Another chapter? Woah. This is crazy. This chapter is light on the internal strife, but it's there. The speech was written in 5 minutes, so don't judge. Actually, judge the HELL out of it.

OH MAH GAWD, i hope the story doesn't suck, and for those who care, the action is about to start, hence the chapter name. Expect more insanity.

The Desert sun beat down on the camp. Uniforms were quickly unbuttoned and sleeves rolled up. The equipment was standard year round, no one believed there would be desert fighting. From the doorway, Antoine could make out a large gathering of men in the middle of the encampment; he decided that anything was better than talking to yourself. The inner voice was eerily quiet.

'Twan swung the door open dramatically, and began to stroll through camp. He had no idea where he was going, but he knew what he was looking for.

The camp was just outside of Sand Blast city. The citizens, while grateful, did not want the army men living in the city. The Kingdom's army was always held in suspicion around the globe, especially after the widely publicized internal strife. At which Antoine was the center of attention. He intended to go to HQ, and have a serious chat with Elias.

Yeah, 'chat'. Good plan. He finally spoke up.

A large tent appeared before him. It was HQ. The tent was made of very flammable cloth; Antoine thought someone should look into that.

It would be a shame if the HQ burned up…

Different thoughts, Different Thoughts….Ant panicked, and ran from the command center. His Sabre clanking as he sprinted.

Everyone in the area turned, and saw the back side of a coyote, running into the distance. He stopped, bent over, and tried to regain his breath.

God damn it!

"Umm, Lieutenant?" There was a voice from above.

Antoine looked up, and saw two men, a bulldog, with grey fur and short, black hair, and a brown Raccoon with browner hair. Their patches indicated the ranks of Sergeant Major and Staff Sergeant, respectively.

Ant stood up straight and composed himself. "Yes?"

The two enlisted men snapped to attention. Antoine waved his hand and they were at ease. The mongoose spoke up. "Staff Sergeant Vance and Sergeant Bowman, sir. We have orders to escort you to Alpha Company."

"Um… Yeah. Do the men know about the new… situation?"

"Yes and no. The squad leaders know, but I'm not sure about the grunts."

Antoine scratched his head. "Ok, well I'd like to meet them ASAP. We have a week to get acquainted."

"A week, what happens in a week?" The raccoon spoke up.

Ant regretted saying anything. "I'll tell you guys eventually. I'd rather have you all together."

Ooh, a couple hundred birds with one stone?

"No!" Antoine said out loud. The two Sergeants looked at him.

"What?"

"Nothing, let's go"

"Yes sir, here is a fresh Intel report." Vance handed a document to Ant, and then led the way, with Bowman at Ant's side.

The camp was barren, nothing but OD green and tan as far as the eye can see. There were some locals around, but they didn't do much, just some errands for the men. As long as the troops stayed out of the city, the people were fine with it.

"We're here." Vance cleared his throat. Antoine saw about 300 men, gathered in one large mass in the nearby clearing. The Bulldog took a step forward, and with a booming voice: "ATTENTION! " The grunts scrambled to fall into line. It took them all of seven seconds to get ordered.

A group of six men approached Antoine. Three in front, three in back. They stopped in front of him, and saluted. "Sir." They said collectively.

Ant returned the salute. In Turn, the three men in front spoke.

"Staff Sergeant Johnson, first Platoon." An orange and white striped tiger. He turned and motioned to the rabbit that was behind him. "This is Sergeant Lee" The man to his left spoke up.

"Staff Sergeant Cryer, second Platoon." A small blue platypus. Without turning around: "Sergeant Begel" The final person spoke.

"Staff Sergeant LaPlace, Third Platoon." A young coyote, only a few years older than Antoine, he had yellow fur, with a cap covering his head. His nonchalant expression unnerved Ant. He pointed behind himself. "That's Sergeant Boggs." The large, blue armadillo behind him nodded.

Vance piped up. "And you know us, we're fourth platoon."

Antoine looked at the men around him, they were all older than him, how was he supposed to lead them?

What did I get myself into?

"Well, uhm… I'll address the men, meet me afterwards at 1st Company HQ." Ant saluted the sergeants, and they went to be with their men.

What will I say? He had no clue what to do. Ant sure as heck didn't want to make any enemies, but he seriously wanted to speak to the troops.

OOH! Let me help! A certain inner voice interjected.

That's a terrible idea. He reprimanded himself.

Fine, go up there, and make an ass of yourself.

I will! He realized how that sounded. You know what I mean.

Of course I do! I AM you! How many times do I have to say that? That line always got to him; he didn't want to believe it. He just took a deep breath, and made his way forward.

There was a makeshift platform at the center of the crowd. Antoine scaled the steps, and upon reaching the top, he realized that the men were still at attention. He started off with a casual "At ease!"

The troops simultaneously shifted into a slightly less rigid stance. They all looked up expectantly. Ant could easily see that some of the men knew who he was. This speech would not be easy, he just hoped his English would hold.

"My fellow Soldiers, you have probably heard other speeches, they all said that this is a great crusade that we are undertaking. We are fighting for the safety of others, and ultimately, for the safety of all." He looked around the crowd, his voice rose steadily. "You probably heard that we are fighting them here, so we don't fight them at home; and that this is necessary for our kingdom." He cleared his throat. "As you've been told, you are fighting for your king." Ant looked down, made a mental prayer, and looked up. "I want you to know, that's a load of shit." He noticed a low murmur from the troops, and looks of shock. "We're fighting because we can, because we have the CHANCE to deal a blow to the enemy. We fight here not because of our country, but because we are the world's best shot. You are going to go and fight, and not for your King, but for the greater good. When you are out in the field, you must remember that you are fighting for the world, and NOT for the King. Fight for the world's freedom, fight for you families. Fight for your brothers, the men in front of you, behind you, and to your sides. Every man here is your brother, and as brothers you must join and fight! Join and fight as one! We will fight, and we will struggle, and we will suffer, but we WILL WIN! And no one will stop us! Because we are ALPHA COMPANY!" A roar from the troops, his speech might be treason, and he might get arrested, but he sure as hell got them motivated.

To the rear, Ant could see the frantic motions of the surprised commanders. One of them walked around the crowd, heading right towards the Platform, it looked like Solman. He didn't look happy.

Oh well. It's totally worth it.

Antoine made his way down the steps, and came face to face with Solman. He got right into the wolf's face. "May I help you?"

"You son of a bitch." Solman raised both his arms. Antoine tensed up, expecting a strike.

Instead he felt a light tap on his shoulders, Solman was looking down on him, Smiling. "You never told me that deep down, there was a man in there." The wolf's smile faded quickly. "But you've still got a ways to go, so don't feel too happy." The lieutenant left quickly, heading towards HQ.

Wow, he has a Soul ,and compassion! I guess he isn't so bad after all.

Nah, He's still a dick. You should frag'im! His inner voice said.

Would you shut the fuck up and leave me alone?

How can I do that? I AM YOU. You don't catch on very quickly do you? I mean, you've been arguing with your inner self for a day now, you should now the basics.

That I'm insane, and you're like my conscious?

WHAT? No! I'm like a PB &J. You are the bread, and inside is your ego and your id just mashed together. Your conscious would be your superego, and he's a pussy.

Well I don't think- He wasn't allowed to finish that thought. A group of six men appeared in front of Antoine, they didn't have any insignia.

"Lieutenant D'Coolette?"

"Um, Yeah?" He expected many things after what he just did, but this was the worst."

"Direct orders, you just got the midnight recon. Have fun out there."

Oh god, not midnight patrol."But I nee-"

"Midnight patrol Lieutenant, it's the perfect plan to back that speech up. I hope for your sake you meant the things you said. Try to have a good time on Recon"

He was once again left to contemplate his situation, and for all intents and purposes:

Je suis dans la merde.

Another French ending! It's almost like it is a theme! Funny, huh?