Chapter 7
Signs of Departure
Beckmin got his group out of camp and headed back to base. He was not pleased that he pulled this duty. Run back to base while the other groups got to actually do something. He understood that someone had to get back to base and report on what they had found, but why send the bulk of the foce back? Send back some runners and let the force stay here and end this threat.
He had watched commander Luuk this morning leave with the first group. Then he saw Freeman take the second group off. Beckmin got his group going as soon afterward as possible but with the additional equipment and the wounded it was nearly mid day before his group was away from the camp site.
The group was larger than the other two that had left and was slower moving. The wagons dragged the speed of the group down and the healers insisted that the wounded not be pushed too hard. It seemed to Beckmin that they might as well have stayed at the camp site if that was the speed they were going to travel at. After an hour or so they finally started to make some progress and the speed of the group started to increase ever so slowly.
As the afternoon started to creep towards evening they started to look for a defensible spot to stop for the night. Beckmin started to send out more and more scouts to find a good place as close to there path as possible. Several spots were rejected because they were too close and the group would have to stop too early, or too far off and they could not reach the site before it was too late and too dark to set up camp.
Beckmin started to think they were going to have to take one of the near site when a scout group returned and reported they had found a site. It was still a good distance away but if they took a different course they would reach the site just after dark. The site was a very defensible spot, and was on high ground. There was even a half wall along one edge. Beckmin ordered the group to make best possible time towards that site. He had a first move ahead of the group to prepare the site before and for the remainder of the group. For the first time all day Beckmin was starting to think it would not be a total waste of a travel day for this group.
The day seemed to be one long dreary walk as the group moved slowly out of harms way and back to their main base. Beckmin spent the afternoon thinking of how he could get reassigned to another unit, maybe an advance scouting unit.
When he reached the camp site with the main group the defensive perimeter was already in place. Cook fires roared in the background and the men started to set up tents. Beckmin toured the site and was pleased. It was a very defensible spot, the camp was at the top of a broad hill and the slopes on all sides were clear of trees. The south and east sides did have some brush but the biggest was less than a pace high and there was no way a hostile force could use the brush as cover while approaching the summit.
The half wall built into the hill was an oddity. It looked man made but they were well out of the area where they should expect old human settlements. The only thing you would find in this area are the roads built by the Khuridian Knights and the farms sponsored by the king. There might be a few of Freeholds but the would be new not old construction like this wall. One of the bannerman brought Beckmin a plate of stew. Beckmin thanked the man and took the food and continued to walk around the camp.
Beckmin knew it was going to be a long night for the men. He started to make out a guard duty rotation as he traveled through the camp. By the time he had walked around the camp and to the tent set up to be his command tent he had pretty much decided on the duty rosters for the next few days. The men who had set up camp would be off duty first tonight, but they would be responsible to be off early to scout the way ahead. Hopefully they would find another gem of a campsite like this one. The remainder of the men would split the nights guard duty. The group guarding in the morning would take down the camp as well.
Beckmin could help but grimace as he thought of all the better things he could be doing with his talents more important than this. HE sat through long boring reports on the wounded and supplies. He nodded and made non-committal noises as the men brought him these reports. After a few of these he dismissed the men and turned in for the night.
The next morning Beckmin awoke to find the camp much as he left it. He started to wonder if anyone would notice if he slipped off to rejoin Commander Luuk's group. The reports started again even before breakfast. Beckmin waved the men away and went to the mess. He quickly ate and got he equipment together. If he couldn't be in a useful unit he would at least do something useful today. He decided he would join the scouting units today.
He headed out with the second scouting unit. There were sweeping forward to make sure the path of the main unit was clear. They would go forward for an hour, return and report, rest an hour and repeat the pattern. The hour was pretty uneventful. The forest was just as it had been the days before the main group had been attacked at the small town. The forest creatures were again missing, the sounds of the forest strangely silent. The group saw nothing that would concern the main group. On the way back they passed another scout group heading out on their own sweep forward.
Beckmin listened as the unit leaders exchanged reports and pleasantries. He was about to join the group going out when he decided he wanted to rest, despite his boredom. When they returned to the main group he found that they had slowed nearly to a crawl. The healers had slowed the wagons holding the wounded. Beckmin told them they would need to speed up of they were to maintain the pace they needed to get back to the main base.
“What good is it to return to the base if the journey kills these men?” Asked the healer.
Beckmin considered the man for a moment and then told him. “IF we move too slowly then the enemy can overtake us and we will all die. We need more speed, as much as we can dare. So prepare the wounded for a rougher ride. I pray we can return to base with a fighting force. I am confident you can save the wounded as well.”
Beckmin walked off before the healer could protest.
Beckmin met with a few of the fist leaders and discussed the best course back to the main base. They all agreed that the best path would be to travel almost directly south to Walters Gap, then south and east to the base. Beckmin nodded and allowed that they would follow that path. Beckmin started to think about how they could make better time. As long as they had the wagons they would be nearly two weeks on the road before they could get to the base.
When the scouts returned just before noon to announce they had found another good camp site. It was a site they had used on the way out form the base. Beckmin started to think about how they could make better time, and aleiviate his boredom all at the same time.
Re climbed into the back of a wagon and started to write down some new y rosters. If he left a fist with the wagons, he could build a force nearly two fists strong to speed back to the south. They could act a super scout unit and clear the path for the wounded and the wagons.
After a quick mid day meal he rode out with the group to set up the eveining camp excited that the next day he would be able to lead a fighting force not a retrating group of wounded boys.
Beckmin got his group out of camp and headed back to base. He was not pleased that he pulled this duty. Run back to base while the other groups got to actually do something. He understood that someone had to get back to base and report on what they had found, but why send the bulk of the foce back? Send back some runners and let the force stay here and end this threat.
He had watched commander Luuk this morning leave with the first group. Then he saw Freeman take the second group off. Beckmin got his group going as soon afterward as possible but with the additional equipment and the wounded it was nearly mid day before his group was away from the camp site.
The group was larger than the other two that had left and was slower moving. The wagons dragged the speed of the group down and the healers insisted that the wounded not be pushed too hard. It seemed to Beckmin that they might as well have stayed at the camp site if that was the speed they were going to travel at. After an hour or so they finally started to make some progress and the speed of the group started to increase ever so slowly.
As the afternoon started to creep towards evening they started to look for a defensible spot to stop for the night. Beckmin started to send out more and more scouts to find a good place as close to there path as possible. Several spots were rejected because they were too close and the group would have to stop too early, or too far off and they could not reach the site before it was too late and too dark to set up camp.
Beckmin started to think they were going to have to take one of the near site when a scout group returned and reported they had found a site. It was still a good distance away but if they took a different course they would reach the site just after dark. The site was a very defensible spot, and was on high ground. There was even a half wall along one edge. Beckmin ordered the group to make best possible time towards that site. He had a first move ahead of the group to prepare the site before and for the remainder of the group. For the first time all day Beckmin was starting to think it would not be a total waste of a travel day for this group.
The day seemed to be one long dreary walk as the group moved slowly out of harms way and back to their main base. Beckmin spent the afternoon thinking of how he could get reassigned to another unit, maybe an advance scouting unit.
When he reached the camp site with the main group the defensive perimeter was already in place. Cook fires roared in the background and the men started to set up tents. Beckmin toured the site and was pleased. It was a very defensible spot, the camp was at the top of a broad hill and the slopes on all sides were clear of trees. The south and east sides did have some brush but the biggest was less than a pace high and there was no way a hostile force could use the brush as cover while approaching the summit.
The half wall built into the hill was an oddity. It looked man made but they were well out of the area where they should expect old human settlements. The only thing you would find in this area are the roads built by the Khuridian Knights and the farms sponsored by the king. There might be a few of Freeholds but the would be new not old construction like this wall. One of the bannerman brought Beckmin a plate of stew. Beckmin thanked the man and took the food and continued to walk around the camp.
Beckmin knew it was going to be a long night for the men. He started to make out a guard duty rotation as he traveled through the camp. By the time he had walked around the camp and to the tent set up to be his command tent he had pretty much decided on the duty rosters for the next few days. The men who had set up camp would be off duty first tonight, but they would be responsible to be off early to scout the way ahead. Hopefully they would find another gem of a campsite like this one. The remainder of the men would split the nights guard duty. The group guarding in the morning would take down the camp as well.
Beckmin could help but grimace as he thought of all the better things he could be doing with his talents more important than this. HE sat through long boring reports on the wounded and supplies. He nodded and made non-committal noises as the men brought him these reports. After a few of these he dismissed the men and turned in for the night.
The next morning Beckmin awoke to find the camp much as he left it. He started to wonder if anyone would notice if he slipped off to rejoin Commander Luuk's group. The reports started again even before breakfast. Beckmin waved the men away and went to the mess. He quickly ate and got he equipment together. If he couldn't be in a useful unit he would at least do something useful today. He decided he would join the scouting units today.
He headed out with the second scouting unit. There were sweeping forward to make sure the path of the main unit was clear. They would go forward for an hour, return and report, rest an hour and repeat the pattern. The hour was pretty uneventful. The forest was just as it had been the days before the main group had been attacked at the small town. The forest creatures were again missing, the sounds of the forest strangely silent. The group saw nothing that would concern the main group. On the way back they passed another scout group heading out on their own sweep forward.
Beckmin listened as the unit leaders exchanged reports and pleasantries. He was about to join the group going out when he decided he wanted to rest, despite his boredom. When they returned to the main group he found that they had slowed nearly to a crawl. The healers had slowed the wagons holding the wounded. Beckmin told them they would need to speed up of they were to maintain the pace they needed to get back to the main base.
“What good is it to return to the base if the journey kills these men?” Asked the healer.
Beckmin considered the man for a moment and then told him. “IF we move too slowly then the enemy can overtake us and we will all die. We need more speed, as much as we can dare. So prepare the wounded for a rougher ride. I pray we can return to base with a fighting force. I am confident you can save the wounded as well.”
Beckmin walked off before the healer could protest.
Beckmin met with a few of the fist leaders and discussed the best course back to the main base. They all agreed that the best path would be to travel almost directly south to Walters Gap, then south and east to the base. Beckmin nodded and allowed that they would follow that path. Beckmin started to think about how they could make better time. As long as they had the wagons they would be nearly two weeks on the road before they could get to the base.
When the scouts returned just before noon to announce they had found another good camp site. It was a site they had used on the way out form the base. Beckmin started to think about how they could make better time, and aleiviate his boredom all at the same time.
Re climbed into the back of a wagon and started to write down some new y rosters. If he left a fist with the wagons, he could build a force nearly two fists strong to speed back to the south. They could act a super scout unit and clear the path for the wounded and the wagons.
After a quick mid day meal he rode out with the group to set up the eveining camp excited that the next day he would be able to lead a fighting force not a retrating group of wounded boys.
posted by shaneknysh at 19:36
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