Sunday, April 12, 2015

Steel and Snow

Steel and Snow

Usten leaned up against the side of the Destroyer. After a few moments he could feel the heat of the coal furnace within seep through his coat. It was a good feeling after marching so far.
He wasn’t the only one either. Almost the entire Winter Guard squad was clustered around the warjack, fighting off the cold.
Usten couldn’t wait to get to where ever they were going. It had been a long day of hard marching. They were “escorting” the warjacks to someplace close to the front line and they were to do it quickly, so they had been little rest during the day.
Usten looked over his shoulder at the metal side he was leaning against. What help a warjack could need from a flesh and bone solder like him? He would do his part as a patriot regardless, perhaps providing that little extra power needed to sway the battle.
“Away from the hatch.” A battle mechanik carrying a bucket of coal was walking up to the Destroyer. The ones standing at the back of the ‘jack moved so the battle mechanik could get at the hatch. He opened it and dumped the coal into the ‘jack.
The Destroyer didn’t respond in any visible way. Not like the ‘jacks Usten had seen working under a warcaster. Those seemed much more… alive than this one. This Destroyer felt like a machine, not like a really big man-o-war.
Yet it was a champion of war, one that would help reclaim the glory of the Motherland, long since lost to the south.
Another gust of wind blew cold air against Usten’s face. To bad duty didn’t provide warmth in the face of a cold wind. The ‘jack did however and Usten was grateful for that.
All too soon though the call when out and it was time to move on. Usten sighed as he moved away from the Destroyer to form up; the heat on his back was already being blown away by the icy wind.
Some battle mechaniks herded an old Berserker that had wondered off back into place. Once that was done everyone was in position and the signal went out to move forward. The Winter Guard trudged through the snow along side warjacks. A labourjack with plough arms cleared snow out from in front of the supply wagon.
They all headed south, ready to do their duty for the Motherland.

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