Arc V: Karsland´s Liberation:
[And here we are starting a new part of this story. As I always say, all rights reserved to Matfix, original author of this fic and to the creators of "Strike Witches" and "Ed, Edd, Eddy"].
Chapter I:
Silence, calm, a gust of wind was felt by the surroundings of a destroyed street, the buildings that burned, the columns of smoke that rose to the Heavens and the fire that consumed every building in its path. The devastation unleashed on that country and the outcome that everyone was waiting for, especially for the civilians and military who were waiting for the moment to go out and see how serious the damage caused by the war was. One by one they left the bomb shelters and subway stations and found themselves in relative tranquility. Soon, a woman noticed the remains of what appeared to be a "Shadow Neuroi" downed in combat and from there, a small boy gently tugged at her dress, pointing to what lay ahead, on the horizon, in broad daylight, where a sea of enemies lay against the ground and from the Heavens they could notice a strange glowing "snowfall".
Soon, from the Firmament they could see what the whole thing was about: the "Fourth Hive" no longer existed, it had been completely destroyed and its remains fell, harmlessly, on the streets of Romagna. Seeing it in front of their own eyes, witnessing this historic event, the capital's population began to celebrate, to shout with emotion and to embrace those around them. The military were able to take a break after an infinity of days or maybe months of fighting against the "Shadow Neuroi", since the beginning of the invasion orchestrated by the Kanker against Italy. One of the Generals ordered to send a message to the bastions of resistance located in the North, warning them of the defeat of the enemy in the Capital and so it was done.
The message was reaching Venice, Genoa, Pisa, Florence, among other regions of Northern Italy and with it they were able to expel the last remnants of the "Shadow Neuroi" that remained standing, being in retreat after the loss of another stronghold in the country.
Soon, that nation was freed from their yoke.
The combat had been exhausting but it gave its fruits, those they were looking for, in spite of the destruction caused by the Kanker, Romagna had been liberated and with it would come the reconstruction of the parts affected by the war. The "Witches" and their allies went down to the mainland and after that, they could take a deep breath, leave their weapons in the hangars at the headquarters located in the center of the city and take a well-deserved rest. Erica was one of the first to free herself from all that rigging system she was carrying and from there, just as she was leaving her "Striker Unit" to the hangar staff, her gaze was directed to the North, across the Alps, beyond those mountain ranges. The blonde knew what it was all about, the thought running through her head back and forth.
She felt, at that instant, a hand and turned around. There was Ed by her side, who was a little injured from the fight against May, but he was fine, it wasn't serious, a short visit to the "Infirmary" and that was it, the matter was over.
- Do you know what's over there, Ed?. Behind the Alps?.- Asked the blonde, who was taking off her black Official plate cap. In that uniform she looked much more beautiful and the Science Fiction-loving boy couldn't deny it.
- That's where your home is, Karsland.- He answered and she nodded her head slowly.
- That's right: My homeland, which I have the impression, will be the next to be recovered.- The young woman augured and that could not be ruled out.
Her boyfriend looked back and could see his friends talking about the recent battle and how they had been able to survive the same war Hell, using all their intelligence, cunning and ability to solve those problems. For him, now something more than normal was on a battle front, as they had been fighting the Kanker over much of the World for quite some time; having been in Africa, Antarctica and now Italy. Double D had already had his "Baptism of Fire" in Brittania, over the North Sea, when he tested the contents of Rolf's barrels and the "Magic", his final result and where they were able to defeat those enemies, but with some drawbacks until that liquid had joined them and allowed them to fight without problem.
He stretched out his right hand and could feel that magical circulation that went from one end of his body to the other, just like a car speeding along a highway without stopping.
- Do you have faith that we will recover Karsland, Erica?.- The boy asked.
- Of course I do.- She answered with determination.- It's my home as well as Trudie's, hehehe and she may be tough but she has her feelings too.- She said with a chuckle and shared that information with Ed.
- Excuse me?.- She heard the voice of that Officer and when he turned around, both of them were face to face with the stern gaze of Barkhorn, who was standing with her arms crossed.
Shaking like jelly, Erica tried to pretend she hadn't said anything at all but it was too late.
- Emmm, hehehehehe, hello, Gertrud. No, don't worry, we weren't talking about you, but about another girl who has the same name as you.- She lied but the laughter escaped her.
- Really?. Well, I'd like to meet her.- He said sarcastically, which led Erica to look down at the floor and sigh.
- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, I was just saying.- She apologized.
- It is not for that, but that, at this moment, after the liberation of Romagna, I came to tell you that we will rest a few days here but we will keep watch around, especially on the Italian-German border to avoid any attempt of enemy incursion. You will go to Karsland with me, Minna, Charlotte, Yoshika, Lynne, Perrine, Sarah, Jimmy and you.- She explained, keeping his seriousness but emphasizing and putting a lid on the tough situation they were in.- That's all.
- One moment, Lieutenant Barkhorn, wait.- Ed asked and stepped forward.- I have a question.
- Go ahead.- The dark brunette conceded.
- What do you mean the plan to liberate Karsland will be like this?. Won't Eddy, Double D, Francesca, Johnny and the others be coming?.- Asked the young man and she closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and from there she went to where he was.
- You are right in that point that I failed to explain: Yes, due to all that we are going through, Commander Wilcke and I decided that, in order to end the presence of the Kanker in Europe and thus expel them to Liberion to, later, liberate it, we must attack on different fronts at the same time.
- But that is very complicated, many have done it and ended up falling.- Said Ed.
- Don't worry, this plan is infallible and, in addition to that, the Kankers already did too much damage and it was them who opened all these fronts in Romagna, Karsland, Suomus and Orussia. We already closed one of them here in Italy, now it will be up to Erica, you and the group I mentioned to finish off the "Shadow Neuroi" there. As for your friends, Eddy will remain here with Francesca to guard the Skies and the natural borders that are the Alps and the Apennines to avoid enemy incursions, while Double D will go with Eila, Sanya and their group to Suomus and Orussia with the objective of liberating them.- She continued relating the counter-offensive plan that they were carrying out at that moment.
Ed listened to her with great attention, but inside it seemed strange not to be able to count on his friends. They were inseparable in all the adventures they had lived in Peach Creek and now that they had to separate it provoked a strange feeling inside him.
- Hey, relax, it's not goodbye, it's only for a few days or a few weeks, depending on how complicated the level of resistance the Kanker and their forces have on those countries, but they will see each other again. Besides, wipe that sadness off your face, Ed, you are a brave Soldier who has given everything to defend Humanity and with that, I have to tell you, once Karsland, Suomus and Orussia have been liberated, we will leave for Liberion, your homeland. Trudie encouraged him, putting her hands on the boy's shoulders, raising his morale and leading him to look up. That's the way I like it, no sadness or negative thoughts, this war will not be won with nice words, hugs and kisses on the forehead, but by fighting.
The boy took a firm stance before Barkhorn and gave him the military salute.
- At your orders, Lieutenant!.- He replied in a firm tone and held his position.
She patted his shoulders, smiling for the first time at the foreigner.
- You are a good boy, Ed, and I know you will succeed in accomplishing this mission.- Trudie augured and then turned away.- Now, go get some rest, you deserve it. Tomorrow we will start with the patrolling missions on the natural borders of Italy.- She finished and walked away from where they were.
Once Trudie was a good distance away from them, Erica could not believe that they had been spared a reprimand from the dark brown Lieutenant. Everyone knew very well that she had an extremely cold and severe character with those who made a mistake, but that, deep down, it was to encourage them to go ahead and understand them. At that moment, the blonde leaned against one of the walls of the hangar and took a deep breath, letting herself be carried away by the moment she had lived and the fact that they had been saved, by the skin of their teeth.
Ed reached her and offered her a chair, which she declined.
- Then it's official, we're going to Karsland.- Said the blonde, recognizing that her "vision" was correct.
- That's right. Hey, by the way, what's your country like?. I've never seen it. It must be very nice.- The boy wanted to know with interest, so the young woman regained her composure and headed out of the hangar.
- Come, follow me, I'll show you.- She promised and took him by the hands, leaving the place, being watched by Minna and Trudie.
Both Officers were talking outside the hangar about the next move they would make on the Kanker and the countries occupied by them. It was not going to be an easy task, they barely had Italy 100% liberated, since the last enemy positions in the North had been cleared by the Armed Forces of that country but they had other "tests" in front of them, beyond the mountains. They had decided to talk about this matter in a small café a few blocks away from the General Headquarters, which had served as one of the many shelters against enemy bombings due to the cellars where provisions were kept and where civilians who did not have time to flee from the capital city were sheltered.
Sitting in front of one of the windows overlooking the streets of Romagna, a young waiter/waitress with black hair approached them and brought two coffees for both of them. Smoky and hot for a somewhat cool afternoon over that city, so they took the opportunity to rest a bit and go over the next steps to take.
- All right, Minna, let's get to the heart of the matter.- Said Trudie, who put some sugar in her coffee and waited for it to cool down. The thin columns of smoke coming from inside the hot liquid seemed to "dance" with each other. The redhead, for her part, took a sip of her drink, despite the heat it gave off, and then placed it gently on the table without tipping it over.
- You, the others and I know that we have dealt an extremely important blow against the Kankers by taking Romagna from them.- She began to speak and Trudie nodded her head.- Very well, but the issue here is that the wretches are still going to continue their war: they have excellent armies, technology, resources and, to top it all, the "Hives" that are still causing problems.- Minna emphasized and closed her eyes to reflect.
- We have destroyed several of them in the North Sea, near Brittania and Gaul, as well as in Africa, Antarctica and now in Romagna, but the thing is that Karsland, since we did that "espionage mission", they must have it more than fortified. This will be like the "Crusades" or when the Ottomans set out to conquer Constantinople, in short, it will be a long war with a huge expenditure of resources.- She said seriously.
- The odds are still high and the "High Command" thinks we should wait longer but I told them no: Karsland will be liberated in a matter of days or a few weeks and I already have a plan to end their presence there.- Minna mentioned and that caught her friend's attention.- Don't worry, I will tell everything about this operation at the next meeting we will have, which will be in about four days.
- I get it: You gave them that break so that they could be prepared when it's time to go to the front lines. Good strategy.- Congratulated the dark brown-haired Lieutenant and took her cup of coffee.- Let's toast to the future liberation of Karsland.
- That's the spirit: To Karsland and to the World!.- Finished Minna and both collided their coffee cups gently, wishing each other the best for the upcoming military campaign against the enemy.
Through the streets of the newly liberated Romagna, Eddy found himself looking at the damage after the battle. It was quite serious, you could still see fires in the buildings, businesses that had suffered from crashes to looting attempts by armed gangs looking to make a profit during an emergency, as well as the smell of fuel burning everywhere, coming from overturned vehicles crashing into the facades of homes, shops and poles, both telephone and electricity, a mixture with other materials that was extremely strong and toxic to those who were nearby.
Everywhere he looked, people were starting to return and some groups were beginning to clear the debris, clean the streets, remove glass and other destruction. He turned to the right and noticed Francesca, who was helping a couple of people tidy up and went over to her, grabbing a broom, joining in the aforementioned chores.
- Thank you, Eddy. We'll need all the help we can get for this.- She thanked the Italian, running her hand over the boy's head, who blushed.
- It's nothing. I wasn't planning to stand aside while they are cleaning up all this mess.- Replied the short young man, and they got down to work.
[New "Arc" and the story continues. I've been giving it a lot of thought and decided to split the group in two to defeat the Kankers in Karsland, Suomus and Orussia. In this one it will be focused on Ed and Erica, but we'll still see the other members as well.
I hope you like it, friends. I send greetings and thanks to all of you, we'll be seeing each other and a good start to Sunday from me.
See you in the next chapter, Comrades].
