James nods and leads the way into the field running along the side of the road, not bothering to pay too much attention to what Rousseau was saying for the time being. He had a job to do and it was one he was rather good at. Getting closer to the tank, he signals to slow down and crawl on their bellies to avoid being seen. "Man," he whispers, "really wishing I'd put that scope on this rifle now."

'C'mon, c'mon... What's taking so long..?' It had been a full five minutes since they had first spotted the tank. If it was a trap, then the Imps were damn patient bastards, unlike Harald himself. He had to consciously stop his toes from tapping against the steel floor of the APC. Why aren't you moving forward, dammit? Sending Stichler and hunt forward had been the right decision, he told himself, but nevertheless he couldn't help it feel it should be him out there... Especially since they were taking their sweet time about it. He managed for a further minute before cracking. 'Fuck it, I'm going.' He leapt off the side of the APC, waving for Carn to stay still. 'You hear gunfire, you reverse and leg it, capiche?' He didn't wait for a response, jogging along ahead while cocking his rifle. He went straight past the other two, stopping halfway from the unknown tank to peer though his binoculars. Back at the APC, they could see Harald raising his hands into the air in exasperation before calling in on the radio. '... They're friendly. Panic over... Park up behind them, on the left.' He strolled ahead, lighting a cigarette as the tension fell away. When he got close enough, Harald called out to the closest soldier. 'You... I recognise you, Mr Dresner. How the Devil have you been?'

Evan's Post

'You hear gunfire, you reverse and leg it, capiche?'

"You got it, Darcsen." Evan flashed him the thumbs up, as the Sergeant dismounted and headed over. Far be it from him to refuse explicit orders to abandon the Darcsen at the first sign of trouble.

That trouble never came of course, and as Evan drove the APC over to the designated location, he spotted a few familiar faces among the newfound squad. Private Dresner and LC Meyers both appeared to be present, so maybe others who had been transferred would also be there. Once he threw the APC into park, Evan shut off the engine, got up and announced "Well, ladies and gentlemen, here we are. Please make your way to the back of the APC, where you will disembark and be able to begin socializing with our newfound comrades."

Lilly's Post

Allies... Thank the Valkyrur. Lilly let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding and climbed out of the APC with the rest of the squad. Sergeant Harald's decision to verify the tank's nationality first hand had made her very worried. What would have happened should it have been a trap? He could have easily been killed. What would have happened to the squad then? Lilly shook her head to dispel the worried thoughts. God, she was starting to sound like an old lady.

Once she was on the ground, Harald's voice caught her attention and she noticed that he was speaking to none other than Mr. Dresner. He must have been transferred into the other squad. Maybe others were there as well! She quickly looked over the faces of their new allies and picked out Ms. Meyers as another familiar person, but no one else from their squad seemed to have been assigned here. Oh well...

To be honest, Lilly didn't really have much to do here. The Sergeant had already begun talking with Mr. Dresner, and Lilly had not been close enough to Ms. Meyers to warrant speaking with her. And she didn't feel like talking with any of the other squad - some lingering disillusionment caused her to shy away from making acquaintances with people who she may never see again after the mission. Without any real purpose here, Lilly remained at the back of the squad gathering, happy that this turn of events had ended up being resolved positively. It certainly helped calm her nervousness, now that she knew they had a second squad in the area.

Paul

Paul smiled as Sargent Harald walked over to him " Well sir can't complain." he said as he stood leaning against the tank. " I see your still in command of the squad, glad to see that. You were a good leader." he said with a half smile and a slight chuckle. as he looked up top at Sam " You were right It was Harald." he said as sam looked down and smiled. As she climbed down from the tank Paul took the opportunity to ask an important question. " So what are you all doing here? We thought we were the only squad out here." he said as Sam finally arrived

Sam
With a smile Sam dropped down along side Paul "Hey Sargent Harald" she said with a big grin on her her face. AS the APC pulled closer, Sam waved happily at the APC. She knew they wouldn't be able to see her, but she didn't care, she was glad to see squad four. "Glad I didn't pull the trigger huh?" she said in a joking tone. While it was true Paul and Herself had been in squad four for a short time, she really liked Harald. He was a good leader, ]he cared about the troops under his command and risked his life alongside the squad. besides he had treated both Herself and Paul well when they were transferred.

James went to grab the Sarge as he went by them, but wasn't fast enough. Even though they weren't sure that they were enemies in the tank, he'd rather his sergeant not get blown to little pieces. However, the call quickly came in that they were friendly and he stood, brushing off the dust and following the Sarge over. He stopped at the edge of the tank and just watched and listened, until they asked what they were doing out there. "Command had Squad Four clear Le Haye Sainte and then head to Vasel for scouting. Guess they forgot to either tell you we were coming, or tell us you were here." He offered the other man his hand. "Acting Lance Corporeal James Hunt. Pleasure."

'Not so sure I agree, but thanks.' Harald couldn't help but let out a relieved laugh. He had half expected to be cut down without a chance. 'That I am, Lance Cap. That I am.' It wasn't long before Hunt caught up and Harald threw him a sheepish grin; he had acted a tad recklessly after all. 'like he says. We've got orders to clear the road to Vasel. Captain said there were other squads doing the same, but I guess it was on a need to know basis.' He strolled over to their tank as he rolled a cigarette, admiring the view. 'Didn't think Milita even got tanks. What squad are you with?' The rest of Dresner and Meyer's squad stood down, scattering back their duties. Harald saw a few stripes here and there, but didn't recognise anyone. 'And who's in charge?' As they talked, the others rolled up in the APC and began to disembark. Alonso was one of the last out, casting a weary eye over the new faces. He thought he knew one or two, but with all the craziness of the last month it was hard to know anything anymore. At least they hadn;t shot them on sight. Although I might have, if the situation was reversed...

Paul&Sam
Paul was happy to see Harald again. while his Sargent wasn't bad, he was however, old for a solider. While in excellent shape, Hoek wasn't without issues. During the EW1 he was wounded in action, for the last months of the war he was bed ridden with a bullet to the leg. The wound had healed nicely, but left him with a a slight limp. The wound wasn't bad enough that he wasn't going to enlist when Gallia was invaded, Paul felt bad as he knew men like him should be at home, enjoying his twilight years. It was odd, He had served in the last war, and due to his age and wound he was excluded from conscription. Yet here he was, and to Paul it didn't seem like he even wanted to be here fighting.
Sam Smiled as Harald spoke with Paul, Sargent Harald had always been a good person. He was a good balance of reckless youth and seasoned experience. If there was anyone she thought should be in command of something, it should be him. "Sam, Paul you familiar with the good Sargent?" a voice said suddenly.

Sargent Hoek

Sargent Hoek walked up to the group, a cigarette between his lips and his weapon slung over his shoulder.. As Paul had been talking to Harald, Hoek had been speaking with several of his newer squad mates about the Sasha the other Sargent was wearing. While his squad held some dislike for his people, Hoek made is clear he wouldn't stand for any discrimination. The Fact Sam and Paul had some familiarity with the other squad was great, Since he had feared deserters or something. He had not been informed that there were friendlies in the area. It was a good thing that Sam had noticed the Sargent. otherside the Tank would have been allowed to rotate its turret and fire the deadly projectile at the incoming APC. " I'm Sargent Emile Hoek, Commander of squad nine nice to meet you" he said in a very informal tone. Slowly he leaned against tank alongside Paul, the end of his SMG bumped against the tank making a dull clang. With one hand he pulled out his cigarette pack and offered everyone a smoke.

It turns out Skye was also quite recently recruited, just like Cecilia. "I dunno. I'm only a private after all, don't get to make decisions or give orders. But I'd personally rather see something done about it, than sit around and squabble like clucking chickens." Skye told her. Cecilia replied, "Guess so. Better than doing nothing."

Waiting, tensely, the suspense was over. It turns out the tank was a friendly, and that the Sergeant even knew some of the privates in the other squad. "Well that was anti-climatic. But hey, better than getting shot at by a tank." Cecilia said, easing her grip on the unfamiliar SMG. "So, Skye. Had any combat experience yet? Being recently recruited, it's not often people have experience unless they are like me, and just keep squad hopping for unknown reasons. There's a few interesting stories that you get to hear though when you squad hop." She started to talk to Skye, trying to make friends, since she knew no-one so far.
@Slypheed

Lilly/James Collab Post

After conversing a little with the other squad, James turns and goes to find Lily, which wasn't hard since she had somewhat isolated herself off on the sidelines of thins. Waving at her with a smile, he walked up to her. "I figured you'd be a bit more social, Miss Lilly."

--

Lilly was slightly startled when she heard a voice call out to her, snapping her out of her thoughts. "Oh, good afternoon, Mr. Hunt." She stood up from the tree she was resting against. "Yes, I suppose I should be... But most of the soldiers are already conversing and I'm feeling a bit tired. I do not think I would make the best impression on them at the moment." She smiled as she gestured to his new rank badge "What of you? Should you not be discussing the details of the cooperation between our squads with the Sergent and his counterpart?"

--

James shook his head, pulling out a piece of bread and munching on it before offering one to Lilly. "Nope, just the LC. My job is to keep an eye on everyone else while the Sarge and the Corporal are busy with other things. I also command a fireteam, but that's about it." As he looked at her, he couldn't shake the haunted look in here eyes, something he'd seen in the eyes of men and women many times since the Imps had invaded. "Look, I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me, no bull shit. Are you OK?"

--

"Thank you." Lilly nodded as she took the offered bread piece and began to eat it. A picky eater, she was loath to turn down any offers of the types of food she could actually tolerate in her MREs. The bread (while either gross and spongy, or hard as a rock) was at least one of the more palatable items on the menu.

"Look, I want you to be one hundred percent honest with me, no bull shit. Are you OK?"

*crack* A weird noise sounded within Lilly's mind as Hunt brought up that particular topic. Static... Why was she hearing static? As she thought his question over, her face darkened. She didn't want to tell him anything. She was fine! She had to be! She... she didn't want anyone else to worry about her. Unfortunately despite her best efforts, that seemed to have already happened though. Lilly sighed as she remembered the look of relief on Brenna's face. Well just once couldn't hurt...

"... Truthfully I do not know. War is truly horrible Mr. Hunt, and it does not seem like something anyone would be able to experience unchanged. But I am trying. My nervousness is likely born of the fact that the last few battles have not gone well for me, so once we have a good one I think I will be fine. Besides, we have another squad with us now so our next battle is sure to be easier." Lilly smiled a little at the last remark, trying to reassure him that she would be alright.

--

James listened to Lilly and nodded, his mind lost in thought. While the skirmish before Le Haye Sainte hadn't been that bad, in fact he was certain the Imps got it worse, she hadn't faired too well in the battle FOR Le Haye Sainte. He still couldn't shake the memory of her impaled as she was. "No, War isn't very kind indeed. But...this one won't be bad, I mean, we won't even be taking part if what the Sarge said is right."

--

"Well that would be a welcome respite... But is it truely alright to let the other squad fight alone? Should we not be doing our best to assist them?" Despite her fear of battle, Lilly still felt like it was important that they worked together. There were better chances of everyone making it home that way. She stopped as she noticed that James had gone quiet and had a peculiar expression on his face. "Mr. Hunt? Is something on your mind? You look unsettled."

--

James shakes his head, coming back into focus. He hadn't realized that he'd let on what he was thinking so quickly. "Yeah, sorry. Just an old memory is all. Back on topic, we don't honestly know what the other squad's orders are. For all we know, they're where we are. Still, I'm fairly certain that if they go to engage, the Sarge will have us assist."

--

"Ah, well I'm certain that the sergeant will tell us his plans once he makes then." There was a brief pause in the conversation due to the line of discussion having been exhausted before Lilly broke it. "Where is home for you, Mr. Hunt? Do career soldiers live in permanent locations, or do you life a nomadic lifestyle as you move from base to base?"

--

James had to think for a moment before responding, debating one what really was home for him. He'd been on two bases and three outposts since his enlistment, but none of them had felt like home. "Well, I guess I live by the mantra 'Home is where the heart is.' I mean, I've been on two bases and three outposts since my official enlistment, but they never felt like home. I mean, I got my parents' place too, but that's where I grew up, not necessarily home. That make sense?"

--

The answer perplexed Lilly, who had always thought of home as being where your family was, but she nodded. "Yes, I suppose that makes sense. I have rarely had a chance to venture far from my father's mansion, so that is the only 'home' I know. I the barracks were starting to feel a little more 'home-like' in the past few weeks, though."

--

James chuckles at that, finishing off his bread and taking a drink from his flask, though he kept what was in it to himself. "I imagine it did after a few weeks there. But, yeah, Home for me is where my heart is, and as much as I love the military, it's still a job. An important job and one that I love to do, but still a job. What about you? What did you think was going to be your dream job?"

--

"I'm not quite sure... Certainly not the military." Lilly shook her head when she was asked. "Provided I make it through the war, I will succeed my father as the owner of Jatmoor Arms. If something were to happen to prevent that, I am unsure what I would do. I have such precious little experience outside of commerce that I do not think I could accurately answer what my 'dream job' would be." She pursed her lips when talking about her own inexperience. Her sheltered lifestyle, while she understood the purpose of it, had left a bad taste in her mouth. What she would have given to have learned more of the world beyond her family's estate gates before venturing out on her own. The moment of dissatisfaction passed in a moment, though. "Perhaps, a career in logistics would be suited to my tastes. Regardless, that relies on my ability to make it home in one piece."

--

James nodded, thinking of where he'd go once he left the service. Of course, like Lilly had said, that all depended on their ability to get home in one piece, which at least one of their squad wouldn't be doing despite their best efforts. "Yeah, that's a good point. Me, I don't know what I'm going to do after the military myself. Might take over dad's butcher shop, might start a business of my own, who knows."

Sighing, he finally sits down. "Hell, this isn't what me or any of my buddies expected to happen when we signed up, that's for sure."

--

"I can certainly agree with that." Lilly also joined him in sitting down. She could relate to the statement about expectations quite a bit. Having read several EW1 era books where military service was played up to be some sort of grand and exciting adventure, Lilly had also gotten a false sence of what war would be. This, while exciting (but not in the good way), was certainly not the 'adventure' she thought she would be going on. ... But she was stuck with it now, so she had to bear with it until the end of the war (or her untimely death) came. At least she got to see more of the country, which she always enjoyed. Hmm, speaking of which, that gave her a question she wanted to ask Hunt about. "Mr. Hunt, what did you do before the war? I mean, not work wise. Hobby wise. Did you have any projects or interests you pursued before?"

--

James thought on it a moment, going over all the different things he'd done before the war had started. "Well, if I had to pick one to choose from, I'd have to say hunting. It isn't anything I did so often it was something I did more than my job, but it was a good distraction from the every day toil of being a soldier when it was the season."

--

Lilly immediately perked up at the mention of hunting. That was one of the few liberties she had enjoyed during her time at home, learning to hunt for sport with her father. "Oh? Hunting? What types of prey did you track? My father taught me how to hunt, though it was mostly small animals such as fox or grouse. Deer hunting, or anything larger was a rare occurrence." She quickly reined in her enthusiasm, though, both from a formal stand point of wanting to look composed, and because Hunt said that he had only rarely partaken in the activity his surname implied. "I mean, it is certainly an interesting sport. The art of tracking and marksmanship are noble pursuits indeed."

--

James chuckled as Lilly got excited at the mention of hunting and leaned back some. "While noble, I come from a family of butchers and survivalists. You see, when we went hunting as a family, it was to get meat for the family. Deer, elk, even moose one time, and that was scary. But yeah, it wasn't just to relax for me. When I joined the military, I would donate the majority of the meat from my kills to the base, keep some for myself, and give some to my current CO for his personal use. Still, can't quite beat that calming feeling you get when you're out there alone."

--

"Ah, I see." Lilly nodded and smiled, realizing now why Mr. Hunt had chosen to be a scout. Similar to her reasoning, she supposed, but interesting none the less. "It is very generous that you simply gave away portions of the bounty of your hunt. I'm sure your comrades appreciated it." Hmm... maybe she could do something like that for the squad. Not meat, obviously, since she was not confident in her abilities to track anything other than what she was used to (which were far too small to be shared), but maybe come The Feast, or Christmas... Well, one step at a time, Lilly. You have to survive this first. *crackle* She slightly shook her head as the damn noise came back. It was odd... she only ever heard it when she was thinking about war. Maybe it was because of-*static* yes, that was probably the case. Either way, she quickly shifted her thoughts to something, anything, to get away from the damn noise. It unnerved her.

Almost without thinking, she started talking about the first thing that came to mind. "Since my family owns a string of factories, we mostly stay within cities or the estate. Conducting business is much easier that way, because you don't have to go visit every person's individual factory and can organize a meeting between all of the business partners at a common and easy to access location." Lilly paused as she caught herself and gave a half smile. Now how was she going to tie this into the topic they had been discussing... "Sorry, I do realize that what I said was off topic. What I meant by it, though, was that I agree. It certainly is very nice to be out in the forest alone. It is very relaxing and quiet, especially in contrast to the hustle and bustle of life in the city or my father's estate."

--

James laughed a little more, nodding. "Never been much for the city myself, but military bases gave me an idea of what it was like, even if there were more guards than a city. Hey, if we get the chance, would you be up for going hunting? Maybe teach you some of the tricks we learned with from my dad to hunt the bigger game?"

--

"Yes... Yes, I believe I would like that. Thank you." Lilly nodded, before leaning back up against a different tree and closing her eyes. A brief hunting trip with a friend would probably do wonders for her. She would certainly be looking forward to it, when and if they ever had the time for a hunt.

"Sure was anti-climatic." Skye said in agreement. The desire to stand and stretch was overwhelming. Luckily they'd get a chance to do so very soon once the APC pulled up to the friendly unit.

But Skye would wait on that. Happy that at least someone outside of the Sergeant was talkative. The question wasn't reaching into a void for an answer too. "Yeah I've had combat experience. Was in the Army before I got transferred down to the Militia base." She grinned. "But you say you've been squad hopping for unknown reasons eh? Sounds like Militia High Command has their thumbs up their asses and running around with their heads chopped off." She laughed a bit at her own joke.
@Little_ninja

"Yeah I've had combat experience. Was in the Army before I got transferred down to the Militia base. But you say you've been squad hopping for unknown reasons eh? Sounds like Militia High Command has their thumbs up their asses and running around with their heads chopped off." Skye replied to Cecilia, laughing at her own joke. "Ha! If that was the case we would be one hell of a time out here. Oh wait we already are." Cecilia replied, continuing it on. "Nah, the squad leaders had me hopping about for some reason. Sometimes it's cause I am replacing someone that's injured and they get better, but others, no clue at all."

Her legs were starting to feel numb from all the sitting. "What say you, to having a stretch?" Cecilia asked Skye for accompaniment. "Body gets awfully stiff after sitting in one of these for so long. Reminds me of a story from when I was squad hopping." Cecilia reminisced as she was getting up to go out of the APC.

Getting out to stand and stretch, Cecilia waited for Skye, assuming she came out as well. If she did, Cecilia continued the story. "There's a story in one of the squads. After celebrating a victory, one of the injured who were being transported and treated with some ragnaid. Apparently, he was allowed to have a celebratory drink. And then ..." Cecilia paused for a moment. "He started glowing purple. He also started to sing random songs. The ride and singing went for more than 8 hours straight from what they say. They say he was a great singer, but the song repertoire was horrible." Cecilia finished, waiting for Skye's opinion, if she had come out. If skye stayed in the APC, Cecilia would just be stretching by herself.

@Slypheed

Regan had been tense, waiting for something to happen. The Sergeant had sent two of them ahead to scout the situation, and it wasn't too long after that the Sarge went himself, and then they got the all clear. Friendly tank... a friendly tank? Music to her ears. The lancer relaxed herself and slouched back in her seat, a faint smile on her lips. "Whew."

So they were given a brief reprieve. The private stood and got out of the vehicle, eager to stretch her legs. She saw some of her squadmates stretching and it gave her an idea. She'd been feeling off center ever since she woke up. It wasn't hard to imagine why, but that didn't solve the problem.

The solution was simple, if just a little involved. She would practice her forms. She decided to practice some of her Water and Wind forms, as they tended to look more like dances than fighting. It would be better for her comrades' peace of mind, that way. And so she began, her first form resembling a Tai Chi exercise.

As Harald chatted away with his erstwhile squadmates, another new face approached and introduced himself as their squad leader. 'Nice to meet you, Hoek. Sergeant Harald, Squad Four.' The rest of the squad slowly filtered out into the area, some taking up defensive positions, others taking the chance for a bit of socialising. For the Sergeants however, work needed to be discussed. Harald took a cigarette gratefully, looking forward to the rare treat of proper baccy over his usual cheap dogends. 'Cheers. Haven't smoked a real fag in years.' He sparked up, finding himself feeling more relaxed than at any time since they had left Fort Breda; he took it as a good sign. 'The Captain told us there were other squads screening the way to Vasel, but we didn't get much detail. I assume you had the same orders?'

Hoek nodded " We were ordered, along with the 2nd and 8th to comb the area and recon the town. The 2nd and 8th went off on their own, we were left here with the tank, since it would attract to much attention." he said with a sigh. "About two and a half hours ago there was some gun fire from the 8th's potion . I sent some scouts to check it out, they ran into a Imperial Patrol, took em by surprise. When they searched em they found an 8th squad dogtag and helmet." he muttered sadly as he scratched his chin. " like wise with the 2nd I sent a scout, couldn't find them. They either pulled out for some reason, or they went AWOl." he said " The 2nd was supposed to be to east of the south west of the town. We need them to get any information on the town."

Harald nodded slowly as the other sergeant explained the situation. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of annoyance that the other squads had been sent out with support unlike his own, but he tried to think of it as Meulemann's way of showing confidence in their ability. 'Damn... Our orders weren't so specific. Only thing we have left to do is secure a coach house a mile or so down to road.' He leant back on the tank next to Hoek, frowning in deep thought. With two squads worth of troops, they could easily take 4's last objective but that left Squad 2 off alone. The extra intel on Vasel's defences would be invaluable to the column of troops barely a day's march behind them, but they wouldn't be able to link up with 2 and take the coach house before the regiment arrived. '... Looks like we may have to split our forces. I won't lie, I'd love to have a tank and a few more men to take that coach house, but we can't leave 2nd out on a limb.' He gave Hoek a sidelong glance. 'Do you have a trustworthy NCO you could send to find 2nd? I can't spare the manpower at the moment.' The day was getting old too. He wanted to launch his assault at dawn, hopefully catch the Imps unprepared again.

Hoek sighed "already sent a scout. they should be returning any time now." he said as he stopped leaning against the Tank. " I got Meyers on look out, shes got a good eye, she noticed your sash at that range... Thats a plus considering she might have taken your head off otherwise." he said jokingly as he looked up to the sky " I take it you three have some history?" he asked. Hoek had noticed how both Paul and Sam recognized him, While Hoek considered them friendly, Paul and Sam rarely spoke of their old squad. The few times they have they spoke of great things for their old Sargent.

'Dresner was with us at Rinneheim, where we were mustered. Meyers joined us shortly after, one of the replacements for those who washed out after their first action.' Come to think of it, he hadn't served in Meyers in actual combat. Nearest thing was that practice battle back at Fort Breda, barely a fortnight ago. Valkyria, has it only been two weeks? Feels like months... 'Both good soldiers. Honestly, I'm kinda surprised they remember me at all.' He remembered them of course, as he did with all his subordinates; even, or perhaps especially the weird ones, like Kyo. It was hard to forget names after mentioning them over and over in reports during their brief training camp at the Fort. 'I dunno. At any rate, we've got one last point to take and then we can take it easy for a few days. I understand that your orders are different to ours, but with the regiment so close behind, I think securing the main road needs to be our priority.' Harald rapped his knuckles on the side of Hoek's tank pointedly. '... and as fond as I am of our little APC, this thing will make taking that coach house much easier. So what do you say; want to come help us take it?'

"Paul said you had that old solider feel." Hoek said with a chuckle. "Suppose thats a good thing." he said as he watched Harald tap the side of his tank. "Gladly once my scout comes back, we could use that intel he has." he said a smile "Bet you the Imps wont know what hit em. two squads coming up on them with an APC and medium tank... well at the very worst we will give them a good fight. "Suddenly a soft whistled tone catches Hoeks attention "seems James has returned to us, come along Sargent lets see what we can learn" Hoek said motioning towards Paul as he rushes up to them.

Old soldier... Harald couldn't hold back a cynical roll of the eyes. 'Not sure how I feel about that. I'm only a couple of years older than him...' Still, it was probably a compliment. Probably. As Hoek's scout ran up to them, Harald flicked away his spent cigarette and drew a notebook from his webbing. 'Sound.'

Running up to the two Sargent "Sir" he said to Hoek. then he looks at Harald, with a nod from Hoek James clears his throat. "Sir we found the squad..." he said holding up a bunch of dog tags "they got ambushed...we found the intel from the squad... least what was left of it for what good it does us, from what the squad found it has 40 plus infantry and at least one light tank. From the shell holes at the ambush they have mortars... To be honest sir, we have no idea what we are doing " he said softly. as Hoek took the tags. " This is not a squads worth of tags.." Hoek said as james nods "we found a few, I sent Lewis,Craig and Robert to help them back." Hoek nodded " James this is Sargent Harald, we are gonna help his squad out a bit. I want the squad up and running in five. Grab Sam I want to be damn sure when we go in, that she covers our troops from snipers...Also grab Paul, I want him to lead our shocktroops from the front."

The news from Squad 8 wasn't encouraging, but at least they weren't going in blind this time. Harald took the time to note down the important details as the scout reported and cross-reference it to the maps he had been issued. Based on the area 8th had been hit in, the Imps were probably moving forces north-east to reinforce their flanks; that in turn suggested that they already knew of the Militia's plans... not encouraging. But the fact that there weren't dedicated kill-teams hunting them or heavy defences at the coach house gave them an opportunity. Harald shook the scout's hand firmly, grateful for the information. 'Looking forward to working with you. Sergeant, I'll go get my men in order. It might be best if your squad takes the right flank as we move in, tank in the centre. We're undermanned, so we'll push hard from the left.' It meant putting Hoek's men in the line of fire, but Squad 4 was in no shape to be taking the lead assaulting a well-entrenched position. They would serve better in flanking the enemy, as Stichler's team had in La Haye Sainte. 'I'll contact you by radio when we're ready to move.'

As he walked away, the Sergeant thumbed his radio switch. 'Squad 4, rally on me.' He leapt up into the rear of the APC and started rummaging through the bags for a large map. By the time he found what he was looking for, the rest of the squad was ready. 'Alright ladies and gents, break has been postponed. Original plan was to assist Hoek's men in finding friendly forces in the area, but that is no longer necessary.' He lay the map out over the hood of the APC, his lips a thin line. Honestly this wasn't his preferred method; given the choice he would have waited til night, but with roaming Imp forces on their unsecured flank, he understood Hoek's desire to keep moving. Besides they only had about twelve hours until the main Militia column arrived, maybe less for the advance parties. 'The target is a coach house a couple of miles down the road. Hoek's men will be taking the right flank, using their tank to drawn fire. There are more of them than there are of us, so they'll be able to cover a wider area.' He began drawing markers on the map, showing where the different squads would be. 'We will take the left, advancing on foot to the flank of the building. From there we breach and clear, support Hoek as they mop up.' On paper, quite simple. Even though the breaching team would be outnumbered, the enemy was unlikely to concentrate all of their defences in the coach house itself; most of the Imps would be taking cover between Hoek and the building, giving 4 a window to break through. 'Carn, I want the APC with us to shield from small arms fire and dropping shells on strongpoints. But if you take a single lance, even a glancing hit, I want to to back out and return here. Can't afford t lose this baby now.' He glanced back over to the other squad; the tank's engines were revving up and soldiers jogged to and fro getting themselves in order. '... Any questions?'

PFC Muller & PFC Carn

As the squads unwinded, Emmaline took the time to take a seat down on the grass with her Lance cradled in the crook of her neck. Though, for an armored suit like hers, the most she could really do was squat; last time she fully sat down, she had to ask for help to pull herself back up, since she didn't have a lance to use a crutch.

As she squatted down, Emmaline looked at the mechanic work, before wiping her nose.

"I take it you were a...mechanic, was what they called it? You worked on cars and motors before the war?" She asked.

*Booong*

Being addressed unexpectedly surprised Evan (who had ducked under some of the cage armour to inspect the bolts), and he bashed his head off one of the metal struts. "Gah! Ow... Ya startled me there, Muller." Evan sheepishly rubbed his head as the strut resonated loudly. "Yea, I was a mechanic. Owned one of the better garages in Randgrize, if I do say so myself." He thumped his chest with pride. "Turns out the militia's more in need of drivers than mechanics, though. Damn shame, really. Woulda loved to work on one of the proper tanks." Evan shrugged before returning the question. "And what about you, blondie? You have a job before the war? Schooling? Anythin'?"

A young girl like her might not (and was not expected to) have a job at her age, but female lancers were certainly the minority, and something about her set her apart from the pack. Maybe it was the barbell workout Evan had seen her doing when he first picked her up. Not many normal women were into weight training.

Emmaline scratched her head and gently kicked at the dirt.

"Um...I was a farmer. Had to do the work all myself when I got married off to an incompetent man. My sister did schooling while I made the money around the farm, whatnot with managing the laborers, divvying up the payment, though...nevermind. They should be closer to the capital by another hamlet, or perhaps the capital...I hope.

I'm surprised you're not a lancer yourself, being a technician and all. Would've been nice to give the tanks something to fear."

"Ah, a farmer eh? I guess I can sort of see that..." Evan sort of stood there awkwardly when PFC Muller started discussing her unhappy (and seemingly unwilling) marriage, though when she spoke about her sister and their labourers, he remarked: "Well most of the outlying farms have evacuated, right? Your sis should be safe." The comment about being a lancer mad him chuckle a bit.

"Yeah, no, that's not gonna happen. I can barely hit a target with a rifle, what the hell am I gonna do with the equivalent of a weaponized barbell? Besides, I'm not gettin any younger and it's hard to move in all that armour. 'Least being a driver means that I don't have to be dodgin bullets with the rest of you unlucky sods." Evan closed an eye and smiled as he made a light hearted jab at the infantry.

"But whatever. What do you think of the darcsen, by the way?" A moment later, he realized that there were several darcsens in the squad, so he clarified. "I mean our sergeant. What do you think about the way the squad's being run?"

Emmaline shrugged at the question.

"Darcsens, in general? I haven't had enough money to start any pay raises, so...I don't really care. I can't really care, as a matter of fact. Maybe if I was born urbane and sophisticated...hehe, I like those words...maybe I'd love to hate them, but it's not like I need an accountant or a scholar on the farm. If the Darcsens do what they're told, they're as good as anything we can come by these days.

And as for the squad leader?"

She paused as she took off the slab of metal on her shoulder, before turning her back to older man.

"Mind if you can take this off for me? You could wear the plates for a bit and try out for yourself."

"Yeah, I guess labour is labour."

He hesitated when Muller asked him to help her removing her armour.

"Ya sure you should be undressing at a time like this? We are on a mission you know, girly... ah whatever, the Darcsen's probably gonna take a while. Might as well relax when we can." A few minutes of fumbling with straps later, and Evan had helped Muller remove the largest of her armoured plates. Mostly the ones on the shoulders and legs, though, since anything else would be getting faaaar too personal. He stacked them in a heap beside her.

"Don't think I'll be trying on any of this, though. Doubt it would fit, and I hate armour. Too damn bulky and heavy."

"We've already gone this far; I'm not taking off my gear just to hear a man whine about putting these on..."

As Evan had helped her take off the armor, so Emmaline does to him to help put on the plating. For his size, the paldrons fit him more comfortably than on her, largely due to the fact that he could actually fill the spaces between his flesh and the plates. After taking a step back and leaning forwards, she looks up and down the older man, before giving an approving smile.

"A little tight, but it wouldn't be too hard to imagine someone loosening a buckle here or there. You look good."

As she said this, she swept a lock of her hair away and rustled her sleeves to let the air cool down the sweat.

"Not as heavy as you thought, isn't it?"

Actually yes it was... Evan took a few experimental steps around, but even at this pace the armour made him feel sluggish. He was slow and heavy and the freedom of motion in his arms and legs were severely limited. Of course this (of all times) was when an itch sprang up in his lower back.

"Yes, yes it is... It's heavy and hot and I can't reach my damn back."

Needless to say, Evan was less than pleased to be playing dress up at the moment. He twisted and stretched, trying to reach the itch, but to no avail. The armour kept getting in the way. He tried unbuckling one of the fastening straps to begin removing the armour, but found that he could not do even that. Shooting Muller a defeated look, he sighed and said: "Alright. Now. The armour. Please. Help me get out of this damn tin can of a uniform."

He briefly entertained the thought of borrowing one of the shocktrooper's combat knives to cut himself free but his better judgment prevailed. Besides, now that he'd 'humored' her, Muller would help him get out of this anyways.

... Right?

"Alright, alright..."

Emmaline undoes the belt buckles for the pauldrons and shin guards, and lets them drop to the floor as she unexpectedly rakes his back with her fingernails.

"Never met a babe or man, or even animal, for that matter, that wouldn't like a good scratch every now and then," she explained, as if it were the most natural thing to scratch another man's back. "Your certainly not the first I've done this to, if it helps you feel any less special. I'm a married woman, and I certainly have even larger priorities than even matrimony."

With that, she finished with a hard slap on the mechanic's back, before putting on the armor again. Shin guards first, smaller pauldron second, inclusive blast shield third...

And there she was : battle ready without any assistance, and as strangely masculine as ever.

"Eh, alright then..." Suddenly getting scratched on the back by a squad member (a woman no less) made Evan feel surprisingly awkward. He just sort of stood there stiffly until she finished. Despite his advanced age and her reassurances, it still was odd. "Well thanks for the scratch, Muller." As she armoured up again, Evan heard the bane of his existence yelling orders for the squad to rally up. "Darcsen's yellin again... Guess we'd better see what he's gotta say."

He cocked his head when he saw Emmaline fully armoured. Something about her appearance seemed odd. Evan opened his mouth to say something about it, before quickly thinking better of it. "Alright then! Let's rendezvous with the squad, shall we?"

Emmaline nodded in agreement, before making her way back with one last suggestion in mind.

"Tell me about your family next time we rest, alright?"

Before he could answer, she was already up ahead.

Skye nodded when Cecilia asked to be accompanied in getting out of the APC. Stretching was more than a welcomed idea. And when Syke hoped out of the APC she stretched long and hard. Sitting was a nice thing to do, but when you had to do for hours, it become more of a pain than a joy. "A story eh? Lets hear it then."

Once Cecilia had finished her story, Skye looked at her. "Interesting story. Never heard of anyone turning purple after ragnaid treatment and a bit of alcohol." Skye tapped her foot a few times as she thought. "Though the random bad singing could be from head trauma." Then a new thought came into her head, but she'd worry about the three injured girls in a bit. "Anyway. Story was still interesting. But I'd like to know a little more about you. What'd you do before all this?"
@Little_ninja

Lilly's Post

Lilly only had a brief few more minutes of respite before Sergeant Harald called out for the squad to ready up. "I suppose we're to be moving out then..." She stood up and gave the base of the tree a once over (to make sure nothing had fallen out of her pockets), before slinging her rifle over her shoulder and walking over to the assembling group.

***

"Sergeant." Lilly came to attention (but didn't salute) when Harald asked if anyone had any questions. "Will we all be working together, or will our squad be split into teams like before?" She was nervous. Her experiences with urban combat had thus far been less than pleasant, not to mention the fact that a shock trooper was far better at breaching an occupied house than she was. She hoped the sergeant would split them into teams and did not expect the scouts to be fighting room to room, but their lack of bodies might mean that staying together would be necessary.

Evan's Post

"Tell me about your family next time we rest, alright?"

"Alright, maybe." As she turned and ran off, Evan just stood there for a second with an odd look on his face. This girl was weird and he wasn't sure if he wanted to volunteer himself into another no doubt awkward encounter with her again. Hence the 'maybe'. ... Well enough of that. After a moment, Evan also walked over to the squad to listen to the briefing.

***

"Carn, I want the APC with us to shield from small arms fire and dropping shells on strong points. But if you take a single lance, even a glancing hit, I want to to back out and return here. Can't afford t lose this baby now."

"Come on, Darcsen, dontchya trust my work? That wire armour should stop a couple lances no problem." Well, provided they didn't all hit the same segment, it would. He quickly backed off, though, after he got a dirty look shot his way. "Alright, alright. Fine. Just don't blame me if you need backup and I've already left. I will need to have someone crew the gun, though. Can't do everything myself."

While the rest of the squad asked their questions, Evan did a quick walk around the APC and checked underneath it for any fuel leaks. Part of him knew that walking away from the sergeant mid briefing was incredibly disrespectful, but the other parts of him didn't care. Besides, he hadn't exactly been in a vigilant frame of mind during the last vehicle inspection when he picked up the new soldiers back in Fort Breda. 'Should probably give the APC a once over just to make sure that nothing had sprang a leak before they went into combat.

James had just closed his eyes when the sarge had called them over and he sighed, taking a quick swig from his flask before standing and joining the others. When the briefing finished, he looked over at the sarge before turning to the others and speaking an additional piece of information that the scouts would either love or hate. "Scouts, use your side arms for this breach and clear. Our rifles are at a bit of a disadvantage size wise in houses and shops." He then fell silent, letting the sarge continue on with what he had to say for answers to questions.

Her form was interrupted, as the Sergeant called their attention. They were going to flank the enemy formation, distracting them with their new tank to do so. It put the tank at a little risk, but they should be able to strike before that became a problem. They'd use the APC to come in from the side... maybe she could lay low and fire from the back of it? The large ballistic weapon she'd left in the APC felt oddly familiar to hold at her side. If she thought about it, it didn't make sense. If she'd been doing this for a while, though, it would.

She had to keep reading the journal. The more she read it, the more she felt like she didn't want to reach the end of it, which made her want to stop. It was a sense of forboding, like she knew what was going to happen.

But now wasn't the time to think about it. She had to get ready for their maneuver. He said they'd approach on foot, so she should ask about it, first. "Sir." Regan spoke first, before continuing, "I could ride in the back with my mortar lance. If I lay low, they shouldn't be able to hit me, and I'll only have to stand to return fire. Maybe tell me where to shoot before I get up?"

"Anyway. Story was still interesting. But I'd like to know a little more about you. What'd you do before all this?" Skye replied to Cecilia's story. Cecilia paused, closing her eyes for a moment before looking up at the sky. "Before all this, huh..." she trailed before looking back at Skye. "Not much really. I was part of the local police/guard and studied a bit of the martial way in Karate. But you know, being recruited into the squad without my mementos from home really sucks." Heaving a heavy sigh, she looked down, thinking about her family for a moment.

"What about you? What did you do before?" Cecilia turned to Skye, asking her. However, before she got a complete answer, the Sergeant called for the squad to regroup. "Oh well. Let's continue this later, okay?" she told Skye before heading to Sergeant Harald. The squad was debriefed on the mission, planning to stay on the left side of the tank and flank the coach house. Hearing about the fact it was urban combat, Cecilia played out a few of the different squads she had been in, recalling the experiences. An important question occurred, was the plan of three squads the same or was it to change?

Waiting on the answer, Cecilia recalled one terrible experience. "How long has the coach house been occupied? There's the chance that renovated the interior. In one squad I was in, we were ambushed by an enemy in a house. They were behind the walls shooting at us, but only a small section could be shot through, so it we couldn't shoot through and had to retreat. It would be best to be cautious of this." Although new to this squad, Cecilia had quite a bit of battle experience. She asked a question so that she could also warn the Sergeant of the possibilities that could occur.
@Slypheed @Lennon79

At least a few of them had paid attention, Harald thought as he threw away another cigarette butt. 'No, Carn I do not. I do trust you can find someone to be a gunner; steal one of Hoek's men if you have to. You've got a talent for shanghaiing.' Ignoring the mechanic's response, the Sergeant turned to Jatmoore and gave her a flat nod. 'As much as I'd like for us to act as one group, there's too much ground to cover. We'll split three ways; Jatmoore, Bons and Fairglaive'll come with me to act as fire support. We'll hang back and pour fire on the windows as the other groups advance.' He nodded for the three of them to move over to one side before turning to the Corporal. 'Stichler, you'll take Muller and Durandal. Since you're all lancers, you'll have a harder time keeping up with us, so instead I want you hang back. Move up slowly after we have and keep to cover. Get to a good position to fire on the windows, then we'll radio you if we need it.' Finally he turned to the assembled shocktroopers, frowning slightly. 'Ideally the rest of you would be split into two groups, but we don't really have that option. Sykora, Rousseau and Skye, you'll be under Hunt's command. Hunt, your job is to get in close, then breach the building. Once the bottom floor is cleared, radio me and I'll bring the rest of us up in support. All good?' Truth be told, it was hard to entrust anyone with a field promotion with such a vital role, but Hunt had earned the right to prove himself. Didn't make Harald feel any better about it though. 'Remember, not everyone has a sidearm.' He patted his service revolver pointedly. 'We weren't all issued them after all. Still, if you have 'em, use 'em. Otherwise, you've all got bayonets.'

'Anything else?' Just when he thought everyone had said their piece, Durandal chimed in. Harald watched her closely, wondering if something was wrong. She looked... off somehow, but he couldn't put his finger on it... Then again he had only known her a matter of hours, so he wasn't in a position to judge. 'Tempting, but in all likelihood Carn will have to retreat. We'll need you three ready to move in once we're in position. Hoek's men will draw the majority of the Imp's fire anyway, so we should be fairly clear to advance.' Finally he turned his attention to Rousseau, frowning thoughtfully. 'Honestly, I don't know. It's not a point I'd thought of. Vasel was taken...' He wracked his mind, thinking back to the first weeks of the war, when Gallia felt like it was falling apart around them. '... I want to say, three weeks ago? So they could conceivably have modified the building, but it seems a bit of a waste to fortify a little outpost that highly. I'd expect more in the way of sandbags and barricaded doors. Still, it's a fair point; we'll need to keep Stichler's team up to date on which walls might be reinforced. They won't stop a lance at least.' With that point addressed, no-one else volunteered any more opinions. 'Alright then, mount up people. Let's go kill some Imps.'