The Longboats

The Skipper entered the small jail where he had locked up the two spies and looked at Sara as she sat on the edge of a small chair; the man was laying on the makeshift bed. Stopping at the bars he just looked at them both as they stared back without expression. They seemed to know they had a death sentence before them and where doing nothing but waiting to die.

“Sara.” The Skipper said as he pulled a chair near the cell bars. “How many others are working in here with you? I know there has to be others. You couldn’t have sent all that information by yourself.”

She turned her head away and looked out the window without saying a word her eyes became misty.

“How about you?” The Skipper asked the man on the bed. “How many work for you?”

“You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you.” He said as he sat up rubbing his face.

“What does that mean?” The Skipper asked.

The man rubbed his face with both hands as he got up and moved to the bars.

“I have been in and out of here for the last two years, gathering information and sending it back to my people.”

“Interesting! What about Sara?” The Skipper asked.

“She is...well.” He stammered. “She is nothing but a go between. Nothing more.”

“A go between?” He asked as he slid his chair closer to the bars and sat down.

“So who exactly, do you work for?” The Skipper asked the man.

“You think I work for the Greeks, don’t you?” The man said with a slight smile. “Couldn’t be further from the truth,” he chuckled slightly as he turned around then back the Skipper.

The Skipper leaded back with a frown on his face, crossing his arms over his chest.

“If you don’t work for the Greeks, who has been filtering information out to them? They have everything we do and that is impossible unless they have spies to send it forward.”

“It’s a bit more complicated than that.” The man said as he looked at Sara. Her head was hanging low and she seemed she was crying.

“Let’s start with the basics, how do you know Sara?” He asked him.

“Well. There’s no point in hiding anything now. You’ve caught everyone involved on MY side.” The man said as he leaned on the bars.

“What about the Greeks? How many are there here in town?” The Skipper asked him.

“Look!” The man turned and held the bars looking intently at the Skipper.

“I don’t work for the Greeks. I never have and I HATE the Greeks for what they did to my country!” He said angrily.

“Then who the hell Do you work for?” The Skipper leaned forward.

“The English!” He said as he looked at the Skipper with impunity.

“The English?” The Skipper stood up and walked around the room dumbfounded.

“Then how the hell did the Greeks get all our information?” He asked him.

“Because they have spies in here also and they are all over your town.” He said flatly.

“And you send information back to the English? Why?” The Skipper stood by the bars un-moving.

The man took a deep breath and sighed loudly.

“Because we want to push the damn Greeks OUT of England!” He looked at the Skipper with a cocked head. “And anything we can use to do it with, we will.”

The Skipper sat down with furrowed brow and felt confused at the confession.

“How can I be sure what you tell me is the truth?” The Skipper asked.

“Can a Greek speak like this?” He said in a heavy English accent instead of the Norse language and the Skipper took a step back as he heard a heavy English accent.

“You speak English?” The Skipper said to him in his own language and the man took a step backwards with wide eyes.

“Who are you?” The man asked the Skipper as if in shock.

“I think I need to ask you that question first!” The Skipper still spoke English and Sara looked at both of them with confusion, her eyes still watery with tears running down her cheeks.

“I am Captain Samson, United States Marine Corps. Who the HELL are you?” he asked him.

The man began to laugh so hard that he had to sit on the edge of the bed then looked at the Skipper with a broad smile.

“My name,” he stood up and walked to the bars and held them with both hands. “Is Major John Welsh of Her Majesties Service, commonly known as MI5.” He smiled as he looked the Skipper in his eyes.

“Oh my GOD!” The Skipper sat down as he looked at the Major with wide eyes.

“And YOU are in the United States Marine Corps?” he smiled.

“Yes!” Is all the Skipper could manage to say.

Major Welsh took a deep sigh as he looked at the Skipper.

“Can we safely say we are both on the same side then?” Major Welsh said.

The Skipper jumped up with the keys and unlocked the cell door.

“What about her?” The Skipper pointed to Sara.

“Well. She was my runner. That’s all but she worked for me and the English.” He said as he took a step through the door.

“The fog?” The Skipper looked at the Major.

“Yes and I suppose it was the same for you?” he asked.

“What YEAR did you come from, Major?” The Skipper moved to the door of the small room.

“Nineteen- forty-three.” The Major said. “I was on the airfield waiting for a flight to Northern France to link up with the French Resistance, called the FFI when that fog rolled in. Then, well, here I am.”

“And what year were you?” The major asked.

“Nineteen eighty-three.”

“How long have you been here?” The Skipper was curious.

“About seven years now, how about you?”

“Six.”

“So. Since you came from eighty-three, who won the war?” He asked.

“We did. Well, the allies in nineteen forty-five.” The Skipper said.

“Interesting, but you have brought these people into what looks like the nineteenth century!” The major said as he looked around just outside the jail.

“I came with my entire Company, around two hundred and fifteen men along with a platoon of Danish Marines. Everyone had something to contribute, that’s why we are so far advanced of anyone else.” He turned to him with a questioned look.

“What happened in England that made you want our technology?”

“The Romans.” He said as they walked to the Great Hall with Sara not far behind them.

“I was following Greek infiltrators that came to this town and I wanted to find out why they were so interested in you and they were sending information back to the Greeks. In other words, the Romans are working with the Greeks. We found out the Greeks offered the Romans their country back if they would work for the Greeks, so they took them up on it.” He took a deep breath. “You can say I was surprised to say the least at what I saw when I first got to your town.”

“And the Romans. You said you wanted to get rid of them?” The Skipper asked as they climbed the steps of the Great Hall.

“Yes! They came to Great Briton, well, er....England, and conquered us when they fled from Rome.”

“So you are NOT in cahoots with them?” The Skipper smiled at him.

“Definitely not! They invaded us to escape the Greeks, and then conquered everything they came across.” The Major said.

“So, if we give you the technology we have you could turn against them on OUR side?” The skipper stopped at the top of the steps looking at the Major intently.

“Absolutely!” The Major smiled. “My intent was to make contact with your leaders and pass this on from several of our Kings that are basically, held hostage by the Romans.”

“What about these infiltrators you saw in here. Can you identify them if I asked you to?”

“Why certainly. I would be more than happy to. I have been trying to snatch them for years.” He smiled at the Skipper. “But your warriors always seem to be in the way.”

“I have received messages from the front that the Romans have switched sides in mid battle. Can you help us on that?” the Skipper asked.

“I wanted to tell you chaps about that but you would not have believed me then.” The Major said. “We have groups in England that I have built into a resistance, much like the FFI, against the Romans and we attack them at every opportunity with hit and run tactics. If you could give us something to fight with, we can make a big difference.”

“I’m putting my life in your hands, Major.” The Skipper shook hands with the Major.

“I’ll inform our King about this as soon as we get inside.” He let the Major inside the door first then escorted Sara to the back room where she could take her place at home again with Gunny’s children.

“I’m sorry, Sara. I’m sorry this had to happen to you but I’m glad we found out in time.” He told her. “I’ll inform Gunny and Yngvildr about the situation.”

“Now, Captain Samson. I have a thousand questions for you. First....how did your Gunnery Sergeant become the king?”

The Skipper smiled as he sat at the long table and poured them both mead.

“It’s a long story so let me start at the beginning.” The Skipper started to tell the Major how everything began.

Sigrun had his men take a position south east of town with some manning the captured Greek artillery pieces, turning them towards the sea and the approaching Greek and Roman ships. Making contact with the Saxons, he had them take a position across the southern approaches of the city to await a Greek counter attack. He saw Hagans ships form a line north of the city and start firing at long range as they steamed forward at a speed he thought was impossible.

“Pick your target and FIRE!” He yelled at the artillery crews.

All guns started to fire without hesitating and the crew reloaded as fast as they could. He saw geysers forming among the enemy ships but they too, returned fire at Hagans ships. Their shelling seemed to be as a water fall landing around our ships and he knew Hagan was out numbered.

“Take them, Hagan. TAKE THEM!” He yelled to no one as he stood there watching the naval battle through his binoculars.

Hagans shells tore into the Greek ships with ferocity and their bows would splinter into pieces with masts falling on several Greek and Roman ships already. Smoke started billowing from the enemy ships but one of Hagans ships was hit in her stern causing it to bounce into the air with the entire front exploding to bits. Large pieces of splintered wood along with bodies of the crew flew into the air then it began to sink as the crew jumped overboard.

Our ships fired so much faster than the enemy ships and caused seven of them to turn around and flee the battle, but more than a dozen still came forward to meet Hagan head on. Each side firing as fast as they could with most of our shells making direct hits then he saw another of our ships get hit. First he saw smoke coming from it then flames began to erupt from the back. It turned and headed back to Amsterdam as the crew frantically tried to put the fire out.

He counted six of our ships still in the battle, each firing two or three shells to each one of the Greek ships. He saw that our ships had better accuracy than the Greeks and most of the shells from Hagans ships were hits while the majority of the Greeks shells went wild. The sea around Hagans ships seemed as if Njord, God of the sea, was angry and tearing up the ocean.

Turning to his crew on the captured guns, he was going to yell for them to fire faster but he saw them loading and firing as fast as humanly possible. One man stood by each gun and aimed it carefully while the rest of the soldiers loaded or threw the empty shell casings aside, carrying another one to hand it off and slid it into the breach. He focused his binoculars on the Greek fleet and saw their oars working quickly as they neared Hagans ships. They were getting close to shore, trying to slip past Hagan and into the harbor.

“Get a company over here. NOW!” He yelled at his soldiers behind him.

There was a scramble of activity from his soldiers as they formed up into four ranks and kneeled down facing him. Sigrun looked at them and saw an officer in the front.

“Get your soldiers to the top of that slight ridge.” He pointed towards the coast. “ You should be able to see the Greek fleet and they will be within small arms range in a few minutes. I want you to rain down hell on them with your rifles and that machine gun you have.’ He looked at the young officer. “Understand?” He asked and the young officer smiled at him.

“Absolutely!” He stood, yelled a few commands and the entire company of two hundred soldiers ran to the ridge overlooking the harbor just as the Greek fleet came within range only two hundred yards away.

Sigrun saw the troops open fire with the cracking of the rifles echoing along the open water. Focusing his binoculars, he could see many Greek sailors falling on their decks then the machine gun opened fire with its slow rate of fire and raked along the sides of several ships that were within one hundred yards of the coast line. He could see small pieces of splinters flying off the enemy ships as one ship’s captain ordered his crew to turn around, then another did the same. Hagan continued his firing from his deck guns which now seemed to be hitting at or below the water line, causing several Greek ships to start sinking.

Many Greek sailors were swimming for the coast just under his soldiers and were not armed while others were trying to reach one of their ships to get aboard. His machine gun began to rake across the water killing many sailors trying to swim to safety.

“Do NOT kill the prisoners!” He yelled at the soldiers on the ridge and the machine gun again, trained its fire on the enemy ships.

Hagan turned his ships toward the harbor to cut the Greeks off which were very close to ramming each other. His guns were still firing as well as the crew firing their rifles at the enemy crew with devastating results. Sigrun was watching the Greek sailors fall by the dozens as they scrambled to jump over board to escape the deadly fire of the Norse rifles. Three Greek ships drifted aimlessly with the tide back out to sea while two more were smoking and in complete flames. Sigrun jumped up and shouted, waving his arms in the air wildly.

“YOU DID IT HAGAN!”

He turned to his communicator.

“Send a message to Gunny that the harbor is secure. Greek fleet on the run and the city is in our hands.”

Gerhold had his line of march stop and his flanks drawn back in slightly as he ran into stiff resistance from the Greeks on his left flank. They had over run what looked like a large supply dump with hundreds of tons of food and ammunition. A few more days, he thought and his lines would have crumbled with the weight of an attack this large. He also captured fifteen artillery pieces and eight hundred prisoners, which he had no idea what to do with so he sent Gunny a message asking where to put them.

The Greeks put up a good fight then fell back and reformed and that told him they were well trained and had good leadership on this side of the lines. That was why he decided to slow his advance and let the Gunny know he had stopped to figure out what the enemy was up to. He sent out patrols a few minutes ago and did not expect them back for some time so in the meantime he had his men start counting exactly what they had captured as well as dig in and find some sort of defensive positions for his lines.

He spread his map on the ground and called his officers for a meeting then built a small fire to heat up some tea. The surrounding area was covered with enemy equipment as well as their bodies, dead horses and over turned wagons and carriages for artillery but he had to have his tea. Glancing at the stores of supplies he spied something sticking out of the side of a small pile of what appeared to be wooded crates, but this one was opened.

Grunting as he got up he walked over to the crate to examine its content and found it to be small artillery shells that were painted bright red with lettering around the projectile. It was written in Greek so he called over one of his aids to find a prisoner that spoke German to translate it for him. A few minutes later the soldier brought one of the Greeks in his mustard yellow uniform to stand next to Gerhard.

“What’s this?” He asked the Greek.

“It says handle with care. Gas!” He said without looking at Gerhard.

“What does Gas mean?” He asked with furrowed brow as he bent over to look into the Greeks eyes.

“It’s something our Generals had made to use against you but we do not agree with them on its use.”

“What do you mean you don’t agree?” Gerhard asked, and then held the shell up to his face as the man backed up but was pushed forward by the guard.

“What do you mean?” he asked again, raising his voice.

“It’s something our new Generals call gas warfare.” He said as he turned his head away.

“What does it do to you?” Gerhard set the shell down carefully.

“It explodes in the enemy lines and lets out a gas that will kill anyone it touches.”

“AH!” So the Gunny was right when he told us about this gas attack they may use, he thought.

“And it fires out of those guns?” He pointed to the captured Greek artillery pieces and the man nodded yes.

“So. You were going to try to kill us without even seeing us, right?”

The man looked at Gerhard sternly.

“Like I said. The soldiers in my unit did not like the idea and we were going to refuse to use it.” He said.

“You were going to mutiny against your leaders?” The man nodded.

“How would that have played out I wonder,” he smiled at the Greek. “And is there anger within your ranks or not?”

“Yes!” He said flatly then looked Gerhard square in his eyes. “We would have gone home long ago if it were not for the new Generals. Our soldiers are tired of this and just want to go home.”

“New Generals? Where did they come from, do you have any idea?”

“No. They came to us from Greece last year and they have been training us in a different kind of warfare.” He said. “He also told us he would never give up as long as the Germans were alive.”

Gerhard smiled at the Greek.

“OK. I believe you. But you are NOT going to win; you do know this, right?” Gerhard told him.

“We know this to be true now that we have met and fought you.” He looked down at his feet then back up to Gerhard. “We just want to go home!” He blurted out.

Gerhard saw truth in this mans face as he continued to stare at him for several seconds.

“OK. Let him go back and get me the communicator. I need to send this to the rear.” He then scribbled a message to be sent back the Skipper as he looked up and saw the sun going down.

“Get the word out for all troops to stay in place in a defensive position for the night. The Greeks will more than likely counter attack and we don’t want to be off guard.”

He walked back to his small fire and set his metal cup over the fire to make tea, wondering where the cooks are so he and his troops could get chow.

I noticed the lines were beginning to take form all across the front in a stable position with the town of Dusseldorf behind them now. He had to hold this position and straighten out his lines against the Romans that landed to the north and now turned against them. But the message he received from the Skipper was confusing when he said the English were working with us now. I needed more information on that to find out what, exactly was going on back there.

“Gunny!” A runner came to him, “Situation report from the front says they have defensive positions for the night and are awaiting orders.”

“Tell the commanders to hold position even if the Greeks fall back. We will not do anything until tomorrow.” I told him then turned to one of the aids near me and saw Yngvildr standing near the wireless.

She was a warrior and it showed by her solid stance and how she carried herself and I also knew she wanted to get in on this fight. As she looked around I saw her giving orders for anything she found that needed to be done before the sun faded. The Hardcore were in groups forward of our headquarters and they, too looked like they wanted in on the fighting.

“Report from Sigrun, sir. He says they have stabilized the port and the Greeks ships have retreated.”

“Hagan reports he has six ships remaining with one sunk and one too damaged to continue.”

“Ask him if he has captured any of the enemy ships.” I asked.

“He says he has three that were damaged and the crews are on land in a prisoner camp. He will report his findings in a few hours.”

I nodded and walked over the Yngvildr, looking into her face as she stood there with a blank stare.

“You want to get into this fight, don’t you?” I said flatly as she turned to me without saying anything.

“I need you to take the hardcore towards the coast and find the Romans. When you find them I want you to destroy them.” I saw her face light up with wide eyes.

“Are you serious?” She said and I nodded.

“Take extra chow and ammo and stay behind our lines. The last they were seen they were near Antwerp moving east into our lines. When you find them use whatever means necessary to destroy them for good. We have Saxons as well as Norse there you can use to reinforce your troops with.” I told her.

“And be careful, will you?” I took her arm and held it tightly as she started to move away.

“OH! One more thing I forgot to tell you. Sara is not a spy for the Greeks. The Skipper let her go back to the kids. So, she’s fine.” I saw her face relax at that, knowing that Sara was her favorite for the kids and she took excellent care of them.

“I will find these Romans and we will take them out of this war.” She said as if in vengeance. “They broke their oath and do not deserve to live!”

“Take two wirelesses with you and four communicators with extra batteries, chow and ammo. I want you to rely on our soldiers up there as well. Don’t try to do it all by yourself.” I looked at her. “We DO have assets, you know.”

“Message form the Skipper, sir.”

“He says the Germans found a cache of weapons and ammunition along with stores of food. Prisoners as well with captured artillery. He reports that they also found gas shells for the artillery.”

“GAS?” I asked a bit surprised.

’The Skipper reports that the Germans have interrogated a few Greeks and found discontent within the ranks on the use of gas.” The comm man said as he held his ear piece tighter to his ear.

“Skipper reports the Germans have taken a defensive position for the night and await orders.”

“Tell him to hold position until tomorrow. Also contact Sigrun and find out the status of the Saxons.”

I turned to Yngvildr.

“You need to go now so you and your Hardcore can get in position before dawn.” She saluted then left in a hurry to gather her forces.

“Contact all forces and tell them to prepare to continue the advance tomorrow morning after we find the Greek lines.”

I went to the rear and found the cook wagon with a long line waiting to get something to eat. I need to find ways to speed the chow line up so it won’t take so long to get fed. Now we have to worry about gas attacks as well but if the Germans have the Greek artillery and the gas shells we can use them against the Greeks tomorrow. I’ll have to get my staff together and find the best place to attack their lines with it and I still need to send out the time we will attack. Hagan needs to send me that report on what he found in the Greek ships and what, exactly, are we going to do with all these prisoners? There were so many questions that need answering.