Author's Notes: My appologies once again for taking such a
long time on updating this. I've been trying despirately to split writing
time equally between this story and my other in-progress Patriot fic "All
I Have to Give", and more often then not this's resulted in me getting
little done on either! Thanks to my readers for sticking with me, and to
Meg my partner in crime for helping keep the spirit of our dear Mr. Bordon
alive in the world of fanfic! Enjoy the new chapter! ~MKawaii
Chapter 4- Alecto
In grim array the grisly spectres rise,
Grin horrible, and, obstinately sullen,
Pass and repass, hush'd as the foot of night.
Again the screech-owl shrieks--ungracious sound!
I'll hear no more; it makes one's blood run chill.
-from "The Grave" by Robert Blair (1743)
Ehrgeiz stared coolly across the desk at Bordon, who tried his best to
match his fellow Major's demeanor. The soft Carolina breeze outside caused
the canvas sides of the tent to ripple softly as the two men sat in silence,
like duelists each sizing up their opponent before the beginning of a bout.
"Major Ehrgeiz, I've come to ask you a few questions about the death of your former commander, Colonel Verhältnisse..." Bordon paused slightly, intently watching the face of the Major for any flicker of reaction to the name. "You see, General O'Hara has requested that I write a report on the circumstances of the Colonel's death in order to quell any questions that may arise in the future about his fate. As I'm sure you know, the Colonel was an important man..."
"In his own mind, perhaps," Ehrgeiz drawled, his expression fixed and unreadable.
Bordon regarded the Hessian major with an equally blanked expression, "Is it to be my understanding then that you held some sort of dislike for the man?"
The corner of Ehrgeiz's mouth twisted upward ever so slightly, causing his thick mustache to arch malevolently.
"Your prudence is admirable, Major Bordon. I take by your highly controlled mannerisms that you have some skill at interrogation and must, therefore be serving our dear General O'Hara in some sort of intelligence role?"
Bordon couldn't restrain the look of shock that crept over his features at the idea that despite his best efforts, his intentions were so easily readable to this enigmatic German officer. His struggle to find an appropriate reply was quickly cut off by Ehrgeiz.
"Do not look so surprised, Major... it is afterall, not so terribly difficult to identify the characteristics of a role one has themselves filled at some point. Your initial presumption, however, was correct. I did not like the Colonel. He was a pompous fool dispossessed of any graces or skills becoming of an officer, and totally unfit to command."
As he spoke, Ehrgeiz made some attempt at straightening his appearance, tucking in his shirt and slowly re-buttoning his vest.
"I knew the man only a short while, Major, but can honestly say he was a plain example of everything an officer ought not to be! I say whatever dirty-faced Colonial fired the ball that knocked that fat idiot off his perch atop that fence-railing did this army an incomparable service. If not for the fact that he's in all likelihood dead himself, I'd seek the man out and personally thank him!"
Bordon frowned. How can he speak so venomously of the man he served? And to speak of the deceased in such a way... It's true I rarely agreed with Tavington's methods, but as my commander he deserved my respect none the less.. Obviously there's more to this!
As he considered Ehrgeiz's words, Bordon's breathing quickened slightly. He swallowed reflexively and steadied his voice as a stab of pain lanced through his chest at the added strain and made his head spin.
"Fence-railing, you say?"
Ehrgeiz stared distractedly at the entry flap of the tent, his expression creased by a deep frown. His emotional reaction to the memory of his former commander had broken the balance between the two men, and for the moment Bordon had the upper hand and was free to press the attack.
"Yes, that's the last place I saw him, anyway. Our charge faltered slightly in what suddenly became a cross-fire. Verhältnisse decided then to try and play the noble hero by climbing up on this low fence to scream at the men in some pathetic attempt at encouraging them to continue the assault... stupid fool! The charge continued, to be sure, but not because of his red-faced screaming and flailing about! Grave detail found his body at the foot of the fence in about the same spot. Colonials must have dropped him like a fat duck."
Bordon clenched his teeth at the image Ehrgeiz's words conjured in his mind of what his own commander's solitary death must have been like. The fate of a soldier, he thought, to die surrounded by your fellow man and yet completely alone.
He met Ehrgeiz's gaze once more. "Are you aware of who conducted the grave detail?"
Ehrgeiz snorted.
"Of course I'm aware! You see, your fine countrymen cannot be bothered to soil their hands with the blood of we filthy mercenaries, and as such we must conduct our own, separate burial detail at the end of each engagement! The Colonel always gave this duty to Captain Weilburg. As the Captain seems to enjoy it in a rather distasteful way, I did so as well, since for obvious reasons the Colonel himself could not be found to give the order."
"And then this Captain Weilburg reported to you of the Colonel's fate?"
"Yes, Major, that is what happened." Ehrgeiz arched a thin, dark eyebrow. "Now, if you have no further useless questions for me, I have a great amount of paperwork to tend to. Verhältnisse was as useless in his recordkeeping as in everything else, and has left me with a great mess to sort through."
Bordon frowned but gave no indication of leaving.
"One last 'useless question', Major.. where can I find this Captain Weilburg?"
Ehrgeiz stiffened slightly in his chair, looking up from the papers on his desk and back to Bordon.
"And why would you be needing to know that, exactly?"
The corner of Bordon's mouth turned upward slightly. "A mere technicality.. You see, Major, I have paperwork of my own to tend to."
This time it was Ehrgeiz's turn to frown. "Very well, Major Bordon.. When he isn't fighting or hovering around corpses, the captain can usually be found in the mess tent. Don't expect to get much of use out of him though.. You'll find most Jägers aren't as skilled with your graceless language as I am."
---------------------
After ducking out of Major Ehrgeiz's tent, Bordon paused a moment to think through the details of the conversation. The Hessian major was obviously hostile toward his former commander, and Bordon couldnt help but think that there must be more to it than could possibly be based on the late-Colonel's professionalism or lack thereof.
Still, he was hardly investigating the personal relationships of the men involved here.. all he needed was a description of the man's death for the sake of paperwork! Unfortunately, despite all the posturing and side-stepping, his conversation with the Major had been only slightly helpful on that account- leaving him no choice but to seek out a second ranking Jäger, in the form of this Captain Weilburg... a prospect Bordon did not find at all appealing.
With a slight sigh Bordon strode off into the camp once more in search of the Jägers' mess tent.
After a short time searching he found his destination, tipped off by the number of Hessian soldiers standing around the large tent eating from small tin plates and sipping cups of what he presumed to be coffee- a thick, sludgy brew the German soldiers seemed to prefer over the usual tea drunk by their British counterparts(1). They eyed the red-uniformed Major and whispered amongst themselves as he pushed aside the drooping cotton flap at the tent's entrance and walked inside. It was a large, airy enclosure with several low wooden benches lining each side, and an arrangement of wooden barrels and crates being used as make-shift tables. The opposite end of the tent stood open, revealing several smoking cooking fires were the group's food was prepared. Bordon wrinkled his nose slightly at the mixture of smells on the hazy air inside the tent, dominated by burnt coffee, bacon and sweat- a most unpleasant combination.
A dozen or so blue-coated germans sat in small groups around the mess tent, except for one man sitting alone in the back corner. He was large and heavy-set with a thick dirty-blond mustache, and Bordon quickly recognized him as the flustered captain that had confronted young private Wurtzer in front of the major's tent.
Ignoring the curious stares of the other Jägers, most of whom had stopped eating to stare silently at their unusual visitor, Bordon walked quickly to the back of the mess tent and stopped in front of the captain. The plump, stern-faced man continued to eat, taking no notice of the figure standing before him.
Bordon cleared his throat audibly and the large man finally looked up from his plate, fixing the major with a ghostly stare.
"So sorry to disturb your meal, but are you Captain Weilburg?"
The german captain's mustache twitched slightly and he set his tin plate of half-eaten lunch down on top of a wooden box by his feet before responding.
"Weilburg. Yes."
"Very good!" Bordon smiled politely. "I am Major Bordon of General O'Hara's staff... may I have a few words with you captain? Your commander, Major Ehrgeiz, left me in the impression when I spoke to him earlier that you may have some information that could be useful for a report I'm working on."
A mixture of confusion and annoyance flickered across the captain's face.
"I ask speak slow and simply, Major. Much hard is knowing your words." Weilburg's gruff voice was slow, halting, and thickly accented, bringing Bordon sharply back to Ehrgeiz's comment about the limited english-speaking skills of his men. This was going to be a very difficult interview..
"Forgive me, Captain. I will try to speak carefully. I need you to answer a few questions. Is there someplace more quiet that we could talk?" Bordon was careful to articulate his words slowly and precisely as Weilburg stared at him raptly, slowly translating his meaning.
Weilburg scoffed. "I tell you all needed, Major Bordon. We talk here." The captain then turned toward his fellow Jägers and startled Bordon by bellowing at them in his native language. "RAUS! Ich müss mit diesem Offizier allein sprechen!"(2) The other Hessians in the mess tent grumbled and picked up their plates before filing out, casting annoyed backward glances at Weilburg as they complied.
Bordon curiously watched them clear out, then quickly swept the dirt off a nearby unoccupied bench with his hand before pulling it closer and sitting down across from the captain. He forced another tight smile and nodded to Weilburg.
"Thank you, Captain.. that is much better. I did not intend, however, to cause such a disturbance..."
It was obvious Weilburg did not completely understand his meaning, but the captain puffed out his chest slightly and nodded, obviously quite proud of his display of control over the men.
"Now.." Bordon set his elbows on his knees and leaned forward slightly. "I need you to tell me about how you found Colonel Verhältnisse."
Weilburg stroked his mustache and furrowed his thick eyebrows. "Found?"
"Yes, the Colonel's body," Bordon placed a hand on his own chest for emphasis. "What was the state of his body when you found it during grave detail?"
The captain's eyes narrowed, his large mouth twisting into a wicked grin. "Dead, major. Shot in back."
Bordon frowned and nodded. "I see.. whereabouts on his back, exactly."
Weilburg turned slightly and pointed to a spot on the lower right side of his back, near the base of the spine. Bordon's eyebrows raised incredulously. How?... Wasn't he facing the enemy? Even if he turned toward his own men as he stood on the fence, only a portion of his upper body would have rotated sufficiently for...
Bordon rose from his spot on the bench and quickly pulled down the hem of his jacket to straighten it.
"If you wouldn't mind, captain, I'd like you to join me on a short ride. I need to see the exact spot where you found him!"
-----------------------------------------
Notes:
1) In all honesty, I'm not sure if coffee was available at this time. Forgive me if this is inaccurate, but I think it greatly adds to the imagery and feel of the camp scene and thus decided it was worth the possibility of angering the history gods with a slight factual error.
2) Translates simply to- "Get out! I have to talk to this officer alone!".. ah, so this is why I studied german for six years ^_-
"Major Ehrgeiz, I've come to ask you a few questions about the death of your former commander, Colonel Verhältnisse..." Bordon paused slightly, intently watching the face of the Major for any flicker of reaction to the name. "You see, General O'Hara has requested that I write a report on the circumstances of the Colonel's death in order to quell any questions that may arise in the future about his fate. As I'm sure you know, the Colonel was an important man..."
"In his own mind, perhaps," Ehrgeiz drawled, his expression fixed and unreadable.
Bordon regarded the Hessian major with an equally blanked expression, "Is it to be my understanding then that you held some sort of dislike for the man?"
The corner of Ehrgeiz's mouth twisted upward ever so slightly, causing his thick mustache to arch malevolently.
"Your prudence is admirable, Major Bordon. I take by your highly controlled mannerisms that you have some skill at interrogation and must, therefore be serving our dear General O'Hara in some sort of intelligence role?"
Bordon couldn't restrain the look of shock that crept over his features at the idea that despite his best efforts, his intentions were so easily readable to this enigmatic German officer. His struggle to find an appropriate reply was quickly cut off by Ehrgeiz.
"Do not look so surprised, Major... it is afterall, not so terribly difficult to identify the characteristics of a role one has themselves filled at some point. Your initial presumption, however, was correct. I did not like the Colonel. He was a pompous fool dispossessed of any graces or skills becoming of an officer, and totally unfit to command."
As he spoke, Ehrgeiz made some attempt at straightening his appearance, tucking in his shirt and slowly re-buttoning his vest.
"I knew the man only a short while, Major, but can honestly say he was a plain example of everything an officer ought not to be! I say whatever dirty-faced Colonial fired the ball that knocked that fat idiot off his perch atop that fence-railing did this army an incomparable service. If not for the fact that he's in all likelihood dead himself, I'd seek the man out and personally thank him!"
Bordon frowned. How can he speak so venomously of the man he served? And to speak of the deceased in such a way... It's true I rarely agreed with Tavington's methods, but as my commander he deserved my respect none the less.. Obviously there's more to this!
As he considered Ehrgeiz's words, Bordon's breathing quickened slightly. He swallowed reflexively and steadied his voice as a stab of pain lanced through his chest at the added strain and made his head spin.
"Fence-railing, you say?"
Ehrgeiz stared distractedly at the entry flap of the tent, his expression creased by a deep frown. His emotional reaction to the memory of his former commander had broken the balance between the two men, and for the moment Bordon had the upper hand and was free to press the attack.
"Yes, that's the last place I saw him, anyway. Our charge faltered slightly in what suddenly became a cross-fire. Verhältnisse decided then to try and play the noble hero by climbing up on this low fence to scream at the men in some pathetic attempt at encouraging them to continue the assault... stupid fool! The charge continued, to be sure, but not because of his red-faced screaming and flailing about! Grave detail found his body at the foot of the fence in about the same spot. Colonials must have dropped him like a fat duck."
Bordon clenched his teeth at the image Ehrgeiz's words conjured in his mind of what his own commander's solitary death must have been like. The fate of a soldier, he thought, to die surrounded by your fellow man and yet completely alone.
He met Ehrgeiz's gaze once more. "Are you aware of who conducted the grave detail?"
Ehrgeiz snorted.
"Of course I'm aware! You see, your fine countrymen cannot be bothered to soil their hands with the blood of we filthy mercenaries, and as such we must conduct our own, separate burial detail at the end of each engagement! The Colonel always gave this duty to Captain Weilburg. As the Captain seems to enjoy it in a rather distasteful way, I did so as well, since for obvious reasons the Colonel himself could not be found to give the order."
"And then this Captain Weilburg reported to you of the Colonel's fate?"
"Yes, Major, that is what happened." Ehrgeiz arched a thin, dark eyebrow. "Now, if you have no further useless questions for me, I have a great amount of paperwork to tend to. Verhältnisse was as useless in his recordkeeping as in everything else, and has left me with a great mess to sort through."
Bordon frowned but gave no indication of leaving.
"One last 'useless question', Major.. where can I find this Captain Weilburg?"
Ehrgeiz stiffened slightly in his chair, looking up from the papers on his desk and back to Bordon.
"And why would you be needing to know that, exactly?"
The corner of Bordon's mouth turned upward slightly. "A mere technicality.. You see, Major, I have paperwork of my own to tend to."
This time it was Ehrgeiz's turn to frown. "Very well, Major Bordon.. When he isn't fighting or hovering around corpses, the captain can usually be found in the mess tent. Don't expect to get much of use out of him though.. You'll find most Jägers aren't as skilled with your graceless language as I am."
---------------------
After ducking out of Major Ehrgeiz's tent, Bordon paused a moment to think through the details of the conversation. The Hessian major was obviously hostile toward his former commander, and Bordon couldnt help but think that there must be more to it than could possibly be based on the late-Colonel's professionalism or lack thereof.
Still, he was hardly investigating the personal relationships of the men involved here.. all he needed was a description of the man's death for the sake of paperwork! Unfortunately, despite all the posturing and side-stepping, his conversation with the Major had been only slightly helpful on that account- leaving him no choice but to seek out a second ranking Jäger, in the form of this Captain Weilburg... a prospect Bordon did not find at all appealing.
With a slight sigh Bordon strode off into the camp once more in search of the Jägers' mess tent.
After a short time searching he found his destination, tipped off by the number of Hessian soldiers standing around the large tent eating from small tin plates and sipping cups of what he presumed to be coffee- a thick, sludgy brew the German soldiers seemed to prefer over the usual tea drunk by their British counterparts(1). They eyed the red-uniformed Major and whispered amongst themselves as he pushed aside the drooping cotton flap at the tent's entrance and walked inside. It was a large, airy enclosure with several low wooden benches lining each side, and an arrangement of wooden barrels and crates being used as make-shift tables. The opposite end of the tent stood open, revealing several smoking cooking fires were the group's food was prepared. Bordon wrinkled his nose slightly at the mixture of smells on the hazy air inside the tent, dominated by burnt coffee, bacon and sweat- a most unpleasant combination.
A dozen or so blue-coated germans sat in small groups around the mess tent, except for one man sitting alone in the back corner. He was large and heavy-set with a thick dirty-blond mustache, and Bordon quickly recognized him as the flustered captain that had confronted young private Wurtzer in front of the major's tent.
Ignoring the curious stares of the other Jägers, most of whom had stopped eating to stare silently at their unusual visitor, Bordon walked quickly to the back of the mess tent and stopped in front of the captain. The plump, stern-faced man continued to eat, taking no notice of the figure standing before him.
Bordon cleared his throat audibly and the large man finally looked up from his plate, fixing the major with a ghostly stare.
"So sorry to disturb your meal, but are you Captain Weilburg?"
The german captain's mustache twitched slightly and he set his tin plate of half-eaten lunch down on top of a wooden box by his feet before responding.
"Weilburg. Yes."
"Very good!" Bordon smiled politely. "I am Major Bordon of General O'Hara's staff... may I have a few words with you captain? Your commander, Major Ehrgeiz, left me in the impression when I spoke to him earlier that you may have some information that could be useful for a report I'm working on."
A mixture of confusion and annoyance flickered across the captain's face.
"I ask speak slow and simply, Major. Much hard is knowing your words." Weilburg's gruff voice was slow, halting, and thickly accented, bringing Bordon sharply back to Ehrgeiz's comment about the limited english-speaking skills of his men. This was going to be a very difficult interview..
"Forgive me, Captain. I will try to speak carefully. I need you to answer a few questions. Is there someplace more quiet that we could talk?" Bordon was careful to articulate his words slowly and precisely as Weilburg stared at him raptly, slowly translating his meaning.
Weilburg scoffed. "I tell you all needed, Major Bordon. We talk here." The captain then turned toward his fellow Jägers and startled Bordon by bellowing at them in his native language. "RAUS! Ich müss mit diesem Offizier allein sprechen!"(2) The other Hessians in the mess tent grumbled and picked up their plates before filing out, casting annoyed backward glances at Weilburg as they complied.
Bordon curiously watched them clear out, then quickly swept the dirt off a nearby unoccupied bench with his hand before pulling it closer and sitting down across from the captain. He forced another tight smile and nodded to Weilburg.
"Thank you, Captain.. that is much better. I did not intend, however, to cause such a disturbance..."
It was obvious Weilburg did not completely understand his meaning, but the captain puffed out his chest slightly and nodded, obviously quite proud of his display of control over the men.
"Now.." Bordon set his elbows on his knees and leaned forward slightly. "I need you to tell me about how you found Colonel Verhältnisse."
Weilburg stroked his mustache and furrowed his thick eyebrows. "Found?"
"Yes, the Colonel's body," Bordon placed a hand on his own chest for emphasis. "What was the state of his body when you found it during grave detail?"
The captain's eyes narrowed, his large mouth twisting into a wicked grin. "Dead, major. Shot in back."
Bordon frowned and nodded. "I see.. whereabouts on his back, exactly."
Weilburg turned slightly and pointed to a spot on the lower right side of his back, near the base of the spine. Bordon's eyebrows raised incredulously. How?... Wasn't he facing the enemy? Even if he turned toward his own men as he stood on the fence, only a portion of his upper body would have rotated sufficiently for...
Bordon rose from his spot on the bench and quickly pulled down the hem of his jacket to straighten it.
"If you wouldn't mind, captain, I'd like you to join me on a short ride. I need to see the exact spot where you found him!"
-----------------------------------------
Notes:
1) In all honesty, I'm not sure if coffee was available at this time. Forgive me if this is inaccurate, but I think it greatly adds to the imagery and feel of the camp scene and thus decided it was worth the possibility of angering the history gods with a slight factual error.
2) Translates simply to- "Get out! I have to talk to this officer alone!".. ah, so this is why I studied german for six years ^_-