A/N: So it begins the story of our beloved idols as British Paratroopers in WW2. What better combination than violent war and romance right? ... hope you enjoy.
Muse Section Chapter 1
4th June 1944 RAF Blakehill Farm, Wiltshire
Nico saw the light turn green and stood in the doorway, looking down on the verdant field's miles below her she felt the brief anticipation and fear that she felt every time she jumped. The fast wind buffeted her form as she held onto the sides of the doorway the noise of the aircraft's engines deafening her so that she nearly couldn't hear the order.
"Green light on! Go!"
Nico flung herself into the empty air and felt the air rush by her as she entered free-fall briefly. The adrenaline causing briefest feeling of exhilaration, before she felt her a sharp pull on and her whole body jerked as the static line pulled open her parachute. From this point on her training took over checking to see if the chute had opened properly and searching for a suitable landing spot. But also she looked around enjoying the view that only a paratrooper could enjoy the landscape stretching for miles that sound of the wind as she descended towards the earth.
This feeling these few moments were what made all the horrendous training all the possibility of death worth it.
Or at least that's how it should've gone today. Nico looked out from the hangar bitterly at the pouring rain, it hadn't let up for days now. she was starting to look back fondly on Sicily of all places because despite getting that stupid scar there she at least had some sunshine. Practice jump after practice jump had been cancelled and today was no exception. The grey clouds and the rain had made everything soaking from the airstrip to the tents; even some of the airbase's buildings had started leaking!
Nico sighed and turned back into the bustling hangar. The company had been assembled anyway and told to prepare for a practice jump even though everyone knows it was never going to happen. Thus everyone was milling around in the hangar packing parachutes and fiddling with bits of kit, the silk billowing on the ground making the hangar hard to navigate. The majority of the company lounged around bored and as sick of the rain as Nico was.
She caught snippets of conversation as she sauntered back to her section. Mostly it was just rumours about the impending invasion and the decisions the brass hats were taking. That was to be expected stick a bunch of bored girls in a hangar on the eve of an invasion and gossip was certain to abound. Nico sighed as she heard someone swear that the invasion of Normandy that they'd been told about was a deception plan to fool German agents who might've infiltrated the paras and that Norway of all places was the real target.
Nico cracked a little smile as this particular theory was loudly interrupted by an NCO shouting at Pvt. Ebisuzawa on the proper use of an entrenching tool and how it was "not a bloody bayonet".
"Niccochi over here."
Another sigh escaped Nico's lips as she turned towards her section, seeing the purple haired figure that was currently standing up waving and yelling in her direction
God does she have to be so conspicuous Nico thought frustrated at her friend's behaviour, she doubled up the pace of her journey towards her friends
Nico knew that Nozomi wouldn't stop embarrassing the both of them until she paid a visit to her section. Muse Section was a supposedly legendary force inside not only the parachute regiments but the entire British army, after the action in Scilly the previous year that had earned their nickname their popularity had only increased after they formed a band that performed regularly on and off base to keep up morale.
The current lockdown however meant that they hadn't performed off base in what felt like years, even Maki who had never been too keen on starlets and stuff like performing was getting restless.
Nico was thrown out of her train of thought however by a mass of silk that had attached itself to her foot.
"Bloody thing! Who leaves their parachute in the middle of the floor anyway?" Nico muttered. Before a blush spread over her face as she realised that it was her parachute. The section was lounging around, Nozomi and Eli were still packing, Kotori polishing the lens on her scope, Umi and Maki were just sat there looking at their assembled kit bags and parachutes.
A lazy atmosphere pervaded over all of them, even Rin had been ground down by boredom and was simply fiddling with her bayonet the ground littered with the dappled green and brown of their smocks and a few of the red berets for which the paratroopers were looked up at the Raven haired girl currently struggling with her own parachute
"Really I wonder who would do something as careless as that" the redhead noted, her voice containing that hint of nonchalance that always annoyed Nico. She hadn't fought and scraped her way up from the slums of the East End survived the disease and poverty into the red devils just to be talked down to by some Harley street rich girl.
"leave her alone Maki" the Blue haired girl sat next to her pleaded, amber eyes clearly tired from having been kept up all night.
The redhead twirled her hair between her fingers "humph, but…but" Maki struggled to find an answer to the Corporal sat beside her.
"I know I know" Umi leant her head on Maki's shoulder. "We're all bored and tense…But its fine as long as you've got me" she whispered.
Umi jumped up from Maki's shoulder waving her arms, both girls immediately starting to blush at the sentence that Umi had let slip in her exhausted state.
"W-W-W-What I mean is….Ummmm I meant you as in the entire section. Anything else would be shameless!" the NCO squeaked
Maki's face was an even brighter shad of scarlet than her hair "O-O-O-Of course! W-W-W-What else would you mean!"
An awkward atmosphere pervaded the section the silence only broken by Nozomi's titters
While both girls thought that they could hide their relationship well it was quite obvious to the rest of the team. The stolen glances, the discreet hand holding, the blushes that were ever present when they were close together the signs were as plain as day to anyone with a pair of eyes. Despite her occasional animosity with the redhead Nico wished them both the best, but she still found it humorous that Umi and Maki thought that they had to hide it.
"I know if you're all so bored then maybe you could help me and Nozomi make the Bren fit in the weapon bag." Eli said trying to sidestep the issue.
"It's not my fault they make these things so small!" Nozomi exclaimed while trying to shove the machine gun into a canvas bag.
"Perhaps we don't need to take all this extra stuff in the weapon bag" Kotori suggested taking out a crystal ball from the bag
"Are you saying we don't need to know the future?" Nozomi looked at the squad aghast
"No-no but maybe we don't need a crystal ball, I think tarot cards should be enough" Eli noted dragging out a large glass sphere at least the size of her head.
"How can you be sure? " from the look of shock on her Nico was sure that Nozomi couldn't have looked more betrayed if they all handed her over to the Germans.
"They were enough in Sicily" Nico noted, receiving a dagger-like glare from the offended machine gunner in return.
"Guys, Guys I think we should all just calm down its just pre-op nerves" the ashen haired sniper appealed trying to diffuse the tension that had accumulated.
"Kotori's right we're all just on edge because of the invasion, and because we didn't get to jump today." Umi joined her friend in keeping the peace.
"I guess…I guess we should just wait and see what Honoka found out" a still blushing Maki sighed
Nozomi closed her eyes and exhaled "yeah you're right."
Time passed slowly while the squad made small talk about things like their next performance and the dwindling availability of alcohol due to the RAF flyboys on base.
The idle chatter on the usefulness or rather uselessness of the yanks was interrupted by a person running at them from the other side of the hangar. Hanayo was soon stood in front of them panting, Her soaking wet beret and smock making it clear she'd run through the rain without shelter. The girls all stood up Rin going to support her friend who looked like she was on the verge of was clear she was trying to say something in between breaths.
"B-B-Big news everyone!"
The team stared at her mystified
"The invasion…it's on for tomorrow, we jump…tomorrow night" Hanayo's face was flushed from the exercise.
"How do you know this?" Nico remained sceptical thinking that the Brunette had been taken in by the rumours flying around the hangar.
"Captain Minami told us" Hanayo paused taking a gulp of air "She heard it from the Colonel. Ike has definitely committed himself for an invasion of the 6th."
"She's right you know." The section turned to look at their Sergeant a Lively girl with Hair the colour of fire looking at them with barely contained excitement. "It's on for tomorrow! Finally no more waiting!" Honoka jumped punching the air at the news she had heard.
"Honoka…where did you even go" Kotori looked at the NCO with concern in her eyes.
"Sorry Kotori-chan but we ran into your mother while wandering around the base. She told us the briefing is going to be tomorrow but because you're in our section she gave us a heads up." Kotori seemed half satisfied with that answer, but, Nico noted, the look of concern didn't entirely fade from her face.
"So Rin finally gets to show the Germans how to dance ~nya" Rin exclaimed fingering her spike-bayonet a little too joyously. The cat-like girl soon joined Honoka in her display of enthusiasm the two girls twirling around each other practically laughing.
"Shall we give the troops one final dose of the world's number one Starlet & co?" Nico crowed, as she always did and for once she wasn't interrupted by her friends.
Instead they all agreed and as it was finally announced that the jump was cancelled they section stayed behind as the hangar emptied and Honoka talked to the squad about the performance tonight.
"Right so everyone clear on what we're doing?" the sergeant questioned, being greeted by nods of understanding
"Ok let's go out there and show them what we've got!" Nico shouted "Hehehe eat your heart out Marilyn Monroe."
The news of the invasion given the next morning was met by a muted cheer of relief from the assembled battalion, everyone letting out all the stress that had accumulated by being cooped up on the base with no jumps for a while. The briefing was exactly as Honoka expected since they had been provided with a few details in the run-up to the invasion. It was simply a finalisation of the Company's role in the British Airborne operation and one last review of the targets, given by the grey haired commander of the Company Captain Minami.
In essence the Company would be expected to destroy or capture three bridges as well as secure the battalion rendezvous in conjunction with the rest of the battalion. After that it was simply a case of "hold until relieved."
Honoka exited the briefing while having her Corporal, Umi, fill her in on the parts that she'd slept through, accompanied by the usual exasperated sighs. The elation she had felt last night at finally getting to see action had disappeared. It was replaced by anxiety at the fact that they were going to see combat for the first time in little under a year. It was written on her friend's faces as well. All were anxious to walk into the aircraft and jump into the unknown.
A/N: Next stop Operation Overlord (strictly speaking Operation Tonga) and a new perspective.
Glossary:
Entrenching tool: a spade, but a military one that often could be sharpened.
Spike Bayonet: unlike the sword bayonets seen in WW1 spike bayonets aren't shaped like knives and are designed primarily for stabbing.
