Mission 14 Retrieve the Spy (diceslinger)
Joe Davis sat at his desk. Paperwork covered every flat surface. There was even paper pinned to the wall. Joe grumbled in disgust. A sharp rap came at the door.
“Enter.”
Roland Walker stepped into the room and looked around.
“Have a seat. Anywhere.” Said Joe. Roland turned left and right, searching for anywhere devoid of paper that might resemble a chair. Joe got up and kicked a pile of papers off a chair for him.
“I guess they brass thought this would be a real good joke. I would have gladly taken the court-martial over this.” Joe said bitterly.
Roland said nothing, but watched his mentor. The whole flight was in disarray. One of their own had turned on them. No one knew who to trust, or who to turn to. Joe had dispensed justice like he was in an old western novel. Guns at dawn, a duel to the death.
“I guess they figured that I made this mess, I can clean it up.” Joe barked a quick laugh.
“I’m sure you can,” said Roland. “The men trust you. Maybe not each other, but you made it clear which side you are fighting for.” Joe laughed another short dry laugh.
“Well let’s start cleaning things up.” Joe said, leaning back in his chair. “The problem is that we’ve been on the ground too long. That internal review kept us out of the sky. Once we are back in the air, the trust will start reforming. You don’t build a flight on the ground.”
“When are we cleared to fly again?” Roland asked, leaning forward. He was as keen as anyone to get back into the cockpit again.
“Tomorrow morning. First flight will retrieve a person of interest in German territory.” Joe paused as the irony hung thickly in the room.
“We found a traitor in our squadron.” Roland said slowly, brows furrowed. “You dispatched him, and we got grounded for three weeks while they investigated.” Joe nodded. “Four fights have broken out and everyone here is looking over their shoulder.” Joe nodded, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “And GHQ sees fit that out first mission back should be to pick up a spy?” Joe smiled as Roland’s mouth hung agape.
“Not GHQ, they hated the idea. I pushed for it. I knew it was the mission for us.” Said Joe, looking triumphant.
”The perfect mission?” exploded Roland. “How on earth is it the perfect mission?”
“To show the men that we have spies too. To show them that we too can obtain vital information and use it against them, just like Gordon tried to against us. Besides, it was the fasted way to get us flying again. I had to fight like hell. We have to pull this one off Roland, otherwise they might shutter the outfit.” Roland nodded slowly.
“Allright. What’s the plan then.” Roland asked.
“You tell me. It’s your mission.” Said Joe.
“What? Our first mission back, and you aren’t flying?” Roland asked in disbelief.
“Yep. I’m still grounded. And buried in paperwork. I need you to lead this one. Study the maps, this isn’t our usual patrol territory. I need someone to take an R.E. 8 to pick up our guest and two escorts. Other than that, it’s your mission. Who do you trust?” Joe said.
Roland thought for a moment. “Well, I’d rather fly with Miles in the big bus.”
“He isn’t ready to fly yet. Still recovering. Oscar is up next according to the duty roster.”
Roland shook his head. “No, we gotta have Charlie do it. He’s gonna get into another scrap if we don’t get him in the cockpit soon. Plus he knows me. I think he still trusts me.” Roland glanced up at Joe, remembering his place. “If that’s alright with you sir.”
“I told you, it’s your mission.” Joe said and winked. “But I agree with you.”
“And John Henry and I can fly cover.” Roland added.
“John Henry? Why him? Why he is still sporting bruises shaped like Charlie’s fist!” Joe exclaimed.
“Yep. But only because Charlie called him soft. John Henry doesn’t have much to his credit in the sky except for getting shot down. I think he needs the chance to prove himself, and if he gets that chance while covering Charlie, so much the better.” Said Roland confidently. Joe eyed him, mulling the choice over.
“Like I said, it’s your mission.” Joe said with a nod.
The bitterly cold air stung Roland’s cheeks as he took off. The sky was still dark to the west, but the east was lightening with the onsetting daybreak. The familiar jostling and bouncing of the Spad as it tore down the runway was as comforting as a mother’s embrace to Roland, then he was in the air again. Lifted by canvas and clouds again, Roland turned north to follow the R.E. 8. As they flew on, Roland quickly fell back into the routine of scanning the skies. Up and down, forwards and backwards. The drone of the engine, the sight of his flight around him, it was like being home again.
As the trio flew on through the morning mist Roland watched for enemy planes. And those enemy planes watched him back. Hints became specks, speck became dots, and dots grew to planes. Catching Charlie’s eye, Roland pointed in the direction of the target. Looking the other way at John Henry, Roland pointed to the dots that were growing quickly in the distance. Charlie nosed the big R.E 8 downwards, and John Henry banked towards one of the approaching Albatri.
John Henry opened fire as he saw tracers cutting the sky towards his plane. After three shells, his gun stopped. John Henry cursed as he ducked down beneath the stream of bullets spewing from the Albatros hurtling toward him.
The stream of bullets stopped as the planes roared by each other. Both pilots forgot about their guns as they avoided a collision by the narrowest of margins.
Roland did the same on the other flank, deftly eluding the yellow Albatros’ attempt to put crosshairs on his plane.
Expertly side slipping, Roland stitched the plane with brief bursts of fiery bullets.
In the distance, Roland saw the R.E.8 shedding altitude quickly, and gaining speed just as quickly. His attention was however seized by yet another Albatros heading straight for him.
Hurtling toward each other, Roland felt his whole plane shudder as the second Albatros opened fire. Pulling up sharply Roland fought the plane as it bucked and thudded around. Checking his gauges he saw his oil pressure was dropping.
The Albatros banked threateningly towards the R.E. 8. Roland instantly knew what he had to do. Ignoring the sagging oil gauge and the safety of his own lines, he turned to follow.
Charlie swore. The mist had obscured the ground and he had misjudged his decent. In descending so steeply he had increased his speed. He fought the stick in a hard S turn to shed speed, but it wasn’t enough. With a guttural growl Charlie bounced the lumbering plane off the ground and back up twenty feet in the air. (the R.E.8 was running out of room to land and had to play two steep maneuvers in a row, took an A damage.)
Bouncing hard back down Charlie stood on the brakes. “Noo jist haud on! He shouted at the plane as it kept rolling. He fought, cursed and willed the great plane to stop. The wall of the church was coming up fast.
Yer gonnae no’dae that!” bellowed Charlie pulling back on the stick like it were the reigns of a runaway horse. Finnaly the plane slowed, and came to rest a scant few feet from the church wall. He fell back into his seat laughing. “Pure dead brilliant that was!”
Meanwhile, John Henry intercepted the gold Albatros that had slipped past Roland. His gun quickly fell silent and refused to fire. John Henry had heard about this. It must be the grease covering the bullets freezing in the breach. We quickly set about clearing the frozen grease. The short burst was thankfully enough to drive the gold Albatros away from the landing R.E. 8.
Roland however was unprepared. The Albatros, while turned from the sitting duck on the ground, quickly brought its guns to bear on Roland’s Spad, blazing away as the silvery blur streaked by whizzed by.
The Albatros fell on his tail, and the Spad trembled against the hail of lead. Roland fought the stick trying to shake his pursuer.
John Henry frantically tried to free his guns and avoid crashing into the twisting, diving gold Albatros. In front of them was the R.E.8. Roland saw the passenger clambering into the big bus, but a diving Albatros was also intent on the grounded R.E.8.
Too high to shoot, Roland watched as bullets stitched across the road towards the grounded plane. They stitched across the wing and towards the cockpit. Then, miraculously, they stopped. The German guns had jammed!
The gold Albatros banked sharply at the bark of John Henry’s gunfire with John Henry’s Nieuport close behind.
With a prayer that he would be able to regain the altitude, Roland dove threateningly at the Albatros as the R.E.8 struggled to climb into the air.
Again John Henry’s gun refused to shoot. In frustration John Henry beat on the gun with his gloved fist screaming!
Roland’s engine alternated roaring and sputtering as he tried to bank in a wide circle. With John Henry’s guns jammed, the Germans were pouncing on the R.E.8 as it clawed its way into the freezing morning sky.
The lumbering plane was a sitting duck, but Roland cheered when the rear gun began to spit out bullets of its own!
Skimming the treetops the R.E.8 traded fire with the persistent German.
Charlie struggled with all of his might to pull the R.E.8 into the sky. The engine was stuttering and coughing, refusing to rev up to full power. Bullets tore past him and he instinctively ducked. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw John Henry swooping down upon him. “E’se gunna kill me! Ooh, I shoonta punched ‘em” moaned Charlie. Charlie covered his eyes as the Lewis guns chattered on the Nieuport. He heard the thud of bullets tearing through canvas. Charlie waited and waited. Slowly he opened his eyes. John Henry was giving it to the Albatros!
Waves of relief washed over Charlie. “Good on ya!” Charlie whooped as he saw the Albatros spiraling towards the ground.
With a thumbs up, John Henry formed up next to Charlie, both grinning ear to ear.
With the R.E.8 no longer an easy target, Roland pressed the advantage and chased the yellow Albatros away with a series of short bursts.
Then, as the yellow Albatros made an ill-timed turn, Roland let him have it. The Lewis gun chattered away and bullets found their mark. Fire erupted from the yellow plane greedily licking its fuselage.
The fire consumed the plane, as it turned and dove towards the sea. With a great hiss the timber plane plunged into the icy waves.
Roland nursed his coughing engine and pointed his plane towards home. He didn’t see the last Albatros, the gold plane.
Roland desperately threw the plane into a dive even as John Henry flipped around. Bullets tore at the Spad and ignited a fire!
Desperately John Henry willed his Nieuport to go faster. His heart plummeted as he saw Roland’s plane spiral towards the ground.
It was a tossup which was louder, John Henry’s yell, or the bellowing of angry machine guns hurling lead with deadly intent. The planes roared past each other…
The gold Albatros reversed on the Nieuport only to find his guns wouldn’t fire.…
The German pilot looked up from his jammed guns to see the Nieuport coming head on. The Lewis gun didn’t jam this time.
-FIN
The Butcher’s Bill
Roland Walker / SD ET FLM / 1 Victory
Rolled 11 -2FLM =All’s Well, E&E Rolled 6 -1 FLM -1ET = 4 Captured and Escaped – Rolled 2 – Miss 1 scenario
John Henry / RTB / 2 Victories
Charlie Stubbs / RTB / 0 Victories. Mission accomplished.
Albert Mendel / SD FLM FT S / KIA / 0 Victories
Rolled 5 -2 FLM -1 S =2 Dead
Alfred Mettlich / SD FT WIA / 0 Victories.
Rolled 5 -1SD -1WIA =3 Severely Injured. Rolled 2, skip 2 scenarios.
Erich Seywald / EXP / 0 Victories
Rolled 8 – 3 EXP = 5, Injured. Rolled 1, Miss 1 scenario
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Originally Posted by gully_raker
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