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POV of Private Contractor
5-March-1921
''Theobald… Theobald…'' someone said while shaking me.
''Ah… what?'' I replied as I woke from the train journey and began to stretch. I had slept rather crushed during the trip, with my legs together and practically hugging myself.
''We arrived, idiot. Stop sleeping so much. We have to move a lot of things to settle into the area'' my companion said while taking some suitcases and leaving the passenger car.
''Ugh… these seats are uncomfortable. Besides, we had to endure all the movement of the train crossing the fucking mountains'' I said while scratching my hair and beginning to put on my equipment.
It did not take me long to get off the train with my suitcases and observe the terrain around us.
''Hum… There is not as much sand as I expected'' I said, tilting my head while looking at the area.
I could only see some low hills and fairly open terrain that allowed one to see a great distance.
''Come on! Get the trucks and vehicles off the train! We have to start moving north. We have nothing to do here; this is only one more stop!'' the major shouted after getting off the train and beginning to roar orders.
I left my luggage on the ground and headed toward the rear of the convoy, where most of our group was trying to unload the trucks transported on the railway platforms, as well as some light vehicles and motorcycles we had brought so we could move around the region.
In a certain way, I had managed to get a good job after all that commotion.
After the fighting against the British and the Russians and all the internal discussions to decide who would remain within the permanent forces of the army tasked with protecting the three States, I had managed to keep my post.
Besides, since I had completed that hellish week of training practically dragging myself along and barely conscious, I had finally been accepted into the special forces.
Naturally, that had also meant a considerable increase in salary.
For a while, I had tried to enter the select group responsible for directly protecting the Herzog, but there they only accepted those who passed some of the harshest tests available.
Since they currently had more than enough members, they had not carried out many selection processes lately either. From what I had heard, a good part of the tests consisted of recognizing threats among crowds, detecting dangers in the streets and reacting quickly to possible attacks.
Of course, the personal guards of the Herzog and his family received much higher salaries.
But I had achieved what was probably the second-best option available within the army at that moment.
I had become a private contractor for the Osmanisch-Baltische Petroleumgesellschaft.
Although that was, to a large extent, only a name.
We continued using our military ranks and answering to our former officers. Supposedly, we now also answered to the Ottomans, but we all knew that the only orders that truly mattered were those that came from Riga.
With that post, they had doubled the salary I already received as a member of the special forces, leaving me with an even more generous pay.
And the best part was that they continued paying me in Baltic marks.
I could exchange them for a considerable amount of Turkish liras because, after the collapse of a large part of their Empire, the value of the Ottoman currency had plummeted.
The Baltic mark, on the other hand, had gradually increased in value over time, mainly because the economy seemed to be holding up quite well under the Herzog's government.
We had come accompanied by some members of the original Jägerkommandos who had served alongside the Herzog during his campaign in the Sinai desert.
There were not many of them, since many of those men were, clearly, the soldiers in whom the Herzog trusted the most and who occupied a good part of the important posts within his security forces. Those who had come with us were, for the most part, men who met practically all the requirements necessary to enter that force; they only lacked available positions.
At the very least, that meant the leadership of that armed force responsible for protecting several engineers, geologists, specialists and all their expensive machinery was in good hands, with people who already had experience fighting in arid environments.
Although, to my surprise, that area was much greener than I had expected.
There even seemed to be large stretches dedicated to agriculture.
Since the place chosen to begin the prospecting work was farther north, we had had to get off in one of the cities connected to the Berlin-Baghdad railway system, in a small town relatively close to the Tigris.
And that place would now be my home.
I had signed a fifteen-year contract, during which I would mainly have to watch over others extracting oil.
It seemed like a fairly simple and extremely well-paid job.
Although there was one enormous problem.
Apparently, there would not be a damn bit of beer.
There were not many alcohol producers in that area, and that could become a real dilemma later, when my pockets were full and I did not know what the hell to do with all the money they paid me simply for doing my job.
''Ready, truck's down, mein Major'' I said when I saw that the vehicle in question was on the ground.
''Load it with your equipment and leave it ready for us to move. We will have to drive several kilometers if we want to reach Kirkuk as soon as possible. Supposedly, the prospecting should begin there to see what we find'' the major said while walking past us, watching as the other vehicles were unloaded.
We nodded and began loading the luggage, placing the suitcases and all the equipment we would carry with us. Later, they would also have to give us camouflage uniforms, once the terrain had been properly studied and it had been decided which pattern would be best for that area.
When a good part of the vehicles had finally been taken off the train, we climbed into some of the trucks that were still empty and soon began advancing along the dirt roads of the region.
''What a load of shit… Roads full of potholes again'' someone said while his entire body shook because of the movement of the truck.
''And what did you expect? This area is not developed enough to have good roads. Supposedly, many peoples live here who are practically nomadic. These small settlements we have seen in the surroundings are among the few that dedicate themselves permanently to agriculture'' explained a Hauptmann traveling with us.
We remained holding onto straps attached to the structure of the truck, beneath the canvas that protected us from the elements, while the vehicle advanced, constantly bouncing along the road.
''Then the engineers and architects are going to have quite a lot of work to do. Because it seems that, if we find any of that oil, we will have to build a railway and who knows how much other shit in order to extract it and sell it'' I commented while tightening one hand around the strap.
The truck fell into another pothole again and all of us bounced once more on our seats while we continued advancing toward Kirkuk.
After a long while enduring the movement and potholes, I felt as if I was going to lose my ass with all the shit we were bouncing over when we finally stopped.
''Finally, God… It almost felt like I would never be able to walk again'' I said while quickly getting down from the truck and rubbing my backside, only to discover that we were in the middle of a field surrounded by some low hills.
But when I turned my head to look ahead, I discovered the reason for our stop.
Someone was crossing the road with an enormous herd of goats that completely blocked the way, while several of our men seemed to be shouting at the one responsible.
''Well, it does not look like we will be getting back into the truck soon'' I said while scratching my hair and observing the whole thing.
We remained still for several minutes and, after waiting for quite some time, finally we all began to get down from the vehicles.
There were many who were even laughing a little at how absurd the situation was.
Apparently, we had brought an interpreter for Turkish, but no one who properly spoke the Arabic dialect of that area or Kurdish, or any other dialect among the many local languages, so our major had spent several minutes ordering the shepherd to move his herd aside without achieving absolutely anything.
Other shepherds who were nearby did not take long to approach and watch the argument and, from the major's expression, I would swear he was only a few seconds away from starting to shoot.
But since we did not want to anger the Turks by shooting one of their inhabitants, all we could do was wait.
Shortly afterward, the second group from the trains arrived, which had stayed behind bringing the prospectors' delicate equipment, this time accompanied by some Turkish officers and soldiers who did not take long to intervene and resolve the conflict.
Although not exactly in the way we expected.
We watched as the Turkish soldiers began striking the shepherds with some kind of rod to force them off the road once they had ordered the shepherds to move away and these had shaken their heads. Shortly afterward, some soldiers even fired into the air to drive the livestock aside and open space for us.
The enormous number of animals finally began moving aside while the shepherds, pushed off the road, tried to prevent the rest of the herd from blocking our advance again.
After removing the goats from the road, the trucks soon recovered their formation and continued with the planned route.
We left behind several Turkish officers and soldiers who remained in the area to make sure the dirt road stayed clear while we continued advancing toward Kirkuk.
After another long stretch full of potholes and running into another complication caused by livestock farther ahead, we finally reached Kirkuk.
From one moment to the next, the roads began to improve considerably in quality and there were no longer so many potholes.
Finally, we got down from the trucks on the outskirts of Kirkuk, which seemed to be a small city in the middle of the fields. It would possibly end up becoming our home if the engineers and geologists we had brought found oil.
After all, the main reason we were there was the local rumors about some kind of fire that could be seen in the fields. That had convinced the Herzog that there had to be oil in the area and that we had to find it as soon as possible.
It fell to us to set up camp on the outskirts of the city, since Kirkuk was quite full and problems could also arise because of cultural differences.
Since there were still a few hours of daylight left, we began choosing the best place to install the camp, far enough from the city, while preparing everything for the next day. Then we would have to begin moving throughout the entire region so the engineers could drill and carry out all the necessary tests for that kind of work.
So we began unloading the equipment from the trucks while we were observed by the local inhabitants. Some looked out from the windows and others remained in the streets, watching with curiosity as we raised our temporary camp.
''Well, from the looks of it, we will be here for one or two days at most. They will have to drill throughout the whole area, so for now we will simply have to make sure no one gets too close'' I said while opening a can with the can opener and letting its contents fall into a pot.
''We could place a watchtower on that hill to have good visibility over the whole area. Although the city worries me a little. We are fairly close, even within range of someone without much experience shooting at long distances'' one of our comrades said while also emptying the contents of a can into the pot.
''Yes, but the Turks are supposed to take care of that part more than us. They will watch the city and we will watch the surroundings. The Turkish police will also do their job; not all the security falls on us'' replied the man who was lighting the fire.
''Yes. Besides, I do not think we will stay too close to the city once we find oil. That will be where we set up the permanent camp, and we will have to watch the workers while they build railway lines, housing and everything else. That is where we will truly have to settle down'' I said while beginning to stir the canned food we had emptied into the pot with a spoon.
Several hours passed.
We finished raising the camp and served food for our whole group. During that time everything remained calm, except for the usual stares from the local inhabitants while we did our work and organized the inventory.
''Good, it seems we will have to move quickly. They found oil to the north'' the Hauptmann announced while beginning to dismantle his tent.
''Ah, are we moving that quickly?'' I asked, still holding the bowl of food in my hands.
''Yes. The geologists and engineers practically only lacked the equipment to drill because they were already quite sure they had found something. On the second drilling, oil appeared. We are not too far from here, so it will be better to take advantage of it and start raising permanent barracks instead of continuing to sleep in tents'' the Hauptmann explained while packing away his tent and bringing his suitcases closer.
''Well, shit… Time to work for real'' I said while clenching my teeth and beginning to dismantle my tent together with my comrades.
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If there are spelling mistakes, please let me know.
Leave a comment; support is always appreciated.
I remind you to leave your ideas or what you would like to see.
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