JJ: this day just gets better and better!

ohhh..

When i hit the shore in Masawa, i had only six hours to get everything i need. My list was short, but God knows, how much i needed it!! Enjoy the ride, they said, enjoy the comfort, they said, enjoy hospitality, they said. After four years of life in the air force I thought i can afford a bit of luxury. Idiot.

"Dorchester" was a hospital ship during the war and that horrid hospital stench became the part of the ship and its crew. Pain, blood and spilled guts. Now the ship was pretending to became a passenger liner, but everywhere I went, a could smell its past. So after a month in the Mediterranean and Red sea we stopped at the shore to refill, and I decided to get drunk, get laid and get back on the ship before departure.  

I should have taken the plane, honestly.. my head is aching on every bump.. 

When they woke me up and kicked me out of the brothel, it was a late morning. My head was spinning around, stomach was hugging my spine and all of my cash was gone. But this day was just getting better.:

MY STINKY SHIP LEFT THE PORT!! 

There I was, alone in unknown town, err Masawa, as the sign said, hangover and with no coin. Then some local idiot decided to talk to me. BAD IDEA. When somebody is yelling at me in this state of mind, regardless of their intent, I through a punch. What can I say, I'm a great conversationalist. 

That's when police came. That pesky chap came with his pet gorilla and promised to chop my ears off. Ha! I've beaten bigger and stronger guys than him!

[after a prolonged time spent in knockout]

Seriously, why  are they driving for so long? Station can not be in that far away?! Wait where are they taking me? 

- Baba, lets get out of the town. It looks like this damn ship ignited the hornets nest. I don't  think two of us can save Masawa from it's rebellion.

- Master? 

- Drive out the town. Asmara. 

- Yes Master. 

Seriously?! THIS DAY GETS BETTER AND BETTER. Rebellion, and they are running away from it. At least they have not left me there...

- Baba. Stop the jeep, lets get rid of this drunken idiot. 

- Alex, - stepped in soft voice of the girl, - leave him be. Something tells me we might need him. Please. 

- You know, Valerie, i agree. We might need some food later on. 

Right, so there is a girl with us. Wait, what do you mean "food"?!! 

  

   

Valerie

Valerie Smith
bodytype: lizard
profession: administrator

Local residents of Massawa (Eritrea) do not like to speak about this young lady for some strange reasons. They say it brings bad luck, and you can sense real fear in their voices. 

Her official paper state that she is Valerie Smith, born Pipistrello, daughter of  Italian colonist Giuseppe Pipistrello. Mother: unknown. Age: 24. Educated at local school. Religion: unknown. 

Unofficial sources, like chief of local police, local priest and some of the underground players know her a bit better, but rarely disclose this knowledge. 

You may also find they are discouraging anyone who is trying to find out what happened to one of local gangs famous for its kidnapping of local women for ransom and other activities. Police investigation found out that in a week after Valeri was kidnapped, bodies of gang members were found one by one in local backstreets. All of the deceased were sucked clean of blood. How could that be possible, none know, but to keep the populace calm, police concluded that victims were drowned. Several days later after official conclusion Valerie was spotted on the town's market wearing a very distinctive cross, which belonged to the gang's leader, on her belt. 

Ever since that day, mothers scare their children with her name, and most people avoid eye contact with her. Luckily, those who are not afraid of her eyes got her a position in port administration, so that she contacts mostly with outsiders. However, now Masawa is engulfed by rebellion, and its only wise for her to leave the town where she is feared and hated.  

Felix Müller: He is still alive! That damn viking!

As they were preparing to board the plane as saw him from afar. God knows, I was never expecting to see him again, especially not here! That huge norwegian, looked so calm and composed, so different from the last time I saw him. Well, it was 4 years ago, almost a lifetime it seems. It was war then...

He never saw me coming from below, my Würger climbed up as he kept flying straight into my gunsight. I pulled the trigger and short burst of my cannons obliterated one of his engines and damaged his cockpit. Mosquito is a sturdy plane, and will carry on flying with one engine. So I pushed further and kept following him, as he dive into the clouds. Pilot was good, even on damaged aircraft, he avoided me and managed to land in one piece. It took me some time before I spotted the flames of the wreckage. 

Its easy to talk about it now, but back then I was high on adrenaline and bloodthirsty. That's why I went for s strafing run on pilot, who was limping through the snowy forest. Did i wanted him dead? Of course. Too bad, things went differently. 

As i made two passes, i noticed a infantry patrol  in a car and recon armoured car slowly crawling towards the plane. Someone has sent them to pick up the pilot and wreck of Storch. I may only guessed what happened to its crew. I felt the rush of hunter who suddenly got a rival for his prey. But as i made another pass things quickly went from bad to worse. First of all, my engine stalled, in the rush i failed to notice that it took damage from the Mosquitoes debris, and as took my plane for crash landing between the dense forest and abandoned lighthouse, i realised that below me was a firefight. Resistance was fighting and killing the same infantry patrol I noticed earlier. 

Luckily, they still had an armoured car, i thought as I crawled out of plane and loaded my pistol. The rush suddenly felt overwhelming, as bullets were flying over my head, and damn SS officer was sending his men towards the woods, while they were being shot at from the back. I would have been a great day to die. 

Then armored car finally made it to us and its cannon opened up on a lighthouse. In less than a minute it went quiet. I never knew the name of the officer, but he kept pushing his driver Fritz towards the shack deeper in the woods, i guess he saw me strafing the pilot in that location. So i picked up a rifle and joined them. It was my kill! Not theirs! 

The firefight was vicios, the lobbed grenades into the old house in the woods, and burst in. All i heard was clicking of their empty guns and curses, when something happened. To this day, i cant explain what or how it could have been. But there was a fight, and in a glimpse of an eye i saw this huge bloke slicing the throat of the soldiers and putting a bullet into the officer. God, he moved so fast, like an hunting animal making a final blow to its prey. 

For a second, i caught I glimpse of his eyes: filled with raw power and purpose to kill. 

I ran. As fast as I could. 

There were a grenade explosions behind me, but i did not care. Never before or later I wanted to live so much. I look at his calm and composed face again. He is just a passenger, war has been over for 4 years now. It's just a commercial flight. 

      

            

Felix Müller

Felix Müller [ Willy Kahle ]
body type: elf
age: 55
callsign: Blitz
service: 1918 Luftstreitkräfte. 1940-44 Luftwaffe
aerial kills: WW1: 6, WW2: 19.
types flown: Albatros DIII, FW-190, Me-109, Ju-52, Dc-3.

On a first glance Felix Müller is a typical middle-class German in his 50-s, who worked and lived through the wars. Nothing special, most popular surname, quiet voice and humble body language. His documents will show that he has been a part of transportation unit during the war and now he is working for some small Swiss company. On direct question was he a member of the Nazi party, he calmly replies "no".

It would take a very keen observer to notice his military bearing, and eyes of a professional soldier. In fact, if you manage to find out his true story you'd know that Felix Müller is another legend along Doug Bader, with a very difficult destiny.

His real name is Willy Kahle, born in Tarff, Sans, Germany on 13 April 1892. He became a motorcyclist  during  his teens and  joined Hussar Regiment No.5 of Imperial German Army in 1911. He fought in World War I as cavalryman and later transferred to aviation. Trained in Jastashcule 2 in 1918 he was assigned to Jasta 27 under command of Hoerman Göering. During the last months of the war, where he scored 6 aerial kills flying in Albatross DIII. His first victory came on September 2nd 1918 and last on November 4th 1918. When returned to his home after being discharged from the military and he tried to re-establish family business to no success in desperate economic situation in post-war Germany.

In late 20-s he moved to Geneva, Switzerland, where he met his wife Hanna Savoy, one of the many distant relatives of Savoy dynasty, who at that time ruled Kingdom of Italy. Though he rarely speaks of his married life, Felix still keeps the wedding ring, despite the obvious break in relationship. When Germany invaded Norway Felix travelled to Berlin, met with his old commander Herman Höring and was reinstated as Luftwaffe pilot. Some say that reestablishment did not went smoothly, as he was reluctant to abide with political view of Nazi party, or probably his time in Switzerland made him "soft". However between 1941 and 1943 he scored 19 kills against allies, mainly over Britain and Norway. 

One of the Mosquitoes he shot down in 1943, was piloted by Erikk Gunnarson. However this victory almost became his last, as he crash landed shortly after and was wounded. Upon difficult recovery he was promoted and retrained as Ju-52 pilot only to be sent to Russian front. Reasons for that remain undisclosed, but sometimes he mentioned that he "should have kept his mouth shut." 

On the 21 June 1944, just day after failed assassination attempt on Hitler, Felix , who was on the leave in Austria, boarded light Fi-156 Storch aircraft and flew it towards Switzerland, where he was arrested and remained in status of prisoner of war until the end of hostilities. His stay was somehow, more comfortable as he was allowed to live in his own flat and work for Swiss air force as a "consultant". Some even suspect that it was his training caused both Germans and Allies to stop engaging each other in Swiss skies.   

After the war, he retrained as civilian pilot of DC-3 and joind one of the first Swiss private airlines. His current job involves transporting men and material from London to Ethiopia.