>>11099859One week after the debacle in sector Hispania IX, a Green artillery battery swelters under the midday sun in sector Hispania VII. With little going on in the way of offensive operations, the gunners break up the monotony with drills and gossip, the latter inevitably coming around to the now-infamous night of Green-on-Green. An official, if perfunctory, investigation concluded that the disaster likely started with mishandled munitions for the base's heavy gun, setting off a chain reaction of exploding rounds that devastated the base's frontage, with the coincidental arrival of the patrol leading to further tragic consequences. As the entire gun crew perished in the explosions, disciplinary action was limited to minor reprimands of the commanding officers of the base and the patrol.
The blame being placed entirely on some fellow gunners is of especial contention among the crews serving this firebase, unwilling to accept such a conclusion. Speculation on the "actual" cause of the explosions ranges wildly, from wilful sabotage by a traitor to enemy special forces to defective ammunition. The battery's commander turns a deaf ear to the chatter; he knows his men well enough to let them vent a little between gruelling drills. He scans the horizon idly, glancing at his watch in anticipation of ordering another round of gunloading practice.
