Chapter 12
Ken got on a supply transport heading out of the base- it would be days before he would reach any kind of civilization in this isolated place. But that wasn't why he had taken the opportunity to leave the base. He had information to follow up on. He felt he could close in on the Count Blue, the man wanting a good supply of weapons for a small army.
Trying to sleep during the long ride in the back of the army truck during a bumpy ride is really impossible, so he dozed.
He had only a month to go now before he would be going back home…home to his beloved airfield and shack, and Jun. Did she still love him? He deliberated. After all, she didn't seem to want to talk to him any more.
He stopped trying to call her a few months ago- he still looked at her picture every night, and then put it back under his pillow.
In his heart he had longed for peace only to find it unsettling at the same time. Did he just want peace for others, but not for himself? Ken questioned. Is that why he ran off for six months without a real thought for how she might have felt about it…been hurt by his actions? Is that the way to treat the woman he loves…just like his father did to his mother?
Ken couldn't answer those questions right now, so he turned his thoughts back to his mission. He knew the location, he'd flown over it one day ago, and keeping as high as he could in the sky he mentally mapped out the terrine.
A few hills jutting high out of the flat red sand plains with what looked to be caves in some parts… He hoped the source of information for this mission didn't lead him down another dead end path.
The transport jolted to a halt, waking Ken up out of his semi slumber. The sound of the driver's door opening made him put his hand over his newly acquired sniper gun.
The door opened, he tightened his grip on the weapon.
"Commander." The Dutch UN soldier addressed him before opening the doors.
Wise move. Ken thought.
"Private." Ken acknowledged him. The man opened the doors, Ken jumped out.
His next transport, an African villager stood waiting next to the worse excuse for a car he had ever seen.
"We're passing through Chad… Take care sir, this is an unstable land." The private said before he swapped with his fellow soldier for some rest time.
Ken walked over to the man and shook his hand with a friendly smile. "If it was a dark night I would have missed you."
"I'll take that as a compliment" He said finalizing the pass code and flashing his bright white teeth with a laugh, he held out a hand to introduce himself, "Jafaru."
His English sounded very good to Ken- he hoped his contacts would pull through with a good guide.
Ken could tell they were going to get on well.
"When I tell ya to duck, ya do it." Jafaru told him as they bumped along the dirt 'road' before them. "If day have big guns…watch out, doz rebels are bad news and day don't care about anyone."
Ken nodded abruptly. He found the same thing in other countries he'd been in over the years. Everyone wanting their piece of the pie, civilians paid the price for it.
"How long till we reach the location?" He asked trying not to swallow too much dust coming through the rust holes in the floor of the old car.
"We got two days travel, mainly because we have tah avoid attention." Jafaru informed him.
"Stops?" He queried.
"We stop in one village, small, not important to dem." Jafaru quickly glances at Ken.
"You take out dat new rebel group. Mah wife and kids be safe...den I get them outta this country…" His determined set jaw and black eyes told Ken why he had chosen to help him. For Jafaru- this is personal.
"Sure will." Ken promised He didn't know how it would all turn out, but he would do what he could to help Jafaru get his family to safety, and find his son.
Ken looked out at the desolate diverse landscape outside the dust covered window, out on the distance grass plain he watched a cheetah chase down a young Eland, the rest of the heard ran in panic while its mother tried to save it from the predator.
Looking out the front the windscreen he saw the approaching army truck in the far distance at the same time as Jafaru.
"Quickly, duck under seat, throw blanket over you." Jafaru instructed. "Day not likely to question me, but you…"
Ken understood, he picked up the coarsely woven blanket and pulled over his body while he shrank under the dash board of the car.
He after a while he heard the approaching heavy vehicles humming engine. Jafaru slowed down and came to stop, so did the Army truck.
Jafaru got out of the car- then he heard the creaking doors of the other vehicle, sounds of footsteps on in the dirt.
The two men began speaking in their native tongue…the voices drew closer and Ken tension coursed through his body, he began preparing himself to spring from his hiding place.
Jafaru said something to the other man, they both laughed…Ken's side door began to open.
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The pitch blackness of the dark night aided his cover as Joe moved with fluid stealth movements through a small temporary rebel army camp in the Chad, the most hostile country in all of Africa.
He couldn't believe the amount of rebel armies this small country has in one space, closing in on his target he slit a small hole in the canvas of one of the larger tents.
"…We have meeting with him." A man said, from the way held himself he had to be the leader of this crowd. Joe thought. One of the native rebels in a uniform that hung from his medium frame like it had been made for a larger man moved across his viewing hole. Joe wanted to poke him with his knife to make him move out of the way. He held back, knowing it would only blow his cover.
"Count Blue don't meet with anybody." Another deep voice with a hint of amusement reached his ears.
"He's not happy wit the last shipment…says it lacked what he ordered…"
"He expects us to deliver him weapons, so dats what we sent him."
"He not happy man…is angry, and he not a man to piss off." One of the men talking signed deeply. "Dis Count he don't like ta be seen…he sends that oda guy…but he pays on time…"
"Den when he be in the Camp?" His comrade asked.
"Not here, he meets us at the rock formations a day and half outta Abeche."
"Why there?" If Joe could see the man he figured he had a frown on his dark face.
"Because, we don't dare take too many men, or else we'll attract General Gibber's attention, damn him." The man thumped a table hard. "I need his cash, not his demands...He won't pay unless I fix is order…he wants explosives!"
Joe wanted to assassinate Count Blue- if he got rid of him now then he wouldn't have to worry about him rising up to become threat like Berg Katse and create his own organisation of terrorists.
The sound of truck made him shrink back into the shadows. He watched it roll to a halt and two prisoners being dragged from the back of it. One African man and the other man he knew. Ken.
What the hell is he doing here? Joe thought. He heard the team had been de-activated with Galactor gone.
The two men looked like they had been kicked around a lot, especially Ken. Joe shook his head. Ken's faking it. He thought a small smirk whispered across his lips. Pulling out his hand gun Joe watched them being dragged into the tent.
The man blocking his view finally moved.
"So what do we have here…?"The Commander of the rebel group stood up from behind his small table. Ken didn't move, Joe noticed.
Joe smirked again, he figure he was biding his time, working out how to how to get out of this situation alive.
The Commander laid a boot into Ken stomach, Ken rolled over like he was dead, this sent alarm bells off in Joe's mind. The he grabbed a fist full of his hair and pulled him up by it so he could look into his face.
"Jafaru, I warned ya…now you pay for it. I found out you working against your own people…helping spies like this man…you're not fit to call yourself one of us." The commander fumed, spitting in Jafaru's face. "Your wife and daughter, you won't ever see dem ever again."
Jafaru's face showed a tirade of emotions as his muscles flinched from the strain. He looked up slowly with a strong will into the Commanders eyes. "Touch dem and I'll kill ya."
I like this Jafaru, he has guts Joe thought. What's Ken problem? Move it Ken, what the hell are you mucking around for? He scolded.
The Commander coldly pulled out a gun and put it to Ken's head." He pays the price for your insolence...and so will your worthless son." Ken didn't move.
Joe quickly sized up his targets, and making the hole a bigger to fit the tip of his gun through. In a matter of seconds his targets began to full to the ground around Jafaru and Ken.
Jafaru with his bound hands pushed Ken out of the tent making him roll, and looking around for the sniper as he moved awkwardly, stumbling over his own feet in the rush to get out in the confusion. Joe lost sight of them for a moment while men ran frantically trying to find the sniper that just took out their commander.
Moving past the tent he finally got sight of them again, Ken finally began to stir, his body flinching in pain. Ken had the sharp edge of his birdrang, Jafaru took it and he sliced through the bonds like butter.
"What hell hit me." Ken asked wincing. "I felt something sting me and then-"
"They drugged us with slug pelts bro, during the fight… looks like dey gave ya a bigger dose, now gotta move." Jafaru said to him. "We getting outta dis camp." Groggily Ken agreed with him.
Joe trailed them in the shadows while Ken still stunned by the drugs staggered along side of Jafaru in the dark trying to keep out of sight.
Spotting a good distraction Joe aimed his gun at a petrol barrel on the other side of the small camp. The ripping explosion lit up the sky, briefly illuminating the black night it continued to rock everything drawing soldiers towards it away from Ken and Jafaru.
Ken indicated to an empty vehicle. "Get and I'm driving this time." Ken ordered. Jumping in behind the wheel.
"We've got some talking to do Jafaru." Ken warned him with his eyes. Jafaru looked at Ken silently while he started up the truck. The sound of the engine drowned out the voices, and in the mist of the confusion in the camp they drove away as fast as they could.
Joe decided aimed his gun at another barrel sending it sky high setting off more barrels to cover their escape.
Looks like its time for me to go. Joe told himself watching rebels call out to find the intruder.
Joe departed as quietly as he had come into the camp. Now that he knew the location of Count Blue's meeting place he had work to do.