4th Platoon

The sun sits on top of us but the heat of the afternoon is no more intense than that of the morning. The battlefield lights up appropriately bright, handing it the chance to express its gloomy atmosphere. This is just the plain old battlefield all of us find normality in, or even will find a habit in. Yes, everything is as it should be.

I return with the lieutenant after my report since he insists on seeing us off. I hope everyone has packed up orderly and is on standby. As the idea of being an inadequate sergeant permeates my mind, Lieutenant Meyers breaks the ice, "Nervous much? And do you mind me asking where in the Isles you're from?"

I break away from my senseless concerns and find myself pushing my thumb against my teeth.

"Oh. Right. Umm. I'm from across the Leifsaegier Expanses, the Commonwealths of Alba and Loegria. There, we lovingly call her Calleria, or even shorter, Calli. Yourself, lieutenant?" I answer him proudly with an underlying feeling of nostalgia.

"The Commonwealth, eh? I'll definitely refer to it as Calli from now on." He comments with a chuckle, "I'm from the Helvetian Confederation. We don't really have an single epithet for Helvetia similar to Calli, since we're a consolidated country, right? A state comprised of other smaller states. So we have quite a few nicknames. Kanton der Tiefwalden, the state I'm from, refers to Helvetia as 'die Staatsvolk.' The Western-most state 'La Patrie,' so on and so forth. You get the idea."

"Corresponds to the closest neighbouring country, I suppose."

"Yep, that's correct."

The occasional members from the 1st roam the trenches and we would exchange salutes. They're probably waiting on Lieutenant Meyers as well, so I should keep the send-off as quick as possible.

----

We arrive at the 2nd. Just by eyeing the group, I think almost everyone has gathered around, thankfully. The lieutenant draws their attention and performs the roll call announcing rank and name, responded with a "here." 42 out of 48 names down and a hole occurs. I can only imagine who that might be. Sammy didn't respond to the call. Lieutenant Meyers looks over to me and signalled a nod, I respond similarly. Off I go to find Sammy.

Sammy is one troublesome corporal. I'm surprised she even received the promotion in the first place. Her actions in battle must be exemplary for any command to look over her tardiness. It's not as if I'm doubting her abilities to accomplish what is asked of her, it's just that if she's a little more disciplined, she would be such a star.

I briskly search around the trenches, she shouldn't be far off. Even though she may be carefree, I can sense she has a feeling of responsibility, whatever that may be to her. Not too long after, I luckily found her a small distance away from the 2nd's cluster, regardless, no one would think of finding anyone here. She is sat against the revetment staring blankly at the opposite side of the wall, same goes for her rifle which has a full clip just hanging in the chamber with the bolt fully pulled back. Her uniform is still tidily worn, so I suppose she doesn't actively try to dress indolently. She lays her backpack on her lap, using it to support her chin.

I walk towards her and probe, "Sammy, the lieutenant has started the roll calls, you know?"

She slowly turns her head to look at me and finally catches on.

"Ohhhh... What can I do for you, Sergeant Val?"

"A cute nickname won't bribe me," I say that with my hand slightly covering my mouth, "So stand up now."

"Eh... Why...? What's now?" She ignorantly replies, but giggles at my attempt to shield my embarrassed expression.

I returned only with a quiet sigh, "We're about to commence our operation, the one we discussed with the lieutenant, or even during the briefing? He's with the 2nd right now to do a roll call, but he should be done by now. He's probably wai-"

She promptly stood to attention, dusting herself lightly. Then, she hastily grabs her rifle, pushes the hanging clip in, and cocks the bolt forwards. In quick succession, she seizes my hand and we both run, although I'm basically dragged, towards the meeting. That is a massive change in personality. I'm curious to see how she is in the midst of battle. This, and hopefully later seeing her lead a section, justifies my decision of assigning her as the 2nd's second-in-command.

----

Reaching the meeting, Sammy spares no time to rest and immediately calls for the attention of Lieutenant Meyers. She guides me back to the lieutenant's side as I pant my lungs away, supporting myself by gripping my knees. I redraw by breath and stand to attention. Sammy stands in front of the lieutenant and salutes. She then reports herself, "Lieutenant Meyers, sir! Corporal Kilbourn Sammy Firefly from 2nd Platoon reporting. I cordially and sincerely apologise for my misdemeanour. Allow me to request of you that Sergeant Val isn't punished as our platoon leader for my selfish inconsistency."

Everyone there looks properly stunned. Eyes wide open, eyebrows rise, some even slightly drop their jaw, and some others break into a smile. All of them are completely understandable reactions to her abrupt change in behaviour. Even if this platoon is only a consolidated one no longer than two days, I can just see how perplexing it is to see Sammy being so rigid and firm. Lieutenant Meyers, on the other hand, is undaunted by her. As expected of a lieutenant, always keeping a cool head and ensuring a professional profile.

He asserts his authority unto her, "Do not let me see you apologise for this again. Dismissed."

"Understood! Thank you very much!" She salutes once again and then returns to the pack.

Although Lieutenant Meyers has a very calming atmosphere and is mostly unhinged regarding army bureaucracy, he can also flip a switch similar to Sammy. I should probably burn that into memory for safety measures.

The lieutenant turns his back and walks towards me. He places his hand on my shoulder and quietly utters, "Good luck. Make sure everyone comes back."

"Will do, lieutenant!" I complied instinctively, especially after seeing his personality I do not wish to irritate.

"Great."

He then walks back the way him and I came in before, ostensibly to send off the 1st. I feel a chill running down me, as I confusingly try to piece together the events that has unfolded in front of me. However, when all is said and done, we are free to begin.

I swiftly review Privates Hawker and Spitfire's job and send them off with a letter they had received from the lieutenant when I was finding Sammy. We bid them goodbye and hope for their safety. Once they're gone, this provisional platoon of mine dubbed the 2nd can now leave the safety of our occupied trenches to tread our way towards newfound nightmares.