Kildar

by John Ringo

  He'd also figured out who Breslav probably was but he was leaving him for last. He wanted the Chechens to pursue aggressively and he figured they'd need leadership to do that. The snipers intended to take out the mortarmen, especially the team leaders, and as many of the mules as they could before moving out.

  "Lasko, keep an eye on the targets and call," Mike said. "If either one of us goes down, you take over."

  "Got it," the Keldara said, quietly.

  Mike lined up one of the mortar team leaders and carefully stroked the trigger.

  The 7mm round took about a second and a half to cover the distance, by which time Mike had switched targets to the mule the team was loading and Praz had engaged the other team leader.

  "Kildar left and up," Lasko murmured. "Mortarman in cover behind a log. Praz, left, down, bucking mule. Kill, for Kildar, right and down, mule. Kill for Praz, left and up, mortarman."

  The two snipers steadily worked the camp as it exploded in activity.

  "Kildar, Praz, down and right, team trying to get mortar up," Lasko said. "Track right, team attempting to get mortar up."

  "What's the rest of the group doing?" Mike asked.

  "One group, about twenty, is working over to the left," Lasko said. "Track left, machine-gunner setting up."

  Mike tracked left and spotted the team with the assistant gunner just closing the top on the machine gun. The gunner was tracking back and forth, looking for the snipers that were engaging from the hilltop but clearly unable to find them. Mike lined up on his prone body and watched through the scope as the gunner's head exploded. The assistant gunner tried to get the machine gun in action but Praz took him out with a shot to the body.

  "Track right," Lasko said. "They're still trying to get the mortars in action."

  Mike looked at the mortar team, which was surrounded by dead bodies, and shook his head.

  "Stupid brave," he said. They should have moved the mortars out of the open area. He ignored the crew that was slewing the mortar their way and shot the sight away, killing the gunner in the process. Then he hit the AG just as he was lifting one of the rounds into the tube. The round dropped and headed downrange, but it landed well to their right and short, far enough away that the explosion of the round was muffled by the trees.

  "Fuck this," Praz muttered. Shortly afterwards the ready box of ammunition by "his" mortar exploded, sending shrapnel all over the camp, knocking the mortar over and killing most of the crew.

  "Good point," Mike said, lining up the box that the crew had set out by the mortar. There was another box under it for good measure and both were laid far too close to the weapon itself. He put two rounds into the boxes, as the shaken crew was just getting to its feet, before the box finally went up at the third hit.

  "Time to boogie," Mike said, sliding backwards out of the hide.

  They'd sent most of their gear with Killjoy and Otar so the packs were light. They tossed them on and headed down the cut trail towards the valley.

  Mike paused at one point and took up a position by a rock, well in sight of the Chechens. They were starting to get their act together and he wanted none of that. He doffed the ghillie suit and leaned against a boulder, in full view of the group in the distance. He knew he wasn't much of a figure to pick out but it was possible.

  "Lasko," Mike said, "can you see Breslav?"

  Lasko tracked around the camp with the spotting scope and then paused.

  "Upper right quadrant," Lasko said. "South of the stream. Talking with someone."

  "Got it," Mike said. He lased the two men and got a range of twelve hundred meters, tough downhill and with a crosswind. He carefully lined up the man Breslav was talking to and engaged. He had to time the shot between heart pumps since his heart rate was way up.

  "Target. Kill," Lasko murmured. "Breslav has gone to ground behind the tree trunk."

  Mike shot the tree a couple of times just to make his point.

  "We've got company coming up the hill," Praz said.

  "Good," Mike replied.

  "They're engaging," Praz pointed out.

  Mike couldn't hear any bullets nearby, which was fine by him. But he did see an RPG land short of their position and heard a following crack from Praz's rifle.

  "Got the RPG," Praz said.

  "Let's go," Mike replied. "They know where we are at least."

  "They're following," Praz said as they headed down the hill.

  "Good," Mike replied. "Anybody see the main group?"

  "Negative," Praz said as they scrambled down the hill. When they hit the flats they were going to be in the open, fair targets for the pursuing Chechens.

  "Oleg, Oleg, this is Kildar, over," Mike panted into his mike.

  "Kildar, this is Team Oleg, over," Adams replied.

  "We're being pursued by two groups of Chechens," Mike said as they hit the bottom of the hill and crossed the small stream there. "One group is on our hill and in direct pursuit. The main body should be behind them. We'll try to engage from the far tree line and get the two to close up. The mortars might or might not have been taken out. One is definitely down, the other is a possible."

  "Roger," Adams said. "We're in position."

  "Don't let Vil move, yet," Mike said. "We need to have both groups across the valley before he moves."

  "We've got a good view of the valley," Adams said. "You're in view. Speaking of which, so are the guys behind you."

  They were crossing a plowed field with a hint of green showing on it. The farmer was out of his house, plowing in another field. When he saw the camouflage-covered men burst from the trees he dropped the traces of the plow and began running for his house. But not as fast as Mike, Praz and Lasko were running.

  "I am . . . getting tired," Lasko grunted.

  "Gimme your pack and weapon," Mike said, dropping back and pulling the pack off.

  "I can . . . make it . . ." the Keldara replied, struggling to hold onto the pack.

  "Fuck that," Mike said, snatching the pack off the older man's back. "I'm younger and in much better shape for this. Praz, how you doing?"

  "I'm going to die tired," Praz grunted but kept moving.

  "Kildar, be aware, the pursuing group is in view of you," Adams said.

  Mike heard a round crack overhead but they were most of the way across the valley, at least three hundred meters away, and muj shooting was notoriously bad. All they had to do was make it to the tree line.

  "Fuck," Praz grunted, stumbling to his knees and then back up. "Took one in the body armor."

  "You okay?" Mike asked as he slithered down the bank of the main valley stream. It was wide and shallow, easily fordable, instead of the mountain torrent they had crossed on the hillside. For that matter, it offered a moment's cover but they couldn't stay there.

  "Fine," the sniper said, shaking his head. "Let's go."

  They scrambled up out of the stream with rounds cracking around them and darted across the last open area to the woodline, reaching that concealment without anyone getting hit again.

  "Spread out," Mike said, handing Lasko his gear and moving to the east. "We're going to have to shoot and move towards the trail." He dropped behind the stump of a fallen tree and started searching for targets. The Chechen force had moved out into the valley and was running towards them but they were more than four hundred meters back.

  He lined up one guy who was gesticulating and pushing some of the laggards, taking him down. He jacked another round into the Mannlicher and shot the next guy in view.

  Praz was engaged as well and Mike had taken down five targets when the Chechens hesitated and then began running back for the opposite tree line. By the time they'd gotten there, Lasko was finally shooting and before they reached the trees there were twelve bodies scattered on the green field. The farmer's ox, meanwhile, had wandered away to the west, away from the gunfire.

  "Lasko," Mike called. "Move up the hill to the east. Stay concealed as much as you can. Move about thirty meters, find an overlo
ok spot, then call."

  "Yes, Kildar," the Keldara said. Mike could hear him move out, barely; the hunter was remarkably stealthy.

  Mike spotted a Chechen moving on the far hillside and lined him up. He fired and saw the man drop out of sight, dead or at least wounded. Okay, maybe just scared and fast.

  Some of the men on the ground were only wounded and one was crawling back towards the tree line. Mike let him get about thirty meters from the tree line and then carefully shot him in his remaining good leg. The man waved at the tree line for help, dropping back to the ground, then lifting himself up.

  "You're a bastard," Praz said.

  "Wait for it," Mike replied. Sure enough, a Chechen darted out from cover, running to the man's side.

  "Yours," Mike said.

  There was a crack from Praz's rifle and the "rescuer" fell to the ground.

  "Kildar," Lasko said, over the radio. "I am in position."

  "Go, Praz," Mike called. "Leapfrog past Lasko."

  There was a sudden fusillade of shots from the far tree line and another Chechen darted into view. Mike ignored the shots, most of which weren't even making it to their position, and again waited for the Chechen to reach the injured man in the field. This time, though, he shot him as he lifted the man up.

  "You are a bastard," Praz said over the radio. "I'm in my spot. Lasko's well up the hill; don't get in his line of fire."

  Mike pulled out of his position, moving slowly up the hill from bush to bush. The trees gave plenty of concealment but he wasn't willing to take chances at this point.

  "Kildar," Lasko called. "I can see the main force of the Chechens at the opening to the trail. They are closing on your position."

  "Roger," Mike said, swearing faintly. "I'm heading for the trail. You two, keep the second body under fire. When the main force gets fully in view, head straight up the hill to the first switchback."

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Mike quit trying to move slowly, instead going as fast as he could on the steep hillside, moving from one handhold on a tree to another. In a few minutes, he reached the trail and looked out towards the south.

  The main body of the Chechen force was deployed in the field with a machine gun setting up to the west. He dropped to his knees and lined up the machine gun, taking out the gunner and AG and then darting onto the trail. At this point he was about five hundred meters from the Chechens and while he was in sight he was depending upon the distance and moving to avoid being hit. The machine gun might have gotten him, they were better for long distances, but so far the Chechens' personal shooting had been no great shakes.

  He stepped onto the trail and looked back at them, waving his rifle over his head and then putting it to his shoulder. As the group opened fire, he carefully lined up one of the fighters and shot him through the head. Then he turned and ran up the trail. The first bend was less than twenty meters away but by the time he reached it the trees around him were dropping leaves from the flurry of shots.

  The trail was steep and any time he came in view of the valley he took fire so he had to hurry. By the time he got up to the area of the defile, he was puffing and blowing hard.

  "Adams . . ." Mike gasped. "You see me?"

  "Got you in view, man," Adams replied evenly. "Come on through."

  Mike looked up the hillside from the defile as he ran through but even knowing there was an ambush up there, it was hard for him to spot the positions. Adams had apparently spent the night carefully laying in the ambush and the Keldara positions were fully covered and bunkered. The most noticeable thing was that much of the vegetation on the uphill side of the defile was gone. But even the places where there had been scrub had been filled in with fallen leaves so it looked nearly natural; the fact that they were firelanes was almost impossible to spot. A few lumps at the base of trees were probably claymores covered by fallen leaves but Mike couldn't spot so much as one bit of wiring or detcord. It was unlikely the Chechens would spot the ambush until it was triggered.

  "When you get to the next switchback, Otar will guide you into your hide," Adams said.

  "Where are the bad guys?" Mike asked, slowing down. The high rock wall gave him all the cover he needed.

  "There are three groups," Adams said. "The group that was to the west that was chasing you is moving over to the main group. That's split with one group headed for the trail and another heading straight up the hill. I don't see any sign of the mortars."

  "Russell, you there?" Mike asked.

  "Here, boss," the Ranger replied.

  "Can you see what's going on?"

  "Negative, we're on the back side of the hill to lead Vil in."

  "Send Vanim on a sneak over to the other side of the hill," Mike said after a moment. "Tell him to see if he can spot the mortars. If they open up, definitely try to spot them. We don't want them engaging Vil's group, especially. You two may have to take them out."

  "Will do," Russell replied.

  Mike trotted through the rest of the defile, reaching the switchback in a couple of minutes.

  "Kildar," Lasko said, rising out of the bushes as he reached the bend.

  "Good to see you," Mike said. "Where's Otar?"

  "He is in the hide," the Keldara replied, turning up the trail. "With Sergeant Praz."

  Mike followed the Keldara up the trail until he paused and turned down the hill. They slid down a steep portion which stopped at a level spot. As Mike hit the level spot, he realized it was hollow. The bunker was so well camouflaged, he hadn't realized it was there until he was standing on it.

  "Nice," he said as a spider hatch opened in the back.

  "Come on in," Praz said, grinning. "All the comforts of home. These Keldara can dig like motherfuckers."

  The bunker was deep and wide, with a central firing area and two basementlike wings. It was a sizeable construction to be completed overnight. The top was covered with tree trunks and the firing holes were small; Mike wasn't sure even a mortar could do much to it other than from a direct hit on delay. Maybe not even then.

  Despite its size it was crowded with Praz, Lasko, Killjoy, Otar, the two Keldara who had apparently constructed it and Mike. The Keldara were loaded down with ammo vests, body armor and helmets, ready for a solid fight. They didn't look scared, however, just eager.

  "Good to see you," Mike said to the Keldara in the bunker. "Nice place you've got here," he added, shaking their hands.

  "It is much like the shelters we make when out tending the sheep in summer pasture," Lasko said, looking around. "Stronger, but much the same."

  "All it took was a little digging," one of the Keldara said, shrugging. "We worked in teams with one team cutting trees and bringing them down to the bunkers and the other team doing the digging."

  "Adams," Mike said, peering out of the bunker and seeing nothing but the end of the trail and trees, "I'm blind up here. What you got?"

  "Main body is on the trail," Adams replied. "The second group is moving up the hill. They're not moving very fast. They shot up the woodline before they got there and have been crawling up ever since. I think the main body will get to the defile before they do at this rate."

  "I should have brought up the mortars," Mike said over the radio.

  "Nielson thought of that," Adams said, somewhat smugly. "They're up on the ridgeline with the heavy instructors, a team of females to handle them and a security team of instructors."

  "Glory be," Mike said. "Russell, you hear that?"

  "Heard it, boss," the Ranger replied. "When's Vil going to move?"

  "Not until we spring the ambush," Mike said. "What's the status with Vanim?"

  "I am on the far side of the hill, Kildar," the Keldara answered, quietly. "One of the mortars is set up in a clearing near the end of the trail. I do not know how to say it better than that."

  "Peters, you on this circuit?" Mike asked.

  "Roger, Kildar," the heavy-weapons NCO answered.

  "Talk Vanim over to another channel," Mike said. "Th
en use him to adjust the mortars. Can do?"

  "Can do," Peters replied.

  Mike ignored the conversation as the NCO carefully explained how to change frequencies. He was blind as a bat and that bothered him. All he could see was the end of the defile.

  "Kildar," Adams said. "The main body has reached the defile. The second group is heading up the hill but they're about a hundred meters below it and the slope is steepening out. You're actually one of the security positions and I'm a little worried about that group. Don't let them sweep around you."