Navigational Skills (Speirs/Closed)

[Daniel Brennan]

Country: England
Area/Setting: Middle of the English countryside. Open fields, the occasional patch of tree's. May.
(be descriptive please)

Current Time: Roughly 14:00
Weather Conditions: Lovely, sunny, summer weather.

The warm summer sun beamed down on the English countryside. Daniel shaded his eyes with a hand and sighed deeply. He stood lazily beside a khaki convoy truck and three other men in American uniform stood alongside him. One was a fellow NCO in the Division; a First Sergeant by the name of Speirs and the other two were just new recruits to the Division that had been sent out to England with next to no training at all. Daniel looked over at the recruits, who stood there looking somewhat proud of themselves, being the only two to make it and what-not. Daniel broke the silence; ”Y’know… I don’t think the rest of them are coming, Speirs…”

The whole thing had started a few days before, when twelve of these new recruits had been placed under the command of Daniel and Speirs to be trained. Of course, the two had wasted no time at all in dividing the group into two teams and setting the teams against each other. This had been just one of the many trials that had been planned. It was a test of the recruit’s navigational skills. The recruits were each given a map, dropped off in the middle of nowhere, and told to make their way to a point some three miles away within an hour. It had been three hours and only one member from each team had showed up. ”I think we should just call this one a draw.” Daniel proclaimed to Speirs. Right now they should be much more worried about Patterson’s reaction if they didn’t manage to recover all of the lost recruits. Now that would be something to be scared about…

Daniel took a few paces closer to Speirs. ”I think we are going to have to go out and find the rest of them. God knows where the idiots have managed to get to!” He muttered, careful not to let the other two hear what he was saying. ”I really don’t want to come back to Patty with any of those guys missing. Do you?” He said with a raised eyebrow. They would have to go on foot, leaving the convoy truck behind them; this part of England was somewhat lacking in roads. He turned to look at the two successful recruits. The Private from his team was called ‘Barb’. Christian Barb, or something like that. He didn’t know about Speirs’ man. He looked them up and done; wondering if they would be able to stay walking for yet another few hours. Meh, they’d been given water and food; they should be able to survive for a little longer.

[rspeirs]

“You know, I don’t think their coming, Speirs.” Brennan said to the First Sergeant who had positioned himself next to Daniel. Speirs opened up a pocket on his army uniform, pulling out a pair of binoculars. He surveyed the vast plains, looked into a patch of trees, and looked through more lush greenery, yet could find nothing. “Damn recruits.” He muttered, looking towards Brennan. “Dan, this is why I don’t like new recruits. They are too damn brazen. Think they run the place. They talk like they are the best soldiers in the whole damn 3rd Infantry Division, then when it comes to acting, they choke.” Speirs looked back towards the two recruits who had made it and sneered saying, “That includes you two as well. Just because you made it back does not mean you are ready for the front line. Your pride will just make you die a quicker, yet slower death on the line.”

Saying Speirs was blunt at this point was an understatement. Saying he was angry was also another understatement. Speirs was furious. The one thing Ronald Speirs put above everything was duty. This was a breach of duty. These men, so called “soldiers,” don’t deserve to be in the 3ID. All they deserve is contempt. Brennan turned to Speirs again, saying “I think we should just call this one a draw.” Speirs nodded silently, removing his helmet from his head, running his hand through his dark, black hair. He put his helmet back on his head and looked towards Brennan, still aggravated. “I agree. However, this failure in command should not be pardoned, if you know what I mean. These men are soldiers. If one of them fails in their duty on the field of battle, they all die. You know that Dan, hell, you have fought twenty times as many battles as I have. You know that every company is supposed to act as a single, cohesive unit. If one man fails in there task, they all fail.” Speirs scratched his cheek, still irritated. “I’m thinking that these men’s passes should be revoked. And that’s me being light.”

Daniel muttered something to Speirs. Ron could only make out a bit of what he was trying to say-Something about rounding the men up. Speirs smirked, “Sergeant, you can speak up. Hell, these two deserve as much contempt as the whole god damn company of recruits.” Speirs turned to the men, obviously exasperated. “That’s right. In battle, you do not abandon your platoon. One, Single Cohesive unit. Two men cannot win a battle by themselves. As far as I see it, your passes are already revoked.” Speirs picked up his M1 Carbine, which had been lying in the grass. He slung the semi automatic rifle around his shoulder and began to walk, only to be stopped once more by Brennan’s speech. ”I really don’t want to come back to Patty with any of those guys missing. Do you?” Speirs nodded, still very much in an angry mood over the men’s absence. “Indeed.” Speirs said. The 1st Sergeant had never seen Captain Patterson angry, only heard stories. He knew however, these stories could just be rumors, but he did not want to find out if they were the hard way. “So, let’s move out. When we get done with these soldiers, I don’t think survival will be the least of their worries.”

Speirs ran up to the top of a small knoll and pulled out his binoculars. He saw a small copse of trees to the right. Then, something curious caught his eye. He saw movement. “Brennan, I see something. Movement, most likely an animal.” Speirs put his binoculars away and looked toward the Staff Sergeant. “Nevertheless, it looks like a good place to begin our little man hunt.” With that, Speirs jumped from the small knoll to the ground below, waiting for Brennan to follow his path.

[Daniel Brennan]

It was easy to tell that Speirs disliked recruits from the minute he said “Damn recruits.” Daniel didn’t like new recruits as well. He preferred fighting with men that he knew well and had fought with before, rather than green recruits. But, he supposed he wasn’t unique in that way; all veterans probably felt the same. “Dan, this is why I don’t like new recruits. They are too damn brazen. Think they run the place. They talk like they are the best soldiers in the whole damn 3rd Infantry Division, then when it comes to acting, they choke.” Was Speirs’ next statement and Daniel had to agree with him again. ”Yeah, they come out of training feeling like they’ve done all the hard parts, but they soon learn that they are wrong…” he announced quietly, still trying to be quiet so as not to upset the recruits. “That includes you two as well. Just because you made it back does not mean you are ready for the front line. Your pride will just make you die a quicker, yet slower death on the line.” Daniel stayed quiet after this sentence. He thought they deserved to be left alone for a while; they had done the best out of a dozen men, after all. Speirs appeared to hate the recruits much more than Daniel.

Daniel was glad that Speirs easily agreed to call this round of the competition a draw. He had gotten the impression that Speirs was a little bit of a hot head. It seemed that he was very blunt as well; if he didn’t like you, then he was going to make it well known. But, Daniel thought it would be possible for them to get along with each other. “I agree. However, this failure in command should not be pardoned, if you know what I mean. These men are soldiers. If one of them fails in their duty on the field of battle, they all die. You know that Dan, hell, you have fought twenty times as many battles as I have. You know that every company is supposed to act as a single, cohesive unit. If one man fails in there task, they all fail.” Was Speirs’ next big speech and again, Daniel was inclined to agree with him. Daniel knew what he was talking about when he said that there needed to be synchronization in a unit. Daniel interrupted the First Sergeant’s rant; ”So, what do you think the punishment should be?” he questioned. “I’m thinking that these men’s passes should be revoked. And that’s me being light.” Was his reply and Daniel nodded thoughtfully. That sounded like a good enough plan to him. “Good idea, there. And hopefully they will all learn something from this experience – hopefully how to read a map!” he said with a small chuckle. But, a thoughtful expression dawned on his face then. ”But, it really makes you wonder what sort of training they are getting back home at all. It’s nearly like they are just handing them a rifle and uniform and shoving them onto the frontlines.” he frowned. ”It might not all be their fault.” Daniel said thoughtfully.

Daniel was less inclined to agree with the Senior Sergeants next proposal. “Sergeant, you can speak up. Hell, these two deserve as much contempt as the whole god damn company of recruits.” ”Uh, I’m not so sure about that…” Daniel said quietly, trailing off. Didn’t the successful two deserve at least some praise? “That’s right. In battle, you do not abandon your platoon. One, single cohesive unit. Two men cannot win a battle by themselves. As far as I see it, your passes are already revoked.” Now Daniel could see where he was coming from. He decided to add his own input. He tried not to make it sound like he was defending the recruits; more like he was thinking out loud. ”Yeah, but when you think about it; there probably wasn’t a group in the first place!” He proclaimed. ”Remember, these guys are all Privates, so there is no one to take charge of them. I’d guess that because no one was willing to take charge, the whole teams split up and went on their own. We should probably punish both teams for not using teamwork, but you shouldn’t punish these two for deserting their teams. I think it’s more likely everyone abandoned each other!” Daniel looked at Speirs with a raised eyebrow.

Speirs answered Daniel’s comment about Patty with a simple “indeed.” and then added in a sentence that made Daniel grin broadly: “So, let’s move out. When we get done with these soldiers, I don’t think survival will be the least of their worries.” Daniel laughed, somewhat evilly and then started getting ready to move as Speirs jumped up on a rock with his binoculars at hand. Unlike Speirs, who had his small M1-Carbine along with him (Hopefully he wouldn’t take a few pot-shots at the recruits…), Daniel had just his Colt pistol. His Johnson LMG was a cumbersome piece of equipment and it would be torture –and completely unnecessary – to lug it around with him in this heat. He made sure his canteen was strapped to his belt and he beckoned Private Barb and the other recruit forward. ”Come on, lads” he muttered as Speirs called out that he had seen some sort of movement. Daniel nodded and set off walking at a brisk pace. He heard the two recruits stumble along after him. A small dirt path lead across the fields and towards the copse of tree’s and Daniel walked along it, aware of Speirs beside him.

[rspeirs]

Speirs, Daniel, and the two privates set out, looking for the two platoons of men. Speirs, who was the point man, had a lot of time to think about Daniel’s comment on those two privates. Daniel was partially right, Speirs thought. It wasn’t just their fault, rather the whole squads fault for not using teamwork. “Master Sergeant…” Speirs said with some hesitation. “You were right back there. “Those two were rather smart in abandoning their platoon. However, in combat, they have to function as one, hence why I am being so gruff on them. I have been on the front line, as have you, and I have seen men die because they try to win the whole goddamn battle on their own. Egotistical bastards” Speirs muttered the last part to himself, hoping Daniel wouldn’t hear. “What may have been smart back there, won’t be smart in combat. And yes, it does make you think about how they were trained. I went to Fort Benning myself. That is one tough place to survive, I will tell you that. Hell, there, if you even thought of abandoning your platoon, you would be pushing Georgia to China.” Speirs chuckled at that thought. He had fond nostalgia of the drills he had to perform over in Benning. He remembered soldiers who couldn’t follow the directions and how strict their punishments were. He remembered one man in particular, who did pushups until he vomited on the ground. That was the same guy who couldn’t take the gas training. He was the one who passed out at the smell of the gas. Speirs smirked, wondering what became of that recruit. He was most likely in a grave somewhere, rotting because of his stupidity.

Speirs began to walk again in a much faster pace. The English country side was lovely. It was a good change from the mundane, morose 3ID Headquarters, where it seemed to rain on every single day, making the ground muddy, which was a large hindrance due to the fact that most times, it would ruin your gear. “She sure is beautiful” Speirs remarked. “England that is. Her beauty is rather timeless, even during the bloodshed of this god awful war.” Speirs took in a deep breath, taking in the brisk English air. “I grew up in Scotland as a child, you know? I miss her. There is just some charm Scotland holds to it. It’s beauty, it’s majesty, it’s just awe striking. I haven’t seen her in a long time. My family moved to the East Coast of America some time ago, when I was around 12.” Speirs quickened his pace, trying to catch sight of the recruits. He stopped then, yanking out his binoculars. He was now close enough to the tree line that he could discern what was in it. “Nothing. Don’t see a damn recruit in there. Where in the hell could they be? Let’s keep moving, through the copse of trees!” Speirs ran on ahead, breaking through the brush and into the forested area.

Once in, it was like a totally different reality. The juxtaposition between the countryside and the forest was diverse, and Speirs had to wonder why there was a forest in the middle of nowhere. He stood, soaking in the chirping of birds, the rustling of birch trees, and the smell of the European Larch, which exuded a sweet pine odor. Daniel was quickly behind him, and Speirs, not wanting to show his sensitive side, trudged onward. However, in his speech about Scotland, he had already shown his sensitive, softer side to the Master Sergeant. He decided then, to pursue a question. “So” Speirs said, clearing a limb of a bush, which stood 5 feet high. “I told you my story, you tell me yours. Where are you from Daniel?”

[Daniel Brennan]

OOC: You should just keep it as Staff Sergeant. It makes no sense for my rank to change half way through a thread.

“You were right back there. Those two were rather smart in abandoning their platoon. However, in combat, they have to function as one, hence why I am being so gruff on them. I have been on the front line, as have you, and I have seen men die because they try to win the whole goddamn battle on their own.” Daniel smiled as the First Sergeant uttered an apology of sorts. Any man who was able to admit that he was wrong was a good man. Speirs muttered another few words, but Daniel didn’t hear him and he guessed that Speirs was just talking to himself. Speirs uttered a few more sentences, which Daniel chose not to answer and a few minutes later a smirk appeared on his face. Was he laughing at some inside joke in his memories? Or had it something to do with Daniel. Daniel hoped Speirs wasn’t making fun of him.

Daniel quickened his pace a bit to keep up with Speirs. Daniel really didn’t see why they needed to go quickly. It was just making him uncomfortably sweaty. Daniel supposed Speirs wanted to get to the recruits quickly so he could get straight to the punishment. Speirs really was a bit sadistic. ”England is nice when it’s as sunny as this” Daniel replied. ”But that is only on five days of the year and the rest of the time it’s pissing rain,” he said morosely. Daniel listened with mild interest as Speirs told of his history. It was remarkably similar to Daniels. ”Scotland, eh?” he said with a grin. ”So, do you go around wearing a skirt when you are at home” he said mockingly. ”You don’t have much of an accent, though.” he noted, with a smirk on his face.

Speirs peered through his binoculars at the tree line, but he apparently saw nothing of interest. ”They could have managed to get to Germany, for all we know” Daniel said wryly. ”But, I suppose we’ll have to just keep looking.” Speirs ran on ahead, but Daniel didn’t even bother to follow. he must really be looking forward to murdering those recruits… Daniel turned around to the two recruits in tow, who were looking exhausted. ”He never seems to run out of energy, does he?” Daniel sighed. The two warily nodded their heads; they weren’t used to being treated nicely by NCO’s. Daniel broke into a jog until he reached the trees and the two stumbled along noisily behind him.

The coolness of the forest was a welcome change from the open fields, where there was nothing to block the sun. Inside, it was… nice. It smelled nice, it looked nice and the sounds of the birds were nice. ”Well” Daniel began, in reply to Speirs’ question. ”It is similar to yours, actually. I was born in Ireland, but I moved to Boston at the age of twelve, just like you. It was a big change for my family, who had lived in Ireland for generations, but my parents got used to it after a few years. I got used to it much quicker, since I was so young. I lost most of my accent over the years, but you can still sometimes hear the old one coming out.” he smiled.

He gave a grunt of surprised as his foot kicked against something soft in the undergrowth. ”Wait, Speirs, stop!” he called out urgently. He bent down to see that the pudgy thing he had stepped on was an unconscious US soldier. ”Found one of ‘em” he yelled triumphantly. He grabbed at the mans canteen and tipped half of it over the mans face. You spluttered indignantly to life and sat up, rubbing his head. ”What the hell happened to you?” Daniel questioned sharply. “Uh… I dunno… I think… I think I ran into that branch there.” The Private said dopily. Daniel stared at him incredulously before turning away with a loud sigh. ”My god…” he whispered.

[rspeirs]

“Indeed, it is rather dreary most days in England” Speirs said, trying to lighten the mood between the two. Daniel seemed to take a liking to Speirs, but there was a hint of trepidation on his face over Speirs’ slight chuckle. Ron would have told him the story that he was laughing about, but at the time, this was no time to be laughing, especially when Captain Patterson could have their heads for losing these recruits, even if they did deserve to die a death in the wild. These men weren’t fit to be soldiers. Hell, they weren’t even fit to shine the boots of soldiers. They would probably screw that up too somehow, Speirs thought to himself.

Daniel then remarked about Scotland, and how he thought Speirs wore a kilt when he was back there. “Actually” Speirs smiled, “I have never worn a kilt. We Scots don’t always dress traditionally, you know. After all, I am standing right in front of you in army dress, not Scottish dress, aren’t I?” Speirs continued to wade through the dense thicket of brush. A small plant brushed up against him which irritated his arm. Speirs stopped for a second in an attempt to dull the irritant. He scratched his arm viciously, trying to quell the irritation, and he had some success, but not much. Speirs tried to remain calm though, and he looked back at Daniel, saying “Damn plants. It seems one is a tad poisonous. No matter, it won’t stop me. Hell, I was shot in my arm in France; a little plant won’t stop me.” He moved the branch of a tree out of the way and continued on further through the trees, still speaking of Scotland. Speirs’s pace quickened as he answered Daniel’s question about accents, saying, but a bit winded while doing so “No, I don’t have an accent. I left when I was twelve. I can’t remember much, just the extreme beauty of Scotland. I miss her.”

Speirs stopped for a second and looked back at Daniel, remembering the line the Staff Sergeant told Ron about the troops being in Germany, saying rather facetiously “For their sakes, I wish they were in Germany. I mean, Hitler would be more lenient on them then I will be. Once I get through with the bastards, I’m sending them to Patterson. Their ineptitude would cost us on the frontline, I know that much. They don’t deserve battle; not until they prove their worth.”

Daniel proceeded to talk then about his home, Ireland. It seemed Daniel didn’t miss Ireland as much as Speirs missed his native Scotland. Speirs had to admit, he had never been to Ireland, and never really intended to go, but Daniel’s story seemed to touch Speirs in a way that made him want to visit the small island off the British coast. Speirs smiled and looked back at Daniel, still walking as he did so, but slowing his pace, and saying, “Ireland seems like a fine place Sergeant. I wouldn’t mind going back there with you once all of this mess is over. God, I hate war, but I accept it for what it is-cruelty. Daniel, I may seem like a sadistic, cruel man in general, but I am not. War has made me to be this way. I have accepted my fate of being a warrior, and a warrior must not question his own train of thought or his actions. A warrior must act without compunction, without remorse. A warrior must be strong, not just physically, but mentally.” Speirs paused, and a sullenness overcame him. He looked down at the ground, and said apologetically “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to preach. I am rather vehement on that fact though. I tell my men my philosophy before every operation and battle, and hell, they hate me for it. I don’t really care though, whether they like me or hate me. They will respect me as a NCO though-that’s all I ask.”

Speirs then picked up his speed again, separating himself from Daniel in the process. From the back, he heard Daniel shout for Speirs to stop, and Speirs did. Ron stopped abruptly and turned around, walking back to Daniel, who was tending to one of their recruits. Daniel poured the canteen over the recruit, which seemed to bring him back to life. Daniel’s voice picked up in intensity as he questioned the recruit on what exactly happened. It turns out, the recruit smacked his head on a branch, which knocked him out cold. Daniel seemed incredulous as he muttered “my god…” Speirs too, was in shock at the ineptitude of the soldier. Speirs barked at the recruit, saying sharply “Get up!” The recruit struggled to get to his feet, and Speirs screamed again, saying sharply once more “I said get up God Damn it!” The recruit, frightened at this point, stood up right away. Speirs nodded at the soldier. He seemed to get up way to quickly to be concussed, which he had to be. If the soldier were to be knocked out by a branch, a concussion was the only logical reason as to how he passed out. Speirs decided to run a quick physical, saying to the recruit “Stand on one foot.” The recruit looked back, perplexed. Speirs reiterated, saying again, but with more intensity, “Stand on one foot.” The soldier did so without losing balance. “Good” Speirs muttered, now holding up two fingers, and asking “How many fingers am I holding up?” The soldier was unsure as to why Speirs was bombarding him with questions, but he answered anyways, saying “two, sir.” Speirs muttered again, saying “Good.” He then looked over to Daniel. “We don’t have a case of a knocked out soldier, Daniel, we have a case of a soldier falling asleep. You may wonder why I did that quick little Q and A with him, and the answer is quite simple-If he were concussed, he wouldn’t have been able to stand on one foot, and your vision would be blurred, hindering him from answering my second question.” Speirs then turned to the soldier, who by this time, was trembling with fear. The soldier tried to redeem himself, talking slowly and incoherently, “Si…Si…Sir, I…I…I” Speirs turned his head violently, scowling as he did so. “Cut the crap! You are fine, and you have just lied to a superior! I would beat some respect into you if you weren’t my responsibility. Instead, when we get back to HQ, you are going to push England to China, you understand!” The soldier still tried to pass himself off as being concussed, saying once more “Bu…Bu…Bu…Si…Si…Sir” Speirs scowled again, screaming into the soldier’s ear, saying “Don’t talk to me, private, I didn’t ask you a question! You better start sounding off to me short, sweet, and sharp, or I will make sure that all you see for the next week is the kitchen!” The soldier knew what Speirs meant, KP, the scourge of every soldier. The private, at this moment, realized that he was in a large hole, and straightened his body, and shouted “Sir, yes Sir!” Speirs nodded, staring at the soldier, “Good.” Speirs turned to Daniel once more, saying “Let’s move out, Staff Sergeant.”


Speirs came upon a small creek. He looked down at the cool running water, and, leaning down, Speirs proceeded to wash the sweat off his face. It was a cool day, but being that they were in a forest and weighed down by 20 or so pounds of gear, Speirs, Daniel, and the other men were sweating profusely. Speirs took the backpack off his back, and, setting it down on a rock, Speirs crouched down by the water. He looked back at Daniel, saying “Let’s rest for a bit, shall we? I’m beat.” Speirs pulled out his canteen, and, loosening the cap, he proceeded to place the opening up to his lips. Speirs took a small sip of water, which was enough to wet his pallet. He put the cap back on the canteen and placed it around him once more. Looking down though, Speirs noticed something. He saw a footprint. Speirs moved his hand downward and felt the ground. It was a wet, muddy print, which meant that it was fresh. Speirs grabbed his backpack, through it around his back, and moved through the creek. On the other side, he saw more prints, and he looked back at Daniel, saying proudly “I spotted prints. These green recruits aren’t far off afterall!” Speirs then headed into the luxuriant grass again, quickening his pace as he went along.

[Daniel Brennan]

OOC: I might as well finish this up. I should make a 3000 word post to milk this for all it’s got, but meh.

Daniel looked on with a baffled expression on his face as Speirs apparently asserted his authority for the hell of it, making the man perform all sorts of different circus tricks. They seemed like the kind of thing they did to each other while drunk, actually. Daniel doubted the young soldier was drunk, though. Speirs held up a couple of fingers and asked the befuzzled (Did I just make up a word? ) soldier how many he was holding up. He answered the question correctly, which seemed to make Speirs angry, for some reason. He looked over at Daniel and explained the situation to him. “We don’t have a case of a knocked out soldier, Daniel, we have a case of a soldier falling asleep. You may wonder why I did that quick little Q and A with him, and the answer is quite simple-If he were concussed, he wouldn’t have been able to stand on one foot, and your vision would be blurred, hindering him from answering my second question.”

Daniel’s face flushed red and he turned on the soldier who had tried to deceive him. It was quite obvious to the recruits that Daniel was the nice guy out of the two of them. Speirs was the one who roared at his team practically non-stop and gave strict punishments if any on them put so much as a foot out of line. Daniel was still strict, but he was nothing compared to the more senior Sergeant. If Daniel gave a soldier a verbal humiliation in front of his squad-mates for doing something wrong, Speirs would have the man down in the mud doing push ups for half an hour, while he roared insults at him. But Daniel was angered by the coward trying to take advantage of his good temperament. ”Get up and do what he fucking says!” Daniel roared at the quivering recruit, losing his temper.

Speirs proceeded to grill the young soldier – quite calmly compared to how he usually was. For a second Daniel was sure he would have to restrain the first Sergeant from shooting the rookie on the spot, but he was actually calm. Daniel was surprised at how easily he forgave him, whereas Daniel would be holding that grudge for a long, long time. As Speirs started to move onwards, Daniel pulled the nervous recruit aside. ”Don’t lie to me again.” He said simply, but with venom in his voice. He smirked to himself as he stumped away after the form of Barb in the distance. There was one Private who wouldn’t be stepping out of line for the rest of the training regime!

They came upon a small trickling stream and the 5 men set down to refill their canteens. Daniel splashed his face and neck with some of the cool water. It was hot .He hadn’t thought it got so hot over in England, where it rained 360 days of the year. He sat himself down on a small rock on the edge of the stream, delighted to be resting his legs. The rest of the troop was sprawled out on the riverbank, panting heavily. Everyone apart from Speirs, that is. The energetic Sergeant was peering carefully at something in the mud on the opposite riverbank. Daniel came over to see what was up and Speirs pointed excitedly at footprints leading off through the fields. Daniel grinned and turned around to the recruits. ”Get moving!” He said, and then had to jog to keep up at Speirs, who was like a hound on the scent of a fox.

They moved quickly through the waist-high grass until they came to the hedge at the other side. Daniel gave a shout ”Hello? Anyone of you out there?!”He shouted. His ears perked as he heard a faint reply to his call. He gave another shout and watched as a group of four recruits crested a nearby hill and came sprinting over to where the other group stood waiting for them. ”Oh my god!” Daniel groaned, for what seemed like the tenth time in the one day. ”It’s bad enough that most of you split up from each other because he couldn’t decide on a leader, but to actually join together with the other team!” It was true, the group of four was made up of recruits from both of the groups. They stood around and looked at the ground bashfully. ”This was supposed to be a exercise ” he sighed loudly, before turning to Speirs, who hadn’t said anything.

”We’ve been searching for an hour and we still only have seven out of twelve recruits.” he said, shaking his head. ”Some of these guys must be ten miles away by now and it will take a small group like us hours, possibly days to find them all. I don’t want to go back without every single one of them, but there really is nothing more we can do” He said exasperatedly. ”They are going to come across a road sometime. They will follow that until they reach a village and then they’ll find someone who will tell them where they are. They’ll probably be able to hitch a lift back to the base from there” He said, worriedly.

”If we explain nicely to Patterson he might let us off easily. But I think we are wasting our time out here. We’ve found everyone in the area and there is nothing else for us to do. I think we should just head back to the truck and go home. When the rest of them show up at base, we’ll give them hell and confiscate their passes for a couple of weeks.” Daniel looked hopefully at the First Sergeant. Although so far they had been doing everything together as a team together, it was Speirs who was the higher rank, and who had the final decision, if they couldn’t decide together.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

Moderation Post:

The following CP has been issued:

Brennan - 6CP

Speirs - 5CP (gonna miss that guy)

-JT