Ch. 48
"Two weeks ain't a lot of time Paddy for much of anything let alone figuring out a way to stop the war. Far as I'm concerned we should just let Rick and Maggie have their way."
"That's not the point though," Sam said glancing around the table and sighing as he crossed his arms and tried to find words to explain his thoughts. Merle stood to his left, and Rory to his right, Ezekiel stood across from Sam, Morgan, and Jerry flanking him with Richard, one of Ezekiel's Knights as well as one very vocal at the prospect of war, and Abraham taking up the center between the two groups on either side. "Merle if this is how we conduct the first legitimate war, then how are we better than Negan?"
"Now you care about letting people live Paddy?" Merle asked.
"I could slaughter Saviors all day long and it wouldn't matter to me," Sam told him, his face a mask of indifference, "but innocents are where I start to have a problem. Look, I'm sure that most of you know about my past, what I did to stay alive when I was on my own, but this is a more civilized place, a less savage place."
"It's war," Richard said.
"That justifies letting a kid die?" Sam asked pointedly. "Guys look, I'm not saying we have to not kill any Saviors, I'm just saying that we only kill Saviors. Kill the people that actually hurt us, not the factory workers."
"Do we even have a plan to counter Maggie and Ricks?" Abraham asked.
"We're working on it, but we don't have anything solid," Sam admitted. "Look we have two weeks, keep brainstorming, well meet here every night before lights out. Good?" there were nods of approval and Sam gave them a reassuring nod before leaving.
"He's undermining us," Maggie growled out as she paced in front of a seated Rick.
"No, he isn't," Rick said calmly, "he's a leader like us. He's speaking out sure, but not undermining."
"Still, he brought the King here just so it would be a tie."
"Maggie, neither group can make a move without support from each other. We need Sam for bullets and experience, Kingdom for manpower—"
"And what we're the food baskets?" Maggie scoffed and moved to sit down next to Rick. She grasped his hand and began to speak, "Rick, think about this. We're giving them, food, we don't even know this King, what if he's like Negan?"
Rick scoffed and chuckled at that remark. "If this guy was like Negan then he wouldn't of taken Sam's side. He'd want us to go in and kill all the Saviors."
"But think about it Rick, Sam, the Kingdom, they have more guns than us, more ammo, and what do we have, some varmint rifles and six-shooters? Rick, what happens when all this is done for? What happens when we beat the Saviors and kill Negan? Do you think Sam's just gonna give up on this place? The Foundry, it's a factory, just like Sanctuary, they see themselves like Soldiers, just like the Saviors—"
"Maggie—"
"No Rick, you know it and so do I."
"Sam wouldn't do that. He's not Negan."
"How do you know that?" Maggie hissed at the man, her voice quivered, nervousness or fear sliding through and exposing themselves as she glanced from Rick to the closed door. "Rick, Sam was a robber, a murderer. Sure, he stopped, but he told you himself, when he was by himself he went back to that way. We don't know who this Sam is. We don't know who the King is, what he wants. What we do know is that he's been planning for war with Negan, sent Sam out to fight him to weaken him. Now what? For all we know the King wants to take over as Negan, putting on a front for everyone so we don't expect it."
Rick stood up and made for the door, his mind filled with Maggie's paranoia. "You're wrong, Sam, even with how he is, wouldn't do that. Not to us."
"Maybe not the Sam we had to leave out in the cold. Hell, I liked that Sam, he was good, he protected us, fought for us. I knew he loved my little sister, I knew that losing Sophia made him hurt more than anything he felt before then. But this Sam, the one that found us, that admitted to killing people so casually, this Sam scares me, Rick. He's a soldier, and he ain't under your command anymore Rick."
Rick shook his head at her words and moved out of the room, even though her sentences rang in his head.
Merle sat at a table amongst the regular soldiers of the foundry and laughed as they all played cards. Merle had a cigarette in his mouth and held his cards in his good hand glancing down at the cards he chuckled as he saw he had a straight.
"So, Merle, how long you known the General?" one of the new boys asked.
Merle raised an eyebrow at the title and set his cards down to pluck the cigarette from his lips. "The fuck you mean General? What you mean Paddy Reilly?"
The new guy nodded. And blushed as he looked down at his cards. Other soldiers didn't seem to find the comment too far out of question and Merle laughed quietly at their reactions.
"General, hahaha, well he's gonna love that," Merle put the cigarette in his mouth and took a long drag before putting it out. "Well, I've known Paddy since the beginning practically, take away a few months."
"What was he like?"
"Well, Edwards, right?" the boy nodded, his eyes wide and eager, the others seemed to be willing to listen, though the older men seemed to hide their enthusiasm better. "Paddy was, shit he was young back then. Sure, he was a dangerous bastard, but I could have taken him then. So could Rick. Easily you know. He wasn' afraid of a fight, never was as long I known him. But he was young. Baby face, like you Edwards. Soft, but that was 'cause he'd never seen real action. Just the chaos them early months brought, which compared to now, it was nothin'."
"Merle said that the General helped fight this guy called the Governor." Edwards spoke animatedly to a captivated audience in the barracks, explaining all he had heard from Merle about Sam's story to the others. "He took a bullet in the shoulder at seventeen—"
"No man Merle said it was a shotgun blast," Grady, another boy that was there, said grinning at the crowd that had gathered to hear the story.
"The General led them through all kinds of places after that prison fell. Turns out he and Beth managed to get out together with a little girl that Sam was taking care of, Sophia I think her name was." Roman Branson said as he and a few others worked in the motor pool, reinforcing a few SUV's with sheet metal. "From what I heard, all he had was a knife and an empty pistol when he escaped."
"No way that's true."
"I swear it is!' Roman said raising his right hand in promise. "I swear to god it is!"
"He survived for a year by himself—
"I heard it was six months."
"Nah man, out there time gets fuzzy. I guarantee you it was a year. Hell, it might have been more!"
The rumors and conversations of Sam's past circulated through the Foundry constantly on smoke breaks, before lights out, even before missions. Some true, some over exaggerated, but all of them spreading and growing a tale about Sam. Building a myth, a legend. The Soldiers began to set him apart with some of the other leaders, agreeing that they were honored to be serving under him and not Rick, or Maggie, or even the King. Sam was their leader, and they were more than happy about that.
Though the man himself was a bit reluctant to take on the title that they had begun calling him.
"Well hello there General," Merle said chuckling and giving a mock bow toward Sam as he walked into the War Room.
"Go fuck yourself Merle," Sam said, his eyes forward toward the others in the room.
"Do not fret Samuel, rarely does a leader choose his own moniker, though yours is most accurate," King Ezekiel said smiling supportively.
"Thank you, King Ezekiel," Sam said, forcing a smile, "though if we could get down to business?"
"Of course," The King said.
"Now, we gave you two weeks, it's been one. You two come up with anything?" Maggie asked stiffly.
"Yeah, we did actually," Sam said. "You see, before the war, the Saviors depended on you guys for everything. Food, water, ammo. Everything."
"Without our aid, the Saviors will become desperate. I'm sure that their supplies are low even now." the King continued. "Negan will have to rely on the outposts to keep him supplied."
"So what we siege the Outposts and starve Negan?"
"Yes and no," Sam continued, "Our plan is more, cloak and dagger, than a hail of bullets. You see, with this war, with everything happening, Negan's losing credibility. People dying, starving, all around suffering. With that in mind, people might see him as weak. So, we go out, make it look like we don't have too many men sieging the outposts, like we're stretched thin, and Negan'll have to leave Sanctuary to liberate the outposts."
"When that happens, a group will storm sanctuary and take it." Ezekiel finished. "With his capital taken, outposts surrounded, we'll force a surrender."
"Sounds too clinical," Rick said immediately. "A lot of things can go wrong."
"Outpost breaks siege, Negan doesn't go and help liberate," Maggie said shaking her head at the map. "Too much can go wrong."
"Which is why we use Rick," Sam said turning to face the former Sheriff. "From what I've seen and heard, Negan's taken an interest in you. It's something personal. If he knows you're gonna be there, then he'll come out to see to you personally. Plus, you think he's the kind to shy away from a gunfight?"
"Negan would have to go and fight, he can't be seen as weak. If he doesn't fight then there would be talk of replacing him, it would certainly lead to mutiny."
Rick remained silent and thought on the plan. Sam looked at him and felt a pit of nervousness build as he saw the man consider the plan. Sam had his own heart set on the plan, but if rick were to reject it, then there would most certainly be a fracture in their groups' alliance. One that none of them could afford. As tough and experienced as Sam's men were, Negan had numbers, so it would take the Hilltop, Alexandria, The Kingdom, and the Foundry to take him out. Without the four groups together, Negan's superior numbers would squash them. They could certainly try to use the Hit and Run tactics that Sam had utilized for so long, but the attack Rory had suffered had certainly had shown Sam that the hit and run days were numbered as Negan's men were certainly adaptable.
"How would we siege them?" Rick asked.
"Use the vehicles you were going to use for Sanctuary, use them to surround the outposts, then we use marksmen to keep the Saviors in their outposts while they get on the radio and call Negan for help."
"Once he leaves we'll storm Sanctuary with you man on the insides help. From there, Negan will go and try to liberate one of the outposts with a big force, we'll ambush them hard," Sam turned and looked over to Ezekiel.
"While the Kingdom did not wish to fight, that does not mean we did not have the means to. Negan while he has taken our food, has not taken our weapons," Ezekiel smiled smugly. "We have in our position in the Kingdom. Some rather, heavy explosives. Hand grenades, flashbangs, and for the exceptional rainy day, C-4."
"When we know where Negan's going, we prepare the mother of all ambushes," Sam smiled.
"And kill him," Maggie said, a smirk forming on her face as she began nodding along to the plan.
Sam gave Ezekiel an uneasy look, which the King returned, but Sam shook his head. They were united on a plan. There was no reason to divide now.
"Almighty and most merciful Father, we humbly beseech Thee, of Thy great goodness to grant us fair weather for battle. Graciously hearken to us as soldiers who call upon Thee that, armed with Thy power, we may advance from victory to victory, and crush the oppression and wickedness of our enemies and establish Thy justice among men." Kneeling men and women had their heads bowed as Father Gabriel prayed for them. Sam was at the front, his knees in the dirt and his head bowed with his eyes closed.
Other men roamed behind them preparing vehicles and weapons for the coming battle. Ricks soldiers milled about, though some had kneeled for prayer. Hilltop fighters had joined as well, their soldiers finally deemed ready by Sasha and Maggie to join the fight. The Kingdomers, vigilant as ever, stood off and were practicing their swordsmanship. Overall, Sam was happy with the force they had. A hundred and fifty fighters were there. Each group had been assigned duties and were ready to carry them out.
Sam rose from his kneeling position and thanked the Father as he moved to his own men. Rory had stayed behind with a contingent of men to watch his prisoners and defend the Foundry. Merle, Darrius, and Abraham stood together talking and shooting the shit before the upcoming battles.
"Hey boys," Sam said moving to stand beside them.
"General," Abraham joked.
"Fuck you," Sam retorted rolling his eyes. "It's here. The big day."
"That it is Paddy. How you feeling? Nervous?" Merle asked.
"Somewhat. More anxious. I mean we've been in firefights, but large-scale battles like this? Fuck man, this is new to us. We've only hit that fucking gas station and look how that turned out."
"We won didn't we?"
"Yeah, but the plan got fucked."
"Plans never survive the first contact," Abraham said. "That's one of the first rules of the Army. You can plan and plan and plan, but as soon as the bullets start flying, the plan could get dicked."
Sam nodded and looked over the men, all eager to fight, all eager to take the fight to the Saviors. They would go in with all they had and win the day like the good soldiers that Sam knew they were. The plan just had to survive contact.
AN: Hey guys! Great to be here again! Next chapter should be pretty long and action-packed. Hope you're all ready for the twists and turns on the climax of the Savior War! As for how far I'll go along with the show, I'll probably end the story when I get to Ricks exit episode, so around that time period, maybe later, we'll have to see. Hope you all liked the chapter and I hope to see you next time! Review! ~Pacco1