Chapter 04

Standing Down

By 12:00 noon all combat has ceased, all attack forces have been defeated and are dead or surrendered. Gerry turns to Carly while saying, “I think it’s over, the attackers used about forty thousand people, all of them are now captured or dead. No need to give any other figures. Please tell our people and thank our troops. I’ve got to go to Amarant to deal with the prisoners there.”

Carly nods yes, because she knows no one has told him about Amarayah yet. She glances at Isobelle, and she nods to indicate she’ll go with him. Turning to Robert she says, “One more speech, Bob. It’s over, they lost. With so many of our people dead I can’t say we won. Write something and I’ll announce it.” He nods yes and he starts writing.

Gerry turns to Corporal Jays and says, “General signal all Guards’ frequencies on circuit one, please.” At Jays’ nod Gerry activates circuit one, “Guard Prime to all units. It seems to be over, all ground units not involved in any actual combat are to go to Defcon Three. Ground units involved in combat are to go to Defcon Two. All Sea and Air units to maintain Defcon Two alert status. Birds One to Six return to base, but stay alert for further operations. Thank you all, you did well today. Thanks to you our people are safe now. Guard Prime out.” He looks at Isobelle, “You can close that down now, Issy.” Turning to Vicky he says, “After Carly’s next broadcast you can close down as well.” Looking at Corporal Jays he says, “Thank you, Corporal Jays, contact Clay Comm and tell them they now have full command coordination. Also have them send two Blackbirds, one to take Carly to Highcliff and one to take me to Amarant via Far View. You can then close your board as well.” They all nod yes and get on with their work.

He turns to observe Carly when the camera goes live and she says, “People of Berant, the fighting is over and the enemy has lost. I can’t, in good conscience, say we won. Our people have spilt too much blood to say it was a victory. The enemy has lost and been defeated. Actual figures are still being compiled, but the enemy losses are much larger than ours and the rest of their forces are in custody. The attack involved over forty thousand attackers using ground, sea, and airborne forces. General Gordon Mannheim is to be congratulated on his decisiveness in dealing with the many tricky situations that arose. He’s asked me to specially thank all those who fought today, and to pass along his condolences to the families of those who died. He and I share your grief. Those we know to be dead include King Edward, King Herbert, Queen Lara, and General Gerald Mannheim, hero of Marley’s Landing and the Dareed war, the father of General Gordon Mannheim as well as Gordon’s sister, Captain Greta Mannheim, who is also dead. We wish to give special thanks to Ambassador Hedley and the US Marine Corps troops with him. Their timely intervention at Amarant was critical in keeping the invaders out of the city and the civilian losses down. Our thanks to all who helped our troops in the combat zones. It’s now time to clean up and move on. Future statements will be through the regular news channels. Thank you, goodbye for now.” With the camera off she turns to the auditorium and says, “Thank you for being so well behaved during this emergency. We’ll reschedule these presentations for later. However, I’ll still hand out the letters of acknowledgement now. Those who applied for the scholarships please speak to me or your teachers before leaving. I suggest you have lunch now.”

Gerry is followed by Isobelle, Vicky, Angie, and his security team when he leaves the building to await his helicopter transport outside. They all have heavy hearts, although they don’t have the full toll yet, but the cost is already too high, way too high. He leads his small group to the front lawn where they wait for the helicopter to take them on their flight.

Berana

The Royal Intelligence Service prides itself on knowing what’s happening inside Berant’s borders. When the news of the attacks comes through they feel they’ve let the people down by not knowing about the armed troops in the country or the planned attacks. By 11:00 a.m. the local Berana RIS commander (RISC) has noticed, from the Guards tactical nets, there’s fighting at every major city except Berana. He orders all of his people out to watch everyone that may have had a hand in this. This is his normal duty responsibility, so he doesn’t need new orders to get started on this. Other RIS Commanders across the country are taking similar actions. The overseas RIS commanders start doing the same when they find out about the events happening at home. As regular communications are opened again they start feeding data on any unusual activity into the intelligence computer system.

Every RIS officer, agent, and contact is very busy working to identify those involved in this attack because they intend to make them pay for their actions, and to pay heavily. Even much of the nation’s criminal element are shocked and disturbed by the attacks. Many ring up the RIS offices to pass on information they think may be useful in capturing those responsible. Many good leads are provided by the criminals. They may be crooks who operate outside the law, but they’re still loyal citizens who loved their King and Queen, and they want to see those responsible for their deaths punished.

The Berana RISC obtains assistance from the 4th Claymore. The Swords of the Falling Angels set up road blocks on all of the city exits as well as the International and the domestic airports. Two companies in platoon sized units provide armed back up to the intelligence agents when they follow up possibly dangerous leads.

During Carly’s 12:10 p.m. broadcast a group of businessmen and politicians gathered in Berana watch in horror. They wanted to play in the big game - and they lost because they chose to support the wrong side. A lot decide it’s time to leave and they prepare to do so. Taking the minimum of clothes and the maximum amount of money they head for ways out of the country. Some don’t even bother to collect their families. None make it out because they’re all stopped a few hundred metres into their trips by RIS staff backed up by Falling Angels. Most choose to talk, as they hope to save their lives if they talk.

The Berana RISC is saddened by the day’s events, but by 4:00 p.m. he’s delighted with the fall out. He has over six hundred people in detention, and with enough evidence to ensure convictions; most were prior suspects but they had no evidence. He now has enough evidence to ensure convictions of them all. He also has information on another four hundred and twenty-seven located elsewhere in the country, so the information is quickly passed onto the local RIS units. Berant will need a general election soon, because he has one hundred and twelve of the two hundred elected officials under arrest for treason, and with all of the evidence he needs to ensure their convictions. He also has a lot of evidence against several US owned multi-national companies.

Judgement at Amarant

Gerry and his support team leave the high school to go to Far View for a shower and a change of clothes. He puts on his new dress uniform with his specially costumed cape and command helmet with communication circuits and a tactical heads up display on the half-face visor that hides his face. It’s also painted like the head of a falcon while his full length cape is like a falcon’s back and wings. With these on he looks like a giant falcon walking along the ground with wings folded. Vicky and Isobelle dress in Guards uniforms with RIS patches and no rank badges, Angie wears her dress uniform and the security detail wears clean fatigues without any unit identification patches.

During lunch Francine and the shoppers return home. She insists on going with them. Gerry arranges for another company of the 1st Claymore to be flown to the Amarant Hospital immediately after lunch. Francine is quick to change into court dress. When they climb aboard the Blackhawk helicopter Gerry hands her a packet of sandwiches and a drink for her lunch. Although she doesn’t feel hungry she eats it in flight because she’s not prepared to argue with him. His expression brooks no argument - no argument at all - not from anyone.

They arrive at Amarant in the mid-afternoon. Since the battle the sky has clouded over with the late afternoon rain promised by the weather bureau. They slowly walk the battlefield as they examine it all. Gerry is handed documentation on the enemy plans, they’d been found in the wreckage. Before they reach the defender’s lines Gerry orders the enemy prisoners to be split into groups: medical staff, colonels and majors (no senior prisoners), female combatants, male combatants. The colonels and majors are to be interrogated then all of the male combatants are to be executed via recycling for brigandage and murder. The females are to serve twenty years as breeder slaves, the male medics to serve twenty years hard labour. He says, “I want a clear message sent about people who target school children. All the non CIA people arrested at other locations are to be sent home a.s.a.p. at their own expense. All of the equipment and the vehicles are to be melted down for their metal or sold for a suitable profit.”

Twenty minutes later he’s walking along the defensive line mentally listing all of the family dead when he stops in his tracks. He stands there absolutely still. Looking at the remains of dead children near the new Primary School he starts to cry, when his first tear hits the ground the rain starts; a very heavy rainfall. Colonel Rochester is nearby with Captain Walters and Ambassador Hedley, she’s closely watching Gerry. When the rain starts she speaks in a soft awe filled voice while saying, “And his sorrow will be so great that the heavens will weep in sympathy.”

Ambassador Hedley’s eyes go very wide. Seeing this she asks, “You know the legend?” He nods yes while Captain Walters looks lost. Turning to the Captain she says, “Nearly nine hundred years ago the Shukri, an Amiri sub-tribe, split off to establish their own kingdom. Many Amiri leaders opposed it. The King agreed, but only after the Great Mother of the Amiri, one with The Great Sight, spoke of a distant vision she had. She told them to let them go and she also said:

“They’ll return when the time is ripe. One day in the distant future the Great Falcon shall bring them back to us. He’ll be the greatest of all the Amir leaders. He will not be King, but his power will dwarf the King’s. He will be the greatest warrior ever, but he will have little opportunity to prove himself in personal battle. He will fight the devil in hell itself to protect the people. He will forge the people’s greatest shield. He will die, and live again. Unlike the kings who care for the Amiri people he will care for all of the peoples. But the day he spreads his wings to really fly will be the day of his greatest sorrow. His light will be quenched before it can blossom into full flame. His sorrow will be so great that the heavens will weep in sympathy. Ever more his heart will be heavy, but he will carry the people to the heavens and beyond.”

Both of the Americans look at her with concern, so she says, “Today is a day of great sorrow. My brother is a self-made multi-millionaire with more economic power than the King. Two years ago he drowned at sea while saving a woman and children in a category five tropical storm. He was resuscitated after a very long time without a pulse. The legend was given in the old tongue, and the word for light can also be translated as beam or ray. There lies his first born child, his daughter, Amarayah, he called her ‘his little Ray of sunshine.’ Seeing her he started to cry, at that moment the rain started - the heavens weep in sympathy.“

There’s a long moment of silence before Gerry turns to Isobelle and asks, in a toneless voice, “You knew?” With tears in her eyes she nods yes. Slowly he walks on, passing his daughter’s body. In death, as in life, she’s with Sunara, less than a metre apart. He softly says, “Bury them with the rest of the clan dead.” Three quarters of his family’s adults are dead. Francine and Isobelle watch him with concern. Aware of this he turns to them while saying, “Don’t worry, I’ll stay with the orders given. But don’t even think of stopping me from taking the war to them or targeting the fat cats behind all this. They’re going down, hard. Got it?” They both nod their agreement with his stated intentions.

After inspecting all of the dead, including the one hundred and thirty-seven dead school children, he speaks with Ambassador Hedley and Captain Walters. In a tired voice he says, “Hello, Ambassador Hedley, Captain Walters. I’m Prince Edward, Protector of the People, and the acting head of government. First, Captain Walters, I’d like the names of every one of your people who served here today. I intend to thank them publicly and privately. Those who’ve died for our people will also be honoured in the same manner as we honour our own. Ambassador Hedley, when you next speak to the Secretary of State please pass along that your involvement here today saved many more of our people from death and your actions are all that stops us from holding the US Government and all of its people directly responsible for what happened here. Except for a few traitors, everyone identified so far is from the US, and many are still in service with the US military or the CIA. Your immediate response to defend our people shows us this isn’t the actual US Governmental policy. Please pass on my thanks to all of your people. Also please make arrangements for me to be allowed to provide compensation to the families of your dead and wounded.” They both give weak smiles as they nod agreement. “I’m about to tell these people their sentences and I’d like you there as independent witnesses. Tomorrow I’d like some technical people to witness the destruction of classified US military systems on captured ships - part of an amphibious invasion force.” Ambassador Hedley nods agreement while they follow Gerry across the battlefield. Francine moves off with Erica, heading for the hospital to visit Harold and the other wounded.

The small group of officials makes its way into the next valley where the prisoners are. After activating a link from his helmet to a portable public address system Gerry says, “I’m Edward, Prince Royal, Protector of the People, the acting head of the Berant Government. In general the foreign nationals not members of the CIA who have been captured in today’s invasion will be allowed to leave the country at their own expense. However, those of you here have lost all right to life. Your force intentionally murdered the King and other members of the Royal Family. But worse than that, you people deliberately targeted and killed children that weren’t in the line of fire. For that, you die - horribly.” He stops to let the message sink in to their minds. Many are frightened, they should be because his voice is flat and devoid of any emotion. “All male combat troops will be recycled, thrown alive into a huge machine that tears you to shreds and makes fertiliser out of you, it’ll be your finest hour and your best use ever. Male medics, because you didn’t use weapons, but were still part of this force, are to serve twenty years hard labour. All females are to serve twenty years as breeder slaves. You’ve killed our people, so you can now spend twenty years replacing them one pregnancy per year. They’ll be raised by the families that lost loved ones today. You’ll bear them and never see them again. Don’t worry, you’ll get pregnant because we have excellent fertility drugs, and they delay menopause.” There’s a great deal of consternation amongst the prisoners at the announcement, despite many of them being in shock. However, their hands are tied, literally, and they’re watched by armed guards, so there’s nothing they can do. “Don’t worry, your families will know exactly what happened to you, and why. We’ll make a point of telling them and the world all of the grisly details.” Guards move in to take groups of prisoners to trucks to drive them to the recycling plant where they’ll be thrown into the machines alive.

Gerry walks amongst the male medics, stopping to talk to each one. Asking them about where they grew up, what they know, and other skills. Of the three hundred and forty-seven men he identifies one hundred and twenty-seven for special treatment. The names are noted by Vicky. They’ll be appointed to work on distant farms, guarded only by the families working the farms. He does the same with the six hundred and ninety-seven women, he identifies five hundred and forty-eight women to work on distant farms and in other lightly supervised employment, also several young female medics are identified to be taken aside to go to Far View as his personal slaves.

The 5th Raptors arrive in Amarant and they start to help with the clean-up. When the night falls Amarant and Dareena continue with the clean-up. While the whole Berant nation mourns their losses that day most of the International community wakes up to the news of an atrocity with their breakfast cereal. The International media are given full access to all of the sites within an hour of combat finishing at the site. They’re asked not to release the reports until the late afternoon Berant time.

The media love the war: short, sweet, and with astonishing statistics. Best of all for them, plenty of film footage because the Guards all have security cameras at their bases and in all of their vehicles, so they recorded it all. Plus the media was on hand to film the ceremonies in Amarant, so they got much of that combat. Nearly all of that video is made available to them for use in reports. They do make a point of mentioning the few of their people who were harmed at Amarant, most were safe because they were in vehicles or buildings during the fighting.

At 6:30 p.m. Gerry leaves Francine with Harold and he goes to Highcliff because the government must still function. Until Harold is fit to take over Gerry will run the government and Carly will be the spokesperson. Leaving Francine free to supervise Harold’s recovery.

Note: None of those sent to work under light security in the general community try to escape. Many end up becoming permanent members of the families they work for by marrying into them.

The Butcher’s Bill

In relative terms Berant got off very lightly with losses of 800 citizens and 8 US Marines dead, 728 citizens and 25 US Marines wounded. The dead include 25 members of Gerry’s family and 12 other clan members.