Captain, oh Captain (1/?)
Please be kind with me, it's my first fanfiction ever and English is not my native language. I hope you'll enjoy this first chapter and I'd really appreciate some feedback.
A few weeks after the training at Camp Taccoa had started Easy-Company should get a new member. All the guys were curious how the newbie would be like: Shy, like some of the younger Soldiers or aggressive like some of the guys, who were in the Army just to proof how male and smart they were…
Shortly after the morning-muster Herbert Sobel walked to the Colonels office to pick up the new member of his company. He hoped that it would be a smart and hard soldier like himself, because his company was definitely too weak at this moment. Perhaps this weakness was caused by a certain platoon-leader: Richard Winters. Dick, as the men called him, behaved more like a mother-hen than like a superior officer.
He wanted to create an elite-soldier as example for the rest of the company.
When he came into Sink’s office, the newbie stood with his back to the door and talked to the Colonel. However Captain Sobel could see that he had to bury his dreams of an elite-soldier. The guy in front of him was a better dwarf. Herbert estimated that this guy didn’t reach the 1,70m, which made him even smaller than Perconte.
Herbert just thought: ‘Wonderful, this guy will collapse in full gear’, but then he remembered that the Colonel had told him that the new Soldier had completed the basic training, so he should be able to act in full gear.
Colonel Sink interrupted his thoughts as he stated: “Captain, this is Maggie Fox, the new Easy-member.”
“Nice to meet you, Sir” repeated the newbie in a soft and melodic voice. Herbert asked himself how parents could be so stupid and cruel to call their son Maggie. When he looked up he saw that Maggie had soft features and full lips. That’s when he checked, that Maggie was a female.
‘Great she perfectly fits in this company of cowards. And in addition I’m convinced that she’ll cause a lot of trouble because she’s the only female in the whole Battalion. ‘
“Sir, could I talk to you in private for a moment?”
“Sure, Captain. But before you start: I know a female in the Infantry is extraordinary. And I share some of the fears you have according to her, especially that she might cause some trouble in the Company. But there are lots of advantages: She’ll be good for the Company-climate, because women have always a calming influence. Second she’ll be able to comfort the men when they’re not able to comfort each other. Then she speaks fluidly French and German and I think I don’t have to tell you what an advantage that will be. She’ll be able to spy on the foe troops and communicate with the natives so that there’ll be no misunderstandings. I hope you’ll accept her soon and I expect that you train her as well as the guys so that she’ll be a capable Paratrooper.”
“Yes, Sir! Fox, you come with me!”
“Yes, Sir! Thank you Colonel.”
At the same time Easy-company still stood at attention in front of the Easy-barracks, waiting for the return of Captain Sobel, who left without a new order.
Dick Winters was a little inpatient because they were just wasting time they could have well used for their training. But who was he to question the decisions of his superior officer?
Dick hoped that the new soldier would well integrate into the company because there was enough trouble without a new problem. That was because of the heterogeneity of the group: some were calm and reflected, like Lip; other ones were very extroverted, like George Luz and some were totally arrogant, like his best friend Lew at the first sight. But all men had their advantages and disadvantages and Dick knew that he would fight with the best.
During Dick’s reflection about the men, Captain Sobel and the newbie came around the corner. Dick couldn’t see much of the soldier because he looked against the sun. All he could figure out at this moment was that the newbie was very small. He estimated that he didn’t reach the 1,65m.
“Gentlemen, this is Maggie Fox, our new entrant” barked Sobel.
The guys, who were not as stupid as their CO, immediately figured out that their gain was a young woman.
‘Oh my God, a female. She could be pretty ugly and she’d still be an attraction to the men just because she’s the only woman in the Company. Even in the whole Battallion. I’ll have to keep an eye on her, because who knows what the guys try, especially when Captain Sobel revokes the weekend-passes again… Oh my God, I hope she has her own quarters, otherwise I’ll never get to sleep any more …” thought Dick.
Now that Dick had a better view on the young woman, he could see that she was small and petite, but Dick was sure that she was very athletic because otherwise she wouldn’t have succeeded in basic-training. When she took her helmet off Dick could see that she had blond reddish hair, blue eyes and some freckles on her nose and under the eyes. He had to admit that she was a really attractive person. Dick estimated her age in the mid-twenties, which made them approximately the same age. He was curious to get to know the reasons why a young and beautiful woman joined the Army, especially the Paratroopers.
“Fox, you have 2 Minutes to take your stuff into barrack number 23 and change into your PT-gear. We’re running Currahee. That means you gentlemen have also 2 minutes to get into your PT-gear and return” barked the Captain in his typical lovely manner.
“We have 2 minutes, gentlemen” repeated Dick for the guys. When he remembered that they had a female member now he quickly added “and Lady”. It would take some time for Dick to realise that his Company was now mixed-gender.
“Oh my God, you guys have seen the same thing?! I’m afraid I’m fantasizing… Such a hot bunny in our Company. I can’t believe it. That’s the realisation of my wildest dreams, guys” stated “Wild Bill” Guarnere.
“In my opinion she looks like Winters’ little sister” said Bull Randleman.
“Bull, please, you don’t have to destroy my dreams before I’m able to enjoy them! If I fantasize about Dick Winters tonight, brrr…”
“Oh, poor Bill. But you have to admit that there’re a lot of parallels: The reddish hair, the blue eyes, the freckles, the lean figure… Not that I think she’s unattractive” winked Bull.
“Hey guys! I don’t see any of you in his PT-gear. Hurry up!” grumbled Dick and cursed the pretty newbie. ‘If she already distracts the Company, Sobel will eat our asses’ thought Dick by himself.
I know that this whole thing isn't entirely historically correct, but I hope you'll forgive me for that and enjoy the story nonetheless.