Chapter 11: Market Garden
Hey everybody, I'm still in one piece; Yay. Got my shit together and finished this chapter a day earlier than expected. No time for idle chat; read chapter, enjoy. I do not own anything but my OCs and the storyline, everything else is owned by their respective companies.
Previously
She smiled, "Nice to meet you Alex; it's funny, both times I've met you while you were unconscious. Now what to do about this situation…" A click caused her to look up, "How the hell did you do that?"
Nemes smirked as he rubbed his wrist; he moved over to her as he began to pick her handcuffs, "A magician never reveals his secrets."
Unknown Date, 1945 Unknown Time- Unmarked Submarine
Marseille rubbed her wrist as she finally sat down; staring at Nemes as he rubbed the lump on his head and slid to the deck across from her. He looked up and grinned as she stared at him, "What?"
She frowned as she continued to stare, "Seriously how did you do that?"
Nemes shrugged as he leaned back and winced, causing Marseille to get up and walk over to him, "Let me see that." He waved her off as he tried to scoot away. She smacked him on the head, "I said let me see." Defeated, Nemes sighed and leaned forward letting Hannah see the back of his head.
"Well it isn't bleeding but damn Alex… that's one hell of a lump. You sure you didn't get a concussion?"
He smirked as she pulled away, "Nah I think I'm fine; I've been hit harder." He looked at her concerned as he remembered what happened, "How about you? That guy clocked you pretty well."
Hannah scowled as she crossed her arms, "That asshole caught me off guard. I went for my gun as his men attacked the pilots… guess I was a little too slow." She looked down, "Why did they kill them… they were unarmed; no threat at all."
"No idea," Nemes stated as he attempt to determine where the hell he was in this boat, "Shit maybe I should have listened to my Grandpa and joined the Navy instead." "Any idea where we are?"
"I'd say underwater. Probably pretty deep."
Nemes turned to her as she shrugged, "What I'm just stating what I know."
He shook his head, "I'm guess you don't know your subs?"
"Only Fuso subs and I was mostly in the hanger on that one."
"There is something about this boat that is driving me crazy. I feel like I've seen this thing before."
She glanced at him curiously as he continued to walk around the room they were in, he tapped the door and then he patted the tube in the center, "I am almost certain we are in the rear torpedo room."
The two looked at it hoping to use it to escape but the large number of chains on the hatch told them that wasn't going to happen.
He looked at her, "I don't suppose you can break these can you?"
She shook her head, "Nope, super strength isn't my power. As much as I don't want to admit it, if Barkhorn were here we'd be able to escape." She looked at him, "How about you and your super suit?"
He shook his head as well, "Dead battery remember? I got hit by lightning."
She sighed as she lay down on the deck, "Oh well it was worth a shot. Looks like were along for the ride then. Too bad that lightning didn't super charge you or something."
Nemes froze and stared at her; she just stared at the ceiling not paying him any attention. She had a point though, "I wonder if the suit just shut off due to the surge… as long as I keep the battery we may have a way outta here but I'll need to wait till our destination to make a move." He too slid to the floor; watching the door. Marseille rolled over and put her head in her hands, "So you never answered my question how you picked those cuffs so fast."
He shrugged as he kept his eyes closed, "What's to say? I just have a bit of extra training that's all."
"How much is a bit?"
"More than some and less than a lot."
"Wow so informative; thank you," she deadpanned. She rolled back over and stared at the ceiling again, "What do you think they're going to do to us?"
He opened his eyes and saw the slightly nervous expression on her face, "Well I believe you they are just going to isolate and use you as a ransom or a barter for something. Me on the other hand… let's just say I'm in for a rough time when we get to wherever we're headed."
She looked at him concerned, "You don't think they're going to kill you do you?"
"Nah not at first at least; I did just kill a bunch of their men and my boss isn't exactly their favorite person in the world. I'm betting they're going to try and interrogate me; roughly before they threaten the colonel to turn over some tech for my release or something. Then they will kill me cause the moment I'm released, there is no reason for the colonel not to turn their home base into a pile of ash."
Hannah stared at him in disbelief, "How are you so calm about this? You just said you're sure they are going to kill you."
He shrugged as he grinned at her, "True but I have an ace up my sleeve," he pulled off his left boot and rolled the suit up exposing his ankle and a small ankle band, "I'm wired for sound."
November 8, 1945 0600 Hours- Borealis Briefing Room
The officers grimaced as they looked at the colonel; he looked like shit. They all knew for a fact that he hadn't slept the previous night as he spent the entire time grilling the ISA member for information regarding him and his group. Minna had surprised them by choosing to sit in on the meeting stating it was because of the missing witch. Minna looked between the haggard colonel and the equally haggard captain as Vought stared at him.
Minna cleared her throat and raised her hand, "if you don't mind gentlemen, I have a question."
Vought turned to her and nodded; too tired to respond.
"What is the ISA?"
Ross glanced at the two Russians before clearing his throat, "The ISA is part of the US Army Special Operations Command; it stands for Intelligence Support Activity. They can be considered, the Army equivalent of the CIA… uh OSS."
Minna nodded in understanding, "So they are spies of some sort, correct?"
Ross hesitated before he nodded; glancing at the Russians; the smirk on Sokolov's face made him sigh, "You knew they were here sir, didn't you?"
He grinned, "I did commander; my men and I decided to play along "giving" him and his team intel." He did air quotes with his fingers as he looked to shocked captain's face.
Harp stared at the colonel in disbelief, "There is no way you knew sir, even General O'Neill had no clue we were here. Only two people did and one of them was my director."
Sokolov shrugged, "As I have stated before, I have my ways."
Vought sighed as he rubbed his face, "We can argue this later; Harp just tell them what you told me."
The captain nodded, "Right so every member of our group was cross-trained by Sky Masters in the use and operations of the Tin Man armor system which explains Lt. Nemes familiarity with the system. However due to the sensitive nature of our group, the Activity decided it was best to keep tabs on us at all times and that meant audio and real-time tracking."
Minna blinked at what she was hearing, "Isn't that a huge invasion of privacy?"
Harp nodded, "it is but the men knew what was going to happen if they joined. They were all given the option to back out."
She slowly nodded, "… If that's the case then ok I guess. My next question is, how is this done?"
Lansby answered as he pulled out a Tic-Tac, "Everyone involved in that program had a device about this size inserted somewhere near one of their clavicles. They also have to wear a band on their ankle that is wireless and powers it. It can pick up audio through the vibrations produced by speaking and it can be tracked from just about anywhere."
"Incredible… so we can find where Marseille and your man are?"
The doctor nodded, "We can; we just need a Jumper within 100 miles or a satellite in orbit which I'm prepping at the moment." He turned to Vought, "I'm going to try to stick it in geostationary orbit over the Suez Canal."
"Do it your dismissed."
Lansby nodded as he grabbed his tablet and left. Vought turned to Sokolov, "Any luck on our new guest?"
The Russian shook his head, "Nope and that means I'm going to have to start getting… rough." He glanced at Minna as she nodded.
"As terrible as it seems, it needs be done if we are to find who is responsible for this. If I may make a suggestion colonel, why don't you let Capt. Barkhorn take a crack at it first?"
Vought and Sokolov shared a surprised glance as they looked to her; after yesterday's SNAFU*, they were shocked at how candid she was being with them, "… As you wish commander."
She stood up, "I'll send the captain to the brig now; she will meet you there."
Sokolov nodded as he escorted the commander from the room. Vought turned to Ross, "Am I dreaming or is she treating us like normal?"
Ross continued to stare at the door; he shook his head, "…What? …Something happened between our meeting with them and today. Remember, somebody beat the cooks to making dinner last night."
The colonel rubbed his eyes as he tried to remember what happened before he learned of the raids success. Everything was a bit fuzzy from his lack of sleep but he did finally remember, "Somebody made a full meal for the crew without anyone knowing. Auxiliary Bay 2 was also cleaned and reorganized finally wasn't it?"
Ross nodded as he rubbed his chin, "A bit strange with the way the crew felt yesterday."
"Indeed it is…" Vought rubbed his eyes again and checked his watch, "Ross I need some sleep before the attack; wake me in two hours so I don't collapse in the chair." He glared at Harp who was currently yawning, "You are not getting any sleep until that satellite is in orbit so get your ass down to engineering and go help Lansby."
Harp blinked as he glared at the colonel and sighed, "Roger that sir," and with that he left.
Ross grinned as the colonel stumbled out of his chair, "How long have you been awake sir?"
Vought blinked a few times as he reached the door, "You know… I don't remember."
He shook his head in amusement as he headed back to the bridge, "Two hours my ass, I'm not waking him till just before the attack."
November 8, 1945 0616 Hours- Borealis Brig
The man looked up as he heard the doors to the brig open again; He looked through the glowing bars as a familiar figure walked in, "Bloody hell Ivan, I told you I'm not going to talk so why do you keep trying?"
Col. Sokolov stared at the Britannian soldier with an unamused expression, "Don't worry my friend you will tell me everything I want in due time. However I'm going to try something else first."
The man rolled his eyes as he spun around to look at the back wall, "Whatever Ivan, do your worst."
The soldier did not notice the feral grin that appeared on the colonel's face before it vanished a second later, "As you wish," He nodded to the two guards getting them to deactivated the shield and vacate the room. As they left another figure entered and proceeded into the cage. The soldier turned and blinked in surprise as the colonel waved over his shoulder as he left, "Have fun you two."
The soldier gulped and began to pale noticeably as a very angry and very scary looking Capt. Gertrud Barkhorn stomped her way towards him; she had her familiar out and was glowing bright blue as she rolled up her sleeves, "So where is that sub headed?"
He cringed as she got closer.
Just Outside
The soldiers cringed at every 'thump' and scream that sounded from the room; the sounds echoed through the halls as the young captain continued her interrogation. The American guards looked uneasily at the colonel as he calmly leaned back against the wall and twirled a knife around in his fingers completely immune to the sounds coming from the room. They were scared at the hypnotic motion of the blade as he deftly spun it around. The captain had been in the room for around 10 minutes already and was still going at it before the sounds finally stopped. The colonel flicked and sheathed the knife as the door opened.
Barkhorn sighed and dismissed her familiar as she walked out.
"Any luck captain?"
Barkhorn nodded, "He didn't know where the sub was headed but he did know someone who would."
Vitaly raised his eyebrows, "Interesting… Now we just need him to tell us where to find this per-" He stopped as she shook her head.
"No need we already know where this person is."
"Who is it?"
Barkhorn sighed as she looked back at the door, "Former Chief Air Marshall Trevor Maloney; our previous commanding officer."
November 8, 1945 0902 Hours- Borealis Bridge
Ross glanced up from his tablet as the door opened; he blinked in surprise at the people entering, "Joe, Minna… I wasn't expecting you till later. What can I do for you?"
Minna shook her head, "That was the plan but after learning that Maloney may be behind this… We need to talk to Vice Marshall Galland and discuss how to proceed. May we borrow the radio?"
He checked his watch as he glanced at the witches, "Sure but I can do you one better; just let me wake the colonel first. He was catching a few z's before we went into combat." He stopped walking to the door as he caught the grin Joe was giving Minna, "…What?"
Foss grinned at him, "Can we take care of the colonel?"
He glanced nervously at them, "…What did you have in mind?"
November 8, 1945 0911 Hours- Vought's Quarters
The door quietly hissed open as Ross stepped back from the panel, "…Please don't do anything… that may surprise him… he doesn't react well to being surprised."
He watched as the ships contingent of witches entered the room as the 501st crowded around the doorway. He turned to a nearby soldier, "Alert Pierce, let him know we may be sending someone to him." The soldier nodded as he ran off.
Minna turned to him, "Do you really think the colonel would hurt one of us?"
He shook his head, "It's not you ladies I'm worried about."
Inside
Joe looked to Huberta as they stared at the sleeping colonel, "How do you want to do it?" She whispered.
Huberta shrugged, "No idea, I personally think this is a bad idea."
Foss frowned, "Oh come on lighten up; we'll be fine." She turned, "What do you ladies think?"
Geena and Heinrike shrugged with Geena hiding her grin. She turned to Kostilev as she shrugged as well; Harris walked up and began whispering in her ear. She grinned as she looked at Preddy, "Why don't you come over here Jean?"
Harris snorted as she looked at her friend as she walked over; Foss explained the plan in her ear. The other witches giggled in amusement as Geena jerked away; a look of horror on her face as she stared at Foss. "No WAY I'm sorry ma'am… you do it." She whispered back while shaking her head.
Foss sighed as she made her way towards the bed, "Fine I'll do it." They all watched as Foss lay down on her side next to the colonel. Ross looked on in horror as Vought began to wake up from the motion.
The colonel had fallen asleep face down on the bed; his feet not entirely on, as he lightly snored. The motion caused by Foss climbing into the bed made him roll his head in the other direction and open one eye into her smiling face as she propped her head on her hand. He closed his eye again and went back to snoring. This action was quickly stopped as he proceeded to stop breathing while his eye creaked open yet again; she winked at him as he blinked. "Hey buddy, how was the nap?"
"JESUS!" 'THUD'
Everyone had started to break into laughter but quickly stopped as Vought fell out of bed; sidearm drawn as he fired. Heinrike stood perfectly still; shield deployed as the energy from the particle magnum dissipated. As she dropped her shield, Geena lightly shook her shoulder, "Uh… Heinrike… are you ok?" Everyone watched as her antenna appeared and began to glow red, "You…You…YOU BARBARIAN! She was the one next to you why didn't you shoot her instead!"
Everyone watched, jaws dropped as the normally composed night witch exploded at her superior. She continued her angry tirade as she advanced towards Vought who was cowering on the floor.
"…Heinrike," Foss finally whispered as she once again found her voice.
The night witch stopped her advance as she glared at Foss, "WHAT?"
She pointed at Vought who was peeking over the top of the bed. Heinrike stopped and stared as she began to process what she had done. Everyone watched as she went red in the face and her antenna changed to bright pink before vanishing completely. Before any of them could blink, she was gone.
Everyone stared, shocked at what had just occurred as Geena helped pull Vought to his feet; He glared at Foss.
"What? Ross said he needed to wake you so we did."
Vought sighed as the other witches laughed at him, "I guess I did…" he looked at his watch, "where is he?" he growled.
Ross took a breath and stepped into the room, "Good morning sir what can I do for y-" he stopped as Vought grabbed his collar. He shoved his watch in his face.
"I told you to wake me in two hours. That would be 0800; this does not look like 0800 this appears to be 0914. Care to explain this commander?"
"Well…"
"I told him to let you sleep a little longer."
Everyone looked up as Pierce walked into the room.
Vought dropped Ross, "You?"
Pierce nodded as everyone looked to him, "Sleep deprivation is not good for your health and we are about to go into combat. I'm going to force you to take stimulant before we start the fight. You've had 3 hours of sleep in the past 96 hours. You're beating yourself to death and are in real condition to fight; I should restrict you to your room but I won't."
Vought sighed as everyone shifted their gaze back to him; they were shocked that he wasn't sleeping. "Sir have you really not been sleeping?"
He turned to find Foss and Preddy staring at him; concern clearly visible on their faces. He rubbed his face as he checked his watch again, "… Yes… I've had a lot on my mind lately." He sighed again, "Guess I better go find Heinrike."
They all watched as he walked out; Foss turned to Preddy, "Follow him; they're your friends."
Geena nodded as she quickly exited to catch up the brooding colonel; everyone else turned back to Ross. "Well commander?"
He blinked, "Oh right… screw it come on we'll do it without him. I'll fill him in later."
November 8, 1945 0924 Hours- Observation Deck
Vought sighed as he peered into the room, "Thanks Serenity," he called out as he walked in with Geena close behind him. They finally found the missing witch sitting in a chair watching the snow fall outside. She stiffened slightly when she heard his voice. The two of them sat down on either side of her and watched the snow as well.
She heard Vought sigh, "Reminds me a lot of my home town you know… I've always enjoyed the snow."
"Wh-where are you from?" a quiet voice spoke.
Chris smiled as he turned to her, "Colorado, more specifically a house and a dirt airstrip in the mountains near Colorado Springs."
Both witches looked at him in surprise, "You have your own airstrip?"
He turned to Jean, "Yep had to clear it myself for my plane, an old Piper Super Cub. My little old bush plane I barely fit in."
They watched his smile fade as he stared off into the distance. He shook his head and regained his smile as he looked back at the two. He patted Heinrike on the head causing Jean to giggle, "I'm sorry for firing at you; it was a knee jerk reaction. I'm not used to be woken like that. I perfectly understand where your anger came from so you're not in trouble or anything. Let's let bygones be bygones." He stuck out his hand to her.
She stared at him in confusion at how fast he forgave her and she looked at her hand before glancing at Geena.
Vought was surprised when instead of a handshake; the young night witch wrapped him in a hug. He sat there startled for a second before he returned the hug; he smiled when she spoke.
"I'm sorry Chris."
"It's ok Princess, we're good now. So come on I think Ross wanted me for something." He patted her on the head again as he stood up not noticing the blush on her face. Geena smiled and blinked as she remembered, "Oh yeah, Minna and the others were trying to contact Vice Marshall Galland."
Vought froze and turned around, "…Please tell me you're kidding me?"
She shook her head, "Nope."
The two witches watched as he sprinted out of the room; sliding into the nearby wall as he tried to make a turn. He stood back up as he sprinted towards the bridge. The two witches shrugged as they followed him.
November 8, 1945 0933 Hours- Borealis Bridge
"I understand ma'am but he's dealing with a… situation right now. We will get him here as soon as possible." He turned as the bridge door opened and the colonel slid in.
"Hang on guys; don't make the ca-… Good morning Adolfine how are you today?"
The bridge staff and witches snickered at the colonel as he went ramrod stiff while he stared at Adolfine on the monitor. The crew had left her with a satellite communication radio with a screen and camera and Vought was now regretting it. She gave him an unamused stare.
"Mind telling me why you were late Chris?"
"…Dealing with an earlier situation sorry."
She continued to glare at him before her expression lightened, "Alright then, Ross here was telling me that you were successful in retrieving and disarming your errant weapon and I'd like to give you my congratulations. Were there any casualties?"
She waited for the response as the crew looked to each other uneasily, "Well?"
They looked to Vought as he began to speak, "There were no casualties but… but the men we attacked took two hostages."
Galland sighed as she looked to her desk, "Who?"
Vought pulled on his collar, "1st Lt. Alex Nemes and… and Capt. Hannah Marseille…"
Galland's head snapped back up as a fire burned in her eyes, "What did you just say?"
"Marseille was onboard the 31st's C-47 that made an emergency landing at Baltim. The men manning the base attacked and killed the pilots and the flight engineer; Marseille was attempting to get help from the base when she was knocked out. Nemes and his squad pursed but a lightning strike disabled the lieutenant and he too was knocked out. The two were loaded on to a Ger-Karlsland U-Boat that quickly submerged. I'm sorry ma'am we tried our best." He looked down dejectedly, "I promised to protect your witches and I failed."
She sighed, "Well technically speaking colonel, Marseille wasn't under your protection at the time and the witches I assigned to your ship are still fine. You tried your best; I'm just frustrated that's all." She looked into Vought's surprised face, "I'm assuming you have no idea where it went?"
He shook his head, "No ma'am but we might have a lead." He stared at her as she raised an eyebrow; he facepalmed, "Adolfine."
She gave a small smile before dropping it, "What's the lead?"
"The soldier we captured said he had no idea where it was headed but he knew who would."
"And who would that be?"
"A former Air Marshall named Trevor Maloney."
Galland collapsed backward in her chair as she stared at the screen, "Are you positive?"
"We are ma'am, I had Capt. Barkhorn confirm it herself; we are 100% sure," Minna stated.
Galland held up a finger as she yelled in German for someone to enter and began to speak to them. She turned back to the screen as she finished, "Chris I know the attack on the Nuremberg hive starts in a few hours so I can't ask for much but can you spare any men?"
He turned to Sokolov and Ross who nodded, "Yes ma'am we can have four there in 15 minutes or less or 20 in 90 minutes."
Galland tapped her fingers as she thought; she shook her head, "Not enough time, Maloney may have been alerted; send the four and have them meet us at RAF Deanland near Sussex. We need to move fast if we are going to question him. I will personally meet them there; Galland out." She cut the connection as the bridge exploded into action.
Vought shook his head as the witches crowded around him all requesting permission to go. Vought tapped his thigh as he thought, "Alright I'll send two of you so pick whose going," He looked to Mio and Geena, "Unfortunately I'm not sending you two." The two witches sighed in understanding. He turned to his men as the witches discussed who they were sending; he watched as Sokolov nodded and put down his radio, "Lt. Gusev."
Vought nodded as he thought of whom else to send; he turned to his XO, "Pick someone Ross," the commander nodded as he began going through the crew roster; Vought activated the internal comms, "Reaper and Hydra flights get ready for a delivery mission launching in five. I want your birds prepped by the time I reach the launch bay." He cut the connection as he spun to find those chosen. He nodded at the witches' selections; he turned to Minna, "You sure?"
She nodded, "Positive sir."
"Good follow me; ladies grab your gear as we pass Bay 2," He quickly left the bridge with the witches and the Russians in tow as Ross took command of the bridge. As they marched to the rear of the ship Barkhorn and Harris broke off as they entered Bay 2 to retrieve their equipment. Gusev came alongside the senior officers as they went around the corner.
Wearing all black with a hard black helmet, complete with a face shield the Russian was loaded with ammo and equipment. The witches glanced curiously at the large rifle holstered on his back; the bipod and massive scope indicated it was a sniper of some sort. Vought gave the lieutenant a sideways glance as they entered Bay 4, "That all you taking lieutenant?"
The Russian shook his head, "нет sir," he patted his sidearm and explosives, "I will be fine." He turned to the witches as they continued to stare at him, "Что?"
Lynette looked at him shyly, "Um well sir… what kind of weapon is that?"
He turned Sokolov who nodded for him to continue; he pulled the rifle from his back as he pulled the charging handle and ejected the magazine, handing it to her. "It is an OCB-96 Взломщик. It is a 12.7mm anti-material rifle."
They waited for him to continue and when he didn't, they went back to studying the rifle. Lynette noticed immediately that even though the weapon was longer than her Boys Anti-Tank rifle, it was noticeably lighter. She wondered what it would be like to shoot, "When you get back… do you think I could try to shoot it?" The other girls looked back at him as they waited for his response.
He once again turned to his colonel who once again nodded with a grin this time; Gusev turned back and nodded as well. The colonel walked forward as Vought continued to brief the pilots; Gertrude and Cecilia chose this moment to walk in; Barkhorn with her two MG42s and numerous ammo belts and Harris with her M2 and three belts. "Miss Bishop, we will let you use one after we deal with this hive. Will that work?"
She nodded shyly as she handed the weapon back to the lieutenant. They watched as he deftly jerked the charging handle and clipped the magazine to his chest. They watched interested as he pushed a button and folded the weapon in half, handing it to the pilot walking towards him. The pilots relieved the witches of their ammo and weapons as they stored them in small sections in the 302s.
Vought watched as a marine sprinted into the bay; his weapons and gear clinking as he ran up to him and stood at attention, "Sir, SSgt. Sam Arnold ready for duty." Vought raised his eyebrows as he returned the salute and checked the man's loadout.
"Got enough firepower Marine?"
"Yes sir, I needed to be ready for anything Sir." The staff sergeant had hanging from his neck an M4 with a M26 shotgun mounted underneath. In his hands was an M32 MGL and he had a belt of 40mm grenades slung over his shoulder. His web gear held 4 magazines for the rifle and 2 magazines for the M26.
"You going Rambo Marine?"
"No sir."
"You sure you can carry all that?"
"Yes sir."
Vought nodded, "Hoorah, get that stuff stowed I wanted you guys gone 5 minutes ago." He put his hand on the sergeant's soldier, "Be careful out their Arnold and please… try to keep the witches safe."
He nodded, "Hoorah sir," and with that, he hopped up into the back seat of Hydra-2. Vought turned to the lieutenant as he began to climb into Hydra-1, "Keep them safe лейтенант."
Gusev nodded, "Da полковник, я буду."
Vought stepped back as the four 302s started their engines; the Bay doors opened letting snow and a cold breeze fill the space. Everyone retreated to the wall as the fighters launched one by one. They watched on the nearby monitor as the fighter circled once before they vanished into their hyperspace windows. He turned to Minna, "Now I have a question… who the hell is Trevor Maloney?"
November 8, 1945 0948 Hours- Advanced Landing Ground RAF Deanland, Sussex, Britannia
Galland's ride came to a halt as the four advanced fighters dropped out of hyperspace and began to circle the field. She shook her head in amazement as the windows they created closed behind them, "These people never fail to impress." She frowned; there was work to do. She turned to her aide, "Radio the men to head to Maloney's residence. They are not to engage unless fired upon. Tell them to keep him secured or at least keep an eye on him if he escapes." The soldier nodded in understanding as he exited the cab of the Liberion made 6x6 and hopped into the back for the radio. She turned back to the field as the first two 302s landed, "I knew that man was bad but this… We have to find what he is up to."
SSgt. Sam Arnold
Arnold shook his head as he waited for the pilot to remove his gear from the fighter, "Well that was definitely interesting."
The pilot snorted as he handed the man his rifle, "You think that was something, wait until you get to see an intergalactic jump. Those will knock your socks off." He threw the marine the grenade belt as he hefted the M32. "Looks like you're going to have quite a party."
"Something like that sir; good luck with the attack on the hive."
The pilot nodded as he climbed back in and started the engines, "Thanks sarge, good luck yourself. Later."
Arnold stepped back with the lieutenant as Hydra flight departed and Reaper landed. "Impressive entrance gentlemen," They turned and saluted as Galland walked up to them dressed in her usual attire. With a pistol on her belt and a MG42 on her back, she was ready for action. She cut the salute, "No need for that gentlemen, I'm assuming Chris briefed you on the situation."
They cut their salute, "Uh no ma'am, we really didn't have a lot of time."
Gusev nodded, "Da."
She nodded in understanding as the witches emerged from Reaper, slightly dazed from the trip. They cleared their heads and saluted as the pilots removed their gear.
She waved them off, "No time for that; come on." She waved to Grant and Burns as they re-entered their birds and took off. The 302s wagged their wings as they opened hyperspace windows and headed back to the ship. The five of them hopped into the back of the 6x6 as the driver headed off; two armored cars formed up on them as they moved out.
Arnold watched as the Russian prepped his rifle, deciding to do the same he pulled the charging handle and peered into the breach before slamming a magazine home. Reaching to the front he repeated the action with the shotgun. He slid the rifle aside causing Adolfine to pick it up as she began to study it. While she looked it over Barkhorn and Harris began to load their weapons as well. They all stopped as he began to load the MGL; splitting it in half he began pulling grenades from his belt. The witches watched as he loaded two white banded, two yellow banded, and two blue banded shells; he snapped it shut again and looked up, "What?"
"Those are grenades?"
He nodded.
"What do the colors mean?"
He pulled another white banded shell from the belt, "These are smoke shells and come in a variety of colors; these are white." He replaced the shell and pulled out a yellow one, "These are standard HE rounds and these," he pulled out the blue rounds which they noticed had a black tip, "These are non-lethal…less-than lethal rounds; they have a rubber tip and lower muzzle velocity."
The witches nodded in understanding as they turned to the rifle, "And this… never mind," she shook her head as she recognized their surroundings, "Tell us later… anyway here's what's going on. We are about to reach the residence of a former Britannian Air Marshal named Trevor Maloney. Our goal is to capture him so that we can question him on the whereabouts of the sub, your crew member, and my witch. We also need to discover what their group's endgame is."
The four of them nodded in understanding; Arnold spoke up, "So ma'am did this officer… retire?"
Galland looked to Barkhorn as she increased her grip on her weapons causing an audible creak. She sighed as she responded, "Not exactly, Maloney was the commanding officer of the joint fighter wings and was the direct head of the 501st. Last year before the liberation of Gallia… He disbanded the 501st and held them at gunpoint as he forced them to vacate their base. He then moved in with a group he created called the 1st Assault Unit; this unit utilized an untested weapon system dubbed the Warlock. It… it used a Neuroi core for a power source."
"You used your enemy against them; Resourceful." Gusev stated.
Galland shook her head as Barkhorn started to growl, "While it successfully destroyed the Gallian hive, it went berserk and attack everything near it including the Fuso carrier Akagi. The Warlock sank the ship and nearly killed Sgt. Miyafuji, Maj. Sakamoto, and Lt. Closterman but Miyafuji managed to launch and engaged the Warlock on her own till the rest of the 501st was able to catch up. In the end the 501st was successful in defeating it in which the unit was praised before being officially disbanded."
"We found out that bastard was skimming our unit's funds to pay for his crazy science experiment and he was fired for it. The bastard got what he deserved," Barkhorn growled out.
She looked at the two men, "Barkhorn here… persuaded Maloney's right-hand man to give CDR Minna the information that got him removed from service. It was later discovered that he had plans to remove all the joint fighter wings from service the moment his Warlocks proved their worth. Since then he was placed in protective custody by what we believe are former men of his so there may be some confrontation when we get there."
"How many солдат, sorry soldiers, will we have for support?"
Galland looked to the Russian as he continued to check his pistol, "I have assembled 30 men and a pair of T17 Staghound armored cars; hopefully they won't be needed."
Artyom nodded as he went through numerous scenarios in his head. He went back to his rifle as he began looking over the rounds for it. Galland turned to the witches before turning back to the men, "lieutenant it seems that you will provide sniper cover for us; please don't shoot until I give the word." He nodded and hopped out as the transport came to a stop; Galland pointed towards the house and he vanished in the opposite direction.
She turned to Arnold, "Staff Sergeant, I would like you to remain with us please. Your CO would kill me if I let anything happen to you."
Arnold nodded as he jumped down, "Understood ma'am; besides the colonel told me to stick close to you ladies anyway." He whistled as he stared at the house; it was quite a large and elegant building with a fence and line of hedges surrounding it. The gate in front had a guard shack which contained two very nervous looking men.
Arnold and the three witches approached the gate as her men and the two T17s spread out behind them. One of the guards exited the shack with his weapon on his shoulder; he stammered out a greeting, "G-Good morning m-ma'am, w-what can I do f-for you?"
"We're here to speak with Maloney and we are not taking no for an answer."
The man glanced nervously to his companion in the shack who was currently on the phone; he shook his head. He glanced back to the four of them and gulped, "S-sorry ma'am but Mr. Maloney is u-unavailable; y-you will have to try l-later."
Galland took a step forward and put a hand on her holster, "I said I wasn't taking no for an answer private. We are going in there."
Arnold snorted as he watched the guard almost drop to the ground in fear from the aura Galland was giving off; he glanced at the other guard before looking into the yard at the house. A glint of light caught his eye, "Reflection off of what… SHIT!" Arnold tackled Galland and Harris to the ground as a round impacted right where the two had been. He rolled upright, rifle drawn as he watched Barkhorn pound the guard into the ground; seeing movement in the shack he grabbed the trigger for the M26 and fired blowing the window out and dropping the other guard into the dirt.
"Shit what the hell is going on; ladies are you alright?" Galland spat out as she stood back up and drew her MG42.
"No idea ma'am, thanks for the save Sam and I'm alright." Harris spoke as the four of them ducked behind the guard shack. Barkhorn peeked over and was forced to put her shield up as another round hit home; it stuck for a moment before dropping harmlessly to the ground. "Damn it this guy is good." She growled.
Galland yelled back to the Staghounds as they shifted into gear and began to move towards the gate; the first one reach speed and rammed the gate off it's hinges and proceeded to drive onto the lawn with the second one stopping to shoot. She watched as Arnold frowned and reached for his ear, "What?"
His eyes widened as he spun to her, "Call them back quick!"
"Why?"
"Mines!"
She spun as she yelled out, "Dog 1, RETREAT!"
Dog 2 picked up on the situation and was currently shifting into reverse as it moved itself as far from the yard as possible. Dog 1 had reached the halfway point in the yard before it slammed to a halt and tried to shift into reverse; Arnold tackled the witches to the ground again as the armored car touched one of the anti-tank mines buried in the yard and detonated. The overpressure flattened the guard shack and destroyed the closest hedges to them. The witches screamed in fear as the heat wave washed over them; the sound pounding their ears. Arnold had it slightly easier with his ear plugs but those don't protect you from shrapnel.
Galland opened her eyes to see the marine mouthing the words "Stay down" as he peeked over what was left of the shack only to spin around and hit the dirt as the sniper hit him in the shoulder. "FUCK!"
Galland's hearing returned as she tried to check the injured man out, "Hold still Sam I need to stop the bleeding; Corpsman!" She looked up as some of her men raced towards her only to run away as a line was dug in the street by an unseen MG; One of the dropped as he took a hit from the sniper, "Dog 2 take care of that damn sniper!" She screamed out.
The surviving Staghound moved up again and rotated it's turret to the top floor of the house. It hesitated before the 37mm gun barked throwing a white phosphorous round downrange; the room burst into flames as the round detonated, burning everything. Everyone heard screaming as a burning figure fell from the house onto the lawn before all movement and sound stopped. Some her men made the run again as the Staghound moved up to protect them from the MG.
They watched concerned as the staff sergeant was sat upright while a Corpsman checked him out. He winced as the medic checked the wound; seeing the concerned looks on the witches' faces he smirked, "I've had worse ladies; I'll be fine." Everyone ducked again as the MG fired and the sound of engines could be heard starting in the background. He handed Galland his radio, "Here ma'am so you can keep in contact with the lieutenant."
She grabbed the radio as Barkhorn and Harris stood up, "Lieutenant what are those engine noises?"
"A pair of half-tracks, a pair of M35 trucks, and a single staff car are leaving the house to the north."
"Damn it he knew we were coming and is getting away."
A single large caliber gunshot sounded out, "The staff car is disabled генера́л-лейтена́нт," two more shots sounded. "The M35s are disabled as well."
Galland shook her head in amazement; she had no idea where those shots had originated from.
"The trucks are deploying men around the staff car I believe the target is still inside."
Galland nodded in understanding as she and the other two witches stood up and began to move around the hedges. Galland stopped as she felt someone holding onto her sleeve; she turned to find Arnold holding the grenade launcher up to her, "Take it ma'am; it will do you more good than me." She took it and the grenade belt as she looked it over, "Watch the grenade drop and use the sight to your advantage. Hit the switch to split it and reload; if you want a different grenade manually rotate the drum." He winced as the medic continued to clean the wound and he grabbed his rifle.
Galland looked at him concerned as another one of her men was hit by the MG; the armored car fired again bringing fresh screams to the fight. Quickly thinking, she turned to Harris who nodded, "I'll stay here ma'am."
Adolfine nodded again as she and Barkhorn moved out with four of her men with her; she reached for the radio given to her, "I'm going to need your help lieutenant. You have permission to go lethal." They ran around the corner of the yard only to have Barkhorn put up her shield as a man fired a Bren at them. The group watched horrified as the man's head exploded in a burst of gore; the firing stopped.
"понятый генера́л-лейтена́нт, engaging."
November 8, 1945 1045 Hours- Borealis Bridge
His eyes darted beneath closed eyelids as he processed the information the ship was giving him; opening them he spoke, "I concur all systems are go. Let's light this candle."
As the crew moved to their launch stations the bridge door opened bringing two witches to the organized chaos. Ross tuned to them as they entered, "Ladies," before the colonel spun around to face them.
"Preddy I'd like you on tactical; the technician will show you what to do."
Geena nodded as she moved towards the open console; Vought turned back to von Bonin, "I don't need to tell you what to do Huberta so pick your place, you can do whatever you want."
The Karlslander nodded in understanding as she made her way to the window. Vought spun back around as he activated the comms with a thought, "Attention all hands, prepare for launch; battle stations at this time." The lighting on the ship dimmed to a dull blue hue as the engines increased their volume.
After retrieving his fighters Vought had prepped the remaining crew as he conversed with Lansby on carrying a different weapon into battle. Since launching the satellite, Lansby had been modifying a 302. The internal comms squawked, "Sir Claymore is ready to launch. Just finished reprogramming the attack computer."
"Understood Evan; thanks. Get Claymore launched and at altitude now."
"Roger that sir."
He turned his attention back to the ship as he was alerted to the launch bay opening and closing as the 302 took off and disappeared as he climbed vertically. Chris pulled up the same display Geena was seeing as he moved the ship north once again; the dark clouds of the hive visible in the distance. "Ladies how's the weather out there?"
"C-cold, I h-hate c-cold."
Vought smirked at the young ensign's response; the external cameras showing the witches huddled together in groups as they pushed through the mountains. One of the turrets caught the Romagnan witch wearing at least two coats and two scarfs that were visible though he noticed slightly embarrassed still, that she along with most of the others still had nothing on their legs. He turned to his side as someone began to speak.
"Sir we have aircraft from Fran… Gallia inbound." Another tech spoke up as well, "Witches inbound from the south as well sir. Putting them on now."
The speakers crackled, "Greetings Borealis, this is Capt. Junko of the 504th JFW; we are here to assist."
The external cameras showed a flight of ten witches catching up to them and forming up with the 501st. They watched as Francesca tackled the leader in midair before she formed back up with Shirley. Vought watched the grin form on Jean's and Huberta's faces, "About time Junko got her unit back together; the 501st has been picking up their slack for a while."
"What happened?"
Huberta turned to Ross who was pacing back and forth, checking over everyone. "Her unit was tasked with making contact with a hive of Neuroi that had assumed a human form and that would not attack unless attacked first. Before contact could be made the Venezian super hive appeared and destroyed it. Junko's unit was the first hit by this new hive and most of the five-oh-fours support staff and equipment was destroyed, killed, or wounded during their retreat. Galland put them into the reserves till they could be combat ready again."
The Stargate personnel shifted uneasily at this information; this reminded them all too much of the Replicators. They turned to Vought who had a nervous expression before he cleared it; Jean made a mental note to ask him about that later.
Major Mio Sakamoto
Mio watched as Lucchini tackled her old friend in the air before forming back up with Capt. Yeager. She came up alongside her and stuck out her hand, "Good to see you again Mio. It seems the 501st has been busy."
Mio smiled and returned the hand shake, "Damn good to see you Takei, glad you could make it. Happy the 504th is back in the fight."
Junko saluted to Minna who returned it, "Good to see you again ma'am."
Minna smiled warmly, "Indeed, good to see you again too. Sorry you couldn't participate with the Venezian hive."
Junko shook her head, "It's fine ma'am; we are here now and that's all that matters." She looked up as the combined air group approached the edge of the destroyed landscape under the hive. "Looks like we're about to go to work."
Mio had her eye patch raised as she scanned the sky in front of them; she turned to Minna, "Looks like they are learning; they are spreading out more than before and most of them are the high-maneuverability types."
Minna frowned as the witches broke off into groups and began to spread out. "The colonel was right; those plasma weapons will not be as effective."
"All units prepare to engage."
The witches flicked their safeties as they checked their weapons one last time. "All flights weapons free." Vought called as the 302s leapt ahead of the witches; sonic booms sounding as they broke the sound barrier.
"Reaper-1 Fox Three"
"Reaper-2 Fox Three"
Reaper flight immediately locked onto and fired before anyone else was in range; the two large missiles they each carried leapt from their rails in a tongue of fire and screeched through the air at ten times the speed of sound. The four AIM-154 Anaconda, long range missiles quickly ate up the distance before detonating and destroying the two largest Neuroi in the area; the two fighters peeled off as they went ballistic, climbing over the hive with a swarm attempting to keep up.
The other fighters made similar passes as they too drew the enemy into groups and away from the hive. The witches finally reached range, "All witches engage at will, please keep with your wingmen; formation Delta."
A chorus of 'rogers' reached Minna's ears as she and Mio charged into the fray. Junko watched as some of hers; specifically, Gentile and Godfrey barreled straight in; Neuroi exploding around them as they blazed a trail towards the hive. She turned to Foss, "need a partner ma'am?"
Foss grinned as she charged her cannon, "Hell yes Junko; let's do this."
November 8, 1945 1123 Hours- Borealis Bridge
Vought's eyes darted back and forth as the wealth of information he was getting was starting to overwhelm him. He knew for a fact he needed to keep his cool or he could potential damage his brain from the interface, "At least Serenity has the turrets this time," he thought wryly as the railguns and energy turrets spewed hot death upon the countless aliens. He glanced at Preddy and von Bonin as the latter helped her process the information they were getting from the sensors. "Chris the conventional fighters are taking terrible casualties; they are retreating. We need to end this quickly."
"I know Preddy, I know. Have them fall back now; Ross what's the spread on this suckers?"
"They are spread out on all sides sir; the top is clear at this time. I believe it is time."
Vought gave his evil grin as he nodded, "Right you are Matt, Claymore, cleared to engage; painting target now. All flights stay clear of the hive by at least 100 meters; attack inbound."
"Hang on sir let us handle this one. One good hit from all of us and this is over."
Vought and Ross shared a look as they turned to the sighing witches, "Who is that?"
"Captain Dominica Gentile; she and her wingman Jane Godfrey… they enjoy charging straight at the enemy guns blazing. They don't like retreating." Huberta responded as she shook her head. Everyone listened as Junko forced her two witches to retreat to the edge of the safe area.
"So the one man air force makes an appearance… impressive." Sokolov stated as he observed the bridge crew in action.
Vought nodded, "Indeed but, let's end this."
Angels 85, Claymore
The pilot checked his switches as he orbited high above the battlefield; unseen by anyone. He looked out the cockpit window at the oblique noses of the two very large missiles his fighter had been jerry-rigged to launch.
"Claymore, cleared to engage; painting target now. All flights stay clear of the hive by at least 100 meters; attack inbound."
The pilot nodded to himself as his helmet showed the center of the hive being painted with a laser below him. He carefully aimed towards the hive; 125 miles away and 70 thousand feet below him as he called out, "Claymore, Streakers away."
His fighter lurched and climbed as the two 85ft long missiles fell and ignited their four solid rocket boosters a piece. He watched the missiles raced ahead of him as they climbed to altitude. The two XAGM-279A SkySTREAK missiles reached Mach 3 as they raced to 100 thousand feet and once there, the two missiles opened their oval shaped noses; becoming a Scramjet the missiles reached Mach 10 as they dove towards the target. The rear of the weapons fell off and detonated as the payloads continued their course. They began to beam back images as their nose cones fell off; the hive and the laser clearly visible.
Preddy watched in awe as the missiles ate up the distance before the image was cut off moments from impact. The witches listened as two shotgun blasts from hell rocked the airspace and tore the hive apart. Most of the Neuroi exploded as it took a critical hit.
Vought watched from the chair, concerned as the sensors still showed some Neuroi still flying; he frowned, "Hm… looks like we need a bigger boom next time…That is one huge ruby." He stared at the large core that remained as the clouds cleared away; the SkySTREAKs had done a great job though, shredding the core into pieces. As he watched it slowly began to regenerate, "Shit… All flights finish this thing off quick before it fixes itself. Minna I hope to hell you girls still have some ammo left."
"Don't worry sir we will handle this. There is nothing a witch can't do."
He watched as the 501st and 504th JFWs formed up and rocketed towards the core in formation. Blinking he activated the radios again, "Reaper, Hydra, Hunter, cover them and fire all remaining ordnance. Kill this sucker."
"Roger that sir Reaper engaging."
"Hydra engaging."
"Hunter engaging."
He jumped in the chair as Foss appeared on the bridge breathing heavily; she gave the crew a tired smile as she sat down on the deck, "Sorry sir but I was WAY too tired to even think about going in there. I barely had enough magic to do that, let alone repeated shield usage."
"That's fine Joe, just breath deep." He turned to Ross as he maneuvered the ship close enough for the turrets to begin to engage once again, "Get a medic in here to check her out." Ross nodded as he turned back to the display; von Bonin helped her out of her striker and helped her to the window with Preddy as they watched the witches and fighters go to work. Chris noticed the longing expression on her face and sighed; he wished he could do something to help her.
He turned his attention back to the window as white chunks began to fall from the core.
Nuremberg Airspace, Reaper-1, Captain Carl "Edge" Grant
"Damn this suckers tough." He called as he pulled up from his gun run. The hypersonic slugs had chewed large chunks of the core. He broke his engagement as some of the remaining small types chased after him. His radar indicated they vanished causing him to turn and to see Yeager clearing his tail; he smirked in his mask, "Thanks for the cover Shirley." He watched her wave as she reloaded, "Anytime buddy."
"Reaper-2, Guns, Guns, Guns."
Grant looked up to witness his wingman diving in from above; railguns blazing as she flew by. She too had caused significant damage; to the point that the core finally began making sounds of fear and pain. He went inverted as he came around for another pass only to pull off as he spotted Hydra-2 making a run.
"Hydra-2, Guns, Guns, Guns,"
The blue streaks of plasma burned into the core blasting a large chunk of it off and causing cracks to form.
"That's it! Everyone back I'm going to end this!"
Grant looked around in alarm as he tried to identify the speaker; finally finding her as she ditched her cannon. "Shit Reaper-2, Hydra, protect the major as she makes her run."
He snapped down as he locked up one of the Neuroi charging for Maj. Sakamoto as she drew her sword; a familiar glow forming as she raised it above her head. Hydra-2 once again fired his plasma beams taking another two down as they raced towards the core. Reaching range Hydra broke off.
"REPPUZAN!"
Everyone watched stunned as the massive blade of light bisected the damaged core. Seconds later a concussive thump jerked everyone in the air as the core vanished in a ball of light. When the light cleared the core was no more.
Grant stared; once again stunned as the crazy Fuso major floated in the center of it all laughing tiredly as she looked around. He smirked as he watched every witch still airborne tackle her, "Target destroyed, nicely done everyone. Borealis, all flights are RTB at this time."
"Roger that Reaper-1; damn fine job out there. Now escort these ladies home."
He grinned, "Roger that Borealis, Reaper-1 out." He formed up with Reaper-2 as the two of them descended to the witches' level. The other 302 flights also formed up with them as they led the tired witches back to the ship. Looking out the canopy Grant blinked, "Hunter-2 you're hit."
Hunter-2 had been pounded by two large types as he defended Sgt. Miyafuji and Sgt. Bishop. His shields had dropped during the engagement but, only burn marks marred the gray fighter's skin. "It's cool Reaper lead; nothing but cosmetic damage. No faults or damage detected by the system."
Watching the fighter waggle it's wings, Grant nodded, "Get it checked out when we land. You're trapping last."
"Roger that Reaper lead. Landing last, understood."
November 8, 1945 1133 Hours- Borealis Bridge
Vought sighed in relief as he deactivated the chair; Serenity taking over flight operations as he stood up and stretched. He staggered as his sleep deprived body began to show signs of weakness; he shook it off and smiled as he watched Preddy and Foss hug while watching the others come back. Everyone on the bridge turned to the comm terminal as it began beeping. "Answer it."
The display flickered as an image appeared on the other end; everyone blinked and turned to Vought as he too blinked, "Uh… rough time huh Adolfine?"
A very burnt, disheveled, and tired looking Adolfine looked back at him, unamused. "You could say that."
November 8, 1945 1125 Hours- Maloney Residence, Sussex, Britannia
"Thanks for the cover lieutenant." A grunt was the only response Galland got as another large caliber round whizzed overhead; a small explosion and screams marked the target.
"I think he shot someone's grenade ma'am."
Galland turned to Barkhorn as she checked her MG42 and growled as she threw it to the ground; repeated contact with the ground had bent the barrel. "Captain can you… never mind, better idea." She began as she grabbed the marine's grenade launcher from her back and began to look it over; she split it open as she checked the grenades, "Hm… smoke doesn't seem that useful right now and we can save these rubber ones for Maloney." She changed the smoke rounds with more HE and snapped it shut. "Alright Barkhorn lead the way."
Lt. Artyom Gusev
Gusev clicked the mag release and slammed a new 5-round magazine home while he searched for new contacts. He turned the scope on the front gate as he checked on the marine; he shook his head, "Stupid American pride. He's been shot and now he thinks he can take on the world." He watched as the American pushed his way through Galland's men as he tried to approach the front lines. Turning back to the Air Vice Marshall and the captain, he searched for more targets.
The rifle bucked in his shoulder as he sent another 12.7x108mm armor-piercing round downrange. He watched calmly as his target lost his right arm in an explosion of gore. Looking through the scope he narrowed his eyes as he glanced back at the half-tracks. They still had not moved since he had disabled the staff car and they still had tarps covering the rear compartments. Targeting another machine gunner, Gusev put the round through the Bren the man was shooting. The round punched through the magazine and exited the back his chest leaving a softball sized hole. The witches and their men rounded the corner and took cover as they made contact with the staff car. He watched as Barkhorn stood up and began mulching the area in front of them with her two MGs; she rolled back into cover as she reloaded.
Noticing movement near the vehicles, he shifted his gaze back to them as men yanked the tarps off the back of them. Gusev's blood ran cold as he realized what he was staring at; he fired at one of them climbing into the back of them as he activated his radio thinking calmly as he worded his warning, "Get to cover quickly." He took a deep breath as he slowed his heart rate and targeted the half-tracks.
Pulling the tarps off of the two Liberion made M3 Half-tracks, everyone dove for cover as they realized how screwed they were. The men boarding them jumped into the turret mounted on the rear of each one. Spinning to face the witches, the turrets opened fire.
The M16 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage, dubbed the meat chopper, was lethal to any low-flying aircraft and any unarmored ground target. The four .50 caliber machine guns each fired at a rate of 450 rounds per minute and were capable of turning organic material into paste in a matter of seconds. With eight guns arrayed against the witches' one shield, it was only a matter of time before they would die.
"Damn it!" grunted Barkhorn as she blocked the storm of lead trying to kill her and the others with them. Galland and the four men with them ducked behind the captain as they desperately tried to find cover; the M16s tearing apart everything around them. The sound of one of the vehicles going silent indicated that the Russian sniper was still in play. As the men sent another to man the turret, the other shifted its fire to a nearby bell tower. Finding a moment of reprieve, the group dove over the road and into the ditch on the other side; Barkhorn panted tiredly.
"Ma'am… I don't think… I can keep my shield up much longer." She gasped out between breaths. Galland looked to her concerned before turning and watching the roof of the bell tower collapse; she grabbed the radio, "Lieutenant are you alright?" There was a pregnant pause, "Da ma'am. I am displacing."
Nodding to herself she tried to think of a way out of this; Dog 2 was still tied up on the other side of the house helping to save her pinned men. She sighed as she took into account what she and the others had left. Barkhorn had dropped her MGs in the process of supporting her shield so they were down to side arms and the four rifles her men carried. Dropping to her back she was reminded of another option; she rolled over and checked the M32 as the anti-aircraft guns began to fire again.
"Barkhorn, when I say now I need you to stand up with your shield and hold their attention for as long as possible."
Gertrude looked at her as she began to scoot away, "Understood ma'am." She was too tired to even consider questioning orders.
Adolfine had slid about 15 yards away from the others as she prepped the weapon, "I hope this is as easy as it looks." "NOW!" She yelled as she popped from cover.
Looking down the reflex sight mounted on the launcher, she was greeted to the sight of both guns engaging the captain; she was staggering back from the volume of fire heading her way. Remembering the staff sergeant's crash course on the weapon, she targeted and aimed slightly above the first half-track as it finally noticed her. She pulled the trigger and ducked as rounds dug up dirt all around her.
The 40mm High-Explosive grenade flew from the barrel with a muffled "bloop" and headed on course for the target. Reaching it's programmed distance the weapon armed itself as it began a parabolic descent. The gunner had just stopped firing to reload when he noticed the small object heading straight for his face. It impacted the gun shield directly underneath his head and detonated.
Galland's shot was answered with an explosion followed quickly by the sounds of hundreds of rounds going off as the grenade had detonated the HE rounds the gun had been firing, followed yet again by an even larger explosion indicating that the half-track had detonated as well. The second gun went silent as it too went for a reload.
"Again!" Galland jumped up again along with the others with her as they attempted to end this. Galland froze as the turret began to fire; the gunner had tricked them. She quickly fired another round, not having enough time to properly aim as she dove once again for the dirt. The turret stitched a line up the road before the rounds proceeded into the body of one of her men; the rounds chewed the top part of his body into a bloody pulp before the grenade hit.
Unlike the well-aimed first grenade the second one was off. It spun through the air as it approached it's target. Missing the turret entirely, the grenade landed on the spare ammo for the gun and the whole vehicle disappeared in a ball of fire. Once the screaming had stopped, the two witches and the three remaining men slowly approached the staff car as the amount of gunfire around the house finally died down; the sounds of groans, cries, and the crackle of fire being the only noises.
Approaching the staff car Galland noticed the single hole in the hood indicating the sniper's first shot. She drew her Luger as Barkhorn wrenched the rear door off the vehicle, "Out. Now." She growled as she aimed at the man within. With five weapons aimed at him Maloney sighed as he finally exited the car; he glared at her before he turned to Barkhorn, "Well captain, it seems we meet again."
"Shut up Maloney before I do it for you."
"A temper as always captain; not a trait that is desirable in a woman."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" She yelled as she stomped towards him. She stopped as Galland put a hand on her shoulder.
"Later captain, for now we need this man in one piece."
Maloney gave them a knowing smile, "Whatever for Miss Galland?"
She glared at him, "You know damn well what we're here for."
"And why should I share any information with you? I am but a civilian now; no longer part of the military thanks to you witches," he spat. "I owe you nothing."
Galland nodded, "While that might be the case, I've learned a few things from our friends from the other reality. We can try you as a terrorist and that means you get no rights." As she finished her men approached and tied the former Air Marshall up. He growled at them, "You think this means anything? You have nothing to get me to speak."
She nodded again as the marine and Harris approached with the Russian appearing from the smoke behind. "While that may be true, and I do not have the authority to execute you right now I do however…" She nodded at the Russian as he holstered his rifle and drew his knife. "I do believe the lieutenant here is very good at helping people who don't like to speak."
Maloney's grin faltered as the soldier approached, "Let us talk старик."
November 8, 1945 1136 Hours- Maloney Residence, Sussex, Britannia
Galland sighed as she leaned back against the truck she rode in on; a medic continued to check her over, "Hasn't been my most graceful day but it works. We got the information we needed and we know where the sub is headed. You?"
She watched Vought tiredly smile, "Hive successfully destroyed; no casualties except from the conventional forces from Gallia. Maj. Sakamoto… Mio… she destroyed the damn core with her god damn sword."
Galland and Barkhorn grinned back as they knew something like that would have happened at some point in time, Galland turned back to the small screen; still marveling in the amount of technology crammed into this small device, "Congratulation. It would have taken us years to do what you have done in months. Tell Mio to keep it up… anyway we know where the sub is headed."
The witches watched as Vought turned to Dr. Lansby, who was whispering in his ear; Vought grinned as he turned back to the screen, "And we know where the sub is right now. So where is it headed?"
Galland grinned as Dr. Pierce silently entered the room behind the colonel, "An island in the Indian Ocean that houses a RAF base; an RAF Station Diego Garcia." Galland frowned as Vought facepalmed, "What?"
Vought held up a finger as he turned to a grinning Russian colonel, "I'm assuming you want to raid the future B-2 bomber base?"
Vitaly's grin grew larger, "Something like that Chris… something like that."
Vought turned back to Galland, "Yes we are quite familiar with the base. In our time, the US has a massive runway and space-tracking station on the island and is the forward operating base for US stealth bombers. As for our missing people, we just witnessed them being loaded onto a surface ship; we will get an ID soon. They appear to be alright and we will confirm that as soon as we establish radio contact with Lt. Nemes."
Galland tilted her head, "How are you going to do that if they have no radio?"
"Nemes has a small radio implanted in his shoulder that is capable of picking up the speech through the vibrations in his bones. We will know soon enough their condition."
She smiled at this information, "Great work Chris, I'm glad we were able to find them now… I suggest sleeping. You look like shit."
Vought sighed as the bridge crew snorted in amusement at him; he could not win. "I will ma'am as soon as we find out their condition." He turned to begin barking orders and stopped as the doctor walked up to him, "What Pierce? I'm busy."
"You are going to sleep now; doctor's orders." He stated as he pulled a syringe from his pocket and dumped the contents into the colonel's neck. Vought's eyes widened in surprise before they glazed over and he collapsed to the floor in a heap; Galland and the others watched as Preddy and Foss rushed him while the doctor checked his breathing. Satisfied he stood up, "He just sleeping Jean; it was a sedative. He wasn't going to sleep anytime soon so I took matters into my own hands." He turned to Ross, "You're in charge until he wakes up… sometime tomorrow." He checked his watch as he had two orderlies lift Vought onto a gurney. He looked to the screen, "Ma'am I'll be seeing you later; thanks for the distraction."
Galland smiled, "Anytime doctor," she looked to Ross, "Keep me informed on their condition and let me know when you get contact. Oh and you can send someone to pick up these four; I'm done with them."
"Understood ma'am, will do."
As Ross went to cut the signal, she spoke up again, "Oh and one more thing commander." He stopped and turned to her.
"The 504th is joining your crew for the remainder of your stay; have fun." She winked as she cut the connection.
The bridge crew stared at Ross as he blankly stared at the display; Huberta lightly shook him, "Huberta, did I really just hear that or…"
She nodded as he groaned, "Well the colonel is going to love this."
November 8, 1945 1207 Hours- Unmarked Submarine, Surface
Nemes squinted as they stepped into the bright sun; the deck rocking from the waves. He looked down to Hannah as he stood protectively between her and the guns behind him, "Just remain calm Al, everything will work out. Remember your training." He stopped as he recognized the ship they were currently docked alongside, "You've got to be kidding me," he deadpanned. A sharp jab to his back made him start walking again.
"Keep walking Yankee. You too witch."
As he boarded the pocket battleship he glanced at the sun, "Around noon… good to know. And judging by how sore I am, we were probably on that sub for at least a day so it must be the eight… that's what I'm calling it then." He got a slight shiver as he realized the history of the ship he was now standing on.
Launched on June 30, 1934 the Kriegsmarine Deutschland-class heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee was one of the fastest ships of it's time. Capable of running at nearly 30 knots, the ship was able to chase down or run away from anything. With six 11in guns and eight 6in guns, the Spee could outgun almost anything that approached it. Since the start of the Neuroi War, Karlsland had kept the ship as far away as possible to protect merchant shipping from Liberion and then sent her to the Indian Ocean to protect shipments from Fuso. Escorted under guard, Nemes and Marseille reached the bridge.
The captain glanced back at him with sadness on his face; he glared at their guards, "Out, all of you. They aren't going to escape; they have nowhere to go." He waited for the guards to leave before he and his XO moved up and removed their restraints. Marseille rubbed her wrist… again, "Why did you do that sir?"
Kriegsmarine Captain Hans Langsdorff sighed as he looked around his bridge, the crew going back to their duties as the sub cast off; he looked to the witch, he spoke with a noticeable German accent; "I'm sorry Capt. Marseille but I'm only following orders; this wouldn't be happening if I had any say in it." He sighed again as he looked to the deck, "As long as you are on my ship, you two will be safe. For the duration of the trip captain, you get my quarters and my men will make sure nothing happens to you. The one pulling the strings here may not like the witches but myself and the rest of my crew do. We probably would not be here if it wasn't for you." He looked to the Nemes, "My apologies, you are?"
Nemes saluted as he went to attention, "1st Lt. Alex Nemes, Stargate Command, sir."
"Star-gate Command huh?" Langdorff rolled the name over his tongue as he sat back down; he looked at the Nemes, "At ease lieutenant; you're with that ship from the other reality."
Nemes nodded as he relaxed, "Yes sir."
The captain looked up at him, "I'm sorry for everything that has happened. I will try my best to protect you as well lieutenant however, the men that brought you in… they do not like you very much."
Alex and Hannah both grinned slightly at the captain's attempt at a joke; he grinned as well. He stood up again as he led the two of them from the bridge, "Welcome to the Admiral Graf Spee."
*SNAFU- Situation Normal: All Fucked Up
Quick history lesson, Captain Hans Langsdorff was one of a group of German WWII officers that I believe deserve some respect. He wanted to go to sea, the moment the Nazi party took office and instead was stuck in administration for a few years. The men the captain and his ship captured during commerce raiding were all treated fairly. When released most of the men even shook his and the crews hands as they were dropped off; he was well respected from both the sides. He was respected to the point that at his funeral, both British and German officials were present to pay their respects.
Another chapter down everyone; and it is fixed Hurrah. I know Market Garden was a failed Allied operation but I still thought it fit. I may change the name later. New update though turns out chapter 12 was successfully saved to my backup HHD so no need to fix that one; it will be up on schedule on the 1st. Keep the reviews up everyone; you all rock. Thank you for everything. Till next time everyone, Ghostrider21 signing off.