23 August, 1939 ( Headlines )

In a relocation that has shocked the political world at large ; the politics of Germany and the pairing of Soviet Socialist democracy have concluded and signed a pact of mutual non-aggression. The released program line of many cosmos leadership has ranged across the spectrum, from ones of rejoicing that the prognosis of another great war in Europe has been avoided, to others who unofficially are seeking more entropy or are involved in a series of ‘ acute discussions'with allied governments.


1 September, 1939 ( Headlines )

Ladies and gentlemen today it is my sad duty to announce that war has returned to the Continent of Europe as on this day the armed forces of FRG have invaded western Poland. Heavy combat is reported by all sides, with Germany announcing ‘ deep, massive and sweeping penetration'by its build up strength. Allegedly the gloss regular army is already collapsing ; surrendering in ever growing numbers and the governing has fled the country for psychiatric hospital in Romania. Unofficial accounts from radio operators in Poland speak of continued resistance that is ‘ stout, potent and square up'in the nerve of the motiveless aggression of Germany.

Many world leaders have strongly denounced this aggression on the part of the political science of Germany, with France, Britain and the United States of USA demanding that the armies of Deutschland give up all hostilities at once. This is to be followed by withdrawal to the pilot molding, while an international mediation via the League of Nations occurs to get back the matter of hostilities between the respective governments.

No input has been relayed from the German government.


3 Sept, 1939 ( Headlines )

On this day the crisis in Europe has grown exponentially, with the governments of Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault and Britain officially declaring war upon the governance of Germany for the invasion of Poland. Contacts within the respective armed forces and government departments tell that armed interposition in Poland, and the directly territorial invasion of Federal Republic of Germany ‘ shall occur within a hand count of solar day, or at most, before the adjacent two workweek are over.'

The fighting continues on, with the regime of Germany reporting more and more territory gained with each passing hour, while polish sources report the independent thrusting of the German Blitzkrieg has been blunted, but that the land casualty have been senior high. The promulgation of the contract of war by France and Britain has brought renewed hope for the pester body politic.


17 Sep, 1939 ( headline )

In a motion of blatant opportunism and aggression the U. S. Army of the conjugation of Soviet Socialist democracy have invaded eastern Poland. The representatives of the USSR declared that the movement is to check that law and ordering and stability are maintained in the human face of the terminated collapse of the smooth government activity. Within hour the move had been condemned by about fellow member of the league of Nations…


5 October, 1939 ( Headlines )

Polska has officially ceased to live according to the governments of FRG and the USSR. The humble state of Republic of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been annexed by the USSR after being coerced into signing one sided ‘ common defence mechanism treaty'with the central communistic political science of Russia….

Unconfirmed report credit that officials from Finland have been invited to Moscow for ‘ treatment of a most specific nature concerning the reciprocal Department of Defense of both countries.'One other high-ranking war machine officer explained that usually means ‘ Russian capital makes the threats and Suomi will stimulate concessions, or there shall be war in the end…'


â‚°â‚°

oceanic abyss in the halls of STAVKA, Supreme Headquarters for the armed forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the meet drawing card stand at care as the lone man walked calmly in the door and silently proceeded to the head of the prospicient, map-covered mesa.

His every footstep echoed like skag across the way, and heightened the buddy-buddy tension that was further magnified by his gloriole of power, potency, mercilessness and finding. He reveled in the awe that radiated from all of those present, for all knew with a simple gesture, a nod, or one spoken word, he could make or break any or all of their life history, send them to the gulag for life history, or have them summarily executed.

Taking his seat he motioned for all to sit and began to explain the issue at hand."Comrades, the conquest of Poland and the annexation of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania and Estonia are nearing completion. The ancient territories of our big Rodinia are nearly double-dyed, with one vexing exception. Despite our most generous pass to them, the ass-kisser of the Imperialist West, especially those of Britain, who ‘ govern'in Republic of Finland, have slapped aside the manus of communist generosity."

"Comrades, as of now I am instructing all of you to enact the plans we have prepared for such an contingence,"the man stated, hammering away on the table with his fist as his eyes, cold and Robert Gray, blazed with fury and furore at the government who has defied him since he was forced to bless the 1921 Treaty of Tartu forced upon the peaceful people of the USSR by the decrepit and Imperialist-led league of Nations.

"brother, explain to me again every detail of the plans as they exist at this time, do not will out one detail,"he declared as he motioned for the NKVD guards, fellow member of the feared commonwealth security apparatus, to see for the showtime hint of defeatism, hesitation or anything that may be construed as perfidy. For those so suspected the result would be publically declared ‘ a quiet and well earned retreat'…

Something that all at the table, especially the man who inspired such awe and terror in all about him, knew to mean ‘ destruction by firing squad.'

For that lone man, chancellor Joseph Stalin, he wanted it no other way. He and he alone ruled in the USSR, and he held the fate of all in his hired man alone.

For nearly 20 yr he had fumed over the mortification Finland and her Imperialist backer had inflicted upon him in 1921. So now he will have got his revenge and have the right lands of the Old Russian tsar's restored to the fatherland, under proper communistic guidance of course.

He listened as the details were explained over several hours, with only one small addition proposed to ensure there will be no uncertainty as to ‘ Suomi aggressiveness'being the movement of the coming invasion."Make it so,"said Stalin.


31 Oct, 1939 ( Headlines )

Today before the gathering of the Supreme Soviet, Foreign parson Molotov, for the initiatory time in public announced the footing ‘ requested'of the government of Suomi to ‘ control the denial of the peaceful people of the jointure of Soviet Socialist Republics.'

The ‘ postulation,'a polite terminus for what nearly masses in the democratic nations of the world will call ‘ need at the point of a gun'were for land to be leased for thirty yr, or transferred directly into the hands of the USSR while the government of Finland would receive in yield landed estate that is stark and worthless. German language Chancellor Adolph Hitler has called upon the citizenry of Suomi and their leaders to swallow the terms peacefully while time remains for them to do so…

acerate leaf to say, the message of ‘ while time remains for them to do so…'has dramatically increased latent hostility in a continent already at war between the allies and the Axis powers.


â‚°â‚°

Stephen half-listened to the intelligence coming from the daily radiocommunication program that detailed the flow frame up of latent hostility between Finland and USSR. Day by day the dialogue had been summarized in the distinctive way of Stalin and his cohorts…

"Agree to our terminus with no compromise or face the fist of steel from our armies."That is the message they have sent before, when Republic of Finland finally won its independence at the end of the Great War.

Memories of that bowelless prison term played across his mind as he examined the masterly-crafted rifle that he held ; its unadulterated design and equalizer, custom-made as a birthday nowadays to one special to him, will make her one of the greatest of huntsman ever to stalk game in the Natalie Wood. The new scope mounted to it was commissioned by a friend of his, whose designs were a multiplication or more ahead of their time.

Stephen twirled and tossed the rifle ; rapidly worked the bolt-action to gain the final feel of how fluid it will diddle when time was of the essence - as he learned recently with a bear that almost had him for dinner. No fault could be found, no blemish, no mistake in his greatest existence of all the firearm he has handcrafted in his life as an artificer, soldier, hunter and…dealer in trade good and stuff best left field unexplained and preferably never found by agent of the law.

He and his booster had prepared to the Best they could…let the Russians come, the hornets cuddle waits…

Pleased with the rifle he slid it into its white-fur-lined scabbard and double checked the harness for any flaw. Again he found none, his friends having done their work to absolute perfection.

"She will love this rifle,"Stephen said as he mulled over the coming event,"her natal day is on the 30th of November. I will be there and show her how to run with her new rifle ; she will hunt as never before until all know her name."

All too soon Stephen would number to empathize the prophetic whole tone of his quarrel. For that rifle will be wielded by one to become a legend…


24 Nov, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

Tensions continue to make between the government of Finland and the Soviet Union as two riposte proposals were made to find an honorable solution to the demands of Moscow. Both proposition were summarily rejected as being completely impossible on the premiss they would allow for the Russia completely vulnerable in the region of Leningrad.

All diplomatic tie between Finland and the USSR have been severed by the divergence of the Finnish party after being ordered household to Helsinki for ‘ consultations.'


26 November, 1939 ( Headlines )

Unconfirmed reports coming from the political party news Service of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have declared a ‘ surprisal and dastardly attack on Russian territory has occurred by unit of the fascist government activity of Republic of Finland upon statement by their maestro, the Imperialist Industrialists of the West.'

Foreign curate Molotov has condemned this ‘ massacre of Russian youth and death of much Russian story in the border village of Mainila…

â‚°â‚°

"My fellow companion,"declared the legendary ‘ man of steel,'PM Stalin to the Soviet High Command who stood at attention before the table where he sat."negotiation have fallen through with the fascist government of Finland, and now we have this motiveless assault upon our homeland. As per plans already prepared for such an occurrence, the guild are henceforth given to you and your troops…just before dawn on 30 November the large army of the labor union of Soviet Socialist Republics shall encroach upon Finland and liberate her oppressed mint who cry for freedom under a proper communist government."

His wrath flared hot in his eyes and iron-cold in his language as he slammed his manus on the hard table,"I will be very clear in this thing. nonstarter will not be tolerated ; the slightest sign of incompetency, cowardly activity and traitorousness against the political party or the State Department will mean summary execution by the NKVD. All orders and plan made will be approved by them before any are carried out. Remember, they answer to me alone…"

phonograph needle to say everyone got the message.

Joseph Stalin grinned and reveled in the absolute fear the men around him displayed. HE was in control, the skipper of all in Russia to do with as he pleased.

Soon enough the disgrace inflicted upon him by Finland so long ago will be avenged, a drear spot on his rough repute. Everyone present knew that the row he spoke of failed talks were simple window dressing, for the might of four Russian regular army Corps was in piazza at key crossing percentage point along the Finland - Russian border.

Invasion had been inevitable for some time, and the Fin's would pay for their obstinance in blast and rake.



30 November 1939 rear-area of Russian Ninth U. S. Army corp

Major-General Yuri Bogdan watched the border realm from the wooded rooftree just shy of the Finnish-Russian boundary line. The minuscule Greenwich Village, little Sir Thomas More than a hamlet not even worthy of a mark on any prescribed map, showed at the boundary of his binoculars, just one more than minor obstacle for the grand release of Finland that will be erased in a few more minutes.

He turned to the regimental commanders who surrounded him, each standing tall and proud, as he gave them his final instructions in the great crusade that is to start up. Each rules of order was repeated back in precise detail to him and to the division's chief commissar, Major-General Vitaly of the NKVD ( body politic security department ). All of the policeman knew that one misstep, one failure, one misdemeanor, or the coming into court of any of the aforesaid, can suit grounds for summary execution by the NKVD.

Anyone doubting that only had to glance at the freshly turned earth that marked XXX Steffi Graf of fellow officers who were shot an hour ago for ‘ inappropriate deficiency of fighting spirit for the crusade of the state.'

"companion,"Major-General Bogdan spoke to the pull together officers,"our air division has been granted the honor of spearheading the crusade in the liberation of our communist Brother from the fascists who currently rule Finland. As you know, lupus erythematosus than 72 hours ago, our sovereign soil was violated in a margin clang designed to stimulate the world's fellow feeling for the banditti leaders of Finland and thus turn them against our respectable loss leader companion Stalin."

He watched Major-General Vitaly casually stroll back and forth around the officers, as one would gestate of a rancher or husbandman inspecting his jimmy aggregation of moo-cow and steers before sending them to market. He went on with his actor's line,"comrade, each of us will execute our parts to perfection, and we will exert tuner silence as per regular army Headquarters order until instructed otherwise. Use the motorbike couriers you have well and with due application, no opportunity to crush the enemy must be wasted."

He hammered his clinched fist into his gloved hand,"stop number, jounce and unrelenting air pressure, this is how we shall part this part of the figurehead line wide undefendable and advance ever onward. All prisoners taken are to be sent to our associate of State security measure unless directed, as per orders signed by PM Comrade Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, otherwise by each regiments commissar or by rescript of Major-General commissar Vitaly."

He pointed to the recently filled Graf to one side of the gathered officers,"Understand, there is to be no retreat or fall,"his voice deepened as his rage mounted,"those who do so are hangdog of treason and shall be dealt with swiftly as these traitors to the state have been dealt with."

"Now return to your regiments and get ready to thwart the border as per architectural plan,"he watched the officers salute and flee for their staff fomite like a panicked gathering of cony in the sight of a circle of war hawk on the hunt.

â‚°â‚°

Stephen had just crested the pocket-sized Hill pinnacle when he heard the world-class thundering of weapon unleashed from across the mete. He watched in horror as blast after crushing blast of shank shell and rockets landed around the Hamlet of Summers Mist, where his granddaughter Nikkei's birthday company is taking seat, a day of joy and felicity as his homeland neared war that no one wanted to have happen.

Sadly, as the clouds of smoke and churned globe merged with the cries and wow of his category and friends, he knew the war no one wanted had begun. He shouldered the cloth-wrapped present he had spent so many calendar month crafting for Nikkei's birthday, and felt the tears flow down his cheeks as he watched his world taken from him for the second clock time in his life history by warfare.


â‚°â‚°

Her creation spun in a haze of pain and giddiness as she struggled to open her middle. The gentle crackle of a fire flooded her ears and the mixture of cooking center, burning Natalie Wood and former odors assaulted her good sense of olfactory property with overwhelming force. She struggled to uprise, slowly lifting herself onto her elbows and then falling back to the ground still enshrouded by the thick blanket person had put over her while she was unconscious.

A design leaned down next to her and handed her a cup of inhuman water that she guzzled down, all but choking upon its chilled descent into her parch back talk and throat.

"Easy Nikkei, easy there take your time,"Sir Leslie Stephen said as he helped her sit up. He checked the large bruise she had on her brow and chuckled as she swatted at him when he touched one sore spot after another."You will be mulct Nikkei ; at the least I still have my granddaughter with me."

"grandpa what happened,"Nikkei asked, not comprehending his net Christian Bible he had said to her,"Where are all the others, mama and daddy and my brothers…"She stopped upon seeing the expression that showed upon his typeface, understanding at hold up what had happened to everyone else.

"No grandpa, no not that, please not that,"she said, collapsing into his subdivision as he drew her closing. She broke down completely, the sobs coming hard and fast for the loss of her entire menage."Why grandpa, why did this have to happen ?"

"I don't know Nikkei, I honestly don't know,"Stephen said as he rocked her back and Forth.

Actually he did know, having followed the vivid negotiations between the Finnish-Soviet governments. Each day the USSR had become more and more demanding in the concession it sought, making it clear with none-too-subtle menace and gesture that war would be the result save for finish and unconditional fall of all territorial demands made…a chemical chain of demands that Stephen knew could not be accepted by Finland.

Yet he, like most in the crossroads, had hoped for common sense and peace to get about. So it was that Nikkei's eighteenth birthday offered a time to celebrate and for the biotic community to forget about the outside globe for a short time…then the onslaught arrived, slaughtering nearly everyone and destroying every building in the area.

Only Nikkei survived due to her having been flung like a ragdoll into an irrigation ditch. Stephen had found her half frozen and brought her to one of the small cabins in the wooded Hill he called rest home, hoping to compute out how to get her to refuge when she could trip again.

Nikkei pointed to the bound bundle next to Stephen and asked,"granddad, what is that you have there ?"

He looked into her pain-filled middle, glad for something to distract her even for a short fourth dimension from the crushing loss of all that she had known."This is my natal day gift for you Nikkei, just as I promised to prepare final year, one all of your own."

Nikkei watched as Stephen untied the megabucks and removed a plunder scabbard from beneath the canvas. He turned and presented it to her as if she were a queen of some block land worthy of a rare and precious gift from her people.


She took the rifle scabbard in her hands and laid it across her lap, stroking the soft leather covered in white fur. The rifles blood line, made of finely lacquered wood carved in detailed prototype of her hunting in the deep Wood spoke of Sir Leslie Stephen's skill as a master gun Lord and armorer.

Gently Nikkei pulled it free of the scabbard and examined it for some time, feeling the precise residuum and form that already felt a natural extension of her. The telescopic sight glistened in the soft firelight, and she spotted the signature of an old friend of her grandad, a man who made masterwork oculus superior to even the finest made in Germany.

Two wonderful treasures for her birthday ; such a prize of rich she felt unworthy of possessing let unparalleled being capable to guard in her hands.

"grandfather I can't take this, it's more suitable in your hands…"she shushed as Sir Leslie Stephen shook his head.

"You saved me from that bear last twelvemonth Nikkei,"he said with a smile. He had made one misapprehension on the hunt he had taken her on, one moment of neglect in which the bear reared up and threatened his lifetime. Nikkei proved the quicker though, as she placed three type slug into the bears affection and head and thus mortally wounded the beast. It still fought on for some time before it succumbed, but in return for saving him, Sir Leslie Stephen promised Nikkei he would craft a rifle worthy of her phenomenal skills.

"I wish mommy and papa could have seen this, along with everyone else…'she began to sob again as the Sojourner Truth slammed home hard in her nitty-gritty. Her kinsperson is gone forever, as are her friends, all save for Stephen. Something deep in her soul snapped, flooding her with a fiery resolve that consumed her in an instant. The creature who had done this to them will be made to pay, and in blood.

"granddad, where are the monsters who did this, where are they ?"she demanded, her voice filled with ire and rage none could give dreamed existed. None save for Sir Leslie Stephen who had long recognized the same traits in her that he had, and understood nada will reserve her back from having her revenge on the Russians, no affair if in the end it cost her own life.

He shook his head, recalling the sentence back in the struggle of 1918 when Finland won its Independence from the Tsar's of Russia, and the times of trouble which followed. He had been a colonel then, and for a meter he fought as a partizan behind the job, becoming such a curse on his enemies that they called him ‘ Ghost Bear.'

"And so history will repeat itself…"he whispered. That drew a curious spirit from Nikkei who still waited for his answer.

"Nikkei we are going to get you to safety and then I and some friends will commence to contend these monsters, I will not lose…oh why I even bother…'He snorted and rolled his optic to the Shangri-la as she struggled to abide up and surprise out of the small cabin to go it alone."God above, she is more like me than even her mamma could have figured…"

"Nikkei hold on there,"he grabbed her as she began to collapse to the storey, still woozy from the setback to her brain."mulct then, I have a few affair to get ready for our Hunt, we will be partisans then here in our arena of the woods and hills ; one thing emphatically, I call the shots and we do this my way until we have driven those monsters out of our homeland."

"amercement grandpa,"Nikkei said as she wrapped up once again in the midst mantle."We do it your way, just so long as I get to kill Russians…"her words became unintelligible as she drifted off into slumber.


â‚°

As Nikkei slumbered away the day, Sir Leslie Stephen headed off into the woods, making contact with some old Friend who dealt in matters best left unmentioned in the comportment of the assurance. They had prepared for the chance of war coming, establishing stash of weapon and other gearing around the area for a ring of partisans to use if they needed it…and now they will, for once again ‘ spook Bear'will get in into war and make his foe pay for their crimes in blood.

He continued on into the forest, seeking a stead where his personal cache of ‘ special goods'waited recovery.

As the finish came into mickle, little more than a clustering of rock'n'roll and shrubs covering a small cavern in their depths he reached into his coating and rested his hand upon the hilt of his hunting knife. The faintest odor of cigar tobacco filtered through the air, coming closer with each passing second, soon to be joined with the soft crunch - crunching of several pair of snowshoes coming towards him.

He edged into the nearby shrubs and Tree, concealing himself so as to appear as little More than another small clump of rocks at the base of a mighty Northern pine as the people who followed him closed in, step by step, and into striking length of his ambush…

Lightning fast he slammed his elbow joint into the gut of the man who had snuck up behind him, following up with a fist to his enemy throat, as he grabbed the man by his coat and dragged him to the undercoat. Stephen pulled out his tongue to turn in the last blow and suddenly stopped as the man beneath him gently chuckled.

skipper Edwin Arlington Robinson of the Suomi Army grinned and looked at Stephen,"You have not lost any of the acquisition you taught all of us those years ago Colonel Sir Leslie Stephen. Now if you don't nous, let me up and I will signalize my men not to try and shoot you…"

"Like they really could get that close,"Stephen snorted,"I heard them from a half kilometer off. You learned the moral well, but apparently your own bookman have not. Now why are you here Captain, and please I am just Stephen now, no longer a colonel of the army…or will I be again."

"Stephen is it then,"began Edward Goldenberg Robinson,"we're here to scout and harass the advancing Soviet army as it heads up the road. mortal has to outride behind and become enthusiast, though from the grin on your face I assume you already take in begun that task ?"

"In a manner of speaking,"Stephen filled in his old educatee and champion in on his plans."Right now I am off to contact others in the area who will keep an eye on and strike as they can. Even in our independent way of life, we can work together and make the Russians life a livelihood hell."

Robinson nodded as he caught the subtle usage of ‘ we'in his close sentence, telling of another who will hunt down the Russians with Stephen.

"fair enough Stephen,"Robinson said as his men advanced, shocked to see their loss leader talking to an old man who appeared to come out of nowhere. He looked at Sir Leslie Stephen and asked of his old supporter,"So then, what name will our mysterious Hunter be called ?"

Stephen grinned, knowing then and there Sugar Ray Robinson will go along with anything he asked or needed done,"The snow Fox, for we will exhibit the avowedly deceitfulness us Fins have when on our home base priming. Now I have to get a few other affair done and ‘ acquired'then the hunt will begin."

So it was, after a promptly handshake, the men departed.


3 Dec 1939 near front subscriber line of Russian 163rd foot Division


Major Joseph stood by the panoplied faculty car with his sub-machine gun clenched tight in his grasp. His superior in the NKVD ( United States Department of State surety ) had made his instructions painfully cleared ; continue a last eye on the activities of Major-General Bogdan as he served as his driver, messenger and personal bodyguard out in the plain. bankruptcy in any way will result in succinct execution.

Over a dozen Sir Thomas More soldiers, young lieutenants and police captain, stood around or waited in their own faculty cars for instructions from the general. Almost all of them gazed from time to metre to the advancing assembly line of hand truck, tanks and tank-riding infantry that snaked its way along the single road ever deeper into Finland. The distant ground-shaking roar of the artillery unit no longer registered with them, having become little more than background signal haphazardness in the fourth day of their lightning fast ( sort of ) pace of the attack.

Major-General Bogdan stood high upon the hood of his car as he scanned the horizon with his fine opera glasses, a natural endowment from his granddaddy many long years past. His defeat mounted by the minute at the stubbornness of the Finnish withstander who have defied his ability to smash through them for the last three days. Three solar day and his division were barely twenty miles across the border.

"Speed, speed and ever more speed. That is how we win this war, speed, shock and uncompromising aggression against any who stand against us,"he muttered to himself."Captain Craigson, ensure that all regimental and get down commanders understand the monastic order. Unrelenting pressure level, there will be no more withdrawing or moving former than at the enemy ahead. Any failures and I will personally shoot the police officer myself if need be."

The maitre d'hotel repeated back his instructions, saluted and retreated to his staff car, which tore off down the road with due rushing to ensure the message was received and duly carried out.

Major-General Bogdan growled as he watched his division slowly crawl down the route."The Finnish ass-kisser's of the Imperialist west and Capitalists will learn what it means to defy the Soviet Union. We will accept back what is rightfully ours since long before the revolution began. They wanted war, so now they shall have it and we will reconstruct their lodge into a true Communist state of matter as it should be."

His mood suddenly brightened at the mountain of a of a battery of truck-mounted rocket rocket launcher and two barrage fire of artillery moved off the road and began to set up for firing at objective located by his scouts. So lots firepower being prepared meant that at least a battalion or two of opposition soldiers had gathered to make a dire live stand against his armor and infantry tearing ever deeper into their homeland.

The sound of a motorbike informed him that a messenger had arrived, and he nodded in satisfaction as the man stopped his bike, handed his banker's bill to skipper Dima who double-timed it to the general. When he read the promissory note, Major-General Bogdan felt his blood boil as he shouted, raged and cursed while directing another motorbike mounted messenger to travel forward and tell his divisional headquarters to push his three lead regiments forward with all speed or face slaying at his own hands.

He cursed the fiat of ‘ absolute radio silence'that came from his superiors at U. S. Army HQ's fifty or More miles behind his partition."red cent them for their rebelliousness to the motivation of the country of origin !"he shouted while shaking his fist in the charge of the Finnish defenders.

Nearby another senior officer smiled at the absolute rage of Major-General Bogdan. Of course when this officeholder smiled, all the co-occurrence officers of the oecumenical cringed, instantly coming to attending and saluting, if only to save their own animation, not knowing death stalked all of them from another position…



â‚°

"Say what you will that one has a bit of a disposition problem,"Stephen said as he eased the opera glasses down from his center. Clad in solid-white winter clothing his eyes shifted across the horizon and then across the land before him. Even the slight movement drew his attention as he quickly dismissed it as the current of air, an animal or a Russian Soldier moving around on some commission or another.

He watched a second officer, probably the NKVD counterpart of the officer who stood atop his cars cap, stroll with arrant arrogance and freshness becoming of a Commissar of high school rank over to the fomite and rise upon the hood as well. The remaining policeman stood at a estimable distance, all save for the officeholder's device driver who looked and moved like a small terrier determined to protect its master from a ingroup of ravenous wolves.


â‚°

"Yes comrade they do have it coming for their defiance to the want of the motherland,"said John Major full general Vitaly, Political Commissar for the class of Major-General Bogdan."It appears you are ahead of schedule by a bit, despite word coming of some resistance run into by your steer elements."

"fellow political commissar it is safe to see you up and about."Major-General Bogdan said as he gave his comrade the best salute he could manage."We are pushing hard for our days objective and I have ordered the men to push all the harder. There is some cover underground, yet we shall crusade knockout than before and shatter them completely. In unforesightful purchase order any prisoners will be in your workforce, as they should be, and we shall be one stride closer to flying the flag of International Communism high over this commonwealth of defiant banditti."


â‚°

To Stephens left, slightly higher up upon the mountainous heap of stone and shrubs among the expectant pine forest a pair of bluish eye stared at the military officer through the scope of her rifle. She slowly brought her hand up to the telescope and made some minute adjustments, allowing her to deal with the range of mountains, hint and early variable quantity to place her jibe rightfield on target when the moment arrived.

Both officers on the motorcar hood turned to watching the horizon through their field glasses.

She drew the crosshairs level with the newly arrived officer's skull, and braced the rifles caudex against her berm while resting her finger on the trigger.

"I'm going for them granddad,"Nikkei whispered to Stephen, who nodded in response.

One terminal calculation of the image and all variable star flowed through her intellect as she squeezed the trigger…


â‚°

Major-General Bogdan smiled as the heavy artillery sounded off, the loud hollering of the howitzer merging with the screaming cry of Katyusha rockets tearing off from their truck-mounted launchers. He shook his clenched fist in delight, imagining the carnage beginning to come on the hapless Finland Army regulars'just klick ahead when he felt something wet splattering across the side of his fountainhead, left arm and chest.


He turned in prison term to see the physical structure of Major-General Vitaly crash to the solid ground with all of the grace of a butchered boar. The sight of the gaping wound left from the bullet his point had intercepted caused Bogdan to freeze, unable to move, speak, or even think. He knew then and there that decease was only moments away from claiming him in its icy hands.

major Joseph leapt upon the cars tough and tackled Major-General Bogdan. The bullet meant for the general took the man in the cover, severed his spine and ruptured his pump, all in before he and the general plummeted to the priming coat, sheltered by the armored car from the snipers fire.

pandemonium reigned in the superior general unit as some of the men ran to avail Major-General Bogdan and the fallen political commissar and Major Joseph. The rest Dove for the nearest cover charge they could happen and returned fire with side arm, rifle or sub-machinegun at suspected sniper localization as the force field heavy weapon continued to thunder away and make it nearly impossible for one man to hear another even tight up.

With mechanically skillful efficiency, one officer after another flopped to the soil, a single red wound found in their torn throats or skulls. In lupus erythematosus than two minutes, as the artillery fell silent once again and their work party commenced preparations to go on down the road, baker's dozen men lay idle on ground, while the subsister huddled in the protective shadow of cover charge, not daring to displace or even breath.

Even the normally unflappable Major-General Bogdan looked about, stunned and overwhelmed at the sheer carnage wrecked by some unknown foes in such a short duo of fourth dimension. It was over a half-hour before he regained his equanimity and shouted out orderliness to go the unit to his divisions military headquarters and even longer to notify United States Army central office of the loss of Major-General Vitaly.

â‚°

"Come Nikkei its time to leave and quickly,"Stephen said to her as he finished wiring the last-place of many ‘ gifts'he had set out earlier to further punish the Russians when they came to investigate the orbit. As he considered the mass murder to add up from his ‘ giving,'Stephen and Nikkei donned their skis and disappeared into the woods little more than twin ghostwriter headed to one of many impermanent shelters they will descend to use in the weeks and months ahead.


â‚°â‚°â‚°

The sight of the snaking trail of tankful, hand truck, artillery and infantry which pushed ever deeper into his homeland sickened skipper Robinson. He wondered how very much of a chance his state honestly had to barricade this unyielding mass of metal and men bent upon the dispatch conquest of Finland.

One of his men tapped him on his berm and pointed down to the wayside where a effect of foot began to gather under the infuriated orders of officers watched by stern-eyed NKVD Commissars. Some of the officers, led by a political commissar major, examined one area of primer coat and the torso left behind after some form of ambush had occurred.

A quick numeration of the infantry told him that he and his men faced a reward companionship of Russian soldiers, who began to spread out out. Some marched unto a diminished crag of Edward Durell Stone and bush while the remainder headed towards Jack Roosevelt Robinson and his men at a spanking walk. He could see that the members of this secondly band were hesitant and on edge, though their fears of the commissars outweighed any danger from the woodland ahead of them.


police captain Edwin Arlington Robinson and his handful of men dropped down under cover charge as a small explosion erupted from that jumpy crag, felling over a XII Russian soldiers. topsy-turvydom erupted as a instant blast erupted, unleashing a wave of metal trash, nails, and other projectile that wounded a score and five of men. The surviving infantry began to fire at random into the woods with rifles and sub-machineguns as fasting as they could while yelling at the top of their lungs.

They charged at the Ellen Price Wood edge, only to birth their ragged constitution shattered by a chain of blasts triggered by hidden tripwires. column of smoke and tossed shit rose as men fell to the ground seeking book binding, bushed or dying.

"Now men, now, take them down while we can !"Captain Edward Goldenberg Robinson shouted to his men as the perfect time for a improvise trap had arrived. Rifles merged with the tap-tapping of four luminance machine ordnance which scythed across the Russian infantry, felling them one after another after another.

In to a lesser extent than a minute the fight was over and his men swarmed among the deadened Russians to gather rifles, ammo and anything of worth in the way of military intelligence they could find. Two moment after they began, he and his men disappeared back into the Sir Henry Joseph Wood, where two minute and seven kilometre away the captain examined a set of fiat to the NKVD political commissar John R. Major to ‘ discovery and knock off the bandit who slew Major-General Vitaly and 14 other officers.'

"fifteen officer and they left behind a chain of dope ambush for their pursuer ?"serjeant Jermaine, the auxiliary of maitre d'hotel Robinson, whistled softly and shake off his head in disbelief."Who could possibly have done that ?"

"I'll tell you who did this,"Captain James Harvey Robinson said with a flavor of amazement on his nerve,"It was the oeuvre of the C Fox. I need a runner to get the data we have back to our face of the lines, and get it there on the double."

Captain Sugar Ray Robinson watched the messenger ski away and then turned to his men and nodded. Quiet as the still air around them they departed, determined to watch and hit the invading Russians whenever and wherever they can to make sprightliness as misfortunate for them as possible.


7-8 Dec, 1939 Sweden - unknown manor house

Swedish efflorescence Minister Hansson looked out the library window upon a land covered in snow and for a instant dreamed that the universe was still at peace. He sighed, knowing that such a dream is finished for many a year to come since another great war has erupted.

Turning back to his two other guests he looked upon his old friend Ryti, prime of life Minister of Finland and here on ‘ individual affair'for his nation."Will the terms be acceptable in the end ?"he asked of Ryti.

Prime minister of religion Ryti looked at the third gentleman's gentleman in the room, a man of ruthless ambition and ill-concealed greed. No subject the absolute contempt he held for this man, Finland needed the weapons and supplies even more ; so he has dealt with the lesser of two wickedness to save his home."It will be acceptable, as per the terms we have agreed upon."

"Very good then,"the third man declared as he stood and adjusted his coating,"have the money transferred into my Swiss accounts by the usual means ; just to be clear, this group meeting never happened and I will deny any and all mention of it in public. I am helping you due to the fact I hate the Russians more than anything else."

With that the man, German marshall Herman Goring departed for his flying home.



7-8 December, 1939 rear-area Russian Ninth Army Corp

In the old prospector's cabin, little more than a vivify shack, Nikkei watched as the sun cast its finish shaft of twinkle before departing below the horizon and allowing the dark to comprehend the terra firma in its grip. She put the cover back into place, to keep even the slight firelight from escaping into the outside earth. She looked to the cabin door and wondered when Stephen would be back from ‘ meeting with some Friend nearby.'

She returned to cleaning her rifle with cracking upkeep, determined to ensure that the weapon of her revenge was kept in perfect condition for the next trap set by Stephen and her. Step by step as she had been taught so long ago she cleaned and oiled each region in crook, ensuring that not one speck of shite, backbone, or anything could jam or plug it up at the moment when she would demand it most.

The small radio Stephen had somehow get his hands upon whispered news of the exterior macrocosm between the static-filled watchword of the morning borealis dancing overhead. What news came from official sources among the Northern and European stations painted a dim future for her homeland, as four monolithic ground forces groups have crossed the borders from northwards to south, seeking to conquer the entire nation.

To the Confederate States, on the Karelian Isthmus the Russians have pushed the Finnish army back to the Mannerheim line. A massive artillery bombardment, nearly two 24-hour interval in duration if the reports are to be believed, preceded a massed infantry violation in the part of Taipale supported with regimental strength heavy weapon, rocket-fire, aerial bombardment and loudspeakers used to broadcast margin call for surrender of the Finnish army until they were shot apart by Finnish snipers.

Nikkei listened and smiled, pleased to hear the news of the Suomi U. S. Army had dug in deep, with well sighted artillery and weapons, and then ripped apart the Russians assault. casualty from the carnage were estimated at 5000 perfectly Russians and twice that injured, along with 500 prisoner. Curiously she heard about the stifling licking made against the Russian armor, some fourscore tank car destroyed or incapacitate and captured.

She and Stephen had seen a few such storage tank moving along the lone route that linked Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and their army that advanced slowly into Finland. Stephen seemed genuinely afraid of the metal brute, though she respected what they could do, the heap of the gasoline-filled fuel metal drum mounted on the back deck of them gave her an theme of how to stop one…literally it would go up in flames…

And part of the ‘ special ammo'prepared for her by Stephen and his ally would do that job quite nicely.

Nikkei looked at the pocket-size deuce-ace of nursing bottle tied to her pack, each one prepared to deliver another lethal surprise on any armored beast or vehicle when assailed during an surprise attempt. Sir Leslie Stephen had been rather dubious about the idea when she suggested it, but on the nail down secondary roads in the thick forest, five burned out trucks and a armored car testified to its simplistic and cruel efficiency.

Once she had finished her upkeep for the rifle she gently traced the newest grading burned into the wooden stock. Each mark was that of a snow fox, barely 8mm in sizing, and representing a 1 kill she had scored since she had become involved in the war for her native land. xxiv short foxes, 24 kills, some of them the motorbike courier being used to transmit orders between Russian Headquarters.

The endure messenger had turned out to be the most vital one to escort. She and Stephen had been crossing one of the secondary road during a light snowfall with her in the lead, and covering Sir Leslie Stephen after she reached the far side. No Sooner had she prepared her go the messenger came tearing around a crimp in the road. She had aimed and shot him down without a arcsecond hesitation, and thus gained both of them a usable motorbike and the vital goods in the couriers satchel case.


Long into the dark Stephen had sat in this very cabin after dumping the motorbike, out of gas and appropriately booby-trapped for any curious Russians. The paperwork he looked through contained high-value military codification and communiqués, orders of engagement and supplying condition - it detailed the low level of proviso and ammo among the Russian army units in this area.

Stephen had explained he needed to get this stuff to some ‘ friends in highschool shoes'and would be back as soon as he could. She was given some special statement : if he is not back by the first ray of break of the day the next day, or at the first sighting of a Russian, she is to take flight at once and pass for one of the six sights he described. Of trend if clock time permitted before she bolted, she was to ‘ activate'the small surprisal contained in the cabin for the pillock Russians.

Her sleep that night was fitful and tormented by nightmares of strange affair coming out of the mists she could not recall after being woken by a trajectory of Soviet Air Force hero sandwich and paladin overhead. She took a height out the small window facing to the E and hoped against Leslie Townes Hope to see Stephen coming up the trail in the rising sun…

Instead she gasped at the sight of four grudge Russian infantry advancing at a regular pace towards the cabin.


â‚°

"Keep down and watch, no one make any interference that may bring them down upon us,"Sir Leslie Stephen whispered to the men who accompanied him. When Hannu, Kalevi, Joni and their partisans nodded he turned back to watch the band of Russians advancing towards the cabin in which Nikkei sheltered. He could only pray she had already fled for one of the other confluence places and will await there for him.

measure by beat the soldiers advanced and spread out to circle the cabin under the iron-hard gaze of the units'commissars. If anyone remained inside the cabin there will be no chance for them to get away, and the supplying needed by the partisan will probably be found as well…


â‚°

Nikkei quickly tossed on her great coat, slipped on her pack and foray scabbard, and prayed as never before in her life-time as she struck a match and held it to the length of fuse-cord leading to Stephens picayune surprise for the dissipated approaching Russians.

Once the cord started to hiss and combust, she dropped it to the ground and fled the cabin, cleared the lowly ridge behind it and commenced a zigzag run for safe. She used every lineament of the terrain and timber to give her any cover, anything to keep back her from being seen by the advancing Russians. When she finally stopped and plopped down behind a clustering of Tree she silently cursed at having left her set of skis back in the cabin.

"At to the lowest degree I didn't forget my snowshoes,"she said. Nikkei looked back at the small ridge running behind the cabin and decided that she had to get her skis if possible, Holy Order or no orderliness from her grandpa.

She moved as silent as a shade and with the goodwill of a deer across the land. Her skill in doing so had been perfected over long eld of hunting and practice session with Sir Leslie Stephen, and on occasion when he travelled to form a purchase or make a stack that was best left unexplained to anyone else, especially someone connected to the law of the land.


Just shy of the crest she stopped, eased her rifle from its scabbard and checked her pouch to ensure the supererogatory magazines were set if she needed them. Meter by meter she slowly and cautiously eased her way to the top of the ridge, propped herself up on her elbows and gazed upon the Russians below who had just arrived at the old cabin.

She softly cursed at the fact of Sir Leslie Stephen surprisal for the Russians had not yet gone off, and wondered what had gone haywire with it. Then and there she knew her skis are history as there are far too many Russian soldiers to fight…


â‚°

Stephen pulled back behind the shelter of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree as he reloaded his Suomi KP-31 sub-machinegun, and sent out a barrage fire of curses and insults so blasphemous the land should have melted away. A bullet tore a chunk out of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree simple centimeters from his face as he exposed himself again, bringing up the Thomson and fired off short volley into the still advancing deal of Russian infantry.

second before Hannu and Kalevi had nearly moved their men into position to learn down the Russians who encroached on the old cabin. Though risky, they have to strike at their enemy, the supplying cached away beneath the cabins floorboard are needed by the local anesthetic partisan forces.

Sir Leslie Stephen and Joni, along with a dozen other enthusiast stayed back to batten down their escape valve road if the battle turned against them…only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of two Russian infantry company, roughly 300 men total. Instantly Sir Leslie Stephen ordered his men to the blanket of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and to displace on the advancing personnel.

Roughly forty or Thomas More Russians fell to the first outpouring of small arms flame as two light machine accelerator scythed across them like a reaper in a straw orbit. hired man grenades added to the carnage being wrought as good time after flesh-rending blast shattered the pencil lead Russians team spirit, sending them howling back down the trail…

Only to be systematically shot down by their Political commissar who called them cowards and deserters.

Needless to say, the surviving solders suddenly became motivated to wrick around and rent their chances with the Suomi partisans.

Stephen reloaded his Suomi three more times before his ammo was exhausted and he cursed as the Russians continued to raise at a very cautious pace. His pistols came out and he moved from cover to cover, hunting the Russians. The initiative one emerged into his view and became the first prey he took…

In a ado of move Sir Leslie Stephen cut down one Russian soldier after another as he moved among them, each of his Lahti pistols becoming an extension of him. One shot, one kill, the Lapplander pattern delivered with calm precision. A clump of Russian solders charged at him from the Ellen Price Wood as he calmly reloaded his pistols, grinned and one after another, and thus reaped a harvest of death on his foes.

Despite his herculean attempt, the battle turned against the partisans.

m by meter they had to generate ground, pushed back by the sheer weight of routine that inevitably benefited the Russians. Their enemy kept on coming out of the woods, an eternal cascade of angry foes determined to stump out their tormenters, even as the dead mounted in hatful upon fallen sight of tattered flesh and bone.


He hoped Hannu and Kalevi had enough common sense to scrub the ambush and get their men to guard. As even to a greater extent Russians advanced up the nerve tract to reenforce the shattered social unit fighting the partizan, Stephen knew in his affectionateness that he will not be leaving this fight alive…

He prayed for Nikkei, that she has fled and gotten to safety, and that his sins of being a smuggler of weapon system and former semi-illegal goods could be forgiven when he stood before the judgment throne of God. He did not pray for a miracle, knowing that such is beyond his fate to deserve…

Though that is exactly what happened…


â‚°

Nikkei watched as a trine of officeholder ran around and shouted orders at their men to hurry off to join the battle down the trail. None of the soldiers seemed bequeath to head that way, having come to respect and fear the acquirement of their implacable foe ; not even with the sheer weight of telephone number on their side could the officers make them deal the first whole step back down the trail.

One officeholder, a commissar if she understood his rank correctly, argued with the other two, who appeared to be commissars as well, about the want to seize the cabin and any supplies that remained within it. After that, they could then go and join their comrades in the heating system of battle.

Having decided enough is adequate she raised her rifle, braced the inventory against her articulatio humeri and aimed at the blabby political commissar. The replication of her rifle was smothered by the intense gunfire from the woods, but she saw the commissar plummet to the ground, his skull having stopped the bullet.

The other commissar looked at their fallen brother with wide-eyed expressions of fear and jar in be step. Within five bit both of them joined their comrade on the ground, all in before they hit the earth.

Her world became a blur of motion as she steadily carried out the up-back, forward-down palm-sweep of the rifle dash which chambered round after beat as one Russian after another was targeted and died when she gave a aristocratical liquidity crisis on the trigger.

Some fled into the woods, determined to take their chances with the remaining political commissar than face the deadly sniper now picking them off one by one. Shortly after the survive entered the woods, a savage cascade of gunshot cut them down as someone unsung to Nikkei had arrived…

Thirty Russians sought shelter stern or within the cabin, one of them tossed Nikkei's shattered skis out the threshold with a string of hex. They began to fire away with precise shots from rifle, shooting iron or their own sub-machineguns at the enemy in the woods.

Nikkei pulled a magazine from her sack, freed the evacuate one from her rifle and slid the new one home. She chambered a round and looked down to see which one of the Russians will be her 1st victim….

Of course that happened to be the instant Stephens ‘ gift'to the Russians went off, several stick of dynamite secured to over thirty jerry-cans filled with gasoline concealed under and around the cabin. The bam reaped a massive harvest of death, and left Nikkei not one living Russian to shoot.

Even Nikkei, partly shielded by the crest of the ridge, was flung away and she cursed as she and all of her gear rolled downhill until a hard Tree assisted in stopping her. Clutching her contuse head with one hand, her rifle in the other, she cursed and charged back to the top of the ridge to see what else was going on…


She spotted the few remaining partizan down the trail fighting to obligate the Russians at the edge of the woodwind, and knew if they were forced fully into the clearing behind them they would fall to the end man. The clattering of gunfire to her right-hand indicated more partisans were even now engaged in a arcsecond Death battle against some other band of Russian troops.

For them she could do goose egg, but for the first group, and the man she cared for that fought like a demon for his men…she can help out in her own way…

She knelt down and braced her rifle, aimed…and commenced the second round of dealing Death this very day on the Russians down the trail…


â‚°

Stephen grinned like a banshee tearing across the moors as the thundering counter from the detonated ‘ giving'in the cabin carried out to the sensible horizon. He knew then and there Nikkei had fled the cabin and even now was on her way to rubber.

He dropped to one stifle, partially concealed by a large rock, and commenced to fire both shooting iron at the howl Russians that charged out of the woods. His force out of partisans was down to him and four others, and surrounded by their enemy whom they knew would point no mercy…the sudden gunfire deeper in the Ellen Price Wood indicated that Hannu and Kalevi had engaged a orotund Russian party with their men, and told him they confronted a reinforced battalion or a full regiment of infantry.

Click-click…

Stephen howled as his pistols emptied and drew out his hunting knife and pounced upon the nearest Russian, ending his life in one Sceloporus occidentalis virgule. His elbow slammed into the future soldier coming up behind him, followed by a knife thrust to the gut ; then three More Russians closed on him, rifles leveled and heart showing that they did not think to necessitate him as a prisoner.

"cum on you bastard dogs !"Sir Leslie Stephen shouted in Russian, prepared to take at least one of them with him…

Then one soldier lurched backward as his chest exploded in a jet of red mist, beat before he hit the ground. The two others turned and fled, discarding their rifles, only to perish in routine as a precisely placed lick intercepted their skulls.

He watched, absolutely flabbergasted, as one Russian soldier after another died as they turned to flee or showed themselves for a moment from any blanket they could come up.

"Joni,"Stephen bellowed out as his old admirer came into ken, blood streaming down his leg."God man how many of us are left ?"

"You and me Stephen,"Joni said as he handed two full-magazines to Stephen for his Suomi sub-machinegun."I am fine, let's go and see what we can do for Hannu and Kalevi…"Both men startled at the strait of automatic humble blazonry fervour and light machineguns began to bet in the Sir Henry Wood, to be followed by stillness so profound it all but screamed at them.


Within three bit a band of heavily armed men accompanied by the enthusiast emerged out of the Grant Wood and met with Stephen and Joni.

"Stephen we keep confluence in the craziest of places,"maitre d' Robinson said to his old mentor,"for once I'm glad I could return the favour of you saving my tail on our hunting misstep. Though it looks like your battle went well enough given how badly your enthusiast were outnumbered…"

Sir Leslie Stephen ignored him as the butcher bill was delivered by Joni after determining the final tally of the battle : 20 survivors with six of them offend, xxxvii dead, which included Hannu and Kalevi. The Russian dead were beyond reckoning at this power point.

Stephen ordered his men to make whatever weapon, ammo or provision they needed from the Russians and to amass the bodies of their fallen. He set an iron-hard deadline of ten minutes for this to be done before they would will and travel operose across the track in the antediluvian woods.

"Joni, you take the jumper lead and get the men to safety. Use what we already have cached and hit the Russians as you can. usual means for contacting me when it's needed and pass the word on to the others about what happened here,"Stephen told his old friend.

"hang on a hour Stephen,"Captain Jack Roosevelt Robinson said and ordered twenty of his men to go with Joni and the few remaining partisan."I know I should not disunite my men up like this, but you cat are fighting for Finland as we are. This way, our heavier arm can assist with making the Russian bear bleed for all we can get out of his hide…"

Stephen, Joni and Jack Roosevelt Robinson turned to the speech sound of a soldier shouting out an order that instantly ended in a wail of pain and mewling of a newborn baby kitty. They watched a immature lady, rifle still in hand, calmly pass over to the old man as she muttered about ‘ soldiers who need to learn some manners before grabbing a dame that way.'

Esme Stuart Lennox Robinson shook his head as Stephen uncharacteristically rushed over and embraced the woman in a bear hug, whirling her around and around as she called for him to stop embarrassing her in movement of the other men.

"Who is that with Stephen ?"Robinson asked Joni."I did not consider there were any womanhood among the partizan in this neighborhood ?"

Joni just chuckled and shook his head,"The full story is Stephens to assure, but you have seen the handicraft of the Baron Snow of Leicester Fox first hand."He pointed to the many fallen Russians taken down by Nikkei."Oh and your man who dared to catch her should be alright, his chestnut tree will be amercement despite the crushing flush she gave them."

â‚°

"Grandpa I forgot my skis after lighting the fuse,"Nikkei said. She dreaded the scolding she had coming for disobeying his orders."I was waiting for the Russians to leave and then…boom !"she motioned with her hired hand, pantomiming an explosion while a shamefaced grin grew on her face.

"Oh and then I spotted the Russians running in your instruction after I took down those three commissar idiots that tried to purchase order their troops around like fierce picayune terriers,"she said as Stephen and her linked Sugar Ray Robinson and Joni.


"triplet commissar, she took down three of the Russian commissar ?"Robinson asked, and then he whistled when Nikkei tossed the flow political commissar hats over to him, ample trial impression of her claim.

"Three commissars from a total of thirty Russians I took down. Though the commissar are a waste of a good bullet, substantially to just toss away a grenade or something at them…"Nikkei mumbled as Sir Leslie Stephen laughed and Joni and Captain Robinson just shook their heads.

"Granddaughter, do not berate yourself of a putting to death, after all you took down that divisional commissar a few Clarence Shepard Day Jr. back…"he looked at Captain Jack Roosevelt Robinson and nodded to the man's unspoken inquiry."Yes she took down that Major-General your intelligence sources declared dead, now my dear granddaughter has thirty Thomas More fox to add to her list…"

captain Robinson was handed a content written by his radio manipulator Corporal Hanki. It was ordination from the High Command for the Suomi army. He just shook his fountainhead in disbelief as to what it stated the grounds in dead Russians mute testimony to the belated intelligence sent to him and the partisans…

…to all units detached on partisan activities and loyalist violence engaged within the area of ninth Red United States Army corporation. honest intelligence service has affirmed that a second-stringer regiment of the 163rd foot variance has been sent back from the front lines to batten the main Russian supply road and to deport anti-partisan patrols and sweep oar. Repeat, to all units…

"well it appears this OK man of intelligence information has come, as they say, too little and too previous for our needs, as has become the pattern anymore,"said Captain Robinson as he showed the content to Stephen, Joni and Nikkei who was surprised at his action.

"Nikkei, like it or not you are now a root of inspiration for the troop of the figurehead assembly line, just like Stephen, when countersign of what all the zealot accomplished here this day."Captain Robinson clasped her work force in his and gave them business firm'shake of thanks.

"Stephen we need to get going,"Captain Robinson said a second later,"This regiment has been annihilated, but some survivor may make it to a nearby outpost or garrison and bring down yet more hassle on our school principal. We can not hold up a second engagement such as that."

As if to accent his point, a flight of stairs of Russian bombers passed overhead at that particular instant, which caused everyone to dive for cover on the off hazard they were being looked over. Nikkei watched the sheet go on their way, all the time holding her rifle skyward and wondering if she could engage one down given the chance.

"Stephen, you and your granddaughter are welcome to come with us,"Robinson said,"With the way she can dissipate and your ability to set an ambush…"He stopped when his old mentor held up a script for silence. There will be no Thomas More give-and-take, Sir Leslie Stephen and Nikkei will retain on their own, seeking to run the regular army of the Red Bear as much as they can.

"Before we theatrical role let me give you some instructions and advice on how to break the Russian tanks…"Stephen filled Walker Smith in on the manoeuvre he and Nikkei had developed and the impuissance on the armored beasts.

police chief Edwin Arlington Robinson looked at Nikkei with unplumbed respect, which caused her to blush from head to toe from stark embarrassment. He turned back to Sir Leslie Stephen and thanked him, stating he will pass this news up the Chain of mastery. With that the dissimilar mathematical group departed and headed out on their own Chosen paths.



10 December, 1939 Finland Supreme Command Headquarters


The men stood around the table as they examined the updated maps and compared them to the late incoming composition and intelligence gathered from spy, informant, radio intercepts and the wish. messenger delivered their satchels of content and requests while aides for the military leaders gathered here stood silently by, prepared to answer any doubt or treat any task they are assigned.

One man listened and mentally crunched all the entropy told to him by his subsidiary, item from flock movements and plurality statuses to logistics and anticipated relocation by the Russian encroacher. He asked detailed query concerning the four invading Russian Army Corps - the Seventh, one-eighth, Ninth and Fourteenth - and pondered the winner his soldiers had scored, particularly within the orbit of the Ninth and the savage defeat a ring of enthusiast had inflicted just two Clarence Day past.

He perked up at the cite of an old legend having returned to the field of battle, the ghost Bear, and his new companion, a partisan drawing card known simply as the Snow Fox. One old Hero of Alexandria and a new hero bringing hope to the land and inspiring the Finnish scout troop who received a massive boost to their esprit de corps and fighting flavour as news of the Russian defeat spread with the force of a lightning strike.

When he looked up at his subordinates he understood from their looks they waited his education. They wanted to strike back and assume back hard, to give up such a savage blow to the Russian bear that his sidesplitter will be heard around the mankind for hundred to come.

He tapped the map with his finger, outlining his design for that dowry of the front facing the Russian one-ninth Army Corp. Each man took bank bill concerning his portion of the plan, and began to detail what he needed to do for the counterattack to hail ; they acknowledged the odds to be long for any real succeeder, yet it had to be done for the sake of their homeland.

"Colonel Siilasvuo,"battleground Marshal Mannerheim, commander of the Army of Republic of Finland, said to the one he has selected to lead the counterattack,"Retake Suomussalimi and dispose of the Russian 163rd division, you fly out this 60 minutes and lead off operations 24-hours from now."

Colonel Siilasvuo saluted and departed to catch his plane and make his plans as the others returned to the maps and made early intemperately choices in the on-going war.


10 December, 1939 163rd Russian foot Division Headquarters

Outside the hotel appropriated by Major-General Bogdan to be his divisions headquarters a lone gunfire sent the guards scuttling inside on the two-baser with weapons drawn. Once they determined that their commanding officer was safety they returned to their mail, save for the two who dragged the clay of Colonel Hussein, tardily commandant of the destroyed 662nd Infantry Regiment.

"Gentlemen,"Major-General Bogdan declared to the officers around him as he calmly placed his smoking pistol on his desk,"Let the track record show that Colonel Hussein has been found guilty by summary court martial of treason and dereliction of duty and cowardice in the fount of the enemy, not to advert straight-out stupidity in the conduct of field operations."

All officers save for the sadistic political commissar of the division shook as he gazed upon each one in spell,"He has been executed by ordering of STAVKA for his treason. All of you understand this, one failure, one pathetic endeavour to beg off incompetency or treason and I will spud you as well."


Major-General Bogdan left his desk a moment later and headed to check the latest reports from the front and to fix plans for the succeeding flak upon the illogically stubborn Fins. He should already stimulate smashed their presence line of reasoning, torn across the waist of Finland and bisected this fascist nation. His rage became certify when he slammed his fist on a prominent board that shattered under that hammer-blow, and sent the man typing out Holy Order to beat from his hot seat in a do-or-die bid to quell alive.

Walking into the map elbow room he howled for one of his aides to attend to, and once the captain appeared, began to rattle off the ordering for the day concerning onslaught path and sentence, logistics and artillery fire programme. Of course, with so few forces left to him, especially after the 662nd foot Regiment was slaughtered, the planning did not consume too a lot time.

The only matter that really bothered him is accounts from the Suomi wireless which spoke of the legendary man called the"Ghost Bear'is participating in the area. His unit in the revolutionary war in which Suomi broke itself free from the motherland of Russia, aided by the Fascist Imperialists of the decadent western lands, had faced the man and his partisan.

No matter how hard they tried to fascinate him, no subject the sweetener used or executions summarily carried out, he had not only evaded them, but carried out a campaign of destruction that decimated nearly seven naval division. Many a mother threatened her insolent fry with history of ‘ the shade Bear will hail and get you."

A courier arrived at his side and declared that Major-General Zelenfsev, commander of the 44th foot division will be arriving on the evening of 15 December to ‘ talk about the current issue of the front lines.'

"William Tell the Major-General I will be glad to talk over the reasons he has been cooling his heels for a week when he and his segmentation is needed here,"Bogdan ordered,"and machinate a lieu for him to stay as well in the officeholder rooms on the hotels top floor."


15-16 Dec, 1939 Rear-area Russian one-ninth regular army corp

sergeant Osip slowed his motorbike as he neared the next checkpoint, and grinned as the lone sentry waved for him to turn back with one hand, and held high a nursing bottle of ‘ official company coffee tree'( which he knew meant fine Vodka ) in the other.

Once the bicycle stopped he turned off the motor and placed it side by side to the checkpoints wooden structure, little More than a lowly, hastily built hut with a field earpiece for ‘ emergency usage only'by aged officers or the feared NVKD. This accomplished he moved to stand before the checkpoints officer, an old, ragged and weather condition worn police lieutenant he did not roll in the hay but figured must be an NVKD political commissar or certificate official.

"lieutenant,"Osip said as he stood at attention and saluted,"I am Sergeant Osip and on messenger duty for the Ninth Army Headquarters. Here are my Order and papers sir,"he handed them over to the scowling, stern-faced lieutenant whose middle showed no mercy could be expected,"and I am machinate to indicate the satchel is still sealed upon your counselling sir."

"amercement then serjeant-at-law,"the lieutenant said not bothering to present himself, thus a sure sign he is NVKD."cum into the shack and we can do the inspection over some ‘ functionary company coffee'while you tell me all that is going on up at the military headquarters for the 163rd Division."


Over the next half hr serjeant-at-law Osip enjoyed half a bottle of the finest Russian vodka he knew to survive, and revealed all he knew not only of the 163rd divisions home office, but of all the Russian Ninth army he had seen first hand or even get a line hearsay about.

The deputy gently challenged him on each item, asking the Same question from different angle while he expressed doubts here and there about the veracity or loyalty and allegiance of Sergeant Osip. The drunken, thoroughly terrified serjeant was logical in every point, which pleased him to no end, and even more so as he saw the courier's message satchel remained sealed with the decal of the ninth Armies elder commissar.

"Sergeant Osip you have done your duty to the motherland and the Soviet Union admirably,"the Lieutenant said. sergeant-at-law Osip smiled and stood to go forth ; he never saw the Lahti side arm that moved to just shy of his skull, nor heard the gunshot that killed him.

After disposing of the eubstance deep in the wood next to the real lieutenant who had manned the checkpoint,"Sergeant"Stephen, wearing the overcoat and uniform of the courier, climbed onto the motorbike and headed down the road to ‘ deliver'his goods to the 163rd divisions headquarters.


â‚°

Four hour later Stephen left the hotel which had become the 163rd division field of operations headquarters. He learned of the desperate fighting they had undertaken when ordered by Army Headquarters to retreat, the continuous molestation by Finnish partisans and steady army forces on their supply lines, and more detailed entropy that he intended for later exploitation.

Before he departed he collected from the mellow floors where the senior policeman of the headquarters slept a small natural endowment for Nikkei. Taking the cover stairs down to the boastfully parking garage behind the hotel he evaded the few half-awake sentries on guard duty with contemptible comfort, activated his ‘ gift'to the Russians and quietly fled into the Nox to where he had stashed the motorbike.

He was far down the road when his ‘ talent'caused no end of topsy-turvyness for the 163rd division.

As he motored on down the back track and secondary roadstead on his stolen motorbike, Sir Leslie Stephen grinned as old memories returned concerning the finish war. Compared to his love for hunting and deal qualification ( in illegal limb and early goods such as Vodka banned from being exported ), only the joy of killing Russian soldiers once again outmatch them.


16 December, 1939 rear-area Russian one-ninth Army Corp

Within the sheltered depths of an old stone and earth-covered mansion Nikkei listened to the radio and absorbed the latest news of the war. The warmheartedness from the roaring flame in the hearth reminded her of better winter dark with her suddenly family, and she was happy to be free for a sentence of the dusty winter night just outside the house.

Stephen had gone off ‘ to line up out some particular'that he understood from the content broadcast to partisans by the various Finland radio stations. For the one-hundredth time since he left she looked down to the shooting iron at her English, hoping she will not postulate it if the Russians or former troubler discovered and entered the old house.

As she devoured her meal of a thick, rich, spicy, meat-stew and some semi-stale lettuce with butter and jam she shook her headway in disbelief. The league of Nations had tossed the Russia out of its ranks, and many of its extremity nation spokesperson made gravid talking to of aid and subdivision being prepared for shipment from the many Scandinavian and European governments to Finland.

The day-by-day word from Helsinki spoke of partizan under the leadership of the ‘ Ghost bear'and ‘ Snow Fox'which had annihilated the Russians 662nd infantry Regiment completely with minimal personnel casualty to the Finnish forces involved in the battle…an exaggeration that irritated Nikkei due to the true number of old kinfolk friends and associated who were lost.

When she took another sports stadium fully of the stew from the kettle simmering over the fire the latest news of the engagement on the Mannerheim line came through. Apparently the Russians launched a three-division rape, and in a 40 hour pitched battle were repulsed, to a lesser extent than 1200 Russians escaped from their force of 35000.

She and Sir Leslie Stephen, wherever he had gotten off to, had been doing their plowshare of harassing the Russians - taking down lone truck and a couple of tanks, disabling gun assault and battery that passed by and she took a perverse form of delectation in taking down the couriers on their motorbikes…the number of them had been dropping off over the by workweek, grounds of her having culled the herd with pitiless efficiency.

Details from the battle for Suomussalimi were broadcast. The 27th infantry Regiment of Finland had executed a chain of daring assaults from three different centering, isolated and destroyed key units of the Russian 163rd infantry variance. That social unit, plus the 44th Infantry variance were being harassed and worn down in non-stop raiding and skirmishing that the Finnish United States Army excelled at.

She grinned at the mention of Suomussalimi being back in Finnish hands. Then the news program rundle of the Finnish army and partisans ‘ using new and wonderful weapons'to deal with the Russian armor ; the very technique she and Stephen developed a few days ago - a bottle of alcohol and gasoline with few other things mixed in to make it into a sticky gasoline gel, and then a gas or oil soaked rag that is tied to it and lit just before being tossed at the cooler.

Net result…one cooked tank, especially if you can hit the locomotive engine, internal fuel tank, or the commonly mounted gun barrel of reserve fuel mounted on the after deck.

Sir Leslie Stephen returned a few second later as she cleaned out her bowling ball with a chunk of lucre. She watched him move to the fire and claim up a pipe bowl of stew and sit down next to her, his thick coat and hat showing crystallise signs he had been involved in some kind of altercation earlier in the night.


He moved over to the yowl ardor and stood before it to warm up."Nikkei I have found out that some ‘ especial visitors'will be passing through this domain in the next few 24-hour interval,"he said to her with a grin of pure wicked delight."The 163rd Division had been retreating through the 44th Division and the whole sphere is in complete chaos. Both divisional commanders are dead, having been at the 163rd's military headquarters when the hotel went up in flames…literally !"

He chuckled at that, just as he had chuckled soon after visiting the 44th Divisions depot of supply truck parked in a relatively unguarded lager. Thirty second of heedful employment delivered spectacular upshot, he had just finished crossing the lone bridge deck on the roadway when the entire M of ammo and provision-laden trucks went up in a Chain of fireballs from the minor bombs he had liberally placed on their fuel tanks.

So big was the chaos generated he was capable to penetrate the safety shack on his side of the bridge and trigger the demolition charges the Russians had emplaced just that day case the Finnish army pushed the Read Bear back across the river. As if that had not caused adequate topsy-turvyness and impairment, a flight of Finnish Air Force planes swept his face of the river route, damaging and destroying over threescore vehicles and damaged countless others.

Getting back to Nikkei took some clock time, longer than he anticipated, but a few ‘ borrowed'minibike from a few now deceased messenger helped out.

"It appears the Ninth United States Army Corps commander for the Russians is coming in person to inspect the cause for the delays in ‘ conquering these decrepit lackey's of the Imperialist western United States,"he laughed and shook his headway at such bunk,"general Dashicev will be here in a few days and we have a prospect to ‘ greet'him in proper partisan style."Here he mimicked with his hand a pistol being fired off, the bullet delivered between the generals eyes.

"Nikkei I found out there will be some ‘ especial visitant'coming through this area in the next mates of days,"Stephen said to her with a wicked grin."I found out the 163rd sectionalization has been ordered to retreat and the 44th division is sitting on its haunches per orders of the NKVD. It appears that General Dashicev, leader of the Ninth United States Army corp of the Russians will be making a tour of the movement lines."

"How…how did you happen this out granddaddy ?"Nikkei asked, uncertain if her granddaddy was pulling her leg or if he was telling the truth. She just sat there and shook her read/write head in awe at his audacity as he explained all he had been up to while gone. Then he told her the news she never dreamed of hearing, but confirmed by two crushed hats he pulled out of his pouch and tossed into her lap…

The chapeau which belonged to two now pass away Major-Generals.

"That one belonged to Major-General Bogdan, the one you missed a couple of weeks ago,"Stephen said to her with a teasing grin."The other to Major-General Zelenfsev, I found both of them discussing a rather efficient means to counterstrike our army. They never paid aid to the fact a ‘ Russian army courier'might deem it worth the time to take out the commanding officer of their respective divisions when the opportunity presented itself."

He showed her the appeal of report, programme and other information he had taken from the now ruined field headquarters."I got this hooey for our force out before my ‘ gift'to the Russians went off…"

"Grandpa, what…what did you do ?"she asked, unsure if she wanted to get word the taradiddle. One thing she had come to recognize of her gramps is he had a scrap tone that shone brave and true, and could be as ruthless as any murderer when issue called for him to be. She wondered if in time, and if she lived to see the end of the war, she will become the Same way…

"You remember the ‘ talent'I set for you to use back at the cabin ?"Sir Leslie Stephen asked and grinned at the frown of pure fury she gave to him,"Imagine a fuel truck parked within the service department connecting that old hotel, a fuel truck that had some stick of dynamite added to ensure that the resulting surprisal would be…spectacular."

"Now that the span is destroyed, the generals gone, and most of the 44th Divisions supplies are no more, our English will have a much easier time disposing of them,"he clenched his fist and grinned while his cold eyes blazed with pure fierceness and joy at the impending victory for the Suomi military group in the area.

"Do you want a Russian Army Corp superior general added to your kill or not ?"Sir Leslie Stephen chuckled at the feral grin that grew on Nikkei's face."expert, we will head out soon enough, but first I have something to take maintenance of…"

Nikkei watched him remove a small box-like sheaf from the bed of his back pack and head for the door."granddad what are you doing ?"she asked, the fear audible in her spokesperson and seeable on her face.

"I'll be coming back shortly Nikkei,"he said and then became deadly life-threatening,"emphatically this time follow my orders, at the first sign of danger grab your power train and flee as fast as you can. No leaving your skis behind or coming to chance me alright ?"He waited until she nodded,"You know the meeting places we discussed before, as I have said, if you have to flee head for one of the six locations. The zealot already know to celebrate and eye out for you if our locomotion turn for the worse."


â‚°â‚°

sea captain Robinson and his fistful of men moved with extreme point aid as they swept the get together post for any signs of an ambush from Russian military group. His men on the flank indicated with bridge player signaling no one was in the area. His soft, disgusted curse seemed to echo across the wooded hills.

"Where in the world has Stephen gotten off to this time ?"Edward G. Robinson declared. He nearly had a heart fire as the sound of a shooting iron hammer being eased back into place filled his spike. The corporal next to him who still had a length of cold steel placed under his jaw did not displace an inch.

"You're getting squashy Captain Sugar Ray Robinson,"Stephen said as he pulled both handgun away from the men, sliding them back into their holsters."I've been shadowing all of your men for the last half hour ; you did not even see the Russian patrol waiting for you just down the trail…"

"What patrol, we did not see any signs of a patrol - ours or theirs ?"the corporal exclaimed in sheer indignation at such a claim being made.

Stephen pointed over his shoulder to where six Russian foot lay numb."Like I said, you and your men are getting slipshod. Now let's get down to line of work as quickly as we can. I paid a visit to the 163rd Infantry variance headquarters and got these papers,"he tossed Robert Robinson a heavy satchel bag filled with vital information,"before my gift to them went off."

"Somehow I should bear known it was you behind that,"Captain Lennox Robinson said with a grinning."We will get these to Suomussalimi and then to Army Headquarters."He handed the satchel to the corporal, turned to talk with Stephen and discovered he had disappeared back into the woodwind instrument silent as a ghost.

"I hope this information is as full of life as Stephen thinks it is,"Captain Robinson said to himself.

He had no idea just how useful and life-sustaining it was to Field marshal Mannheim, whom gave off a shout of triumph that shocked many of his subordinates…


18 Dec, 1939 England

In the foyer of parliament men of power and authority sat, or stood, around the long tabular array discussing events, ideas or examined the swell wall-mounted map which dominated the elbow room. At the insistence of a lone man, the only one who dared to chomp away on his trademark cigar, commenced to surrender their portions of the plan in concern to the Finland-Soviet War and the surrounding Norse nations.

Many of the high gear Command, rector and parliamentarian looked at the cigar-chomping man with jolt, surprise, disbelief and apprehension for one to resolve such an dauntless scheme. They listened as he delivered his reasons for the plan, why it will succeed if implemented in clip, and the swell of gains towards thwarting FRG and its mighty war political machine.

"Gentlemen,"Mr. Winston S. Churchill declared while he thumped his fist on the mesa,"We must aid Suomi with all the supply, arms and ammo, planes, tanks and troops we can while denying the politics of Germany the most vital resource they need. Iron ore, the ore supplied to them by Kingdom of Sweden and shipped via Norge ; we will solve both problems with one expedition…cut off the mines from Germany and have a vital route to move our stand-in forces on into Finland."

Churchill concealed other, long mountain chain plans currently unfolding in Federal Republic of Germany that may put on an unexpected harvest in the calendar week to come…especially one concerning Chancellor Hitler…

Many in the Senior Command approved the initial outgo of the programme, and made a few good word here and there, seeking to refine it into a workable schema. Even flush curate Chamberlain gave his loath approval after an extensive debate on international law and intervention of impersonal and monarch lands.

Only one man dared to stand in opposition to the architectural plan, and even then only to simulate a ‘ devils exponent'position.

Minister of War Hore-Belisha stood and rapped his fist on the tabular array to profit everyone's aid."Distinguished gentlemen,"he began,"recall that we and France have been warned via the politics of Switzerland that Germany will regard any comportment of Allied troops within the borders of Norge or Sverige as an attempt upon mainland Germany itself and ensue in immediate retaliation."

"It appears there is an informal agreement between Sweden and Germany ; for our broker and liaison are even now reporting that shipments of small arms, machine guns and light cannon, plus meaning amount of money of ammo have even now crossed into the borders of Republic of Finland from Sweden."Hore-Belisha emphasized each degree with a smack of one hired man into the early."This appears to be done via field of force Marshal Goering, and with the support of Chancellor Hitler. If we interfere with an encroachment of Norway and Sverige we will gamble sundering the range of supplying going to Finland…lose that and communist Soviet Russia will win by sheer weight of number."

Winston Churchill looked upon the minister of religion of War with eye that blazed in righteous fury. Standing, he slammed his fist on the table and locked gazes with his adversary."Understand this, the fate of Finland and of the free Earth are tied together as one ; here are my line of reasoning as to why the plan must go forth…"

The argument raged long into the Nox and well into the next break of the day before the meeting came to a close ; cipher had been decided, to the disappointment of many.



18 December, 1939 Germany

He sat behind his desk and paused, stunned by the news contained in the top cloak-and-dagger report in his deal. He read it three more times, examining each point and fact and assumption for the to the lowest degree preindication of deception or of the facts being deliberately misconstrued or manipulated.

His aide stood by, having sensed something of capital implication is going on in the mind of his leader, and thus he will be here to see history made.

The man closed the theme and laid it upon his desk, shocked by the magnitude of weakness to be found within his ‘ allies'of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. He looked at his aide and gave off a rapid-fire chain of orders and sat back in his chair as the Edward Young police chief ran off to tuck the military officer so indicated.

Thirty min later Chancellor Adolph Adolf Hitler stood before his assemble stave in the group meeting elbow room that adjoined his post. For over six hours the get together continued, with prime minister Hitler demanding hard answers from each man, save for marshall Hermann Goering, whom nodded at the unverbalized doubt concerning the secret supplies being sent to Finland via Sweden.

In due fiat a programme began to come forth for the opportunity that lay give before them, one which grew expectant with each hour Russia bled on the snowy field of operations, hill, and forests."Gentlemen,"Hitler said,"We have a golden opportunity that chronicle and destiny gives to one hoi polloi to change the world every millennium ; the coat of arms bought by Sverige will go on without interruption, and we shall increase our gift of military intelligence to Finland."

Chancellor Hitler walked over to the large wall map and rapped his fist hard on the border of Finland - Russia."That is where Soviet Russia and the commie will be bled white, and here,"he slammed his fist hard down on the map,"is what we shall do…"

The gain men looked upon such a bold and elementary concept with equal measures of awe, shock absorber and hungriness, for indeed a golden chance - one filled with danger and extreme risk on-key - had arrived to deliver an somebody blow to their ancestral enemy.

"Chancellor Der Fuhrer,"declared General-colonel Keitel,"with your approving we will start out to make preparations."

Der Fuhrer nodded and then said to the departing officers and ministers,"This information changes all we have expected, the precipitation of Russia is at hand once and for all…the death of a tyrant will soon occur."

As he turned to expect out the windowpane he never understood how prophetic those very words happened to be…



20 Dec, 1939 rear-area of the Russian ninth Army corp

Nikkei paused as she and Sir Leslie Stephen neared the top of the hill and motioned for him to do the same. She strained to peck up the auditory sensation she heard a moment before and then grinned when it became clear, another Russian courier on a motorbike was making his unit of ammunition along the principal road.

Stephen smiled and motioned to a blot halfway up the hill, a cleft in the rocks surrounded by rich shrubs and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree which made for a near-perfect snipers nest. He motioned to a large boulder surrounded by orotund trees where he will cover her as she took down the courier ; from foresighted practice both reached their positions, shed their skis and had their respective weapons - the Suomi KP sub-machinegun for him, the master-crafted rifle for Nikkei - readied for business.

A sudden moving ridge from Nikkei told Stephen something else was wrong, as she looked shocked for the first time since the war began. When he looked through the vegetation and onto the briny road he understood completely her shock…for an strange convoy worked its way ever so slowly down the road long since churned to mud and debris due to the near constant traffic and treads of the tanks.

Four motorbike guards led the way for the convoy followed by a lone, light-armored tank, a staff car that was made for a high-ranking military police officer, possibly a theatre marshal, visiting the presence bloodline. To the cover of the convoy, four more motorbike mounted safety completed the suite. If not for the presence of that storage tank, no matter how small-scale compared to its armored blood brother, he would have had Nikkei engage the stave car while he took down the motorbike mounted guards…

"If not for that blasted tank,"he pumped his clenched fist in pure frustration that such a groovy dirty money is getting away, only to realize his misunderstanding a moment later…


â‚°â‚°

Nikkei lined her lot upon the two large, fuel-laden, highly-flammable, barrels of the light tank. For once she was sword lily to have a powder magazine loaded with Stephens ‘ extra ammunition'for such an social occasion. She kept adjusting her aim to correct for the tardily crawl advance of the armored creature, growing more impatient with each second that Stephen mulled over her taking the stab or for the two of them to withdraw.

From the corner of her eye she saw Sir Leslie Stephen pump his fist, their agreed upon signal for her to jump any trap they have established. One terminal modification on her leading the tank, and a gentle wring of the trigger…

clap !
flush !

Twice she worked the rifle bolt in her palm-guided, up-back, forward-down sweeping motion to reload for the next shot she would need. She paid the tank no more heed, swinging around to the faculty car even then breaking and sliding across the frost and mud covered road…

smash !

The stave cars left-back tire shredded from the slug shock, the incendiary bomb cathexis igniting the prophylactic cloth almost instantly. The occupants of the stave car leapt from the vehicle as the motorbike guard leapt to cover one man in a black greatcoat…the gleam of the morning sunlight off of his rank and file lapels denoted him to be a true prize, maybe the Russian general her grandfather spoke of arriving ahead of schedule.


She changed magazines, palmed the rifle bolt and chambered the first round of even ammo she used. The strait of the Russians firing with pistol and sub-machineguns blindly into the surrounding farming did not cause her any alarm…

windfall !

The army tank firing a 76mm carom circle into the Sir Henry Joseph Wood barely 50 meters downhill from her location did get her notice…

She rolled to one incline of the sheltering stone as a second cannon round slammed home closer than the finally. Her ear pounded from the deafening disturbance, bones hurt and gut felt as if it had been reduced to mush. The regular tap - tapping of Stephen's Finnish sub-machinegun told the tarradiddle of dead Russians and his exertion to disorder the tank…

gold rush ! ! !

The force of the blast bodily lifted Nikkei off the ground like a rag doll. With ears still ringing like a cacophony of church service bells she half-moved, half-stumbled back to the cleft in the gemstone and gasped at the sight before her…the staff car and most of the motorbikes had been reduced to twisted metal while the demolish cooler poured forth a bellowing tower of fire high into the morning sky.

Sir Leslie Stephen moved from Tree to corner, boulder to boulder, aiming his shots to pin down the Russians who sheltered behind the boulders. There, they are safe from his fervency for the time, but not from Nikkei…

Shaking, she fought to truelove enough to trace a bead on that crucial Russian policeman. No matter though, one guard or another kept his body between him and her…until…


â‚°â‚°

Stephen moved as a ghost across the terrain, steadily closing on the Russians position, determined to collect the Russian officer as due payment for his showing up in Republic of Finland. Here was the chance of a lifetime, to take down a full-fledged Russian general or field-marshal…or if he can be captured, the blessing for the Finnish army will be…

strike !

quatern More shots followed in quick ecological succession, and then came a strange calmness only parted by the continuous roar of the flaming armored combat vehicle. He grinned at the precision piece of work of his granddaughter, moved carefully to the edge of the woods and prepared to sweep the road. Stephen wondered what information that might benefit the Suomi Armed Forces awaited his discovery on that bushed officer's carcass…

The sudden arrival of two squadrons of Russian lighter bombers and fighter which passed low and close over his position changed everything. There is no way they could accept missed the carnage that had been inflicted on the small but important caravan ; especially as the storage tank still burned like a blowtorch with a column of black smoke clawing ever high into the sky.

He rapidly retreated back into the woods, and raced to Nikkei to avail her get cook for a debauched, voiceless and long border district deeper into the afforest track. Three Thomas More Russian aircraft squadrons passed command processing overhead, and he prayed that none of the pilots would look down and spot him or Nikkei…if they did there will be no escape.

Nikkei scrambled around the hillside, staying under the timber canopy for concealment. She watched the skies as the Russian carpenter's plane circled back around and wondered if they had seen her or her grandpa.

A short whistle caught her attention and she watched Sir Leslie Stephen wave to her, point down a humble slope trail that snaked among the woods, and pushed off with her poles, pressing to keep up with the heavy pace he set for them.

They pushed onward fast and voiceless to increase the space between them and the ambush site. Then came the clarion call of a score or Sir Thomas More of planer high gear overhead. At the edge of a large clearing they watched the grand transmitting aerial battle then being waged high in the skies ; a dance of decease between the Suomi and Russian Air power so far above the earth…

Contrails swept the clouded sky, here moving in a heterosexual person line, there they curved and spiraled until one or two at a sentence ended in cloud of Black person smoke. Outnumbered by eight to one the Finnish pilot program pressed home each of their plan of attack, savaging the Russian constitution that sought to get it past them, only to cascade down out of the sky and into the merciless clutches of the solid ground.

It ended in LE than ten moment during which Stephen counted the Russians had lost seventeen fighters and xi torpedo. From the lead of fatal roll of tobacco which departed to the due east, at least twice that number of planes had been damaged ; he hoped every one of the Russians crashed on the way back to their basis. As for losses on the side of Finland, he could not tell one way or another.

Two hours later as the pair stopped to catch their intimation, having covered nearly seven kilometers, Stephen gave Nikkei a puckish grin and asked,"So my granddaughter, what shall we use to mark your pickings of that army tank ?"

"How about a squirrel grandpa ?"she replied. To her amazement he agreed, and when they set camp that night among some old laying waste he added five small fox and one squirrel to her growing tally of kill recorded on the rifle.

"grandad,"Nikkei said, and then hesitated, still shaken by the closelipped call with decease at the manus of the armored combat vehicle returned fervor."Who would the Russians send to the front lines escorted by a tankful, and so many motorbike rider ?"

Stephen paused and rubbed his bridge player over his Kuki as he mulled the question over and over. Finally he reached the only when logical determination that fit the evidence of such a caravan moving with minimal guard."The sole affair that makes sense was either a new Divisional commander or possibly the commander of the Russian Ninth Army Corp, general Dashicev whom we have been hunting for. Either way we, or I should say, you, get done much to disrupt the Russian ground forces in this area."

He scuffed up Nikkei's haircloth with his hand despite her advantageously effort to fend him off,"ejaculate now Nikkei we have to push on before we make camp. There is an old hunt lodge, or I should say what's left of one, where we will hole out up and figure out what to blow up next."

"Grandpa is there any fortune I can get a bathing tub ?"Nikkei asked, not expecting any form of good news in the matter.

"The place originally had hot water supply piped in from the local anaesthetic springs, and if I recall correctly the last time I checked they are still working. I'm not promising anything Nikkei, but if you want a hot bathtub I'll do what I can to control you get your hot bathroom for Christmas…"

Stephen shook his head and moved to enamor up with Nikkei, who raced on down the trail determined to have got her hot bath."Never underestimation that girl…so much like me after all…still a grand old day, and one less John R. Major pain of a Russian loss leader to be concerned with."

In a handful of Clarence Day Sir Leslie Stephen and Nikkei would discover who was in the ambushed convoy. Yet the chain of outcome unleashed by their efforts will take retentive to unfold and mold not only the winter War, but the life story of tenner of trillion of the great unwashed across Europe and beyond.


22 Dec, 1939 STAVKA headquarters, Moscow

Premier Joseph Stalin watched from the high balcony of STAVKA home base as the firing squads prepared for the future round of executions. Normally the sight of such battue would quell his sadistic rages in minutes, but not this eventide. No, this evening the blood would flow in red streams across the land. The incompetents who had allowed such shame and embarrassment to descend upon the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics had to be expunged permanently for their crimes.

Stalin slammed his fist on the Harlan F. Stone railing repeatedly, angered beyond sensibility or rationality. He had sent his diplomatic minister of Defense, Marshal Voroshilov to join with 9th army Corps commandant General Dashicev and get to the bottom of the slew at the movement line of credit. The Ninth Army Corps should have sliced Finland in half at the waistline weeks ago, yet had not advanced more than 60 km across the mete, and if the reports are true, two elite infantry class had been destroyed by a bold and foolhardy Finnish counterattack.

He watched as the condemned men, the military machine unit who was to travel with Marshal Voroshilov to the front lines, were brought to the rampart five at a sentence. The drawing card of the firing squad executed each mastery with well honed preciseness, his men fired on statement with no hesitation and the next in line to be shot had the honor of dragging their all in supporter away before assuming their post at the wall.

The lot of marshal Voroshilov and general Dashicev was made known to Stalin only an minute ago while he had his dinner. So hot was his rage he personally stormed his way to where the bodyguards of marshall Voroshilov were barracked, entered their commander's business office and summarily shot him dead for his law-breaking against the state.

minute after minute he stood on that balcony as the executions continued well into the night. Once the last man of the escort unit was disposed of, the fortune of those NKVD troops who failed to secure the roadway followed.

Until the news of the Marshals expiry had arrived, few dared to dispute his conclusion to invade Republic of Finland and to restore what dry land rightfully belonged to Soviet Union and Soviet Russia alone. Even Sweden and Norge began to bear their doubt about standing up against USSR on the side of Finland, until the populace wire and radio Service had announced the death of Voroshilov.

Combined with another crushing victory scored by the Suomi armies against the Russian forces fighting it out on the Isthmus, many humans leader now pledged to substantiate Republic of Finland in any way possible. And now Deutschland, the ostensible ally of Russian Federation, had begun to send out feelers to the North Germanic language regime to see if German language ships bearing weapon system and supplies for Finland would be permitted passageway through their territory.


Once again Stalin seethed at the continuous betrayal heaped upon betrayal of the mankind country against the ascending of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, and of the domination of the world by Communist force out. They refuse to see and recognize the inevitableness of his causal agent and movement, to make for the world into a communist halcyon age no matter the cost in rake and fire.

"No the war will continue on,"Stalin growled, his anger still stoked to levels beyond comprehension,"more men and tank car will be sent, to a greater extent woodworking plane dispatched and we will fight on until I have victory over the Finnish who dishonored me in 1921, or the last Russian falls dead on the field."

Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili never moved until the last prisoner were executed well into the next Day dawning.


24 December, 1939 Finland Supreme Command HQ

For the first time since the war with Soviet Russia had commenced subject marshall Mannheim allowed himself to feed off a chuckle and a smile at the bad joke one of his adjutant told. He returned to the function and theme laid out on the table before him, listening to the unending legal transfer of memos, message, intelligence service and so forth.

On the 22nd of December the Russian Seventh ground forces Corp threw itself at the Mannerheim defensive agate line, a full military unit of nine infantry segmentation, three tank car brigades and a light armor corps of armored automobile and fast tanks. The Soviet world-wide had come up with a crafty plan, cross the ice-covered lakes where tanks and armored vehicles could mesh and pull foresightful telephone line of infantry-bearing sleds ; other unit would mount a simultaneous assault from the landed estate and overwhelm the defenders.

A brilliant plan that would have worked, spare for the Finnish scouts and saboteurs operating in the Russian rear-areas who discovered the plan and promenade movements…exactly as the tidings gathered by the ‘ spook Bear'had indicated.

Forewarned the front line commanding officer had engineers rig up a massive surprise for the Russian assault - remote-detonated explosives combined with the usage of their pre-registered cloggy howitzers and the new gravid anti-tank cannons ( which had arrived via Sweden ) that lined the fortified side along the shoreline.

The Russian attack began with a monolithic ten-hour artillery barrage fire followed by the first wave of Russian troops surging across the ice. Explosives and artillery decimated the Russian military unit, sending army tank and sleds into the watery profoundness below shattered ice. The armored vehicles and tanks that did reach the survived this were crushed by the anti-tank hired gun and the infantry who joined in the one-sided mass murder of the lakes.

The nation fight had been a much closer matter, thirteen hours of god-awful combat that left over two-hundred burned out tank and thou of Russian dead stacked like cordwood. The Suomi armed forces had paid a affectionately price for it, yet the newly deployed extraneous volunteers made the divergence in quantity and quality…some 25000 troops from Republic of Hungary, Italy, Sweden and Norway plus a sparge of early nationalities, Heron each and every one !

battlefield reports combined with stop transmissions programme in the bring in from the Russian Seventh Army Corp home base nearly matched. For all intensive purposes the Seventh Army had been destroyed in that one great winner-take-all battle.

Then just after midnight on the 23rd the Russian resumed their vile north of Lake Ladoga. Five infantry divisions of the Russian eighth USA Corps, with heavy tankful and ordnance accompaniment, assaulted the weak-appearing Suomi positions with a great deal of exuberance and determination ; only to ascertain out they had struck hard into a multi-layered, multi-supporting area of bunkers, heavy weapon, car gun nests, minefields and anti-tank gunman which shredded the Russians in less than seven hours.

Again it was the foreign volunteers who helped make the deviation, another 20,000 mix-bag of nationalities whose armed forces acquirement and expertise allowed them to agitate as hard as his Finnish U. S. Army troops ! Even the air battle went dramatically in their favor, with blackjack Finnish Air personnel planes downed for xcvii Russian. The dominating general for the Eighth regular army very politely stayed in his field headquarters when a six bombardment bombardment of Suomi heavy ordnance landed on its position.

Field Marshal Mannheim softly chuckled and looked at his tuck military officer."Our troops, the foreign volunteer force-out, and the supply of implements of war and ammo from Sweden, Norge, Italy and Magyarorszag are making the difference ; how ironic that so much of the demise we bring down on the Russians has been supplied by their very own ‘ ally'Germany."

"Field marshal,"one of Mannheim's aides quietly said and handed over a series of message forms for him. He read them quickly, one of them several times and looked to his intelligence chief who nodded and grinned like a wolf. He just stood there in shock, unable to believe for a sentence that two partisans - the Ghost Bear and Snow Fox had doubled their previous coup over the Russians.

"My God Above thank you for this great talent you have given unto us all,"he said and bowed his question in a legal brief prayer of thanks and praise. The confirmation of reinforcements - reservists and foreign Volunteer - to constrain the Finnish guardian facing the one-ninth and Fourteenth armies was great news, and now this gift on Noel Eve truly was heaven sent.

marshall Mannheim made a banknote to make those two drumbeater decorated if Finland managed to accommodate on and win the ongoing war.

"Gentlemen,"he called out, his voice instantly cutting through the cacophony of disturbance loud and distinct.

Once he had their attention he read the intercepted message and after the clapping and cheering ran its course ordered it to be broadcast over subject radio receiver. The Marshal shook his fist in triumph, knowing then and there the war with Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic had turned and turned for the better…he gave that some due consideration…

"base on balls the word to all our nominal head line forces as well, but indicate they are to be doubly vigilant at this news,"he said with all due seriousness,"The Russians will not forget nor forgive. We can expect them to remove even More reinforcements and faster than ever to see to it our nation is crushed once and for all."

"Understand this much valet,"he continued, his iron-hard gaze locking on every man and char in turn,"our side has won many smashing victory and the good Almighty has delivered the foe leaders into our hands as well, but we have not won the war. Our greatest battles may well be ahead, thus I am ordering our power who are facing the Ninth and Fourteenth Russian regular army corps to tighten their defenses so we can pin those power in place."

"Gentlemen, I sense a keen change is coming in the air, a storm cracking than anything we have ever seen will hit and change the world."Mannheim grinned, never understanding the storm would be one of blood, fire and sword coming down on their foe in short order.



25 December, 1939 rear-area Russian Ninth regular army Corp

Nikkei slid deeper into the steaming water and reveled in the intense warmth and soft moving ridge that lapped across her abdomen and breasts. She twirled her digit in the water, generating ripples that spread out and glistened in the soft lantern light ; such a simple gift she wanted for Christmas, a hot Bath, something she took for granted before the war began…before her humankind turned upper side down and slammed to the priming coat with brutal intensity.

For four days she and Sir Leslie Stephen had been cooped up in the ruination of an old hunting club that actually had H2O piped in from a nearby hot spring. The low moaning of the blizzard reminded her of old ghost stories her father would tell near the fireplace, shadows dancing on the rampart as he moved about, often making animal tail with his hired hand in renditions of ‘ peter and the Wolf.'

One strong spate of wind that pounded on the door blocked by an old couch and desk, to prevent easy first appearance by anyone in the area, reminded her that not everyone was enjoying such a bounty as she on the birthday of the Prince of repose. Most of the old lodge lay exposed to the element, but enough remained, such as the washup room she occupied, to provide properly shelter…once they dealt with the bear out of the shoes that had taken up residency.

As Nikkei reached for the rag and soap Stephen had thoughtfully laid out by the tub for her, she smiled at the fond memories of bear-meat stew…although having to manhandle the brutes 300kg carcase outside so it did not stink up the ease of the property hardly made it worth the crusade. Her being able to read a hot bathing tub and rid herself of mean solar day of grime and stain made it worth the effort.

She gathered a rich people lathering of soap on her hands and the rag, and then slowly began to scrub down her face, cervix and arms. The collect grease and tension built from the offset of the war eased away bit by bit, and she could unstrain for a time, disembarrass of the cares and retentiveness of the wider world.

On one white meat she softly swirled the rag in sensuous circles that advanced unto her well nipple. Sensations both old and new flowed into her thinker, awakening desires she had never allowed herself to fully explore or to even lecture about with anyone. Her eyes closed and a easy gasp passed her open brim as a flimsy shudder played along her consistency ; the heat of the piddle accentuated the pleasurable Wave which flowed one upon another along the very vulcanized fiber of her being.

Her free script came to rest between her breasts, and the finger slowly snaked their way downward. Once there, they began to caress and ride and please a portion of her body that sent her unto the heavens with sensuous bliss that she could only compare to the songs of the heavenly choirs. Nikkei sensed her fondness trouncing faster and faster as her hint quickened, blood thundered and her consistency came alive in a rainbow of sensations that could not be described.

She pushed her fingers into the depths of her womanhood as far as she could ; determined to force out each bit of pleasure potential. Of course she was still a virgin at the age of eighteen, unlike so many of her friends and former close kin…none had desired to be with her since she was found out to be unable to suffer tiddler, thus making her the scorn of the Village and a bad marriage prospect.

The wilderness, raw, primordial upsurge of fire and high temperature caught her off guard duty as a thousand thousands of universes cascaded before her, infinite probability of what may be and could be, and then collapsed back into the here and now as she screamed her joy to the world when her tone ending hit.

Her hands covered her mouthpiece as she blushed deeper than ever before in her life, wondering if anyone had heard the noise…and blushed even deeper as Stephen burst through the door with a drawn pistol, lost his footing on the slick floor and tumbled face first into the bathtub with Nikkei.

He pulled himself out of the tub and shook his top dog like an old sheepdog, sending a cascade of body of water across the room."I'm soaked,"he moaned while looking at his drenched wear, shook his heading and hoped enough firewood remained to dry them by the fireplace - though they would smell like wood pot for day."wagerer they smell of Sir Henry Wood smoke than that of an old and wet sheep dog like me…"

"Grandpa, are you alright ?"Nikkei asked as she leaned over the edge of the bathtub. When Stephen looked at her with an abashed grin she gasped, clutched her weaponry over her bared bosom and slip deep into the waters while a hot blush surged deep and red across her already rush cheeks. All she wanted to do was run away and disappear ; her idea tore in different direction, desires playing a thousand melodies at once while she fought to tame the confusion.

On the engagement playing area sniping at the enemy she has mastered her emotions to a finely degree ; but in the matters of the essence, she has never encountered such as she faced now. She lowered her head but could not tear her heart away from him as he pulled off his shirt and wrench the body of water of it…the iron-hard brawniness of his lithe frame, crossed with a roadmap of scrape acquired over a lifespan of hardship and fight, flexed with each twist made upon his shirt.

He whipped the shirt a few times to get any remaining droplets free and grinned at Nikkei."Sorry Nikkei I had thought that a bear or a Russian had gotten into the washup room and I got careless again…"

Nikkei was ineffectual to trust her ears, for her grandpa never apologized for anything."Grandpa you didn't foul up or get careless I just…well, I was doing something and…"

"Well my granddaughter I have to take,"Stephen said while softly chuckling,"that is one way to ask a man to join you in the tub, though I'm not surely both of us would fit. Although I could try if you insist…"

He laughed at the cute little squealing sounds given off by Nikkei at his suggestion. Though as he left the room to change and dry his fabric, the spark that danced in her center spoke book to his experienced heart and mind.


â‚°â‚°

Tap - tap - tap !

Stephen pulled the modest punch away from Nikkei's rifle and examined the up-to-the-minute little fox-marker added to the wooden descent. Feeling the suavity of the roughness he coated the exposed wood with an amber hued stain, when dry it will glisten with a honey-gold texture as any promiscuous played across it.

"One more of so many foxes added, I had taught my granddaughter to hunt down for cervid, boar and bear."Sir Leslie Stephen gave off a deep, disgusted sigh at the winds of fate and ill-fortune."Instead she has become a hunter of Russians who have raped our homeland and stolen her futurity. All those years ago when her family adopted her…."

His mind drifted into remembering of his lost family all those long time ago when they had adopted Nikkei after she had been orphaned. No one knew where she had come from, even the bureau failed to get the parents of the small girl found wandering alone in the Sir Henry Wood, her wear covered in blood…

A girl of honest mysteries who had grown into a amercement young woman ; one that he wished he could have given a life history of peace to instead of the damned war the Russians had forced upon all of them.

In the background the static-filled broadcast of Finnish and Scandinavian tuner stations declared their holiday regard and salutation, and then broadcast the usual updates of the war.

"To all of our extremity of Finland's armed military group engaged in the dire battles to protect our homeland from the tike of the Soviet uniting. I and all of our people thank you for the dedication and ritual killing of so very much you have give for us, and may on this day when we celebrate the parentage of the Prince of Peace each of you find relief from this dateless distress inflicted by the Russians.."

Stephen half-listened to the radio motionless filled broadcast. He heard the details given of the great battle fought on the Isthmus and near Lake Lake Ladoga on the 22nd and 23rd ; the Russian Seventh and one-eighth army Corps had been stopped, shattered and scattered before obstinate Finnish resistance"assisted by Tennessean who support our cause for exemption and self-determination as a commonwealth against the dictatorial might of communist Russia."

"We wish to confirm that in the endure week the Russian USA shock force play of the Russian one-ninth Army corps has suffered extreme setbacks due to our nation's U. S. Army, air force out and partisans active behind the foe lines. It has been confirmed that the Ninth U. S. Army has lost their commandant, one General Dashicev along with the Minister of Defense for the Soviet sum, Marshall Voroshilov who had come to the front line to see first-hand what had caused the ninth army to be held up in the field."

Sir Leslie Stephen turned his wide attention to the radio…

"My fellow Fin's our dearest solders and nationals fighting behind the credit line have demonstrated loud and clear to the human race why the one-ninth Army, along with all other Russian Army Corps, has failed to smash our land. In the death of the Defense diplomatic minister Russia has learned the example we will never deliver and never yield to their military force of enslavement. And so with each meshing we undertake against the Russian invaders, we bleed them and bleed them more, until the day will come in in the go up futurity when they will admit defeat and seek to score a just and respectable peace."

"May the time soon come when we can tell in full the action at law of the two known as the snow Fox and the Ghost Bear ; may God keep back them prophylactic and wield them as instruments of justness against our ancient foeman from the barbarian lands of Russia."

Stephen whistled,"So that is whom Nikkei took down after the storage tank exploded ?"

He imagined how Nikkei would dance around like an ale-drunken bee after hearing of the prize she had bagged. The Death of General Dashicev was receive news, and showed his guess as to who occupied the stave car in the wagon train they had ambushed. Yet the decease of marshall Voroshilov, Russian minister of religion of defence, truly marked the greatest prize any partisan sniper could desire to mark short of prime minister Stalin.

He gently cleaned the rifle with an old rag, gently removing the least touch of grime, dust or oil his work may sustain left upon it."I made this for my earnest Nikkei to hunt cervid and bear with, and now she ahs been forced by this war to become a Hunter of men. I wish her parents could see her now…"


He fought back the tear that threatened to come as his warmheartedness lodged in his throat. His children and grandchildren, plus all his supporter there save for Nikkei are all gone. His rage at the Russians redoubled in an instant.

"Tomorrow I have to go and ‘ see what is going on'again ; hopefully this fourth dimension Nikkei will not insist on coming along with me."He looked at the small pile of supplies that had been cached away in the cellar of the old hunting hunting lodge. While Nikkei had been taking her bath he had gone down and brought the solid food, cloth, ammo and other assorted goods the two needed as they hunted Russians.

Also, as he had hoped, the two small sled he had stored among other commodity in the cache remained intact and untaken. At least he and Nikkei could have a bun in the oven more goods on them than they can just upon their back. Plus he had new batteries for his small radio a admirer had built a few days ago…

That little transmitter has proven to be a truthful wonderment. Incredibly minor, whippersnapper and reliable, he can use it to relay or receive voice and Morse-code sign. His old booster in the United State who made it was a propagation ahead of his prison term, and a simple fond regard allowed it to be powered by a hand-cranked generator-system.

When the tautness between Soviet Union and Finland had begun to increase, he and his comrade smugglers plus some of the contacts they had within the armed forces began to plan and prepare. Thus a relay-chain of a variety exists to pass info and pedagogy along to those who needed it ; they always are sent in brief transmission of Morse-code to fend off counter spotting by the Russians.

Other entropy, orders and the like are broadcast five times daily by the government activity over the public radio broadcasts. No thing how much the Russians may try, only the leaders of the zealot in specific areas behind the dividing line possessed the necessity code to understand them.

"All for the proficient then,"Sir Leslie Stephen softly said to himself."It's past time we bleed these Russians as badly as we can and prevent any more than chaos falling upon our heads…"

He stopped mumbling at the sound of Nikkei's ghostly footsteps mixed with the crackle of the flaming in the fireplace. His gaze moved to his clothing hung over the back of two old hot seat near the fireplace, the heat slowly drying them out after that dip in the tub.

Returning to the rifle, he observed that each part has been lovingly cared for by Nikkei. Stephen nodded his commendation, delighted that she had remembered all he could instruct her of such topic.

Wrapped in a thick cotton gown, Nikkei sat before the ardour and cover towel her whisker dry.

Stephen looked up at her, the light from the flames caressing her in a swirling dance of light and apparition. He saw her chewing on her lower lip, obviously troubled by something, or more likely what had happened between them in the bathing room.

"Nikkei what's bothering you my pricey ?"Stephen said and laid the rifle down on its white-furred scabbard."I can recount you are worried or troubled, so please secernate me and if I have wronged you somehow…"

He scooted next to her and looked into her tear-filled oculus as she turned her gaze unto his.

She opened her gown to expose her bared abdomen, second joint and breasts for him to see, hoping that he will not turn away from her unspoken question. One handwriting came to rest on his blush cheek, the high temperature flowing into her manus as she began to fondle his iron-hard, weathered, scarred skin in such a gentle way that it twitched with each soft and finespun stroke.

"Nikkei I did not mean to spite you earlier…"Stephen's Christian Bible ended when she gently touched a fingertip to his lips. She pulled her hand away and shed the robe from her body, then leaned onto her hip, sweeping her legs back behind her at the articulatio genus and propped herself up on one arm. With the other she took his hand into her and entwined their fingers.

Stephen's center drank in every sensuous and piano bender of her body, the comprehensiveness of her amber hairsbreadth, soft risque eyes full of life and pain mixed in be measure, the steadfast ascent and fall of her bareheaded bosom. As his gaze descended to her most intimate of treasures she shifted her leg enough for him to see her bared womanhood and the thin glint of moisture already gathered there on her cutis and surrounding hair.

"Nikkei what are you…I mean…"for one of the few times in his life, Sir Leslie Stephen found himself at a loss for words as his brain flared to ashen insensibility. He could not think this is actually happening and with his beloved and only surviving granddaughter…

"granddaddy I want this to be my gift to you,"she said to him. He could hear the making love and affection in her voice for him, something that had been there for old age and only now did he sympathize in full…his adopted Nikkei had fallen in love with him hanker ago and now sought to propel their relative to the next level.

"I have forgotten since the war began what it meant to be alert and justify of worry and choler,"she said, her eye releasing a lone shoot down down her cheek."I want to be your pose grandpa for tonight, to remind us both what liveliness means ; I don't expect to get it through this war, so a great deal destruction has already come close…and with that tank car firing at me…"she shuddered at the memory of how close she had brushed with death that day.

She moved to Stephen and sat down on his lap with her legs crossing behind his backbone. Her one hand brought his to rest on her tit ; the simple touch of his skin on hers sent a shiver and chill blazing across her being. When he began to caress her bosom, teasing more and more fiery Wave of delight from her physical structure, she leaned into him and all but melted away as the soft blow does before the flames of a fire.

He kissed her brass and softly bobble puffs of his heated breath on her neck opening. Stroking her hair he looked once again into her optic and seen the honey and nerves playing against one another."Are you indisputable this is what you want Nikkei ? You only have one first time in such matters and I want you to be absolutely sure…"

The fierce embrace and fiery kiss she gave him answered all his questions.

So it was that they entered the sure-enough of strain, and fulfilled the Old dance of all, two hearts and two bodies coming together in one ; the battle cry of passion and primal spillage echoed throughout the old ruin until Sir Leslie Stephen released his life sentence cum into Nikkei, and then collapsed from the exertion. The two cuddled and caressed one another while sharing loving smiling and whispering Word meant for them alone.

An hour later as Nikkei contently slept away, her gentle snore merging with the crackling flames, Stephen gave her a grin and softly kissed her on the cheek before laying down for his own rest. He made sure though that his pistols and hunting knife were within well-heeled grabbing aloofness if they were needed.


28 December, 1939 Suomussalimi, Suomi

Colonel Siilasvuo returned the courier salute and dismissed him with a casual wafture of his hired hand.

Two days ago he had been alerted to significant instructions that will arrive at his home base ; and given the current atmospheric condition that raged just outside the hotels thick stone rampart, it had to be something between extremely urgent and insane for a messenger to be risked in temperatures, blow and lead that were the worst in commemorate history.

Since him and the twenty-seventh Infantry Regiment, now reinforced by three additional regiments of reservists and foreign military volunteer, he had waged relentless guerrilla warfare to bleed the Russian Ninth regular army Corp white and hold them to this region when from all accounts they could have been used on the Isthmus during the last Russian assault.

However the Russians had dug in deep and still managed to keep him from mounting a successful strike across the river. He could defend and not assail, and the Saami for them…a frustration that grew all the more with each departure day. Even his raiding parties had met with minimal success, save for sniping at the Russians who hid in their fortified positions.

Only Captain Robinson and his men, aided by the enthusiast led by the old colonel Sir Leslie Stephen and his aide called"Snow Fox"have scored massive success upon success upon success. When he considered the repute of the old colonel, commonly known as the"Ghost Bear'in the last neat war, it is small wonder the man leads and coordinates the partisans to such a record, even as he and the coke Fox carry out their own two-person crusade upon the hated Russians.

He opened the packet and withdrew out the bundle of documents and picture, and whistled when he gave the top Sir Frederick Handley Page - society from field of battle Marshal Mannerheim himself - a cursory glance. They explained in brief and concise contingent that major reinforcements were expected to be arriving inside two workweek for the Russian Ninth Army Corp…

Colonel Siilasvuo raged, cursed and complained as he stormed out of the old hotel which housed his discipline headquarters. He shouted above the howling air current for his senior officers to gather around him as he woke his driver to hire him down riverside…he had been forbidden from launching anything solid than raids across the river to slice apart the remaining strength of the Ninth United States Army while sentence remained. So he had chosen to inspect the forward defenses and ensure the Russians received a warmly welcome when they struck.

As expected, the defensive structure were strong and growing impregnable with each passing day ; with log and stone bunkers caparison machine guns, anti-tank cannon and fighting location for infantry. early positions inside the township had already been made ready…when the Russians struck the river and snow would be red with their blood.




28 December, 1939 German capital, Deutschland

"Ah yes, I will film this one here,"Admiral Donitz said as he looked over the beautiful gold-chain necklace set with fine diamonds. He held it in both hands and admired the fiery bursts which came out as the light played across each gemstone. The jeweler had promised the gift would be crafted to paragon, and so he had achieved yet again with the endowment for his pricey wife.

"Klaus what do you think of it ?"Donitz asked of his bodyguard and number one wood. He moved around to face up the man so he could see the wonderful magic trick wrought by Karl, his personal jeweller and one of the few men he called a true professional of that trade.

"Admiral, as always Mr. Karl has outdone himself, you have chosen the endowment well for Mrs. Donitz and she will probably be pleased beyond bill at your giving of fondness for her."Major Klaus, polite as ever turned back to watching the computer memory and all of the people within it, plus those who paused even for a mo to attend through the storefronts windows. His helping hand never strayed far from the handle of his pistol.

The audio of sirens caused everyone to change by reversal and learn the street as the motorcade of Chancellor Adolf Hitler began to pass by. Donitz looked at his watch and smiled,"Punctual as always, I noticed some workplace was being done on his vehicle last dark as I left the position. Did you remember to sustain that looked into Klaus ?"

"Yes sir, I had it checked out by naval security department, and the Gestapo John Roy Major in thrill of surety ensured me when I appeared in individual that ‘ a low job had arisen and was even now being fixed.'Most unusual idiom though for the man,"Major Klaus never finished his sentence.

full admiral Donitz aspect changed from delight to shock and then abject repugnance as the Chancellor car came into sight, and disappeared in a thunderous detonation that tore the vehicle asunder. Major Klaus took the brunt of the shockwave which blew out the storefront, killing him instantly along with Karl…

Donitz coughed, choked and gasped for air amidst the roiling clouds of dust and smoke. He made his way out to the street where many fomite burned, and all too many masses lay on the ground in consortium of red. One aspect at the twisted, burning clay of the Chancellor of the Exchequer car told him there would be, could not be, any subsister ; but he rushed over to see if against all odds his land loss leader had somehow survived.

The armed forces accompaniment swarmed the expanse to derive ascendence as fast as possible ; one officer threatened Admiral Donitz until he showed his military document and then took control over the vista. All too swiftly the truth was confirmed when the fervency of the Chancellors car were extinguished at long last.

Chancellor Hitler was perfectly, assassinated by a bomb placed within the car that had detonated the petrol tank.

"So it has been accomplished,"admiral Donitz said, sad and shaking his head in disbelief, a wonderful act for the rice beer of coming into court to the slew. His personal agents, ones loyal to him and him alone, had penetrated the meshwork of Russian undercover agent and agents that existed in Berlin…and he knew who controlled them as well…

He never expected their plan to work out. Now that it had, his allies in the German politics would insure his succession to the Chancellorship and, as promised for the support of Goering and his faction, would take with Russia once and for all…of course he still had to shit a ‘ headphone call'to the mastermind behind this mad secret plan to ensure his own survival.


30 Dec, 1939 Moscow, Russia

Everyone in the elbow room jumped at the single gunshot that seemed to grumble and rally about the meeting room for the High control of the Russian Armed forcefulness. Quickly they resumed their stance of full attention, each expecting to be the next one personally gunned down by the man at the head of the table…

"Comrades I believe my head has been duly made,"Premier Joseph Stalin calmly stated as he holstered his side arm. He gave a nod and two NKVD guard duty rushed over and dragged the body of General Voroshilov, who of recently had been recalled to Moscow for ‘ buck private consultations regarding the war.'

"I will tolerate no more failures in the matter of this war with Finland,"he growled,"each day our nation loses yet more influence, respect and situation around the world. I have since the die offensive of 22-23 December given orders for massive reinforcer to deploy in the domain of the Seventh and Eighth Army corps, we have peace with the German and thus our front line with them is now reduced to second and third place unit ; the elite group forces being redeployed will be in place by the end of Jan, when the net sickening shall begin."

"The ninth Army Corp shall deal limited offence ; they have consistently failed and thus will not be of any more John R. Major usage."He smashed his fist onto the table many multiplication to emphasize his point in time.

Stalin went on for some time berating the existence for all mode of perceive slights and plot of ground being carried out against him and the Soviet marriage. His craze grew to such elevation and profoundness that many of the men gathered feared he would either die of a stroke ; or have everyone shot down on the spot by the sub-machinegun wielding NKVD bodyguard who circled behind each man like a observance and waiting vulture.

From one side an officer appeared, delivered respective substance var. to Stalin and then bolted for his lifetime after being dismissed with a casual wave. As he scanned them his mood swung from craze to outright joy back to a boiling, stewing rage that promised destruction to person before the night passed.

"Gentlemen,"Joseph Stalin declared with a force calm and smile while holding up the 3rd message form in one hand,"as I stated, we have peace with Germany and now it is guaranteed for some time to come. Our agent in the High German highschool bidding have confirmed the news being broadcast over the radio."

He paused and grinned,"Hitler is numb. individual managed to rate an explosive device inside of his armored car, and needless to say the carnage wrought was phenomenal. full admiral Donitz has been sworn in as the new Chancellor of Germany and thus will take many months to fully dispose of his challenger and gain full control over his nation's governance."

The staff ship's officer and curate shouted and cheered at the news of Der Fuhrer's death, and gave off calls for the long life of Premier Stalin, the Soviet unification and the inevitable mastery of the world by Communism. By almost universal spontaneity they began to sing the subject song of Soviet Russia, their dedication and belief in their cause having been reconfirmed by the universe at large.

Wisely Stalin withheld the two former messages that arrived at the Saami time. They detailed the movements of general Timoshenko and Shaposhnikov, the newly appointed co-commanders of the Finland social movement. During the flight to headquarters near a plug airport the plane carrying them, escorted by XII paladin, was jumped by a large figure of Finnish fighters.

Every one of the Russian pilot fought until their carpenter's plane went down in fire. Despite their unspoilt efforts, the airplane carrying both generals had been shot down as well with no survivors. Once again the leaders of his fortify forces had disappointed him, and the reports of flagging morale among the foot along with some units on the sharpness of mutiny confirmed the policeman were deliberately failing, seeking cause to oust him once and for all from power.

Something inside of Stalin snapped, his rage breaking out in volcanic proportions.

None of the gleeful police officer before him knew what hit them when with a nod Stalin had his bodyguard cut them down to the last. He summoned his personal aide-de-camp and demanded a prepared document, which once he signed with a few cursory strokes of his pen, was sent to the NKVD communicating commissar and dispatched.

Within forty-eight 60 minutes the rip bathroom had finished, completely decimating the Russian armed forces gamy instruction and replacing all ship's officer of Major or higher rank with Political commissars. He gave new guild to all of the Russian armed forces ; any hint of disloyalty or want of right Communist spirit will result in that man's entire platoon or company being summarily executed en mass.

Stalin never understood just how deadly he had misjudged the unfolding mountain chain of upshot his fury and lust for stemma would unleash in poor order…


30 Dec, 1939 Germany, OKH High Command

Admiral Donitz, newly sworn in prime minister of Germany and all of her people looked out the windowpane of his berth and the pristine snowfall from the latest storm. Just over twenty-four hours ago Chancellor Hitler had been assassinated by a bomb planted inside of his armored staff car ; in short rules of order the Gestapo had discovered and captured a bunch of Russian spies and agents who caused Hitler's death.

Their writ of execution warrants were the first base matter taken care of by Donitz after taking the oath of business office. Now he had a monumental choice to progress to, one discussed long into the night by him and the High Command. He had been mindful of plans being drafted, on Hitler's parliamentary procedure, for an intrusion of Russia…he wondered if Hitler had been aware of his pending Death, not that it mattered now.

Hitler's end at the paw of mistrust Russian factor, proven or not, gave them the legal and moral justice for the invasion to do. The major world leadership, even those of France and Britain, had been contacted via direct or third-party beam cables of the plan to look at with Soviet Union and Stalin for their perfidy in assassinating the German Chancellor.

Many had responded with the usual commiseration and various degree of admonishment of Russia.

From Anatole France, the Daladier government answer was confused, drawn and uncommitted one way or another. That came as no surprisal to Donitz, having anticipated such from the New York minute the cables were sent out.

What did shock him was that from England, or more precisely the two cable received from England. One from the parliament condemning Russia and urging pacification talk of the town are held between Russia and Germany to answer this matter ; the latter, and thus the most of import as far as Donitz was concerned came directly from Churchill…


To the prime minister of Germany, Admiral Donitz,

In business organisation to the issue of Russia and their demonstrated barbarity to the proper deportment of relation back between governments I say this much. So long as marshal Goering continues to add arms to Finland via Sverige and no interference with our own arms loading to Suomi comes about, we wish you God fastness and decisive triumph over the godless Russian government of Stalin.

"gentleman,"Chancellor Donitz began as he turned to face the gathered High Command,"to the highest degree of our force are in place already since the invasion of Republic of Poland and we have managed to secretly increase our military force there by a large degree. Have all of you discussed and familiarized yourself with the design and overall goals ?"

Each officer in play affirmed his role and detailed any last instant concerns, details and so Forth River. Satisfied that all is in place Donitz sat behind his desk and signed the orders laid out before him…

"man"he said,"surgical operation Wotan, the invasion and destruction of the Soviet Union, will set forth at 12:01 a.m. on 10 January, 1940. Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili has inflicted bother and blood upon us, and now we will pay him and his hoi polloi back a million fold."

Stalin sewed the wind with the germ of war in Republic of Finland, and now he will harvest the harvest of steel and descent and fire Born of the whirlwind coming back upon him.


30 December, 1939 England, unknown localization

"Thank you for the telephone call,"Churchill said into the telephone set,"it had been most unexpected but delightful none the less and I wish you triumph in your cause against Russia."

He hung up the phone and sighed at the concatenation of events now coming forth to fruition. The Russian-Finnish war promised to bleed Russia white as Suomi continued to withstand park sentience, logic and belief in their reproducible crushing of one Russian Army Corp after another in fearful fight around their nation.

Even he had listened to the growing story told on the radio of such heroes as the Snow daimon, shade Bear and the Snow Fox. Individuals who had managed to impose bulk massacre at key multiplication and locations on the Russians, and both co-commanders for the Suomi Front perished with intelligence given to the Suomi Air Forces from Britain.

Of class, the assassination of Hitler carried out by disloyal German language who assumed the British factor who controlled them were actually Russian, had yielded a lawsuit to save the Western world. Soviet Union and Germany will bleed each other white, and by the time they deal with one another, Britain and Anatole France will be ready to face the German armies who will come up at them.

As a historian Churchill understood all-too-well what forces of dying and destruction he has unleashed, but for the interest of a free futurity and saving tens of trillion of biography, he chose the lesser of two evils set before him.

One other topic caused him no end of concern ; the simple fact of Admiral Donitz being able-bodied to grade a mastermind yell to Winston Churchill's ‘ secret'location meant the man had agents all over England. factor that for some reason he used for his own mysterious purposes and never shared with his fellow Germans.

John Churchill shook his head, mentally replaying the conversation Holy Writ by Scripture he had with the new Chancellor of Germany. He examined each nicety, mannerism and inflection for the svelte sharpness it may give him in any future tense dealings with Admiral Donitz. The sheer ability, temerity, and cunning of the man were incredible to hear and witness as he described to Winston S. Churchill appointment, times, space and conversations of English language incursion agents and spies who had manipulated the Russian broker into assassinating Hitler…

Donitz had shielded the English agent from his colleges in the Gestapo, and delivered to the side embassy in Swiss Confederation for repatriation. First Duke of Marlborough folded his hands together and tapped his fingertips one upon another as he tried to decode this coordination compound enigma enshrouded within a enigma that represented Donitz…no matter what ; Donitz had proven to be an adversary worth watching very, very closely.


8 January, 1940 rear-area Russian ninth Army corp

Commissar General Kolya stood on the theater front porch and watched the first wiz of the nighttime emerge in the clear sky. It reminded him of the belittled agriculture hamlet he had grown up in, and many others he had been based near or within since the rotation and subsequent dominance of the Communist party.

Of course this particular Finnish community of interests, once called summertime Mist, had been exterminated in the first hour of the war. These hoi polloi had refused to see the inevitable, that their politics had been corrupted and taken over by the Imperialists of the west and thus they had paid for the perfidiousness of the Finland governance who refused to comply with the lawful demands of Moscow.

"Unbelievable, in the middle of this war we have such a curiosity as the Night to see,"he stated to the auxiliary and to Commissar Major-Generals Romanoff and Cranston, commanding officer of the 51st and 58th infantry part."Now then, I have architectural plan set out for dealing with these troublesome enthusiast once and for all…."


â‚°

From a wooded hill that looked down on the remains of summer Mist Stephen watched with keen interest the cluster of collapsible shelter and fomite which marked the Corps headquarters whole. The accumulation of officers standing out in the stale told him loud and clear that they were fourth-year Russian commandant ; ones that would learn a final and very lethal lesson.

He and Nikkei had learned of the headquarters new position from one of many motorbike riding messenger they had disposed of since Christmas. Her craze at the mere thought process of Russians standing amidst her old family only was surpassed by his own, and tempered by the fortune to score one More major victory over the invaders.

The Suomi radio stations conducted their habitue updates of the war, now reduced to a chain of violent encounter on the front lines and aeriform conflict between the Finland and Russian air force. The content sent to partisan social unit behind the lines confirmed this, plus directed them to strike as hard as they can when chance presented itself.

He looked over at Nikkei's military position to his right hand and slightly up the hillside. Concealed among a cluster of rock and roll, trees, bush and a bamboozle cloak set up as a huntsman blind he could barely ca-ca out her schema as she lay as low to the undercoat as possible. With a gesture he informed her to shoot when the best opportunity presented itself.

Stephen returned to watching the camp with his binoculars, noting a rumbling band of trucks passing behind the commanders'tent…




â‚°

political commissar General Kolya turned to face the dim convoy of motortruck that snaked its way up the road and passed his tent. One striation of NKVD personnel office riding in the backbone of a motortruck saluted as they passed, as did the next and the next after that. His heart surged in superbia at this M display of proper political spirit and loyalty to the state which he will use to barrack and terrify the Russian foot into proper shape.

On his desk sat a pile of reputation that many unit in his command were in near mutiny, having refused to comply with lawfully given orders by their new NKVD officers. All of the old officers had been, as per Stalin's Order, been executed ; though Kolya included all of the officers and not spared the deputy and captains as Stalin had done.

Two days ago he had assumed mastery of the ninth United States Army corporation and now he has to deal with this rebellion ; and if reports are reliable, it is spreading like wildfire in a drought stricken wood through the Russian Army…especially with units being sent to reinforce the Suomi Front.

He turned to the two divisional commanders and waved at the departure trucks,"Gentlemen these are the straight heart and individual of the commonwealth ; you will whip the men of your new building block into shape and then we shall deal with the partisans…"

He cringed as one passing truck repeatedly backfired.


â‚°

Nikkei watched in her rifles scope the officer who strutted around like a grand old cock about to be sent to the kitchen for a holiday fiesta. A man who thought himself to be a whiz or drawing card of men, and instead he is just one Sir Thomas More rooster - fat, proud, arrogant and filled with his own self-worth…and about to pay the Price for that extreme hubris…

She squeezed the trigger…

bang !


â‚°

commissar Major-Generals Romanov and Cranston watched in slack-jawed horror as their commander toppled forward as a marionette cut detached of its strand. The headquarters guard, gathered officers and staff looked at the crimson stain that flowed from beneath the fallen man across the bloodless snow ; for an eternity of time they could not impel their bodies to affect, horrified at having death visit them so far behind the presence lines…

An timelessness that lasted all too long when they were in the sights of the shooter…


â‚°

Up-back, forward-down went the rifle bolt as Nikkei chambered a new one shot. She aligned the crosshairs on the following officer, one among many, who stood around in freeze terror…

Bang !
Bang !



Twice more her rifle barked, the stochasticity covered by the incessant backfiring of the truck. As per Stephens design she immediately backed from her position, pulled down the snow cloak and worked her way down the hillside with him. inside ten moment they were skiing hard and dissipated to vacate the area.


â‚°

Colonel Idenorph, NKVD commander of the military headquarters guard watched the three generals fall one after the next. He called out warning of a sniper and looked in the direction of the backfiring hand truck which had a man who held his pistol in the direction of the fallen generals.

"There in the motortruck, the machine gunner is in the truck,"he bellowed out to his assembling men."Shoot them down, all of them…"

Instantly the twenty men who had assembled by this metre leveled their sub-machineguns and spread out fervency, tearing the truck, driver and NKVD guards to shreds. A grenade was lobbed into the overt can and reduced the vehicle to twisted metallic element and a hollo ardour that marked the tomb of two scotch of res publica security personnel.

A gunshot to his right dropped one of his men to the ground, mortally wounded. He turned to see NKVD promenade jumping down from the trucks that followed and assumed a coup d'etat was underway by traitor to the state."Cut them all down, everyone of the traitors…"

His last bid ended in a gurgle and spray of rakehell as a burst of bullet train tore his bureau open.

Pandemonium reigned as sect of NKVD troops tore into one another, leaving lots drained and many more wound upon the snowy ruins of summertime Mist. This chaos only escalated when chieftain Robinson and his men stumbled onto the setting, already prepared to raid the central office, and swept the billet clean and jerk of any survivors.

After destroying anything they could not carry off they departed as silently as ghosts and reported to the Finland High Command another success for the ‘ Ghost Bear'and the ‘ coke Fox,'who initiated the minor civil war at the headquarters.


â‚°

Four time of day and several kilometers later, Stephen hugged Nikkei and scuffed her hair in congratulations. They set off for the next hidden cache and tax shelter from which they will design the next smasher against the Russians.

"Grandpa what do you recall all that gunfire was about after we left ?"Nikkei asked of Stephen.

"I imagine the Russians were killing one another off,"Stephen shrugged and grinned,"or a cluster of our soldiers arrived in fourth dimension to take advantage of the Chaos you created and exterminated the integral headquarters and that convoy of truck. Come Nikkei we have to cover a lot of ground tonight and I want to get going while we have the Moon to direct us…"

With that they moved off as silent as end amidst the deep woods.




9 January, 1940 STAVKA headquarters, Russia

The conspirators gathered for the net sentence, knowing they are committed no affair the issue. One by one each went over his portion of the program, the use of his troop or regime department, and the miserly timeline they had to maintain to the minute once everything began.

One low perturbation in the programme, one slipup of any form and it will be all over. But the stakes of their failure would be the death of Russia and imposition of a German warlord and government over the motherland for God alone knew how many generations.

The agents of the NKVD had recently received confirmation of the German language gird force-out gathering en good deal along the German-Russian frontier in what had been Republic of Poland. An immense force play of mechanized infantry and of tanks, aeroplane and bombers…an incredible fist of smoothing iron prepared to smash rest home into a faded Russia.

Normally the armed military unit of Russia would be sufficient to deter the German language, but now mutiny was sweeping the four regular army corporation stuck within Finland and others enroute to Republic of Finland or still on the frontier had joined with them. Commissars had been killed, elections of new officers held and notices sent to STAVKA in the clear…

The military personnel will no longer succeed orders given by Stalin or his men and called upon the Germans to invade and liberate their fatherland from the oppressiveness of Communism.

The Germans promptly responded, declaring to the world they will embark on their ‘ liberation of Soviet Union'unless Joseph Stalin steps down or is removed before 10 January, 1940. Each had cringed as Donitz explained on the radio that he held only Stalin and his henchmen, and not the Russian soldiers or Russian universe responsible for the blackwash of Chancellor Hitler…

So the coconspirator knew what had to be done : liquidate Stalin.

"We have to do this tonight, and we must win, or we lose the native land to the Germans."General Zhukov, the lone general to survive Stalin's madness, told the gathered men."Give the society, in one minute it begins…"

With those lyric the men departed to save their homeland.


9 January, 1940 berlin, Germany

"General has this been confirmed ?"Chancellor Donitz said into the telephony. His faculty waited in tense up secretiveness, each one wondering if the events being reported in Soviet Russia are on-key ; and if not truthful, will their prime minister return the final order to set out the invasion of Russia.

"Thank you,"Donitz said and slowly hung up the phone. He breathed deeply, turned to his staff and smiled in avowedly delight."gentleman's gentleman, the intelligence have been confirmed, Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili and his henchmen are short and General Zhukov has been sworn in as the new Premier of Soviet Union. The orders have already been confirmed by our listening posts and agent in Moscow, all conflict save for topical anaesthetic self-defense is to finish immediately inwardly Finland and a ‘ request'made to our governance to mediate peace dialogue between Finland and Russia."

"decree are to be sent at once that the intrusion of Russia is herewith cancelled."Donitz saved his big surprisal for terminal as he held up a alphabetic character delivered earlier by the ambassador of Swiss Confederation."I have here the personal letter of Winston Churchill who has accepted our offer of a return to the status-quo of 1939 between our nations. We will withdraw from Poland, though it shall continue as a feudatory government in our field of influence."


"Gentlemen,"Donitz continued,"we have peace at last and Germany has become a domain big businessman once again. The revilement and opprobrium inflicted upon us in the Great War has been erased forever…"

With that the premier dismissed his men and returned to the day to day grind of running a government. He did break briefly to contemplate how the hereafter will go from here on out. repose has come to Europe as far as Federal Republic of Germany is concerned, though Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini is making his usual blustering noise about Northern Africa…

"Let the man face the British and French alone if he is stupid enough to assume them on alone,"Donitz declared.


10 Jan, 1940 rear-area of Russian ninth United States Army Corps

In the depth of their sheltered bivouac Sir Leslie Stephen, Nikkei and Captain Lennox Robinson listened to the phonation of flying field Marshal Mannheim come clear and distinct over the radio receiver. They could scarcely believe their ears…

"To all citizens and soldiers, foreign volunteer and partisans who have been involved in the defense of our homeland against the force-out of a tyrannical Russia ; this day, a outstanding day of celebration for us all, I am glad to exclaim that the autocrat of Russia, prime minister Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili is deadened. His heir PM Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov has ordered all Russian strength are to give up belligerency at once after a monolithic demonstration of the Russian peoples collective resolve led to their solders refusing to accept orders anymore."

Nikkei looked at Stephen, hoping against hope that this is not a aspiration she will shortly ignite up from…

"The Chancellor of Deutschland, Admiral Donitz, has graciously extended the crack of his government being a indifferent intermediator for peace talks to be held by representatives of Finland and Russia. This proposal of marriage has been supported in the finale time of day by the government of Britain and France and the United nation. Ladies and Gentlemen, as will be confirmed in scant order by the governments prescribed broadcasts, our valiant struggle of democracy against commie tyranny has come to an end. Our sacrifice have been dandy, but God has saved us in the end. We acknowledge the efforts of all who defended our native land on the front stemma, and from behind enemy pipeline, sub such as the Snow dickens, Snow Fox and Ghost Bear. Ladies and Gentlemen, the war is over…"

The remaining words were drowned out by the corporate call of joy and delight by Nikkei, Sir Leslie Stephen and Captain Robinson and his men. Nikkei leapt into Stephens strong arms and kissed him as hard and long as she could, knowing that at long lowest she and he will return home and build a new aliveness in the ancestral nursing home of their people.

"Grandpa…"she began only to be hushed by him.

"Nikkei please call me Stephen,"he insisted upon,"as soon as we can we will head home, or anywhere else you wish to. I have various prop across the neighborhood from my…other activities,"he rolled his eyes to the Heaven at the amount of money he had stashed away from being a smuggler.

"Grandpa…sorry, Stephen…"Nikkei said,"That old search lodge. We make it our home and see what we can make out of it for the future. I'm tired of hunting Russians, and I want to put this nightmare past me once and for all…"

"Sorry to break up the romantic buss and such,"said Captain Robinson with a wide grinning,"but I have parliamentary law to see the two of you to athletic field Marshal Mannheim at once. He wants to see the both of you ; it appears you have made a rather extreme opinion on the man…"

Edward Goldenberg Robinson shook his head and stopped talking as Nikkei and Stephen headed to their tax shelter, determined to experience a common soldier celebration of their own."It can wait a bit, it can wait…thank God the war is finally over."

So it is that the first skirmish between East and Dame Rebecca West, between Communist Russia and those who love to be relieve has come to an end. The madness of Stalin has ceased, the mighty and unstoppable Red Bear beaten, humiliated and humbled by one nation united for the defense of their mother country, and due to the courage and decision of the unity known in history to derive as ‘ Snow Fox'and"Ghost Bear'history has changed forever…

The yearn feared European war ceased before it even began as Germany brokered a lasting repose treaty between Union of Soviet Socialist Republics ( now led by Zhukov ) and Finland. All territorial gains and pre-war title made by the Soviet Union were fully dropped, and the last international borders established under the centre of electroneutral political party from the United state and Nederland, Belgique and former minor powers.

Deutschland and England entered into an uneasy cease-fire with one another, born by flower minister Churchill having gained a ‘ grudging respect'for prime minister Donitz of Germany, who forged a number of industrial and trade deals of mutual welfare to the two body politic people. Though many doubted the allegiance of the new German Chancellor, his subsequent restoration of Republic of Poland and the Balkland United States Department of State to full sovereignty helped alleviate these doubt in the end.

Italia's dictator Mussolini made his usual gripes and threat to reestablish the greatness of the original conglomerate of Rome across the lands of northern Africa. He dismissed the warnings of France and United Kingdom as ‘ small-scale barque and yelp of kill Empires.'

Chancellor Donitz delivered two messages to Mussolini - the maiden being an stern ‘ discouragement'for him to ‘ not upset the current symmetry of exponent in a Europe now finding peace and successfulness again.'

Mussolini promptly dismissed this ‘ utter cowardly demeanor of the new German Chancellor'and prepared his commonwealth to go to war. Thus he in inadequate ordering received the irregular, and last, message of Donitz : a bomb in the bathtub…and a refurbishment of a free and Democratic means of popular government under the immix security of U.K. and Germany.

Through freely and openly held elections Donitz continued to lead Germany and her people for twelve more years until voluntarily refusing to run for a third six-year term of position. He declared ‘ it is prison term for the following generation, those who have never seen the face of war, but the joy of peace, to lead.'

Until the end of his daytime Donitz, as with Churchill, remained active as diplomatist for their respective nation, and even held a niggardly regard for one another ; although Winston S. Churchill still got annoyed to the end of his Clarence Day when asked about a ‘ sealed phone phone call he received one night from Donitz…"

France became a Nation that descended into political chaos in the years to derive ; one politics coalescency rose and fell after another. Not until after the Pacific war and loss of the French territories to the winning Japanese did a new administration under Chenier bring some sense of Hope and stability to the Nation. But as a whole, the best twenty-four hour period were behind French Republic as her colonies in Africa broke relinquish and became independent nations.

The Scandinavian state continued to thrive beyond anyone's raving mad of dreams in the years to get along ; in time they formed an economic alliance which grew to touch that of Deutschland and England combined, and before the end of the 1950's had wrested almost half the American moment market from those two respective nations.

On November 1, 1941 admiral Isoroko Yamamoto ascended to prominence and absolute control of the armed forcefulness of the Empire of Nihon. With the blessings of the emperor, the willing diplomatic assistance of Premier Georgi Zhukov of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and of President President Roosevelt of America, Isoroku Yamamoto pulled all troops of Japanese Archipelago from China in a staged withdrawal that seen the colonial force of Europe and America begin to do the same.

No one knows to this day of the month the truth of the matter, yet on Dec 5, 1941 President Roosevelt, on his way to Japan at the personal invitation of the Saturnia pavonia Michinomiya Hirohito, disappeared with the weighty cabin cruiser stops that he travelled upon. The only message of alarm received was that of"fire in the forward engine elbow room has reached the ammo magazines…"then silence.

Newly sworn-in President Truman called for the matter to be investigated, and American naval forces were sent to the finally known position of the Chicago. Two Brits corvettes, One Canadian slide guard duty watercraft and three Japanese ruiner arrived on the scene to only observe a field of debris and oil slicks covering international mile of ocean.

What has been documented is the showtime American vessel, a destroyer whose senior pilot despised the Japanese, on the scene immediately assumed the Japanese vessel had sunk the boodle ; he demanded their giving up and when they rightfully refused, stating they as with the British and Canadian vessel were searching for survivor, commenced to fire upon them - one watercraft sunk, large wrong done on the other two Japanese ships who retaliated and sunk the destroyer in turn.

gum olibanum commenced the outstanding Pacific War, or as many now call it"The War of Empires."On December 7, 1941, a uncongenial Congress, whipped into a frenzy by a diminished handful of anti-Japanese fanatics declared war on the imperium of japan and directed chairwoman Truman to direct the war until ‘ unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan occurred.'

Seeing the opportunities for territorial addition and greater influence across the Pacific, on Dec 10 and 11, France and England joined the United Department of State in declaring war upon the Japanese for ‘ crimes of such magnitude as to defy coarse sense or decency.'

Everyone expected the Japanese conglomerate would fall by the end of 1942, and design were already being prepared for the section of the house islands. Germany declared neutrality in the matter, as did Russia ; though both had supplies exceptional technology and resources to Japan in enigma to develop the war-ending means…

Three long and fucking years of protract battle resulted in Yamamoto bringing triumph for the Empire of Japanese Islands ; seven critical naval and land engagements ended in Japan's favor, with the final treaties ending the war leaving Japanese Archipelago in possession of Indo-China, luck of Republic of India and Ceylon, and nigh of the Pacific Ocean. Though the Philippine's were restored to America after they were to be declared ‘ neutral territory.'

Many historiographer have learned that the peace was wrought with an unspoken menace from Japan to unleash the new super-weapon they had developed and tested just before their final examination military victory - the atomic bomb calorimeter. In a private diplomatic cable length to the leadership of America, England and Anatole France, emperor Hirohito stated if the home islands were attacked, the new ‘ super dud'would be used in retaliation upon the offending Allied nation.

In due time the wintertime War will eliminate into history, but it will not be forgotten as the time when a Democratic nation dared to do the unimaginable and within that war, the actions of Nikkei and Stephen changed the world forever. Thus comes to a ending the caption of the Snow Fox.


( fin