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Sharpe's Sergeant	By : Sable899 Category: S through Z > The Sharpe Books Views: 1683 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the Sharp series of books that this fanfiction is written for, nor do I know Sean Bean. I do not make any money from the writing of this story. This story is fiction.

Chapter List
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Chapter 8 9th May, 1822

“Jamie's last communique were posted from Munich,” Sharpe explained sternly, leaning close over Wellington's desk, “He were on the trail of them bloody Prussian arms dealers. They were reported headin' for the German Arm-eh post near the Bavarian town of Grafenwoehr wit' Jamie on their trail. Then nuttin'. None o' our agents have seen hide nor hair of 'im since. Yer Grace gave me the responsiblit-eh and the authorit-eh to run me own service as I see fit. Right now I see fit to go find what's become o' me boy an' it'll take yer whole bleeding Arm-eh to stop me.”

“Richard, we've been arguing about this for nearly an hour now,” the Duke of Wellington, throwing his hands in the air, finally admitted, “Given your penchant for bloody-mindedness....well, let's just say that I know that there is nothing I can do to stop you short of having you clapped in irons and tossed into the Tower of London.”

“If only ya' hadn't sent him to me, yer Grace,” Sharpe softened, backing off from the desk, “I've onl-eh had him a short time, but now I wouldn't know how to live wit'out 'im.”

“He's a special one, that boy,” Wellington declared, resigning to defeat, “Just see to it that you bring him back in one piece. And Sharpe, try not to get yourself killed while you're at it. I'll send over Colonel Lawford to cover for you. See my secretary for anything you might need. You have carte blanche on this.”

“Thank you, sir;” Sharpe replied with a salute, “Ther'll be 'ell to pay if anyone's touched a hair on 'is 'ead.”

“God speed, Richard, God speed,” Wellington wished him as he returned Sharpe's salute, “Bring our lad home.”

Jamie knew there would be hell to pay from his father after he had failed to get word back to his contact in Munich as to just where he had ended up. But, he knew he couldn't afford to let the Prussian arms traders out of his sight and they had been moving fast. It had been four weeks since he had been able to report in. Now, he was secreted away in the attic of an old farmhouse in the small, abandoned village of Steinmetz, tucked away in a small valley near the German Army's Field Artillery proving grounds. The locals in nearby Vilseck swore that the place had been cursed by gypsies. But from what Jamie could tell, the only cursing being done was by the Prussians who were using the village's limestone caves as a staging area for their arms smuggling operation. He could see everything going into or out of the village and the caves. Now, all he had to do was wait for the buyer of the cache of arms to show up.

The Prussians had been selling arms to the deposed Minister Montgelas of Bavaria in hopes that he could raise and equip an army large enough to overthrow King Maximillian I. Bavaria, as the defender of the smaller states around its borders against the predations of Austria and Prussia, was a haven of political enlightenment and scientific discovery. Montgelas intended to stop the progress of reforms and return the Bavarian state to its pre-Napoleonic Wars authoritarian form of government with himself as Chancellor and the Prussians were only too happy to assist in exchange for absolute freedom to seize those smaller states. As a preventive measure against Prussian and Austrian predations, Bavaria's Maximillian I had formed an alliance with England. In return for its support, England would be granted open access to all scientific advances in military weaponry and munitions. This was highly beneficial to England as Munich had become a magnet for the best scientific minds from all over the world and was renowned for its superior engineering in the area of Field Artillery.

The wait provided Jamie plenty of time to think on the past ten months. The process of getting to know Richard Sharpe the man was not the formidable task that he had imagined, as Harper had warned him. Richard did have the hardened exterior of the war-weary officer, but Jamie had come into his life at just the right time. For Sharpe, his time for mourning his beloved Lucille, Hagman and Harris and all the men dear to him had passed and he had finally begun to realize that his life had indeed been charmed and even though he was still so obviously alone it was time to get on with the business of living. Harper and Wellington had been right about the young man who was so like himself. Richard had taken to Jamie as though he had always had him with him. Jamie had an easy manner and the patience of a saint that soothed the beast of Richard Sharpe. The instant familiarity that had sprung up between them deepened into a bond as together they went through the mechanics of Richard's knighthood investiture and the process of establishing the Office of Special Services. Together they had handpicked the agents and developed a support network.

The two men had argued when Jamie insisted on being trained with the first soldier spies until Richard finally admitted that Jamie was too much like himself and the argument was pointless. Since then, Jamie had proven several times over that he was well-suited to being a secret agent, a natural. Now, here he was, sitting in the damp chill of a deserted village waiting for the agent of Minister Montgelas. His mission was to gather proof of Montgelas' treachery. Without it, Maximillian I refused to take action against the powerful ex-minister.

In the misty light of dawn, against the growing glare of the rising sun, Jamie watched as a short column of wagons passed through to the end of the village to pull up just outside the entrance to the central cave. Through his spyglass, he could clearly make out a dozen armed men dismount and gather around the lead wagon. They were dressed as English soldiers, wearing the green jackets of the 95th Rifles. But they looked older and rougher, the uniforms fitting poorly. His heart nearly stopped as he recognized the distinctive gait and features of one of them hanging back at the rear of the group. He saw his da searching the village, looking for something.

Richard Sharpe had found it quite easy to slip into the guise of a common soldier of the 95th Rifles. In fact, he was quite comfortable in the green uniform. It felt like home. The comfort of the uniform coupled with his knowledge gained from an early life of hardship and crime helped him to fit in with the group of thugs hired to pose as a military escort for a covert shipment of arms. He had picked up Jamie's trail in Munich just a week ago. After some discreet investigating, the trail had led him to Montgelas' agent and subsequently this place. He could feel Jamie's presence and hoped that the boy had a plan, because Richard sure didn't have one other than to stay close to the man with the money.

Just as the uniformed men were to enter the cave, a billowing, dense, opaque fog began rushing into and over the village, consuming everything in its path, spreading out to obscure the cave entrance. Every person there felt it overtake them, choking them, weighing them down. The roiling mist felt alive with a host of angry spirits that could be heard aloud. Frozen in place, Jamie watched from his lofty perch as the fog devoured everything in sight. The voices of the spirits filled his head, their noise overpowering his senses, until finally spinning him into unconsciousness.

Sharpe could hear the fog before he could see it. By the time the enveloping cloud reached the impostor soldiers, they had all fallen to their knees trying to cover their ears, screaming as the noise inside their heads drove them mad. Before the voices pushed him into unconsciousness, Sharpe forced himself to move towards the hoped for safety of the cave. There, he fell onto the jagged rock floor, hitting his head rather soundly. As he felt his own warm blood ooze from the cut where the back of his head had struck the floor, he felt the edge of the fog start to envelope him. A sensation of warmth and safety began creeping over him, dulling the pain in his head and stilling the horrendous voices. As he felt himself passing out, he could have sworn that he could hear the far off sound of cannon fire and a woman's voice calling out.

Acronyms

EOD > Explosive Ordnance Disposal (the military equivalent of a Bomb Squad)
TDY > Temporary Duty at a location away from assigned duty station
NCO > Non Commissioned Officer
SFC > Sergeant First Class (Enlisted Grade 7)
MSG > Master Sergeant (Enlisted Grade 8)
SGM > Sergeant Major (Enlisted Grade 9)
CSM > Command Sergeant Major (highest ranker of all Enlisted Grade 9)
BDU > Battle Dress Uniform (cammies)
SAIC > Special Agent in Charge
RSM > Regimental Sergeant Major (British military ranking equivalent to American SGM)
POC > Point of Contact
VIP > Very Important Persons
BDUs > Battle Dress Uniform
- 7
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- 9
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Sharpe's Sergeant