Happily Married?
Disclaimer: I do not own Strike Witches.
Chapter 5: The Reception.
Adolfine Galland typically hates official occasions and as a general rule, the more formal and pompous, the greater her loathing of it.
All things considered however, a welcome dinner at the mess hall among old friends and colleagues rather than a cabal of back stabbing politicians in uniform as is the norm wasn't too bad. That freshly prepared Romagnan cuisine was involved was a welcome bonus.
Fresh Fuso produce and dishes she had developed a taste for available at the meal despite the last minute nature of her arrival? Very welcome.
Having bid adieu to Fusoan dishes since the Fuso Sea Incident six years ago, Adolfine's eyes sparkled at the spread laid out on the commander's table set up at the end of the mess hall. Bottles of sake in glazed glass bottles and elegant grey and brown tokkuri ceramic flasks lined the tables while small white cylindrical cups that glowed against the light fittings in the cavernous hall.
A single crystal chandelier, left behind by the previous owners of the castle has been polished and it reflected the newer electric lights, illuminating the room with darting beams as the breeze from the opened windows caused the fixture to spin slowly.
The feast prepared for the occasion was a mix of Fusoan, Karslandish and Romagnan. Fresh bright slices of sashimi on miniature boats vied for space on the table with silver platters of sausages, roasted trotters and sauerkraut. Plates of Romagnan chocolates wrapped in silver and gold foil were placed side by side generous slices of cheese and brightly coloured dishes of pasta. Taking the place of honour in the centre of the feast laid a magnificent side of roast beef covered in gravy with potatoes on the side being carved out by a white gloved orderly.
A similar spread was laid out on the main dining table where the other Witches sat and the Romagnan garrison joined in the celebration, with foldable tables spread out at the corners of the room.
The intoxicating aroma of fine Romagnan vintage filled the nostrils of Adolfine as it freely flowed among the glasses of the older witches, mundane soldiers and those so inclined to ignore drinking restrictions while bottles of Liberion soft drinks were removed from buckets filled with ice much to the delight of the younger witches.
It was a magnificent spread and the general did not remember ever having arranged for it.
"Who exactly is paying...wait." Adolfine paused for awhile before continuing. Payment was the least of the issues she can think of at the top of her head that such an event would require. "Let me rephrase that. Who arranged for all these?"
Even with the exceptions made for Witches, shipping restrictions and rationing would have made half the items currently displayed on the banquet tables impossible to acquire without a lot of hands greased and heads turning the other side.
Minna smiled as she placed her glass against the general's own, "Duchess Maria insisted on supplying us once she received the telegraph informing her of the wedding, general."
Waving a gloved hand over the feast laid out, she continued, "All of these are provided compliments of Her Grace, Duchess Maria Pier Di Romagna and St Portia's Palace."
Adolfine raised an eyebrow as her subordinate mentioned the young ruler's name specifically, "The palace and the Duchess?" she asked.
"The Government of the Dukedom of Romagna had offered to host the event. I declined, seeing as it would not be appropriate to accept the offer from the host government and the Romagnan taxpayers." Taking a sip off her glass, Minna continued, "The Palace however, insists this would be a personal gesture from Her Grace. Not a single cent or favour from the Romagnan Government that isn't the Duchess's own to give out without interference from parliament."
Adolfine nodded in appreciation at the savvy displayed by her protégé. She's grown sharper still compared to the aborted beginning of Operation Barbarossa, thought the general as she remembered the aborted crossing of the Rhine and retaking of the Karsland homeland.
Eyeing the ever smiling visage of the wing commander whose cheeks are slightly flushed from the wine, Adolfine winced as she witness Minna deftly mix a generous dollop of freshly grated wasabi with a slice of tuna before downing the whole thing in a swift flick of her chopsticks.
Her palate is still as invincible as ever as well, pondered Adolfine of her subordinate's ability to not just tolerate, but enjoy some the nastiest tasting cuisine from the world that left less experienced gourmets reeling. She noticed the redhead help herself to another generous helping of the famously pungent horseradish paste. Taking a significantly smaller serving of the paste and applying it to a piece of salmon, Adolfine choked and dropped her chopsticks as her eyes watered and she felt liquid fire stream down her throat and nostrils.
The Duchess certainly did not skimp on this treat. This is genuine Fusoan wasabi they're serving here. It's as searing on my insides as I remember it. Reaching for a glass of water helpfully provided by Olivia, she snapped her neck around and glared at her dining partner after hearing a single but audible chuckle. For her part, the scarred witch remained stone faced and seemingly oblivious, her attention focused on her own glass.
Her new adjutant had proven exceedingly competent in matters of soldiery and the training programmes she set up leave no grounds for her to complain, but Adolfine couldn't help but feel that her newly acquired staffs was there to guard her in all senses of the word.
It was already unusual for an officer of Olivia's rank to be posted as an adjutant for her rather than having a command of her own, but her aide's background was what caused Adolfine to worry.
A rarity among Witches, Olivia started out as a Land Witch and cut her teeth piloting the Panzer Mk 1 during the evacuation of Karsland but had since grown into a new role. A role that the Allied high command had not planned for but decided to incorporate due to...shifting circumstances.
During those turbulent days of the delaying action, she stayed behind as a rearguard and was left for dead after her unit was cut off and contact lost. Appearing in the safety of Hispania five months later sans Strikers, her reappearance was reported to the Karsland brass which is already preoccupied coordinating yet another retreat from Gallia to Britannia. It was also at that time that Adolfine first heard of Olivia's exploits.
Claiming to have engaged in sabotage and raids deep in Neuroi territory- a skill set taught to Witches and other personnel at high risk of capture- but not one which was seriously contemplated being put to good use against an enemy not needing either supplies or logistics to the best of their knowledge.
Olivia's claim was summarily dismissed as the deluded ramblings of personnel who had survived a harrowing encounter with the enemy and was given three months leave to recover before being put back into active service.
The next three years proved uneventful and as she alternated between several COs, it looked as if she may serve out the end of her career with little to her name. She was a good soldier, but awful as a colleague and consistently stayed without a command despite her ever rising rank.
It was during the aftermath of the failed Operation Trajunus however, that Olivia got a chance to shine. Following the fall of Venezia, the majority of the Venezian government attempted to flee pass the Alps into Gallia, but the convoy was intercepted and majority of the travellers killed. What little remained of the new Venetian government in exile was now trapped in the Alps, where either the Neuroi or the oncoming winter will finish the job.
Olivia, who was at the time in Southern Gallia and charged with refugee relief duty, then requisitioned a pair of Panther land Strikers along with ammunition and rations from an incoming Karsland relief column.
Though lacking the proper papers, the quartermaster was disinclined to argue with her, as he was tied up with rope and gagged. Rallying a dozen of similarly disgruntled Witches, Olivia launched what would later be retroactively named as Operation Oak and scoured the Alps for two months, avoiding Neuroi patrols and managing to liberate what remained of the Venezian government before the onset of winter killed the fragile civilians hiding in the mountains.
Following her successful rescue, the high command could no longer afford to ignore Olivia and it was at this point that Adolfine stepped in.
Though isolated politically among the high command, the Witch general went to town with the riveting tale of the heroic rescue by a group of dashing heroines, capturing the imagination of a public again leery of the war effort after a major setback for the Human Alliance. Though the gesture won her some measure of respite from her venomous peers and gotten the rogue Witches a pardon at the insistence of the remaining leadership of Venezia, Adolfine knew that the clock had started ticking when the other generals would move to remove her with any excuse they can find.
Olivia for her part revelled in the sense of celebrity and the scarred Witch was soon given a nickname by admiring Karsland troops in honour of her achievements.
DieHexeausder Hölle- The Witch from Hell.
All in all, Olivia has a pedigree that should have any ambitous commander salivating at the chance to have in his or her command, no doubt glamorous and if nothing else, useful as bragging rights among their fellow generals.
She was also however, as anyone who ever commanded her came to realise, an insufferable git prone to bouts of insubordination, giving lip to superior officers, general rowdy behavoiour on and off duty whle displaying prima donna behaviour worthy of some of the most petulant Witches in the entire Allied forces and a tendency to grab the last cup of pudding at the mess hall.
Most commanders, human and Witch alike, preferred to play catch with a unpinned frag grenade rather than have her in their command. Prior to her current posting as Adolfine's aide, Olivia was given her orders and generally left alone, the High Command not being able to find a more senior officer willing to tolerate her.
That was among the human commanders of course. Witches on the other hand had less say in who was to be assigned to them. Before long, one of the few Witches able to operate behind enemy lines- and kept there- was posted to the command of an air force general that is facing pressure from the majority of her peers due to her distinction of being a member of the brass and a Witch.
Chatter in the mess halls was abuzz with speculation over the ultimate fate of the odd couple. Phrases like "one fell swoop", coup de grace" "dishonourable discharge" and for the morbid, "multiple accidental discharges with personal sidearm to skull" was liberally applied as to their likely outcome.
Adolfine herself however, was more than happy to let the rumour mill pull overtime and worked relentlessly to ensure that everyone assumed she was saddled with a command she in which she had no say in the matter and had troubled her greatly.
The rumour mongers only got half the truth correct. The witch general did not have a say in the matter as command of Olivia was thrust upon her but Adolfine had gone out of her way to ensure that her superiors would be keeping this unusual pairing at the top of their heads and for it to be made as soon as possible. Constantly rubbing in the faces of her colleagues of her status as the only Witch in the general ranks and adding in Olivia's inborn tendency to upset her superiors, it didn't take too long for Command's instincts to run its course and arrange for both irritants to be placed in a single convenient package to be dealt with at the nearest opportunity.
Of course, the commando Witch proved as prickly as the rumours suggested and seemed to go out of her way to antagonise her supposed superior and saviour while avoiding open confrontation, as if daring the general to have her court marshalled after rescuing her from one.
Adolfine kept her new subordinate on a long leash and so far pretended not to see the little and not so little hints of rebellion. Her future plans depend on having a Witch of Olivia's skills, and she's been the only one who reliably provided them.
"And then, the roof top blew up so hard, wood chips and saw dust covered all those old fogeys from Harvard and some other colleges whose names I forgot threw a fit! I mean, the worst thing that happened to them were some splinters in their hair, "huffed Dr Nancy Oppenheimer in her rough Brooklyn drawl which made her sound much older than her early twenties.
Without Adolfine noticing, the doctor had sauntered over from the commander's table over to where the younger Witches of the 501st and Eila had gathered, the right arm of the Suomus Witch snaked around Sanya protectively as if daring anyone to try and separate her from her paramour.
Adolfine smiled inwardly as she noticed the Liberion scientist's actions. The good doctor was a brilliant mind and despite her penchant for destruction in her experiments, suited the forward looking general's taste for ever more exotic application of current technologies and their continued development just fine.
The Liberion scientist was animatedly recalling one of the many demonstrations she had performed for her peers back in Buenos Aeries, Neue Karsland. This particular incident involved a magic dynamo engine, dozens of the finest minds in the fields of applied physics and the relatively new field of Neuroi study, xenobiolgy and a Bunsen burner.
The final casualty count was twenty applied physics professors suffering from temporary loss of hearing, twelve with multiple splinters in their scalp, three allergic reactions and everyone covered in sawdust from the disintegrated roof.
"They complained that I had risked their lives for an utterly frivolous experiment, whining that they were in danger of being crushed by the roof." thundered Oppenheimer as she recalled their reactions to that particular mishap. While there were certainly other more destructive episodes, this particular case was notable for the sheer number of dignitaries affected.
"Nonsense!"continued the blonde Liberion to no one in particular as she continued wringing her hands wildly to the air, "The roof was in so many fine, tiny pieces none of them were in any danger of being crushed! Besides, some of their skulls are so thick I can have Barkhorn here chuck a boulder at them and they'd only feel a light breeze," ranted the scientist before slamming down her glass to the nervous laughter of the Witches at the table.
The Karsland general felt a very familiar throbbing in her head. Her other head researcher Ursula Hartmann can be just as destructive in exhibiting an utter disregard for safety precautions in the lab when lost in her work, but Dr Oppenheimer relished in the pushing of limits of safety regulations for the heck of it.
Adolfine suspected the blonde scientist had a secret personal goal to see how big she can make an explosion without killing anyone and that the Liberion was doing a poor job in hiding it.
On the other hand however, she was very entertaining when dealing with her petulant land Witch subordinate...
Adolfine allowed herself an evil grin as she noticed the blonde Liberion saunter back to the commander's table, bored at her newfound company's lack of reaction and plonk herself right next to Olivia whose expression turned murderous the minute Oppenheimer's buttocks touched the chair.
Fireworks in three, two, one, mused the general as she tried to hide her reaction by sipping from her glass.
"Neh, Li-chan." drawled the Liberion scientist in a pitch two octaves higher than her usual tone while pulling on Olivia's sleeves. Feeling the target of her attention stiffen, the blonde rested her head on Olivia's left shoulder while ignoring the darkening expression of the scarred Witch whose dreadlocks had started to stir in response to her increasing agitation.
Adolfine always wondered how it was that an adult in her mid twenties like Oppenheimer could mimic the tone and voice of a pre-teen so well. It would be a useful trick on some of her bosses with more...questionable tastes.
"Stop whining like a Fusoan schoolgirl and stop calling me that, Oppenheimer!"snapped the irate Karslander."Act your age!"
"But you told me you liked it when I called you Li-chan. "sniffed the scientist at the land Witch's reaction, her expressive eyes wet with tears. , "Last night in your room, and all the other nights before you told me you loved it when I called you that. "
"The only reason you were in my room was because you snuck in during the middle of the night without my permission! And you simply had to do that while in the nude!" Olivia then felt a sinking sensation and paled as she realised what that last detail sounded like.
Adolfine sunk her teeth into a hunk of roast in an attempt to stifle her laughter and failed miserably, her shoulders heaving as she struggled to maintain composure.
"You've been having sex with Doc Oppenheimer here?" asked Shirley casually while she clasped her hands over Lucchini's ears instinctively, her young charge having disregarded protocol and found her way to the officer's table. The young Romagnan was as cheeky and, the Liberion captain admitted probably had a dirtier mind than most sailors on shore leave. Her maternal feelings with the younger witch however made her act on instinct.
"Hey Trudy, doesn't this sound like what usually happens with us?" teased Erica while she jabbed her partner in the ribs with her elbow.
"Number One. There is no 'us'. Number two, your side of the room is so filthy, I have better chance of doing the tango over a minefield blindfolded unscathed than crossing over to your bed undetected!"huffed Barkhorn.
"Ms Barkhorn? Does that mean you did try sneaking in Ms Hartmann's bed nightly? "asked Yoshika innocently.
"Miyafuji?" sputtered out the Luftwaffe captain nervously. "That was not what I meant! I'm not sleeping with Hartmann! "
"But if you're not planning to sleep with Ms Hartmann, why are you trying to sneak into her bed?" continued the young Fusoan.
"I wasn't sneaking into anyone's bed!"fumed the captain before she decided against digging herself deeper and sat down, trying to ignore the snickering Erica next to her.
"She's telling the truth, Yoshika."said Erica. "She won't try anything unless I dress up like her sister, Chris." added Erica with a devious smile and causing Barkhorn to choke on her thanks to Erica for the rescue.
"Leave Chris out of this, Hartmann!" raged Barkhorn as she shook a giggling Erica by the collar.
It was moments like this that make the Karsland captain wish there was a minefield to dance in blindfolded.
As the commotion started gaining momentum and the customary pandemonium threatened to erupt, a voice rang out from the entrance to the mess hall.
"Major Sakamoto Mio, reporting back to base, Wing Commander. My deepest apologies for my tardiness, General Galland." Mio walked into the hall looking the worse for wear and flanked by Junko and Yoshiko, their swords hanging from their sides. Several Romagnan soldiers left their tables to assist the numerous bags the trio of Fusoan Witches were carrying.
"Mio! I was so worried about you! "exclaimed Minna as she ran towards her fiancé and allowed the major to hug her in a deep embrace, propriety and decorum forgotten as relief flooded over her at the sight of Mio's safe return.
"Sorry I made you worry, Minna." said Mio gently while stroking her hair.
"I assume you have quite a tale to regale us with, Major Sakamoto," said Adolfine as she sipped from a sake cup.
"I do, "nodded the major."I also have a few questions which I believe a certain Dr Oppenheimer who is supposed to accompany you have the answers for."
Turning her attention to Mio at the mention of her name, the blonde scientist brushed her tresses idly while flashing a leering smile, "Questions for me? Always glad to help an exotic beauty like yourself."
...
The only other time Sakamoto Mio ended up in a police station was when she had gotten seriously lost as a four years old child. The country police post in her village near Maizuru back in Fuso where she was a simple shed with a single telegraph, telephone and exactly one cop.
The headquarters in Scotland Yard of the Metropolitan Police, commonly known as the Met by law abiding Londoners and the bloody cop shop by those who are not, by contrast was a splendid Victorian edifice whose usual visitors are less savoury.
After the battle with the six Home Guards, the Fusoan trio had surrendered peacefully to the police without much hassle. While the Home Guard had approached them armed to the teeth with intent to kill, the bobbies had the decency to approach them openly, ask for their surrender and made no visible attempt to harm them.
Well, thought Mio to herself while she rubbed her wrists where the handcuffs had been, Junko and me went quietly. Yoshiko on the other hand had to be disarmed and subdued by myself and Junko.
The Met had compounded her vehicle and shopping, and confiscated her sword before escorting them to the back of a paddy wagon. Small mercies that war time censorship prevented her face from being splashed all over the front pages accompanied by inflammatory headlines screeching Brave Britannian lads murdered by cowardly Oriental Witches.
Once at Scotland Yard however, it was not the police that had interrogated them after leading them to a windowless room but rather Britannian Army personnel. Telling the details of the encounter truthfully seemed to confound her interrogators, their disbelief written all over their expression as she gave her account.
Not that she blamed them though. The shock of non Witches- and the fact that there was no manifestation of familiar body parts on the Home Guard were proof they were not in fact male Witches- operating Strikers also led to her questioning if she was not in fact dreaming the whole episode. The adrenaline wearing off also made her realise how exhausted she was after spending the entire day outside.
Still, the tea served here is excellent, thought the eye patched witch as she sipped from her mug.
The sound of the door opening prompted Mio to look up and sit ramrod straight as a man with dark hair, double eye lids and a dour expression on his chiselled face wearing a Royal Navy uniform walked in holding a clipboard.
"Mr Sakamoto of the Fusoan Imperial Navy I presume?" said the man in a crisp accent.
"MS Sakamoto, thank you very much." replied Mio icily. To her great annoyance, her impending marriage to Minna and her consent to being listed as the "husband" on the marriage certificates had created quite a legal tangle in countries where the spouses were not gender neutral- which is basically every country in the world.
It was legal fiction that Mio never thought she'd encounter in real life rather than in some absurdist play. The phrase legally true, factually not rang in her head for as far as the courts were concerned regarding her impending marital status, she was a man.
The man allowed himself a ghost of a smile before continuing. "Gender issues aside, Major Sakamoto." the navy man being kind enough to use her rank instead, "I am here to inform you that we are considering charges of six counts of destroying government property, four counts of destruction of private property, three counts of illegal use of a weapon and illegal parking."
Mio blinked as she realised something was missing from the list of charges, "No murder of a government servant?"
"Had this happened a week ago at Dover airbase, we would be obliged to give you a medal. The six Striker Units were stolen and none of the six corpses we recovered were even Britannian, let alone Home Guard. "stated the navy officer.
Or rather, he understated. The implications of Striker Units being stolen and used against Witches by persons unknown were vast and her interviewer behaved as if he was talking about a cricket match over a pot of tea and cucumber sandwiches.
Britannian stiff upper lip in action I'd wager, though I really feel like giving him a fat one right now, thought Mio as she considered the nonchalant manner of her interviewer. "So I went shopping for my big day and instead I stumble into an incident involving an unknown group. Said group managed to let non Witches use Strikers, create some kind of enclosed space that resembles something you see after ingesting mushrooms you have no business ingesting and tried to murder three Witches in the streets of London. "
"I fail to see why this would be a matter of any importance, officer. " said Mio dryly as she threw her hands in the air in frustration to demonstrate she does in fact think that this is a serious matter.
"Such a petulant display of emotion doesn't suit you, Major, "chuckled the older man."Still, having to deal with the tossers who make up the bulk of our illustrious leadership means it'd be therapeutic to let go sometime, isn't it?" causing the dark haired Witch to raise an eyebrow at the casual use of expletives to describe their leaders. Looking closer at her interviewer, Mio realised he wore no rank insignia.
"You finally caught on, Major Sakamoto. Don't bother looking for any identifying markings or something like that." remarked the Britannian as he noticed Mio's attention to his uniform, "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ian from a classified group known as the Special Operations Executive, though we prefer to go by the name of Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare." said her interviewer with a smirk.
"And what does your...ministry do, Ian." Warfare and especially the modern variety were almost never gentlemanly but the way her interrogator's employers wore the tag that they were sneaky and underhanded did not seat well with her.
"Set Europe ablaze, although we aren't too picky on the choice of landmass where we conduct our work." replied the not-Royal Navy interviewer. Smiling, the older man then began looking at the clipboard.
"If your statement to our colleagues were truthful, and considering the supporting statements of your comrades and the lack of opportunity to create a cover story we have no reason to doubt you were, then you have just participated in the first non simulated magical battle in modern history."
"I was wondering about that." said Mio with a frown. "As far as I could tell, the six faux Home Guards who attacked us were not Witches and it wasn't due to them being men either. Tell me, did you manage to find out their nationalities."
"Four of them were Orussian, with two of them being Hispanic." answered her interviewer. "I suppose there is a reason for this line of questioning?"
"When we fought them, their shields displayed runes written in kanji, which is Fusoan." Noticing Ian's raised eyebrows, the major continued, "Runes on magic circles and shields always reflect the script the caster is most familiar with. Even an illiterate caster will have the written language she is most exposed to shown on the shields as this would be the script she grew up with." said Mio as she rubbed her chin, her mind juggling the myriad possibilities.
"It could be they grew up in either the Fuso Empire or the Jin Empire where kanji is widely used. That would make their native script so to speak. Remember that you did not hear them speak and do not know what is their most proficient language, "pointed out Ian.
Mio closed her eyes in thought before replying, "Even if that was the case, I still say they don't have any magic. At least, not their own."
Ian arched an eyebrow at the firm tone of Mio's answer, "What makes you so sure?"asked Ian.
"The shield is the manifestation of the Witch's power and displays the link between caster and familiar. The presence of both Witch and familiar is felt when you come into contact with a shield and it's played out like a song in your head. When you come into contact with the shield, it feels like eavesdropping on a private conversation." explained the Fusoan Witch.
"When my Reppuzan crushed their shields however, "Mio grimaced at the memory, "I heard the same noise in all of them."
"Noise? Interesting choice of words there, Major." pointed out the older man.
"It wasn't an intimate, quiet duet that I experienced when sparring with other Witches as I come into contact with their magic." replied the major.
"There was this discordant screeching, this clamour like a choir without a conductor. Many different voices wailed hoping to be heard over the din. Instead of harmony between Witch and familiar, there were many different personalities in strife."
Placing her hands on her mouth, Mio continued as her expression darkened recalling the feeling of the battle, "It was sickening, really. The song playing as the magic flows was never meant to be something this...repulsive. "
"What then, do you think was the reason for the difference between the shields of a real Witch and what you encountered today?"urged Ian.
"No idea, "shrugged the Fusoan Witch."I've never heard of anyone merging their magic together before, since even twins or the closest of lovers cannot get their magic flow to be in perfect unison."
Another moment passed in silence before Mio continued, "The only thing I can plausibly guess would be something like a Striker Unit. Since Strikers are machines and do not have their own independent magic flow, when in contact with a Witch and her familiar's magic flow, it acts as a conduit allowing their magic to be perfectly in sync."
"The Miyafuji Theorem in a nutshell. Strikers create a subspace acting as a foci and the magic flows in perfect harmony." finished Ian. "Which is why the older a Witch gets, the weaker their magic. The link wears down over time and even the best conduit cannot delay the inevitable. "
"An overly simplified and crude generalisation, but yes."admitted Mio. "However, the feedback I got when I cracked their shields definitely had more than just one song playing. There were far too many voices when our magic contacted."
Rubbing the bridge of her nose, the major sighed, "And we still have no clue how they were able to fit into the Strikers in the first place, let alone operate them. Having no magic of their own."
"No matter how well crafted the foci, it won't work without a song between familiar and Witch." finished Ian as the major nodded in agreement. The older man then fished out a stack of photos from his breast pocket and placed them in front of Mio who eagerly went over them. Her uncovered eye widened in recognition before frowning as she continued to study the pictures.
"To answer your question before you ask, Major. The photos are those of your assailants but what really should interest you."
"Is that there's this grey ooze coming out of their wounds. I could swear that they were bleeding the right shade of red when Yoshiko skewered one of them." Shaking her head, she returned the photos to her interrogator who placed them back in his pocket while fishing out a single picture from his trousers.
"And you would be right. The ooze only started appearing when the bodies were brought to the autopsy table, which means it was leaking out from a part of the body where your friend's sword did not pierce."Tapping the table with his index finger, Ian continued. "The ooze did not stop there, by the way. It continued to flow until this happened." Pushing the single photo he kept in reserve to Mio's side of the table, he leaned back and waited for a reaction.
Mio blinked in surprise at the new picture in front of her before scowling. The autopsy shot showed a close up of an opened incision on the belly of one of her assailants but instead of a dark red and fleshy intestines, the insides of the cadaver was stuffed with black crystalline shapes that resembled a grotesque parody of the human anatomy while grey, thick mucus flowed freely. The conclusion was as damming as enlightening.
"Neuroi miasma corruption."Mio spat out the answer as if it was a curse. "Someone is doing this to humans now?" Mio's face paled at the implication that someone was willingly exposing any person to the corrupting effects of the alien scourge.
"The link between the appearance of the Neuroi and the birth of Witches in the human populations is one area of study we have been very interested in. I am not familiar with the science behind it but suffice to say, the Neuroi can use magic if the right factors are there."
"Something I am only too familiar with, "winced Mio as memories of the Yamato resurfaced.
Keeping the photos into his pockets, Ian continued, "Unfortunately, we do not know who is behind this attack, nor are we familiar with how they manage to make use of a Neuroi core to create a subspace of that size. I would advise you to speak with someone who is more familiar with those Neuroi bastards than I am." Rising to the door, Ian gestured for Mio to follow him out of the interview room.
"You have any names to start with?" Mio asked as she followed her interviewer to the lobby.
"As a matter of fact, I do. A certain Doctor Nancy Oppenheimer is accompanying your commanding general Galland to your wedding celebrations. She also happens to be an authority in the field of Xenobiolgy, the study of the Neuroi." stated the older man as he started to sign the release papers upon reaching the lobby.
"So about those charges you were planning to bring against us..."queried the major.
"What charges?"Shrugged the older man with a smile. "Nothing happened as far as the Britannian government is concerned." Turning on his heels, Ian was about to walk away when a feminine voice that Mio recognised as Yoshiko's bellowed from across the hallway. "Battleship!"
"Tanks, you ignorant lass! I told you they are the size of tanks!" replied a male voice just as loudly. Yoshiko approached the lobby escorted by a burly policeman dressed with mutton chop sideburns and beard.
"Sergeant O'Neil. Is there a reason for this ruckus." said Ian coolly. The copper winced at the pointed question and gave a crisp salute.
"Mr Fleming, Sir! I was merely correcting some misinformation Ms Nishizawa here insists on propagating, Sir!"
"Mio, this blowhard here insists incorrectly that the MEGS in Africa are size of wee little tanks. Obviously, he is horribly ignorant about basic zool...zoo... I mean basic animal stuff!" snarled the cat-eared Witch as she shot her escort with a murderous glare.
"MEGS?" asked Mio even as she braced herself for what she suspected will be a very stupid answer.
"Man Eating Giant Scorpions! I came up it myself!" The cat eared Witch beamed proudly. Mio resisted the urge to scream and choke her old friend.
Mio was filled with morbid curiosity as she briefly considered probing how the discussion veered into dialogue of overgrown arthropods on another continent, and then quickly decided some things were best left undiscovered.
"Come on, Yoshiko."Grabbing the back of the cat-eared Witch's collar, the major began dragging her away from the scene. "We're collecting Junko and then going home."
"But Miooo..."whined the younger Fusoan at her friend's handling of her.
Mio snorted dismissively at protests even as she made for the exit. It was a silly discussion to begin with anyways.
Everyone knew the MEGS in Africa were the size of train cars.
...
Francesca Lucchini found herself in a dilemma. It was one that the Romagnan Witch was very familiar with as she would face it every time she stepped into the outdoor bath.
The dilemma was about groping.
To be more specific, it was not about whether to grope or not to grope as that question has long been settled. No, there will be globes of succulent female mammary in her hands by the end of the day as surely as the sun rises in the east.
The question which keeps other people up at night and herself from launching herself like a lust fuelled rocket towards the target of her ministrations was about who to grope. Many casual observers would dismiss this question as irrelevant when applied to the young Witch, believing wrongly she was attracted to any pair of breasts beyond a certain size. Yet as any of the targets of her molestations can attest, Francesca Lucchini was picky in who she gropes and how.
The Romagnan Witch chooses only certain types of breasts to assail and she was very discriminating. It has to belong to a young attractive female although she makes exceptions to women who retain their looks well into their later years.
Right now, she had a few choices presented to her. It was a choice that Lucchini suspected Solomon would find hard to answer. The ancient king's answer of course would have been to grope all of them and it was one she can agree with in principle if not in practice due to the lack of opportunity and the fact that senior officers and important civilians tend to be strangely reluctant to subject themselves to her friendly gestures of skinship. It was something that had always seemed confusing to Lucchini as she failed to see how otherwise closer bonds can be forged among close female friends otherwise. A small annoying voice then squeaked at her maybe because they objected to being molested but was quickly snuffed out mentally. That was a boring voice. Decency it called itself.
Lucchini smiled to herself when thinking about the late king. It was nice of that Judean lady to tell her of all those stories of her people. There some other boring details of how he was supposedly the wisest man who ever lived and built some important temple somewhere. The young Witch didn't pay too much attention to all the extraneous details as much as she did the part of his three thousand wives and concubines. It was that detail that made her question just how wise and powerful this Solomon was if he had stopped at only three thousand. Francesca Lucchini wouldn't have stopped still she had at least hit ten thousand.
Realising that her mind had drifted off, Lucchini shook her head to send suds flying, raising protests from Shirley who was shampooing her hair. Settling into the Liberion's bosom that was happy her charge was relatively quiet for a change, the tanned Witch began to plan her assault by scoping out priority targets, setting mission objectives and hopefully, establish an exit strategy.
Target designated as Charlie 1 was her commanding general Adolfine. Charlie 1 sported a pair of well shaped and firm globes with a nice pink shade on the nipples. A little less rounded then what she is used to, but she can be inquisitive and not above experimenting with new experiences. That she was laying back in the edge of the bath with her arms spread out and thus very vulnerable makes her an attractive target.
The semi predatory glances that Adolfine was shooting Lynne when she thought no one was looking? All her senses as a predator sent out signals to avoid in deference to the bigger cat on the prowl. Shuddering, she turned elsewhere. Charlie 1 reminded her too much of Wing Commander Minna except she didn't seem to hide that scary part very much.
Target designated as Charlie 2 was Dr Nancy Oppenheimer who is currently engaged in conversation with Major Sakamoto about some boring stuff bout Neuroi cores and magic. Big, firm and rounded with a nice shade of beige. Lucchini was very familiar with this particular build. Still, it seemed a tad close to Shirley's and frankly, Lucchini was looking for something different, not comfort food. The blonde's also seem to lack that extra bounce and perkiness that Shirley bought to the table. Another target removed from today's list.
Target designated as Charlie 3 was the new land Witch, Olivia. Well toned yet still retaining the bounce and those scars around her body just makes her look so exotic. Most Witches do not have scars on them due to the prevalence of healing magic and her cuts and burn marks across the body of the land Witch makes her unique among the choices available. Exotic, not emanating a dangerous aura that made her scream run away and from the way she was laid back at the edge of the pool with her eyes closed, completely vulnerable. A sly grin formed as Lucchini decided tonight, she was going for some wild game.
Mission objectives and primary target set, 2nd Lieutenant Francesca Lucchini scrambled into position for her sortie.
Maybe I can move close enough to pounce from behind, that usually works, thought the tanned Witch as she moved into position by walking casually towards the edge of the pool. Two metres behind Charlie 3, Lucchini tensed up and began to crouch before springing forward to her target's position with hands outstretched.
Karsland boobies are a real treat! They have this firm texture that makes me feel sleepy... Sleepy? That's not rightzzzzzz...The thoughts of cut off halfway as a pair of arms snaked around the Romagnan's upper body in a sleeper hold and cut off the oxygen flow to her brain. Olivia snorted as she released the younger Witch once she was sure Lucchini was nice and out cold. Placing her face up so she wouldn't drown in the warm waters of the bath, the commando went back to soaking in the warm waters while Shirley sighed and fished her charge out unceremoniously.
Gertrude Barkhorn looked on with interest at the unusual sight of someone other than Eila successfully intercept Lucchini's idea of a warm greeting. The auburn hair captain had fantasized about doing exactly what their guest had done but the tanned Witch can be downright slippery when she wants to be, which is when anyone feels outraged and is in the mood to deliver a righteous smackdown in revenge for the outrage of their modesty.
"I didn't even see her move. "Gertrude muttered in amazement at the apparent speed of the land Witch's movements.
"That's because she didn't move in the conventional sense, Trude. "Minna said as she frowned at the scene. "Her presence was there, disappeared when Lucchini moved in for the kill then reappeared right behind Lucchini." The redhead then turned her gaze upon her commanding general expectantly.
Chuckling, Adolfine addressed the assembled crowd. "I suppose I could foist this off onto Dr Oppenheimer here, but since she doesn't have anything to cause an explosion here with, she'd bore the living daylights out of everyone here instead with pointless jargon when explaining what's going on."
"I do not bore people to death with pointless jargon, general." The blonde scientist huffed at the slight and folded her arms under her breasts. "Still, I wouldn't mind using the cargo to demonstrate just exactly what new developments we have come up with." Her eyes lit up with anticipation at the thought of a live demonstration.
"Moving on before the good doctor blows up the hangar, " the quick rejection of her suggestion causing the blonde's excitement to deflate. "What Lt Colonel Skorenzy demonstrated was her own unique magical ability, Invisibility. She made the light molecules around her to distort, making her invisible to the naked eye. "
"But her presence disappeared, rather than her just becoming invisible. I would have noticed her if she was merely invisible instead of disappearing off the face of the earth." Minna pointed out to her superior.
"Wonderful observation, Minna. Five points, " beamed the general at the answer.
"We have points now?" Erica asked out loud.
Ignoring the blonde ace's outburst, Adolfine continued. " To answer the question. What happened was Lt Colonel Skorenzy actually entered a pocket dimension similar to the ones generated by our Striker Units. Her invisibility and speed covered the process so no one saw her enter it then she appeared back in our plane."
Suddenly feeling very queasy, Mio deliberately and slowly asked the general, "As for how she managed to enter subspace in the first place, I only know of one possible way."
Giving the Fusoan Witch a knowing look, Adolfine moved to assure her subordinate. "I know of what you're worried about, Sakamoto and I'm happy to announce they are misplaced. Olivia, if you will be so kind. "
Nodding tersely, the land Witch pulled out of her dreadlocks a pinkish red crystal the size of a thumbnail. Mio sighed in relief as her fears that yet another general she found herself working under was working on scientific research linked to the Neuroi with questionable ethical standards. Satisfied that her curiosity was placated, the major stepped out of the communal bath and strode back to the changing room. The rest of the assembled Witches then moved out of the bath as if on cue with Shirley dragging the now slowly awakening Lucchini back to her bunk. The orange haired Liberion was determined that Lucchini will sleep in her proper bed tonight rather than end up in some unknown corner of the base.
...
Perrine Henriette Clostermann found her staring at the stone roof of her room lying between her sheets with the moonlight shining through the windows. She is accompanied only by silence punctuated by the sounds of her own breathing and rustling of the sheets and her own thoughts, it was a scenario she was starting to find very familiar.
Ever since that incident, the Gallian had found herself alternating between fits of impotent rage and sinking depression. She was fortunate that the Strike Witches had been taking rotating shifts to keep a close watch on her in between bouts of merry making. In the quiet air, the blonde's ear picked up a faint distant whirling of propellers. Lynne, Miyafuji and Eila of all people especially had been trying to get her out of her funk. The presence of the silver head Witch attempting to cheer her up had succeeded only in riling her up but she was grateful that Eila took precious Sanya hogging time to attend to her. At night, Sanya took pains to shorten her operational theatre range just to keep her in radar range.
Sanya must be keeping rather close to the base to keep me in range if I can hear her from here. After close to three days since the proposal, Perrine was still feeling the anguish over the perceived betrayal when Minna made the first move to confess to their mutual target of affection.
No, betrayal isn't what happened there. Commander Minna simply managed to get her wits together while I was never really in the running in the first place, thought the Gallian Witch glumly. Beating her chest in an effort to prevent self pity from overwhelming her, Perrine summoned up her pride as a noble, Witch and Gallian and leapt out of bed in her sheer blue negligee with fist clenched.
"No! I refuse to let one single act of rejection bring me down into a pathetic mewling pile! I am better than this! I am a proud member of the long line of Gallian nobility!" The blonde Witch declared to an imaginary audience. "Why, I'm sure even now, the destined love of my life will surely be knocking on my door as I speak!"
Knock! Knock! "Perrine? I heard some voices inside. Are you awake?" In the silent stillness of the night, Major Sakamoto's voice rang loud and clear like a gunshot.
The Major is the love of my life? I mean of course she is! What I mean is, she's engaged to be married! In days! This is not proper! This is a golden opportunity! I don't know what in Witchcraft's name I'm thinking! Help! Frazzled nerves and sheer fatigue set in and Perrine Clostermann found herself frozen mid pose, her face twitching while her thoughts started a massive pile up that is an insurer's nightmare inside her mind.
"Guess it was just my imagination. It is rather late after all. "The sound of turning heels heralded the impending departure of the Fusoan Witch.
Swoosh! The door opened smoothly and Perrine yanked in Major Sakamoto in one swift motion, slamming the doors close a split second later.
" How can I help you this evening, major. " The blonde Gallian smiled brightly as if she had not literally dragged the eye patched Witch into her room and shut the door.
"Ah Perrine. Glad to know I wasn't disturbing you or anything. "
"You're not disturbing anything, Major. I always have time for a secretrendezvous with you, " shot out the blonde Witch in one breath.
"Uh...yes. That's nice to know." the major answered obviously not knowing. "The reason I am here today, is to present you with the sword I promised you as a replacement for the heirloom. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find a blacksmith skilled in rapier forging so I got you something to tide you over with." Major Sakamoto then presented a simply adorned sabre to Perrine.
The Gallian Witch fought down a sigh and accepted the sabre with thanks. Unsheathing it, her eyes widened at the flawless surface of the blade, the cold air surrounding the blade and clean swish of steel slicing air as she swung the weapon around to get a feel of it. Pulling a stray thread from her night gown, she dropped it on the edge of and gasped as the blade sliced the thread clean in half.
"This sword is...wonderful." Perrine said in awe.
Looking sheepish, the major then said, "Glad you like it. I have a couple of favours I'd like to ask from you."
"Name it and it will be done." Perrine replied with finality.
"Firstly, I'd like you to be the Honour Guard at the wedding. I trust you the most for matters like these." Sakamoto stated her first request.
"Acceptable." It would be an uncomfortable affair, but she can be professional about it.
"Secondly, and I know it won't be easy for you, I need some tips on the places to bring Minna on a romantic dinner date in Paris." Mio then drew in a deep breath and prepared for the inevitable explosion.
Though barely twenty seconds passed in reality, it felt like hours before the blonde Witch replied with a sigh, "I suppose the reason you came to me was because no one else knows Paris enough or aren't classy enough to know the really good places, non?"
Giving a slight chuckle, the blonde added " That and the fact you don't have a romantic bone in your body, major." It felt weird to Sakamoto's ears to hear Perrine speaking so...naturally to her instead of her normal, nervous worshipful tone. The major decided quickly she preferred this to the anticipated screeching and gnashing of teeth.
"I'll do one better. Give me a day and I'll set you up in some of the fanciest restaurants in Paris and a whole itinerary for the night. Just try not ravaging her on the boulevards when you're through, hmm?" Perrine then winked to emphasise her point.
The major's next move was one she had not anticipated. The elder Witch drew Perrine into a fierce bear hug and caused her to flush a bright red. "You better go now, Major or I'll reconsider that offer of a secret rendevous."
Withdrawing to the door, Sakamoto thanked her once more before closing the door gently. Laying down onto her bed with her right hand still clutching the sabre, Perrine tried to get some sleep.
She had a long day tomorrow, and she needed to get the crying out of her system soon.
...
Author's Notes
I had a few more scenes that I wanted to add but the chapter had gone on far longer than I anticipated so I'm going to end it here. On the plus side, this means the next chapter won't be taking a month and a half to appear. Apologies for the wait as sickness, work and the fact a general election was being held took up most of my time.
Parts of the chapter were rather dry and choke full of exposition, but such is the price if I want to set the stage for the latter parts of the story. A personal aside, those parts of the story were the hardest to write.
Things of interest, Operation Oak was the code name given to the real Skorzeny's mission to rescue Mussolini after he was overthrown by his own people. Since Fascism doesn't exist in the SW universe, it became the operation to rescue the remnants of the Venezian Government instead, something canon never bothered to explain much.
For those of you ready to lynch me due to the lack of Mio and Minna cuddling, rejoice. The next chapter will have loads and loads of it.
Till the next chapter,
Chapter 6- Date in the City of Lights.