Tasmanian SFG: Book III, Of One Mind, page 4
As the sun set, I called for a TCom conference. After four hours of progress, no one had seen a single individual. "How dangerous will it be to continue at night?" I asked, concerned that the Tasmanians would eventually encounter the mountain men with unknown consequences.
"It's a mixed bag," Pete, the senior Tasmanian, said, speaking for the scouts. "Easier to step wrong and either get hurt or alert our prey, and it's easier for them to stay hidden. On the other hand, they should be easier to spot as they will drop their guard expecting hikers or troops to make camp. If they are spread out, they may meet up to exchange information and break the boredom."
"Let's keep going," I said, hoping the group we were after were either general soldiers or run-of-the-mill mercenaries. "One click if you spot someone, two if it's a camp with multiple men, and three if you have been discovered. Unless it's an emergency, text messages only."
Just after two in the morning, I received two clicks from Art and then a message:
Fox, I've encountered a camp with ten individuals. They look like mercenaries with some training, since they have a guard on duty, and their gear is of good quality. They are dressed like hunters, with camping gear, including small tents. Orders? Spiderman.
Ghosts, Art found a camp of ten. I want them watched. Line two, split into a two- and a three-man group and go around them on both sides. I'll join the two-man group. I'm hoping for a shift change. If so, we follow them to their base of operations. Luan.
Seconds later, Todd signaled to me to follow him and Van as they headed west. I had wondered what two they would send with me. Todd was a sniper, which made sense, but why Van, a medic, versus Cedric, a communications specialist, since it left the other team without a medic. I shook my head when I realized I was the least experienced and therefore the most likely to be injured, especially after my newbie mistake on Moech. I grinned. They liked me as the platoon leader and didn't want to tempt fate.
Sure enough, around eight in the morning, ten men came through the forest from the north. They met with the ten men in camp for several minutes and then split into pairs and began spreading out, while the remaining ten cleaned the campsite and then left, heading north. Less than an hour later, we saw the camp from our position on a small hill. The camp looked semi-permanent, with several large tents and around forty men present, a total force of fifty counting the ten on patrol. As I watched, two girls in their late teens exited one of the smaller tents accompanied by two men. They fit the description of the girls in the two couples who went missing. They were escorted into one of the larger tents. I assumed a mess tent. That resolved any doubts I may have had and sent a message to Pete.
Taipan, you five will kill the ten when they assemble for the night and the ten replacements in the morning. Then join me immediately afterward at their camp. No cleanup. Fox.
Fox, understood. Taipan.
I collected my five-man group. "I want the six of us to spread out and circle the camp. Taipan and the others are going to kill the ten when they collect for the night and the ten replacements when they show in the morning. When I think Taipan and the others have had time to kill the replacement, I will send Begin. That will be the signal to start thinning the base camp. When they are sufficiently thinned, I will send Broadcast, and Smitty will announce our intention to let those who surrender live."
"Why?" Smitty asked.
"To get some answers," I said. "They must be working for someone who is paying a lot of credits to maintain a force of this size. Are they a distraction or a cover, and if so, for what? That information could save us days of wandering around trying to discover it on our own."
Without further comment, they rose and disappeared into the night.
As the grey light of dawn began to creep across the camp, men emerged from the tents, and after a brief conference, ten left the camp heading south. I waited one hour, then settled down in the position I had selected, well hidden under a cluster of bushes. The camp was just beginning to show signs of life. Wispy smoke drifted from the mess tent, five men relieved the night guards, and several men collected in what I thought was the command tent. I sent Begin and watched as the five guards on the periphery of the camp silently died. The soft sound of suppressors went unnoticed in the morning cacophony of jungle life, talking and laughing, and camp activity noise. I shot three who had chosen to visit the latrine trench. Next, four heading for the mess tent, and two walking toward the girl's tent as well as their guard. That left fifteen, give or take one or two, so I sent Broadcast.
"Attention," Smitty shouted. "You are surrounded by Tasmanians. Anyone with a weapon will be shot."
I waited, giving them time to think about their options, knowing those considering that option would need a few examples. Just then, a man exited the command tent and raced for the girl's tent, probably thinking they would make good shields or pawns in any negotiations. I shot him two steps short of the tent. The sun was now high enough to show shadows when someone stood or moved in a tent. I shot one shadow in a large tent, which caused two to exit with their weapons on automatic, randomly spraying pellets into the brush. They died within seconds from multiple sniper bullets. Then two rushed out the back of a tent, probably through a slit in the canvas, but were quickly shot. An eerie silence descended on the wilderness and the camp. A few minutes later, six men appeared with their hands in the air and no weapons showing, and two female heads peaked out of the girl's tent.
"On the ground, face first while we verify the area is clear," Smitty shouted. I maintained my scope on the command tent, thinking it had contained at least four or five individuals and only three had exited.
"Smitty, put an incendiary charge into the command tent," I shouted.
"No! We surrender." Two empty-handed men preceded a tall, athletic-looking man who was followed by a shorter muscular man with a scarred face. They took a few steps, knelt, then lay face-first on the dirt.
By the time the six of us had secured the survivors, verified the tents were empty, my other five Tasmanians appeared. "Are we in time for breakfast?" Pete asked, giving me a thumbs up, which I took to mean that there were no casualties, though I did notice a few bandaged body parts.
"Yes, I think the cooks were preparing breakfast before we interrupted them," I said, looking at the two men in cooks' whites. They nodded. "Names?" I asked.
"Marko," the older man said.
"Franks," the younger man said.
"You have been smart, so you are going to live through this experience, unless you get stupid," I said, nodding toward the mess tent. "Jafar, keep an eye on them. Isaac, take a look at the women. Ladies, you are in good hands; Isaac is an excellent medic. I need two guards to ensure our breakfast isn't interrupted," I said without designating anyone. Cedric looked to Art, who nodded, and they turned and walked off in opposite directions. I wondered if there was another group as easy to lead as this one. I doubted it, and I had Smitty to thank since he had selected each of the current members. "Alright. Let's go eat and listen to our prisoners tell us why we shouldn't turn them over to the mountain men for questioning while we eat. I'm sure the mountain men would be interested in learning why they are being blamed for the killings." I noted fear in the eyes of the prisoners. Couldn't really blame them. There were a lot of rumors about the mountain men: cannibalism, skinning men alive, keeping captives for their blood, and bizarre forms of torture.
CHAPTER SIX
Planet: Greenlan, It's Against the Law
I had the prisoners tied to each other and then to one of the long wooden tables while my team and I sat at the other two tables. The cook prepared a reasonably good breakfast of eggs, sausages, bacon, roasted potatoes, and French toast, along with juice, milk, and coffee to drink. We ate in silence. Isaac and the two young women joined us halfway through our meal. They chose the table furthest from the prisoners. Isaac had found shirts and pants, which, although a couple of sizes too big, were far better than the skimpy and ripped clothing they had been wearing when we found them. The women's eyes never strayed from their food as they ate.
"Aren't you going to feed us?" a skinny boy asked in a loud, angry voice.
"What do I get in return?" I asked.
"It's the law!" he snarled.
I rose and walked over to their table and sat down on the bench across from the young man. He didn’t look like one of the mercenaries or a cook. I looked toward the two lower-ranking mercenaries we had captured. "What cradle did you snatch the kid from?" I said just above a whisper and nodded toward the kid.
"I can kick your ass, bitch!" he attempted a sneer.
"You had that chance, and you surrendered, since you are alive. So, I ask again. What are you going to do to earn a meal?" I continued before he could answer. "I know. You can entertain us. Jafar, when you are finished eating, take the boy outside, and tie him to a tree. We can have a contest."
"I hope this one is more fun than the last one," Jafar said, frowning at the boy and shaking his head.
"You can't do that. It's against the law!" The young man screeched an octave or two higher than before.
"I think the kid is going to be a lot of fun. He has a terrific sense of humor," I said while scanning the table from one end to the other. "He is the only one at the table that thinks I care about pesky laws. He probably believes in honor among thieves," I laughed. "And that anyone cares that the mercenaries all chose to die fighting rather than surrender."
The young man's face drained of blood as his eyes rapidly scanned the silent room. "They have a camp about a kilometer to the north where they are farming some new kind of…narcotic drug. I'm just an errand…boy."
"You Tasmanians are as good as the rumors," the senior man said and gave me a nod. "With a team of ten, you have destroyed a team of fifty relatively good mercenaries, have no casualties, and found out the information you wanted within an hour without having to threaten anyone."
"She threatened me!" the young man whined.
"No, Daren, she didn't. Think back to what she said. She never once threatened to hurt you. She let your imagination conjure all the terrible things that were going to happen," the senior man said, then turned toward me. "What happens to us now?"
CHAPTER SEVEN
Planet: Greenlan, Too Busy Having Fun
He had a good question. I would like to rush to their northern camp before they realized their forward guard had been neutralized, but what to do with the prisoners? I didn't have enough men to escort them back to Colonel Narciz, nor did I want to update him on the current situation, since I couldn't predict his reaction. I sat and closed my eyes. When I opened them some time later, I noticed that the prisoners had been fed, judging by the plates on their table.
"I thought you would want them ready to move when you decided where," Smitty said. I smiled. "Don't get any ideas. I'm not deciding when, where, or how."
I laughed. "You decided they were to be moved."
"No, if you plan on shooting them, they have had their traditional last meal." He smiled. I noticed several nervous looks from the prisoners.
"I have decided to take them along with us. We'll secure them in a single-file line with four guards." They surveyed each other, and without a word, Van, Josh, Art, and Isaac nodded at me. Interesting, a medic, two explosives, and a communications specialty. That left the assault party with no communications specialty, which we wouldn't need as we were together, but a medical and explosive specialty, which we might need. I turned to the two women who were nervously looking around. "Ladies, I can't afford someone to escort you back to Greenlan proper, so you have three choices. You can stay here in the camp, and I'll notify Colonel Narciz to send someone to get you. You should be safe as I believe this area is free of mercenaries. Or, you can make your way home on your own…" I noticed them shaking their heads in the negative. "Or, you can accompany us until I can find someone to fetch you or we are in a position to drop you someplace safe." The two women put their heads together for several minutes before answering.
"We will stay with you…" the older of the two said and waited.
"Jolie," I said.
"I'm Janice, and my friend is Marylou. Can you contact someone and let them know we are safe?" Janice asked. I clicked on Narciz's contact number. He answered on the second ring.
"Platoon Leader Luan?" he asked, not sure of my rank or how to address me.
"Luan will do. We have the two women who went missing. They are safe, but I don't have anyone to free up to take them to you—"
"I'll send an escort for them. Have you killed the mountain men that kidnapped them?" He sounded excited.
"I can't wait for an escort, and the girls don't want to wait here alone. Just let their parents know that they are safe." I clicked off as I had a message from Wallace and didn't want to argue the issue.
Luan, what is your status? We have encountered the mountain men and are pinned down. They have good cover, and there are too many to rush. They appear to have over thirty men with rifles. Wallace.
I sat and typed an update, wondering if I should have updated him before, when I encountered the first ten, or before I decided to attack the camp, or after we had secured the camp… I concluded I might have been a bit negligent. My spirits soared for a brief moment at the thought he may remove me as the platoon leader…then crashed and burned when I realized I enjoyed leading this group and the freedom I have been given.
Wallace, the problem isn't what it appears. It wasn't mountain men who killed the first four reported cases: Father/son, the two couples, the party of eight men, or the five-man search party. Furthermore, the last group of ten may have been a case of self-defense on the part of the mountain men. We have rescued the two women and killed the men responsible for the recent killings. I would like to talk to the mountain men, but I'm following a lead which should explain the reason for the killings. Luan.
I sat nervously awaiting Wallace's response, knowing I deserved whatever was coming. Each passing minute felt like an hour as I considered possible responses. As the minutes became ten, I was doing what women weren't supposed to do—sweat.
"Fox, what's wrong?" Smitty asked, sitting down beside me. "You look a bit pale."
"I think I fucked up."
"How? You haven't disobeyed any orders. You don’t have any," Smitty said, frowning.
"Wallace is my commander, and I haven't kept him updated. He wouldn't be fighting the mountain men if I had," I said just above a whisper, fighting the urge to cry. Before Smitty could comment, my TCom lit with a message from Wallace.
Luan, I have arranged for a cease fire with the mountain men until you can get here and explain what is going on. I want you here as fast as you can.
I sagged in relief. I had expected to be relieved as the platoon leader. That didn't mean I won't be, but at least it appeared I would have an opportunity to plead… What? I asked myself. Stupidity? Being a woman? Young? Inexperienced? Having too much fun was the reality, and I doubt that kite would fly. I shook my head to free my musing and began typing. Then hesitated, not sure if I should call him Commander, or Sir, My Leader, but finally settled on Wallace. The groveling could come later.
Wallace, I am on my way to the Killer's main base of operations. I don't believe I will need help capturing their base, but before I can get to your location, their main base will need to be secured, the two women need an escort home, and our eight prisoners should be turned over to Colonel Narciz. Luan
Again, there was a long delay between my message and a reply which had me on edge. I had never worked with Wallace, so I didn't have any idea what I should expect. He was by far the most senior commander I had worked with, and his assessment of my actions could seriously impact my future in the Tasmanians. Although the Tasmanian organization appeared informal, used no rank, and assignments appeared almost random, they weren't. They were far less random than the army, where the commanders had units assigned to them by administrators. Even the people in a squad were assigned more on availability than function. In the army, everyone of equal rank was considered interchangeable. In addition, rank was in large part based on time in grade and keeping out of trouble. Tasmanians, from the commander to the last man, were based on the assignment, the individual's skills, and past performance. Consequently, poor performance was a mark that would be known by every Tasmanian and considered when being selected for future assignments and even the individual's status in the Tasmanians. I was an anomaly having a fixed platoon, no orders and free to exist outside the assigned mission, and had exclusive access to senior Tasmanians. My failure to communicate that meant the commander lost control of my unit and me and might consider he was competing with me. Furthermore, I was negligent in not keeping my commander updated, which could be construed as insubordination or a lack of respect and could certainly be interpreted as me thinking my priorities were more important than his. Major Lloyd certainly would have. Sweat beaded my forehead as I waited for Wallace's reply, and the minutes seemed like hours.
I jumped when my TCom buzzed with a message. When I looked, it was from Wallace.
Luan, Platoon leader Tang is on his way to free you up. Send him a location to rendezvous with you. Wallace.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Planet: Greenlan, Red-topped Mushrooms
Now I was really nervous. It sounded like Tang was being sent to take over the Ghost Platoon to free me to meet with Wallace for…a reprimand, reassignment, or to be reminded who was in command? Remembering my father, I smiled. He had always said I should always strive to do my best on every project I was given and that my best was all that was expected. So, regardless of the consequences, that is what I would do.
