by W. R. Benton
“You'd have to pass up some known items, just to keep them from knowing you have compromised their computer security system.”
“What you say is true, but we're putting the cart before the horse. First, we have to attack the gulag and base, rescue some programmers and hackers, and then gain access to a computer with electrical power.”
“Then why attack? We don't have electricity and never will.” Skeeter asked.
“My civil engineers and others claim we can use batteries, and the computer folks we have assure me a working computer is not only possible, but available. It seems the commander before Willy, I don't remember his name, had computers and electrical power for a period of time.”
“The commander was Colonel Parker, sir.” John said.
“Yes, that's the man's name.”
“What time do we attack?” Skeeter asked.
“Tomorrow night at 0200 hours.”
CHAPTER 19
The next evening, at the Russian hospital on Edwards, Major Rusak was arguing with a doctor over his condition. Finally, the angry doctor threw his clipboard on a table and said, “Go on, get the hell out of here, Major, but do not come back crying to us when your pain gets severe.”
“I have vodka for pain, doctor, so I will be fine, and what of my flying friend, Paley? He too wishes to return to his unit.”
“Captain Paley is to be released back to flying tomorrow and as far as I am concerned, you can take his big mouth with you tonight when you leave.”
“Great and thank you, sir.”
“Just leave, Major, and let me get back to my work.” the doctor replied, picked up his clipboard and left the room.
Gathering what little he had, but making sure he had the quart of vodka, Rusak made his way to Paley's room.
Seeing the newly promoted Captain Paley sitting on the edge of his bed, Rusak said, “Captain, grab your belongings, we are leaving, and now! Both of our charts have been closed by Doctor Pajari and we are free to go, unless you want to stay here.”
“Hell no, I will go, but give me a few minutes to gather what little I have. Let us go back to my quarters and have a few drinks.”
“Sure, that sounds good to me.”
At 2200 hours, they were both in Paley's new quarters and drinking vodka. Paley, loud as usual, asked, “How does it feel to be a Major?”
“I am treated better, but I do not see another promotion in my future. I am too outspoken and I do not play officer politics at all.”
“Then I am screwed, because I do not know about the politics and have no urge to play the game. I just want to fly.”
Rusak laughed and then said, “You mean fly and steal.”
“I am guilty of trading, but I have never stolen anything.”
“What about the pallet of plywood that was being lifted into the air when a full Colonel caught you?”
“How was I to know someone owned the wood? It was sitting out in the middle of nowhere and unguarded.” the pilot said with a straight face.
“From what I heard, it was inside the supply units fenced in area and you were helping yourself.”
“Major, I take care of my troops and I saw plywood sitting there that my people needed. I do not take for personal gain, but to help my men and women. Our unit had wood on order for over nine months and when it came in, a Colonel decided he needed to fix his personal quarters up better. That was our wood I was taking.”
“Any legal action taken against you?”
Paley grinned and replied, “No and there will not be. Colonel Dubow told me he wiped my slate clean the day he pinned the rank of Captain on me. The Colonel, a man named Popoff, is dead now anyway and cannot press charges.”
“Keep your nose clean, fly like you should, and I see no reason you will not make Major.”
Glancing at his watch, Paley said, “I hate to break up the party, but I need to get some rest. I have to report to the unit in the morning and I am sure they will have some busy work for me to do.”
As the two shook hands, Rusak said, “Get some rest. I am still confined to my bed, so I can sleep in, but we both know that will not happen.” Breaking his grip with the newest officer in the unit, the Major made his way out the door, more than a little drunk. He heard Paley yell a late goodbye.
At ten minutes after 0200 hours, the world around Rusak and Paley turned bright, which awoke the Major, and then came the screams. Climbing from his bed, his vision messed up by the alcohol he'd had, he picked up the vodka bottle and took another big swig to kill his aches. Bottle still in hand, he made his way to his door and opened it.
A small stream of burning fuel ran by the wooden steps leading to his quarters and when he looked uphill, the whole area was in flames. A big siren mounted on a blazing telephone pole, was blaring an attack warning. That loud sonofabitch is a bit late, Rusak thought and he turned, tossed the bottle on his bunk and picked up his weapons. He'd just placed his helmet on, when a loud explosion sounded, followed by more screams.
Paley, who was only three buildings down, arrived and yelled, “What in the hell is going on?”
“The siren indicates we are under attack, but I see no one.”
“We need to move quickly away from this flowing fuel. It is only a matter of time before it reaches our quarters.”
Picking up the vodka and stuffing it inside his shirt, Rusak asked, “Any ideas where to go?”
“Angle off away from the flames and move up hill, maybe. Down this hill is where all the fuel will gather and a good number of aircraft are located there.”
There was a huge explosion and a gigantic mushroom cloud of flames and smoke rolled into itself over where the munitions storage area once existed. Looking at the blast, Rusak found it was possible to see individual bodies as they flew through the air.
Paley screamed to be heard over the smaller blasts, sirens and screams of help, “I warned the Operations Officer about outside storage of munitions! Too many bombs stored out in the open.”
“Move toward headquarters and let us see what in the hell is going on.” Rusak yelled back.
Red and green tracers flew over their heads as they made their way to the base commanders office. Most of the tracers were coming into the base, which indicated they were in fact under attack by a large group of partisans.
At Colonel Dubow's building, runners were moving in and out. Paley and Rusak entered, moved to the Colonel's office, and waited as the man screamed orders over a radio. He then read some papers handed to him by a runner and said, “Impossible, tell him to fight with the men he has.”
“Colonel, a guard reports the hospital is in flames, sir.” the radio operator said.
“Damn me, can anything else go wrong?”
“The operations officer says he got about fifty percent of the aircraft in the air, but that burning fuel is threatening the remainder.”
Paley looked at Rusak and said, “Come, we will take a helicopter ride.”
“I do not know how to fly.”
“I do, so come with me, and maybe we can save another aircraft.”
Out the door they ran and when they were clear of the buildings, a series of loud explosions were heard near the gulag. Tracers were still flying overhead, but now a chopper was in the fight, and sending short bursts of machine-gun fire into the gulag complex.
“There, off our right is a Ka-60, so climb in. You will need to hook yourself into a harness, so if we take a hit you are not thrown from the aircraft.”
A maintenance crew was at the start cart and looking nervous as they waited for a crew to arrive. Paley yelled, “I am Captain Paley and a pilot, so I will take this bird into the air.”
“I will go with you!” a young Lieutenant said and then continued, “My name is Gura, Lieutenant Gura, and I am a co-pilot.”
“Climb aboard, Lieutenant and let us get this thing in the air before the fuel burns us all to death. Major, you will find a headset hanging near the door, so put it on when you board and keep it on so
you can hear us speak to you.”
“I understand.” Rusak said and moved to the opening where the gunner sat.
Ignoring most checklist procedures, Paley began flipping switches and turning knobs as the burning fuel grew near. When it was about ten feet from him the rotors began to turn. Five minutes later, the ground crew gone and fuel within inches of his wheels, he raised the aircraft. Rusak, who'd seen the fire move under the aircraft was in a near panic when he heard the Captain say, “We are clear of the fire and I intend to stay that way. Rusak, I know you outrank me, but on this chopper I am the boss, understood?”
“Sure, what do you need me to do?”
“Fire at any partisans you see and if I point you at a target, take it out.”
“Let us do it.”
As they flew over the base, Rusak saw the main base, flight line and part of the gulag appeared to be in flames.
“Good God, how many men and women have burned to death in all of this?” Rusak asked, not realizing the two up front heard him speak.
“Most of the barracks for the troops are in flames and they would have been asleep. I am afraid, Major Rusak, heads will roll when Moscow hears of this.”
“To hell with Moscow, what of my men and women? How many are dead and who was the bright ass that put the fuel storage tanks on that hill?”
“Some engineer, but it matters little. There, near the fence line by the gulag, do you see the partisans?”
“Got them.” Rusak replied and pulled the trigger on his machine-gun. He moved the barrel of the big gun from side-to-side and saw many of the partisans fall.
“Near the hospital, see the group near the front door? Take them out now!” Paley yelled on the radio. One short burst from his machine-gun and the men near the door were down, so he fired into them once again, to make sure they stayed down.
A LAW or RPG flew past the chopper, missing by inches and it brought the Major back to the present. Out of instinct, he started looking for threats. Bullets pinged sharply and made loud thud sounds as they punched holes in the thin skin of the chopper.
Lieutenant Gura suddenly screamed over the radio and when Rusak glanced at the cockpit, the left side of the co-pilots face was in shreds and his eye was laying on a mangled cheek. The windshield in front of the man was shattered and blood was dripping from the armrest to the floor.
“Paley, is Gura dead?”
“No, but he may soon be, because I am staying in the air as long as we have fuel. There, near the town are a bunch of escaping prisoners.”
“I will not fire on them, Captain, orders or not. Feel free to report me, if you wish. There, near the motor pool, at your ten o'clock position. I count an even dozen members of the resistance.” The Major brought the big gun into play again, knocking all the partisans over, where they lay kicking and jerking. There came a loud bang, followed by cursing by Paley, and the aircraft began to shudder.
“Major Rusak, we are going to have to land, but it will not be a smooth landing. But first, I am going to try and put some distance between us and this base. I cannot tell who is friendly down there and who is not, so I am heading toward Jackson.”
Half way to the big city, the aircraft started falling apart and Rusak saw a large sheet of metal fly past the open door near his gun. Over head a few wires suddenly burst into flames, so the Major squirted them with his fire extinguisher and they went out, leaving the smell of burnt rubber in the compartment.
“What was that?” Rusak asked.
“What are you talking about?”
“Wires overhead started burning.”
“Uh, I have no idea, but I am going to have to put us down and do the job within the next few minutes. The instrument console is lit up in lights, but mostly with red lights. On the canvas seats you will find a lap-belt, so put it on tightly.”
“Is Lieutenant Gura still alive?”
“I have no idea, and I have been too damned busy to check. We will check him out if we walk away from my landing. Brace yourself, we are going down.”
Looking out the side-doors, Rusak saw they were lowering straight down to land in a large field or that's what he thought in the darkness. All went well until the last three or four feet when the engine stopped running and they fell hard to the ground. Impact was hard and the aircraft half rolled, then righted itself. Smoke and dust filled the cabin and made seeing difficult.
Paley stuck his head around and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Fine, except my back hurts.”
“Mine too. Our friend, Lieutenant Gura, is dead. I think he bled out while we were fighting. Now, we need to egress this thing and make for the woods. Under your seat you will find a survival kit; bring it with you.”
Rusak grabbed the kit and made for the trees. His lower back pained him and he had a long cut on his left forearm from wrist to elbow. They'd just entered the trees when there came a swoosh and the chopper burst into flames.
“I turned all the switches to off, but I suspect the engine was too hot and it caused the fire.”
A loud explosion was heard and when the Major glanced at the chopper, very few pieces remained on the ground, because the blast had blown most of the aircraft into the air. Pieces began to fall and for a minute, it was raining helicopter, which brought a loud giggle from Paley.
Feeling the vodka in his shirt, Rusak removed it, took a long drink and then handed it to the pilot. Paley took a long snort, passed it back and said, “We need to stay sober out here, so that was for pain. I suggest we move toward the road and wait for a convoy to come by so we can hitch a ride back to what remains of Edwards.”
“Well, we helped a little.” Rusak said, and he picked up the survival kit and opened it. Inside he found enough gauze pad to wrap his injured arm. Then, turning he asked “Any injuries?”
“My back is really bothering me and my neck. I suspect it was the g-forces from the impact when we landed. But, no, nothing bleeding like you.”
“The only weapon I have is my pistol.”
“That is all I have for protection, too. I am not real worried about partisans, because I honestly feel most of them are attacking the base right now. I have never seen so many at one time. Here, I brought two sets of NVG's from the helicopter. Put this on.” Paley handed him a set of goggles.
“What do you think caused the helicopter to vibrate like it did? That scared the hell out of me at the time.” Rusak asked after he donned the goggles as they moved toward the main road.
“I think the main rotor blade took a hit and we were lucky it did not just fly apart on us.”
“Not good. I think and hope this was my last battle in the air. Give my old ass the ground any time, because I can dig a hole in the gro—.”
“Be quiet.” Paley whispered and then pushed Rusak to one knee, “I heard someone.”
Rusak turned his head, scanning the countryside cautiously. A few minutes later, he pointed to a group of ragged men and women walking down a well used trail. Due to the NVG's the scene was in pale green and shades of white. Some looked to be injured, while others obviously were, because they were packed on a stretcher. Both Russians remained still and when Rusak glanced back at the chopper, dense black smoke rose to the dark sky and while the Americans might come looking, he didn't think so. The battle had taken the fight out of most of them and they simply looked tired.
They sat unmoving for over thirty minutes, to allow the partisans to leave the area completely. During that time, Rusak wondered if he'd ever return home to his wife Esfir and their small apartment. He'd written her about his promotion and the increase in pay was huge, more than double his old Master Sergeant pay, but already she must have seen his pay in the bank. He could imagine her surprise when she'd seen the deposit amount. Maybe as an officer, he could now start showing her the standard of living she so richly deserved. He knew she'd continue saving the money, so they could add to the small nest egg they'd saved over the years. He could easily live on half his Major pay and save the res
t for a bad day.
Paley elbowed him and said, “Let us move closer to the road. Now, when we flag down a ride, do not move too quickly or pull a gun or they will likely shoot our asses. The guards will be nervous and even more so now that Edwards was attacked.”
Hours passed and while they kept looking for more partisans, they saw no one. An hour after sunrise a single motorcycle passed and Paley said, “Move to the road and stand at the side. There will be a convoy coming soon now. I suspect the cyclist was pulling point for them.”
As the Captain predicted, a convoy soon came into view. The first few trucks passed, but then a staff car pulled to the side and both men ran to the doors. A back door opened and a voice said, “Get in here gentlemen, and we will talk.”
Climbing in, it took Rusak a minute or two to realize he was sitting next to a Major General, so he quickly sat at attention. Paley, unsure what was going on, glanced around the Major and then did the same.
“Relax, gentlemen, because I suspect you have had a long night. Was it your helicopter that went down last night near this road?”
“Yes, sir. Edwards was attacked and we fought as long as we could, but I eventually had to leave the area due to battle damage.” Captain Paley replied.
“How did it look when you left?”
“Not good, sir. Burning fuel was running down a slight incline and it torched everything I could see. We got airborne just seconds before our aircraft would have been engulfed by flames.”
“Then you are a hero, both of you, and today we need heroes. I was on a staff assistance visit to Jackson when I heard of the attack. I wanted to visit and see for myself how a bunch of civilians could do so much damage to our army. Do either of you have any ideas?”
Careful, Rusak thought, he is trolling for reasons we lost the fight. It very well may be Dubow and his men will be shot for failure.
Paley said, “Sir, most of Moscow seems to forget these Americans are all, or most anyway, born with a gun in their hands. Many of them are successful hunters and then when you add their veterans, you have the largest unorganized army in the world. Well, they are organized now.”