The Prizewinners: The Watchers
Cordane, Union of Great Eþursia
14 May 1935
"Weapons check?"
"Got it."
"Then we're set. Let's start moving. Lærum, Kalland, get on that machine gun."
The sound of infantry quickly moving to the machine gun was heard, their boots clacking on the wooden floor, "Yes, Sir!"
Infantry quickly walked outside of the barracks near the border outpost, it was quiet, only the occasional sound of artillery fire breaking through the silence.
The sound of an officer barking orders bursted through the early-spring air, "Breach 26 klicks South, trucks will take us majority of the way there."
Infantry quickly got into the trucks waiting for them; the Esthursian vehicle markers had been temporarily crossed out. As the last men got into the trucks with the Machine Guns they quickly started the bumpy ride to the incursion zone.
The truck was silent, very little conversation was made. They only looked at each other and their weapons. After a long and bumpy ride through a preset path in the wilderness, they heard knocking on their truck.
"Disembark!" The officer's voice said, breaking through the peaceful atmosphere of the forest.
The sounds of men hopping out of their trucks and onto the grass bellow soon followed; infantry put on helmets and field caps, and made the final checks on their weapons.
"The border is just up there, from there we will take positions on a small ridge until those Alarians attempt to get through. Forward operating team is already several spots up attempting to stall them for us."
All the men quickly began moving towards the designated area, crossing the border which had been established between Sorovia and Esthursia in 1907.
Lærum looked towards Kalland, who was carrying the machine gun with them towards the target, "Don't you think that this is us getting in the war? I thought we were a neutral place?"
Kalland looked up towards him and responded, "Well you've just got to deal with it, its not like those politicians in Weskerby know about how much we're doing, Eldegard might as well be shitting up his ass while we're crossing the border. Besides, national security, I don't trust those Alarian hogs."
"Hogs? What are we butchers?" Lærum chuckled, "Makes sense that we're bringing this girl cross the border then aye?"
Kalland nodded and they continued their walk towards the ridge.
"Right.. This is the spot. Get into positions!" The officers voice barked through the air.
Lærum and Kalland quickly got into a suitable spot for their machine gun, setting it up and preparing ammunition for it. And they waited. The small ridge overlooked a dirt road, one which was being extensively used by the Alarians.
"Enemy column moving North, our direction.. Infantry, two armored vehicles, and supply trucks... Too large of a force for the small forward operating contingent to engage, over." A radioman yelled towards the field officer, peering over the roadway from a quickly dug in position behind some rocks.
"Right.. This is why we came here to do." Lærum stared down the sights of the gun, preparing the petrol bombs next to him.
The sounds of vehicles moving and infantry were heard after several moments of waiting, Lærum intensified his grip on the side handles of the gun.
The engagement was commenced when several infantry were ordered to toss explosives ranging from grenades, petrol bombs, and explosive charges at the enemy who was now directly in front of them down on the road.
The armored vehicles in front were quickly disabled by the brute force of the initial wave of Cordanian assaults, Lærum began firing the machine gun at the now confused Alarian forces who were mixed between fighting back and running into the tree line. Majority of them would never be able to make it into the tree line.
"Fuck! Reload!" Lærum yelled.
"Relax I got it." Kalland said, as he was already reloading the gun.
Once the gun was reloaded Lærum once again began firing into the running Alarian troops. There he turned his gaze to the Alarian supply trucks who had gotten stuck due to the fighting. The sounds of glass of the windshields being broken through gunfire emanated from the trucks.
"Cease fire!" The officer yelled, all the guns quickly turning quiet, the smoke emanating from the barrels and the area having a very distinct smell of gunpowder. Lærum was quick to stop firing at the trucks; "Move up!"
Infantry moved forward onto the road, quickly securing the surrounding area and treeline of any remaining Alarians hiding in the woods.
Lærum and Kalland picked up the machine gun and moved forward, careful not to trip on the rocks until they reached the road.
"Did a number on this fella aye?" Lærum said, staring at the armored vehicle now in flames, the Esthursian button on his field cap illuminated by the flames "If anyone is still in there bet they're being cooked alive right now!" he chuckled to himself, before moving down the line.
Cordanian troops were already busy looking into the backs of the trucks, any survivors had been pushed onto the side of the road on the edge of the ridge. But all they found was lackluster, there was nothing of value in this convoy apart from ammunition, helmets, explosives, and rations. They were quick to stuff whatever they could into bags. Not wishing to have it known that they were directly Cordanian, the surrendered troops were quickly told to stand and from there were executed quickly by firing squad.
Kalland looked at the trucks as the shots from the execution echoed through the area. They had taken what they could, and began lighting petrol bombs into them and lighting them aflame, "We should start moving, they probably overheard all the explosions from this mess and send some people to come check it out."
"Way ahead of you." Lærum responded, quickly following Kalland as they carried the machine gun back into the woods.
The Prizewinners: The Rats
Cordane, Union of Great Eþursia
26 October 1935
Captain Edward Curnow leaned on the chair in the border post, his legs laid crossed on the table next to the radio which was playing some of the latest news out of Garston. "Eldegard silent on border reports" "Asmont address to Cordanian leaders dry" "Heavy rain floods houses in Southport." Newspapers and a cup of tea sat on the table, the tea gone long cold.
"Oi, Edward! We got a group coming up the hill!" A voice yelled from outside.
Edward yelled back, "Who? Refs? Grey coats? Cabbages?"
"Eh, looks like refs from the binocs. They don't look like greycoats." The voice yelled back to Edward, getting closer to the door of the station.
Edward slowly prepared himself and stood back up, fixing the field cap on his head. He walked towards the open door and walked outside, the sunlight illuminating the Esthursian cockade on the cap.
"Right.. let me get a look," Edward took the binoculars from Sergeant Oliver Furuseth. He raised them up to his eyes and took a good look through them down the road, "Oh yeah, that's them all right. Go call it in for me will you?"
Oliver quickly responded and quickly walked into the border station, chuckling to himself "Aye, aye Cap'n."
"Tell them to bring an extra few rounds!" Edward laughed, fixing his gaze on the people walking towards the post. He patted the pistol in his side holster, ensuring that it was still there incase things got messy.
The refugees got closer to the post, he could see them even clearer. There was no doubt in his mind that these were refugees trying to flee into Cordane from the oncoming Alliance offensive.
Edward yelled towards them as they got near the post, "You! halt!"
The group walking towards them stopped, quickly trying to show him their papers. Oliver walked out of the post, "Got them, they'll be here soon. Now what are these fellas doin all messy like this?"
Edward walked towards the group, and took one of their documents. They had Esthursian visas, "No passports?" Edward asked, to no response. "Hello? do you speak Atlish? Puhutko Osolatsii?"
The man in the group gave him a very messy reply in Sorovian, something which Edward wasn't even able to understand. "They don't speak Atlish. How'd they get visas?"
"Must be forgeries, yeah?" Oliver responded
"Maybe, maybe not. When are those greycoats getting here?" Edward looked down at the documents, reading the papers, they seemed legit for a moment.
Oliver pointed down the road, "They're just over there, they sent them rather quick yeah? Don't let the group find out too early."
The two Alliance troops walked to the post, much to the display which attempted to try and move out. Oliver quickly grabbed his rifle and pointed it at the group telling them to remain still.
"Afternoon, Lieutenant Curnow" one of them spoke in Atlish, "Looks like you got a good group here, aye?"
Edward chuckled, "Yeah, they just walked on up here. And I'll have you know its Captain Curnow from now on."
"Aye, aye, Sir." Second Lieutenant Silas Sørensen laughed, "Looks like they haven't locked you into a pretty desk job yet!"
"Beggars can't be choosers I suppose," Edward handed Silas the visas the refugees had given him and noticed the second soldier who had come with him, "Came with these.. Ah, new face. Who may you be?"
"Private August Sistonen! Sir!" August said, he could clearly be no older than 16. He held a lamb in his arms, the Greatcoat they had given him maybe being a size too big.
"Please, no need for the formalities. You're on the Cordanian border, not the Osøyrish Line" Edward chuckled, taking a good look at him, "Aren't you a little.. young for a soldier..?"
"Give him a break, I've had to watch him because Nurmela got sent back to a field hospital." Silas said, looking through the documents Edward gave him.
"Really?" Edward put an arm in his coat pocket, "You fellas steal that lamb?"
"Gave us a real run for our money!" Silas chuckled, "We splattered that Farmer's brains across the wall after he threatened us to get off his property. Sistonen took the lamb as a trophy, keep it at his family's farm for something."
August spoke in Sorovian to Silas, Edward watched as he was unable to actually understand the language. Sørensen looked back up to Edward, "He wants a souvenir, do you have buttons or something?"
Edward took a moment to think about what he was asked, "Yeah.. I got stuff. Actually, here." Edward took a pin off his field cap and gave it to August, "There, that should do it. You can get a photo or something... Oliver! get the camera!"
August grinned as he was given the pin, he stuffed it into the pocket of his coat and quickly walked to get a photo.
"Now, lets get into what I really came here to do.." Silas stuffed the documents into the pocket of his coat and walked towards the group, who were at this point trembling in fear, "Lets see what you have here..."
Silas motioned for Edward to follow him, he began going through the pockets of the refugees as Edward followed. They took wallets, valuables, money, and practically anything of value. Edward and Silas tossed all the valuables onto the ground, looking through what they could find, Edward quickly pocketed a watch as Silas continued digging.
"I think that's it," Silas said, pocketing jewelry and money into his coat.
Edward adjusted the field cap he was wearing while laughing "Tough luck, you got a new watch like me though."
"Lets get this over with.." Silas unslung his gun, "look at this fella, the boys in Lysekoster had their work cut out for them, aye?"
Edward looked at the gun Silas was showing him. It was surely something, he hadn't seen anything like it before a submachine gun with a drum mag. "Why don't you go show me an example? We have the targets set up already over here!" Edward laughed.
Silas chuckled, quickly aiming his barrel at the refugees who were stood on the corner. One of the men in the group quickly tried to make a run for it with a child, "We got a runner!"
Edward quickly pulled his pistol out of his holster and shot at the two, with two shots both were dead. Their bodies falling limp on the grass. "Oi! Oliver! Get a good look at this!"
Oliver quickly began walking towards them followed by August "Eh? Why did I miss?"
"Nothing much, just a runner," Edward pointed at the two bodies laying on the ground, "You're here just in time for Silas to show off his fancy new SMG"
Oliver quickly stood next to Edward, looking at the refugees cowering on the side of the road.
"Alright, lets finish this." Silas quickly fired the gun into the group, the bullets spraying into them, blood splattering all over the ground beneath them.
Edward and Oliver chuckled as they all walked towards the lifeless bodies now on the side of the road.
Edward looked up at Silas after looking down at the bodies, "You know we're gonna have to clean this mess up," he grinned.
"Not my problem, look, there's a river just over there. You can dump them in there, it doesn't flow across the border so the bodies wont end up in one of your farms, aye?"
Edward put his hands in his coat pocket, "Well, its better than dumping them in a ditch in the woods."
