Norsemen!

Halfdan and his Hard Corps had landed in launch boats during the early morning darkness, two hundred had accompanied him leaving a few in the rear for communication. The shore lines were smooth and open so they had to move swiftly across the sand into the low brush. Sergeant Major Anderson was leading the First company, which were supposed to secure the area while he had a team set up the radio and the remaining troops were for patrols. With the sea breeze blowing inland he made sure they were as quiet as possible but, there was a small skirmish not far away, inland towards Anderson. No shots were fired but he could hear grunts and some yelling.

"Frode!" Halfdan said as quietly as possible. "What was that? Are we exposed?"

"NO!" Frode said as he slid next to him. "Anderson found a guard post with about thirty men. He took them out."

Halfdan blew air out with full cheeks while shaking his head.

"We were lucky!" He said. "Have the perimeter secured and organize those patrols we rehearsed and get them out now! I want to be out of here by tomorrow night."

"Aye,aye." Frode said and was off.

Lieutenant Vox had six prisoners from the two bombers that went down and had escorted them to the main base on shore, a few miles inland from the docks. He wanted to know who they were so he waited with the interrogators while they were being questioned. They looked so strange, he thought, with dark skin tone, all had black hair and some had tattoos. They all carried a small bag they fought to keep on them but there was nothing of importance inside other than small trinkets, so they were allowed to keep them. He did see they were stubborn and did not want to answer anything, not even their names. So, he stood in the room with one of the prisoners and another Captain and waited.

The Captain, after questioning the man for several minuets, turned to look at him.

"I can't get anything from him. May be he doesn't even speak our language." The Captain said.

"Did he or any of them, have any papers that were of importance?" Vox asked.

"Well....we found several maps for our city but nothing as to how they got here from across the Atlantic in a single engine plane. Also a few messages in a foreign language."

He paused, looking confused. "Either they have a technology more advanced than us OR. They have something out there to launch these planes!"

"Well, from my experience with sea planes..these are NOT ship bound! They are land based aircraft." Vox said.

"We would have to use the old ways to get information out of them." The Captain said, then turned to look at Vox.

"I am Captain Bjorn, by the way," and extended his had.

"The old ways wold kill them!" Vox said as he looked at the prisoner. "And we want them alive."

"There is no other way!" Bjorn said as he turned to the prisoner.

"We will start by hanging a few in front of al of them, then we can...."

The prisoner jumped up quickly, kicking the chair away to hit the wall. An anger crossed his face as the warrior came out of him.

"GRAB HIM!" Bjorn yelled as the door swung open with three more guards storming into the room to hold the prisoner down as he yelled in a foreign language.

"We will NOT be treated this way!" The prisoner yelled.

"SO!" Bjorn said with a smile. "You DO speak our language." The prisoner said nothing more but seemed to growl.

"I like this mans attitude!" Vox said with a smile. "He is a warrior!" That caused the prisoners face to go blank as he cocked his head looking at him.

"OK...let him go!" Bjorn said and the man sat back down again. "Who are you? Where are you from?" He asked.

"I am from a tribe called Micmac, from the Northern part of the Americas."

"Why the hell...." Vox started but stopped in thought.

"Why are you attacking us? I mean....." Vox shook his head. "What did we ever do to you to make you start a war with us?"

"WE did not start this war..YOU did!" He spat out.

"With YOU?" Bjorn asked with a questioned look on his face. "HOW?"

"The Micmac have a treaty with the Gods. YOU broke that treaty when you entered Italy."

"The GODS?" Vox asked as he stepped closer. "I'm sorry but you will have to explain that."

Your leader, called The Gunny, made an agreement with Odien NOT to invade Italy, we were told. But you entered anyway. We know this for a fact. Yesterday you sent in your army."

Vox turned to Bjorn, who did not know about the secret landing.

"We sent in a small team of the Hard Corps to check on Russian build up on the opposite side of Sicily."

"THAT is what you are mad about? THAT is why you were sent to kill us and start a war?" Bjorn said. "Are you really that stupid as to start a war on HEAR SAY?"

The man looked at Bjorn with a blank face.

"We sent in a very small team to see what our REAL enemy is up to. They are using Italy for a build up to attack us!" Bjorn yelled. "And you say these ..GODS...sent you? HOW?"

"You seem surprised at this? It's all very authentic but I will not buy it." He paused with a slight smile. "You are a war like people and conquer lands where ever you go and WE will be next."

Bjorn stood back taking a deep breath looking at Vox.

"This is very interesting and we need to get it to the Gunny." Bjorn said.

"I agree. This could be the start of something we do not want." Vox said.

"In the mean time, I think we should take this man around to see, exactly, what he is fighting. I mean, that we are NOT war like, at least not any more," he chuckled.

"I agree. Let him see who we are." He looked at the prisoner.

"What is your name?" Bjorn asked.

"Sakmaw!" He said proudly as he leaned back. "That actually mans Chief..but my real name is Dennis."

Gunny had received word on the attack and the capture of the prisoners only a few days ago. Instead of sending the prisoners to him, he decided to go to Marseilles himself. It would be good to get out anyway but he wanted to see, first hand, his defenses in that area and he had not been able to get out much lately. And....it would give him an excuse to fly! Of course Yngvilder accompanied him as his co pilot...when SHE was not flying that is. Now, they were landing on the airfield at Marseilles and saw the huge build up of forces there. Ships in the harbor, troops areas that were as large as a small town and buildings full of supplies.

As the twin engine plane came to a stop, he and Yngvilder got out to a large group of officers and troops gathered near by.

"GEESH!" Gunny said as he stepped down from the side hatch. "There must be over a hundred people here!"

As he and Yngvilder stepped to the ground, they were surrounded with General officers and troops shaking their hands and slapping them on the back.

"Glad you came, Gunny!" A general officer said with a broad smile then shook his hand. Others were cheering at them as they walked towards the flight office. He glanced at Yngvilder, who had a slight smile on her face as people hugged her and shook her hand.

Once in the office he got a brief from a Captain named Bjorn.

"Gunny! We have been questioning these prisoners for several days and they seemed to open up after I took them around here to see who and what we are."

Gunny sat down with a grunt, then looked at the young officer. Another Naval officer came in to stand next to him and he looked familiar.

"I am Lieutenant Vox, sir!"

Gunny knew who he was and stood to shake hands with him.

"Lieutenant VOX! Of course I remember you!" The Gunny shook his hand vigorously. "How are things, son?"

"Fine, sir. But we need to talk about these prisoners called Micmac." He paused. "They seem to have been given really bad intel on us by what they call Gods!"

"Yes!" Gunny said with a frown. "I am AWARE of these Gods!" he said as he sat down again. He remembered how they ran away when he threatened to open fire on them. That should say something about them...either they are vulnerable or just afraid to fight. Either way, he thought, he would get to the bottom of this twist created by Odien.

"Well...let me see these prisoners, young man!"

Gunny entered a small room with only one small table and two chairs but six guards entered it as well, to protect him from the prisoner.

"Guys!" Gunny turned to all the guards. "I will talk to him alone!"

The guards seemed not wanting to leave but he forced them out of the room and closed the door then sat down in front of the dark skinned man.

"Native Tribe?" Gunny asked first and Dennis looked surprised.

"Micmac!" Was all he said as he folded his hands on top of the table.

"Look. I will not go around in circles. You KNOW how I am. I don't know who YOU are!"

"I know you are one of the outsiders that came here by the hands of the Gods!" He looked at Gunny with a blank stare and the Gunny chuckled.

"Gods!" he shook his head. "If they are Gods, so am I!" He smiled.

The Gunny told him the story of the real Gods that he heard from Odien.

"So," Dennis said cocking his head. "They are also outsiders?"

"Absolutely." Gunny laughed. "And you don't have to take MY word on it. Check for your self when you get back home."

"Back home?" Dennis said as he leaned back quickly.

"Yes, back home. I'm not going to keep you OR your air crew and you will all be released in a day or two. All I wanted was the reason you attacked and now I have it. Although," he paused, leaning back. "I WOULD like to know how the hell you got across the Atlantic in those single engine bombers!"

Dennis leaned forward with a frown.

"I was NOT expecting this treatment." He said looking at the Gunny. "I thought you would torture us to get information." He stood up quickly making the Gunny stand and get into a fighting stance. Dennis stuck out his hand with a smile making Gunny relax and smile also. The shook warmly and Gunny yelled to open the door.

"By the way." Dennis said. "We got here through a portal from the Gods."

Gunny shook his head.

"I thought as much," was all he said as they walked out.

"Let these men out of confinement and give them quarters. GOOD quarters. They are free men in our land." Gunny paused and turned to Dennis.

"By the way, Dennis. What were those small bags you guys carry?" He asked.

"Medicine bags," is all Dennis said but Gunny knew what those were so he just smiled.