had to qualify before combat operations could begin. The squad was up to the challenge but to Pearl (with her Gem abilities) was breezing through much of it to the everlasting surprise of the other soldiers in the regiment.
A large yurt style tent the squad had fashioned for themselves. It has become home over the past few months of intense training with the newly formed regiment.
Stepping through the door he was greeted by a now familiar scene of the rest of the squad recuperating after the latest round of physical abuse. Darren was passed out on his own cot, his freshly cleaned rifle leaning against the tent wall, he'd managed to find time to wash first but he was starting to sprout a scraggly beard. George was engaged with Frank in yet another card game at the tents dining area, a half eaten tin of rations shared between them as they played. They also looked cleaner than he'd expected despite the scraggly hair they too now sported.
"Stop standing in the door Love, you're letting in all the dust!". Then there was Pearl, busily sweeping the tents hard-packed dirt floor to keep it as clean as possible, a habit she'd seemed to develop as the weeks had worn on. He loved her dearly but clearly the lack of action was getting to her.
Stepping aside he smiled as she grabbed a broom and began sweeping the small amount of dust back outside. Turning to him she planted a quick kiss on his cheek then, taking his hand, guided him to a curtained off part of the tent. "Here, use this damp cloth to lean off and hang up you're uniform so I can dust it off as well."
James laughed as he pulled the curtain closed and began to do as instructed. Evidently the boardom was getting to her even more. "Are you sure you don't want to help me wash off?" he teased, he already knew her answer but it was still fun to flirt a bit.
Unexpectedly Pearl pulled aside the curtain just as he got his pants off. Giving him a once over she smiled sweetly at him "Tempting but no, how's the shoulder? Good now? Perfect, finish up and get dressed. I'll have dinner ready for everyone soon."
"James Boy you need to-do something to entertain her, she's taken her ocd to another level. Apparently all training and no war makes Pearl an OCD Girl" hollered Darren from the other side of the tent.
"Oy Darren!" Leave em alone, can't you see you're making em flustered!" shouted George back.
Pearl blushed blue as she hurried to busy herself at the tents stove/cooktop. James chuckled nervously as he quickly washed up then headed for his own cot for some much needed rest.
000 British 8th Army camp - Sidi Barrani, Egypt - August 1941
They have no supplies for the regiment, Capt Sterling orders them to innovate, to steal, to deal, to get the supplies by whatever means necessary. Most bring supplies, trucks, guns, weapons, her squad brings something special for the regiment, something badly needed. They've impressed the leadership, they've been resourceful, they are selected for mission.
Capt Sterling was resting in his tent after another long day drilling and training the elite group of soldiers for the coming mission. There had been increasing reports of random sandstorms blowing up on otherwise clear days, often with frustrating results of lost units or cancelled attacks. It was beginning to happen frequently enough that command was starting to suspect some new German weapons system and so had set about sending agents on special missions.
It was one of those reports he had just finished reading when he closed his eyes to settle in for a much deserved rest when he heard it. Loud laughter that was growing in intensity accompanied by the sounds of a piano and a violin playing folk music. Sighing to himself he rose from the cot to step out into the cool evening air. A short walk later and he's at the source of the commotion. "What in the bloody hell?"
Before him a number of soldiers were gathered around a large campfire, singing rowdy songs loudly while some were playing… was that a ping-pong table? The source of the loud music was off to the side, someone had evidently acquired a piano as part of their supplies scavenging mission.
A cheery Pvt sauntered up to him and pressed a canteen into his hands. "Oy there sir! Come to join the party. Tis nice of you to let the men relax a bit what with the training and all." Still smiling the Pvt saluted smartly then turned to rejoin the rest of the revelers.
Sterling sniffed the bottle carefully, its not booze, so he took a sip. It was fruit juice. Good, he would not need to hand out any NJP tonight. "But who had brought the entertainment?" Jogging he caught up to the Pvt from earlier. "Pvt, who brought the piano and game table?"
The soldier shrugged as if it was obvious. "That would be Corpl Darren's squad sir. The odd group with the female soldier who still somehow beats the men in training. Bloody weird."
Sterling thought for a moment as he weighed his options and the merits of the various loot the squads had collected. "Very well, carry on. Tell Darren I want to see him in the morning."
000 Skies above Al Bayda, Libya - November 17 1941
Its mission time, the roar of the airplanes engines is not enough to drown out the roar of the winter sandstorm outside. This is madness, the enemy is already alerted to their attack. There is no turning back, its do or die and she prefers to die fighting than whimpering in fear. The young man ahead of her looks back at her over his shoulder, she doesn't know his name, he smiles, yells something, then jumps into the abyss. She follows soon after. This time her chute opens.
There was a bright flash of light outside the aircrafts small window followed by the unmistakable thunder of a near-miss anti-aircraft artillery shell. A second later there was a light tinkling sound like rain on a tin roof as the aircraft flew through the shrapnel cloud. Mercifully no one cried out in pain and the engines droned on steadily signalling nothing vital was hit.
Pearl clenched her teeth and closed her eyes as another shell rocked the aircraft soon after the first one, her hand instinctively grabbing the wall to steady herself. Opening her eyes she looked around her at the faces of the men packed in tight in the aircraft. Most had grim expressions for they had settled on their fate, a few looked scared. Of her own squad Darren looked sick while Frank and George had started singing that dumb parachute song again.
She felt a hand on her shoulder, twisting around she grimaced when she saw James smiling as the aircraft shuttered from another near miss. "This is bad, we should turn back, we've lost the element of surprise! Even the weather is working against u, its a blizzard outside!
James just continued smiling confidently as he spoke "Don't worry love, we'll get through this, just need everyone to stay together and focus on surviving. Besides, if we turn around the fighters will just shoot us in the back, nowhere to go but forwards."
A loud whistle sounded as the jump-lead opened the aircrafts rear cargo door. The sound of the wind outside was deafening and the swirling winds looked even worse now. Up ahead a young soldier turns to look at his companions, yells something with a big gin then jumps.
No more time to talk, it was go time. "I wish I had your confidence, see you on the ground Love, don't you dare die on me you hear! I'll never forgive you if you do!" She pulls him in for a quick farewell kiss then jumps into the darkness when her turn arrives.
000 Libya desert - November 18th 1941
First light, the air is unusually cold causing the morning dew has turned the desert sand frosty white and as unforgiving as stone. There are little craters everywhere, each stained red, each containing the shattered remains of a soldiers within, each cracked open like spoiled fruit. She searches for her squad, tears stain her eyes as she checks body after body. She finds the young man from the plane, he's eerily still smiling. A full day passes and still no sign of them anywhere.
Her feet ache, her head aches, the relentless sun bears down casting the landscape in a stark white of endless sand. Land devoid of color save for the occasional plant fighting for survival or the grim remains of those who found their final rest in the sea of sand. She's lost count of how many bodies she's found but so far there have been no survivors. Approaching the crest of a dune she hears the sound of an engine approaching on the frigid november breeze.
"Great, now what" grumbled Pearl as she ducked down below the ridge line, peeking over she looked out to see approaching engine was friend or foe. Stars damn it, its foe. Un-slinging her rifle she prepares for a fight if the wander in her direction, she watches to see what she can learn. Soon a scout car followed by a couple transport trucks rumble into view.
~{0}~
Aldebert struggled to read the latest report from the backseat of the scout car as it rumbled over the rough terrain. The whole trip had been the base commanders idea, "go out and see the effects for yourself" he had ordered and with Aldebert being the senior lead on the project the task fell to him. He'd nearly thrown up at the sight of the first 'fall' victim but as time had gone on it was becoming clear that the ability to summon a sandstorm was devastating.
"Ein anderer Körper voraus" The voice of the driver stirred him from his musings.
"Mach das zum letzten" called Aldebert, tucking his notebook into his pack he glanced behind him at the trucks. Some held equipment while others held supplies or his own support troops. "Stoppen Sie hier und entladen Sie das Umfrageteam".
Waldemar saluted then climbed out of the car to begin directing the soldiers to their tasks.
~{0}~
Pear watched the proceedings through her rifles scope as the small convoy pulled to a stop near the body of another fallen soldier. Mindful of a reflection off the glass she had used a thin cloth with a hole cut in it to cover the scope glass from reflections. Soon a small group of men with survey equipment climbed out to begin taking measurements.
That was bad, it meant they would be looking around and might spot her. She did a quick calculation and decided watching them was worth the risk, she could always fast run away if she was caught.
She cursed, quietly, when the scopes sight crossed over the scout car and its occupant. "Aldebert!? What are you doing here?"
~{0}~
Aldebert checked his watch again, fifteen minutes was their allotted time to survey, it was now approaching 30 minutes. "Okay, time to wrap this up, I want to get out of his cold"
"Aldebert! Komm schnell! Komm und sieh" he heard Waldemar shouting something. Sighing to himself he got out and made his way over to the soldier. His boots sinking into the sand as he walked caused him to stumble a bit but he made it over without falling.
"Was ist es, warum rufen Sie mich an?" but he got his answer immediately when he saw the face of the soldier laying in the crater. Taking his notebook from his pocket he flipped through some photographs till he arrived at on that seemed to match the dead man. "Sie ist in der Nähe, Was sind die Chancen?". Kneeling down for a closer look to confirm the identity, he removed his hat then whispered a quiet prayer. After a moments silence he reached over to brush the man's eyes closed. "Dies ist der zweite heute. Wurde ihre Mannschaft ausgelöscht?"
Waldemar shrugged, "Was machen wir mit ihm?" gesturing at the shovels and digging equipment "begrabe ihn wie die anderen?" not waiting for an answer he went to get a shovel.
"Nein, wir nehmen ihn mit, geben ordentliche Soldaten bei Begräbnis" ordered Aldebert as he stood up and replaced replacing his hat. "Mach Schluss, lass uns nach Hause gehen".
With that he strode purposely back to his car where he climbed into the backseat to resume reading. Waldemar sighed then went to set about this new, unnecessary, task.
~{0}~
Pearl watched curiously as the soldiers carefully placed a white sheet over the fallen soldier then carefully placed the body on a stretcher next to another body under a white sheet. She couldn't make out the face or features of either but it was a moot anyway as soon the trucks were loaded up and the convoy was driving away.
"Are there any survivors?" she whispered to herself staring across the now quiet sands. A sudden wave of nausea at the thought washed over her for if true then her squad was gone.
000 Libya desert - November 19th 1941, late afternoon
Another day passes in her search but she has found no survivors, just empty desert the further she wanders. Times up, time to head to the extraction point in the hopes that she will find her squad there, she's not sure what she'll do if she doesn't find them there.
She's exhausted, physically and emotionally as he feet carry her weary frame up the sand dune. She's so tired that she has trouble keeping her feet steady on the loose sand as she climbs up. Reaching the crest of the hill she doesn't bother checking if its safe before she starts down the other side. Halfway across she hears them, friendly voices from beyond the next dune.
Feeling her energy reserves resume she hurries up and over the hill boyed by her hopes. Reaching the top she shouts with joy at the sight that greets her down in the little valley. They haven't noticed her yet but she makes her arrival known as she runs down the slope crying with joy.
~{0}~
"We have to wait, we need to give them more time, there are still stragglers showing up. If we leave now we condemn them to death." growled James, his hand resting near his side-arm incase he needed to drive home the point that they needed to wait longer before leaving.
The action was noticed by the jeeps driver. "Oy, move your hand mate, we're all on the same team here aren't we?" Look, I know you're worried about your girlfriend and all but we've only just avoided the air-patrols, we need to leave soon or we're all cooked when we run out of supplies." Looking around he waved his arms at the small group. "No one else is coming!"
"THANK THE STARS! OH HEAVEN THANK THE STARS YOU'RE OKAY" Pearl's voice echoed down from the northern sand dune. James smiled brightly at the sound of her voice, grinning he opened his arms wide in a welcoming hug that Pearl crashed into nearly knocking him over.
"PEARL! My love, I'd feared the worst when things went bad. I thought maybe you were poofed or burried or captured or or or " but his words failed him as he held her in his arms. Her body was trembling, she was holding him so tight it almost hurt, she was sobbing into his shoulder. The two stayed that way for a long while as he held her close with one hand, while the other gently stroked her hair. She was dirty from the desert, looked terrible, and was clearly shaken.
The moment was shattered by the upset voice of the platoon leader. "Okay you two budgies, break it up, we need to get moving. Lady, did you see anyone else on the dunes. Any alive?"
Pulling away from James she saluted then quickly gave her report on what she had seen. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go find the rest of my squad, they have to be here somewhere."
With that she began to walk towards the cluster of jeeps and transport-trucks. A firm hand stopped her in her tracks, looking back she was surprised to see James wasn't smiling anymore. "Um, Pearl, about that, Frank is over in the trucks resting but we haven't seen Darren or George anywhere. Did you see them or find anything?"
Her mind flashes to what she'd witnessed the day before for she understood why Aldebert was acting odd. Why he had examined by body so closely. Why he taken the two bodies in the truck instead of leaving it for the vultures. It was because he had recognized the body in the desert.
Her voice broke as she spoke the words she had dreaded, "they're gone." She could take no more of it. Her knees gave out, her eyes closed, she started to fall but was stopped by someone catching her. She felt herself being lifted up, someone's voice was speaking to her softly, probably James, but it faded as her world turned to a dreamless black.
000 Several days later - British 8th Army camp
The funeral for the fallen had been brief and simple befitting soldiers lost in warfare. Dozens of rifles soldiers-crosses lined the edge of camp, each with a helmet on the rifle stock, a photo of the deceased, and a pair of boots. Pearl had only barely managed to maintain her composure during the procession but once back in the yurt she made her way to her cot, lay down, then pulled the blankets over her head. Her uniform jacket was hung on the rack near the cot, all five jackets were present, she would have to send their families the coats.
Her own jacket had a new rank insignia on it indicating she was no longer Specialist Pearl but would now be known as Corporal for her efforts and 'heroism' from the recent battles. It was a nice but hollow promotion in the face of what it had cost her to reach that point. She was sure it wasn't worth it. James and Frank also had new ranks but they too didn't seem thrilled about it.
It wasn't much but just shutting out a little bit of the world helped to calm her frayed nerves. It was a sensation she was all too familiar with, first with the gem-war, then with Adelajda's passing, now again with her … friends? Squaddies? Brothers? "Stars, they called me sister, they accepted me openly, we worked together, fought together, bleed together.." Her eyes felt damp as a fresh wave of tears welled up, scrunching her eyes closed she let herself cry for she didn't have the energy anymore to hold it back.
Soft footsteps approached then her cot shifted and creaked a bit as someone sat down on its edge. She couldn't see who it was but the gentle pressure of someone rubbing her back told her it was James coming to check up on her. Guilt washed over her. "Stars I'm so selfish, he's probably hurting too. Frank lost his buddy. We've all lost our leader. Here I am immobilized by grief to be of any use or comfort to him….I couldn't save them. I held back and their dead now."
"Easy love, easy." whispered James, his hand now gently stroking the back of her head. "There isn't anything you could have done differently. The dice were cast the moment we boarded that plane and there was no going back from there. We were all at the storms mercy."
Pearl peeked out from under the covers just enough to get a look at James. He looked tired, like he hadn't been sleeping well, his hair was messy and uniform was clean but rumpled. "I'm sorry" she whispered back. "I'm being selfish, you must be hurting too and all I can do is lay here sobbing to myself. I hate this, I hate this war, I hate losing my friends, I hate it all … Stars listen to me its the same rant from Europe… but I'm tired of it James, I'm so tired of it all."
James smiled sadly "Its okay love, Frank and I are … well, rattled .. but we'll recover. Death is something us mortals have to be more prepared for and I guess on some level anyway, its easier for us to accept. I can only imagine what the concept must be like for an immortal like yourself."
"I'm not immortal, just slightly harder to kill than a human. Death is familiar to Gems too and I've lost plenty of friends, some very close friends, to warfare in the past. I just thought I could handle it better, make a difference here, protect my squad better than in the last war." grumbled Pearl angrily. She still ached over the loss of her squad mates but now she was starting to get angry. "Remember that drive in Poland? Didn't I explain it all then? Death is a constant for all"
"Woah, easy there, easy, I'm sorry love, I didn't mean it like that. Just that, it must be different for you this time right?" replied James, his hands now held up defensively as if she would hit him. "But, this is good, you're getting angry, it means you're moving forwards. Action is next"
Now she was really annoyed. "Don't patronize me, I'm familiar with the stages of grief, more so than you could ever know. Thousands James, I've lost thousands during the Rebellion."
Rather than reply James just reached over to pull her into a tight hug pressing her against him with her head on his shoulder. "Sorry love, truly, just let it out, let it all out." The two stayed that way for a long while, neither speaking or pulling away, just staying together while they cried.
When they finally pulled apart Pearl found herself feeling much improved than she was just a few minutes ago. The pain was still there, but, it was lesser now. Wiping one last tear from her eyes she straightened her shirt then gave James a quick kiss to show she forgave him. "Okay, I think I'm passed the worst of it. Where's Frank? We should go make sure he's okay too."
Finally James smiled, his voice lighter with the change of topic. "Oh, he's doing fine, he went down to the range and put bullets into a bunch of tin cans, solder targets, then blew up some stuff in the desert target area. He's angry and looking for vengeance now."
Vengeance sounded good, a wicked smile crossed her face, her eyes wondering to the rifles propped against the side of the tent. "I like his idea, do we have new orders or a target list?"
"No but this came in the mail today" said James pulling an envelope from is pocket. It addressed to Darren with official looking markings on it but what got her attention was the return address.
Her hand moved before she realized what she was doing, ripping the envelope open she read its contents before James could lodge any protest. "What does it say?" asked Jame but he was hushed as Pearl read it again to be sure of its contents. She found a target for her anger.
"We need to get this to Captain Sterling, pronto" declared Pearl, her voice all business as she stood up to make her way towards the door. She was halfway to the tent door when it opened.
There in the doorway stood the tall, thickly set shadow of Frank silhouetted by the bright sun outside. In one hand was an empty bottle, in the other was his service pistol. A long moment of silence passed before he finally spoke, his voice course and slightly slurred.
"Pearl, are Darren and George dead because you didn't use your Gem abilities? Could you have saved them if you had just broken your silly rules?" There was no mistaking the challenge in the question, the pistol in his hand was shaking slightly.
Instinctively Pearl motioned for James to stand behind her, he didn't protest. "No, I'm fast, have heightened senses, strength, and some other abilities but nothing that could have overcome the storm we jumped into or otherwise changed the outcome."
Frank didn't say anything but the pistol was still in his hand. "Was all of this caused by Gems? Can your Gem abilities or knowledge help stop what's menacing us?"
Pearl didn't hesitate to answer, her voice confident as she spoke. "Yes, I think this was Gem related but I have no definite proof. I can help put a stop to it once I find the source."
"Good enough then" replied Frank. With that, there was the clearly audible click of a safety being engaged. He then dropped the pistol on the table where it landed with a heavy thunk. His anger spent Frank threw the bottle into the rubbish with a crash of glass bin the fell into his cot. His loud snores soon filled the tent as his own exhaustion set in.
James and Pearl exchanged a glance that was something between shock, worry, and relief. "I think its time to go talk to Capt Sterling now".
An hour and a half later after a very compressed explanation, questions, and a special note of orders and exceptions, they were back in the yurt. This time instead of shared grief there was activity and planning with maps covering the tables accompanied by notepads, pencils, and a roster list of names. The time for grieving was over, now it was time for action and it was time to do something about those sandstorms that had been menacing the army these past months.
000 Somewhere deep in the Libyan Desert - evening
The stars shone brightly overhead, billions of them lighting the clear evening sky almost as if it was daylight. That was one thing she liked about the desert, where Europe and the more forested areas of the world were often overcast or polluted with light, the desert was clear. She was presently reclining on the front bench of one of the platoons jeeps while the regiment's strike team traveled through the desert. A loud snoring drew her attention to the jeeps rear bench where James and Frank were sleeping under a heavy wool blanket.
"Peaceful aren't they, sir?" asked the driver glancing over his shoulder at the two men.
Pearl smiled and nodded. "Yes, please drive careful, they need their rest. Mind if I smoke?"
The driver grinned and slowed the jeep a little as they encountered a rougher patch of terrain. Once cleared they sped up again to keep pace with the rest of the pack. A dozen light vehicles moved in formation through the cool desert night, each with multiple guns, soldiers, and all the supplies they would need. "Don't worry Sir, we take care of our own. Oh, and no smoking, sir"
Sighing Pearl returned her gaze to the stars above, her thoughts soon turned to first night of war, after her friend was killed. The squad had all been together then, fresh from training, the conversation with James about how the two societies dealt with the concept of death.
"You were on the mission a few weeks ago right? My squad wasn't picked for it, heard it was rough on everyone. Did you lose anyone on it?" inquired the driver. He kept glancing in her direction, probably noting her quiet mood or depression. She wasn't exactly hiding it well.
"Yeah, it was bad, we lost two but I hear we fared better than others. I'd rather not talk about it just yet if its all the same to you….." she stopped talking when she realized something was missing. "What's your name anyway? I'd like to know who I'm working with."
The driver took his eyes of the road for a long moment to look her over before answering. "PFC Tully Pettigrew at your service mamm, gotta say your's is, er was, are, an interesting squad. I must say was not expecting a woman to be in the top performing group. You guys brought the piano and ping pong tables at the scavenging event right? Capt Sterling was asking about it"
"Yes, that was us with the moral boosting haul. It was Darren's idea, he and George had seen it back in one of the towns and thought it would go well with the camps 'personality' he'd called it." replied Pearl. Her voice trailing off at the upwelling of memories, her eyes felt damp.
"Those the two your squad lost? Sorry about that, truly" said Tully sadly. "Ey, something to keep your mind busy, mind shooting our position? I'd like to make sure we're still on track."
Grateful for the distraction Pearl nodded then set about using the jeeps sextant to plot their position. Yes, this was a good way to keep herself busy, the math was easy for the Gem.
"Hey Pearl, one other question if you don't mind?" said Tully, his voice interrupting her careful calculations. She gave him an annoyed glance then set about erasing her notes. "What?"
"Sir, if I can ask, whats with these orders? Seems things got put together pretty quick and our list is very specific." asked Tully evidently oblivious to Pearl's attitude. "Seems kinda spy-ish to me"
Pearl huffed in annoyance. "Yes, it is 'spyish' in nature, we got a tip off from a friend of a friend through the command chain and down to our unit level." she explained. Then in a much more firm voice pulled rank and ordered him to leave it be. "Cant let him know about the letter from Clark, that would raise all kinds of uncomfortable topics, on how even he knew about this".
"Okay okay, geez. Muttered Tully as he returned his attention to the road, but his curiosity wasn't done yet. "So, Pearl, are you and James an item? The rumor mills been buzzing lately."
Pearl didn't reply, it wasn't an issue with Darren and they'd kept any romance brief or secluded to avoid scrutiny from other squads. But now things were more uncertain. "No, not really, and its none of your business either Private, there's a war on and we all have bigger issues to cook."
Tully shrugged then turned his attention back to driving. "If you say so sir. Oh, I was also wondering, how come you're not tired? You covered everyone's watch yesterday."
"Classified Private, leave it alone" growled Pearl slouching deeper into her seat as if it would shield her from the young soldiers never ending conversation topics.
000 Gazala No.1 - Libyan Desert - December 7th, 1941
Several days of travel later they arrived at their destination, a joint German and Italian airfield about a hundred miles behind the primary front line. The journey by jeep had taken longer owing to only being able to move at night and the lack of roads; but it was much safer than the complete failure of the air-drop. It also had the benefit of total surprise as the enemy was watching the coast and the ancient trade-roads, not the dry ocean of the Sahara desert.
There were four groups, each assigned a different airfield, each was to strike as close as possible in coordination with the others to maximize surprise. The majority of the groups would be going after the aircraft and related facilities, but Pearl's group had a different sub-mission. Which is why they were assigned to this particular airfield where a small German research group was supposed to be operating, at least that's what the letter had said.
Pearl scanned the perimeter of the airfield through her field binoculars carefully noting the locations of the watchtowers and number of perimeter fence patrols. It was near midnight, she'd been at this for ours but while boring the information would be crucial for the coming raid. "Two, sentries per tower, roving guards patrol in pairs checking in at each tower roughly every 10 minutes. So far I've counted about 10 distinct groups of guards and with one random roving patrol." whispered Pearl to her accomplish.
James noted down the descriptions in his notebook for review later. "Do they change shifts? They'd have to to maintain that level of temp." His voice cool with no emotion, all business.
Pearl continued her description of the facility, her voice also low, all soldier. "Every hour so far, we'll know more as we keep watch. So far looks like most of the staff activity is centered around what I think is the barracks building and mess hall." Pausing she scanned the binoculars over to the repair shops and hangers. "Only a few mechanics are active at night, Sgt Wayne would have had some choice words for them on efficiency."
"Who's Sgt Wayne?" asked Frank setting down his own binoculars. "How can you see anything in this light? All I see are shadows when they pass near lights."
"Gem Eyes, and Sgt Wayne was the lead mechanic at the airbase before we left for North Africa. I helped out in their shop for those few weeks we were idled to keep busy." replied Pearl.
"Gem Squad, what's your status? Report in?", the disembodied static muffled voice of their platoon lead whispered from the radio. Frank grabbed up the headset to make their reply. A few moments later he put it back down, his face grinning. "Observations relayed, the rest are moving up, we attack tomorrow night so get comfortable, going to be a long day."
"Anything else from Sargent Moffitt?" asked Tully wandering over from where their jeep was covered under blankets and desert brush. "Also, who came up with Gem Squad? What are we supposed to be? Gem collectors? Jewelers? Stupid name, i'm going to get some rest."
James, Frank, and Pearl all exchanged knowing glances for it was the name of their mission.
000 The following night - Gazala No.1
The savory sent of cooking meat wafted through the research building located near the machine-shops of the small airfield. It had been a long day of experimenting, flight testing, and archaeological research into the nearby ruins of the ancient Greek ruins for the legendary Lamiai monster. Now the research team and their assistants were relaxing in their barracks building enjoying Waldemars surprising talent as a chef. Outside the evening air was a bit warmer than usual but otherwise all was quiet, only the sounds of the guard patrols and the clunk of something heavy in the nearby machine shops.
"das schmeckt gut" sighed Aldebert leaning back in his chair to pat his full belly. It had been several days since the groups last good meal for proper research left little time for good food.
Waldemar walked over to the table, another round of fat home-made sausages in the fry-pan; there was a very rare, genuine, smile on his normally stoic features. "Danke, Mutter hat es mir beigebracht" he said while pouring the latest batch into the serving tray.
Schafer eagerly stabbed another then popped it into his mouth with a contented sigh. "Deine Mutter war eine großartige Köchin" he chuckled waving his fork at the heavy set soldier. Finishing his meal he returned his gaze to the greek mythology book on the table, the page was opened to something called a Lamiai half-woman, half snake, and beastly hands. "Ich denke, wir kommen uns nahe, Da war noch eine Schachtel in der Grabung."
Aldebert leaned across the table to get a better look at the page. "Es muss echt sein, die Legenden sind zu gut" he said then shifted his attention to a nearby map. "Wir graben hier morgen" he mumbled while marking a red x on the latest map of the ruins. With any luck they would be adding another creature to the menagerie which currently only had one other in it.
KABLAM! Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop! WHOOM! Pop pop pop pop pop pop
All conversation halted, the trio exchanged a quick glance then immediately set about their prepared action plans should a raid occur. That pillow was proving mighty useful lately.
~{0}~ 20 minutes earlier
The wait for darkness had been one of the longest waits of her long existence. Sometimes a patrol would pass close by, other times an aircraft coming in for landing might notice the odd lumps in the desert. Stressful would be putting it mildly but still she managed to meditate at least a little bit then play some cards, carefully, with the others when not on watch. Finally darkness came the group synchronized watches, then began to put their plan to action.
Pearl took lead with the rest of her group, crawling on their stomachs under old tan burlap cloths they were almost invisible in the darkness of night. Several times they had to pause their approach when the roving patrols passed but otherwise they made it to the perimeter without issue. Soon they were at the dirt revement that surrounded the airfield, beyond it they could see the fighter planes lined up on the tarmac and the lights of the various buildings in the distance.
"We take the roving guards as they pass, silently, then we move out and deal with the planes." whispered Jack. All down the revetment a dozen platoon members nodded their understanding. They would need to rapidly clear two groups of patrols to gain the needed time-gap to infiltrate, complete the objects, and not trigger the alarm until the fireworks started.
It wasn't long before the first pair of rovers came into view. Pearl moved into position and prepared herself for the coming sprint. She felt something slip into her hand, looking to her side she was surprised to find Jack had pressed a long dagger into her hand. "Use this."
There wasn't time to object as the guards reached optimal approach. Breaking cover she rushed them from behind, Frank and James a second after to support. Reaching the two guards her mind shutdown as training, and something else, took over the instant she struck.
Lashing out with her right hand she judo-chopped the first guards neck while the left hand drove the blade deep into the others neck. Both were dead before they fell but neither hit the ground for in the next instant James and Frank arrived to catch the bodies. Together the trio vanished back into the night behind cover. Panting hard from the exertion everyone waited, long seconds passed, finally the clear was given, no alarm raised.
"Pearl, your face" whispered James, he was staring at her strangely, was that shock in his eyes? Reaching up she wiped a hand across her face then nearly fell backwards in shock. It was covered in the sticky still warm blood of the soldier she'd just killed. A shiver went through her body accompanied by a rising sense of dread; but now was not the time, she shoved the emotion down hard, buried it. No time to dwell on it, next objective coming up fast.
Wiping her face clean with a rag she motioned for them to continue for the next group of guards was coming along in a few minutes. The next group of assassins readied themselves.
~{0}~
The mission was going successfully for once, the roving guards had been dispatched and the countdown clock was ticking. Moving as wraiths the platoon split up into trios to rapidly dispatch the plane gardens then plant timed explosives on the machines.
The soldier let out soft gurgle then fell limp into her arms, working fast she stashed the body under the aircraft rear tail then signaled the others. A second later the bomb was set and the group converged for a moment to decide the next action. Huddling close they whispered.
"I think we should check the outbuilding near the machine-shops, its the most well lite I've seen but has the least activity. Anyone else see a better target?" whispered James softly. He was still giving Pearl that odd look but didn't say anything about it.
Pearl checked her shirt and found another layer of blood on it. Must be why they called it 'wet work' but no, no time to think on it. Mission first. "I agree, everything else has a clear purpose, the bar, the shops, the barracks, and then the odd building on the corner. Either its our target or its full of intelligence we can take back. I vote we go for it."
Frank nodded, taking a small narrow beam pen-light he signaled their over-watch that they were proceeding to secondary objective. It was a risky move to send the signal but worth the risk, to anyone watching it would have appeared to be a brief cigarette lighter or the guard checking a watch. After waiting a moment for the watch tower guards to shift, they made haste across the airfield as quickly as possible. The bombs would be detonating soon so stealth soon wouldn't matter, they only needed to reach the out building before confusion would provide adequate cover for the task.
~{0}~ Present
The moment the demolition charges began blowing up the squad gave a five count, then breached the target building. James kicked in the door then shifted out of the way for Pearl and Frank to follow up with submachine guns firing upwards to suppress anyone foolish enough to attempt to fight back. Firing at the ceiling would leave any active hostiles unharmed in the opening breach but if the enemy took cover then there was a potential for capturing someone. Taking up position on either side of the entry the trio scanned the interior of the now darkened building for any sign of the buildings occupants while outside the airfield was turning to chaos.
"HANDS UP, OUT WHERE WE CAN SEE YOU!" shouted James in the most authoritative voice he could muster. "HANDS UP AND COME OUT OR WE THROW GRENADES!"
"Hände hoch! Herauskommen!" shouted Frank a second later. Pearl and James spared a quick confused glance at their friend. "What? I learned a little choice words, might come in handy."
"We're coming out, we're coming out! Don't shoot please" shouted an unexpectedly familiar voice in clear but accented English. "No fight, we are not that kind of soldier, no shoot!"
"Cover them, I'm turning on the lights" ordered Pearl, she held her gun steadily pointed into the gloom with one hand while the other reached for what she correctly guessed was the light-switch.
The few unbroken bulbs left in the ceiling flickered to life revealing a room filled with scientific equipment, filing cabinets, books, and the remains of what was once a sumptuous dinner. Taking a quick count she noted at least a dozen people standing with their arms up in the room, most wore the stereotypical lab coats, but three of them did not. She recognized all three.
Aldebert dared to speak first, his voice confident and happy as if he was meeting a friend he hadn't seen in months. "Pearl! I was wondering if we would meet in person again. I saw you in battle at Creat, you gave a magnificent performance in the battle with that monster. Please come more into the light, I would like to see how you've been fairing since we last spoke."
"Clocks ticking Pearl, do we know them? One look kinda familiar to me and the other… are you the bastard that captured Pearl last year?" inquired James glancing between them. Pearl shot him a quick glare silencing any further questions. "Right then, okay, everyone else, documents, where are they? Papers! Papers now!, Into the backpack." he ordered throwing a handy bag to the ground near the scientists, immediately a couple started dumping notebooks into it.
Pearl complied with the request by taking a short step forwards into the glow of one of the ceiling lights. Adelbert's eyes took on a look of concern while his face changed from happy to concern immediately when he saw her dirty uniform and unexpectedly haggard looking face. "May I ask what happened to you? You look terrible, much less relaxed when we last met, did something happen?"
BAM!
Everyone startled a bit at the suddenness of the shot, all eyes on Pearl.
Aldebert looked down at where the bullet had struck the floor at his feet. "Okay, message received. What do you want? You're not here for blood or we would already be dead so what is it you have come to disturb me for? Information? You know I could never spill secrets."
Pearl didn't break eye contact as she re-aimed the gun at the spy master. "Where are Darren and George? I saw you take them in the desert, where are they?"
At this Frank spoke up, his attention briefly shifting from the hulking SS agent he was covering to the officer apparently named Aldebert. "Are you the cause of my friends deaths?"
Waldemar didn't waste his chance to reach down and flip the arming switch for the sand-gems stimulation system. He had his hands back up just as Frank looked his way again. He noticed Schafer looking at him worriedly, ever so slightly shaking his head in a silent 'don't' as if he had guessed what the soldier was planning. Tsch Scientists, I will have my revenge this time.
"In the local cemetery, behind the base, full honors, with British flags on the crosses. Their dog-tags are in the records office tagged for return to family." Answered Aldebert quickly. "Let the others go, if its revenge you lot want then I'm your man. Take me."
A loud explosion echoed across the base from outside soon joined by the heavy machine guns the squad had mounted to their jeeps. "2 Minutes Pearl we need to wrap up and go! Kill em or taken em! And I vote killem !" shouted Frank, he was still covering the group with his weapon while James collected intelligence. "BLEIB STEHEN! BLEIB STEHEN! NO GO! NO GO!"
Schafer had been watching the exchange while nervously glancing at Wilhelms hands. Finally he made his own play. "You want the box next to Wilhelm over there, that one, take it and go."
Pearl wasn't sure what she was going to do herself, kill them and be done with the problem for good? Leave them alive and maintain some kind of personal honor? Capture them? Her finger tightened on the trigger, it was too much, too many options, no time to decide, too much.
"The box with the sand gem, on the floor and kick it over, then we leave." She gestured with the tip of her gun at Waldemar. "NOW! I won't hesitate anymore. Move IT TICK TOCK!". The hold hardness of her voice surprised her, it didn't sound like her own but she was sure it was.
Waldemar smirked as he made a show of slowly reaching over, putting it on the ground, then getting ready to shove it forwards. A soft click was heard when the activation switch flipped 'on'.
James was just finishing slinking a pack full of what looked like the most interesting notes onto his back while Frank provided cover. Schafer grimaced, closed his eyes then slowly started lowering himself to his knees. Aldebert was warrily watching Pearl who in turn was watching the large wooden box slide towards her feet.
There was a sharp, high pitched whining sound of something energising….. Then the world erupted into a gale-force wind filled with flying debris. Everyone was now busy surviving.
Instinctively Pearl dropped to the floor to brace herself against the wind, she could feel small objects bouncing off of her with increasing force as the wind began to blow harder. She could hear Frank and James shouting but couldn't understand what they were saying over the noise. There was also lots of shouting in German too but she guessed it was moving away from them.
The box was right in front of her, if she could just flip it off. Cursing words she thought she would never use Pearl called on all her gem strength to maintain a grip on the floor as she clawed her way forwards. Her hands ripping up the floor as she went along just to maintain a grip. Reaching the box she smashed the lid off exposing the sand-gem inside.
It was exactly what she had feared. A gem wired up just like the one on Crete with some kind of torture wires? Stimulation system? Whatever it was the gem was now very active with only a little bit of sand, far less than it should have been able to operate with.
Reaching in she gripped the wires tightly ready to rip them out when a heavy object smashed across her face sending her sprawling. Miraculously she managed to maintain her grip on the gem which was now dragged out of its box trailing wires back to the battery packs still inside.
"PINK HAIR! I KILL YOU AND FRIENDS!" shouted a crazed Waldemar from just across from her. He too was down crouched against the wind, one hand gripping a floor plank, the other holding a long steel pipe from somewhere. "I REVENGE MY HAND! MY NATION! MY HONOR!" He swung again which Pearl blocked with her free arm, she screamed in pain.
"STOP! THE WIND IS GROWING STRONGER! WE'LL BOTH PERISH!" she shouted back hoping he would see reason. Another swing, another painful block. A fight it would be.
Overhead the wind had torn the roof off the building allowing a tornado of papers and other loose items to start rising into the sky above. Outside the SAS assault slowed a bit by the distraction as eyes both German and British turned towards the growing spectacle.
She had milliseconds before the next swing, she reached to her belt and drew the knife Sgt Moffitt had given her. "My turn" she whispered. Keeping a hand on the gem she lashed out with the knife catching Waldemar in the hand on his third swing leaving a flowing gash on his hand. He stumbled back a bit holding his hand and letting the pipe fall away. Giving him no time to recover Pearl lashed out with her leg catching him in the shoulder and knocking him to the floor.
"No time to play, gotta run!" shouted Pearl, With a hard yank she ripped the sand-gem from the wires holding it to the box then hurriedly began to move towards the door. Soon she could hear Frank and James shouting from the door, she was almost free with the objective. Her progress was suddenly stopped when the sand-gem caught on something. Not something, someone.
"Sorry Pearl, If we can't have it then neither can you" said Aldebert, one hand on the sand-gem wire harness, the other holding a black box with two sparking wires sticking out of it. Before she could select an action Aldebert jammed the electrodes into the harness causing it to suddenly surge with renewed power. The wind-storm was now a full hurricane in seconds with winds soon strong enough to become truly dangerous to anyone not holding on.
"I hope we meet again on better terms!" shouted Aldebert. With that, he turned and disappeared into the dust storm.
Pearl was trapped in place. Her left hand held the sand-gem in its grip preventing it from being carried away, the right anchored her to a crumbling building support. She could hear shouting in English again but this time she could make out the words. Her friends were still close by.
"PEARL! LET IT GO! ITS NOT WORTH IT! WE DID WHAT WE CAME HERE TO DO! LET IT GO!." Someone was shouting at her but she couldn't tell who it was or from where.
"I CANT! WE CANT LET IT BE CAPTURED AGAIN, I CANT LET IT KILL MY FRIENDS AGAIN!" she shouted back into the howling wind. "I CANT, WE NEED A WIN! I CANT".
"If you need a win, then let it go." She dared to look over her shoulder, James was there, though he was holding onto her helping to hold her in place. "Let it go Love, we don't need it."
Pulling her knife from her belt he reached up to where her hand tightly gripped the sparking tangle of wiring. "Here, let me., then with a few quick swipes the wires were cut away.
With nothing to hold it to terra firma the sand-gem slipped free of its harness, then it too vanished into the sand-storm it had created. The winds blew for another minute then finally quieted. All around the base was in ruins with sand dunes, ruined buildings, and everywhere soldiers on both sides digging themselves out or trying to make some sense of it all.
The battle was over. For now at least.
Pearl lay there on the floor staring at the star filled sky above surrounded by ruin. But she felt peace, whatever it was that was eating at her had fled with the storm. She wasn't tired, not much anyway, just quiet as she gazed at the billions of stars serenely twinking in the night sky.
The sound of a honking jeep horn accompanied by the loud voice of Sgt Moffett dragged her back to her current situation. "OY! GEM SQUAD! LETS GO BEFORE THE JERRIES FIGURE THEMSELVES OUT! MOVE MOVE MOVE!"
"COME ON SIR! LETS GO HOME! We have much to talk about!" and Tully was driving.
"Time to go Pearl, fights not over yet and we got a war to finish!" said James as he stood up then brushed himself off. Turning he reached down to offer her a hand up. "You coming?"
Pearl smiled brightly, the first genuine smile in days. "Yes, yes I am."
000 end chapter
Hello Dear Readers
iI hope you enjoyed this latest, installment, Its a direct call back to Chapter 10 when Pearl was helping Steven's teacher at the school. It ended up being very long to avoid a cliffhanger ending and to tie off that story thread. We also took a risk on this chapter to try out a new storytelling method for the time-jump and setting up for a slightly different end-game for the North Africa adventure.
Also a big thank you to reader 'Council of Worlds' for some ideas on the next chapter. I'll have to see if I can have Ian Fleming meet up with Josephine Baker but will need to bend history a bit.
000 History
LRDP
Long Range Desert Patrol. These are the guys with that famous photo of SAS soldiers and jeeps kitted up for battle in the desert. They navigate the barren desert much as ship captains navigate the oceans with sextants, star-maps, and other means. They were out wrecking the German's from behind the lines and unexpected directions or rescuing downed pilots long before the SAS got their start. When jumping out of aircraft failed, who did they call? LRDP.
Sidi Barrani, Egypt
The main location of the British Army during the North African campaigns. I don't know where the SAS were originally conducting their training, the other possibilities are outside Alexandria or Cairo.
Operation Squatter - Al Bayda, Libya
The first employment of the SAS as part of the successful British offensive Operation Crusader beginning in November of 1941 after several previous failures. The SAS were to parajump directly to the airfield, grab their gear then attack with a retreat provided by the LRDP. For more detail see Pearl's description near the end of Chapter 10 where she described its failure.
Operation Green Room
This may not be the raids actual name. There is very little written online about this raid but I suspect there is more in paper books that I just don't have time to read through. This one is also discussed in chapter 10 and as part of the current chapter. Youtuber Lindybeige has a good discussion on the SAS history including a good review of both first and second SAS raids.
Gazala No.1 Airfield
Located at 32° 10′ 7″ N, 23° 21′ 2″ E in the Libyan Desert, it showed up on a list of GeoHack - List of North African airfields during World War II. We don't know what locations the SAS attacked during operation Green Room but we can make some educated guesses based on recorded descriptions.
Sand-Gem (Desert Glass)
From episode 10 season 1 of the show. Like the hematite stone from the previous chapter, this one had been wired up in a kind of electro-stimulation device to force it to violently activate.
Sten Gun / Thompson/ Sub-Machine-gun (corrected from Grease Gun, thank you for catching that falloutfan158 8-) )
Small caliber 9mm submachine-gun favored by the SAS for its light weight, rapid fire, and simplicity of construction making it easy to maintain. Not the most accurate or hardest hitting but for close-quarters it was very effective. Rifles and a mix of machine-guns rounded out the weapons mix for long-range warfare including Pearl's trusty Le Enfield rifle.
The Rat Patrol
I found an old 1960's TV-Show centered around a group of American soldiers who rove around the desert in Jeeps much like the ones the SAS used causing havoc for the Germans. I've pulled some elements from the show to use in this story including a couple of the characters for the LRDP and SAS cast. We might see them again soon.