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Fires of the 2nd American Civil War: A Kaiserreich: Legacy of the Weltkrieg Interactive Story


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Author's Note: So much for 'shortly.' >.< ---   It had been far too long since Jeanne last had something to eat. Water from her canteen had been the only thing hitting her stomach

There is an update coming along today, and I have an example of what Jeanne will be wearing! Unfortunately, I can't find a decent picture of a girl in a men's style coat for Miriam, but she's dressed

Yep. I might just be crazy, but I think it'll be totally worth it.   HoI IV has been taking up most of my gaming time lately, so I understand. My PC can't run much more other than HoI IV/K

"So, why do you think they want us back in Chicago?" Jeanne asked, rolling over to peer over the side of her bunk. Satoshi leaned forward with his elbows on his knees, intertwining his fingers as he mused on the question.

It had been a day since they were called back to the HQ and shoved in the direction of the capital. The brass was hushed about what it actually meant, but there had been a lot of chatter amongst the other squads rotating out for R&R.

"My guess would be that they need our talents to cause some mayhem in the back lines, likely down in the South." The bespectacled soldier replied.

 Miriam sighed.

"Whatever it is, I think it might be a nice change after serving the front since it all started." She shrugged, flopping over onto her belly to rest her chin on her pillow, kicking her feet in the air, "We're almost at the city now, There's familiar scenery passing by."

----

The first thing that struck the squad about the recently established capital of the CSA was how peaceful it was. They had expected aircraft patrols, soldiers at checkpoints and so forth.

Instead, the city carried on much like it ever had, aside from the massive construction projects popping up in the historically poor parts of the city. They didn't get much time to admire the peace and quiet however - They were ushered into a car with their gear and driven to a local hotel to prepare for their meeting with "Some elements of ARA High Command."

Jeanne and Miriam especially enjoyed the hot showers, the first in far too long, especially after the frigid rain in Rush Point.

A few hours later, a Major Thompson was sent to pick them up. He was a younger officer, a skinny and pale fellow with short cut black, blue eyes and a thin, carefully waxed mustache... And a Union of Britain flag armband over the sleeve of his ARA uniform

Once they had all piled into the volunteer officer's car, they headed for city hall.

"So, I've heard about your daring raid out west. My sincerest apologies about your comrade." He remarked, breaking an anxious silence that had filled the vehicle, "You've managed to intrigue some fair deal of the boffins in your intelligence and special operations branches, it seems. I'm not quite supposed to tell you the nature of this meeting for the sake of security, but suffice to say that you are desired for something of great import." He paused, winking into the rear-view mirror, "Of course, you didn't hear it from me."

Jeanne chuckled, and Satoshi rolled his eyes. Miriam was trying not to giggle at the twitch of the mustache that had accompanied the conspiratorial wink.

Chris remained quiet, but quirked an eyebrow.

"Ah, here we are..." Thompson announced, pulling up to the curb, "Take care of yourselves, and if you do find yourself in the role I think you will, they will be giving you contact information for a certain Daniel Thompson, Major, British Union Volunteer Corps. If that happens to be the case, I might have just the right brandy for a celebration."

He waved, snapped a salute, and headed off.

"I thought the 'Gentleman Officer' idea died out with the United Kingdom." Satoshi muttered, shaking his head.

"He is pleasant a friendly enough." Jeanne replied, "I am unsure about his grooming choices, though..."

Miriam finally lost it and began to laugh as they reached the door, taking a minute to get the giggles out before they all headed in... and rushed to a meeting room almost immediately.

----

 

"You already have quite a good idea why you're here, no doubt," An unfamiliar general began once they had been seated. He paced as he spoke.

"Initiative is something we encourage more than ever in the American Red Army. There is value that less flexible forces tend to ignore. We've paid attention to your progress throughout the war so far." He gestured from Jeanne, to Chris, to Satoshi, "Your skills and backgrounds make you more useful away from the front, especially now that you've proven yourselves."

The squad exchanged looks, and though Miriam tried to hide it, she was displeased regarding her lack of recognition.

"Since time is of the essence, I can't go into extreme detail about the mission we would like to send you all out for, so I'm going to be blunt."

He stopped pacing, turning to the squad. "Lieutenant Jeanne Belrose, Sergeant Satoshi Nakano, Corporal Christopher Eckart, and Private..."

He paused, stumbling on Miriam. He was evidently far less familiar with her due to her recent addition to the otherwise quite specialized team.

"Miriam Henderson, sir." She replied, just narrowly avoiding snapping at the man. He nodded and raised his hands in apology.

"All of you are well suited for setting up a revolution behind enemy lines. Two of you are fluent in French..." He gestured to Miriam and Jeanne, "Sergeant Nakano has extensive previous experience in this field, and Corporal Eckart is an excellent demolitionist.

He chuckled, turning to Miriam.

"You, Private Henderson, your record and skills aren't as specialized, and you lack the wide base of knowledge, but what your previous squad leader has reported that you are, I quote: 'One tough-as-nails bitch.'

Miriam chuckled, nodding in response, "Yes, sir!"

"Now," The general took a seat, "The two locations we can send you to are..."

---

A) "Mobile, Alabama. We have intelligence mentioning high tensions at the dockyards, and with Long in control of a large part of the old Federal Navy, any sabotage to their ships or shipyards will help our own navy considerably."

(This is the less violent, more stealth-oriented option. It may not have as immediate an effect as the alternative, but are easier to achieve. The existing ships are hard to replace, and damaging the shipyards, drydocks, or sabotaging new vessels is an easy, long term operation.)

or

B) "Charlottesville, Virginia. Long's Minutemen and the Klan are on a witch hunt for 'syndie scum', and it's only riled up the population. If you can get them fighting those bastards, we can airlift enough supplies to arm half the city, something that'll pull a lot of troops off the front."

(This is the more violent, dangerous option, and though it may help end the war with the Union State sooner, chances of casualties in the squad are HIGH, and success will be difficult. This is the shorter of the two missions.)

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"Sir, agitation in Mobile sounds like the best bet to cause severe disruption to their war effort." Jeanne piped up, drawing the general's attention.

"My thoughts exactly. Cutting off trade and naval support will put Long's balls in a vice - They'll run low on oil, rubber and aluminum, not to mention a secure food supply." The general's attention. "If you're all for it, I will be transferring you to the direction of Major Thompson, a British special operations volunteer from the Republican Special Boat Service. He will be handling communication relays for your team."

The man turned, folding his hands behind his back as he walked toward a side-office. "Dismissed, and good luck."

---

Thompson was waiting outside with his car, and looked positively delighted to see the squad, if the beaming smile was any indication.

"Most excellent, I was hoping we would be working together. I already have the documents you will need to familiarize yourselves with, I will provide them once we board our 'civilian' cargo vessel and get underway."

Satoshi nodded in approval. The only way they could insert without drawing attention to a potential operation would be a paradrop from low altitude - Loud and dangerous with the MGs and small cannons pointed at the sky, or infiltration by boat or ship.

"So," Miriam piped up as everybody piled into the car, "What's this 'Special Boat Service?'"

Jeanne couldn't help but giggle. Outside of her area of expertise, Miriam wasn't at all familiar with military organizations, so it was no surprise she was clueless.

"It is a group of extremely well trained marines," Jeanne explained, "The RSBS, if my memory serves, was founded by militia that worked to sabotage the Royal Navy while they were in port. They also placed and defused sea mines, and once the Unions grasped full control, they were made into an official unit. The training is..."

"Brutal, to say the least." Satoshi took over, "You and Jeanne went through a fairly rushed training camp. The Major and his comrades must be in peak condition, show great strength of will, initiative, as well as marksmanship."

Thompson nodded lightly, "There are classified requirements as well. To put it in perspective, how many serious casualties do CSA militia have in training?"

Miriam quirked an eyebrow, "So far, I don't think I've heard of even one."

"The RSBS, since it was made official, has had two in every ten soldiers wash out due to injury, and another four can't pass conditioning and drop back into the Republican Army."

Jeanne let out a low whistle, realizing how unbelievably rough their training must be. "I do not think even the Kaiser's elite home guard are that stringent. I am glad you are fighting with us and not against."

Thompson winked at Jeanne through the rear-view mirror. "I am happy to assist."

---

The trip dragged on for weeks before they finally arrived. The cover they had been assigned would allow easy access to many otherwise guarded locations - Jeanne and Satoshi were representatives of National France and the Empire of Japan, respectively, with Chris their assigned bodyguard, and Miriam as Jeanne's translator. The CSA had somehow managed to get their hands on quite a bit of foreign-made clothing, personal effects, and counterfeit identification papers that would hold up to all but the most extreme scrutiny.

"These are your initial 'legends," Thompson had explained once the team had all been assigned disguises. "Once you have passed the customs personnel, locate a safe hotel room. I will search for Jeanne's signal and exchange your luggage for your real supplies. As a final reminder, the challenge you must pose to my other agents is, 'When was the last time you saw Nicky?' If they reply with anything about 'Last December', they're one of mine. If not, it's time for counterespionage. Attempt to capture them if you can, kill them if you cannot. Understood? I will relay relevant information to you in your morning papers."

The group nodded more or less in unison.

"Most excellent. We have one hour for you to don your disguises and pack your luggage. Dismissed."

The relatively well appointed boat was still relatively small, and the squad had been split into two rooms. One for the men, one for the women. As Jeanne and Miriam entered the room, Miriam turned, standing with her arms crossed and a pout on her face.

"You won't force me to wear a dress, will you?" She pleaded, much to Jeanne's amusement.

"The people here don't tend to react well to women dressing 'like men'." Jeanne sighed, setting about stripping down to her underwear before she could re-dress into character, "You would do better with a lightweight dress in the heat regardless - It will only get worse as summer gets closer."

Miriam groaned, huffing one more indignant sigh before she rather haphazardly undressed, tossing her tomboyish slacks, shirt and vest onto her bed.

Jeanne did pause mid-way through folding her casualwear to glimpse at Miriam's figure.

While she generally dressed in a masculine style, Miriam was unmistakably feminine once her body was properly revealed. She looked almost dainty, in contrast to her chosen role as support gunner, with a slim and relatively petite frame. Some signs of her service stilled showed through, though - Instead of the soft and doll-like body a more demure girl might have, Miri was evidently in fantastic shape. Her arms, legs, back and stomach all showed signs of good muscle tone. It was obvious that she had taken to the PT regimen quite well.

Instead of risking staring too long, Jeanne looked down at herself. She hadn't initially noticed herself getting more in shape, but the ease of carrying her gear had steadily increased during the long marches and hauls around the Northeast. Still, compared to the lean, tough-as-nails redhead, she had a softer look.

The most obvious point being her breasts. Miriam, while not quite flat, was small enough that she rarely bothered to wear a bra. That didn't work quite the same for her, with more than a generous handful each, she had thanked her lucky stars that women in the CSA were making newer, more labor-conducive  brassieres.

The other big difference was her legs. She'd always had long fairly lovely legs, if the looks most men directed at them were any indicator.

Jeanne shook her head, prying her gaze away from the mirror to finish getting dressed.

---

Author's Note: This is a reasonably good place to stop in the midst of this long update. More will be coming after I rest my fingers and wrists a little.

In the mean time, I might just take some suggestions for the girls' outfits. Anything mid-1930's style will probably work, though slightly earlier or later is acceptable. If you have a suggestion, please describe it thoroughly or post a reference image!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Apologies for the long delay, without further ado, here's the next part!

Jeanne was more than satisfied with her disguise when she left the room and rejoined the Major. Her light-tan jacket and slacks stood out more than her usual outfit, and it felt bizarre to wear loafers instead of combat boots for the first time in over a month. Her cream men's-styled shirt was visible as she had left the coat open. The folded breasts of the coat had pinned to them a small pair of pins indicating her supposed position as a diplomat. Major Thompson seemed impressed, remarking that, "The bun is a nice touch," in reference to the braided bun she had chosen instead of her usual ponytail.

Miriam, on the other hand, looked more like a young man, something reinforced by her entirely masculine double-breasted coat, white button-up shirt and black suspenders.

"Miri, that is less a disguise and more what expect to see you in." Jeanne chuckled, "Though, you if you try to speak more deeply, you could certainly pass as a boy. Is that the idea?"

Miriam rolled her eyes, but nodded. She had forgone make-up, unlike her blonde friend, who had applied a deep red lipstick and a touch of warm blush, as well as a light mascara. "You'd never pull it off, they're too big." She rebutted with a smirk, thumbing toward Jeanne's chest.

The 'french diplomat' scoffed and pouted. They indeed did get in the way at times, and she would have happily traded with Miri.

Satoshi and Chris interrupted any further exchange of friendly barbs with their arrival. Satoshi sported a simple black two-piece suit with a navy blue tie, with the far less formal outfit Chris wore contrasting heavily - He wore a somewhat shabby light brown leather coat, forgoing a hat, with a beat-up pair of workmen's pants. He had exchanged his militia boots for steel-toes covered with scuffs and with dried mud caked to the sides and sole. The thing that stood out most was that he had shaved his head - Combining that with his grimly determined expression, he gave the impression of thug more than anything.

"I see you two have finished as well." Thompson remarked as he made two trips between the table and the door to the outside to give all of them their luggage.

"I will be awaiting word of your signal." He reminded Jeanne as the group filed out of the door and toward the pier." 

"I assure you, I will be requesting that wine soon enough." she replied with a smile, "With the feeling in the air here, we would need it regardless."

The Major grinned, and his mustache twitched with the expression. "Attagirl."

Jeanne was right, the group quietly agreed as they made their way from the seaside and into town proper. While there was definitely a 'homey' appearance to the place, the patrolling Minutemen seemed to be keeping the citizens on-edge. A number of businesses were closed and boarded up, covered in grafitti. Unlike the street-art and old revolutionary grafitti in Chicago, the messages and iconography here was far less comforting. The boarded structures were covered in foul bigotry writ large Despite Long's supposed egalitarianism, his people did not seem to share the approach, with things such as 'Heeb' this and 'Nigger' that. It had Jeanne feeling mixed - Oppressed minorities would be far easier to rally to their cause, but the suffering inflicted upon them before they attained their true freedom would be a terrible thing to experience.

As she overheard a passing pair of Minutemen not-so-quietly slinging racist bile toward Satoshi none-too-subtly, she almost reached for the rifle that was not currently slung over her shoulder. This mission was going to test her patience.

---

Author's Notes First part of two that I intend to post today, I will be working after I return from a few errands, closer to 5PM Pacific.

So... The first glimpses of the Union State. While there are less bigoted sections of the population, the KKK maintains considerable power in government, and the Southern Dictator's own issued anti-discrimination laws are somewhat widely disregarded.

If you guys make wise choices, it's going to be fun wiping the expressions of superiority off those stupid faces in time. Maybe Jeanne might be able to punch one in the teeth!

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