A/N: Another batch of chapters down and another few steps closer to the end of the war. I am experimenting a bit with the dialog in these chapters to try and better flesh out what is happening so reviews and PM's are welcomed. We are close to a major change in the story of Jacob that might be in the next batch or for sure the batch after that. Again please review and enjoy.
Far Cry 5: The Collapse
Chapter 34: Look at the bones!
The leadership of the Resistance was spread throughout the Spread Eagle eating dinner. The mood was mostly positive but the weight of the next attack on the radar station kept the conversations few and far between.
'We have artillery now but how useful is it really?' Roger thought as he carefully cut his stake. They could potentially set up spotters along the major roads to radio in whenever they saw one of Jacob's convoys or patrols leaving his strongholds but to do that well considering the general lack of practice they had among their number with using artillery meant that results would be likely poor and waste ammo.
Ammo that even Drubman hadn't had a chance to stockpile much of. He only had 400 or so shells split between the big Russian cannon and the M777, then breaking that down further each caliber had a mix of shell types from high explosive to smoke with the M777 having also to its name 15 M982 Excalibur GPS guided shells. Using those for anything as pedestrian as wrecking convoys was a waste in the extreme.
With his steak done he moved on to the mountain of mashed potatoes as his thoughts turned back to the radar station. 'We could shell the station of course. Even a few air burst rounds could at the bare minimum wreck the missile they are building along with anyone caught out in the open.' He thought as the layout of the site came to mind.
The Teleport-Erector-Launcher truck was set in the middle of the site nestled between the two old communications towers, the main radar dome, and the station barracks/control station. Any shells would have get closer to the TEL lest the fragments get absorbed by the buildings.
'Using a guided shell might work especially if I can get positioning data from the Oracle... ok so lets go with that plan. But what are the alternatives? If collateral damage at all is not desired then that rules out artillery completely. Meaning we could send Nick on a potentially suicidal ground attack mission that is not only against a position that is likely looking for approaching aircraft but is close enough to the surrounding mountains that any Air Wardens in range could or would start taking pot shots. The only other choice is boots on the ground...' His mind churned harder as he worked on a plan.
"Roger..." Someone said in the background but the words were lost on him.
'The road is almost as suicidal. They'll see anyone and anything coming up... could we use some of the peggie trucks? No, Jacob would have a schedule set especially for the site of his forbidden project.'
"Roger..." The voice said again.
'It's on top of a mountain... if a mountain is there you climb the bastard! This is just like Kyrat. The normal routes are too guarded so I just need to take a alternative...' He thought until he felt his right hand get gently squeezed bring him back out of his thoughts.
"Roger Titus Rook, you are damn near 30 years old and should know better than to play with your food." His father chastised him from his and his wife's booth.
Joey had been the one to snap him out of his mental debate and looked at him with a touch of concern.
"Roger you were really lost there for a while. If you weren't playing with your mashed potatoes I would have thought you were in the middle of a Bliss trip." She said with a soft smile.
He looked down at his pile of mashed potatoes and realized he had modeled roughly the northwestern section of the mountains surrounding Hope County.
He scoffed at himself. "Sorry I just started thinking... but I might have a plan. I am not 100% sure if the others will go for it the way I want it but I might throw my weight around so to speak and use some of the goodwill I have built up to force the matter."
Joey cocked an eyebrow. Roger never really liked to force matters at least with people he cared about but the more she looked at his starch based rendition of the mountains she realized just why he would be willing to put his foot down.
"Snowshoe Lake... oh my God. I totally forgot the cliff face there." She smiled as memories of their teenage years came back.
He felt a surge of confidence as Joey realized his plan. "Yeah just thought of it myself. Those over sized titanium anchor bolts we hammered in there are still well within their lifespan so climbing up would go pretty quickly even if I have doubled in weight plus weapons."
"Have you ever gone back? You know to the lake?" He then asked awkwardly. The lake had been for them their hide away from the rest of the world and great place for fishing and hunting.
They had joked more than a few times that they could both fall back there, dig into the surrounding cliff face, make a home, and live off of the land. The only real downside was getting to the place. He eventually wound up taking over a month to make his own access trail. Using an ax and rock pick to clear just enough of a trail that he could drive his truck to the lake. In the two short years after he had done that it was already starting to become overgrown again but he was leaving for the Army and Joey to college.
Now they would likely have to go in on foot as going by chopper would attract too much attention assuming they weren't blown out of the sky anyway.
Joey was quiet for a time before answering softly. "No. I thought at first when I came home that I would make a trip up there but I only got as far as the old trail entrance before... I just couldn't bring myself to go any farther. Just... too many memories and I didn't want to bring something with me that... shit. I don't know? Taint the place."
He nodded knowingly. "Kinda like your bedroom. With everything going on and going to hell in a hand basket its natural to try and hold on to as many memories of happier times as possible. Some people would say that you need to go to those places to remember them, but you remember them by defending them so to speak. Keeping them pure and untainted by the problems of today."
"There was another time just before you came home that I wanted to go up there... just to check. The cult had been spotted or had bought up so much of the area that I wanted to know if it too had been infected by the cult. Of course I then realized that me heading out into the woods, alone, and not likely heavily armed would make me ripe for a cult sponsored 'accident'." She sighed.
"Well if we go with this plan then we can go together and make sure that any taint is removed with extreme violence. Of course this plan is technically the back up plan, the main idea assuming we are willing to accept the collateral damage is to use Drubman's artillery to shell the radar site at least enough to destroy the missile."
Joey tilted her head and just shook it. "Roger I know you are usually the dark counterweight in these sorts of things but even I think that is a little too... optimistic. I don't know why but my gut says it won't be that simple."
"That would be the risk of collateral damage. Anytime that word gets involved things get complicated. That is why I am already working on plan B." He finished.
.
Jacob sat back in his office chair as the last of his senior Chosen commanders rattled off his report. It had been a long day and predictably they had lost more ground. Everything he had south of the Ranger station had effectively gone quiet. Hunting parties and a few remaining patrols failed to call in or show up at the remaining outposts and what aerial recon was dared showed that everything immediately around the lake was being fortified.
'Beyond that we don't know what they are going to do next. The fact that they rolled in with such superior numbers if not firepower shows that they have at least been able to draw upon the equipment stockpiles in John's and maybe what little was in Faith's bunker.' He thought as he glanced at the clock on his desk.
It was nearly 9pm yet there was so much more to do.
"Landsdowne reports three transport choppers and eight functional P-40 fighters. We have enough bombs on site to fully rearm those for three sorties. For pilots we have... three experienced pilots left and another two dozen with very basic training." The man droned on.
"We might as well just move all the bombs back to the bunker. One less thing worry about being sabotaged. Bombing requires a hell of a lot more skill and they slow down the planes enough that they will be even more vulnerable to ground fire. I know the three 'experienced' pilots already and to call them such is a insult, they have strafed some Whitetails a few times in the last few weeks otherwise beyond taking off and landing they don't know what they are doing." He grumbled as the other man jotted down the note.
"I will see that they are stripped to a guns only loadout." He started before Jacob interrupted once more.
"Make sure whoever we have moving the bombs ensures that all of the safeties are in place and that they are handled with care. The last thing I want to have come across my desk is that someone managed to blow themselves and God knows how much equipment up." He glared as the note was amended.
"The last thing I have to report is the Pyrrhic Project." The other man said cautiously now that he had sense the waters had been disturbed so to speak.
"Go on. We should have finished the shipments today, correct?" He baited trying to get the man past his sudden uneasiness.
"Y-yes sir we have finished the shipments... however there was a... altercation upon delivery this morning."
Jacob rolled his eyes hard and gently slammed his fist on his desk. "The damned Whitetails are even up in the mountains..." He started to say before the Chosen in a unintended act of bravery corrected him mid sentence.
"Sir it wasn't the Whitetails... it was some of the other brothers and sisters." He paused for a heartbeat to see if he would be shot but when nothing came he pressed on. "They saw the missile being built and realized what they were hauling was part of that. They asked if this was the will of The Father... needless to say they weren't swayed when told to not ask questions and turned their guns on the men up at the radar station."
Jacob ground his teeth as he thought of how to respond to this news even as the man continued to speak by sheer momentum. "They were all killed and bodies sent over the cliff edge. Anyone who questioned their disappearance was told that their deaths were due to Whitetail reprisal attacks. For now it seems that story is being bought, but... sir I think we may have another problem brewing now."
"What? Just what else could be going wrong now?!" He exclaimed.
The Chosen shook in fear briefly before digging deep to stabilize himself. "I believe we have a rift growing among our remaining forces. I think it started with the survivors from John's territory and what few people we pulled in from Faith's region. They are beginning to question your dedication to the Father and their sentiments are beginning to spread, they point out all the little things. The fact that only one of our meal times is opened with prayer, that preachers only hold class once a day and at the end of the day at that, the fact that you aren't visibility giving praise to the Father often if at all... its these little things that are starting to add up and make them question you sir." He finished.
Jacob got out of his office chair and looked at the map behind him of his current holdings as they stood, meager as they are now. "Do they not realize we are fighting a war? A war we are now outright on the brink of losing if I am being charitable! Now I suspect that if I am found 'not faithful' enough to my own brother that I will be removed correct?" He asked but didn't wait for an answer.
"How many do you think are starting to turn against us?" He asked turning towards the man.
The Chosen just shrugged tiredly at the overwhelming question coming from his commander. "I don't know sir. If I had to guess its 30 or 40% and that number has and will likely continue to shift as we deal with our losses from the lumber mill, our current actions, and the mounting number of suicides. I... if I maybe so bold to suggest but we need... I don't know a minor victory or something to rally around. Maybe breaking through to the Father's island perhaps?"
Jacob could only laugh dryly at the idea. "With how heavily they have fortified the bridge even before our losses it would be suicide. Hell even if Joseph sent his guard to attack them at the same time with us at our best it would be a meat grinder that we would probably loose. The Resistance has shown a admirable talent for holding and defending. As for 'minor victories' the only thing that would match what you are suggesting is bombing Fall's End successfully, our own Doolittle Raid on Tokyo if you will."
He sat back in his chair and continued ripping apart the other mans idea. "We don't have many planes to do a lot of damage and we don't even know where to best hit them in town in terms of supplies. We haven't had any recon in the area in weeks and if Deputy Rook is involved then likely he has planned around the idea that we do have the ability perform airstrikes so they wouldn't do something stupid and put their supplies be it ammo or food in something place obvious like the church. The Spread Eagle probably wouldn't be a bad place to hit over all but again few planes, heavy defenses, and poor pilots. It would be a waste across the board from a materials and manpower standpoint."
"The faithful aren't generally worried about material losses and any who fall shall wait at Eden's Gate." The Chosen rattled off automatically though the fervor that would have once been in his words had largely left.
"Yes... and look were that has gotten us. We press on for now, get that ordnance moved, and if we need to send anymore shipments to the radar station try to use men who we can trust. As for the doubters at this point there is nothing we can do to change their minds. If I start culling them now we will probably see everything dissolve into our own internal civil war, because unlike the deserters and people who rushed from their posts I don't have a clear cut reason to cull them." He ordered finally as he stared up at the white tile ceiling of his office.
"One last thing. Lets start moving the faithful to the frontline... that will at least keep them busy if nothing else and away from the bunker and the radar site. Have the garrison at the F.A.N.G center focus on watching the main roads around Mt. Haskell obviously don't provoke Drubman. The last thing we need is him rolling in with that tank especially now we are without our own armor. The garrison at the Ranger Station should only focus on watching and blocking the main road from Borodin's Marina and the especially the road between the park visitor's center and the Grand View hotel." He said sitting back up now pulling out his own slump.
"Yes sir." The Chosen nodded as he jotted that down as well.
"I have to stress watching that mountain road. If we lose it then we lose our link with the radar station so make it absolutely clear that must not happen." Jacob ended on as he waved for the man to leave but the man had just enough spine to venture one last question.
"Sir? Are we loosing this war for real?" He asked shakily.
The elder Seed looked back at the other solider grimly his blue eyes practically glowing even in the dim office light.
"Like the world is, so too are we on the brink." He growled one last time before waving the man to finally leave.
.
He was in so much pain but at least when he was in pain he was a lot warmer than he normally was.
He didn't know how long he had been in this meat locker but every moment was a blend of agony, cold flashes, hot flashes, and pain.
'I am not weak. A weak man would have died a long time ago. I am not meat.' The man thought as he now eyed the cuts of deer and bison with a renewed hunger.
'I am not meat! I am strong! I EAT MEAT!' He thought as he forced his screaming body to lunge at the closet hunk of meat hanging by him.
.
"GOOOOOOOD MORNING HOPE COUNTY! AND A PROPER 'GO FUCK YOURSELVES!' TO YOU PEGGIE FUCKERS!" Wheaty's voice roared from the alarm clock as both he and Joey jolted awake in a mess of tangled arms and legs.
"Jesus Christ... well at least Wheaty seems to be happy with his new role." Joey said as she rolled out of bed and began searching for the days clothes.
"Yeah he is certainly channeling his inner Adrian Cronauer that's for sure. 6 AM wake up call and everything." Replied as he too dressed for the day.
Like it or not they had a lot to do today, what between dealing with the animal control issues at Borodin's and planning for what he would hope be tonight's attack on the radar station but that would mean getting with Foley and his men.
'Dr. Niwa should probably be there as well and if we do need to go with a backup to the artillery idea then Nick should also be on hand...' He thought as he felt a pair of feminine arms snake their way around him from behind.
"Roger I know you have a lot on your mind but sitting on the bed half dressed isn't going to get anything done." Joey said softly as she placed a light kiss on his cheek.
He looked down and realize that yes he had finished lacing up his boots and even got as far as zipping up his fly but his belt remain half undone once he started thinking too deeply.
"Sorry Joey. I guess I am finally starting to fade a bit. Hell even when I was working for the CIA I had a lot less on my plate not to mention things just took more time, you know 'hurry up and wait'." He started to say as she finished.
"And that meant you had at least sometime to switch off... or at least try to switch off." Which they both shared a reliving chuckle. "At least try. We are close Joey, just... just a few more days and we could be kicking down Joseph's church house doors and serving his warrant."
He sighed as he stood up and continued dressing as Joey watched. "You really think that we will take Joseph alive? Between the likely remaining cultists which at this point I feel safe in saying would be the true die hards and of course Joseph's own personal guard, I seriously doubt we could get close to the compound let alone his church if that's where he's hold up at without taking serious losses."
He pulled on the last of his body armor before turning and looking Joey as she laid on bed and smiled up at him.
"You are correct. There is a real chance that I won't be able to capture Joseph alive and I'm not at all willing to just throw bodies at his guns to do so. But I think that given what we have seen of the cult thus far is that everyone from rank and file to their elite want to fight. They want to march forth for 'The Father' and take his fight, his word to the sinners confident that if they die then they must simply wait at Eden's Gate for it to be opened for them. Then there is Joseph. I truly believe that he is waiting for a miracle from God at the last moment and because of that he won't doing something like... lock himself and his remaining faithful in his church and burn the church down or start going full Jonestown. He will hold out and thus his remaining people to a man will likely rather kill themselves or rush towards our guns in a vain hope that they can take as many sinners with them as possible. We could see everything from spray and pray with whatever guns they have left to suicide vests."
"Oh great... I really hope they aren't going to go full Muslim. Probably would also start to booby trap everything they can at that point." She scoffed.
"That too is possible but booby trapping is almost an art. One that isn't easy to learn, so if they do reach that point it will likely be amateurish at best. Suicide bombers and mass charges however can be solved easily enough with a enough volume of fire that no amount of Bliss or body armor can protect them long enough for them to close with us." He added as he offered a hand to pull Joey to her feet and into his arms.
"I love you Joey. Sooner or later I will be able to show how much I love you without having to also run a war." He muttered into her ear.
"I love you too... and as for showing that love I think I can live with last nights modest attempts for a while longer." She teased and flashed him a sly smile before pulling away and making for the door.
'Modest? Hardly... I must be really out of it if I am being judged as "modest" in bed!' He thought as he followed suit.
.
Once again the leaders of the Resistance joined by Captain Foley, Ramirez, and Martin as the group also augmented with Dr. Niwa started to tackle the issue of Jacob's missile.
"Ok, morning folks I know its a bit earlier than normal but I feel that regardless of what plan we settle on we will appreciate having the extra time to work on it. Now last night as Joey can testify I was already thinking of how we can take out Jacob's missile by way of advanced strategic mashed potato modeling." Roger opened getting a early laugh out of the gathered leaders. Mary May was doubled over the bar trying to control herself from laughing too loudly.
Eventually the laughter died down and he continued. "Now given the equipment we have pulled from Drubman's armory we have two artillery pieces and a few hundred shells, now that's tempered by the fact that its a mix of shells so depending on what we are trying to do a fair number of them maybe useless for us. That said if we can figure out how to operate them we can send a chopper at a safe distance to be our spotter and we can shell the entire site ensuring that Jacob can't build or launch any missiles."
A few people gathered nodded their heads in agreement and Mack was the first to voice his agreement. "Sounds doable. Certainly better than trying to go up the access road and getting shot the entire time."
"Or me and the guys flying in and getting... well shot at the entire time." Nick added.
"We can call Black Cardinal and have him send over training manuals and specs for the artillery we found. The big Russian gun might be a little harder but given the current level of cooperation I think its probably still possible. At least from what the Colonel has said there might also be a few veterans in the Resistance that were already trained on the M777 so that will speed things up." Foley chimed in.
Dr. Niwa however was the first to offer opposition. "What about the warhead? Do we know if they have it on site or would still be back at one of their bunkers?"
Marcus shook his head as he started grasping at her point. "Oracle shows they have the missile itself only partially assembled so if it is on site it could be in one of the buildings. Maybe they are working on assembling the warhead section before hand so all they have to is hoist it up and on to the missile body once its done. Are you thinking that shelling could damage the warhead?"
"That is... the best case scenario. Please understand that this warheads entire design is a mish mash of ideas that never left paper and that compared to modern warheads fielded by even the smallest and most basic of nations those warheads have years of work placed into their safety mechanisms. These cult warheads basically need a tube of radioactive ignition material to put it in basic terms simply pointed at the main body of fusion material for..." she paused as her fingers once more danced over a unseen calculator. "It could be for just a few fractions of a second maybe more or less depending on how much of the gamma emissions from the tube hits fusion material to result in a detonation. From just what we have learned from tearing apart one of Rachel's warheads there is only a thin metal pin about the size of a jumbo paper clip and some small springs that keep the tube from rotating with normal handling and setting off the warhead."
The bar was deathly silent as the magnitude of danger revealed itself. Joey was the first to turn to Roger.
"Roger I think we might need that plan B." She said as she then turned to the doctor. "I assume doctor that even if we somehow avoided actually setting the warhead off there is a real risk of spreading nuclear contamination over the local area?"
The scientist nodded. "Yes deputy. I will admit that it might actually be less likely than setting off the warheads but it would not only radiate the entire radar site but given the winds and even the next rainstorm you could see increases in radioactivity for miles around the mountain."
"Given the number of feeder streams and creeks in that area let alone places like Snowshoe Lake and Ozhigwan Falls, we could irradiate the Henbane and Whitetail Lake thus affecting our water supply at the minimum." The Sheriff added as he pointed at the various waterways near the radar site.
Marcus glanced at his son and noted a extremely brief hardening of his face when the Sheriff mentioned the lake and knew instantly what he would say next.
"Ok then the risks vastly outweigh the advantages. The last thing I want is my home turned into a version of Pripyat. Thankfully I do already have a Plan B partially worked up." He began as everyone refocused on him. "Back when we were teenagers Joey and I would sometimes climb up the cliff face to the northeast of Snowshoe Lake. Once we get to the top its a fairly easy hike right to the guard shack that marks the entrance to the radar site, so she and I can climb up since we both know the route well then hike to the guard shack and start attacking there."
Ramirez grunted. "Sir didn't that one local guy... Eli? Yeah Eli... didn't he say that Jacob had been fortifying and reinforcing that outpost more than any of his other holdings? You could easily have hundred plus of Jacob's best waiting for you two up there."
"Not to mention if you guys get seen and they get a call off then Jacob will throw everything at you. The radar site is so close to the edge of the county that any of these... 'Air Warden' guys are nearby they will effectively halt any air support unless you use the terrain and otherwise fly low on the approach... even then its risky I would think." Martin added.
"What if they couldn't get a call off because their radios are jammed?" Said someone from the bar which drew the groups attention.
Wheaty approached the group finishing off a piece of bacon. "Sorry I haven't had a proper breakfast in a few weeks at this point. But yeah anyway, remember what I said about hot wiring the school transmitter and basically blotting out everything within range? Well I can do that again for a few minutes say until you guys fly in then I stop the transmission, reduce the power on the transmitter, and then go back my regularly scheduled music line up."
Roger glanced at his father who nodded silently before he turned to Nick. "Nick how long chopper flight time would you say it would be from Fall's End to PIN-K0?"
The pilot drummed his fingers on the map for a moment before answering. "7 to 9 minutes depending on headwind and what kind of chopper you are flying."
Instantly the wheels in his head spun up as he started grabbing the usual 40k miniatures and placing them on table.
"Ok so the op starts like this." He said setting the Ultramarine Primarch and St. Celestine on Snowshoe Lake.
"Joey and I will get to Snowshoe Lake and climb up to the radar site. Once there we call for Wheaty to play his song and jam the airwaves." He then grabbed a blue Ultramarine Stormbird attack lander and smaller matching colored Thunderhawk dropship, placing them at Fall's End.
"Now once the airwaves are jammed we take the Delta Team and Grey Squad by the Chinook and with the Huey running escort to the radar site to help secure it. While in transit Joey and I stir up as much panic and confusion as possible so they will have a harder time leveraging their numeric advantage against us. Wheaty's jamming will stop once the reinforcements are dropped, then we will have the Huey stick around in a limited gunship role to take care of anyone that might try to come up the road once the jamming has ended. AA defenses pending of course." He moved the ships around to the radar site as he spoke.
"What about the warhead?" Dr. Niwa asked again.
"I was planning to secure the site before dealing with that." He replied.
The doctor sighed slightly. "Considering the danger I would much rather have the warhead in preferably Rachel's silo labs where the cult can't possibly get to them."
The room was silent as he chewed on the doctors request. Was there really a need to rush grabbing the nuke when they intended to hold the site? He wondered.
"I agree with the doctor." Joey said breaking the silence.
Marcus took point on challenging her. "On what grounds? We are going up there to reclaim the radar station and hold it not just raid and smash the missile."
"Think about the Lumber Mill. We thought that the Cougars and I would just clear it out and let the Resistance fighters hold it as we moved on to the next objective. Instead Jacob's people got spooked and rushed us, if this missile is his own forbidden personal project then the moment someone gets a call off and I do believe that Martin is right that someone is bound to get one off once the jamming stops we could see another surge."
"Kinda hard to rush up that mountain road Joey." He commented pointing at the series of cutbacks to the north of the radar site.
"True but you forget that unlike Rachel but however like John there is a airfield in the mix. Now I don't know why during the battle for the mill I wasn't also being attacked from the air but if Jacob's pet project is being attacked then it would be worth it for him to send in the fastest response he can muster that means choppers dropping off fresh fighters and fighter planes doing at least strafing runs on us maybe even dropping bombs on us too." She continued.
"I'll bet unlike John's chopper pilots they won't nicely hover in front of us and let Jessica shoot them down again." Grace piped up.
Jessica chuckled as she remembered that night. "Indeed. Still if Jacob does attack from the air can we not have our own pilots up in the air as well?"
Nick was the quickest to shake his head. "Sorry Jessica but between being sandwiched between the edge of the county boundaries and Joseph's island that leaves very little airspace that isn't immediately within range of the cult's AA missiles. Even having the gunship in the area is a big risk on my part."
Ramirez folded his arms and rubbed his chin as he spoke. "Not to mention all the chaos at the radar station might make the fighters at Joseph's island break out larger and longer ranged AA weapons that aren't quite as portable like something on a vehicle or perhaps rarer and more modern missiles. It is the big bosses private island after all so if they are going to have their best people and weapons anywhere its there."
"They are likely to have missiles on site you could use assuming you could tear yourselves away from fighting their infantry long enough to find and use them that is." The Sheriff said looking at Marcus and Foley to see if his logic was as sound to them as it was to him. Their nods of approval spoke of their agreement.
"Why don't we make our own AA site then?" Came Mack as he leaned over the table and grabbed a dark green painted tank with four massive cannons for a turret with the same two miniatures that Marcus had picked to represent him and his squad for the battle at the lumber mill. He placed these miniatures on the Jefferson Lookout Tower just south of the radar site.
"Jose and I take that Shilka and some of those Stingers we pulled from Rachel's armory and setup at this nearby lookout tower." He said with increasing excitement.
Foley made an attempt to temper that excitement however with experience. "They will see you come up the road to set up."
"Not to mention the radar took a hit from that BMP so shooting it will have to be done by hand. At night." Roger added.
Mack grinned back at the men. "Already figured those issues out." He said pointing to Ozhigwan Falls. "If we come up from the south in the later afternoon or early evening we will have enough darkness from the sun being behind the western mountains that if we drive without lights on we can probably get past the small section of the road coming from the south park entrance that they can see with... reduced risk."
Roger nodded in approval as Mack pressed on. "The tunnel at the falls like all the tunnels along that road are at least 20 feet tall to make absolutely sure that boats and charter bus traffic don't get scalped going through. That means even as big as that AA tank is we can easily hide there at the falls until Wheaty hits the music then its a short trip to the lookout. As for aiming for the planes that is a bit iffy but I know what direction to be looking at, its going to be a full moon, and the cult paints their planes bright white. Not exactly a deck that is stacked against us."
Foley offered a rare smile. "Major I like this guy. He gets it."
Roger was joined by Martin and Ramirez in eyebrow raising shock at the praise from the Captain.
"First off points picking the Hydra Flak Tank. Moving on I think we can do that. I'll see to it you get a full load of ammo and show you boys how to load the hoppers. Bear in mind that we don't have a lot of the fancy Ruskie incendiary fragmentation rounds and have mostly armor piercing tracer rounds so if you have to burn through enough ammo all you will see is tracers meaning you have to score direct hits on the planes to down them." Marcus cautioned.
"We will keep that in mind sir." The teenaged fighter said as he couldn't help but beam with barely contained pride.
"Ok then lets recap. Joey and I will head to Snowshoe Lake and climb to the guard post at the site entrance." He said pointing at his and Joey's miniatures. "Then we call for the music and go radio silent. We also start causing as much chaos as possible in the meantime." He then pointed back at the dropships. Getting nods of understanding he continued.
"Now given Dr. Niwa's request Grey Squad will focus on fighting the cult along side Joey and myself. Eagle Team will focus on locating the warheads if we don't already know when you land, Dr. Niwa I will ask either you or a member of your team to fly with them and determine if the nukes can be removed safely as they are. If they can great, Ramirez and Martin here can haul the warheads aboard the Chinook along side you..." He said as Dr. Niwa politely raised her hand to stop him.
"I don't think you have personally handled any of the warheads have you? They might be smaller than normal W87's but they still weigh about 450 pounds. If they are in the storage crates that the cult uses they can hauled by four men like a litter. Maybe Two if they are extremely strong." She advised.
Roger tapped a finger on the map before looking at first the men in question then to Mary May. "Mary May get two big bowls of Wheaties for Martin and Ramirez!"
"Two Wheaties coming up!" She replied getting a chuckle from those gathered.
"Ok then that just means Eagle Team will be fully occupied with transporting the warheads and the chopper will be a sitting duck. Mack, I'm going to need you and your folks on your A game for your anti-air role."
"No problem sir I got some people in mind for the job. Experienced with the cults heavy weapons but I will welcome any extra pointers we can get." The younger man affirmed.
Marcus grunted. "I'll add that to the list of stuff to show you then."
Until now Grace and Dmitri were silent before Dmitri glanced at Grace and spoke for both of them. "Roger, Grace and I can come along and provide dedicated protection for the chopper. We will call for help if needed but it will at least let you and the Grey's concentrate on fighting."
"Excellent. Once the warhead or God help us warheads are on board I will want Eagle Team to load up with Dr. Niwa and fall back to Rachel's silo for the drop off. Meanwhile the Greys, Joey, and myself will mop up. If things go bad after that we will have to hitch a ride on the gunship and make multiple trips to Mack's position. If they go well then we will hold position until the Chinook can bring in fighters to fortify and hold the radar site." He finished looking for anyone else wanting to add or point out something missed.
"Infiltration, distraction, reclamation, exfiltration, and devastation. Sounds like a classic Reaper operation." Foley commented as he looked at the two Rooks.
"We've done this a few times." The commandos said in unison drawing another quick laugh from the older Grey's gathered around.
.
Within the hour the two deputies joined by the Sheriff left once more in their up gunned department truck making their way to Borodin's Marina.
"So Joey do we know what exactly we are going after?" The Sheriff asked.
"No I don't. Roger should know." She gestured with her thumb to the bed where Roger manned the twin .50 cal guns in the bed.
The Sheriff opened the rear window and got the giants attention. "What are we hunting for?"
"Not 100% sure sir. Apparently Marko got exposed to Bliss and became incredibly aggressive. I had to go help Joey at the mill so I didn't get all the details. Dad said later on that this thing is dangerous enough to warrant heavy firepower, I don't know if he is joking or not." Roger replied.
Soon after they found themselves pulling up at Borodin's home. The inviting stone walled and wood framed home looked like it hadn't been harmed during the cult's occupation as the three officers approached the front and knocked.
"Ah Sheriff and Deputies! Good to see you three, I hope that you can help us end our trouble with Marko." Vasily said upon opening the door and meeting the group. Without hesitation he waved them to follow behind his house and into the cluster of trees covering the mountain there.
Roger took his HCAR in hand as Joey readied her SPAS. Just because they held the marina didn't mean that Jacob couldn't have patrols roaming around to at least probe their holdings.
Vasily eyed the large 30-06 rifle with a rare wariness. "I hope you have a larger gun Roger. This... drug the cult uses... I have been chased by some very terrifying things in my life but whatever they spilled on to Marko has made him into something else."
"This would be Marko the fourth correct?" Roger asked.
"Yes. The cult thankfully didn't kill Marko the fifth but it seems he will be taking the roll as 'head buck' sooner than expected. Here we are." Vasily continued.
They came upon a small shelf on the mountainside and it was here that the smashed remains of the chicken coops and rabbit pens laid scattered about the area. However what quickly made everyone ready their weapons were the sheer number of half eaten cultist bodies strewn about the area alongside three Bliss bears and a dozen dead Judges they too in various states of having been chewed upon.
"What in God's name..." Joey whispered as Vasily laid on the ground so he could peer over the edge of the shelf safely and waved for them to do the same.
It was good that they ducked down as a massive white rabbit came hopping out of one of the bear carcasses, his white coat dotted and streaked with red blood only matched by the bright red eyes and the clicking blood stained teeth. It's body was massive like someone had taken a Flemish Giant rabbit and crossed it with a particularly large Newfoundland dog.
"Jesus Christ! No wonder you called." The Sheriff said as he glanced at his hand cannon and wondered if it could be enough.
"After we got liberated I came here shortly afterwards to assess the damage. That's when I found Marko fighting a patrol of Jacob's men, I watched him take a dozen rifle rounds and keep running and fighting. Given how he is moving now he must have... I don't know healed any wounds he must have received." The old Russian replied.
Roger then snapped as the massive rabbit twitched at a new source of noise approaching the area. "Quiet we got company!"
Ahead a team of three Chosen made their way down the mountainside toward the wrecked pens talking loudly.
"About damn time we got here. I wish we didn't need to sneak behind those cowards Jacob has put in charge of the Ranger Station. 'Stick to the patrols.' 'Don't engage the sinners to the south without orders.'. I thought Herald Jacob's men were some of The Father's finest?" The lead man said as he scanned the wreckage and bodies.
"Whatever martial skills they may have is only countered by their lack of faith. I fear even Jacob's faith is waning in these trying times. That is why he restricts us so. Do any of you recognize these fallen brothers?" Another man asked.
"No but at least we can bury them after we kill this rabbit. By The Father you are a big one! We will eat well today." The last man said as he swapped his AR for a snub nosed revolver.
"Get it in one shot Brother Adam we are too close to the sinners outpost to draw too much attention. For now." The first man said as he bent down to examine a man's body.
Marko stared at the men as they approached and thumped the ground so hard even Roger could feel it through the ground some 50 feet away.
"That's one aggressive rabbit. Never seen one thump the ground like that at least the ones back in school never did." The second chosen said with increasing nervousness. "I mean look at the bones... the bodies... these are bears or wolves yet..."
The first Chosen looked back at the man. "Brother Franklin its just a really big white rabbit..."
Brother Adam's screams cut the cultists statement short as Marko launched himself at the man. Powerful teeth ripped and teared at flesh and bone causing a shower of gore to only add to the bloodstains on the rabbits white coat and muzzle.
Brother Franklin turned his rifle on the rabbit but even as Adam's screams faded into dying gurgling he hesitated a moment too long. Maybe it was concern for hitting his brother or perhaps it was shock that a rabbit could eat meat, would eat meat. Whatever his reasons it was rendered moot as the rabbit whipped like lighting upon him and even the few rounds he manage to get off either missed or were fully absorbed in Markos fluffy white coat causing no apparent harm.
The first Chosen had finally gotten a hold of his fear and dumped all 30 rounds out of his AR into the rabbit getting no effect for his efforts as he watched Brother Franklin who now desperately tried to stab the rabbit with his hunting knife but only seeming to find hard bone and with it his doom.
While the cultists were ripped apart Roger and Joey were working frantically on their weapons. Joey had emptied her magtube of buckshot and was now loading it completely with Roger's bear loads, meanwhile Roger was assembling Longinus.
"I don't remember Marko the second being anywhere as aggressive as this guy." Roger said as he secured the barrel to the rifle receiver.
"No this generation was very mild mannered probably the most mild thus far. I don't know what this Bliss is suppose to do but it must be the reason why Jacob's animals are so fearsome." Vasily replied as he checked his own sidearm for what little good it might do him at this point.
Joey smiled despite now hearing the screams of the last Chosen being set upon. "Well Bliss does a lot of things depending on dose, length of exposure, and individual factors. We are going to be dealing with its effects for years to come. Roger and I are the outliers as far it goes that we know of."
"Ok I am set." Roger said he propped the rifle on its bipod and took aim. "Joey if this thing charges just dump your mag. Sheriff, you and Vasily should run back to the truck and hope the .50 cals can wear Marko down if it comes to that." He said getting nods from those gathered.
'And Saint Roger raised the anti-material rifle up on high, saying, "O Lord, bless this Thy rifle that, with it, Thou mayest blow Thine enemies to tiny bits in Thy mercy."' He thought as he squeezed the trigger and sent the nearly one pound slug roaring toward Marko.
The rabbit reacted with a speed that boggled the mind as it seemingly ducked under the 30mm slug and charged toward the source of the muzzle flash. Roger's bright blue eyes bored into the killer rabbits own crimson eyes through the sights as Joey fired her first shot just a moment before he pulled the trigger once more.
Lead met flesh and hardened bone as the rifle slug now bored its way straight through the rabbit leaving a gory backblast behind it as Marko's massive body flopped to the ground and slid on the dirt before the fighters nearly touching the muzzle brake of Longinus.
"Who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it." He said with relief as Joey topped off her gun before approaching cautiously.
"He's dead... finally." She said before drawing her knife and started to peel back the thick fur away from the body. What she found was not surprising in the least given her last brush with an unusually durable man eating animal.
"Roger, Marko here has the same over grown skeleton like the Judge Moose, hell if you look you can see extra bony... scales I guess between the skin and the muscle tissue in some places. Even found my slug buried in here with no other damage. No wonder 556 rounds were just being shrugged off." She said pointing with her knife as they drew close.
"Judge Moose?" Vasily asked.
He nodded. "One of Faith Seed's experiments had gotten loose into one of the swamps south of Fall's End. Killed and ate an entire hunting team and took several mags of ammo including my .50 cal armor piercing incendiary explosive rounds to down. I'm now glad you called me because anything smaller than Longinus would have put too many lives at risk. That rabbit was dynamite."
Vasily stroked his beard and looked around at the destruction. He had a lot of work ahead of him to bring back his livestock to anything like it was before the war. "Well at least I can now start planning on what to do with this place and clean up the bodies. Though seeing that patrol concerns me."
"I can answer that." The Sheriff shouted as he held up a sheet of paper pulled from the last Chosen. He brought it over and read aloud for all. "Brother Sarvos you are to be posted at the Whitetail Ranger Station under Brother Commander Alexander. As you will hear from Commander Alexander it is by the order of Herald Jacob that you are stick to the proscribed patrol routes..." The Sheriff stopped and handed to Joey another folded piece of paper that turned out to be a few interleaved maps showing the routes.
Joey smiled widely as did Roger when he saw them. "Oh I do like little nuggets of intel like this. Makes life so much easier." He said as the Sheriff continued reading.
"We must be careful in the use of our remaining resources in fighting against our enemies and protect our remaining holdings. Any unauthorized actions will be viewed as dereliction of duty and will be harshly punished as such crimes are an affront to the will of Herald Jacob and by extension Joseph." The Sheriff ended as he handed the letter over to Roger to analyze further.
"Ok so these guys aren't suppose to be patrolling anywhere this far south yet here they are. Why?" Joey asked as Roger looked at the wording of the letter and remembered what was said when the men entered the clearing.
"I think..." He said slowly. "I think that we are seeing a schism forming."
"The men that held us prisoner seemed plenty united to me. What kind of schism could form?" Vasily inquired.
"Tactics. That's what happening isn't Roger? Jacob is a lot like you, pragmatic by habit so if his subordinates aren't like him what else could they be? They are not lazy... they want to act, to fight thus fighting for 'The Father'." The Sheriff started to say drawing a nod and a grin from Roger.
"Jacob's underlings... at least a fair number of them still are at their core members of the Project at Eden's Gate. They are loyal to the word of Joseph Seed and the war against the sinners of Hope County. So if Jacob their Herald starts to tell them to hold back from fighting the sinners that starts to grate on their sensibilities." He said.
"Follow the orders of their Herald as ordained by 'The Father' or follow 'The Father's' wider word and goals. Joseph's word trumps Jacob's." Joey added.
"Jacob is doing what I would likely do given the situation. Bunkering down and protecting as little as possible with the maximum number of forces and waiting for us to attack. So long as we aren't receiving outside support its his supplies and manpower against ours and ours might seem less than his in his mind."
Now the Sheriff smiled. "The Heist. Rachel's cache held a lot more food, ammo, and general supplies than her bunker and John's bunker was more independent and isolated thus it had a more general mix. So Jacob might be basing his estimations on what only was in both John's and Rachel's bunker."
"He thinks he can outlast a grinding static campaign but this letter and what the Chosen was saying before Marko attacked paint a problem that will once more wreck his plans. The more faithful members will wonder why they are not taking the fight to the sinner and reclaiming land." He said as he started to pace around in thought.
"Even just reestablishing a connection to Joseph would likely be enough for them because that in their minds means the Herald will be receiving orders from The Father, so if Jacob wants to dig in then it must be the will of The Father at that point. However no connection means no checks on Jacob thus inaction goes against The Father's word and last known order." He stop pacing and turned back toward the group.
"I have one other estimation... guess really. The radar site is Jacob's secret unauthorized project meaning that he must have it staffed by those loyal to him and his thinking. Taking the site and killing those men will shift the demographics of Jacob's forces further, I think he is trying to keep the faithful at the frontlines and let us take care of purging them. It makes sense after all if Jacob is acting pragmatically like I would. If the faithful are at the bunker more or less idle then they could start to plot against him while at least at a outpost they have a daily routine to stick to: Hunting, cooking, cleaning, patrolling, and of course they being faithful will still be observing all the religious aspects of the cult. Bible study, sermons, hymns, and everything else. They are distractions in the eyes of a military man trying to defend his dwindling holdings."
"Could there be a... mutiny within Jacob's forces? To take him out of the picture and place a more faithful man in charge." Vasily asked.
He held up and finger in thought and worked his jaw side to side as the mental wheels in his mind spun. "Maybe. Rough math says that is a possibility however to pull off something like that they would need something as close to a Herald, a faithful Herald as possible. I can't say if there is such a man or woman in Jacob's ranks and without such a person a mutiny against a Herald is a big black line to cross both by the order of things and within the faith."
.
With intelligence in hand they made their way back to the truck where they found Marcus and Dmitri working with Mack and his Cougars on the Shilka. As it rumbled around the open space between the garages and boathouse.
"Well it seems Jose has mastered the transmission at least. His steering seems a bit jerky though." Joey commented as they approached.
"Indeed. I will admit that I didn't expect him to know how to drive a manual transmission at all given this is America." Dmitri said as they came to stop in front of one of the Grey's.
"Hey Dad we took care of Marko and we even found some patrol maps for Jacob's men." He said as he handed the papers over to his father. He examined them briefly before looking back at him.
"Papers say one thing but you picking them up all the way down here says another. What gives?" He asked.
Roger explained. "Before they were eaten by the 'Killer Rabbit of Hope County' we heard them complaining about being held back by Jacob and his men and even going so far as to question his faith. Then they were killed."
The elder Rook grunted softly at the news. " You think there is a an internal issue forming?"
"I do. Its based off of what little I have seen and heard but you can even see it in their orders. We are 'enemies' instead of 'sinners' and they refer to 'The Father' as Joseph. Clean, clear, and rather void of the usual dogma the cult puts in their messages. Written by a practical minded man, not necessarily a completely brain dead cultist." He said before moving on to the next part of his hunch. "I think what this shows is that Jacob is maybe moving the faithful members to the frontline where they will keep busy and more likely to die fighting us than back in the bunker..."
"Plotting. Well as thin as this is if it does pan out then we can take advantage of it. I'll let our own patrol leaders know about this and start loading up on ammo." Marcus said as his own mind started to churn in thought.
"Roger I want to make a minor change to the plan tonight." He said holding up the patrol map that showed the patrols from the Ranger's station. "I want to set up both artillery pieces to dump smoke rounds on the switch backs leading up to PIN-K0. If the more zealous members of Jacob's forces are going out on the frontlines then if or more likely when they get a whiff of something going on at the radar station, you know... they will come running up those switch backs." He said with a evil smile.
Roger couldn't help but match his father's reaction. "Overzealous and single minded cultists trying to race up the mountain, at night, and probably packed to the gills with as many guys and bullets their trucks can hold."
"Then add a sudden chance of man made fog and if they don't drive off of the switchbacks on their own that will seal their fate or at least slow them to a literal crawl. But we aren't going to actually use explosive shells as well are we?" Joey commented.
Marcus chuckled. "Oh no, we do need to use the road ourselves after all. But the smoke rounds will slow the cult down and hopefully dissuade them from making the attempt. I'll get everything setup with the artillerymen we have managed to organize, they aren't going to be fast and 'shoot and scoot' is out of the question but they should be enough to pull this off."
.
Leaving Marcus to continue his training course for the Cougars the Sheriff and Deputies loaded back into their truck to leave.
"Hey Sheriff can we stop by St. Isidore? I need to get a message off about Hurk Junior." Roger asked.
"Sure I guess but what for?" The Sheriff replied.
He shot back a smile. "Well besides informing the President of Kyrat that one of their criminals has been apprehended, I also want to fulfill a promise I made to myself when I left the country to a certain teenager."
Joey now glanced over her shoulder through the open rear window. "That one girl you mentioned uh... Bhadra right?"
"Yeah, Hurk in a way is the last loose end from the Kyrati civil war and one that she has taken upon herself to see taken care of since she got a full ride scholarship to Harvard Law as part of a outreach program after the civil war. I know she is actively searching for his whereabouts in between keeping up on her studies for law and I want to make sure she can finally have a chance at something as close to normalcy as possible." He said as Joey started the truck.
"Well then I can't fault that. Lets go Hudson." The Sheriff ordered as they sped off.
.
His boots echoed audibly in the quiet and dimly lit hallways as he lead the way through the school to the gym. Even though he was past his initial relief of seeing the school still standing he couldn't help but breathe deep in the nostalgia as he traced the familiar path.
'Coming here and planning to return to Snowshow Lake with Joey. Doomsday cult and nuclear weapons aside its like reliving high school.' He thought as he slightly ducked through another doorway.
He chastised himself once more almost immediately. 'Got to stay focused damn it. I don't normally get quite this bad in the field but I guess of course when you are fighting in your land and its your blood being spilled, its going to weigh on you more than beheading Jihadists or hunting down warlords or anarchists.' A quick glance to Joey as she adjusted the sling on her shotgun was enough to remind him that also unlike crawling through the worlds hellholes losing focus now could cost him so much more than just his own life.
Entering the gym he could see the bulk of the Delta guys sleeping in preparation for tonight's operation save for one of the staff sergeants watching for calls from Black Cardinal's office.
The man turned to face the approaching noise, his hand casually brushing his sidearm's holster just in case. Realizing who it was he stood and saluted. "Good afternoon Major." He said softly.
Roger returned the salute. "At ease Wilkins. Any calls from Black Cardinal?"
The younger man shook his head. "None save for the normal check in call about ten minutes ago."
"Ok then I need to see if I can catch Black Cardinal. Can we do that?" He asked gesturing for the man to sit and start tapping away at the laptop to make the connection.
'I kinda miss being able to just pickup a damn phone and calling the old man, especially for small shit like this. Still needs must.' He thought as the 'call' so to speak was picked up by thankfully Yeller himself rather than one of the aides that otherwise held down the other end of the uplink.
"Black Reaper. Good to see you are still alive but I assume that since you are calling things are about to go from bad to worse." The old spy spoke calmly almost bored even for those unfamiliar with his mannerisms. At some point in a intelligence officers career they can read the ebb and flow of events with various degrees of accuracy. This usually resulted in a often bored 'been there, seen that, got shot there.' attitude and confidence, this is something Yeller had probably reached by the end of the Korean War.
Roger could only smile as he basked in the mans attitude and drew upon its confidence. "No sir for once I can safely say that for the moment things are going as I have foreseen. However tonight we will see if our results may vary."
Yeller smirked, a rarity on most occasions. "Yes our results may vary but lets try to stay out of the 'Worst Case' range of results. So how can I help besides mass air dropping a few divisions?"
"Would that be an option? Or really any other reinforcements?" He asked curiously.
Yeller shook his head as expected. "Red tape is still slowing stuff down. Agencies, the military, and the politicians are all wrangling with what course of action should be taken next. There are still some hold outs for the more outlandish ideas like talking Joseph Seed down but Black Pope and I are doing everything possible to keep that off the table, and frankly if nothing else keep as many chains off of you as possible. That's the short short version at least but right now Alvarez in the DHS is the biggest threat in terms of limiting your actions as he wants you to try and start arresting cultists instead of just killing them where ever possible."
"He can't be serious?!" Joey blurted out off to the side quickly glancing at the nearby sleeping soldiers for signs of disturbing them.
"Black Reaper go ahead and have your coworkers come out of the shadows." Yeller requested.
With a quick wave the Sheriff and Joey now stood beside Roger within the uplinks camera pickup. The old man smiled at seeing them.
"Sheriff Whitehorse. Deputy Hudson. I am the so called Black Cardinal. Sheriff I would like to know since I do believe you are the senior most member of law enforcement left in Hope County do you have the capacity to hold prisoners that you arrest?"
"We are very limited in that regard as the normal holding facilities got destroyed early in the war and the old jail is making do for at least two prisoners currently with a third locked away in a ad hoc cell made from a old bomb shelter. I don't have the properly trained manpower to oversee much more than what we have now. So you can tell this DHS bastard to take his idea and shove it up his ass. As good as things are now we are still a far cry away from normal law and order, frankly I am surprised that things among the Resistance are as peaceful as they have been considering how long now we have been operating as we have."
The spy nodded taking in what the Sheriff was saying. "As I expected Sheriff. I will hopefully be able to use that as leverage in the coming battles I am facing in Washington. So Black Reaper why did you call?"
"I need to ask of a favor. A personal one at that." He said carefully judging or at least trying to judge Yeller's reaction to the request as he spoke. "I need a message sent to President Amita of Kyrat. I will let you choose the appropriate channels to do this as I understand needing to keep things here quiet from the rest of the world but this is something I needed to do soon."
"Ok then sounds doable, what is the message?" Yeller said tapping a button on the controls in front of him to record Roger. Message of course would be sent in text format but recording it made life easier for Yeller when actually writing the message, so much better than when he had to dictate and read back in the old days.
"To Madam President Amita I am happy to inform you that the criminal Hurk Drubman Junior has been captured alive and I look forward in the coming weeks to transferring him into Kyrati custody pending taking care of some lingering local issues. Please tell Bhadra with all haste as well that Hurk is caught and she can finally focus on enjoying life here stateside. With highest regards from Roger Rook." He rattled off.
Yeller nodded. "Ok I will get this cleaned up, typed up, and sent in the next few hours. By then I expect to wake up to news that you have taken care of this rogue missile and are working on getting closer to ending this war."
Roger nodded in agreement. "Yes sir we are working on it. As I believe was mentioned in a earlier status report we now have access to heavy artillery and even a heavily modernized M60A3 tank. There is one other new development but its a bit light on evidence."
The old spy perked up considerably. "Do we have more nukes to deal with? I already had a conversation with Dr. Niwa this morning after her people told me that apparently for all the notes this cult took they never wrote down how many warheads they have made. I don't know what could be worse than that."
"No sir I believe there maybe a potential civil war brewing in Jacob Seed's forces. I am basing this off of a few comments from some cultists complaining about his lack of faith and the lack of faith from some of his for lack of a better term loyalists and a recovered set of orders." He said drawing a curious look in return.
"Any chance you could have interrogated these men? I know you trend toward the 'spare or kill' mindset but sometimes you do need to beat information out people." Yeller replied.
He couldn't help but shift a little on his feet as he spoke. "No sir... they got eaten... by a rabbit, right after we discovered them."
Yeller sank back into his chair as he processed what was just said. "A rabbit? Long ears, buck teeth, 'What's up Doc?' type rabbit?"
Roger nodded and Joey commented. "The local wildlife can be dangerous sir."
Still the old man was shocked and confused. Emotions that were so unfamiliar to him that they only compounded upon themselves in a recursive loop of sorts.
"A rabbit?" He said again.
Roger nodded. "It's the most foul, cruel, and bad-tempered rodent you would ever set eyes on. I wouldn't attempt to fight that thing with anything less than with Longinus." He said failing to hide his smile before adding. "Don't worry sir I'll send you pictures."
"Please do Black Reaper because I don't think anyone will believe this otherwise." Yeller replied.