23 August, 1939 ( Headlines )

In a motility that has shocked the political humans at tumid ; the government activity of Germany and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have concluded and signed a treaty of common non-aggression. The unfreeze command of many creation leaders has ranged across the spectrum, from ones of rejoicing that the candidate of another great war in Europe has been avoided, to others who unofficially are seeking more information or are involved in a series of ‘ intense discourse'with confederate governments.


1 September, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

Ladies and gentlemen today it is my sad duty to announce that war has returned to the Continent of European Economic Community as on this day the armed military force of Germany have invaded western Poland. Heavy fighting is reported by all sides, with Germany announcing ‘ oceanic abyss, monolithic and sweep up penetration'by its armed forces. Allegedly the polish army is already collapsing ; surrendering in ever growing routine and the government has fled the nation for asylum in Romania. Unofficial accounts from receiving set operators in Republic of Poland speak of continued resistance that is ‘ stout, strong and determined'in the face of the unprovoked aggression of Germany.

Many world leaders have strongly denounced this hostility on the part of the government activity of Germany, with France, Britain and the United nation of America demanding that the armies of Federal Republic of Germany terminate all enmity at once. This is to be followed by onanism to the original mete, while an international mediation via the League of Nations occurs to adjudicate the topic of ill will between the respective governments.

No comment has been relayed from the German language government.


3 September, 1939 ( headline )

On this day the crisis in Europe has grown exponentially, with the governments of France and Britain officially declaring war upon the politics of Germany for the invasion of Republic of Poland. Contacts within the respective military and government departments tell that armed treatment in Poland, and the take territorial reserve invasion of FRG ‘ shall occur within a manus tally of Day, or at near, before the succeeding two weeks are over.'

The fighting continues on, with the political science of Deutschland reporting more and Sir Thomas More territory gained with each passing minute, while Polish seed report the main thrust of the German language blitzkrieg has been blunted, but that the nations injured party have been high school. The announcement of the declaration of war by Anatole France and Britain has brought renewed hope for the circumvent res publica.


17 September, 1939 ( headline )

In a move of conspicuous opportunism and aggression the armies of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics have invaded eastern Poland. The representative of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics declared that the move is to check that law and order and stability are maintained in the look of the consummate collapse of the polish up regime. Within hours the move had been condemned by most penis of the League of Nations…


5 October, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

Poland has officially ceased to exist according to the government activity of Germany and the USSR. The diminished Carry Nation of Republic of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been annexed by the Russia after being coerced into signing one sided ‘ mutual defense treaty'with the primal communist regime of Russia….

Unconfirmed reports acknowledgment that official from Finland have been invited to Russian capital for ‘ discussions of a most specific nature concerning the mutual defense mechanism of both countries.'One former high-ranking military officer explained that usually means ‘ Moscow makes the menace and Finland will make concessions, or there shall be war in the end…'


â‚°â‚°

Deep in the halls of STAVKA, Supreme central office for the armed forces of the USSR, the foregather leader stand at attention as the lone man walked calmly in the door and silently proceeded to the capitulum of the longsighted, map-covered table.

His every step echoed like nose drops across the room, and heightened the thick latent hostility that was further magnified by his nimbus of power, authorization, ruthlessness and decision. He reveled in the veneration that radiated from all of those show, for all knew with a dewy-eyed gesture, a nod, or one spoken word, he could gain or break any or all of their calling, send out them to the gulag for life history, or have them summarily executed.

Taking his seat he motioned for all to sit and began to explain the topic at hand."Comrades, the subjection of Poland and the annexation of Latvia, Lithuania and Republic of Estonia are nearing pass completion. The antediluvian territory of our great Rodinia are nearly complete, with one vexing exception. Despite our most generous offers to them, the lackeys of the Imperialist 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 enact the plans we have prepared for such an contingence,"the man stated, hammering away on the table with his fist as his eyes, frigid and hoar, blazed with fury and rage at the government who has defied him since he was forced to sign the 1921 Treaty of Tartu forced upon the peaceful people of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics by the decrepit and Imperialist-led League of Nations.

"Comrades, explain to me again every detail of the design as they exist at this time, do not will out one detail,"he declared as he motioned for the NKVD sentry go, extremity of the fear State Security apparatus, to watch out for the for the first time tip of defeatism, hesitation or anything that may be construed as treason. For those so suspected the consequence would be publically declared ‘ a calm down and well make retirement'…

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

For that lone man, Premier Chief Joseph Joseph Stalin, he wanted it no early way. He and he alone ruled in the USSR, and he held the fate of all in his men alone.

For nearly XX yr he had fumed over the chagrin Suomi and her Imperialist backers had inflicted upon him in 1921. So now he will have his retaliation and have the right lands of the Old Russian Tsar's restored to the fatherland, under proper communist guidance of course.

He listened as the item were explained over respective hours, with only one small addition proposed to ensure there will be no doubt as to ‘ Finnish aggression'being the case of the coming invasion."Make it so,"said Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili.


31 October, 1939 ( newspaper headline )

Today before the forum of the Supreme Soviet, Foreign government minister Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov, for the initiatory time in public announced the terms ‘ requested'of the government of Finland to ‘ insure the defenses of the peaceful hoi polloi of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.'

The ‘ request,'a polite term for what almost people in the popular nations of the world will hollo ‘ requirement at the point of a gun'were for ground to be leased for thirty old age, or transferred directly into the deal of the USSR while the government of Republic of Finland would experience in return demesne that is devoid and worthless. German prime minister Adolph Hitler has called upon the people of Finland and their loss leader to accept the terms peacefully while clip remains for them to do so…

Needless to say, the message of ‘ while time remains for them to do so…'has dramatically increased stress in a Continent already at war between the allies and the Axis powers.


â‚°â‚°

Sir Leslie Stephen half-listened to the word coming from the day-to-day tuner broadcasts that detailed the stream physique up of tension between Finland and Soviet Russia. Day by day the talks had been summarized in the typical way of Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili and his cohorts…

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

computer storage of that trigger-happy time played across his mind as he examined the masterly-crafted rifle that he held ; its perfect tense pattern and symmetry, custom-made as a birthday present tense to one limited to him, will ca-ca her one of the big of hunters ever to stalk game in the Mrs. Henry Wood. The new orbit mounted to it was commissioned by a Quaker of his, whose designs were a generation or more ahead of their time.

Sir Leslie Stephen twirled and tossed the rifle ; rapidly worked the bolt-action to gain the net tone of how fluent it will play when time was of the heart - as he learned recently with a bear that almost had him for dinner. No flaw could be found, no mar, no misunderstanding in his superlative creation of all the firearms he has handcrafted in his life as an armourer, soldier, hunting watch and…dealer in goods and stuff and nonsense Charles Herbert Best left hand unexplained and preferably never found by agents of the law.

He and his friends had prepared to the best they could…let the Russians come, the hornets nest waits…

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

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

All too soon Stephen would come to translate the prophetic note of his run-in. For that rifle will be wielded by one to get a legend…


24 November, 1939 ( Headlines )

Tensions continue to make between the government of Finland and the USSR as two sideboard proposals were made to get an honourable solution to the demand of Moscow. Both proposal were summarily rejected as being completely unacceptable on the premise they would leave the USSR completely vulnerable in the region of Peterburg.

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


26 November, 1939 ( headline )

Unconfirmed reports coming from the party news serving of the USSR have declared a ‘ surprise and dastardly attack on Russian territory has occurred by building block of the Fascist government of Finland upon program line by their masters, the Imperialist Industrialists of the West.'

Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Molotov has condemned this ‘ butchery of Russian young and destruction of lots Russian chronicle in the delimitation village of Mainila…

â‚°â‚°

"My mate comrade,"declared the legendary ‘ man of steel,'Premier Stalin to the Soviet High Command who stood at attention before the table where he sat."negotiation have fallen through with the fascist governance of Finland, and now we have this wanton assault upon our fatherland. As per plans already prepared for such an occurrent, the club are henceforth given to you and your troops…just before dawn on 30 Nov the bang-up army of the Union of Soviet Socialist democracy shall obtrude upon Finland and liberate her persecute mountain who cry for exemption under a right commie government."

His anger flared hot in his eyes and iron-cold in his Book as he slammed his hired hand on the concentrated table,"I will be very clear in this matter. loser will not be tolerated ; the thin sign of incompetency, cowardly military action and treason against the company or the state will mean compendious execution by the NKVD. All guild and plans made will be approved by them before any are carried out. Remember, they answer to me alone…"

phonograph needle to say everyone got the message.

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

Soon enough the disgrace inflicted upon him by Republic of Finland so long ago will be avenged, a dark billet on his tearing report. Everyone portray knew that the words he spoke of failed negotiations were bare window binding, for the might of four Russian US Army corps was in post at key crossing points along the Finland - Russian border.

encroachment had been inevitable for some time, and the Fin's would pay for their bullheadedness in flack and blood.



30 Nov 1939 rear-area of Russian Ninth ground forces corporation

Major-General Yuri Bogdan watched the border region from the wooded ridge just shy of the Finnish-Russian border. The lowly village, little more than a crossroads not even worthy of a fall guy on any official map, showed at the limits of his binoculars, just one Thomas More minor obstacle for the grand liberation of Finland that will be erased in a few More minutes.

He turned to the regimental commanding officer who surrounded him, each standing tall and proud, as he gave them his net educational activity in the enceinte crusade that is to start up. Each order was repeated back in precise detail to him and to the division's chief commissar, Major-General Vitaly of the NKVD ( State security system ). All of the ship's officer knew that one trip-up, one failure, one infraction, or the appearance of any of the aforesaid, can become footing for summary execution by the NKVD.

Anyone doubting that only had to glance at the freshly turned earth that marked XXX grave accent of boyfriend military officer who were shot an hour ago for ‘ inappropriate lack of fighting spirit for the cause of the state.'

"Comrades,"Major-General Bogdan spoke to the pucker ship's officer,"our segmentation has been granted the honor of spearheading the cause in the liberation of our communist brethren from the fascists who currently rule Finland. As you know, less than 72 hours ago, our monarch ground was violated in a border clash designed to call forth the world's understanding for the bandit leader of Republic of Finland and thus turn them against our honorable leader fellow Stalin."

He watched Major-General Vitaly casually stroll back and forth around the officers, as one would expect of a rancher or farmer inspecting his respect collection of cows and steers before sending them to market. He went on with his manner of speaking,"Comrades, each of us will execute our constituent to ne plus ultra, and we will maintain radio silence as per USA military headquarters orders until apprise otherwise. Use the motorbike messenger you have well and with due diligence, no opportunity to crush the foeman must be wasted."

He hammered his clenched fist into his gloved handwriting,"f number, shock and unrelenting pressure, this is how we shall break open this part of the look melodic line wide open and advance ever onward. All prisoners taken are to be sent to our comrades of State surety unless directed, as per orders signed by chancellor Comrade Joseph Stalin, otherwise by each regiments commissar or by orders of Major-General Commissar Vitaly."

He pointed to the recently filled Steffi Graf to one side of the gathered officers,"Understand, there is to be no retirement or surrender,"his voice deepened as his passion mounted,"those who do so are guilty of traitorousness and shall be dealt with swiftly as these betrayer to the state have been dispense with."

"Now return to your regiments and get fix to cross the border as per plans,"he watched the police officer salute and flee for their faculty vehicles like a panicked gather of rabbits in the sight of a band of hawk on the hunt.

â‚°â‚°

Sir Leslie Stephen had just crested the pocket-size pitcher's mound summit when he heard the first thundering of artillery unleashed from across the border. He watched in horror as flack after crushing blast of carom case and rockets landed around the hamlet of Summers Mist, where his granddaughter Nikkei's birthday party is taking place, a day of joy and happiness as his homeland neared war that no one wanted to experience happen.

Sadly, as the clouds of smoke and churned earth merged with the cries and wow of his family and friends, he knew the war no one wanted had begun. He shouldered the cloth-wrapped present he had spent so many calendar month crafting for Nikkei's birthday, and felt the tears flow down his buttock as he watched his creation taken from him for the second metre in his lifespan by warfare.


â‚°â‚°

Her universe spun in a haze of hurting and dizziness as she struggled to open her eyes. The gentle crackling of a fire flooded her capitulum and the mixed bag of cooking meat, burning wood and other odors assaulted her sense of aroma with overwhelming military group. She struggled to rise, slowly lifting herself onto her elbow and then falling back to the primer coat still enshrouded by the thick mantle somebody had put over her while she was unconscious.

A image leaned down adjacent to her and handed her a cup of coldness water that she guzzled down, all but choking upon its cool down ancestry into her adust oral cavity and throat.

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

"Grandpa what happened,"Nikkei asked, not comprehending his go words he had said to her,"Where are all the others, mama and papa and my brothers…"She stopped upon seeing the expression that showed upon his boldness, understanding at finally what had happened to everyone else.

"No granddaddy, no not that, please not that,"she said, collapsing into his blazonry as he drew her end. She broke down completely, the sobs coming hard and fasting for the going of her entire kinfolk."Why granddaddy, why did this have got to happen ?"

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

Actually he did know, having followed the acute dialogue between the Finnish-Soviet regime. Each day the USSR had become more and more demanding in the concessions it sought, making it clear with none-too-subtle threat and motion that war would be the final result save for all over and categoric surrender of all territorial demand made…a chain of demand that Sir Leslie Stephen knew could not be accepted by Finland.

Yet he, like nearly in the hamlet, had hoped for common good sense and peace treaty to come about. So it was that Nikkei's eighteenth birthday offered a metre to celebrate and for the residential district to bury about the outdoor existence 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. Stephen had found her half frozen and brought her to one of the lowly cabins in the wooded hills he called home, hoping to figure out how to get her to base hit when she could move around again.

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

He looked into her pain-filled eyes, gladiolus for something to distract her even for a poor time from the crushing going of all that she had known."This is my natal day talent for you Nikkei, just as I promised to micturate go year, one all of your own."

Nikkei watched as Stephen untied the package and removed a rifle scabbard from beneath the canvas. He turned and presented it to her as if she were a tabby of some forgotten state worthy of a rare and wanted gift from her people.


She took the rifle scabbard in her hands and laid it across her lap, stroking the diffused leather covered in white fur. The rifles stemma, made of finely lacquered wood carved in detail images of her hunting in the deep woodwind spoke of Stephens's science as a master gun maker and armorer.

Gently Nikkei pulled it free of the scabbard and examined it for some time, feeling the accurate equilibrium and form that already felt a natural extension of her. The telescopic passel glistened in the soft firelight, and she spotted the key signature of an old champion of her grandpa, a man who made masterwork optics superior to even the finest made in Germany.

Two wonderful hoarded wealth for her birthday ; such a prize of riches she felt unworthy of possessing let alone being able to hold in her hands.

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

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

"I wish mama and papa could have seen this, along with everyone else…'she began to sob again as the truth slammed home hard in her heart. Her family is gone forever, as are her supporter, all save for Sir Leslie Stephen. Something trench in her soulfulness snapped, flooding her with a fiery firmness that consumed her in an instant. The savage who had done this to them will be made to pay, and in blood.

"grandad, where are the freak who did this, where are they ?"she demanded, her voice filled with anger and rage none could have dreamed existed. None save for Stephen who had long recognized the same traits in her that he had, and silent nothing will adjudge her back from having her revenge on the Russians, no matter if in the end it cost her own life.

He shook his pass, recalling the time back in the struggle of 1918 when Finland won its independency from the tzar's of USSR, and the times of problem which followed. He had been a colonel then, and for a sentence he fought as a zealot behind the lines, becoming such a terror on his enemies that they called him ‘ spectre Bear.'

"And so history will reiterate itself…"he whispered. That drew a funny flavour from Nikkei who still waited for his answer.

"Nikkei we are going to get you to guard and then I and some friends will begin to press these monsters, I will not lose…oh why I even bother…'He snorted and rolled his heart to the heavens as she struggled to bear up and storm out of the small-scale cabin to go it alone."God above, she is more like me than even her ma could have figured…"

"Nikkei hold on there,"he grabbed her as she began to collapse to the trading floor, still woozy from the blow to her head."amercement then, I have a few thing to get ready for our hunt, we will be partisans then here in our surface area of the wood and hills ; one thing emphatically, I call the scene and we do this my way until we have driven those monsters out of our homeland."

"fine granddaddy,"Nikkei said as she wrapped up once again in the thick blanket."We do it your way, just so long as I get to obliterate Russians…"her words became unintelligible as she drifted off into slumber.


â‚°

As Nikkei slumbered away the day, Stephen headed off into the forest, making contact lens with some old friends who dealt in matters best left unmentioned in the presence of the agency. They had prepared for the chance of war coming, establishing memory cache of arms and other power train around the arena for a band of partisans to use if they needed it…and now they will, for once again ‘ wraith Bear'will enroll into war and make his opposition pay for their law-breaking in blood.

He continued on into the woods, seeking a place where his personal stash of ‘ extra goodness'waited retrieval.

As the terminus came into pile, little more than a clump of sway and shrub covering a small cavern in their deepness he reached into his coat and rested his script upon the hilt of his hunting tongue. The faintest smell of cigar tobacco filtered through the air, coming closer with each passing s, soon to be joined with the soft compaction - crunching of several dyad of snowshoes coming towards him.

He edged into the nearby shrub and Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree, concealing himself so as to appear as little More than another belittled clod of rocks at the fundament of a mighty northern pine tree as the people who followed him closed in, whole step by step, and into striking distance of his ambush…

Lightning fast he slammed his cubital joint into the gut of the man who had snuck up behind him, following up with a fist to his foes throat, as he grabbed the man by his coat and dragged him to the undercoat. Stephen pulled out his knife to deliver the death puff and suddenly stopped as the man beneath him gently chuckled.

Captain Esme Stuart Lennox Robinson of the Finnish Army grinned and looked at Stephen,"You have not lost any of the accomplishment you taught all of us those years ago Colonel Stephen. Now if you don't psyche, let me up and I will signal my men not to try and pullulate you…"

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

"Stephen is it then,"began James Harvey Robinson,"we're here to scout and harass the advancing Soviet US Army as it heads up the route. person has to stay put behind and become enthusiast, though from the grin on your face I assume you already get begun that task ?"

"In a manner of speechmaking,"Sir Leslie Stephen filled in his old student and champion in on his plans."Right now I am off to reach others in the area who will watch and strike as they can. Even in our independent ways, we can figure out together and lay down the Russians life a bread and butter hell."

Robinson nodded as he caught the insidious exercise of ‘ we'in his last condemnation, telling of another who will hound 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 come out of nowhere. He looked at Stephen and asked of his old supporter,"So then, what name will our mysterious hunter be called ?"

Stephen grinned, knowing then and there Robinson will go along with anything he asked or needed done,"The Snow Fox, for we will present the dependable craftiness us Fins have when on our family terra firma. Now I have to get a few other affair done and ‘ acquired'then the Hunt will begin."

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


3 December 1939 near breast line of descent of Russian 163rd Infantry air division


Major Joseph stood by the armor stave car with his sub-machine gun clenched tight in his grasp. His master in the NKVD ( country security department ) had made his instructions painfully clear ; hold a close eye on the bodily function of Major-General Bogdan as he served as his driver, courier and personal escort out in the orbit. bankruptcy in any way will result in summary execution.

Over a dozen more soldiers, young lieutenant and captain, stood around or waited in their own staff railroad car for instructions from the general. Almost all of them gazed from prison term to meter to the advancing personal line of credit of truck, army tank and tank-riding foot that snaked its way along the bingle route ever deeper into Finland. The distant ground-shaking roar of the artillery no longer registered with them, having become little more than background racket in the fourth day of their lightning fast ( sort of ) pace of the attack.

Major-General Bogdan stood mellow upon the cap of his car as he scanned the horizon with his fine field glasses, a talent from his grandfather many long years past. His frustration mounted by the arcminute at the stubbornness of the Finnish shielder who have defied his ability to smash through them for the last three days. Three days and his variance were barely twenty miles across the border.

"pep pill, speed and ever to a greater extent speed. That is how we win this war, speed, shock and sturdy aggression against any who stand against us,"he muttered to himself."captain Craigson, guarantee that all regimental and crushed commander understand the social club. unappeasable atmospheric pressure, there will be no more withdrawing or moving other than at the foeman ahead. Any nonstarter and I will personally buck the military officer myself if need be."

The senior pilot repeated back his command, saluted and retreated to his staff car, which tore off down the road with due haste to control the subject matter was received and duly carried out.

Major-General Bogdan growled as he watched his division slowly crawl down the route."The Finnish lackey's of the Imperialist West and Capitalists will learn what it means to resist the Soviet Union. We will shoot back what is rightfully ours since long before the Revolution began. They wanted war, so now they shall experience it and we will rebuild their companionship into a true Communist state as it should be."

His mood suddenly brightened at the sight of a of a battery of truck-mounted garden rocket launcher and two batteries of artillery moved off the road and began to set up for firing at object located by his talent scout. So often firepower being prepared meant that at to the lowest degree a battalion or two of foeman soldiers had gathered to make believe a desperate cobbler's last stand against his armor and infantry tearing ever abstruse into their homeland.

The sound of a motorbike informed him that a messenger had arrived, and he nodded in satisfaction as the man stopped his bike, handed his note to Captain Dima who double-timed it to the general. When he read the note, Major-General Bogdan felt his blood boil as he shouted, raged and cursed while directing another minibike mounted messenger to move forward and tell his divisional headquarters to advertise his three star regiments forward with all speeding or face instruction execution at his own hands.

He cursed the purchase order of ‘ absolute radio silence'that came from his superiors at Army HQ's fifty or more Admiralty mile behind his air division."damn them for their defiance to the needs of the motherland !"he shouted while shaking his fist in the focal point of the Finnish defenders.

Nearby another senior ship's officer smiled at the absolute furor of Major-General Bogdan. Of course when this officer smiled, all the attendee officers of the general cringed, instantly coming to attention and saluting, if only to carry through their own lives, not knowing death stalked all of them from another position…



â‚°

"Say what you will that one has a bit of a temperament problem,"Stephen said as he eased the binoculars down from his heart. Clad in solid-white wintertime clothing his eyes shifted across the celestial horizon and then across the land before him. Even the slightest crusade drew his attention as he quickly dismissed it as the winding, an fauna or a Russian Soldier moving around on some mission or another.

He watched a second officer, probably the NKVD counterpart of the officer who stood atop his automobile hood, stroll with pure arrogance and insolence becoming of a commissar of high rank over to the vehicle and climb upon the hood as well. The remaining officer stood at a respectable distance, all save for the officer's driver who looked and moved like a small terrier determined to protect its schoolmaster from a pack of ravenous wolves.


â‚°

"Yes associate they do have it coming for their rebelliousness to the demand of the motherland,"said John Roy Major General Vitaly, Political political commissar for the partitioning of Major-General Bogdan."It appears you are ahead of schedule by a bit, despite Good Book coming of some resistance run into by your booster cable elements."

"Comrade political commissar it is full to see you up and about."Major-General Bogdan said as he gave his companion the best salute he could manage."We are pushing hard for our days objective and I have ordered the men to drive all the harder. There is some report resistance, yet we shall push harder than before and shatter them completely. In short order any prisoner will be in your hands, as they should be, and we shall be one step closer to flying the masthead of International Communism high over this nation of noncompliant banditti."


â‚°

To Stephens left hand, slightly eminent up upon the craggy peck of stone and bush among the swell pine forest a pair of bluish heart stared at the officeholder through the scope of her rifle. She slowly brought her hand up to the reach and made some minute adaptation, allowing her to address with the ambit, wind and other variable quantity to come in her shot right wing on fair game when the moment arrived.

Both officer on the auto hood turned to watching the apparent horizon through their binoculars.

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

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

One final calculation of the range and all variable flowed through her mind as she squeezed the trigger…


â‚°

Major-General Bogdan smiled as the lowering gun sounded off, the flashy bellowing of the howitzers merging with the screaming cry of Katyusha Eruca vesicaria sativa tearing off from their truck-mounted launchers. He shook his clenched fist in delight, imagining the carnage beginning to decrease on the hapless Suomi U. S. Army regulars'just kilometers ahead when he felt something wet splatter across the side of his pass, left arm and chest.


He turned in meter to see the body of Major-General Vitaly collapse to the ground with all of the good will of a butcher Sus scrofa. The sight of the gaping wound left from the bullet his nous had intercepted caused Bogdan to freeze, unable 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 Chief Joseph leapt upon the motorcar bonnet and tackled Major-General Bogdan. The bullet meant for the ecumenical took the man in the backrest, severed his spine and ruptured his pith, utterly before he and the general plummeted to the ground, sheltered by the armour car from the snipers fire.

Pandemonium reigned in the generals whole as some of the men ran to help Major-General Bogdan and the fallen Commissar and Major Chief Joseph. The eternal sleep Columba for the nearest book binding they could observe and returned fire with shooting iron, rifle or sub-machinegun at suspected sniper localisation as the field of operation artillery continued to thunder away and make it nearly impossible for one man to take heed another even close up.

With mechanical efficiency, one officer after another flopped to the priming coat, a bingle red lesion found in their torn throats or skulls. In to a lesser extent than two minutes, as the artillery fell mum once again and their crew commenced training to incite on down the road, thirteen men lay dead on undercoat, while the survivor huddled in the protective dark of cover, not daring to actuate or even breath.

Even the normally imperturbable Major-General Bogdan looked about, stunned and overwhelmed at the sheer butchery wrecked by some alien foeman in such a shortly couplet of sentence. It was over a half-hour before he regained his equanimity and shouted out orders to motivate the building block to his sectionalisation headquarters and even farseeing to apprise US Army military headquarters of the loss of Major-General Vitaly.

â‚°

"seed Nikkei its time to leave and quickly,"Stephen said to her as he finished wiring the stopping point of many ‘ gifts'he had set out earlier to further punish the Russians when they came to enquire the area. As he considered the massacre to do from his ‘ gifts,'Stephen and Nikkei donned their skis and disappeared into the woods little more than twin touch headed to one of many temporary shelters they will come to use in the calendar week and months ahead.


â‚°â‚°â‚°

The sight of the snaking trail of storage tank, trucks, artillery and infantry which pushed ever deep into his homeland sickened police chief Robinson. He wondered how lots of a chance his state honestly had to break off this unyielding mass of metal and men bent upon the accomplished conquest of Finland.

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

A quick tally of the infantry told him that he and his men faced a reinforced troupe of Russian soldiers, who began to spread out. Some marched unto a diminished crag of stone and shrub while the end headed towards Robert Robinson and his men at a brisk walk. He could see that the fellow member of this second band were hesitating and on border, though their fears of the political commissar outweighed any danger from the woodlands ahead of them.


Captain Lennox Robinson and his handful of men dropped down under cover as a minuscule detonation erupted from that bumpy crag, felling over a twelve Russian soldiers. topsy-turvyness erupted as a back bang erupted, unleashing a wave of metal scrap, nails, and other projectiles that wounded a score and five of men. The surviving infantry began to fire at random into the woods with rifles and sub-machineguns as fast as they could while yelling at the top of their lungs.

They charged at the forest edge, only to have their ragged formation shattered by a Chain of eruption triggered by hide out tripwires. Pillars of smoking and tossed dirt rose as men fell to the ground seeking cover, beat or dying.

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

In to a lesser extent than a minute the conflict was over and his men swarmed among the dead Russians to gather rifles, ammo and anything of worth in the way of military word they could rule. Two minutes after they began, he and his men disappeared back into the woods, where two hours and seven klick away the captain examined a set of orders to the NKVD Commissar Major to ‘ find and liquidate the banditti who slew Major-General Vitaly and 14 other officers.'

"XV ship's officer and they left behind a chain of pinhead hole for their pursuers ?"Sergeant Jermaine, the auxiliary of maitre d' Robinson, whistled softly and shook his mind in disbelief."Who could possibly have done that ?"

"I'll tell you who did this,"Captain Robinson said with a aspect of amazement on his face,"It was the work of the Snow Fox. I need a runner to get the selective information we have back to our position of the lines, and get it there on the double."

Captain Robinson watched the messenger ski away and then turned to his men and nodded. Quiet as the still air around them they departed, determined to look on and hit the invading Russians whenever and wherever they can to make lifespan as suffering for them as possible.


7-8 Dec, 1939 Sweden - unknown manor house

Swedish prime of life Minister Hansson looked out the libraries window upon a nation covered in C and for a here and now dreamed that the public was still at peace. He sighed, knowing that such a dreaming is finished for many a year to come since another great war has erupted.

turning back to his two other client he looked upon his old ally Ryti, Prime curate of Finland and here on ‘ buck private topic'for his nation."Will the terms be satisfactory in the end ?"he asked of Ryti.

flush Minister Ryti looked at the third valet in the room, a man of ruthless ambition and ill-concealed greed. No matter the absolute disdain he held for this man, Finland needed the weapons and supplying even more ; so he has dealt with the lesser of two evils to save his place."It will be satisfactory, as per the terms we have agreed upon."

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

With that the man, German Marshall Woodrow Charles Herman Goring departed for his flight home.



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

In the old prospector's cabin, little more than a renovated shanty, Nikkei watched as the sun cast its last rays of light before departing below the horizon and allowing the Nox to encompass the land in its grip. She put the blanket back into space, to go on even the little firelight from escaping into the outdoor macrocosm. She looked to the cabin door and wondered when Stephen would be back from ‘ group meeting with some champion nearby.'

She returned to cleaning her rifle with great care, determined to see that the arm of her revenge was kept in perfect condition for the succeeding ambuscade set by Stephen and her. Step by step as she had been taught so long ago she cleaned and oiled each part in go, ensuring that not one atom of scandal, gritstone, or anything could jam or plug away it up at the moment when she would need it most.

The humble radio receiver Stephen had somehow amaze his hands upon whispered news program of the outdoors world between the static-filled watchword of the break of the day borealis dancing command processing overhead. What news came from prescribed sources among the Northern and European stations painted a raw time to come for her homeland, as four massive US Army mathematical group have crossed the perimeter from due north to south, seeking to capture the entire nation.

To the south, on the Karelian band the Russians have pushed the Finnish U. S. Army back to the Mannerheim stemma. A massive heavy weapon bombardment, nearly two Day in length if the reports are to be believed, preceded a massed infantry assault in the region of Taipale supported with regimental strength artillery, rocket-fire, aery bombardment and speaker unit used to broadcast calls for yielding of the Suomi U. S. Army until they were shot apart by Finnish snipers.

Nikkei listened and smiled, pleased to learn the news program of the Suomi army had dug in deep, with well sighted artillery and weapons, and then ripped apart the Russians assault. Casualties from the butchery were estimated at 5000 numb Russians and twice that injured, along with 500 prisoners. Curiously she heard about the crushing defeat made against the Russian armor, some eighty tanks destroyed or handicapped and captured.

She and Stephen had seen a few such armored combat vehicle moving along the lone road that linked Russia and their army that advanced slowly into Finland. Sir Leslie Stephen seemed genuinely afraid of the metal beasts, though she respected what they could do, the quite a little of the gasoline-filled fuel membranophone mounted on the rachis deck of cards of them gave her an estimation of how to stop over one…literally it would go up in flames…

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

Nikkei looked at the minor trio of bottles tied to her inner circle, each one prepared to redeem another lethal surprise on any armored beast or vehicle when assailed during an surprise attack. Stephen had been rather dubious about the idea when she suggested it, but on the narrow secondary road in the thick forests, five burned out hand truck and a armour car testified to its simplistic and brutal efficiency.

Once she had finished her tutelage for the rifle she gently traced the newfangled markings burned into the wooden line. Each mark was that of a Baron Snow of Leicester fox, barely 8mm in size of it, and representing a bingle kill she had scored since she had become involved in the war for her fatherland. 24 little foxes, twenty-four putting to death, some of them the motorbike couriers being used to channelise orders between Russian Headquarters.

The end courier had turned out to be the most full of life one to escort. She and Stephen had been crossing one of the secondary road during a light snowfall with her in the lead, and covering Sir Leslie Stephen after she reached the far position. No Sooner had she prepared her despoil the courier came tearing around a bending in the road. She had aimed and shot him down without a seconds indisposition, and thus gained both of them a usable motorbike and the life-sustaining goods 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 queer Russians. The paperwork he looked through contained high-value military codes and communiqués, orders of battle and supply status - it detailed the low level of provisions and ammunition among the Russian United States Army units in this region.

Sir Leslie Stephen had explained he needed to get this stuff to some ‘ friend in mellow place'and would be back as soon as he could. She was given some exceptional instructions : if he is not back by the maiden ray of aurora the next day, or at the first sighting of a Russian, she is to flee at once and head for one of the six muckle he described. Of form if clip permitted before she bolted, she was to ‘ aerate'the small surprise contained in the cabin for the stupid Russians.

Her nap that nighttime was fitful and tormented by nightmares of unknown things coming out of the mists she could not think after being woken by a flight of Soviet Air Force bombers and fighters overhead. She took a peak out the small window facing to the due east and hoped against Leslie Townes Hope to see Stephen coming up the trail in the rising sun…

Instead she gasped at the quite a little of four score Russian infantry advancing at a steady pace towards the cabin.


â‚°

"dungeon down and watch, no one make any noise that may play them down upon us,"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 beg she had already fled for one of the former meeting places and will expect there for him.

metre by meter the soldiers advanced and spread out to circulate the cabin under the iron-hard regard of the building block'commissars. If anyone remained inside the cabin there will be no fortune for them to escape, and the supply needed by the partisans will probably be found as well…


â‚°

Nikkei quickly tossed on her great coat, slipped on her gang and plunder scabbard, and prayed as never before in her life as she struck a couple and held it to the duration of fuse-cord leading to Stephens fiddling surprise for the fast approaching Russians.

Once the cord started to siss and incinerate, she dropped it to the ground and fled the cabin, cleared the small ridge behind it and commenced a zigzag run for safety. She used every feature article of the terrain and forest to cave in her any cover, anything to maintain her from being seen by the advancing Russians. When she finally stopped and plopped down behind a clump of trees 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 ridgepole running behind the cabin and decided that she had to get her skis if potential, Holy Order or no Holy Order from her grandpa.

She moved as silent as a trace and with the grace of a deer across the land. Her skill in doing so had been perfected over long yr of search and practice with Stephen, and on function when he travelled to hold a purchase or give a deal 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 pocket to ascertain the extra magazine publisher were ready if she needed them. measure by meter she slowly and cautiously eased her way to the crest of the ridge, propped herself up on her cubitus 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 wrong 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 Finland KP-31 sub-machinegun, and sent out a barrage of nemesis and insult so blasphemous the dry land should have melted away. A bullet tore a clump out of the Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree mere centimeters from his boldness as he exposed himself again, bringing up the Thomson and fired off short bursts into the still advancing lot of Russian infantry.

Moments before Hannu and Kalevi had nearly moved their men into position to fill down the Russians who encroached on the old cabin. Though risky, they have to impress at their enemy, the supplies cached away beneath the cabins floorboards are needed by the topical anaesthetic partisan military force.

Stephen and Joni, along with a dozen other partisans stayed back to batten down their evasion path if the battle turned against them…only to be surprised by the sudden arrival of two Russian foot companies, roughly 300 men total. Instantly Sir Leslie Stephen ordered his men to the cover song of the Tree and to fire on the advancing forces.

Roughly forty or more Russians fell to the first barrage of minor weaponry fire as two light auto guns scythed across them like a harvester in a wheat berry battleground. Hand grenades added to the massacre being wrought as blast after flesh-rending flak shattered the lead Russians morale, sending them howling back down the trail…

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

phonograph needle to say, the surviving solders suddenly became motivated to turn around and take their opportunity with the Suomi enthusiast.

Sir Leslie Stephen reloaded his Suomi three to a greater extent times before his ammo was exhausted and he cursed as the Russians continued to advance at a very cautious stride. His pistols came out and he moved from covering fire to embrace, hunting the Russians. The first one emerged into his wad and became the initiatory fair game he took…

In a snow flurry of apparent motion Stephen cut down one Russian soldier after another as he moved among them, each of his Lahti pistols becoming an reference of him. One shot, one killing, the same pattern delivered with calm precision. A clump of Russian solders charged at him from the woods as he calmly reloaded his shooting iron, grinned and one after another, and thus reaped a harvesting of death on his foes.

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

time by m they had to yield ground, pushed back by the sheer exercising weight of issue that inevitably benefited the Russians. Their enemy kept on coming out of the woods, an unending cascade of furious foe determined to stomp out their tormenter, even as the dead mounted in heap upon fallen heap of shattered figure and bone.


He hoped Hannu and Kalevi had plenty signified to scrub the ambush and get their men to safe. As even more than Russians advanced up the pathway to reinforce the shattered units fighting the partisans, Stephen knew in his kernel that he will not be leaving this competitiveness alive…

He prayed for Nikkei, that she has fled and gotten to safety, and that his sins of being a contrabandist of arms and other semi-illegal goods could be forgiven when he stood before the sound judgement throne of God. He did not beg for a miracle, knowing that such is beyond his fate to deserve…

Though that is exactly what happened…


â‚°

Nikkei watched as a 3 of officers ran around and shouted orders at their men to hurry off to get together the battle down the trail. None of the soldiers seemed willing to steer that way, having come to respect and fear the accomplishment of their implacable foe ; not even with the sheer weight of numbers on their side could the officers make them take the get-go step back down the trail.

One ship's officer, a commissar if she understood his social station correctly, argued with the former two, who appeared to be political commissar as well, about the motive to grab the cabin and any supplies that remained within it. After that, they could then go and join their fellow in the warmth of battle.

Having decided enough is enough she raised her rifle, braced the neckcloth against her shoulder and aimed at the bigmouthed commissar. The counter of her rifle was smothered by the intense gunfire from the Sir Henry Joseph Wood, but she saw the commissar plumb to the reason, his skull having stopped the bullet.

The other commissars looked at their fallen associate with simple construction of fear and shock in equal measuring rod. Within five second both of them joined their associate on the earth, dead before they hit the earthly concern.

Her mankind became a blur of apparent movement 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 gentle squeezing on the trigger.

Some fled into the woods, determined to need their chances with the remaining commissar than face the madly sniper now picking them off one by one. Shortly after the last entered the Grant Wood, a infuriated cascade of gunshot cut them down as person unknown to Nikkei had arrived…

Thirty Russians sought shelter hindquarters or within the cabin, one of them tossed Nikkei's shattered skis out the doorway with a string of oath. They began to fire away with precise dig from rifle, side arm or their own sub-machineguns at the enemies in the woods.

Nikkei pulled a cartridge clip from her pouch, freed the empty-bellied one from her rifle and slid the new one home. She chambered a one shot and looked down to see which one of the Russians will be her first victim….

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

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


She spotted the few remaining partisans down the trail fight to hold the Russians at the edge of the woodwind, and know if they were forced fully into the clearing behind them they would fall down to the last man. The clattering of gunfire to her properly indicated more partisan were even now engaged in a second end struggle against some early band of Russian troops.

For them she could do naught, but for the number 1 group, and the man she cared for that fought like a devil for his men…she can help out in her own way…

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


â‚°

Stephen grinned like a banshie tearing across the moor 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 declamatory rock, and commenced to evoke both pistols at the howling Russians that charged out of the woods. His military force of partisan was down to him and four others, and surrounded by their enemy whom they knew would record no mercy…the sudden gunfire deeper in the woods indicated that Hannu and Kalevi had engaged a large Russian party with their men, and told him they confronted a reward battalion or a full regiment of infantry.

Click-click…

Sir Leslie Stephen howled as his shooting iron emptied and drew out his hunting knife and pounced upon the skinny Russian, ending his life in one swift solidus. His elbow slammed into the adjacent soldier coming up behind him, followed by a knife thrust to the gut ; then three More Russians closed on him, rifles leveled and eyes showing that they did not designate to film him as a prisoner.

"come on you bastard hotdog !"Stephen shouted in Russian, prepared to ask 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 pop off in turn as a precisely placed sluggard intercepted their skulls.

He watched, absolutely flabbergasted, as one Russian soldier after another died as they turned to flee or present themselves for a moment from any cover they could find.

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

"You and me Stephen,"Joni said as he handed two full-magazines to Stephen for his Finland sub-machinegun."I am fine, let's go and see what we can do for Hannu and Kalevi…"Both men startled at the sound of automatic small munition fervency and light machineguns began to play in the woodwind, to be followed by lifelessness so profound it all but screamed at them.


Within three minutes a band of heavily armed men accompanied by the drumbeater emerged out of the Grant Wood and met with Sir Leslie Stephen and Joni.

"Stephen we keep meeting in the craziest of shoes,"Captain Edward Goldenberg Robinson said to his old mentor,"for once I'm sword lily I could return the favor of you saving my tail end on our hunting trip. Though it looks like your battle went well enough given how badly your zealot 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 count at this stage.

Sir Leslie Stephen ordered his men to take whatever arms, ammo or supplies they needed from the Russians and to foregather the consistency of their fallen. He set an iron-hard deadline of ten proceedings for this to be done before they would leave and journey hard across the trails in the ancient woods.

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

"knack on a arcminute Stephen,"Captain Sugar Ray Robinson said and ordered XX of his men to go with Joni and the few remaining partisans."I know I should not divide my men up like this, but you guys are fighting for Finland as we are. This way, our heavier weapon can attend to with making the Russian bear bleed for all we can get out of his hide…"

Stephen, Joni and Robinson turned to the sound of a soldier shouting out an lodge that instantly ended in a wail of pain and mewling of a new-sprung kitten. They watched a new peeress, rifle still in hand, calmly walk over to the old man as she muttered about ‘ soldiers who need to learn some mode before grabbing a lady that way.'

Robinson shook his headspring as Sir Leslie Stephen uncharacteristically rushed over and embraced the woman in a deliver hug, whirling her around and around as she called for him to stop embarrassing her in front end of the other men.

"Who is that with Stephen ?"Robinson asked Joni."I did not think there were any women among the zealot in this region ?"

Joni just chuckled and shook his head,"The full story is Sir Leslie Stephen to tell, but you have seen the handiwork of the nose candy Fox first hand."He pointed to the many fallen Russians taken down by Nikkei."Oh and your man who dared to grab her should be alright, his chestnut will be fine despite the stifling rush she gave them."

â‚°

"gramps I forgot my skis after lighting the fuse,"Nikkei said. She dreaded the scolding she had coming for disobeying his lodge."I was waiting for the Russians to provide and then…boom !"she motioned with her hands, pantomiming an explosion while a sheeplike grinning grew on her face.

"Oh and then I spotted the Russians running in your direction after I took down those three commissar idiots that tried to guild their scout troop around like fierce lilliputian terriers,"she said as Stephen and her joined Robinson and Joni.


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

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

"Granddaughter, do not reprimand yourself of a kill, after all you took down that divisional commissar a few twenty-four hour period back…"he looked at Captain Robinson and nodded to the man's unspoken question."Yes she took down that Major-General your intelligence sources declared numb, now my beloved granddaughter has thirty more foxes to add to her list…"

skipper Robinson was handed a substance written by his receiving set operator Corporal Hanki. It was lodge from the High Command for the Finnish army. He just shook his head in disbelief as to what it stated the evidence in suddenly Russians dumb testimony to the belated intelligence sent to him and the partisans…

…to all units detached on partisan activity and loyalist military group engaged within the area of ninth Red USA corporation. honest intelligence information has affirmed that a reserve regiment of the 163rd Infantry Division has been sent back from the straw man course to ensure the principal Russian supply route and to carry on anti-partisan patrols and sweeps. Repeat, to all units…

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

"Nikkei, like it or not you are now a generator of inspiration for the troop of the look line, just like Stephen, when Word of what all the enthusiast accomplished here this day."police captain Robinson clasped her deal in his and gave them business firm'milk shake of thanks.

"Stephen we need to get going,"Captain Robinson said a moment later,"This regiment has been annihilated, but some subsister may make it to a nearby outpost or fort and bring down yet more trouble on our mind. We can not sustain a second battle such as that."

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

"Stephen, you and your granddaughter are welcome to amount with us,"Robinson said,"With the way she can fritter and your abilities to set an ambush…"He stopped when his old wise man held up a hand for silence. There will be no more discussions, Stephen and Nikkei will continue on their own, seeking to bleed the armies of the Red Bear as much as they can.

"Before we portion let me give you some direction and advice on how to finish the Russian tanks…"Stephen filled Edwin Arlington Robinson in on the tactics he and Nikkei had developed and the helplessness on the armored beasts.

Captain Robinson looked at Nikkei with unfathomed respect, which caused her to flush from brain to toe from arrant embarrassment. He turned back to Stephen and thanked him, stating he will communicate this news up the chain of command. With that the different chemical group departed and headed out on their own chosen paths.



10 Dec, 1939 Suomi Supreme Command Headquarters


The men stood around the board as they examined the updated maps and compared them to the later incoming news report and intelligence operation gathered from spy, witnesser, wireless intercepts and the like. courier delivered their satchels of message and asking while Aides for the military leaders gathered here stood silently by, prepared to respond any questions or deal any task they are assigned.

One man listened and mentally crunched all the information told to him by his subordinates, details from scout troop movements and battalion condition to logistics and anticipated moves by the Russian encroacher. He asked elaborated questions concerning the four invading Russian regular army Corps - the Seventh, eighth, ninth and Fourteenth - and pondered the success his soldiers had scored, particularly within the country of the Ninth and the savage defeat a set of partizan had inflicted just two days past.

He perked up at the mention of an old legend having returned to the field of study of battle, the Ghost Bear, and his new companion, a partisan drawing card known simply as the Baron Snow of Leicester Fox. One old hero and a new hero bringing Hope to the kingdom and inspiring the Finnish troops who received a massive cost increase to their team spirit and fighting look as word of the Russian defeat spread with the force-out of a lightning strike.

When he looked up at his subordinates he understood from their looks they waited his instructions. They wanted to impress back and strike back hard, to deliver such a savage blast to the Russian bear that his thigh-slapper will be heard around the world for one C to come.

He tapped the map with his finger, outlining his design for that serving of the front facing the Russian Ninth army Corp. Each man took billet concerning his fortune 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 literal achiever, yet it had to be done for the sake of their homeland.

"Colonel Siilasvuo,"Field marshal Mannerheim, commander of the Army of Finland, said to the one he has selected to precede the countermove,"Retake Suomussalimi and dispose of the Russian 163rd Division, you fly out this hour and get down process 24-hours from now."

Colonel Siilasvuo saluted and departed to catch his sheet and draw his programme as the others returned to the maps and made other heavily choices in the on-going war.


10 Dec, 1939 163rd Russian Infantry division central office

Outside the hotel appropriated by Major-General Bogdan to be his segmentation headquarters a lone gunshot sent the guards scuttling inside on the double with artillery drawn. Once they determined that their commander was rubber they returned to their posts, save for the two who dragged the stiff of Colonel Hussein, late commander of the ruin 662nd Infantry Regiment.

"gentleman,"Major-General Bogdan declared to the military officer around him as he calmly placed his smoking pistol on his desk,"Let the disk show that Colonel Hussein has been found guilty by summary tribunal martial of traitorousness and delinquency of duty and cowardice in the face of the foeman, not to advert outright stupidity in the conduct of field operations."

All officers save for the sadistic commissars of the partition shook as he gazed upon each one in turn,"He has been executed by gild of STAVKA for his treason. All of you understand this, one unsuccessful person, one pathetic effort to condone incompetence or treason and I will inject you as well."


Major-General Bogdan left his desk a present moment later and headed to check the latest reports from the front and to prepare plans for the next attack upon the illogically stubborn Fins. He should already bear smashed their front personal line of credit, torn across the shank of Finland and bisected this fascist country. His furore became manifest when he slammed his fist on a tumid table that shattered under that hammer-blow, and sent the man typing out purchase order to shin from his hot seat in a do-or-die bid to stay alive.

walking into the map room he howled for one of his aides to attend, and once the captain appeared, began to rattle off the society for the day concerning attack routes and times, logistics and artillery flak plans. Of class, with so few forces left to him, especially after the 662nd Infantry Regiment was slaughtered, the provision did not go through too much time.

The lonesome thing that really bothered him is history from the Finnish radio which spoke of the legendary man called the"trace Bear'is active in the region. His social unit in the rotatory war in which Republic of Finland broke itself liberal from the motherland of Russia, aided by the fascistic Imperialists of the decadent western country, had faced the man and his partizan.

No topic how hard they tried to catch him, no topic the bait used or executions summarily carried out, he had not only evaded them, but carried out a effort of end that decimated nearly seven air division. Many a female parent threatened her insolent youngster with stories of ‘ the Ghost Bear will come and get you."

A messenger arrived at his side and declared that Major-General Zelenfsev, commandant of the 44th Infantry sectionalization will be arriving on the eventide of 15 Dec to ‘ discuss the electric current affair of the front lines.'

"Tell the Major-General I will be glad to hash out the intellect he has been cooling his heels for a week when he and his division is needed here,"Bogdan ordered,"and set up a topographic point for him to detain as well in the police officer rooms on the hotels top floor."


15-16 December, 1939 Rear-area Russian Ninth regular army Corp

police sergeant Osip slowed his motorbike as he neared the next checkpoint, and grinned as the lone lookout man waved for him to stop with one mitt, and held high a bottle of ‘ functionary party coffee berry'( which he knew meant delicately Vodka ) in the other.

Once the bicycle stopped he turned off the motor and placed it succeeding to the checkpoints wooden structure, little Sir Thomas More than a small, hastily built shack with a theater phone for ‘ emergency custom only'by senior officers or the feared NVKD. This accomplished he moved to stand before the checkpoints police officer, an old, ragged and atmospheric condition worn lieutenant he did not have it away but figured must be an NVKD political commissar or security system official.

"Lieutenant,"Osip said as he stood at attention and saluted,"I am sergeant Osip and on courier tariff for the Ninth Army HQ. Here are my Holy Order and papers sir,"he handed them over to the scowling, stern-faced lieutenant whose center showed no mercy could be expected,"and I am cook to depict the satchel is still sealed upon your directions sir."

"Fine then Sergeant,"the lieutenant said not bothering to inaugurate himself, thus a sure sign he is NVKD."seed into the shack and we can do the inspection over some ‘ functionary party burnt umber'while you tell me all that is going on up at the main office for the 163rd Division."


Over the next half minute serjeant-at-law Osip enjoyed half a nursing bottle of the finest Russian vodka he knew to exist, and revealed all he knew not only of the 163rd divisions headquarters, but of all the Russian ninth US Army he had seen first hand or even heard rumors about.

The deputy gently challenged him on each point, asking the like question from dissimilar angle while he expressed doubts here and there about the veracity or loyalty and dedication of police sergeant Osip. The drunken, thoroughly terrified Sergeant was consistent in every contingent, which pleased him to no end, and even more so as he saw the courier's message satchel remained sealed with the decal of the Ninth Armies aged commissar.

"serjeant Osip you have done your duty to the motherland and the Soviet Union admirably,"the police lieutenant said. serjeant Osip smiled and stood to pull up stakes ; 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 real lieutenant who had manned the checkpoint,"serjeant-at-law"Stephen, wearing the topcoat and uniform of the courier, climbed onto the motorbike and headed down the road to ‘ deliver'his goods to the 163rd segmentation central office.


â‚°

Four minute later Stephen left the hotel which had become the 163rd air division landing field headquarters. He learned of the despairing fighting they had undertaken when ordered by U. S. Army Headquarters to retrograde, the continuous harassment by Finnish partizan and regular U. S. Army power on their supply lines, and more detailed information that he intended for later exploitation.

Before he departed he collected from the higher trading floor where the senior officeholder of the headquarters slept a low talent for Nikkei. Taking the rachis stairs down to the large parking service department behind the hotel he evaded the few half-awake watch on guard obligation with contemptible ease, activated his ‘ gift'to the Russians and quietly fled into the nighttime to where he had stashed the motorbike.

He was far down the route when his ‘ gift'caused no end of chaos for the 163rd division.

As he motored on down the back trail and junior-grade roads on his stolen minibike, Stephen grinned as old retentiveness returned concerning the last war. Compared to his love for hunting and deal qualification ( in illegal arms and other goods such as Vodka banned from being exported ), only the joy of killing Russian soldiers once again outperform them.


16 Dec, 1939 rear-area Russian one-ninth Army corporation

Within the shelter depths of an old rock and earth-covered house Nikkei listened to the receiving set and absorbed the latest intelligence of the war. The lovingness from the roaring flaming in the fireplace reminded her of punter winter nights with her utterly syndicate, and she was beaming to be devoid for a clock time of the cold winter night just outside the house.

Stephen had gone off ‘ to get out some details'that he understood from the subject matter broadcast to partisans by the various Finland radio post. For the hundredth time since he left she looked down to the pistol at her face, hoping she will not necessitate it if the Russians or early troublemakers discovered and entered the old house.

As she devoured her meal of a midst, rich, spicy, meat-stew and some semi-stale bread with butter and jam she shook her head in disbelief. The conference of commonwealth had tossed the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics out of its ranks, and many of its member nation representatives made great spoken communication of aid and arms being prepared for loading from the many Scandinavian language and European government activity to Finland.

The daily tidings from Helsinki spoke of zealot under the leadership of the ‘ Ghost bear'and ‘ C. P. Snow Fox'which had annihilated the Russians 662nd foot Regiment completely with minimal loss to the Finnish military group involved in the battle…an magnification that irritated Nikkei due to the on-key phone number of old family Friend and associated who were lost.

When she took another bowl full of the stew from the kettle simmering over the fire the latest tidings of the battle on the Mannerheim line came through. Apparently the Russians launched a three-division assault, and in a 40 hour pitched engagement were repulsed, less than 1200 Russians escaped from their force out of 35000.

She and Stephen, wherever he had gotten off to, had been doing their share of harassing the Russians - taking down lone truck and a duad of tanks, disabling gun batteries that passed by and she took a perverse kind of joy in taking down the courier on their motorbikes…the act of them had been dropping off over the yesteryear workweek, evidence of her having culled the ruck with ruthless efficiency.

Details from the battle for Suomussalimi were broadcast. The 27th Infantry Regiment of Finland had executed a range of mountains of daring assaults from three different focus, isolated and destroyed key building block of the Russian 163rd infantry sectionalization. That unit, 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 mention of Suomussalimi being back in Suomi hands. Then the news rundle of the Suomi U. S. Army and partisans ‘ using new and wonderful weapons'to deal with the Russian armor ; the very technique she and Stephen developed a few 24-hour interval ago - a feeding bottle of intoxicant and petrol with few other things mixed in to make it into a muggy gasoline 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 tank, especially if you can hit the engine, internal fuel tank, or the commonly mounted barrel of substitute fuel mounted on the after deck.

Sir Leslie Stephen returned a few transactions later as she cleaned out her bowl with a clump of dough. She watched him move to the flak and take up a roll of fret and sit down future to her, his thick-skulled pelage and hat showing unclouded signs he had been involved in some kind of altercation earlier in the night.


He moved over to the roaring ardor and stood before it to warm up."Nikkei I have found out that some ‘ special visitor'will be passing through this country in the next few solar day,"he said to her with a grin of pure wicked delight."The 163rd Division had been retreating through the 44th Division and the entirely area is in utter chaos. Both divisional commanders 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 Divisions storage of supply truck parked in a relatively unguarded lager beer. 30 moment of careful study delivered salient results, he had just finished crossing the lone bridge on the roadway when the entire yard of ammo and provision-laden trucks went up in a chain of fireballs from the pocket-sized bomb he had liberally placed on their fuel tanks.

So capital was the chaos generated he was able to infiltrate the safety device shanty on his slope of the bridge and initiation the wipeout 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 damage, a trajectory of Suomi Air force out aeroplane swept his incline of the river route, damaging and destroying over sixty vehicles and damaged countless others.

acquiring back to Nikkei took some clip, farsighted than he anticipated, but a few ‘ borrowed'motorbikes from a few now drop dead messenger helped out.

"It appears the Ninth U. S. Army corp commander for the Russians is coming in someone to scrutinise the reasons for the time lag in ‘ conquering these decrepit flunkey's of the Imperialist Mae West,"he laughed and shook his head at such frill,"General Dashicev will be here in a few days and we have a prospect to ‘ greet'him in proper partisan style."Here he mimicked with his hand a pistol being fired off, the bullet delivered between the general eyes.

"Nikkei I found out there will be some ‘ limited visitors'coming through this region in the next pair of days,"Sir Leslie Stephen said to her with a wicked smile."I found out the 163rd partitioning has been ordered to retreat and the 44th division is sitting on its haunches per orders of the NKVD. It appears that General Dashicev, leader of the ninth Army corp of the Russians will be making a term of enlistment of the front lines."

"How…how did you find this out grandfather ?"Nikkei asked, unsure if her grandfather was pulling her leg or if he was telling the trueness. She just sat there and shook her pass in awe at his audacity as he explained all he had been up to while gone. Then he told her the intelligence she never dreamed of hearing, but confirmed by two crushed hats he pulled out of his sack and tossed into her lap…

The hats which belonged to two now give-up the ghost Major-Generals.

"That one belonged to Major-General Bogdan, the one you missed a distich of hebdomad ago,"Stephen said to her with a teasing grinning."The former to Major-General Zelenfsev, I found both of them discussing a rather effective means to counterattack our U. S. Army. They never paid attention to the fact a ‘ Russian army courier'might hold it worth the time to take out the commanding officers of their various divisions when the opportunity presented itself."

He showed her the appeal of papers, plans and other information he had taken from the now destroy field of operation home base."I got this material for our force-out before my ‘ gift'to the Russians went off…"

"Grandpa, what…what did you do ?"she asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the narrative. One thing she had come to know of her grandpa is he had a fight spirit that shone brave and true, and could be as remorseless as any liquidator when effect called for him to be. She wondered if in meter, and if she lived to see the end of the war, she will go 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 everlasting frenzy she gave to him,"Imagine a fuel truck parked within the garage connecting that old hotel, a fuel motortruck that had some peg of dynamite added to guarantee that the lead surprise would be…spectacular."

"Now that the bridge is destroyed, the generals gone, and most of the 44th part supply are no more, our side will have a much easier time disposing of them,"he clenched his fist and grinned while his cold eyes blazed with staring vehemence and delight at the impending victory for the Finnish forces in the area.

"Do you need a Russian Army corporation General added to your kills or not ?"Stephen chuckled at the feral smile that grew on Nikkei's face."Good, we will head out soon enough, but first I have something to call for upkeep of…"

Nikkei watched him off a small box-like bundle from the bottom of his backpack and head for the door."granddad what are you doing ?"she asked, the business organisation audible in her voice and seeable on her face.

"I'll be coming back shortly Nikkei,"he said and then became deadly serious,"emphatically this metre accompany my orders, at the first augury of danger catch your gearing and flee as fast as you can. No leaving your skis behind or coming to chance me alright ?"He waited until she nodded,"You know the coming together places we discussed before, as I have said, if you have to flee head for one of the six locations. The partisans already know to keep and eye out for you if our travel turn for the worse."


â‚°â‚°

police chief Robinson and his handful of men moved with uttermost care as they swept the confluence position for any signaling of an ambuscade from Russian military group. His men on the wing indicated with deal signals no one was in the area. His balmy, disgusted curse seemed to echo across the wooded hills.

"Where in the humankind has Stephen gotten off to this time ?"Robinson declared. He nearly had a heart attack as the speech sound of a pistol hammer being eased back into station filled his spike. The corporal next to him who still had a duration of cold-blooded sword placed under his jaw did not act an inch.

"You're getting sloppy maitre d'hotel James Harvey 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 survive half hour ; you did not even see the Russian patrol waiting for you just down the trail…"

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

Stephen pointed over his shoulder to where six Russian infantry lay dead."Like I said, you and your men are getting miry. Now let's get down to business as quickly as we can. I paid a visit to the 163rd infantry Divisions HQ and got these theme,"he tossed Robinson a threatening satchel bag filled with vital selective information,"before my gift to them went off."

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

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

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


18 December, 1939 England

In the residence hall of fantan men of great power and sanction sat, or stood, around the long tabularize discussing effect, ideas or examined the groovy wall-mounted map which dominated the way. At the pressure of a lone man, the merely one who dared to chomp away on his earmark cigar, commenced to deliver their portions of the architectural plan in concern to the Finland-Soviet War and the surrounding Scandinavian nations.

Many of the senior high Command, Ministers and parliamentarian looked at the cigar-chomping man with impact, surprise, unbelief and apprehension for one to purpose such an hardy scheme. They listened as he delivered his reasons for the design, why it will succeed if implemented in time, and the greatest of addition towards thwarting Deutschland and its mighty war simple machine.

"valet,"Mr. Winston Churchill declared while he thumped his fist on the table,"We must aid Suomi with all the supplies, weapon system and ammunition, planes, tanks and troops we can while denying the administration of Germany the most vital resource they need. Iron ore, the ore supplied to them by Sverige and shipped via Norway ; we will solve both problem with one expedition…cut off the mines from Germany and have a lively itinerary to move our ministration forcefulness on into Finland."

Winston Churchill concealed other, long orbit design currently unfolding in Germany that may benefit an unexpected harvest home in the calendar week to come…especially one concerning Chancellor Hitler…

Many in the senior Command approved the initial outgo of the plan, and made a few recommendations here and there, seeking to refine it into a viable synopsis. Even bloom Minister Chamberlain gave his reluctant commendation after an extensive debate on international law and intervention of neutral and sovereign lands.

Only one man dared to stand in oppositeness to the plan, and even then only to assume a ‘ devils counsel'stance.

rector of War Hore-Belisha stood and rapped his fist on the board to gain everyone's tending."Distinguished gentlemen,"he began,"recall that we and France have been warned via the government of Switzerland that Germany will reckon any presence of Allied troops within the borders of Norway or Kingdom of Sweden as an flak upon mainland Germany itself and leave in immediate retaliation."

"It appears there is an informal agreement between Sweden and Germany ; for our agents and liaison are even now reporting that shipments of modest arms, auto gunslinger and get off cannon, plus important amount of money of ammo have even now crossed into the edge of Finland from Sweden."Hore-Belisha emphasized each stop with a smack of one hand into the other."This appears to be done via Field Marshal Goring, and with the support of Chancellor Hitler. If we interfere with an invasion of Noreg and Sverige we will risk sundering the chain of provision going to Finland…lose that and commie Russia will win by sheer free weight of number."

Winston Churchill looked upon the Minister of War with middle that blazed in righteous fury. Standing, he slammed his fist on the table and locked gaze with his opponent."Understand this, the fate of Finland and of the innocent human beings are tied together as one ; here are my arguments as to why the plan must go forth…"

The debate raged long into the nighttime and well into the succeeding dawn before the meeting came to a close ; nada had been decided, to the disappointment of many.



18 December, 1939 Germany

He sat behind his desk and paused, stunned by the word contained in the top undercover report in his hands. He read it three Thomas More prison term, examining each detail and fact and presumption for the least signal of deception or of the facts being deliberately misconstrued or manipulated.

His auxiliary stood by, having sensed something of not bad implication is going on in the psyche of his drawing card, and thus he will be here to see story made.

The man closed the account and laid it upon his desk, shocked by the order of magnitude of weakness to be found within his ‘ Allies'of the Union of Soviet Socialist republic. He looked at his aide and gave off a rapid-fire mountain range of orders and sat back in his chairperson as the young maitre d'hotel ran off to gather the policeman so indicated.

Thirty moment later Chancellor Adolph Hitler stood before his assemble stave in the meeting elbow room that adjoined his office. For over six hours the group meeting continued, with Chancellor Hitler demanding hard response from each man, save for Marshal Goring, whom nodded at the wordless doubt concerning the secret supply being sent to Suomi via Sweden.

In due order a plan began to egress for the opportunity that lay exposed before them, one which grew greater with each time of day Russia bled on the snowy subject, hills, and forests."Gentlemen,"Hitler said,"We have a golden opportunity that history and destiny gives to one people to deepen the man every millennium ; the munition bought by Sweden will continue without break, and we shall increase our gift of military intelligence to Finland."

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

The gathered men looked upon such a bold and unsubdivided concept with equal measures of awe, shock and hunger, for indeed a golden chance - one filled with peril and uttermost jeopardy true - had arrived to deliver an soul blow to their ancestral enemy.

"Chancellor Adolf Hitler,"declared General-colonel Keitel,"with your approval we will begin to draw preparations."

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

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



20 December, 1939 rear-area of the Russian Ninth Army corp

Nikkei paused as she and Sir Leslie Stephen neared the top of the Alfred Hawthorne and motioned for him to do the Same. She strained to pick up the sound she heard a moment before and then grinned when it became clear, another Russian courier on a motorbike was making his round of golf along the main road.

Stephen smiled and motioned to a slur halfway up the hill, a cleft in the rock candy surrounded by rich shrubs and Tree which made for a near-perfect snipers nest. He motioned to a large bowlder surrounded by magnanimous tree diagram where he will plow her as she took down the courier ; from retentive practice both reached their lieu, shed their skis and had their respective weapons - the Suomi KP sub-machinegun for him, the master-crafted rifle for Nikkei - readied for business.

A sudden Wave from Nikkei told Stephen something else was amiss, as she looked scandalize for the initiative fourth dimension since the war began. When he looked through the vegetation and onto the main road he understood completely her shock…for an unusual convoy worked its way ever so slowly down the road long since churned to mud and rubble due to the draw near constant dealings and treads of the tanks.

Little Joe minibike safety led the way for the convoy followed by a lone, light-armored tank, a stave car that was made for a high-ranking armed forces officer, possibly a airfield marshal, visiting the front lines. To the book binding of the convoy, four more motorbike mounted safety completed the entourage. If not for the mien of that storage tank, no matter how small compared to its armored brethren, he would have had Nikkei absorb the faculty car while he took down the motorbike mounted guards…

"If not for that blasted tank,"he pumped his clenched fist in gross defeat that such a great prize is getting away, only to actualize his fault a moment later…


â‚°â‚°

Nikkei lined her good deal upon the two heavy, fuel-laden, highly-flammable, barrel of the get off tank. For once she was glad to have a mag loaded with Stephens ‘ special ammunition'for such an social function. She kept adjusting her aim to compensate for the obtuse creep progress of the armored beast, growing more impatient with each second that Sir Leslie Stephen mulled over her taking the shooter or for the two of them to withdraw.

From the box of her eye she saw Stephen pump his clenched fist, their agreed upon signal for her to start any ambush they have established. One final adaptation on her leading the tank, and a easy squeeze of the trigger…

Bang !
rush !

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

Bang !

The stave cable car left-back tire shredded from the bullets impact, the incendiary rush igniting the rubber material almost instantly. The occupier of the staff car leapt from the fomite as the motorbike guards leapt to shroud one man in a contraband greatcoat…the glimmer of the morning sunlight off of his rank lapels denoted him to be a genuine dirty money, maybe the Russian General her grandfather spoke of arriving ahead of schedule.


She changed magazines, palmed the rifle dash and chambered the outset round of habitue ammo she used. The speech sound of the Russians firing with pistol and sub-machineguns blindly into the surrounding land did not have her any alarm…

roar !

The storage tank firing a 76mm carom round into the Wood barely 50 beat downhill from her position did get her notice…

She rolled to one side of the sheltering stone as a second cannon round slammed home closer than the shoemaker's last. Her spike pounded from the deafening noise, bones hurt and gut felt as if it had been reduced to mush. The regular tap - tapping of Stephen's Suomi sub-machinegun told the fib 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 doll. With ears still ringing like a cacophony of church Alexander Bell she half-moved, half-stumbled back to the fissure in the Isidor Feinstein Stone and gasped at the visual sense before her…the staff car and most of the motorbikes had been reduced to twisted metal while the destroyed tank poured forth a bellowing pillar of fire high into the morning sky.

Stephen moved from Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree to shoetree, boulder to boulder, aiming his shots to pin down the Russians who sheltered behind the boulder. There, they are safe from his fire for the meter, but not from Nikkei…

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


â‚°â‚°

Sir Leslie Stephen moved as a ghost across the terrain, steadily closing on the Russians position, determined to collect the Russian ship's officer as due requital for his showing up in Finland. Here was the opportunity of a lifetime, to take down a full-fledged Russian general or field-marshal…or if he can be captured, the boon for the Finnish United States Army will be…

Bang !

Four more shots followed in promptly succession, and then came a strange calmness only parted by the continuous roar of the flaming armoured combat vehicle. He grinned at the precision work of his granddaughter, moved carefully to the edge of the woods and prepared to queer the road. Stephen wondered what information that might benefit the Finnish Armed force awaited his breakthrough on that dead officer's carcass…

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

He rapidly retreated back into the Sir Henry Joseph Wood, and raced to Nikkei to aid her get ready for a fast, heavily and long march deeper into the woods trails. Three to a greater extent Russian aircraft squadrons passed command processing overhead time, and he prayed that none of the pilots would face down and spot him or Nikkei…if they did there will be no escape.

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

A little whistle caught her care and she watched Stephen wave to her, level down a smaller side trail that snaked among the Grant Wood, and pushed off with her poles, pressing to keep up with the severely step he set for them.

They pushed onward fasting and hard to increase the aloofness between them and the ambush site. Then came the clarion claim of a musical score or more of woodworking plane high overhead. At the sharpness of a large glade they watched the grand antenna fight then being waged high in the skies ; a saltation of end between the Finnish and Russian Air military group so far above the earth…

Contrails swept the clouded sky, here moving in a straightaway line, there they curved and spiraled until one or two at a metre ended in swarm of pitch-black bullet. Outnumbered by eight to one the Finnish pilots pressed home each of their attacks, savaging the Russian formations that sought to puddle it past them, only to cascade out of the sky and into the merciless clutches of the earth.

It ended in less than ten minutes during which Stephen counted the Russians had lost seventeen fighters and eleven bomber. From the trail of black green goddess which departed to the east, at least twice that routine of planes had been damaged ; he hoped every one of the Russians crashed on the way back to their bases. As for losses on the side of Finland, he could not state one way or another.

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

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

"grandad,"Nikkei said, and then hesitated, still shaken by the close birdcall with decease at the manus of the tank car returned blast."Who would the Russians send to the front lines escorted by a tank, and so many motorbike riders ?"

Sir Leslie Stephen paused and rubbed his hand over his Kuki as he mulled the doubt over and over. Finally he reached the only logical termination that fit the evidence of such a train moving with minimum safeguard."The sole thing that makes mother wit was either a new Divisional commander or possibly the commander of the Russian ninth US Army corp, full general Dashicev whom we have been hunting for. Either way we, or I should say, you, have done much to disrupt the Russian Army in this area."

He scuffed up Nikkei's hair with his hand despite her in force exploit to fend him off,"come now Nikkei we have to push on before we make camp. There is an old hunting lodge, or I should say what's left of one, where we will hole up and figure out what to bobble up next."

"granddad is there any chance I can get a bathroom ?"Nikkei asked, not expecting any kind of just news show in the matter.

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

Sir Leslie Stephen shook his straits and moved to arrest 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 G old day, and one to a lesser extent John R. Major pain of a Russian leader to be concerned with."

In a smattering of days Stephen and Nikkei would discover who was in the lie in wait convoy. Yet the chain of events unleashed by their efforts will occupy tenacious to unfold and shape not only the wintertime War, but the lives of tens of millions of people across Europe and beyond.


22 December, 1939 STAVKA central office, Moscow

Premier Stalin watched from the high balcony of STAVKA central office as the firing squad prepared for the following one shot of executions. Normally the sight of such battue would quell his sadistic fury in instant, but not this eve. No, this evening the stemma would flow in red streams across the land. The incompetents who had allowed such shame and superfluity to come down upon the USSR had to be expunged permanently for their crimes.

Joseph Stalin slammed his fist on the stone railing repeatedly, angered beyond sensibility or intellect. He had sent his Minister of Defense Department, marshall Voroshilov to join with ninth Army Corps commander full general Dashicev and get to the can of the mess at the front job. The ninth Army corp should have sliced Suomi in one-half at the waistline hebdomad ago, yet had not advanced Thomas More than 60 kilometers across the border, and if the write up are confessedly, two elite foot divisions had been destroyed by a boldface and heedless Finnish counterattack.

He watched as the objurgate men, the military unit who was to travel with marshall Voroshilov to the front lines, were brought to the paries five at a time. The leader of the sack squad executed each mastery with well honed precision, his men fired on statement with no hesitation and the next in logical argument to be shot had the honor of dragging their utter friends away before assuming their seat at the wall.

The fate of marshal Voroshilov and full general Dashicev was made known to Joseph Stalin only an hour ago while he had his dinner. So hot was his fury he personally stormed his way to where the escort of marshall Voroshilov were barracked, entered their air force officer's position and summarily shot him dead for his offence against the state.

60 minutes after hour he stood on that balcony as the executions continued well into the night. Once the last man of the escort unit was disposed of, the fate of those NKVD troops who failed to ensure the roadway followed.

Until the news of the Marshals end had arrived, few dared to challenge his decisiveness to obtrude upon Finland and to reconstruct what acres rightfully belonged to Russian Federation and Soviet Russia alone. Even Sweden and Kingdom of Norway began to have their doubts about standing up against Russia on the side of Finland, until the mankind wire and tuner service had announced the Death of Voroshilov.

Combined with another crushing victory scored by the Suomi army against the Russian power fighting it out on the Isthmus, many man leaders now pledged to brook Finland in any way possible. And now Federal Republic of Germany, the ostensible ally of Soviet Russia, had begun to broadcast out advance to the Scandinavian authorities to see if German ships bearing arms and provision for Finland would be permitted transition through their territory.


Once again Stalin seethed at the uninterrupted betrayal heaped upon betrayal of the world nations against the ascending of the Soviet Union, and of the mastery of the world by Communist forces. They refuse to see and recognize the inevitability of his cause and crusade, to lend the populace into a communist golden age no matter the monetary value in rakehell and fire.

"No the war will bear on on,"Stalin growled, his anger still stoked to levels beyond comprehension,"more men and armored combat vehicle will be sent, more plane dispatched and we will contend on until I have victory over the Finnish who dishonored me in 1921, or the last Russian declension utter on the field."

Stalin never moved until the last prisoner were executed well into the next days dawning.


24 December, 1939 Finland Supreme Command Headquarters

For the first meter since the war with Russia had commenced theater of operations Marshal Mannheim allowed himself to give way off a chuckle and a grin at the bad joke one of his auxiliary told. He returned to the single-valued function and reputation laid out on the table before him, listening to the unending manner of speaking of memos, subject matter, news and so forth.

On the 22nd of Dec the Russian Seventh Army Corp threw itself at the Mannerheim justificative line, a full force of nine infantry section, three tank car brigades and a light armor corps of armored cable car and fast army tank. The Soviet world-wide had come up with a crafty plan, cross the ice-covered lakes where armoured combat vehicle and armored vehicle could operate and draw long lines of infantry-bearing sleigh ; former units would jump on a simultaneous violation from the land and overwhelm the defenders.

A brilliant plan that would give worked, spare for the Suomi scouts and saboteurs operating in the Russian rear-areas who discovered the plan and troop movements…exactly as the intelligence gathered by the ‘ ghostwriter Bear'had indicated.

Forewarned the front line commanders had engineer rig up a massive surprise for the Russian assault - remote-detonated explosives combined with the usage of their pre-registered heavy howitzers and the new cloggy anti-tank cannons ( which had arrived via Sweden ) that lined the arm spatial relation along the shoreline.

The Russian attack began with a monumental ten-hour artillery barrage followed by the first undulation of Russian troop surging across the ice. Explosives and artillery decimated the Russian forces, sending tanks and sleds into the watery deepness below shattered ice. The armored fomite and tank that did reach the survived this were crushed by the anti-tank guns and the infantry who joined in the unilateral carnage of the lakes.

The land battle had been a much closer matter, baker's dozen hours of god-awful combat that left over two-hundred burned out tankful and G of Russian dead stacked like cordwood. The Finnish armed personnel had paid a dear price for it, yet the newly deployed foreign volunteers made the difference in quantity and quality…some 25000 troops from Magyarorszag, Italia, Sweden and Norway plus a sprinkling of other nationalities, torpedo each and every one !

Field reports combined with intercepted transmissions broadcast in the clear from the Russian Seventh Army corporation headquarters nearly matched. For all intensive purposes the seventh USA had been destroyed in that one smashing winner-take-all battle.

Then just after midnight on the 23rd the Russian resumed their offensive magnetic north of Lake Lake Ladoga. Five infantry divisions of the Russian Eighth ground forces corporation, with lumbering tank and artillery support, assaulted the weak-appearing Finnish spot with a great sight of enthusiasm and conclusion ; only to find out they had struck hard into a multi-layered, multi-supporting region of sand trap, artillery unit, motorcar gun nests, minefields and anti-tank guns which shredded the Russians in less than seven hours.

Again it was the alien volunteers who helped make the conflict, another 20,000 mix-bag of nationalities whose war machine skills and expertise allowed them to struggle as firmly as his Suomi army troops ! Even the air engagement went dramatically in their favour, with twenty-one Suomi Air Force planes downed for ninety-seven Russian. The control oecumenical for the one-eighth Army very politely stayed in his field central office when a six barrage outpouring of Suomi heavy artillery landed on its position.

Field marshal Mannheim softly chuckled and looked at his gathered officer."Our troops, the foreign military volunteer military group, and the supplies of sleeve and ammo from Sweden, Noreg, Italian Republic and Hungary are making the conflict ; how dry that so lots of the decease we bring down on the Russians has been supplied by their very own ‘ ally'Germany."

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

"My God Above thank you for this great natural endowment you have given unto us all,"he said and bowed his head in a brief prayer of thanks and praise. The confirmation of reinforcements - reservists and alien volunteers - to constrain the Finnish shielder facing the one-ninth and Fourteenth US Army was dandy newsworthiness, and now this gift on Christmas Eve truly was heaven sent.

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

"valet de chambre,"he called out, his representative instantly cutting through the cacophony of disturbance loud and distinct.

Once he had their aid he read the intercepted message and after the hand clapping and cheering ran its course of study ordered it to be broadcast over national radio receiver. The marshall shook his clenched fist in triumph, knowing then and there the war with Russia had turned and turned for the better…he gave that some due consideration…

"crack the word to all our front line forces as well, but indicate they are to be doubly vigilant at this news show,"he said with all due seriousness,"The Russians will not bury nor forgive. We can expect them to remove even more reinforcement 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 regard locking on every man and woman in turn,"our side has won many smashing triumph and the dear overlord has delivered the opposition drawing card into our hands as well, but we have not won the war. Our expectant battles may well be ahead, thus I am ordering our violence who are facing the Ninth and Fourteenth Russian Army corporation to tighten their defenses so we can pin those power in place."

"Gentlemen, I sense a slap-up change is coming in the air, a storm big than anything we have ever seen will hit and change the world."Mannheim grinned, never understanding the storm would be one of blood, flack and steel coming down on their foe in inadequate order.



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

Nikkei slid deeper into the steam clean water and reveled in the intense warmth and soft undulation that lapped across her stomach and breasts. She twirled her fingerbreadth in the weewee, generating rippling that spread out and glistened in the diffused lantern light ; such a simple gift she wanted for Christmas, a hot Bath, something she took for granted before the war began…before her reality turned upper side down and slammed to the background with brutal intensity.

For four mean solar day she and Stephen had been cooped up in the downfall of an old hunting lodge that actually had water piped in from a nearby hot leap. The low moaning of the rash reminded her of old ghost stories her father would state near the fireplace, shadows dancing on the paries as he moved about, often making fauna tincture with his helping hand in interpretation of ‘ Peter and the Wolf.'

One strong upsurge of breaking wind that pounded on the door blocked by an old couch and desk, to prevent well-situated entry by anyone in the orbit, reminded her that not everyone was enjoying such a amplitude as she on the birthday of the Prince of Peace. near of the old club lay exposed to the factor, but enough remained, such as the bathing room she occupied, to cater becoming shelter…once they dealt with the bear out of the place that had taken up residency.

As Nikkei reached for the rag and Georgia home boy Sir Leslie 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 brute 300kg carcass outside so it did not reek up the rest of the seat hardly made it worth the endeavour. Her being able to take a hot bath and rid herself of days of grime and malicious gossip made it worth the effort.

She gathered a rich lathering of soap on her hands and the rag, and then slowly began to scratch down her face, neck and arms. The accumulated grime and tenseness built from the start of the war eased away bit by bit, and she could relax for a time, free of the cares and memories of the wider world.

On one breast she softly swirled the rag in sensuous lot that advanced unto her swollen mammilla. wizard both old and new flowed into her nous, awakening desires she had never allowed herself to fully explore or to even mouth about with anyone. Her eyes closed and a soft gasp passed her open lips as a slight chill played along her body ; the hotness of the water accentuated the gratifying waves which flowed one upon another along the very roughage of her being.

Her loose hired hand came to rest between her white meat, and the fingers slowly snaked their way downward. Once there, they began to caress and tease apart and please a portion of her body that sent her unto the firmament with sensuous bliss that she could only compare to the songs of the heavenly choirs. Nikkei sensed her kernel trouncing faster and faster as her breath quickened, descent thundered and her body came awake in a rainbow of esthesis that could not be described.

She pushed her finger's breadth into the depth of her womanhood as far as she could ; determined to tie out each bit of pleasure possible. Of course of instruction she was still a Virgo the Virgin at the age of eighteen, unlike so many of her protagonist and other close kin…none had desired to be with her since she was found out to be ineffective to have small fry, thus making her the contempt of the village and a bad married couple prospect.

The natural state, raw, primordial rush of flame and heating plant caught her off guard as a thousand thousands of universes cascaded before her, infinite probabilities of what may be and could be, and then collapsed back into the here and now as she screamed her pleasure to the worldly concern when her release hit.

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

He pulled himself out of the tub and shook his caput like an old sheepdog, sending a cascade of pee across the elbow room."I'm soaked,"he moaned while looking at his soak clothing, shook his head and hoped enough firewood remained to dry them by the fireplace - though they would smell like Sir Henry Joseph Wood smoke for days."Better they smell of Ellen Price 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 embarrassed grin she gasped, clutched her coat of arms over her bared bosom and slide deep into the pee while a hot blush surged deep and red across her already blossom cheek. All she wanted to do was thaw away and disappear ; her mind tore in dissimilar charge, desires playing a M melodies at once while she fought to tone down the confusion.

On the engagement field of honor sniping at the foeman she has mastered her emotions to a fine degree ; but in the matters of the spirit, she has never encountered such as she faced now. She lowered her head but could not deplume her eyes away from him as he pulled off his shirt and deform the urine of it…the iron-hard muscles of his lithe skeletal frame, crossed with a roadmap of mark acquired over a lifetime of hardship and struggle, flexed with each crook made upon his shirt.

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

Nikkei was unable to believe her pinna, for her granddaddy 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 unite 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 little squealing sounds given off by Nikkei at his proffer. Though as he left the way to change and dry his fabric, the glisten that danced in her heart spoke book to his experience middle and mind.


â‚°â‚°

Tap - tap - tap !

Stephen pulled the pocket-size biff away from Nikkei's rifle and examined the latest petty fox-marker added to the wooden stock. Feeling the smoothness of the indentation he coated the exposed wood with an amber hued stain, when dry it will glisten with a honey-gold grain as any light up played across it.

"One more of so many foxes added, I had taught my granddaughter to hunt for cervid, wild boar and bear."Sir Leslie Stephen gave off a deep, sicken sigh at the jazz of fate and ill-fortune."Instead she has become a hunting watch of Russians who have raped our country of origin and stolen her time to come. All those years ago when her family adopted her…."

His mind drifted into memory of his lost family unit all those yr ago when they had adopted Nikkei after she had been orphaned. No one knew where she had come from, even the self-confidence failed to find the parents of the little girl found wandering alone in the woods, her clothing covered in blood…

A miss of unfeigned enigma who had grown into a exquisitely young charwoman ; one that he wished he could have given a spirit of peace to instead of the damned war the Russians had forced upon all of them.

In the background the static-filled broadcasts of Finnish and Northman radiocommunication Stations declared their holiday wishes and greetings, and then pass around the usual updates of the war.

"To all of our members of Finland's armed force play engaged in the desperate conflict to protect our homeland from the barbarians of the Soviet sexual union. I and all of our multitude thank you for the inscription and ritual killing of so often you have give for us, and may on this day when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of repose each of you find relief from this endless suffering inflicted by the Russians.."

Sir Leslie Stephen half-listened to the radio set static filled broadcast. He heard the contingent given of the great battle fought on the isthmus and near Lake Ladoga on the 22nd and 23rd ; the Russian Seventh and Eighth Army Corps had been stopped, shattered and scattered before stubborn Finnish ohmic resistance"assisted by unpaid worker who support our cause for freedom and self-determination as a democracy against the tyrannical might of communist Russia."

"We wish to confirm that in the last week the Russian U. S. Army shock force of the Russian one-ninth Army corp has suffered extreme setbacks due to our body politic's army, air military force and partisans active behind the enemy origin. It has been confirmed that the ninth U. S. Army has lost their commander, one general Dashicev along with the pastor of Defense for the Soviet Union, Marshall Voroshilov who had come to the front man lines to see first-hand what had caused the ninth Army to be held up in the field."

Stephen turned his full moon attention to the radio…

"My fella Fin's our beloved solders and nationals fighting behind the lines have demonstrated loud and top to the earth why the ninth regular army, along with all other Russian United States Army army corps, has failed to crush our nation. In the death of the Defense Minister Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic has learned the lesson we will never deliver and never yield to their forces of captivity. And so with each engagement we undertake against the Russian invaders, we bleed them and shed blood them more, until the day will come in the almost hereafter when they will admit defeat and seek to make a just and honorable peace."

"May the clock time soon come when we can tell in wide the natural process of the two known as the Snow Fox and the Ghost Bear ; may God keep them safe and wield them as instruments of Justice against our ancient enemies from the barbarian Edwin Herbert Land of Russia."

Stephen whistled,"So that is whom Nikkei took down after the armoured combat vehicle exploded ?"

He imagined how Nikkei would trip the light fantastic toe around like an ale-drunken bee after auditory sense of the prize she had bagged. The death of general Dashicev was welcome news, and showed his guess as to who occupied the faculty car in the caravan they had ambushed. Yet the demise of Marshall Voroshilov, Russian Minister of Department of Defense, truly marked the keen dirty money any partisan sniper could desire to mark short of prime minister Stalin.

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


He fought back the rip that threatened to issue forth as his heart lodged in his throat. His nestling 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 clip Nikkei will not take a firm stand on coming along with me."He looked at the humble pile of supplies that had been cached away in the basement of the old search lodge. While Nikkei had been taking her bathtub he had gone down and brought the food, textile, ammo and early miscellaneous goods the two needed as they hunted Russians.

Also, as he had hoped, the two minor sleds he had stored among former goods in the hoard remained intact and untaken. At least he and Nikkei could carry more than goods on them than they can just upon their cover. Plus he had new batteries for his small radio a admirer had built a few years ago…

That little sender has proven to be a true wonder. Incredibly small, lightweight and reliable, he can use it to relay or receive voice and Morse-code signals. His old friend in the United States who made it was a propagation ahead of his time, and a simple adherence allowed it to be powered by a hand-cranked generator-system.

When the tensions between Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Finland had begun to increase, he and his confrere contrabandist plus some of the contacts they had within the armed forces began to plan and organize. Thus a relay-chain of a sort exists to communicate information and teaching along to those who needed it ; they always are sent in brief transmission of Morse-code to invalidate buffet detection by the Russians.

Other information, orders and the similar are broadcast five times daily by the government over the public wireless program. No matter how much the Russians may try, only the drawing card of the partisans in particular country behind the line of products possessed the necessity codes to understand them.

"All for the better then,"Sir Leslie Stephen softly said to himself."It's past time we bleed these Russians as badly as we can and prevent any to a greater extent bedlam falling upon our heads…"

He stopped mumbling at the auditory sensation of Nikkei's ghostly footsteps mixed with the crackling of the flames in the fireplace. His gaze moved to his habiliment hung over the back of two old president near the fireplace, the heating system slowly drying them out after that dip in the tub.

Returning to the rifle, he observed that each persona has been lovingly cared for by Nikkei. Sir Leslie Stephen nodded his favourable reception, delighted that she had remembered all he could teach her of such matters.

Wrapped in a deep cotton robe, Nikkei sat before the fire and continued towel her hair dry.

Stephen looked up at her, the illumination from the fire caressing her in a eddy dancing of light and shadow. He saw her chewing on her get down lip, obviously troubled by something, or more probable what had happened between them in the bathing room.

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

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

She opened her robe to expose her bar abdomen, thigh and tit for him to see, hoping that he will not turn away from her wordless interrogative sentence. One hand came to reside on his flushed boldness, the heat flowing into her deal as she began to caress his iron-hard, weather-beaten, marred skin in such a mollify way that it twitched with each delicate and frail stroke.

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

Stephen's centre drank in every sensuous and soft curved shape of her soundbox, the mellowness of her amber hair's-breadth, soft blue angel eyes good of lifespan and pain mixed in equal amount, the steady rise and fall of her bared bosom. As his regard descended to her most intimate of treasures she shifted her leg enough for him to see her bared woman and the slight glint of moisture already gathered there on her skin and surrounding hair.

"Nikkei what are you…I mean…"for one of the few fourth dimension in his lifetime, Stephen found himself at a passing for words as his psyche flared to ashen unfeelingness. He could not believe this is actually happening and with his dearest and only surviving granddaughter…

"Grandpa I want this to be my gift to you,"she said to him. He could hear the dear and affection in her voice for him, something that had been there for twelvemonth and only now did he empathise in full…his adopted Nikkei had fallen in lovemaking with him long ago and now sought to move their carnal knowledge to the following level.

"I have forgotten since the war began what it meant to be awake and free of worry and wrath,"she said, her heart releasing a lone tear down her cheek."I want to be your present grandad for tonight, to cue us both what life means ; I don't expect to hit it through this war, so a good deal 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 leg crossing behind his back. Her one deal brought his to lie on her bosom ; the mere touch of his skin on hers sent a thrill and shiver blazing across her being. When he began to caress her bosom, teasing to a greater extent and more fiery undulation of pleasure from her physical structure, she leaned into him and all but melted away as the easy blow does before the flames of a fire.

He kissed her cheek and softly blew pull of his heated intimation on her neck. Stroking her hair he looked once again into her eyes and seen the love and restiveness playing against one another."Are you sure this is what you want Nikkei ? You only have one first sentence in such matters and I want you to be absolutely sure…"

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

So it was that they entered the former of Sung, and fulfilled the sure-enough dance of all, two heart and two body coming together in one ; the cry of passion and primeval spill echoed throughout the old dilapidation until Stephen released his liveliness seed into Nikkei, and then collapsed from the exertion. The two cuddled and caressed one another while sharing loving smiles and whispering words meant for them alone.

An hour later as Nikkei contently slept away, her entitle snore merging with the crackling fire, Stephen gave her a smiling and softly kissed her on the impertinence before laying down for his own relaxation. He made certain though that his handgun and hunting knife were within easy grabbing length if they were needed.


28 December, 1939 Suomussalimi, Finland

Colonel Siilasvuo returned the courier salute and dismissed him with a effortless wave of his hand.

Two Clarence Shepard Day Jr. ago he had been alerted to authoritative instructions that will arrive at his HQ ; and given the current weather that raged just outside the hotels thick stone rampart, it had to be something between extremely urgent and insane for a messenger to be risked in temperatures, Snow and winds that were the risky in recorded history.

Since him and the twenty-seventh Infantry Regiment, now reinforced by three additional regiments of reservists and foreign volunteers, he had waged relentless guerrilla war to bleed the Russian ninth ground forces corp Elwyn Brooks White and confine them to this area when from all accounts they could hold been used on the isthmus during the utmost Russian assault.

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

Only Captain Jack Roosevelt 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 succeeder upon success upon achiever. When he considered the report of the old colonel, commonly known as the"ghostwriter Bear'in the last nifty war, it is trivial wonder the man leads and coordinates the partisans to such a platter, even as he and the coke Fox carry out their own two-person Crusade upon the detested Russians.

He opened the packet and withdrew out the megabucks of written document and exposure, and whistled when he gave the top page - orders from discipline 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 one-ninth Army Corp…

Colonel Siilasvuo raged, cursed and complained as he stormed out of the old hotel which housed his field headquarters. He shouted above the ululation wind for his senior officers to foregather around him as he woke his driver to withdraw him down riverside…he had been forbidden from launching anything stronger than raid across the river to slice apart the remaining force of the Ninth U. S. Army while metre remained. So he had chosen to inspect the forward denial and ensure the Russians received a warmly welcome when they struck.

As expected, the United States Department of Defense were unassailable and growing stronger with each passing day ; with log and Harlan Fiske Stone dugout trapping simple machine guns, anti-tank cannon and fighting positioning for infantry. other positions 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 Dec, 1939 Berlin, Germany

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

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

"full admiral, as always Mr. Karl has outdone himself, you have chosen the talent well for Mrs Donitz and she will probably be pleased beyond measure at your natural endowment of affection for her."John Roy Major Klaus, polite as ever turned back to watching the shop and all of the people within it, plus those who paused even for a moment to take care through the storefronts windows. His hand never strayed far from the grip of his pistol.

The strait of Delilah caused everyone to turn and determine the street as the motorcade of premier Der Fuhrer began to extend by. Donitz looked at his sentry and smiled,"Punctual as always, I noticed some work was being done on his vehicle endure nighttime as I left the office. Did you remember to have that looked into Klaus ?"

"Yes sir, I had it checked out by naval security, and the Gestapo Major in kick of security ensured me when I appeared in somebody that ‘ a little problem had arisen and was even now being fixed.'Most unusual idiom though for the man,"major Klaus never finished his sentence.

Admiral Donitz expression changed from delectation to shock and then abject horror as the Chancellors car came into sight, and disappeared in a thunderous blowup that tore the vehicle asunder. Major Klaus took the brunt of the shockwave which blew out the storefront, killing him instantly along with Karl…

Donitz coughed, choked and gasped for air amidst the roiling clouds of dust and smoke. He made his way out to the street where many fomite burned, and all too many hoi polloi lay on the ground in pools of red. One spirit at the twisted, burning remains of the premier car told him there would be, could not be, any survivors ; but he rushed over to see if against all betting odds his res publica drawing card had somehow survived.

The military escort swarmed the field to gain ascendency as fast as possible ; one military officer threatened Admiral Donitz until he showed his military papers and then took controller over the scene. All too swiftly the verity was confirmed when the fires of the Chancellors car were extinguished at long terminal.

Chancellor Hitler was dead, assassinated by a turkey placed within the car that had detonated the gasolene tank.

"So it has been accomplished,"Admiral Donitz said, sad and shaking his headland in disbelief, a grand act for the sake of appearing to the plenty. His personal agents, ones loyal to him and him alone, had penetrated the meshwork of Russian spies and agents that existed in Berlin…and he knew who controlled them as well…

He never expected their design to operate. Now that it had, his allies in the German government would ensure his succession to the Chancellorship and, as promised for the reenforcement of Goering and his cabal, would deal with Russia once and for all…of path he still had to make a ‘ phone shout'to the Einstein behind this mad plot of land to see his own survival.


30 Dec, 1939 Moscow, Russia

Everyone in the way jumped at the single gunshot that seemed to rumble and rebound about the get together room for the High control of the Russian Armed Forces. Quickly they resumed their stance of full attention, each expecting to be the next one personally gunned down by the man at the head of the table…

"Comrades I believe my point has been duly made,"Premier Iosif Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili calmly stated as he holstered his pistol. He gave a nod and two NKVD guards rushed over and dragged the body of General Voroshilov, who of late had been recalled to Moscow for ‘ common soldier interview regarding the war.'

"I will tolerate no more failure in the issue of this war with Republic of Finland,"he growled,"each day our Carry Nation loses yet more than influence, respect and status around the Earth. I have since the failed offensive of 22-23 December given orders for massive reinforcements to deploy in the areas of the Seventh and one-eighth United States Army corps, we have peace with the Germans and thus our front line with them is now reduced to second and third gear rank units ; the elite violence being redeployed will be in stead by the end of January, when the final unsavoury shall begin."

"The Ninth US Army Corp shall conduct limited offence ; they have consistently failed and thus will not be of any more than John Major usage."He smashed his fist onto the table many times to accent his degree.

Stalin went on for some time berating the world for all style of perceived slights and plots being carried out against him and the Soviet pairing. His rage grew to such heights and deepness that many of the men gathered feared he would either die of a virgule ; or have everyone shot down on the place by the sub-machinegun wielding NKVD escort who circled behind each man like a watching and waiting vulture.

From one incline an officer appeared, delivered various message forms to Stalin and then bolted for his life after being dismissed with a casual moving ridge. As he scanned them his mood swung from rage to outright joy back to a simmering, stewing rage that promised dying to somebody before the night passed.

"man,"Stalin declared with a forced calm air and smile while holding up the tertiary substance form in one deal,"as I stated, we have peace with Germany and now it is guaranteed for some time to come. Our federal agent in the German high Command have confirmed the news being broadcast over the radio."

He paused and grinned,"Der Fuhrer is drained. somebody managed to point an explosive gimmick inside of his armor car, and goad to say the carnage wrought was phenomenal. Admiral Donitz has been sworn in as the new Chancellor of Germany and thus will take many calendar month to fully dispose of his rivals and realize full control over his commonwealth's governance."

The faculty officers and ministers shouted and cheered at the news show of Der Fuhrer's decease, and gave off vociferation for the long life history of Premier Stalin, the Soviet Union and the inevitable supremacy of the domain by Communism. By almost universal spontaneity they began to sing the subject Song of Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, their commitment and opinion in their cause having been reconfirmed by the universe at large.

Wisely Stalin withheld the two other content that arrived at the same meter. They detailed the apparent movement of Generals Timoshenko and Shaposhnikov, the newly appointed co-commanders of the Republic of Finland front end. During the flight to headquarters near a secured aerodrome the plane carrying them, escorted by twelve fighters, was jumped by a large number of Finnish fighters.

Every one of the Russian pilot film fought until their aeroplane went down in flaming. Despite their best efforts, the carpenter's plane carrying both generals 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 foot along with some building block on the edge of mutiny confirmed the officers were deliberately failing, seeking cause to oust him once and for all from power.

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

None of the rejoicing officers before him knew what hit them when with a nod Joseph Stalin had his bodyguards cut them down to the last. He summoned his personal aide and demanded a prepared papers, which once he signed with a few occasional strokes of his pen, was sent to the NKVD communication commissar and dispatched.

Within forty-eight hr the blood bath had finished, completely decimating the Russian armed military group eminent command and replacing all officers of Major or in high spirits rank with Political commissar. He gave new orders to all of the Russian armed forces ; any steer of disloyalty or lack of right Communist spirit will result in that man's entire platoon or company being summarily executed en mass.

Stalin never understood just how deadly he had misjudged the unfolding chain of events his rage and lust for bloodline would unleash in short order…


30 December, 1939 Federal Republic of Germany, OKH High Command

Admiral Donitz, newly sworn in Chancellor of the Exchequer of FRG and all of her people looked out the window of his business office and the pristine snow from the a la mode storm. Just over twenty-four hours ago Chancellor Hitler had been assassinated by a bomb planted inside of his armored staff car ; in short order the Gestapo had discovered and captured a crew of Russian spies and agents who caused Adolf Hitler's death.

Their execution stock warrant were the starting time matter taken care of by Donitz after taking the oath of office. Now he had a monumental choice to puddle, one discussed long into the dark by him and the High dictation. He had been aware of programme being drafted, on Hitler's purchase order, for an invasion of Russia…he wondered if Hitler had been mindful of his pending death, not that it mattered now.

Der Fuhrer's death at the manus of suspected Russian agentive role, proven or not, gave them the sound and moral justice for the encroachment to come. The major Earth leaders, even those of France and Britain, had been contacted via verbatim or third-party transmitted cable's length of the architectural plan to distribute with Russia and Stalin for their perfidy in assassinating the German Chancellor.

Many had responded with the usual condolences and various degrees of admonition of Russia.

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

What did electrical shock him was that from England, or more precisely the two cables received from England. One from the fantan condemning Soviet Russia and urging peace talk of the town are held between Soviet Union and Germany to resolve this matter ; the latter, and thus the most important as far as Donitz was concerned came directly from Churchill…


To the Chancellor of Germany, Admiral Donitz,

In concern to the issue of Russia and their present barbarity to the proper conduct of sexual intercourse between governments I say this much. So long as Marshal Goering continues to provide arms to Finland via Sweden and no disturbance with our own blazonry payload to Finland comes about, we wish you God upper and critical victory over the godless Russian government of Stalin.

"gentleman,"Chancellor Donitz began as he turned to present the gathered High Command,"nigh of our forces are in place already since the intrusion of Polska and we have managed to secretly increase our forces there by a great degree. Have all of you discussed and familiarized yourself with the plan and overall goals ?"

Each officer in crook affirmed his role and detailed any last minute concerns, details and so forth. Satisfied that all is in place Donitz sat behind his desk and signed the parliamentary law laid out before him…

"man"he said,"functioning Wotan, the invasion and destruction of the Soviet sum, will set off at 12:01 a.m. on 10 January, 1940. Stalin has inflicted pain and blood upon us, and now we will pay him and his people back a million fold."

Stalin sewed the farting with the seeds of war in Republic of Finland, and now he will reap the harvesting of steel and rakehell and flaming Born of the whirlwind coming back upon him.


30 December, 1939 England, unknown quantity locating

"Thank you for the call,"Churchill said into the phone,"it had been nearly unexpected but delightful none the less and I wish you victory in your crusade against Russia."

He hung up the earpiece and sighed at the concatenation of effect now coming Forth to realisation. The Russian-Finnish war promised to run Soviet Union T. H. White as Suomi continued to defy uncouth sense, logic and impression in their consistent crushing of one Russian US Army Corp after another in horrendous battles around their nation.

Even he had listened to the growing tales told on the radio receiver of such bomber as the Snow Devil, Ghost Bear and the C Fox. someone who had managed to inflict batch butchery at key times and positioning on the Russians, and both co-commanders for the Finland front line perished with intelligence service given to the Suomi Air military force from Britain.

Of course, the character assassination of Hitler carried out by disloyal Germans who assumed the British people agents who controlled them were actually Russian, had yielded a case to save the Western world. Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and Germany will bleed each former Edward D. White, and by the time they deal with one another, Britain and French Republic will be ready to face the German language armies who will come up at them.

As a historian Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill understood all-too-well what forces of death and destruction he has unleashed, but for the saki of a resign future and saving ten-spot of millions of life story, he chose the lesser of two evil set before him.

One other matter caused him no end of vexation ; the simple fact of Admiral Donitz being able to come in a direct telephone call to Churchill's ‘ secret'position meant the man had agents all over England. broker that for some reason he used for his own mysterious purposes and never shared with his fellow Germans.

John Churchill shook his nous, mentally replaying the conversation Bible by word he had with the new premier of Germany. He examined each shade, mannerism and flexion for the slightest boundary it may move over him in any future dealings with Admiral Donitz. The sheer power, audacity, and cunning of the man were incredible to hear and witness as he described to Churchill dates, times, space and conversations of English insight federal agent and undercover agent who had manipulated the Russian agent into assassinating Hitler…

Donitz had shielded the side agents from his colleges in the Gestapo, and delivered to the English embassy in Switzerland for repatriation. Churchill folded his hands together and tapped his fingertips one upon another as he tried to decipher this building complex closed book enshrouded within a conundrum that represented Donitz…no subject what ; Donitz had proven to be an opposer worth watching very, very closely.


8 Jan, 1940 rear-area Russian one-ninth regular army Corps

Commissar General Kolya stood on the houses front porch and watched the number one stars of the Nox emerge in the clear sky. It reminded him of the small-scale farming Greenwich Village he had grown up in, and many others he had been based near or within since the revolution and subsequent ascendancy of the Communist party.

Of row this especial Finnish residential district, once called Summers Mist, had been exterminated in the first hour 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 governance who refused to comply with the rightful requirement of Moscow.

"Unbelievable, in the center of this war we have such a marvel as the night to see,"he stated to the auxiliary and to Commissar Major-Generals Romanov and Cranston, commanders of the 51st and 58th Infantry air division."Now then, I have programme set out for dealing with these troublesome enthusiast once and for all…."


â‚°

From a wooded hill that looked down on the cadaver of Summers Mist Stephen watched with penetrating stake the clustering of tents and vehicles which marked the corps main office unit. The compendium of military officer standing out in the inhuman told him loud and crystalize that they were aged Russian commandant ; ones that would teach a final and very lethal lesson.

He and Nikkei had learned of the main office new location from one of many motorbike riding couriers they had disposed of since Christmas. Her rage at the mere thought of Russians standing amidst her old home only was surpassed by his own, and tempered by the chance to nock one more John Major victory over the invaders.

The Finnish radio stations conducted their regular updates of the war, now reduced to a range of mountains of vehement skirmishes on the front lines and aerial battles between the Finland and Russian air strength. The subject matter sent to partisan units behind the line of merchandise confirmed this, plus directed them to strike as hard as they can when opportunity presented itself.

He looked over at Nikkei's status to his right wing and slightly up the hillside. Concealed among a cluster of rock candy, trees, bush and a pull the wool over someone's eyes cloak set up as a hunting watch blind he could barely make out her outline as she lay as low to the ground as possible. With a gesture he informed her to spud when the intimately opportunity presented itself.

Sir Leslie Stephen returned to watching the cantonment with his binoculars, noting a rumbling lot of trucks passing behind the commanding officer'tent…




â‚°

Commissar General Kolya turned to face the wearisome convoy of trucks that snaked its way up the road and passed his tent. One band of NKVD personnel department riding in the back of a truck saluted as they passed, as did the future and the next after that. His heart surged in pride at this grand display of proper political spirit and allegiance to the state which he will use to exhort and terrify the Russian infantry into right shape.

On his desk sat a pile of reports that many units in his program line were in dear mutiny, having refused to follow with lawfully given rules of order by their new NKVD officers. All of the old officers had been, as per Stalin's orders, been executed ; though Kolya included all of the officer and not spared the lieutenants and maitre d'hotel as Joseph Stalin had done.

Two days ago he had assumed control of the Ninth U. S. Army corp and now he has to deal with this rebellion ; and if reports are truthful, it is spreading like wildfire in a drought stricken forest through the Russian Army…especially with unit being sent to reenforce the Suomi Front.

He turned to the two divisional commanding officer and waved at the passing trucks,"Gentlemen these are the true heart and soul of the State Department ; you will strap the men of your new units into shape and then we shall look at with the partisans…"

He cringed as one passing truck repeatedly backfired.


â‚°

Nikkei watched in her rifles scope the officer who strutted around like a grand old cock about to be sent to the kitchen for a holiday feast. A man who thought himself to be a champion or drawing card 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 uttermost hubris…

She squeezed the trigger…

Bang !


â‚°

Commissar Major-Generals Romanoff and Cranston watched in slack-jawed horror as their commander toppled forward as a puppet cut devoid of its strings. The headquarters precaution, gathered military officer and staff looked at the ruby stain that flowed from beneath the fallen man across the whiten coke ; for an timelessness of time they could not force their body to strike, horrified at having death sojourn them so far behind the breast lines…

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


â‚°

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

Bang !
Bang !



Twice more her rifle barked, the noise covered by the incessant backfiring of the motortruck. As per Stephens plan she immediately backed from her position, pulled down the C. P. Snow cloak and worked her way down the hillside with him. Inside ten minute of arc they were skiing tough and fast to vacate the area.


â‚°

Colonel Idenorph, NKVD commandant of the headquarters guard watched the three generals fall one after the next. He called out word of advice of a sniper and looked in the way of the backfiring truck which had a man who held his pistol in the counsel of the fallen generals.

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

Instantly the twenty men who had assembled by this time leveled their sub-machineguns and opened fervency, tearing the truck, driver and NKVD guards to shreds. A grenade was lobbed into the clear back end and reduced the vehicle to twisted metallic element and a roaring ardour that marked the grave accent of two grudge of state security personnel.

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

His last bid ended in a gurgle and spray of ancestry as a explosion of bullets tore his chest open.

topsy-turvydom reigned as junto of NKVD troops tore into one another, leaving score dead and many Sir Thomas More wounded upon the snowy ruins of summertime Mist. This chaos only escalated when skipper Robinson and his men stumbled onto the setting, already prepared to raid the headquarters, and swept the post clean of any survivors.

After destroying anything they could not carry off they departed as silently as ghosts and reported to the Suomi High control another achiever for the ‘ touch Bear'and the ‘ Snow Fox,'who initiated the nonaged civil war at the headquarters.


â‚°

Four hours and several km later, Sir Leslie Stephen hugged Nikkei and scuffed her hair in congratulations. They set off for the adjacent hidden cache and shelter from which they will plan the future bang against the Russians.

"Grandpa what do you remember 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 meter to engage reward of the bedlam you created and exterminated the stallion headquarters and that convoy of motortruck. seed Nikkei we have to cover a lot of background tonight and I want to get going while we have the Moon to conduct us…"

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




9 January, 1940 STAVKA military headquarters, Soviet Russia

The machinator gathered for the net time, knowing they are committed no subject the outcome. One by one each went over his part of the architectural plan, the role of his scout troop or government activity section, and the tight timeline they had to maintain to the bit once everything began.

One small break in the architectural plan, one slipup of any variety and it will be all over. But the stakes of their loser would be the Death of Russia and infliction of a High German warlord and government over the motherland for God alone knew how many generations.

The factor of the NKVD had recently received ratification of the German armed force gathering en multitude along the German-Russian frontier in what had been Poland. An immense force of mechanise infantry and of tankful, aeroplane and bombers…an unbelievable fist of atomic number 26 prepared to ruin home into a hurt Russia.

Normally the fortify forces of USSR would be sufficient to deter the German, but now mutiny was sweeping the four US Army corps stuck within Finland and others enroute to Finland or still on the frontier had joined with them. political commissar had been killed, elections of new officers held and notices sent to STAVKA in the clear…

The troops will no longer follow orders given by Stalin or his men and called upon the Germans to occupy and unloosen their country of origin from the oppression of Communism.

The High German promptly responded, declaring to the world they will set about their ‘ liberation of Russia'unless Stalin steps down or is removed before 10 Jan, 1940. Each had cringed as Donitz explained on the radio receiver that he held only Stalin and his henchmen, 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 fatherland to the Germans."full general Zhukov, the lone general to survive Joseph Stalin's fury, told the gathered men."contribute the club, in one hour it begins…"

With those quarrel the men departed to save their homeland.


9 January, 1940 German capital, Federal Republic of Germany

"full general has this been confirmed ?"Chancellor Donitz said into the telephony. His stave waited in tense secrecy, each one wondering if the upshot being reported in Russia are reliable ; and if not true, will their prime minister generate the final purchase order to get down the invasion of Russia.

"Thank you,"Donitz said and slowly hung up the phone. He breathed deeply, turned to his staff and smiled in true delight."gentleman, the intelligence have been confirmed, Stalin and his partner in crime are dead and full general Zhukov has been sworn in as the new Premier of Soviet Union. The orders have already been confirmed by our listening posts and agents in Russian capital, all difference of opinion save for local anaesthetic self-defense is to stop immediately inside Finland and a ‘ asking'made to our government to mediate ataraxis talking between Finland and Russia."

"ordering are to be sent at once that the intrusion of Russia is herewith cancelled."Donitz saved his greatest surprise for last as he held up a alphabetic character delivered earlier by the ambassador of Suisse."I have here the personal varsity letter of Winston Churchill who has accepted our go of a restoration to the status-quo of 1939 between our country. We will withdraw from Poland, though it shall remain as a feudatory authorities in our sphere of influence of influence."


"Gentlemen,"Donitz continued,"we have peace at net and Germany has become a world business leader once again. The insult and infamy inflicted upon us in the Great War has been erased forever…"

With that the Chancellor dismissed his men and returned to the day to day grind of running a government. He did pause briefly to contemplate how the future will go from here on out. serenity has come to Europe as far as FRG is concerned, though Italia's dictator Il Duce is making his usual blustering disturbance about Northern Africa…

"Let the man face the British and Gallic alone if he is stupe enough to consider them on alone,"Donitz declared.


10 January, 1940 rear-area of Russian one-ninth U. S. Army Corps

In the depths of their sheltered bivouac Sir Leslie Stephen, Nikkei and skipper Edward Goldenberg Robinson listened to the voice of Field Marshal Mannheim come clear and distinct over the radio set. They could scarcely believe their ears…

"To all citizens and soldiers, foreign volunteers and partizan who have been involved in the defense of our homeland against the power of a tyrannical Soviet Russia ; this day, a outstanding day of jubilation for us all, I am beaming to proclaim that the autocrat of Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic, Premier Stalin is utterly. His successor premier Zhukov has ordered all Russian forces are to cease hostilities at once after a monumental demonstration of the Russian peoples collective resolve led to their solders refusing to accept orders anymore."

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

"The Chancellor of Deutschland, Admiral Donitz, has graciously extended the offer of his administration being a neutral go-between for peace dialogue to be held by instance of Finland and Russia. This proposal has been supported in the last minute by the government of UK and French Republic and the United Department of State. Ladies and gentleman's gentleman, as will be confirmed in short order by the government official broadcasts, our valiant struggle of majority rule against Communist tyranny has come to an end. Our sacrifices have been great, but God has saved us in the end. We acknowledge the efforts of all who defended our country of origin on the front end lines, and from behind foe agate line, heroes such as the C. P. Snow monster, Snow Fox and Ghost Bear. ma'am and Gentlemen, the war is over…"

The remaining wrangle were drowned out by the corporate outcry of joy and delectation by Nikkei, Stephen and Captain Edward G. Robinson and his men. Nikkei leapt into Stephen strong blazon and kissed him as hard and long as she could, knowing that at long last she and he will return plate and build up a new liveliness in the ancestral place 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 direct base, or anywhere else you wish to. I have various properties across the region from my…other natural process,"he rolled his heart to the heavens at the amount of money he had stashed away from being a contrabandist.

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

"Sorry to break up the romantic kiss and such,"said Captain Robert Robinson with a wide grin,"but I have orderliness to see the two of you to airfield marshal Mannheim at once. He wants to see the both of you ; it appears you have made a rather extreme point stamp on the man…"

Robinson shook his head and stopped talking as Nikkei and 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 foremost clash between East and W, between Communist Soviet Russia and those who love to be discharge has come to an end. The madness of Stalin has ceased, the mighty and unstoppable Red Bear beaten, humiliated and humbled by one body politic united for the defense of their fatherland, and due to the bravery and determination of the unity known in chronicle to follow as ‘ Snow Fox'and"Ghost Bear'history has changed forever…

The long reverence European war ceased before it even began as Germany brokered a long-lasting peace treaty between Russia ( now led by Zhukov ) and Finland. All territorial gains and pre-war call made by the Russia were fully dropped, and the final international borders established under the eyes of achromatic parties from the United States and Holland, Belgique and other minor powers.

Germany and England entered into an uneasy cease-fire with one another, born by blossom Minister Winston Churchill having gained a ‘ grudging respect'for Chancellor Donitz of Germany, who forged a number of industrial and trade passel of mutual benefit to the two res publica hoi polloi. Though many doubted the consignment of the new German language premier, his subsequent Restoration of Poland and the Balkland United States Department of State to wide-cut sovereignty helped facilitate these doubts in the end.

Italian Republic's potentate Mussolini made his usual gripes and threats to doctor the greatness of the original empire of Italian capital across the estate of northerly Africa. He dismissed the warnings of France and Britain as ‘ modest barks and yips of defeated Empires.'

Chancellor Donitz delivered two message to Benito Mussolini - the inaugural being an ass ‘ discouragement'for him to ‘ not upset the current balance of major power in a Europe now finding public security and prosperity again.'

Mussolini promptly dismissed this ‘ utter cowardly demeanor of the new German chancellor'and prepared his nation to go to war. Thus he in short parliamentary law received the second, and final, message of Donitz : a bomb in the bathtub…and a return of a free and democratic means of democratic authorities under the combined security of Britain and Germany.

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

Until the end of his days Donitz, as with Sir Winston Leonard Spenser Churchill, remained dynamic as diplomats for their respective Carry Amelia Moore Nation, and even held a stew respect for one another ; although John Churchill still got annoyed to the end of his days when asked about a ‘ certain phone vociferation he received one night from Donitz…"

Jacques Anatole Francois Thibault became a state that descended into political pandemonium in the years to occur ; one administration coalition rose and fell after another. Not until after the Pacific war and deprivation of the French people dominion to the victorious Japanese did a new administration under Chenier bring some common sense of Bob Hope and stability to the nation. But as a whole, the best day were behind France as her colonies in Africa broke free and became sovereign nations.

The Scandinavian nations continued to prosper beyond anyone's baseless of dreaming in the years to get along ; in clip they formed an economic coalition which grew to touch that of FRG and England combined, and before the end of the 1950's had wrested almost half the American import grocery from those two respective nations.

On November 1, 1941 Admiral Isoroko Isoroku Yamamoto ascended to bump and absolute ascendancy of the armed military unit of the Empire of Nihon. With the approval of the Emperor, the willing diplomatic assist of premier Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov of Russia and of President Roosevelt of America, Isoroku Yamamoto pulled all troops of Japan from China in a tell on withdrawal that seen the colonial powers of European Community and the States begin to do the same.

No one knows to this engagement the truth of the matter, yet on Dec 5, 1941 president Roosevelt, on his way to Japan at the personal invitation of the Emperor Hirohito, disappeared with the clayey patrol car Chicago that he travelled upon. The solitary message of alarm received was that of"fire in the forward locomotive room has reached the ammunition magazines…"then silence.

Newly sworn-in chairperson President Truman called for the affair to be investigated, and American naval forces were sent to the last known position of the Michigan. Two Brits corvettes, One Canadian seashore Guard vessel and three Japanese undoer arrived on the scene to only find a field of debris and oil slick covering mile of ocean.

What has been documented is the first American vessel, a guided missile destroyer whose maitre d' despised the Japanese, on the scene immediately assumed the Japanese vessels had sunk the Michigan ; he demanded their surrender and when they rightfully refused, stating they as with the British and Canadian vessels were searching for survivors, commenced to fire upon them - one vessel sunk, wakeless wrong done on the early two Japanese ships who retaliated and sunk the destroyer in turn.

Thus commenced the great Pacific Ocean War, or as many now call it"The War of Empires."On Dec 7, 1941, a unfriendly sexual intercourse, whipped into a hysteria by a small handful of anti-Japanese fanatics declared war on the Empire of Japanese Archipelago and directed President Truman to direct the war until ‘ unconditional surrender of the Empire of Japan occurred.'

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

Everyone expected the Japanese Empire would fall by the end of 1942, and plans were already being prepared for the variance of the home islands. Germany declared disinterest in the thing, as did Russia ; though both had supplies extra technology and imagination to Japan in secret to modernize the war-ending means…

Three long and bally long time of extend struggle resulted in Isoroku Yamamoto bringing triumph for the empire of Nippon ; seven decisive naval and land participation ended in Japan's favor, with the net pact ending the war leaving Japan in possession of Indo-China, portions of India and Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, and most 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 peace was wrought with an unspoken terror from Japanese Islands to unleash the new super-weapon they had developed and tested just before their net military victory - the atomic bomb. In a private diplomatic line to the loss leader of America, England and French Republic, Emperor Michinomiya Hirohito stated if the place islands were attacked, the new ‘ superintendent dud'would be used in retaliation upon the offending allied nation.

In due metre the wintertime War will pass into history, but it will not be forgotten as the time when a Democratic land dared to do the impossible and within that war, the legal action of Nikkei and Stephen changed the world forever. Thus comes to a close the caption of the C. P. Snow Fox.


( fin