Table of Contents – (spoilers)
Peep was able to scout the ridge and hill in time to spend a full hour skulking around in the bushes menacing the men before the fort bugler called lunchtime. There had been no incidents that morning, and the men had put in an acceptable, if not impressive, amount of work.
When the bugle sounded, Choke had Pinch bring the foresters up to the trench to stack up their tools.
“Alright, lads! Good work this morning! You may fall in behind Sergeant Theodas to get lunch. Sergeant Nikolas, and trooper Dom, wait here with me please. The rest of you, fall out!”
The men hurried to comply as Peep came ambling out of the bush and up the hill towards them. It was obvious they were all completely terrified of her. The men, with the exception of Pinch and Dom, fell in behind Knuckle and marched off towards the fort’s main gate for lunch.
“My, what have ye been telling them about me, Dom?” Peep asked with a smirk as she pushed the wolf snout back off her forehead as she joined, him, Pinch, and Choke.
“Me, Miss Otilla? Nothing! I swear it!” Dom exclaimed.
“No? Fuck, man, I’m disappointed in ye. I thought I made more of an impression on ye the other night,” Peep laughed.
“Give the man a break, Peep!” Pinch laughed. He then turned to Choke: “She’s been lurking around in the bush for the last hour, sneaking up on the men like she’s about to kill them, and then fading back out of sight. Half of them damn near shit themselves, I reckon.”
“Well, then, she has followed my orders to the letter,” Choke said with a wide smile. “So, Trooper Dom, how are you?”
“Me, sir? I’m fine! No complaints, sir!”
“Thank you, Dom. But I give you permission to speak freely. Have you any complaints so far?”
“Uhhhh. No, sir.”
“Well, that’s good. And what about the men? How are they disposed; do you think?” Choke asked
“Well, sir, I, uhhh… I reckon they’re under control, I guess. Things are a lot better for them now that ye came along, that’s for sure. But it’s not like any of them wanted to be in the army, right? Pardon me saying so, sir.”
“No, that’s what I asked of you. And it is exactly right. Well, let’s see if we can’t make things still more tolerable. It’s becoming a warm day, and you’ve all been working hard. I think you all ought to be able to have a drink now and then. Otilla,” Choke said, turning her way.
“Yeshhh, Lieutenant?” Peep said in a sing-songy way, a cretinous look on her face, while mimicking the speech impediment of their Bristlehump snitch, the goat-fucker, Theon.
Pinch laughed loudly at this, startling Dom.
Realizing that Peep was once again rather high, Choke sighed. However, there was nothing else for him to do, other than proceed:
“Otilla, once you have lunch, can you find us a serviceable water barrel and a serving ladle. Then, Dom, choose a man and help Otilla move that here, along with our stugroot kettle. Once it’s here, Dom, take the man, and the two of you fill up the barrel with drinking water. And Otilla, you could get a fire going and brew up some Stugroot for the men. I am sure they would appreciate that.”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” Dom said.
“Yesh, shir,” Peep said with a stupid grin as she punched the side of her head in a mockery of a salute.
Choke sighed.
“Peep. Honestly. Could you not?” he asked tiredly.
“Yesh.”
“Peep! Please!” Choke yelled.
Peep burst into a fit of giggles. “Yeah, sorry, man. I’m just fucking with ye.”
“Well, please don’t! I am trying my best to take control of things here, and this sort of thing in front of the men isn’t helping!”
“What men? Dom? He knows better than anybody what I’m all about. But, okay, I’ll tone it down. It’s just that all this silly marching around and yelling and saluting and sir, yes sirring has me feeling like the goat fucker out in the woods, is all.”
Pinch laughed again at this.
“Don’t you start,” Choke said to him before turning back to Peep: “All I am asking, Peep, is that you keep some semblance of your wits about you and make an effort to be helpful. Is that possible?”
“Yeah, sure thing, LT!” she saluted properly.
“Thank you. Now, Sergeant Nikolas, this afternoon we will change up the work teams. See how the men handle themselves on different tools. Not Reece, though. Knuckle called that one correctly. He stays in the trench.”
“Yes, sir. And about that one: I need a private word later,” Pinch said, giving Choke a significant look.
“Okay. Good. Thank you. I’ll come to you when there’s a moment.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Okay, then. Let’s all get lunch,” Choke said.
In the fort, Choke had Knuckle and Pinch take the men back outside to eat their lunch at the work site. While they did that, he joined Peep in the stables, where she was getting their new, big stugroot kettle out of their gear.
“Peep: were you able to find the ledger and diary I asked you about?” he asked.
“Oh, yeah! For sure! Father Morrenthall just gave them to ye. I stuck them in that saddle pack there.”
“Thank you. Tonight, after dinner, I’ll get all the men’s names and write them in. Then we have to learn their names.”
“Great,” Peep said sarcastically. She dug a small burlap sack of ground stugroot out of their gear. “Okay! Sorted! I’ll get some stug on the go!”
“Peep. Before you do that, just out of curiosity: have you been high every moment since we’ve been up here?” Choke asked.
“Fuck no! I just smoked up before coming up here yesterday. And then again today up at the top of the ridge. Don’t worry man, I don’t need all my wits about me to manage this lot.”
“I should hope not. But there is that matter of the Outfit having people fall into latrines.”
“Yeah. True enough. But I think Father M has his arms around that pretty well. Should be okay,” Peep shrugged.
“Yes. But, as ridiculous as what we are doing here apparently seems to you, we are on the job. So please try to keep your shit together. I need your help to manage these men. They need to respect you as much as they fear you.”
“Yeah, okay. Fuck it. Don’t let me have no fun,” Peep said with a grin.
“There will be plenty of fun for you later when we’re marching these lads out to Bristlehump and Reece, and whoever else, tries to run off,” Choke said.
“True. That will be fun.”
“By the way, how does it look up to that east ridge?” Choke asked.
“Oh, it’s rough in there. Rocky, uneven, and the bush is thick. Besides the trail, of course. Anyone but me or goblins trying to bushwack through that will make a hell of a racket.”
“Okay. Good. Thank you. Now we should join the men outside.”
“Yesh!” Peep said with a big, cretinous grin.
This time, Choke laughed.
***
The afternoon’s work with the reformed work crews went smoothly. The men clearly appreciated the opportunity to have a drink of water or stugroot. For the most part, they did not abuse the privilege with too many visits.
When things had settled in, Choke moved down to a position near to where Pinch was standing overlooking the lumbering teams. He motioned for Pinch to join him, out of earshot of the men. Even so, Choke kept his voice quiet as he asked:
“You wanted a word?”
“Yeah. It’s about what you asked me to do. You know, watching the men and listening. So, I’ve mostly been keeping at the edge of things and pretending I don’t hear any of what they’re saying. Letting what I overhear slide. It’s just been all the normal grumbling and what have you. Nothing to worry about there.”
“Well that’s good,” Choke said.
“Yeah, I guess. Only the real idiots are gonna say anything bad when I’m around. But, since I’ve been ignoring the grumbling they’ve been doing, the idiots seem to be getting more comfortable with me around.”
“And it is good to know who they are. But it was Reece you had a concern with, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. Well, there’s nothing actionable here. Not really. But last night, in the fort when we were bunking down with dinner, Reece and another one seemed like they were trying to steal one of the smaller youngster’s food. It didn’t go anywhere, though. The lad squawked about it, and Knuckle broke it up.”
“Well, that sort of bullying is inevitable. If the youngster stood up to them, then it should be fine. We can’t intervene in everything,” Choke said.
“No we can’t. And stealing food is minor enough. But that’s also how it starts,” Pinch said with a significant look.
“How what starts?”
“You know. And not one in ten of these lads is gonna have the sand you did in standing up to it,” Pinch said.
This gave Choke pause. “Well, what are we supposed to do about it?” he muttered, mostly to himself.
“I dunno. Keep our eyes open. Look out for them as best we can. Like the Brothers did for us, right?”
Choke nodded, and gave Pinch a friendly thump on the shoulder.
“Yes. That’s right. We all shall just have to do our best. Speaking of which, you said it was that Reece fellow and another one. Which one was that?”
“He’s that short, thickset fucker down there felling trees with an axe. Him and Reece keep their distance from each other working, but seem thick as thieves during meal times. They have a nasty way of bantering with the other lads. That could develop into a bit of a gang,” Pinch said.
“Good to know. Good job, Sergeant,” Choke said, giving Pinch another thump.
“Thank you, sir!”
The afternoon and evening passed uneventfully, and the men were able to carve a good swath out of the woods and thickets that had been encroaching on the fort’s east hillside. The timber was roughhewn into sharpened posts for the ditch diggers to drive into the ground with mauls to support the ditches. The work output was even better than the mornings.
Satisfied with his men, Choke had them fall in a little early so that they could wash up properly before the dinner call. Peep said a quick goodbye, and rode down into town to spend the night in the church.
In the keep’s main hall, Choke and Lieutenant Cooper were joined by Captain Edison for dinner. When the meal was served, Cooper and Edison paused just a moment before joining Choke when he said grace and traced the Wheel over his breast. The three ate in silence, with Captain Edison drinking more than his fair share of the jug of wine that been brought. This suited Choke just fine, but Lieutenant Cooper clearly took note of it.
“So, Lieutenant Cooper, I trust you had a good time with our new magistrate, playing at town guardsmen,” the Captain finally said, when the meal was done. As he spoke, it was clear he was drunk again. He had been drinking before dinner.
“Well, I don’t know if I would go as far as to say that, Captain. Policing the townsfolk is no work for a proper soldier. Sir,” Lieutenant Cooper said, shooting a quick look of concern Choke’s way.
“Isn’t it? I shall have to tell Lieutenant Hamon you think so,” Captain Edison snarked.
“Oh, I think he is well aware of my feelings on this, Captain.”
“Yes, I suppose so. On your way up, aren’t you, Lieutenant? A full tour at the front already, you’ve had. And now I suppose you think that you can further improve your prospects by sucking up to the Wheel bashers.”
“I don’t know what you mean, sir. Our colonel, the Baron, has put the Father in charge of us for the time being, has he not?”
“He has. So let me ask you, since you fancy yourself such an expert on what is soldering and what isn’t: Is informing on your fellow officers soldering?”
Lieutenant Hamon stiffened as he inhaled sharply through his nose at this. He took his time measuring the words he replied to Captain Edison with:
“I am sorry to say, sir, that, at least amongst those officers who do not ever see combat, such dishonorable behavior is precisely their version of soldiering. But, on this topic as it pertains to our current situation: when the magistrate asks us questions, are we not obliged to answer him?”
“I suppose so. And just what questions of his have you answered? I ask only since I have not yet had the pleasure of his hospitality.”
“I suppose you soon will, sir. As for his general thrust, as you know, he is interested in corruption within our forces. The specifics of his questions to me, sir, I am not at liberty to say,” Lieutenant Cooper said crisply.
“Are you not?”
“No, sir. I am not.”
“Well, then,” Captain Edison said, rising from the table suddenly. “I can only suppose that I am fucked, then.”
Lieutenants Cooper and Pekot sat stunned for a moment before standing up as well. It was Lieutenant Cooper who managed to respond:
“That is not for me to say, either, sir. But I expect not. I think you will find—”
“I do not need your thoughts on the matter, Lieutenant! I have had enough of all this. This damnable command has been a blight upon me from the beginning! Nothing but this fucking overblown log cabin to mind for the past five years! No combat for me! No! Just ledgers and damned hick squabbles! And now to be harnessed for the pillory by some Wheel basher who has no notion! None, I say! No notion of what it takes to keep it all running in such a place as this! I’ve had it!”
“Yes, sir. I am sorry, sir,” Lieutenant Cooper said quietly.
Choke simply stood at attention as though on parade.
“That’s it then. I have said my piece. As for the watch tonight. With Hamon dragged off, and you, Cooper, on your little social tour, we have been relying on the sergeants to command it of late. Tonight I want the two of you to take it. Both of you. No more delegating the duty to NCOs! It’s disgraceful! It’s time to shape up around here!”
“Yes, sir!” Lieutenant Cooper snapped a sharp salute off.
“Yes, sir!” Choke said, following Cooper.
Captain Edison returned with a sloppy salute of his own before turning on his heel and stomping from the main hall.
Lieutenants Cooper and Pekot stood as they had been for a long moment until his boot steps up the keep’s main stairwell had faded.
“Well, then. It seems as though our captain is cracking up. What an embarrassment! I suppose we should do as he says, though,” Lieutenant Cooper said with a grimace as he stretched and stifled a yawn. “Of course he would lay this on me tonight, of all nights, with the hangover I’ve had today.”
“I am sorry, Cooper. I would take your watch for you, but…” Choke said.
“Oh no, he tasked us both, so he wants us both. We will likely check on us, just to be a prick.”
“He doesn’t mean for both of us to be on watch all night, does he?”
“Altas’ cock, no!” Lieutenant Cooper exclaimed, before smiling at Choke. “Ah. You are new here. Of course. My apologies.”
“Not just new here, Lieutenant. This my first experience of any real command. So, if you don’t mind me asking: how is it that we do the watch? How many men do we assign?”
“Well, it’s a fort, yes? Ostensibly, anyhow. With the gate locked, if one of us is up on the wall with them, we just need one man over the gate and another one walking the wall. That’s it. Do you mind terribly taking the first watch, Bartholomew? I am near finished,” Lieutenant Cooper yawned.
“No problem at all, Cooper. My pleasure. However, ahh… as to the men to watch with me… do I make the selection?”
“Right. Of course. I’m sorry. Yes, you would draw them from your platoon, of course. But, your unit is still all raw recruits. Mustn’t have them on watch.”
“Indeed. And I would rather my sergeants stayed with them. They shouldn’t be unsupervised,” Choke said.
“Of course. Well, my lads will be testy if our unit has to provide both shifts. You understand, of course. So, I suppose you should draw a man or two from Hamon’s men. After all, why stop pestering them just when they are really starting to hate you! Eh?” Lieutenant Cooper laughed as he gave Choke a friendly clap on the back.
“Yes, I suppose. Well, thank you for your help, Cooper.”
“Not at all! Not at all. Can you find them on your own? I believe they are in the third barracks.”
“I will be no problem finding them, I’m sure. Thank you again, Cooper. If you don’t mind, I’ll walk with you up to your bunk. I have a little more that I would like to ask you,” Choke said.
“Of course! Of course. But let’s go, then. I am all but dead on my feet.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it. And I hate to bother you. It’s just…” Choke dropped his voice low and leaned in close to Lieutenant Cooper as they left the main hall to start up the stairs together. “The Captain. It’s…”
“What is it, man?” Cooper stopped to lean in close to Choke and look him in the eye intently. “Has he been up to any foolishness?”
“Well, no. Or, only the sort we both saw after dinner tonight. It’s just that, and I don’t mean to pry, so don’t feel the need to betray any confidences here. But… why is he taking the Father’s investigation so hard? He can’t be all that dirty, can he? Of course, he hasn’t been particularly friendly to me since I’ve been here, but he has given me earnest and helpful guidance in my command. And he seems quite competent. At least from the little I have seen. So what is he so afraid of?”
Lieutenant Cooper relaxed and had a chuckle before clapping Choke on the shoulder again.
“I see. No offense, Bartholomew, but as adept as you and your people are at killing, you are still quite the youngster. And one that has been cloistered almost his whole life. Looking at you, it is easy to forget that.”
“I am not sure what you might mean,” Choke said, now ill-at-ease.
“Nothing important, Bartholomew. I assure you. You are concerned as to why our Captain should be so worried about the Father’s investigation when he has also shown himself to be competent and, dare I say, somewhat correct to you. Well, Bartholomew, I quite agree. Captain Edison is quite competent. In his fashion. And his good advice to you would have been born out of that competence.”
“Yes, but—” Choke started.
“Yes. But,” Cooper interrupted, “why would you assume that his competence is not paired with a healthy serving of corruption? Are the two mutually exclusive?”
“But… what?” Choke stopped walking to stand looking confused. “Surely if he is a competent commander, he wouldn’t—”
“Be greedy?” interrupted Lieutenant Cooper. “What has one to do with the other? Beyond the one facilitating the indulgence of the other, of course. Look, Bartholomew, the Captain is a soldier who has seen very little combat. He is an administrator. A skilled one. Or what passes as such in the backwaters here. And so, he has been relegated to that role and left without a chance to improve his situation through promotion earned in combat. So, at some point, he probably compromised his honor in looking the other way. It needn’t be anything more dire than that.”
“Well, I’m not as naïve as you may think, Cooper. Such a compromise is exactly what I have been assuming with him. But, if that’s the case, surely he must understand that the Father will let him redeem himself,” Choke said earnestly.
Lieutenant Cooper stifled a laugh before saying:
“Why would he understand that, Bartholomew? Why would any of us? We have all just watched him immolate a cretin on the say so of the Baroness. Who is to say what he is going to do?”
This gave Choke real pause.
“Well you didn’t seem so worried,” he finally said.
“Well, I am glad that is the impression I gave. But I was not as compromised as some. And, I am sure that is enough said on that topic. Yes?”
“Yes. I suppose so. But what about the Baron? The Colonel? Where is he in all this?” Choke asked.
Lieutenant Cooper goggled at him as though he were a lunatic.
“You acknowledge that we were treading into dangerous territory, and in the same breath gallop on even further into it?” Cooper asked.
“No, I don’t mean in terms of dirty dealings. I am quite certain our colonel is entirely sound in that regard. I meant my question literally. Where is he? I’m sorry but, the Captain has been, rightfully, concerned about our lack of officers and NCOs here in the fort. Particularly since we tasked with training recruits in a potential time of war. So where is our commander? Shouldn’t he be here?”
“Ah. Yes. Well, Bartholomew, that is a good question. But one that really shouldn’t be asked. However, since you honor me with the trust you show in me in asking it, I shall do my best to answer it. Our captain, the Baron, is a fine combat commander. It has been my honor to serve under him, and his son, Major Hart, at the Alquinian front. However, the Captain has no interest in peacetime dealings. And, as all know, he loves his wife, the Baronesse, and dotes upon her. And she cannot abide this place. So, the Baron delegates, as his prerogative, to spend his time at her residence of Pinewhispers. And we are all more than happy to serve him in this, I am most sure,” Lieutenant Cooper said with a sarcastic smile.
“I see. Well, Cooper, I thank you for your candor. I have kept you from your bed too long. For that, I apologize.”
“Not at all, Bartholomew. Not at all. Glad to be of service.”
The two junior officers continued on up the stairs and said goodnight as they parted ways.
Muse Vassal 