The Peacekeepers. Books 4 - 6.

by Ricky Sides

  At the airfield, Captain Cliff Barnes stood beside the patrol ship the California waiting in the light of the base security lights that illuminated the airfield. Near him stood Pete, Tim, and Jim, who had come to see the mission commence. As the time for the men’s arrival drew near, the four officers began to wonder if the men would make the deadline, but then they heard the rhythmic sound of a hundred men running in step. Straining their eyes into the darkness, they saw Ramon Marino running in full gear a slight distance ahead of five columns of men. All of the men ran in unison. The men stopped in formation and stood at attention waiting for further orders.

  “Well done gentlemen,” Jim said. Turning to Cliff he said, “They’re all yours, Captain.” Jim then stepped back so that the captain could get the mission underway.

  The California captain strode over to stand before the formation of men and asked, “Sergeant Marino, are your men ready to board my ship?”

  Ramon, who had been promoted to sergeant after the abbreviated officer-training course, replied, “Yes, Captain.”

  Striding closer to the sergeant so that only he could hear him Cliff said, “Sergeant, your men were issued blanks for a coming surprise mission. You make triple certain that no live ammunition is loaded in anyone’s weapon. I am holding you personally responsible for that matter. I want no screw ups when it comes to that matter and will accept no excuse if a man dies because you foul up.”

  “Understood, sir. I will triple check the weapons myself,” Sergeant Marino said.

  Stepping back away from the sergeant, Cliff said, “Gentlemen, the control room of my ship is off limits. There will be no exceptions. If you are needed, a security man will get you or I will have communications order you to the control room. Any man who sets foot inside the control room without authorization will be in a world of trouble with me. Board the California via the cargo bay door. Some of my men are waiting, and will give you further instructions. We lift off in five minutes. Sergeant, get your men aboard,” Cliff ordered.

  “Yes, sir,” Ramon shouted and led his men to the rear of the vessel where they began to board in an orderly fashion.

  Inside the ship, the men assembled in the crowded cargo bay under the watchful gaze of a lieutenant. When the cargo bay door closed, the lieutenant stood before the assembled men and said, “Listen up gentlemen, this is important. You will all take your rifle and keeping it pointed straight up you will remove the magazine.” When the sound of magazines being removed from the weapons stopped, the lieutenant said. “Keeping your weapon pointed straight up you will sit down on the floor. We lift off in one minute. Keep those weapons pointed toward the ceiling gentlemen and rest the butt of your weapon on the deck before you.”

  The Cuban-Americans felt a faint trembling in the deck beneath them and realized that they must have lifted off. The lieutenant waited another five minutes and then he said, “Gentlemen, keeping your weapons pointed toward the ceiling, you will now work the bolt and expel any potentially chambered rounds.”

  When silence retuned after the working of the bolts the lieutenant said, “Continuing to keep your weapon pointed toward the ceiling, you will now retrieve any expelled ammunition from the surface of my cargo deck, and hold those rounds in the same hand that is holding the magazine.”

  The lieutenant then strode over to stand before Sergeant Marino and said, “Welcome aboard, Sergeant. I believe that you were ordered to inspect the ammunition.” Then the lieutenant smiled and reached out to help the sergeant to his feet. He whispered, “Stow the magazine in the storage case. Rifles cannot be loaded aboard ship. Only security is authorized to carry a loaded rifle aboard.” When the sergeant had stowed his ammunition the lieutenant said, “Now if you’d be so kind as to begin your inspection, we can get on with the next step when you are finished.”

  Ramon walked down the row of men and asked to see their magazines. It was a quick process. He would glance at the open bolts confirming the weapons were unloaded and then glance at the ammunition to confirm that the magazine was loaded with blanks. Within ten minutes, he had completed his inspection and was pleased that no live ammunition had been found.

  The lieutenant then addressed the men once more saying, “Unfortunately we only have bunk space available for thirty-four of you. The rest will have to bunk down on the deck. Sergeant, select thirty-four of your men to bunk in the cabins,” the lieutenant ordered.

  Ramon went through the men, picked thirty-four at random, and ordered them to stand off to one side. The lieutenant noticed that the sergeant didn’t reserve a slot for himself, and nodded his approval. “Gentlemen the main lighting will be turned off in the cargo bay in five minutes to conserve power. Get your sleeping gear established quickly. Use the latrine if you have the need, but keep it quiet back here so the off duty crewmembers can sleep if you please.”

  The lieutenant led the thirty-four men to the cabins where they were to sleep cautioning them to be as quiet as possible.

  ***

  Ramon Marino watched as the patrol ship lifted into the sky and flew away to the east. Behind him stood the four corporals who had gone through the officer’s training with him. They were waiting for him to give them their orders. Turning to the men, Ramon said, “Alright, men we know that the enemy is located five miles to our west. Corporal Francisco, you will take five men ahead to act as scouts. Head out west and move slowly and carefully. We will be five minutes behind you. If you encounter the enemy, you should pull back to meet us. Do not engage them alone, unless you have no alternative,” Ramon instructed the corporal who said he understood and moved out to put his orders in motion.

  “Corporal Santiago, you make sure the men watch for snakes. Spread the word that this is prime snake country. Also, see to it that the men are reminded not to load live ammunition. They will use machetes to dispatch any snakes they encounter. Remind them to ration their water. I don’t want anyone drinking from the waterholes we may run across,” the sergeant instructed and the corporal rushed off to carry out his orders.

  “Corporal Federico, I need you to take a five man group and cover our rear. Keep a sharp watch on our back trail. I don’t want anyone catching us off guard from our flank,” the sergeant instructed the corporal. Corporal Federico trotted off to select his team.

  “Corporal Enrique, you are with me.” Frowning, the sergeant said. “I need you to watch and evaluate the performance of the men. This is your responsibility on this training exercise. When this is over, I am going to be counting on your judgment in helping me to select men for possible future missions.”

  “Yes, Sergeant. I’ll watch them closely,” the corporal said in response to his orders.

  In Ramon’s opinion, Corporal Enrique possessed one of the finest analytical minds he’d ever encountered. He wasn’t just assigning the man to this duty to make him feel useful. Enrique was one of those rare people who could watch men attempting to do just about anything and come of with a list of things that they could change to improve their performance. Yet, he had such a modest way about him that he never came off as just trying to be a bossy know-it-all. His suggestions always improved performance as Ramon well knew from the training difficulties that the man had helped him to overcome. Enrique would make a fine officer one day. He had confided in Ramon that when the current mission to Cuba had been fulfilled he wanted to remain in the peacekeepers and help establish a base in Miami. In Ramon’s opinion, Corporal Enrique would probably end up being the commander of that base one day. He had that much potential.

  “Just to clarify, Corporal, your evaluation includes me,” Ramon said still smiling.

  “So far you’re doing fine Ramon,” the corporal said easily and smiled.

  Grunting in acknowledgment Ramon headed to the front of the column and said quietly, “Let’s move out men, and no unnecessary talking. Keep the noise down too.” Without another word, he headed off to the west.

  Sergeant Marino estimated that they had traveled two thirds of the distance to t
he target when he saw a man come walking quietly back in their direction. The man approached him and said, “Sergeant, Corporal Francisco, says to tell you that there are five men ahead who are holding four women captive. He wishes to know if you want them taken out or should we bypass them?”

  The sergeant knew that the sound of even one gunshot would be heard by the men at the main target, but he was not about to leave the four women captive. Not even in a war game. That’s not how he would respond in the real situation and he decided to play this just as he would if it were for real. Bypassing them was the smart thing to do. He could always leave a few men to wait until the fireworks began at the main camp and then take on the five men, but that would also leave several hostiles behind them. “Take them out with blades. You men know the drill. Follow the rules, and do it safely. Do not fire a weapon. That would alert the men in the main camp. Do you understand the orders?” Ramon asked.

  “Yes, Sergeant,” the man replied and pulled his sheathed blade with a grin.

  “Get back to the Corporal before his patience is lost,” the sergeant said with a grin.

  The private saluted and darted away stealthily to deliver the sergeant’s orders. “We will move in quietly to support the scouts. Stay low and be very quiet,” the sergeant ordered and the word was passed back down the column.

  A short time later, they reached the scout team. They had already freed the women. They had taken out all five of the enemy, but lost one man doing so. The Cuban-American sat with the other Americans who had lost the war game with a disgusted expression on his face. “Cheer up my friend. You liberated a pretty girl when the enemy had to let her go to kill you,” Corporal Francisco said with a trace of humor. The disgruntled soldier threw a pebble at his head and the other mock casualties laughed.

  They moved out again. Twenty minutes later, the sergeant once more saw a man making his way furtively through some trees and moving in their direction. It was the same man who had reported the female captives. He stopped before Sergeant Marino and said, “Sergeant, we have located the main camp. They have several women captives. The Corporal says he knows where they are being kept and to tell you that many of the men are inside a building but a few are acting as guards.”

  “Lead on,” the sergeant said. He motioned for the others to stay low, and follow the scout.

  A short time later, Ramon found himself lying on the ground peering through some brush toward the main base being used for the mock battle. “Have you spotted the judges?” Ramon asked Corporal Francisco who was squatting behind him.

  “See the hilltop slightly to the west. There is a large tree near the top. Two men are beneath that tree. They are wearing the judge armbands,” replied the corporal.

  “Good. They are in a good position to judge the event,” Ramon said quietly. He studied the scene for a good three minutes using a pair of binoculars and taking in all of the elements involved, including the dozen or so heavily armed guards patrolling the grounds and then he asked, “The house on the right is where the female captives are being held?”

  “Yes, the one with two guards by the door,” answered the corporal.

  Ramon took another minute to study the lay of the land, and then he said, “The main camp is in the clearing below, but this forest that we are in leads to within about forty yards of the house where the captives are being held. Corporal Francisco, take ten men and make your way as close as possible to the house where the captives are located. We will give you fifteen minutes to get into position and then we will commence our attack. When we open fire, you and your team enter the house from the rear. Take the captives into the woods to a safe place. Leave a man to protect them and the rest of you return to the battle. Do you understand, Corporal?”

  “Yes, Sergeant,” the corporal responded and then he selected the extra men and departed with as much stealth as possible.

  Glancing at his watch, Sergeant Marino noted the time. Once again, he studied the layout through his binoculars trying to determine the best means of attack. There was a drainage ditch down in the clearing between his position and the main base shelter where the majority of the enemy were positioned. That ditch ran almost all the way to the forest stopping about ten yards shy of the woods. He slowly smiled as the plan formulated in his mind.

  Easing backward from his place of concealment, the sergeant called Corporal Santiago to his side. He instructed the corporal to crawl into the spot he had just vacated and study the land below. He instructed him to pay particular attention to the drainage ditch and the forest area near that ditch. He was to study this for a moment and return. The sergeant loaned the corporal his binoculars.

  When Corporal Santiago returned, he indicated that he had a good idea of the lay of the land. Sergeant Marino then explained the plan. A few moments later, the corporal left with ten men. He was followed a short time after that by Corporal Federico with another ten men.

  The remaining men gathered as near as they dared and listened intently to the plan.

  ***

  On the hillside beneath the tree, Lieutenant Wilcox studied the movements that he could detect in the forest. He was certain now that he had been right earlier and that the Cuban-Americans had arrived to carry out their mock attack. Using a powerful pair of binoculars, he studied the forest at the point nearest the house where the simulated captives were being held. Once more, the lieutenant thought that he detected a furtive movement.

  “Are they encircling the house?” Pete asked from his position a few feet to the lieutenant’s right.

  “I can’t be certain, but I think I’ve detected faint signs of movement on three sides. The shadows behind the house are so deep I can’t see much of anything there,” the lieutenant replied.

  Pete and the lieutenant had volunteered to act as judges. They had left right after the California captain departed Base 1. The Peacekeeper had dropped them off earlier and would return when the men radioed that the war games were concluded.

  Both Pete and the lieutenant felt it imperative that they get a first hand view of how the Cuban-American team performed.

  Pete placed his binoculars to his eyes and examined the area again. He smiled and said, “You noted the ditch earlier, and you were right. Look toward the east end of the ditch near the woods.”

  “Not bad,” the lieutenant commented when he saw the man low crawling an inch at a time toward the ditch, taking advantage of a fallen log which would conceal his movements from the sight of the base defenders until he was within about six feet of the ditch. He would be visible that last six feet, but if he stayed low, he might make it. They could only see him because they were on the hillside above the line of sight of the defenders. However, once he was past the fallen log he would be in plain sight of the defenders.

  Pete and the lieutenant watched the man a moment longer, but he had stopped his forward movement and seemed to be waiting for something. They noted that another man soon crawled up behind the first and stopped. “They must be waiting for some sort of diversion,” Lieutenant Wilcox speculated and then he said, “I’d wait for nightfall and move a group of men into the ditch.”

  Pete smiled to himself and asked, “Are you sure, Lieutenant? If this was for real, and the women were captive would you really wait knowing that several could be raped or murdered in the meantime?”

  The lieutenant looked troubled but he said, “I wouldn’t like it, Pete, but yes I’m sure I’d wait if I meant to use that ditch as the main frontal attack position.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to go down that way. I think the ditch is a secondary position but not the main attack,” Pete speculated.

  “Why do you say that?” asked the lieutenant perplexed.

  “Call it a hunch,” Pete said. Shrugging he added, “The ditch is a bad position for the main attack. If there are men on the second floor of the main base structure they’d be able to target the men in the ditch fairly easily.”

  Pete had just begun studying the forest again when t
he shooting started. A massive volley of rifle fire erupted at the fringe of the forest facing the house where the majority of the exterior defenders were gathered. The outside guards wouldn’t have stood a chance, and both Pete and the lieutenant considered most of the men as kills. There was generally a survivor or two in such an attack. The lieutenant made a notation on a notepad.

  “Now they are moving into the ditch unopposed. I count ten in the ditch,” Pete said as the lieutenant snapped his field glasses to his eyes and laughed.

  “Something funny?” asked Pete.

  “They are moving in from the rear of the hostage house,” reported the lieutenant. A moment later he said, “They went in a back window.”

  “The men in the ditch are throwing smoke grenades,” Pete reported and grinned.

  “The hostages are out the back of the house and moving into the woods. Two men are maneuvering around the house from each direction toward the front door guards,” the lieutenant stated, and then he said. “One was killed, but the other got both guys as they shot his partner.” The lieutenant made another quick note.

  “I see the survivor. He’s going to throw a smoke grenade inside a window of the main house,” Pete said and then he said, “Count him dead. Rifleman in a second floor window got him. But note the room as all kills. The grenade would have killed the occupants and he got it through the window before the rifleman fired.”

  Shots rang out behind the house then and the lieutenant said, “The men from the captive rescue are returning and using the captive house for cover. They are firing from both sides of the house. Four went inside.