The Sergeant's gaze roved over his squad as Krauss introduced himself. Aside from the unusually high number of women, there wasn't a whole lot of information he could glean from first impressions. At least one of them stepped forward to introduce himself. [b]'Good to have you Varrot. You look like you've a keen eye.'[/b] Returning Damien's handshake, Harald has pleasantly surprised to find some force in the scout's grip; he never could trust a man with a limp wrist. After Damien stepped back into line, the squad was silent for a moment as Harald waited for another to put themselves forward; he wasn't too surprised when no-one did however. He could tell from their eyes that a couple of his new squadmates were unsure of him as a Sergeant, another symptom of the prejudice endemic to Gallian society. The silence was cut short but another explosion, this time closer and accompanied by the faint sound of falling masonry. [i]That can't be part of a drill...[/i] As smoke began to rise over the eastern edge of the town, Harald's expression grew hard. [b]'... Squad Four, I think we may have a situation on our hands.'[/b] Drawing his old service revolver, he gave the others one last look over; a few were armed, but did they have ammunition? Would the others be safe without weapons? A fresh burst of fire erupted nearby and this time voices could be heard shouting orders with a distinct Imperial drawl.

Reaching a snap decision, Harald turned to Krauss with a calculating frown. [b]'Looks like trouble Corporal. Take a scout and get up as high as you can. And use...'[/b] He paused for a second, rummaging through his backpack to find his backup wireless. [b]'... this to keep in contact. I'll take the others and try to make contact with company command. If things get too hot, fall back westward and hide out in the hedgerows until we can meet up.'[/b] Considering Krauss' experience, he was confident that the Corporal would know what was expected of him; rather, he was more concerned whether or not [i]he[/i] would do the right thing... After Krauss took his scout, Harald waved the others to follow him east, cocking the revolver as he went. [b]'With me, people! Stick to cover and pick up any weapons you find.'[/b] The square was rapidly emptying as other squads set out to do the same; a good two-thirds of the Militia was unarmed at this point, a critical weakness in the towns defence. Without the order to retreat, their only hope was to scavenge the battlefield... Squad Four's first opportunity came all too soon. As the five of them worked their way along an empty street, they came across a pair of dead Militamen, riddled with holes. Swallowing his disgust wasn't easy, but Harald was able to unclip the dead soldier's ammunition pouches and weapons, passing them to the squad in silence. After a moment's thought, he also took their freshly issued dogtags.

Unbeknownst to Sergeant Harald and his troops, another squad was making its way up the street parallel to them. Pausing at an alleyway, the squad leader sent two men to investigate. As they crept slowly up the alley with their SMGs trained on the exit, the men did their best to hide the clanking of their heavy armour lest they give their location away. Imperial troops were well protected, but easy to hear.