Alix's defiant challenge hung there for a few seconds. Finally, the voice, a note of amusement seeping through its tone, responded.
"You have no idea of the forces that I've marshaled to destroy you. Even now, they encircle you, bearing down. You cannot stop them. This is the last chance you have to spare your life - and the lives of your people. But do not mistake this generous offer for unwillingness to fight on my part. We are doing this for the sake of God's mercy - a quality you British seem to be totally ignorant of. Do the smart thing. Surrender and save your own lives. This will not be-"
Whatever remark was coming next was cut off by the sound of Alix literally pulling the microphone out of its socket by its wire on the radio console, and definitively punctuated by her throwing it as hard as she could at the console. With a metal crash, the device toppled to the ground.
"Well, I've had just about enough of that
shit," Alix muttered to nobody in particular, still trying to get the emphasis of the expletive right (she wasn't used to using such coarse language).
And to think I wanted to be a diplomat...
Over in Pretoria..."- a battle that you can win. We will strike with-"
The sound of several metallic bangs cut off the General's words.
"Hello? Lieutenant Harrison?"
Huidebroeke waited several seconds.
"They're not going to respond, the SS colonel seated next to him remarked testily. "I told you that was a waste of time."
Huidebroeke sighed."Fine."
He turned to his aide. "Give the orders for Buffalo Flight to carry out their run, and for the battalion to move in with extreme prejudice. They are to take no prisoners."
"Yes, sir."
Something odd in that voice... the SS colonel thought to himself.
Sounded almost feminine...He turned his thoughts back to business. He couldn't afford to lose himself in speculation now, especially when he clearly had to take a tougher line with this "General". The German, if he was to be honest with himself, expected much more professionalism from this Boer warlord - asking them to surrender was ridiculous, for one. Much less in that ridiculously overwrought manner. Such a waste of time. And now, the British would be expecting a counterattack.
Perfect. What a masterstroke.
His train of thought was interrupted once again by the arrival of another aide.
"General, message from our Johannesburg Commando. The recon reports say that the Kaffirs in the South West Township have been sufficiently agitated - they are preparing to move in a demonstration to happen tonight, at the Township borderline. The police are riding out to meet them."
The aide consulted his notes.
"Erm...didn't quite understand this part...the Kommandant wishes to know if the plans that he and you discussed on the 25th are to go into effect as a result of this."
Huidebroeke took a heavy swig from his flask. "Tell him that it's good to hear from him, that the plans are to go forward exactly as given, and that I wish him good luck in tonight's campaign. Send in Lieutenant van Brecht on your way out."
The aide saluted.
The Boer turned to his German ally and grinned. It wasn't returned, but he didn't mind. Some people just didn't know how to have fun.
"Now, the really
fiendish part starts."
Back in the house...A moment after Alix ended negotiations, Reide's radio crackled.
"Ground Flights, eyes on perimeter - you have a large number of unidentified troops moving on your position."
Almost at the same moment, Alix could hear Carter's voice call out through the house:
Gibberan wrote:Carter leaned away from the door and waited for Talbot's orders. He was in charge after all. While he waited, he ducked his head into the doorway and called out,
"Ms. Noble, we have people approaching from the woods; most likely OB. They are armed, getting closer, and do not seem friendly!"After there was no response from inside the building, he began to get worried. "
Are you there?"
"Yeah, we're here, Flying Officer," she called out.
"Why the hell would the UDF be moving in?" Reide wondered aloud.
"You didn't call them in?"
The South African shook his head no.
Alix swore very loudly in her mind.
"Well, one way or another, let's go meet our gallant allies and see what they want. Double-time it, people."
Up in the air...United Kingdom of Poland wrote:"Copy lead" Polanski climbed until he was roughly 2,000 feet above the bombers, careful to not be silouetted by the full moon. Below him he could see the bombers in their semi-full glory. Even from this distance he culd make out the fact that these were not planes of british origin, even if they did have the patented shoot me here bullseye the brits all so loved. They were two slender. then the sound hit him as he circled behind,
German engins, Same as the aircraft that bombed his home for the first month of the war. "Sword lead this is Blue flight, do the UDF have any German aircraft because i can garuntee thos are not british made bombers."
Page racked his brain for the old intelligence information on German aircraft exports he'd read weeks ago (at best).
"...You know, Nine, I actually think they might. I'm just spitballing here, but I seem to recall that the Saffies bought a few dozen Junkers 86s from the Luftwaffe prewar - and just judging from here, those silhouettes don't look wrong. They may not necessarily be hostile."
"Captain?" a nervous voice ventured from the front of the plane - the pilot. "What's the situation? We're hearing some pretty worrying things here."
"Just hold your course," Page called back, feigning calmness that he didn't feel. "Everything's under control."
He turned back to Coetzee. "Get me an open channel."
Coetzee, for the first time looking nervous, did so, and handed Page the microphone. Just as he did so, another broadcast came in.
"Buffalo Leader calling unidentified aircraft. This is your final warning-"
"This is Sword Lead to Buffalo Squadron," Page yelled back into the microphone. "I don't know what's going on on your end, but we're not the ones intruding on an operation - you are! This is
our operation. Right now, I'm going to assume you're planning on dropping some bombs on that house down there, right? Well guess what: if you do, you're set to plaster
my people. This isn't a debate - back yourselves off, or you
will be shot down."
The response from the bombers was muted. "Erm...copy, Sword Lead. Stand by while we check in with Swartkop. We haven't heard anything about-"
"
NO!" Page roared back. "I am
not going to stand by, Buffalo! Nobody has called you in! You are
directly threatening my team! I don't know what the hell you're doing here, but I am ordering you, as a Squadron Leader of the Royal Air Force, to pull yourselves back immediately or so help me God, I am going to order my people to down you all - and believe me, they will! You have-"
Page furiously checked his watch.
"-five seconds to change course before I tell them to shoot!"
Back to join White Flight...The Two Jerseys wrote:Talbot grabbed one of the packs slung over his shoulder and pulled out a Very pistol and an illumination flare. "Let's at least give ourselves a chance to avoid a court martial first," he said as he poked his head over the sandbag wall.
He shouted at the treeline in the loudest voice he could muster: "HALT! WHO COMES THERE?"
There was no response from the dark void, save for the wind in the trees, the rustling of the foliage below (perhaps because of the tramping of combat boots?) and in the distance, the rising whine of unfamiliar engines from above.
A moment later, another sound entered the fray as Red Flight emerged from the building. Alix rushed to join her fellow flight lead, diving under the sandbag wall.
"Jackal's not here, the whole thing was a set-up," she muttered to Geoff through gritted teeth. "I guess you've already noticed that we're surrounded-"
She craned her neck upwards as she noticed the Junkers noise. "What the hell is that? Those don't sound like Spitfires..."