Where the Young Sleep
Chapter III
"Hey what the hell is this?" Corporal Nikolas Klein snarled at the apron covered cook who shrugged apologetically. He was holding one of the metal mess plates in front of him while the cook put a mess of some kind of chopped up slab in some tasteless sauce. "It's called slab Corporal." Armin who was behind his driver at the mess line up sighed. Nikolas shook his head and swore as he walked off. "Sorry Sergeant, but this is the only thing we have." Armin waved his hand at the cooks apology. Campaign food was campaign food, and in the Guard, it was slab. "Not even a good rye loaf." Otto behind him complained. Piet the squad sniper snickered as they sat down at a cafeteria table. "If you want rye you should've been an officer my good friend. As an officer, you can eat as you wish. Perhaps they even have roast grox." The table filled with Grenadiers chuckled. In the Konig regiment, the officers received separate rations. Armin doubted that it was really roast grox. Most likely, it was better cooked slab with bread. A few moments later, Gustav joined him, his tray also containing chopped up slab. The two ate quietly as more men from various units lined up and went through the mess line. They could see uniforms from all sorts of units, anyone who was stationed in the Southern sector he assumed. No uniforms from the Novgorod though, he noticed. Perhaps the whole platoon hasn't survived the night. He mused to himself as he half heartedly listened to the other Grenadiers complaining about the food.
"Sergeant Steiner?" A Grenadier from 1st platoon had appeared beside him. Armin turned his head and nodded. "Sergeant, I have been instructed to find you. Captain Ostler requests your presence." The Grenadier stood at attention, clicking his heels. Armin nodded and stood up. "Squad is yours Gustav." The Corporal nodded and took the remainder of Armin's tray, and started eating it as well. Armin snickered as he walked off to follow the messenger. He remembered from somewhere that Gustav was an orphan, and it was either to enlist in the Guard for 3 meals a day or to be a servant in the palace of the Governor. He followed the messenger to the company headquarters, the warehouse they had been billeted in but he noticed that there were Chimeras parked outside. His company didn't use Chimeras, so he wondered who it was. Soon enough though, his unasked question was answered. Inside stood soldiers from one of the other companies, armed with the trademark short barreled las carbines with the wire stocks that Konig issued instead of full length las rifles. With them was Captain Eugen Hauer who was the CO of the Supply Company. As well, there was Lt. Kassel and of course Captain Ostler.
"Please let me introduce Sergeant Steiner. He is a 10 year veteran of the Grenadier company." Ostler began the introductions. Armin clicked his heels and snapped to attention, saluting the officers. "Lt. Kassel, please pick out your replacements. Sergeant, over here." Ostler pulled him aside and gestured towards the troops who were here now. "New replacements, for Erwin's platoon. We have some triple bad news. One of our anti-tank platoons was wiped out, so we have a bunch of gunless crews. Kassel is going to pick his replacements out of them, but they need a squad Sergeant." Armin blinked and nodded. He was still Konig born and raised. "I'm going to give Corporal Staneike Sergeant pins, and I'm transferring you over. Go on, say what's on your mind." Armin paused and thought about it carefully. "Sir, did I do something to piss you off?" Ostler smirked slightly and shook his head. "I need a veteran Sergeant for these newbies. If I send Staneike there, he's going to be learning how to mold Grenadiers and how to be a Sergeant at the same time. You, I think you will at least make Grenadiers out of this lot. Pick one of them, give him this, and go see if they have what it takes to be Grenadiers." Armin nodded and sighed to himself. "Don't worry Armin, I'm sure you'll do fine." Armin clicked his heels and saluted, the two of them moving back to the group. "Sir, I'll be taking this group." Kassel had picked out 9 of the former Panzerjager gun crews. "Sergeant, I entrust these guardsmen to you." Armin snapped to attention and bowed slightly. "This is Sergeant Steiner, he's one of our veteran Grenadiers. He will be your new squad leader." Nine heads looked over at him, the group snapping to attention and clicking their heels. "Go get them moved in, their stuff is outside in the Chimeras." Kassel ordered. "Sir. 1st squad. Follow me outside double time." The nine guardsmen picked up their packs and jogged after Armin who moved outside. "Ok, any of you still have things in the Chimera?" He asked once he had gathered them outside. A few of them nodded. "Go go go, get your stuff, we're moving next door." The headquarters section of the warehouse was a smaller building behind the main warehouse. If he had to guess, he would say that this was the retail center for the warehouse before the war had happened.
A few minutes later, he was standing inside with the new newbies, and looked around. "Ok. I am Sergeant Steiner. Let's go around and have some names." "Schutzen Gerson." "Schutzen Carstens." "Schutzen Outmann." "Schutzen Kapp." "Schutzen Koler." "Schutzen Rinder." "Schutzen Hansch." "Schutzen Paasche. "Schutzen Mair." The nine of them snapped to attention and recited off their names. "Ok ok, relax, you're in the billet area. What are you, new from Indoc?" A few of them looked at him and nodded slightly. "Of course, hand me the new indoc guards." Armin thought to himself. "Ok let me ask a few questions. If your answer is yes, put your hand up. Who here has fought already?" All of them put their hands up. "Ok thank the Emperor you're not all virgins. Who scored marksman or above?" This time there were a few less hands. "Any perfect scores?" Only one hand remained. "You're Koler right?" "Yes Sergeant." Armin nodded. "You'll be our new squad marksman. Now, who here has been here the longest?" The group of them looked at each other. "I believe it would be me Sergeant." It was the Grenadier Wilhelm Rinder who spoke up. "I have been a Panzerjager for approximately two years standard, and before that I was in 4th Schutzen Company for two years." Armin nodded. "So how come no Corporal pins?" Rinder smiled sheepishly. "Uh.. Sergeant.. I'm not sure how to answer that.." One of the others piped up. "Willie here made a pass at Lt. Kruger." Armin looked at Rinder and rubbed his temples. "Schutzen Rinder, you're telling me that you hit on Lieutenant Kathryne Kruger, the Schutzen Company commander Lt. Gerwin Kruger's cousin?" Wilhelm nodded and grinned slightly. Armin leaned in. "You're not that smart but you got balls kid. Congratulations, you're a Corporal now." He handed the grinning Grenadier his Corporal's pins. "The rest of you listen up, you don't need to be the smartest one here, just the bravest one. I don't know what you think Grenadiers do but it's the shit jobs. Corporal Rinder, get the squad fed. Meet me in the armoury in one hour. Let me also tell you. The standard Grenadier company punishment is 10 lashes administered by the Company Armourer, Sergeant Hosse." Sergeant Hosse was a man who was 6 foot 4 and made up, as it was rumoured, of ogryn parts that were too big to fit on a normal orgyn. One of the reasons why he was the company armourer is because he was able to carry around a heavy bolter like it was a carbine.
Armin wandered into the section where his former squad were. Gustav could be seen standing at attention in front of Ostler in serious conversation. "Hey Armin, where did you go? Did you find us some rye bread finally eh?" Otto asked when he saw him. "I don't know Otto, why don't you ask your squad Sergeant for rye bread?" Otto raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't need to play dumb, if you didn't steal anything for poor starving Otto just say so." Gustav had wandered back and looked a little shellshocked. "Hey Corporal." Armin coughed. Niel who had greeted Gustav looked at Armin curiously, Armin tapping his own Sergeant pips and tilted his head at Gustav. "Oh shit Sergeant. Congratulations Gustav." Gustav sat down and sighed, grinning slightly. "So how is a squad going to run with two Sergeants now?" Armin shook his head. "It's not. I've been transferred to 3rd Platoon. They lost an entire squads worth of people, so I've got a bunch of newbies from Panzerjager company that had their guns destroyed." Eugen, one of the heavy gunners leaned back and sighed. "Ah fuck good luck with the Panzerjager crews. They're fucking weird people, stranger than the Recon guys." Otto elbowed him slightly and gestured towards their new Sergeant. "Hey shithead, didn't you know that our illustrious new Sergeant Gustav Staneike once upon a time was Corporal Gustav Staneike of the 506th Panzerjager Company?" Piet chimed in with a grin. Eugen looked around and leaned back. "Ah fuck what do I know Sergeant, I'm just a stupid gunner." Armin snorted and smacked Gustav on the back. "Sergeant it's time for me to go. I have to mold young impressionable Panzerjagers to become tough as steel Grenadiers." The two Sergeants stood up, Armin shaking Gustav's firmly. "Take care of yourself kinder, don't forget to feed the Otto." They laughed, and Armin departed, heading back outside.
Almost an hour later, Corporal Rinder had the rest of 1st squad lined up outside the Regimental armoury. "We will see if the armoury has anything for us." Armin said, as he marched the others in. "Ah Sergeant Steiner, my best customer!" The man inside, Sergeant Heins Wacht grinned at him. "He's my best customer because he never comes here for shit, no damaged weapons no nothing. Only grenades and ammunition. So what is this today? You get demoted Armin?" Armin grinned and shook his head. "No, new squad, new recruits. I need to draw as well, a separate long las." Heins sighed and waved for the nine of them to come forward. "Ok turn in your lascarbines, give me all the magazines as well. Any las pistols, turn them in." The nine newbies dumped a series of lascarbines, laspistols as well as a big pile of power cells onto the counter. "Holy fuck these all look brand new." Heins looked over them and smiled, nodding. "Don't look so happy, they were Panzerjager crew." Heins looked up and frowned. "So where are my Lantsen Cannons?" Corporal Rinder hmmed and hawed to himself before answering. "We were hit by Dants artillery, they were destroyed." Heins looked as if he was going to faint. "What is this nonsense, what do you mean they were destroyed?" The man looked as if he had just lost his childhood pet. "Focus.." Armin called out lowly, and gestured with his head towards the weapon racks. "Ok ok ok. Step up, first, basic lesson. Your lascarbines used size 2 power cells. Your webbing won't be able to carry the size 5 power cells used by the hellguns. Ok so, these are the hellguns you will be using. This is the webbing that goes with it." Sergeant Wacht placed a series of brand new hellguns, armed with red dot aiming sights as well as set with under barrel launchers already installed. He handed them a large box of power cells to go with them, as well as chest rigs for them. "You need volleyguns too ja?" Armin nodded. "Ok, these are the Volleyguns. Very fast rate of fire, they use the size 9 power cells. The drums. They're good for about 300 shots before you need to reload. The hellgun power cells are good for 80. Hotshot as pistols, good for 20 shots with size 3 pistol power cells. Here are holsters. Ah the long las. This is good for 10 shots each cell, size 14 power cells." Koler stepped up to receive the long las along with the unique webbing for it. "We don't have enough carapace armour for now so you will have to make do." Armin nodded. "Collect your new gear, we're going to do some training then." The newbies helped each other put on the webbing and loaded them down with the new hellgun power cells. "Thanks again Heins." The armoury Sergeant waved his hand and went back to whatever porn slate he was watching from before they came in.
"This shit is brand new, still smells like factory grease." Rinder commented, as he admired the new hellgun in his hand. "Yes, the Konig pattern Mark III G-3 Hellgun. Thicker barrel but cut down for better maneuver in close quarters but also better sustained fire rate. Under barrel launcher, we normally load with Krak for anti-armour work. We're also not called Grenadiers for no reason either. When we load in high explosive grenades, we use for clearing anything that gets in our way." A few moments later, they arrived at the range and Armin gestured for everyone to come in. Armin pulled everyone around him in a semi-circle. "This is how you load, and unload." He would demonstrate on his own hellgun. "The sight is caliberated to the weapon already. Grenade launcher, this is what you do." He loaded with a dummy training round, an inert round. He pulled the trigger underneath the launcher, the dummy training round lighting up to simulate a successful fire. "This is loading. Now this is all new for you, so, take the next bit to try it. Volley gunners, practice with one of the hellguns as well. We'll cover how to use the volleyguns after." About an hour or so later, Rinder had picked up faster on the volleyguns than the others, and they were all on the range now practicing firing on the support weapons. Not quite Grenadier level marksmanship but for now, it should be alright. If Kassel takes it easy on them on the first few missions, these guardsmen might have a chance to really become Grenadiers.
"Sergeant, officer wants to see you double time." Rinder burst into the spare room that Armin had commandeered as his office, maps littered the desks. The Sergeant yawned and checked his chrono piece. It was 0340 local time. "Hold your horses Rinder, breathe." He got up and stretched, putting on his thermal wear quickly. It was freezing, even with the heater going. Rinder looked like he was going to fall over any moment. "Now, tell me what happened slowly." Rinder took a deep breath. I was on comms watch duty when the vox went nuts. Every vox unit company level and above has been ringing off the hook. Lt. Kassel woke up Captain Ostler an hour ago, they've been looking at maps ever since. They told me to fetch you. Armin waved his hand and yawned again, before finally putting on the green and brown pea dotted camouflage pattern of the Grenadier company. "Hey Wilhelm, calm down. You're going to make the squad nervous. Wilhelm paused for a moment and looked at Armin questioningly. "You are a Corporal now, it means that if the squad sees you flying about all excited, they too will get excited. Be calm, be relaxed, and go wake up Hansch. He used to be a baker right? See if he can't brew up recaff for everyone." Wilhelm paused and then nodded before walking off, much more stiffly and calm than previous. Armin grinned to himself and quickly put on his carapace armour. He checked his hellgun before walking out, his helmet attached to his armour and his rebreather around his neck. He found the two officers staring at the various maps while runners brought more maps to them. "Sir." He clicked his heels and stifled a yawn, the two officers looking like they had been up all night. Which most likely they had. "Good you're here. You might want to sit down for this. I'm awaiting more details still from Regiment. As of 0300 this morning, the Dants rebels have launched a massive attack. They say that it is a combination of over 30 Infantry Regiments. The front itself has already been overrun. The Stalinvast Regiments as well as the Kellersburg Irregulars have been overrun. The Mordians on the Northern flank have also been overrun. At the center line, the Teuton rifles are hold on but just barely. The Novgorod regiment has been committed, and the Frensham Artillery is already retreating." Armin nodded looking at the maps, seeing where multiple enemy spearheads have driven through in between their units to turn the flanks. "Ah. The enemy has made their move. Recaff?" He would ask. The two officers looked at each other and stared back at him. From behind the officers came Hansch who had three cups of recaff. Armin took them and set two in front of the officers and took one for himself and drank from it. "You were an excellent baker were you not Hansch?" Hansch looked at the Sergeant and clicked his heels to attention. "Thank you Sergeant. How did you know I was a baker?" Armin waved his hand at the two officers, who picked up the mugs of recaff and sipped at them, surprised at the mug before looking up at Hansch. "You use bakers yeast to brew moonshine ja? But you're not a drinker. So, you want the fermented yeast. Let me know if you have any sourdough in the future." The two officers drained their recaff mugs while Armin waved for Hansch to run for it.
"Eh I gave up a guy who knows how to bake sour dough?" Kassel asked, rather grumpily as Ostler smirked. "In an hour, we need to head to Regimental headquarters. Sergeant, we already have a separate mission for 1st squad. Orders have already been given to pull back. The Panzerjager company has been overrun already, and our own artillery battery has been ordered to pull back as soon. Half of our Schutzen companies have already been committed to rear guard to buy time, and the remaining half has been ordered back. The Panzer company has been ordered to defend the road going out of the city. Jager company has been committed already as well to hold the last road by the river bank. Get your squad ready. Kassel, Grenadier company has to be ready to move as well. Make the arrangements." Ostler stood up and sighed, dusting off his own pea dotted camouflage pattern. "Dismissed." Kassel and Armin looked at each other. "Sergeant, unfortunately I can't spare anymore manpower to go with you. Come find me at the company HQ in an hour, get your squad loaded down. Here." The officer took a field notepad and scribbled something on it. "If you take this to company supply, they will be able to provide you with anything you request short of a tank." Kassel grabbed his own stanhelm helmet and quickly ran off as well. "So much for a nice lay in." Armin thought to himself. He walked out of the company office and headed towards the squad area. Rinder should've had the squad set up already. He took a quick detour to where 4th platoon was, and looked over the 4th platoon personnel. He could see Gustav yelling at Otto while his previous squad geared up. He sighed and rubbed his hand over his face for a moment before turning around to leave. Looks like Gustav was shaping up nicely.
He would go to the back of the warehouse, where the Tauroxs were parked. He found the 1/3 insignia on one of the vehicles and smacked the armoured door a few times to get the drivers attention. The driver jumped out and grinned at him. "Are you assigned to 1st Squad 3rd Grenadier Platoon?" Armin asked. The driver nodded. "Corporal Stanger at your service Sergeant." Armin nodded and looked over the vehicle. It had the standard striped pattern painted on and of course, the ever present snow and slush that was splashed over the sides. "Where's the gunner?" As if on cue, the gunner appeared. "Grenadier Grossmann, Sergeant." "Alright. I want you guys to make sure to load anti-tank into the vehicle. Make sure there's extra volleygun drums and grenades. Food, water, make sure you two have enough for yourselves too. I need a lift to Regimental Supplies." The Gunner and the Driver both nodded, the vehicle starting up with a roar. The gunner sat himself in the gunners seat and turned on all the cameras for the turret on top as the driver cruised along. On the way there, Armin occupied himself by checking through the ammunition crate as well as the medical crate. "When we get there Grossmann, come with me. I'll need a hand with everything." The gunner nodded as he booted up the weapon systems as well. "Understood Sergeant. Sergeant.." Armin nodded his head for the gunner to go on. "Is it true what they're saying? Our lines are being pushed back?" Armin sighed and nodded. "That's what I've heard. Most of the front-line units have been overrun, the Konig 5th is being used to hold the rearguard so the other units can pull back and re-establish a more solid line." The gunner nodded and grimaced slightly. "What is it?" Armin asked. The gunner hesitated and paused. "Sergeant I'm wondering, then what are we being assigned to do?" Armin shook his head. "You know as much as I do Grossmann. We have a mission assigned. And. We have a mission assigned. How long you been a Grenadier for?" Grossmann thought about it for a moment. "It's been years so since I drove tanks in the beginning." Armin smiled as he could feel the vehicle slowing down. "Don't worry, I'm sure the mission will be interesting. Come on, let's go." The two hopped out of the back. "Lower the rear loading ramp." Armin ordered. A few seconds later, the ramp lowered down. It was meant for loading on things like wheeled heavy bolters or autocannons but it also served well for supplies.
"Sergeant Steiner do you think I'm some kind of a moron?" The supply sergeant crossed his arms and glowered at him. Armin shook his head. "Then why the hell did you come here to load up supplies when you know we're retreating?" Armin looked at him for a moment before putting down the notepad in front of the supply sergeant. "Lt. Kassel's orders. That's why." The supply sergeant glared at him and muttered a "Fine have it your way" before taking the data slate and going into the back storage section. A few moments later, he came back out. Armin looked at him, coming back empty handed but the supply Sergeant just shook his head and waved a hand towards the warehouse. Sure enough, a few moments later four servitors came in carrying four large crates. "All in there, Krak rounds, Frag rounds. You're an asshole rounds. Survival supplies, camouflage netting, ration bars. Et cetera et cetera et cetera. Where's your vehicle?" Armin gestured out towards the front of the warehouse. "Aright the servitors will load them in, now get out of here, you're wasting my time." Armin walked out shaking his head as Grossmann followed him curiously. "What was that about Sergeant?" Armin smirked to himself. "Supply NCOs hate when people show up with official orders. It cuts into their doing nothing time." Grossmann nodded and tilted his head, unsure if the Sergeant was joking or not. Soon enough, the boxes were loaded up into the back of the Taurox. Still enough room for 10 people though. The vehicle was designed to hold 12 with gear so it should be more than enough for the squad. "Stanger, take us back." "Ja Sergeant."