Barely visible trail snaked through the steaming jungle of Congo, providing some semblance of direction to a company of soldiers. Marching onwards in their strange mixture of uniforms, ranging from old Weltkrieg-era French Republican ones to new and pristine German colonial variants, the men stuck out from the scenery like a sore thumb. Yet for almost the entire company, this was their native habitat, the dark and oppressive jungle having sheltered their families and tribes for centuries.

Not so much for their leader however, as lieutenant Phillipe Abessolo had to learn the hard way. The son of a French sailor and Gabonese woman, he had grown up by the seaside and had hardly ever visited the forests of Gabon for long periods. However, thanks to his mother's contacts among the Évolués, Phillipe had received education in a local seminary before its closure by the Germans. This education had made it possible for the young man to join the secretly established Maquisards of Gabon. The organization was seeking to free the nation from German colonial rule following Hermann von Göring's ascension to the Statthalter of Mittelafrika. The massive colony had already been bursting at seams from unrest and separatism, and Gabon's newly-minted President Leon M'ba had seen an opportunity for freedom.

This all had led to Gabonese declaration of independence as the colony predictably exploded into million different opportunist states, colonial remnants and tribal holdings. Gabon had survived better than most, holding its social cohesion thanks to the strong policies of President M'Ba and the quick disarmament of German garrisons by General N'Tchoréré and the successor of Gabonese Maquisards, the quickly-organized Army of Gabon.

Peace and prosperity had not been established to the new republic however, as the Kingdom of Kongo to the east had struck immediately and raided the villages on Gabonese border. After the initial shock, the tribal levies of Kongo had been quickly decimated by the trained troops of Gabon, but the true trial of fire would come now. Abessolo's unit was one of many sent to the Kingdom to infiltrate and destroy as many of the Kingdom's military assets as possible.

The task of Abessolo's company was among the most important, however. As the glow of distant campfires began to seep through the dense foliage, Abessolo tried his best to fight back the fatigue caused by the overwhelming heat and humidity. Ordering two of his best scouts to follow, Abessolo took the lead and moved as fast as he could towards the light. Despite the late time of day, the young lieutenant found to his great pleasure that the company had achieved its goal. They had arrived to a cliff overlooking one of the few dirt roads connecting Brazzaville to Gabon, and in this particular spot the Kongolese had prepared an outpost. Armed with a single breechloading cannon, obsolete by most modern military standards but still absolutely lethal when loaded with canister shot, the checkpoint dominated this vital travel artery.

To the surprise of the Gabonese, the camp was barely manned. Couple guards sat by the cannon, a single patrol travelled along the road, but most of the Kingdom's levymen were far too occupied with sharing the loot from their earlier raids and enjoying various luxury items taken from their former colonial masters. Abessolo glanced at his old watch and grunted approvingly. They had arrived here earlier than expected, perhaps all that sweating had not been in vain. His men spread around the cliffside quietly as shadows, and the single Cellerier mortar the two unfortunate artillerymen had lugged across the jungle was brought into position. On their commander's mark, one of the artillerymen lit a cigarette, took a long draw from it and lit the fuse of the ancient, improvised mortar.

The boom echoed all across the valley, sending flocks of colourful birds into flight. The following explosion striking one of the camp's tents sent its occupants into a frenzy, as they clamoured for cover. Abessolo's men gave them no time to react, as the old Gras rifles thundered in volleys, followed by the faster firing Gewehr 88s, 98s and Lebels of the Tirailleurs. The men manning the cannon attempted to turn the venerable artillery piece towards the attackers, but Abessolo himself had focused them down. Carrying the only automatic weapon in the entire company, the Weltkrieg-era Chauchat machine gun provided by the French troops in Algiers, he cut down the artillery crew in mere seconds. Seeing their only real advantage lost, the tribesmen gave up and broke into a rout, scattering into the woods with one final, unaccurate salvo fired at the hillside.

Abessolo ordered his men to approach the camp with caution, bayonets attached to their rifles. While the main force might have retreated, stragglers could still pose a significant threat. Outside of a few wounded tribal warriors, however, the camp was empty. The company medic got to work on the prisoners, and the others looted what little could be gained off the corpses. Armed mostly with antique muskets, hunting rifles and even bows in some cases, the Kongolese troops did not have much to offer, but that was to be expected. The real reason they had attacked this spot was now approaching the camp, hooves thumping off the dirt road like drums from deep within the jungle. General N'Tchoréré led his regiment of elite cavalrymen towards the checkpoint, replying to Abessolo's salute.

"Victory, without much of a cost I presume?", the general asked.

"Yes, sir. The enemy offered only middling resistance. The road to Brazzaville is now open.", the younger soldier replied, and the general nodded approvingly.

"Excellent. We must continue immediately if we are to take the defenders by surprise. Keep this checkpoint secure just in case our attack fails, and we will report back by dawn on further orders.", N'Tchoréré commanded before turning to face the road.

Before Abessolo could reply, the general's cavalry had already moved past the checkpoint and into the open road. Some time later sound of gunfire and even sporadic explosions would arrive to the roadblock in the form of distant echoes, but only after a single cavalryman returned to deliver news of Gabonese victory could the lieutenant breathe freely. The first trial of Gabon was over, and as the final peace agreement was made between Kongo and Gabon, integrating the former's territory into the latter. Gabon could begin the transition to democratic rule under President M'ba, or so the people of the fledling nation thought. However, things are never that simple in the heart of Africa.