Tasmanian SFG: Book III, Of One Mind, page 10
Taipan, your Owded group is now code name TT.
Fox, my group has moved back another half klick. They left the two scouts. Mamba.
Mamba, your Owded group is now code name GM. Fox
Sage, There are two groups. I've designated one TT, which is watching Tang's platoon, and the other GM, which is watching Gonzales, have both moved back approximately one and one-half klicks. They left their scouts to watch you. Sounds like they are waiting for reinforcements while planning where and when. Fox.
Fox, I agree. With their numbers, a surprise attack could cripple us. But if we could surprise them, we could cripple them. A very dangerous gambit. Sage.
Nothing happened the next morning, and Wallace broke camp and continued toward Garret Hole with no indication he was aware of the Owded troops. A gutsy move, I thought. I immediately sent a message to my platoon on an open channel.
Ghosts, Wallace has decided to continue pretending he doesn't know the Owded troops are tracking him. He is entrusting the Ghost Platoon with the safety of the entire company. We are his only eyes and ears. You are Ghosts, not heroes. Fox.
I collapsed into a meditative posture. My dilemma was when would Owded attack and in what order. If I were Owded, I would send another group to the rear and one to the west of the Tasmanians, and another in front of Tang's platoon. That would give them eight groups, totaling one hundred sixty men and effectively having the Tasmanians in a killing box. A pre-dawn attack when the platoon would be asleep and the least prepared. The thought made me shudder. As the company proceeded toward Garret Hole, I received a steady stream of messages.
Fox, another Owded group joined the TT group. The two scouts split. One moved south toward the GM group.
Sage, if Owded doesn't attack before you stop for the night, I would think a pre-dawn attack from all sides. We are spread too thin to be of much help unless you feel offense would be your best defense. In that case, we could take out the Owded scouts. Fox.
Fox, yes, that is the Tasmanians' strength. Keep me informed. Sage.
As the day wore on, four Owded groups passed in front of us. Two stopped, and two continued on. It looked like they were headed for the western flank of the Tasmanians.
"Shit," I swore, knowing what I had to do and hating it.
Ghosts: we need to determine the position of each Owded group. I believe there will be at least nine. One in front of the Company, three to the east, two to the south, three to the west. Then we need the location of every Owded scout watching the Tasmanian platoons because it will be our responsibility to kill the scouts prior to a Tasmanian offensive. Fox.
Fox, I will take position 1, at the head of the Company. Taipan will take position 2, east of Tang's platoon. Tarantula.
Fox, I will stay east of Gonzala's group in position 3. Mamba will move to position 4 at the rear of the Company behind Gonzala's group. Spiderman.
Fox, I will take position 5 at the rear of the Company behind Simon's group. Salamander.
Fox, I will take position 6 west of Simon's group. Wolf.
Fox, I will take position 7 west of Tang's group. Peppermint.
Wow. That was like magic, I mused as I watched Van, Cedric, and Isaac move off west into the forest. That leaves me with Carl and Jafar, both snipers, and Smitty. The boys looking after their sister and leaving her with good specialties to cause mischief. Now let's hope I'm right and Owded waits until dawn, and Wallace can pull off a surprise offensive. I was relieved when nothing happened as the Tasmanians made camp for the night. Two hours later, the Ghosts began reporting in:
Fox, position 1 has one scout and one Owded group. They are making camp for the night. Tarantula.
Fox, position 2 has one scout and one Owded group. They are making camp for the night. Taipan.
Fox, position 3 has one scout and two Owded groups. They are making camp for the night. Mamba.
Fox, position 4 has one scout and one Owded group. They are making camp for the night. Spiderman.
Fox, position 5 has one scout and one Owded group. They are making camp for the night. Salamander.
Fox, position 6 has one scout and two Owded groups. They are making camp for the night. Wolf.
Fox, position 7 has one scout and one Owded group. They are making camp for the night. Peppermint.
Sage, you have nine groups surrounding you. One in front, one east, and one west of Tang, two east and one south of Gonzales, two west and one behind Simon. We can take out their scouts. Fox.
Fox, take them out at one hundred hours. We will attack the Owded forces guarding Simon's and Gonzala's positions at your Done signal. Sage.
I looked at my TCom. It was now nineteen hundred hours.
Ghosts, the scout die at one hundred hours. Send two clicks when done. Then return to mother. Fox.
"Ghosts," I said just above a whisper and waved for the three to join me. "Smitty, Wallace is going to attack the Owded troops positioned around Simons and Gonzales around one thirty hours tomorrow morning. Could we string a perimeter of explosives around this area that we could detonate manually? If we could, it could provide a safe zone for the Tasmanians after their initial assault. A surprise for those Owded troops who will be chasing them."
"I only have four claymores with me," Smitty said. "Josh also has four. I assume he and the others will be headed in our direction after they kill the scouts, but he is the furthest away."
"Four will have to do," I said, at a loss as to what else we could do to slow down the pursuers as Tasmanians will be retreating down those same paths. "Set them a hundred meters from the elevated ground. That is the best place for a defense. Place them where off-road vehicles are most likely to use."
Smitty returned several hours later. "I placed them on four trees well up so they should not be noticed. The tree will force the blast outward and most likely fell the tree and restrict access."
"All right, let's find good shooting positions and get some rest," I snorted. "It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
I woke when my TCom clicked twice. Tarantula. Shortly afterward, three more double clicks. Salamander, Taipan, Spiderman. Then two more. Wolf, Peppermint. Several minutes passed in silence, and I began to worry. Then two clicks and I took a breath I hadn't known I had been holding. Mamba.
Sage, Done. Fox.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Planet Delphi: Wallace
The Fox was amply named, Wallace mused. The Fox had not only used him as bait to find Owded but also had put out scouts to detect the Owded groups well in advance of their getting within attack range. She and her group were certainly malicious ghosts, and the Tasmanians had Simons to thank. He had seen her potential right from the beginning and had the courage to qualify the first woman Tasmanian and to encourage her to wander without orders. Only in the Tasmanian SFG was that possible, and only because of et anima una.
"As you all know," Wallace said as he looked at his platoon leaders. "We are surrounded by one hundred and sixty Owded troops who intend to attack at dawn tomorrow and decimate the elite Tasmanians." His lip twitched in amusement. "Unfortunately for Owded, there are malicious ghosts roaming the forest who I am informed have taken a dislike to the scouts watching us and plan to remove them tonight at one hundred hours. On my signal, you and your platoons will rise quietly. Simons, your units will work your way west to where forty Owded troops are resting for their morning attack. At exactly two hundred hours, you will destroy those two units. Gonzales, your units will work your way east to where forty Owded troops are resting for their morning attack. At exactly two hundred hours, you will destroy those two units. Tang, your units will work your way south to where forty Owded troops are resting for their morning attack. At exactly two hundred hours, you will destroy those two units. After destroying those two Owded groups, you will retreat to the GPS position I've sent to your TCom. There, I'm told friendly ghosts await you to assist you in eliminating any Owded troops dumb enough to chase you."
"Simons, you are a genius," Tang said and gave a respectful bow. "At the time, I wondered if you were making the right decision allowing a woman into the Tasmanians. Like adding water to oil, but she is like a breath of fresh air in a men's locker room." He laughed. "The little minx has been using us as bait to find and annoy Owded."
"She is going to effectively blind them, which will definitely annoy them," Gonzales said.
"That is her contribution—to annoy and create chaos," Wallace said. "Had I known they had surrounded us, I would be employing the same tactic even without her help, but with their scouts, the Owded groups would have been much better prepared for us and their reaction time faster. However, in truth, I didn't know they had us surrounded; therefore, a surprise attack at dawn would have been a total cluster fuck. I think we would have won, but we probably would have lost over half the Company." He paused to look at his TCom. "Let's show Owded how a sneak attack is supposed to be conducted."
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Delphi: Surprise
I couldn't see the Tasmanian camp, but I imagined the company rising as one, their brown blankets wrapped around them to blend into the forest, and flowing into the surrounding forest. I expected it would take at least a half hour to reach the Owded groups. Wallace probably has the attack set for two hundred hours.
At one thirty, Salamander and Mamba appeared, smiling. Fifteen minutes later, Spiderman and Wolf appeared only minutes apart. At two, Taipan and Peppermint followed by Tarantula and the distant sounds of explosions and rifle fire. The party had begun. Smitty grabbed Tarantula, who was breathing hard, collected his claymores, and rushed into the forest. He was back less than five minutes later, smiling. I sat back, finally able to relax. I had all my chicks in the nest and had a fireworks' surprise for any pursuing Owded troops.
Only minutes later, I could hear and see the explosions as Tasmanians hit the two Owded groups in front of us. It lasted only minutes, indicating they had caught the Owded troops sleeping and rolled through their camp like a tidal wave. Soon, I saw men were running toward us. It was Tang's platoon.
"Good morning, Fox," Tang said as he knelt next to me. I was in sniper mode, looking for any Owded pursuing. "Thanks to you, the Owded army is having a very bad day." He lay down next to me, Mfw pointing back the way they had come. "It will be interesting to see the response from the three groups we ignored."
"And any they may have had in reserve," I said, never taking my eyes off the forest.
Around two thirty, I could see movement and hear the forest come alive with the local wildlife and, soon afterward, an army of men moving at a double time. They were coming from the east and the west. Five minutes later, Simons, Gonzales, and Wallace had appeared. The forest was silent.
"What do you think, Sage?" Gonzales asked as we waited for a response.
"When the three untouched groups see the carnage in the camps we raided, they would have to be stupid to chase us," Wallace said. "Your ghost platoon did well, Jolie. The Owded groups had no idea we were coming. It was like hunting in a zoo. The real question is, what will Owded do now?" Wallace said while looking directly at me.
"He has little choice," I said, having given it some thought as I lay awaiting the outcome. "Play hide and seek with us, hoping to even the odds."
Wallace nodded, as did Tang and Simons. "What do you plan to do, Jolie?"
"To join the game."
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Delphi: Owded
"What went wrong, Modest?" Owded asked as he continued reading the after-action report. "This is a disaster. Eight raiding groups, one hundred and sixty men, and only three groups survived! And what do we have to show for it? Nothing. It sounds like the damn Tasmanians didn't lose a single man."
"I did warn you that the Tasmanians were an elite special forces group," Kirill said, not as a I told you so but rather in pure frustration that they had dismissed his warning.
"I did as you asked, Owded, and it looked picture perfect…was picture perfect," Modest said, shaking his head in disbelief. "Lieutenant Anaq discovered the Tasmanian Company and per my instructions left two scouts, reported his discovery to Major Rurik, and moved his raiding group back a klick to await instructions. Rurik notified me. Hearing the Tasmanians were searching for us with their entire company, I decided we had the perfect opportunity to destroy the Tasmanians with one blow and ordered eight raiding groups to converge on the Tasmanian position with instructions to track their progress but to stay out of sight. I wanted time to develop a plan based on their movements. The reports I received indicated they were headed toward Garret Hole. The scouts had not detected any signs that the Tasmanians were aware of our presence. I concluded that the scouts were right. The Tasmanians would have to be mad to believe they could survive against a one-hundred-sixty-man vehicle attack with a one-hundred-man company. I instructed them to attack at the first light of dawn the next morning when they would be the least prepared. We had two Owded groups positioned against each platoon."
"So, what went wrong?" Owded asked, slamming his fist on his desk. "No matter how elite, the Tasmanian Company should have been destroyed or, at least, shattered beyond repair."
"We must have had a leak," Ilari shouted. "A traitor or a spy." He glared at Kirill.
"Wait!" Kirill's raised voice got everyone's attention. "You said three platoons. The Tasmanian Company has four platoons."
"The scouts only reported three…thirty in each platoon," Modest said. His voice trailed off at the end.
"Well, I guess we found the problem," Kirill said, with no amusement. "That fourth platoon only has ten men and a woman. The woman you dismissed as a potential plaything for the raiding groups and proof the Tasmanians couldn't be very elite if a woman qualified. By the way, that woman is the fourth platoon's leader."
"So what? That ten-man platoon didn't destroy eight raiding groups," Ilari shot back in rage.
"True," Kirill said, nodding. "She did, however, discover our raiding groups and their scouts' presence, informed the company commander who planned a counter-attack, and then took out our scouts so the raiding groups were blind to the attack," he snorted. "I guess we now know How fucking elite a group can be if a woman can qualify."
"Knock it off!" Owded shouted. "We made several costly mistakes. That's history. The question is whether we can recover from those mistakes. Since we don't have sufficient forces for a knockout blow, I suggest we bleed them to death with a thousand cuts. I don't know whether the company commander or the woman was instrumental in our recent defeat, but let's target that ten-man platoon. If you capture that woman, she is to be brought directly to me. Who knows? She could be the key to the Tasmanians' defeat."
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Delphi: Hide and Seek
The next day, Wallace called for a meeting of his platoon leaders. "I would like to hear a report on the status of the Company and brainstorm on our next move," he said as everyone sat in a small open area.
"I had one man killed and six wounded, two seriously," Tang said. "I would say my platoon is fully functional, only three personnel short. Considering we were under a time constraint, killing forty Owded troops in close-quarters combat was an impressive result."
"My platoon is likewise fully functional," Simons said. "I'm three troops short. I had five wounded, three seriously. That was a good call, Wallace. Quite frankly, I was a little concerned, facing one hundred sixty militia on off-road vehicles."
"I agree. My platoon is also functional. I'm four short, one dead, eight wounded, and three seriously. I think my Owded group was more nervous and reacted faster to our attack.
"Better than we had a right to expect. Let's send a detail with the dead and wounded back to the base camp," Wallace said after recording the results on his TCom. "Luan?"
"No injuries anyone will admit to," I said, trying to keep the amusement out of my voice. Everyone had to smile since they had other injuries, just not serious enough to complain about as it would result in them being returned to the base camp.
"Any suggestions on what to do next?" Wallace asked. "If the estimates are accurate, Owded has around eighty troops remaining."
"If Owded is sneaky, eighty is enough to overwhelm a single platoon," Gonzales said, almost to himself.
"Their off-road vehicles will make it too easy for them to avoid us and to call for reinforcements if they find us isolated," Simons said.
"I doubt they are going to attack us, especially if they are facing parity with us," Tang added.
"That sums it up nicely," Wallace said, grinning. "If we stay together, they will most likely avoid us. If, however, we split, they could seek to overwhelm a platoon since they have the numbers and will be more cautious this time. They can do either because they have good communications and vehicles to provide a fast response." Wallace paused to look at me. "Luan, you have been awfully quiet. Where do you intend to go?"
"I thought I would wander around and see if I could find Mr. Owded," I said, nibbling on my lip like I was thinking.
"How are you going to do that?" Gonzales asked, looking like he thought I might know.
"By keeping away from you guys. You scare the poor man away with your unfriendly attitude," I quipped.
"All right," Wallace said. "Let's see if we can tempt him. We will move further north, but with the platoons a half klick apart. This time with scouts further out to detect their presence. Luan, you do your thing, but keep me informed. You will be a tempting target and the most vulnerable even against only one of Owded's groups."
I wandered off to find my platoon while Wallace and the platoon leaders huddled to work on the details. I hadn't walked ten steps when I saw Smitty waving to me.
"What's the news, boss?" he asked as I approached him and my men.
"Two dead, eight seriously injured, one hundred or so dead Owded troops. Twenty might have escaped, since we didn't stop to count," I said, trying to be realistic. "Wallace is moving north with the three platoons but spacing them a half klick apart in order to tempt Owded to attack."
