3rd of Ash, 122
The crisp morning air blew on his face as he rolled down the window to adjust the truck's side view mirror. He then continued humming to himself as he took out a piece of cigarette and navigated down the Wintergarten Circle. Then, blowing a cloud of smoke, he slowly turned the corner and entered the Rieger's back entrance. There are several workers in their kitchen garbs smoking out in the back.
Hmmm, tough luck, lads. I ain't the delivery dude. He chuckled as he saw one worker's face perk up at the sound of his truck but quickly turned sour as it wasn't the truck they were waiting for.
"Gustavo around?" Axel asked as he leaned out of the window of his truck.
"Ah, you're the one the chef called for, eh? The transport guy, right?" one of the workers exclaimed. "Yes, Yes, chef Gustavo's inside, but eh you know he eh not have been a good mood, he eh bad bad mood." The worker replied in broken Kathalan.
"I see. The chef told me to meet him here before opening hours. Hope I'm not too late. Or perhaps too early." Axel replied in common.
"Yes, yes. But can you please parked the truck on that side" the worker replied in common as he pointed out at a nearby parking space. "We still waiting for delivery truck, hard to carry stuff if far from kitchen storage, no?" the worker switched back to broken Kathalan.
"Right then," Axel replied in Kathalan, shifted the gear to reverse, and pulled out from the parking space. After moving the truck to the area the worker pointed out, he placed the gear stick in the middle position and pulled the handbrake. Grabbing his box of cigarettes and keys before jumping out of the truck. He didn't even bother locking the truck.
"Here, good cigarette," Axel said as he tossed the pack of cigarettes to the worker.
"Yes, yes. Thank you sir for good good cigarette." The worker replied.
Axel nodded and then made his way inside through the back door. As soon as he entered, he was hit with a wave of a familiar smell. His nostrils perked up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Damn, smelled like the one at the Palace." He said out loud.
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Axel's attention back. He opened his eyes and came to face with a stern-looking middle-aged man.
"Ya done smelling? Must be the new hire huh?" The man scratched his head. "Damn rookie." He muttered under his breath.
"Rookie?" Axel looked puzzled before it clicked. "Ah, no, no. I'm Axel, the delivery guy," He chuckled nervously.
The man seemed unfazed, squinted his eyes, and stared at him closer. "Wait, here." Axel rummaged through his coat pockets, took out the writ with the seal of the Emperor, and showed it to the man.
The man clasped his hand, and his expression changed. "Ah yes, Axel, the one chef Gustavo mentioned, the delivery guy, right?" He then spotted a stool at one of the empty kitchen stations. "Please have a sit, I will tell Chef Gustavo that you're here." The man pointed at the stool before making his way outside the kitchen. "Oh and pour yourself a cup, yeah?" he poked his head back in for a few seconds before disappearing outside.
"With pleasure," Axel smiled as he pocketed the writ, stood up, made his way to the stove, and inspected the Moka pot on top of it. He grabbed a cup from the nearby shelf and poured himself some of those magnificent smelling dark liquids. He brought the cup close to his nose and took a deep breath. He grinned. Axel then took a sip. It tasted sweeter than the usual coffees that he drank.
Hmmm, fruity taste, smells familiar. There's also a hint of honey. Axel thought to himself as he took another sip. I love that smooth tasting. It didn't taste as burnt as those beans I usually bought. Perks of being one of the best restaurants in the Imperium. He took another sip and tried to remember where that familiar scent was from—not noticing Chef Gustavo entering the kitchen. Gustavo took one look at the signet ring Axel wore and recognized it as the signet ring of the Imperial Air Force.
"What do you see?" Gustavo interrupted him.
"W…..what?" Axel opened his eyes, surprised that he didn't notice Gustavo's presence.
"Hear that?" Gustavo lifted his index finger to his right ear. Then, seeing Axel's confusion, he smiled. "The Bells of Saint Ulrich."
Axel's confusion turned into a chuckle before letting out a hearty laugh. So that's why the scent is very familiar. "The Bells of Saint Ulrich. You could hear it from anywhere in the Allnacht." He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The only time there isn't any sound of roaring engines overhead." Axel then raised his hands, forming a picture frame with his fingers, "The only time you could enjoy the skies of Allnacht without a single aircraft in flying." Again, he chuckled, "Wonder if that geezer's finally finished with his painting." He sighed.
"That checkered flat cap, thick round glasses and the lingering smell of tobacco. Always looking on his pocket watch least he missed that precious moments." Gustavo chimed in.
Axel chuckled and nodded at Gustavo. "He's been there as long as I could remember. Neither rain nor snow could stop him."
Gustavo chuckled. He then poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip. "Immer oben," he raised his cup.
"Den Tod von oben bringen," Axel said his squadron's motto and raised his cup.
"Which squadron?"
"The 175th"
Gustavo almost choked on his coffee when he heard Axel's squadron number. He recovered a few moments before turning to face Axel, "So, how's that old dog, Benedikt doing? Heard from him?"
It's Axel's turn to almost choking on his. “Benedikt, as in ‘The’ Colonel Benedikt?” He paused briefly, trying to recall what happened to his former CO. "Last I heard, he was back in Allnacht." He continued.
Gustavo laughed. "Running away with his tails between his legs, coward." He muttered.
"So how do you kn……." Axel's question was interrupted halfway as the middle-aged man from earlier reentered the kitchen.
"Chef, the shipment's ready and loaded into the truck." He reported while giving Axel a side-glance.
Gustavo thanked the man before rummaging through his pockets. "Wait here," he said as he exited the kitchen.
I could wait here all day. Axel thought to himself as he poured another cup. He waited for quite a while before Gustavo reentered the kitchen carrying a package and a letter.
Gustavo placed the package beside the stove and handed the letter to Axel. “I know the request I sent was for a short delivery route from here to the airport.” He then took out ten gold pieces. “Payment for the delivery job…….” He paused “……And another request if you’re up for it.”
Axel looked at the words written on the letter before he chuckled. “It won’t be easy……..”
“Twenty two pounds of that coffee…….”
“By when do you want it delivered?” Axel cuts in. He didn’t wait for Gustavo to finish his sentence because he knew he wouldn’t get another deal as good as this.
Gustavo laughed. “If you could deliver it within seven days. But I know that old dog is hard to track down. And if you need additional payment, you could ring me up. Just ask for Chef Gustavo.”
“That won’t be necessary chef. These are good enough” he grinned and pointed at the package.
“You better be off then, don’t want to keep the clients waiting.”
“Yes, chef. I’ll be off then.” Axel waved at Gustavo and exited the building carrying the package in one hand and the letter in the other. Benedikt, talk about timing. I was about to go look for you. He thought to himself as he jumped back on the truck, placing the package on the front passenger seat and the letter on the dashboard. He slowly backed off into the road and drove to Eisenstadt International Airfield. He drove around the front entrance and subconsciously headed for the military entrance. Arriving at the checkpoint, the guard looked at the truck and the ring he was wearing. Axel yawned as he reached into his pocket and handed the guard his expired military identification, unaware that he had entered the wrong gate.
The guard looked at the id, Axel, and back at the id. “Sir, do you have another form of identification?” the guard asked, handing his expired id back.
“No, that’s…..” he paused, and it clicked. Damn it, damn it—old habits. “…..Oh yeah, sorry. Habit.” He chuckled and showed the guard the writ. The guard brought it into the guard post and made a call using the Lorestone Communication Relay, or the LCR as they called it. After waiting for a while, Axel saw the guard nod and then made his way back to him.
“All clear, sir. You may pass.” The guard returned the writ and gestured for his friend to open the gate.
Axel made his way through the hangars as he struggled between reading the letter for the drop-off point and driving.
“Ah, C-194J2. There you are.” He smiled as he saw the numbers painted on the hangar’s wall.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Rhino transport airship. It looks different from the one we used back in the day. He thought as he marveled at the airship in front of him.
“Hey! You can’t park there!” a voice shouted out.
“Huh? Oh right.” He changed gear and moved his truck to the hangar’s side entrance. The man from earlier approached him.
“You can’t be here……” he was about to go into full-on police mode before he caught a glimpse of Axel’s signet ring.
“Ah, a fellow flyboy. What’s up? Some gravel cruncher sent you here?” he laughed.
“I wish it were some gravel cruncher. But an order’s still an order right?” Axel replied, “Even when it comes from a gravel cruncher.” He continued. Axel then went to the back of his truck and opened the door. “It’s from Chef Gustavo.”
The man sighed in relief. “Oh boy I thought Gustavo forgotten about us. Me and Andy bout to head out to pick it up ourselves, but got stuck doing last minute check. And ya know FOD walk and shits.” He chuckled. “So which unit ya from?”
“Last minute check is a pain. But those damn engineers treated their checklist logbook like it was a mandate straight from His Greatness himself.” Axel replied while doing the salute as he talked about the Emperor. “I used to serve at the 175th out of Zythura.”
The soldier followed suit. “Aye. That’s their way of life. His Greatness himself.” His jaw dropped when he heard Axel’s squadron number. “No way. The 175th? The one led by the one and only Colonel ‘Reaper’ Benedikt?” the airmen glee in delight. “And the duo nicknamed ‘The Reaper’s Scythes’, Lieutenant Colonel Adrian and Axel.”
Axel’s expression changed at the mention of his best friend’s name. He sighed and turned his eyes to the sky. “Fliege weiter, Bruder. Fliege weiter.”
The soldier gasped, “I…I’m sorry. I……” He slowly turns his head upward. “Fliege weiter, Bruder.” Then, turning to Axel, the soldier saluted him. “Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Axel.”
Axel nodded.
“Thank you…….thank you for bringing Sergeant Major Leopold home. Thank you for bringing my brother home.” Tears trickled down the young soldier’s face. He turned and was about to shout into the hangar to call his friends when Axel stopped him.
“FOB walks and shits, right? Need to make sure your packages got onboard the plane before the engineers did their final check.”
The soldier chuckled and began unloading the crate. Axel helped him push the trolley inside the hangar.
Damn, this brings back memories. Axel thought to himself when he saw the young airmen excitedly preparing for their operation. One airman was crying on the LCR; the others were comparing what their loved ones packed. Some were nervously checking and rechecking their equipment. Others were kicking around the ball while the audience was betting on their cigarettes. The nearby soldiers quickly jumped on their feet and surrounded Axel and Leopold’s brother.
“Yo Tim! Is this the one from chef Gustavo?” One of the soldiers said in a hushed tone. He then quickly looks at the rest of the airmen and back at the crate. “Here, a pack of ciggy. Give me extra.” The soldier tried to bribe Tim. The rest quickly followed suit.
This brat, Axel, chuckled. He then took a deep breath and shouted, “Care package from chef Gustavo!” The rest of the airmen stopped their activity and rushed to him.
“Oh come on,” the soldier groaned.
“Einer für alle….” Axel said with a sly grin.
“alle für einen” the soldier replied
A crowbar appeared out of nowhere, and the soldiers worked quickly and, before long, distributed the contents amongst themselves. It only took them ten minutes.
“So Tim, all of you out of Allnacht?”
“Yes sir. This would be our tenth mission as the 201st, but our first mission flying north.”
“North…..”
The siren blew, interrupting their talk.
“Go on, FOB walks and shits.” Axel said. “For the glory of the Emperor!”
Tim saluted him before rejoining his squadmates as they prepared for their final check and loaded their stuff inside the airship. Axel then made his way outside. He leaned on the passenger’s door and took out a piece of cigarette. “Fly high boys, fly high.” He said to himself, a sense of pride in the next generation of airmen. “Now, it’s my turn to pay that geezer a visit.”
The crisp morning air blew on his face as he rolled down the window to adjust the truck's side view mirror. He then continued humming to himself as he took out a piece of cigarette and navigated down the Wintergarten Circle. Then, blowing a cloud of smoke, he slowly turned the corner and entered the Rieger's back entrance. There are several workers in their kitchen garbs smoking out in the back.
Hmmm, tough luck, lads. I ain't the delivery dude. He chuckled as he saw one worker's face perk up at the sound of his truck but quickly turned sour as it wasn't the truck they were waiting for.
"Gustavo around?" Axel asked as he leaned out of the window of his truck.
"Ah, you're the one the chef called for, eh? The transport guy, right?" one of the workers exclaimed. "Yes, Yes, chef Gustavo's inside, but eh you know he eh not have been a good mood, he eh bad bad mood." The worker replied in broken Kathalan.
"I see. The chef told me to meet him here before opening hours. Hope I'm not too late. Or perhaps too early." Axel replied in common.
"Yes, yes. But can you please parked the truck on that side" the worker replied in common as he pointed out at a nearby parking space. "We still waiting for delivery truck, hard to carry stuff if far from kitchen storage, no?" the worker switched back to broken Kathalan.
"Right then," Axel replied in Kathalan, shifted the gear to reverse, and pulled out from the parking space. After moving the truck to the area the worker pointed out, he placed the gear stick in the middle position and pulled the handbrake. Grabbing his box of cigarettes and keys before jumping out of the truck. He didn't even bother locking the truck.
"Here, good cigarette," Axel said as he tossed the pack of cigarettes to the worker.
"Yes, yes. Thank you sir for good good cigarette." The worker replied.
Axel nodded and then made his way inside through the back door. As soon as he entered, he was hit with a wave of a familiar smell. His nostrils perked up. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
"Damn, smelled like the one at the Palace." He said out loud.
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Axel's attention back. He opened his eyes and came to face with a stern-looking middle-aged man.
"Ya done smelling? Must be the new hire huh?" The man scratched his head. "Damn rookie." He muttered under his breath.
"Rookie?" Axel looked puzzled before it clicked. "Ah, no, no. I'm Axel, the delivery guy," He chuckled nervously.
The man seemed unfazed, squinted his eyes, and stared at him closer. "Wait, here." Axel rummaged through his coat pockets, took out the writ with the seal of the Emperor, and showed it to the man.
The man clasped his hand, and his expression changed. "Ah yes, Axel, the one chef Gustavo mentioned, the delivery guy, right?" He then spotted a stool at one of the empty kitchen stations. "Please have a sit, I will tell Chef Gustavo that you're here." The man pointed at the stool before making his way outside the kitchen. "Oh and pour yourself a cup, yeah?" he poked his head back in for a few seconds before disappearing outside.
"With pleasure," Axel smiled as he pocketed the writ, stood up, made his way to the stove, and inspected the Moka pot on top of it. He grabbed a cup from the nearby shelf and poured himself some of those magnificent smelling dark liquids. He brought the cup close to his nose and took a deep breath. He grinned. Axel then took a sip. It tasted sweeter than the usual coffees that he drank.
Hmmm, fruity taste, smells familiar. There's also a hint of honey. Axel thought to himself as he took another sip. I love that smooth tasting. It didn't taste as burnt as those beans I usually bought. Perks of being one of the best restaurants in the Imperium. He took another sip and tried to remember where that familiar scent was from—not noticing Chef Gustavo entering the kitchen. Gustavo took one look at the signet ring Axel wore and recognized it as the signet ring of the Imperial Air Force.
"What do you see?" Gustavo interrupted him.
"W…..what?" Axel opened his eyes, surprised that he didn't notice Gustavo's presence.
"Hear that?" Gustavo lifted his index finger to his right ear. Then, seeing Axel's confusion, he smiled. "The Bells of Saint Ulrich."
Axel's confusion turned into a chuckle before letting out a hearty laugh. So that's why the scent is very familiar. "The Bells of Saint Ulrich. You could hear it from anywhere in the Allnacht." He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "The only time there isn't any sound of roaring engines overhead." Axel then raised his hands, forming a picture frame with his fingers, "The only time you could enjoy the skies of Allnacht without a single aircraft in flying." Again, he chuckled, "Wonder if that geezer's finally finished with his painting." He sighed.
"That checkered flat cap, thick round glasses and the lingering smell of tobacco. Always looking on his pocket watch least he missed that precious moments." Gustavo chimed in.
Axel chuckled and nodded at Gustavo. "He's been there as long as I could remember. Neither rain nor snow could stop him."
Gustavo chuckled. He then poured himself a cup of coffee and took a sip. "Immer oben," he raised his cup.
"Den Tod von oben bringen," Axel said his squadron's motto and raised his cup.
"Which squadron?"
"The 175th"
Gustavo almost choked on his coffee when he heard Axel's squadron number. He recovered a few moments before turning to face Axel, "So, how's that old dog, Benedikt doing? Heard from him?"
It's Axel's turn to almost choking on his. “Benedikt, as in ‘The’ Colonel Benedikt?” He paused briefly, trying to recall what happened to his former CO. "Last I heard, he was back in Allnacht." He continued.
Gustavo laughed. "Running away with his tails between his legs, coward." He muttered.
"So how do you kn……." Axel's question was interrupted halfway as the middle-aged man from earlier reentered the kitchen.
"Chef, the shipment's ready and loaded into the truck." He reported while giving Axel a side-glance.
Gustavo thanked the man before rummaging through his pockets. "Wait here," he said as he exited the kitchen.
I could wait here all day. Axel thought to himself as he poured another cup. He waited for quite a while before Gustavo reentered the kitchen carrying a package and a letter.
Gustavo placed the package beside the stove and handed the letter to Axel. “I know the request I sent was for a short delivery route from here to the airport.” He then took out ten gold pieces. “Payment for the delivery job…….” He paused “……And another request if you’re up for it.”
Axel looked at the words written on the letter before he chuckled. “It won’t be easy……..”
“Twenty two pounds of that coffee…….”
“By when do you want it delivered?” Axel cuts in. He didn’t wait for Gustavo to finish his sentence because he knew he wouldn’t get another deal as good as this.
Gustavo laughed. “If you could deliver it within seven days. But I know that old dog is hard to track down. And if you need additional payment, you could ring me up. Just ask for Chef Gustavo.”
“That won’t be necessary chef. These are good enough” he grinned and pointed at the package.
“You better be off then, don’t want to keep the clients waiting.”
“Yes, chef. I’ll be off then.” Axel waved at Gustavo and exited the building carrying the package in one hand and the letter in the other. Benedikt, talk about timing. I was about to go look for you. He thought to himself as he jumped back on the truck, placing the package on the front passenger seat and the letter on the dashboard. He slowly backed off into the road and drove to Eisenstadt International Airfield. He drove around the front entrance and subconsciously headed for the military entrance. Arriving at the checkpoint, the guard looked at the truck and the ring he was wearing. Axel yawned as he reached into his pocket and handed the guard his expired military identification, unaware that he had entered the wrong gate.
The guard looked at the id, Axel, and back at the id. “Sir, do you have another form of identification?” the guard asked, handing his expired id back.
“No, that’s…..” he paused, and it clicked. Damn it, damn it—old habits. “…..Oh yeah, sorry. Habit.” He chuckled and showed the guard the writ. The guard brought it into the guard post and made a call using the Lorestone Communication Relay, or the LCR as they called it. After waiting for a while, Axel saw the guard nod and then made his way back to him.
“All clear, sir. You may pass.” The guard returned the writ and gestured for his friend to open the gate.
Axel made his way through the hangars as he struggled between reading the letter for the drop-off point and driving.
“Ah, C-194J2. There you are.” He smiled as he saw the numbers painted on the hangar’s wall.
It’s been a while since I’ve seen a Rhino transport airship. It looks different from the one we used back in the day. He thought as he marveled at the airship in front of him.
“Hey! You can’t park there!” a voice shouted out.
“Huh? Oh right.” He changed gear and moved his truck to the hangar’s side entrance. The man from earlier approached him.
“You can’t be here……” he was about to go into full-on police mode before he caught a glimpse of Axel’s signet ring.
“Ah, a fellow flyboy. What’s up? Some gravel cruncher sent you here?” he laughed.
“I wish it were some gravel cruncher. But an order’s still an order right?” Axel replied, “Even when it comes from a gravel cruncher.” He continued. Axel then went to the back of his truck and opened the door. “It’s from Chef Gustavo.”
The man sighed in relief. “Oh boy I thought Gustavo forgotten about us. Me and Andy bout to head out to pick it up ourselves, but got stuck doing last minute check. And ya know FOD walk and shits.” He chuckled. “So which unit ya from?”
“Last minute check is a pain. But those damn engineers treated their checklist logbook like it was a mandate straight from His Greatness himself.” Axel replied while doing the salute as he talked about the Emperor. “I used to serve at the 175th out of Zythura.”
The soldier followed suit. “Aye. That’s their way of life. His Greatness himself.” His jaw dropped when he heard Axel’s squadron number. “No way. The 175th? The one led by the one and only Colonel ‘Reaper’ Benedikt?” the airmen glee in delight. “And the duo nicknamed ‘The Reaper’s Scythes’, Lieutenant Colonel Adrian and Axel.”
Axel’s expression changed at the mention of his best friend’s name. He sighed and turned his eyes to the sky. “Fliege weiter, Bruder. Fliege weiter.”
The soldier gasped, “I…I’m sorry. I……” He slowly turns his head upward. “Fliege weiter, Bruder.” Then, turning to Axel, the soldier saluted him. “Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Axel.”
Axel nodded.
“Thank you…….thank you for bringing Sergeant Major Leopold home. Thank you for bringing my brother home.” Tears trickled down the young soldier’s face. He turned and was about to shout into the hangar to call his friends when Axel stopped him.
“FOB walks and shits, right? Need to make sure your packages got onboard the plane before the engineers did their final check.”
The soldier chuckled and began unloading the crate. Axel helped him push the trolley inside the hangar.
Damn, this brings back memories. Axel thought to himself when he saw the young airmen excitedly preparing for their operation. One airman was crying on the LCR; the others were comparing what their loved ones packed. Some were nervously checking and rechecking their equipment. Others were kicking around the ball while the audience was betting on their cigarettes. The nearby soldiers quickly jumped on their feet and surrounded Axel and Leopold’s brother.
“Yo Tim! Is this the one from chef Gustavo?” One of the soldiers said in a hushed tone. He then quickly looks at the rest of the airmen and back at the crate. “Here, a pack of ciggy. Give me extra.” The soldier tried to bribe Tim. The rest quickly followed suit.
This brat, Axel, chuckled. He then took a deep breath and shouted, “Care package from chef Gustavo!” The rest of the airmen stopped their activity and rushed to him.
“Oh come on,” the soldier groaned.
“Einer für alle….” Axel said with a sly grin.
“alle für einen” the soldier replied
A crowbar appeared out of nowhere, and the soldiers worked quickly and, before long, distributed the contents amongst themselves. It only took them ten minutes.
“So Tim, all of you out of Allnacht?”
“Yes sir. This would be our tenth mission as the 201st, but our first mission flying north.”
“North…..”
The siren blew, interrupting their talk.
“Go on, FOB walks and shits.” Axel said. “For the glory of the Emperor!”
Tim saluted him before rejoining his squadmates as they prepared for their final check and loaded their stuff inside the airship. Axel then made his way outside. He leaned on the passenger’s door and took out a piece of cigarette. “Fly high boys, fly high.” He said to himself, a sense of pride in the next generation of airmen. “Now, it’s my turn to pay that geezer a visit.”
