Chapter Eight
The situation in Windhelm was teetering on the brink of disaster. Had it not been for the DMC warship that landed, the garrison at Windhelm would have been woefully undermanned and desperately undersupplied. With the arrival of both a Stormcloak force and DMC Marines, Galmar Stone-Fist – Ulfric's second-in-command – felt confident that Windhelm would be able to hold against an enemy attack. There was, however, another complication:
Recently, Dominion and Necromyan forces had captured a number of Windhelm's command staff, and taken them to a prison camp somewhere in the hold. Galmar was certain they hadn't been moved out of the hold, yet, as every exit from the hold was being guarded by the DMC.
"We received word that they'd been captured yesterday," Galmar explained. "We're not sure how the enemy managed it. Based on that intel alone, we are certain they haven't gotten far. We think they are somewhere near here," Galmar pointed to an area on the map near Windhelm, "Near Kynesgrove."
"What makes you say that?" Kabier asked.
"Because we lost contact with Kynesgrove shortly before we got attacked," Galmar replied.
"Then it's possible that the area you refer to may be the enemy's base for this region," Faasnu surmised.
"I agree," Ulfric agreed, "This seems too convenient; our men get captured, we lose contact with Kynesgrove, and Windhelm gets attacked in short order."
"What do you suggest we do?" Galmar asked.
"Well, now that Windhelm's been reinforced," Faasnu responded, "And secured from artillery bombardment, now would be the ideal time to launch a counterattack."
"Hit them before they have a chance to relocate their HQ," Kabier suggested in agreement.
"How?" Galmar asked. "We're hardly in any shape to attack!"
"No, but if you can spare a few men, I can hit the enemy so hard, it'll make their head spin," Faasnu said. He then began to lay out his plan of attack to Galmar and Ulfric listening intently...
Faasnu, Kabier and their team crept up into Kynesgrove – or rather, what was left of Kynesgrove – under the stealth fields of their armors' personal cloaking devices. The devastation they saw around them answered why Windhelm lost contact with Kynesgrove; the town had been all but destroyed. In it's place was an enemy base camp. Not good.
"I guess this is why Windhelm lost contact with Kynesgrove," Kabier commented. "The place has been torched."
"And there are no survivors," Faasnu added. "Typical of the Necromyans."
"Suggestions?" Kabier asked.
"Stick to the plan," Faasnu said. "Split up. Sabotage anything and everything that can be sabotaged, bomb the rest."
The team split up, keeping quiet and keeping their cloaking devices active to avoid detection. Faasnu headed for the fuel dump, seeing that it was currently unguarded. He slipped in behind the tanks of fuel, and stopped. A Thalmor trooper was taking a break in the dark. It would be his last. Faasnu crept up behind the bastard, diamond katana drawn, and quickly covered his mouth as he stabbed him through the back, then sliced his throat. The bastard quietly gurgled, then died in the snow. Faasnu placed a small block of explosives on the center fuel tank, then dragged the Thalmor trooper's lifeless body behind a bush, and left, knowing that the blizzard now setting in would cover the blood in a new blanket of snow.
Faasnu then moved along the perimeter of the enemy base camp, spotting a series of troop transport vehicles, guarded by a pair of Luranni marines and a sole Thalmor soldier. One of the marines' radios squawked, and the two marines left, leaving the Thalmor by himself.
Convenient, Faasnu thought. He approached the transports, then lured the Thalmor soldier into a dark corner. When he was sufficiently inside, he quietly flanked the soldier and brought his rifle butt down on his head with a dull thwack! Satisfied with his progress thus far, Faasnu went on to rig the transports' engines to explode when started.
It was as he finished rigging the last transport that the Luranni marines returned to find their Thalmor comrade missing.
"Dammit," one cursed. "Fourth time today the bastard's gone missing."
"Probably doing his Skooma... again," the other said.
A skooma addict? Faasnu thought. The Thalmor aren't being too picky.
As the Luranni marines went looking for their comrade, Faasnu crawled out from under the transport. It was a mistake.
As soon as he emerged, a Luranni Marine was approaching the transports for a routine inspection. Seeing the barely-visible ghostly shimmer that was Faasnu under cloak, the Luranni muttered to himself, "What the hell...?"
As soon as he spotted Faasnu, another shimmer appeared behind him and smacked him over the head. The bastard was unconscious instantly.
"That's good timing, Kabier," Faasnu commented.
"What are friends for?" Kabier asked rhetorically.
Kabier and Faasnu dragged the unconscious marine to a dark corner and left him there. Throughout the camp, there was no sign of the enemy being aware of the team's presence. It was like they didn't even realize they'd been infiltrated. With the steadily-falling troop strength, Faasnu figured they would have noticed by now and raised the alarm. So what was so important as to divert their attention from the security of their own base camp? The answer came when Faasnu and Kabier reached an improvised prison area.
"At last!" one of the Stormcloak commanders whispered, "A friendly face! Kill the guard – he has the keys to our chains!"
Kabier was already on that point, silently and quickly decapitating the guard and taking his keys. Faasnu and Kabier unlocked the Stormcloaks' chains, helped them get their effects, and that was when the moment Faasnu feared arrived. The alarm sounded, and the radio went active.
"Alpha team to Faasnu – the explosives are in place, and the enemy is going apeshit," one of the teammates said. "We're headed for the rally point – meet you there, out."
"We ready to detonate?" Kabier asked as she de-cloaked.
"Hit it," Faasnu responded as he did the same. Kabier thumbed the detonation button on the detonator, and activated the sequence. Faasnu, Kabier, and their freed comrades dashed out of the prison area, guns blazing into any who crossed them. They headed out to the rally point, arriving just as the explosives began detonating one after the other.
"In-and-out, unsuspected and undetected," Kabier chuckled. "Damn, I love a good smash-and-grab!"
"Let's not break out the victory drinks, now, sweetheart," Faasnu said, "We're not out of the woods yet. We still have to get back to Windhelm."
"Thanks for getting us out of there," one of the commanders thanked Faasnu and Kabier. "We can make it to Windhelm from here. You go on ahead, report Kynesgrove's fate to Ulfric."
Faasnu nodded to acknowledge the commander, then headed off with Kabier. It took a few hours to reach Windhelm, and they arrived at the Palace of the Kings in short order.
"Faasnu! Kabier! Good to see you made it!" Ulfric greeted them.
"Your DMC allies sent word that they are picking up the men you rescued," Galmar said. "You did a great job."
"But what happened to Kynesgrove?" Ulfric asked.
"The Thalmor leveled Kynesgrove to establish a base camp," Faasnu reported.
"I trust you took down the Thalmor bastards responsible?" Ulfric asked.
"We leveled their base," Faasnu answered, "I estimate they will be unable to reestablish their base, both because of the mess we left behind and insufficient manpower."
It was then that a Stormcloak messenger appeared.
"Jarl Ulfric, General Galmar," he said, "We have reports that the Thalmor are on the move. They're falling back!"
"They're hemmed in," Faasnu said, "Nowhere to retreat; they have DMC and allied forces all over."
"Then we leave it to them to take care of what's left of the Thalmor in this region," Galmar said. He put a hand on Faasnu's shoulder and shook him as a sign of gratitude. "Windhelm thanks you, Faasnu Dovahkiir; we wouldn't have made it without your assistance."
Faasnu returned the gesture, and told him, "My father helped you once; I follow in his footsteps. We are the future of Skyrim and the Empire – and we will see the Thalmor banished from our home."
"With your allies at our side," Galmar agreed, "We will."
With Windhelm secure, Ulfric, Faasnu and Kabier boarded a waiting drop ship and headed back to Whiterun...