MM: Chapter 60

Niko was sitting on a cot, frowning with his eyes closed as I entered the barracks area. It looked like he was deep in thought or something. He'd just returned from his patrol with Bostswain Ackermann and looked to be in the middle of shocking off his boots when he got hit with a flash of insight, judging from how he had one boot on and one boot off. As I entered, Niko looked over at me and nodded. I returned his nod with a grin, hoping to reassure him about his new powers not making him a freak or something, but Niko surprised me when the conversation began.

"You here to reassure me about my new powers, Boss?" Questioned Niko.

"Yeah. How are you holding up?" I queried.

"I'm holding up just fine. I'm used to being a discriminated minority. Dudek, Mutant, it's all the same thing here." Admitted Niko.

"That's not exactly a great thing, Niko." I pointed out.

"Yeah, but it is life." Opined Niko.

"Fair. Let's talk about your power. How does it work?" I asked.

"I get these hunches. Flashes of insight into what to do next or what's coming up." Answered Niko.

"All the time?" I questioned.

"No, only sometimes. I can't really call them up on demand, either." Admitted Niko.

"And are you aware of the world around you when you get these flashes of insight?" I queried.

"Depends on the hunch. Some hit me harder than others." Responded Niko.

"We'll have to work on that, then." I intoned.

"How? When? It's not exactly like we've got time for that in the middle of a war, now is it?" Asked Niko.

"Whenever we can. I can't have my number two distracted at a vital moment because of his powers." I insisted.

"Learn on the job, eh? I guess it could be worse. I could be thrown into this having powers shit blind. At least you've got powers and can help me get a handle on mine." Mused Niko.

"When this is all over, you're coming back with me to New York. I'm gonna make sure you're powers are reliable enough to be used under duress." I nodded.

"Will the Avengers let you do that?" Questioned Niko.

"They will. They're good people." I nodded.

"If you say so, Boss." Shrugged Niko.

"So, let's get to more pressing matters. Bostswain Ackermann, what's he like?" I queried.

"A bit gruff, but he's reliable. Some of his Men, though, I don't know about." Groused Niko.

"Because they're Slorenes?" I asked.

"It's not just that. One of his men, a Sergeant Bostrabet with the First Airborne Commando Brigade, clearly hates Dudeks. He barely hides his disgust whenever he has to talk with me or any of the other Dudeks. That one's going to be trouble if we let them join us." Warned Niko.

"Did your powers tell you that?" I questioned.

"No. It's just a regular, non-psionic, hunch. I don't need my powers to observe and notice patterns, Boss." Niko pointed out.

"I suppose that's fair. Unfortunately, we need the manpower, or so Anna tells me." I sighed.

"Be careful, Boss. You could wind up hugging this child only to find it's an adder." Cautioned Niko.

That was a Dudek Idiom, as I recalled. Similar to the English phrase about wolves in sheep's clothing. As I recalled, there was a Latin phrase that was similar to it as well, insinu viperam habere, to clutch a Viper to one's bosom. It was funny to think about how the Dudek Phrase had seemingly come from the Latin, but there wasn't really time to ponder etymology right now. I had to talk to Boatswain Ackermann and hopefully sound him out, then I had to try and get into contact with Colonel Kisziel and see what the status of the overall war effort was. Hopefully, our actions were making the attack on Slorenia a little less of a total success for Ultron than it had been the first time around. I could only hope so, at any rate. I nodded at Niko and turned to leave.

"I'll be careful, Niko. Where's Ackermann now?" I queried.

"The Mess, probably. Good luck, Boss. Seriously." Offered Niko.

And with that, I was off, heading out of the Barracks Area toward the Mess Hall. Honestly, when the Order of the Hydra had designed this base, they'd done a good job of making the corridors winding and maze-like. I guess they figured they ought to try to confuse any attackers trying to storm the base. Fortunately, they had ways of getting around themselves. Directions painted in German on the walls you could only read if you had Magic. I'd long since mapped the base out using those directions, and my Guerillas had memorized that map. Ackermann's people, though, were going to need a guide for a bit if they wound up joining us down here for the duration, and that Guide could keep an eye on them for me. It was just one more thing to think about, and with Niko's warning, I couldn't assign a Slorene Guide. A Curonian one ought to do, though. I wasn't going to send them one of my very few Slorene Guerillas. That might turn out to be an even bigger betrayal than if I just let them go without watching them.

Honestly, commanding a fighting force was turning out to be a lot more involved than I'd thought. Just how had Cap pulled this off long term back in the day? It was probably something about the Super-Soldier Formula that helped him out there. I wasn't a Super-Soldier, though, so I had to do the best I could. In the end, that was all anyone could really do, their best. I just had to hope that my best would be good enough and that I wouldn't wind up getting the two hundred people who were counting on me to keep them alive killed. Shaking my head at that, I made it to the Mess Hall and found Ackermann and his band seated all at one of the long tables, clustered together like a clique at some high school somewhere.

Ackermann himself was fairly easy to spot. He was sitting at the head of the table that they'd staked out for themselves, blonde, bearded, burly, and grizzled, Boatswain Ackermann looked like he could handle a heavy weapon by himself, and judging from the Soviet Surplus PKM Machine Gun leaned up against the table at his side, that was how he was fighting Ultron. That alone wouldn't be enough to damage the Drones, but one look at the Depleted Uranium rounds in the box magazine made me rethink that assumption. That might do the trick if it hits a joint or other weak point. Seated at Ackermann's left was a petite brunette woman. She didn't look nearly as military as Ackermann did, and I had to think that this was the wife he'd gone AWOL to save. At his right, however, a black-bearded, scarred man in a Paratrooper Uniform sat, lips pressed into a grimace. That had to be Sergeant Bostrabet. He looked like a guy who would turn out to be the villain in a comic book. His scarred face and glower practically screamed 'I will betray you'. I could definitely see what Niko meant.

Unfortunately, we needed the Veteran presence they brought to the table. Ackermann, Bostrabet, and six others of their group had real military experience. A full squad of Veterans. As I approached, I plastered a friendly grin on my face and nodded at the PKM Machine Gun as I tried to strike up a conversation.

"Are those depleted uranium rounds?" I asked.

"They are. We raided a Convoy of Army Supplies that had been ambushed by the Robots. They'd killed the troops and stripped down the trucks, but left the crates. I guess they didn't need such 'inferior technology'. We decided to put it to better use." Snorted Ackermann.

"Do those work?" I questioned.

"If you get them in the joints or neck. Of course, you have to be a good shot, or just put enough rounds down range that accuracy doesn't matter." Smirked Ackermann.

"Hence the Machine Gun." I nodded.

"Exactly. Annika is my baby, and she's deadly." Chuckled Ackermann, patting his PKM.

"I thought I was your Baby, Felix." Pouted the Woman at his side.

"You are, Valata, but you can't kill these killer robots like Annika can." Retorted Ackermann.

"Never mind, who are you? It's generally considered good manners to introduce yourself." Cut in Sergeant Bostrabet.

"I am known as the Sorcerer. This is my base and resistance group." I introduced.

"Well, I'm Boatswain Felix Ackermann. This is my wife, Valata, and my second in command, Sergeant Voldiměr Bostrabet, Corporal Bogdan Jàskra, his cousin, Private Miroslav Jàskra, Sergeant Jan Letzgau, his wife, Rachel, Corporal Hans Stahl, and Corporal Ako Ekedels. The others are around somewhere." Responded Ackermann.

"Rachel's not a common name around these parts." I mused.

"I'm Jewish." Explained Rachel.

"That's not a problem, is it?" Queried Corporal Sergeant Jan Letzgau.

"Not at all." I answered.

"Good. Rachel's a qualified nurse, and a damned good one too." Insisted Private Miroslav Jàskra.

"It's true, I don't know if we'd have survived so long without her." Added Corporal Bogdan Jàskra.

"It's just curious, though." I mused.

"What is?" Asked Corporal Hans Stahl.

"Aside from Corporal Ekedels here and Valata, it sort of seems as if you don't have many Dudeks in the ranks. No offense to you, Corporal Ekedels, but it sounds sort of like you discriminate against Dudeks in combat roles." I intoned.

"Ako's proven himself under fire. I have yet to see that from you." Scowled Sergeant Bostrabet.

"And I do take offense." Frowned Corporal Ekedels.

"Now, now. I'm sure our host didn't mean anything by it and was just trying to sound out our policy on Dudeks, given he has so many of them in his ranks here." Remarked Ackermann.

"It's true. If I let you all stay, I want to know that there aren't going to be problems." I admitted.

"I can handle my men if you can handle yours, Sorcerer." Nodded Ackermann.

"Yes, we won't start trouble, but we will end it." Warned Sergeant Bostrabet.

"Fair enough. My Men would do the same." I confirmed.

"So you will let us stay?" Questioned Ackermann.

"I will, under that condition and one other." I affirmed.

"Which is?" Queried Ackermann.

"You need a guide. My base is a rats' nest of tunnels, and you'll need one to get around." I intoned.

Then, using the Force to do so, I summoned the Guide I had in mind. Johann Wesel was a bright kid at nineteen, sharp as a tack and intelligent, a rare combination for someone who was still a teenager. He was also one of our best scouts, given his family lived on a farm at the edge of Kemeri National Park, with the wetlands starting just a few miles to the east of their farm and a forest to the west of their farm. He grew up hunting and hiking, which served him well as a scout, too. He would be the one whom I set to not only guide Ackermann's People, but also watch for potential betrayals. A minute or so after I had summoned him, Johann arrived, the lanky redheaded Teen appearing at my summons, ready to do his part.

"Johann here will be your guide. He's one of our best scouts." I informed.

"He's just a boy!" Exclaimed Sergeant Bostrabet.

"I'm nineteen. Plus, I grew up hunting and hiking in wetlands and forests. I'm no stranger to scouting or shooting." Defended Johann.

"If you're sure we'll need him, then we'll need him. I accept your provisos." Agreed Ackermann.

"Good." I nodded.

As I did so, I used the Force to order Johann to watch Ackermann's Group on the sly, especially Sergeant Bostrabet, for signs of potential betrayal. I also let him know that Niko had a bad feeling about the Slorene Airborne Sergeant and that I could confirm he was, at the very least, confrontational by nature. If betrayal were going to come from anyone in Ackermann's group, it would likely be from Sergeant Bostrabet. Johann nodded at that, knowing enough about my powers to know I wouldn't hear him reply mentally. Not without figuring out how to lower my total mental defenses, anyway, which I had yet to do. Then, Johann plastered a smile on his face and made an effort to join Ackermann's group at their mess table. In the meantime, I turned and headed for the Radio Room, hoping to be able to get hold of Colonel Kisziel and figure out what had been happening while I was out. The answer, it turned out, was a lot.

Colonel Kisziel had managed to get into contact with the SHIELD Force assembling out on the Island of Ruhnu in the Gulf of Karnu. There was a meeting coming up with a representative of the Avengers that Colonel Kisziel and several other Resistance Leaders would be attending in the tunnels underneath the Slorenian National Opera and Ballet House in the City Center. Of course, he wanted me to be there, and I couldn't miss out on the opportunity to coordinate a massive counterattack. Of course, if Ultron got wind of the meeting, it would also be a target he couldn't afford to ignore. Dollars to Donuts, we'd wind up having to defend ourselves from a Raiding Force of Ultron Drones looking to kill as many resistance leaders as they could before SHIELD and the Avengers could arrive in force. It would literally be his last likely chance to weaken his opposition in advance of the next big battle, after all. I had to go, if for no other reason than to ensure the inevitable Ultron Raid failed.

I just hoped whoever SHIELD sent would be capable enough to help out with that. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's the next chapter. In it, Jan meets up with Niko, and they start planning on getting a handle on his newly manifested Mutant Power of psionic insight. We also meet Boatswain Felix Ackermann and most of his group, while also getting a hint of potential intrigue within the ranks, and we set up the next proper chapter. It really will be a golden opportunity for Ultron to decapitate the resistance before SHIELD can really show up in force. This is also Marvel Comics. We all know this meeting is going to get raided. It's just how the genre works.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude showing events from the perspectives of SHIELD, the Avengers, and Ultron. Then we'll get to the Resistance Leader's meeting. I'll also have a few images out before then as well.

Stay tuned. . .