History Repeats
Answers to some reviews:
DEFCON-1: If things go smoothly, Michelle will be more than that.
New Universe Returns: I think it's a good idea. Though I prefer another planet rather than whole universe.
October 28, 2557 (UNSC Calendar)
UNSC Infinity
Wittmann slowly opens her eyes. Her eyes disagree with her attempt as there's a light and its quite strong. However, she forces her eyes to open and finally they do. It was at that moment that she realizes that she's seeing a ceiling with lamp and currently lying on a bed.
Wittmann looks around the room. She can see a white wall, white ceiling, white sheet, now that you think about it, almost all color that she sees is white. Wittmann can also smell a trace of chemical substance in the air. That means there's only one place she can be; hospital. Or a place similar to that.
Wittmann suddenly realizes that there's something strange with her left arm. As if something is embedded inside it. When she looks at her arm, it's clearly shown that there really is something embedded. It looks like a needle used by doctors. But instead of a syringe, the needle is connected to a tube which is connect to a bag on a pole via a thin hose. Wittmann is about to take it out when she hears someone speaking.
"Don't do that, kid. Unless emergency, I suggest you wait until the doctor or a nurse comes in."
Wittmann turns to her right to see a woman lying on a bed next to her. She has a copper brown hair and eyes. Her appearance put her as either Liberion or Britannian, though that might be wrong. What stood the most however is the right feet that is suspended in the air by a cloth on a pole. Oh, and there's a cast on said feet.
"W-Who are you? Where am I? What is this needle embedded in my arm?" Asked Wittmann.
"Whoa, that's a lot of questions, kid. But I guess that makes sense, considering your…conditions. Anyway, name's Sarah Palmer. I am a commander and in charge of…special forces here. You're currently inside a medical bay. That needle is called IV. They used it so that they can gave you medicine on constant rate despite you being unconscious."
She must admit, Wittmann is kind of surprised when she heard that the woman, Sarah Palmer, is a commander and leads a group of special forces. Sure, there are quite a lot of witches that hold the rank of wing commander which is the air force equivalent if she's not wrong. But Palmer looks like someone in her early 30s, which will make her a witch an impossibility. And except former witches, there's no record of a woman holding a rank of seaman (or rather seawoman), much less a commander.
While there are non-witch women in the military, like in Liberion, all of them are desk workers or secretaries. And according to Palmer, she leads special forces and presumably also having a combat duty. That sounds very unlikely and even impossible because even the top brass that support the witches won't support normal woman fighting on the frontline.
Except Orussia. They're the first country that allowed women to fight on the frontline.
Wittmann decides to think about it later and focus on other things. One of them is that she's in a medical bay. She looks around for a bit and see no one except Palmer. If she's here, then that means some people – presumably the people who owned this place – must have found her. However, she doesn't see Roy or other soldiers. The only two options are they are somewhere else or didn't make it. Wittmann doesn't want to admit it, but the latter is the most likely, no matter how grim it is.
Wittmann then looks at the IV line on her arm. It only hurts a little and feels more uncomfortable. Though that makes sense since she has a needle stabbed on her arm. She must admit that this is a brilliant idea. Even if the patient is unconscious for a long time, they will still more than capable of giving the patient his/her medicine. However, she wonders how on Earth they're going to feed the patient.
Wittmann remains silence for the next few minutes before she can't take it anymore. She decides to have conversation with the only person in the room; Commander Palmer.
"Hey, erm, Commander Palmer?"
"What is it, kid?"
"First, I am not a kid. My name is Michelle Wittmann and my rank is hauptmann. Or captain in Britannish."
"Alright, Miss Wittmann…"
"Captain Wittmann."
"Look, little girl. You're too young to be a captain since you're only 16 or 17 years old. There's an exception however and that's by skill. So, until you show me yours, you're not worthy of your rank."
Wittmann can't help but really want to rub her entire achievement on Palmer's face; something that she usually wouldn't do. She took out more than 120 Neuroi at Africa for God's sake! Granted, she took most of them with her friends, but she still deserved her rank, damn it! Oh, when she shows her what she can do, she will make sure that Palmer eats her words.
"Fine, Commander. By the way, what happen to your feet?"
"Hmm, this? Oh, there's been some accident during a War Game. I insisted to the doctor that I can still fight, but he told me doing so will land me on a hospital for months instead of the weeks that I spent on this bay."
Wittmann is rather confused at the term of "War Game". What's the meaning of those words? A game that's played during war? A war that's only a game?
Before she can ask Palmer about War Game, a doctor and a nurse enter the bay. The former has a clipboard and is reading it while both of them approach her. He flips a paper on the board before looking at her.
"Good day, miss. I suspect that you have a good sleep?" Asked the doctor.
"Yes, I am, doc. Hey, can you please remove this from my arm?" Asked Wittmann regarding the IV line.
"I am afraid not. We're going to need to run a couple of tests before we get the result. That result will decide whether or not you no longer need the IV."
Wittmann grumbles a bit while looking at the IV line. She really wants this thing to be off of her arm. It starts to feel itchy and while she wants to scratch it, she doesn't want to know what will happen if she does that.
"Alright, doctor. Say, how long have I been unconscious?" Asked Wittmann.
"Only a day." Replied the doctor simply.
"Oh, that's good to hear."
As the nurse replace the IV bag, Wittmann can help but realize that something is odd. The position she currently use is a mix of lying and sitting. She doesn't do this because she wants but because the bed makes this position the only comfortable one. She never sees a bed like this before. Then, the lamps on the ceiling have a shape of a rod instead of bulb. The bay also feels cool despite no fan on sight.
"Well, I think I'll ask about it later." Thought Wittmann.
August 28, 1945 (Local Calendar)
FLIP FLIP
"No."
FLIP FLIP
"No!"
FLIP FLIP
"NO!"
BLAM
When Eila slams the table, it brought the attention of almost everyone in the room. Curious, Yoshika and Lynette approach the table of her and Sanya.
"Is there something wrong, Eila?" Asked Yoshikia.
"You damn right there is! I already did it half a dozen time, and the results were never good!" Exclaimed Eila.
"What are you talking about?" Asked Lynette.
"Remember when Minna said about the attempt to set a foothold on Karlsland?" At that question, every witch nodded. "Well, I tried to predict what will happen, but all I got is these!"
On the table, there are tarot cards. The cards in question are reversed Fool, reversed Emperor, reversed Strength, reversed Wheel of Fortune, upright Hanged Man, upright Tower, and reversed Star.
"If I translated it, then that means the operation will be foolish and reckless, domination of sort will occur because one side will be weak, situation will be out of control, there's going to be a sacrifice and disaster, and despair will fall." Explained Eila.
"Isn't that…too bad to be to be true?" Asked Yoshika worriedly.
"I…I don't know, Miyafuji. All my previous predictions were quite good or quite bad. But never something…catastrophic like this."
"Eila, you once predict something wrong, right?" Asked Sanya.
"Yeah, that sometimes happen." Eila lets out a little laugh that has an ironic sound. "Never in my life that I wish my prediction is wrong."
August 30, 1945 (Local Calendar)
Gallian-Karlsland Border
Above the morning sky, hundreds of planes accompanied by 5 dozen witches are approaching their destination; the Karlsland side of the Rhine. Their objective is to capture ten bridges to give the rest of the Allied forces a clear way to Karlsland. Then, link up with Britannian XXX Corps along with other units and defend the bridges until further reinforcement arrive.
This is not going to be easy. The liberation of Batavian proved that the Neuroi will fight to the last drop of blood (no one care if the term is right or not) for every inch of land. Karlsland is not only now one of the homes of the remaining Neuroi in Europe, but also home for at least three Hives.
The 1st Allied Airborne Army finally arrived at Karlsland airspace. Over 1,000 bombers begin to drop their cargos. Both the fighter planes and witches are prepared for the counterattack from the Neuroi…
…which doesn't happen for some reason. While they want to wait until the Neuroi attack, they almost reach the LZs. Above them, the paratroopers begin to drop off their planes and parachuted towards their LZs. After some paratroopers landed and the planes begin to fly back to Gallia, the witches split up to five groups. Each group will help the paratroopers in securing each bridge.
If everything goes right, then Karlsland will be liberated by Christmas.
10 miles north of Weil am Rhein…
Two regiments from the Liberion 17th Airborne Division and Karlsland 1st Parachute Division are cleaning the LZ, repacking their weapons, and checking that no one is missing. The 12 witches that will support them have arrived just right when both paratrooper units are about to walk.
"Captain, are your men ready?" Asked the leader of the witches' group, Squadron Leader Alexis Alexander.
"Ready than you are." Replied the CO of the regiments, Captain Frank Walter.
With that, the paratroopers and the witches are now heading towards Weil am Rhein. They are armed to teeth and more than ready to face any Neuroi that dare to show them its black hexagonal body.
Half an hour later…
Now, while they're more than happy than to face the fact that no Neuroi will attack them, that fact is the last thing everyone expect will happen. They encounter no Neuroi. Not even the witches detect any Neuroi from far away. There's no laser, no screech, and no unknown black aircraft or land vehicle.
Normally, people will cheer when this happen. However, the paratroopers and the witches are deep behind enemy lines. And the Neuroi decided that sending even a single recon drone is not worth it. They're very fierce in the front line yet don't even show themselves in their own base. Something is happening and none of the human there like it.
"Are you sure the witches didn't see even a single Neuroi, Squadron Leader? They could be wrong." Suggested Walter.
"For God's sake, Captain. I already told you five times; no, we found none!" Exclaimed Alexander. "Never in my life I am going to wish that a Neuroi appear."
"That makes two of us."
After a while, they finally reach Weil am Rhein. The city – like any other city once under Neuroi control – is in ruin. They only way you know there once a city in this place is by the remains of the buildings. The group find the bridge and settle in front of it.
"Corporal, patch me with the HQ!" Ordered Walter.
The corporal, who is carrying a backpack radio, begins to make a connection with HQ. After several moments, he gives the phone to Walter.
"[COMMS] HQ, this is 4th Allied Airborne Regiment. We captured the objective, over."
"[COMMS] And without firing a single shot?"
Walter is surprised when he heard that. There's no way that the HQ can know about the situation or expect this kind of situation. Unless…
"[COMMS] Yes, sir. I guess the other regiments reported the same thing?"
"[COMMS] Damn right they were. Not even a recon Neuroi."
"[COMMS] I see. Sir, I don't like this not even a bit. No Neuroi on our home? Fine. None in their own base? Creepy."
"[COMMS] I agree, son. However, the operation will still continue. We can't miss this chance. HQ out."
Walter gives the phone back to the corporal. He then walks around until he finds the right place to tell the news.
"Alright, listen up. We'll camp here and guard the bridge until the XXX Corps arrive! Disperse!"
Soon after that, the Liberion and Karlslander begin to set up a camp either using a tent or making the remains more comfortable. Operation Market Garden is estimated to require at least two weeks to be finished. Why is that being everyone guess.
Few hours later…
Most of the soldiers are encircling a campfire while sitting. They're sharing experience, eating some snack, and some decide to have an early nap. Most of the witches had landed with the rest patrolling the night sky.
"Hey, Sarge. Got any good story to share?" Asked a Karlsland private.
"The only one worth a share is when I found out one o' my boy had an 'exciting' adventure with one of the witches." Replied the Liberion sergeant.
"Exciting adventure? What did they do? Hike a mountain, swim in the ocean?" Asked a seemingly naïve Liberion private.
"Liberion, you still have a lot to learn." Stated a Karlsland corporal before laughing, soon followed by everyone else.
PIIIII
Everyone look towards the outskirt of the town when they hear that. Then, they hear a voice that makes their bones chill.
"Man down! Man down! We got a man down!"
The soldiers begin to grab their weapons and head towards the source. When they reach it, they see several soldiers and witches already there. They also see a medic is checking a downed Liberion.
"He's gone." Declared the medic simply.
"Damn it. Did you see what happened?" Asked Cpt. Walter to a Karlsland soldier.
"W-Well, it was just a usual patrol. Walk around the outskirt, warned the others if we see something strange, when that laser hit him." Replied the soldier.
"Wait, laser?"
"Yeah, it came from there."
The Karlslander points at somewhere far from the town and as soon as he did that, a laser hit him between the eyes. All soldiers soon dive to the ground and crawl to cover while the witches activate their shields and doing the same. Another laser hit a witch's shield before she reaches the cover.
"Sniper! Who use laser! Which means Neuroi!" Said Walter surprised.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious." Commented Alexander. "[COMMS] Tanya, this is Alexander. Can you locate the…sniper Neuroi?"
"[COMMS] Hang on. I think I…oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
"[COMMS] Something wrong?"
"[COMMS] The distance is 1,600 yards to the north! You tell me that's not something wrong!"
"[COMMS] 1,600 yards?! Not even the Springfield can reach that distance!"
"Actually, the 1,000 yards is Springfield's effective firing range. The max…"
"I don't need the trivia, captain."
Another laser hit the wall. This cause both of them to almost jump in shock. One Karlsland soldier takes off his helmet and puts it at the edge of his rifle. He slowly shows the helmet in the open before a laser hit it.
"Definitely sniper!" Exclaimed the soldier.
"Alexander, can you girls hit it from here?" Asked Walter.
"Well…" Alexander looks around and set her eyes on a group of soldiers. A laser tries to hit them but luckily the wall protected them. "…this might be difficult."
"Difficult how?"
"We're never trained to take out a sniper, remembering who our opponents are. There's also the fact that the distance is more than 1,200 yards. That's further than the effective firing range of my girls."
Walter can't help but let out a distressed sigh and Alexander can sympathize with him. They have no means of fighting back and the Neuroi only revealed themselves by long range laser. Alexander is tempted to fly to its location along with other witches. But doing that right inside an enemy territory scream suicide and madness.
But they can't just sit here and wait for the Neuroi to…
"Captain, it's gone!"
"What? What's gone?" Asked Walter confused.
"Look!" Replied a Liberion soldier.
He has his helmet on the tip of his rifle and shows it to the sniper. One minute. Two minutes. Three minutes and still no laser.
"You sure that not just because the sniper found out about the trick?" Suggested Alexander.
"Well, the witches up there proved it."
Walter and Alexander look up and see two witches in the sky. They don't have their shield up and thus act as a decoy. Any Neuroi will take that chance to shoot them but so far no laser.
Seeing the event, the rest of the troops start to come out from their cover, albeit with hesitance. After few minutes of walking around with no fire, they start to calm down and finally return to do what they were doing earlier.
August 31, 1945 (Local Calendar)
After spending a night at the ruins, the 4th Allied Airborne Regiment are currently waiting from a detachment of XXX Corps to arrive.
Last night, the officers of both the paratroopers and the witches were discussing about the recent activity of the Neuroi. It was…to put it simply, strange and unpredictable. They didn't charge ahead to the group, they didn't performed reconnaissance on the Allied forces, nothing. The only thing they did was kill a couple of soldiers before hiding once again.
"At least with the arrival of the XXX, most of our job will be done." Stated Alexander.
"Hope so." Replied Walter.
Right after they said that, the XXX Corps can be seen at the horizon. The paratroopers and witches begin to cheer at the arrival of reinforcement. From what they can see, there are hundreds of infantries with dozens of armored vehicles and land witches. However, they know that they're still more than what they can see.
The XXX Corps is now crossing the bridge. Hope and wish begin to form on the heard of the soldiers. Hope and wish that the war against the Neuroi will soon to be over.
However, just few meters until the Corps reach the other side, the bridge explodes. Explosions happen across the bridge, taking out the lives of some of the soldiers. The biggest problem though is when the bridge begins to vibrates before finally collapsing, taking the crossing infantries, vehicles, and land witches on it.
Both the 4th Regiment and the Corps are now looking at the river as survivor of the bridge collapse tries to swim to the riverside. Some of them go to the side to try to help. Walter looks at the now-gone bridge and says one thing.
"F**k."
And done.
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