17

Helsinki, Finland

"Want some coffee?" Marko Jokinen grabbed the pot and sniffed, wincing as he poured the steaming liquid into a chipped, white tin cup.

Matti gritted his teeth and scowled. "Is it as bitter as normal?"

Marko took a tentative sip and grimaced. "Probably more. But hey, at least it will match your mood."

Matti poured himself a cup. He added a hefty pour of milk and silently wished for sugar. Maybe that would sweeten his coffee and his attitude. He glared at Marko over his cup. "Do you know what we're doing today?"

Marko moved to the wall where their unit posted the weekly agenda. He slumped back into his seat. "Looks like more timber and brush clearing."

"Wonderful. Our country's best trained soldiers are rushed to the front in order to spend their days clearing land for refugees who shouldn't even be refugees."

"Look on the bright side. At least on Rapid Resettlement Duty, you don't have to trek through landmines with bullets whizzing around your ears to pick up the pile of letters you get every day."

Matti glared.

Mail availability didn't exactly make up for their Corps being assigned by the Ministry of Defense's Rapid Resettlement Act. Or that he had been pulled away from Anna early in order to prepare tent cities for the flood of Karelian people who needed somewhere to live. They said it was the Corps’ opportunity to help those in need.

More like pouring salt in a wound.

Matti tossed his cup in the mess sink and headed outside. He grabbed a rake and a pick-axe and ran to join the rest of the men for their morning huddle.

"Ranta!" A voice boomed loudly above the din of quiet chatter, startling Matti.

"Sir?"Just his luck.Singled out before the day even began.

"I'm moving you to Takala's company. They've been assigned to assist with increased productivity at the Tuomela Fish Packing Plant. We have new people to feed. I know your father owns a similar plant, so I figured you'd be able to lend some expertise."

Fish packing expertise. That he had. If it meant spending a day out of the hot sun, he was game. Stepping away from his former crew, Matti walked over to introduce himself. "Sergeant Ranta, sir!"

"Lieutenant Pauli Takala." The company commander shook his hand firmly, looking down on him with a cocky half smile. Charming, that one. He'd have to remember to never introduce him to Anna.

"Glad to meet you."

"Shall we go, boys?" Takala turned toward the lot where they’d parked their trucks, smacking one of the other soldiers on his back. "That is, if Sergeant Uotila here can hack working today. After the night he had last night, who knows."

Sergeant Uotila turned to him with tired eyes and grinned. "I can hack it, boss. Just give me a little something to take the edge off."

One of the men looked behind him at the commanding officers and then quietly tugged something out of his front jacket pocket and handed it to Uotila. Uotila kept an eye behind him and took a swig before tucking it back into his jacket pocket.

Was that a flask? Matti had heard that Takala's company was a bit wild, but drinking on duty, well, that seemed a bit much. Shaking his head, Matti ran to catch up with the group.

Hopping onto the back of the dark green open-backed truck assigned to their company, Matti braced himself for the ride. The Soviet bombings in November had caused quite a bit of damage to the roads around town, so he’d learned to hold on tight when riding in the back of a flat bed.

Squishing in next to him, another tall, blond, movie-star-looking soldier leaned over and smiled. "Hiya, newbie, I'm Ahti Ilmarinen, but people call me Käärme."

"Käärme…snake…because you're so, um, thin?"

"Nope, because I'm so smooth with the ladies."

The other guys in the company laughed, slapped Käärme on the back, and guffawed like a bunch of kids at a lakeside reunion. Not like soldiers with a job to do.

Matti bit his lip hard, reminding himself that making enemies of the men in his company would just make his life miserable. Still…

Ahti—Käärme—whatever his name was—turned toward Matti. "Takala and I went to high school together so when it came time for our conscription, his dad made sure to pull some strings to make sure I got into his company. His dad is high up in the Ministry of Defense, personal assistant to the assistant director or something like that. Which makes this the best company to be in, my friend. You just got lucky."

Lucky? Lucky would be fighting for Karelia, advancing toward the front, or strategizing a way to take back what was theirs. Not sitting on the back of a flatbed truck with a bunch of yahoos talking about vodka and women. Oh, and fish packing. Perhaps he should turn the conversation back to that.

"So, Takala, what exactly is our assignment at the plant today?"

Takala looked up with glazed eyes. He pulled a folded slip of paper out of his pocket, quickly read over their instructions, and then looked up at the men. "All right, men, listen up. The government is worried that we'll run out of food this winter. Lake Lagoda has always been a significant source of herring, and now that it's in Soviet hands, they’re worried we won't be able to feed the population, especially the refugees.”

"Why don't we take back Lake Lagoda then?" The angry words slipped out before Matti remembered to keep his emotions in check.

Takala's face jerked up, his cool blue eyes turning icy at the angry words. "Sergeant Ranta, I know you're from Karelia and you’re angry about the loss of your home, but there is no place for angry outbursts in our company. We do what we are ordered."

Matti flattened his smile and sealed his lips shut. Takala's company had more of a reputation for following women than orders. "Yes, sir!"

"We’ve been assigned to assist the Tuomela plant’s owners in coming up with a plan to get more herring canned and packaged before winter. Whether that means helping with the fisheries or with the canning process, I'm not sure."

Great. The work Matti learned to hate when he was twelve. A lot of good it was doing him being a decorated veteran in the great Army of the Isthmus.

"Ranta." Takala's voice nearly drowned in the wind, so Matti leaned closer to hear. "Since you grew up packing fish, I'll need you to meet with the foreman first thing to observe what they’re doing well and what could be improved upon. We need to help them increase production."

"Käärme and Uotila, I want you to go with Ranta. You, College." Takala pointed to a small, wiry soldier in the corner who had kept to himself the entire ride. "You'll come with me to look at the plant's production records."

"Will do." College looked up over his glasses and shook his head.

Matti wondered what type of college he attended and how he’d managed to go to school in the middle of wartime. College educated soldiers were uncommon in the lower ranks of the Finnish army because most men were conscripted on their eighteenth birthday. Still, it would be nice to have someone on their squad who could lead them in an academic sort of way.

Takala continued to give instructions to the company, giving each man an assignment and a specific objective.

Matti had to hand it to Takala. He might be a flask-toting, girl-chasing playboy, but he was actually a strong leader in his company. Matti couldn't help but like the guy.

"Does everyone understand their objective?" Takala finished up. "Meet here at 1800 to head back to base. Drinks tonight at Suomenlinna are on me. I hear the piano player there is a real ladies’ magnet, so maybe some of you yeehaws can find a decent date at the bar."

Käärme whooped and Uotila grinned as he flung his legs over the side of the flatbed and started walking toward the plant.