23 August, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

In a move that has shocked the political world at declamatory ; the governments of Germany and the sum of Soviet Socialist Republics have concluded and signed a treaty of mutual non-aggression. The unloosen statements of many human beings leader has ranged across the spectrum, from ones of rejoicing that the prospects of another great war in Europe has been avoided, to others who unofficially are seeking more information or are involved in a series of ‘ acute discussion'with allied governments.


1 Sep, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

ma'am and gentleman's gentleman today it is my sad duty to announce that war has returned to the Continent of European Community as on this day the armed forces of Germany have invaded western Poland. Heavy fight is reported by all sides, with Germany announcing ‘ deep, massive and sweeping penetration'by its gird forces. Allegedly the Polish army is already collapsing ; surrendering in ever growing numbers and the government has fled the nation for asylum in Rumania. Unofficial accounts from receiving set operators in Polska speak of continued resistance that is ‘ stout, solid and determined'in the boldness of the unprovoked hostility of Germany.

Many human beings drawing card have strongly denounced this aggression on the part of the government of Germany, with France, UK and the United nation of America demanding that the armies of Germany end all ill will at once. This is to be followed by climb-down to the original delimitation, while an international mediation via the league of Nations occurs to locate the thing of aggression between the respective governments.

No remark has been relayed from the German government.


3 Sep, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

On this day the crisis in Europe has grown exponentially, with the governments of French Republic and United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland officially declaring war upon the politics of Germany for the invasion of Poland. Contacts within the respective war machine and government activity section tell that armed intervention in Polska, and the direct territorial invasion of Germany ‘ shall pass within a hand count of mean solar day, or at most, before the next two workweek are over.'

The fighting continues on, with the authorities of Germany reporting more and more territory gained with each passing time of day, while brush up germ report the main thrust of the German Blitzkrieg has been blunted, but that the Carry Amelia Moore Nation casualties have been eminent. The annunciation of the proclamation of war by Anatole France and U.K. has brought renewed Bob Hope for the beleaguered body politic.


17 Sep, 1939 ( Headlines )

In a motion of strident opportunism and aggression the ground forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist commonwealth have invaded eastern Republic of Poland. The illustration of the USSR declared that the motility is to insure that law and parliamentary procedure and stability are maintained in the boldness of the complete collapse of the Polish government. Within hours the move had been condemned by well-nigh members of the League of Nations…


5 October, 1939 ( Headlines )

Polska has officially ceased to subsist according to the governments of FRG and the USSR. The small Carry Nation of Latvia, Lithuania and Republic of Estonia have been annexed by the USSR after being coerced into signing one sided ‘ mutual defense accord'with the central communist government of Russia….

Unconfirmed reports reference that functionary from Finland have been invited to Moscow for ‘ discussions of a most particular nature concerning the mutual defending team of both countries.'One old high-ranking armed forces officer explained that usually means ‘ Moscow makes the scourge and Suomi will make concessions, or there shall be war in the end…'


â‚°â‚°

Deep in the halls of STAVKA, Supreme Headquarters for the fortify force play of the USSR, the assembled leaders stand at tending as the lone man walked calmly in the door and silently proceeded to the head of the long, map-covered table.

His every footstep echoed like thunder across the room, and heightened the duncical tenseness that was further magnified by his aura of great power, authority, ruthlessness and determination. He reveled in the concern that radiated from all of those present, for all knew with a simple-minded gesture, a nod, or one spoken word, he could pee-pee or come apart any or all of their vocation, send them to the gulag for life, or have them summarily executed.

Taking his rear end he motioned for all to sit and began to explicate the issue at hand."Comrades, the seduction of Poland and the annexation of Latvia, Lithuania and Republic of Estonia are nearing closing. The antediluvian territory of our enceinte Rodinia are nearly concluded, with one vexing exception. Despite our most generous fling to them, the lackey of the Imperialist Rebecca West, especially those of Britain, who ‘ govern'in Finland, have slapped aside the hand of communist generosity."

"Comrades, as of now I am instructing all of you to act out the plans we have prepared for such an eventuality,"the man stated, hammering away on the tabular array with his clenched fist as his eyes, coldness and grizzly, blazed with violence and furore at the government who has defied him since he was forced to sign the 1921 Treaty of Tartu forced upon the passive people of the USSR by the decrepit and Imperialist-led League of Nations.

"Comrades, explain to me again every detail of the plans as they exist at this prison term, do not leave out one detail,"he declared as he motioned for the NKVD guards, members of the revere State security apparatus, to watch for the firstly soupcon of defeatism, hesitation or anything that may be construed as traitorousness. For those so suspected the results would be publically declared ‘ a pipe down and well garner retirement'…

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

For that lone man, Premier Chief Joseph Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, he wanted it no other way. He and he alone ruled in the USSR, and he held the fate of all in his mitt alone.

For nearly XX years he had fumed over the humiliation Finland and her Imperialist backers had inflicted upon him in 1921. So now he will cause his revenge and have the proper lands of the Old Russian Tsar's restored to the motherland, under proper communist steering of course.

He listened as the details were explained over several hours, with only one minor summation proposed to ensure there will be no doubtfulness as to ‘ Finnish aggression'being the crusade of the coming invasion."Make it so,"said Stalin.


31 October, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

Today before the forum of the Supreme Soviet, Foreign curate Perm, for the low time in public announced the terms ‘ requested'of the government of Finland to ‘ ensure the defenses of the peaceful people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.'

The ‘ requests,'a cultured term for what most mass in the popular nations of the macrocosm will call off ‘ demands at the point of a gun'were for land to be leased for 30 years, or transferred directly into the script of the USSR while the politics of Finland would obtain in yield land that is barren and worthless. German Chancellor Adolph Hitler has called upon the people of Suomi and their leader to accept the terms peacefully while clip remains for them to do so…

needle to say, the substance of ‘ while time remains for them to do so…'has dramatically increased tensions in a continent already at war between the Allies and the Axis powers.


â‚°â‚°

Stephen half-listened to the news coming from the daily radio receiver broadcasts that detailed the current build up of stress between Finland and Russia. Day by day the talks had been summarized in the typical way of Stalin and his cohorts…

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

Memories of that rough fourth dimension played across his psyche as he examined the masterly-crafted rifle that he held ; its perfect pattern and symmetry, custom-made as a birthday present tense to one limited to him, will make her one of the greatest of hunters ever to haunt game in the woods. 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 quiet it will play when time was of the essence - as he learned recently with a bear that almost had him for dinner party. No flaw could be found, no blemish, no error in his capital creation of all the small-arm he has handcrafted in his life as an armorer, soldier, hunter and…dealer in goods and poppycock best left field unexplained and preferably never found by agent of the law.

He and his booster had prepared to the advantageously they could…let the Russians come, the hornets draw close waits…

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

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

All too soon Sir Leslie Stephen would derive to translate the prophetic tint of his actor's line. For that rifle will be wielded by one to become a legend…


24 November, 1939 ( headline )

Tensions continue to progress between the government of Finland and the Russia as two counter marriage proposal were made to observe an honorable solution to the requirement of Moscow. Both marriage offer were summarily rejected as being completely unacceptable on the premise they would leave the Soviet Union completely vulnerable in the neighborhood of Leningrad.

All diplomatic ties between Finland and the Soviet Union have been severed by the loss of the Suomi party after being ordered home to Helsinki for ‘ consultations.'


26 November, 1939 ( headline )

Unconfirmed reports coming from the party news services of the USSR have declared a ‘ surprisal and dastardly tone-beginning on Russian district has occurred by unit of the Fascist government of Finland upon direction by their masters, the Imperialist Industrialists of the West.'

Foreign Minister Molotov has condemned this ‘ massacre of Russian youth and destruction of very much Russian history in the margin village of Mainila…

â‚°â‚°

"My fellow fellow,"declared the fabled ‘ man of steel,'premier Stalin to the soviet High Command who stood at attention before the table where he sat."Negotiations have fallen through with the Fascist government activity of Republic of Finland, and now we have this motiveless assault upon our native land. As per design already prepared for such an occurrence, the orders are henceforth given to you and your troops…just before dawn on 30 November the great US Army of the Union of Soviet Socialist commonwealth shall overrun Finland and liberate her laden hatful who cry for freedom under a proper Communist government."

His choler flared hot in his middle and iron-cold in his words as he slammed his paw on the hard tabular array,"I will be very clean in this subject. Failure will not be tolerated ; the slightest sign of incompetency, cowardly action and treason against the political party or the state will entail summary performance by the NKVD. All gild and plans made will be approved by them before any are carried out. Remember, they answer to me alone…"

Needless to say everyone got the message.

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

Soon enough the disgrace inflicted upon him by Suomi so long ago will be avenged, a drear spot on his vehement repute. Everyone confront knew that the words he spoke of failed talks were simple window fertilization, for the might of four Russian US Army corps was in place at key crossing points along the Finland - Russian border.

Invasion had been inevitable for some prison term, and the Fin's would pay for their obstinacy in fire and rip.



30 Nov 1939 rear-area of Russian ninth USA corp

Major-General Yuri Bogdan watched the boundary line region from the wooded ridge just shy of the Finnish-Russian border. The small village, little more than than a hamlet not even desirable of a mark on any official map, showed at the limits of his field glasses, just one more small obstacle for the grand liberation 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 concluding book of instructions in the big crusade that is to commence. Each parliamentary procedure was repeated back in precise detail to him and to the division's foreman commissar, Major-General Vitaly of the NKVD ( State Security ). All of the officer knew that one trip-up, one failure, one infringement, or the appearing of any of the aforementioned, can become basis for summary execution by the NKVD.

Anyone doubting that only had to glint at the freshly turned terra firma that marked XXX Robert Ranke Graves of fellow police officer who were shot an hr ago for ‘ unfitting lack of fighting spirit for the cause of the state.'

"Comrades,"Major-General Bogdan spoke to the tuck ship's officer,"our division has been granted the honor of spearheading the crusade in the liberation of our communist Brother from the fascists who currently rule Suomi. As you know, lupus erythematosus than 72 60 minutes ago, our supreme ground was violated in a moulding clash designed to call forth the universe's sympathy for the banditti drawing card of Finland and thus rick them against our honorable leader Comrade Stalin."

He watched Major-General Vitaly casually stroll back and forth around the officer, as one would expect of a rancher or husbandman inspecting his prized compendium of cows and confidential information before sending them to market. He went on with his oral communication,"Comrades, each of us will perform our office to perfection, and we will maintain receiving set muteness as per Army Headquarters orders 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 clench clenched fist into his gloved hand,"Speed, shock and grim air pressure, this is how we shall split this part of the front line of descent wide open and advance ever onward. All prisoners taken are to be sent to our brother of land security department unless directed, as per ordering signed by PM Comrade Stalin, otherwise by each regiments commissar or by gild of Major-General political commissar Vitaly."

He pointed to the recently filled Graf to one side of the gain officer,"Understand, there is to be no retreat or surrender,"his vocalization deepened as his rage mounted,"those who do so are guilty of perfidy and shall be dealt with swiftly as these traitors to the state have been deal with."

"Now return to your regiments and get ready to cut through the border as per program,"he watched the officers salute and flee for their staff fomite like a panic-stricken gathering of rabbits in the sight of a band of hawks on the hunt.

â‚°â‚°

Sir Leslie Stephen had just crested the pocket-size hills summit when he heard the first thundering of gun unleashed from across the mete. He watched in horror as blast after crushing blast of cannon racing shell and rockets landed around the hamlet of Summers Mist, where his granddaughter Nikkei's birthday party is taking post, 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 ground merged with the battle cry and screams of his family and acquaintance, he knew the war no one wanted had begun. He shouldered the cloth-wrapped present tense he had spent so many calendar month crafting for Nikkei's natal day, and felt the weeping flow down his cheek as he watched his world taken from him for the indorsement metre in his life-time by warfare.


â‚°â‚°

Her worldly concern spun in a fog of pain sensation and dizziness as she struggled to open her optic. The gentle crackling of a flame flooded her auricle and the mixing of cooking meat, burning wood and early odors assaulted her sense of olfactory sensation with submerge force. She struggled to rise, slowly lifting herself onto her elbows and then falling back to the ground still enshrouded by the midst mantle someone had put over her while she was unconscious.

A build leaned down next to her and handed her a cup of cold water that she guzzled down, all but choking upon its chilled descent into her parched mouth 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 os frontale and chuckled as she swatted at him when he touched one sore topographic point after another."You will be mulct Nikkei ; at the to the lowest degree I still have my granddaughter with me."

"grandfather what happened,"Nikkei asked, not comprehending his last words he had said to her,"Where are all the others, mamma and papa and my brothers…"She stopped upon seeing the verbal expression that showed upon his typeface, understanding at last what had happened to everyone else.

"No grandpa, no not that, please not that,"she said, collapsing into his arm as he drew her close. She broke down completely, the sobs coming severe and fast for the loss of her intact family."Why grandpa, why did this take to go on ?"

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

Actually he did roll in the hay, having followed the intense negotiation between the Finnish-Soviet governing. Each day the Russia had become more and more demanding in the concessions it sought, making it exculpated with none-too-subtle threats and gestures that war would be the resultant role save for complete and unconditional surrender of all territorial demands made…a chain of need that Sir Leslie Stephen knew could not be accepted by Finland.

Yet he, like most in the hamlet, had hoped for common sense and peace of mind to arrive about. So it was that Nikkei's eighteenth natal day offered a clip to keep and for the residential area to leave about the outside world for a short time…then the bombardment 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. Sir Leslie Stephen had found her one-half frozen and brought her to one of the small cabins in the wooded mound he called home, hoping to figure out how to get her to safety when she could travel again.

Nikkei pointed to the bound bundle succeeding to Sir Leslie Stephen and asked,"Grandpa, what is that you have there ?"

He looked into her pain-filled eyes, glad for something to distract her even for a inadequate time from the crushing release of all that she had known."This is my birthday talent for you Nikkei, just as I promised to make last year, one all of your own."

Nikkei watched as Stephen untied the bundle and removed a rifle scabbard from beneath the canvas. He turned and presented it to her as if she were a queen of some leave land worthy of a rare and preciously gift from her people.


She took the rifle scabbard in her manus and laid it across her lap, stroking the voiced leather covered in white fur. The rifles stock, made of finely lacquered wood carved in detailed trope of her hunting in the recondite Sir Henry Joseph Wood spoke of Stephen's attainment as a passkey gun maker and armorer.

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

Two terrific treasures for her birthday ; such a prize of riches she felt unworthy of possessing let solo being able to contain in her hands.

"Grandpa I can't take this, it's more worthy in your hands…"she shushed as Stephen shook his head.

"You saved me from that bear last year Nikkei,"he said with a smiling. He had made one mistake on the hunt he had taken her on, one import of nonperformance in which the bear reared up and threatened his life. Nikkei proved the quicker though, as she placed three slugs into the bears inwardness and straits and thus mortally wounded the wildcat. It still fought on for some sentence before it succumbed, but in retort for saving him, Sir Leslie Stephen promised Nikkei he would craft a rifle worthy of her phenomenal skills.

"I wish mummy and papa could have seen this, along with everyone else…'she began to sob again as the Truth slammed home hard in her bosom. Her mob is gone forever, as are her champion, all save for Stephen. Something oceanic abyss in her soul snapped, flooding her with a fiery resolve that consumed her in an jiffy. The savage who had done this to them will be made to pay, and in blood.

"grandpa, where are the monsters who did this, where are they ?"she demanded, her voice filled with ira and rage none could feature dreamed existed. None save for Stephen who had long recognized the same traits in her that he had, and understood zilch will hold her back from having her retaliation on the Russians, no matter if in the end it cost her own life.

He shook his heading, recalling the time back in the struggle of 1918 when Suomi won its independence from the Tsar's of Russia, and the prison term of worry which followed. He had been a colonel then, and for a time he fought as a partisan behind the short letter, becoming such a curse on his foe that they called him ‘ shade Bear.'

"And so history will double itself…"he whispered. That drew a odd facial expression from Nikkei who still waited for his answer.

"Nikkei we are going to get you to safety and then I and some friends will start to fight these monsters, I will not lose…oh why I even bother…'He snorted and rolled his centre to the heavens as she struggled to stand up and storm out of the small cabin to go it alone."God above, she is more like me than even her mama could ingest figured…"

"Nikkei hold on there,"he grabbed her as she began to give way to the floor, still woozy from the blow to her heading."Fine then, I have a few things to get quick for our hunt, we will be partisans then here in our area of the Grant Wood and hills ; one thing emphatically, I call the injection and we do this my way until we have driven those teras out of our homeland."

"amercement grandpa,"Nikkei said as she wrapped up once again in the midst blanket."We do it your way, just so long as I get to shoot down 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 woodwind, making contact with some old friends who dealt in matter best left unmentioned in the presence of the authorization. They had prepared for the chance of war coming, establishing hoard of arms and former gear around the area for a isthmus of partisans to use if they needed it…and now they will, for once again ‘ trace Bear'will come in into war and earn his enemy pay for their crimes in blood.

He continued on into the Grant Wood, seeking a place where his personal cache of ‘ special goods'waited retrieval.

As the destination came into sight, little more than a cluster of Rock and bush covering a small cavern in their deepness he reached into his coat and rested his hand upon the hilt of his hunting knife. The faintest scent of cigar baccy filtered through the air, coming closer with each passing 2d, soon to be joined with the soft crush - crunching of several couple of snowshoes coming towards him.

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

Lightning fast he slammed his elbow 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 footing. Sir Leslie Stephen pulled out his knife to fork up the death blow and suddenly stopped as the man beneath him gently chuckled.

Captain Robinson of the Suomi Army grinned and looked at Sir Leslie Stephen,"You have not lost any of the skill you taught all of us those years ago Colonel Stephen. Now if you don't mind, let me up and I will signal my men not to try and spud you…"

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

"Sir Leslie Stephen is it then,"began Robinson,"we're here to scout and harass the advancing soviet Army as it heads up the road. individual has to stick around behind and become enthusiast, though from the grinning on your face I assume you already have begun that labor ?"

"In a manner of speaking,"Stephen filled in his old educatee and admirer in on his programme."Right now I am off to contact others in the sphere who will catch and mint as they can. Even in our fencesitter style, we can sour together and make the Russians spirit a living hell."

James Harvey Robinson nodded as he caught the subtle employment of ‘ we'in his last time, recounting of another who will hunt the Russians with Stephen.

"bazaar enough Stephen,"Robinson said as his men advanced, shocked to see their leader talking to an old man who appeared to follow out of nowhere. He looked at Sir Leslie Stephen and asked of his old friend,"So then, what figure 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 demonstrate the true slyness us quint have when on our home ground. Now I have to get a few former thing done and ‘ acquired'then the hunt will begin."

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


3 Dec 1939 near front cable of Russian 163rd Infantry Division


Major Joseph stood by the panoplied staff car with his sub-machine gun clenched tight in his grasp. His superscript in the NKVD ( State surety ) had made his education painfully clear ; keep a close eye on the activities of Major-General Bogdan as he served as his driver, courier and personal bodyguard out in the field. unsuccessful person in any way will result in summary execution.

Over a dozen more soldiers, young deputy and police chief, stood around or waited in their own staff elevator car for program line from the general. Almost all of them gazed from metre to time to the advancing blood of truck, armoured combat vehicle and tank-riding infantry that snaked its way along the single road ever deeper into Republic of Finland. The removed ground-shaking bellow of the artillery no longer registered with them, having become little more than scope noise in the fourth day of their lightning fast ( sort of ) step of the attack.

Major-General Bogdan stood high upon the bonnet of his car as he scanned the horizon with his exquisitely binoculars, a talent from his granddaddy many long old age past. His frustration mounted by the instant at the bullheadedness of the Finnish withstander who have defied his ability to smash through them for the survive three day. Three day and his division were barely twenty geographical mile across the margin.

"Speed, speed and ever more than speed. That is how we win this war, fastness, blow and uncompromising aggression against any who stand against us,"he muttered to himself."Captain Craigson, ensure that all regimental and lower commanders understand the monastic order. relentless pressure, there will be no more take out or moving early than at the enemy ahead. Any failures and I will personally shoot the officers myself if need be."

The captain repeated back his instructions, saluted and retreated to his staff car, which tore off down the route with due hastiness to ensure the subject matter was received and duly carried out.

Major-General Bogdan growled as he watched his division slowly crawl down the road."The Finnish flunky's of the Imperialist due west and Capitalists will determine what it means to withstand the Soviet Union. We will take back what is rightfully ours since long before the Revolution began. They wanted war, so now they shall let it and we will rebuild their society into a true communist state as it should be."

His mood suddenly brightened at the sight of a of a electric battery of truck-mounted rocket launchers and two batteries of artillery moved off the route and began to set up for firing at targets located by his sentinel. So often firepower being prepared meant that at least a battalion or two of foe soldiers had gathered to relieve oneself a desperate survive stand against his armour and infantry tearing ever thick into their homeland.

The auditory sensation of a minibike informed him that a messenger had arrived, and he nodded in expiation as the man stopped his bike, handed his note to senior pilot Dima who double-timed it to the general. When he read the note, Major-General Bogdan felt his blood boiling point as he shouted, raged and cursed while directing another motorbike mounted courier to strike forward and tell his divisional headquarters to promote his three lead regiments forward with all velocity or face writ of execution at his own hands.

He cursed the orders of ‘ absolute radio secrecy'that came from his superscript at Army HQ's fifty or more miles behind his partitioning."Damn them for their defiance to the indigence of the motherland !"he shouted while shaking his fist in the direction of the Suomi defenders.

Nearby another elder ship's officer smiled at the infrangible craze of Major-General Bogdan. Of trend when this officeholder smiled, all the attendant policeman of the superior general cringed, instantly coming to attention and saluting, if only to salvage their own spirit, not knowing end 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 eyes. Clad in solid-white winter clothing his middle shifted across the visible horizon and then across the land before him. Even the thin movement drew his attention as he quickly dismissed it as the current of air, an animal or a Russian Soldier moving around on some foreign mission or another.

He watched a second officer, probably the NKVD counterpart of the ship's officer who stood atop his cars punk, stroll with pure arrogance and insolence becoming of a commissar of high social rank over to the vehicle and climb upon the hood as well. The remaining officers stood at a goodish length, all save for the officer's device driver who looked and moved like a small terrier determined to protect its master from a pack of starved wolves.


â‚°

"Yes comrade they do have it coming for their defiance to the needs of the motherland,"said Major full general Vitaly, Political Commissar for the division of Major-General Bogdan."It appears you are ahead of agenda by a bit, despite word approaching of some electric resistance run into by your lead elements."

"associate Commissar it is ripe to see you up and about."Major-General Bogdan said as he gave his fellow 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 reported resistance, yet we shall labour harder than before and shatter them completely. In short parliamentary procedure any prisoners will be in your hands, as they should be, and we shall be one step closer to flying the flag of International Communism high over this solid ground of defiant banditti."


â‚°

To Stephen left hand, slightly in high spirits up upon the hilly good deal of stone and shrubs among the great true pine woods a distich of blueish eyes stared at the officers through the scope of her rifle. She slowly brought her hand up to the ambit and made some second adjustments, allowing her to cover with the range, wind and other variables to lay her pellet right field on target when the moment arrived.

Both officers on the cars hood turned to watching the celestial horizon through their binoculars.

She drew the crosshairs level with the newly arrived officer's skull, and braced the rifles neckcloth against her shoulder while resting her fingerbreadth on the trigger.

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

One last figuring of the image and all variable quantity flowed through her mind as she squeezed the trigger…


â‚°

Major-General Bogdan smiled as the enceinte heavy weapon sounded off, the brassy holla of the trench mortar merging with the screaming cry of Katyusha rocket salad tearing off from their truck-mounted launchers. He shook his fist in delight, imagining the mass murder beginning to fall on the hapless Finland ground forces regulars'just klick ahead when he felt something wet sputtering across the position of his head, left arm and chest.


He turned in fourth dimension to see the torso of Major-General Vitaly collapse to the basis with all of the grace of a butchered boar. The sight of the gaping wound left from the fastball his head had intercepted caused Bogdan to block, ineffective to move, speak, or even think. He knew then and there that Death was only moments away from claiming him in its icy hands.

John Major Joseph leapt upon the cars hood and tackled Major-General Bogdan. The bullet train meant for the general took the man in the back, severed his spine and ruptured his heart, dead before he and the world-wide plummeted to the ground, sheltered by the panoplied car from the snipers fire.

bedlam reigned in the full general unit as some of the men ran to assist Major-General Bogdan and the fallen commissar and John Major Chief Joseph. The rest peacenik for the approximate cover they could find and render fire with side arm, rifle or sub-machinegun at suspected sniper locations as the field of study artillery continued to roar away and urinate it nearly impossible for one man to hear another even tight up.

With mechanical efficiency, one officer after another flopped to the dry land, a unmarried red lesion found in their shoot down throats or skulls. In lupus erythematosus than two minutes, as the artillery fell silent once again and their crews commenced training to act on down the road, thirteen men lay dead on ground, while the survivors huddled in the protective fantasm of screening, not daring to travel or even breath.

Even the normally unflappable Major-General Bogdan looked about, stunned and overwhelmed at the sheer butchery wrecked by some unknown foes in such a short bridge of time. It was over a half-hour before he regained his composure and shouted out fiat to move the unit to his partitioning HQ and even foresighted to apprize ground forces central office of the personnel casualty of Major-General Vitaly.

â‚°

"seminal fluid Nikkei its time to bequeath and quickly,"Sir Leslie Stephen said to her as he finished wiring the lastly of many ‘ endowment'he had set out earlier to further punish the Russians when they came to inquire the area. As he considered the carnage to occur from his ‘ gift,'Sir Leslie Stephen and Nikkei donned their skis and disappeared into the forest little more than twin ghosts headed to one of many temporary shelters they will amount to use in the weeks and calendar month ahead.


â‚°â‚°â‚°

The sight of the snaking lead of tanks, trucks, artillery and infantry which pushed ever deeper into his homeland sickened Captain Robinson. He wondered how much of a chance his nation honestly had to stop this unyielding slew of metallic element and men bent upon the complete subjection of Finland.

One of his men tapped him on his shoulder and pointed down to the roadside where a force of infantry began to gather under the enraged orders of officers watched by stern-eyed NKVD commissar. Some of the policeman, led by a Commissar Major, examined one domain of ground and the consistency left behind after some kind of ambush had occurred.

A quick count of the infantry told him that he and his men faced a reinforced company of Russian soldiers, who began to go around out. Some marched unto a small crag of pit and shrubs while the remainder headed towards Robinson and his men at a brisk walkway. He could see that the phallus of this second striation were hesitant and on edge, though their fears of the commissars outweighed any danger from the timber ahead of them.


senior pilot Edwin Arlington Robinson and his handful of men dropped down under cover as a small explosion erupted from that bouldery crag, felling over a dozen Russian soldiers. topsy-turvydom erupted as a secondly blow erupted, unleashing a wave of metal food waste, nails, and other rocket that wounded a score and five of men. The surviving infantry began to give the axe at random into the woods with rifles and sub-machineguns as fast as they could while yelling at the top of their lungs.

They charged at the woods edge, only to take their ragged formation shattered by a concatenation of bam triggered by hidden tripwires. Pillars of smoke and tossed filth rose as men fell to the dry land seeking screening, dead or dying.

"Now men, now, take them down while we can !"skipper Robinson shouted to his men as the perfect prison term for a improvise ambuscade had arrived. Rifles merged with the tap-tapping of four light machine guns which scythed across the Russian infantry, felling them one after another after another.

In less than a minute the battle was over and his men swarmed among the dead Russians to garner rifles, ammo and anything of worth in the way of military intelligence operation they could find. Two minutes after they began, he and his men disappeared back into the woods, where two minute and seven kilometers away the captain examined a set of Order to the NKVD political commissar major to ‘ find and liquidate the banditti who slew Major-General Vitaly and 14 other officers.'

"fifteen officers and they left behind a chain of boob traps for their chaser ?"Sergeant Jermaine, the auxiliary of maitre d' Edward G. Robinson, whistled softly and shook his question in disbelief."Who could possibly have done that ?"

"I'll tell you who did this,"chieftain Esme Stuart Lennox Robinson said with a feeling of amazement on his side,"It was the work of the Snow Fox. I need a runner to get the info we have back to our side of meat of the seam, and get it there on the double."

senior pilot Robinson watched the courier ski away and then turned to his men and nodded. tranquillize as the still air around them they departed, determined to find out and hit the invading Russians whenever and wherever they can to make biography as paltry for them as possible.


7-8 December, 1939 Sweden - unknown manor menage

Swedish heyday minister Hansson looked out the libraries window upon a land covered in snow and for a moment dreamed that the man was still at peace. He sighed, knowing that such a dreaming is finished for many a yr to come since another large war has erupted.

Turning back to his two other guests he looked upon his old Friend Ryti, heyday diplomatic minister of Finland and here on ‘ secret matter'for his nation."Will the term be acceptable in the end ?"he asked of Ryti.

Prime Minister Ryti looked at the third gentleman in the way, a man of ruthless ambition and ill-concealed rapacity. No subject the absolute disrespect he held for this man, Finland needed the arm and supplies even more ; so he has dealt with the lesser of two iniquity to preserve his domicile."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 pelage,"have the money transferred into my Swiss people score by the usual means ; just to be clear, this meeting never happened and I will abnegate any and all reference of it in world. I am helping you due to the fact I hate the Russians to a greater extent than anything else."

With that the man, German Marshall Herman Goring departed for his escape home.



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

In the old prospector's cabin, little Sir Thomas More than a renovate shack, Nikkei watched as the sun cast its last ray of light before departing below the skyline and allowing the night to encompass the country in its handgrip. She put the blanket back into home, to hold back even the cold-shoulder firelight from escaping into the external existence. She looked to the cabin door and wondered when Stephen would be back from ‘ confluence with some ally nearby.'

She returned to cleaning her rifle with with child care, determined to control that the weapon of her revenge was kept in perfect condition for the next ambush set by Stephen and her. Step by step as she had been taught so long ago she cleaned and oiled each parting in round, ensuring that not one pinpoint of turd, gritrock, or anything could jam or plug it up at the moment when she would need it most.

The small-scale radio Stephen had somehow gotten his custody upon whispered news of the outside world between the static-filled vociferation of the daybreak borealis dancing overhead. What newsworthiness came from prescribed generator among the Northern and European stations painted a bleak future for her homeland, as four massive army groups have crossed the borders from northwards to south, seeking to conquer the stallion nation.

To the south, on the Karelian Isthmus the Russians have pushed the Finnish United States Army back to the Mannerheim telephone circuit. A massive weapon bombardment, nearly two sidereal day in length if the reports are to be believed, preceded a massed infantry assault in the area of Taipale supported with regimental durability artillery unit, rocket-fire, aerial bombing and speaker used to broadcast calls 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 Finnish army had dug in deep, with well sighted weapon and weapons, and then ripped apart the Russians assault. Casualties from the mass murder were estimated at 5000 drained Russians and twice that injured, along with 500 prisoners. Curiously she heard about the crushing defeat made against the Russian armor, some eighty armored combat vehicle destroyed or disabled and captured.

She and Sir Leslie Stephen had seen a few such tankful moving along the lone road that linked Russia and their army that advanced slowly into Finland. Stephen seemed genuinely afraid of the metal beasts, though she respected what they could do, the quite a little of the gasoline-filled fuel drums 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 ammunition'prepared for her by Stephen and his champion would do that job quite nicely.

Nikkei looked at the belittled deuce-ace of nursing bottle tied to her coterie, each one prepared to extradite another lethal surprise on any armor beast or vehicle when assailed during an surprise attack. Stephen had been rather dubious about the approximation when she suggested it, but on the narrow secondary road in the thick forests, five burned out hand truck and a armor car testified to its simplistic and brutal efficiency.

Once she had finished her care for the rifle she gently traced the newfangled marking burned into the wooden stock. Each mark was that of a Charles Percy Snow fox, barely 8mm in sizing, and representing a one putting to death she had scored since she had become involved in the war for her homeland. 24 small George Fox, 24 killing, some of them the minibike couriers being used to communicate orders between Russian Headquarters.

The hold out courier had turned out to be the most vital one to appointment. She and Sir Leslie Stephen had been crossing one of the secondary roadstead during a light snowfall with her in the spark advance, and covering Stephen after she reached the far English. No Sooner had she prepared her pillage the courier came tearing around a bend in the route. She had aimed and shot him down without a seconds faltering, and thus gained both of them a usable motorbike and the lively commodity in the couriers satchel case.


Long into the Night Stephen had sat in this very cabin after dumping the motorbike, out of gas and appropriately booby-trapped for any funny Russians. The paperwork he looked through contained high-value military computer code and communiqués, rules of order of battle and provision status - it detailed the low story of provisions and ammo among the Russian army units in this area.

Stephen had explained he needed to get this stuff and nonsense to some ‘ friends in high places'and would be back as soon as he could. She was given some exceptional instructions : if he is not back by the first ray of dawn the following day, or at the for the first time sighting of a Russian, she is to flee at once and header for one of the six sights he described. Of course if time permitted before she bolted, she was to ‘ activate'the small-scale surprise contained in the cabin for the stupid Russians.

Her rest that night was fitful and tormented by nightmare of unusual matter coming out of the mists she could not remember after being woken by a flight of Soviet Air Force hoagy and paladin overhead. She took a peak out the small window facing to the east and hoped against hope to see Stephen coming up the trail in the rising sun…

Instead she gasped at the sight of four score Russian infantry advancing at a steady footstep towards the cabin.


â‚°

"Keep down and watch, no one make any noise 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 early meeting topographic point and will hold off there for him.

cadence by meter the soldiers advanced and spread out to circle the cabin under the iron-hard regard of the units'political commissar. If anyone remained inside the cabin there will be no chance for them to head for the hills, and the supply needed by the partisans will probably be found as well…


â‚°

Nikkei quickly tossed on her great coat, slipped on her pack and plunder scabbard, and prayed as never before in her life story as she struck a match and held it to the duration of fuse-cord leading to Sir Leslie Stephen little surprise for the fast approaching Russians.

Once the electric cord started to hiss and burn off, she dropped it to the ground and fled the cabin, cleared the small ridgeline behind it and commenced a zigzag run for refuge. She used every feature of the terrain and afforest to give her any cover, anything to keep open 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 rooftree running behind the cabin and decided that she had to get her skis if possible, parliamentary procedure or no Order from her grandpa.

She moved as silent as a shade and with the grace of a deer across the land. Her accomplishment in doing so had been perfected over long age of hunting and praxis with Stephen, and on occasion when he travelled to make up a leverage or nominate a tidy sum 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 redundant magazine publisher were ready if she needed them. m by cadence she slowly and cautiously eased her way to the crown of the ridge, propped herself up on her cubital joint and gazed upon the Russians below who had just arrived at the old cabin.

She softly cursed at the fact of Sir Leslie Stephen surprise for the Russians had not yet gone off, and wondered what had gone wrongfulness 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 tree as he reloaded his Republic of Finland KP-31 sub-machinegun, and sent out a onslaught of curses and insults so blasphemous the land should make melted away. A hummer tore a ball out of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree mere cm from his face as he exposed himself again, bringing up the Virgil Thomson and fired off short circuit salvo into the still advancing mint of Russian infantry.

minute before Hannu and Kalevi had nearly moved their men into position to take down the Russians who encroached on the old cabin. Though risky, they have to happen upon at their foeman, the supplies cached away beneath the cabins floorboards are needed by the topical anesthetic partisan force.

Stephen and Joni, along with a dozen other partisans stayed back to secure their escapism itinerary if the battle turned against them…only to be surprised by the sudden comer of two Russian foot troupe, roughly 300 men tote up. Instantly Stephen ordered his men to the screening of the trees and to fire on the advancing violence.

Roughly forty or more than Russians fell to the first gear barrage of small blazon fire as two light motorcar grease-gun scythed across them like a harvester in a wheat berry field. script grenades added to the carnage being wrought as blast after flesh-rending blast shattered the lead Russians morale, sending them howling back down the trail…

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

Needless to say, the surviving solders suddenly became motivated to turn over around and take their chance with the Finnish partisans.

Stephen reloaded his Suomi three More times before his ammo was exhausted and he cursed as the Russians continued to advance at a very cautious pace. His pistols came out and he moved from blanket to underwrite, hunting the Russians. The first one emerged into his sight and became the first quarry he took…

In a flurry of motion Stephen cut down one Russian soldier after another as he moved among them, each of his Lahti pistols becoming an lengthiness of him. One shot, one killing, the same pattern delivered with quiet preciseness. A cluster of Russian solders charged at him from the forest as he calmly reloaded his side arm, grinned and one after another, and thus reaped a harvest of dying on his foes.

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

Meter by time they had to yield ground, pushed back by the sheer weight of numbers that inevitably benefited the Russians. Their enemy kept on coming out of the woods, an eternal cascade of angry foes determined to stamp out their tormenters, even as the dead mounted in mickle upon fallen hatful of shattered flesh and bone.


He hoped Hannu and Kalevi had adequate sense to scrub the ambush and get their men to safety. As even more Russians advanced up the pathway to reinforce the shattered building block fighting the drumbeater, Stephen knew in his mettle that he will not be leaving this fight alive…

He prayed for Nikkei, that she has fled and gotten to safety, and that his sine of being a runner of branch and early semi-illegal commodity could be forgiven when he stood before the sound judgment potty of God. He did not beg for a miracle, knowing that such is beyond his portion to deserve…

Though that is exactly what happened…


â‚°

Nikkei watched as a trey of military officer ran around and shouted orders at their men to hurry off to unite the fight down the lead. None of the soldiers seemed willing to head that way, having come to prize and fear the skill of their implacable foe ; not even with the sheer weight of numbers on their English could the officer make them take the first dance step back down the trail.

One officer, a commissar if she understood his rank correctly, argued with the other two, who appeared to be commissar as well, about the need to seize the cabin and any supplies that remained within it. After that, they could then go and bring together their familiar in the heat of battle.

Having decided adequate is enough she raised her rifle, braced the stock against her shoulder and aimed at the talkative political commissar. The retort of her rifle was smothered by the acute gunfire from the Ellen Price Wood, but she saw the political commissar plummet to the solid ground, his skull having stopped the bullet.

The other commissars looked at their fallen comrade with wide-eyed expressions of fear and shock in match measure. Within five seconds both of them joined their comrade on the ground, idle before they hit the terra firma.

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

Some fled into the woods, determined to take their opportunity with the remaining political commissar than face the deadly sniper now picking them off one by one. Shortly after the last entered the woodwind, a ferocious cascade of gunfire cut them down as someone strange to Nikkei had arrived…

30 Russians sought shelter behind or within the cabin, one of them tossed Nikkei's shattered skis out the room access with a twine of curses. They began to can away with accurate pellet from rifle, pistol or their own sub-machineguns at the opposition in the woods.

Nikkei pulled a magazine from her bulge, freed the vacuous one from her rifle and slid the new one home. She chambered a turn and looked down to see which one of the Russians will be her low gear victim….

Of course that happened to be the instant Sir Leslie Stephen ‘ giving'to the Russians went off, several sticks of dynamite secured to over XXX jerry-cans filled with gasoline concealed under and around the cabin. The blast reaped a massive harvest of death, and left Nikkei not one living Russian to shoot.

eve Nikkei, partly shielded by the peak of the ridge, was flung away and she cursed as she and all of her appurtenance rolled downhill until a hard tree assisted in stopping her. Clutching her spite read/write head with one hand, her rifle in the other, she cursed and charged back to the top of the ridgeline to see what else was going on…


She spotted the few remaining partizan down the trail fighting to hold the Russians at the sharpness of the woods, and screw if they were forced fully into the clearing behind them they would fall to the last man. The clattering of gunfire to her the right way indicated more zealot were even now engaged in a second dying conflict against some former band of Russian troops.

For them she could do aught, but for the world-class 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 secondly turn 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 retort from the detonated ‘ gift'in the cabin carried out to the horizon. He knew then and there Nikkei had fled the cabin and even now was on her way to refuge.

He dropped to one knee, partially concealed by a magnanimous rock, and commenced to force out both pistols at the howling Russians that charged out of the wood. His force out of partisans was down to him and four others, and surrounded by their enemy whom they knew would express no mercy…the sudden gunfire deeper in the Mrs. Henry Wood indicated that Hannu and Kalevi had engaged a large Russian party with their men, and told him they confronted a built 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 near Russian, ending his life history in one swift cam stroke. His elbow slammed into the next soldier coming up behind him, followed by a tongue jab to the gut ; then three More Russians closed on him, rifles leveled and center showing that they did not intend to take him as a prisoner.

"seed on you bastard wienerwurst !"Sir Leslie Stephen shouted in Russian, prepared to assume at least one of them with him…

Then one soldier lurched backward as his chest exploded in a jet of red mist, dead before he hit the ground. The two others turned and fled, discarding their rifles, only to perish in turn as a precisely placed type slug 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 concealment they could receive.

"Joni,"Sir Leslie Stephen bellowed out as his old champion came into visual sense, descent streaming down his leg."God man how many of us are left ?"

"You and me Sir Leslie Stephen,"Joni said as he handed two full-magazines to Stephen for his Suomi sub-machinegun."I am ok, let's go and see what we can do for Hannu and Kalevi…"Both men startled at the sound of automatonlike small weapons system firing and promiscuous machineguns began to play in the Sir Henry Joseph Wood, to be followed by still so profound it all but screamed at them.


Within three min a band of heavily armed men accompanied by the partisans emerged out of the woodwind and met with Stephen and Joni.

"Sir Leslie Stephen we keep meeting in the craziest of places,"Captain Ray Robinson said to his old mentor,"for once I'm sword lily I could return the favor of you saving my tail on our hunting tripper. Though it looks like your battle went well enough given how badly your partisans were outnumbered…"

Stephen ignored him as the butcher bill was delivered by Joni after determining the final tally of the battle : twenty survivors with six of them injured, thirty-seven dead, which included Hannu and Kalevi. The Russian dead were beyond enumeration at this point.

Stephen ordered his men to take whatever munition, ammunition or supplies they needed from the Russians and to amass the organic structure of their fallen. He set an iron-hard deadline of ten minutes for this to be done before they would pass on and move around hard across the trail in the ancient woods.

"Joni, you take the lead and get the men to safety device. 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 of honor on to the others about what happened here,"Stephen told his old friend.

"Hang on a minute Stephen,"captain Robinson said and ordered twenty of his men to go with Joni and the few remaining partisans."I know I should not disunite my men up like this, but you Guy are fighting for Suomi as we are. This way, our profound artillery can assist with making the Russian bear bleed for all we can get out of his hide…"

Stephen, Joni and Lennox Robinson turned to the sound of a soldier shouting out an order that instantly ended in a wail of pain in the neck and mewling of a neonate kitten. They watched a Brigham Young lady, rifle still in hand, calmly walk over to the old man as she muttered about ‘ soldiers who need to pick up some manners before grabbing a lady that way.'

Edward Goldenberg Robinson shook his head as Stephen uncharacteristically rushed over and embraced the char in a stand hug, whirling her around and around as she called for him to stop embarrassing her in social movement of the other men.

"Who is that with Stephen ?"Edward G. Robinson asked Joni."I did not reckon there were any women among the partisan in this region ?"

Joni just chuckled and shook his head,"The broad history is Stephens to tell, but you have seen the handiwork of the blow Fox first hand."He pointed to the many fallen Russians taken down by Nikkei."Oh and your man who dared to take hold of her should be alright, his chestnut will be ticket despite the crushing kick she gave them."

â‚°

"granddad I forgot my skis after lighting the safety 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 hands, pantomiming an explosion while a sheepish grin grew on her face.

"Oh and then I spotted the Russians running in your management after I took down those three commissar idiots that tried to Holy Order their troops around like fierce fiddling terriers,"she said as Stephen and her joined Jackie Robinson and Joni.


"trinity commissars, she took down three of the Russian commissars ?"Robinson asked, and then he whistled when Nikkei tossed the fallen commissars hats over to him, plentiful proof of her claim.

"Three commissars from a amount of thirty Russians I took down. Though the commissars are a waste of a goodness bullet, improve to just slash a grenade or something at them…"Nikkei mumbled as Stephen laughed and Joni and captain Robinson just shook their heads.

"Granddaughter, do not jaw yourself of a killing, after all you took down that divisional commissar a few days back…"he looked at Captain Walker Smith and nodded to the man's unstated doubtfulness."Yes she took down that Major-General your intelligence sources declared dead, now my dear granddaughter has thirty More foxes to add to her list…"

Captain Edwin Arlington Robinson was handed a message written by his radio hustler Corporal Hanki. It was orders from the high gear control for the Suomi army. He just shook his head in unbelief as to what it stated the evidence in dead Russians tone down testimony to the belated word sent to him and the partisans…

…to all units detached on partisan bodily function and stalwart military unit engaged within the orbit of one-ninth Red Army Corp. Reliable news has affirmed that a reserve regiment of the 163rd infantry Division has been sent back from the front phone line to secure the main Russian provision route and to deal anti-partisan patrols and chimneysweep. repetition, to all units…

"fountainhead it appears this alright piece of intelligence has come, as they say, too little and too recent for our needs, as has become the normal anymore,"said Captain Sir Robert Robinson as he showed the content to Sir Leslie Stephen, Joni and Nikkei who was surprised at his action.

"Nikkei, like it or not you are now a source of divine guidance for the troops of the front line, just like Stephen, when Holy Scripture of what all the drumbeater accomplished here this day."sea captain Robinson clasped her hands in his and gave them house'waggle of thanks.

"Stephen we need to get going,"Captain Edward G. Robinson said a bit later,"This regiment has been annihilated, but some survivor may make it to a nearby outstation or garrison and bring down yet more trouble on our heading. We can not get a arcsecond battle such as that."

As if to emphasize his degree, a flight of Russian bombers passed overhead at that item flash, which caused everyone to plunk for cover version on the off fortune they were being looked over. Nikkei watched the planes go on their way, all the meter holding her rifle skyward and wondering if she could conduct one down given the chance.

"Stephen, you and your granddaughter are welcome to come up with us,"Robinson said,"With the way she can burgeon forth and your abilities to set an ambush…"He stopped when his old mentor held up a hand for silence. There will be no more give-and-take, Sir Leslie Stephen and Nikkei will remain on their own, seeking to bleed the armies of the Red Bear as much as they can.

"Before we section let me give you some instructions and advice on how to stop the Russian tanks…"Stephen filled Sir Robert Robinson in on the tactics he and Nikkei had developed and the weaknesses on the armored beasts.

maitre d'hotel Esme Stuart Lennox Robinson looked at Nikkei with profound respect, which caused her to blush from head to toe from stark superfluity. He turned back to Stephen and thanked him, stating he will pass this news up the chain of program line. With that the different radical departed and headed out on their own elect paths.



10 December, 1939 Finland Supreme Command headquarters


The men stood around the table as they examined the updated function and compared them to the latest incoming paper and intelligence gathered from undercover agent, informants, radio intercepts and the the like. messenger delivered their satchels of message and requests while adjutant for the armed forces leaders gathered here stood silently by, prepared to answer any questions or handle any job they are assigned.

One man listened and mentally crunched all the info told to him by his subordinate word, contingent from troop apparent motion and battalion position to logistics and previse move by the Russian invaders. He asked detail dubiousness concerning the four invading Russian United States Army army corps - the Seventh, Eighth, ninth and Fourteenth - and pondered the success his soldiers had scored, particularly within the area of the Ninth and the savage defeat a striation of partisan had inflicted just two days past.

He perked up at the mention of an old caption having returned to the field of battle, the touch Bear, and his new familiar, a partisan leader known simply as the C Fox. One old hero and a new sub bringing Hope to the res publica and inspiring the Suomi troops who received a monumental rise to their team spirit and fighting spirit as news of the Russian frustration spread with the military group of a lightning strike.

When he looked up at his subsidiary he understood from their aspect they waited his educational activity. They wanted to strickle back and chance upon back hard, to deliver such a savage blow to the Russian bear that his wow will be heard around the human race for one C to come.

He tapped the map with his finger, outlining his programme for that portion of the front line facing the Russian Ninth army Corp. Each man took Federal Reserve note concerning his portion of the plan, and began to detail what he needed to do for the counterattack to come ; they acknowledged the betting odds to be long for any tangible success, yet it had to be done for the sake of their homeland.

"Colonel Siilasvuo,"force field marshall Mannerheim, commander of the United States Army 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 hr and lead off cognitive process 24-hours from now."

Colonel Siilasvuo saluted and departed to beguile his airplane and make his plans as the others returned to the maps and made former hard alternative in the ongoing war.


10 December, 1939 163rd Russian Infantry division military headquarters

Outside the hotel appropriated by Major-General Bogdan to be his division headquarters a lone gunshot sent the guards scuttling inside on the double with weapons drawn. Once they determined that their commander was secure they returned to their post, save for the two who dragged the stiff of Colonel Hussein, latterly commandant of the put down 662nd foot Regiment.

"gentleman's gentleman,"Major-General Bogdan declared to the police officer around him as he calmly placed his smoking pistol on his desk,"Let the record appearance that Colonel Hussein has been found guilty by summary tribunal martial of high treason and delinquency of duty and cowardliness in the face of the foeman, not to mention outright foolishness in the conduct of field operations."

All officer save for the sadistic commissars of the division shook as he gazed upon each one in bend,"He has been executed by orders of STAVKA for his traitorousness. All of you understand this, one failure, one pathetic attack to justify incompetency or treason and I will take you as well."


Major-General Bogdan left his desk a import later and headed to check the in style write up from the nominal head and to prepare program for the side by side attempt upon the illogically obstinate pentad. He should already have smashed their social movement assembly line, torn across the shank of Finland and bisected this fascist commonwealth. His cult became manifest when he slammed his fist on a large tabular array that shattered under that hammer-blow, and sent the man typing out orders to scramble from his president in a desperate bid to stay alive.

Walking into the map room he howled for one of his adjutant to attend, and once the captain appeared, began to rattle off the orders for the day concerning attempt path and prison term, logistics and artillery blast programme. Of path, with so few force left to him, especially after the 662nd Infantry Regiment was slaughtered, the planning did not consume too much time.

The only thing that really bothered him is write up from the Finnish radio which spoke of the legendary man called the"Ghost Bear'is active in the region. His social unit in the radical war in which Finland broke itself free from the native land of Russia, aided by the fascist Imperialists of the decadent horse opera lands, had faced the man and his drumbeater.

No matter how hard they tried to catch him, no matter the bait used or carrying out summarily carried out, he had not only evaded them, but carried out a effort of destruction that decimated nearly seven divisions. Many a mother threatened her brassy tiddler with account of ‘ the specter Bear will do and get you."

A courier arrived at his side and declared that Major-General Zelenfsev, commander of the 44th Infantry Division will be arriving on the evening of 15 Dec to ‘ talk about the current affair of the front man lines.'

"Tell the Major-General I will be glad to discuss the reasons he has been cooling his heels for a week when he and his partition is needed here,"Bogdan ordered,"and educate a place for him to stick around as well in the officers rooms on the hotels top floor."


15-16 December, 1939 Rear-area Russian Ninth Army corp

Sergeant Osip slowed his motorbike as he neared the next checkpoint, and grinned as the lone sentry waved for him to break with one hand, and held high a bottleful of ‘ official party coffee bean'( which he knew stand for fine Vodka ) in the former.

Once the bike stopped he turned off the motor and placed it next to the checkpoints wooden structure, little more than a small, hastily built hut with a field phone for ‘ parking brake usage only'by senior officers or the revere NVKD. This accomplished he moved to stand before the checkpoints officer, an old, ragged and weather worn police lieutenant he did not make love but figured must be an NVKD commissar or security 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 parliamentary law and newspaper publisher sir,"he handed them over to the scowling, stern-faced lieutenant whose heart showed no mercy could be expected,"and I am prepared to establish the satchel is still sealed upon your centering sir."

"Fine then sergeant,"the lieutenant said not bothering to enclose himself, thus a surely mark he is NVKD."seed into the shack and we can do the inspection over some ‘ official party coffee'while you tell me all that is going on up at the HQ for the 163rd Division."


Over the next half hour Sergeant Osip enjoyed half a bottle of the finest Russian vodka he knew to exist, and revealed all he knew not only of the 163rd divisions military headquarters, but of all the Russian ninth United States Army he had seen for the first time hand or even heard hearsay about.

The lieutenant gently challenged him on each tip, asking the Saami doubt from different angles while he expressed doubtfulness here and there about the veracity or loyalty and dedication of police sergeant Osip. The drunken, thoroughly terrified Sergeant was consistent in every detail, which pleased him to no end, and even more so as he saw the courier's subject matter satchel remained sealed with the decal of the one-ninth army fourth-year commissar.

"Sergeant Osip you have done your duty to the homeland and the Soviet marriage admirably,"the Lieutenant said. sergeant Osip smiled and stood to leave ; he never saw the Lahti pistol that moved to just shy of his skull, nor heard the gunfire that killed him.

After disposing of the body deep in the woods next to the rattling lieutenant who had manned the checkpoint,"sergeant-at-law"Stephen, wearing the overcoat and uniform of the courier, climbed onto the minibike and headed down the road to ‘ deliver'his goods to the 163rd divisions headquarters.


â‚°

Four hours later Stephen left the hotel which had become the 163rd air division field HQ. He learned of the dire fight they had undertaken when ordered by U. S. Army central office to retreat, the continuous torment by Finnish partizan and habitue regular army forces on their supply lines, and More detail information that he intended for former victimisation.

Before he departed he collected from the gamey floors where the senior officers of the headquarters slept a small endowment for Nikkei. Taking the back stairs down to the large parking garage behind the hotel he evaded the few half-awake watch on safeguard duty with contemptible ease, activated his ‘ gift'to the Russians and quietly fled into the night to where he had stashed the motorbike.

He was far down the road when his ‘ natural endowment'caused no end of pandemonium for the 163rd division.

As he motored on down the back trails and petty route on his stolen minibike, Stephen grinned as old storage returned concerning the last war. Compared to his love for hunting and deal making ( in illegal arms and other good such as Vodka banned from being exported ), only the joy of killing Russian soldiers once again surpass them.


16 Dec, 1939 rear-area Russian one-ninth US Army Corp

Within the sheltered depths of an old Edward Durell Stone and earth-covered menage Nikkei listened to the radio and absorbed the latest news of the war. The warmth from the roaring flames in the hearth reminded her of in effect winter Nox with her numb family, and she was happy to be destitute for a metre of the cold wintertime dark just outside the house.

Stephen had gone off ‘ to ascertain out some details'that he understood from the messages broadcast to partisans by the various Finland radio stations. For the 100th time since he left she looked down to the pistol at her side of meat, hoping she will not ask it if the Russians or other mischief-maker discovered and entered the old house.

As she devoured her meal of a midst, rich, spicy, meat-stew and some semi-stale staff of life with butter and jam she shook her headway in disbelief. The conference of Nations had tossed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics out of its membership, and many of its member nation representatives made great speeches of aid and sleeve being prepared for shipment from the many Scandinavian and European government to Finland.

The daily news from Helsinki spoke of drumbeater under the leadership of the ‘ Ghost bear'and ‘ Snow Fox'which had annihilated the Russians 662nd Infantry Regiment completely with minimum departure to the Finnish forces involved in the battle…an exaggeration that irritated Nikkei due to the avowedly routine of old family friends and associated who were lost.

When she took another bowl full of the stew from the tympanum boiling over the fire the a la mode news of the battle on the Mannerheim logical argument came through. Apparently the Russians launched a three-division violation, and in a 40 hour pitched conflict were repulsed, less than 1200 Russians escaped from their force of 35000.

She and Sir Leslie Stephen, wherever he had gotten off to, had been doing their share of harassing the Russians - taking down lone trucks and a couple of tank car, disabling gun barrage fire that passed by and she took a perverse kind of delectation in taking down the couriers on their motorbikes…the number of them had been dropping off over the past week, evidence of her having culled the ruck with unpitying efficiency.

Details from the battle for Suomussalimi were broadcast. The twenty-seventh Infantry Regiment of Finland had executed a mountain chain of daring ravishment from three different directions, isolated and destroyed key unit of measurement of the Russian 163rd Infantry segmentation. That unit of measurement, plus the 44th foot Division were being harassed and worn down in non-stop raiding and skirmishing that the Suomi Army excelled at.

She grinned at the credit of Suomussalimi being back in Suomi handwriting. Then the news spoke of the Suomi army and zealot ‘ using new and howling arm'to deal with the Russian armor ; the very technique she and Stephen developed a few days ago - a bottleful of alcohol and gasoline with few other affair mixed in to get to it into a sticky gasolene gel, and then a gas or oil soaked rag that is tied to it and lit just before being tossed at the tank.

Net result…one cooked tankful, especially if you can hit the engine, national fuel tank, or the commonly ride barrel of reservation fuel mounted on the after deck.

Stephen returned a few minutes later as she cleaned out her bowling ball with a clod of boodle. She watched him displace to the fire and submit up a bowl of fret and sit down next to her, his loggerheaded coat and hat showing clear signs he had been involved in some kind of affray earlier in the night.


He moved over to the roaring ardour and stood before it to warm up."Nikkei I have found out that some ‘ extra visitors'will be passing through this area in the next few days,"he said to her with a grin of pure wicked delectation."The 163rd Division had been retreating through the 44th sectionalisation and the wholly domain is in complete chaos. Both divisional commanding officer are dead, having been at the 163rd's headquarters when the hotel went up in flames…literally !"

He chuckled at that, just as he had chuckled soon after visiting the 44th sectionalization depot of supply trucks parked in a relatively unguarded lager. Thirty minute of arc of heedful workplace delivered prominent results, he had just finished crossing the lone bridge on the roadway when the entire grand of ammo and provision-laden truck went up in a range of mountains of fireballs from the small bombs he had liberally placed on their fuel tanks.

So slap-up was the pandemonium generated he was able to infiltrate the guard shack on his slope of the bridge circuit and induction the demolition charges the Russians had emplaced just that day incase the Finnish army pushed the Read Bear back across the river. As if that had not caused enough chaos and legal injury, a trajectory of Finnish Air Force aeroplane swept his side of the river route, damaging and destroying over sixty fomite and damaged countless others.

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

"It appears the Ninth U. S. Army corp commander for the Russians is coming in person to inspect the ground for the delays in ‘ conquering these decrepit lackey's of the Imperialist west,"he laughed and shook his head at such gimcrack,"general Dashicev will be here in a few days and we have a chance to ‘ greet'him in proper partisan style."Here he mimicked with his hired hand a handgun being fired off, the bullet delivered between the generals eyes.

"Nikkei I found out there will be some ‘ limited visitor'coming through this area in the next couple of days,"Stephen said to her with a sinful grin."I found out the 163rd naval division has been ordered to retreat and the 44th division is sitting on its haunches per Order of the NKVD. It appears that general Dashicev, leader of the Ninth army Corp of the Russians will be making a duty tour of the movement lines."

"How…how did you find this out grandpa ?"Nikkei asked, unsure if her grandad was pulling her leg or if he was telling the truth. She just sat there and shook her promontory 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 humiliated hats he pulled out of his release and tossed into her lap…

The hats which belonged to two now at rest Major-Generals.

"That one belonged to Major-General Bogdan, the one you missed a couple of hebdomad ago,"Stephen said to her with a teasing grin."The other to Major-General Zelenfsev, I found both of them discussing a rather efficient mean value to counterattack our Army. They never paid attention to the fact a ‘ Russian army courier'might take for it worth the time to claim out the commanding officers of their respective divisions when the opportunity presented itself."

He showed her the accumulation of papers, plans and other data he had taken from the now destroyed battleground headquarters."I got this stuff and nonsense for our effect before my ‘ gift'to the Russians went off…"

"Grandpa, what…what did you do ?"she asked, unsure if she wanted to discover the story. One affair she had come to know of her grandpa is he had a fighting spirit that shone brave and true, and could be as unpitying as any murderer when case 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 ‘ gift'I set for you to use back at the cabin ?"Stephen asked and grinned at the scowl of pure fury she gave to him,"Imagine a fire truck parked within the service department connecting that old hotel, a fuel truck that had some peg of dynamite added to guarantee that the ensue surprise would be…spectacular."

"Now that the bridgework is destroyed, the superior general gone, and most of the 44th Divisions supplies are no more, our side will sustain a much easier time disposing of them,"he clenched his fist and grinned while his inhuman eyes blazed with pure fury and delight at the impending victory for the Finnish forces in the area.

"Do you desire a Russian Army corporation General added to your kills or not ?"Stephen chuckled at the savage grinning that grew on Nikkei's face."upright, we will lead out soon enough, but first I have something to take care of…"

Nikkei watched him remove a small box-like pile from the bottom of his backpack and heading for the door."grandfather what are you doing ?"she asked, the business organisation audible in her representative and seeable on her face.

"I'll be coming back shortly Nikkei,"he said and then became deadly serious,"emphatically this time follow my orders, at the commencement sign of risk grab your gear and flee as fast as you can. No leaving your skis behind or coming to detect me alright ?"He waited until she nodded,"You know the meeting places we discussed before, as I have said, if you have to take flight promontory for one of the six positioning. The partisan already know to keep and eye out for you if our travelling turn for the worse."


â‚°â‚°

Captain Robinson and his handful of men moved with extreme care as they swept the get together plaza for any mansion of an ambush from Russian forces. His men on the flanks indicated with helping hand signals no one was in the area. His soft, disgusted execration seemed to reverberate across the wooded hills.

"Where in the world has Stephen gotten off to this metre ?"Robert Robinson declared. He nearly had a ticker attack as the audio of a pistol hammer being eased back into place filled his pinna. The corporal next to him who still had a length of common cold blade placed under his jaw did not prompt an inch.

"You're getting sloppy chieftain Robinson,"Stephen said as he pulled both pistols 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 planetary house of a patrol - ours or theirs ?"the corporal exclaimed in sheer outrage at such a call being made.

Sir Leslie Stephen pointed over his shoulder to where six Russian infantry lay drained."Like I said, you and your men are getting sloppy. Now let's get down to concern as quickly as we can. I paid a visit to the 163rd Infantry partition HQ and got these papers,"he tossed Robinson a heavy satchel bag filled with vital info,"before my giving to them went off."

"Somehow I should have known it was you behind that,"Captain James Harvey Robinson said with a grin."We will get these to Suomussalimi and then to Army Headquarters."He handed the satchel to the corporal, turned to utter with Stephen and discovered he had disappeared back into the Sir Henry Wood silent as a ghost.

"I hope this information is as vital as Sir Leslie Stephen thinks it is,"Captain Robinson said to himself.

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


18 December, 1939 England

In the lobby of sevens men of power and authority sat, or stood, around the long board discussing events, approximation or examined the neat wall-mounted map which dominated the room. At the press of a lone man, the simply one who dared to chomp away on his hallmark cigar, commenced to birth their portions of the plan in business organisation to the Finland-Soviet War and the surrounding Scandinavian nations.

Many of the high school instruction, Ministers and parliamentarian looked at the cigar-chomping man with seismic disturbance, surprise, unbelief and apprehension for one to purport such an audacious scheme. They listened as he delivered his rationality for the plan, why it will succeed if implemented in time, and the dandy of gains towards thwarting Germany and its mighty war machine.

"Gentlemen,"Mr. Winston S. Churchill declared while he thumped his fist on the table,"We must aid Finland with all the supplies, arms and ammo, planer, storage tank and troops we can while denying the government of FRG the most vital resource they need. smoothing iron ore, the ore supplied to them by Sweden and shipped via Norge ; we will resolve both problems with one expedition…cut off the mines from Federal Republic of Germany and have a life-sustaining route to move our substitute forces on into Finland."

First Duke of Marlborough concealed early, yearn mountain range plans currently unfolding in Germany that may attain an unexpected harvest in the weeks to come…especially one concerning chancellor Hitler…

Many in the Senior statement approved the initial outlay of the plan, and made a few passport here and there, seeking to refine it into a workable lineation. Even prime Minister Neville Chamberlain gave his loth favorable reception after an wide disputation on outside law and treatment of neutral and autonomous lands.

Only one man dared to digest in opposition to the plan, and even then only to assume a ‘ devils advocate'posture.

curate of War Hore-Belisha stood and rapped his fist on the tabular array to gain everyone's tending."Distinguished gentlemen,"he began,"recall that we and French Republic have been warned via the politics of Schweiz that Federal Republic of Germany will regard any presence of Allied troops within the borders of Norway or Sweden as an attempt upon mainland Germany itself and result in immediate retaliation."

"It appears there is an informal agreement between Sweden and Germany ; for our factor and contacts are even now reporting that load of small arms, auto hired gun and calorie-free shank, plus meaning amounts of ammunition have even now crossed into the delimitation of Finland from Sweden."Hore-Belisha emphasized each dot with a smack of one script into the early."This appears to be done via plain marshall Hermann Wilhelm Goring, and with the reinforcement of prime minister Der Fuhrer. If we interfere with an invasion of Norway and Kingdom of Sweden we will risk sundering the mountain chain of provision going to Finland…lose that and Communist Soviet Union will win by sheer weight of number."

Winston Churchill looked upon the Minister of War with centre that blazed in righteous fierceness. Standing, he slammed his clenched fist on the table and locked gazes with his antagonist."Understand this, the fate of Finland and of the free world are tied together as one ; here are my line as to why the plan must go forth…"

The debate raged long into the night and well into the next dawn before the confluence came to a end ; nix had been decided, to the disappointment of many.



18 December, 1939 Germany

He sat behind his desk and paused, stunned by the news show contained in the top secret report in his hands. He read it three more than times, examining each detail and fact and assumption for the least signboard of thaumaturgy or of the facts being deliberately misconstrued or manipulated.

His aide stood by, having sensed something of corking significance is going on in the thinker of his drawing card, and thus he will be here to see history made.

The man closed the study and laid it upon his desk, shocked by the magnitude of weakness to be found within his ‘ ally'of the join of Soviet Socialist democracy. He looked at his aide and gave off a rapid-fire chain of Holy Order and sat back in his chairperson as the untried maitre d' ran off to pucker the officeholder so indicated.

Thirty minute of arc later Chancellor Adolph Hitler stood before his gathered staff in the meeting elbow room that adjoined his role. For over six hours the meeting continued, with Chancellor Hitler demanding tough answers from each man, save for marshall Hermann Goring, whom nodded at the mute question concerning the surreptitious supplies being sent to Finland via Sweden.

In due ordering a plan began to emerge for the chance that lay outdoors before them, one which grew bang-up with each hour Soviet Russia bled on the snowy flying field, Alfred Hawthorne, and forest."valet de chambre,"Adolf Hitler said,"We have a golden opportunity that history and fate gives to one people to switch the creation every millenary ; the coat of arms bought by Sweden will stay without interruption, and we shall increase our gift of military intelligence to Finland."

Chancellor Hitler walked over to the large bulwark map and rapped his clenched fist hard on the edge of Finland - Russia."That is where Russian Federation and the communist will be bled white, and here,"he slammed his fist hard lower on the map,"is what we shall do…"

The gathered men looked upon such a bluff and round-eyed concept with match touchstone of awe, blow and hunger, for indeed a golden opportunity - one filled with danger and uttermost hazard true - had arrived to deliver an soul snow to their ancestral enemy.

"Chancellor Adolf Hitler,"declared General-colonel Keitel,"with your favorable reception we will set out to make preparations."

Hitler nodded and then said to the departing police officer and pastor,"This information changes all we have expected, the precipitation of Russia is at paw once and for all…the death of a tyrant will soon occur."

As he turned to depend out the window he never understood how prophetic those very Christian Bible happened to be…



20 Dec, 1939 rear-area of the Russian Ninth Army Corp

Nikkei paused as she and Stephen neared the top of the Benny Hill and motioned for him to do the Same. She strained to blame up the speech sound she heard a consequence before and then grinned when it became clear, another Russian courier on a motorbike was making his rounds along the principal route.

Stephen smiled and motioned to a spot halfway up the hill, a cleft in the rocks surrounded by ample shrubs and tree which made for a near-perfect snipers nest. He motioned to a magnanimous boulder surrounded by with child trees where he will brood her as she took down the courier ; from recollective practice both reached their billet, shed their skis and had their respective weapon system - the Suomi KP sub-machinegun for him, the master-crafted rifle for Nikkei - readied for business.

A sudden wave from Nikkei told Sir Leslie Stephen something else was amiss, as she looked appall for the first clock time since the war began. When he looked through the botany and onto the main route he understood completely her shock…for an unusual convoy worked its way ever so slowly down the road long since churned to mud and detritus due to the near constant traffic and pace of the tanks.

Four motorbike safeguard led the way for the convoy followed by a lone, light-armored armored combat vehicle, a staff car that was made for a high-ranking armed services military officer, possibly a subject area marshall, visiting the straw man assembly line. To the dorsum of the convoy, four more motorbike mounted precaution completed the entourage. If not for the presence of that tank, no subject how small compared to its armored brethren, he would have had Nikkei absorb the stave car while he took down the minibike mounted guards…

"If not for that blasted tank,"he pumped his fist in consummate defeat that such a great prize is getting away, only to realize his misunderstanding a instant later…


â‚°â‚°

Nikkei lined her sight upon the two vauntingly, fuel-laden, highly-flammable, barrels of the visible radiation tank. For once she was sword lily to own a clip loaded with Stephens ‘ special ammunition'for such an occasion. She kept adjusting her aim to pay for the slow crawl advance of the armoured beast, growing more raring with each second base that Stephen mulled over her taking the shooting or for the two of them to withdraw.

From the corner of her eye she saw Stephen pump his clenched fist, their agreed upon sign for her to start any lying in wait they have established. One final registration on her leading the tank, and a gentle squeeze of the trigger…

rush !
belt !

Twice she worked the rifle bolt in her palm-guided, up-back, forward-down sweeping apparent motion to reload for the side by side shot she would involve. She paid the armoured combat vehicle no more heed, swinging around to the staff car even then breaking and sliding across the frost and mud covered road…

Bang !

The staff elevator car left-back tire shredded from the bullets impingement, the incendiary charge igniting the rubber eraser cloth almost instantly. The occupant of the faculty car leapt from the vehicle as the motorbike guards leapt to cover one man in a black greatcoat…the gleam of the morning sunlight off of his social station 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 dash and chambered the for the first time round of regular ammunition she used. The strait of the Russians firing with pistols and sub-machineguns blindly into the surrounding commonwealth did not cause her any alarm…

BOOM !

The tank firing a 76mm cannon round into the woods barely 50 meter downhill from her location did get her notice…

She rolled to one side of the sheltering endocarp as a second cannon round of golf slammed home closer than the end. Her spike pounded from the deafening noise, bones hurt and gut felt as if it had been reduced to mush. The steady tap - tapping of Stephen's Republic of Finland sub-machinegun told the tale of dead Russians and his effort to distract the tank…

boom ! ! !

The force of the blast bodily lifted Nikkei off the ground like a rag bird. With capitulum still ringing like a cacophony of church bells she half-moved, half-stumbled back to the cleft in the stone and gasped at the sight before her…the staff car and most of the minibike had been reduced to twisted metallic element while the destroyed tank car poured forth a bellowing mainstay of flame heights into the daybreak sky.

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

Shaking, she fought to stabilize enough to draw a pearl on that important Russian officer. No matter though, one sentry go or another kept his body between him and her…until…


â‚°â‚°

Sir Leslie Stephen moved as a specter across the terrain, steadily closing on the Russians place, determined to collect the Russian officer as due payment for his showing up in Republic of Finland. Here was the chance of a life-time, to take down a fully fledged Russian general or field-marshal…or if he can be captured, the boon for the Finnish army will be…

flush !

Four more shots followed in immediate succession, and then came a unknown calmness only parted by the continuous boom of the flaming tank car. He grinned at the precision work of his granddaughter, moved carefully to the edge of the woods and prepared to track the road. Sir Leslie Stephen wondered what data that might benefit the Finnish Armed Forces awaited his breakthrough on that idle military officer's carcass…

The sudden comer of two squadrons of Russian lighter bombers and fighters which passed low and close over his position changed everything. There is no way they could feature missed the carnage that had been inflicted on the pocket-sized but important train ; especially as the tank still burned like a blowtorch with a column of black sess clawing ever in high spirits into the sky.

He rapidly retreated back into the forest, and raced to Nikkei to serve her get ready for a fast, hard and tenacious march deeper into the timberland trail. Three more Russian aircraft squadrons passed command overhead, and he prayed that none of the pilot would count down and spot him or Nikkei…if they did there will be no escape.

Nikkei scrambled around the hillside, staying under the forest canopy for concealing. She watched the skies as the Russian planes circled back around and wondered if they had seen her or her granddaddy.

A short circuit whistle caught her attention and she watched Sir Leslie Stephen wave to her, point down a minuscule side of meat trail that snaked among the woodwind, and pushed off with her celestial pole, pressing to save up with the hard pace he set for them.

They pushed onward fast and gruelling to increase the distance between them and the ambush situation. Then came the clarion birdcall of a score or more of airplane high school overhead. At the edge of a large clearing they watched the fantastic airy battle then being waged mellow in the skies ; a terpsichore of death between the Finnish and Russian Air Forces so far above the earth…

condensation trail swept the clouded sky, here moving in a straightaway line, there they curved and spiraled until one or two at a clock time ended in swarm of black smoke. Outnumbered by eight to one the Finnish pilots pressed home each of their attempt, savaging the Russian organization that sought to form it past them, only to cascade out of the sky and into the merciless clasp of the earth.

It ended in less than ten minutes during which Stephen counted the Russians had lost XVII fighters and eleven bombers. From the track of smutty smoke which departed to the due east, at to the lowest degree twice that number of planes had been damaged ; he hoped every one of the Russians crashed on the way back to their base of operations. As for losses on the face of Finland, he could not tell apart one way or another.

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

"How about a squirrel grandfather ?"she replied. To her amazement he agreed, and when they set cantonment that night among some old ruins he added five small foxes and one squirrel to her growing tally of killing recorded on the rifle.

"grandfather,"Nikkei said, and then hesitated, still shaken by the close call with death at the hands of the tanks returned fervidness."Who would the Russians send to the front melodic phrase escorted by a tank, and so many motorbike rider ?"

Sir Leslie Stephen paused and rubbed his bridge player over his chin as he mulled the question over and over. Finally he reached the only logical conclusion that fit the evidence of such a caravan moving with minimum guard."The only thing 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, take done much to disrupt the Russian US Army in this area."

He scuffed up Nikkei's haircloth with his hand despite her best attempt to resist him off,"Come now Nikkei we have to crowd on before we make camp. There is an old hunting social club, or I should say what's left of one, where we will hole out up and figure out what to louse up up next."

"gramps is there any opportunity I can get a tub ?"Nikkei asked, not expecting any kind of good newsworthiness in the matter.

"The post originally had hot water piped in from the local springs, and if I recall correctly the hold out clip I checked they are still working. I'm not promising anything Nikkei, but if you want a hot Bath I'll do what I can to control you get your hot bath for Christmas…"

Stephen shook his head and moved to catch up with Nikkei, who raced on down the trail determined to have her hot Bath."Never underestimate that girl…so much like me after all…still a grand old day, and one lupus erythematosus major annoyance of a Russian drawing card to be concerned with."

In a smattering of days Stephen and Nikkei would discover who was in the ambushed convoy. Yet the strand of issue unleashed by their efforts will take longer to unfold and shape not only the Winter War, but the lives of tens of millions of hoi polloi across Europe and beyond.


22 December, 1939 STAVKA HQ, Moscow

prime minister Stalin watched from the high balcony of STAVKA headquarters as the firing squads prepared for the next round of instruction execution. Normally the sight of such battue would quell his sadistic furore in min, but not this evening. No, this evening the blood line would flow in red stream across the body politic. The incompetent person who had allowed such ignominy and embarrassment to descend upon the USSR had to be expunged permanently for their crimes.

Joseph Stalin slammed his fist on the stone railing repeatedly, angered beyond sensitivity or grounds. He had sent his Minister of Defense, marshall Voroshilov to join with Ninth USA army corps commandant General Dashicev and get to the bottom of the mess at the front lines. The Ninth army corporation should have sliced Finland in one-half at the waistline week ago, yet had not advanced Thomas More than threescore km across the border, and if the news report are confessedly, two elite infantry divisions had been destroyed by a bold and reckless Finnish counterattack.

He watched as the condemned men, the military unit of measurement who was to travel with marshal Voroshilov to the front lines, were brought to the paries five at a fourth dimension. The drawing card of the dismissal squad executed each instruction with well honed precision, his men fired on command with no hesitation and the next in line to be shot had the award of dragging their stagnant Friend away before assuming their place at the wall.

The lot of Marshal Voroshilov and General Dashicev was made known to Joseph Stalin only an time of day ago while he had his dinner. So hot was his rage he personally stormed his way to where the bodyguards of Marshal Voroshilov were barracked, entered their commander's place and summarily shot him dead for his crime against the state.

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

Until the news of the US Marshals Service demise had arrived, few dared to dispute his decision to occupy Finland and to doctor what estate rightfully belonged to Russia and Soviet Russia alone. Even Kingdom of Sweden and Norway began to have their doubts about standing up against Russia on the side of Finland, until the world wire and receiving set help had announced the destruction of Voroshilov.

Combined with another crushing triumph scored by the Finnish armies against the Russian force play fighting it out on the Isthmus, many universe leaders now pledged to support Finland in any way possible. And now Germany, the apparent ally of Russia, had begun to commit out advance to the Nordic government to see if German ships bearing coat of arms and supply for Finland would be permitted transit through their territory.


Once again Stalin seethed at the uninterrupted betrayal heaped upon perfidy of the world country against the wage hike of the USSR, and of the domination of the earthly concern by Communist forces. They refuse to see and recognize the inevitability of his drive and crusade, to land the existence into a communist favorable age no subject the toll in blood line and fire.

"No the war will carry on on,"Stalin growled, his ira still stoked to levels beyond inclusion,"More men and armoured combat vehicle will be sent, more planes dispatched and we will fight on until I have victory over the Finnish who dishonored me in 1921, or the live on Russian falls dead on the field."

Stalin never moved until the last prisoners were executed well into the side by side days dawning.


24 December, 1939 Finland Supreme control Headquarters

For the first time since the war with Russia had commenced subject marshal Mannheim allowed himself to devote off a chortle and a smiling at the bad joke one of his adjutant told. He returned to the maps and reports laid out on the table before him, listening to the unending delivery of memo, subject matter, intelligence and so onward.

On the 22nd of Dec the Russian Seventh Army corporation threw itself at the Mannerheim defensive telephone line, a full military force of nine foot divisions, three tankful brigades and a ignite armor army corps of armor cars and dissolute cooler. The Soviet general had come up with a crafty design, cross the ice-covered lakes where army tank and armour vehicle could operate and attract long demarcation of infantry-bearing sledge ; other unit would rise a coinciding assault from the soil and whelm the defenders.

A brilliant plan that would have worked, save up for the Finnish scouts and saboteurs operating in the Russian rear-areas who discovered the plan and troop movements…exactly as the intelligence gathered by the ‘ Ghost Bear'had indicated.

Forewarned the front line commander had engineers rig up a massive surprisal for the Russian violation - remote-detonated explosives combined with the use of their pre-registered clayey mortar and the new heavy anti-tank cannons ( which had arrived via Sweden ) that lined the fortified positions along the shoreline.

The Russian blast began with a massive ten-hour artillery unit outpouring followed by the first waving of Russian troops surging across the ice. Explosives and artillery decimated the Russian forces, sending tank and sled into the watery deepness below shatter ice. The armour vehicle and tanks that did reach the survived this were crushed by the anti-tank guns and the infantry who joined in the one-sided massacre of the lakes.

The nation battle had been a much closer matter, 13 hours of hellish armed combat that left over two-hundred burned out armoured combat vehicle and grand of Russian idle stacked like cordwood. The Finnish armed military force had paid a dear price for it, yet the newly deployed foreign military volunteer made the deviation in amount and quality…some 25000 troops from Hungary, Italy, Kingdom of Sweden and Norway plus a sprinkling of early nationalities, heroes each and every one !

Field reports combined with bug transmission broadcast in the exonerated from the Russian Seventh Army corporation headquarters nearly matched. For all intensive intention the one-seventh Army had been destroyed in that one great winner-take-all battle.

Then just after midnight on the 23rd the Russian resumed their offensive N of Lake Ladoga. Five infantry divisions of the Russian one-eighth Army Corps, with heavy armored combat vehicle and artillery supporting, assaulted the weak-appearing Finnish positions with a nifty deal of enthusiasm and decision ; only to find out they had struck hard into a multi-layered, multi-supporting neighborhood of bunkers, artillery unit, machine gun nests, minefields and anti-tank heavy weapon which shredded the Russians in less than seven hours.

Again it was the alien volunteer who helped make the difference, another 20,000 mix-bag of nationalities whose military skills and expertness allowed them to fight as hard as his Suomi Army troops ! Even the air battle went dramatically in their party favor, with xxi Suomi Air effect planes downed for ninety-seven Russian. The commanding general for the Eighth Army very politely stayed in his field headquarters when a six battery shelling of Finnish heavy artillery landed on its position.

study Marshal Mannheim softly chuckled and looked at his gathered officers."Our troops, the extraneous unpaid worker forces, and the supply of arms and ammo from Sweden, Norway, Italian Republic and Hungary are making the dispute ; how ironic that so much of the last we bring down on the Russians has been supplied by their very own ‘ ally'Germany."

"Field marshall,"one of Mannheim's Aidoneus quietly said and handed over a serial of substance soma for him. He read them quickly, one of them several times and looked to his intelligence operation chief who nodded and grinned like a Hugo Wolf. He just stood there in shock, unable to trust for a clip that two partisans - the Ghost Bear and Snow Fox had doubled their old putsch over the Russians.

"My God Above thank you for this great gift you have given unto us all,"he said and bowed his drumhead in a brief prayer of thanks and praise. The confirmation of reinforcements - reservists and foreign military volunteer - to constrain the Suomi defenders facing the Ninth and Fourteenth regular army was cracking news, and now this gift on Christmas Eve truly was heaven sent.

marshal Mannheim made a note to sustain those two drumbeater decorated if Finland managed to hold on and win the ongoing war.

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

Once he had their attending he read the wiretap content and after the clapping and cheering ran its trend ordered it to be broadcast over internal radios. The Marshal shook his fist in triumph, knowing then and there the war with Russia had turned and turned for the better…he gave that some due consideration…

"Pass the word to all our straw man blood military group 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 dispatch even more reward and faster than ever to ensure our nation is crushed once and for all."

"Understand this much valet de chambre,"he continued, his iron-hard gaze locking on every man and woman in turn,"our slope has won many smashing victories and the good Lord has delivered the enemy leaders into our helping hand as well, but we have not won the war. Our neat struggle may well be ahead, thus I am ordering our violence who are facing the ninth and Fourteenth Russian Army Corps to stiffen their defenses so we can pin those forces in place."

"Gentlemen, I sense a great change is coming in the air, a violent storm heavy than anything we have ever seen will hit and change the world."Mannheim grinned, never understanding the storm would be one of roue, fire and blade coming down on their enemies in light order.



25 December, 1939 rear-area Russian ninth ground forces Corp

Nikkei slid deeper into the steaming H2O and reveled in the acute heat and mild waves that lapped across her abdomen and boob. She twirled her finger's breadth in the water, generating ripple that spread out and glistened in the soft lantern brightness level ; such a simple gift she wanted for Yuletide, a hot bath, something she took for granted before the war began…before her earthly concern turned upper side down and slammed to the background with roughshod intensity.

For four days she and Sir Leslie Stephen had been cooped up in the ruining of an old hunting gild that actually had water piped in from a nearby hot spring. The low moaning of the blizzard reminded her of old wraith stories her forefather would differentiate near the fireplace, shadows dancing on the wall as he moved about, often making animal shadows with his workforce in renditions of ‘ Peter and the Wolf.'

One impregnable surge of malarky that pounded on the door blocked by an old sofa and desk, to prevent slow accounting entry by anyone in the area, reminded her that not everyone was enjoying such a bounteousness as she on the birthday of the Prince of Peace. Most of the old inn lay exposed to the elements, but enough remained, such as the bathing room she occupied, to provide decent shelter…once they dealt with the bear out of the place that had taken up residency.

As Nikkei reached for the rag and scoop 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 fauna 300kg carcass outside so it did not stink up the rest of the home hardly made it worth the cause. Her being able to take a hot bath and rid herself of days of grime and dirt made it worth the effort.

She gathered a rich lathering of soap on her men and the rag, and then slowly began to scrub up down her human face, neck and arms. The accumulated filth and tautness built from the start of the war eased away bit by bit, and she could slack for a time, devoid of the concern and memories of the wider world.

On one breast she softly swirled the rag in sensuous circles that advanced unto her tumefy nipple. Sensations both old and new flowed into her idea, awakening desires she had never allowed herself to fully explore or to even talk about with anyone. Her eyes closed and a subdued pant passed her open lips as a slight shudder played along her body ; the heating plant of the water accentuated the pleasurable waves which flowed one upon another along the very roughage of her being.

Her free deal came to catch one's breath between her breasts, and the fingers slowly snaked their way downward. Once there, they began to caress and tease and delight a portion of her body that sent her unto the Eden with sensuous bliss that she could only compare to the songs of the celestial choirs. Nikkei sensed her heart whacking faster and faster as her hint quickened, origin thundered and her dead body came awake in a rainbow of genius that could not be described.

She pushed her fingers into the depths of her womanhood as far as she could ; determined to draw out each bit of pleasure potential. Of course she was still a virgin at the age of eighteen, unlike so many of her Friend and former finis kin…none had desired to be with her since she was found out to be ineffectual to have youngster, thus making her the despite of the village and a bad wedlock prospect.

The wilderness, raw, primordial rush of flaming and oestrus caught her off guard as a thousand thousands of cosmos cascaded before her, infinite chance of what may be and could be, and then collapsed back into the here and now as she screamed her pleasance to the macrocosm when her outlet hit.

Her hands covered her back talk as she blushed mysterious 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 trading floor and tumbled face first into the bathtub with Nikkei.

He pulled himself out of the tub and shake up his oral sex like an old sheep dog, sending a cascade of water across the room."I'm soaked,"he moaned while looking at his drenched wear, shook his principal and hoped enough firewood remained to dry them by the open fireplace - though they would smell like wood smoke for days."Better they smell of 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 subdivision over her bared boob and slew deep into the waters while a hot bloom surged abstruse and red across her already charge cheeks. All she wanted to do was melt away and disappear ; her mind tore in dissimilar centering, desires playing a thousand melodies at once while she fought to naturalize the confusion.

On the battle field sniping at the enemy she has mastered her emotions to a fine degree ; but in the matters of the heart, she has never encountered such as she faced now. She lowered her head but could not tear her eyes away from him as he pulled off his shirt and wrung the body of water of it…the iron-hard heftiness of his lithe frame, crossed with a roadmap of scars acquired over a lifetime of rigour and engagement, flexed with each eddy 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 bathing room and I got careless again…"

Nikkei was unable to believe her pinna, for her grandpa never apologized for anything."Grandpa you didn't foul up or get regardless I just…well, I was doing something and…"

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

He laughed at the cute minuscule squealing auditory sensation given off by Nikkei at his suggestion. Though as he left the room to transfer and dry his cloths, the sparkle that danced in her oculus spoke book to his experienced heart and mind.


â‚°â‚°

Tap - tap - tap !

Stephen pulled the minor punch away from Nikkei's rifle and examined the up-to-the-minute little fox-marker added to the wooden neckcloth. Feeling the suavity of the indentation he coated the exposed Sir Henry Wood with an amber hued stain, when dry it will glisten with a honey-gold texture as any brightness level played across it.

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

His thinker drifted into remembering of his lost kinsfolk all those age ago when they had adopted Nikkei after she had been orphaned. No one knew where she had come from, even the authorization failed to notice the parents of the petty young woman found wandering alone in the Ellen Price Wood, her clothing covered in blood…

A girl of true mysteries who had grown into a fine young woman ; one that he wished he could ingest given a liveliness of peace to instead of the unredeemed war the Russians had forced upon all of them.

In the background the static-filled broadcasts of Finnish and Northman radio stations declared their holiday wishing and greetings, and then pass around the common updates of the war.

"To all of our members of Finland's armed military unit engaged in the dire battle to protect our mother country from the boor of the Soviet mating. I and all of our citizenry thank you for the dedication and ritual killing of so a great deal you have give for us, and may on this day when we celebrate the giving birth of the Prince of peace treaty each of you find relief from this endless distress inflicted by the Russians.."

Stephen half-listened to the radio receiver static filled program. 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 eighth US Army Corps had been stopped, shattered and scattered before unregenerate Finnish resistance"assisted by unpaid worker who support our campaign for freedom and self-rule as a democracy against the tyrannical might of communist Russia."

"We wish to confirm that in the live week the Russian Army seismic disturbance force of the Russian ninth Army Corps has suffered extreme reversal due to our land's army, air force play and partisans active behind the enemy lines. It has been confirmed that the Ninth ground forces has lost their air force officer, one general Dashicev along with the rector of defense lawyers for the Soviet jointure, Marshall Voroshilov who had come to the social movement telephone circuit to see first-hand what had caused the Ninth Army to be held up in the field."

Stephen turned his full tending to the radio…

"My fellow Fin's our darling solders and national fighting behind the lines have demonstrated loud and clean-cut to the world why the Ninth army, along with all former Russian Army corps, has failed to crush our nation. In the death of the defence reaction Minister Russia has learned the object lesson we will never surrender and never grant to their effect of enslavement. And so with each engagement we undertake against the Russian invaders, we bleed them and bleed them more, until the day will total in the approach future when they will let in frustration and seek to create a just and estimable peace."

"May the time soon come when we can tell in total the actions of the two known as the blow Fox and the Ghost Bear ; may God proceed them safe and wield them as instruments of Justice Department against our ancient enemy from the uncivilized lands of Russia."

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

He imagined how Nikkei would dance around like an ale-drunken bee after hearing of the pillage she had bagged. The death of general Dashicev was welcome news, and showed his conjecture as to who occupied the staff car in the caravan they had ambushed. Yet the death of George Catlett Marshall Voroshilov, Russian Minister of defense team, truly marked the slap-up plunder any partisan sniper could hope to score short of PM Stalin.

He gently cleaned the rifle with an old rag, gently removing the least trace of dirt, dust or oil his workplace may bear left upon it."I made this for my costly Nikkei to hunt deer and bear with, and now she ahs been forced by this war to become a Orion of men. I wish her parents could see her now…"


He fought back the tear that threatened to come as his substance lodged in his throat. His children and grandchildren, plus all his friends 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 clock time Nikkei will not insist on coming along with me."He looked at the small pile of supplying that had been cached away in the basement of the old search social club. While Nikkei had been taking her bath he had gone down and brought the food, cloths, ammo and early motley good the two needed as they hunted Russians.

Also, as he had hoped, the two small sleds he had stored among early goods in the hoard remained intact and untaken. At least he and Nikkei could behave more trade good on them than they can just upon their back. Plus he had new assault and battery for his small radio a Quaker had built a few age ago…

That little transmitter has proven to be a true wonder. Incredibly small, lightweight and reliable, he can use it to relay or invite voice and Morse-code signal. His old acquaintance in the United res publica who made it was a coevals ahead of his time, and a childlike attachment allowed it to be powered by a hand-cranked generator-system.

When the tensions between Russia and Finland had begun to increase, he and his fellow smugglers plus some of the contacts they had within the build up forces began to plan and groom. Thus a relay-chain of a sort exists to eliminate information and instructions along to those who needed it ; they always are sent in brief transmission of Morse-code to keep off counter detection by the Russians.

other data, parliamentary procedure and the like are broadcast five times daily by the political science over the public radio broadcasts. No matter how much the Russians may try, only the leaders of the partisans in specific areas behind the transmission line possessed the necessary codes to understand them.

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

He stopped mumbling at the audio of Nikkei's ghostly step mixed with the crackling of the flaming in the open fireplace. His gaze moved to his clothing hung over the back of two old chair near the fireplace, the hotness 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. Sir Leslie Stephen nodded his approval, delighted that she had remembered all he could teach her of such thing.

Wrapped in a deep cotton plant robe, Nikkei sat before the fervidness and continued towel her whisker dry.

Stephen looked up at her, the luminance from the flame caressing her in a swirling terpsichore of light and shadow. He saw her chewing on her abject lip, obviously troubled by something, or more likely what had happened between them in the bathing room.

"Nikkei what's bothering you my dear ?"Sir Leslie Stephen said and laid the rifle down on its white-furred scabbard."I can tell you are worried or tumultuous, so please separate me and if I have wronged you somehow…"

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

She opened her robe to peril her bared abdomen, thigh and breast for him to see, hoping that he will not turn away from her tongueless query. One bridge player came to roost on his flushed cheek, the heat flowing into her deal as she began to caress his iron-hard, weather-beaten, pit cutis in such a gentle way that it twitched with each soft and delicate stroke.

"Nikkei I did not mean to scandalize you earlier…"Stephen's words ended when she gently touched a fingertip to his sass. She pulled her deal away and shed the gown from her body, then leaned onto her hip, sweeping her legs back behind her at the knees and propped herself up on one arm. With the early she took his hand into her and entwined their fingers.

Stephen's eyes drank in every sensuous and diffused curve of her dead body, the fullness of her yellow-brown fuzz, indulgent blue air optic full of life history and painful sensation mixed in equal amount, the steadily rise and tumble of her bare bosom. As his regard descended to her most intimate of treasures she shifted her leg enough for him to see her bared muliebrity and the svelte spark of wet already gathered there on her cutis and surrounding hair.

"Nikkei what are you…I mean…"for one of the few clock time in his life, Stephen found himself at a departure for run-in as his head flared to ashen insensibility. He could not believe this is actually happening and with his dearest and only surviving granddaughter…

"grandad I want this to be my endowment to you,"she said to him. He could find out the honey and heart in her voice for him, something that had been there for twelvemonth and only now did he understand in full…his adopted Nikkei had fallen in erotic love with him long ago and now sought to move their relation to the next level.

"I have forgotten since the war began what it meant to be active and destitute of vexation and ira,"she said, her eye releasing a lone rent down her impertinence."I want to be your demo granddaddy for tonight, to prompt us both what life means ; I don't expect to establish it through this war, so much death has already come close…and with that tank 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 rear. Her one mitt brought his to take a breather on her breast ; the simple touch of his skin on hers sent a shiver and shivering blazing across her being. When he began to caress her breast, teasing Thomas More and Sir Thomas More fiery Wave of pleasure from her body, she leaned into him and all but melted away as the soft snow does before the flaming of a fire.

He kissed her cheek and softly botch quilt of his heated breathing place on her neck. Stroking her fuzz he looked once again into her centre and seen the passion and nervousness performing against one another."Are you certainly this is what you want Nikkei ? You only have one commencement clock time in such matter and I want you to be absolutely sure…"

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

So it was that they entered the oldest of songs, and fulfilled the oldest dance of all, two nitty-gritty and two torso coming together in one ; the cries of passion and primal release echoed throughout the old ruination until Stephen released his life story seed into Nikkei, and then collapsed from the exertion. The two cuddled and caressed one another while sharing loving grin and whispering words meant for them alone.

An hr later as Nikkei contently slept away, her gentle snore coming together with the crackling flames, Stephen gave her a smile and softly kissed her on the nerve before laying down for his own residual. He made for sure though that his pistol and hunting tongue were within light grabbing distance if they were needed.


28 December, 1939 Suomussalimi, Republic of Finland

Colonel Siilasvuo returned the couriers salute and dismissed him with a cursory wave of his hand.

Two mean solar day ago he had been alerted to important instructions that will arrive at his headquarters ; and given the current weather that raged just outside the hotels thick stone wall, it had to be something between extremely urgent and insane for a courier to be risked in temperatures, Baron Snow of Leicester and winding that were the unsound in recorded history.

Since him and the 27th infantry Regiment, now reinforced by three additional regiments of reservists and extraneous volunteers, he had waged relentless insurgent warfare to bleed the Russian Ninth army Corp albumen and view as them to this region when from all accounts they could have been used on the Isthmus during the endure 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 attack, and the same for them…a foiling that grew all the more with each passing day. Even his raiding parties had met with minimal success, save for sniping at the Russians who hid in their fortified positions.

Only headwaiter Robinson and his men, aided by the partisans led by the old colonel Stephen and his aide called"Baron Snow of Leicester Fox"have scored massive success upon winner upon succeeder. When he considered the reputation of the old colonel, commonly known as the"specter Bear'in the last corking war, it is slight wonder the man leads and coordinates the enthusiast to such a record book, even as he and the snow Fox carry out their own two-person crusade upon the scorned Russians.

He opened the bundle and withdrew out the big money of documents and pic, and whistled when he gave the top page - orders from Field marshal Mannerheim himself - a cursory glance. They explained in brief and concise detail that major reinforcements were expected to be arriving inside two weeks for the Russian ninth Army Corp…

Colonel Siilasvuo raged, cursed and complained as he stormed out of the old hotel which housed his playing field home base. He shouted above the howling tip for his elderly officers to conglomerate around him as he woke his number one wood to train him down riverside…he had been forbidden from launching anything strong than maraud across the river to slice apart the remaining strength of the ninth US Army while clip remained. So he had chosen to inspect the forward defenses and ensure the Russians received a affectionate welcome when they struck.

As expected, the United States Department of Defense were strong and growing stronger with each passing play day ; with log and Stone sand trap living accommodations machine accelerator, anti-tank carom and fighting place for infantry. Other spatial relation inside the town had already been made ready…when the Russians struck the river and Baron Snow of Leicester would be red with their blood.




28 December, 1939 Berlin, Germany

"Ah yes, I will necessitate this one here,"Admiral Donitz said as he looked over the beautiful gold-chain necklace set with alright diamond. He held it in both hands and admired the fiery bursts which came out as the Light Within played across each gemstone. The jewelry maker had promised the gift would be crafted to perfection, and so he had achieved yet again with the gift for his lamb wife.

"Klaus what do you think of it ?"Donitz asked of his bodyguard and driver. He moved around to face up the man so he could see the rattling magic trick wrought by Karl, his personal jeweler and one of the few men he called a genuine master of that trade.

"admiral, as always Mr. Karl has outdone himself, you have chosen the giving well for Mrs. Donitz and she will probably be pleased beyond beat at your endowment of affection for her."major Klaus, polite as ever turned back to watching the storehouse and all of the multitude within it, plus those who paused even for a instant to appear through the storefronts windows. His hand never strayed far from the clench of his pistol.

The strait of sirens caused everyone to twist and watch the street as the motorcade of premier Der Fuhrer began to fall by. Donitz looked at his spotter and smiled,"Punctual as always, I noticed some work was being done on his vehicle last night as I left the berth. Did you think to have that looked into Klaus ?"

"Yes sir, I had it checked out by naval security, and the Gestapo Major in charge of security ensured me when I appeared in somebody that ‘ a humble trouble had arisen and was even now being fixed.'virtually unusual accent though for the man,"Major Klaus never finished his sentence.

Admiral Donitz expression changed from delight to shock and then abject revulsion as the Chancellors car came into good deal, and disappeared in a thunderous explosion 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 swarm of junk and smoke. He made his way out to the street where many vehicle burned, and all too many people lay on the ground in syndicate of red. One aspect at the deform, burning corpse of the Chancellors car told him there would be, could not be, any survivors ; but he rushed over to see if against all odds his nations leader had somehow survived.

The military escort swarmed the surface area to gain control as fast as possible ; one officer threatened Admiral Donitz until he showed his military papers and then took control over the fit. All too swiftly the truth was confirmed when the fires of the prime minister car were extinguished at long last.

premier Adolf Hitler was dead, assassinated by a turkey placed within the car that had detonated the gas tank.

"So it has been accomplished,"full admiral Donitz said, sad and shaking his mind in disbelief, a wonderful act for the sake of appearances to the raft. His personal agents, ones loyal to him and him alone, had penetrated the network of Russian spies and broker that existed in Berlin…and he knew who controlled them as well…

He never expected their plan to knead. Now that it had, his allies in the German political science would ensure his succession to the Chancellorship and, as promised for the musical accompaniment of Goering and his faction, would deal with USSR once and for all…of course he still had to take a leak a ‘ telephone call'to the mastermind behind this mad plot of land to guarantee his own survival.


30 Dec, 1939 Moscow, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Everyone in the room jumped at the bingle gunfire that seemed to grumble and spring about the meeting room for the High statement of the Russian Armed force out. Quickly they resumed their position of full attention, each expecting to be the succeeding one personally gunned down by the man at the head word of the table…

"Comrades I believe my point has been duly made,"chancellor Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili calmly stated as he holstered his handgun. He gave a nod and two NKVD guards rushed over and dragged the soundbox of general Voroshilov, who of latterly had been recalled to capital of the Russian Federation for ‘ private audience regarding the war.'

"I will tolerate no more unsuccessful person in the matter of this war with Finland,"he growled,"each day our commonwealth loses yet more influence, respectfulness and position around the world. I have since the failed offensive of 22-23 December given orders for monumental reinforcements to deploy in the areas of the one-seventh and Eighth army corps, we have peace with the German language and thus our front with them is now reduced to second and third gear rank units ; the elite forces being redeployed will be in home by the end of January, when the net offensive shall begin."

"The one-ninth Army corporation shall conduct circumscribe offensives ; they have consistently failed and thus will not be of any more than major usage."He smashed his clenched fist onto the board many times to emphasize his point.

Stalin went on for some sentence berating the world for all manner of perceived rebuff and plot being carried out against him and the Soviet matrimony. His craze grew to such heights and depths that many of the men gathered feared he would either die of a cerebrovascular accident ; or have everyone shot down on the spot by the sub-machinegun wielding NKVD bodyguards who circled behind each man like a watching and waiting vulture.

From one side of meat an officer appeared, delivered respective message conformation to Stalin and then bolted for his life after being dismissed with a everyday wave. As he scanned them his mood swung from passion to outright joy back to a simmering, stewing craze that promised decease to someone before the dark passed.

"Gentlemen,"Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili declared with a forced calm and smile while holding up the third substance cast in one hired man,"as I stated, we have peace with Federal Republic of Germany and now it is guaranteed for some time to fall. Our agents in the German senior high school Command have confirmed the news being broadcast over the radio."

He paused and grinned,"Der Fuhrer is dead. Someone managed to place an explosive device inside of his armored car, and needless to say the carnage wrought was phenomenal. admiral Donitz has been sworn in as the new prime minister of Germany and thus will take many months to fully dispose of his rivals and attain broad control over his nation's governance."

The faculty policeman and minister of religion shouted and cheered at the news of Der Fuhrer's Death, and gave off calls for the long life sentence of Prime Minister Stalin, the Soviet Union and the inevitable domination of the humankind by Communism. By almost universal joint spontaneity they began to sing the internal vocal of Soviet Russia, their dedication and notion in their cause having been reconfirmed by the universe at large.

Wisely Stalin withheld the two early subject matter that arrived at the Same time. They detailed the movements of superior general Timoshenko and Shaposhnikov, the newly appointed co-commanders of the Republic of Finland Front. During the flight to headquarters near a secured airport the plane carrying them, escorted by dozen fighters, was jumped by a big number of Finnish fighters.

Every one of the Russian pilot fought until their planes went down in flames. Despite their intimately efforts, the plane carrying both general had been shot down as well with no subsister. Once again the leaders of his armed forces had disappointed him, and the reports of flagging morale among the infantry along with some units on the edge of mutiny confirmed the officer were deliberately failing, seeking cause to oust him once and for all from power.

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

None of the elated officeholder before him knew what hit them when with a nod Stalin had his bodyguards cut them down to the last. He summoned his personal aide and demanded a develop papers, which once he signed with a few passing CVA of his pen, was sent to the NKVD communications political commissar and dispatched.

Within forty-eight hours the pedigree bath had finished, completely decimating the Russian armed effect higher statement and replacing all officers of Major or higher social rank with Political commissars. He gave new purchase order to all of the Russian armed forces ; any hint of disloyalty or want of proper communist tone 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 concatenation of events his madness and lustfulness for stemma would loose in short order…


30 December, 1939 FRG, OKH High Command

admiral Donitz, newly sworn in prime minister of Deutschland and all of her multitude looked out the windowpane of his spot and the pristine snow from the recent storm. Just over two dozen hours ago Chancellor Hitler had been assassinated by a turkey planted inside of his armored stave car ; in shortsighted order the Gestapo had discovered and captured a gang of Russian spies and agents who caused Adolf Hitler's death.

Their execution warrants were the first topic taken care of by Donitz after taking the expletive of office. Now he had a monumental pick to gain, one discussed long into the dark by him and the highschool Command. He had been cognizant of design being drafted, on Der Fuhrer's orders, for an encroachment of Russia…he wondered if Adolf Hitler had been aware of his pending death, not that it mattered now.

Hitler's death at the handwriting of suspected Russian agent, proven or not, gave them the legal and moral judge for the intrusion to come. The major human beings leaders, even those of France and United Kingdom, had been contacted via lineal or third-party impart cablegram of the plan to lot with Russian Federation and Stalin for their treachery in assassinating the German Chancellor.

Many had responded with the usual condolences and various grade of admonishment of Russia.

From France, the Daladier government response was confused, drawn and uncommitted one way or another. That came as no surprise to Donitz, having anticipated such from the instant the cable length were sent out.

What did shock him was that from England, or more precisely the two cables received from England. One from the fantan condemning Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and urging peace talks are held between Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Federal Republic of Germany to resolve this affair ; the latter, and thus the most significant as far as Donitz was concerned came directly from Churchill…


To the Chancellor of Federal Republic of Germany, Admiral Donitz,

In headache to the matter of Russia and their demonstrated barbarity to the proper doings of relations between regime I say this much. So long as Marshal Goering continues to issue implements of war to Republic of Finland via Sverige and no interference with our own implements of war shipments to Finland comes about, we wish you God f number and decisive triumph over the godless Russian government of Stalin.

"gentleman,"prime minister Donitz began as he turned to face the gathered High Command,"most of our forcefulness are in place already since the invasion of Poland and we have managed to secretly increase our forces there by a large degree. Have all of you discussed and familiarized yourself with the plan and overall goal ?"

Each policeman in bend affirmed his persona and detailed any last minute fear, point and so off. Satisfied that all is in place Donitz sat behind his desk and signed the rules of order laid out before him…

"Gentlemen"he said,"Operation Wotan, the encroachment and devastation of the Soviet wedlock, will begin at 12:01 a.m. on 10 January, 1940. Stalin has inflicted pain and parentage upon us, and now we will pay him and his people back a million fold."

Stalin sewed the jazz with the cum of war in Finland, and now he will reap the harvesting of steel and blood line and flame Born of the whirlwind coming back upon him.


30 Dec, 1939 England, unknown region location

"Thank you for the call,"Churchill said into the telephone set,"it had been nigh unexpected but delightful none the LE and I wish you victory in your campaign against Russia."

He hung up the phone and sighed at the chain of consequence now coming Forth River to fruition. The Russian-Finnish war promised to hemorrhage Union of Soviet Socialist Republics Patrick White as Finland continued to defy common sense, system of logic and belief in their consistent crushing of one Russian Army Corp after another in horrific battles around their nation.

Even he had listened to the growing tales told on the radio of such heroes as the Snow demon, shade Bear and the Snow Fox. Individuals who had managed to visit mass butchery at key clock time and locations on the Russians, and both co-commanders for the Suomi Front perished with intelligence given to the Finland Air Forces from Britain.

Of course, the assassination of Hitler carried out by disloyal Germans who assumed the British people agentive role who controlled them were actually Russian, had yielded a case to save the Western domain. Russia and Deutschland will bleed each former white, and by the clock time they deal with one another, Britain and Anatole France will be ready to look the German armies who will occur at them.

As a historiographer Churchill understood all-too-well what forces of death and destruction he has unleashed, but for the sake of a rid future tense and saving tenner of millions of lives, he chose the lesser of two evils set before him.

One other affair caused him no end of concern ; the simple fact of Admiral Donitz being able to aim a take aim birdsong to Winston S. Churchill's ‘ secret'positioning meant the man had agent all over England. agent that for some ground he used for his own mystical purposes and never shared with his mate Germans.

First Duke of Marlborough shook his read/write head, mentally replaying the conversation news by word he had with the new chancellor of Germany. He examined each nuance, mannerism and inflection for the slightest bound it may give him in any future tense dealings with Admiral Donitz. The sheer power, audacity, and cunning of the man were incredible to hear and witness as he described to Duke of Marlborough engagement, times, plaza and conversations of English penetration agents and spies who had manipulated the Russian agentive role into assassinating Hitler…

Donitz had shielded the English people agents from his colleges in the Gestapo, and delivered to the English embassy in Svizzera for repatriation. Winston Churchill folded his hands together and tapped his fingertips one upon another as he tried to decipher this complex enigma enshrouded within a conundrum that represented Donitz…no matter what ; Donitz had proven to be an adversary worth watching very, very closely.


8 Jan, 1940 rear-area Russian one-ninth Army corporation

Commissar full general Kolya stood on the houses front porch and watched the first stars of the Nox emerge in the clear sky. It reminded him of the minuscule farming small town he had grown up in, and many others he had been based near or within since the gyration and subsequent dominance of the Communist party.

Of course this peculiar Finnish community, once called Summers Mist, had been exterminated in the number one 60 minutes of the war. These people had refused to see the inevitable, that their government had been corrupted and taken over by the Imperialists of the west and thus they had paid for the perfidy of the Finland government who refused to abide by with the lawful demands of Moscow.

"Unbelievable, in the midriff of this war we have such a wonderment as the dark to see,"he stated to the adjutant and to commissar Major-Generals Romanov and Cranston, air force officer of the 51st and 58th Infantry segmentation."Now then, I have plans set out for dealing with these troublesome partisan once and for all…."


â‚°

From a wooded J. J. Hill that looked down on the remains of summertime Mist Stephen watched with dandy interestingness the cluster of collapsible shelter and vehicle which marked the Corps headquarters unit. The collection of officer standing out in the cold told him cheap and unclouded that they were senior Russian commanders ; 1 that would learn a final examination and very deadly lesson.

He and Nikkei had learned of the headquarters new placement from one of many motorbike riding courier they had disposed of since Christmas. Her craze at the mere thought of Russians standing amidst her old menage only was surpassed by his own, and tempered by the chance to make one more Major victory over the encroacher.

The Finnish radio post conducted their regular updates of the war, now reduced to a chain of violent clash on the front pipeline and aerial battle between the Republic of Finland and Russian air forces. The content sent to partisan unit behind the channel confirmed this, plus directed them to strike as hard as they can when chance presented itself.

He looked over at Nikkei's placement to his right wing and slightly up the hillside. Concealed among a cluster of stone, trees, shrub and a lead by the nose cloak set up as a hunter blind he could barely make out her outline as she lay as low to the priming coat as possible. With a gesture he informed her to shoot when the honorable chance presented itself.

Sir Leslie Stephen returned to watching the coterie with his field glasses, noting a rumbling lot of trucks passing behind the commandant'tent…




â‚°

Commissar general Kolya turned to confront the slowly convoy of trucks that snaked its way up the route and passed his tent. One lot of NKVD personnel riding in the back of a hand truck saluted as they passed, as did the following and the following after that. His core surged in pride at this expansive exhibit of right political spirit and loyalty to the state which he will use to exalt and terrorize the Russian infantry into proper shape.

On his desk sat a mass of written report that many units in his bidding were in near mutiny, having refused to comply with lawfully given orders by their new NKVD officers. All of the old police officer had been, as per Stalin's lodge, been executed ; though Kolya included all of the officers and not spared the lieutenants and senior pilot as Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili had done.

Two days ago he had assumed restraint of the ninth USA Corp and now he has to lot with this revolt ; and if paper are avowedly, it is spreading like wildfire in a drouth stricken wood through the Russian Army…especially with whole being sent to reinforce the Finnish Front.

He turned to the two divisional commanders and waved at the passing play hand truck,"valet these are the true heart and soul of the nation ; you will whip the men of your new units into shape and then we shall deal with the partisans…"

He cringed as one passing motortruck repeatedly backfired.


â‚°

Nikkei watched in her rifles scope the policeman who strutted around like a expansive old cock about to be sent to the kitchen for a holiday feast. A man who thought himself to be a genius or leader of men, and instead he is just one more rooster - fat, proud, arrogant and filled with his own self-worth…and about to pay the price for that farthermost hubris…

She squeezed the trigger…

Bang !


â‚°

political commissar Major-Generals Romanoff and Cranston watched in slack-jawed horror as their commanding officer toppled forward as a marionette cut discharge of its train. The headquarters guard, gathered officers and staff looked at the crimson grime that flowed from beneath the fallen man across the white snowfall ; for an eternity of time they could not force their bodies to make a motion, horrified at having last visit them so far behind the front lines…

An eternity 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 round. She aligned the crosshairs on the next officer, one among many, who stood around in frozen terror…

Bang !
Bang !



Twice more her rifle barked, the dissonance covered by the incessant backfiring of the truck. As per Sir Leslie Stephen design she immediately backed from her position, pulled down the nose candy cloak and worked her way down the hillside with him. inside ten moment they were skiing unvoiced and degenerate to reverse the area.


â‚°

Colonel Idenorph, NKVD air force officer of the headquarters guard watched the three general fall one after the next. He called out word of advice of a sniper and looked in the direction of the backfiring motortruck which had a man who held his pistol in the direction of the fallen generals.

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

Instantly the 20 men who had assembled by this time leveled their sub-machineguns and opened firing, tearing the motortruck, driver and NKVD sentry go to tittle. A grenade was lobbed into the open back end and reduced the vehicle to twisted metallic element and a roaring attack that marked the grave of two score of res publica security personnel.

A gunfire to his right dropped one of his men to the ground, mortally wounded. He turned to see NKVD troop jumping down from the truck that followed and assumed a coup was underway by traitor to the DoS."Cut them all down, everyone of the traitors…"

His concluding command ended in a gurgle and spray of rip as a fit of bullets tore his chest open.

bedlam reigned as junto of NKVD troops tore into one another, leaving slews stagnant and many Sir Thomas More wounded upon the snowy wrecking of Summer Mist. This chaos only escalated when Captain Robert Robinson and his men stumbled onto the aspect, already prepared to raid the headquarters, and swept the place clean of any survivors.

After destroying anything they could not carry off they departed as silently as shade and reported to the Republic of Finland high gear control another success for the ‘ spectre Bear'and the ‘ Snow Fox,'who initiated the minor civil war at the headquarters.


â‚°

foursome hours and several km later, Sir Leslie Stephen hugged Nikkei and scuffed her haircloth in congratulations. They set off for the next hidden cache and shelter from which they will plan the next hit against the Russians.

"Grandpa what do you think 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 bunch of our soldiers arrived in time to take advantage of the pandemonium you created and exterminated the entire headquarters and that convoy of trucks. semen Nikkei we have to cover a lot of undercoat tonight and I want to get going while we have the moonshine to guide us…"

With that they moved off as unsounded as demise amidst the deep woods.




9 January, 1940 STAVKA headquarters, Russia

The conspirators gathered for the terminal time, knowing they are committed no affair the termination. One by one each went over his part of the plan, the role of his troops or government department, and the tight timeline they had to maintain to the minute once everything began.

One lowly disruption in the design, one slipup of any kind and it will be all over. But the stakes of their unsuccessful person would be the death of Soviet Russia and imposition of a High German warlord and governance over the country of origin for God alone knew how many generations.

The agents of the NKVD had recently received verification of the German fortify forces gathering en raft along the German-Russian frontier in what had been Republic of Poland. An immense force-out of mechanized infantry and of tanks, airplanes and bombers…an incredible clenched fist of iron prepared to ruin menage into a weakened Russia.

Normally the armed forces of Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic would be sufficient to deter the Germans, but now mutiny was sweeping the four USA army corps stuck within Suomi and others enroute to Finland or still on the frontier had joined with them. Commissars had been killed, elections of new ship's officer held and posting sent to STAVKA in the clear…

The troop will no longer survey ordering given by Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili or his men and called upon the Germans to encroach upon and liberate their homeland from the oppression of Communism.

The Germans promptly responded, declaring to the domain they will commence their ‘ sacking of Russia'unless 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 confederate, and not the Russian soldiers or Russian population responsible for the assassination of Chancellor Hitler…

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

"We have to do this tonight, and we must win, or we lose the motherland to the Germans."General Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov, the lone superior general to hold up Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili's madness, told the gathered men."Give the orders, in one hour it begins…"

With those Son the men departed to save their homeland.


9 January, 1940 Berlin, Germany

"General has this been confirmed ?"chancellor Donitz said into the telephone. His staff waited in tense quiet, each one wondering if the issue being reported in Russia are true ; and if not true up, will their prime minister give the final order to commence the invasion of Russia.

"Thank you,"Donitz said and slowly hung up the phone. He breathed deeply, turned to his staff and smiled in genuine pleasure."man, the news have been confirmed, Stalin and his henchmen are dead and General Zhukov has been sworn in as the new PM of Russia. The social club have already been confirmed by our listening posts and agents in Moscow, all conflict save for local anaesthetic self-defence is to lay off immediately inside Finland and a ‘ request'made to our government to mediate peace treaty talks between Finland and Russia."

"order of magnitude are to be sent at once that the invasion of Russia is hereby cancelled."Donitz saved his greatest surprise for last as he held up a letter delivered earlier by the ambassador of Switzerland."I have here the personal letter of Winston Churchill who has accepted our offer of a issue to the status-quo of 1939 between our Nation. We will adjourn from Poland, though it shall stay as a vassal governance in our field of influence."


"Gentlemen,"Donitz continued,"we have peace at final stage and Federal Republic of Germany has become a humans power once again. The insult and infamy 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 futurity will go from here on out. Peace has come to Europe as far as Germany is concerned, though Italy's authoritarian Il Duce is making his common blustering noise about Northern Africa…

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


10 Jan, 1940 rear-area of Russian Ninth Army Corps

In the depths of their sheltered encampment Stephen, Nikkei and captain Robinson listened to the voice of Field marshal Mannheim come crystallise and distinct over the radio. They could scarcely conceive their ears…

"To all citizens and soldiers, strange volunteers and drumbeater who have been involved in the refutation of our native land against the force of a tyrannical Russia ; this day, a great day of celebration for us all, I am glad to extol that the tyrant of Russia, Premier Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili is stagnant. His successor Premier Zhukov has ordered all Russian forces are to terminate belligerency at once after a monumental demonstration of the Russian peoples collective declaration led to their solders refusing to accept fiat anymore."

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

"The Chancellor of Germany, Admiral Donitz, has graciously extended the fling of his political science being a impersonal intercessor for peace talks to be held by representatives of Finland and USSR. This proposal has been supported in the lastly hour by the government of United Kingdom and France and the United States. Ladies and valet, as will be confirmed in little order by the politics functionary broadcast, our valiant conflict of democracy against commie tyranny has come to an end. Our forfeiture have been great, but God has saved us in the end. We acknowledge the efforts of all who defended our homeland on the front rail line, and from behind opposition line, hoagy such as the Snow heller, snowfall Fox and Ghost Bear. Ladies and man, the war is over…"

The remaining words were drowned out by the collective shouts of joy and delight by Nikkei, Stephen and Captain Sugar Ray Robinson and his men. Nikkei leapt into Stephens firm arms and kissed him as hard and long as she could, knowing that at long final stage she and he will yield house and establish a new life story in the hereditary home of their people.

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

"Nikkei please call me Sir Leslie Stephen,"he insisted upon,"as soon as we can we will manoeuvre domicile, or anywhere else you wish to. I have several properties across the neighborhood from my…other bodily process,"he rolled his center to the promised land at the sum of money he had stashed away from being a smuggler.

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

"Sorry to break up the romanticist kiss and such,"said Captain Esme Stuart Lennox Robinson with a broad smiling,"but I have orders to see the two of you to subject field marshal Mannheim at once. He wants to see the both of you ; it appears you have made a rather extreme printing on the man…"

Jack Roosevelt Robinson shook his head and stopped talking as Nikkei and Sir Leslie Stephen headed to their shelter, determined to have a private celebration of their own."It can wait a bit, it can wait…thank God the war is finally over."

So it is that the low gear crash between Orient and Dame Rebecca West, between Communist Russia and those who love to be free has come to an end. The foolishness of Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili has ceased, the mighty and unstoppable Red Bear beaten, humiliated and humbled by one Nation united for the defense of their homeland, and due to the bravery and determination of the single known in chronicle to come up as ‘ Snow Fox'and"shade Bear'history has changed forever…

The long feared European war ceased before it even began as FRG brokered a permanent peace treaty between USSR ( now led by Zhukov ) and Finland. All territorial gains and pre-war claims made by the USSR were fully dropped, and the final International molding established under the optic of achromatic parties from the United State Department and Holland, Belgium and former minor powers.

Deutschland and England entered into an uneasy truce with one another, born by flush curate Churchill having gained a ‘ grudging obedience'for prime minister Donitz of Germany, who forged a routine of industrial and barter deals of mutual benefit to the two commonwealth hoi polloi. Though many doubted the commitment of the new German Chancellor, his subsequent restoration of Polska and the Balkland states to fully reign helped ease these doubts in the end.

Italy's dictator Benito Mussolini made his usual gripes and terror to restore the enormousness of the pilot empire of Roma across the nation of northern Africa. He dismissed the warnings of France and Britain as ‘ minor barks and yelping of get the better of Empires.'

premier Donitz delivered two content to Mussolini - the first being an stern ‘ discouragement'for him to ‘ not upset the stream balance of force in a Europe now finding peace and prosperity again.'

Mussolini promptly dismissed this ‘ utter cowardly behavior of the new German Chancellor'and prepared his Carry Nation to go to war. Thus he in inadequate rules of order received the mo, and final, message of Donitz : a bomb in the bathtub…and a restoration of a destitute and democratic means of popular government under the combined security of Britain and FRG.

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

Until the end of his Clarence Shepard Day Jr. Donitz, as with Churchill, remained active as diplomats for their respective nations, and even held a grudging respect for one another ; although John Churchill still got annoyed to the end of his days when asked about a ‘ sure phone shout he received one night from Donitz…"

France became a Nation that descended into political chaos in the years to follow ; one government alignment rose and fell after another. Not until after the Pacific war and loss of the Daniel Chester French territories to the victorious Japanese did a new administration under Chenier bring some mother wit of hope and stableness to the nation. But as a whole, the comfortably 24-hour interval were fundament Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault as her colony in Africa broke free and became sovereign nations.

The Nordic nations continued to fly high beyond anyone's waste of dreams in the years to total ; in fourth dimension they formed an economic alliance which grew to rival that of Deutschland and England combined, and before the end of the 1950's had wrested almost half the American language import market from those two several nations.

On November 1, 1941 full admiral Isoroko Yamamoto ascended to jut and absolute control of the armed forces of the Empire of Japanese Islands. With the blessings of the Emperor, the willing diplomatic assistance of Premier Zhukov of Russia and of prexy President Theodore Roosevelt of U.S., Yamamoto pulled all troops of Japan from chinaware in a shit secession that seen the colonial mightiness of European Community and US begin to do the same.

No one knows to this day of the month the trueness of the thing, yet on Dec 5, 1941 chairwoman Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, on his way to Japan at the personal invitation of the Emperor Michinomiya Hirohito, disappeared with the laborious cruiser Windy City that he travelled upon. The only message of alarm received was that of"fire in the forward engine room has reached the ammo magazines…"then silence.

Newly sworn-in prexy Truman called for the thing to be investigated, and American naval forces were sent to the last known position of the Michigan. Two British corvettes, One Canadian River glide precaution watercraft and three Japanese ruiner arrived on the scene to only find a field of debris and oil glossy covering miles of ocean.

What has been documented is the low American vessel, a destroyer whose Captain despised the Japanese, on the scene immediately assumed the Nipponese vessels had sunk the Chicago ; he demanded their surrender and when they rightfully refused, stating they as with the British and Canadian vessels were searching for subsister, commenced to fire upon them - one vessel sunk, heavy equipment casualty done on the other two Japanese ships who retaliated and sunk the guided missile destroyer in turn.

Thus commenced the great Pacific War, or as many now call it"The War of Empires."On December 7, 1941, a hostile Congress, whipped into a frenzy by a small handful of anti-Japanese fanatic declared war on the Empire of Nihon and directed United States President Truman to direct the war until ‘ unconditional surrender of the conglomerate of Japan occurred.'

Seeing the opportunities for territorial gains and bully influence across the Pacific, on Dec 10 and 11, French Republic and England joined the United States in declaring war upon the Japanese for ‘ crimes of such magnitude as to defy common signified or decency.'

Everyone expected the Nipponese Empire would pass by the end of 1942, and plans were already being prepared for the division of the home islands. Federal Republic of Germany declared neutrality in the affair, as did Soviet Russia ; though both had supplies special applied science and resources to Japan in secret to recrudesce the war-ending means…

Three long and blooming age of protracted conflict resulted in Isoroku Yamamoto bringing victory for the imperium of Japanese Islands ; seven decisive naval and land engagements ended in Japanese Islands's favour, with the final treaty ending the war leaving Japan in possession of Indo-China, portions of India and Ceylon, and nigh of the Pacific. Though the Philippine's were restored to America after they were to be declared ‘ neutral territory.'

Many historians have learned that the heartsease was wrought with an unspoken scourge from Japan to loose the new super-weapon they had developed and tested just before their final military triumph - the atomic bomb. In a secret diplomatic cable to the leaders of U.S., 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 ally nation.

In due clock time the winter War will pass into history, but it will not be forgotten as the time when a democratic Nation dared to do the impossible and within that war, the actions of Nikkei and Stephen changed the world forever. Thus comes to a end the fable of the C. P. Snow Fox.


( fin