[b]Gran Chaco[/b]
"There's nothing here !", Roberto Flores held on to the branch of the nearby tree with one hand, gesturing with the other, an expansive gesture covering the hundreds and hundreds of square miles they could see in front of them.
"Nothing at all", Colonel Bernardo Barros agreed, shaking his head in amazement, "It is like we had never been here !"
Roberto frowned and thought about it,
"It is not like that", he said after a while, "It IS that. This Chaco", he waved his hand ahead of him, "this has never seen us before."
"Hmmm" Colonel Barros considered this, then nodded, "It has not seen the Paraguayans either."
"Probably not", agreed Roberto, though he was hazier about that; when had this area last had a common history with what he considered real time ? A National Committee of scientists was meeting about that very issue, back in Lima, right now. Not that that was any help to him at this present moment, many hundreds of miles away, across a mountain range that might as well be the barrier of civilisation itself.
"There are no villages, no towns, no roads", Barros shook his head in amazement, "It is as if Man himself has not walked here before !"
"What do WE do, then ?" Roberto frowned a puzzled frown, "Do we have to use animal tracks ?"
"Perhaps", Barros felt the weight of responsibility, "It may be we do not have any choice.", he laughed harshly, "It will be a long time before we manage to lay any roads ourselves !"
That was a truth. They may be Pioneers, specialist troops, but they were not equipped for building a whole new network. A few bridges, a way up a mountain, that kind of thing...but an entire infrastructure ?! No...
"Well", Colonel Barros eventually let the magnitude of his task wash over him, "We will have to do what we can - that is all."
"Yes sir", Roberto was not by nature obsequious; that was not the nature of the Pioneers, "We WILL do that."
"Very well then", Barros turned away, "Let us make a start"
That would be something - at least.
Grey Wolf
"There's nothing here !", Roberto Flores held on to the branch of the nearby tree with one hand, gesturing with the other, an expansive gesture covering the hundreds and hundreds of square miles they could see in front of them.
"Nothing at all", Colonel Bernardo Barros agreed, shaking his head in amazement, "It is like we had never been here !"
Roberto frowned and thought about it,
"It is not like that", he said after a while, "It IS that. This Chaco", he waved his hand ahead of him, "this has never seen us before."
"Hmmm" Colonel Barros considered this, then nodded, "It has not seen the Paraguayans either."
"Probably not", agreed Roberto, though he was hazier about that; when had this area last had a common history with what he considered real time ? A National Committee of scientists was meeting about that very issue, back in Lima, right now. Not that that was any help to him at this present moment, many hundreds of miles away, across a mountain range that might as well be the barrier of civilisation itself.
"There are no villages, no towns, no roads", Barros shook his head in amazement, "It is as if Man himself has not walked here before !"
"What do WE do, then ?" Roberto frowned a puzzled frown, "Do we have to use animal tracks ?"
"Perhaps", Barros felt the weight of responsibility, "It may be we do not have any choice.", he laughed harshly, "It will be a long time before we manage to lay any roads ourselves !"
That was a truth. They may be Pioneers, specialist troops, but they were not equipped for building a whole new network. A few bridges, a way up a mountain, that kind of thing...but an entire infrastructure ?! No...
"Well", Colonel Barros eventually let the magnitude of his task wash over him, "We will have to do what we can - that is all."
"Yes sir", Roberto was not by nature obsequious; that was not the nature of the Pioneers, "We WILL do that."
"Very well then", Barros turned away, "Let us make a start"
That would be something - at least.
Grey Wolf
