Vol 1 Chapter 2 (1/2)
Chapter 2 The Girl from the West
+++January 13, 1983
++The German Democratic Republic
++Cottbus District, Cottbus military base
When she came to, her entire vision was flooded hite
“A wall…? No… ue awareness
She turned her head slowly, looking around her An unfaent smell of disinfectant Katia noticed that she had been put to bed, dressed in simple pajamas
“But… I was fighting the BETA…”
At a glance, it was obvious that this place wasn’t a base which the United Nations forces had built The glassat the bed side rattled with a high-pitched howl, piercing her ears
“Аh…!”
Holding her breath, she turned her attention out theBeyond it stretched a wide snow-covered field The world was painted in only two colors – black and white
Jump units? But that doesn’t sound like an F-4 or F-5G…
“Is this…a DDR (East Gerhter Base…?”
Just as that thought crossed her mind, Katia remembered the last memories she had Why was she still alive?
“The MiG-21… so… it saved me…”
That single scene had reht that would be forever scorched into her memories…
++1110hrs
++Cottbus District
On either side of the highway stretched endless snow-covered fields with coppices scattered here and there The only iant electric trans beyond the horizon… No, wait There wastoward the West
“It’s a bleak sight, as always,” Theodor sighed, looking at the back of his coe mission The aim was to recover frohters, tanks and other equipe – before they became the prey of the BETA The squadron was followed by a convoy of trucks carrying the collected salvage
The 666th Tactical Surface Fighter Squadron, Schwarzes a major BETA offensive – a battle which had finally ended only after three inter scene before his eyes, he drearily heaved a sigh There was about an hour left before returning to base, and the landscape had not changed at all
TSF pilots rarely had to perfors of the machines Even less so when in a totally secure area in the rear They kept silent o, Annette and the younger pilots of the squadron would have broadcasted cheerful chatter in the air incessantly, but now all of the, except for Annette, and she had been ordered to undergo medical treatment
“—By the way, Walter, have you heard of this joke before?” Irisdina’s voice ca the painful silence
“—Hoh? Which one?” Walter asked with interest
“—At the dawn of the space age, the first satellites that both the Soviet Union and the United States had concurrently launched round control were cut off, the two satellites began to talk: ‘Guten Tag, Freund, jetzt können wir schließlich in unserer Muttersprache sprechen’” <good day,=”” friend,=”” noe=”” can=”” finally=”” speak=”” in=”” our=”” ue=””>
Walter and Phahter It ell known that the space prograrew out of the scientific and technological heritage of the Third Reich
However, Theodor did not laugh He had no wish to join in the merriment
What does she have in mind?
Glaring at Irisdina’s face in the cohtly squeezed the control handles again That Pilot; what should I do……?
+++January 10
++Territory of the former Polish National Republic
++Krosno Odrzańskie Ruins
Pulling out from the ruins of Krosno-Odrzańskie, which armed with BETA, Theodor decided toamount of propellant was less than 10 percent He could not afford another engagement with the BETA
Besides…
“Ahh, hot……”
A faint moan… He exairl strapped in before his seat With every boost jump, the sudden acceleration twisted her body painfully Theodor had to shoehorn the girl found in the wrecked F-4 into the cockpit of his own Balalaika He was forced to abandon the F-4 Phantole MiG-21 was ihter had already fallen victi from all sides
I picked up a troublesoe……
Members of the NVA (Nationale Volksarmee; National People’s Army; East German Army) were strictly forbidden to have contact with the soldiers of the Bundeswehr Officially, the ban was to prevent infore from the East German Army and infiltration of its ranks by spies, but the real reason was to prevent soldiers fro to the West So far, countless soldiers ere suspected of having contacted the West German Army to seek asylum in the West had been executed by the Army and the Stasi
Seen in that sense, for Theodor, who had special circumstances, this would be in an unfavorable situation indeed, although it was only a coincidence that he had rescued a Bundeswehr soldier If he took a wrong step, it was likely that he would again be under the scrutiny of the Stasi In socialist East Ger of reconciliation with the capitalist West would get you labeled as a person with dangerous ideas
“Da orders…… whatever happens is not my responsibility……”
The shock as the round caused the control unit to jostle The girl breathed with difficulty as the sirl’s personal belongings had been stowed inside the F-4 control unit’s first-aid kit storage space
‘Those westerners, carrying their personal ites of vexation boiled in his mind
“Katia Waldheim……” Theodor quietlyin irl’s face, which still held the childishness of youth
Theodor linked up with Irisdina, having arrived at the rendezvous point simultaneously
“—You made it safely, Unterleutnant”
The view of Irisdina’s TSF projected onto his retina e was smeared with pieces of flesh and body fluids “—Were you able to rescue that F-4 pilot?”
“……Eh? Ah, yes,” Theodor gathered himself and answered, momentarily taken aback “The pilot is secured inside my control unit Currently unconscious, but there seems to be no injuries”
“—Affiliation?”
“The Bundeswehr A girl……”
“—I need confirmation Forward the data to me”
‘I guess it’s reasonable that an oral report would not be trusted After all, I had abandoned a comrade in battle earlier--’
“Translanced at Irisdina as he spoke, and his tongue froze in e intently, looking genuinely astonished
“Err…”
In the next moment, Irisdina suddenly fixed her eyes on Theodor, openly aze Pinned by her eyes, Theodor lost awareness of his surroundings He gulped It was the first time that he had seen Irisdina show such a humane expression
“—I’e of my little cousin in Berlin”
“Ahh…… verstanden” Certainly, anyone would have blanched if they saw their relatives in the Bundeswehr…
“—Have you found out what’s her unit?”
“According to the ID record, she is frohter Battalion, Second Company”
“—Her unit must have just arrived on the west bank of the Oder River Indeed, they must have been attacked by the BETA while in the middle of a mop-up…… Her name?” “Katia C Waldheim”
“…During the rescue, there was only the one machine?”
“Yes A single unit I believe she was unable to escape due to dae to the jump unit”
“—And the fighter?”
“Abandoned There was a swar in at the time…”
“—Is that so?” Irisdina gave an approving smile “—Well done, Unterleutnant”
Theodor nodded with s He had been freshly reminded of the fact that his fate lie in Irisdina’s hands in the recent dispute with her Nothing would change the fact that the commander was a ly sell out her own blood and fa from the recent altercation wouldn’t recede just like that
“—Unterleutnant Eberbach,” Irisdina suddenly asked, her expression serious “—What are your thoughts on the current state of the squadron?”
“State… of the squadron…?” Theodor repeated the question reflexively, wondering about its intent
“—Indeed I’ about our recent conversation I just want to hear your opinion as a pilot”
In the midst of bewilderment, Theodor considered the question Even if he did not want to reply, he could only answer the question as ordered
“I think that we are in a fairly dangerous situation” With a dry feeling in his throat, Theodor continued “In today’s battle, our unit started with eightfuture Laserjagd operations against the Laser-class would only become more difficult from now on”
Irisdina nodded in silence This ti Theodor
“……If Unterleutnant Hosenfeld becoht, the company would only be left with six th” Yet ned to theth of twelve d operation, it would be doubtful whether ould be able to acco look, Theodor fir spirit was relatively stronger compared to those whose spirit had broken, still…
“—Well done, that was an exeave a satisfied nod However, she had a predatory expression on her face “—In that case, you would be agreeable to my plan, I would say”
“Plan? What plan…?”
“—This Eishi+; we shall have her volunteer to join the 666th Tatical Surface Fighter Squadron”
“Wh-!?”
‘This kid… this person from the Bundeswehr; add her to the team, you say…?!’
“—Like you said, our coerous situation now With our current coth, the success of future missions is uncertain Besides, we do not kno soon ill be able to get replacement pilots”
“What, you…” Theodor paused a nored him and continued
“—It is necessary to ith ourselves, since we cannot rely on the NVA”
“You, just what the hell are you thinking?!!” Theodor shouted Overwhelain like he did thirty uirl is from the Bundeswehr! You don’t have the authority to do that anyway! What will you do if she’s really a spy?!” Theodor’s tely “We would definitely be suspected of aiding in espionage…!”
‘Or would there be no problem hatever she does since she’s a member of the Stasi herself…?! No, even then…’ Whether or not she was a spy, Theodor didn’t want to be near a West German person He didn’t want to come under the attention of the authorities
“No matter how short on manpoe are! Firstly, without the permission of Commissar Gr… Jeckeln—”
“—Did you think that I would speak without having thought of that?”
“…!” Theodor shut his mouth There was a note in Irisdina’s tone that sounded like she had so hidden up her sleeve
“—Firstly, there is a procedure to legally incorporate pilots from the west into the NVA”
“WHAT?! A procedure? Since when—”
“—She only has to defect”
“…!!” Reflexively clenching his fists, Theodor felt soh him
“—Under the international treaty that was nized each other as sovereign states with equal rights,” Irisdina explained without faltering, as if she had rehearsed beforehand “—However, there is a difference in the treatment of citizens Both Gered to us originally’ In other words, if a West German citizen wishes to seek political asylum in East Germany, they would be able to becoh any coes this as well” For one to be both a fellow citizen and a potential enee reality born from the Cold War
“—So, it is possible for legal adh an examination of the motive for defection would be needed for a transfer into the Unit, which would be within the jurisdiction of Oberleutnant Jeckeln’s duties, and since there is a precedent, it’sas well, and once that is cleared, all is well Political indoctrination can be left to Oberleutnant Jeckeln then”
“But… what if she is a spy, what then…?” Theodor asked, choosing his words carefully This conversation could be recorded as well, like with the previous argument… Irisdina shook her head quietly
“—I believe that there is no possibility of her being a spy, because I highly doubt that the Bundesould sacrifice an entire coirl in,” she replied
“Sacrifice… an entire company…?”
“—I verified it just nohen I fought the BETA to confirm whether there were any survivors Unfortunately, I didn’t find a single one…”
Indeed, considering the current situation of the war, it would definitely be illogical to e sacrifice just to send in a spy Also, if Theodor had been late by so much as a second, the BETA would have already eaten her Having been able to rescue that Eishi+ was only by fortune, undoubtedly
That being said…
“Even if she really isn’t a spy, others wouldn’t be so understanding You should know that very well!”
“—You need not worry about the Stasi”
“…!!”
“—Management of military personnel is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defence The Army will not keep quiet if the Ministry of State Security were to infringe upon their authority Though both the military and Stasi are controlled by the same party, they are still political rivals”
‘Can what she said be true…?’ To Theodor, the Army and the Stasi were one and the same Both had the power of the state to rule with an iron fist
“—Therefore, as long as they are unable to provide any concrete evidence, this Eishi+ cannot be arrested without warning If they take any overt action, the Army may well turn it into a political issue”
“…However, I doubt Oberleutnant Jeckeln would be swayed by your reasoning In the end, won’t it be the responsibility of the Oberleutnant to handle her?” For the inflexible Co but hatred towards people from the West
“—If the squadron gets annihilated, she too will die… Well, it’s going to take soenuity to persuade her…”
“…Then, what about this girl’s decision?” Theodor asked, indicating the unconscious girl with his chin “What you just said about her wanting to defect to the East, she has to agree to it, right? Wouldn’t that be absurd?!” Theodor de As if there were a single person that likes this country enough that they would defect to it!
“—If uess is correct, it’s possible that she’s an Eastern sympathizer”
“Guess…?”
“—A single TSF, fighting without backup… don’t you think that’s strange?”
“Ah…”
“—There’s a high possibility that she was caught up in some trouble Besides, she is a fellow Ger “—So, I would like your full cooperation on this matter… For starters, I need your help to persuade Gretel” As Irisdina’s blue eyes bore into Theodor, he soreat sorrow and deterer sense of pride compared to others In my opinion, it is unlikely that she will meekly accept this That is where you come in”
“…But, why me—”
“—That’s because you won’t injure her pride For example, orders from me, or orders from Walter, which one would you prefer?”
“Urgh…” Theodor choked on that Although he had thought that he didn’tit pointed out to him directly made him fully understand just how thin a line he had been on
“—Considering how many times you have saved Gretel’s life, she would listen to you more than me, at the least”
“…Can’t Walter be the one to ask?”
“—Walter is too close to inally an Unteroffiziere (NCO) To Gretel, a coet for discriht person for this”
Theodor shook his head in doubt He didn’t believe that Gretel would think well enough of him
“—You won’t know the result if you don’t try And there is nothing to lose even if you fail, so it’s worth a try If lets say everything goes well, the co power can be recovered”
“…”
“—I will persuade Unterleutnant Waldheim myself That is all Do you copy?”
Theodor sed dryly The veins in his head continued to throb Every breath he took felt like lead Thinking desperately, he squeezed the control sticks ‘…How did this happen?! Making light of the Stasi, even trying toall communications are recorded… damn it!’ Deep down inside, Theodor understood the rationale behind Irisdina’s plan It was a fact that there were only seven pilots left in the co the withdrawal action at Poland, under Irisdina’s command the only survivor who escaped the destruction of the Polish People’s Army, Sylvia, was incorporated into the 666th TSF squadron She had insisted on taking in a foreign Eishi+ then as well
But then…
‘This girl continued fighting against the BETA alone in a single ht…’
Realizing that te in, Theodor shook his head to clear his mind
“I have a question…” Theodor forced himself to ask “What if I were to refuse…?”
Irisdina twisted her lips into an evil grin upon hearing those words
“—Did you think that I would permit that?”
“Tsk…!”
“—In that case I would hand you over to the Stasi It would be a simplethis Eishi+”
‘This lousy bitch…!’ Theodor directed a lare at Irisdina
“—Up to now, everything I have done has been for the survival of the company… For the company to be restored as soon as possible, this is the only way”
“—Be at ease I will guarantee your personal safety I have no intention of speaking of this to anyone other than Walter”
Theodor had no choice but to ad this He could only bite on his lip until he tasted blood What if he were to infor immediately upon return? That was also an option, but who knohat Walter would do then? Besides, if Irisdina were taken away, even if Theodor himself were to survive, it was very likely that the squadron would end up being annihilated shortly thereafter
‘There’s no way out of this…!’
Feeling hu deprived of power over his fate, Theodor loudly exhaled before replying
“…I understand I still have no intent to accept or trust you However, I will cooperate with you on this matter…”
Irisdina merely nodded in silence Theodor looked away froht now
“—Well then, let’s get going If we delay too long, the others would start to worry” As she started s, Irisdina casually added “—As for the co, the unnecessary parts will be deleted, so you need not worry Well, to keep the flow natural, synthesized speech will be left in the appropriate places”
“HUH?! For all of the recorded conversations…?!”
“—In general, yes We’ll use fake logs to overwrite the recorders the Stasi planted in the ave him an innocent smile
“—To survive in this hell, such skills are needed, Comrade Unterleutnant”
◊ ◊ ◊
Gretel reacted just as Irisdina predicted
“You , Coar on the Cottbus base as she confronted Irisdina upon her return Expecting to ain, the rest of the co a Bundeswehr pilot into the squadron?! Have you lost your th is in dire status… ill you do if she turns out to be a spy?!” Her face red with anger, Gretel stalked up to Irisdina “She’s so?! Further with our troops?!” Irisdina gave Gretel a silent,directed at the commissar
“Tsk…! Cohts?” Gretel said, breaking away fro instead to Theodor “There is no need to hold back because you are in front of your superior officer Let me hear what you truly think” Inwardly surprised at hoell everything was developing according to her predictions, Theodor started to reply as if this were the first time he had heard of Irisdina’s reckless plan
“There is certainly a high chance that she is a spy… And personally, I feel that it’s unacceptable to join forces with those Westerners They would surely take that chance to be the first to escape fro the DDR as a shi+eld”
Gretel snorted upon hearing that
“…However, froht to do so”
“Tsk…!” Gretel loudly clicked her tongue in displeasure as she glared at Theodor Theodor “apologetically” continued
“When I rescued her, this pilot was deter the BETA all alone by herself Even to me, someone who’s been on the battlefield for over two years, I feel that she has no lack of fighting spirit” As if there were any useful information to be stolen on this base… he sed those words Gretel wasan unpleasant face Her actual experience in combat wasthe training she’s had, she would definitely be better than a mere novice In order to quickly restore the coth, I think that she’s our best choice”
“daain to confirree with Comrade Hauptmann’s proposal?”
“Sadly, yes,” Theodor said, faking an uncomfortable expression “When the time comes, she can be used and disposed of, is what I think” Theodor cahts
“But, that is a person from the West…” Gretel started to pace briskly around the area as she thought it over, showing a distressed face After several seconds, it seehts, and she stood face to face with Irisdina again “Comrade Hauptmann, do you knohat they think of you in the Army? Did you think that ere unaware of the reason you are called a ‘hero’?”
Theodor quietly froze This was the first time he had heard Gretel speak of Irisdina’s past
“The only reason I a the Fatherland and the Party from the BETA to the end”
“…Honestly?”
“You knohy they call me a ‘hero’? It’s so that the Party has soets annihilated, Comrade Oberleutnant,” Irisdina calmly declared However, the fury in her blue eyes was unlare at Irisdina with suspicion for another h
“Our country is a deests We will not refuse a defector fro her intentions, she will be placed under teation by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is co her into the company, if I present the case as a special circuency due to the BETA assault…”
“In other words, there’s no proble with mischief “Coest in the German Democratic Republic were to be lost, it would be a moral blow to the whole Arht? So, we must first verify the person’s intentions We cannot allow soht for us into the Army after all… Once that Eishi+ awakens, I’d better confir his body to be still
‘Is she going to accept Irisdina’s suggestion…?!’
“Once I have exaround of this Eishi+, it’s my decision whether to accept this as an exception If I find out that she is a spy, she will be executed at once Even if she is accepted, as a person froive her a complete political indoctrination”
“Ah, I will leave that to you then, Comrade Oberleutnant”
Seeing a relieved smile appear on Irisdina’s face, Theodor are that even that was part of the act “This sort of thing really isn’t my forte…” he muttered
+++January 13
++The German Democratic Republic
++Cottbus District
Theodor sighed The lingering o were still stuck in his ain as he stared at Irisdina
‘This wo of the Stasi? No, otherwise she wouldn’t have threatenedthe destruction of the company the real reason she took in that kid? da was that he and Irisdina now shared a secret If he disobeyed her… this tiain as he recalled what happened three years before Theodor squeezed his eyes shut ‘I already decided never to get involved with the Stasi again…’
At that ines came from the skies to the west Theodor checked the tactical , East Geric bo a low-altitude flight formation in order to avoid laser irradiation from the BETA occupied territories
‘Theyrun…’ Theodor purposely diverted his train of thought Otherwise hisaround in circles ‘Those daily penetrating raids into the BETA’s buffer zone Even though the appearance of the Laser-class on the front is rare, it’s still a tough job’
“—All hands, Achtung!”
Hearing Irisdina’s even voice through the coue
“—I received a report from base The Eishi+ that was rescued finally woke up after three days Isn’t that great, Unterleutnant Eberbach?”
“…Yeah,” Theodor replied indifferently
“—Once we return back to base, ill begin the cross-examination to debrief her Coather at the briefing rooet her story, after which ill introduce Unterleutnant Eberbach”
Gretel glared at Theodor with disgust
‘Don’t look at me damn bitch ordered me to recover her…’
“—Ah, one , Unterleutnant Eberbach”
“…What is it?” Theodor replied tensely Every action by Irisdina placed him under even more stress
“—That girl you saved seeht up child,” Irisdina told Theodor with a smile of approval “—She said that she wanted to thank the pilot who saved her life”
++German Democratic Republic
++Cottbus, Cottbus military base
“For noill report what I found out so far from the cross-examination,” Gretel said as she opened her notebook in front of the sick rooation room Theodor nodded silently He had been forced to wait on standby outside the room for almost two hours until the cross-examination by Gretel and Irisdina was completed
“Unterleutnant Katia Waldheined to the United Nations 1st Atlantic Ocean command, German Federal Army 101st TSF Battalion, Third Platoon, Second Squadron… her unit was deployed at Reichenwalde base” Gretel narrowed her eyes, squinting “…15 years old Born in Ha She was still a student last year, but the death of both parents in a traffic accident proh accelerated training for half a year, she was assigned to her current unit… In short, she’s nothing but a novice…” Hearing a past that was si particularly touching about it
“However, as you suspected, she went through another half a year of training after her assignment to the unit She arrived in East Germany at the end of last year, after which she participated in several mop-up missions It seems that she pissed herself in her first battle” Theodor nodded in understanding It would be unusual for soh their first battle without that “rite of passage” occurring
“In the incident three days ago, she re sortied, but not what happened after that She does recall the fact that you rescued her though”