Tasmanian SFG: Book III, Of One Mind, page 8
Ironically, no one surfaced from mine number two until after dark. I idly wondered why, but it did tend to confirm that the two mines were either not connected or the Rarders hadn't found a connecting tunnel. The same would be true for a connection to the other side of the mountain.
"What do you think?" Medina asked, clearly in a rush to do something.
"I think we need a rushing to action exercise when we get back," I quipped. Medina just shook her head.
"We do need to do something, or the war will be over without us firing a shot," Smitty said from about four meters away.
"I will concede the Platoon Leader position to you, Smitty, and you can direct the action. I, too, would like a little action," I said.
"You’re the Boss lady. The boys and I are happy to wait for your orders," Smitty quickly responded. "Just wanted to let you know we are ready when you are."
"Could you give Smitty the platoon leadership?" Medina asked, looking from me to Smitty in surprise.
"Yes, or any of the others, but they wouldn't accept it," I said and laughed. "They aren't stupid. They much prefer I have to make the life-and-death decisions. They just want to remind me they are bored."
"I envy you, Jolie," Medina sounded wistful. "You Tasmanians are like an atomic clock on the inside, but the outside looks like something a six-year-old put together from her broken toys."
Time I did my job, I mused. I clicked on an open channel. "Carl, Pete, Todd, Jafar, and I will target the crew from mine number one when they exit in the morning. On my signal, kill them. I am giving Smitty a headset I made to cover the eyes and ears and a lantern. You are not to use your night-vision gear in this exercise. Smitty will activate the lantern, step into the mine, throw a flashbang as far as he can, put the headset on, and hit the floor. Five seconds later, Van will race to Smitty's position, pick up the headset and lantern and run twenty meters past the exploded flashbang, throw his flashbang, cover up, and hit the ground. Next, Josh, Art, Cedric, Isaac, and then me. Then we will repeat the order again. Kill anyone you pass while running. I want a running commentary when it's your turn. The snipers will cover us if Rarders emerge from mine number two. Pete, you make the call if I'm not immediately available," I said. "Remember, you are ghosts, riding a wave of death. I don't want any dead heroes." I hoped this wasn't reckless. If Medina was right, each mine should have around fifteen to twenty Rarders. If six come out, that reduces the number to nine to fourteen, roughly parity with my group. The flashbangs should disable most if not all and hopefully set off any traps, but a lot could go wrong as I lack information about their positions, equipment, traps, and the mine's configuration. I refocused to see Medina staring at me. "Ya, that is why no one wants to be leader," I said, feeling sick about all the things I didn't know. Medina gave me the briefest nod.
Four hours later, the valley began to show signs of life as the grey light crept across the land, and six men appeared while one remained in the entrance.
"Carl, you have the one in the lead. Pete, the one behind him and to his right. Todd, the one to the left. Jafar, the one at the entrance. Fire when I click twice." I centered my sights on the one lagging behind. The one who hadn't been specifically targeted would have five snipers firing at him within seconds. I clicked twice as I tightened my fingers on the trigger. Almost as one, five Rarders dropped. Before the untargeted man realized what had happened, he died from several sniper bullets.
I was up and carefully descending my perch as I and the six designated flashbang throwers broke cover and made for the entrance. Smitty waited until he could see Van was close, then stepped into the mine entrance, and several seconds later, I heard and saw the brilliant flash of light. Seconds later, Van entered the mine at a run. I and the other four entered and raced to Smitty's position and waited while facing back to the entrance with our eyes and ears covered with our hands, arms, and wearing ear plugs. Another bang and flash of light, and we all ran to Van's position, Josh snatched up the headset and began running down the tunnel. Then Art, then Cedric, then Isaac, who shot twice during his run, then I began my run. I saw two dead Rarders before I reached Isaac. They looked to have been curled in a fetal position from Cedric's flashbang when Isaac shot them. I grabbed the headset, ran another thirty meters and flung my flashbang at a dimly lit area a hundred meters ahead, and hit the floor with my arms covering my head. I could feel the impact of the explosion and hot air seconds later. I peeled off my headgear and had barely held it up when Smitty snatched it from me and was off running down the tunnel. As I rose to my feet, the others joined me. I heard a flashbang, and Van was off running. Then nine shots echoed through the tunnel.
"All clear," Van's voice sounded in the distance. The dim light got stronger as we neared what looked like a large circular area with bodies scattered around the room and four naked women tied together, sobbing and moaning in the corner. "That was fun," Van said as I neared.
This was obviously one of the active mines, as this area had chairs and equipment to store drinks and prepare food. Two tunnels extended further into the mountain. I walked over to the women and knelt.
"You are safe now. Can you tell me how many Rarders were here?" I asked to make sure we had gotten them all.
Finally, one of the women mumbled, "Seventeen." I nodded, now sure we had killed them all, and began freeing the women.
"Someone check those two tunnels to see where they go."
As I waited to hear where the tunnels went, Medina appeared. "No one hurt?" she asked, surveying the area.
"No. I think they expected more warning or misinterpreted the explosions or both." I smiled at Medina's expression of awe.
"Not something the army or Rangers would think of…or try if they did," she said, pursing her lips in thought. "Why did you? For someone who worries about putting your brothers in harm's way, that dash into the unknown appears reckless."
"It was reckless, but consistent with the Tasmanian approach—roll over the enemy so fast they don't have time to respond and they panic. They obviously weren't expecting trouble since no one shot at their exploratory mission yesterday. You indicated the numbers were small, so eliminating six made the remaining number close to parity. They were unlikely to use bombs since they don't know the mine and may seal themselves in with no options. Finally, their defense would assume we would be using night-vision goggles. If true, those assumptions would favor a quick and ruthless attack, just what Tasmanians excel—" I stopped speaking when I heard a faint explosion and a flash of light. "Everyone, into those tunnels, NOW!" I shouted. "Smitty, is there any way to rig these flashbangs to be exploded remotely?"
"Yes. Each flashbang has etched 'fxxx.xxdnnnnnn' where 'xxx.xx' is the frequency, and 'nnnnn' the number that will ignite the flashbang."
"Good. Quickly, set up three, and I'll distribute them around the room. We have company coming," I said, reading the number of my three flashbangs: f 451.45 d18738, f 451.45 d18748, and f451.45 d18827. Then I tossed the flashbangs into the furthest parts of the area. "Let's go, Smitty," I said as I headed for the closest tunnel. We disappeared not a moment too soon as the sound of boots pounding on the ground could be heard. After twenty-five running steps, I shouted, "Now."
Multiple explosions thundered, and a blinding flash of white light lit the tunnel. Several seconds afterward, Cedric and Art ran past me, heading for the open area. Through the ringing in my ears, I heard multiple shots.
A half hour later, we exited to find Pete waiting. "The Rarders from mine number two were just exiting their tunnel as you set off your fourth flashbang. The leader sent one of the men back into the tunnel, and a few minutes later, they all came piling out. I decided it was too good an opportunity, threw a flashbang as close as I could, and gave the order to start shooting. Unfortunately, we only killed ten before the others managed to enter your tunnel. I thought it best to stay put in case more were in the mine. The mountain precluded sending you a TCom message," Pete looked ashen. "I didn't know whether to stay or to follow the Rarders. This leader shit seems so simple when you are giving the orders. Not so fucking easy when I'm forced to give them."
"You made the right call, Pete," I said, trying hard not to laugh.
"You think that funny?"
"No, hilarious!" I said while laughing. "We do need to see if there are any Rarders or hostages still in mine number two." I decided to keep the snipers outside on alert and sent Smitty, Cedric, and Art. They encountered one Rarder and three women hostages.
Professor, we cleaned out two mines with thirty-four Rarders. Fox.
Fox, how? Professor.
Professor, I could send Smitty back to explain the technique we used. Basically, leapfrogging with flashbangs. Fox.
Luan, rejoin the main force. Professor.
I thought Howard meant now—this minute—and had the team moving as close to a double time as possible given the uneven terrain. Medina chose to stay with the women as they couldn't keep up the pace I was setting, even if they had been in good physical condition, which they weren't after the abuse at the hands of the Rarders. I had Todd and Jafar stay with her in case of trouble.
When I arrived, I was directed to the command tent, a double tent with maps taped to the canvas sides. Howard had his three platoon leaders present.
"Jolie, why don't you brief us on your activities on the backside of this mountain?" Howard began as I entered the tent.
"Colonel Medina had indicated that thirty to forty Rarders had entered the break in the mountain range, so I decided to have a look. We found they had entered two of the mines on the backside of the mines you have under siege. There is a good size valley with a small lake and game animals between this mountain range and the next. After watching them for a day and a half, I decided if we killed their next scouting party, our chance of success was high, and we attacked." I went on to explain the technique we used and the attack by the Rarders from the second mine.
"Interesting," Tang said when I had finished. "Clearly, the Tasmanian's strength—hit them hard and fast, giving them no time to think or to organize a response. The only difference is that the Fox spends more time on the Ready part. We tend to be more Aim and Fire."
"I think it would work here," Howard said. "The only defenses we have encountered are similar to what the Ghost Platoon encountered when they breached the mine on their side: Flashbangs to blind anyone using night vision goggles and to warn the Rarders of intruders. No bombs. What had us stymied is that once they know we are coming, they can mount a defense and have the advantage in the narrow tunnels. A flashbang charge should negate that advantage."
They spent the next hour getting all six squads briefed and ready, although only one squad would begin the assault. If it proved successful, then the other five would attack simultaneously.
One of Tang's squads was chosen to be the first to enter. As we waited for word from the group, I realized why I liked accompanying the attack; waiting was more stressful than the fighting. When I was fighting, nothing else intruded on my thoughts. While waiting, all sorts of horrible scenarios ran through my mind. Eventually, Tang exited and gave a thumbs-up sign, and Howard gave the go signal for the other five squads to begin their assault. Except for a few wounded and one death, the operation went off flawlessly. The death was just plain bad luck—a ricocheted bullet.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Planet Delphi: The Ride Home
"Hey, Jolie. The rumor is that you developed the strategy to clear out the mines," someone shouted after lunch on our first day of travel. Showtime, I mused as I rolled out of my bunk-box.
"Well, that's not really accurate, but it did play well with the boss. As usual, I was trying to protect my team and decided to look around, hoping to find a quiet place to stay out of trouble. We found a break in the mountain range and discovered a small valley with a lake and plenty of wild game. Not a Rarder in sight, although I was told there were a few in two of the abandoned mines. I set up a schedule for the boys to watch the mines while I relaxed. Two perfect days. Well, except for the whining. They keep telling me they should attack the mines as Rarders were there, and it was our assignment to kill them. To keep them quiet while I went swimming and found a few rabbits to roast, I told them to develop a plan on how to attack the mines. Every couple of hours, they were back with another plan, either dragging me out of the lake to show me or interrupting my roast-rabbit dinner. I spent hours explaining all the things that could go wrong and sent them back to work on revisions. Late on the second day, the Rarders swarmed out of the mines, and the boys I had on watch killed them—all five. Now how would it look if I had to report it took two days to kill five Rarders? My Ghost Platoon would be the laughing stock of the Tasmanians. We could be disbanded, and I would wind up in a squad with people shooting at me. No more swims or roast rabbit or relaxing. So, I dusted off the boys' multiple assault plans and found the flashbang one. With a bit of polishing, we all agreed on a plausible story of how we used the plan to clean out forty Rarders using the flashbangs. You can imagine my surprise when the boss man decided to use the plan on the six mines he was assaulting. Even more surprised when it worked. I'm never going to live it down that they had come up with a workable plan I rejected." With my head hanging down, I stomped back to my sleeping box accompanied by clapping and hoots. Then each of my team stood and embellished the story from their perspective, making me out to be stubborn, lazy, and self-indulgent. The assignment had gone well, and it was a fun ride back to Fort Endeavor.
Two days later, Medina invited me to the Rangers nightclub, The Pathfinder, for drinks. She had invited Clare and Shirley as well as a number of officers and senior sergeants.
"For those who don't know her, this unimpressive looking woman is Jolie Luan, currently the only woman Tasmanian. Her call sign is Fox," Medina began after introducing the people at the three tables which had been butted together to accommodate everyone. "I've been on assignments with her, observed her on several Tasmanian exercises, and attended two of her Gung Luan classes. Doing so, I have discovered that although the Tasmanians wear the same uniforms as the rest of the Delphi military, they are not the same military. They have their own unique culture that some days I envy and other days scares the crap out of me. I suspect every Tasmanian would be up on court martial charges within a month or two. Jolie probably within a week." She gave a short laugh and smiled in my direction. "They are all crazy by anyone's standards, but on an assignment, you couldn't ask for better allies." She went on to give her observations on the Rarders engagement.
"Do you agree?" a young lieutenant asked when Medina had finished. "That you are all…different."
"You mean crazy," I smiled at the lieutenant. "Yes, but we are happy nut cases. The Tasmanian Qualification School is probably the only school that, after you pass the school's rigorous testing, also evaluates your mental fitness. Just recently, we had two candidates who not only met the school's qualification requirements but were also possibly the best of that class's candidates and were disqualified," I said to general disbelief judging by the looks I was getting. "I live in the same barrack as the single men and use their showers when they do. I'm a platoon leader, yet I'm not only the youngest but also the least experienced. Neither I nor my platoon members or my commander have any medals, and we all have the same rank. Furthermore, on assignment, my platoon is never given an objective. I'm free to do what I want."
"I think you have given everyone here a migraine headache," Shirley said. "They don't give her an objective because she's not good at obeying orders. As Tasmanian Simons has said, Jolie sometimes follows orders."
"It's true. The Tasmanians march to their own snare drums while Jolie marches to bongo drums," Clare said. Like Shirley, she had known me since I entered the Tasmanian Qualification School.
"Do you think the Tasmanians are superior to the Rangers?" one senior sergeant asked, to everyone's general dismay.
"That would be like asking if men are superior to women," I said, then grinned. "Or if women are superior to men." I paused to let everyone think. "The question is meaningless unless you specify a task or specific activity. Men are inherently better at some things than women, and women inherently better at other things. I think we need them both to continue the human race. The same is true for the various components of the military."
"I think any Tasmanian would say the same thing," Medina said. "They believe they are different, not superior."
Sergeant Duggin even came over to say hello and indirectly said there were no hard feelings for decking him. He had insulted me and had deserved it. I danced with several men who were definitely hitting on me. In between, I met a lot of interesting people and heard Ranger stories, many that included incidents involving the ex-major Lloyd. Overall, it was a fun evening and might have made the Tasmanians more real than rumor.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Planet Delphi: A Surprise Assignment
My head had barely hit the pillow when my TCom buzzed with an urgent message:
LUAN, REPORT TO THE HEADQUARTER BUILDING. WALLACE.
I thought that a bit strange. It sounded like an assignment, but Smitty usually warned me several hours in advance. Also strange that Wallace appeared as the assigned commander. He didn't normally take assignments as he was semi-retired and on the Tasmanian Committee, although he, like all the Tasmanians, enjoyed the action. I dressed and was out the door in less than five minutes. When I arrived, Simons, Tang, and Gonzales were waiting with Wallace.
"Luan, I know this assignment has not given your platoon time for post-assignment leave or recuperation, but if your platoon is functional, I would like you along," Wallace said, continuing to evaluate me since I came into his sight.
