Chapter 16
I was walking through the forest with Yoshika's friend Michiko who we call Micchan. "Yoshika, where are you?" She called out. I shifted the strap on my M1897 shotgun to a more comfortable position as Vadim followed closely behind me. "Yoshika!" She called out again. Suddenly a bear appeared to our right. I reach out and grab her forcing her behind me as I level the shotgun. "Hey, Micchan!" Yoshika called out before it was revealed that she was riding the bear. "Don't scare us like that Yoshika." I said. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." I slipped the shotgun back up onto my shoulder. "Come on!" She said patting the back of the head. "You go Micchan. I'll walk with Vadim." I said. The forest was beautiful as we walked through it, almost like there wasn't a war going on. "This is the bear cub you saved back in spring, right?" Micchan asked as I lit up a cigarette, old habits die hard. "Yeah. He sure grew up fast, didn't he?" Yoshika said still her care free self. "Y-Yeah... Yoshika, hows your studying going? You applied to Teito Girls Medical School, right?" Micchan said before Yoshika looked alittle down. "It's not going well." Yoshika said. "You we're in the European theatre for most of your time, it's not like you can train and kill Neuroi while studying." I say. "But you managed to get a small farm going and make lots of money from it. How?" Yoshika asked me. "Let's call it business." I respond. "I'll have to make up for all I missed before next year's entrance exams. I'll become a great doctor, whatever it takes!" Yoshika exclaimed before another bear stepped out onto the path infront of us. "Is that his mommy?" Micchan asked. Yoshika leaned towards the bears head before saying. "Thanks! We'll be fine from here." We watched as the bear approached the mother bear and they continued on their way. "Bye-bye!" Yoshika callee out after it. "Oh right, herbs! I've found some Hypericum for you!" Micchan said. "That stuff works wonders on bruises and small cuts! Where is it?" Yoshika asked before the sound of barking brought our attention elsewhere.
Looking around we spotted a small dog trapped on a rock in the middle of a rushing river. I watched as Yoshika ran down to the rivers edge and used rocks like stepping stones to reach the pup. "Be careful, Yoshika!" Micchan called after her. I looked at the water and watched it rush by quickly. Then on Yoshika's return trip she slipped and fell into the water. Immediately I drop my shotgun and tear off my shirt before diving in to rescue Yoshika. She was being carried down steam quickly and I couldn't reach her before she managed to grab a hold of a stick that was caught between two bolders. Then the stick broke. I reached out to catch her hand but missed. I started to swim for shore knowing what was to come. I watched as Yoshika was saved by a witch. "Saving that dog from drowning was very noble of you, but you ought to consider your own swimming abilities first." The witch said to Yoshika before touching down. "I'm sorry." Yoshika said. "As long as you understand." The new witch said. "Thank you!" Yoshika responded. "Thanks Micchan." I said as she handed me my shirt and shotgun. "And Yoshika please next time something involves any form of water let me do it first otherwise you could get hurt." "But Barkhorn would be mad if you got hurt now." Yoshika said. "What she doesn't know won't hurt her." I answer. "Yoshika?" The witch questioned. "Could it be that you're pilot Officer Mitafuji Yoshika?" "How do you know my name?" Yoshika asked. "F-Forgive my impertinence! I am Hattori Shizuka, first year at the Fuso Navel Academy! You've always been a role model for me, Officer! You saved the carrier Akagi on your maiden flight! You fought alongside the greatest aces in the 501st joint wing, and saved not only Gallia but Venezia too! That's amazing!" The new witch now known as Hattori. "Oh, really?" Yoshika asked. "Squadron leader Sakamoto often tells stories of your heroic deeds in Europe!" Hattori said. "She does?" Yoshika asked. "I bring with me an official visa for you to study abroad in Europe!" Hattori said. "Europe?" Micchan asks. "Study abroad?" Yoshika asks. "Well Yoshika, means you're heading back to Europe, say hi to everyone for me." I say placing my hand on her shoulder. "You'll come along too, right Morrison?" Yoshika asks. "I'm retired, no more fighting for me or leaving home for me." I answer. "Sorry Yoshika." "Wait you're Wing Commander Morrison right?" Hattori asked. "Former Wing Commander, again retired." I answer. "I have a letter for you from allied high command. Here." She says as she hands me a letter. Opening it I read over it once, then twice, then a third time. "What the hell! I'm being called back! What's the fuck do they want from me now, it's not like I'm going to work for them again!" I shout as I crumple up the letter.
Back at Yoshika's place I was seated with Yoshika and Micchan, cleaning my medals from years of service. "I didn't know you became a Pilot Officer!" Micchan said. "They rewarded me with a promotion when's we freed Romagna." Yoshika answered. "Rewarded?" Micchan asked. "What do you say, Yoshika?" Her mother asked cutting them off. "But why Europe?" Yoshika asks while we all leave her room, I slipped my medals back in my breast pocket. "The Helvetian Madical School's new term starts next month. When they heard you wanted to become a doctor, they decided to invite you." Hattori explained. "Yoshika, there's no better place than Helvetia if you want to become a doctor!" Micchan said excitedly. "Really?" Yoshika asked. "Yea trust me." I answered pulling out my transfer papers. "Seems like I'll be transferred to a nearby witch wing. I might as well tag along with you." I say while reading over the papers again. "I'll go, then." Yoshika said. "Yoshika..." Micchan trailed off. "Are you sure you don't want to think about it some more?" Yoshika's mother asked. "It's fine! I wanna study in a top medical school!" Yoshika said. "Very well! Then go. Study hard, and learn all there is to know about the newest in western medicine." Her grandmother said. "Okay! I promise!" Yoshika said. "Alright I'll meet you on the ship, I need to fix up my uniform. Gotta impress the new wing." I jokingly say before leaving.
A few days later we boarded the Carrier Amagi. It was similar to the Carrier Akagi so I didn't have trouble navigating the ship. "Damn, I could use a smoke break." I muttered as I traveled throught the halls of the ship. "But I'm still young and inexperienced." I heard Hattori say as I walked past her and Yoshika's shared room. Knocking on the door I got their attention. "Couldn't help but hear that someone's inexperienced in combat." I say. "A few helpful pointers, stick with your wingman, listen to the veteran troops and don't do anything stupid." "Really, that's helpful." Hattori asks. "Best I can give ya, atleast until I see how you fly in combat." I respond. "Now I'm off to get a quick smoke before nightfall." I then leave and continue my walk through the halls. When I reached topside I light up a smoke and leaned against the railing. A few minutes later Yoshika came up aswell. "Shizaku says an officer should dress their rank, is that true on the frontlines.?" Yoshika asked after awhile. "Depends on where you are, most officers say no saluting in the frontlines as it makes them a target to Neuroi snipers, I've had to tell that to some new recruts, but as a Sargent I never really dressed the rank as I never felt comfortable wearing my Sargent stripes on my helmet like others, most ended up dead within days others switched to a normal helmet, but in your case I'd say dress like a civilian as you are currently not in the millitary." I explained before tossing my cigarette over board. "Well." I said stretching alittle. "I'm off to bed, and so should you." I said before walking below deck again with Yoshika not far behind.
The next morning was simple, get up, get dressed, get food for Vadim and me, then walk Vadim. Walking into the Kitchen with Vadim trailing behind me was an unusual sight for everyone else. "Mornin'" I treated the cooks while taking food for myself and Vadim. "Morning sir!" He responded from behind the serving station with a salute. "Drop the formalities, I'm still retired, gonna give the brass a piece of my mind before teaching them what retired means." I said before moving to sit down at a table. Yoshika came to join me shortly treating Vadim first who jumped up onto her lap expecting to be pet. "Mornin' Yoshika, how'd you sleep." I asked. "Fine, you?" She asked back. "Vadim woke me up multiple times with that cold nose of his." I answered. "Got maybe five, six hours of sleep." "You should try something different if he keeps waking you up." Yoshika suggested. "Yea anyways, it's time for your walk Vadim, let's go." I said to Vadim before turning to Yoshika. "See ya around, and make sure to study." I then leave the Mess Hall and exit onto the flight deck.
"Launch!" Yoshika shouted before swabbing the deck. "Sharp turn to port!" "Miyafuji!" A sailor shouted before tossing her a bottle of soda. She caught it and said. "Woohoo, soda! Thanks a lot!" I tossed my smoke overboard again and caught a soda being thrown my way. "Thanks." I respond before downing the whole bottle in one go. Looking up I saw Sargent Hattori standing infront of Yoshika. "Miyafuji..." Hattori said. "Shizuka..." Yoshika responded. "Want some soda?" Hattori then dragged Yoshika and me to her and Yoshika's shared room. "The Navel Officer Guidelines state the following: 'Behave as fit of your rank. Ensigns as ensigns. Lieutenants as lieutenants. Whatever your rank behave as fit for it!' These are military regulations! It's the rules!" Hattori lecturer us. "But..." Yoshika trailed off. "You're my idol; the witches best! (Hey) you're the hero of Fuso! You must behave as a role model for everyone!" Hattori said. "But they're letting us aboard this ship, so we should at least help out. And I'm not a witch anymore, either." Yoshika said. "Neither am I, I'm just a veteran now." I respond. "Sorry. But the rules are absolute! The military operates by following them to the letter! They're there for a reason..." Hattori said before I drown her out. 'I now know how Hartmann feels when Barkhorn lectures her... now I feel like I jinxed my girlfriend.' I thought. "Yea you did." Jarvis spoke up with what's sounded like popcorn being popped in the background. 'Is that popcorn?' I asked him. "Noooo..." He answered suspiciously. "Do you understand now?" Hattori said bringing me back to the real world. "But then what am I supposed to do?" Yoshika asked. "Study." I respond. "Oh and Hattori, 'No battle plan ever survives first contact with the enemy,' general Helmuth von Moltke, it also applies to ranks, do you think the Neuroi care if You're a Sargent fresh out of training, no, they don't care, they'll kill you anyway." I then stand up, dislodging Vadim and walking out with a 'study hard'.
I was helping Yoshika study by testing her from the book. She Yawned and stretched back before using a red pencil to draw on a map she had hanging above her desk. "We've almost reached the tip of Africa." She said beforethe ship rocked hard enough to knock us over. "Whoa. What did we hit?" I asked as I picked myself off the floor. "An alarm? Is it the Neuroi?!" Yoshika asked. "If it is, we're fucked." I answered.
Myself and Yoshika drench ourselves in water as we near the place of the fire. The sound of the pail hitting the ground gives away our position. "Miyafuji!" Hattori says. "Miyafuji, What are you doing?!" One of the officers ask. "Out of my way!" Yoshika says running through them. "Move it now. Give us five minutes." I said before Yoshika slide under the door. "You mustn't Wing Commander! The blast doors are closing!" Hattori said as she caught my arm. "You think I give a shit, I've walked through hell a dozen times by now what's another stroll." I say as I break away. "Captains orders!" Hattori shouts at me. "I'm not in the Navy!" I shout back before sliding under the door. Crawling through the small hole that was left wasn't easy, I had to wiggle most of the way due to my size. As I slide out the other side a lick of flame struck my check. "Captain, take care of my children..." An senior officer said as he let go of the wheel. "Don't think he'll need to." I said before passing him my soaked tunic. "Keep it on or you'll burn." I then grabbed the wheel and tried turning it. "Why won't it budge." I strained. Then the tang of a pipe striking the wheel brought my attention to Yoshika. "We can do it together!" She said with a fire in her eyes. "Yea. Heave!" I said as we worked together. "It's no use, Miyafuji!" The senior officer strained. "It won't budge an inch!" "We can't give up!" Yoshika responded. Then the wheel turned and the sprinklers started. "Haha! We did it!" I cheered!
A few hours later a clang was heard as a part of the wall fell in to reveal two officers, two enlisted men and Hattori. "They're all right! Miyafuji! Yuuki! Morrison!" They cheered before running in and helping us. "Well I'll be damned, it was a rather nice stroll this time." I said as I walked through the hole in the wall.
Stepping out on deck later we spot Hattori out over by the edge of the flight deck. Walking up Yoshika states. "It's cold out. I thought Africa would be warmer." "Why didn't you follow orders?" Hattori asks and before I could reply Yoshika speaks. "Sorry! But it all worked out in the end, didn't it?" "No! The ship could've sunk! The captains orders hold the greatest authority! You were lucky it worked out! Pure chance! Orders are absolute!" Hattori snaps. "You Japanese with you damn out dated thinking! Orders are never absolute and the feild is always changing! Get use to it or you'll end up dead! Just like all the others I've seen killed because they couldn't think for themselves, even the Major knew when to think for herself!" I shouted back at her. "If you learned anything from this incident then learn this, orders are never absolute, they can and will change with the tide of battle." I then lit a cigarette to cool my nerves. "Excuse me, Wing Commander Morrison, Pilot Officer Miyafuji." Hattori said before turning and walking off. "You'll be dead in a week if you don't learn to think for yourself." I called after her. "Morrison, who are the Japanese?" Yoshika questioned. "Remember how I'm from a different world, well in that one we never had the Neuroi attack, instead we fought each other. It was a bloody war and longer than the one just 20 years earlier, the world was split in two sides, the Allies and the Axis, I'll just tell you the major players for both sides for now." I answered. "For the allies it was the Emilre of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with all their dominions or as they are called here Britannia, France or known here as Gallia, United States of America or known as here as the United States of Liberion and Russia or known as here as Orussia. They were all against the Axis which were made up of Nazi Germany or known as Karlesland here, Italy or known as Romagna here and Japan which is known as Fuso here. The Axis lost in the end and Japan or Fuso which ever you want to call it gets hit with two atomic bombs, the cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki are each levelled by a single bomb. Germany or Karlesland is divided into two which are known as west and east Germany respectably. In the end it only brought on another conflict, one that nearly ended the world, before I ended up here we were at 11:58 on the clock."
"We're arriving in Pas-de-Calais." Yoshika calls as we approach Hattori only for her to run off. "Yoshika, it's not working." I said. "It'll work, it has to." Yoshika responds. Suddenly the sound of engines reach my ears. "Is that who I think it is." I said as I stepped aside for an overly excited witch. "Lynne! Perrine!" Yoshika called getting excited. "Yoshika!" Lynne called back before angling towards Yoshika. "Lynne!" Yoshika called as Lynne came barrelling towards her. Then quite literally swept Yoshika off her feet as she landed with a thud. "I just couldn't wait anymore, so we flew over to greet you!" Lynne explained. "I also couldn't wait to see you again!" Yoshika said before they started laughing. "Alright girls bows not the time to lay down on the job." I say before helping both of them up. "I-Is that flight Sargent Lynnette Bishop?" Hattori said. "They never change. It's only been two months!" Perrine said floating down to the carrier deck. "Welcome aboard Perrine." I greeted her. "And you are-" Hattori stated before cutting herself off. "It's an honor to meet you, Flying Officer Perrine Clostermann! I am Fuso Navy Sargent Hattori Shizuka!" "I've heard of you, Sargent Hattori. You must be tired. Traveling with Miyafuji and Morrison can be rough." Perrine said. "Hey!" I called out. "N-Not at all!" Hattori said before looking back at Yoshika and Lynne as they greeted each other.
Shortly afterwards we were on our way to Perrine's estate. "So you accompanied them all by yourself?" Lynne asked. "My superiors took into account my admiration for her, and my father also recommended me." Hattori explained. "By the way, Miyafuji, How is Squadron Leader Sakamoto doing? Did she mention me at any point?" Perrine asked. "She's still single if that's what your asking." I said from my spot on the bed of the truck. A swift kick came my way but it was easy to dodge. "Sorry, But I never got to see her! The one time I dropped by base, she'd been dispatched on some emergency mission." Yoshika explained taking Perrine's attention away from me. "An emergency mission?" Perrine asked before Yoshika spotted the grapes used to make wine. "They look so yummy!" "Those grapes are used to make wine, so they'd actually be quite sour to the taste. So what do you think? Isn't my Gallia beautiful?" Perrine asked. "Yea, not as pretty as my small garden back in fuso but still nice." I responded. "Yeah, it's really pretty!" Yoshika said. "These lands are all owned by Perrine's family." Lynne explained. "Good work, guys!" Perrine called out to the workers. "A castle!" Yoshika called causing me to look up from what I was doing, which was cleaning my Lee Enfeild. As we entered the gates I looked around to see a rather nice court yard. The house still had some damage to it but other than that it looked nice. "It's still leaps and bounds better than how it was right after the liberation." Perrine explain as she opened the truck's door. "Welcome back, Perrine Lynne!" "Welcome back, lady Perrine!" Some of the workers called out before a group of kids came running up. "Miss Perrine, welcome back! It's time for class!" They called. "I know! We made it just in time, didn't we?" Perrine said. "Oh no, I can't swear now, Darn it!" I said before putting out my cigarette. "Why's that?" Lynne asked. "It's a rule of mine not to swear around young kids." I explained. "Welcome back, milady." A butler greeted Perrine. "Is everything in order?" Perrine asked. "The senators are here to meet you." The butler said. "Could that wait until I'm done with classes?" Perrine asked. "Understood." The butler said. "Well then, class is now in session!" Perrine said. "Okay!" The kids responded. "Lynne, who are these kids?" Yoshika asked. "They're orphans of the Neuroi war. Perrine took them in and provided them with a place to live." Lynne explained. "That's better than what happened in my world." I commented.
When we got to the class room I claimed a corner in the far back to start cleaning my shotgun. Looking up it was nice to see the kids having fun, it was almost like a war was never happening, reminded me of my days as a innocent child. A few minutes after I finished cleaning class was out. Walking out with Lynne, Yoshika and Perrine I looked around again. "You're amazing, Perrine! You can even teach!" Yoshika said. "It's the least you can expect from a high-born lady. I have business to attend to, so can I ask you for a favor?" Perrine says. "Sure, What?" Yoshika agrees. "Could you cook diner with the children before they're completely worn out? The three of you together." She said referring to Hattori instead of me. Everyone but Hattori looked excited. "What's wrong, Hattori?" Perrine asked. "I'll be delighted to help!" Hattori responded. "And what about me?" I asked. "You can call your girlfriend and tell her the news." Perrine said. "Your right I probably should, I haven't gotten the chance to yet. Thanks Perrine, could you direct me to the phone." I said. "Sure find my butler and he'll show you." She said. "Alright." I responded before leaving.
"Excuse me." I said as I entered the dining room. "Yes, What is it that I can help you with sir." The butler spoke. "Could you point me in the direction of the telephone please?" I ask. "Of course, down the hall and on your right." He said. "Thank you." I thanked him before leaving the room.
Walking down the hall I found the phone. Picking it up I dialed the base number and waited for someone to pick up. "Hello? Who's this?" I heard Erica say. "Erica it's me, Stefan, could I speak to Gertrude please?" I ask. "Yea I'll get her." Erica said in her usual cheerful voice. I heard her place the phone down and run off. Soon the sound of foot steps returned and Gertrude answered the phone. "Yes, Stefan what is it?" She asked. "Well I've got some good news and bad news, which do you want to hear first?" I asked as I cracked a smile. "Let's hear the bad news first." She said. "Well I'm being forced out of retirement and am being sent to the front." I said. "And the good news?" Gertrude asked. "I'm being sent to a newly formed wing near Helvetian Medical School where Yoshika has been accepted." I say. "Wait, really?" She asked. "Yeah, so that means I'm gonna be nearby, within a couple hours drive. Maybe we could have a day out and about." I suggest. "That would be nice. A day without waking up Hartmann (Hey!) or dealing with Neuroi." Gertrude said wishfully. "Of course it won't happen right away, maybe in a month or two, as I have to organize this wing made up of completely new recruits." I said. "It smells like supper is almost ready, I should be going. Love you and see you soon." "Yea, love you too." She said before we hung up.
Supper was an interesting matter with everyone except me saying that the miso soup was bad and everything else was good, of course everything else was good, Yoshika and Lynne are fabulous chefs. It took time to help clean the dishes and then came the sleeping arrangements. Of course Yoshika and Lynne ended up sharing a bed and Hattori and Perrine got their own so I took the couch and was sleeping well until someone opened the blinds and let the moon light in. I saw Hattori step out onto the balcany. Stepping out after her I spoke. "If you wanted to get some airit would have been wiser to step outside the room before going out onto a balcany." I said startling her. "Wing Commander Morrison!" She said. "Not so loud you'll wake everyone else up." I shushed her. "Anyway onto another matter, are you in anyway related to the famous ninja Hattori 'the devil' Hanzo?" I asked. "Not that I know of, why do you ask, sir?" She asked back. "Cut out that sir thing, I've never liked it, also makes me a target to any Neuroi snipers, as for why I asked, well you share the same last name so I assumed you were related, guess I was wrong." I said with a small shrug.
"Are you still thinking about what happened over dinner?" Perrine asked breaking the silence and surprising Hattori. "Flying Officer! No... Well, yes! I'm very sorry." Hattori apologized. "Long ago, I too believed that only cooks were meant to cook." Perrine said as she walked up. "Pretty much everyone in my family is a soldier, so..." Hattori explained. "Turns out you were born a witch, so you were brought up with the high standards of soldiers in mind and never found the time to learn how to cook, right?" Perrine asked while I took a swig from a bottle of whiskey I found earlier today. "Yes. There are hardly any witches in our family, so both my father and grandfather expected a lot from me." Hattori answered. "Having grown up in an environment like that, I'm not surprised you're annoyed by Miyafuji and Morrison." Perrine said. "Hey!" I said at the comment but they ignored me. "That's not it! Pilot Officer Miyafuji is the pride of Fuso! She's an outstanding witch who liberated Europe!" Hattori said. "But she doesn't really fit the soldier profile, does she? She can't follow regulations and disregards orders she doesn't fancy. She's a total mess." Perrine spoke and waited for Hattori to respond, only for her to stay silent. "'I hate the war.' That was the first thing she said when joining the 501st, in a room full of people whose homelands has been defiled by the Neuroi. 'What are you doing here then?!' I was pretty angry. But much to our surprise, the 501st got even stronger after she joined. Without her, we probably would've failed to save Gallia." "I..." Hattori trailed off. "You don't get it do you? You should get some sleep. We have to wake up early tomorrow and Morrison's going to be hung over." Perrine said. "Hattori, I guess I never told you where I was before I became a witch, didn't I?" I said. "No, you never mentioned it." She responded. "I never like to but I'll do it to keep you alive after I'm gone. I was a simple soldier at 14 stuck on Hong Kong with the Neuroi closing in, I was among the lucky ones to be evacuated, it was hell, we left that he'll for a worse one, many said that they should have fought on at Hong Kong, but me I didn't care, I wanted to just live, get back home and survive the war. Then early in 1943 I was found out to be a witch when my commanding officer jumped in my foxhole only to be shielded by my shield, I was then recruited by Ursula Hartmann as a test pilot, I can sometimes still feel the pain." I joke. "Then the Major found me and recruited me for the 501st." As soon as I finished Hattori speaks up. "I've been wondering, you haven't started smoking while we were outside and you almost always are smoking, why is that?" "Well it goes back to my time in south east Asia. Often the Neuroi would use the light of a cigarette to find people in the dead of night, so to counter this people stopped smoking at night." I answered and finished off the bottle. "Anyways I'm off to bed." I then head back to bed and sleep comes easily for once.
"We are scheduled to arrive at 1800. Over." Hattori said over the radio. "This is headquarters. Understood. Over." Headquarters responds. "Out." Hattori says ending the transmission. "Rheims is about 200km south east of here." Perrine said pointing at the town. "If you take this route, you should arrive in Dijon by sunset." I chuckled at this. "That's where we're scheduled to stay tonight, right?" Hattori asked. "Yup." I answer before Perrine continues. "Stay clear of the border and don't go east of the highway, I'm looking at you Morrison. The moment you cross the Rhine, the Neuroi will pounce on you. Got it." "Yea, yea." I wave dismissively. "She's been working on it for over a month now!" Perrine said to Yoshika after she received the doctors uniform from Lynne. As we got ready to leave I asked the question on everyone's mind. "So who's driving?" "I am." Hattori said. "Why can't I?" I ask. "Because, you're drunk." Perrine says. "Nah, I'm not anywhere near drunk." I respond. "I just drive differently than you gals because of cultural diffdrenches." "I heard from Hartmann how you are a terrible driver." Yoshika said joining the conversation. "Fine I yeild." I said before sitting in the back. "Here, lunch for you to eat on the way." Lynne said while handing Yoshika a basket. "Thanks!" Yoshika thanked her. "This is St. John's wort from our herb garden. It's good for wounds!" Perrine said handing Yoshika a box. "Thanks Lynne, Perrine!" Yoshika thanked them both. "Off we go, then!" Hattori said before we pulled away. "Lynne! Perrine! See you again!" Yoshika waved goodbye. "See ya around sometime!" I waved aswell. "Yoshika! Morrison! I'll keep in touch!" Lynne shouted at us while waving. "99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer-" I started to sing before they cut me off with a. "NO!"
As we're parked on the side of a dirt road, Yoshika was eating a sandwitch Lynne had packed I was fake sleeping and Hattori was looking at the map. "You should eat something! It's good!" Yoshika said to Hattori. "No, thanks. I'm busy checking the map." Hattori responded. "Use the rank card Yoshika." I said. "Wha... No." she responded after recovering from my sudden lack of silence. "Oh and Hattori." I said before pointing at the map. "We're here." "Thanks." She responded before planing our route. The sound of a car coming up the dirt road caught our attention. It came up the road that connected to the one we we're on and stopped infront of us quickly. "Who's that?" Yoshika asked. "Hey you, soldiers, can I use your radio?" A man asked as he jumped out of the car and ran towards us. "What happened?" Yoshika asked. "There was a landslide. Several people are injured!" He explained. "A landslide?!" Hattori said surprise evedent in her voice. "How horrible!" Yoshika said. "We tried calling for help, but the phones won't connect." As soon as the man said this I turned on the radio and tried to raise headquarters. "This is Wing Commander Morrison to Headquarters, please respond, over!" I said to be greeted with static. "Nothing." I said to them. "It won't connect here either." "I can preform basic first aid! Lead us to the village!" Yoshika said to the man. "Are you a doctor?" The man asked. "You can't pilot Officer! The village is by the border! Perrine said we mustn't go near-" Hattori tried to argue before I stopped her. "Sargent Hattori, I hereby order you to follow that man's car to the village!" "Sir!" She said before I stopped her. "Don't salute at the frontlines Sargent! Just drive!"
As we drove in I could see where the landslide hit. We arrived at the church in the Center of town. Running in I look around to see wounded everywhere. "This is a lot of work." I say. "This way." The man says as Yoshika slips on her doctors uniform that Lynne had given her. We stop by a man who is suffering from a shoulder wound. "It's horrible..." Hattori says. "Wait till you see the stuff I have." I say back. "We must stop the bleeding. The herbs Perrine gave me should work. So this and... Do you have any bandages?" Yoshika asks. "We've used them all." A lady responds, she looks like the village medicine woman. "Any clean sheets or towels, then?" Yoshika asks. "There's nothing left." The woman responds. "Alright, This should do." I say as I pull off my ranks, badges and pins before ripping my tunic into straight bandages. "Here Yoshika, I'll get some more." I said before leavening her. It took some time to help everyone but that evening we had finished up. "They're all out of danger now thanks to you." The man thanked us. "You've saved us." The woman said. "It's all in a days work, anyway we should check in with command, it's past multiple check in times." I say before ducking out dragging Yoshika along with me. "The suns already set!" Yoshika said looking up at the sun. "We're you able to get in contact with base." I ask Hattori. "No luck. The interference's so strong I couldn't reach St. Trond, Dijon or Sedan. The radio's usless." Hattori says. "DAMN IT ALL TO HELL!" I shout as I kick the tire. "We've been dragged into this with little ammo and no anti-tank weapons. We have to fall back now or we'll be cut off completely." I said as I went around to grab my Lee Enfeild. "What's wrong." Yoshika asks. "Well it's about to happen." I say as I sling my rifle up onto my shoulder. "What's it?" Hattori asks. "The battle of the Buldge..." I trail off. The man and woman walked up just after I said this and spoke. "The phone still isn't working." The man said. "It's already quite late. Why don't you stay here for the night?" The woman suggested. "With pleasure! Shizuka, let's take them up on their offer!" Yoshika said before I could decline. "Okay. But I still have to report today's actions." Hattori said. "Can't it wait until tomorrow?" Yoshika asked. "Reports are part of our duty! You go on ahead, Pilot Officer." Hattori said. As soon as the villagers left I turned to Hattori. "You aren't going to get in contact with command tonight, try again tomorrow, go get some sleep." I said to her.
Once I stepped inside the small house, Yoshika grabbed me by my collar and pulled me into her and Hattori. "Explain the Battle of the Buldge to us." Yoshika demanded. "I don't remember everything off the top of my head so I'll give you a quick run down." I said before standing up straight causing Yoshika to lose her grip on me. "It was the last German offensive of World War Two, it was meant to recreate the offensive against the French they'd used just 4 years earlier. It encircled a paratrooper Division known as the 101st in the town of Bastogne and the siege lasted from the 21st of December to the 26th when Patton's army group finally broke through. Of course the battle would last until early 1945 with many deaths on both sides, it was a complete surprise attack for the Americans as the area had been quiet for a long time so they put new units and units that had been in heavy fighting there, when the attack happen General Bradly said and I quote 'it's just a spoiling attack' he was dead wrong. The Germans had everything planned out and would have won the battle if they could have taken Bastonge." I said using my old knowledge to explain it. "Who are the Germans?" Hattori asked. "That's another question so I'll do it simply. In this world of its called Karlesland, so the Karleslanders in my world are called Germans and they were part of the Axis during both world wars." I said. "What do you mean by 'in my world'?" Hattori asks. "I guess Yoshika didn't tell you." I said. "Tell me what?" She says as she grabs my collar and pulls my face down so I'm face to face with her. "Well that im from nearly 70 years in the future in a world where the Neuroi never existed and this was an anime." I explain quickly. "What about the Neuroi core in you?" Yoshika asks. "Yoshika, a man's gotta have his secrets." I say looking over to her. "What Neuroi core!" Hattori snaps. "I've got a Neuroi core embedded in my body, to remove it Now would mean killing me, and I'd rather not be dead right about now." I say pulling away from her and throwing my hands up in a 'I surrender' motion to stop her from attacking me. It didn't work well as Hattori slapped me. "You need to have a better form, I've been slapped harder by weaker people." I say as I stretch my jaw to see if it's broken. "I'm going to bed!" Hattori snaps at me.
Driving out of the canyon Yoshika asks. "Breakfast was delicious, wasn't it?" "Yes." Hattori answers. "Does the radio work?" Yoshika asks me. "No, still nothing." I said as I flipped between stations trying to find a signal. "We'll be in Helvetia tonight, right?" Yoshika asks. "Yes." Hattori says. "Probably not." I say. "Then you'll be going home?" Yoshika asks. "No, I've been assigned to a post near the school." Hattori says. "So I'm stuck with you." I say as I switch channels for the hundredth time. "Yes." Hattori answers. "That's kinda glum." Yoshika says. I flip another two channels before an explosion reaches my ears. Out of habit I grab my rifle and look around for the dust cloud. It was about a kilometre out of town and still rising. "That's-" Hattori starts to say but Yoshika cuts her off. "A Neuroi!" "It's jamming the signal. We have to fight it here or else it'll envelope part of the allied armies." I said readying my rifle. "You two get out of here, I'll hold it off." I said. "No, we stick together." Yoshika said before Hattori turned the Jeep around and drove us into town. Stopping suddenly, Yoshika scrambles out and Hattori goes for her striker. I hop out and run for the edge of the village loading my magic infused rounds for this battle. I only have about 40 magic rounds left and 60 normal rounds. Looking up I see Hattori celebrating her first kill. "Don't get cocky, keep a level head!" I shout to her. She scores a good few more before she gets cocky and she gets distracted. I am in turn distracted by her doing something stupid and am shot at. "Damn it." I shot back scoring a quick kill. I hear her get knocked out of the sky so I run for her. I fire off a round at the Neuroi only for it to have little effect. "Can you stand? We need to get to the shel-" Yoshika was saying before an explosion of dirt revealed to Neuroi nest. "For fucks sake!" I shout pissed at our situation. "It's headed towards the air shelter! We must lure it away from the village!" Yoshika says before noticing the still running Jeep. "I'll grab the 20 mil you get the Jeep going." I tell her before you leave in a hurry. Grasping the gun I lift it but it weighs a good amount meaning I'm unarmed while carrying this gun. Jumping into the rear of the Jeep I look for the Neuroi as I can gain its attention with the 20mm and finish it with my magic rounds. Yoshika points the Jeep right at the Neuroi and I open up, spraying it with lead. "We're here!" Yoshika shouts as I shot. "It noticed us!" Yoshika said as I stopped shooting. She spins us around rapidly, advoid it a laser shot and making the Neuroi follow us. As we drive along we get showered with bits of dirt and rock as the laser beams miss. One shot hits and knocks me into the seat beside Yoshika and knocks off the trailer. Yoshika's head bounces off the wheel giving her a nose bleed which she whips away. She swerved to the left dodging another beam that was headed right for us. We cross a small bridge which the Neuroi destroys and stop as soon as we realize it has stopped shooting at us. Looking back I see it drop back underground. "I think we lost it." I said. "Thank goodness." Yoshika said.
Then a flock of crows took to the sky behind us. Whirling around we see the Neuroi rise from the earth. It opened up showing us its core but also showing us how it could attack us. Yoshika jumped into the drivers seat and drove straight at it. I watched as it fired a laser at the Jeep. Grabbing Yoshika and covering her as we rolled down the steep hillside. I could feel the bumps and bruises forming. The Jeep after being hit flew up and smashed about 1/3 of the way up the Neuroi, doing some damage. Standing up I saw Yoshika struggling to lift the canon so I moved to cover her with a few magic rounds. I fire off two before Yoshika opens up Rambo style hip firing a canon, she lets out a battle cry which is more of a long shout than a battle cry but a battle cry none the less. One shot manages to hit and destroy the core but it got two good laser shots off beside Yoshika and I. It threw Yoshika about ten meters from me and she bounced after hitting the ground. I slammed into the ground and I could feel some ribs break, I then bounced and slammed down again driving one rib into my left lung. I cough up blood from this. Another bounce and I'm slammed into a tree, stopping me. The white Neuroi crystals land around me, a thud is heard as I look over to Yoshika and see Hattori trying to get her to wake up. "Pilot Officer!" She's says. "Wake up, Pilot Officer!" She then noticed the blood leaking from Yoshika, it's a bad gash on the side. "Shizuka?" Yoshika asks weakly. "How's the Neuroi? The village?" "The village's safe!" Hattori says, tears welling up in her eyes. "You saved everyone!" "I see... That's good." Yoshika says before blacking out. "Pilot Officer! Pilot Officer Miyafuji!" Hattori says before the shaking of the ground draws her attention. 'Jarvis, how long do I have?' I ask my Neuroi core. "About 30 minutes at the rate you're losing blood. Worse case is you die, best case is another week long coma." Jarvis answers. 'Well, fuck.' I think as I lay there beneath a tree bleeding out. "Sargent Hattori." I call out weakly. "Wing Commander!" She calls back walking up towards me. "Take Yoshika, this letter and run far away from here." I say weakly. Whatever she was going to say was lost in the explsion of earth as a mobile Neuroi nearby rose out of the ground. It launched what looked like V1 flying bombs to defend itself. "So many..." Hattori said in shock. She then placed a radio in my ear and ran back to Yoshika to do the same. "This is Hattori Shizuka. We're near Saint-Hubert. We were attacked by the Neuroi and Pilot Officer Miyafuji And Wing Commander Morrison suffered severe injuries. I request immediate assistance. I repeat, this is Hattori Shizuka." She says only for us to get static. "Why? Why won't it work?" "You need to fly above the Neuroi. I'll cover you from here." I say as I lift my battered and broken body up and lean it against the tree. Reaching out I grab my rifle and lift it up. "Go, fly Hattori, fly." I say as Hattori lifts off. As Hattori climbs higher the Neuroi start to go after her. I squeeze the trigger and watch as five rockets go down in an explosion. "Someone answer, please! I'm Hattori Shizuka, please respond! Please! Someone respond! Save Pilot Officer Miyafuji And Wing Commander Morrison!" I hear Hattori shout over the radio as I rack the bolt back before soaking it home and lifting my rifle again, another shot and another six go down. "Miyafuji, come in! Answer Miyafuji! Are you okay, Miyafuji?!" I hear come over the radio. "Heh." I mutter as I lean back against the tree unable to help anymore, I feel my blood seaping like sap from my body, I can taste my blood at the back of my throat. A series of coughs rack my body, looking at my hand as I pulled it away all I saw was blood. 'Jarvis, we're not gonna make it.' I say to him. "Yup, it's our last fight and we're drowning in our own blood." Jarvis responds. "Are you all right, Miyafuji?! Yoshika, respond! Wait for us, Miyafuji, Morrison! Yoshika, Morrison, we're coming!" I heard over the radio before my body slumps forwards as another series of coughs rack my body. "Pilot Officer Miyafuji, Wing Commander Morrison, didn't you hear that?" Hattori asks. "Yeah, *cough* I did, *cough* I probably *cough* won't live long *cough* enough for them to save me though. *cough*" I respond. "Helps on the way!" Hattori says. "Where are you, Miyafuji, Morrison?!" Comes over the radio. 'Jarvis, let's go out fighting.' I say. "Yes let's." He responds as we pull back the bolt before slamming it home again, lifting the rifle once again we fire, pull back the bolt and slam it closed again and fire back up into the air, we do so two more times before we run out of ammunition. Looking over to Yoshika I see her trying to stand. "I must go!" Yoshika shouts before her magic comes back. "I'm going to join you back in the skies Yoshika." I say as I wobbly stand using my rifle like a crutch. "If I'm gonna die, it'll be in the sky!" I then feel the familiar rush of power as my magic capabilities return with a boost. Looking up I watch as mine and Yoshika's magic combine and fly upwards destroying any Neuroi it touches excluding the nest. "Welcome back to killing Neuroi for a living Jarvis." I say outloud. "Yeah, glad to be alive." Jarvis responds. "Though problem, our magic is attracting unwanted attention." He pointed out as I looked up to see more of the Neuroi rockets appear. Looking around I realized that I was surrounded by Neuroi rockets all getting ready to fire. "Shit." I muttered only to watch them all be destroyed before I could react. "Who...?" I said. Looking out to the Rhine river I see the Battleship Yamato and hear the crackle of the Major. "I'll do whatever it takes to save my protégée! Anything!" Major say over the radio. "Heh, that's the major for ya." I say as I whip the blood dripping from my mouth on my pant leg. "Guess it's time to show them how a Canadian fights." I watch as the girls Usenet their magic to destroy Neuroi en masse. Looking upwards I see the major drop a package for both me and Yoshika. Mine lands infront of me and opens to real rap my beloved striker and twin Vickers K machine guns. "Lets lock and load." I say as I take off. Climbing rapidly I shoot down enough Neuroi I lost count. Looking over at Yoshika I see her and Lynne hugging and everyone gathering around them. Looking around I see the Neuroi massing to attack them. I roll into their group of rockets and start fireing at random. I burn throught two drum mags within the bunch before braiding off and having them chase me, still bleeding heavily a smirk forms on my face. Flipping around I dive straight into the gaggle and burst out the other side just in time to see Gertrude offer Yoshika one of her MG42's.
Then a shot strikes my side sending me spiraling downwards away from the rest of the witches. "Damn it! I'm going down fighting with everything left!" I shout as I empty the last of my rifle rounds into the mass of Neuroi. Reversing my flight I fly straight up weilding my rifle like a club. But the sudden sound of earth tearing apart draws my attention back to the nest. "Holy shit! It looks like a fucking sci-fi space ship." I say as the nest leaves the ground showing off how big it is. "All units! Formation Illius! Target: the Neuroi carrier in front of us!" Commander said over the radio. "Roger!" I answered as I flew at it while switching my rifle for my Webley. Flying in from behind instead of with the rest of the girls I start firing as soon as I'm amongst them. Looking up Gertrude whizzes past me as I fire my revolver at a Neuroi. "Stefan!" She cheers as she hugs me causing some blood to leak out of my mouth and spill from the corner of my mouth. "Not so hard. I'm still injured badly, got what 15 minutes left." I say as Abe lets go of me to get a better look. "When we get back to base you're shaving that beard." She says. "Nows not the time for that, nows the time to kill a huge fucking Neuroi!" I shout as I dive down and switch to my rifle using it like a club to bash the surface of the Neuroi. The thunderous guns of the Yamato caused me to break away as its shells scored a direct hit, revealing the core. "The core's visible! All units, focus fire!" Commander orders as we fly in a V formation towards the Neuroi. Which all fire lasers which we bloke. "Yoshika!" Lynne calls out as Yoshika charges ahead. "All units, activate your shields! Follow Miyafuji!" Commander orders as I fall back to Major's plane circling above. "No way!" Hattori shouts in surprise as we watch them plow through the laser blasts. "Look carefully. That's the kind of witch you should strive to become!" Major says as they plow headlong into the Neuroi rockets then throught the Neuroi and it's core. We watched as the Neuroi exploded into millians of pieces. I stay back abit as everyone celebrates. Finally I speak up. "Yoshika, I could use some help here." Then another series of devastating coughs cause me to losses control of how I'm flying and I plumit towards the ground. "Gotcha." Gertrude says as she catches my body mid air before I could be skewered on a tree. "Thanks." I say before more coughing and blood spills out from me. I'm barely conscious as Yoshika heals me.
(Authors notes: this is not done yet, but it will be less frequently updated and will finish soon.)