Chapter 18: Presentations
12:45 pm
The vehicle carrying El, Göring, and Wittman was driving along the road.
"Is there still a long way to go?" El asked, noting that they had left the city behind.
"We are almost there!" The driver answered.
"The divisions of the Foreign Legion have their bases around the perimeter of the training camp." Göring explained to her.
"Ah, I understand ..." The dark-haired girl said.
After a quarter of an hour of travel they came near a three-storey sand-colored building, in front of which the flags of some countries were waving from some flagpoles: Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Nicaragua and Honduras. At that point the car stopped and the three girls got out.
"Why those flags? I thought the Rodrigo Division students were all Spanish. " Asked the former Blue Division commander.
"Spanish-speaking. You know, Spain colonized half the world, so… "The deputy commander of the Black Sun replied, and then turned to Wittman.
"Wait for us here. Since you gave us a lift to go, you will also give us one to return. "
"Ja, stellvertretender Kommandant (Yes, deputy commander)!" He answered the girl, getting to attention.
Upon entering the front door they were greeted by a girl with back-length black hair and brown eyes, wearing a khaki uniform with the Rodrigo de Vivar logo on it, a yellow shield with a stylized black tank in the center.
"¡Buenas tardes, Subcomandante!" She greeted the aforementioned.
"Buenas tardes, Francisca."
"What brings you here?"
"I wanted to personally introduce you to Gloria Navarro, AKA Grandes, a former student of the Invincible Armada school. I guess you saw her during the ceremony, but since she will be among your ranks, you better get to know each other. "
The girl named Francisca turned in El's direction, and warmly shook her hand.
"Bienvenida! It is a pleasure to have another mine compatriot on board! Tell me, which city are you from?"
"Madrid."
"Me from Barcelona! Before coming here I was a student in the Santa Maria. "
"With what role?"
"Commander in chief, you?"
"Tank commander. And it will be my same role here in your division. "
"I know, I was there too at the ceremony. Which tank did you drive? "
"Panzer II Ausf. F. "
"Muy bien, we have a couple on hand! But now follow me, I want to introduce you to the others! Come along too, Subcomandante! " Francisca invited them.
Francisca escorted her guests to her office, which contained two sofas, four armchairs, a desk and some paintings on the walls, one of which depicted the battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. There were also ten girls there, all dark-haired (except for two blondes) and with black or brown eyes.
"Chicas, this is Gloria Navarro, a Spanish former student of the Invincible Armada and the new tank commander of Rodrigo. You can call it Grandes. Grandes, this is Isabela, our compatriot ... "
"¡Hola!"
"... Carmen, Mexican ..."
"Bienvenida!"
"... Rosa, Honduran ..."
"Encantada!" The latter exclaimed, bowing.
"... Penélope, Nicaraguan ..."
"Hello, Grandes!"
"... Maria, Colombian ..."
"Salutations!"
"... Miguela, Peruvian ..."
"Hello!"
"... Cristina, Uruguayan ..."
"Nice to meet you!"
"Jeanine, Bolivian ..."
"Welcome to the team!" Blonde number 1, who had straight hair down to her back, greeted her.
"... Rigoberta, Guatemalan ..."
"I welcome you."
"... And finally Augusta Rodriguez, Chilean."
The latter, the blonde number two, who had straight hair up to the back, lipstick on her lips and green eyes, greeted her with a nod. Unlike the others, who wore the same uniform as Francisca, she wore a uniform consisting of a general's cap, a white shirt with gold buttons and a short white skirt.
"They are Rodrigo's spearheads."
"Nice to meet you!" El stated.
"The pleasure is ours." Augusta answered, standing up and shaking her hand.
"I guess you want to take a look at our tanks."
"Exactly, Francisca."
"We will show them to you later, now tell us a little about yourself."
"What do you want to know?"
"Well, we know your name and surname, your role, that you come from Madrid… Tell us more. For example which team you support, your favorite color etc. "
"I'm a Real Madrid fan, my favorite color is blue, I love paella, I like westerns movies, macarena and the sea. My favorite animal is the dog. "
Francisca nodded.
"Now it's our turn… I'm a fan of FC Barcelona, my favorite color is white, I love paella too, I like war movies, samba and country music. My favorite animal is the cat. "
Isabela: "I come from Valencia, I am a fan of the team of the same name, my favorite color is red, I like Fideuà, I love romantic films, classical music and the mountains. My favorite animal is the fox. "
Carmen: "I come from Ciudad de Mexico, I am a fan of the Club de Fútbol América, my favorite color is yellow, I like action films, Pozol, Latin American music and the sea. My favorite animals are the gray whale and the Mexican wolf. "
Rosa: "I come from Tegucigalpa, I am a supporter of Honduras Progreso, my favorite color is blue, I like science fiction films, tango, baleada, and the sea. My favorite animals are the jaguar, the raccoon and the green turtle. "
Penélope: "I come from Managua, I am a fan of the Diriangén Fútbol Club, my favorite color is orange, I like yellow, Latin American music, Gallo Pinto ..."
"What?" El asked, interrupting her.
"A traditional dish from my homeland, consisting of rice and beans."
"So say rice and beans!" Göring said.
Penélope glared at her but continued:
"I also like the sea and also the lake. Favorite animals: the blue whale and the ocelot. "
Maria: "I come from Bogota. Cheering for Equidad Club Deportivo, my favorite color is yellow, I like both the sea and the mountains, my favorite animal is the macaw, a parrot. "
Miguela: "I come from Lima, cheering Club Alianza Lima, I am a lover of history, I love the archaeological sites of my homeland (like Machu Picchu and the Nazca lines) and my favorite animal is the llama."
Cristina: "I am originally from Montevideo, I cheer Peñarol, I like the sea and I love cats. Ah, I'm also crazy about Spanish cuisine. "
Jeanine: "I come from San Joaquín, in the department of Beni, on the border with Brazil. I am a fan of Club Bolívar, I like to go on a trip to Lake Titicaca. "
Rigoberta: "I am originally from Uspantán, Quiché department (on the border with Mexico). I'm a fan of Club Social y Deportivo Comunicaciones, and I like hamsters (in fact I own one). "
Augusta: "I come from Valparaiso, in the region of the same name. I'm a fan of the Club Deportivo Huachipata, I like German Shepherds. "
El bowed.
"It will be an honor for me to fight alongside you!"
"The same goes for us, chica!" Francisca affirmed, winking at her.
1:15 pm
While El made acquaintance with her new companions, Kay was in Sarah's Jeep and was headed, with her and Himmler, to the base of the Yorktown Division.
"Your division takes its name from the battle of the same name, right?" She asked the blonde, turning to Dwight / Sarah.
"That's right: October 1781, the Franco-American forces led by the American generals George Washington and Alexander Hamilton and the French Rochambeau and Lafayette forced the British troops of General Cornwallis to surrender, sanctioning the definitive victory of the thirteen colonies (current United States of America) on the now former English motherland. " The latter confirmed, driving the car.
"Dwight is a fan of that period, you know?" Himmler stated.
"You mean the American War of Independence?" Kay asked her.
"Exactly! Together with Hilda, she is the most knowledgeable on the subject, and every 4th of July they celebrate her in style! "
"Hilda herself takes part in our celebrations." Sarah added.
"For real?"
"Exactly, blondie ... Even if she is a German her heart is still stars and stripes!"
The girl nodded.
"I see…" She said.
Having said that she turned to Himmler:
"Take away my curiosity, why does Göring practice boxing?"
She had asked Goring that question before, but there was a chance she hadn't told her everything.
There and then Himmler did not answer, then asked:
"Why are you interested in her?"
"Curiosity." Was the answer.
The bespectacled girl hesitated, then she said:
"It is probably due to a bad episode from her childhood."
"What episode?"
"I only know that as a child she was beaten by two older girls, who left her lying on the ground."
That revelation surprised Kay / Patton not a little.
"Why did they attack her?"
"I have no idea ... Try asking to her when you see her."
"I'll do it you can count on it!"
"The base is still a bit missing ... In the meantime, let's listen to some music!" Dwight proposed.
With that said he inserted a cassette tape into the car stereo and hit Play. After a few moments a gritty music rang out in the air.
watch?v=93fAJe8WVjA
"Born to be wild! Nice song! " Kay commented enthusiastically.
"You know this song?" Sarah asked her.
The blonde nodded.
"I once saw the movie Easy Rider and this song got me really excited… It's from Steppenwolf, right?"
"Exactly, a Californian band active, except for a few breaks, from 1967 to today."
"I don't understand how you like this rubbish..." Himmler commented, obviously annoyed.
Dwight looked at her as if he had just uttered a blasphemy.
"Rubbish? But can you explain to me what music do you listen to? " She asked.
"The greats of German music, of course! Wagner, Beethoven and others! "
Sarah laughed.
"Archaic trash!" She commented, greatly irritating her interlocutor, making her angry.
"Moderate your words, Yankee! Or I guarantee you that you will lose your position as division commander, and end up cleaning the streets! " She warned her.
In response, the driver looked at her in fear, and then returned to focus on driving her.
"Forgive my insolence…" She said.
Himmler did not dream of replying.