Evans crawled back and got in the truck, “Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Language,” Tiscornia put the truck in drive and started towards the town.

“What?”

“Those newspaper serials don’t have swearing. You were disciplining some soldiers once and used the word ‘goofuses.’”

“So I can sleep my way through the entire officer corps, but no swearing?”

“Well we can’t possibly have children reading words like ‘fuck’ when their reading about some good wholesome sex and violence.”

There was the report of several artillery guns firing.

“Well this should be fun.”

The shells screeched overhead and impacted on the hill, ripping into the head of the Vledscan column. By this time the guns were firing their second salvo. A few Vledscan infantrymen had started firing at Evans and Tiscornia’s truck.

“Anna’s gonna fucking kill me if we get killed.”

“Well I’ll try not to crash too hard,” Tiscornia twisted the wheel, flipping the truck on its side, sliding it across the road, ending at a stop in line with the buildings perpendicular to the road.

A few seconds passed before Evans could climb out of the truck. He stumbled and vomited. Tiscornia followed momentarily. Evans looked at him, “I can’t believe that fucking worked.”

“I think I broke a rib.”

“Well we can check back at the church.”

Tiscornia nodded and the two started jogging back to the church, hopefully getting there before the Vledscan shells started coming in. There was already plenty of outgoing fire, and hopefully Corporal Johnson and Ollie were going to take out any observers on the hill.

It felt like an eternity, but Evans and Tiscornia made it back to the church. Evans pulled a cigarette out from his jacket, lit it, and took a puff. He looked at his squad, “Ready for some fun?”

The first Vledscan shells started to hit the town. Evans grabbed the rifle he had leaned up against the wall, slung it over his shoulder, and walked to the ladder for the church tower, and shouted up, “Good To Come Up?”

Ollie shouted down, “Go Ahead Sergeant.”

Evans climbed up the ladder and looked around. The Vledscan forces were arraying themselves on the hill. Johnson was firing shots off at the officers to slow down the organization.

If all went well, Evans would only have to observe the battle from above.