During the introduction, Fabio studied her intensely. His black eyes never leaving her face even as he was introduced to the rest of the team. The man radiated an animal-like magnetism that held her gaze. At least, until Marco Bruno stepped forward to take his place. Only then was Beth able to pull her eyes away from the man’s haunting looks.
Where Fabio was tall and sleek like a panther, Marco was short and heavily muscled with close-cropped hair and no-nonsense blue eyes. His chest was so broad that he hadn’t bothered to buckle his jacket closed, so Beth could see the silver-tooled wolf’s head worked into the leather breastplate that covered his chest and parts of the heavy pauldrons that encased his shoulders. Plain black forty-fives hung from his hips and gun-metal sword hilts with round knobbed ends stuck-up diagonally from his back on either side of his head. Everything about the man was no-nonsense, but, like Fabio, Marco’s blue eyes never left her face during the entire introductions.
While Beth had felt Klaus and the young Polish men studying her covertly during the trip, the reverent intensity from the two Italians was almost unnerving. Ryan helped defuse the edginess she felt as he got them all moving for the two V-22 Osprey’s that Mrs. Strafford had requested to be on standby for their arrival. The Marine Raiders trying to catch up to their deployed Expeditionary Unit were less than happy about the holdup. As soon as the Shore Patrol Humvees dropped them off at the waiting birds, the shit hit the fan.
“What the hell do you mean you have sixteen passengers? We’re not a civilian transport service. These are military aircraft assigned to deploy needed troops to the field. Command Sergeant Major Thompson has already ordered us to be in the air by zero three hundred hours with or without your group and it’s already zero two hundred fifty.” Turning around the Sergeant called out over his shoulder as he headed for his squad waiting at the base of the Osprey’s ramp. “It looks like you’re going to have to catch another flight out to Santorini for your people. This one’s already booked.”
Immediately Beth felt her temper flare. The man was purposely being an asshole. Before she could snap out an angry reply, Ryan’s voice lowered warningly. “Sergeant Carlucci, you will get your ass back here and follow orders, or I will hold you personally responsible.” Without turning around the Sergeant shot double birds over his shoulders as his men laughed out loud. Unamused, Ryan closed the distance in five quick steps. Slamming his hand down on the man’s shoulder, he spun the Marine around to face him.
“I’m not done talking to you Sergeant!” As soon as the words left Ryan’s lips, Carlucci moved. Spinning around the Sergeant swung a forearm at Ryan’s face. Quicker than the blink of an eye, Ryan stepped back and caught the man’s attack as his other hand came up under the Marine’s underarm. In a blur the Sergeant flew up and down into the air, slamming hard to the ground at Ryan’s feet. Immediately the two squads of Marine at the Osprey’s ramp launched themselves at Ryan.
Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Beth’s training took over as she sprang into action with the rest of the Ukkodians at her back. It was seven against twenty-four, not that it would have mattered if it were seven against forty-eight. The fight was over in a matter of seconds. As if they’d been working together for years, the men formed a wedge on either side of her as they crashed into the oncoming soldiers.
Beth straight-armed the lead Marine in the throat with an open palm punch as her elbow smashed into his jaw a split-second later with the entire weight of her body. As the man’s eyes rolled into the back of his head, Beth threw herself at the next soldier. Dodging a strike to her face, Beth grabbed the man’s forearm with both hands. Throwing her weight backward, she yanked the Marine off-balance as she swung legs up and around the man’s neck. With a twist of her hips, she took the soldier down in a flying armbar. As the man plowed into the ground head first, Beth used the momentum of the throw to roll onto the soldier’s back looking for another target, but none of Marines were left standing.
The sound of yelling voices came from the Osprey next to them as armed Marines came pouring down the ramp. Whipping their assault rifles up at the sight of their brothers in arms incapacitated on the runway, they surged forward angrily as the lead Corporal began yelling orders.
“Get your asses on the ground now!” As the two squads began spreading out around them in a tense half circle, Beth rose to face the Corporal head-on as the runes engraved into her combat armor began to glow. The use of her runic power wasn’t even a conscious thought. The threat of imminent danger triggered her defensive abilities automatically. In her peripheral vision, Beth saw glows from the other Ukkodians around her as they rose to their feet beside her while Ryan kept the Sergeant pinned to the ground.
“Corporal, I suggest you and your men stand down before someone gets-“
Cutting her off in midsentence, the Corporal stepped forward thrusting his M4 into her face. “I said to get your asses on the ground- .“ The Marine never finished his sentence. As soon as the barrel was aggressively shoved into her face, Beth’s temper flared. Stepping forward, the heel of her foot swept the Corporal off his feet as her fist slammed into the side of the man’s head. As the Corporal went down hard, she ripped the M4 from his numb grip before he hit the ground as the Ukkodians around her exploded into action.
Like something out the Matrix, Beth saw the two Italians flip unbelievably high into the air as their black leather coats flared around them. In one smooth motion, the men’s weapons left their sheaths as they landed in the middle of the Marines’ lines, their flying dropkicks dropping a pair of soldiers each. Coming to a stop Fabio’s automatic swept up to press against the temple of the nearest soldier’s head as his saber came to a stop pressed against the throat of another, while Marco short blades whipped out in a sweeping arc under the chins of another two Marines.
At the same time, Klaus and the three Polish men blurred into action. As the point of the massive two-handed sword was shoved into the nearest Marine’s face by the German, the Poles spread out in three different directions. Coming to a stop to either side of the half circle, Janusz and Ivan had their automatics and swords pressed to the eyes of the two closest Marines on either side of them as Kai came to a stop in front of the second Corporal. Sweeping his legs out from under him, Kai ripped the man’s rifle from his frozen hands. As the Corporal slammed into the ground, Kai wordlessly pressed the barrel of the M4 against the man’s head smiling.
“I would follow the Lady’s orders if I were you.”
The sudden silence was almost palpable as Ryan, still holding the Sergeant’s forearm locked in an armbar behind his back, addressed the man at his feet. “I said we weren’t finished talking yet, Sergeant.”
Craning his head around to take in the situation, Sergeant Carlucci snarled to his men. “Stand down.” Seeing the hesitant looks from his men, he pressed his forehead against the concrete bellowing. “I’m ordering everyone to stand down!” As the Marines slowly lowered their weapons, Beth flicked the M4’s safety switch to on, before dropping the rifle next to the Corporal laying at her feet. As the adrenaline rush left her, the glowing runes on her armor started fading to black as the rest of the team sheathed their weapons and began helping the Marines they’d subdued back to their feet.
The one overwhelming display of force was all that was needed to snap the combat teams back in line. Once Ryan explained the need for a total of sixteen spots for his people, Sergeant Carlucci had his men pull the seats out of both Ospreys’ cargo holds, which gave them enough room for sixty-four troops. All the space that was needed for their entire team and the four squads of Marines. The reconfiguration took about ten minutes per bird. By the time, they took off from Naples they were only twenty minutes behind schedule.
The planes were unlike anything Beth had ever flown in before. The Ospreys were built for speed and function. Cables and struts were clearly visible along the inner hulls of the planes. Without seats, stowing their gear and finding a place to sit was interesting to say the least, whi
ch didn’t help much when the pilot took off like a bat out of hell. Otherwise the flight was uneventful, but after seven and a half hour flying, the stopover at the Aktion Forward Operating Base in Greece was a welcomed relief. Beth’s entire body felt battered and beaten. Even with noise canceling headsets, the intensity of the sound was physically wearing. As soon as the planes jolted to a hard stop on landing, Beth focused her healing ability to remove the weariness from her aching body. Looking around the tight quarters of the Osprey she could see faint glows around the cabin as the other Ukkodians of her team followed her lead. By the time the plane taxied to a stop, she was fully recovered.
The Marines stiffly exited the plane glancing sullenly at Beth and her team as they realized her people were unaffected by the long flight. Grinning to herself, Beth ignored their appraising looks. It was just another cock measuring contest to see who was tougher. The only thing her healing didn’t seem to help was the ringing in her ears. Seeing Ryan heading towards a Greek security detail stopped at the edge of the runway, she fell in behind him as Sergeant Carlucci’s voice bellowed out over the roar of the engines.
“Okay Marines, you have thirty minutes before we load back up and leave these goatbangers behind.”
Out of the corner of her eye, Beth saw the Greeks working the fuel pumps pause to give the Marines an ugly look before continuing their work. “You’d think that man would learn to keep his mouth shut.”
Seeing the annoyed look on her face, Ryan gave her a wry grin as Klaus clapped a calloused hand on her shoulder with a laugh. “Welcome to the world of Special Ops, Kleine.” Nodding towards the waiting Greeks, the old German spoke in a hushed whisper. “I just hope this meeting goes well. Even all these years after the war and the current financial crisis, the Greeks still hold little love for Germans or Italians.” As they neared the large group of Greek soldiers at the edge of the field, Beth cocked her head to the side in confusion. Most of the men were wearing the typical combat fatigues you’d expect to find on a military installation, but a small group of eight standing in the middle was dressed very differently.
“Are those soldiers wearing skirts?”
Ryan’s head jerked up at her words as Klaus laughed heartily. “Those soldiers are the famed Evzones. That is the elite combat uniform of the Hellenic Army’s infamous mountain unit.”
Beth’s mouth hung open in surprise as Ryan eyed the men speaking in a low voice. “Their Special Forces units wear dresses?”
“The skirt is traditionally called a Foustanella.” Seeing their blank looks, Klaus quickly explained. “Think of it as the Greek version of the Scottish kilt, but made from silk. Whatever you do don’t make any despairing comments about their traditional garb. These mountain Greeks from Kalamata are a proud people who take offense easily.”
Glancing back over her towards Sergeant Carlucci, Beth grimaced. “I don’t see this working out well.”
Belly laughing Klaus released their shoulders. “Don’t worry Kleine, I’m sure the Sergeant will learn manners on this trip one way or another.” Stepping ahead of them, Klaus took the lead as they approached the Greek soldiers. Coming to a stop in front of a tall older man, the German snapped his heels together coming to attention. “Kirios Thanos Karaiskakis?”
Standing up straight the Greek’s light blue eyes studied Klaus for a moment, before nodding his head respectfully. “Herr Krüger.”
“I wanted to thank you once again for you and your men being available on such a short notice. Please let me introduce the Americans I told you about.” Stepping back, Klaus nodded towards Ryan first. “Agents Ryan Moss and Beth Kurwoski.”
As Beth stepped forward to shake hands, the Greek bowed low, reverently taking her hand in a two-handed grip. “It is a great honor to meet a Cleric of Ukko.” Unsure of how to respond, Beth returned the half-bow before stepping back next to Ryan.
With a big smile, Klaus began making introductions to the rest of the team as Beth realized all the Greeks were watching her intently. Covertly she studied them back in return. They were all large men over six feet tall. To the last man, the Greek’s wore a light khaki, long-sleeved tunic vest and a similarly colored silk skirt that flared out at mid-thigh. White stockings with black garters at the knees covered their legs while thick leather-like moccasins with black pompoms on the toes protected their feet. On their heads, each dark skinned man wore felt red cap with a long black tassel. The soldiers were equipped with a black-flapped holstered pistol, a small metal shield slung over their back and a long curved sword that hung from their waist. As soon as Klaus introduced the last member of their team, Beth’s eyes were pulled away from her visual inspection of their uniforms as the swarthy man introduced himself, before nodded towards the rest of his men standing at attention.
“I am Thanos Karaiskakis and these are my men: Demetrius Mavromichalis, Alexander Doxaras, Andreas Diakos, Manos Botsaris, Stelios Anagnostakos, Nikos Gerakaris and Marios Tzannetakis.” The introductions were quick, and Beth almost forgot the foreign names as soon as they left his mouth. As soon as the introductions were finished, Thanos called over the officer of their escort who immediately snapped to attention along with the rest of his men.
“Captain, I thank you and your men for the escort, but I believe we are in good hands now. Until our return.”
“Yes, Sir. It was our pleasure to be of service, Colonel.”
As soon as Thanos returned the Captain’s salute the Greek soldiers began loading up into their vehicles. Ignoring Klaus’ raised eyebrows at his rank, Thanos waved them towards a small rickety table with sliced meats, olives, peppers and feta. “I would be honored if you would join us for a quick meal and coffee before the flight.”
The meeting between the very different teams went inordinately well. Unsurprising since they were all Ukkodians, but Beth could respect Klaus’ concern. Between the recent financial crisis and the memories of World War Two, many European countries still didn’t fully trust the Germans, but time heals most wounds. Thankfully, most of the Greek soldiers were of similar age to the Polish contingent, and the young men hit it off together immediately as Thanos and his Sergeant, Stelios Anagnostakos, discussed the current situation in Santorini with the rest of them. Beth explained all she could while munching on the fresh olives and stuffed red peppers, slices of lamb meat, coarse grained bread and sipping the amazingly flavorful coffee from a tiny ornate cup. Taking the last sip in a gulp, Beth suddenly gagged spitting out a mouthful of grinds as Klaus laughed slapping her in-between the shoulders. “Don’t drain your cup like an American Kleine, that’s where all the coffee grinds go.”
Spitting out the last mouthful, Beth grimaced. “Thanks for warning me ahead of time.” Everyone began laughing as Beth hacked to clear her mouth, but before she could give Klaus a hard time, Sergeant Carlucci gave a shout from the ramp of their Osprey.
“Agent Moss, we’re loading up.” With a couple of sharp commands in Greek, Thanos got his men moving as the rest of them headed for the planes. As soon as Sergeant Carlucci got a good look at the Greeks joining them, he shook his head in disgust. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the other Osprey, the Sergeant raised his voice to be heard. “Alrighty then, you goatherders are in the other bird. Corporal Fergusson will show you where to store your gear.”
Thanos’ face perked up as he proudly clapped the older man next to him on the shoulder with a grin. “They must have heard about your goats all the way back in America, Stelios. Everyone always says Stelios has the best goats in the region.” As the Greeks heartily laughed with one another, they missed Agent Moss catch the Sergeant’s eyes. Without saying a word he silently pointed towards the cargo hold, before turning back to the conversation.
“If anything comes up we’ll radio you on the way, Colonel.” Holding out his hand to the rugged Greek, “I just wanted to thank you and your men for making yourselves available at such a short notice once again.”
Stepping in close Thanos
opened his arms wide pulling Ryan in for a two-handed hug, before kissing him on each cheek. “It is our honor to be of service to our Ukkodian brother and sister from the Americas.”
Beth choked back a laugh at the shocked look on Ryan’s face in time to return the older man’s friendly hug with a straight face. With a fierce slap to their backs, the Greek Colonel led his men to the second plane as Beth breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the look on her face, Klaus raised a questioning eyebrow. “I thought we were going to have another confrontation with Sergeant Carlucci and his men for the goatherder comment.”
Grinning in sudden understanding Klaus clapped a hand on her shoulder. “Amongst other things, Thanos and his men are goatherders. A respected profession in the southern Peloponnese region. Most of the Greeks who live there raise sheep and goats.” Glancing at the proud backs of the Greek men, he grinned. “Even a dummkopf like the Sergeant has to get lucky sometimes.”
Heading up the ramp for the last leg of the flight to Santorini, Beth gave an inward sigh. She wasn’t looking forward to being stuck for another eight hours in the cramped military transport, but there wasn’t anything that could be done about it. Before the ramp fully closed behind them, Beth felt the Osprey lurch as it began rising into the air.
Chapter Thirty
Location Irlendria / Lúthien Narmolanya:
Sinking to her knees in exhaustion, Lúthien looked around in stunned amazement as Argus’ fangs ripped out the last Scourge’s throat. The near-death experience and subsequent battle for life were almost too much for her logical mind to take in all at once. Closing her eyes, Lúthien shivered in horror. Although most of the battle was just a blur to her now, she could still remember with crystal clarity the feeling of the Hulk’s claws tearing through the bone and flesh of her chest. The surreal touch of the wet sand against her back as her life’s blood pooled on the ground around her, while she lay helplessly watching the grotesque Hulk strangle her cousin to death was a memory that would never leave her.
Destiny Page 28