*Click* Stars damn it not another one, whatever keep running, WHUMP! Argh!
000 June 10 1942 - Operation Albumen
In all her millenia Pearl never imagined she would be traveling in a primitive mechanical contraption beneath the seas of the Earth. Sure she had walked beneath the waves (not needing to breath and immune to pressure) to retrieve a dropped item or to collect research some topic for the science communities. But what was entirely unexpected was the ever present sense of dread of the submarine sinking leaving her trapped in an iron tomb lost and forgotten somewhere on the dark ocean floor. After all, she was a gem and did not need to breath or fear a mortal death unlike her very biologically human companions. When they reached their drop-off point it was a relief to exit the submarine and make their way into enemy territory rather than endure another day beneath the waves. Until she remembered the last time they were on Crete and the vicious battle that nearly wiped out the Commandos and her squad.
Reaching the shore the group stowed the boats under some convenient cover of some coastal shrubs then setup a perimeter while James climbed a nearby tree to get a view of their area. He was back quickly with a very unhappy look on his face, a clear indication that something was already very wrong with the operation. "We're arse over tit, its the wrong beach, we've landed on the town's beach and there are Jerry patrols about. We'll be lucky to get past the town much less do anything useful." Hearing the news the other members of the strike-team began to whisper their own worries or frustrations about the now likely doomed mission.
"Relax Corporal Appleby, everyone, we're not completely Snookered just yet, the locals don't like the Germans anymore than we do and the patrols cannot be everywhere at once." replied Captain Moffitt . Turning to address the other lead platoon commander, a Capt Jellicoe, the two exchanged some quiet conversion then Jellicoe's group spread up to setup a perimeter.
"How about I take a look around and try to talk to the locals, being a female they likely will not think of me as a threat so I can talk to them." suggested Pearl helpfully. James and Frank frowned at the idea and looked like they might object but Capt Jellicoe spoke first.
"Good idea Pearl but you're not dressed for the occasion. Your uniform will blow your cover before you can even begin to talk to them." chided while Capt Moffitt was grinning at the initiative shown. James breathed a sigh of relief at the denial, Frank smirked knowingly.
Pearl huffed and rolled her eyes, "You let me worry about clothing, Capt" countered Pearl confidently. Reaching into her pack he extracted a small oilcloth bag from which she then pulled a light blue dress. "I figured this might come in handy for just such an occasion, besides, a lady always brings plans appropriate clothing." her voice light and twittery as if she was on holiday.
Capt Jellicoe just stared at her dumbstruck momentarily at a loss for words while Capt Moffitt just chuckled.
"Sir, Captain Jellicoe, please give her a chance, I know you were skeptical of having a woman on the mission but she has proven herself time and time again. You know the stories they tell of her." pleaded Frank glancing between Pearl and the mission leader. "We're legless anyway if she doesn't go." James shot him a look of betrayal which Pearl, frowning, noticed.
Moffitt mulled it over a bit more then added his own weight to his chosen side. "It's your call Mr Jellicoe, your mission lead, Frank and James know her better than I do but in the time I've known her she's been solidly performing, useful having a lady on the squad who can keep up."
Capt Jellico looked at the faces of the men on the beach gauging their reactions, finally he made his decision. "Okay, go, but make it quick and if you get into trouble help will be difficult."
Grinning, Pearl gave a smart salute then turned and trotted off to some nearby bushes to change cloths. A few minutes later she joined the group, this time dressed in a light blue ankle length skirt with light tan blouse. "Back in fifteen minutes, twenty if I need to hide a bit."
With that, she turned and jogged off towards the lights of the town to get the needed information. James watched her go, his face full of worry at all the possibilities of something going wrong that could get her captured or hurt again.
"She looks nice in a dress eh?" whispered Frank into James's ear.
James nearly achieved flight at the startle, so engrossed in his thoughts he didn't notice the soft shifting of sand under boots when Frank wander up next to him. "Don't do that he hissed."
Frank and Moffitt laughed quietly at the much needed relief of tension. With nothing to-do but wait the group found a more suitable hiding place along the beach to wait for Pearl's return.
~{0}~
Pearl strode purposefully along the town's narrow streets, sharp eyes alert for trouble or opportunity to get the needed information. She had had to swipe a pair of sandals from someone's doorstep to wear so she would fit in better; she made a note to return them on the way back.
It wasn't long before she arrived at the town square where some sort of small festival was being conducted by the locals. Pausing at the edge of an alleyway she watched for a moment to pick a likely person to talk to when without warning the door of the house next to her was flung open.
Caught in the open there was no hiding from the three German soldiers exiting the small house. One of them looked at her approvingly with a bright smile then started to walk over towards her, his hand stretched out as if he was wanted to shake hands or some other friendly gesture. She tensed up for a fight or flight reaction if needed but thankfully the moment passed quickly. His friend, an officer she guessed, grabbed the young man's shoulder roughly, scolded him a bit in German, then gestured for everyone to head towards town. Breathing a sigh of relief she resumed her watch of the festival.
It was then that she got her second shock of the evening, there, sitting on the edge of the dance floor near the band was Aldebert. He was reading through what looked like a reference full of densely packed notes, his feet propped up on the cafe table, tapping along to the festival music. "Whats that corker doing here?, if he's here then where are the others!" mumbled Pearl frustratingly. She observed a bit more but there wasn't much more to see from this distance.
Her simple recon mission just got more complicated and another layer of risk was added. With no more time to waste she quickly located a friendly local, got the needed information, then returned to the beach landing point. The news of Adelbert's presence was a shock to the others but ultimately it was decided that, while interesting, the primary objective had to go first.
000 June 12th - Crete Town of Knossos
It was two days into the overland hike from the landing beach and the raiding party was making slow but steady progress having to hide during the day to avoid patrols. Pearl had had to make a few more inquiries in town disguised in her dress allowing them to navigate without arousing too much suspicion from locals and enemy alike. The silver lining was the surprising pleasantness of the daytime hiding spots owing to the sympathetic locals and abundance of comfortable housing. Frank was napping while Moffitt was flipping through the pages of an older Miss Marple mystery novel he'd found in one of the houses rooms. Elsewhere the others of the raiding party were likewise resting, checking gear or keeping watch for any roving patrols.
One of the houses occupations had found the kitchen, some simple baking supplies, and an apple tree that still had some fruit on it in the moderate Mediterranean climate.
Pearl sat cross legged near the window of her assigned room, the cool afternoon sea breeze gently flowing through the open window fluttering the curtains. Her eyes closed in deep meditation, still as a statue, only the gentle movement from breathing confirmed she was indeed alive. It was the first good, long, meditation she'd enjoyed in days and her body was aching from depleted energy reserves, she would need all her energy for the coming raid on the airfield.
Breath in, breath out, breath in, hold it, breath out, breath in, hold it… Apple Pie!? Breath out
Opening her eyes she nearly yelped and nearly leapt through the ceiling in surprise having not expected the source of the delicious smell to be right in front of her. James sitting across from her trying to keep a plate of freshly baked pie from falling to the floor. "Careful Love! I've only got two, well, one, slice of pie left!" he said trying not to yell too loud or cause more chaos.
"Yeep! James, what in Stars! How did you sneak in here!?" breathed Pearl trying to catch her breath. Looking down she spotted another plate had been knocked to the floor with its baked treat now covered in floor dust. "Oh no!, James I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"
James smiled then took her hand to guide her back to kneeling on the dusty floor. Picking up the fork from the other plate he gingerly cleaned it with a spare handkerchief then stuck it into the remaining pie slice. "Its no bother P, we'll just have to share the remaining slice."
Pearl's eyes lit up again at the thought of desert, she hadn't had anything in months. "That sounds lovely." Taking the fork she carefully cut a small peace then popped it into her mouth.
"Mmmmmhhhh" Pearl quickly took another, larger, bite. "James this is wonderful, the texture is a bit off but the apples are still crisp. However did you manage this?"
"Apple tree out back and remember I used to work on a farm? Anyway, its a variation of my grandmothers recipe." replied James sheepishly, pluckily he took a small peace leaving most for Pearl. "So, Love, this town seems pretty old, you got any old Gem stories from it?"
Pearl wiped her mouth clean then eyed the remaining bit of pie. "Actually yes. We are sitting in the ancient town of Knossos, former kingdom of the legendary King Minos but you might know him as Midas." James picked up the last peace of pie with his fork then playfully fed it to Pearl.
"Ah, yes, I know the name from the old stories about wealth, the king who wished to be able to turn anything he touched into gold. Wasn't his kingdom guarded by … wait, a Minotaur! Don't tell me the Minotaur was real!?" There was a note of awe in his voice at the realization of history. "Um, are we going to be attacked by a Minotaur tomorrow?"
"Ys it was real and no we defeated the Minotaur, its currently preserved back home in our temple." Replied Pearl with a proud smile, the rest of the afternoon was spent sharing stories from Gem history.
James pretended to be severely disappointed in his reply. "Aww thats too bad, SAS Super soldiers vs Monsters that would have been ace."
Pearl patted him comfortingly on the back, "Don't worry James, I'm sure we'll have more monsters to fight again soon if Aldebert and his crew are still poking around into that stuff."
~{0}~
In the next room over Capt Jellicoe listened with passing interest to the conversation in the other room. He was too busy checking his gear and battle plan to eavesdrop on the specifics but one point was sticking out, one he needed to ask about before the coming battle.
"Hey Moffit, Why do you permit that level of fraternization? I can think of a dozen violations of military laws and thats just on the open secret of their romantic relationship?" asked Jellico curiously, he wasn't angry as these soldiers didn't report to him, but it was a question to solve.
Moffitt looked up from his mystery book thinking a moment before answering. "Well, mostly its out of respect for their previous leader (rest his soul) but also Pearl isn't actually part of the military, technically she's a consultant but don't tell her that. Special orders from the top."
Jellicoe was surprised at this answer. "I see, so she has some connections with command then. I mean, its unusual enough having a woman on the squads but word and rumors get around, is it true that she's not human? The whole time on the submarine I never saw her sleep, eat, or rest much more than meditating. Just, endless energy and sharp senses."
Moffitt closed his book with a sharp snap of paper and looked Jellicoe in the eyes as he spoke. "I was ordered not to inquire too much and not to confirm anything beyond what's needed for the mission. But I can say that some rumors are true; just not which ones. Let it go, the important ones in command already know which is why there has been no trouble….yet."
Jellicoe took the meaning behind the words, shrugging he resumed his preparations. "Okay, but you let me know if it could make or break the mission or I'll hold you accountable."
~{0)~
Aldebert lay on the flight line bench clutching his stomach doing his best to keep himself in order long enough to board the flight. Ever since that night at the festival, a brief moment to take the uniform off and just relax and enjoy another culture, his stomach was in knots. It was probably the leftover spicy feta cheese dip, either one was a risk on its own but together proved to be too much, but it was so good he hadn't wanted to waste it. Big mistake. The other frustration was their search for the Minotaur had turned up dry; the area was so built, torn-down, and rebuilt again over the eons that any trace was long scattered to the winds. The only silver lining was the local garrison had allowed a 'moral boosting' festival to help keep peace with the locals.
"Sie sollten den Flug überspringen und sich erholen." suggested Schafer helpfully, was was on the opposite bench watching the suffering SS Officer over the rim of his news paper.
"Danke für Ihr Interesse, aber ich kann es nicht überspringen" he replied between pained breaths. No, he had to make the trip, Rommel wanted results from their research and this latest 'sample' was proving to be difficult to handle. Schafer frowned but chose not to pursue it further.
The facility guards had been on high alert for the past few days, rumors of enemy infiltrators were spreading and already a few facilities had been attacked. Glancing up at the hills he scanned the ridge lines, his exhausted mind was converting the silhouettes of trees against the dark into soldiers skulking through the night.
"I wonder if Pearl is out there somewhere in the hills? I wonder how she's doing, gosh, its been nearly a year since that night with the sand gem. Must make a note to check up on her."
"Haupt Fischer Ihr Flugzeug ist bereit!" called a voice from near the line of transports. Sighing to himself Aldebert mustered what strength he could then slowly shambled towards the waiting aircraft. A few minutes later his companions Waldemar, one arm full of paperwork and a familiar metal box dangling from his hook hand, joined him just before take off.
None of the three could have known how accurate Aldebert's frayed thoughts would turn out to be or just how close their mortality would have been tested. Approaching midnight, the airfields air-raid sirens roared to life, gun crews ran to their anti-aircraft cannons, fighters began to roll to the flight line. Overhead a faint roar was gradually growing louder. Search lights flicked on then begin scanning the sky.
The base's commander's voice shouting frantically over the bases PA system - "Luftangriff! Luftangriff! auf Ihre Station!"
It wasn't long before the battle began in earnest with fighter-bombers taking turns strafing the facility with machine-gun fire and dropping bombs. Men ran about trying to put out fires or bring weapons back online, a few of the defenders scored lucky when a fighter burst into flames to crash into a nearby hill. The night was filled with the rapid thump! Thump thump~ of the anti-aircraft guns the boom of explosions and the light of hundreds of fires now burning, except (miraculously) most of the actual aircraft parked or otherwise not trying to get into the air to-do battle. The transports.
All eyes were on the sky, none were watching the ground.
~{0}~
"We should go now, while everyone is distracted" said Capt Jellico setting down his binoculars and picking shifting his backpack where he could more easily reach its contents. "We move light and fast, take only your rifle, ammo, and the lewis bombs, leave the rest here for pickup on the way out."
Moffitt scoffed incredulously, looking between the burning airfield and the platoon of soldiers around them. "You can't be serious! We'd be lucky to not get killed by our own fighters!"
"Darren said the same thing. Its not the craziest thing we've done, at Pearl's suggestion we stole a German tank and shot-up their camp with it back in Poland." replied Frank also getting ready for a fast raid.
"Hey, I admit it was a bit bold but it payed off, we had the captured uniforms and the element of surprise to make it work." confirmed Pearl who, by now, was fully ready for the coming battle. She had traded her backpack for a bandoleer of bombs and ammo, she was an imposing sight of potential destructive potential.
Moffitt shrugged then made ready, "Seems I'm outnumbered, okay then, let's get on with it, the raid won't last forever and if we're going to get killed we may as well do it doing something bloody stupid then."
Moving through the brush then a quick dash across the open fields around the base they broke up into two squads, Moffits and Jellico each in the lead of their own groups. Reaching newly created gaps in the fences they waited for a pause in the air attack then began their own. Jellico's group setup over-watch positions while Moffitt's group went to plant the bombs.
Pearl moved swiftly towards the rows of parked transports stopping a couple of times to throw herself to the ground for cover when one of the Allied attack aircraft's strafing run got a little too close. The Germans (as expected) ignored them for In the chaos of the bombing they were just another group of shadows running for cover or battle in the dark.
Reaching the line of transports she pulled the first bomb and affixed it to the engine nacelle of the first plane, then moved to a second to repeat the task. Putting bombs on the engines may not lead to total destruction of the aircraft, but it would be an expensive and time consuming process to put it back into the air. Mission kill was good enough for this raid.
They had to wrap up quick, already the air-attack was ending and the facility was beginning to switch from defensive to clean up and investigation. Even the AA guns were beginning to quiet.
Pausing to check the time she was surprised that only a few minutes had passed since they had begun. Ducking down under the aircraft she could see the movements of the others moving through the aircraft, pausing only to affix a bomb before moving on. She was about to move to her eighth and last aircraft when she noticed them, two extra boots among the aircraft. Moving closer she realized those were not commando's boots but those of SS agents, soon four more joined them and flashlights flicked on then began to scan the aircraft.
"Wer ist da? Was machst du?" shouted a voice, all four boots had stopped moving, caught in the lights where Frank and Moffitt. "auf den Knien! Jetzt" shouted one pulling his pistol.
Pearl was already moving towards them, no time to think on it, overwatch would not have a shot and if they found the bombs it was over. Energy poured into her limbs pushing her to her limit, with a bright flash of light she drew her sword from her Gem just as she reached the men.
One of the German's must have noticed the flash of light from her Gem and turned around but he never got the chance to shout a warning. The next instant Pearl slammed into him knocking him to the ground whilst ramming her sword through his chest; the man guggled blood for a moment before going still.
The second soldier tried to bring his pistol on target but Pearl was still moving too fast for him to get a shot off. Following through her attack she back-flipped up and over the soldier lashing out with her sword as she did so; he collapsed to the ground with a horrific head wound. She landed gracefully behind the remaining two soldiers to continue the strike.
The third had anticipated this and tried to bring his gun to bear on her landing spot but she, still moving with Gem speed, was on the attack swinging the sword in an upwards ark the opened his chest from hip to shoulder. He stayed on his feet a moment gazing at his wound in horror then crumpled to the ground without a sound.
Soldier number four had had enough, throwing down his pistol he threw himself to his knees with his hands raised high in the air. Pearl's blade stopped a few millimeters from his neck having been lined up for a decapitation strike. "kein Töten! kein Töten!" he shouted, eyes wide and desperate for mercy from the pale skinned demon who had cut down his fellow soldiers with frightening ease. "Bitte nicht töten! Ich will nicht hier sein" he shouted again tears flowing down his face.
Pearl continued to hold the swords to the man's neck as she assessed if he was still a threat or not. He was young, thinly built, probably in his late teens or early twenties, fair skinned with dark blue eyes and dirty brown hair. Lowering her sword she looked at herself, once again covered in blood, once again she had killed up-close with all the unfair advantages of a Gem.
"Go" she ordered, gesturing with her sword towards the empty fields around the base. The soldier didn't need to be told twice, getting up he took one last, long look at her then ran off into the darkness away from the battle.
Her energy spent Pearl slowly sank to her knees, the sword slipped from her fingers to clatter to the ground. She stared at the men she had just killed, oddly she was fine with it. There was a threat, her rifle was not the best tool for the job and soldiers die in war all the time; Stars it really was becoming too easy, even justifying it was easy now.
She tensed up when a pair of boots stepped in-front a strong hand gripped her shoulder but immediately relaxed when she looked up to see Frank smiling back at her. "Good work little sister, thank you for the save. You seemed to have things in hand so we finished planting the bombs."
"Time to go, talk later!" shouted Moffit jogging past them while waving for them to follow. "Jerry's going to be wise to us any moment and that fight had to have drawn some attention. Lets move!"
The task done the trio began to run back towards the break in the fence as fast as their legs could carry them. Reaching the fens she turned around in a panic, "We forgot James!" she nearly shouted but when she turned to run back she felt a wave of relief displace the panic when he jogged up to the group. While they were placing bombs he was off pouring contaminates into fuel storage tanks to break or disable anything else they had missed.
"Everyone okay? Pearl you look shaken, did something happen back at the aircraft park?" asked James worriedly when he had gotten a better look at his love.
"Just the usual Love, soldiers killing soldiers, I had to get a bit up-close earlier to deal with some stray soldiers because Frank and Moffitt weren't watching their own backs." Growled Pearl. They didn't really deserve her anger, but right now she was mad at the world and what it had become. "One surrendered but we have no way to bring him with us so we let him go."
James nodded his understanding and what it probably meant for her. "Okay, we'll talk more later. Where are the others? We should be meeting up shortly right?"
Moffitt nodded, "Yes, just waiting for the bombs to go off and create more chaos, we'll head to the boat docks and steal a fishing boat and make our way to the pickup point with the Triton"
Pearl involuntarily shuttered at this, she did not want to spend another week in the submarine.
Gathering up their equipment the squad waited in silence for a few minutes while watching the airfield. Peal was putting the bandoleer back into her pack when Frank wandered over holding her sword, "You dropped this, thanks for the help earlier, sorry if it bothered you" was all he said before gently placing it in front of her and walking back over to reassemble his own gear pack.
"By the way Pearl, where were you keeping that sword? First the dress, then the bandoleer and bombs, how are you transporting all this stuff?" asked Moffit
"Didn't she tell you earlier? A lady never reveals all her secrets!" answered James for her, patting her lovingly on the shoulder. "Except to the one she loves!" he laughed earning himself a sharp elbow and annoyed huff from Pearl. "Oy, that was a good joke"
Sighing to herself she sat down to watch the airfield, counting down the minutes till the bombs began to detonate. Her Gem eyes watched passively as men began to wander around the aircraft, probably looking for the missing patrol and inspecting for battle damage.
It wasn't a long wait as first one then dozens more aircraft and critical support equipment began to explode in flames. Soon another round of fires burned in the airfield with damage control teams rushing to deal with the latest addition to the still badly damaged base.
The trip to the extraction point and the fishing boats docked there went easier than expected with all the attention focused on the airfield. A small fishing boat was selected was comondered and an hour later they arrived at the scheduled rondevu point with the submarine for the return trip to Egypt and a much needed rest. This time Pearl was much quieter on the return trip, keeping mostly to herself and only socializing a little with James when he was available to comfort her.
~{0}~
Arriving back in Egypt they were greeted by a very worried Pettigrew (who had been forced to skip due to sickness) then went back to camp to begin the mind numbing task of filing after action paperwork. While others grumbled about it, Pearl actually liked the paperwork, it was a time to reflect, a kind of meditation in its monotony, but mostly because it let her think.
The peaceful respite of paperwork wasn't to last very long, while wounded the enemy was still very much militarily capable and still determined to achieve victory. The security of the British defensive line was to be severely tested in the coming days when the hammer of the German war machine would strike the anvil of the Allied lines.
000 June 26th Early Morning - Mersa Matruh
Lt Eberhard Waldemar shivered under his coat in the cool evening easterly wind that had been correctly forecasted to be flowing this night. It never ceases to amaze him how a place that could be hotter than Hades during the day could be so cold at night. Noticing he could see his own breath in the dry air he inhaled a deep breath, then let it out in a long exhale to see if he could make a smoke spiral, to his surprise he could. Grinning to himself he blew another swirl then nudged his companion sitting on the roof of the heavily modified utility truck.
"Sie sollten versuchen, es ein wenig aufzuheitern" he said and thumped his hook-hand on the roof of the truck. The annoyed shout of Schafer was faintly heard, probably complaining about needing to concentrate on the adjustments of the machine.
Aldebert continued staring at the distant ridge through his binoculars. He could see the faint glow of flashlights moving along it or the steadier glows of someone foolish enough to make a campfire. Putting down the device he jotted some notes into his clipboard. Turning to face Waldemar his face was at first hard and cold, but then he too inhaled deeply and exhaled his breath to try and make his own smoke swirls. The two shared a brief chuckle at the silliness of it at all, the war, their research, all of it.
"Du hast recht, es ist gut, ein bisschen zu lachen, um gesund zu bleiben." replied Aldebert grinning. "Ich werde glücklich sein, wenn der Krieg vorbei ist, und wir können unsere Forschung nutzen, um Industrie aufzubauen, anstatt sie zu zerstören" sighed the SS officer sadly once again looking across the battlefield. In the moonlight it was had to tell which of the war wreckage was friend or foe.
But too soon it was back to business when the other truck, the one containing the latest project, signaled that the loud speakers were hooked up and they were ready to begin.
"zurück an die Arbeit" muttered Waldemar putting on his ear-protection and picking up his own binoculars.
A few minutes later a haunting song began to emanate from the loudspeakers building in intensity and volume. Picked up by the easterly breeze it wasn't long before its intended audience could hear it. The effect was immediate as soon small groups of soldiers began to leave their positions and equipment behind to walk as if in a trance towards the german lines. For a few minutes there was only the song haunting song playing as more and more soldiers began to mindlessly march towards the trio of trucks.
When the soldiers had traveled a good distance into the open, the song was joined by the faint flashes and faint thumps of artillery detonating above and around the distant soldiers. Soon the battlefield was more graveyard than desert wasteland; when the shelling finally stopped the Allied positions had been decimated.
Ten minutes later the power supply for the specimen trailer's high-voltage system began to run dry, gradually the song faded till it was just a whisper, then finally nothing. Their mission accomplished, the trio of vehicles packed up their equipment then melted into the night to return to base and resupply.
~{0}~ August 1942
The following morning the Axis armies began their attack through the now weakened defensive works; the battle was fierce but the severely depleted defenders were soon dislodged. With the path clear the Germans were free to begin their push on the remaining British and Allied troops further east. Soon the first battle of El Alamein would rage across the deserts around the little railway station that gave the battle its name for control of the vital coastal road and all of Egypt that lay beyond.
For the next three weeks great formations of tanks would charge across the deserts in desperate attempts to capture critical strategic points or to try and break an enemy's position. The sky swirled with fighters and bombers each attacking the others supply depots or staging areas trying to secure a decisive advantage on the battlefield below. On wide flat deserts and rugged mountain ridges of ancient volcanoes and seabed the infantry exchanged fire with each other, often degrading to brutal hand-to-hand battle.
Finally, after weeks of hard fighting the Germans, low on supplies, were forced to withdraw and build their own fortifications to forestall an Allied counter-attack. Stalemate. Temporarily.
000 September 29th 1942 - Ruweisat Ridge
She thought she had seen the worst of it; after returning from Crete they had arrived just in time to witness to the closing of what command was calling the battle of El Alamein.
The faint glow of a match lighting a cigarette briefly illuminated the otherwise darkened trench situated along the Ruweisat ridge near the legendary El Alamein coastal road. A faint easterly breeze gently carried the smoke upwards in dimly lit swirled out over the encampment. All around were scattered empty spent cartridges, worn out equipment, and hundreds of spent 25 Lb cannon brass casings.
Exhausted from the days battle, her energy levels running dangerously low, Pearl inhaled a long pull on the cigaret, held it, then blew it out in one long whoosh. It was finally quiet, for nearly a month it had it been a constant roar of noise and warfare with endless bombardments, counter attacks, machine-gun fire, and the thunder of the heavy guns. But now, all was quiet with only the occasional faint moaning of injured men being tended by the medics or the shuffling of feet on the hard dirt of the ridge fortifications completed the scene. Closing her eyes she took another long drag on the cigaret.
~{0}~
Tanks, endless waves of German, Italian, and British tanks clashing in the desert. The sharp crack of their cannons, the shrieking howl of shells passing uncomfortably close. Soon the enemy tanks are near enough that the defenders are almost over-run under the weight of the enemy formations. She sneaks up behind an unaware Panzer and fires a rocket directly into the thinner rear armor just near the fuel tank. The tank errups in fire, she can almost hear the screams of its crew being immolated alive while she runs for cover. A combat cameraman was filming her, she would ask him about it later if he heard it too.
They are on a flanking and recon mission, their core skill set to scout the path ahead for the advancing Australians 9th to try and take a dot on the map called Point 24. The fighting had been vicious with the Aussies sustaining massive casualties for days but it had born unexpected fruit in the end. The tent the squad attacked contained the radio gear used to spy on British communications along with its staff.
Its the ending stages; they are pushing our hills again, hard with the last of their might. Our guns are savaging the advancing tanks from the high ground and we have no shortage of targets for the guns that are turning red with heat. But they give as good as they get; soon both sides are near depleted, its a race of attrition to decide who has had enough first with victory going to almost the last man standing.
~{0}~
The soft shuffling of clothes on dirt drew her attention to the young soldier laying by her side propped up on his elbows, a set of high-power binoculars pressed to his face. Smiling she watched him intently while he surveyed the battlefield beyond the ridge noting that he was once again quiet filthy with streaks of gun-oil and dirt all along his uniform and face. She suspected he probably smelled too but what did it matter right now, he was still here, still with her, ever by her side even when things were looking grim. Reaching over she gently brushed her hand along his shoulder to reassure herself that he was, in fact, not an illusion. James glanecd her way a moment to smile warmly before resuming his survey.
"Don't kiss him right now Pearl, he's dirty and would taste bad." mumbled Frank from her opposite side. He was grinning at her probably having guessed what she was planning on doing next. He was laying on his back in the dirt resting while munching on stale gum from an old ration tin.
"Oh push off Frank, I've already kissed him when he was about this dirty, I think it tasted just fine." Pearl teased back eliciting an amused chuckle from the soldier. Frank was the other constant in her adventure, like James he helped watch over her, chased away anyone who gave her trouble, and generally treated her like a little sister. But her smile soon faded with the memories of their former squad leader Darren and Frank's best friend George; it was now almost half a year since the war had claimed them. Stars she missed them.
"I think about them too sometimes Love" whispered James having noticed her downward mood swing. "I miss Darren's leadership, Georges bad jokes, but mostly I just miss my friends. Its not the same without them around." mumbled James sadly. "But, we need to keep going, I like to think that they would be proud of what we've accomplished here and they would want us to keep going. You know that right?"
"See anything out there James?" asked Frank in an attempt to change the topic to the more immediate situation. James shook his head negative. "Little Sister, can you have a look? The moonlight is dim tonight and I know those eyes of yours are sharper than the Mark 1 eyeball I'm equipped with.
"Sure" she replied with a bit of forced chear grateful for the change in topic Pearl reached over to take the binoculars from him. Taking one last drag from the cig she snuffed it out in the dirt then propped herself up to look through the binoculars. It didn't take her long to find something to report.
"James, please hand me my rifle" ordered Pearl.
Wordlessly he picked up the rifle, checked the magazine was loaded, then passed to to Pearl who immediately lifted it into a stable snipers position for a long range shot.
"What are you shooting at? I don't see anything." asked Frank still looking through the binoculars. Spread out across the desert floor were the remnants of the recent battles. A number of vehicles were still burning making them into macab torches to illuminate a battlefield still littered with the bodies of the dead and broken war machines. "A sniper? Scout? Some group making a sneak attack?"
"120 degrees, 1,000 yards next to the smoldering Valentine tank." replied Pearl. "Now stop talking, I need to concentrate.
Together James and Frank directed their optics to the designated location, the shock of what they saw was one they would never forget. A pack of wild-dogs was pulling apart the bodies of a few fallen soldiers. The dogs seemingly dancing in the glow of the burning tank as they fought for feeding positions or over a body part. Their slender bodies twisting and wiggling in strangely graceful movements.
Without warning the sharp report of Pearl's rifle split the night cycling the bolt and firing rapidly.
* CRACK! Chink-chink! CRACK! Chink-chink! CRACK! Chink-chink! CRACK! *
A second later four of the dogs dropped to the ground un-moving while the rest scattered into the darkness. Putting her rifle down Pearl lay down on her back then lit another cigarette. "Human meat is full of valuable nutrients hard to obtain in the desert, its easy meal for them when normal prey is scarce." she mumbled idly, closing her exhausted eyes, the cigarette glow slowly pulsing as she slowed her breathing to try and meditate. James just stared at her confused at the strange bit of knowledge but said nothing.
"I'll be glad when this war is over" mumbled Frank, popping another bit of stale gum into his mouth he got up to go explain what had happened to a the other spotting groups now on alert from the shooting. None however noticed the trio of newly arrived vehicles parked at the far side of the battlefield.
~{0}~
It was near midnight and the various platoons were settled in for the night when they heard it, a faint, sorrowful song carried by the easterly breeze. The effects were not as pronounced as the previous deployment but it was enough as soon first a few, then more, troops began to leave their positions to march towards the source of the music. Including one group further up the ridge.
~{0}~
Pearl was meditating again, but try as she might she couldn't concentrate on a single thread of peace. For the past few minutes she kept getting disturbed by...something. Like a persistent low level itch in her mind that she couldn't scratch it tormented her to no end, slowing her down and distracting but not stopping her. Frustrated she gave up on mediating, opening her eyes she took in her surroundings.
The camp was empty, no one was around that she could see. "Um, where is everybody?" she mumbled to herself getting up to check more of the camp, "were they at a meeting?" awfully nice of them not to wake her up or disturb her attempt at rest. Then she saw something that sent a chill through her, the evening meal was still cooking on the camp stove, dishes and rations were on the floor, and boot prints, lots of them, were leading out of the camp.
"James? Frank? Anyone?" She called out into the darkness; silence answered. Waiting a few minutes she tried calling out once more but again there was no answer
The itching returned, weaker than before now that she was awake but still, that persistent urge to scratch an itch was distracting. Closing her eyes she dropped to her knees rubbing her gem, eyes squeezed shut. "Think Stars Damn it! Think! Aaarraggh it itches! Think! What causes this, what causes this!"
WHUMP! ….. WHUMP WHUMP WHUMP! It was coming from the battlefield.
Opening her eyes she looked over the trench line just in time to witness a bright flash of light orangish followed a second later by a low thump of the explosion. MinAnother flash, another flash of light briefly illuminated a cluster of dying men, their screams of agony faintly carried on the breeze. Mines.
"Oh no" Pearl gasped at the realization of what was happening, what the itching was, why the camp was empty. "How did they find a KYANITE GEM!" she shrieked, Leaping to her feet she forgot about her own safety to begin leaping down the rocky ridge line as fast as her Gem abilities would allow her. "HOLD ON JAMES! FRANK! EVERYONE! I'M COMING!" As she ran there where more bright flashes and screams as more and more men met their end on a minefield meant to protect them from the enemy's army.
Reaching the bottom of the ridge she took off across the flat desert, she felt more than heard the click of her foot stepping on a mine but ignored it. She was moving fast enough that the split second delay between her foot lifting off the pressure pad, the fuse burning, and the explosive detonating she was already past it. Fast as she was it didn't seem fast enough for again there was another flash of light.
~{0}~
Waldemar was grinning from ear to ear, chuckling a bit as another flash lit the night accompanied by the low whump of the explosion. "Es ist zu einfach, kein Sport oder eine Herausforderung, aber es funktioniert so gut."
Aldebert thumped him on the shoulder. "Sei nicht glücklich, Männer sterben, zeige Respekt!"
Waldemar glared hard at the senior officer, "Vorsichtig, du sympathisierst nicht zu sehr mit dem Feind." he growled out. That was the enemy, it was their job to achieve victory, this was just a very convenient method of doing so. That this vaunted SS-Officer felt sympathy for them was wrong to his mind.
Schafer poked his head out of the electronics van long enough to see a flash in the distance. "Weitere 5 Minuten bis wir außer Betrieb sind und heruntergefahren sind." he shouted before withdrawing to hide inside the van. He was honored to serve his country but this part of it would be forever distasteful to him.
Aldebert scowled at the body guarde and research assistant. "Mach dir keine Sorgen, ich respektiere meinen Feind, aber sie sind immer noch der Feind. Wir kämpfen und gewinnen als Soldaten mit dem besten Vorteil, den wir bekommen können."
Waldemar nodded his understanding but said nothing to confirm he agreed. Turning his attention back to the darkened battlefield he spotted a light moving rapidly between the distant shadows. Looks like one of the poor fools though to bring a flashlight to light their path to their doom.
~{0}~
WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!
Pearl screamed in pain and frustration rushing over to check the latest victims, her Gem acting as a light. "Please don't be them, please don't be them." Stars it above it was not them, this time, but there were more men to check. For the past few minutes, she had been carefully knocking out any man she encountered still standing and briefly scanning the dead. She had found James and Moffitt already, they were laying out-cold on the ground a little ways back, she wanted to be more gentle or ferry them back to safety but there just wasn't time. The others were still missing and her energy was beginning to run low.
*Click* Stars damn it not another one, whatever keep running, WHUMP! Argh!
She cried out in pain when bits of hot metal peppered her back causing her form to glitch a little. This was not good, her energy was starting to deplete rapidly, she would have to slow her pace, to be more careful or risk locking up on the field. At least the itching was starting to fade, that was good, it meant the new German toy was starting to loose power and the spell would end soon.
Finally she found them; they must have been together when it started because all three were wandering together in the dark. Their hands still held the forks and spoons from the ration tins they were eating earlier. Carefully she knocked each one to the ground then put them in sleeper-holds until they grew still.
Breathing a sigh of relief that she had at least found all the members of her own squad she stood up to look around and survey the damage done. All around small fires still burned from leftover explosives or burning uniforms, and the bodies, lots of them. Sighing wearily she stretched out her arms and shook her legs to try and stave off the coming stiffness from the enormous amount of energy she had spent.
The distant sounds of engines starting drew her attention to a trio of trucks on the other side of the low valley. She couldn't see much details but it was clear they were packing up what she guessed were portable loud-speakers and amplifier equipment. "Aldebert has a new toy, that is a problem for another day"she thought to herself, she briefly thought of charging and ending the threat right then and there, but it would be futile to attempt. She had other pressing matters to attend to.
Savoring one more long stretch to stave off the coming speed-penalty, she set about carrying those where were still living back to safety. Indulging herself she moved her own squad first, perhaps the prioritization was selfish but she felt she earned it, besides, she needed them if she was to make it through this.
The following day the losses were tallied and Pearl was summoned to begin making her reports on what had happened. As before most of it was classified and the public version of events claimed it was a night-time raid by artillery and bombers; only Pearl and her own squad knew the full truth of it outside of headquarters. By some miracle of God losses were not as terrible as first feared and command was able to reinforce the position quickly enough with fresh troops. However it was increasingly clear that something was going to have to be done, soon, about the German's special research department.
In any case there wasn't much time to dwell on it for a few days later the German's resumed their onslaught to try and break through the British line. Soon the "night of the siren's song" was no longer a primary concern due to everyone focusing on the current battle actions; but it wasn't forgotten.
000 Late September 1942- Tobruk Libya
Aldebert sat in his office transcribing his notes into his more formalize reports for long term storage at the archives back home. It was not his favorite activity, no, he much prefered to be out in the field playing cloak and dagger missions in dark alleys like the heroes of his favorite novels. Much as he disliked it, it was a task that required his full attention or else he would have to do double work explaining the gaps in his reports or trying to justify expenses.
Leaning back from the desk, the old springs of the chair creaked loudly in the small office drawing the attention of its other occupant. It was hot too, the lone ceiling fan was doing its best to help circulate the stale air but there was no escaping the heat, even stripped to undershirt and shorts.
"Aldebert? Are you okay friend?" asked Waldemar from his own small desk. "Schafer should be back with lunch soon but if you're getting hungry. I have some Kanafeh leftover, should still be good." offered the soldier turned bodyguard/research assistant.
"Thank you, but I'm okay, just tired is all." lied Aldebert in reply. "The heat, stale air, and being slightly hungry, the lack of proper beer. I'm just over-all tired is all. I want look forwards to being home."
Waldemar nodded in understanding. "Yes, I too miss home, I want to see the Alps again, check on the family farm, see if my cousins are doing okay. I hope they are okay, I got them nice desk-jobs away from the war."
Aldebert smiled and patting him reassuringly on the shoulder "Don't worry, the war in Europe is quiet, they are fine. You do your nation proud with your sacrifice and service, its good having you around even when we disagree on things."
"Softy" mumbled Waldemar grinning back.
The sound of a boot kicking the lower part of the door followed by a shouted request to open it put an end to the conversation. Schafer entered the room with both arms full of paper bags holding the aforementioned lunch and an envelope tucked into Aldebert's package.
"Letter for you Aldebert, I'll bet its that report you were waiting on from the desert recon groups.
Aldebert's eyes lit up in excitement, yes it was the right weight and thickness, quickly opening it he dumped its contents out on his desk for everyone to see. There on the table were clear black-n-white photographs of what looked like spiders made of metal with long metal bodies and four claw like legs. All around were humanoid shaped holes in the walls of the canyons giving the place an eeiry look.
Picking up the accompanying note Aldebert read it aloud for his companions.
"Dear Agent Fischer
Congratulations on the successful location of the special-interest canyon from the provided map. Large number of the "metal spiders" are intact but are unable to be removed from the rock or otherwise salvaged. However three were found damaged and their components were successfully salvaged including what appear to be two electric driven mass-drivers. Shipment back to main-land will be conducted shortly at the docks later this evening on the next fast-freighter heading to France.
In light of the successful test deployments of the special-projects group over the last year of the campaign your rank is increased to Colonial effective immediately. This will allow you increased access to resources, funding, and priority to further both your efforts and the interests of our nation.
Good work and congratulations on your promotion Colonial Aldebert B Fischer, you will remain in-charge of special research projects, budget and staff for the foreseeable future."
Sincerely
Field Marshal Rommel"
- British S.A.S camp; squad's Yurt tent -
"Go away, I need to rest" mumbled Pearl when someone began to gently shake the side of her cot. All the fighting had severely depleted her energy reserves to the point that she had locked up twice. It was embarrassing having to be carried out on a stretcher while her team made up excuses to curious soldiers.
"Pearl, wake up, you need to see our new orders!"
Crud, it was James, she couldn't be mad at the person disturbing her rest then. Pearl squeezed her eyes shut and curled up into a ball under the blanket. "Sorry Love, but come back when I'm up, it can't be that urgent!" She complained in the best 'tired' voice she could use.
The blanket was pulled off and strong arms reached down to move her groggily to a sitting position. Now she was upset. "I've earned my rest, stars leave me alone!" she growled finally opening her eyes.
James was unfazed. "Pearl, read this and look at the photo, don't you know that guy?"
Grumpily she took the offered papers then began to skim over the orders. She froze at the section describing mission objectives having to read it several times to be sure. Now fully alert she leafed through the envelop till she found the accompanying photograph of a very familiar looking face.
"James, am I reading this right? Is this really our assignment!?" the shock plainly heard in her voice.
James nodded confirmation. "Yes, Command has had enough of these 'special' weapons showing up and since we (meaning you) have the most experience with them we're tasked to put an end to it."
Sighing Pearl put the orders back into the envelope and handed it back to him. "Put them in the safe, I'll read them in more detail later but for now I need to rest and think. Thank you." Pulling him in for a quick kiss she shooed him away, laying back down she stared at the tent wall for what felt like hours.
"See you soon, Aldebert" she whispered to herself then finally managed to close her eyes to rest.
000 End chapter
000 Authors Notes
I have to confess that in the next ww2 period chapter I'm going to have to wave the "alternate-history wand" and move some historical events from mid 1942 to late 1942. The S.A.S raids and history there is just too awesome not to include but including them in this chapter would make it 16,000 words long which is too much. You can find out which raids I'm using by checking real-world history of the S.A.S and LRDG (Long Range Desert Group), or just wait for the chapter.
As of August 2018 the story is now 2 years old (woohoo!) and we are passed the halfway mark with Pearl's story scheduled to end in late 1944.
Historical Notes
Kyanite (The harpy/Lamiai stone)
Kyanite is a calming stone; it helps to quiet the mind, dissolving emotional or spiritual confusion. Kyanite is said to be particularly good at dissolving anger and frustration. This was mentioned just before the S.A.S airfield raid in chapter 23 as being a half-woman, half snake, and beastly hands. Usually their songs lure sailors and ships to wreck their ships against hidden underwater rocks or into some other calamity; ours was used to force troops into the open for easy victory.
Operation Albumen
Four S.A.S nearly simultaneous raids against airfields on the German occupied island of Crete in an attempt to disrupt the ability of the Luftwaffe to resupply troops in North Africa. The Heraklion group lead by George Jellicoe and supported by Free French troops were landed by submarine on the wrong beach and had to hike overland to their target. After an aborted attempt due to heightened air-traffic at the base they decided to attack during an active RAF air-raid. How badass is that! To raid an enemy facility already under active attack by your own forces to ensure that as much destruction occurs as possible.
Mersa Matruh, Egypt
Small collection of hills and contains a small port town. The Germans overran the position during their drive to capture Egypt, the defenders fought a delaying action while the majority of the troops retreated to El Alamein. Though small it was one of the opening battles of the legendary first-battle of El Alamein.
El Alamein
Named for the small town and railroad station along the coast road along which all armies must control in order to resupply. The British and their Allies fought a heroic but brutal battle to hold the position against the onslaught of the German Afrika Corps over the course of almost a month. One month of near endless battle. Of note is that it was a multinational force defending the position consisting of Australians, Indians, and others who made significant contributions and sacrifices to hold back the German and Italian armies.
Ruweisat Ridge
Sub-battle of El Alamein and the follow-up battle of Alam el Halfa. A narrow but high rock ridge that divided the of the area into a north and south sector. Fighting here was fierce and it changed hands a few times. It is no this ridge that Pearl was resting when the Harpy/Lamiai began to sing leading to the end of chapter rescue/battle.
Knossos Crete
Settled as early as the Neolithic period, the name Knossos survives from ancient Greek references to the major city of Crete. The palace of Knossos eventually became the ceremonial and political centre of the Minoan civilization and culture. The palace was abandoned at some unknown time at the end of the Late Bronze Age, c. 1380–1100 BC
Supporting cast on the German side
Aldebert (fake), Earnest Schafer (real), and Waldemer (fake) - the three were last seen in chapter 23, 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.