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Finally a moment of quiet- and after you caught your breath, dared to look about with the periscope rather than the gunsights- you checked the machine gun belt, took out your pistol, and went over the top. Collapsed to the ground, waiting for a straggler to take a potshot at you. A look to your reinforcements rejoining you- one tank was missing. You motioned to the trench- you needed to reconvene while the Reich gave you peace.
One of the tanks had been lost- Corallo said that a pair of Reich tanks had engaged the others from another hilltop, as had the bunkers. One of the PW-3s had been disabled and was stuck behind, and there wasn’t a tank in the whole platoon that wasn’t seriously damaged in some way-mostly in regards to mobility or prolonged maneuvering. No more hill riding- and no speedy retreat either. Not unless you got enough time to try and make some hasty repairs. Unlikely.
Above all else, though, you ordered Corallo to remain outside and keep watch, and didn’t wait for him to agree before you went towards the bunker atop the hill, through a communication trench leading to a tightly closed hatch. It opened to accept you- a wide eyed conscript remarking that they didn’t think anybody would come for them.
“I-I th-though that,” he stammered as he shut the heavy iron door behind you, “That, there wouldn’t be a counteroffensive so…”
“There isn’t one,” you shut down the boy’s hopes. He was too young to be within the conscription age- perhaps a state’s lord had fudged the numbers so they could provide more of a commitment, or get rid of certain undesirables. “Get me to your commanding officer, or failing that, a man called Cesare Fabius. We don’t any time.”
You were brought to the latter, without being told whether he was the former. After so long, you weren’t sure what to expect- Cesare had changed his look a lot. Heavy bags now weighed his eyes, and his mustache had vanished, his hair cropped close to his head, but when he looked up at the mention of you, his old, easy smile came back, like he’d remembered something long forgotten.
