IC-Ep 2-Among the Few(Elizabeth/John)

[Mr. Handy]

"There's no way to guarantee that no civilians are killed in a modern war," said Major Steadman. "Even in the last war it happened, and this one is worse. A couple of weeks ago, we bombed Berlin. I'm certain civilians were killed then. And before you say that those were German civilians, the Luftwaffe bombed London last night in direct response to that, killing hundreds of our own civilians. This is total war, and it's going to get a lot worse before it's over."

[DrPeterson]

John clenches his teeth and takes a deep breath before speaking.

Nell Murrow didn't die in the bombing, sir. We all know that. And you know how I feel about the bombing of civilian centres. War is for soldiers, not for citizens.

[Mr. Handy]

"I don't like it any more than you do, Captain," said Steadman, "but we all have our duty. It's a certainty that we're going to pay Berlin back for what they did to London. At least we have the privilege of being on defense, knowing that what we're doing is helping to protect our people, and not just from the bombing. The threat of invasion is a very real one. If we don't win the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe will gain air superiority. Only then could they possibly mount a cross-channel invasion. Once they establish a beachhead, our ground forces will not be able to overcome them. The RAF is all that's standing in their way."

[yockenthwaite]

"What were we - whoever - defending when Nell Murrow was killed Major?" asks Elizabeth. "Oh I'm sure you don't want to tell us, but I saw her body, she died viciously, not from the bombing. Where was the role of defense in her death?"

[DrPeterson]

John holds his breath.

[Mr. Handy]

"I can't tell you anything more about Nell Murrow's death," said Major Steadman. "I don't think you understand how dire our situation is. That's all right, you're not meant to. It's important to keep morale up. But I think you need to understand this now. Do you know how many operational aircraft we have remaining?"

OOC,[b]Elizabeth[/b], you may roll History.

[yockenthwaite]

Elizabeth rolls History (stat 70%): [dice]0[/dice]

[Mr. Handy]

Elizabeth Young,[b]Elizabeth[/b] had done extensive studies about the Battle of Britain. At this point the RAF actually had several hundred operational planes and was really on the ropes. Of course, displaying this knowledge might be ill-advised, as something like that would be extremely secret and would leave the major wondering how she knew. The Luftwaffe had been specifically targeting the RAF, hitting airbases and radar stations (then known as RDF and also extremely secret) such as the one in Dunwich and trying to draw out fighters and shoot them down. Had it continued this strategy, Germany would have won the Battle of Britain. However, the change in strategy to terror bombing of London in retaliation for the bombing of Berlin, which was itself retaliation for the accidental bombing of London by a lost German plane, had cost Hitler his chance. During the Blitz, the RAF was able to rebuild and regroup. By September 17, it became apparent that the RAF had prevailed in the air war, and Hitler indefinitely postponed Operation Sea Lion, his proposed plan for the invasion of England. Of course, that was still almost a week and a half away. This was a very dangerous time in more ways than one. Anything that could tip the balance in the Luftwaffe's favor could change history. If the Luftwaffe were to win the Battle of Britain, Operation Sea Lion might go forward. [b]Elizabeth[/b] couldn't help but wonder about the effect of intervening to stop the creature that had downed a German bomber. That was part of established history, though a secret part that almost nobody knew. Was the major right? If the Luftwaffe weren't taking losses from the creature, could it win the Battle of Britain? She had to think that the change in strategy to bombing London would still probably mean that the RAF would win. Probably, but not certainly...

[yockenthwaite]

"I'm not in a position to be privy to that kind of information, sir," Elizabeth says cautiously, "though I guess from you asking the question that the number is lower rather than higher. In which case," she pauses for a moment, picking her words carefully, "if an unknown creature is flying and attacking planes - forgive me, but we heard about this from a downed German airman who stumbled into our air raid shelter and was then captured - that would pose a threat to the British side too, which is already busy enough trying to fight the Germans. Would that be too far off the mark?" She looks questioningly at him, wondering if she has said too much, and conscious as always of her unusual situation as a time traveller.

[DrPeterson]

John's face remains impassive, although he's glad he brought Elizabeth along for this conversation.

[Mr. Handy]

"Well, so far the only threat to the RAF is the Luftwaffe," said the major. "Captain Barrow also reported the creature sighting to me. We can account for all of our losses in the last day, and all of them were caused by enemy action, not by a flying creature. None of our pilots has even reported seeing such a thing himself; we only have Captain Barrow's secondhand report of the German sighting. If it exists, it has only attacked the Luftwaffe, not the RAF."

Elizabeth Young,I've made a couple of minor edits to the spoiler button above, as I'd remembered the date wrong. It was September 17, not September 22.

[yockenthwaite]

"Well that's a bit of a relief, if you don't mind me saying so sir," says Elizabeth. "I heard the German airman's account too, and it sounded credible. It also seems a bit of a coincidence given the way in which Nell died, and when. So, going back to the number of aircraft, what were you wanting to say about that?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Simply that we need every advantage we can get," said the major. "If this...phenomenon affects only the German planes and leaves ours alone, then it works to our advantage in the air."

[yockenthwaite]

"Is that really likely though sir, that whatever this thing is distinguishes somehow between British and German planes?" asks Elizabeth. "Perhaps we've only heard of this one German incident so far, but what if that's just the start of it?" She pauses for a moment, before continuing. "I know this isn't your main priority at the moment, but if this could be a wider problem, shouldn't it be investigated? And that includes any link to Nell's death, surely." She looks questioningly at him.

[Mr. Handy]

"There have quite possibly been two incidents so far," said the major. "There was a second German plane downed last night without apparent explanation. It was not brought down by the RAF - in fact none of our planes were anywhere near it - nor was it damaged by antiaircraft fire. There were no survivors from that one, but the damage to it was consistent with the other plane, whose wreckage has been recovered. So far that's two-nil in our favour. It's not unreasonable to wonder whether our own aircraft are immune or simply lucky, and I don't suppose further investigation would hurt."

[yockenthwaite]

"So two air incidents that may be linked to this creature," says Elizabeth. "Given that, and your acknowledgement that further investigation might help, is there really nothing more that you can share with us information-wise relevant to the other night? Because it looks as though this creature may be attacking people on the ground, not just in the air. And if so that poses an immediate risk to other Londoners, not just Nell."

[Mr. Handy]

"I'm afraid I'm not able to say any more," said Major Steadman. "I've probably said too much already. If you do learn anything more, I would be interested in hearing about it."

[yockenthwaite]

"Ok, thank you," says Elizabeth, glancing at John as she speaks. "I do appreciate this is a sensitive situation sir, and am grateful for what you have told us. I'm sure that if more information comes to light from the investigation on the ground Group Captain Barrow can share it with you."

[Mr. Handy]

"You're quite welcome, Miss," said Major Steadman. "Anything you and Captain Barrow learn would be welcome. I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to, considering yesterday's bombing and the possibility of a repeat performance tonight, so I must bid you good day."

[yockenthwaite]

Elizabeth nods, and looks to John, to see if he wants to say anything before they leave.