Night Witches - IC
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: evilnerf on 02-09-2017, 03:39:50</h2>
		<dl id="posts">
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 03:39:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<strong>Training Squadron 588th Night Bomber Regiment, Training section</strong> <br>Plane 042 - Reserve Po-2 Bomber<br>Plane 132 - Reserve Po-2 Bomber<br>Plane 099 - Reserve Po-2 Bomber<br>Plane 013 - Reserve Po-2 Bomber<br><br>TRAINING STAFF<br>Sergeant Masha Kataeva.<br>LOGISTICS &amp; TRAINING OFFICER:<br>SLT Mariya “Masha” Petrova<br>DEPUTY POLITRUK:<br>LT Svetlana “Sveta” Sheremeteva<br>REGIMENTAL POLITRUK:<br>CAPT Olga I. Barsukova<br>CHIEF OF STAFF:<br>CAPT Evgeniya Lobodeva<br>REGIMENTAL COMMANDER:<br>MAJ Yevdokiya Bershanskaya<br><br><strong>Current Mission Pool</strong><br>0 <br><br><strong>Current Duty Station</strong><br>Engels Aerodrome, Saratov Oblast, Russia<br>Аэродром города Энгельс<br>51.472678, 46.203876<br>“EN-gels”<br>February-April 1942<br><br>The region around Saratov is dominated by the mighty Volga River, which is its most prominent aid to navigation. Beyond the valley of the Volga, gently rolling hills and steppe are the primary landform, with empty fields that await spring and cultivation. The auxiliary field at Tambov is in more densely forested country with fewer landmarks. Training is taking place during the wettest season in this otherwise dry region. The furthest German advance places their forward units southwest of Voronezh, with most training flights very unlikely to encounter enemy troop concentrations or reconnaissance.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 14:25:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				We’ve arrived at Saratov, a city at war. The darkened streets are filled with soldiers but we are still civilians, in our best clothes. Patriotic marches in celebration of the 24th anniversary of the founding of the<br>Red Army and impassioned speeches by Comrade Stalin and Marshal Zhukov fill the air. “The day is not far distant when the Red Army will thrust back the brutal enemy and the red banners will fly again<br>victoriously over the entire Soviet land.”&nbsp; <br><br>With a Red Army Air Force transit voucher in hand, we board a ferry across the Volga with a hundred other hopeful, enthusiastic, and confused young men and women. One woman stands out in the crowd—dressed in a splendid uniform with sky blue shoulder boards with a medal pinned to her chest. We haven’t yet learned to know either her rank or what the medal signifies, but we know we want to be just like her.<br><br>The woman looks the small knot of trainees.&nbsp; "I'm Captain Eveniya Lobodeva, of the 588th Night Bomber Regiment.&nbsp; The 588th is one of three regiments being formed by Major Marina Raskova, the famous air hero. We focus on night harassment and will do the most difficult, dangerous work."&nbsp; <br><br><em>Yelena takes off her babushka as a sign of respect to the Captain.&nbsp; She glances at her fellow recruits, whom she has never met nor talked to before today and says.&nbsp; "I think we are up for the challenge.&nbsp; I am Yelena. " She gave a clumsy salute in return.</em><br><br>The Captain gives a nod to Yelena and then looks over the whole group and says.&nbsp; "We’re glad to have competent new recruits. We’ll be flying outmoded biplanes under cover of darkness in all weather conditions.&nbsp; The war situation is bad—even Comrade Stalin says as much. Our winter stopped the Fascists fifty miles from Moscow, but the spring muds have blunted our counter-offensive. Now things are very uncertain. Personally I aim to change that."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 18:36:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>Marina stood at full attention as the words of Stalin and Zhukov washed over the assembled military and civilians. She cheered as loud as the others, and only a very astute observer of human behavior would even think to question whether she was sincere. All of her mannerisms, attention, and response indicated she was a loyal daughter of Mother Russia, and viewed Stalin as more worthy of respect than manufactured tool of oppression that her ancestors kneeled to in the now oppressed churches.<br><br>As the man had said, the only real power comes out of a rifle. So their bombs were the new Gods. And those who delivered them the new archangels. <br><br>Marina's Moscow accent was clear to those who could tell such things when it was her turn to speak. She saluted crisply and professionally, but even that precise movement was made sensual by the way she carried herself, and the way her dark eyes lingered on the Captain. Was it the power she was attracted to? Or just what was in that uniform? It was hard to tell.<br><br>"Sergeant Marina Chernova." She introduced herself briskly. "Let us bomb these fascist rapist bastards back to the primitive hole they crawled from. On my life and the lives of millions of loyal daughters of the Union they will regret marching on Moscow." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 19:06:32</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Captain Lobodeva gave a grin at Marina, "I like your enthusiasm!&nbsp; I'll have to keep an eye on you."&nbsp; She put out her hand and patted Marina's shoulder, giving it a small squeeze.&nbsp; "Step lively, obey your section leader and squadron commander, and you’ll get your chance to kick the Hitlerite bandits right in the balls. I promise you that."&nbsp; She looked at the others.&nbsp; "I cannot promise you much, but I can promise you all that."&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ron Don Volante</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 20:54:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/38/1470795.jpg)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Junior Lieutenant Valentina Qunanbaiuly -&nbsp; Sparrow</em></span><br><br>Time in the Red Army was an interesting thing. You were hustled and screamed at and pushed to get somewhere hours early… only to wait those many hours again. Training had been like that and, for some reason, Valentina had assumed the Front would be different. At least to liven up her current phase of “hurry up and wait” she got a bit of an inspirational speech on the ferry to the aerodome. <br><br>Captain Lobodeva seemed lively enough though based on the letters that were allowed (or able to) get to Valentina from her fiance Sergei, it was either because she hadn’t met the enemy or was brash and stupid. She really hoped it was the former. <br><br>Keeping her focus, Valentina merely barked the drilled response to Lobodeva’s speech and kept careful watch on her squadron-mates.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 21:49:23</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/04/19/11/3F60118600000578-0-image-m-33_1492596406847.jpg)</div> <br><br>Yelena thought she saw something of a kindred spirit in the quiet foreigner.&nbsp; Feeling the need to put up some sense of commraderie even before they were officially in the unit, she leaned over and whispered to her.&nbsp; "They have us packed like fish in a cooler."&nbsp; She said with a smirk.&nbsp; "I did not think that there would be so many people in a hurry to get to the shooting.&nbsp; She said with a small nod towards Sergeant Marina.&nbsp; "I am Yalena, by the way, Yalena Morozov."&nbsp; She says, having to speak up to be heard over the sound of the engine pushing the ferry across the Volga river.&nbsp; <br><br>She was wearing her finest clothes, which was not saying much.&nbsp; She had a brown wool jacket wrapping her tight, and a long pleated wool skirt that didn't match.&nbsp; Hardly clothing fit for a war zone but she had yet to be issued her uniform.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AmandaWho</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 22:25:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://www.maskaradka.ru/images/mare/kostiumy_voennye/soldat_5_2.jpg)</div><br>Elena sat in the boat with her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, listening to the Captain speak with a glum look on her features. She had never been around so many people in such a tight space in her life, and she didn't like it. Even their small apartment at home with mother, father, and her two brothers hadn't felt this confined. The wind was cold, chilled further by wending across the gray surface of the Volga. <br><br>She mumbled out an automatic response, along with all the others, to the Captain's speech, but her gaze went to the sergeant. What Marina had said had gotten a rise out of Elena, a stirring in her belly that was the little voice that had motivated her to enlist in the first place. Her brothers had died on a muddy field on a stretch of land that didn't even have a proper name. Elena hoped that soon one night she would fly over that very parcel of land carrying with her death for the fascists that had brought ruin upon her family and nation.<br><br>Elena was seated beside Marina. She leaned closer to the girl and whispered, "You have a blood lust for the fascists. I do too." With her dark eyes and serious expression, Elena gazed at the girl, wondering if she was meeting a kindred spirit.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 23:04:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The ferry bumps up against the dock in Engels and suddenly everyone is all business—shouting, pushing, rolling trucks and equipment off.&nbsp; Time to get moving!<br><br>Across the Volga, Engels Airdrome is still 4 kilometers away. While a truck is waiting for Captain Lobodeva and the other soldiers in uniform, we are told to walk. Hopefully we wore sensible shoes.&nbsp; The skies overhead are filled with airplanes—sleek new Pe-2 bombers shining in the sunlight, stubby, aggressive-looking Yak-1 fighter planes, and plodding old Po-2 biplanes. These look ridiculously out of date, and their tiny engines sound for all the world like sewing machines. As we near the Airdome, footsore and hungry, we see for the first time how massive and busy it really is. There are hundreds of planes here, and hordes of Soviet aviators—many of them women.<br><br>No doubt able to flag down a car and ride the way up, Captain Lobodeva nonetheless walks just like the rest of us.&nbsp; She stands tall and proud, and seems like a real leader of the People.&nbsp; We soon lose sight of her though as she enters the Airdome unchallenged, unlike us.&nbsp; <br><br>When we reach the main gate of Engels Airdrome, a Fourth Air Army military policeman reviews our papers and tells us all to report to Sergeant Kataeva in Logistics Area Six and request the following items:<br>Service uniforms, flight boots, one week’s rations and directions to the 588th’s trainee barracks<br><br>We are each instructed to repeat the list before we are ushered forward with no clue where to go in the busy skydrome. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>02-09-2017, 23:48:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>Marina smiled in return to Captain Lobodeva, a fond, sisterly smile as well as that of a subordinate. "Thank you Captain. I will do my best to earn it." She said sincerely. <br><br>She gave Elena a similar smile when she voiced her shared lust for Nazi blood. "Good." She said with a satisfied nod. "I fear we will find there are many whose fortitude is lacking in the coming days." She gave the woman a squeeze on the shoulder and and friendly smile. "We will likely have to make up for their shortcomings. But I am prepared." She smiled, confident. <br><br>She walked with a military step over to the airdrome, ignoring her hunger and the pain in her feet the best she can. She repeats the list and then realizes she has no idea where to go. <br><br>"Where is Logistics Area Six?" She will ask anyone who will listen.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>03-09-2017, 01:04:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After being completely dismissed by one male crewmember, and another one implying that Logistics Area Six was in his trousers, you finally get some vague directions where to go.&nbsp; The third mechanic finally gives you some vague directions.&nbsp; <br><br>Sergeant Kataeva has her frizzy red hair tied back her head in a tight bun.&nbsp; She is surrounded by crates filled with objects some of which looks like it should have been thrown out, some of it looks like it has no place in a war zone.&nbsp; She gets annoyed when we walk up to her.&nbsp; <br><br>She puts her arms out on the crate in front of her and gives you a glare like a tiger who is looking at her dinner.&nbsp; &nbsp;"I’m Masha Kataeva. Who the fuck are you? Scratch that—I’ve seen your type come and go. You’ll be down in fucking flames in a fortnight and I am not going to get to know you.&nbsp; What do you want?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>03-09-2017, 17:58:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>"Service uniforms, two pairs flight boots, two weeks rations and directions to the 588th’s trainee barracks." Marina said, speaking first and hoping the others would catch the drift. She knew better than the expect that the bare minimum they'd be instructed to ask for would be good enough. And if they busted her, what would they do? Throw her out for making sure she stayed fed and had two pairs of boots? No reason not to try it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>03-09-2017, 20:17:12</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Masha gave the woman a glare.&nbsp; Obviously, no matter how careful she'd been in her choice of words, the Sergeant was in no mood.&nbsp; <br><br>"Let me make one thing perfectly clear to you skinny bitches—I am not your mother and I don’t have any boots or fucking feld rations, so go choke yourselves. Let me tell you what we’ve got and you can fucking pick from that, all right? We’ve got some nice used men’s uniforms that won’t ft.&nbsp; We have a God-damned airplane in a packing crate and no time to assemble it. We’ve got endless fucking shovels for some reason. Ask me for anything else and I will shit on your mother."<br><br>She glanced over the rest of us, giving us the stink eye. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>04-09-2017, 20:51:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>"Well, as a mere Sergeant I would not dream of telling you what to do Comrade." Marina said, dropping the not so subtle hint that maybe one of the many Junior Lieutenants with her should try something. Later on she might attempt to get in this woman's good graces, but that seemed impossible right now.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>04-09-2017, 21:06:36</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena took the hint.&nbsp; She certainly didn't feel like a Junior Lieutenant, but she wanted to get on the good side of the women she was going to be serving with, so she decided to try to pull rank.&nbsp; Yelena straightened her back, and tried to be as imposing as she could.&nbsp; <br><br>"Sergeant, see here.&nbsp; I am a junior lieutenant, and we are to be pilots in the 588th.&nbsp; Surely that outranks you?&nbsp; We simply want the items that are going to be requisitioned to us.&nbsp; I do not see why such a thing would be so unattainable."&nbsp; Her voice quivers just a bit.&nbsp; She has no idea what she is doing here, but is trying her best.<br><br>((Yelena is rolling to ACT UP.&nbsp; She is acting like a natural-born Soviet airwoman, so she rolls +medals.&nbsp; She rolled a 9 and has +0 medals.&nbsp; She gets to choose one of the options.&nbsp; She chooses to make someone do what she wants, which is give her the items. ))<br><br>Masha scowls.&nbsp; She realizes full well what the woman is doing and she leans forward and stares her straight in the face and says in slow, deliberate terms.&nbsp; "Fuck. You."&nbsp; She bends her head to the side to make it clear just how pissed off she was at the young officer, "Lieutenant" she adds poisonously.&nbsp; <br><br>Masha reaches down, unties her own boots, revealing dirty, hole filled socks.&nbsp; Unabashadly, she slams the boots on the crate.&nbsp; She unbuttons her uniform, revealing brown undershirt underneath.&nbsp; She slams her jacket right next to the boots.&nbsp; She is scandalously out of uniform, but right now, her rage seems to have surpassed her sense.&nbsp; She takes her discard clothing, puts it ontop of the uniforms she has, and shoves them all towards us.&nbsp; "You better go see Senior Lieutenant Petrova. Ask for her in the 588th’s barracks—just keep walking that way until you see the shitty place no decent woman in her right mind would call home."<br><br>Yalena picks up the stack of clothing, in shock about what just happens, and quickly begins walking in the direction that Masha indicated.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AmandaWho</strong> on <strong>06-09-2017, 09:03:53</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Elena watched the exchange, having followed Marina after meeting her on the ferry. She was dismayed to see how poorly the military was equipped, and stared at the male uniforms with a sour expression. Still, she was accustomed to deprivation, and even more accustomed to less than stellar treatment, so she cast the woman a dirty look as she walked by, following the others.<br><br>She walked forward to catch up to Yelena, looking at her with a grin. "You may want to delouse the boots before you wear them," she said with a grin, her way of saying thank you to the woman who scored them their clothes.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Ron Don Volante</strong> on <strong>06-09-2017, 12:45:18</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/3/38/1470795.jpg)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Junior Lieutenant Valentina Qunanbaiuly -&nbsp; Sparrow</em></span><br><br>Valentina merely smiled to the woman who introduced herself as Morozov. There weren’t too many Russians where she lived but the ones she had known were decent enough people. Still, she knew that many outside Kazakhstan looked down upon “foreigners” such as herself. Sergei had said as much in his letters about uppity Russian officers assuming that he could barely understand sums. She still had to watch and learn which of these women were the decent ones and which were something else. <br><br>“Valentina Qunanbaiuly.” Valentina said a bit stiffly to Yalena. “You know, before I joined the army I had never even been on a train. I am used to the big open skies and mountains. Not this.” She left it at that, having been suggested many times not to get too chatty with her unit comrades. <br><br>Valentina then watched Yalena expertly use her rank and skill to extract a much more decent uniform. She raised an eyebrow as she nodded to the other woman mentioning delousing. “Near Moscow my fiance says that even a moderately tattered uniform is prized for. One can only imagine how bad things will get for the <em>women</em> when we get to the front. You’re lucky Yalena. You have to show me that trick one day.”
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>06-09-2017, 13:26:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena gave her two comrades a small smile.&nbsp; "I don't know if it was worth it.&nbsp; She seemed very angry.&nbsp; Do you think that she will try to get back at me?"&nbsp; She was glad to have a bit of a rapport with her commrades, and she smiled weakly. "I suppose it was worth it though... If I had known they wouldn't have boots, I wouldn't have worn a heel."&nbsp; She said.&nbsp; "My calves are killing me!"&nbsp; She says with a small laugh.<br><br>We take our new uniforms and head for the barracks, enduring some cat-calls from leather-jacket-clad male pilots on the way. When we arrive, a woman no older than any of us is waiting to greet us. She shows each of us to a cot and tells us to put on our new uniforms. <br><br>As we dress into the uniforms.&nbsp; The training officer stands straight and begins to rattle off a well rehearsed introduction.&nbsp; The woman with the dark eyes paces the room as we get dressed, not giving us any privacy. <br><br>"I’m Senior Lieutenant Petrova. What’s your name? Where are you from?&nbsp; We’ll be dividing you out into pilots and navigators based on aptitude, but you will be qualified for either seat. Pilots in front, navigators in back.&nbsp; These airplanes are simple. Fuel and oil are gravity fed, so don’t fly upside-down. An air cooled engine. No oil filter, just a mesh screen. Open cockpits.&nbsp; Many things can go wrong. Flying at night is strange and challenging.&nbsp; Memorize your cockpit layout."&nbsp; She gestured in the air as if she was in a cockpit, flipping imaginary switches and turning imaginary knobs. "Down and to your left: Throttle, fuel mix lever, fuel cutoff switch, carburetor heat and elevator trim.&nbsp; Left dash switch bank: Pitot heat, master battery, panel lights, two magneto switches. Gages—Fuel, altitude, airspeed, heading, attitude. Climb rate and engine RPM. Oil pressure and temperature. Fuel pressure gage. Cylinder temperature."&nbsp; She stopped pacing to look us up and down, "I’ve reviewed your files and you are quite a mixed bag, aren’t you?"<br><br>When we are dressed, she directs questions at us.&nbsp; When turning to Marina, she asks, <br>"What did you do when your first flight instructor failed you because you were a woman?" <br><br>She then turned to Elena, "What did you lie about on your regimental intake form?"&nbsp; <br><br>then to Valentina, "Why did you want to join the 586th Fighter Regiment so badly?"<br><br>and finally to Yelena, "Whose funeral did you miss by volunteering for flight training?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>06-09-2017, 19:06:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>Marina found the uniform fit her rather well. Not well as in it fit right, but it ended up giving her a rather dashing appearance, like she knew she was breaking some sort of taboo by wearing a man's uniform and that she might start sweeping ladies off their feet at any moment. She even adjusted the hat to a stylish angle, happy with what she found.<br><br>She stood at attention as Petrova went over the planes. She was familiar with them of course, it was nearly the exact model she had been allowed to train on. When she was approached individually she was expecting some sort of general question about loyalty to the Union or love for Stalin or hatred of imperialists and fascists. She wasn't expecting such a pointed question. <br><br>She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again. She was so taken off guard she forgot to salute and address the Senior Lieutenant formally.<br><br>"I..." she began, then glanced down, hands clasped behind her back. "I waited until he was removed from the position that he was clearly not qualified for and then passed with full marks the second time around." <br><br>It wasn't the truth, not really, but it wasn't enough of a lie to be deceptive either.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>07-09-2017, 04:02:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena, wasn't accustomed to changing in front of other people, but she knew better than to question the order to change.&nbsp; She pulled off her cardigan, shirt, and dropped her skirt, replacing them with the Khaki uniform, and the only women's size uniform jacket that had previously belonged to one pissed off supply officer.<br><br>She was doing her brass buttons when the Lieutenant came over to ask her question of her.&nbsp; Yelena said a bit unsurely, "Um, my youngest brother, Daniil. He was serving in Finland.&nbsp; He was killed by a facist sniper."&nbsp; She said sadly, "He was the third of my brothers to die.&nbsp; There now is only me, and my father."<br><br>---<br><br>Lieutenant Petrova continued to pace around the barracks, inspecting each girl as they got dressed.&nbsp; On Yelena, she pulled off the rank inisignia from the now former wearer, and did not seem bothered about where it came from. She brought it over to Marina and pinned it on her. <br><br>She spoke to Marina as she applied the insignia, and straightened her cap.&nbsp; When she heard Marina's answer, she nodded, "Glad to hear the state was so responsive to your needs."&nbsp; She said in an almost sarcastic tone of disbelief.&nbsp; <br><br>When Yelena finished hers, she said, "I'm sorry for your loss.&nbsp; Sacrifice is the only path forward for us now."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>08-09-2017, 01:32:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Senior Lieutenant Petrova, satisfied with our answers, tells us that the Major is waiting on the flight line, and we file out to meet her. The regiment’s Po-2’s are in formation on the flight line, each fragile craft lovingly tended by a pair of mechanic-armorers. Senior Lieutenant Petrova forms us into rough order and salutes a stern older woman with gold shoulder boards—the Major. Next to her is Captain Lobodeva, who we met on the ferry—her Chief of Staff - along with several other officers. The Major looks us over. <br><br>The Major herself was not a particularly old woman, although she did look seasoned warrior.&nbsp; She had dark brown hair with lose curls held back by her sharp khaki cap. <br><br>“Comrades, welcome to the regiment,” she says, “I am Major Yevdokiya Bershanskaya, your commander. I will expect you to comport yourselves at all times as natural-born Soviet airwomen. We will fly these”—and she points to the biplanes behind her. “The Polikarpov Po-2 LNB. A simple two-seat canvas-and-wood biplane has been determined to be&nbsp; ideal for our mission by the great operational minds of the Fourth Army Air Force, and we are certainly not going to doubt their wisdom in this matter. Let’s talk about that mission, shall we?”<br><br>She walks over to one of the planes, a Red and Yellow looking death trap that has seen better days.&nbsp; <br><br>"There are three places you can put a bullet that will break the Po-2: The small fuel tank, the compact engine, or the pilot. Anything else just passes through and you keep flying. And, honestly, the pilot doesn’t count because you have a spare. "&nbsp; She points out each of the points of interest.&nbsp; You can tell by the way she points that she has lost some use of her fingers, and she is unable to point completely straight at the things."<br><br>"There is no radio in a Po-2. Individual aircrews communicate with hand signals or by using a speaking tube, and communication between planes in the same section is by flashlight, flare or hand signal. We will work together so closely, night after night, that you will be able to read another plane’s intention by instinct."<br><br>She has a cosmopolitan Leningrad accent and her voice is deep and loud. "The Po-2 is not a fighter but a bomber. Each wing has six attachment points for FAB-50 fragmentation bombs. The release mechanism for these bombs is unreliable. In the event of a hanging bomb, you navigators need to climb out on the wing and release it manually. When FAB-50s aren’t available, we will drop sawed-off railroad ties."<br><br>"Since our mission profiles rarely have us flying above 1200 meters and weight is at a premium, parachutes are not standard equipment."&nbsp; She waits for a moment to let the gravity of that sink in.<br><br>"Formation drill at 1700; I expect you to be crisp. It is now my pleasure to administer the oath of a Soviet soldier and induct you into the Red Army Air Force Fourth Air Army."<br><br>She salutes us, and begins to lead us all in the oath. "I, give your name, promise to rise to the defense of my Motherland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, as a fighting man [sic] of the Worker’s and Peasant’s Red Army, I promise to defend it bravely, skillfully, with dignity and honor, sparing neither my blood nor my life itself for the achievement of total victory over our enemies."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>AmandaWho</strong> on <strong>10-09-2017, 19:56:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Elena gazed at the planes as she intoned the oath, her mind whirling with the information the Major had imparted to them. The aircraft were old and in need of repair, even Elena could tell that. She could be standing at an aviation museum looking at Great War relics instead of on an active flight line looking at the aircraft she and her fellow pilots would be in. These machines would likely carry them to their deaths.<br><br>Yet, at the same time, this was the path to raining death down on the fascists. When she heard Yelena speak of her dead brothers and her father at home, Elena's heart had given a tug; their stories were very similar.<br><br><em>Fine</em>, she thought, her eyes tracing over the rickety aircraft before her as the air filled with their voices. <em>I will do what it takes to kill the fascists. I would pilot a bicycle made of sticks if it meant spilling their blood.</em><br><br>As they neared the end of the oath, Elena's voice rose in pitch, speaking louder, more fiercely, "...sparing neither my blood nor my life itself for the achievement of total victory over our enemies."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>10-09-2017, 23:35:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>Marina's cynical mind took in what was being said. We are given outdated junk because the command doesn't take us seriously. The pilot is more expendable than the fuel tank. I'm going to be spending a lot of time hopping out of the wing of the plane to hit bombs with a wrench and hope they fall and don't explode in my face. She assumed she would be a navigator, she was certainly better at it than being a pilot. <br><br>It sounded horrible, but then again, it was a horrible time. The Nazis were threatening everything they knew and loved, and it was time to make sacrifices for her homeland. History would surely remember them as being on the side of the victors, even if she doubted that anyone would remember the names of herself or anyone else in this division.<br><br>She repeated the oath with clear, crisp intonation, a soldier doing her duty. She replaced the word man with woman. She wasn't going to sacrifice that part of herself after all. Anything else, blood, sweat, tears, her limbs, her body, if that was what it took. But she was not going to pretend to be a man, even if being born one would have made her life easier in so many ways.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>11-09-2017, 14:37:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				The following morning we find yourselves in a crowded tent configured as a classroom. The pungent smell of aviation gasoline permeates everything, and the roaring of aircraft occasionally interrupts a lesson.&nbsp; Our first class is on political consciousness for aviation troops, and is conducted by two women in the grey tunics of NKVD officers. The NKVD is the Soviet secret police, and her officers are not to be trifled with. Two are attached to every regiment. <br><br>“Good morning Trainees, “ says the ranking officer, a red haired woman somewhat older than the rest you've encountered over the last day, “I am Captain Olga I. Barsukova and this is my Deputy, Lieutenant Svetlana Sheremeteva." She gestures to the smaller woman with the intense blue eyes and blonde hair tied tightly into a bun at her side.&nbsp; "Our job is to encourage your continued development as politically conscious and socially engaged Communists. But we must never forget that we are also military officers with security responsibilities within the regiment. ” <br><br>She slowly begins to walk around the room, speaking us with both questions and lectures.&nbsp; "What’s your name, Comrade? Where are you from? Would you say that enemies of the people - the bourgeoisie of course, but also aristocrats, religious figures, social parasites, eggheads, nationalists - are these dangerous elements any less a threat than the Fascists?"&nbsp; She glances around the room, making it clear that the question is directed to anyone who dares answer.&nbsp; <br><br>"We’re all here to protect the regiment, But think carefully about “helping your friends”, comrades. Military personnel who fail to report treason are themselves subject to ten years imprisonment.&nbsp; When I find a counter-revolutionary I will arrest her. If I find someone undermining or weakening the external security of the USSR by means of slacking or wrecking, or parasitism or aiding the enemy, well that is treason, my friend. Section 58-1B clearly states that treason by military personnel incurs an immediate death sentence. Should the offender run away, the same statute allows for the imprisonment of her relatives for five to ten years."<br><br>"Listen, I want you to have success here so I will warn you about section 58-14, which deals with counter-revolutionary sabotage. Conscious non-execution or deliberately careless execution of defi =ed duties, aimed at the weakening of the power of the government and of the functioning of the state apparatus, is subject to at least one year of imprisonment, and under especially aggravating circumstances, up to the highest measure of social protection: execution, with confiscation of property. I burn for the opportunity to hang a saboteur. I hope we understand each other."<br><br>She surveys the room making sure her lesson has sunk in.&nbsp; Yelena shrinks into her chair a little, all of this talk seeming to have its intended effect of scaring the bejeezus out of her. <br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>13-09-2017, 02:48:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven</em></span><br><br>Marina sat upright, paying strict attention. She seemed to thrive on this sort of thing. <br><br>"Yes Captain!" She would snap when called on. "The presence of these subversives is what weakened our great collective and allowed the fascists to achieve their early victories. As the traitors and saboteurs are purged Russia grows stronger and our resistance solidifies. When we are one of will the Nazis will be crushed with ease." She sounded like she even believed it too. <br><br>The look on her face at the talk of hanging a saboteur made it clear that Marina would enjoy watching it happen nearly as much as the Captain would enforcing it. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>15-09-2017, 14:18:41</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Captain Barsukova nods to Marina, admiring her confidence.&nbsp; As sevetlana begins passing out inspirational literature, the Captain begins her not so subtle interrogation of the group.&nbsp; She steps around the classroom and asks each of us questions.<br><br>She paces around the room, going up and down the rolls, standing in front of each of our seats and gives each questions and waits patiently for the answer before moving on to the next. <br><br>To Marina, she asks "What did the Germans take from you?"<br>To Elena, she asks, "What does the Marxist-Leninist struggle against the forces of reaction mean to you personally?"<br>To Valentia, she asks, "When you were last disciplined, by whom, and what was the reason?"&nbsp; <br>And then finally, to Yelena, she asks, "When did you get a favor because of your gender, and how did you&nbsp; pay it back?"<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>18-09-2017, 14:53:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				After a week of monotonous classroom instruction under the tutelage of Captain Barsukova and Senior Lieutenant Petrova, we are formed into a three-aircraft section as part of the training squadron. Each section has three pilots and three navigators. Which of us volunteered earliest?<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raveled</strong> on <strong>20-09-2017, 19:18:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lenora was ecstatic. She had endured the last few days of drudgery by focusing on the goal of the lectures and the graceful, beautiful machines dancing outside the windows and up in the air. Today was the day, the culmination of everything she had trained for -- today was the day when she would <strong>fly!</strong><br><br>When Barsukova asked for voulenteers to go up first, Lenora had almost jumped out of her seat in excitement. Now that the day was actually here she was bouncing on her feet, almost launching herself into the air just by her own nervous energy! She already had on the heavy jacket and padded flight helmet, the thick scarf pulled away from her mouth so she could talk. "This is fantastic, comrades! Today we finally get a chance to get up in the air! I have to remember this whole day, so I can write it down for Masha." She patted a pocket of her jacket, where she had put a small pad of paper and a pencil to write down any thoughts as they came to her. Tonight she could compose another letter for her daughter, full of emotions from her first day of <em>flying!</em>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>21-09-2017, 02:20:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>Marina had mixed feelings about actually flying. On the one hand classroom was dull. On the other hand it was safe. She didn't know what might happen in these rickety contraptions. She hoped for a more glorious end than dying because someone didn't tighten something correctly. <br><br>Still it was with mixed feelings that she volunteered as one of the first navigators.<br><br>She spared Lenora a friendly smile. The naivete amused her somewhat. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>21-09-2017, 03:30:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				&nbsp;Senior Lieutenant Petrova walks up to Lenora and puts a pin to her chest, "Congratulations, you are the provisional section leader and responsible for the deportment and profciency of the five women under your command."&nbsp; She gives you a salute, and then salutes the rest of us, "It will be your responsibility to divvy up assignments.&nbsp; But for now, you two take plane 99." She says, gesturing to Chernova and Lenora and to a dark green plane sitting in the field.&nbsp; <br><br>"Your first mission will be simple.&nbsp; You're going to find your target, indicated on this map, and drop hammers there.&nbsp; We would offer you something weightier, but frankly, we need that for people who can actually do damage to fascists."&nbsp; The rest of us are assigned at random to planes, to test our individual aptitudes and teamwork with each other. <br><br>Before they take off, Yelena goes to congratulate their new new leader.&nbsp; She offers a toothy grin, "Congratulations!"<br><br>Soon enough, we are all in our planes and flying over the Russian countryside.&nbsp; Trees look like patches of crops, and crops look burned out husks from this distance, most of them long since raided for food for one army or another.&nbsp; Normally, a daytime run like this would be simple enough, but the germans don't curse us as "The Day Witches" so we have to learn to navigate in pitch black. <br><br>The navigator of the lead plane, Marina, needs to WAYFIND us to the target, an old destroyed mill.&nbsp; Make a 2d6 roll to navigate us to the target without incident.<br><br>Then we begin the ATTACK RUN, and our lead pilot, Lenora, rolls 2d6 to determine if the run goes without a hitch. <br><br>Everyone else acts as a wingwoman.&nbsp; If either of the two rolls above results in a 7-9, we succeed but suffer a consequence.&nbsp; The Wingwoman can negate this consequence by describing a heroic action, or offering some advice to your squadron mates.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>21-09-2017, 16:39:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Roll Result: Marina rolled: 2d6, adding 2 to the total<br>Comment: wayfind<br>Result: 5, 3, <br>Total: 10<br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>21-09-2017, 16:49:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				You successfully navigate yourself to the target.&nbsp; It's an old mill that likely survived a hundred years of czarist rule, but was unable to survive a single moment of an artillery barrage.&nbsp; <br><br>Yelena is piloting one of the other planes, with Elena as her navigator.&nbsp; Their plane flies low, ready to help with the bombing run and distract the hypothetical enemy defensive guns.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raveled</strong> on <strong>21-09-2017, 20:25:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Attack Run (http://orokos.com/roll/552410): <span class="bbc_u">2d6+2</span> <strong>13</strong>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raveled</strong> on <strong>21-09-2017, 23:42:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Being the air was... different than Lenora had expected. The cold, biting air all around was there, true, but she had expected quiet so far up. Instead there was the constant drone of the engine directly in front of her, the rattle and rumble of it coming up through the air frame and control yoke, the stink of diesel and oil from the wind blowing back into he face. It made her feel alive like nothing else she had ever done.<br><br>Lenora kept a sharp ear out for Yelena's orders and turned at the proper moments, flying proudly at the head of the section. When the farm came into view she cut the engine as she had been instructed. Suddenly the engine noise faded away and she was wrapped in wind, sitting atop the world. The yoke was heavy and cold in her hands as she guided the old plane in. They slowly floated above the target and she held her hand over the bomb release control. Her fingers itched but she held off as she counted. One, two, three, four...<br><br>A punch and a heavy <em>clunk</em> of release and the hammers dropped away from the plane, the whole contraption jolting as it released weight. Lenora immediately reignited the engine and pulled away, banking to check how she had done. At first she couldn't spot them in the fields, but then she noticed the hole in the roof of the old barn! She gave a whoop and half-turned to touch hands with Yelena. Their strike had been directly on target, as good as anyone could ask for! She felt a surge of elation move through her and glanced back at the rest of the section.<br><br>Just in time to see someone else try their attack run. They wobbled as they approached and Lenora felt in her gut that they were going too fast and too low. She gasped a moment before the wheels of the plane hit the roof of the barn, and in a terrible moment the little canvas biplane tipped up and slammed into the barn at speed. Lenora couldn't tear her eyes away from the wreckage and the carnage, currently hidden by a cloud of dust.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 03:35:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena was elated at the success, such at was, and reached forward to grab Lenora's hand and clasped it in a congratulatory handshake.&nbsp; The smile quickly evaporated when plane 132 collided with the barn and flipped over.<br><br>"Oh My God!"&nbsp; She screamed.&nbsp; She quickly got on the radio and reported back to base about the mishap. "A plane is down!... No a whole plane!... This is our first time up."&nbsp; She yells into the radio.<br><br>Command tells us to return to base, and lets us know that a search party will be sent out.&nbsp; Our maneuvers are cancelled for the rest of the day and although we land without further incident, it is a very inauspicous start to the section.<br><br>Back in the barracks, Yelena sits on her bunk, kicking her feet below her as she contemplates the events of the day, "Maybe we are cursed.&nbsp; Do you think we are cursed?"&nbsp; She says to her fellow airwomen.&nbsp; 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 03:36:24</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>"Cursed?" Marina scoffed. "I think that pilot doesn't know how to fly. Better now than when we are counting on them later." She took a sip of hot water, which was masquerading as coffee, as she delivered her rather cold blooded assessment. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 03:49:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena pursed her lips, and looked skeptical.&nbsp; "How could you be so cold-blooded, Marina?&nbsp; They were just like us!"&nbsp; She was on the verge of hyperventilating, and her eyes were wide and worried.<br><br>"It might not even have been their fault, it may have been the plane.&nbsp; Those things are older than we are." She shook her head, "What if it was sabotage?&nbsp; Isn't that what the captain said?&nbsp; Fascists trying to sabotage us?"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 03:51:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>"What do you mean <em>just</em> like us?" Marina scoffed. "<em>We</em> did it right!"<br><br>She crossed her arms and legs and scrutinized Yelena carefully. He look almost said 'what sort of fascist infiltrator would try to demoralize us all like this?'
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 04:14:16</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena realized she was being sized up like a barn mouse by a hawk and waved her hands, "Well it wasn't me!"&nbsp; She said, gesturing with both hands off to the side, "I mean someone out there!&nbsp; There are hundreds of men out there.&nbsp; Go stare at them!"<br><br>Yelena turned to Lenora, "Well, it certainly wasn't your fault.&nbsp; Your attack run was perfect!"&nbsp; She said happily to the girl before turning to Marina again, "And your Wayfinding."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raveled</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 05:29:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lenora sat at the edge of her bed, half listening while she tried to write a letter to her daughter. She had half a dozen opening lines written in pencil and then scribbled out again; whenever she tried to summon the thrill of that first flight, she kept coming back to the image of those poor women flipping their plane and crashing into the barn. And this was a training flight! It would never be easier than it was right now!<br><br>Her head came up suddenly and she stood, moving over to Yelena's bed and putting an arm around the other woman. "Marina, you should be ashamed of yourself!" she said. "Those poor girls were someone's wives or daughters. To act so cruelly and callously when a family has lost a part of itself -- have you no heart?"<br><br>She inclined her head a notch at Yelena's praise. "Marina put me into the perfect angle. All I had to do was drop the hammers at the right moment." She took a deep breath and let it out. "I can only hope that it will always be that easy, when we're dropping actual bombs on the Hitlerite dogs!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>22-09-2017, 05:55:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena seemed grateful for the hug.&nbsp; It was more than she was expecting in this cold, dirty Airdome.&nbsp; She kicked off her boots, letting them fall to the ground with a thunk.&nbsp; "I can't help but think there was something I could have done.&nbsp; Anything, that could have saved those girls."&nbsp; She said with a sigh.&nbsp; "Next time."&nbsp; She said with a bit of rebar in her voice, "I will not be so passive."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>23-09-2017, 00:35:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>Marina scoffed. "I have a heart and it bleeds for Mother Russia. We cannot let housewives and little girls pretend to be pilots and get us all killed in a real mission. The future of our great nation is at stake, not just some dizzy little birds and their dreams of flight. It is better we separate the chaff now than when the Nazis are below us." <br><br>She smiled then, a satisfied smile at the memory of the barn exploding. "Next time that may be a general's hideout, or a watchtower, or a factory." She said, imagining the great blow it would strike for the war effort. "Then we can celebrate." <br><br>She put a hand on Yelena's shoulder and squeezed. "We learn from these things." She said. "And we grow stronger."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>23-09-2017, 02:19:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Yelena smiled at Marina, "You know, Marina?&nbsp; I think you are nicer than you let on.&nbsp; Let me guess..."&nbsp; She pulled her legs onto her bunk bed, lying down on the bed and smiled as she looked at Marina, "You had a puppy when you were a little girl..."&nbsp; She touched her front tooth with her pointer finger, it was a tick she had when she was thinking.&nbsp; "... No, a kitten!&nbsp; Yes, a kitten."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>23-09-2017, 02:31:35</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>Marina stared and crossed her arms. "I don't see what <em>that</em> has to do with anything." She said trying to sound aloof. Clearly dodging the question.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Raveled</strong> on <strong>23-09-2017, 02:59:51</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Lenora laughed at Yelena's antics. "Oh, come on, Marina. We're going to be fighting together! Smashing Hitler and his traitorous soldiers, together! There's no reason we can't get to know each other while we're doing it. Here, I'll go first." She jumped off the bed and went back to her own billet, returning a few moments later with a a blurry photograph. It showed Lenora in a dress, next to a tall, slim man. Seated in front of them was a little girl with Lenora's wavy hair and the man's slim, dagger-like profile. They were all dressed formally like at a party.<br><br>"This is my beautiful Masha." Lenora kissed the photo gently, before passing it around so the rest of the women could see. "She is my entire world. She's why I enlisted, why I'm fighting here instead of being back on the farm. Her father writes to me that whenever the children play at being great Soviet heroes, Masha gets to be the pilot -- because her own mother is off being an airwoman!" Lenora felt a great wave of homesickness rise in her, felt her eyes prickling as she remembered holding he daughter so tightly before she left. "I would give anything for a chance to be back with my family in Vologda, but until that day happens I am proud to be here. Fighting alongside all of you!" When the photo finally made it back to her Lenora kissed it again and held it gently against her breast, cradling it almost like she might her own child.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>23-09-2017, 03:29:06</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Oh!"&nbsp; Yelena climbed from her bunk to come take a look at the picture.&nbsp; "Oh she is just precious!" Yelena says, genuinely excited, she takes Lenora's hand as it holds the picture to point it at her to look. "She is beautiful, just like her mother."&nbsp; She says sighing, "Masha.&nbsp; You are a very lucky woman, Lenora.&nbsp; You have something so precious to fight for."&nbsp; <br><br>"Me?&nbsp; I have no husband, no kids.&nbsp; It has just been me and my dad since the war started.&nbsp; I have three brothers."&nbsp; Her voice grew less cheerful, "Well, two brothers now." 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>25-09-2017, 18:17:22</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Senior Lieutenant Petrova comes into the camp, and we all scramble to attention. She walks in with her hands clasped behind her back and waits for us to get into position. Only then does she begin speaking, "Our recovery team has returned. I regret to inform you that Junior Lieutenant Sheremotova and Sergeant Bely did not survive their accidents. I hope you all have learned from today. You are NOT dusting crops. You are NOT going to be protected from your mistakes. Get some sleep. Tomorrow, I want you all to take time to prep for the next mission. Next time, you'll have to deal with a lot more than a single solitary barn."<br><br>She shut off the lights and we all crept back to our bunks to sleep. The next morning, we wake up and are ushered into the mess hall to eat. We're probably short on sleep, but that is no excuse to sleep in.<br><br>The mess hall is divided by gender, the much larger are for the many men of the airdome, and one solitary table for us airwomen. We're all squeezed together eating our awful food.<br><br>"Gremlins." Yelena said suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, "What if it was gremlins? My grandmother told me about them. They play tricks and kill people!"
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>02-10-2017, 00:20:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>Marina seems uncomfortable with how close many of the men are. She seems much less comfortable with the looks the women get. For someone who is so rakish and full of swagger around other women it is a bit of a change of character for her. She keeps her voice down so as to not attract attention from other tables.<br><br>"Gremlins?" She says, focusing on Yelena. Marina has clearly never heard this term before. "What-what is a Gremlin?" She asks, her look a mix of skepticism and concern. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>04-10-2017, 04:39:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"They are little creatures that attack aircraft, sabotaging and removing bolts.&nbsp; My babushka told me of their ways."&nbsp; She pointed at the table with her fork.&nbsp; "They are capricious spirits that love to make trouble.&nbsp; They will take a good, fine aircraft of the highest quality and riddle it with holes."<br><br>She stabbed her meat-like substance.&nbsp; "We must put a stop to their mischief."&nbsp; She looked around at her flightmates conspiratorially, "I can get rid of them, but I need four things."&nbsp; She fanned out her fingers and brought a finger down with each one.<br><br>"A Red scarf.&nbsp; A jar of mead.&nbsp; Pink flowers.&nbsp; Not purple, flowers!&nbsp; Pink."&nbsp; She said emphatically, "And lastly, but most importantly... music.&nbsp; Any kind of music."
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>04-10-2017, 05:45:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>"Superstitious nonsense." Marina scoffed and she repeated under her breath 'red scarf, jar of mead, pink flowers, music...' and scanned the mess hall for exactly those items. A red scarf should be easy enough. A jar of mead? Some poor soldier would scarf if it up if they found it. Pink flowers? In a war zone? And how do you take music on an airplane? She tried not to reveal how terrified she was that gremlins were going to take her plane apart as she did her best to keep her outside composure. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>04-10-2017, 06:10:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				"Superstitious, yes."&nbsp; She said, "But nonsense?&nbsp; No.&nbsp; No."&nbsp; She shook her head adamantly.&nbsp; "Trust me on this, Comrade."&nbsp; Yelena said with all the seriousness of a grim soldier, "We have Gremlins.&nbsp; And to get rid of them, we need these items.&nbsp; What if we all take one, and go searching?"&nbsp; She looked at everyone.&nbsp; "I'll find the music.&nbsp; There must be someone here with a harmonica, or a flute or something."&nbsp; She scans around and quickly finishes her breakfast.&nbsp; <br><br>"When you find your item, find someone else and help them meet theirs.&nbsp; We we will meet in the afternoon at the airfield and we will make sure there are no more gremlins to trouble us, alright?"&nbsp; She reached forward and put her hand on Marina's.&nbsp; Obviously this was important to the girl, and she offered her a small smile in exchange for her assistance. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>RedPhoenix</strong> on <strong>05-10-2017, 00:21:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(https://i.imgur.com/nzMMba7.png)</div><span style="font-size: 14pt;" class="bbc_size"><em>Sergeant Marina Chernova -&nbsp; Raven (https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=274320.msg13480947#msg13480947)</em></span><br><br>"Complete nonsense." Marina replied, not sounding very confident at all. "But of course I will aid you as I would aid any of my sisters." She said quickly to cover up how she was actually quite concerned about gremlins now. "I will fetch the scarf."<br><br>Later that day she would approach a pilot who looked like they were susceptible to being pushed around and try to scare them into handing their red scarf over!<br><br>Roll Result: Marina rolled: 2d6, adding 1 to the total<br>Comment: acting up like a hooligan<br>Result: 1, 3, <br>Total: 5<br><br>...and there was trouble. :D
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Night Witches - IC</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>evilnerf</strong> on <strong>05-10-2017, 02:10:58</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Looking around, you find a red scarf wrapped around the neck of an crewman sitting around the fire.&nbsp; When you try swipe the scarf from a man sitting around a small fire outside.&nbsp; You startle him in the middle of enjoying some delicious beans.&nbsp; He turns to you, dropping his beans, which only causes his nostrils to flare wider. <br><br>"You bitch!&nbsp; What do you think you are doing?"&nbsp; The man says, standing, to reveal himself to be a large bear of a man, despite his rather dainty burgandy scarf wrapped around his neck. 
			</dd>
		</dl>
		<div id="footer" class="smalltext">
			
			<span class="smalltext" style="display: inline; visibility: visible; font-family: Verdana, Arial, sans-serif;"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?action=credits" title="Simple Machines Forum" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF 2.0.19</a> |
 <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org/about/smf/license.php" title="License" target="_blank" class="new_win">SMF © 2021</a>, <a href="https://www.simplemachines.org" title="Simple Machines" target="_blank" class="new_win">Simple Machines</a>
			</span>
		</div>