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“Some? Where are the others?”
“Mostly dead. My interrogator taunted me by telling me that three of my female agents had been sent to a camp called Ravensbruk.”
Nancy paled at the mention of that name.
“My God, the poor girls! That place is hell on Earth for women. What are the names of your agents, Claudette?”
“Lisette Devreux, Sylvie Masson and Maryse Renault. Could you really do something for them, Miss Laplante?”
“I will do the impossible for them, Claudette, I solemnly swear. We will now evacuate you. Please relax and let my friends take care of you.”
Claudette Besson was then loaded on a gurney and led away. The job of evacuating all seven prisoners took ten minutes, with the loaded gurneys brought outside the main entrance, where a shuttlecraft had landed vertically in the street. Two PDRs and eight combat robots were covering both ends of the street, engaged in a firefight with German army units trying to react to the assault on the Gestapo center. The Germans definitely were having the worst of the fight, their fire proving ineffective against the robots’ electro-magnetic shields. Once the freed prisoners had been loaded into the shuttlecraft, Nancy signaled its pilot to lift off, which she did promptly. Jean Bigras, armed with a TERMINATOR assault rifle-grenade launcher combo, then emerged from the building, followed by the combat robots that had stormed it. Heavy smoke was now pouring out of a number of windows. Jean went to Nancy and reported to her while standing at attention.
“All the Germans are dead and the Gestapo archives are now burning up.”
“Was there any French staff or visitors inside, Jean?”
“None, Nancy. All the civilians I searched had German identity papers on them.”
“Alright! How about cleaning up those two groups of German soldiers before leaving?”
A big grin appeared on Jean’s face.
“I’m game, Nancy. They won’t be able to say that they had not been warned, though.”
“Then take the left end of the street. I will clean up the other end.”
That took a mere minute to do, the Germans cut down in a heavy crossfire from both Nancy and Jean and from the robots. After a quick call to George Townsend’s assault group to ensure that the attack on the headquarters on Avenue Foch was going 645
according to plan, Nancy regrouped her combat robots and her PDRs and flew off with them and Jean back towards the BABYLON. Less than twenty minutes after the start of the attack, the whole Time Patrol fleet flew away southward, leaving the Germans in Paris stunned and shaken.
The next stop of the fleet was over the city of Lyon, where a public message was read again before the Gestapo headquarters and the main jail there were assaulted, cleaned up and put on fire. The fleet then reversed course, heading North at top speed before paying successive visits to the French cities of Strasbourg and Metz, then to the Belgian capital of Brussels and to the Dutch cities of Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. By then, a total of 687 persons had been freed and sent to England by shuttlecraft and hundreds of SS, SD and Gestapo members killed, with no losses on the Time Patrol’s side. Nancy then gave her troops one hour to rest a bit and eat before the fleet headed towards Copenhagen, destroying the Gestapo and SD offices there before making stops in Riga, the capital of the now annexed state of Latvia, and Leningrad, in the Soviet Union. The stop over Leningrad was different from the previous ones, though. For one, the public announcement in Russian was followed by the sending of dozens of remotely controlled cargo platforms loaded with tons of flour intended for the starving population of the besieged city. While the ecstatic Soviets quickly unloaded the pallets dropped on the ground by the cargo platforms, the Germans’ response was much less friendly. Their 88mm anti-aircraft guns opened a heavy fire aimed at the Time Patrol fleet, while the German field artillery tried to target the points where the food was being delivered. The anti-aircraft fire proved worthless against the electro-magnetic shields of the ships but the field artillery actually caused Soviet casualties on the ground, prompting Nancy into issuing a terse command to her scoutships.
“All scoutships, this is Nancy. Locate those artillery pieces, and then slice their barrels in two with your lasers.”
For the sophisticated sensors on the scoutships, locating the German guns by detecting the shells they fired and calculating their trajectory and thus their point of origin was child’s play. Laser beams then cut through the thick steel barrels like hot knives through butter, leaving the German gunners mostly unhurt but shaken and swearing. For good measure, Nancy ordered the anti-aircraft guns to be destroyed as well, as they could also be used against ground targets. Through all this, none of the German members of 646
the Time Patrol hesitated or faltered in carrying out their orders and directives, to Nancy’s delight and relief.
The fleet’s next two stops were Moscow and Stalingrad, where Nancy delivered messages of hope intended to boost the morale of the Soviet population. She however knew too well that the Soviet citizens would need a lot more than that before being able to enjoy lives that would be truly bearable. They would need first to be rid of both the German military menace and of a few monsters presently residing in Moscow. That was planned for later. Nancy did however use the stop over Moscow to have a number of spy probes placed discreetly inside the Kremlin and the headquarters of the NKVD, the Soviet secret police of the time. With that taken care of, the fleet moved once again, this time towards Warsaw.
The plan of action for Warsaw was actually more involved than the ones for the other cities so far. For one thing the situation there was a lot more delicate, with a crowded Jewish ghetto and the Polish population in general at the mercy of a ruthless German occupation force that would not hesitate for an instant in extracting a bloody revenge from defenseless civilians if attacked by the Time Patrol. Nancy thus had little choice but to hand quickly a decisive defeat to the German forces in Warsaw. That would in turn mean a strong and sustained effort by both air and ground forces. The fleet went under cloak well before arriving over Warsaw and spent the first hour observing the movements of the German forces in the city and pinpointing the locations of their barracks and depots. When she was satisfied that she had enough information to act, Nancy called Fernand Brunet, Sean Brady, George Townsend and Jack Crawford on the bridge of the BABYLON. The four men were joined there by Mona Zirel ‘A’ and Maran Tolvek ‘A’, the six of them facing Nancy across a tactical display table. Nancy looked at them with calm resolution.
“Lady and gentlemen, what you are about to accomplish will be crucial for the success of our overall mission. It will mean for you long, dangerous days of combat against a ruthless enemy that may not hesitate to shield its attacks with civilian hostages, or to threaten mass hostage executions in exchange for your surrender. The moral pressure on you will be extreme at times, with the very lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians depending on your actions. You will have to be hard and to keep in mind our ultimate objective: the liberation of Europe from tyranny. You may have to 647
sacrifice a few lives for that, but the truth is that we cannot afford to lose this battle. You will not be alone, however. Apart of the PDRs and combat robots that will go down with you, the scoutships TEEN TEAM and BRITANNIA will be temporarily detached from Task Force BABYLON and will stay under cloak over Warsaw, ready to provide you fire support on demand. Four reconnaissance probes will also be stationed over the city to provide you with continuous air and ground surveillance of Warsaw. In the first phase, you will discreetly go down to the Jewish ghetto and establish a command post there before positioning your robots while the fleet starts bombarding the main German garrisons and facilities. The second phase will start when the Germans decide to move in any way against the ghetto. That will be the time for you to show your full strength.
You will then try to attract the Germans in a series of ambushes and kill zones, to both deplete their numbers and hopefully to convince them to leave Warsaw alone entirely.
Fernand, you will be in charge of our forces in Warsaw, with George as your deputy.
Mona and Maran will take turns at monitoring the sensors displays of your command post. Do you have any questions?”
“One, Nancy.” Said Fernand Brunet. “What if the Germans try to starve the ghetto into submission?”
“That will not happen, Fernand, as we will be sending in regular shipments of food by shuttlecraft. One of your tasks on arrival in the ghetto will be to find and mark a reasonably protected landing zone for our shuttlecraft. Don’t hesitate to use the knowledge the Jewish underground has of the ghetto. How is your Yiddish, by the way?”
Brunet smiled at her question.
“As good as it was 250 years ago. My Polish is also on a par.”
“Excellent! Any other questions? Then get ready to go and good luck to you all.
Advise me just before you depart.”
Farah Tolkonen ‘B’, who had volunteered with her two assistants to be part of the fleet, watched the five men and one woman leave the bridge, then looked at Nancy, speaking softly to her.
“Nancy, from what I know about this war, I understand that the health conditions in the ghetto are atrocious. There will also probably be many civilian casualties once the fighting starts. I wish to be allowed to go down to the ghetto with the others with some medical supplies, to set up a first aid station there.”
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“But, you would need some assistance down there, Farah. You can’t be alone to care for patients for days.”
“Then lend me the use of one or two of your nurses. I am sure that there will be many volunteers if you ask around.”
Nancy was silent for a moment, mentally debating Farah’s request. Her own Girl Scout attitude then convinced her. Switching her radio to fleet-wide frequency, she then spoke calmly in her microphone.
“Attention all hands, this is Nancy. I am requesting two volunteers who are medically trained and who would be ready to go down to Warsaw and stay there to help Doctor Tolkonen ‘B’ take care of the wounded and sick in the Jewish ghetto. You have five minutes to make your mind and report by radio to me. Out!”
It took less than a minute for the first call to come in.
“Nancy, this is Patricia Wilson. I and Sylvie Comeau are ready to go down anytime.”
Nancy grinned: she didn’t expect less from the two ex-Canadian Army field nurses.
“Alright, Patricia: you’re on, along with Sylvie. Transfer to the BABYLON now, so that Farah ‘B’ could brief you two.”
Nancy then smiled to Farah.
“It seems that you were right, Farah. You can use a cargo platform and load it with medical supplies and equipment. Take at least two of our medical evacuation capsules as well: they will be useful in sending critical cases to Northolt. Make sure also that you and your nurses are armed: I don’t expect the Germans in Warsaw to play by the rules of the Geneva Conventions.”
Farah was about to turn around and leave the bridge when she nearly bumped into Natia Mindicor, the ship’s young stewardess.
“Oh,
sorry,
Natia.”
“Actually, I was coming to speak to you and Nancy.” Said timidly the giant teenager. “I wish to go down to Warsaw with you, Farah.”
“We were asking for medically trained personnel, Natia.” Cut in Nancy. Natia looked resolutely back at her.
“I am a qualified medic, Nancy. It is part of my formation as a stewardess.
Besides, I would like to help people more than by simply serving food and drinks around.
I may not be combat trained but I have seen you guys often enough during your field exercises to know what to do.”
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“Oh, and what are you supposed to do if fired upon, Natia?”
“Duck!”
“That’s my girl. You’re signed on. Follow Farah, who will liaise with Fernand Brunet and his team. Good luck, girls.”
“Girls?” Said Farah in mock protest. “I am twice your age, kid.”
Natia giggled as she followed Farah out of the bridge.
17:22 (Warsaw time)
Gesia Street, the Jewish Ghetto
Warsaw, Poland
“I hate to say this, but I think that these houses are now available.”
Mona Zirel, at the controls of the time scooter transporting Fernand Brunet and Jack Crawford, winced at Jack’s remark: visible down in the street was a line of bodies lying on the sidewalk in front of what had probably been the homes of the unfortunate Jewish men, women and children now lying in pools of dried blood. Contrary to most of the houses and buildings of the Jewish Ghetto that they had flown over, nobody was visible at the windows or balconies of those four townhouses. Very few passersby were visible either, probably cowered by this most recent display of Nazi act of random murder and terror. Brunet pointed at one of the houses, a solid-looking, four-storey apartment building made of stone blocks.
“Mona, fly around this house. I want to see its rear access.”
Mona did so, piloting the scooter to a hover above the rear courtyard of the building.
They were presently cloaked, so they didn’t have to worry about being seen. Brunet scanned visually the area below, then smiled.
“This building will do just fine. Let’s take possession of it discreetly before someone else does. Mona, can you go down in that courtyard?”
“No problem, Fernand. I could even use the covered passage between the street and the courtyard. By the way, once cleared of debris, I believe that this courtyard will be suitable to land a shuttlecraft. It will be a tight fit but it will do.”
“I had that in mind too. Fly inside the covered passage.”
Once under the arched passage, which had its street-side end closed off by twin doors large enough for a horse carriage, Mona landed her scooter and switched off its cloaking field. All three then stepped off the machine and proceeded to unload their equipment 650
and weapons. Jack also put in place four time beacons to facilitate the arrival of the other members of their team and their robots. With Mona’s scooter well out of the way of the beacons, Maran’s scooter and Farah’s cargo platform quickly joined them in the covered passage. Jack and George, their assault rifles at the ready, then entered the house via a connecting door that had been smashed open, probably by German SS
troops. After a fifteen-minute search, the house was declared safe and the positioning of the group’s equipment and supplies started. They occupied mainly rooms giving on the rear of the building, reserving the street-side rooms for firing positions. The ground level, with its floor sitting directly on stone foundations, was reserved for the storage of robots and other heavy supplies. The first floor went to Farah ‘B’ and her medical team, while the second floor became their command post. The third floor was turned into living quarters and safe storage rooms for medical supplies and the team’s food and water reserves. When Fernand Brunet was satisfied that they were well established, he went down to the ground floor to find Sean Brady and Jack Crawford coordinating the arrival by spacetime jump of part of their force of combat robots. Over forty combat robots were already positioned in the rooms of the ground floor with a view on the street, while thirty robots faced the rear windows or secured the covered passage. Ten robots were busy as well cleaning up the debris clustering the courtyard, dumping them in a corner.
The courtyard was soon ready to accommodate landings by shuttlecraft, prompting Fernand into calling the BABYLON via his helmet radio.
“BABYLON, this is TROJAN Team. We are now in position in a strong building with a rear courtyard just large enough to land a shuttlecraft. You may start ferrying in supplies, starting with ammunition reserves for our robots, followed by medical and food supplies for the Jewish population. I am now sending the precise coordinates of the corners of the courtyard.”
Walking in succession to each corner of the yard, Brunet then read off the coordinates indicated by his personal locator system. A terse response by radio then followed from the BABYLON.
“We have your coordinates, TROJAN Team. We will first send you three loaded cargo platforms, along with a forklift robot and two technicians. Northolt has been advised and is now loading up a shuttlecraft with food supplies. I believe that canned pork wouldn’t be accepted, right?”
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“Definitely not!” Replied Fernand, happy that someone had not lost his sense of humor in the middle of this bleak business. “We will be awaiting your supplies, BABYLON.”
Backing off to the rear entrance of the covered passage, Fernand looked up at the windows of the opposite building sharing the courtyard with their building. Dozens of people of all ages were now looking down at him and at the robots, a mix of awe and fear on their faces. Fernand, who had expected this sooner or later, decided that this was the time to play the good neighbor and called Sean Brady on his radio.
“Sean, this is Fernand. I am going to liaise with our backdoor neighbors. Please take over from me here: supplies are about to arrive in the courtyard.”
“I’m on my way.” Replied the Irishman. Fernand, taking a squad of ten combat robots with him, crossed the courtyard and entered the opposite building via a door that gave access to a wide ground level hallway. A group of nine men and women, some of them old persons, backed off in fear, ready to flee upstairs. Fernand stopped and, smiling, spoke politely in fluent Yiddish.
“There is no need to fear me, ladies and gentlemen. Me and my friends are here to help and protect you.”
One of the men, a bearded one in his early thirties, stepped cautiously forward.
“What kind of things are your friends? Are they men inside small tanks?”
Fernand couldn’t help smile at that analogy: it would have actually made sense to explain his robots in terms the present technology could understand.
“There are no men inside these machines. They are just that, machines, but ones that can think and act by themselves and even talk. I call them robots and they are formidable instruments of war that will soon be used against the Germans. I actually have nine friends with me who just established themselves in the building on the other side of the courtyard, plus I am expecting shortly more people bringing in supplies and food for the inhabitants of the Ghetto. We are from an organization called the Time Patrol and led by Nancy Laplante, the Canadian time traveler also known by the Germans as ‘Die Wolfin’. And no, Nancy Laplante is not dead.”
The Jewish man opened his eyes wide, while the people behind him started exchanging excited comments at the mention of food.
“You would bring food for us? Thank God! I am Rabbi Shimon Huberband, head of the house committee for this building. I know someone who runs a number of soup 652
kitchens and who could help distribute fairly your supplies. I can vouch for his absolute honesty and integrity.”
“I certainly would like to meet him in due time, Rabbi Huberband. Right now I am mostly concerned about keeping our arrival in the Ghetto discreet for a while yet, at least until our first loads of supplies are in and safely stored away.”
“How long are you planning to be here, mister…”
“Oh, excuse me: I forgot to present myself. Agent Fernand Brunet, of the Time Patrol.”
They exchanged a handshake, with Huberband eyeing with interest Fernand’s equipment and weapons.
“A Frenchman? I do speak some French.”
“You may keep speaking Yiddish or Polish: I speak both fluently. To answer you, we will be here until the Germans are thrown out of Warsaw and the war is over, which should take a few days at the most.”
“A few days? Are you mad or hallucinating, mister?”
“Not one bit, Rabbi. Understand that we come from the 34th century and that the Germans are no match for our weapons and equipment. Talking of the Germans, would you mind if I position permanently a few of my robots inside your main entrance, to prevent any German or Jewish police from entering?”
“Uh, go ahead, sir. The 34th century you said?”
“That’s it! Please give me a minute and I will then give you a tour of our command post.”
Fernand went quickly to the front door and opened it slightly, looking cautiously outside.
On the opposite side of the street, thirty meters to the left, was a big, sinister-looking building with barred windows and surrounded by a tall perimeter wall, with two Jewish policemen guarding its main entrance. He was already aware of that building, which was the Ghetto’s prison, controlled by the Jewish police, which was in turn collaborating with the Germans. Fernand was going to have to watch that building closely until he could deal with it properly. He turned around after closing the door and spoke to one of the robots in Neo-English.
“Unit 240, you and your squad will stand guard in this building until further notice and prevent any German or Jewish police from entering it. Try to minimize any disruption to the daily routine of the people living here. Rabbi Huberband will identify to 653
you the actual occupants and legitimate visitors to this building. Do you have any questions, Unit 240?”
“Yes, sir! Are we to stay covert for the moment?” Asked the robot in a normal male voice, making the Jews around it gasp with wonderment.
“You will effectively stay covert until told otherwise or until a direct threat forces you to expose yourself. You may now take your post with your squad.”
“Yes,
sir!”
The ten robots then split up, some staying in the hallway and the others going inside the apartments flanking the main entrance. Fernand Brunet then gently took Shimon Huberband by one arm, leading him towards the rear courtyard.
“Let me go and present you to the members of my team, Rabbi Huberband.”
They exited the building just as a cargo platform appeared in the courtyard in a flash of light, making Huberband jump back from fright.
“Dear God! What kind of sorcery is this?”
“Not sorcery, Rabbi, but science of a very high level.”
Fernand let Huberband watch for a moment the unloading operation, with a robotic forklift rolling off the cargo platform with a heavy pallet of ammunition already resting on its fork blades. While the forklift brought inside the team’s building its pallet, two 34th century technicians presented themselves to Fernand. Thankfully, someone had thought about fitting them with helmets and body armor, along with backpacks containing some necessary field gear. Huberband could only look up in awe at the giant man and woman as they spoke in turn to Fernand in Neo-English.
“Robotics Technician First Class Ron Buran, sir.”
“Robotics Technician Second Class Mira Althea, sir.”
“Welcome to Warsaw and thank you for volunteering for this assignment. You do understand that we will be at risk here and that the living conditions will be quite Spartan?”
“We know the risks, sir.” Said Buran softly, who then smiled. “We did join the Time Patrol to find a really challenging job after all, sir.”
“That’s the spirit. Follow me and I will give you the grand tour of our facilities, along with Rabbi Shimon Huberband here.”
There was another exchange of name and handshakes between the technicians and Huberband before Brunet led them inside the team’s building after being presented to Sean Brady. They met Jack Crawford in one of the rooms of the ground floor, busy 654
assigning arcs of fire to the robots covering the windows of that room. From there, they took the stairs to the first floor and entered a living room that had been turned into an improvised first aid station. Huberband eyed with envy the sophisticated medical equipment of the team and the ample medical supplies in evidence as Fernand presented him.
“Doctor Tolkonen, this is Rabbi Shimon Huberband, the head of the house committee for the building behind ours. Rabbi, these are Doctor Farah Tolkonen, Nurse Patricia Wilson and Nurse Sylvie Comeau. Starting this evening, they will be able to provide medical care to the wounded and critically sick, apart from distributing some medical supplies to the doctors already operating in the Ghetto. Uh, Farah, where is Natia?”
“Upstairs, preparing supper for the team.”
“Then we will meet her there.” Pronounced Fernand before leading Huberband out of the treatment room and up the stairs to the second floor. As they went up, the Rabbi asked something in a discreet voice.
“Pardon my curiosity, sir, but how come some of your people are normal, while the others are bald giants?”
“Simple, Rabbi: I and the other normal people are from the 20th or 21st century, while our giant members come from the 34th century. Humans evolved a lot during those thirteen centuries. Don’t forget that time travel is our specialty after all. Ah, here is our tactical command post.”
They were greeted in the small, converted living room by Mona Zirel, who looked up from her portable workstation and smiled politely to Huberband.
“Good evening, sir. My name is Mona Zirel.”
“A charming name for a beautiful young woman, Miss Zirel. I am Rabbi Shimon Huberband. I live in the building behind yours.”
“Pleased to meet you, Rabbi Huberband. I…”
An incoming signal on her workstation then cut her off, making her read quickly the message in red letters on one of the video screens of her console.
“Fernand, flash traffic from the BABYLON: the fleet will open fire in ten minutes, unless you deem that this is too early for us.”
Brunet immediately contacted by radio Sean Brady, down in the courtyard.
“Sean, this is Fernand. How are we doing with the supply drops?”
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“All three cargo platforms have dropped their loads, which are now inside our building. The shuttlecraft from Northolt arrived two minutes ago and should be finished unloading in a few minutes at the most: that robotic forklift is a godsend.”
“Excellent! Warn the pilot of the shuttlecraft that the fleet is opening fire in less than ten minutes. He will have to jump as soon as he lifts off.”
Fernand then looked at Mona, who was still w