True Brothers in Arms [Liam]

[Tyler D. Brentwood]

Country: England
Current Time: 10:30
Weather Conditions: Spring Day full of sunshine and clouds.

The Staff Sergeant sat in the back of the lorry with a bunch of random strangers who were also on their way to the 7AD Headquarters in England. He felt as if he were fresh out of training as the lorry traversed the rough English road, bouncing the passengers up in down uncomfortably at each bump. He was silent as he hunched over his seat, resting his elbows on his thighs with his chin firm in his palms. His dog tags had slipped out from the closed collar of his dark, khaki battle dress. He was completely unaware that the lorry was inching towards the divisional HQ of his very own brother... Liam. For once in his life, Tyler felt... eerily alone. Surrounded by strangers, he had realized to the full extent he missed whom he considered his only family... his dearest brother. He pondered whether or not he would ever see Liam again, should one die in a final declaration of glory in the battlefield.

He straightened his spine out as he raised from his position, before he reclined backwards against the wooden barrier between his back and air. The normal protective covering that would conceal the British soldiers inside the truck's rear had been removed due to the marvelous weather conditions. A few RAF planes flew overheard in a training session as Tyler took in a fresh breath of air. He was anxious to serve justice, just as he and his brother once had done together. He realized he may have been a bit young and foolish at the time, but even though the two were sometimes brash... their intentions were just. To this day, Tyler rationalized his actions as the right thing to do even though others might disagree strongly. He chuckled at the prospect of one of this teachers calling him a jackal for his behavior with his older brother. Was it pure coincidence he would be shipping off to the African desert, where Jackals were once worshiped. At least by the Egyptians, from what Tyler could recollect of his History lessons.

Up ahead, the military base came into view and their was obvious reactions in the faces of the other men. Some were taken back now fully realizing what they had gotten themselves into, some shined with a sense of patriotism, while others couldn't be arsed to care. As the lorry pulled into the barracks area to drop off its load of fresh recruits, Tyler pulled himself up with the bar that connected to the other side of the truck. Normally, it would help support the fabric that protected the soldiers from the climate or hid them away from view. "Alright, lads. It was nice meeting ya, now bugger off," he shouted, with a thrust of his rifle towards the back of the truck. He was known to be quite the joker, though his jokes were also known to be sick and twisted.

The men unloaded from the truck at a painfully slow pace, receiving an odd prod here and there from their Staff Sergeant as a sign for them to get their asses into gear. They were in the military now and should be ready to kill, fight, and die. That all came to Tyler naturally, he wouldn't give the slightest wince to a bullet in his heart. His father brought him up one tough bastard, just like his older brother. That was all he could really thank his father for. That and the perspective he had given him on life, one that seemed to be over the heads of others. The people who thought he was vile or vicious when he was dealing his type of "justice". He would spit in such cowards faces. He carried his father's name with him, something that would haunt him for all of his life and perhaps even all of eternity.

At last, Tyler leapt out from the back of the lorry, with his Lee Enfield in one hand and his helmet in the other. Pulling his MK II helmet over his head made him quite the sight. His black boots were covered with a new coat of dirt, as was most of his uniform, even though it only blended in with the color. He despised the officers who wore immaculate uniforms, they were the ones who were almost always the worst leaders. They rode on their father's success and were only an officer, because their father made them so. They didn't fight for their country, but so they may look good in the eyes of others. They would get men killed in the process, men Tyler was prepared to keep alive. Glancing upwards, he made out a familiar face. One he was shocked to see again.

[♔ Liam J. Brentwood]

Captain Brentwood briskly walked down the enclosed corridor, the chafing noise of his trouser-legs turning a few heads, as the officer hurried along, accompanied with two Sergeants who closely followed behind. By now, Captain Brentwood’s reputation had peaked an all time high within the district of the headquarters recently, but ironically, the rumours and reputation the Captain was foiling for himself was a decent one. He was reputable for his short temper, but gaining the respect of his men and those around him, since leading a successful defence and counter attack within Tobruk had earned him a few brownie-points with the senior officers and subordinates alike; If only they knew his deepest darkest secrets.

Forcing his palm against the wooden door, Captain Brentwood clapped his feet against the few steps leading out into the small courtyard, with a heavier patter of feet following soon after as Sergeant White and Sergeant Riley pursued quickly. There wasn’t a moment to waste within Captain Brentwood’s mind and his two close knitted companions felt the same, they knew how important Liam’s brother was to him, heck, any of their brothers were important to them! So knowing a loved one was on their way, haven received short notice about the recipient, was quite the surprise to have said the least.. If only he had time for a more appropriate welcoming.

Squinting against the sun, Captain Brentwood lowered the visor to his officer’s cap somewhat, before ruffling open the few top buttons upon his karki dress-tunic, not exactly wanting to get too warm now, by hanging about in the blistering warm sun. Thankfully, most of the senior officers never noticed Captain Brentwood’s slackened posture or how loosely he wore his uniform on hot days, heck! He’d even gotten away with leading a parade without having polished his shoes, tightened his belt or washed his underlying shirt - Perhaps it was a lack of discipline on Captain Brentwood’s behalf or perhaps Captain Brentwood had too much discipline within his lifetime already? The firm hand of his father was enough to remind him that he never liked being spoken down too, ever again. Liam had taken a lot beatings for Tyler when they were young, he even had a few odd scars on his body where their father had throttled him with a handful of studded rings on his fingers; Who would have thought a wedding band would even hurt someone? Liam recalls the time the smooth gold surface knocked one of his first teeth out, the unthinkable noise of something solid connecting through a thin wall of flesh could ever cause a tremendous ‘clang’, as if two pieces of solid metal were tapping together vigorously. The memory was horrendous.

Pushing the thoughts of his childhood aside, Captain Brentwood took comfort in knowing his young brother had made it without him. Liam couldn’t stay any longer, not just that, but his mother was fearful he’d kill their father - Liam had grown up fast and the physical torment slowly faded out as the years went by, with every growing inch Liam made. He couldn’t blame their mother for packing him off, she loved the buffoon too much, more then himself and Tyler? Most probably.

Then the view of a convoy caught the officer’s eyes within the short distance, right on time, he hadn’t missed his brother’s arrival, thank god! Captain Brentwood flagged his two Sergeants to follow, as he hastily walked along the courtyard to the main entrance, coming to a stop roughly where the trucks would off-load. As the vehicles veered into the barracks and parked alongside the ‘loading bay’, Captain Brentwood grinned, standing silently, shoulder to shoulder with two of his close friends and Sergeants in arms, either side of his body. The three men looked incredibly intimidating at first glance, most of the soldiers off-loading began to form a line before the officer and two Sergeants, thinking they were reporting directly too him? Captain Brentwood merely ignored their salutes and stiff postures, lisping his eyes over the many heads that disembarked from the trucks, before finally… “Tyler… Tyler!” The Captain yelled, seeming affirmative and hard with his tone one moment, but emotionally happy the next.

Pushing from off the balls to his heels, Captain Brentwood parted his way through a small crowd of men and approached the unsuspecting man boldly; Before his younger brother could even say anything, Captain Brentwood dragged him into a hug and tightened his arms around him. “Crikey, you’ve grown some!” he laughed out against Tyler’s shoulder, before loosening his grip and stepping back to look at his younger brother, taking his peaked officer’s cap off to look at his brother more vividly in the open. “You silly bastard, what you doing joining the army!?” he soon caringly questioned, knowing it was a dangerous place to be during a war such as this. “You could have joined the Navy at least!” he once again, for the second time ever, displayed his caring side openly; Then, Liam noticed his brother’s chevrons and crown. “Staff Sergeant eh?” he teased, pulling at his brother’s insignia with a wide grin, just seeming extremely happy to finally see him again.

[Tyler D. Brentwood]

It was one of the nurses Tyler had had the pleasure of...getting acquainted with during his official last day of freedom. She giggled at him before rushing off with a group of friends. Apparently, he would be seeing a lot of her around. He grimaced at the mistake he had made the prior night and felt a little ashamed of himself. But he couldn't hold back being a little proud, seeing as she was quite the knock-out. That was enough surprises for the brand new Staff Sergeant, who noticed he was a little behind. He was the last one to pile out of the crowded truck, just one of several in the convoy. When he saw the rest of the boys rushing forward to get in line for inspection, he mumbled a few decorative cuss words before rushing into line.

As his name echoed throughout the courtyard, Tyler was surprised to be called out by his superior... by his first name? Was this some sort of roll call? Than why wasn't the Captain calling him by his rank and last name, like it should properly be done? He brushed some of the brown locks of hair from his eyes, effectively pushing the MK II up off his forehead. He discovered Liam was already closing the distance between the two and before Tyler could even react, he was being scooped up into his brother's arms. Letting go of his grip on the olive military bag, he chuckled and wrapped his arms around his older brother. This definitely was going to be a day chock full of surprise. His own brother was going to be his commanding officer?

"Bloody hell, Liam. We haven't seen each other since we were kids. Of course I've grown!" the two men laughed, before Liam released his fierce hug and took a step back to get a better look at his brother. They hadn't since each other and Tyler had grown exponentially. His shoulder's were broadly, his face more manly with a beard developing, and his tone more muscled. He grinned at his brother's late attempts to sway him into joining the navy. That would have been typical Tyler, hiding from the fight so he didn't get beat. But he had grown quite a bit since he had last lain eyes upon his brother. "You joined the army. Even the bloody old man joined the army. I figured it must be a family tradition or something. They knew I was getting these chevrons from day one," he said with a grin and flash of the chevrons that identified him as a Staff Sergeant.

It was his turn to take a step back and get a better look at Liam. He had changed quite a lot since he had left home for the army. He studied his brother quickly, becoming fully aware of his rank. His older brother had become a Captain! A Captain! The rest of the new recruits uncomfortably stood at attention, a bit shocked at the show of emotion between two brothers. Two Sergeants stood behind Liam, like he was their master or something. He didn't take much notice of their discipline though, shrugging it off as being devoted their commanding officer. "Do they let just anyone become Captains around here?" Tyler grinned as he looked his brother up and down.

[♔ Liam J. Brentwood]

Liam’s eyes wandered over his younger brother’s face, noticing all the enhanced complexities his brother had formed over the past few years; A stubble of a beard growing through, his hair was much thicker, even his face had aged into a masculine young man, opposed to the boyish looks he once had. So Tyler had certainly grown up fast, he even stood as tall as himself nearly!? The boy had sprouted like a wild onion. Tyler joked about not seeing one another since they were kids and how he was going to grow whatever the case may be, but Captain Brentwood’s smile weakened at the daunting guilt that draped above his head; He hadn’t seen his younger brother in years, he only hoped Tyler understood why he couldn’t return home, why he was forced to leave by their mother. No, perhaps that would stay a secret, his younger brother had enough hate for their father, he didn’t wish to paint their mother with a bad name.

Tyler was good at striking a nerve, as Captain Brentwood pulled a fastened look at his comment about their father being in the military, how it was tradition to follow his footsteps? “Don’t be daft! I wouldn’t follow that old bugger’s footsteps if it led me to a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!” Liam joked back, hoping his brother didn’t see themselves as following this uncanny tradition their father had started - joining the army? It was bad enough Tyler had followed his footsteps for the many years they were children, but then again, Liam wouldn’t want him anywhere else. “Well I’m proud of you Ty’” Liam expressed, patting his brother on the arm where his chevrons were neatly stitched in, knowing his brother had only have learned from the best. Right?

Then Tyler took a step back and looked at Liam, only having realised his stature as being Captain and perhaps more so, his commanding officer. Maybe it was a fluke or mishap that Tyler was sent to his regiment, but Liam tried not to express his worry, knowing if High-Command found out, he could possibly be removed from under Liam’s wing. He’d seen a few cases in the past, where a couple of brotherly lieutenants waltzed into a regiment together, but their arguments and competitive nature consequently risked the lives of the men beneath their command; So Liam concealed his worries, hoping his brother wouldn’t be snatched from his grasp too soon, if ever, should they find out Captain Brentwood’s new Senior Sergeant was his own brother. It was instinct to look out for your loved ones and Liam knew damn well that he would risk his own life, as to Tyler’s, which in turn could cause complications, if a commanding officer is ready to lay his life down for a Senior Sergeant…

Pushing his worries aside, Captain Brentwood grinned at Tyler’s jovial remark about having the rank of Captain handed out to anyone. “You cheeky little git, I earned these pips” Liam responded, pointing them out upon his left shoulder to wink, before noticing the two Sergeants lingering close by, having forgotten them in the moment. “Oh Ty’ - Meet Sergeant Riley and Sergeant White” he introduced, stepping aside to stand beside his brother, allowing the two Sergeants to eerily step forwards, putting their hands out for a shake in session of one another. “Alright lad, heard a-lot about ya’”[/I] Sergeant Riley grinned, as Sergeant White merely laughed a little, nodding afterwards to say; “You ‘narf look like your brother Sergeant”[/i], which was complimentary, from the both Sergeants in fact. The entire formal atmosphere had depleted completely, as the four men seemed like mates, rather then a commanding officer and three subordinate Sergeants.

Once the two Sergeants made their acquaintances, they stepped back a little and straightened up, watching Staff Sergeant Brentwood quietly, before glancing to Captain Brentwood as he said something. “You’ll be getting to know them a lot better Tyler” Liam said with a paused grin on his face, placing his hand upon his brother’s back to ease a gentle push forwards. “Come - Let’s go get you sorted out, shall we?” Liam said without expecting an answer, knowing his brother deserved to be treated well here; Sergeant Riley grabbing at Staff Sergeant Brentwood’s rifle in the process to take from out of his hands, merely saying - “That’s no Sergeant’s weapon”[/b], a small laugh erupting from his throat afterwards as he threw it over his shoulder to carry for the Staff Sergeant.

OOC: If you like, you can say the three approached/entered the armoury, if you wanted to mod their walk or whatever. Sorry if my post is a bit confusing or anything, got bit of a headache.

[Tyler D. Brentwood]

Tyler swelled with pride as his brother tapped the chevrons displayed on his upper arm, obviously proud of his younger brother. He had ignored his brother's corrections about how he hadn't follow his father into military service, still fully believing it had somehow ended up as a tradition within the family. He wouldn't doubt having a song who served in the military in the distant future, but he was definitely sure he hadn't follow his father into armed service. However, the fact that their father had served couldn't be ignored. Neither could the fact that their father had been a decorated leader and was probably a better man during the war. That was the only slim percent of love Tyler could feel for his father, the possibility that he had been a better father. Still, that didn't excuse how poorly he had treated his children. Nothing in the world would ever change that.

Briefly zoning out, he tuned back in to hear his brother's words about earning his rank. Tyler wondered if he would ever hold such a respectable rank in the future and what he had to do to achieve it. Liam must have been doing something right in the military to be Tyler's superior. At last, Liam realized the two deathly silent Sergeants were still hovering behind him. He must have got caught up in the moment as well. Trying to be briefly formal for the time being, Tyler took both their hands one by one and gave a good firm shake. He let out a vibe of dominance in most first impressions, but felt that had been significantly lacking toward anyone who had witnessed the courtyard commotion. The two Sergeants gave off a friendly impression, but also one with a certain mystery behind it. He wondered about the trio that stood before him, his brothers words about getting to know him only amplifying it. His brain rationalized it as Liam wanting Tyler to get to know some of his fellow NCOs a bit better, but he felt as if there was something more to it.

Liam was by his side easing him forward towards the armory. Tyler nodded at the question with a grain and scooped his bag up off from the ground and over his shoulder. He had piled most of his necessities into the bag, which wasn't much. His father didn't believe in wasting money on his children, so Tyler lacked a few items. He adjusted what he was carrying for a more comfortable position, only to find one of the Sergeants stealing his Lee Enfield away from him. Apparently, he was going to be getting a better weapon. He was relieved he wasn't going to be using the rifle, which he hadn't taking a liking too. He wasn't a rifleman at the slightest, but loved to have a quick, deadly SMG in his hands. The Sten was a good choice, but it's obvious flaws ruined its reputation. With the proper care and cleaning, however, Tyler could use it as an effective weapon in close-range combat.

The small group made it's way across the courtyard, leaving the rest of the newcomers in their dust. Some of their shock was obvious, but they were led away by some Senior NCOs. Apparently, Tyler would be getting the special treatment for his relationship with his bigger brother. That was fine with him, he'd trust his brother a little more than the other fresh recruits in combat. Hell, glancing over at Liam, he knew he would die for the man if it ever came down to that. But for some reason, Tyler felt like it would be Liam the one dying for him. He was always protective over his younger brother, even now when he had grown up into a strapping, young man.

The blistering hot sun boiled the young Staff Sergeant. Sweat trickled down his tanned face as it dropped off the bangs of his hair that managed to stick out from under his helmet. Having ridden in the open truck for miles, the sun had taken it's toll on him. Being in his life's prime, he felt grand as he strut over to the armoury with his brother at his side. "So, how's the army, Liam? " Tyler shot his brother a glance. Neither one of them had ever even had the slightest thought of joining the King's army when they were kids. Tyler couldn't even recall playing a single war game with the neighbors when they were little in London. Perhaps, it had been the fact that their father had once been a soldier. Or maybe, they never even considered themselves as being able to get out of their father's grasp. But now, they stood beside each other brothers in arms.

[♔ Liam J. Brentwood]

Liam watched his younger brother acquaint with his two devious Sergeants and loyal friends, Sergeant Riley and Sergeant White were jovial men and laid back at the best of times, but they were also cunning and loyal to the bone. They didn’t see Liam as ‘Captain Brentwood’, where the formal dictatorship of a commander would shine through, no, they knew him a lot more personally and shared a lot in common with Liam; They respected Liam’s rank as Captain and would never dishonour the title or reputation of their friend and commanding officer on the courtyard or even in battle, but the three men were ‘clicky’ and their roots ran a lot deeper into the Earth. It was rare for a officer to have such great bonds with their subordinates, but strangely, it was almost like Liam had a formidable bond with the two men. Friendship, yes. Respect? Too deep. The two men’s demeanours around the Captain almost seemed protective, too protective…

Dropping his hand from his younger brother’s back, Liam strode alongside his brother and noticed Sergeant Riley taking the rifle from out of his brother’s hands, adequately insinuating about the weapon not being of a Sergeant’s standard. Liam could only grin to himself, looking up front to look upon their walk of direction towards the armoury in the short distance, a stone’s throw across the barracks and yard. The four of them seemed quite intimidating as they waltzed along the concrete and tarmac of the barracks, three Sergeants and a commanding officer somewhat bunched together, travelling in a tight-knit pack. Captain Brentwood, along with Sergeant Riley and White already had a formidable reputation amongst the men, rumours spreading about their ‘demise’ and ‘sadistic’ ways, which earned them a fearful reputation, but intimidation was never a bad attribute to carry, but rather the opposite.

Sergeant Riley and Sergeant White began to talk to one another, lingering close behind Captain Brentwood and Staff Sergeant Brentwood leading the way. A few eyes wandering into their direction as they prowled across the courtyard, approaching the armoury, but then Tyler asked a question and Captain Brentwood smirked, nodding in the process of thinking about an answer to the question. “I’ve had my moments…” Liam responded, looking to his brother quietly, before saying something else. “I thought the Military served justice, oh how I was bloody wrong” he muttered out, more of a rant to himself than speaking to his brother, but then they reached the armoury and two heavy-doors laid before them with a picket of two guards standing outside and a close lingering presence of the Military Police nearby.

The guards at the doors straightened up and saluted, one of the hesitant on asking for identification and a valid reason on why the group are entering the armoury, but decided not too, as Captain Brentwood nodded and gave a firm stare to push his way in through the door. Inside, a desk laid before them in a small corridor, with a single man sitting crookedly behind it, reading over a newspaper. Immediately, the young man stood from his seat at the presence of an officer entering the room, but what really made him sprout up, was the presence of what first seemed to be several officers entering the armoury, but soon turned out to be NCOs on closer inspection. “Sir!” he saluted, standing behind his desk to await further instructions on the group’s presence. “Afternoon; We’re here to take a browse - so don’t mind us” Captain Brentwood smirked, glancing around the open hall/corridor to look for the armoury’s entrance, which quite nicely happened to be a door to their right nearby, with a plaque distinguishing a clear: ‘Firearms Storage’.

Leading the way, Captain Brentwood paced off towards the door, with the desk jockey stammering out a “B-B-But Sir, you’ve got to sign --”[/I], but Sergeant White leant over the desk and pushed the young man back into his seat, pointing a finger at him that silently suggested - Be quiet. His hands soon slamming closed the sign-in book on the desk, winking at the young man shortly after to catch up with the group, who’d by now, were pushing their way into a large room, scaled to the rooftop with shelving holding a whole manner of weaponry. Rifles in their dozens, machine-guns, assault rifles… You name it, they were tagged and hung on the walls, the middle of room littered with heavy machine-guns however, stacked along in a neat line that separated the large room into two halves.

“Make your pick…” Liam merely said, smiling to his brother, whilst Sergeant Riley threw the lee-enfield his brother had, onto a pile of weaponry just beside of the door. Sergeant White grinning as he wandered along the wall, softly touching the weaponry, wondering if he could possibly take something…

[Tyler D. Brentwood]

As the small group of four made their way across the courtyard, Liam's words fell upon deaf ears. He just nodded at Liam's words, which were directed at himself, instead of keeping the conversation going. It had been a long journey in the the truck and the blistering heat of the sun wasn't doing much for Tyler. The itchy British uniform was cheap to produce, but by far the ugliest uniform of any of the other nations serving in the war. Damn Parliament. The government always seemed to get in the way of everything. Tyler didn't linger on the thought for long, before he caught up with is fast-walking brother and came upon the entrance to the armory. Two guards stood up front with several more MPs wandering around to keep watch. The Military Police. It was such a funny prospect to Tyler. Putting police in the military.

The guards at the door straightened quickly at the appearance of Captain Brentwood and allowed him entrance without a single question. Once they were inside, they took only a few steps before man sprang up from behind a desk with a salute. Brentwood quickly dismissed the proper procedure and began to lead the group over to a door that read 'Firearms and Storage'. A nervous call came out from behind the group, as the man behind the desk stammered out an objection. Without turning around, Liam carried on as one of his Sergeants knocked the man back down on his ass and silently told him to be quiet. Tyler smirked at the special treatment he was receiving when they came upon an enormous room, stacked to the brim with all types of weaponry.

As Tyler stepped inside the room, he heard his brother's voice from behind. Looking over his shoulder with a wide grin he called back, "Bloody hell, its as if we are in Ole Donnigan's Candy Shop again!" Mention of the old candy shop in their old neighborhood didn't bring back the fondest of memories, as they were always short on change and could never afford anything. But they had always seemed to find their way over to the candy shop after school just to browse for hours and avoid going home to their 'family'. Now however, the two stood in the presence of almost every weapon imaginable. The entire British arsenal was at Tyler's fingertips as he made his way through the room.

Coming upon a collection of Sub-machine guns, Tyler pulled a Sten SMG off the rack. Turning it over in his hands, his eyes scanned the weaponry. It looked like a cheap copy of the MP40 that could be mass distributed to the British army. Again, the British government loved to make everything cheap. Tyler rolled his eyes and set the weapon back with the rest of the Stens. It could be deadly up close, but it was too prone to jams or inaccuracies. Tyler knew the Germans made better weapons. Their MP40s beat out Thompson and Sten. Their heavy machine guns performed better than the British and American counterparts. Hell, even their tanks were better. The Germans had better engineering for the most part.

Tyler's eyes set upon a new weapon of choice. Quickly, he made his way across the room to the collection of Light Machine Guns. His hands reached forward to pull a Bren LMG off the rack and into his arms. Weighing in at about 10 kg, the Bren was a hefty weapon. But it was versatile too and reliable. For once, the British got it right. Lifting the Bren up to his shoulder, Tyler studied it carefully before making the decision he knew was already final. "How about this one, brother?" He called out before heaving the beast of a weapon towards the front of the firearms room. It was heavy, but deadly in the right arms. Staff Sergeant Brentwood had the right arms.

[Daniel Brennan]

Mod Post

Such brotherly love...

CP:
Captain Brentwood: 10CP

Staff Sergeant Brentwood: 9CP


~Dan