WhiskeyBattalions
20-01-2008, 23:14
"The Whiskey Battalions was an interesting phenomenon. One could not imagine what was going through the heads of the Defense Ministry when they created them. In short, they were the scum of the Earth, the cannon fodder, the criminals, the homeless, the political activists, the immigrants, the atheists, the catholics, the homosexuals and whomever else did not fit into the warped mental set laid down by the Ministry of the Interior. It is understandable that they all nearly jumped out of their skin when offered the chance to serve in the army instead of remaining in the camps."
-Anni Astrud
Author/Editor of the Book Drunkards, Dictators and Marxists
"The Whiskey Battalion was an excellent demonstration of Primary Group Cohesion. After the Marxist offensive, these soldiers were cut off entirely from their lines of communication. Rather than face a superior professional army, they demonstrated greater loyalty to their unit, despite class and political divisions. This loyalty to one another was much greater than the loyalty to the state, which I feel will enable them to withstand the conflict as well as any other faction in this struggle."
-Prof. Paul Kesson in lecture to students.
Any soldier whose first move after mutiny is to seize a distillery clearly has his head on straight.
-unknown
Nine Months Ago
50 Km South of Valerie City
"Dead?" The man in a tattered uniform looked at the smaller man standing above him.
"Yes. Dead." He wore a tattered military coat, ripped jeans and a Stooges T-shirt. "Saw it myself. My source says that the Commandante was flying to the coast to personally rally the remains of the Jack knife and the Spades Battalions. The commies are still holding onto the oil fields and the thought was that a surprise attack could push them out. Whatever the case, the commies had enough intel to put someone with a stinger behind feds lines."
"You sure he's dead?"
The younger man eagerly reached inside his coat. "Got his hand. Knew it was him by the ring."
"That's not necessary."
"Sir, where to from here?"
"Get your men back to the field. Gather intelligence on the feds, see what happens to their armies. Cass, between you and me, the shit is about to hit the fan."
Four Month Ago
Valerie City
The skeleton of an APC was emptying plumes of smoke into the sky. Corpses were scattered across the streets, half of them dressed as soldiers in uniform, carrying soviet-style equipment, and a copy of Marx's Communist Manifesto. The other half was a mix, uniforms of varying quality, and a significant number dressed as civilians. It had been an hour since the last gunshot was fired. Little by little, fighters began to emerge from the ruined buildings. "Major Cassady!" One of the fighters yelled to the man wearing the Stooges T-shirt, who was now holding a Mosin Nagant. "Major Cassady, enemy infantry are laying down their arms two klicks west of the cigar factory. We take them back to..."
Cassady shot him a look. "Before you continue that thought, keep in mind what we are fighting for.?
"Sir?"
"Right now we have the opportunity to send a message. This country did us a disservice before the war. Do you think life will be any different if the commies rule?"
"Sir, they are retreating."
"I sent two companies to head off their lines of communication before they even got here. Reliable men. They'll all be dead by supper time. In the long term, we won't be able to beat the communists. But we need to let them know that they won't run this country. This is not a message we can afford to send softly."
"Sir?"
"I expect you will direct your men to do what is needed."
The man stared at Cassady, responded with a curt "Sir" and then ran down a side street.
Cassady noticed a man writhing and squeezing his stomach. He sauntered over to him, noticing a red bandana with the sickle and hammer stitched into it. The man's eyes quickly darted up to Cassady, who had shouldered his mosin and drawn his 1911 pistol. "Make your peace with God now, if you have any peace to make."
Present Day
Valerie City
"This is Anni Astrud, live from Valerie City. Its been about six Months since the last remnants of the regime of Commandante Accardi were considered to be extinct. Its also been three months since the free militias colloquially known as the "Whiskey Battalions" is believed to have relocated its primary headquarters to Valerie City, solidifying its de facto control of the city."
The irony of the situation did not escape her. She had been one of the most famous TV reporters in her nation, but the reporters were quite literally the first against the wall when the war broke out. She had been underground the entire time, speaking into the small video camera her husband was holding now. Utilities had been nonexistent since very early in the war and electricity was almost nonexistent until a few weeks ago, so the occasional video she made could be posted online through mirror sites via satellite modem or smuggled out of the country on a USB drive. Truth be told, it was mostly her writing that was easiest to smuggle out and gave her the greatest sense of productivity. She spoke a bit more into the camera, leading her husband and the (perhaps nonexistent viewers) towards the large and quite possibly once ornate seat of power of the former regime. Ragtag soldiers with a variety of guns stood around the outside, however many stood around with cameras and microphones. A pair of soldiers appeared to be attempting to point a TV camera at the balcony.
Two men walked out, one dressed in a military uniform and one wearing a suit. Astrud announced him as "Marshall John Cutter, Presumed to be one of the heads of the Whiskey Battalions."
The man with the suit stepped forward. He looked, tired, worn and not quite right in a suit. "Thank you all for coming here today. At this point, we have little need or utility for long speeches. What I am going to tell you is that we have all fought very hard. Injustices have been done, and I am speaking to the citizenry when I say that you deserve better." He paused. "At this time, it is with great pleasure and relief I tell you all that there will be no more hostilities. Peace has been negotiated, and from this time forward, the organization which I represent will no longer seek to infringe the rights of the communists. The conditions of the treaty which we have just ratified is that the communists will retain their holdings and for the time being will be permitted autonomy."
He paused once again. "The next condition for accepting their peace is that I am to assume responsibility as your acting head of state, with a succession plan that has been approved in this convention. Power is not my ambition in life, and as such I am, effective immediately, resigning my command over my soldiers...
Astrud listened to the speech. Typical of anyone who said they would keep their speech short, he continued his speech, with elevating levels of passion and empathy. At least he's not making any pretensions she thought looking around at the damaged buildings. What he said next immediately grabbed her attention. "This is my first address to the international community, and as such we have made investments to see that this message will be heard. I, as sovereign leader of this nation, am leading this country to become a free republic. This is not a task that cannot be accomplished alone. I hope to open a diplomatic relations, so that we may cooperate and strive towards a brighter future. As such, I will be hosting an open press conference in two weeks time. During this time I will also reveal my plan for the future. At this time, however, we all need to return to our reconstruction efforts." He said before returning to the building.
Nearly everyone waited anxiously for what the near future would hold.
-Anni Astrud
Author/Editor of the Book Drunkards, Dictators and Marxists
"The Whiskey Battalion was an excellent demonstration of Primary Group Cohesion. After the Marxist offensive, these soldiers were cut off entirely from their lines of communication. Rather than face a superior professional army, they demonstrated greater loyalty to their unit, despite class and political divisions. This loyalty to one another was much greater than the loyalty to the state, which I feel will enable them to withstand the conflict as well as any other faction in this struggle."
-Prof. Paul Kesson in lecture to students.
Any soldier whose first move after mutiny is to seize a distillery clearly has his head on straight.
-unknown
Nine Months Ago
50 Km South of Valerie City
"Dead?" The man in a tattered uniform looked at the smaller man standing above him.
"Yes. Dead." He wore a tattered military coat, ripped jeans and a Stooges T-shirt. "Saw it myself. My source says that the Commandante was flying to the coast to personally rally the remains of the Jack knife and the Spades Battalions. The commies are still holding onto the oil fields and the thought was that a surprise attack could push them out. Whatever the case, the commies had enough intel to put someone with a stinger behind feds lines."
"You sure he's dead?"
The younger man eagerly reached inside his coat. "Got his hand. Knew it was him by the ring."
"That's not necessary."
"Sir, where to from here?"
"Get your men back to the field. Gather intelligence on the feds, see what happens to their armies. Cass, between you and me, the shit is about to hit the fan."
Four Month Ago
Valerie City
The skeleton of an APC was emptying plumes of smoke into the sky. Corpses were scattered across the streets, half of them dressed as soldiers in uniform, carrying soviet-style equipment, and a copy of Marx's Communist Manifesto. The other half was a mix, uniforms of varying quality, and a significant number dressed as civilians. It had been an hour since the last gunshot was fired. Little by little, fighters began to emerge from the ruined buildings. "Major Cassady!" One of the fighters yelled to the man wearing the Stooges T-shirt, who was now holding a Mosin Nagant. "Major Cassady, enemy infantry are laying down their arms two klicks west of the cigar factory. We take them back to..."
Cassady shot him a look. "Before you continue that thought, keep in mind what we are fighting for.?
"Sir?"
"Right now we have the opportunity to send a message. This country did us a disservice before the war. Do you think life will be any different if the commies rule?"
"Sir, they are retreating."
"I sent two companies to head off their lines of communication before they even got here. Reliable men. They'll all be dead by supper time. In the long term, we won't be able to beat the communists. But we need to let them know that they won't run this country. This is not a message we can afford to send softly."
"Sir?"
"I expect you will direct your men to do what is needed."
The man stared at Cassady, responded with a curt "Sir" and then ran down a side street.
Cassady noticed a man writhing and squeezing his stomach. He sauntered over to him, noticing a red bandana with the sickle and hammer stitched into it. The man's eyes quickly darted up to Cassady, who had shouldered his mosin and drawn his 1911 pistol. "Make your peace with God now, if you have any peace to make."
Present Day
Valerie City
"This is Anni Astrud, live from Valerie City. Its been about six Months since the last remnants of the regime of Commandante Accardi were considered to be extinct. Its also been three months since the free militias colloquially known as the "Whiskey Battalions" is believed to have relocated its primary headquarters to Valerie City, solidifying its de facto control of the city."
The irony of the situation did not escape her. She had been one of the most famous TV reporters in her nation, but the reporters were quite literally the first against the wall when the war broke out. She had been underground the entire time, speaking into the small video camera her husband was holding now. Utilities had been nonexistent since very early in the war and electricity was almost nonexistent until a few weeks ago, so the occasional video she made could be posted online through mirror sites via satellite modem or smuggled out of the country on a USB drive. Truth be told, it was mostly her writing that was easiest to smuggle out and gave her the greatest sense of productivity. She spoke a bit more into the camera, leading her husband and the (perhaps nonexistent viewers) towards the large and quite possibly once ornate seat of power of the former regime. Ragtag soldiers with a variety of guns stood around the outside, however many stood around with cameras and microphones. A pair of soldiers appeared to be attempting to point a TV camera at the balcony.
Two men walked out, one dressed in a military uniform and one wearing a suit. Astrud announced him as "Marshall John Cutter, Presumed to be one of the heads of the Whiskey Battalions."
The man with the suit stepped forward. He looked, tired, worn and not quite right in a suit. "Thank you all for coming here today. At this point, we have little need or utility for long speeches. What I am going to tell you is that we have all fought very hard. Injustices have been done, and I am speaking to the citizenry when I say that you deserve better." He paused. "At this time, it is with great pleasure and relief I tell you all that there will be no more hostilities. Peace has been negotiated, and from this time forward, the organization which I represent will no longer seek to infringe the rights of the communists. The conditions of the treaty which we have just ratified is that the communists will retain their holdings and for the time being will be permitted autonomy."
He paused once again. "The next condition for accepting their peace is that I am to assume responsibility as your acting head of state, with a succession plan that has been approved in this convention. Power is not my ambition in life, and as such I am, effective immediately, resigning my command over my soldiers...
Astrud listened to the speech. Typical of anyone who said they would keep their speech short, he continued his speech, with elevating levels of passion and empathy. At least he's not making any pretensions she thought looking around at the damaged buildings. What he said next immediately grabbed her attention. "This is my first address to the international community, and as such we have made investments to see that this message will be heard. I, as sovereign leader of this nation, am leading this country to become a free republic. This is not a task that cannot be accomplished alone. I hope to open a diplomatic relations, so that we may cooperate and strive towards a brighter future. As such, I will be hosting an open press conference in two weeks time. During this time I will also reveal my plan for the future. At this time, however, we all need to return to our reconstruction efforts." He said before returning to the building.
Nearly everyone waited anxiously for what the near future would hold.