Somewhere in Norta

31st Recon Battalion

PFC. Hans Kalif

The squad moved through the bush slowly. Grass folded underneath heavy boot as they soon settled down amongst the sloping hills of the countryside. Private First Class Hans Kalif clutched his service rifle, a Volksgewehr-86. The rest of the squad was in various states of watch, a handful of riflemen, the squad lead, a anti-tank specialist, the squad's designated marksman, the communications officer and the support gunner. They were light infantry from the 31st RB that had been deployed to the unknown shores of the old American continent. It had been hundred of years since the last European feet touched the old soil. Now they were advancing in land with the various other light recon teams scouting out the new land.

Hans' train of thought was interrupted abruptly by the squad lead, Terna "Damn it, think we gone off-pace. At this rate we'll be off the damned grid." He shook his head while he adjusted his helmet with one hand and clutched his VG-86 in the other. The communications officer moved over towards Terna, his caseless GMP-77 in hand before he spoke. "Sergeant? We are a recon unit, I don't think base will mind if we do a bit of extra exploring..." Terna peered to the communications officer before huffing. He gestured to turn around with his hand before he reached for the radio handset on the back.

"Zero-Alpha this is Three-Echo. Message, over." Terna fumbled with his vest pocket as they waited for a reply, he pulled out a folded up piece of paper and unfolded it to reveal the map within.

"Three-Echo this is Zero-Alpha. Send, over."

"Zero-Alpha, this is Three-Echo. We're currently at Golf Romeo 5-3-1, 6-2-6. I say again, Golf Romeo 5-3-1, 6-2-6. We're about to go off our current path in to a unknown grid. We're going to advance and report in anything odd. How copy? Over."

"Three-Echo this is Zero-Alpha. Copy, proceed with caution. Over."

"Zero-Alpha this is Three-Echo. Wilco. Out."

Terna placed the handset back with a click, before folding the map away and tucking it in to their vest pocket. Hans idly shuffled on the spot, coughing in to his hand. The ache in his muscles from crouching unmoving started to settle in uncomfortably before he shuffled on the spot. Terna spoke once more, "Squad. Form up, staggered file, advance."

The trip was spent in mostly silence, the occasional rustle of foliage and the semi-common branch. Hans debated the current situation in his head. The old continent hadn't been explored since the original bombs and here they were at last, the 31st leading from the front. They weren't sure what to expect. The plant life was growing back quite abundantly and there was a lack of major radiation pockets. There might even be life somewhere in the huge stretches of land but they had failed to find any in their initial landing. Still, they had dedicated the entire brigade, a minor fleet and a air-wing to the expedition. There was even the 93rd Panzergrenadier Division in reserves should the need arise.

So why was there that lead-in-belly feeling that refused to budge? Had they forgotten something in their planning? Did something await them? Hans didn't know but he could not shake the feeling that settled deep within his person.

They carried on regardless, passing over hill, bush and shrubbery alike. Occasionally they stopped for a drink and rest amongst the shade of tall trees. Every hour on the dot, Trena would make a status report back to Zero-Alpha. Hans was glad that he didn't have to carry the heavy long-range radio at least. He sipped from his canteen as he stared out at the sun-baked soil from under the rim of his helmet. It tasted cold and relieved the dryness in his throat. Soon after he placed it back at his hip.

After many hours of trekking through bush, they came across something out of place, voices. Faintly in the wind they heard shouting and screaming. It wasn't in German, but rather English. Of course the squad knew both but it was rare to hear English being spoken out loud. That could only mean one thing. Terna called for the squad to halt at the lip of the next hill. Hans laid down, peaking his head over the top along with the rest of the squad. The soil remained the same old sun-baked terrain that it was, but it was tiled open as the hill sloped. Small leafy crops sat amongst the rows. At the bottom of the dip was a road, various shacks occupied along the area, a small village of sort.

What caught the squad's main attention however was the current scene unfolding down at the street below. There were several people in brown clothing and rags, one was a young child who was currently kneeled over on their hands and knees. There was a smaller group, men in white uniforms with black helmets and vests. One of them was standing over the child with a baton in one hand. Even from the hill they could hear the man audibly sneer, "Fancy yourself a pick-pocket, red rat?" The air itself cracked and snapped as the baton came down hard against the child's back, a cry ringing out in the air.

"Christ, Sergeant..." one of the riflemen in the squad murmured lowly. Hans' fingers tightened further around his VG-86 at the scene. The cries rose higher and higher as the uniformed man beat the child over and over with the baton. Terna stared, adjusting his collar as he peered to the rifleman who spoke. "You know we can't get involved...first encounter with the locals and we're going to go down and gun them?" The scene below intensified, the child being forced lower and lower to the ground with each swing.

One of the others in rags, a woman with similar facial features rushed forward trying to protect the child. However, the man smacked her across the face with the baton, sending her stumbling to the floor next to the child. "Got some bite in ya?" was his only verbal jab at the woman before he kicked her in the face. The screams rose higher as the child wailed at the pain and the sight before them. A splatter of crimson red spurted out and leached in to the dirt road. The boot came back down, sending more crimson out. Again, and again the man rotated between kicking the woman in the head or beating the child.

"Sergeant, we have to do something, they're going to kill them!" Terna stared down at the scene, peering back to the rifleman, then back to the scene as if contemplating the situation. Finally after several tense seconds, he sighed and whispered out, barely audibly. "Heinrich, get a shot lined up. Put one in his shoulder, we don't want to be killing anyone..." The squad's designated marksman raised his rifle, a old scoped G50 before he took aim. The rest of the squad followed suit just in the event they were fired upon. Terna breathed out shakily, "Heinrich. Fire at will."

Chaos erupted, the uniformed man howled and dropped to his knees, clutching his shoulder. Instantly the rest of the uniformed men snapped towards the hillside. Three in total, not including their wounded comrade. One of them reached for a holster and drew a black pistol. Suddenly, heat roared up as the edge of the hill erupted in a fireball, embers flying in to the air. Terna's voice was barely audibly over the crackling as gunshots added to the commotion as the pistol wielding officers opened fire. "Pull back, pull back!"

Hans got to his feet with the rest, scrambling back just as another fireball flew over head and reduced the tree branches above him in to cinders. Rapid footsteps were audible dead ahead as they pulled back. Seconds later one of the uniformed men moved over the hill-lip. A black pistol in one hand, and, in a split second later, a fireball in the other. Hans reacted instinctively, opening fire with a burst from his VG-86, the rounds hitting true and causing the man to go tumbling back down the hill as they connected with his vest.

Another passed over the hill seconds later as Terna yelled "Damn it, don't shoot to kill!" The new uniformed combatant raised a hand, a large root from the ground shot up and tapered, spearing in to Terna's arm with a crack. The communications officer raised their GMP-77 and let loose. The 12mm caseless rounds shredding the combatant's legs, forcing them to tumble forward. They bled, hard. Hans stared as he moved back, his eyes wide in shock as...silver fluid squirted from the wounds. Silver blood?

The last armoured combatant came over the hill but made no effort to pursue the squad as they retreated, opting instead to pull the silver-blooded bleeding man out of view back down the hill.

Hans could only stare as he breathed harshly, his rifle still raised as him, and his squad rapidly withdrew from the area.

Somewhere off Norta's Coast

State Security Service

KNV Neu Zeit

Major. Viktor Tallows

Viktor stared over the folder on the table with a sigh, he folded his arms and shook his head while speaking lowly. "They found locals and decided their first interaction was to shoot them?" he reached down and picked up one of the folders. One of the soldiers across the table spoke. "Yes, sir. The recon team claims they acted to save a civilian and had to use force."

Viktor peered up, arching a eyebrow. "I doubt half of the things they reported on. Silver blooded soldiers capable of firing fireballs from their hands and use roots who's favourite past time is to beat children on a hot day?" He shook his head again while peering down at the typed report before tossing it down.

"With all due respect, sir. The surgeons spent quite a long time getting the root out of the team's sergeant. It was embedded deeply, more than if you simply fell on it." Viktor peered up, rubbing his chin before peering back down to the map of the coastline. He pointed down firmly on the lone dot on the coast, the forward operating base. "Tell the 93rd they will be deployed to FOB Sidewinder. They will assist the 31st in fortifying their position. We can expect a possible counter-attack from the actions that the team performed so we should be ready. Have the 93rd also prepare a QRF in case any of the teams from the 31st are attacked again. That will be all."

The sound of shuffling feet and papers were audibly as the soldier replied once more, "Yes sir!" before they scampered off. Viktor, now alone, slowly turned towards the window and stared out across the vast blueness towards the land mass in the distance.

"What world lays uncovered for us ahead?"