Trespassers on the plateau.
"Alarm!" "Alarm!"
The voice was crying from the front of the cave.
"Alarm!"
It had been peaceful and quiet a moment ago and now this.
"Alarm!"
Helmut forced himself awake and moved instinctively to the sound. There stood an exasperated looking Fusilier with Opalnitz. Opalnitz had arrived from a different location in the cave a few seconds prior to Helmut.
"Alarm!" the Fusilier exclaimed again.
"Damn it man, you've said that, stand to and behave like a soldier!" ordered Opalnitz.
"I will not have a Fusilier under my command behaving in such a fashion in front of my senior officer. Now calm yourself and state your report!" Opalnitz added.
"Alarm Sir, there are intruders at the ruin."
"Ahhh the poachers have finally arrived, eh Opalnitz. I believe the game is finally afoot!" Helmut felt he had correctly identified the source of the Fusiliers agitation.
"I do not think so Sir!" stated the Fusilier.
"Oh and why would you not think so soldier?" Helmut blurted out impulsively. He really found these Fusiliers to be tiresome at times.
The Fusilier looked perplexed, not sure of a correct course of action. The silence was no more then a few seconds and yet it felt like centuries passed.
"You have been addressed by a Senior Officer Fusilier, now answer the question directed at you promptly, or so help me I will have at you with the lash!" commanded Feldwebel Opalnitz.
The Fusilier a youth of perhaps 18 looked as though he wanted to run and hide, flushed at the suggestion of the lash, he blurted out; "They are wearing uniforms Sir!"
"Uniforms? Are you sure Fusilier? Are they ours? What else do you know man! We need all of the information that you can provide!" demanded Helmut.
"It is time for a proper report Fusilier Haug and you have been taught how to make such reports." added Opalnitz.
"Sir, I was on watch at the ruin with Fusilier Zieter and the Warden. We heard footsteps and thought the patrol was coming back early, we were about to issue our challange when the Warden put his finger to his lips. Sir we knew he meant for us to remain quiet and to find cover. A body of men, perhaps a platoon or so came up the path in military order and began to establish a camp at the ruins. The uniforms are not black, they are a blue tint and they do not speak Vulgarian, the Warden suspects they are from Alzheim. He told me to report here, to alarm our forces. He and Zieter are continuing to watch from the brush."
"My God! It's an invasion." Helmut said while staring thru Opalnitz. "Feldwebel Opalnitz, quietly organize our forces. We will move quickly out onto the plateau and establish a firing line outside of the cave with the Musketeers to the right and Fusiliers to the left. I want all muskets primed, charged and loaded prior to moving out of the cave. We will then advance across the plateau and give fire. I expect the action will become general and develop from there. I will command the Musketeers and the battle line you will second me and maintain order over the Fusiliers. We will advance across the plateau in order giving fire as we advance. If we can capture any prisoner of merit we shall to hopefully shed some light on all of this."
"Sir!" Opalnitz and Fusilier Haug departed to begin organizing the soldiers.
Helmut was forced to view Feldwebel Opalnitz a little differently. He certainly had exhibited the skills expected of a Feldwebel.
But what of these soldiers from Alzheim here on the plateau. If it was a platoon there must be many more on the main road moving inland. If his small force could drive this party off of the plateau he could hold it against substantially larger numbers.
Another thought, where was Stieger? Did his patrol still exist or had they perished during the initial phases of the invasion? Helmut wished he had Stieger's patrol at the cave with him now. The extra soldiers, leadership and experience would be useful in the next few minutes.
"Hauptmann von Stahl, the command is formed in column, Musketeers to the front and Fusiliers to the rear. You may form line to the right when leaving the cave and your battle line will be established." reported Opalnitz.
"Thank you Feldwebel!" replied Helmut.
Well the tea was brewed as the Anglanders so often said and must now be drunk. Hot it would be also.
"At the double, Command Advance!" cried Helmut!
"Urrah!" shouted the soldiers as they erupted from the cavern.
The voice was crying from the front of the cave.
"Alarm!"
It had been peaceful and quiet a moment ago and now this.
"Alarm!"
Helmut forced himself awake and moved instinctively to the sound. There stood an exasperated looking Fusilier with Opalnitz. Opalnitz had arrived from a different location in the cave a few seconds prior to Helmut.
"Alarm!" the Fusilier exclaimed again.
"Damn it man, you've said that, stand to and behave like a soldier!" ordered Opalnitz.
"I will not have a Fusilier under my command behaving in such a fashion in front of my senior officer. Now calm yourself and state your report!" Opalnitz added.
"Alarm Sir, there are intruders at the ruin."
"Ahhh the poachers have finally arrived, eh Opalnitz. I believe the game is finally afoot!" Helmut felt he had correctly identified the source of the Fusiliers agitation.
"I do not think so Sir!" stated the Fusilier.
"Oh and why would you not think so soldier?" Helmut blurted out impulsively. He really found these Fusiliers to be tiresome at times.
The Fusilier looked perplexed, not sure of a correct course of action. The silence was no more then a few seconds and yet it felt like centuries passed.
"You have been addressed by a Senior Officer Fusilier, now answer the question directed at you promptly, or so help me I will have at you with the lash!" commanded Feldwebel Opalnitz.
The Fusilier a youth of perhaps 18 looked as though he wanted to run and hide, flushed at the suggestion of the lash, he blurted out; "They are wearing uniforms Sir!"
"Uniforms? Are you sure Fusilier? Are they ours? What else do you know man! We need all of the information that you can provide!" demanded Helmut.
"It is time for a proper report Fusilier Haug and you have been taught how to make such reports." added Opalnitz.
"Sir, I was on watch at the ruin with Fusilier Zieter and the Warden. We heard footsteps and thought the patrol was coming back early, we were about to issue our challange when the Warden put his finger to his lips. Sir we knew he meant for us to remain quiet and to find cover. A body of men, perhaps a platoon or so came up the path in military order and began to establish a camp at the ruins. The uniforms are not black, they are a blue tint and they do not speak Vulgarian, the Warden suspects they are from Alzheim. He told me to report here, to alarm our forces. He and Zieter are continuing to watch from the brush."
"My God! It's an invasion." Helmut said while staring thru Opalnitz. "Feldwebel Opalnitz, quietly organize our forces. We will move quickly out onto the plateau and establish a firing line outside of the cave with the Musketeers to the right and Fusiliers to the left. I want all muskets primed, charged and loaded prior to moving out of the cave. We will then advance across the plateau and give fire. I expect the action will become general and develop from there. I will command the Musketeers and the battle line you will second me and maintain order over the Fusiliers. We will advance across the plateau in order giving fire as we advance. If we can capture any prisoner of merit we shall to hopefully shed some light on all of this."
"Sir!" Opalnitz and Fusilier Haug departed to begin organizing the soldiers.
Helmut was forced to view Feldwebel Opalnitz a little differently. He certainly had exhibited the skills expected of a Feldwebel.
But what of these soldiers from Alzheim here on the plateau. If it was a platoon there must be many more on the main road moving inland. If his small force could drive this party off of the plateau he could hold it against substantially larger numbers.
Another thought, where was Stieger? Did his patrol still exist or had they perished during the initial phases of the invasion? Helmut wished he had Stieger's patrol at the cave with him now. The extra soldiers, leadership and experience would be useful in the next few minutes.
"Hauptmann von Stahl, the command is formed in column, Musketeers to the front and Fusiliers to the rear. You may form line to the right when leaving the cave and your battle line will be established." reported Opalnitz.
"Thank you Feldwebel!" replied Helmut.
Well the tea was brewed as the Anglanders so often said and must now be drunk. Hot it would be also.
"At the double, Command Advance!" cried Helmut!
"Urrah!" shouted the soldiers as they erupted from the cavern.
posted by Poruchik at 1:32 PM
3 Comments:
Ah, I've waited so impatiently for something to happen. Now we will get to see some action!
(Welcome back . . . I'd begun to despair of your return, fearing agents of some nefarious power (Alzheim perhaps?) had caused you ill.)
We shall now see what happens.
-- Jeff
http://saxe-bearstein.blogspot.com/
A "platoon", eh?
Hear that Bauer? A platoon!
If that's the reaction a half dozen of our good Alzheimers provoke, perhaps a company might have sent you Vulgarians haring off for the hills!
Augustus Rex
Jeff-
It is the job that has and is doing me ill. We are building a datacenter that must be populated and fully functional by years end. When contractors finally complete a task we move and work like crazy until we are ready for the contractors again.
As to assault upon my person from Alzheim; I fear that I am too low on the command structure to be much more then an annotation in Alzheim records. I am also confident that Augustus Rex would never stoop to common assassination.
Augustus Rex~
I fear that the inexperience of the young fusilier has shown itself. New soldiers are so prone to inaccurate reports. I am confident that the problem exists even in the vastly professional armies of Alzheim.
Regards,
Major Poruchik
Intelligence Officer
Electors Staff
Schweingrad
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