Chapter 10

We waited until the wet weather on Bejek had well passed before we ventured forth once more. Another roadway was cut through the forest so we had other avenues to enter and leave. A road wasn't bad to be found by strangers, it was our tracks on it that were bad.

A depot was constructed and hidden as well as we could. Since we now had three bobcats, construction was not as difficult. Scrap copper was stored here along with weapons, ammunition and fuel. We could also use this area to store the gold and silver without having to make the difficult trip between the trees with the large trucks.

We emerged onto rock that extended to part of an existing road. Selna and Ronnas monitored one set of drones for me while Kuenta and Andis worked from the other truck. Lauren drove one of our vehicles and Tiffany drove the other. The unarmoured vehicle was driven by Galdem. Jonna rode shotgun and was in constant contact with us by radio.

We had been monitoring an area of 1,600 square kilometres. Only some of this area could be actively monitored though. Tiffany took her truck north while I escorted Galdem and Jonna. If we were going to leave some tracks, we would not give anybody a chance to narrow our entry to a small area.

We would be at most only eighty klicks away from each other during this time. Reports of our travels could still get out even if we could not be seen.

That night, Kuenta reported from the other armoured truck, "Sir, we found a lot of small fires ahead of us."

Sir was the term we used when in a military situation. Otherwise, the women bossed me around.

"An army?"

"Could be. Do we stop and see what we can find with the drones?"

"That's probably best. See what you can find but try to stay concealed. There may be a risk of being caught by a patrol."

"I'll launch another drone and monitor it for our security."

"Thanks Kuenta. That makes me feel better."

"Yes, Sir." She let the final r trill because I didn't sound military enough for her.

We had proceeded on the assumption that Kuenta and Tiffany would have to change their route. An hour later it was Tiffany that said, "It looks like an army, Sir. We estimate about three hundred men and an equal number of camp followers. We cannot make out the pennants or the flags on the IR. They are in a shallow depression so that the light of their fires are not seen. Their camp is only a kilometre off the road. Their patrols are not very good and we can make it past them without any problems. They'll see our tracks in the morning."

"Which way are they travelling?"

"We can see by the trampled vegetation and the torn up roads that they're moving cross-country. They came from the direction of Habstner."

Lauren said to me, "If they get by that group, there is another about six kilometres north. They have a lot of wagons and cannon. They seem to be heading toward Shreff too. There may be more groups."

I looked at the map for the hundredth time. There were too many areas that could mire down the vehicle and they could not get out to lay the steelwork to get through.

I called Kuenta, "Turn around. We will intercept you near where we entered the road."

Tiffany interjected, "We can get through."

"Maybe you can, but there are some iffy areas that you can only get through if you are free to use the winch or the treads." I sent along my feelings and I knew that Tiffany could sense my unease.

"We will follow orders, Sir."

"I know you will and I love you."

"That's, 'I love you, Corporal'."

"You're right again, Corporal."

Three hours later we met. Tiffany took up the tail position. With Shreff in danger we continued on in daylight. We slept while moving and rotated the drivers to prevent fatigue. We were too understaffed to monitor with the drones but we didn't run into a patrol until we were only twenty kilometres from our objective.

It was a mounted patrol taking it easy under some trees. We didn't see them until the last minute. They had heard us, though, and were ready. Bullets pinged off of our armour. Armour was quickly put in place over the windshields and we started to return fire. I climbed to the machine gun on the roof but used my AK-47 instead. We stopped on a rise for stability and I began to shoot in single shot mode. The girls were shooting from the ports.

I called out, "Lauren, head into them."

The truck lurched into motion and we pushed over small trees. The AK's hammered away but it was harder to make hits.

Selna said, "Three are running on foot to the south east. I don't see any more." Lauren drove us close to the place where the patrol had made a short stop. Their horses were going crazy with all the shooting and the noise of the approaching vehicle.

I put on my vest and helmet which I should have had on before this. The rest were doing the same. Fislu and Galdem had arrived before the rest. "Who is monitoring the drones?"

Jonna said, "Ronnas, Andis and Caiti, Sir."

"Galdem, Jonna, Selna, police this area. Fislu, Kuenta, get on the horses. We have some stragglers to talk to."

It took a while to calm the horses and get saddled. Ronnas gave me instructions on where to go to head off the three men. I heard shots behind me but they were from the AK's so I wasn't worried. Kuenta and Fislu took the left flank and I took the right to get ahead of the three. We found them hiding in a ditch. Ronnas said they were still armed but only with pistols.

I called out to the men, "My name is Hugh Driscott. You are surrounded by a superior force. Surrender now or die."

I heard from my radio, "They're going to fight." I moved to a new location behind a good sized tree.

The soldiers came out of the ravine one at a time. The last one fell and screamed. In a moment the second man did the same, but the last one ran toward where he had heard my voice. I wanted one alive so I drew my nine millimetre and looked toward where I heard him. He was only four metres away and looking at where I had been. I guessed what he would do and whistled. The man turned and when he was half way I fired. I hit his gun. The pistol flew away and I hurried closer.

The soldier was cradling his hand. I saw that I had not been as good a shot as I hoped. The man was now missing a trigger finger.

Though the man was in pain he snarled at me and I kicked him with the sole of my boot. While the man was stunned I threw him on the ground. He wore an ornamental red sash. I got this off and tied his arms behind him. Only when that was done did I call out, "Everybody ok?"

It was Ronnas that said, "None of us look hurt."

I used my horse to carry the man after he was frisked for weapons. Galdem had another living prisoner though he was in bad shape. I had to throw Jonnas' prize on a horse and tie him down because he was dead.

It took ten minutes to get back because we were walking and leading the horses. The girls had policed the camp and sorted bodies. One other group would probably die and the last group either would survive or do so with a little help from us.

I didn't need to second guess my people so I went to work on those that could be saved after I added our own to the group. Ti-wraps had been used on the others and I removed the red sash after mine was bound with one. Instead of throwing the sash away I put it back around the man's neck in a large loop.

We had been working on the wounded for twenty minutes when Ronnas called me. "Sir, Shreff is under siege."

I ran to the truck and checked the monitor myself. It was not just a few hundred Habstner either. At a guess I would have to say perhaps twenty thousand men and we already knew that either more were arriving or they were staying to prevent reinforcements from arriving.

Cannon were firing at the wall and gate but Mantoya must have been using his Lee-Enfields. The cannon could shoot further but the force of its strike was much less. I noticed an explosion and turned the camera to focus on it. The barrel of an enemy cannon had been destroyed. They must have overloaded it to get the extra range.

Jonna was now beside me. "What do we do now, Sir?"

"We can't fight all those and we don't have enough missiles to take out an army this dispersed."

"Will they regroup at night?"

"They should, and this gives us an opportunity."

Jonna gave me a smile and said, "Yes, it does, Sir."

I pulled a mirror from the wall and with the help of a telescope we redirected the sun's rays to the faces of those on the wall. They must have thought it magic but it was not that bright at this distance. Twenty minutes later we saw somebody waving a flag and I aimed the light at him again. They knew we were here now.

We cut the trees so we could move the trucks into concealment. It was a good idea because near dusk a mixed patrol of calvary and infantry was drawing near. Ronnas counted nearly eighty Habstner. Behind them was their baggage train then a rear guard of eighteen men.

There was time to cut more trees to make a road of sorts so that we could use the machine guns. We pulled into positions nearly forty metres apart but on opposite sides of the road. When the time came, we would shoot down the road where the enemy was bunched.

Tiffany would fire one gun and her sister the other. Jonna and I were security and the rest were to work in pairs and take out individuals.

Caiti was monitoring this area and gave us a count down until the lead elements passed the red sash we put in a cleared area near the road.

I tried to say this calmly but I couldn't. The word fire came out like a croak. Both guns opened up and ripped up the road. It took ten seconds to reach the tail elements of the soldiers but not into the civilians. I could not hear much but I was sure that Fislu was hitting the rear element hard but from a distance.

Some of the Habstner were smart enough to take to the trees but the fifty calibre found them if they stayed around. Most trees could not take this kind of punishment and stay standing. The machine guns stopped and the trucks drove out of their hiding spots.

The AK's were still hammering away but in single shot mode. The trucks could not make it up the road with all the bodies of horses and men. Jonna and I moved forward part way into the brush at the sides of the road. I let Lauren and Tiffany guard each other's flank.

There were a few survivors but they would not last long. This time I had ti-wraps with me. I found only one wounded man that wanted to fight. Caiti had brought the drone lower so she could spot any that fled.

We had to resort to using the night vision glasses to do what we could. A few of the civilians had been killed but not many. I had to run down a boy of five in the dark. He ran into a tree and this made it easy to bag him.

We did a count of the bodies and found we got all of the men but we may not have got all of the civilians.

Jonna and Kuenta went among the wives and slaves of the Habstner and told them who we were and their probable fate. Some seemed to relax at what was said.

Some of the draught horses had been killed so we took horses from the first patrol to replace them. Warhorses worked poorly in harness but they would work.

The civilians helped us clear the road of bodies. More of the warhorses were used to drag off the dead horses. The wagons were full of food for an extended siege no doubt but we had room to store the weapons we gathered.

Caiti said excitedly on the radio, "A larger group is coming. It's about twelve clicks back."

"Thanks, Caiti. You did a good job." I wondered why the Habstner would be travelling at night.

This group and the last had a lot of powder between them. We rolled two barrels down the road and put them close to the road but sixty metres further along. Lead balls were put inside the barrel and half way around. A radio detonator went into each and then rock was put all around the barrel to contain the blast.

We were on the way by the time the approaching force was six klicks back. They were not travelling fast at this time.

The civilians and the wounded followed the unarmoured truck and I rode tail.

We had made ten kilometres by the time the scouts found the carnage we left. It was over twenty minutes later when a group approached to see for themselves. There was a large escort following them. When the lead element passed the closer charge, I pushed the button that detonated the charges we had placed. The blasts were loud enough that I could hear them with my ears through the noisy truck. The drones didn't show that many able to move after.

The horses with us were tired but they continued to pull. About three hours after midnight I used one of the lights on the truck to shine on the wall. Ten minutes later we were at the gates to meet fifty soldiers.

Only some of the faces I saw were familiar. One was Mantoya's.

I checked my weapons then got off the truck. Lauren and Fislu were right behind me as an escort.

"Mantoya, I am surprised at you. You throw a party and forget to invite me."

Mantoya came forward and shook my hand but his back was straight as an old Prussian's. "I am glad you could make it. You should get within the walls before the Habstner find out you are here."

"I am afraid they already know. We ran into two small groups on the way here. We even left a present for a larger group that was coming to the party."

"All the more reason to enter the city. By the way, who are those people in the wagons?"

"The Habstner baggage train. I guess I adopted them."

"You must tell me more. Our King has come to help us fight this war and brought most of his surviving men."

Mantoya was telling me a lot and it looked bad for us. "Can these people be put up at the school?"

"I am afraid that our King had taken over that area temporarily."

"Artlam's home?"

"That may be acceptable if he will allow it."

It was difficult getting the armoured trucks in the gate. The machine guns had to be removed. By then Artlam had arrived. We shook hands like old friends and I said, "I am sorry to bring so many guests with me but may we have the hospitality of your courtyard?"

The answer was not quick in coming but it was affirmative.

Jonna and Fislu gathered the drones as they landed in front of the city. They were inspected then fuelled again for their next mission. Men had seen them come out of the sky with a whisper of prop noise. They looked them over throughly but dared not get too close.

We drove through the narrow streets until we found the courtyard. We couldn't get in but some of the wagons could.

The women and children were put in the stable to keep them out of trouble but to also keep them away from the men. The captured men that were not soldiers were kept in another stable.

There were nineteen wounded when we started but only thirteen had survived. We worked on those that we could while other physicians assisted.

Artlam had lost some weight and some sleep but he and all his newfound guests were wide awake to hear what had happened. Galdem was from this city and had a man's pride so I pushed him into talking about our recent activities.

"We came into this country in two groups. We were far enough apart to observe more this way. One group ran into some Habstner. Not that far away was another large group. We retreated — "

One of the newcomers jumped on his words. "You retreated?"

Galdem said, "We didn't know what was happening here. We may have killed a lot but word would have spread. We are not invincible."

The newcomer looked pissed at our supposed cowardice. Galdem continued, "We drove for another night and rotated drivers so we could continue during the day. Twenty klicks from here we stumbled on a patrol of twenty four men. They had heard us coming and attacked when we got near. We killed all but five of them and those were taken prisoners. We stayed an hour to tend to their wounded when we detected a force of a hundred men approaching. We prepared our own ambush and killed or captured all of the men."

The same man interrupted and said, "Two men and some women and children killed a hundred men. What do you take us for?"

Galdem looked at me and said, "May I answer or should I continue."

"Just continue with the story, Galdem."

"We used a mirror to flash the city to let them know we were coming. Again we treated all of the wounded. We cleaned part of the road in the process.

"Caiti, the youngest member of our group saw a much larger force approaching. It was twelve klicks back." The man was going to interrupt again until Mantoya put his hand on the man's arm. Galdem continued, "We took two barrels of powder and placed them along on opposite sides of the path. The barrel was filled with lead balls and our detonators. The barrels were packed tight with rocks to both hide the barrel and to contain some of the force. The carnage we left was discovered by some scouts. When the officers arrived with their escort, our leader detonated the two barrels. It was difficult to count the bodies but we think it may be a hundred or more."

The annoying man said, "We heard no blast."

Galdem just remained quiet. The man may have expected a retort but he found none. He just sneered at us and left. Along with him were a few others that left.

I said, "That was a fair rendition, Galdem. I guess we have to kill a lot more than two hundred Habstner to get noticed."

It was Artlam that said, "Sure, the official recognition for two men and nine females is two hundred and forty enemy killed in battle."

There was a laugh that broke the tension that had built. Artlam continued, "Did the youngest ones of your group assist you?"

Caiti was pulled forward by Jonna and the girl said, "I only got a few. They wanted me to work in the lead truck most of the time."

Andis was called next. She was the shyest but said, "I only got seven but I wounded three more."

The men of the room took note of this and stood up. I added, "I only got a few. It was Lauren and Tiffany the did the majority of the butchering."

We went to sleep in the trucks. The vehicles were much too valuable to trust to locks and an alarm system.

Artlam released our prisoners and allowed them to be fed. The soldiers were doing better. At least no more had died.

I got up around noon. I felt like shit. Coffee and a microwaved Danish helped. I heard cannon in the distance. I looked at the vest and decided to wear it. I had cleaned my guns and loaded them on the trip. The 45 and the 9 millimetre were worn. The thoughts of a king here made me rethink on what I should dress like. My helmet had to be added to set me apart. The AK on my shoulder did that too.

The wounded were checked first. They were resting among the wagons that nearly filled the courtyard. I fetched water for two of them and helped them drink. The captive men were next. They were outside the stables now and sitting in the sun. I gave a count and saw that all seventeen of them were present. After asking a few questions, I found that they had been fed and given water. Only a few of the men glared at me while the rest looked beaten.

I went to the last group next. Outside of the stables were two men with rifles. Artlam would have to be thanked when I saw him next. I greeted the two men and they bowed to me. I did the same in turn. I would rather a handshake be used but this would work.