Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jessica Vaughn (XO) in Holodeck - Austria- Operation Lipizzaner Stallions

Posted by Commander Wade King (Strategic Operations Officer) in Holodeck - Austria- Operation Lipizzaner Stallions

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Jessica Vaughn (XO) in Holodeck - Austria- Operation Lipizzaner Stallions Posted by… suppressed (4) by the Post Ghost! 👻 As Gunny prepared to sit a loud boisterous laugh erupted from Davies as he took a large sip of wine. “See ol’ chap,” he pointed to Gunny but addressed Otto. “Those horses will be in the best hands. I think our Canadian friend could take us all out right here without us even having a chance to defend ourselves,” he nodded to Ransom. : : : : : : “With nothing but a toothpick and a paper napkin,” Jessica said encouraging the conversation to focus on Gunny. Picking up her fork she cut into the slab of meat Helga has set before her. “Once....I saw him throw a fork across the room and nail a guy right between his eyes,” she again threw out a fanciful tale. To be honest, Jessica wasn’t sure it was exactly fanciful. Gunny was a man of many talents. Her situtations might be a bit on the fantasy side but so far there was not a situation she knew Gunny wasn’t able to handle. : : : : : : “Vell maybe you,” Otto said eyeing Ransom. “But I have the reflexes of a cat, the vision of a hawk, the speed of a viper, and an above average intellect. We Germans are not so easily defeated,” he boasted. “Tell me Sir where did you hone your skill,” Otto asked. : : : : : : Jessica actually kept her mouth closed for this one. She did have a million questions surrounding Gunny’s skills. Maybe she would get lucky and get a straight answer. : : : : : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO : : : : The laugh caused a momentary stiffening of Gunny, it would have taken a trained eye to see it. The spotlight made him uncomfortable, especially in a barely conceived, let alone vetted learned and prepared cover story. Now they were asking questions. Jess was likely loving this. Gunny knew very little about this era of Terran history, specifically not enough to really cover the tail end of a mule. Gunny grunted as he settled on down into the chair, it was a casual movement meant to buy him a moment or two. Then the food arrived and he used that to buy a few more before speaking. Jess did not help things with the fork comment. While it was theoretically possible, he had never done such a thing. Eyeing Otto for a very long moment with his mismatched gaze, Gunny shrugged, and simply stated, “The skills of a misbegotten youth, too much time travelling the great beyond, and a stint in the Royal Marines training Gurkhas,”, the Gurkhas were a feared group of British Soldiers from Nepal, that never quit, never surrendered, and had yet to fail to achieve an objective. “And the French Foreign Legion, taught me everything I needed to know so far.” Sparing Jessica a glance, “For the record it was a cheese knife, not a fork, and I was aiming for his eye. So technically I missed.” Gunny stated, he did not feel the need to rise to the measurement contest of the German Officer. Though he did add, “I keep a collection of pressed flowers at home, and my prize is an Edelweiss.” It was a German flower that grew high in the Alps that the toughest Germans wore as a prize to prove how tough they were. : : : : Gunny Ransom : : Jessica was indeed having more than a bit of fun right now. As close as she was to Gunny Ransom the man was still an enigma. If he had a specialty sandwich named after him it would be called The Tough Nut To Crack. It would be made on paradox pumpernickel with clandestine cheddar, mystery meat, inscrutable iceberg lettuce, teaser tomato, fly in the ointment mayo and those spicy hot peppers that kicked your arse the second they entered your mouth. Some people were the bag of chips next to his plate but Gunny didn’t need them to be all that. Breaking from her daydream of the Ransom Deli with its markee that read SINCE YOU FOUND US WE MUST KILL YOU AFTER LUNCH, Jessica decided to liven the dinner conversation. : : “And his collection of Edelweiss is absolutely breathtaking. I have seen it. See he was,” Jessica took a half breath and belted out in song. : : Born on a mountain top in Barrie : Greenest state in the land of the free : Raised in the woods so he knew ev’ry tree : Kilt him a be ‘are when he was only three : Gunny, Gunny Ransom, king of the wild frontier : : “Killed ein pear,” Otto said looking at Gunny and then Jessica with an expression bordering on astoundment and disbelief. “vith vat?” : : “With his bear hands old chap,” Davies broke out with a robust bout of laughter. “Those North American chaps are quite resourceful. Quite resource full and full of humor,” he joked as he filled his glass again and then let out a loud hiccup. : : “Ahhck you had me,” Otto then broke out in a smile pointing a finger at Gunny. : : “There is more to the Ballad of Gunny Ransom. Shall I continue,” Jessica asked not daring to look at Gunny for fear or breaking her neutral expression. : : Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO Gunny rolled his eyes. His expression almost said seriously! when he glanced at Jessica. A song, she hacked up the ballad of Davey Crocket. Which Gunny only knew because of something that Idiot Jubal Early would sing when he was drunk. Now it was stuck in his head, and hummed along as the words echoed in his head. ‘Born on a table top in Joe’s Cafe, biggest brat, everyone does say, Mother was a bear, father was a deer. Poor Ol’ Davey was a bottle of beer.’ Gunny shook his head to clear the song, and looked at the others with a shrug. Gunny had seen bears in a zoo once, they were big powerful creatures, and kinda scary, and Gunny really highly doubted he could take one in hand to hand combat, well that was not true, all kinds of things happened when your life was on the line. He was resourceful, and could have gone after a bear with no weapons but he was also intelligent, and the weapon just made more sense. Gunny Ransom

“Yes, yes a sing a long,” Davies thumped the table. “By God ol’ man you are a hoot as those Yank’s say. My turn, my turn,” Davies said gleffully clearing his throught once.

‘Born in London in a grand manor house,
My Nana made kumpets while my grandad got soused
Joined the royal air corp to see what I could see
Realized why marry a woman when you can have one two or three
Davies, John Peter Davies, Ace of the flying frontier

Jessica choked on her glass of wine hearing what was supposed to be just a play on words becoming a bit of livey fun. Using her napkin to hide the laughter coming out of ther mouth, she leaned towards Gunny. “Make him stop,” she croaked out her words.

Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO

Gunny glanced at her, with a this is your fault grin and did nothing to stop the other two, they were off his cover of being Canadian. Gunny took a few bites of the food, and it was pretty good, so he took a few more while they were distracted. Then a gulp of the wine. It was time to turn the tables a bit further Gunny thought for a second.

“Born in the middle of Texas,
Her momma was a mean old lady from Mexias,
Her daddy was lost as can be,
Here is Jessica, Jessica V,
Mean, Ornery, and sneaky as can be,
If you want to live to see,
Never get between her and Coffee”

Gunny laughed and finished off his glass of wine before she could toss it on him. He encouraged the others to try the hand with a wave, and a wink. it was good to get them thinking about something other than where the new comers had come from.

Master Gunnery Sargent Hunter J Ransom, StratOps

“Why Mister Ransom, ” Jessica pulled out a thick Scarlet O’Hara drawl. “Why I do declare you are a musical genius,” she clapped a hand over her bosom like they did in the 1860’s when trying to be flirtatious. “There is coffee thought right,” Jessica suddenly got serious.

“Ack vat da ya tink we are ‘eathens,” Otto said and almost as if on cue in Helga came with a pot in a sterling silver pot.

“They got the good stuff,” Jessica tugged at Gunny’s arm like a small child who caught her first glimpse of Santa for the season. “Helga you can leave the pot here,” Jessica offered patting a small section of the table next to her. Just in case Gunny was planning on saying anything she did hold up a finger. “Yes, I will share and not guzzle,” she assured her longtime friend.

“Zo now we talk bisness,” Otto said as Helga began filling up the cups. “Vich von of ewe are in charge?”

“He is,” Jessica said quickly. “Having to answer questions would interfer with her drinking her first cup of coffee in like six hours. This had to be a record for her, Besides Gunny was older than dirt and probably more qualified than ten of the best officers she ever knew to plan a mission.

Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO

Gunny sighed and rolled his eyes, “Appears that today I am, that will change when she has her coffee I am sure. I have the tactical expertise, what I lack is a strategic understanding of the operation, and the localized Terrain. I am a hammer and everything today has looked like a nail.” Gunny responded. He himself passed on the coffee it was too late in the day for that. He limited himself to water, and a snifter of brandy that was offered with the meal.

“So brass tacks, how many men, horses, and other supplies do we have? Do we have an extraction point? And how dirty are we going to be on the way out, meaning do we want to play it quiet, or raise a ruckus?”

Master Gunnery Sargent Hunter Ransom, Strategic Operations

“Well, I am not sure how quietly you will be with one hundred and fifty horses. One is pregnant but should not have the foal until you are behind enemy lines. We are in Hostau, Czechoslovakia. You need to get the horses fifty miles through mainly forested terrain to the border of Bavaria. General Patton said he was sending men but we have not seen them yet. The Soviet troops are closing in on the farm. They should be here in less than five days. We have several rifles and a few grenades that are yours. The horses can eat as you move and rest. You and Miss Vaughn can take whatever food supplies you can find. As for help, you have Otto and me,” Davies hiccuped.

Davies

Jessica was correct in her thoughts, Gunny indeed was not pleased with the mission parameters. Limited supplies, Limited Soldiers and half a country side to cross with 150 horses that would not want to do as they were told. Gunny sighed and settled in tossing back the brandy. He would need maps, and such to begin planning. It would be easier if he knew where these Soviets were, he could hold them in place for a day or more with limited supplies. That was much easier than people thought. Especially if it was planned out in advance. The pregnant horse bothered him, it was guaranteed to go into labor at the least opportune moment, that’s how these things went. Several Rifles, and a few grenades.

“Well then, do we have any maps, Let’s see what we have to cross, and where we can cause the soviets the most trouble if we get caught out.” Gunny stated flatly, with a cut of his eyes to Jessica. This was supposed to be her game. “And if they are all the same type, someone bring me one of those rifles, I need to get to know it.”

Master Gunnery Sargent Hunter Ransom, StratOps

Otto brough Gunny the requested materials and a rifle. Setting the rifle on the table with a thunk he spread out the map. “Zo zee best vay vould be through da forest here and den over da river”

“To grandmothers house, we go,” Jessica added a bit of mirth as she came over to the table.

“Yah da horse vill know the way. We have ridden dem through da voods for years. Dey will take you to the clearing on the other side in about three days time. Like your cattle drive ya” he said looking squarely at Jessica.

“Um I rode for fun on friends ranches. I did not cattle drive,” she said looking at Gunny. Jessica knew Gunny liked more manly programs but she really didn’t do that much research on this event. She knew the history behind delivering the horses to Patton but not the how.

Lt. Commander Jessica Vaughn, XO

Gunny ran his hands over the rifle as they spoke, he was listening to what was said, but it was equally important to make acquaintances with the rifle in question, it had been a long long time since he had to use a chemically propelled fire arm, Phasers, and disruptors were so much easier to get, use, and maintain these days. It would not matter in the long term, just in the first few shots he was sure. He knew how they worked, just needed to know this one felt. Gunny worked the bolt. It was good to hear that the horses knew where to go, since Gunny did not have a clue, or really knew where the map covered. He could use the map, since the current location was on it, and well East was east, until it wasn’t. That was the life of the Commando, sometimes you got the good jobs, and sometimes it was straight horses and horse hockey.

Master Gunnery Sargent Ransom, Strategic Operations