War and MG chap 9

Reia knocked on the door to the men’s quarters prior to entering, hoping to give those inside a moment of notice. As she and Serlov entered, the men snapped to attention. It was a rather rare occurrence for Colonel Serlov to personally visit them, so whatever she wished to discuss with them must be important indeed. Serlov nodded at the congregation.

 

“As you were.”

 

Serlov slithered down the middle of the room. Most of the men happened to be around their bunks when she entered, so she used that opportunity to get an individual look at each man without drawing undue suspicion.  Many of them appeared to be curious about her presence, some were even somewhat relaxed. A few appeared to be fearful, others disgusted. She made a mental note of the latter group – most of them she identified as prior troublemakers. She had considered using group punishment to bring them in line, but worried that it would only give weight to their complaints and strengthen the men’s solidarity.

 

Once Serlov reached the front of the room again, she paused to look over her audience, hands clasped behind her back. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Reia, then took a deep breath.

 

“In the time that you all have been here, most of you have been agreeable and willing to cooperate. Accordingly, we have granted you considerable leniency and respect.”

 

She paused to take in the reactions of the crowd.

 

“But, you are still prisoners and thus are denied freedom or the ability to act independently. In light of the good behavior from the majority, I am here today to extend to you an opportunity. I wish to make it clear from the outset that this is entirely voluntarily. For those who do not wish to participate, your current lives will remain unchanged.”

 

Serlov waited again as a murmur broke out amongst her audience. Most of the men appeared to be rather interested in what her opportunity was. She smiled before continuing.

 

“I am presenting you the opportunity to form the first human platoon in the Coalition forces. Yes, that means you will no longer be prisoners – you will become soldiers in our armed forces.”

 

The murmur silenced momentarily, then again rose. Looking over the assembly, Serlov took in all their faces, trying to discern who would be most likely to sign up.

 

“However!” Serlov yelled, quieting the crowd, “We would not ask you to engage in combat with your former country men. Yes, former, for you would become citizens of our nation. You will not be asked to participate in any offensive or defensive actions, nor will you be placed on the front lines. The unit would be commanded by Captain Reia Neuvirth,” Serlov motioned to the minotaur standing by her side, “and would participate in training maneuvers for the most part .”

 

Serlov unclasped her hands from behind her back and motioned with open arms to take in the crowd.

 

“Additionally, you would be taken on a tour of our homelands at some point in the near future. Yes, that means you would go through the portal that brought us here. Lastly, those that participate as soldiers in our army will be granted a housing and living allowance for five years after hostilities end, within any area of this continent.”

 

She again clasped her hands behind her back, reading the reactions. There were a few who appeared angry, some utterly befuddled, and more than she expected appeared to be giving her words careful consideration.

 

“You will not be expected to give your answer immediately, of course. You will be given one week to decide. Now then, any questions?”

 

There was a long silence that surprised Serlov - she had expected an almost immediate clamor. Finally, one man spoke up.

 

“How can you guarantee we would not have to fight in actual combat? I mean, we could join up, then the next day this base is attacked.”

 

Serlov nodded. “Like I said, you will not be expected to participate in any defensive actions. If we should be assaulted, you would be free to simply keep somewhere out of harm’s way or surrender yourselves to opposing forces should they find you.”

 

As soon as she finished, another man asked:  “What do you mean by training exercises?”

 

“Have you not participated in any unit training with your former military? Squads or platoons armed with dummy weapons would be involved in a mock battle against each other. Despite our successes, the majority of the Coalition has far less actual combat experience than you lot do. We would welcome the opportunity to train with you in non-lethal situations.”

 

“If I may, sir?,” said Reia. Serlov nodded her assent.

 

“While we have an advantage over open terrain and on a strategic scale, we have had difficulty with tight urban fighting, especially in situations in which we cannot press the benefits of our armored units. There, our edge in weaponry falters in the face of experience.”

 

Reia’s statement was followed by another silence.

 

“Any other questions?,” said Serlov, looking over the men.

 

 “You said that we will be provided an allowance for five years. How can you promise that?,” said a man near the back.

 

Serlov smiled. “I can promise that because I can assure you, and I am not trying to sound threatening about this, that we are not going away any time soon.”

 

Another silence followed her words. “Well then, it appears there is nothing left you have to ask at the moment. If you think of something, do not hesitate to bring it to me. Well then, good day… gentlemen.” She chuckled lightly to herself as she said the last word, then headed for the exit. As she opened the door, a voice yelled out to her.

 

“Excuse me, sir!”

 

Serlov stopped and turned around, then the man spoke up again.

 

“I ah, would like to join… sir”

 

Serlov cocked an eyebrow. She had not expected anyone to agree so readily – they were being asked to turn against their own homelands, after all.  She looked him over, he was tall and muscular, his face seemed to lack the confusion the others had.

 

“What’s your name… soldier?”

 

“Tomas. Tomas Wisniewski, sir.”

 

“So, Tomas. While I appreciate your enthusiasm, I question it at the same time. Why do you make your decision so easily?,” said Serlov, narrowing her eyes.

 

Tomas stood at attention as he spoke, his face only just barely betraying his nervousness.

 

“I, ah, I don’t have a homeland or family to worry about. I was an orphan, sir, and pressed into military service at the outbreak of the Great War - I was made to fight without being given a choice. Even if I were to be released now, I would have nothing and nowhere to return to.”

 

Serlov silently considered his words. So there were those sorts amongst humanity as well? It was something surprising and not surprising at the same time. Something she had not considered until now. Perhaps there was another means to her – their – goals.

 

“Very well, Tomas. Consider yourself the first member, and as such, you will be given squad leadership, Sergeant. I am still preparing paperwork for those who wish to volunteer, so I will have someone fetch you later today or tomorrow.”

 

Tomas gave Serlov a salute; Serlov responding in kind. She then exited the room. Reia lingered, appraising the man. She recognized him as someone that frequently helped her, and liked his silent, calm demeanor. She tossed him a salute as well and followed after Serlov, closing the door behind her.

 

No sooner did the door shut than commotion broke out.

 

“Like hell I’m going to help those whores!”

“We’ll never get out of here any other way.”

“May as well, beats being stuck here until we die.”

“How do we know they won’t get pushed back?”

“What are they really after here!?”

 

Arguments and discussion broke out amongst groups, but Tomas remained silent, still standing at attention. He felt a small pang of regret, but was more surprised by the swelling of hope and pride he couldn’t place. Standing for some time, he finally relaxed and went to his bunk, dropping down with a thump. As he sat, another man came up to him.

 

“So ah, is what you said true? ‘bout bein an orphan and all that?”

 

“Yeah,” said Tomas.

 

“Heh, me too. Ah, I’m Alex by the way.” He stuck out his hand to shake Tomas’. Tomas hesitated, causing Alex to frown and suddenly grow nervous, but Tomas then smiled and took Alex’ hand. Alex’ former demeanor instantly returned.

 

“I was thinkin ‘bout what you did there. Made me realize I ain’t got nothin’ neither. If I got out of here, I’d just wind up bein’ a bum on the street.” Alex leaned in, dropping his voice. “Yea, maybe their deal ain’t so bad after all. Get paid to live here instead of some rat-hole back in the ‘states? Time to find myself a job? Not bad at all.”

 

Tomas shrugged.

 

“Yeah, it’d be nice. A nice place to live… find someone and settle down…” Tomas let a wistful smile spread on his face as he thought about a future life.

 

“Aha, so that’s it eh?” Alex elbowed him lightly in the side. “So which one of these dames you eyin’?

Tomas shook his head. “I’d rather not say…”

 

“Ahh that’s no fun. Okay though, I’ll figure it out. Just you watch. All that aside though, I think I’ll throw in my hat wit’ yours. You ain’t too bad. “

 

Laughing, Tomas was a bit surprised. He had never really talked much with the others around here. And now here he was, being chat up. “Birds of a feather…” he whispered to himself as Alex continued to prattle on.

 

--

Back in her office, Serlov coiled up behind her desk. She sighed, running a hand through her hair.

“I was not expecting that so soon. Guess there’s no rescinding the offer now. I’ll have to call in some favors with command to ensure my plan is cleared.”

 

Tapping a finger on her desk for a moment, Serlov looked up at Reia.

 

“We’ll also need to begin developing plans for mock engagements and a travel itinerary now, I suppose. Do you have any suggestions?”

 

Reia tilted her head, scratching at the nape of neck while she thought.

 

“Ah, I believe there’s a town a little west of here that was evacuated  when we constructed our base here. We could probably use that.”

 

“Mmm, I forgot about that. Do you think it will suffice for your purposes?” said Serlov, steepling her fingers.

 

“Probably. I’ll have to investigate it though. I recall it wasn’t a very large town. Maybe a few hundred residents? I can head out this afternoon if you would like.”

 

“Yes – that would be fine. After your investigation just give me a brief report if you think it’s suitable or not. Moving on… What do you think the chances of Casey wishing to join?” Serlov began to lean forward slightly.

 

“Well,” said Reia, crossing her arms in front of her chest, her tail whipping back and forth in a manner unusual for the minotaur, “I would think they would be high, maybe even guaranteed. As I detailed in my report, he willingly shot another human to give us a chance to escape. Why not ask him?”

 

“Emrald has said that he will remain in an induced coma for another day or two. I am no medical expert, but I also imagine he is going to be rather out of things for another few days after that. I would rather avoid accusations that I coerced a delirious man into joining.”

 

Reia chuckled lightly, then began for the door. “Right, I’ll make preparations to investigate the town later today, then.”

 

--

 

Reia felt rather curious exploring the various structures. The town had been taken bloodlessly, then the residents given a single day to pack their belongings and depart. Passing through the relatively tiny structures, she looked around at all the signs of life. Photos still adorned walls, furniture left behind, clothing scattered about. The stillness gave the town an eerie and lonely quality that she did not much care for. Reia was also unhappy with how difficult it was to get in and out of all the relatively small interiors of the structures. Her tall frame meant she had to walk with a slouch whenever she was inside one, and her horns constantly caught on everything, jerking her head back.

 

“By the Gods why do humans have to be so tiny?!,” Reia yelled, her frustration beginning to boil over after smacking her head on a doorway yet again.

 

Her outburst triggered a spat of laughter from the handful of troops that were out in the street. She stormed outside, snorting in anger.

 

“Yeah real funny. Guess what? You guys can check the rest of the structures here,” Reia snarled. She pointed to a row of buildings further down the street.

 

“Those still need to be checked. Get it to, girls.” She narrowed her eyes.

 

The laughter and smirks wiped from their faces, the trio of soldiers split up to explore the remainder of the buildings on this street. Reia saw them off with a glare, finally sighing once they were out of sight. For minotaur like her and other large races, urban fighting in the human realm put them at a distinct disadvantage. Everything became a hindrance or obstacle. She’d need to decide between picking the smallest of her troops or the most capable. Crossing her arms, she shifted her weight to one leg as she thought about the coming exercise, studying the buildings around her. Being able to explore the town like this certainly gave her an advantage, but she wondered if it would be enough.

 

Or maybe, she thought, she was over-estimating the capabilities of the humans. As far as she knew the majority of them were common soldiers in the common military. Did they know anything about urban tactics themselves?

 

“I guess I’ll find out next week…,’ Reia said no one in particular.

 

She wondered why they were even bothering with this exercise so late in the war. As far as she knew the real motive behind this was to parade the men around back home to bolster morale and support. Why not just bring them along as prisoners? Why call them soldiers and then promise to free them? Serlov’s motives were becoming increasingly difficult to read.

 

Pulled from her thoughts as a shutter on a nearby building was thrown open, she looked over as the wurm glanced about, finally spotting Reia.

 

“Oy, Captain, can we take this back with us?”

 

Reia raised an eyebrow.

 

Inside, the wurm, beaming the entire time, lead her over to a short wooden cabinet that had a tray with some kind of white and black pattern on the front. Upon reaching the piece of furniture, the wurm reached out to the colored things and poked at them with her claws, producing a melody.

 

“It’s a piano, I think,” said the wurm.  

 

“So it would seem,” said Reia. They weren’t to take anything, but who knows if the owner of this piano would ever return here to claim it? There were several at the base that could play; it probably wouldn’t be too difficult for them to adapt themselves to this human version of the piano. A little music might be nice.

 

“Fine, but you’re responsible for getting it back.”

 

“Yay~” The wurm clapped her claws together, then with a slight grunt she managed to lift the cabinet and began to slowly slither towards the entrance. Reia trailed along behind her, admiring the wurm’s raw strength. From what she knew of the instruments, it had to be at least as heavy as she herself was.

 

Reia was a little worried about what Serlov might say. Maybe they could hide it from her for a while?

 

Well if it came down to it, she could just make the wurm drag it back here.

 

The last of the structures checked for soundness, traps, and any signs of derelicts living in the area, Reia and her small contingent loaded up into the truck, accompanied by the piano. The wurm seemed to be quite taken with it, coiling herself about it and constantly pecking at the keys with her claws. Rolling her eyes at the sounds coming from the back, Reia started the vehicle and began the trip back to base.