by Ricky Sides
Opening the door without a sound, the lieutenant carefully entered the room. Out of the corner of his eye, the lieutenant saw a man dressing. The man hadn’t seen him yet and he silently approached the slaver as he tied his shoes. The man noted the lieutenant’s legs and said, “Damn buddy, wait your turn. She’s not that good you know.” Then standing up he saw the lieutenant for the first time and reached for his gun. The lieutenant’s pistol coughed quietly twice in quick succession and he gently lowered the body to the floor on top of the slaver’s shirt and jacket so that the blood would collect there and not trail between the seams and through to the ceiling below. Opening the door to the next room, he found the red haired woman crying and motioned for her silence. Moving to her, he whispered quickly that he was there to rescue her.
In the five other rooms, some of his men had similar encounters. Two got lucky and found no visitors in the girl’s rooms. They met in the hall. Six men lead six women who had given up all hope of ever leaving this farm alive. Moving silently through the house they reached the lower floor and slid out the front door just as a man came running down the stairs shouting. Soon lights all over the house began to come on and more men shouted.
“Is this all of the slaves who were in the house?” asked the strike force leader when they were safely concealed in the darkness away from the house.
“Yes. There are six of us girls but there are thirty four men in the men’s quarters,” said one of the women.
“They are safe. We got them out first,” the lieutenant responded and then he sent a message to the Peacekeeper. With the message sent, his team led the women out to the transport that would take them back to Eastland.
***
In the control room of the Peacekeeper, Jim heard the message from the strike force leader and smiled. Turning to Lina and Robert who were standing nearby he said, “Thanks to the information you supplied, all of the slaves at your former residence have been freed and are now safe beyond the reach of the slavers. Well done you two,” the captain said with a smile.
“Thank you, Jim,” Lina said. “I’m so happy that we were able to help. I just wish we knew something about the other farms but I’m afraid I don’t know anything about them.”
“Captain, the penetration team at the other farm is reporting that they’ve taken out the perimeter guards and are proceeding to what they think is the slave quarters,” Patricia reported.
“Thank you, Lieutenant. Wish them luck for me if you please,” Jim requested.
“Will do, sir,” she responded.
“And please activate the external speakers for me,” Jim requested. Picking up the microphone that he used when he needed to access the communications system from his chair he said, “You slavers in the house, come out with your hands up and we will shoot you.”
“Are you trying to make them stay inside dear?” Lacey asked.
“I guess that did sound sort of funny didn’t it?” Jim said grinning.
“I thought it sounded fine,” Pete with a straight face.
“Yeah, now that’s Pete’s idea of negotiating,” Tim said laughing.
Apparently, the men in the house found it equally amusing, because one of them shouted out, “Hey, is that supposed to make me trust you?”
“Be nice in there. I’m trying to spare you a horrible death, so just come on out and we will shoot you and there you have it. That’s the offer. A painless death,” Jim said succinctly.
“And if we choose to ignore your generous offer?” asked one of the slavers with a Spanish accent.
“Then we will burn you alive,” Jim said, and then to Tim he said, “Take us directly above the dead tree in front of the house please, Tim”
“Aye, sir,” Tim said wondering what his brother had in mind.
“As I see it you can’t get to the house without exposing yourself to our guns,” shouted one of the men. The external audio pickups made it possible for the crew inside the Peacekeeper to hear the responses of the trapped slavers.
“You see the dead tree in front of your house?” Jim asked.
“Yeah, what about it clown?” the man retorted.
“Just watch the tree,” Jim said to the slaver. Turning to Pete he said, “Burn it, Pete.”
The belly gun beam flashed down and within seconds, the tree was ablaze. In the house one man yelled, “Hey, how did you do that?”
“We’re peacekeepers,” Jim said as if that explained everything.
“Yeah well getting to this house will be a lot harder than getting to the tree,” another man added his voice to the debate.
“We just left the house moments ago. Or haven’t you found the bodies?” Jim asked.
“Well we’re ready now so you can’t get to us,” a man shouted.
“You mean you really aren’t coming out? You’d rather stay in there and burn?” Jim asked one last time.
“Yeah, you crazy bastard. We're not coming out!” one of the men shouted to the laughter of the other slavers.
“Well if you change your minds just come on out and we will shoot you,” Jim said and motioned for the public address system to be killed. “Fire the house, Pete,” Jim said. “I just wanted to give them the option. Burning men alive is pretty gruesome.”
The forward laser lanced out and struck the wooden frame house in short bursts. The bursts were not long enough to send a pulse causing an explosion, but long enough to ignite the tinder dry wood. He switched to a different area and soon another and another. In one minute, he had four fires burning on the ground floor and shifted to the second floor and then the roof. In five minutes most of the house was ablaze and men inside were screaming.
Soon desperate men began to run outside where they encountered the strike force team two snipers. The snipers shot most as soon as they touched the ground. In fifteen minutes the house was destroyed, though it would continue to burn for several hours.
“Sir, I’m getting a report from the other farm,” Patricia stated, and then she added, “They are reporting bad news. They managed to free the male slaves, but the raid inside to free the females went bad. The team is trapped upstairs and can’t get out and the slavers are threatening to burn them out if they don’t surrender.”
“Sound the recall of all our forces outside the ship and make it urgent. Tim, land and open the door as soon as we’re down, Pol, launch the little Peacekeeper with no wings the moment the crew is aboard,” Jim ordered in rapid-fire language.
“Aye, sir!” three voices answered in unison.
Chapter 13
Most of the slavers stood near the windows peering out into the blackness outside their house. Only three of their number was guarding the stairs that led to the second floor where the large group of intruders was currently located. The intruders had apparently killed the exterior guard and slipped inside the house. The man who was supposed to relieve the guard on the front porch had found him missing. Thinking that the man may have taken a few steps into the darkness to relieve himself he had gone looking for him only to stumble across the guard’s body in the darkness. That man had immediately raised an alarm and the slavers soon learned that a group of men had entered the house to free the women slaves.
The slavers had been threatening to burn out the intruders, which was something they really didn’t want to do since that would mean burning their own home. However, they would do that before risking a protracted firefight with them. It appeared that they would have to do just that, since the spokesman for the men upstairs told them to go to hell when they issued the threat. The intruder asked them how they planned to survive the attack of the other men outside, without the shelter of the house. That had been their first hint that this might be bigger than just a simple raid by men seeking their women. They were effectively at a standoff for the moment but that situation wouldn’t last long. There had been no evidence of the presence of others outside.
The leader of the slavers at this farm yelled up the stairs that he didn’t think they had more me
n outside and that it was most likely safe for them to just walk on out of the house. This prompted derisive laughter from the men upstairs and one of them suggested with a Cajun accent that they just step on outside and take a nice long walk in the night.
The leader didn’t like the intruders laughing at him. It made him look weak and stupid in front of his men. He was preparing to do something about that laughter when the large front bay window crashed inward and an odd flying machine entered the room. He fired his pistol at the machine but the bullet just ricocheted off the contraption striking one of his own men in the stomach. The little ship turned on its axis as if seeking something and soon it spotted the men near the stairs. A small laser lanced out and struck one of the men in the head.
The leader shouted for the men to concentrate their fire on the ship and a fusillade of bullets hammered the craft. However, the tough exterior of the ship also deflected those bullets. The drone continued to seek targets near the stairs, and soon every man in that portion of the room had been killed. A victorious shout erupted upstairs and the leader of the slavers heard men running toward the stairway. “Cover the stairs! Here they come!” he shouted to his men just as the front door crashed inward and in rushed more men. The drone stopped firing and moved into position to block the worst of the attacking fire being concentrated on the stairway.
Peacekeepers swarmed down the stairs firing as they came, some even using the drone for the cover that it provided, and the new arrivals fired from their positions near the door. The slaver leader had the satisfaction of seeing the effects of two of his bullets slamming into the chest of the leader of the men rushing down the stairs and then a bullet slammed into the side of his head. In less than a minute, the battle was over. The peacekeepers checked the downed slavers killing two who were still alive and then they saw to their wounded. Two men had flesh wounds but one man, a private, had a serious wound in the upper thigh just above his armor plate thigh protector. Clem requested a medic for the man. Afterwards, he noted that he’d taken two hits to the chest. He grunted in pain when his hand pressed on the armor plate, checking for damage, but the armor had stopped the bullets and that was what really mattered.
Maggie rushed into the room with the medics and soon had the wounded private’s pant leg cut away so that she could tend the serious wound. As she worked she said, “This is your lucky day private. Three inches to the left and you’d be singing soprano. And the bullet missed the bone by a fraction of an inch.”
“I live a good clean lifestyle,” the private remarked gamely.
“Apparently you do,” Maggie said smiling. Then she said, “This is going to hurt a bit.” The man groaned in pain as she tended the wound.
While Maggie worked on the man with the serious wound, the medics tended the men with the flesh wounds. Meanwhile Clem and two of his men went upstairs and gathered the frightened women whom they escorted from the house and placed on another transport for Eastland.
The raid had been a huge success thanks to the teamwork of the peacekeepers. Jim, Pete, and Pol came over to the group of men involved in the raid and congratulated them. Speaking sincerely when he addressed Clem, Jim said, “You’ve come a long way since we first met, Clem. I’m glad I fought you then and not now,” he said with a wry grin.
“I’m not stupid enough to be eager for a rematch,” Clem said laughing. He then asked, “Who was flying the drone?”
Pol stepped forward and said, “I’m afraid that was me, sir. I apologize if I performed poorly. I’ve never operated the drone inside a house before, and when the images are so close up they are a bit confusing,” Pol said with genuine contriteness.
“For God’s sake man, don’t apologize. That drone was a Godsend. Without that drone to distract the slavers, not to mention killing four or five, both my team and your entry team would have suffered severe losses. Man you are a hero to the Cajuns now. You come on down to Cajun country anytime. We’ll feed you up on some gumbo,” Clem said and approached Pol to shake hands and then he put the scientist in a bear hug and slapped him on the back.
“Thank you, sir, you are too kind,” Pol said shyly. He was unaccustomed to being called a hero.
“No, sir, thank you!” Clem said and then he added, “If you’ll excuse me I need to see to my wounded man.”
On his way past Lieutenant Wilcox, the Cajun stopped and hugged him as well and said, “Your team has got to be some of the bravest men I’ve ever seen. You boys aren’t by any chance Cajuns are you?” he asked with a smile.
“No, sir, I’m from Illinois,” the lieutenant said grinning. “So are the other guys.”
“Well, what I said to Pol goes for you too. You boys come on down to our country anytime. I’ll feed you the best gumbo you’ve ever eaten,” Clem promised and then walked away to see how his wounded men were holding up.
“Lieutenant, you and your men did an excellent job on both missions tonight,” Pete said and Jim nodded his agreement.
“Thank you, sir, but we were just doing our jobs,” the lieutenant said depreciatively.
“Have your men who need a shower see if the facilities in the house work,” Jim ordered. “If an emergency comes up we’ll contact you, but I think this is the last fight for the night. We can stay here for your men to shower.”
“Thank you, sir, we could all use one. We’re all pretty bloody. Thankfully, it’s not our own,” he said this last with a serious tone of voice. Turning on his heel he shouted, “Strike force, on me!”
The strike force members joined the lieutenant and he gave strict instructions that none were to linger in the shower but that they should use the facility here. The unit left at once to get a change of clothing from the ship.
Turning to the west Jim said, “Tomorrow the real battle begins. These fights tonight were just skirmishes by comparison.”
“Yes but we’re off to a very good start. Let’s hope all our bad luck hasn’t been reserved for the largest farm,” Pete said.
“From your mouth to God’s ears my friend,” Pol said with feeling and then he turned to start back to the ship to check the drone for damage. But Pol had only gotten halfway to the ship when he stopped and threw up repeatedly. Tim stepped out of the darkness and handed the scientist a kerchief. The man gratefully wiped his mouth and asked, “Does it get any easier?”
Tim knew the man was asking if the killing got any easier and he motioned for Pol to follow him a short distance away from the main traffic lane between the ship and the house. “It doesn’t get easier for everyone, Pol, and hell, it probably shouldn’t. Human life is a precious thing and it’s a serious matter to take one. But you must pause to consider why you did what you did tonight. You killed slavers who were abusing their fellow man by enslaving them. They were also murderers and rapists, and if you hadn’t killed them, some of our own men would most likely have died.” Sighing Tim added, “That probably sounds like rationalizing what we do as peacekeepers, but if we don’t protect those who can’t protect themselves, when we have the ability and the equipment to do so, then I have to ask myself how I am any better than the Marauders.”
Standing straighter Tim said, “There’s a line I heard years ago that goes something like this. The only way for evil men to triumph is for good men to stand by and do nothing.” Frowning Tim said, “That doesn’t sound quite right but I think you get the point.”
“I do indeed my friend, and thank you for reminding me. You’re a good man. I can see what Patricia sees in you,” Pol said seriously.
“On that score I am just a very lucky man,” Tim said sincerely.
Pol grinned and said, “Thank you again for the discussion my friend. I think I will be able to sleep better having had this talk with you.”
“You’re welcome, Pol. Anytime you need to talk to someone I’m available you know. If I can’t help you, then we will find someone who can. Always remember that you are not alone. We have all come to know you and have the utmost respect for you, your achievements, and your
contributions to the peacekeepers.”
Tim then said he needed to go speak to Jim and Pete for a moment, which was the purpose for his even being outside and he departed. “I do trust that my stomach disorder need not be mentioned to others,” Pol said as he was leaving.
“Why, Pol, I didn’t know you had such a disorder,” Tim said as he was walking away thus reassuring the man that he would be discrete. Pol fervently hoped that no one walked into the vomit and started asking questions.
When Tim joined Pete and Jim near the front of the house Jim asked, “Is Pol all right?” He had seen Pol vomit and Tim assisting the scientist. Jim’s night vision was excellent.
“He will be,” Tim replied and then he asked, “Are we staying here for the night or returning to Eastland?”
Jim looked to Pete to get his opinion on that matter. He would prefer to remain at this farm for the night, but Pete was more familiar with the tactical needs of the land forces, so he deferred to Pete in most matters involving the ground forces.
“We stay here,” Pete said. “We left sufficient resources in Eastland to care for the slaves we liberated tonight and returning to the city, then having to backtrack here tomorrow cuts down on the rest the men need before the coming battle, not to mention wasting a lot of fuel.”