by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 31, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 35 Escuela Maria, Madre de Dios, San Jaba, Santa Josefina When you engage in an atrocity against mostly innocent parties, thought Legate Villalobos, it’s at least a minor balm to your conscience when your victims are...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 29, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 34 CHAPTER TWELVE “There comes a point during the course of the war when the people, especially those in the comparative safety of the towns, have to be informed in no uncertain terms who is going to be the...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 26, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 33 “What’s the load on this one, Vera?” Sergeant (retired) Pavlov asked of Sergeant Dzhugashvili. He spoke Russian, which Vera had learned in the home from her parents, even though she considered Spanish her...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 24, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 32 The heat was less oppressive when at sea, when certain vents could be opened to allow at least a fresh breeze to circulate through the ship. Even then, though, the passengers and crew had to be quiet as church mice when...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 22, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 31 CHAPTER ELEVEN “We are the worm in the wood! “We are the rot at the root! “We are the taint in the blood! “We are the thorn in the foot!” –Kipling, A Pict Song Moseal Fluss, near...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 19, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 30 No doubt who’s still in muddy scraping, either. Got to give them credit, too, though, for sending someone to arrange to give us our bodies back . . . and the worst of our wounded. The thought of the dead gave Verboom...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 17, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 29 At the harbor’s new edge, a quay rapidly put in by his engineers, rode a mid-sized Roll On-Roll Off civilian transport, chartered to the Tauran Union. The RO-RO somewhat lightly loaded due to the still relatively...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 15, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 28 CHAPTER TEN “It is courage, courage, courage, that raises the blood of life to crimson splendor. Live bravely and present a brave front to adversity.” –Quintus Horatius Flaccus (Horace) Parilla Line,...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 12, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 27 Poor bastard, he thought once again. For reasons he wasn’t even aware of he aimed himself at the repetitive plea, half his squad, he assumed, still following. Ahead, the artillery had stopped landing. Whether this was...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 10, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 26 About a kilometer and a half to the other side, another company of Haarlemers likewise walked forward, likewise with the rest of their battalions following along. As a reconnaissance in force goes, this seems sufficiently...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 8, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 25 CHAPTER NINE “The best reconnaissance will always be the attack.” –Adolph von Schell, Battle Leadership Bella Vista, Balboa There was a small headquarters set up in the shell of a burned-out home, a couple...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 5, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 24 “In that briefcase,” said Vladimir, “which is my personal gift to you, is enough information to get your bosses off your back. It is neither everything you want nor everything we know. We do, after all,...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 3, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 23 *** “God-fucking-dammit!” exclaimed Felton, when her loadmaster informed her of the mishap. The anger lasted about as long as the curse did. Then she took to asked herself the serious question, Did I screw...
by Drak Bibliophile | Oct 1, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 22 “Huh? What? Was I thinking aloud again?” “You must have been, sir. And you were right, sir, it is working. Though I confess, I have no idea about Her Imperial Majesty’s reproductive organs, nor of...
by Drak Bibliophile | Sep 28, 2018 | KratmanSnippets, Snippets
A Pillar Of Fire By Night – Snippet 21 CHAPTER EIGHT “How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life.” –Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Tauran Union Expeditionary Force Headquarters, Academia Sergento Juan...