Thanks for all your reviews guys. Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. RL gets in the way sometimes! Thanks to Spacejunkie82; debcole; Revvie-S; and Froggy0319 – especially for keeping my flagging spirits up on this one.

I need Reviews guys…c'mon R & R! Pretty Please!

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren.

Previously:

He was too tired to argue, and allowed the nurse to stow the box and it's precious contents in the locker beside him. He drifted off to sleep again in no time at all.

Chapter 4

"Colonel Tobin reporting for duty sir!" the officer snapped off a smart salute and waited until it was returned.

"At ease Colonel!" General Ornan saluted easily, then leaned back in his chair, letting his eyes rove appraisingly over the officer in front of him. He was taller than most of the men under his command; older too, but that wasn't a problem. He had a distinct military air about him, adding weight to his famed accomplishments and exploits.

"Welcome to Force One Colonel. I must say we are privileged to have you serve among our ranks. Your reputation is the envy of the whole base. I hope you can live up to your legendary status.

"So do I sir. I'll try not to disappoint you General."

Tobin might not recall anything that had happened to him, but years of being in the military was ingrained into his very being. He accepted his lot and had obviously excelled in his previous missions.

"I have a special assignment for you Colonel. But do try not to get yourself killed, wounded or captured this time."

"I'll try my best sir!" he grinned.

"I've assigned you a new team. You are to put those special skills of yours to the test and infiltrate behind the enemy lines and blow the government's Landsern power building. It will disrupt the enemy for weeks, giving us a chance to reclaim some of the territory we've lost over the last month or so."

He handed Tobin a document pouch.

"Your orders and the details are in there Colonel. Go, brief your team and be ready to move out in four hours. It's a long walk to the front line and beyond."

"Yes sir!" he saluted again which was returned dutifully.

"Dismissed!" General Ornan waved a hand at the door and the Colonel made a hasty exit. He had a job to do and knew he was the right man to do it.

Much of his time with the army was still a blur but he did remember how to use explosives and creep up on the unsuspecting enemy. The adrenalin was pumping already and he was eager to get going.

He found his team gathered together in one of the huts he had been assigned to, and introduced himself.

"Colonel Tobin," he said, presenting himself after he'd told them all to relax. "I'm your new CO."

"Captain Fraker sir!" the first man stepped forward, hand outstretched.

"Captain!" Tobin replied, shaking hands with him and then moved on to the next officer.

"Major Gillan sir! Your 2IC."

"Major!"

"Lieutenant Soary sir!"

"Lieutenant!"

"Sergeant Bronan sir!"

"Sergeant!" the Colonel acknowledged. "We all here guys?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes sir!" they all answered.

"Good. Here's our mission brief..."

He filled them in, going over every detail several times to make sure they all knew exactly what their job entailed.

"We leave in two hours. I suggest you get some rest. Meet me here 15 minutes beforehand!"

"Yes sir!" the reply rang out smartly.

OoOoOoOoO

Tobin took their sixes letting Major Gillan lead. While he trudged towards the enemy lines, he took time to study his new team members.

Major Gillan was short and wiry, but appeared to be tough as old boots. Nothing seemed to escape the man. He was glad, it would come in handy. That was one of the reasons he'd put him on point. His dark hair was hidden beneath the camouflage cap he wore. It was slightly longer than the military would normally allow but he let it slide for now.

Captain Fraker was slightly taller, and definitely liked his food. If anything he was a little on the plump side, but Tobin knew that serving under him, the man would lose some of that easily. He was scarred across his face. The ugly puckered skin reaching his jaw from somewhere under his blonde thatch.

Tobin knew he would have to have a word about that when they drew nearer to enemy. That hair of his would dazzle like a beacon when the moon slipped from behind the clouds again.

They were only about 5 miles away now and it was getting dark already with heavy clouds scudding across the darkening sky playing hide and seek with the moon, and Colonel Tobin was happy that they should be able to pull this off without too much hassle.

Lt. Soary was a different kind of guy. Fairly new to the army too he reckoned. He had looked up to Tobin with something akin to hero worship which he found difficult to swallow. He was no hero. He was just an ordinary guy doing his duty.

Sgt. Bronan was a tough old soldier with plenty of sorties under his belt but his attitude left a lot to be desired apparently, that's why he was still an NCO, or so Tobin had been warned. He needed a strong guiding hand and the powers that be had decided that he was that someone who could handle him. So far he'd not seen any trouble brewing from the man but he'd keep a close eye on him anyway, just in case.

A few miles on, the Colonel checked his watch and signalled his men to drop where they were. He snuck up to the front of the team and checked his compass.

"Okay. We're almost there. This is enemy territory so stay quiet and keep alert. I'll take point. Gillan watch our six. Oh and Fraker..." Tobin tossed him a hat and pointed to his hair.

Fraker nodded and pulled the woollen hat over his abundant bright mop of hair.

"All clear?" Tobin asked, needing to know if they knew what was expected of them.

"Yes sir," the Major whispered confidently, while the others nodded. Major Gillan trusted the Colonel implicitly. He'd heard nothing but praise from other soldiers who had known him, so to be part of his team was an honour.

OoOoOoOoO

The power complex was spread out over a large area and Tobin made his team wait in the deep shadows beneath the trees while he scouted out the area. He pulled out the detailed map of the power plant and waited for the moon to shed enough light to read it by.

After 20 minutes he rejoined his team again and issued his orders.

He and Sergeant Bronan crept forwards, heading for the main gate. Fraker and Soary headed for the south side of the area while Gillan took off to the left to plant his explosive charges.

Tobin signalled his accomplice to move into the light from the floodlight area around the gate, and while the guard was distracted he snuck up behind him and silently slit the man's throat.

The guard dropped noiselessly to the floor never having suspected a thing. The Colonel dragged him out of sight and beckoned for Bronan to follow him.

The two men sprinted to the first building, so far unseen by any of the other guards.

Tobin slid quiet as a ghost round the side towards the main generators and ducked quickly to avoid being spotted. It had been a narrow escape and he took a few calming breaths to steady his nerves again.

He peered out between the vehicles he'd hidden behind and the guard had obviously moved off on his patrol. He scurried across the open space as silent as the night and Bronan followed after him a minute later. They crawled behind the storage barrels until they reached the main doorway.

Once again the guard dropped to the ground without a sound, never having suspected a thing until he felt the blade run across his windpipe and by then it was too late. Tobin pulled him behind the barrels out of sight and both soldiers entered the building.

They each took a side of the room, planting their detonators and blocks of dynamite into crevices where they wouldn't be spotted by the casual passer by. They met up at the doorway again and scurried away into the night to regroup with the others.

A shout went up just as they waited for the last member of the team to appear. Tobin looked on in tense frustration as Gillan had been spotted when he'd cleared the last fence.

Shots rang out into the night and Tobin ordered the others to make a run for it. He waited for Gillan to catch him up, offering him covering fire but when the Major was almost within arms reach he suddenly arched his back and cried out in agony before he collapsed boneless to the ground.

Colonel Tobin knew that the Major was dead, he could see the whites of his eyes in the moonlight, staring blankly back at him. He cursed under his breath and ran into the darkness of the forest.

TBC