Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Harry Potter and the Dark Lady
Chapter 9
Sequel to Harry Potter and the Witches' Secret. Harry thought it was all over. His desire to settle in with his wives will not get fulfilled. Go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Rotaryfile
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Harry Potter and the Dark Lady
Chapter 9
Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Thursday
26 Sept 1996
22:00
Harry stood on the stage looking out at the assembled crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you please, we will proceed. I know it’s late. This will be an order brief, so all but unit commanders, please hold your questions.” Harry sat in his chair at the table perpendicular to the screen at the back of the stage.
The crowd quieted and the unit commanders of the Division seated in the front row flipped open notebooks.
Hestia stood.
“Situation: elements of our intelligence network have identified a cell of Dark wizards formerly allied with Tom Riddle working in and around Chita in Russia.”
A slide appeared on the screen:
“Chita (Russian: ЧитаÏ) is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Chita Oblast in eastern Siberia. It stands at the confluence of the Chita and Ingoda rivers and on the Trans-Siberian Railway, 500 miles east of Irkutsk, at 52°03’N 113°28’E. Population: 305,000 (1995 est.); 316,643 (1994 census). It is the headquarters of the Siberian Military District. It is served by Chita Kadala Airport and the Chita Northwest air base. The town is characterized by its grid street pattern (unusual for Russia) and 5-story Communist era concrete buildings. It was a part of the Gulag prison system.
“The Russian government has refused to actively pursue and eliminate these remnant forces, though they have installed the intent-based and Dark Mark stones in their country. These remnant forces represent a ongoing threat both direct, through their avowed mission to avenge their comrades killed in the action to eliminate Riddle, and indirect in their continuing efforts supporting evil.”
A map appeared on the huge screen at what the Americans called “one over the world” resolution and slowly magnified until the tiny red dot marking Chita grew into a city. It further resolved into a 1 over 100,000 meter UTM grid map.
“Commanders Intent: Use speed and stealth to capture or destroy the remnant forces of Lord Voldemort, while receiving no casualties in the Division.
“Mission: Maneuver the Division to seize key terrain and deny communications to Chita to any but Divisional troops. Install temporary anti-magical transportation, anti-communication and anti-location wards. Conduct a cordon and search removing Dark objects and beings to be investigated and interrogated. Install a system of permanent intent and Dark Mark wardstones tied to the Potter dungeons. Collapse the wards and depart the area with minimal disruption and no casualties.”
Key terrain around Chita suddenly grew red circles and a huge area centered on the city grew criss-crossed gold, pink, and orange lines.
“Execution: On 27 Sept 1996 the Veela Regiment will move to and seize hilltop 2230 at 11:00 local, 02:00 our time, an unoccupied, unguarded forested hilltop. This area to be secured not later than 11:30 local. Local time is plus 9 hours. So right now it’s 8 a.m. on the twenty-seventh there.”
The map scrolled right and another dot appeared.
“Surprise is essential, so stealth is crucial to this part of the mission. We will issue popping stones to transport prisoners to all forces.
“The Veela Regiment will secure and hold the key terrain as indicated on the map.
“On 27 Sept 1996 at 12:00 (03:00) the Goblin Regiment will transport into this area and immediately organize for and conduct movement to the ward anchor sites and emplace the ward anchors. They will then spread to link up the sites.”
The map suddenly grew to nine dots—three each of pink, orange, and gold. Thin lines spread from the dots meeting in the middle of the spaces to connect the dots.
“The American First Mage Battalion and the British Royal Guards (Magical) Infantry Regiment will transport in on 27 Sept 1996 at 14:00 (05:00) and begin preparation for operations and scouting from air and ground under Disillusion charms and various other means of concealment.
“At 19:00 (10:00) the Guards Magical Regiment will shift form. The Goblins will activate the wards, and the Guards Magical Regiment with the Veela Regiment and First Mage Battalion will begin a pincer movement to encircle the town and capture all Dark beings. The Goblin Regiment will hold the perimeter and capture all leakers. All Dark objects will be transported by Potter elves, all Dark beings will be popped to the dungeons here with popping stones.”
On the maps the forces flowed around the town and then through it.
“A combined intent and Dark Mark wardstone will be placed on every doorsill in town and in each lane of every road into town by the scouts. Don’t forget the airports and military facilities.
“Once the town has been searched and the Dark beings and objects removed, the Goblins will on order collapse the wards and the Division will, on order, use the white stone to pop back to the pitches of the Royal Academy sports complex. Units will be released at that time with an after action review to follow on the twenty-eighth in the Royal Academy auditorium at 14:00 all are invited; Division units are required to attend.”
Tony Inge lifted his hand.
“Marshal?”
“Colonel Jones.”
All the mates had been ranked by now, as the military establishment couldn’t deal with a Regiment where all had the same rank. Harry had been promoted to Major General, Nym and Sarah to Brigadiers, the Primaries to Colonel, and the other mates had been ranked in accordance with their positions, none lower than subaltern. The mates had laughed themselves hoarse.
“I noticed that you haven’t said the Russians have been notified of this operation on their sovereign territory.”
“They were instructed to fix this problem and they declined. Now they will be reminded very gently that they are a vassal nation. If they object, the reminder will be substantially less gentle. Our purpose is to capture and remove, however armed, or magical resistance will be reduced.”
Tony winced; that word “reduced” had very specific military meaning. It meant the enemy’s capability to fight would be removed. Well, on the bright side, she hadn’t said....
“Destroyed, not reduced, Hestia. We talked about this.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Excuse me, Marshal—destroyed.”
“Harry, really, I must protest.”
“Noted, Marshal, and I as the Major General commanding the Division share your concerns. However, I as the Duke of Magic will bring my vassal to heel using my magical Division. The Russian Ministry of Magic has been informed and Mr. Yeltsin has responded to my letters with the verbal equivalent of a shrug. Our impression is that he is testing me. They have the same kind of ‘we know but we won’t admit we know about magic’ oath-secured government the Americans do. Amanda has diligently worked the diplomatic channels. As I hold their last remaining Czarina and their Stone as parts of my heart, they are in a bit of a quandary. They want to play nice but they can’t yet.”
The heavily pregnant Anastasia and not yet pregnant Susan/Roxanne beamed at Harry while the mates smiled and the mothers chortled. Harry would apparently never learn.
Hestia cleared her throat; Harry nodded to her. “I will be followed by—” Hestia smirked— “Colonel Weasley.”
Hestia sat blushing slightly from Harry’s usual thanks and Ginny rose and walked to the podium.
“Medics will travel with the companies as assigned. Medical evacuation will be to a field hospital manned by Jennifer, Marcia, Melissa, and Falcata. Casualties requiring further evacuation will be evacuated to the deep holds here where Poppy Pomfrey and the St. Mungo’s staff will have a military hospital set up. Operations are planned for less than a day, so troops will carry enough food and water for three days. Commanders down to platoon commander have been assigned a Potter elf to supply all other classes of material as needed. Don’t be afraid to call on them as they’re pestering me to death to be involved.”
Chuckles sounded.
“I will be followed by Colonel Granger.”
“Hip hip hooray!”
“DADDY!”
Emma smacked her beaming husband while general laughter coursed through the hall. Dan had been positively dizzy every time he saw Hermione in uniform since he pinned the insignia of the two Order of the Thistle stars under St Edward’s Crown on her right epaulet while Emma pinned her left. Sure, it wasn’t the Bath, but you couldn’t have everything.
Hermione glared at her father. “Yes, well, let me press on, Command and Signal: Succession of Command; His Grace the Duke of Magic, Her Grace Brigadier Nymphadora Potter, Her Grace Brigadier Sarah of York, Her Grace Colonel Hestia Jones Potter, and myself. If all of that has become necessary you can expect me to activate the recall function of the stones so we can sort it out at the pitch later.
“Duchess Dinara and Duchess Krista will be running the Division Main in this theater with those members of the Regiments too gravid to deploy.”
Eyes turned to a fuming Dinara momentarily and flinched away. She was hugely pregnant and not happy at all, a deadly combination in a vampire who was now a powerful witch too. The Division main operations center ran like clockwork, however.
Krista was no less angry and no less hazardous. It was worth your life really to irritate them, any of them. If they didn’t kill you you could find yourself surrounded by the Warg girls in the schools, and who knew what would happen then!
“Signal: All elements will have a bonded present for primary communication. Secondary communication will be by messenger spell. Lastly, red wand sparks will be the signal for each trooper to fire red sparks immediately and then withdraw using the individual emergency Portkeys. Activation for them is B-U-S-T-E-R, spoken as a word not spelled.”
Chuckles went round; at rehearsal Hermione had said BUSTER and Harry had landed in the middle of a varsity ’Claws practice.
Hermione sat with a tiny little blush, as had Ginny and Hestia.
Harry rose and moved to the front of the stage. “There is a high likelihood bordering on a certainty that we will be engaged by forces of the Dark Lady Xi Shi during this operation. I and certain other elements will handle those forces. You continue to execute your missions. When those forces arrive, and as I engage them, Brigadier Sarah Windsor Mountbatten will be in command.”
“Questions?”
LTC John McNeely of the First Mage Battalion asked, “Any idea what those forces will be, General Potter?”
“Dragons, Colonel.”
John, to his credit, never even blinked. “And how do you propose to handle them, sir?”
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve, John.”
“And pants legs—oh, and let’s not forget mmph mmmfrr.”
Sarah had clapped her hand over Eugenie’s mouth. “Eugenie, I thought you were saving that sort of thing so it would be a surprise.”
“But it was, Mother. I got almost the whole thing out that time.”
“Time for bed, young lady.”
Harry waited for the laughter to die down. “Anything else? Oh, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t shoot at the Dragons you might see. Just report them and move on.
“Okay—no questions? Then I’m for an early night.”
Everyone stood and the Regiment made their way out. Susan and Anastasia waited patiently for about three minutes, then grabbed Harry and faded away.
“Why doesn’t he want us to shoot at the Dragons?”
“Because he sleeps with most of them, John.”
John blinked this time. Janet laughed.
“You’ll see, John; just trust me for now.”
Phillip was walking Elizabeth to their room. “Phillip, what did the Pope say to Harry?”
“I really don’t know, Elizabeth. They just walked along and talked. There was some laughing and some very serious conversation.”
“Well, I’ll have to ask him. Harry seems worlds better, though, not nearly so troubled.”
“Hmmph. I wonder whether that was the Pope or the village priest Karol Jozef Wojtyła, the Duke’s confessor?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I think Jozef would be pleased to be known as Jozef the Confessor, probably more than any other title.”
“You know, I got that feeling too, Liz.”
“Philmmmph—”
Elizabeth pushed back from the kiss and realized the hall was empty, and they were near the door to the Royal suite. She gave a little smirk and dragged Phillip to the bedroom of the suite.
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Royal Academy
Goblin Regimental Quarters
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0048
Harry escorted Grindaknívur through the Goblin Regimental spaces below the Primary school with Nym on his right. They had inspected the Goblin units and now they were moving through the spaces just watching as the Goblins went about their business.
Shield Maiden Captain Ulen of the Third Battalion watched the Commander move through the Quarters and made her decision. She put herself in his path and knelt proudly.
Grindaknívur sighed; she had known this would happen’ “Harry, you have to take her.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You have to take her here, and if we win and she’s still alive you have to take her on this same spot when we get back.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Susan materialized beside Harry and Grindaknívur. Her co-inhabitant Roxanne said, “Will you believe it’s an obscure Goblin ritual that will improve troop morale and help to ensure success?”
“Errrh, why not? Everything else involving me and sex with strange women seems to be of similar earth-shattering importance. But do I have to do this in—errrh—public, as it were? Could we at least limit the audience?”
Nym smiled at him and went forward and lay her palm on Ulen’s forehead. “That would defeat the purpose, Harry—oooh, and she is very compatible. The male Goblins won’t watch anyway if they ever want a chance with a Shield Maiden. Go on change and take her.”
Harry shook his head. Accepting the inevitable was one thing, but his mates were sex fiends. It seemed if he was awake he was supposed to be having sex with someone.
A vast snickering was heard in the bond.
“Grrrrr.”
“Harry, try not resisting. It won’t be so fun for them then.”
“Thanks, Eugenie. Hey, no peeking!”
Harry changed to his Goblin and advanced on Ulen. She grinned, leapt to her feet, and drew her sword, taking a cut at him at the same time. Nym stood back with Susan/Roxanne and Grindaknívur and watched as Harry and Ulen went after each other with murderous intent—well, Ulen did. Harry busied himself stripping her a piece at a time until finally he rolled her under him and as she chewed his shoulder he filled her and drove her to clamp onto him at both ends. The mates were surprised when the light flashed from Ulen, Harry, and them as he released in her. Ulen smiled and reached between herself and Harry and then staunched his bleeding with their mixed secretions as she played in the bond.
Nym, Grindaknívur and Susan/Roxanne dressed Ulen as they laughed. Ulen was very excited. Marcia faded in with a healing potion and the gathered Goblin Shield Maidens cheered and cat-called. The Goblin males outside the ring of Shield Maidens grinned at the good omen.
Harry shook his head, thinking, “Well, do I dare visit my Veela?”
“Your Veela, Harry? But of course. Give me a few minutes, though.”
The laughing Gabrielle disappeared from the bond except for bare traces of her presence.
“Uh-oh.”
Roxanne looked at him and laughed. “Uh-oh? After that ‘my Veela’ comment you’ll be lucky to find them in clothes.”
Nym stared at her reddening Goblin mate and laughed. He looked like he was trying to get ready for Christmas, with red patches showing on green skin.
They said goodbye to the Goblins and moved to the Veela Regiment. Roxanne’s words proved to be prophetic.
Nym just laughed and went around touching the uniformly blond Veela, ensuring they should at least be somewhere on the list.
Harry was immediately buried in a writhing pile from whence issued much giggling and the occasional pleased scream.
The Veela pouted horribly when their senior NCOs chivvied them out of the pile and into formation ten minutes before they were supposed to transport. They helped each other dress as Nym and Susan/Roxanne picked up the very tired but smiling Harry.
Gabrielle moved into place next to the Regimental Commander, who was adjusting her pants; she had been on the bottom of the pile with Harry at the last. As both of them gave Harry a wave and a saucy wink, the Veela Regiment hit their SP time and faded away under the influence of fifty Potter elves.
Harry, Nym, and Susan/Roxanne faded into the theater.
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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0202
Harry seated Susan and then Nym. Harry sat beside Nym and the pregnant Bellatrix and Allison moved over with Amelia Fastida.
The mates chortled as Harry leapt to his feet and lowered his “slaves” gently onto cushions at his and Nym’s feet.
“Harry, it ruins it if you hover and help us.”
“Speak for yourself, Bella. Thanks for the help, Harry. I’m getting to the awkward phase, not big enough to truly limit me but it throws my balance off horribly.”
The new slaves filled in the space in front of them and Beatrice and Eugenie giggled as they picked their way to their places.
Amelia Fastida nodded. “Tell me about it! That was worse than the hugely pregnant phase, I think.”
“Oh, good—then Allison and Bella can stay and we can go.”
Marcia blew at her bangs and rolled her eyes. “No, Dinara, you’re going to deliver today or tomorrow maybe, but this week for sure, and a battlefield is no place to do that. You either, Krista.”
Twin growls were halfheartedly directed Marcia’s way and then Dinara and Krista settled and the map came up. Harry and Nym dropped into the trance-like state following the Veela who had contract mated and Gabrielle. They were surprised to find Colette the regimental commander there. Colette was being smug about it.
Hedwig and the Owlets were orbiting the area, adding to the picture.
Tony Inge and the Defense staff, this time with the American liaison officers, were again amazed at the advantage this now real-time battle tracking offered. Something odd was happening on the map, though.
The mates who were reading the bond rather than watching the map noticed it immediately.
“Harry, what is that?”
“I don’t know, Nym.”
“Bad people, bad things.”
“Hedwig?”
“Yes, Harry?”
“Are you doing that?”
“And nestlings, Harry.”
“That’s very good, Hedwig, I didn’t know owls could do that.”
“Luna’s eyes, Nym. She can do, so we can do. I taught nestlings.”
“Wow.”
“Wow, Harry? I think it’s a little more than wow. Hedwig is using Luna’s aura-reading ability, and so are the owlets.”
After that thought, Cho, Hermione, and the ’Claws dove in and went gently feeling through the culprits’ minds. Hedwig and Luna giggled; it was a cross between tickling and stimulating having their mates gently prying in their minds.
“Harry, what are these black dots?”
“Dark-oriented individuals and concentrations of Dark magic, most probably Dark objects, Marshal Inge.”
“Your sensors can tell you that from orbit?”
Harry’s brain skittered around trying to figure that question out for a moment before the gestalt answer appeared from the bonded.
“The sensors aren’t in orbit, Marshal. While the map is in fact an orbital picture which has had the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system overlaid onto it, the ‘sensors’ are in flight over the target.”
“We’re going to want some of these, I think, Harry.”
Harry grumbled and his face screwed up into a frown. Sarah laughed.
“Harry?”
Sarah looked at Harry and seeing no reply was forthcoming, answered, “Harry seems to have objections to his children joining the army, Marshal.”
Tony blinked. “Errrh, I apparently am unable to overcome the non sequitor, ma’am.”
“The sensors are Hedwig and the owlets, Marshal.”
“Holy Mary, Mother of God! Harry, get them out of there! The Russians have a very good integrated air defense umbrella.”
“Probably not that good, Marshall. After all, they would only be seeing owls flying. We can probably get away with it once.” Sir John blinked as the room froze and the temperature suddenly seemed to drop.
Tony Inge turned to General Sir John Foley, chief of intelligence, and narrowed his eyes. “We’re going to have a long conversation about acceptable risk and complete briefings, General.”
The Senior officers of the Defense Staff winced; the Queen’s next comment didn’t help.
“As will we, Your Graces.” Elizabeth looked pointedly at Harry, Nym, and Sarah.
“Oooooh, Mum’s—”
“Princess Eugenie!”
For the first time in her life Eugenie clapped her mouth shut instantly. Grandmother was furious.
The whole room devoted their entire attention to the map or the bond.
“Liz?”
“Completely unacceptable! What can they be thinking, risking my grandchildren!”
“Errrh, Liz, they are owls.”
“Mine! And that remains to be seen. Even if they are, they’re mine.”
Phillip looked at his wife speculatively; Apparently Harry wasn’t the only one who went a little spare over the kids. He should have known really; she’d been like this about all the grandchildren at first and only slowly drew back and hid her more possessive, protective traits. Part of what had caused the strain with Diana, really. As soon as she started calling Harry her Duke he should have seen this coming.
John Major rose and moved over to Tony Inge after looking at his enraged Queen. “Well, we’ve stuffed this up, old man. How do we fix it?”
Tony Inge thought a moment. “You know, what we really want is for the Russians to look somewhere else. Why don’t we increase our alert level to a step under war momentarily? The old hangers-on in their defense staff still watch that very closely; it would focus them at least for a few hours. It won’t really affect our forces much, just make ’em wake up a little. If the Americans follow us, then so much the better.”
General Gerald Naismith, Senior American Liaison to the Defence Staff, leaned forward. “Should have thought of it ourselves really; we have an Air Op going in over Croatia and the FRY (Former Republic Yugoslavia, in American milspeak). Plus we can launch some Buffs from Diego Garcia. That ought to just about spin them completely out of control. Then as soon as the Buffs get to altitude we can set ’em down again. And you can stand down to your current alert level. While the Russians try to figure out what happened, Harry’s op should go almost completely under the radar. Oh, and by the way, the owls should be identifiable as owls on the Russians phased array radar. It’s actually pretty sophisticated—a disadvantage for them in this case.”
John Major nodded. “I rely on your advice, gentlemen.”
Gerald and Tony began issuing code-word commands to their separate forces.
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Indian Ocean
Diego Garcia Air Base
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0413
The alert sirens going off energized the older air crew who were Cold War veterans. The new kids knew it could happen but had never experienced it except in drills. It didn’t matter, though, as that training kicked in and the First B52H armed with rotary launchers and twenty-four AGM 86B ALCMs (air launched cruise missiles) was in the air in eight minutes. The Group was off the ground in twelve. The Group Commander was pleased, cold to flying in twelve minutes with all sixty-four.
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Somewhere in Britain
Ministry of Defense Command Post
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0215
Colonel William Carl pushed the button raising the alert level to one step under an active war footing. The claxon sounded twice and the orders went out.
Bill shook his head. What the hell could the old buggers be up to? All this would do was make some air and vessel crews stay up all night. Well, at least it was decent weather; the aircrew wouldn’t be roasting or freezing in their cockpits until the twist came out of whoever’s shorts.
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Somewhere in Russia
Russian Ministry of Defense Command Post
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0717
Marshal Sergei Plotempkin watched as the reports streamed in. What the hell? The Americans were launching aircraft at a ferocious pace and the British were upping their alert status.
Sergei watched as another wave of bombers left their airdrome.
The air defense analyst looked at the Marshal. “Marshal, we’ve plotted their courses—they are all pointed at targets in the Soviet Union.”
“Russia, idiot, it’s Russia now.”
This was a problem. All of these idiots went straight to muscle memory. They could not think. The Americans had suddenly jumped into a large, highly radar-visible and growing air strike, but their B2 bombers were on the ground. The British had upped their alert status but no visible action was occurring.
What were the capitalists up to? Bah, now I’m doing it, he thought.
“Marshal, CNN is reporting bombing in Yugoslavia.”
“Air defense?”
The harassed air defense Colonel nodded. “It’s possible a turn could take these bombers to Yugoslavia, but these will need to cross into Soviet airspace here and here.”
“Colonel, if you say ‘Soviet’ one more time I will shoot you.” Sergei lay his pistol on the console in front of him.
“The areas you indicated are now Kazakhstan and Georgia sovereign states and not our problem. Focus, Colonel.”
Sergei dropped back into thought. So now NATO was up, and up to something, too. He had to wait but that didn’t mean he couldn’t focus the assets he had better. Sergei turned to the staff and began issuing orders to gain a picture of what was going on outside of Russia. Internal observation would have to be beggared for a while.
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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0242
Harry lifted his head and looked at the map. Colette was overjoyed to report complete success and was anxious to launch her scout teams. Harry was hesitant; he wanted the situation to settle. Unfortunately he had no reason for this feeling.
Harry looked at Luna, who was sitting with her eyes white, obviously concentrating very hard.
“I don’t see anything, Harry—well, anything relating to this.”
Dan watched this exchange. “Trust your gut, Harry.”
Harry told Gabriel and Colette to go to ground and wait. He didn’t know why; they would just have to wait it out.
Colette understood immediately and went about giving the appropriate orders. Gabrielle felt Harry’s unease and stepped up her observation and warned Hedwig.
At 0300, with a still-quiet area of operations, Harry gave Grindaknívur a caress and told her to be careful and sent the Goblin Regiment on their way. As they faded, Harry gave all the Shield Maidens he had been with a caress. Ulen squeed inside the bond.
“Harry, stop. They need to pay attention.”
“Yes, Nym.”
“Harry, the Russians just lit up all their radar pointed at their borders. We’re cycling the bombers from each base. It’s time we did a full-on readiness test anyway.”
Harry winced. “At $1200 an hour apiece, General?”
Gerald Naismith laughed. “That’s nothing, Harry. You should see what it costs to run a carrier.”
“Could I interest you in a subscription to the school sports program, General?”
Gerald blinked as the laughter flowed around the room.
“It’s not that bad, Harry old man. Besides, those concessions of yours are making a fortune on Saturdays and Sundays.”
“I don’t call a million Galleons a month easy, Phillip.”
“Great Scott, Harry—you’re making a billion Galleons a year?”
“More, actually, but a billion in British assets.”
“Hmm. Narcissa, be a good daughter-in-law and take a look at my portfolio, won’t you?”
“Certainly, Da, but Monday perhaps. We seem to be a little busy this weekend.”
Phillip smiled hugely.
The Queen rolled her eyes.
Harry smiled and returned to watching the bond and studying the map. The Goblin Regiment was moving like lightning.
“Grindaknívur—deliberate, honey, slow and deliberate.”
“Harry, we are being deliberate. There’s nothing out here except for these Maglubiyet-be-damned brambles. I’m being skinned alive.”
“Slow down then, baby.”
“First you crank us all up and then you want us to slow down—make up your mind.”
“It wasn’t my fault. Who knew Ulen would pick that moment?”
“You two hush—and Grindaknívur, slow down. You need your skin, sweetie.”
“Yes, Sarah.”
Harry brought his attention back to the map.
“Hedwig, are the nestlings okay?”
“Yes. Good updraft, easy flying, Harry mine.”
“Let’s start rotating them and you, though. It will look odd for ten of you to stay up there all day.”
“Okay, Harry mine.”
The mates chuckled. Hedwig never missed an opportunity to slip in a “mine” when dealing with Harry or arguing over bacon with Hermione.
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Washington, D.C.
Pentagon
Thursday
26 Sept 1996
2200
The pizza delivery trucks began rolling up and network news Pentagon watchers began calling the producers.
Producers started calling military analysts whose grumbling wives handed them the phones and sighed. Twenty-five years of active duty and now every time the Pentagon ordered more than a dozen pizzas at a time their sleep got interrupted.
Oh well, what the hell. If it was a good one they could redo the kitchen. Hopefully it was just another bout of sword waving by the fat manwhore and his kankle-having lesbian-cover-story wife.
Hopefully it didn’t mean another rubber chicken dinner at the White House listening to the fat fuck and his glitterati know-nothing Hollywood sycophants, followed by fending off both his and the bull dyke’s drunken advances. What had America come to—people thinking a pair of rubber tits, some ass fat shot into your lips and a willingness to fuck on film, and suddenly you were a policy maker. God, she hated that her mother had been right; when women let go of their morals, it ruined America.
April giggled. Policy by promiscuity—no wonder we’re all fucked. Pretty soon the troops would know their civilian bosses in the biblical sense when all the hookers and strippers ran for office.
Coffee...must have coffee.
Fucking Demoncraps’ last good one was Andrew Jackson. Well, Truman hadn’t been bad either, but after that it was all downhill to this lying, philandering, pandering to the lunatic fringe piece of shit Clinton and his bull dyke handler. No wonder Arkansas had supported him: it got his ass out of the state.
Pity about the kid; she’d probably end up knocked up in college by some “oppressed minority” looking for a shot of white ass. Hmmm, how old was the little troll? If they started a pool now at a dollar a year until it happened, they could get the Demoncrap congressional and senate wives in on the other side and win a fortune…better call June.
’Course the Repulsicans were no better, pandering to anyone with a checkbook. Prostitutes, all of them.
Fuck, Ted turned on the TV. Significant military activity her ass. Looked like an EDRE (early detection and readiness exercise) to her; planes were already landing again. for Christ’s sake.
Of course, what did she know? The mighty liberally educated press must be correct. She laughed to herself as that stock footage of the M109 self-propelled Howitzer driving through the national training center rolled, and sure enough the idiot anchor called it a tank.
Stupid fucking liberals. She was so glad she’d gotten over her rebellious urges quickly and found Ted in the ROTC at school. It had helped that the supposedly superior liberally leaning students and professors needed a shave, haircut, and bath. April couldn’t abide poor personal hygiene habits.
Sure, it had been a tough life, moving every couple of years. The not-moving times had been worse, though; that had meant Vietnam or Korea or some other God-forsaken hell hole for Ted and his troops followed by a tour at wherever the Army had put her and the kids.
April shuddered. Vietnam—another Demoncrap mess. Fuck Kennedy and his anorexic slut. Johnson and that stupid cow Lady Bird too, probably the worst. Ney, culturny idiot, actually thought he knew something and attempted to take the conduct of the war from the professionals. Both of those pieces of shit had American blood on their hands.
Tricky Dick Nixon was a crook but he got us out of that green hell.
Anyway, the Army had been good to them and Ted had only been lightly wounded in ’seventy-two.
Oh fuck, here we go. The alert sirens at Campbell were blaring over the idiot reporter’s voice. The troops were laughing as they ran in that orderly room.
Yep, EDRE. If it was real they would be completely silent. April had seen it before; somehow the troopers always knew. Well, the troops and the strippers.
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Somewhere in Russia
Russian Ministry of Defense Command Post
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0953
Marshal Sergei Plotempkin studied the board. Now British divisions were activating. The bombers had continued to come on and then dropped low over land. The radar was working desperately to track them but they were still well short of Soviet, Govno Говно, Russian airspace. The few that had approached within a hundred kilometers had forced him to scramble the air defense fighter regiments and then withdrawn. That had been the pattern so far.
It was like the worst of the Cold War days.
The bombing in Yugoslavia had stopped. The satellite imagery showed significant damage.
Yeltsin the drunk had called and said nothing when told the situation. That was an indicator. That was probably what this was about—the drunk had pissed off somebody in the west, and an EDRE had been leapt on by component commanders as an opportunity to train.
That did not explain the British, though, or the bombing.
Well, time to be a good Russian a while longer. What was the American expression—“no blood, no foul”. Right now the only thing that was getting spilled was fuel and, well, that crap had to be used anyway.
“Sir, we have a heavy bomber wing lifting off from coastal China.”
What the fuck were they doing now?
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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0430
Harry looked at the map one last time. The operation had gone perfectly. He had released the Veela scouts and they had begun emplacing the intent and Dark Mark driven wardstones. Almost immediately the first prisoners had shown up and been interrogated. Apparently the Death Eaters had no idea what was happening.
They knew who Harry was, though, and two of them had wet themselves at the mere mention of his name. It would have been funny if they weren’t rapists and murderers.
Harry sent them back to cells, and those not in the bond wondered at his mercy. Augusta had been watching him and she turned and looked at Griselda; they both shuddered. Sunday would be frightful if that look in Harry’s eye meant anything.
Now it was time to deploy the main body. Harry stood and raised his slaves, Sarah and Nym. He bowed to the Queen and the Regiment faded away to the pitch in the sports area where they linked up with the First Mage Battalion; the elves of that were working with them.
Harry looked at LTC McNeely, who nodded; and at 05:00 local time the main body faded away.
Chapter 9
Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Thursday
26 Sept 1996
22:00
Harry stood on the stage looking out at the assembled crowd.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you please, we will proceed. I know it’s late. This will be an order brief, so all but unit commanders, please hold your questions.” Harry sat in his chair at the table perpendicular to the screen at the back of the stage.
The crowd quieted and the unit commanders of the Division seated in the front row flipped open notebooks.
Hestia stood.
“Situation: elements of our intelligence network have identified a cell of Dark wizards formerly allied with Tom Riddle working in and around Chita in Russia.”
A slide appeared on the screen:
“Chita (Russian: ЧитаÏ) is a city in Russia, the administrative center of Chita Oblast in eastern Siberia. It stands at the confluence of the Chita and Ingoda rivers and on the Trans-Siberian Railway, 500 miles east of Irkutsk, at 52°03’N 113°28’E. Population: 305,000 (1995 est.); 316,643 (1994 census). It is the headquarters of the Siberian Military District. It is served by Chita Kadala Airport and the Chita Northwest air base. The town is characterized by its grid street pattern (unusual for Russia) and 5-story Communist era concrete buildings. It was a part of the Gulag prison system.
“The Russian government has refused to actively pursue and eliminate these remnant forces, though they have installed the intent-based and Dark Mark stones in their country. These remnant forces represent a ongoing threat both direct, through their avowed mission to avenge their comrades killed in the action to eliminate Riddle, and indirect in their continuing efforts supporting evil.”
A map appeared on the huge screen at what the Americans called “one over the world” resolution and slowly magnified until the tiny red dot marking Chita grew into a city. It further resolved into a 1 over 100,000 meter UTM grid map.
“Commanders Intent: Use speed and stealth to capture or destroy the remnant forces of Lord Voldemort, while receiving no casualties in the Division.
“Mission: Maneuver the Division to seize key terrain and deny communications to Chita to any but Divisional troops. Install temporary anti-magical transportation, anti-communication and anti-location wards. Conduct a cordon and search removing Dark objects and beings to be investigated and interrogated. Install a system of permanent intent and Dark Mark wardstones tied to the Potter dungeons. Collapse the wards and depart the area with minimal disruption and no casualties.”
Key terrain around Chita suddenly grew red circles and a huge area centered on the city grew criss-crossed gold, pink, and orange lines.
“Execution: On 27 Sept 1996 the Veela Regiment will move to and seize hilltop 2230 at 11:00 local, 02:00 our time, an unoccupied, unguarded forested hilltop. This area to be secured not later than 11:30 local. Local time is plus 9 hours. So right now it’s 8 a.m. on the twenty-seventh there.”
The map scrolled right and another dot appeared.
“Surprise is essential, so stealth is crucial to this part of the mission. We will issue popping stones to transport prisoners to all forces.
“The Veela Regiment will secure and hold the key terrain as indicated on the map.
“On 27 Sept 1996 at 12:00 (03:00) the Goblin Regiment will transport into this area and immediately organize for and conduct movement to the ward anchor sites and emplace the ward anchors. They will then spread to link up the sites.”
The map suddenly grew to nine dots—three each of pink, orange, and gold. Thin lines spread from the dots meeting in the middle of the spaces to connect the dots.
“The American First Mage Battalion and the British Royal Guards (Magical) Infantry Regiment will transport in on 27 Sept 1996 at 14:00 (05:00) and begin preparation for operations and scouting from air and ground under Disillusion charms and various other means of concealment.
“At 19:00 (10:00) the Guards Magical Regiment will shift form. The Goblins will activate the wards, and the Guards Magical Regiment with the Veela Regiment and First Mage Battalion will begin a pincer movement to encircle the town and capture all Dark beings. The Goblin Regiment will hold the perimeter and capture all leakers. All Dark objects will be transported by Potter elves, all Dark beings will be popped to the dungeons here with popping stones.”
On the maps the forces flowed around the town and then through it.
“A combined intent and Dark Mark wardstone will be placed on every doorsill in town and in each lane of every road into town by the scouts. Don’t forget the airports and military facilities.
“Once the town has been searched and the Dark beings and objects removed, the Goblins will on order collapse the wards and the Division will, on order, use the white stone to pop back to the pitches of the Royal Academy sports complex. Units will be released at that time with an after action review to follow on the twenty-eighth in the Royal Academy auditorium at 14:00 all are invited; Division units are required to attend.”
Tony Inge lifted his hand.
“Marshal?”
“Colonel Jones.”
All the mates had been ranked by now, as the military establishment couldn’t deal with a Regiment where all had the same rank. Harry had been promoted to Major General, Nym and Sarah to Brigadiers, the Primaries to Colonel, and the other mates had been ranked in accordance with their positions, none lower than subaltern. The mates had laughed themselves hoarse.
“I noticed that you haven’t said the Russians have been notified of this operation on their sovereign territory.”
“They were instructed to fix this problem and they declined. Now they will be reminded very gently that they are a vassal nation. If they object, the reminder will be substantially less gentle. Our purpose is to capture and remove, however armed, or magical resistance will be reduced.”
Tony winced; that word “reduced” had very specific military meaning. It meant the enemy’s capability to fight would be removed. Well, on the bright side, she hadn’t said....
“Destroyed, not reduced, Hestia. We talked about this.”
“Yes, Your Grace. Excuse me, Marshal—destroyed.”
“Harry, really, I must protest.”
“Noted, Marshal, and I as the Major General commanding the Division share your concerns. However, I as the Duke of Magic will bring my vassal to heel using my magical Division. The Russian Ministry of Magic has been informed and Mr. Yeltsin has responded to my letters with the verbal equivalent of a shrug. Our impression is that he is testing me. They have the same kind of ‘we know but we won’t admit we know about magic’ oath-secured government the Americans do. Amanda has diligently worked the diplomatic channels. As I hold their last remaining Czarina and their Stone as parts of my heart, they are in a bit of a quandary. They want to play nice but they can’t yet.”
The heavily pregnant Anastasia and not yet pregnant Susan/Roxanne beamed at Harry while the mates smiled and the mothers chortled. Harry would apparently never learn.
Hestia cleared her throat; Harry nodded to her. “I will be followed by—” Hestia smirked— “Colonel Weasley.”
Hestia sat blushing slightly from Harry’s usual thanks and Ginny rose and walked to the podium.
“Medics will travel with the companies as assigned. Medical evacuation will be to a field hospital manned by Jennifer, Marcia, Melissa, and Falcata. Casualties requiring further evacuation will be evacuated to the deep holds here where Poppy Pomfrey and the St. Mungo’s staff will have a military hospital set up. Operations are planned for less than a day, so troops will carry enough food and water for three days. Commanders down to platoon commander have been assigned a Potter elf to supply all other classes of material as needed. Don’t be afraid to call on them as they’re pestering me to death to be involved.”
Chuckles sounded.
“I will be followed by Colonel Granger.”
“Hip hip hooray!”
“DADDY!”
Emma smacked her beaming husband while general laughter coursed through the hall. Dan had been positively dizzy every time he saw Hermione in uniform since he pinned the insignia of the two Order of the Thistle stars under St Edward’s Crown on her right epaulet while Emma pinned her left. Sure, it wasn’t the Bath, but you couldn’t have everything.
Hermione glared at her father. “Yes, well, let me press on, Command and Signal: Succession of Command; His Grace the Duke of Magic, Her Grace Brigadier Nymphadora Potter, Her Grace Brigadier Sarah of York, Her Grace Colonel Hestia Jones Potter, and myself. If all of that has become necessary you can expect me to activate the recall function of the stones so we can sort it out at the pitch later.
“Duchess Dinara and Duchess Krista will be running the Division Main in this theater with those members of the Regiments too gravid to deploy.”
Eyes turned to a fuming Dinara momentarily and flinched away. She was hugely pregnant and not happy at all, a deadly combination in a vampire who was now a powerful witch too. The Division main operations center ran like clockwork, however.
Krista was no less angry and no less hazardous. It was worth your life really to irritate them, any of them. If they didn’t kill you you could find yourself surrounded by the Warg girls in the schools, and who knew what would happen then!
“Signal: All elements will have a bonded present for primary communication. Secondary communication will be by messenger spell. Lastly, red wand sparks will be the signal for each trooper to fire red sparks immediately and then withdraw using the individual emergency Portkeys. Activation for them is B-U-S-T-E-R, spoken as a word not spelled.”
Chuckles went round; at rehearsal Hermione had said BUSTER and Harry had landed in the middle of a varsity ’Claws practice.
Hermione sat with a tiny little blush, as had Ginny and Hestia.
Harry rose and moved to the front of the stage. “There is a high likelihood bordering on a certainty that we will be engaged by forces of the Dark Lady Xi Shi during this operation. I and certain other elements will handle those forces. You continue to execute your missions. When those forces arrive, and as I engage them, Brigadier Sarah Windsor Mountbatten will be in command.”
“Questions?”
LTC John McNeely of the First Mage Battalion asked, “Any idea what those forces will be, General Potter?”
“Dragons, Colonel.”
John, to his credit, never even blinked. “And how do you propose to handle them, sir?”
“I have a few tricks up my sleeve, John.”
“And pants legs—oh, and let’s not forget mmph mmmfrr.”
Sarah had clapped her hand over Eugenie’s mouth. “Eugenie, I thought you were saving that sort of thing so it would be a surprise.”
“But it was, Mother. I got almost the whole thing out that time.”
“Time for bed, young lady.”
Harry waited for the laughter to die down. “Anything else? Oh, I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t shoot at the Dragons you might see. Just report them and move on.
“Okay—no questions? Then I’m for an early night.”
Everyone stood and the Regiment made their way out. Susan and Anastasia waited patiently for about three minutes, then grabbed Harry and faded away.
“Why doesn’t he want us to shoot at the Dragons?”
“Because he sleeps with most of them, John.”
John blinked this time. Janet laughed.
“You’ll see, John; just trust me for now.”
Phillip was walking Elizabeth to their room. “Phillip, what did the Pope say to Harry?”
“I really don’t know, Elizabeth. They just walked along and talked. There was some laughing and some very serious conversation.”
“Well, I’ll have to ask him. Harry seems worlds better, though, not nearly so troubled.”
“Hmmph. I wonder whether that was the Pope or the village priest Karol Jozef Wojtyła, the Duke’s confessor?”
Elizabeth smiled. “I think Jozef would be pleased to be known as Jozef the Confessor, probably more than any other title.”
“You know, I got that feeling too, Liz.”
“Philmmmph—”
Elizabeth pushed back from the kiss and realized the hall was empty, and they were near the door to the Royal suite. She gave a little smirk and dragged Phillip to the bedroom of the suite.
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Royal Academy
Goblin Regimental Quarters
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0048
Harry escorted Grindaknívur through the Goblin Regimental spaces below the Primary school with Nym on his right. They had inspected the Goblin units and now they were moving through the spaces just watching as the Goblins went about their business.
Shield Maiden Captain Ulen of the Third Battalion watched the Commander move through the Quarters and made her decision. She put herself in his path and knelt proudly.
Grindaknívur sighed; she had known this would happen’ “Harry, you have to take her.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You have to take her here, and if we win and she’s still alive you have to take her on this same spot when we get back.”
“I beg your pardon?”
Susan materialized beside Harry and Grindaknívur. Her co-inhabitant Roxanne said, “Will you believe it’s an obscure Goblin ritual that will improve troop morale and help to ensure success?”
“Errrh, why not? Everything else involving me and sex with strange women seems to be of similar earth-shattering importance. But do I have to do this in—errrh—public, as it were? Could we at least limit the audience?”
Nym smiled at him and went forward and lay her palm on Ulen’s forehead. “That would defeat the purpose, Harry—oooh, and she is very compatible. The male Goblins won’t watch anyway if they ever want a chance with a Shield Maiden. Go on change and take her.”
Harry shook his head. Accepting the inevitable was one thing, but his mates were sex fiends. It seemed if he was awake he was supposed to be having sex with someone.
A vast snickering was heard in the bond.
“Grrrrr.”
“Harry, try not resisting. It won’t be so fun for them then.”
“Thanks, Eugenie. Hey, no peeking!”
Harry changed to his Goblin and advanced on Ulen. She grinned, leapt to her feet, and drew her sword, taking a cut at him at the same time. Nym stood back with Susan/Roxanne and Grindaknívur and watched as Harry and Ulen went after each other with murderous intent—well, Ulen did. Harry busied himself stripping her a piece at a time until finally he rolled her under him and as she chewed his shoulder he filled her and drove her to clamp onto him at both ends. The mates were surprised when the light flashed from Ulen, Harry, and them as he released in her. Ulen smiled and reached between herself and Harry and then staunched his bleeding with their mixed secretions as she played in the bond.
Nym, Grindaknívur and Susan/Roxanne dressed Ulen as they laughed. Ulen was very excited. Marcia faded in with a healing potion and the gathered Goblin Shield Maidens cheered and cat-called. The Goblin males outside the ring of Shield Maidens grinned at the good omen.
Harry shook his head, thinking, “Well, do I dare visit my Veela?”
“Your Veela, Harry? But of course. Give me a few minutes, though.”
The laughing Gabrielle disappeared from the bond except for bare traces of her presence.
“Uh-oh.”
Roxanne looked at him and laughed. “Uh-oh? After that ‘my Veela’ comment you’ll be lucky to find them in clothes.”
Nym stared at her reddening Goblin mate and laughed. He looked like he was trying to get ready for Christmas, with red patches showing on green skin.
They said goodbye to the Goblins and moved to the Veela Regiment. Roxanne’s words proved to be prophetic.
Nym just laughed and went around touching the uniformly blond Veela, ensuring they should at least be somewhere on the list.
Harry was immediately buried in a writhing pile from whence issued much giggling and the occasional pleased scream.
The Veela pouted horribly when their senior NCOs chivvied them out of the pile and into formation ten minutes before they were supposed to transport. They helped each other dress as Nym and Susan/Roxanne picked up the very tired but smiling Harry.
Gabrielle moved into place next to the Regimental Commander, who was adjusting her pants; she had been on the bottom of the pile with Harry at the last. As both of them gave Harry a wave and a saucy wink, the Veela Regiment hit their SP time and faded away under the influence of fifty Potter elves.
Harry, Nym, and Susan/Roxanne faded into the theater.
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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0202
Harry seated Susan and then Nym. Harry sat beside Nym and the pregnant Bellatrix and Allison moved over with Amelia Fastida.
The mates chortled as Harry leapt to his feet and lowered his “slaves” gently onto cushions at his and Nym’s feet.
“Harry, it ruins it if you hover and help us.”
“Speak for yourself, Bella. Thanks for the help, Harry. I’m getting to the awkward phase, not big enough to truly limit me but it throws my balance off horribly.”
The new slaves filled in the space in front of them and Beatrice and Eugenie giggled as they picked their way to their places.
Amelia Fastida nodded. “Tell me about it! That was worse than the hugely pregnant phase, I think.”
“Oh, good—then Allison and Bella can stay and we can go.”
Marcia blew at her bangs and rolled her eyes. “No, Dinara, you’re going to deliver today or tomorrow maybe, but this week for sure, and a battlefield is no place to do that. You either, Krista.”
Twin growls were halfheartedly directed Marcia’s way and then Dinara and Krista settled and the map came up. Harry and Nym dropped into the trance-like state following the Veela who had contract mated and Gabrielle. They were surprised to find Colette the regimental commander there. Colette was being smug about it.
Hedwig and the Owlets were orbiting the area, adding to the picture.
Tony Inge and the Defense staff, this time with the American liaison officers, were again amazed at the advantage this now real-time battle tracking offered. Something odd was happening on the map, though.
The mates who were reading the bond rather than watching the map noticed it immediately.
“Harry, what is that?”
“I don’t know, Nym.”
“Bad people, bad things.”
“Hedwig?”
“Yes, Harry?”
“Are you doing that?”
“And nestlings, Harry.”
“That’s very good, Hedwig, I didn’t know owls could do that.”
“Luna’s eyes, Nym. She can do, so we can do. I taught nestlings.”
“Wow.”
“Wow, Harry? I think it’s a little more than wow. Hedwig is using Luna’s aura-reading ability, and so are the owlets.”
After that thought, Cho, Hermione, and the ’Claws dove in and went gently feeling through the culprits’ minds. Hedwig and Luna giggled; it was a cross between tickling and stimulating having their mates gently prying in their minds.
“Harry, what are these black dots?”
“Dark-oriented individuals and concentrations of Dark magic, most probably Dark objects, Marshal Inge.”
“Your sensors can tell you that from orbit?”
Harry’s brain skittered around trying to figure that question out for a moment before the gestalt answer appeared from the bonded.
“The sensors aren’t in orbit, Marshal. While the map is in fact an orbital picture which has had the Universal Transverse Mercator grid system overlaid onto it, the ‘sensors’ are in flight over the target.”
“We’re going to want some of these, I think, Harry.”
Harry grumbled and his face screwed up into a frown. Sarah laughed.
“Harry?”
Sarah looked at Harry and seeing no reply was forthcoming, answered, “Harry seems to have objections to his children joining the army, Marshal.”
Tony blinked. “Errrh, I apparently am unable to overcome the non sequitor, ma’am.”
“The sensors are Hedwig and the owlets, Marshal.”
“Holy Mary, Mother of God! Harry, get them out of there! The Russians have a very good integrated air defense umbrella.”
“Probably not that good, Marshall. After all, they would only be seeing owls flying. We can probably get away with it once.” Sir John blinked as the room froze and the temperature suddenly seemed to drop.
Tony Inge turned to General Sir John Foley, chief of intelligence, and narrowed his eyes. “We’re going to have a long conversation about acceptable risk and complete briefings, General.”
The Senior officers of the Defense Staff winced; the Queen’s next comment didn’t help.
“As will we, Your Graces.” Elizabeth looked pointedly at Harry, Nym, and Sarah.
“Oooooh, Mum’s—”
“Princess Eugenie!”
For the first time in her life Eugenie clapped her mouth shut instantly. Grandmother was furious.
The whole room devoted their entire attention to the map or the bond.
“Liz?”
“Completely unacceptable! What can they be thinking, risking my grandchildren!”
“Errrh, Liz, they are owls.”
“Mine! And that remains to be seen. Even if they are, they’re mine.”
Phillip looked at his wife speculatively; Apparently Harry wasn’t the only one who went a little spare over the kids. He should have known really; she’d been like this about all the grandchildren at first and only slowly drew back and hid her more possessive, protective traits. Part of what had caused the strain with Diana, really. As soon as she started calling Harry her Duke he should have seen this coming.
John Major rose and moved over to Tony Inge after looking at his enraged Queen. “Well, we’ve stuffed this up, old man. How do we fix it?”
Tony Inge thought a moment. “You know, what we really want is for the Russians to look somewhere else. Why don’t we increase our alert level to a step under war momentarily? The old hangers-on in their defense staff still watch that very closely; it would focus them at least for a few hours. It won’t really affect our forces much, just make ’em wake up a little. If the Americans follow us, then so much the better.”
General Gerald Naismith, Senior American Liaison to the Defence Staff, leaned forward. “Should have thought of it ourselves really; we have an Air Op going in over Croatia and the FRY (Former Republic Yugoslavia, in American milspeak). Plus we can launch some Buffs from Diego Garcia. That ought to just about spin them completely out of control. Then as soon as the Buffs get to altitude we can set ’em down again. And you can stand down to your current alert level. While the Russians try to figure out what happened, Harry’s op should go almost completely under the radar. Oh, and by the way, the owls should be identifiable as owls on the Russians phased array radar. It’s actually pretty sophisticated—a disadvantage for them in this case.”
John Major nodded. “I rely on your advice, gentlemen.”
Gerald and Tony began issuing code-word commands to their separate forces.
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Indian Ocean
Diego Garcia Air Base
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0413
The alert sirens going off energized the older air crew who were Cold War veterans. The new kids knew it could happen but had never experienced it except in drills. It didn’t matter, though, as that training kicked in and the First B52H armed with rotary launchers and twenty-four AGM 86B ALCMs (air launched cruise missiles) was in the air in eight minutes. The Group was off the ground in twelve. The Group Commander was pleased, cold to flying in twelve minutes with all sixty-four.
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Somewhere in Britain
Ministry of Defense Command Post
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0215
Colonel William Carl pushed the button raising the alert level to one step under an active war footing. The claxon sounded twice and the orders went out.
Bill shook his head. What the hell could the old buggers be up to? All this would do was make some air and vessel crews stay up all night. Well, at least it was decent weather; the aircrew wouldn’t be roasting or freezing in their cockpits until the twist came out of whoever’s shorts.
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Somewhere in Russia
Russian Ministry of Defense Command Post
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0717
Marshal Sergei Plotempkin watched as the reports streamed in. What the hell? The Americans were launching aircraft at a ferocious pace and the British were upping their alert status.
Sergei watched as another wave of bombers left their airdrome.
The air defense analyst looked at the Marshal. “Marshal, we’ve plotted their courses—they are all pointed at targets in the Soviet Union.”
“Russia, idiot, it’s Russia now.”
This was a problem. All of these idiots went straight to muscle memory. They could not think. The Americans had suddenly jumped into a large, highly radar-visible and growing air strike, but their B2 bombers were on the ground. The British had upped their alert status but no visible action was occurring.
What were the capitalists up to? Bah, now I’m doing it, he thought.
“Marshal, CNN is reporting bombing in Yugoslavia.”
“Air defense?”
The harassed air defense Colonel nodded. “It’s possible a turn could take these bombers to Yugoslavia, but these will need to cross into Soviet airspace here and here.”
“Colonel, if you say ‘Soviet’ one more time I will shoot you.” Sergei lay his pistol on the console in front of him.
“The areas you indicated are now Kazakhstan and Georgia sovereign states and not our problem. Focus, Colonel.”
Sergei dropped back into thought. So now NATO was up, and up to something, too. He had to wait but that didn’t mean he couldn’t focus the assets he had better. Sergei turned to the staff and began issuing orders to gain a picture of what was going on outside of Russia. Internal observation would have to be beggared for a while.
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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0242
Harry lifted his head and looked at the map. Colette was overjoyed to report complete success and was anxious to launch her scout teams. Harry was hesitant; he wanted the situation to settle. Unfortunately he had no reason for this feeling.
Harry looked at Luna, who was sitting with her eyes white, obviously concentrating very hard.
“I don’t see anything, Harry—well, anything relating to this.”
Dan watched this exchange. “Trust your gut, Harry.”
Harry told Gabriel and Colette to go to ground and wait. He didn’t know why; they would just have to wait it out.
Colette understood immediately and went about giving the appropriate orders. Gabrielle felt Harry’s unease and stepped up her observation and warned Hedwig.
At 0300, with a still-quiet area of operations, Harry gave Grindaknívur a caress and told her to be careful and sent the Goblin Regiment on their way. As they faded, Harry gave all the Shield Maidens he had been with a caress. Ulen squeed inside the bond.
“Harry, stop. They need to pay attention.”
“Yes, Nym.”
“Harry, the Russians just lit up all their radar pointed at their borders. We’re cycling the bombers from each base. It’s time we did a full-on readiness test anyway.”
Harry winced. “At $1200 an hour apiece, General?”
Gerald Naismith laughed. “That’s nothing, Harry. You should see what it costs to run a carrier.”
“Could I interest you in a subscription to the school sports program, General?”
Gerald blinked as the laughter flowed around the room.
“It’s not that bad, Harry old man. Besides, those concessions of yours are making a fortune on Saturdays and Sundays.”
“I don’t call a million Galleons a month easy, Phillip.”
“Great Scott, Harry—you’re making a billion Galleons a year?”
“More, actually, but a billion in British assets.”
“Hmm. Narcissa, be a good daughter-in-law and take a look at my portfolio, won’t you?”
“Certainly, Da, but Monday perhaps. We seem to be a little busy this weekend.”
Phillip smiled hugely.
The Queen rolled her eyes.
Harry smiled and returned to watching the bond and studying the map. The Goblin Regiment was moving like lightning.
“Grindaknívur—deliberate, honey, slow and deliberate.”
“Harry, we are being deliberate. There’s nothing out here except for these Maglubiyet-be-damned brambles. I’m being skinned alive.”
“Slow down then, baby.”
“First you crank us all up and then you want us to slow down—make up your mind.”
“It wasn’t my fault. Who knew Ulen would pick that moment?”
“You two hush—and Grindaknívur, slow down. You need your skin, sweetie.”
“Yes, Sarah.”
Harry brought his attention back to the map.
“Hedwig, are the nestlings okay?”
“Yes. Good updraft, easy flying, Harry mine.”
“Let’s start rotating them and you, though. It will look odd for ten of you to stay up there all day.”
“Okay, Harry mine.”
The mates chuckled. Hedwig never missed an opportunity to slip in a “mine” when dealing with Harry or arguing over bacon with Hermione.
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Washington, D.C.
Pentagon
Thursday
26 Sept 1996
2200
The pizza delivery trucks began rolling up and network news Pentagon watchers began calling the producers.
Producers started calling military analysts whose grumbling wives handed them the phones and sighed. Twenty-five years of active duty and now every time the Pentagon ordered more than a dozen pizzas at a time their sleep got interrupted.
Oh well, what the hell. If it was a good one they could redo the kitchen. Hopefully it was just another bout of sword waving by the fat manwhore and his kankle-having lesbian-cover-story wife.
Hopefully it didn’t mean another rubber chicken dinner at the White House listening to the fat fuck and his glitterati know-nothing Hollywood sycophants, followed by fending off both his and the bull dyke’s drunken advances. What had America come to—people thinking a pair of rubber tits, some ass fat shot into your lips and a willingness to fuck on film, and suddenly you were a policy maker. God, she hated that her mother had been right; when women let go of their morals, it ruined America.
April giggled. Policy by promiscuity—no wonder we’re all fucked. Pretty soon the troops would know their civilian bosses in the biblical sense when all the hookers and strippers ran for office.
Coffee...must have coffee.
Fucking Demoncraps’ last good one was Andrew Jackson. Well, Truman hadn’t been bad either, but after that it was all downhill to this lying, philandering, pandering to the lunatic fringe piece of shit Clinton and his bull dyke handler. No wonder Arkansas had supported him: it got his ass out of the state.
Pity about the kid; she’d probably end up knocked up in college by some “oppressed minority” looking for a shot of white ass. Hmmm, how old was the little troll? If they started a pool now at a dollar a year until it happened, they could get the Demoncrap congressional and senate wives in on the other side and win a fortune…better call June.
’Course the Repulsicans were no better, pandering to anyone with a checkbook. Prostitutes, all of them.
Fuck, Ted turned on the TV. Significant military activity her ass. Looked like an EDRE (early detection and readiness exercise) to her; planes were already landing again. for Christ’s sake.
Of course, what did she know? The mighty liberally educated press must be correct. She laughed to herself as that stock footage of the M109 self-propelled Howitzer driving through the national training center rolled, and sure enough the idiot anchor called it a tank.
Stupid fucking liberals. She was so glad she’d gotten over her rebellious urges quickly and found Ted in the ROTC at school. It had helped that the supposedly superior liberally leaning students and professors needed a shave, haircut, and bath. April couldn’t abide poor personal hygiene habits.
Sure, it had been a tough life, moving every couple of years. The not-moving times had been worse, though; that had meant Vietnam or Korea or some other God-forsaken hell hole for Ted and his troops followed by a tour at wherever the Army had put her and the kids.
April shuddered. Vietnam—another Demoncrap mess. Fuck Kennedy and his anorexic slut. Johnson and that stupid cow Lady Bird too, probably the worst. Ney, culturny idiot, actually thought he knew something and attempted to take the conduct of the war from the professionals. Both of those pieces of shit had American blood on their hands.
Tricky Dick Nixon was a crook but he got us out of that green hell.
Anyway, the Army had been good to them and Ted had only been lightly wounded in ’seventy-two.
Oh fuck, here we go. The alert sirens at Campbell were blaring over the idiot reporter’s voice. The troops were laughing as they ran in that orderly room.
Yep, EDRE. If it was real they would be completely silent. April had seen it before; somehow the troopers always knew. Well, the troops and the strippers.
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Somewhere in Russia
Russian Ministry of Defense Command Post
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0953
Marshal Sergei Plotempkin studied the board. Now British divisions were activating. The bombers had continued to come on and then dropped low over land. The radar was working desperately to track them but they were still well short of Soviet, Govno Говно, Russian airspace. The few that had approached within a hundred kilometers had forced him to scramble the air defense fighter regiments and then withdrawn. That had been the pattern so far.
It was like the worst of the Cold War days.
The bombing in Yugoslavia had stopped. The satellite imagery showed significant damage.
Yeltsin the drunk had called and said nothing when told the situation. That was an indicator. That was probably what this was about—the drunk had pissed off somebody in the west, and an EDRE had been leapt on by component commanders as an opportunity to train.
That did not explain the British, though, or the bombing.
Well, time to be a good Russian a while longer. What was the American expression—“no blood, no foul”. Right now the only thing that was getting spilled was fuel and, well, that crap had to be used anyway.
“Sir, we have a heavy bomber wing lifting off from coastal China.”
What the fuck were they doing now?
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Potter Castle
Briefing Theater
Friday
27 Sept 1996
0430
Harry looked at the map one last time. The operation had gone perfectly. He had released the Veela scouts and they had begun emplacing the intent and Dark Mark driven wardstones. Almost immediately the first prisoners had shown up and been interrogated. Apparently the Death Eaters had no idea what was happening.
They knew who Harry was, though, and two of them had wet themselves at the mere mention of his name. It would have been funny if they weren’t rapists and murderers.
Harry sent them back to cells, and those not in the bond wondered at his mercy. Augusta had been watching him and she turned and looked at Griselda; they both shuddered. Sunday would be frightful if that look in Harry’s eye meant anything.
Now it was time to deploy the main body. Harry stood and raised his slaves, Sarah and Nym. He bowed to the Queen and the Regiment faded away to the pitch in the sports area where they linked up with the First Mage Battalion; the elves of that were working with them.
Harry looked at LTC McNeely, who nodded; and at 05:00 local time the main body faded away.
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