Vali could not stop smiling. This was finally it. After nearly four months of arduous training and MPT school he had finally been assigned his post. He stood outside the gate to the complex. Looking up he read the bold lettering on the sign above. Ceskile Border Crossing 17. He could barely believe it. When his friends all told him they were signing up he didn’t think he had it in himself to follow. He hadn’t been overly excited when he had received his orders and posting, but now that he was here it was different. Finally out on his own! he thought.
He strode across the main walkway and up the stairs to the front door. With orders and rifle in hand he slammed through the front door ready to face his future. Guarding the safety of Yalkan. Being a howling wolf like the rest of his battalion! Instead, he was greeted by an awkward silence and a woman in uniform sitting at a desk in the middle of the lobby. She was staring at him with surprise.
“Can I help you?” she asked rather confused.
Vali proudly walked towards the desk and handed her his orders. He tried standing as stoically as possible. The thought of him looking like a royal guard kept crossing his mind. It was hard for him to not smile.
She took the sheet of paper and began to read with what could only be described as contained disdain as far as Vali could tell. His smile shrank.
“Menig Vali Alme. So you must be our new guy. You’re reporting to Løytant Odland. He should be in his office down the hall or at the motor pool,“ she said as she handed the orders back.
He took them and gave a quick thanks as he hurried off. He could’ve sworn he heard laughter behind him as he turned to corner.
Harold stared at the sign above the garage that said ‘Motor Pool 1’. His eyes fell then onto the three vehicles occupying the garage. He merely frowned at the irony of each word he had read. The ‘motors’ in the armored response vehicles barely functioned. Calling three of them an actual pool was generous. And there was only one garage anyways. His eyes then fell further to the short burly man standing in front of him listing off the long list of parts that were missing and needed to make them function. As if he had not heard the same list before. He tried to think back to the last time they were actually used. His brain failed to produce anything much to his annoyance. He frowned harder as he rubbed his chin.
He cut the man off, “Sergeant your concern over the combat readiness of our vehicles is noted...again. I’ve already put forth a request again. Until I get a response, work with what you got. With all that said, we still have the jeeps. So please. Relax.”
Harold watched the man grumble and storm off into the back of the garage. He knew he would be having the same conversation in a week. Just like he did last week. He almost missed being shot at in comparison. Almost. He sighed as he contemplated opening his special thermos that he kept in his desk. He thought better of it. He turned to head back to the office. As he rounded the corner he bumped into something that made rather loud ‘oof’ sound followed by more groaning. Again slowly his eyes fell upon a small man on his rear on the ground. The little man stared up at him with a look something between embarrassment and fear.
Before Harold could even mutter an apology, the little man had rocketed to a ramrod straight stance with a salute. Oh no Harold thought, please no. The little man proceeded to scream his name as loud as possible and that he was reporting for duty. Harold could feel the spit hitting his face. He frowned more. He was definitely going to drink from the thermos.
He strode across the main walkway and up the stairs to the front door. With orders and rifle in hand he slammed through the front door ready to face his future. Guarding the safety of Yalkan. Being a howling wolf like the rest of his battalion! Instead, he was greeted by an awkward silence and a woman in uniform sitting at a desk in the middle of the lobby. She was staring at him with surprise.
“Can I help you?” she asked rather confused.
Vali proudly walked towards the desk and handed her his orders. He tried standing as stoically as possible. The thought of him looking like a royal guard kept crossing his mind. It was hard for him to not smile.
She took the sheet of paper and began to read with what could only be described as contained disdain as far as Vali could tell. His smile shrank.
“Menig Vali Alme. So you must be our new guy. You’re reporting to Løytant Odland. He should be in his office down the hall or at the motor pool,“ she said as she handed the orders back.
He took them and gave a quick thanks as he hurried off. He could’ve sworn he heard laughter behind him as he turned to corner.
Harold stared at the sign above the garage that said ‘Motor Pool 1’. His eyes fell then onto the three vehicles occupying the garage. He merely frowned at the irony of each word he had read. The ‘motors’ in the armored response vehicles barely functioned. Calling three of them an actual pool was generous. And there was only one garage anyways. His eyes then fell further to the short burly man standing in front of him listing off the long list of parts that were missing and needed to make them function. As if he had not heard the same list before. He tried to think back to the last time they were actually used. His brain failed to produce anything much to his annoyance. He frowned harder as he rubbed his chin.
He cut the man off, “Sergeant your concern over the combat readiness of our vehicles is noted...again. I’ve already put forth a request again. Until I get a response, work with what you got. With all that said, we still have the jeeps. So please. Relax.”
Harold watched the man grumble and storm off into the back of the garage. He knew he would be having the same conversation in a week. Just like he did last week. He almost missed being shot at in comparison. Almost. He sighed as he contemplated opening his special thermos that he kept in his desk. He thought better of it. He turned to head back to the office. As he rounded the corner he bumped into something that made rather loud ‘oof’ sound followed by more groaning. Again slowly his eyes fell upon a small man on his rear on the ground. The little man stared up at him with a look something between embarrassment and fear.
Before Harold could even mutter an apology, the little man had rocketed to a ramrod straight stance with a salute. Oh no Harold thought, please no. The little man proceeded to scream his name as loud as possible and that he was reporting for duty. Harold could feel the spit hitting his face. He frowned more. He was definitely going to drink from the thermos.
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