Note: All dialogue between Twilight and his men is 'translated' from German. And by translated I mean I wrote it in English and probably could have get the German version but didn't. It really doesn't matter since Twilight has a translator in his body armour but I'm feeling self conscious. :)
COLONEL TWILIGHT IN:
FEUERSTURM
4th February 1942
New Guinea wouldn't last long. Not once I set my sights on it.
From my seat far above the clouds the world seems almost peaceful, yet I know this to be a lie. Far below a battle rages, fought on land, sea and air... but those brave men fighting below didn't dare consider the dangers that lay in the beyond, dangers that are now mere moments away from arriving on their doorstep. It was their mistake to make, and one that they will surely regret once all hell is unleashed down upon them.
Silently cutting through the sky, my Damagon Warcraft waits patiently for a command or phrase to come from my mouth, anything that will let it release the numerous weapons waiting onboard. At my command station aboard the craft's bridge lie a million, alien buttons, each capable of wiping any potential threat off the face of the Earth. The forces below, clinging so desperately to home are out numbered and outgunned... yet to use this weapon against them seems almost wasteful.
"Cadet Weber." The words escape my lips and immediately the majority of the crew sat at their stations turn towards me, with only a few keeping their focus upon their stations. "Report."
Down by his station a young man no older than 14 speaks with the formality of someone twice his age. His station terminal, one designed mostly for surveillance flashes with information and data too fast and detailed for the more average minded individual.
"Colonel Offsteader!" The boy squeaks, nervous as the words rattle out of his mouth. "Our scans upon the battle below show heavy fighting on the beaches! The Japanese have encountered heavy resistance from the Fort upon the hill, while also mentioning gun towers that seem to sprout up in seconds!"
A silence falls over the bridge, nervous tension as the crew awaits a response. I consider all available options, briefly consider unleashing the Damagon's arsenal upon the island and then scrap the idea when I remember that the Fuhrer wants the island intact. For a moment I sit silently in my seat, a metal throne attached to my pilot suit allowing me full control over the flying death machine I now stand upon, and after a certain amount of time has passed I pull myself from it, getting to my feet.
"Tell the Firestorm to rally in hanger 9." Cadet Weber nods grimly before typing commands into his console, several data files of the Firestorm squad's members flash by on the screen. "We shall be deploying in 10 minutes, Comms Officer Schmidt has the bridge."
A moment of confusion seems to sweep the crew, all of whom seem to look at the person sitting next to them and silently ask the same question.
"What do you mean 'we' sir?" Weber asks.
A faint smile crosses my lips, one I quickly hide to stay professional.
"I will of course be joining them."
It's a quick walk down to the hanger, despite its size the Damagon is relatively quick to traverse thanks to the majority of the ship being allocated to the many weapons it has at its disposal. Speedy elevators are also available for crew members and technicians that need to travel to a particular deck in a hurry, yet thankfully my quarters is in the same area as the bridge. Donning my battle armor will take a number of minutes, hence why I gave myself plenty of time to reach the rendezvous. Making a quick diversion to my quarters I still stare in awe at the alien crafted battle suit leaning against the wall, amazed as if it's the first time I'm seeing it. The blood red swastika spread across the chest glistens as if freshly painted, my round, glass helmet lights up with numerous little icons the moment I don it, and the grey gloves that join my night black armor seem to shake with power. The Americans have a name for me... one that I may have resented at first but soon came to accept as a token of respect from my enemies.
Colonel Twilight may sound like something from a children's book, but on the few occasions I have heard others speak it, they speak it in hushed whispers. Frightened that I will hear them speak it.
The Firestorm are waiting for me when I arrive, dressed in retrofitted armor similar to my own but smaller in form and greyer in color. There are 7 men present, each one equipped with an aerial pack and an explosive rifle, the whole squad is stood in formation, one that shifts as soon as they see me enter.
"HAIL HITLER!" They cry while performing the salute that will soon be known and used by all that live. I step before them, hanger doors opening up behind me as I turn to face them.
"Hail Hitler." I respond before cupping my hands together and lowering my head. "Let us pray." The men do as asked, placing their rifles to the ground and performing a similar motion to mine. "God. Grant us the strength to accept the things we cannot change. Grant us the courage to change the things we can and the wisdom to know the difference. Amen."
"Amen."
The hanger doors stand open, revealing an orange sky below. Uncupping my hands I conjure a sword of stinging blue energy, and I smile, this time unafraid of those that might see it.
"Now." I say. "Let's wage war."
Wind rushes past me a hundred miles an hour, the ground below rises towards me at a similar pace... and behind me my squad mates tumble out of the floating metal ball that is the Damagon. It is moments like this, hurtling through the air at breakneck speeds, that I realize just how big the portable battle station is. It's shaped like a small moon and easily double the size of the Reichstag building at home in Berlin. After a few moments of falling I seem to pass into the war zone, falling through a cloud that immediately gives way to explosions and gunfire as fighter planes explode all around me. On my helmet's display a radar lists my squadmates' proximity as well as numerous red blips that can only be the enemy forces.
"Squadmates 2 and 3, help our fighters out." Immediately the two listed men break off from the formation and go off in pursuit of an Australian Aircobra fighter that is firing upon the Japanese forces below. "4, 5 and 6. Push up the beach." I order as I begin to slow my descent via my suit's built in flight system. Again the squad does as requested, falling past me where they proceed to fight alongside the Japanese infantry charging up the beach towards the building before them. "1 and 7. With me. We'll take the fort."
Mortar fire booms across the ground below me sending sand and blood flying in all directions. Anti-aircraft guns fire from their towers, noise only dwarfed by the screams of the dying all around them. Shooting forward through the air I survey the area, a gun tower stands on both sides with a massive courtyard door lying between. This fort has survived for years... but it won't last another day.
Missiles shoot from my hand, the free hand not holding the sword. They burst out separately but all head for the same target, creating an explosion of dust and debris as they destroy the tower wall on the right side, revealing the Allied forces hiding within. Their faces looking up at me are ones of pure, unrelenting fear, and I feel pride knowing that my reputation has clearly reached their ears. Behind me my squadmates focus their exploding rifle fire on the other tower, practically disintegrating it in just a few shots, whilst below the door to the fort's courtyard explodes from a well placed rocket and the Japanese army steadily storms inside.
From inside the tower, the first few bullets strike my chest. At least they would have were it not for the invisible shield clinging to my body, flashing blue where the bullets struck it. A warning on my monitor tells me that my overall power level is at 99%, with no real need for concern. The soldiers fighting me are brave, braver than most that I've faced. A missile shoots from my free hand, casually incinerating a couple at the far side of the room. I zip towards the ground through the hole I've created in the wall and behead a soldier with my sword a moment before landing. With just one man remaining I swing a rocket powered fist towards him.
"Wai-" He starts to say just as my punch turns his skull into red mulch. I watch his body fall with a grim expression on my face. The sole disadvantage of this brilliant power armor is that it translates everything my opponents say, making my privy to many of the final words of those I kill.
The sound of explosions snaps me back into reality. Soaring back into the skies I witness the conflict erupting, enemy tanks mowing down soldiers, friendly pilots returning fire from the skies... and without a moment's hesitation I join in. My Firestorm squad all act independently, with no casualties as of yet. The blue blade in my hand crackles excitedly right before I plunge it through the hull of a tank, spearing the driver through the head before I step up fully onto the vehicle and thrust the sword up into the air.
"VICTORY OR DEATH!" I scream as my forces begin to rally. Carnage erupts, glorious and grand. The Earth trembles before my army's unstoppable might and those poor fools caught in our midst are destroyed without any hope of mercy.
"Enough!"
A crater appears in the ground before me, smoke rising up around the man responsible for the impact. He rises up out of the ground, a rather large fellow in an extra sized Allied officer's uniform wielding a gun turret with his bare hands. I recognize him as Heavyweight, Australian superhero able to upgrade any weapon a ludicrous degree simply by touching it, which would explain the gun towers that kept sprouting up.
I wasn't aware he'd joined the military.
"Colonel Hans Offsteader, right?" He asks, stepping towards me. All around both armies have fallen largely silent except for a few aerial battles still raging above. "Don't suppose you'd like to surrender?"
I step forward, sword in hand and creating smoke as it skims the ground.
"I'm not the one who needs to surrender, sir." I respond. "Tell your men to drop their weapons or face the consequences."
Heavyweight chuckles dangerously, eyes lighting up with something that can only be described as pure, burning anger. I survey the area behind him and notice that many of his men are either dead or dying. He's lost this battle and already knows it.
"Well. It's like you said. 'Victory or death.' And the twist... mate." He spits out the last word and grips his gun which immediately sprouts an extra nozzle. "Is that Australians can't be killed."
A bullet fires from his turret moving faster than I could have imagined before exploding upon impact. It hits me dead on, smashing me into the side of the tank I'd been standing upon just a few moments ago. My shields flash at a mere 50% and I make a conscious decision to not be hit by that gun again. War erupts again throughout the courtyard as I stand up, reignite my sword and blast towards my opponent as fast as my suit will let me.
All around Heavyweight, my squadmates blast him with the full force of their relatively meager arsenals. Their weapons do very little to faze him, and in a feat of tremendous strength he grabs a piece of concrete that was lying upon the ground and smashes it into the armored soldiers pestering him. He's prepared for me when I slam into his chest, barely moving before grabbing me by the neck and slamming me face first into the dirt. Lying on the ground dazed, I feel him grab me by the legs and toss me with utter easy over the fort walls, spinning around as I fall.
I smash through a hill top and try to collect myself, covered in muck and dirt. Shields are gone entirely and my whole body aches, something is most definitely broken and I deserve it for being over confident. Looking to the sky a familiar shape descends down towards me, so out of desperation my suit's flight mode activates and boosts me out of the way a second before the man lands.
"Think if I kill you your army will give up." Heavyweight mutters, more to himself than to me. He waits for a second, polite and honorable enough to let me stand before continuing. I'll have to remember that.
"Funny. I was thinking the same thing."
More rocket bullets shoot from Heavyweight's gun all of which I avoid by jumping out of the way and running. The armor enhances my muscles, letting me move at speeds unreachable by a normal man, even as missiles explode just behind me. Inspired by the Australian's weapon choice I shoot my wrist rockets towards him, all of which explode and seem to do some damage as he stumbles back staggered. He shakes his head, recovers and prepares to fire again just as I leap through the air and slice my sword through his weapon, which I quickly follow with a boot to the face that knocks him back a few steps.
"Damb." He moans as blood streams down his face. "Youb oke my nobe." The gun in his hand falls apart, orange heat crackling where my blade landed, but Heavyweight ignores it, instead choosing to shift his nose back into position with a sickening crack. A laugh escapes my mouth, and I brandish my blade.
"Bad luck." I mutter before dashing forward and plunging my sword into his chest. Heavyweight falls to his knees, eyes blood red as he struggles to say something. I deactivate my sword and grab him as he falls, courteous to a fallen enemy.
"B... bury me in the ocean." He says, gritting his teeth to fight through the pain, the battle nearby starting to grow more quiet with each passing moment. "So I don't have... have to exist on land ruled by you."
"I will." I promise him. "You fought well, a shame it had to be this way." From behind I hear the familiar sound of the sky cracking as the Damagon Warcraft descends towards the battle, something that I point to calmly without even looking. "You see that ship, soldier?" Heavyweight gives something resembling a nod. "I pulled that ship from visitors of the stars." Reaching to the ground I grab a clump of sand and place it on the warrior's chest. "Taking the Earth under our feet will be much easier." The last look on Heavyweight's face is one of terror, and as I let his body drop to the ground a pinch of sadness fills me at a brave warrior gone.
In the distance the Damagon rains fire upon the Australian forces, just a fraction of its power capable of wiping away whole armies in a matter of seconds.
New Guinea would fall soon, as would Australia... and after that...
After that would be New York.
Hours later after the battle had been won I activated my armor's teleportation device, arriving just outside of a small farm house in my home country. Covered in blood that begins to steadily slide off, I make my way towards the building and, finding the door unlocked, I step inside and relax, pulling off my helmet.
"I'm home, darling." I say while taking a seat in the living room. My wife calls to me from another room asking how the battle went.
I'm unsure what to respond with.
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