by Cliff Deane
New River
The People
The morning was bright, with abundant sunshine and temperatures that, while becoming a bit cooler as the convoy climbed the five-thousand feet of elevation from the desert of Phoenix to the green belt of the Sonoran Desert. At the New River exit the temperature would warm into the mid-seventies by noon. Strong northerly winds, gusting to forty miles per hour raced through the narrow canyons of the waiting warriors of the Tribes of The People.
Chief Pete Williams led the four-tribe coalition of the Prepper Tribes which consisted of thirty snipers. This day would also indelibly seal the bond between the White Preppers and the Tribes of the Red Man. Their brotherhood would forever be sealed.
Word arrived via radio that the Black Knights would arrive at the ambush site on this day, 29 May of aught three shortly after 1200 Hours.
Carefully the fuses were checked and connected to the clackers that would send the electrical charge to detonate the dynamite. The Grenadiers loaded their auto grenade launchers and prepared them to fire. The snipers were in position and eager to end this threat which was now just a few short miles south of the kill zone. This victory of The People would forever tell of the great battle and the courage of those Braves who defeated the Evil Ones.
There had been lengthy discussions concerning exactly when to drop the boulders onto the road. The War Chiefs were nearly equally divided as to the timing of the blast. Some wanted the road blocked before Steiner arrived, while others felt the shock of their path being blocked would create a unease and fear in the enemy of The People.
Chief Daniel held the final word, and he decided to wait until the enemy’s lead element began entering the path of the landslides. He hoped this would assist in the destruction of the Evil Ones by destroying some of the lead vehicles.
As Steiner’s column consisted of over thirty vehicles, destroying them all in a rockslide would be unlikely, but damaging or destroying some of the lead elements would prove to be worth the wait. Perhaps their leader, Colonel Rolf Steiner would be near the front of the column.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
29 May 03, 0900 Hours
I-17 North
ROA
Levi’s force was now no more than thirty minutes behind Steiner. He had to order a slow-down to preclude catching up with the Knights before they reached the ambush site. The slow-down would last only twenty minutes before the ROA poured on the coal and arrived as the blocking force to prevent any possibility of Steiner’s retreat.
After all the months of chasing Steiner, the ROA Force under the Command of General Levi Leonard Levins would not be the primary combat force engaging the Black Knights. Oh, they would be engaged, but this was the land of The People. They were to be the primary antagonist, while the ROA’s, Troop A, 1st Armored Cavalry Brigade pressed the attack upon the enemy’s rear and served as a Blocking Force.
Levi and Gus knew this tactic would save ROA lives, but somehow the final battle now lost some of its satisfaction. Gus then reminded Levi that the ROA had decimated the Knights in East Texas, and that victory would have to suffice; Levi agreed.
29 May 03, 1120 Hours
I-17
Ambush site of The People
Chief Daniel and his War Chiefs sat upon their mounts, high upon the granite mountain, immediately west of I-17 North. This viewpoint gave them the first sight of the approaching Knights column. Daniel’s Radioman was directed to warn the Engineer to be prepared to drop the rocks onto the roadway. The attack force was also placed on red alert.
Steiner’s forward scout stopped his vehicle as he saw the narrow canyon just ahead. He knew that the steep mountains on either side of the highway was the perfect place to ambush the Ghost Force that had chased the Knights across America. The Colonel and his Sergeant Major arrived at the scout’s position only a moment later.
Steiner immediately recognized the potential for an ambush and said, “Yes, Sergeant, I see now why you stopped the column. This canyon makes a perfect ambush site. Perhaps we should delay our journey to the Verde Valley and set a trap for our pursuers here. This seems to be the perfect place to end this nonsense.”
The Sergeant Major agreed and said, “Yes, sir, I agree with your assessment. I recommend that we move north of this canyon then establish an ambush for the ghost Brigade. They must still be at least a couple of days behind us. Yes, sir, I agree that this is an ideal spot for an end to the chase.”
The Sergeant Major was absolutely correct.
Steiner ordered the column to advance to the northern side of the canyon.
When the merc convoy stopped, so, did the hearts of those fighters waiting in their ambush positions to attack the mercs, but once they remounted their vehicles and began moving, the attacking force relaxed and prepared to execute their plan.
“Damn,” said Pete Williams, “that scared the crap out of me,” causing everyone to engage in a short burst of nervous laughter.
Troop A was now only ten minutes behind the Knights. Levi’s Legion would continue until they were within five-hundred yards of the Merc Force before halting and disgorging the ROA’s Boots on the Ground to fully allow them to establish the Blocking Position. The lack of maneuver room in this narrow canyon meant that only the lead LAV would have the opportunity to place fire upon the mercs.
The Black Knights again began moving up the mountain towards the Black Canyon City exit. The Sergeant Major rode in the Commander’s Cupola of the lead LAV and was already planning the placement of his mercenary force to end the threat from the Ghost Force.
He spoke in an excited, yet professional voice to his friend and commander, Colonel Steiner. He began describing the side walls of the mountain which had been split by the road builders sharing the perfection of this narrow, but deep, cut through the mountain.
“Yes, my old friend, this will be the place where we stop running,” agreed Steiner.
Steiner was rarely wrong, and he was not wrong in his assessment of this piece of ground.
“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” shouted the Engineer as he clicked the clacker two times, sending a burst of electricity to the blasting caps attached to the dynamite burrowed into the sheer cliffs.
The explosion was loud and dramatic in its effect on the mountain wall. Rocks, large and small shot out from the blast sites. Many thousands of small shrapnel sized pieces of granite showered down upon the mercs with the velocity of a shotgun discharge. Boulders from the size of a man to that of a pickup truck rolled down the mountain striking the first three vehicles in Steiner’s column.
Auto-grenade launchers lept into the action raining their 40 mm grenades upon the enemy vehicles. Automatic weapons fire began raking the Knights and their vehicles. Snipers began systematically taking out anyone who was foolish enough to show themselves.
The mercenary Sergeant Major was in the third vehicle. His last thought was that this canyon was, indeed, a perfect spot for an ambush. He watched as only four seconds later a granite boulder the size of a tank crashed into his LAV, killing all inside. The wrecked LAV rolled over three times before coming to rest on the left side of the highway.
The remaining mercenaries were quick to react to the intense enemy assault as they began returning fire with their 30 mm cannons and machine guns, raking the friendly positions. That friendly fire, however, abruptly ceased when a flight of five Marine Super Cobras flew in low, directly over the column at an altitude of one-hundred feet, firing missiles, mini-guns, and machine guns. Within seconds the entire convoy was ablaze. The few surviving members of Steiner’s force abandoned their vehicles and were cut to ribbons by the resumed fire from the Tribal force as the mercs attempted to seek cover.
Within mere minutes the entire merc force was reduced to burning wreckage, the dead, and the dying.
The fighting men of The People ceased firing and stood in silent reverence, for several seconds, as they looked down upon the destruction of the Merc Convoy. Soon, one, then another of these victorious warriors be
gan to cheer. Soon, all were jumping for joy at the totality of their victory. A story that would be revered for centuries as the moment when the Native American Indian’s heart was finally, and forever, returned to them. The small unnamed valley would now be named Burning Iron Valley.
Once the firing stopped, Levi, Gus, Trooper, and the Sergeant Major made their way down to the field of carnage and began walking among the bodies lying on the ground. Trooper cautiously walked among the dead and wounded. The trio mercifully gave the wounded grace by ending their suffering.
The three men were in awe of the destruction of the merc force. Levi said, “My friends, we have sought this moment for more than two years and now I feel, well, I mean, hell, I’m not really sure of what I feel. It seems as though the end has an almost anti-climactic feel to it.”
“I agree,” offered the Sergeant Major, “is this really the end? Will we live in peace now back in Chalmers?”
Levi said, “Yes, Bradley, we will live in peace, in Chalmers, but outside of our little haven, the world still has much evil that will need to be quelled. I just wonder if we’ll ever live to see an end to that evil.”
Gus said, “Old buddy, the only thing I am sure of is that Man must always struggle. War and fighting are parts of our DNA. No, human kind will never see an end to war. That is our species greatest flaw
Oh, shoot, I forgot something in my jeep; you go ahead, and I’ll catch back up.”
“Sure, go ahead,” said Levi.
As Gus took off at a trot, Trooper bounded after him. Levi and his dear friend, Sergeant Major Bradley Cobb continued to walk among the wreckage.
Bradley asked, “Levi, do you ever get so sick of it, that you just want to crawl into a cave and tell the world to kiss your ass?”
Levi looked at his friend and said, “Brad, that is the first time you have call me Levi and I thank you for it. Now, in answer to your question, yes, I sometimes do feel that way, but only for very brief periods of time. My friend, men like the three of us will always run toward the sound of gunfire. We just can’t help it. I figure we’ll keep doing that until we are dead.”
“Yes, sir, I guess you’re right about that, but I wish we weren’t so hardwired for war.”
“I know, Brad,” said a smiling Levi, “but come on, can you really see The Three Amigos, you, Gus, and me sitting around playing checkers when bad men are doing evil things to innocent people?”
“Levi, I honestly wish I could, but I know that’s just not possible for us. Oh, and thanks for including me as one of the three Amigos.”
“What,” asked Levi, “kind of thing is that to say? We have been comrades in arms since the day after the flare. We have always been partners and friends, and we will always be exactly that, right Amigo?”
Bradley said, “Sir, you know that every member of the ROA Military would follow you no matter where you would decide to lead, even unto the jaws of hell itself. Levi, there would be no ROA if you hadn’t come to Larry Basset’s Patriot Gun Store on that day. Aw, hell, I’m really glad I met you.”
Levi slapped his old friend on the back and said, “And I am very happy that you were at the Auto Museum on that day. Don’t forget that it was you who organized the men to do what needed to be done, not me. I just told you what needed to be done, and danged if you didn’t get it right.”
“Yes, sir, I figger we can go back and forth in this love fest, but…WAIT! Holy cow, sir, look, is that Steiner’s body just ahead? Yeah, it must be, there, you can see his merc shoulder boards, yep a golden two-headed eagle with a wreath surrounding it.”
The two men approached Steiner’s body which was both bullet-riddled and severely burned. “So, this is the infamous, Colonel Rolf Steiner,” said Levi. “I have to tell you, Brad, I have wanted to see his face for a long time now. Levi nudged the body of his enemy with his boot and when Steiner remained still, he bent down to turn the corpse over to verify that this was, in fact, the enemy Commander, Rolf Steiner. Upon turning Steiner’s body, he saw that Steiner’s eyes were still wide open. It took only a second for Levi to realize that the eyes did not have the cloudy, empty look of the dead stare. Steiner looked directly at Levi and though coughing up blood which splattered as he tried to speak. “You…”
Levi turned to the Sergeant Major, and as he began to order him to get a medic, Levi heard the distinctive sound of a grenade spoon being released. As Levi turned back to Steiner, he saw the grenade his enemy was holding in his right hand. The grenade rolled from Steiner’s fingers as he took his final breath.
Levi shouted, “GRENADE!” and rose to run. He had taken only two full steps away from the grenade when it detonated, throwing both Levi and Bradley Cobb high into the air.
At the sound of the explosion, Gus froze in his tracks and began to run back to his friends as he screamed for medics. When Gus arrived to where his friends lay, he could only say, “Oh, dear God, NO!”
Trooper ran full out to Levi and threw himself to the ground, pressing his body against his master’s side before laying his head across Levi’s chest. His whining quickly turned to howls of grief. For the first and only time in the dog’s life, he growled at Gus as he bent down to assess his friend’s wounds.
Gus ignored Trooper’s protective stance, and the dog’s voice quickly fell to a soft, and forlorn, whining cry.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Chalmers Hospital
25 May 03
Hospital
Chalmers, Republic of America
Gus and Bradley were immediately flown, by Dust-Off back to the hospital in Chalmers. Their bodies were placed in the cold storage of the Hospital Morgue as preparation for their funerals scheduled for three June of aught three.
As both men were two of the three founding members of the forty-man Defiance Militia which now was the one-thousand two-hundred and thirty-seven-man Army of the Republic of America, their funerals were held together.
Both caskets were placed on open caissons, pulled by two, fully saddled horses. Though tradition only allowed those of the rank of Full Colonel and above to have a pair of Cavalry boots placed rearward in the stirrups, facing the casket, Gus directed that this same honor be given to Command Sergeant Major Bradley Michael Cobb for his service and dedication to the ROA and to his General, Levi Leonard Levins.
The only area large enough for the funeral to allow the nearly three-thousand five hundred citizens of the ROA was the newly renamed, Cobb Field Sports Complex. Those in the stadium seats had no difficulty hearing the proceedings, thanks in part to the efforts of the Skonk Works who had connected the sound system to a large generator.
“My friends,” said the ROA Minister, “today marks our final farewell to two of the greatest men in the short history of the Republic of America. Without their dedication, and determination to succeed, this small nation would not exist. Anarchy would reign supreme over the areas that were swept clean of evil forces which were unleashed on The Day.”
The Chaplain then began a prayer, “Dear God Almighty, maker of all thing Heaven and Earth, the God of the Jews of the families of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and God the Father of our beloved Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We beseech you to wrap these two wonderful men and warriors in your magnificent embrace, for without the strength given by you to these two Founding Fathers, the lives of the thousands here in attendance would have had no hope for a life of safety and freedom.”
The Minister continued his thoughts and prayers for Levi and Bradley for another fifteen minutes. Though every citizen of the ROA wanted to speak of their devotion, due to the restraints of time, only ten were called forward to speak.
Gus spoke of his first meeting with Levi and how their deep friendship and loyalty to each other had grown into what he could only describe as that of true brothers. He also spoke of how Command Sergeant Major Cobb’s sage counsel was often the glue which kept everything together and running smoothly.
Just prior to placing Levi into his final resting place, Susan and Kate
both ran to his casket and placed their heads and hands upon it. Their tears were shared by every member of the Republic of America’s Military family, along with that of every citizen of the ROA for they truly knew and loved these two men.
Following the service, Kate began to have abdominal pains and had to be helped to the Hospital where she tragically had a miscarriage, and though she bore a son only eleven months later, her tragic loss was one more dark storm thrust upon the inhabitants of this tiny nation.
Three weeks after Levi’s death, Susan discovered that she was also pregnant. She also bore a son just one month before Kate. Susan never remarried and dedicated her remaining years to her son, Levi Jr, Katherine Levins Simms family, and to commanding the Air Corps, as a General Officer for another twenty years.
Kate felt that Susan should name her son Levi while she would name her son, Kevin Levins Simms. The two women maintained a loving mother and daughter relationship throughout the remainder of their lives.
Many of Kate’s friends felt that if it had not been for the love of her husband, Captain Kevin Simms, and her mother, Colonel Susan Levins, she would have never recovered from the loss of her father, General Levi Levins.
Gus refused command of the Army of the ROA but did accept command of the Training Division along with his promotion to General. He married the following year, and his wife also bore him a son that they named Augustus Levi Darren Murtaugh. Gus’ son Darren proved to be a fine Doctor, serving for nearly forty years. He and his wife Cynthia had four children, of which two survived into adulthood.
Sergeant First Class Jones became a First Sergeant in the Training Division under General Murtaugh, and First Sergeant Torre became the new Command Sergeant Major of the Army, replacing the empty slot vacated by his friend and mentor, Command Sergeant Major Bradley Cobb.
The small city of Chalmers was again renamed, this time to Levins, and the hospital became the General Chalmers Hospital.