Aaaannnnddddd we're back! Sorry this one took so long to update, I've just been...well, actually I've just been really lazy. Spring break, no homework, I felt like taking a break. Anyway, I finally forced myself to sit down and do a bit of work yesterday. This chapter was kind of rushed, I'll admit, since I wasn't able to really start writing until about 8:00 wednesday night. So if you spot some errors, forgive me.

As always, R&R!


"...and then those Rat bastards took her here, after they'd transformed the place into a prison camp." Samuel angrily tore a chunk from the loaf of bread. After listening to Penny's tale, he was still enraged beyond belief that the vermin could have done something so sinister. "Can you imagine it, this place being a prison camp? It's just...it's not right. I swear, if I ever get my claws on the filthy creature that organized all this, I'm going to make him regret even thinking of doing what they did."

Tommy, Pangil, and Joseph had listened intently to Samuel's tirade for the last twenty minutes, finally able to sit down in relax in the ancient library of Redwall after hours of guard duty. All around them, beasts were running to and fro putting misplaced volumes, books, and scrolls back in their respective places. When they had arrived, the vermin ordered all of the abbey's records to be put away, evidently so nobeast could find a way of escape. Now, they were returning.

The hare leaned back in his chair, munching steadily on a helmet-full of almonds. Tommy and Joseph could only stare in awe at Pangil's gastrointestinal feats as he went on between bites. "Bally terrible thing, wot wot? –chomp- Wonder how long the blaggards kept these innocent creatures pent up like that. Far too long, I'm sure."

Samuel rested his chin in a paw, drumming the other on the oak tabletop. "Penny said almost three full seasons. They just kept bringing in more and more prisoners. Woodlanders, abbey-dwellers, anybeast who managed to get themselves caught. Most were fleeing west towards Salamandastron, evidently."

Pangil nodded sharply, eyes narrowing a bit. "Bloody right they did. I was part of the force covering their retreat. Vermin were chasin' the poor creatures down, capturing any they could and shooting any they couldn't." His eyes seemed to cloud for a moment, like he was reliving the memory inside his head. Samuel stared at him curiously, watching as Pangil's lips moved, but only caught a few snippets of the hushed whisper. Samuel thought he heard something like "The green eyes, the one with the green eyes."

But the hare snapped back to reality, shaking his floppy ears. "But, enough of that. I'm off to bed, chaps. G'night!" He was up from the table and out the library door before anybeast could raise a paw.

Tommy sighed and ran a paw over his face. "I might just follow that stomach on legs. It's been a long time since we slept in real beds. Last time was at that village, as I remember it."

Joseph grunted, nodding. "Aye, that'd be it. We been on the march or fightin' ever since. Ain't that right, Sammy?"

When he didn't answer, the otter glanced up at his friend. Samuel was staring at his paws on the table, which were clenched so tightly that they shook uncontrollably. His eyes were wide open, but they didn't seem to be focusing on anything. A single bead of sweat rolled down his brow, landing on the table.

"Hey, Sammy, what's wrong?" Joseph asked, concerned. He reached across the table and clasped a paw on Samuel's shoulder. The squirrel jumped, blinking rapidly and breathing like he had just run a marathon. When he noticed the worried looks on Tommy and Joseph's faces, he tried to force a smile. "Sorry, I was uh, thinking about something else."

The other two didn't fall for his act. "What's bothering you, Samuel?" Tommy asked, leaning forward slightly. "We're here if you need us, you know."

Standing on shaky legs, Samuel shook his head and waved his paw, like he was dismissing the offer. "Nothing. Just...just tired, is all. I'm going head in for the night. See you in the morning." He turned around to walk away, but ran straight into the frame of Sagepaw, who had been standing there for almost a full minute.

He immediately noticed the look on Samuel's face, a flicker of concern rippling across his own. He had seen that stare before, the kind that transformed a beast's eyes into lifeless pools where the soul went to die.

Sagepaw coughed, forcing himself to ignore it for now. "Mind holding off on bunk call for a few more minutes, Samuel? There's a briefing in the Great Hall in ten minutes, it shouldn't take too long. But I think you'll all be interested," he said, glancing at the other two still sitting at the table. "Especially if you plan on helping us find those mortars."

Joseph stood, hefting his rifle casually. "You say the word, Sarge, and we're there. Exceptin' Tommy, o' course. He volunteered to help supervise the rebuilding. Some o' the old Abbey rooms and chambers got a little roughed up, if'n you know what I mean."

The squirrel nodded. "I understand. 'S too bad though, we could use Tommy out there. He seemed to do well enough leadin' your pack of scoundrels."

Tommy smiled, waving a paw as the trio walked out of the library. "Scoundrels is right, Sarge! I swear, sometimes it's like trying to herd beetles!"

As they strode through the almost cavern-like hallway, the sounds of their boot steps on the stone echoing loudly, Joseph spoke up. "So, what exactly are we meetin' for?"

Sagepaw sighed audibly. "I'll give you the details in the brief, but remember when I said we'd get this place going right proper once some officers show up?"

The two nodded, and the squirrel seemed to glare at the pathway ahead. "Well, they're showing up earlier than we thought. A messenger bird came in this morning, said he was from the main invasion force driving in from the west and south. There'll be a full division meeting up here within the next two days. And if those mortars are still around, that column of beasts is going to be wonderful target practice."

As they turned into the Great Hall, which was already packed with every soldier not on guard duty, every head turned towards Sagepaw. He walked to the front of the massive chamber as Samuel and Joseph took a seat nearby. A massive pin-up board had been rolled into the room, on which a large map of the immediate land around Redwall was pinned. It was obviously a vermin map, judging from the symbol etched into the top right corner: Two crossing spears, with a skull resting underneath.

Sagepaw managed to silence the room with a low whistle, getting everybeast's attention. Forty or so heads turned to look at the dogged-looking squirrel. He immediately jumped into the briefing. "Good afternoon. I'm sure that most of you know who I am, but for those who don't; my name is Sergeant Robert Sagepaw with the 136th parachute regiment. Here's our current situation, ladies and gentlebeasts." He used a red marker to draw a large circle around the abbey. "Obviously, we're here. As I'm sure you're all aware of, there's a vermin mortar crew somewhere in here," the marker made a series of X's in the surrounding woods. "and they've got us smack-dab in the middle of their sights. We haven't received any more fire since yesterday, but that might change very soon."

He shifted position, having to take a full three steps to reach the part of the map where the western coast was shown. "Our land forces arrived here," he said, gesturing to a stretch of coastline. "About a week ago. They took heavy casualties, but they made it past the beaches and started pushing inland."

A rousing cheer went up from the crowd, beasts throwing their helmets up into the air and shouting with joy. Sagepaw waited for the noise to die down before continuing. "What this means is that we'll finally get some officers in here, which is something desperately needed. However, this also means that those vermin sitting in the woods are going to pound the ever-loving hellgates out of anybeast trying to get close to the abbey. There's not a doubt in my mind that if we were just able to wait them out, those rats out in the forest would give up within the week once they realized that we couldn't be knocked out with a few mortars.

"But now that we've got reinforcements coming, those mortar crews are going to be under strict orders to stay put and wait for our troops. We can't let that happen. Here's my proposal..."


"One more time, what's the plan?"

Samuel recited the words from memory, cleaning his rifle with an old rag. He and Joseph were in the cellars, gathering supplies and equipment for the mission ahead. Only twenty beasts had been chosen to go along, although every soldier had volunteered. "Starting in the woodlands closest to the abbey, two squads will split up and hook around through the forest, meeting up at the path in the middle. If one squad gets fired upon, the other will continue to move around until they've closed behind the vermin position, and then eliminate the threat. Once the mortars are found, destroy them and any ammunition we find."

Joseph smiled and shook his head in wonder. "I swear, Sammy, it's like that big ol' brain of yores is some kinda sponge. I'da never remembered all o' that."

His friend shrugged, starting to reassemble his weapon. It was the third time he had repeated the process. It helped him stay calm, along with muttered prayers under his breath at every opportunity. "I figure that if it could save our lives, it might be a good thing to remember it all."

They both descended into quiet, until Samuel looked up at the otter. "Are you scared?"

The otter guffawed, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Scared? Nah. Why would I be?" His smile drooped a bit, eyes softening. "O' course I'm scared, Sammy. Everybeast is, and ye'd be crazy not to. Sometimes fear's a good thing, keeps ye on yore toes."

"I just don't want to...freeze up, you know?" Samuel said, fiddling with his boot laces. Anything to keep his eyes down. "I don't want to let anybeast down; I don't want to be a coward."

Joseph leaned down from the barrel he was sitting on and put his paw on Samuel's shoulder, getting his attention. "Ye aren't a coward, Sammy." he said, voice just loud enough for the squirrel to hear. "I saw ye the day we took the abbey. I saw ye get that rat with the machine gun, spewing fire at yore face. That ain't somethin' a coward would do."

Samuel allowed himself a smile. "Thanks, Joseph." he said, letting out a tension-filled sigh. "I, uh...needed to hear that."

The otter grinned, smacking his helmet lightly. "Not a problem, mate. Now quit scrubbin' yore rifle like that. Ain't gonna be a bit of metal left when you've finished with it."

Samuel allowed the bolt to snap forward and rested the rifle on his elbows. "Alright, alright. But don't let me hear you complaining when that monster of yours jams."

Joseph hopped off the oaken barrel, retrieving his weapon from where it was resting against the wall. "Ol' Bertha'll be just fine."

Samuel stared walking out of the cellars, Joseph following close behind. "You named it Bertha?" the squirrel said, smirking. "I thought you had already named the other that?"

The otter sighed, obviously saddened by the loss of his machine gun. "She was a good 'un, but she's gone now. Probably lost in the swamps of Mossflower, never to be seen again."

They both exited the main abbey building, the world around them cloaked in the early morning darkness. Sagepaw had insisted on staring in the wee hours of the day, as to reduce their chances of being spotted too quickly. There was already a growing crowd of beasts arrayed by the west gate, most with camouflage-dyed fur and extra ammunition bulging from their pockets. Samuel hadn't bothered with any sort of paint, as his fur was almost a perfect match for the auburn-colored tree trunks and dirt.

Sagepaw was standing off to one side, addressing a group of Redwall healers, signified by their red armbands. Samuel caught a snippet of the conversation as he passed by. "...and make sure the infirmary is ready. I don't how many casualties we'll have, but it could be pretty bad..."

Samuel's heart almost skipped a beat. If their Sergeant was that worried, what were his chances of actually surviving this mission? Their plan was haphazard at best. If one squad found the mortar crew and became pinned down, and if the second squad couldn't reach them in time, they would be back at square one. That, along with the potential of losing almost half of their force left a sour taste in Samuel's mouth.

As he melted into the crowd of beasts, he suddenly noticed something. There were a number of Redwallers, about five all told, dressed in bits and pieces of uniform and wielding vermin rifles. Each of them had a helmet at the very least, but most of the similarities stopped there. For most it was just one of the sky-jumpers olive drab jacket or pants, with an occasional pair of boots. But for most, it was simple earth-colored clothing and charcoal rubbed on their faces.

Samuel couldn't stop himself from approaching one of them, a young hedgehog at least two seasons his junior. The spine-covered beast looked up as Samuel tapped him on the shoulder. "What are you doing here?" He asked quietly, trying not to attract attention to himself.

The hedgehog grinned, adjusting the oversized helmet. "I'm goin' out with ya! The good Sarn't over there said we could go along if'n we wanted."

He was stunned. Sagepaw had authorized this? These creatures weren't soldiers; they hardly even knew how to hold a rifle! Samuel shook his head and turned away from the enthusiastic abbey-dweller, marching towards Sagepaw. The squirrel had finished speaking to the healers and was about to address the crowd when Samuel reached him. "What's up, Sammy?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

Samuel gestured angrily with a paw, hardly able to contain his anger. "What the hell is this, Sergeant? These creatures aren't soldiers. They'll get themselves killed out there!"

Sagepaw narrowed his eyes slightly, but kept his tone level. "They volunteered, Samuel. It's not like I came begging on my paws and knees looking for extra bodies. I told them what could happen; I told them that they could get killed out there. But they wanted to come. Believe me, if I had let in everybeast who wanted to come along, there'd hardly be one left in the abbey. These five insisted, said they'd go out anyway even if I said no."

"But they don't know what's waiting out there!" Samuel was hissing angrily, almost shouting through his gritted teeth. "They're hardly even old enough to pick up a weapon."

Sagepaw had had enough. "Private, this wasn't my decision!" He snapped, pointing at the crowd behind him. "These creatures want to defend their homes, defend their lives! Wouldn't you want to do the same thing if the vermin had done the same to our land? This is the first time in countless seasons that these beasts have had the hope, the courage to fight back."

Samuel couldn't bring himself to respond. Instead, he shot one last glare at Sagepaw before turning back to the crowd. Joseph gave him a strange look, but knew better than to say anything. His friend stood silently, fuming. It was almost a full minute before he spoke. "He's going to get these Redwallers killed."

Joseph sighed. "Sammy, it ain't his choice. If'n they volunteered and the Abbot gave 'em the thumbs-up, we can't do much about it."

"It still doesn't make it right."

The otter chose not to say anything more. He had never seen Samuel like this before. It wasn't like him to seem so adamant about something, much less accost his leader about it. But he forced those thoughts away as Sagepaw began speaking.

"Is everybeast familiar with the plan?" He asked, speaking out over the assembly. After some nodding and murmured affirmations, he ticked off ten beasts with his finger. "You ten, you're with me. We're going to sweep around the left side of the trees. The rest of you are with Corporal Jones, going to the right. Remember: As soon as you hear one squad get fired upon, haul tail around the clearing and get the vermin from behind. I don't want those Rats slipping away. You Redwallers," he said, not failing to notice the daggers coming from Samuel's eyes, "Stick close to somebeast and follow orders. If you get into contact, drop low and don't move until you're told to. Good luck, everybeast."

Samuel had been put in Jones' squad. Unfortunately, Joseph was with Sagepaw and the others. They shook paws and said good-bye, not knowing if they would see one another at the end of the day.

The squirrel immediately noticed the two Redwallers in his squad. One was the hedgehog from earlier, almost bouncing with excitement. The other was a shrew, wielding two vermin handguns and a belt full of grenades. He had painted black stripes among his tan fur, giving his face a savage appearance. The trench-coat he wore seemed older than the beast himself, and his boots were so badly scuffed that they were almost white. Samuel approached the shrew, greeting him with a nod. "Morning, friend."

The shrew, who had seemed to notice Samuel even before he had appeared, returned the gesture. Samuel almost immediately noticed the twang in his voice. "Morning, comrade. Fine time to send some vermin to hellgates."

He almost flinched at the shrew's bloodlust. Coughing to clear his throat, Samuel extended a paw. "I'm Samuel Melton, by the way."

The fierce-eyed shrew stuffed one of the pistols into his belt and shook Samuel's paw firmly. "Grigory, son of the far-north shrew tribes."

"Far north? As in, the highlands?"

Grigory offered him a toothy grin. "Further than that, comrade. The far northlands, where the only things that grow are snow and rocks. My family was captured when we tried to move south, where life was said to be easier." His eyes went dark for a moment, and he spat ruefully onto the ground. "Vermin scum. I swore to my wife and daughter that I'd save them. I couldn't even keep that promise."

Samuel could see the burning, roiling hatred swimming in the shrew's eyes. All he could do was cough into his sleeve and look away, murmuring an apology.

Sagepaw surveyed the crowd one last time before holding up his paw to get everybeast's attention. "Are we good to go?" His question was met with a sea of nods and whispered "yes's." The squirrel took one last look over the assembly before throwing a salute. "Good luck, everybeast, and may God be with you."

And with that, the door was opened and the creatures filed out into the unknown.