Apologies for the delay. School started again so updates will be slower than usual. Thanks for reading and as always please review.
The ride to their next posting had taken upward of nearly eight hours. The trip was constantly interrupted by checkpoints along the east-west MSR. Armed guards at each point scrutinised the trucks, their passengers and the transfer documents Welkin provided. Each inspection was completed with a call to HQ to confirm their passage. Another call was made to inform the next checkpoint of the Squad convoy's arrival and who and what to expect in it. It was evident how jumpy the guards were and the paranoia surrounding them could almost be felt as thick as the muggy night air.
In the back the NZ commando grumbled about having to do the same thing on the way to the South Korean DMZ. There wasn't much talking going on between the passengers two hours into the trip. The arrival of Syd or the Kiwi as he insisted on being called got everyone excited initially especially in regards to his accent and the unusual dark brown mullet he had.
The rest of the trip was completed in silence. Some people drifted off along the way. Alan sat
"The profile said you were in the town watch for your hometown of Bruhl. What's it like there?" he asked.
"It's a wonderful place. Quiet, no troublemakers until the Imperials barged in rudely."
"Do anything other than being the local gendarmerie?"
"I was in training at a bakery. Everyone says I'm gifted at baking so I wanted to share it around…"
Silence followed as she negotiated a bend in the road.
"Did you want to do anything before your war?" Alicia asked.
"Nope, been training as a professional soldier for nearly five years before now. The world was open to me after the Academy but I didn't know what to do and I wasn't speaking to..." He stopped there and an awkward silence followed.
"Were you married or engaged back in your world?" She noticed his Academy ring which was protruding out from beneath his black fingerless glove on his right hand.
"What?" spluttered Alan, "Oh, it's my class graduation ring, not an engagement one. Do Gallians wear wedding rings on their right hand?" he asked.
Alicia was about to answer but just then the tank in front slowed and stopped.
She reached for the radio. "Why've we stopped Welkin?"
"Isara and I are just switching driving positions since she's getting tired."
"What?" said Alan in surprise, "She's a bit young isn't she?"
"Isara drives our tank, didn't you know?" Alicia turned a pair of tired eyes to him.
Alan looked back at her for a moment and said, "Ok I get the idea, I'll drive the rest of the way."
"Thanks." After changing positions she promptly fell asleep.
Alan rubbed his eyes and keyed the engine. The rest of the way was uneventful, the landscape flattened out around and the road became steadily bumpier. At the last checkpoint the guards told them to turn off the headlights and to follow the dimmed blue marker-lights along the road. For a more few kilometres the convoy continued at a snail-like pace in the darkness until the Edelweiss stopped.
Welkin's voice came over the radio. "We're here, everyone disembark now."
A Gallian army officer stood in front of the convoy holding a blue torch.
"Squad 7 right? Follow me," he said, turning on his heel and beckoning to Welkin and Alan.
Alicia and everyone else started unpacking the trucks while a Gallian soldier guided the Edelweiss into an underground garage.
Firebase Golf-East consisted of a naturally constructed bunker, built into a rock formation on top of a slope upon miles upon miles of desert to the east. The interior was a cluster of large caves connected by short tunnel passages lit with ragnite lamps built into the sides. The largest cave was actually open at the top; in here was a battery of six 155mm Howitzers pointing to the sky. As the Squad filtered in the Gallian artillery team were wide awake and gave them the evil eye. What a surly bunch everyone thought but it could be put down to the fact that they had been out in the desert the longest. The army platoon the Squad would be replacing was already packed and eager to leave. At the front were heavy machine gun positions with intersecting fields of fire to cover the plains. There was cover for other defenders to use as well. Ladders were used to get to the surface above.
Once everyone was assembled Welkin announced, "Squad we're going to be here for a week so get comfortable. Patrols will begin at first light."
With a collective groan everyone hefted their packs and started to find their own places.
Largo kicked away at the ground under his boot. "Soil's no good here, no good for sleeping on and no good for growing things, especially with the lack of light down here."
"The heck are you on about?" asked Rosie, "We're here for a week so there's no point growing anything and have you forgotten we're in the desert?"
"What a dump," she thought as she found a corner, laid down a groundsheet and unfolded a sleeping bag. Largo did the same, propping himself against a crate.
"What do we do about this American?" thought Largo out loud.
Rosie sighed. "We only take orders from our lieutenant. Reyes isn't our commanding officer, nor is he the 2iC."
"If you read the fine print of this new Joint Command thing, it states that whoever's highest rank in a composite unit like the squad will have to take charge irrespective of nationality. It's also supposed to work the other way so it theoretically seems fair."
Rosie sat up at this. "Say what! So if Welkin's incapacitated then Reyes will take over! He got his entire unit killed!"
"Hardly seems fair huh? We'll only have to tolerate this till he gets rotated out though."
"But still…"
"We'll have to wait and see." Largo put out his cigarette. "He came highly qualified but that first mission of his demands redemption."
Hannes and Nadine were in the 'Amenities Cave' which held a row of toilet cubicles and shower blocks which were built into the wall.
"Look at that," said Nadine after following the water pipes to the showers and sinks. "We've got running ground water to wash with."
Hermes walked out of one of the cubicles with a magazine in his hand. "Hey guys, the last occupants left some literature behind for our benefit while we-."
"Don't you flush and wash your hands?" asked Nadine folding her arms with a scowl, "And can't you read something more tasteful than just Gallian Girl?"
"It's not just any ordinary issue," said Hannes, glancing at the cover, "That one is featuring Ramona Linton from Squad 4 if I'm not mistaken."
"Exactly," replied Hermes.
Nadine bristled impatiently. "Back on topic boys! What about flushing?"
Hermes replied, "Actually they don't flush because they're chemical toilets".
"Then how do we dispose of the… end product?" asked Hannes slowly.
They looked around until they spotted a trap door in the corner.
Hermes voiced what the others were thinking. "So who's up first to check if the last guests cleaned up before us?"
"Can't expect to ask a lady like me to do that sort of thing," said Nadine.
"Scissors, paper, rock?" suggested Hannes.
On their fourth round Homer Peron appeared at the cave entrance.
"Oh hi guys."
Hermes, Nadine and Hannes stopped, looked at each other and nodded, evil grins appearing on each of their faces.
Meanwhile Salinas, Montley, Vyse and Aika set off to find the deepest cave in the firebase.
"Who knows what we can find down here? Hidden treasure… ghosts?" whispered Vyse as he raised his lamp just below his face, eerily shadowing his face.
"Stop it!" An upset Aika retorted, trying not to look at his frightful grin. She'd been dragged along by him.
Salinas reached over and tapped the dry cave wall. "If only Musaad Mayfield was here, he'd love any opportunity to check out creepy old tunnels like these."
The lamp illuminated only a few metres around them. They continued another fifty metres in. The voices of the others became faint and increasingly echoed all around them. The sides of the tunnel widened all around until the surrounding darkness threatened to encroach on their pitiably small sphere of light.
A rustling noise could be heard all around, causing the companions to draw closer together.
"Never fear," said Salinas reassuringly, "Stick close, stay frosty and we'll be fine."
Suddenly a noise sounded from behind, making all of them jump and turn.
"We really should go back now," Aika stammered, clutching Vyse's shoulder hard.
"It's nothing, just a rock falling," he replied. His voice trembled a little however and he flicked open the flap on his pistol holster.
Montley motioned for the group to keep going. "Come on the end can't be much further. Once we get there let's have a race back."
They continued on for another ten metres but it took them five minutes to cover that distance. All of them were straining their ears for any sounds of movement and walked very slowly. Their eyes vainly peered into the curtain of dark until a loud rustling could be heard above.
Aika's eyes widened in fright. "What's that?"
"Hell if I know," Vyse ansered. With his hair standing up he raised the lamp and they all looked up.
The blue light reflected on a hundred pinpoint eyes staring down at them from the ceiling of the cave.
Aika's shriek carried throughout the whole network jolting everyone out of whatever they were doing. Largo, Rosie, Alicia and the squad leapt to their feet, awoken from the little sleep they were trying to catch. Herbert remained lying where he was. Homer accidentally sloshed a little of the contents of the waste barrel he was shifting below the 'Amenities Cave'. Welkin and Alan who were in the 'Tactical Operations Cave' dropped everything and rushed off. Isara was tinkering with the tank. She felt a chill spread across the back of her neck and scalp when she heard the scream. She curled up to the warmth of the Edelweiss, clutched Hans the porcavian pig to her chest and looked out the open garage door, hoping for the sun to rise soon.
Vyse cursed as he dropped the lamp while trying to fend off the wave of flying critters that flapped their wings in his face. Suddenly the light abandoned them as the lamp rolled away and broke on a rock. Salinas stumbled and felt his way over to where he thought Aika was as she sobbed in terror.
At the same a hand clamped across Montley's mouth. He almost bit his tongue until he heard the strange but reassuring voice.
"Gotcha."
A green light appeared as the Kiwi opened a cyalume tube and let him go.
"You're bloody lucky I had electronic nightvision on and I felt like practising my stalking skills this morning," said the Kiwi as he helped the others to their feet.
More voices could be heard as the rest of the Squad came running into the cave.
"Fire in the hole!" shouted Wendy as she pulled out a grenade but Catherine snatched it out of her hand before she could prime it.
"Dammit! Do you want to collapse this cave on us?" She chastised the overexcited shocktrooper.
Welkin drew his flare pistol and shot it up into the air. The bright orange light sailed upwards into a narrowing vertical passage up to the surface where the sky could be seen. Also visible were dozens of the flying black creatures that the explorers encountered.
"Just what I expected to be living down here." Welkin put his hands on his hips. "Can't have a sprawling cave network without bats."
"What are they?" asked a trembling Aika.
"They're nocturnal mammals with wings, since dawn is in about an hour they'll return to sleep indoors. Harmless to humans unless you try to handle them. In that case you could get rabies."
"But they swarmed all over us! Are we going to get sick now?" Vyse almost looked like he was going to panic.
"All military personnel are given vaccinations upon enlistment so you should be fine," reassured Alicia, though her frown was anything but.
"Wait, so will they spread to the rest of the caves we're occupying now that we've disturbed them?" questioned Salinas, his eyes widening.
"Of course not. They don't like the commotion that we humans cause. That is why they'll stay in the deepest, darkest, quietest nooks and crannies. I'm guessing there are more tunnels in here but they're too small for us to access."
"Hey! We can do just that!" piped up Wendy, "Just give me a second to run back and-"
"Absolutely not!" Alicia spoke up sternly and stopped her. "I recommend assigning these four the responsibility of the first patrol for inconveniencing all of us with their spelunking."
As everyone went back down the tunnel Edy Neilson who was walking next to Homer suddenly complained, "What's that smell!"
Her loud voice echoed violently throughout the tunnel network, causing everyone to cringe.
"Must be bat guano," answered Welkin upon recovering, "We're in their home remember?"
"No it smells artificial, like nail polish remover or something industrial."
She sniffed and her eyes settled on Homer.
"What did you clean yourself with!" she demanded angrily, "You don't wash with acetone or hydrogen peroxide, if it didn't peel your skin off I will!"
Hannes, Nadine and Hermes exchanged guilty looks and silently agreed not to say anything.
Firebase Golf-East was one of three which were manned by Squad 1 and 4 to their north and south respectively. These three jutted east the furthest beyond Gallian lines in Barious and closest to Imperial occupied territory. Beyond that they knew next to nothing about what the Empire was doing. Barious was regarded from the beginning as a quiet posting. The intrepid four: Aika, Salinas, Vyse and Montley were sent in a jeep that morning, patrolling between designated waypoints until lunchtime when they would be relieved.
The morning was spent with some squad members on guard duty. The rest were allowed to entertain themselves in any way they could. But there was nothing to do except to focus on duties like weapons maintenance and chores to keep the caves liveable. Some however brought something to entertain themselves with. Catherine and Rosie played cards in a corner with some friends while Nadine contented herself with reading and writing.
What a joke of an assignment thought Alan as he climbed up a ladder to reach the top. He squinted as he emerged out into the sun and the strong arid breeze. He wore a shemagh which covered his head, mouth and nose along with goggles to keep sand out of his eyes. He heard a shot and turned his head suddenly to see some of the squad members on a makeshift firing range.
"Hey Lt Reyes!" Noce Wordsworth called out and waved him over.
As he approached Noce asked, "Care to have a try? You're from special forces after all so let's see how you do."
He held up a Gallian-A rifle which Alan took. Hefting it he said truthfully, "Haven't shot a gun in while."
He stepped up to the range and shouldered the weapon, conscious of the attention of the other militia who had stopped to watch. The rifle resembled an antique M14 he'd seen in museum exhibits. He centred the iron sights on the human shaped target 50m away and squeezed the trigger, bracing himself for the recoil. The target pinged once with a hole through where its heart should be.
"Not bad but anyone here can do that," Alan heard Noce quietly remark to Claudia Mann, an engineer. He raised his own rifle and started firing at a target, confidently pulling off shot after shot that hit dead centre each time. Alan took note of how he checked the chamber before ejecting the empty magazine, inserting a fresh one and then chambering a round.
Oh I'll show them.
Alan raised the rifle and methodically engaged the target again, one shot to the head, one to the chest and once again before the magazine was empty. He found the charging handle and opened the chamber before ejecting the magazine. After reloading he decided to try a double tap against the target.
Raising the gun suddenly he pulled the trigger twice very fast in succession. The first shot hit, as did the next round which followed less than a second later but the last cartridge refused to eject.
Noce walked over and commented, "You pushed it a little hard, the Gallian-A isn't supposed to be fired so quickly. If you're looking for rate then maybe you should try a Mags machine gun or one of the new model rifles."
Alan turned to Claudia, "Can you show me how to clear this?"
"Sure." She took the rifle and partially pulled back the bolt which revealed the empty cartridge wedged awkwardly in the chamber. As she pulled out a screwdriver and began loosening the receiver the cartridge suddenly flew out and hit her in the face.
"Crap!" Alan exclaimed, freezing in shock as Claudia fell back bawling and holding her swollen eye as Noce rushed over.
"Hey! Claudia move your hand and let me see that! You'll be fine!" He looked up and call out, "Go get a medic, it doesn't look serious but tell them to get here ASAP!"
Nearby the Kiwi was holding a hand-to-hand combat class. He too wore a shemagh and had to raise his muffled voice over the strong breeze. He held a pair of bright orange practise pistols.
"Any volunteers?" he asked the Gallians standing in front of the blue training mats he laid on the flat ground.
Theold raised his hand and walked over to stand in front of the Kiwi who handed him one of the pistols.
"Now try and shoot me," he challenged.
Theold whipped up the gun. In a flash the Kiwi covered the distance before he could pull the trigger, knocked the gun to Theold's right with his left hand and kneed him in the chest. As he fell back the Kiwi drew his gun and pointed it at Theold's face and shouted "Bang!"
The squad stood dumbfounded for a moment before bursting into applause as the Kiwi helped the stunned lancer to his feet.
"Don't worry, I intend to make a fool out of everyone here today," he added quietly to Theold, grinning behind his shemagh.
The young squadmember dusted himself off, glaring at the Kiwi before turning his back and returning to the crowd.
"These will be among several things I'll be teaching you while we're here. By the end of our tenure here we should all be able to do that." The Kiwi addressed the spectators.
Inside the 'ops cave' Welkin received a call from the patrol.
"Lt, it seems like we've looking at some unknown structure three klicks north east of Waypoint Foxtrot. It looks like there's some foot mobiles surrounding it and some vehicles."
"Imperials?"
"Very likely. Oh and Lt Landzaat is here with some of his own people."
"Patch me through to him."
Faldio's voice came over the radio, "Welkin how are you?"
"Hey buddy, it's alright over here. What's happening at your end?"
"Something's going down at the Barious ruins, supposedly Ground Zero for the Darcsen calamity. Intel did predict enemy activity in the desert but not because of something like this."
"Doesn't make sense," replied Welkin as he checked a map for the approximate location of the ruins. "But that area's restricted; apparently Military Intelligence has had it roped off ever since the EW1."
Faldio's reply came after some hesitation. "Well, Devsky hadn't been Intel director for three decades and anyways, who's really going to care if we go out-of-bounds here, especially when that rule's older than either of us."
"Well it didn't state who it was restricted to specifically." Welkin answered slowly.
"Exactly, let's just say that we're enforcing that rule upon the Imperials out there."
"Wait a sec, who said anything about engaging them?"
Faldio signed audibly. "It'll be a recce. If the enemy force is small enough we can take them on, especially with your tank. Besides we've got artillery support from the three firebases and if we're really in trouble we can call in Squad 4 for backup."
"Alright, I'm coming over there with my Squad, put Salinas on."
"Thanks Welkin."
A moment later Salinas responded. "Orders sir?"
"You guys haven't slept in more than 24 hours so have the patrol return here immediately."
The Russian pilot and co-pilot of a stationary Ka-65 Howler sitting outside the Barious temple watched as Maximilian, Selveria and General Lukin ascended the steps to the building.
"Reminds me of that creepy spaceship in Alien," said the pilot, pulling out a canteen.
"Yeah…" answered co-pilot, leaning back.
A short pause followed until the pilot posed a question that had been bugging him ever since watching it the evening before. "How do you think something like that thing ever flew?"
"Don't ask me… some people ask the same of the Ka-65 Twinblade."
"What's that?" asked the pilot, taking a drink.
"An old Soviet design from Krasna Aerospace in the 80s. It had this dual intermeshing rotor mechanism." The co-pilot found a demonstration video on his PDA and showed it to his companion.
"Why didn't they go with it? It looks so cool."
The co-pilot answered with a secretive smirk. "The brass at the time wanted to install ejector seats inside each new helicopter. You know, as a sort of secret test of character for us pilots if ever we thought of deserting. It was also in case of hijackers or joyriders. The Twinblade with its unique rotors actually gave the occupants a chance to slip out in between. Hence it was rejected."
"That's cruel."
RIP to those New Zealand soldiers who died in the helicopter crash on Anzac day 2010.
