Lena.
Pushing himself onto his knees, Stepan peered over the lip of the wall. Scanning the ground between the gates and the dormant trains and carriages idle on the tracks, he spotted two emissaries and their controllers patrolling either side of the main lines leading into the centre of the station. Stepan sat on the ground crossed his legs and smiled. He drew a crude square in the dust at his feet with his finger.
“We are here,” Stepan leaned forward and drew a cross in the middle of the line furthest away from him. “Put the Drakon here, Yuri. Your friend...”
“Dmitri,” Yuri punched his comrade on the shoulder.
Stepan tapped the cross in the dirt. “Dmitri can help you. It is up to you to get the attention of the emissaries and keep them busy. Vlad?”
“ Da , Kapitan?”
“You and I are going to storm the gates while they open up with the Puckle Gun.” Stepan drew small oblongs in the dirt. “We can use the trains and carriages for cover.”
“How many emissaries did you see?”
“Just two, Vlad. It shouldn’t be a problem. I think the Germans are stretched pretty thin no matter how many machines they have unloaded.”
“They are still unloading,” Lena crouched on her heels. “Dmitri heard some of the stividors talking before he joined us.”
“Then we need to move fast before they can get more emissaries down here.” Stepan drew a large rectangle in the centre of the perimeter he sketched in the dirt. “This is the station. Vladimir and I will get inside and find the engineers.”
“Just like that?” Lena rocked back and forth. “It will not be easy.”
“That is why you are staying put until I call you. They will already be on edge. No reason to spook them further with a Cossack in tow.”
One by one, Lena tossed the pebbles from her hand onto Stepan’s dusty diagram. “I can be very persuasive. Perhaps you will need me sooner? Besides,” Lena upturned her palm and emptied the last of the pebbles on top of Stepan’s map. “I tend to get bored easily.”
“Another reason to keep you out of trouble until we need you.”
“Kapitan,” Vladimir tapped Stepan on the shoulder. “The sooner we get going, the sooner you can return. To Anna and Nikolas.”
Stepan traced his finger around the face of the fake watch. He looked each of them in the eye, lingering for a moment on Vladimir. “You all know what to do?”
Lena stood up. “Everybody but me.” She took a step closer to the wall and peered over it. “Perhaps I will do this my way?”
“Lena?” Stepan scuffed the map as he spun to his feet.
“See you inside the station, Kapitan,” Lena placed both hands on top of the wall and vaulted over it, landing on the other side with scrunch of pebbles and grit beneath her boots.
Yuri slapped Dmitri on the shoulder. Grasping the barrel of the Puckle Gun in his hand, he dragged it closer to the wall. Dmitri opened the wooden crates of ammunition and began loading the first cylinder to be fired.
“Lena,” Stepan hissed as he leaned against the wall.
“Don’t worry, Kapitan,” Lena pulled a long, double-barrelled flintlock pistol from inside her sheepskin, grasping the handle in her left hand. “I will be very discreet.” Walking back to the wall, she beckoned to Vladimir. As he leaned in close she grabbed him by the lapel and kissed him. “For Russia,” she smiled as she released him. Stepan stared at Vladimir as Lena slapped the Poruchik on the cheek, turned and skipped into the brush and gorse struggling to grow between the railroad tracks.
“Don’t look at me, Kapitan,” Vladimir shook his head.
“There should be a chapter on Cossacks in the training manual.” Stepan nodded at Yuri before pulling Vladimir in a low run toward the gate.
“I’m not sure one chapter would be enough, Kapitan.” Vladimir bent his back as he ran alongside Stepan. “But it would make for an interesting read, I am sure.”
“Focus, Vlad,” Stepan glanced over the wall as
Pushing himself onto his knees, Stepan peered over the lip of the wall. Scanning the ground between the gates and the dormant trains and carriages idle on the tracks, he spotted two emissaries and their controllers patrolling either side of the main lines leading into the centre of the station. Stepan sat on the ground crossed his legs and smiled. He drew a crude square in the dust at his feet with his finger.
“We are here,” Stepan leaned forward and drew a cross in the middle of the line furthest away from him. “Put the Drakon here, Yuri. Your friend...”
“Dmitri,” Yuri punched his comrade on the shoulder.
Stepan tapped the cross in the dirt. “Dmitri can help you. It is up to you to get the attention of the emissaries and keep them busy. Vlad?”
“ Da , Kapitan?”
“You and I are going to storm the gates while they open up with the Puckle Gun.” Stepan drew small oblongs in the dirt. “We can use the trains and carriages for cover.”
“How many emissaries did you see?”
“Just two, Vlad. It shouldn’t be a problem. I think the Germans are stretched pretty thin no matter how many machines they have unloaded.”
“They are still unloading,” Lena crouched on her heels. “Dmitri heard some of the stividors talking before he joined us.”
“Then we need to move fast before they can get more emissaries down here.” Stepan drew a large rectangle in the centre of the perimeter he sketched in the dirt. “This is the station. Vladimir and I will get inside and find the engineers.”
“Just like that?” Lena rocked back and forth. “It will not be easy.”
“That is why you are staying put until I call you. They will already be on edge. No reason to spook them further with a Cossack in tow.”
One by one, Lena tossed the pebbles from her hand onto Stepan’s dusty diagram. “I can be very persuasive. Perhaps you will need me sooner? Besides,” Lena upturned her palm and emptied the last of the pebbles on top of Stepan’s map. “I tend to get bored easily.”
“Another reason to keep you out of trouble until we need you.”
“Kapitan,” Vladimir tapped Stepan on the shoulder. “The sooner we get going, the sooner you can return. To Anna and Nikolas.”
Stepan traced his finger around the face of the fake watch. He looked each of them in the eye, lingering for a moment on Vladimir. “You all know what to do?”
Lena stood up. “Everybody but me.” She took a step closer to the wall and peered over it. “Perhaps I will do this my way?”
“Lena?” Stepan scuffed the map as he spun to his feet.
“See you inside the station, Kapitan,” Lena placed both hands on top of the wall and vaulted over it, landing on the other side with scrunch of pebbles and grit beneath her boots.
Yuri slapped Dmitri on the shoulder. Grasping the barrel of the Puckle Gun in his hand, he dragged it closer to the wall. Dmitri opened the wooden crates of ammunition and began loading the first cylinder to be fired.
“Lena,” Stepan hissed as he leaned against the wall.
“Don’t worry, Kapitan,” Lena pulled a long, double-barrelled flintlock pistol from inside her sheepskin, grasping the handle in her left hand. “I will be very discreet.” Walking back to the wall, she beckoned to Vladimir. As he leaned in close she grabbed him by the lapel and kissed him. “For Russia,” she smiled as she released him. Stepan stared at Vladimir as Lena slapped the Poruchik on the cheek, turned and skipped into the brush and gorse struggling to grow between the railroad tracks.
“Don’t look at me, Kapitan,” Vladimir shook his head.
“There should be a chapter on Cossacks in the training manual.” Stepan nodded at Yuri before pulling Vladimir in a low run toward the gate.
“I’m not sure one chapter would be enough, Kapitan.” Vladimir bent his back as he ran alongside Stepan. “But it would make for an interesting read, I am sure.”
“Focus, Vlad,” Stepan glanced over the wall as
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