The Hunger Rebellion

by G F Cusack

  If Brand’s spies heard of people escaping the assault, he had not lied. If he told Brand that everyone was killed and it turned out just one person had escaped, Brand would catch him out for lying and that could cost him his life.

  35

  Debs and Pepper arrive at the Farm

  12 September 2202

  Debs had met up with one of the scouts above the Farm. The other two convoys were also stationed outside the Farm, waiting for orders. They had all been briefed on their staging points and had stopped as planned.

  Debs’ first question was, “Has the Company left?”

  “Yes,” the scout said. “From our vantage point, it looked like all the surviving Company troops drove away, heading north.”

  “Have you heard from the other scouts?” Debs asked.

  “Yes, they all reported the same news from their locations. Between us, we estimate that they had between a hundred and a hundred and twenty troops when they left. It was hard to get an exact number because we were all viewing from different directions.”

  The news of the Company’s departure was better than Debs had expected. As they had already left, her plan for the ground assault was no longer needed. That was an advantage. However well prepared the rebels were, if she had needed to attack the Farm, she would have lost some fighters. As a good leader, she cared for her people. Another consideration was that with the recent Company attacks, skilled rebel fighters were becoming harder to find.

  So now they would switch to Plan B. She had already briefed the convoy leaders at the last position. All she had to do was confirm the next move.

  Debs grabbed the radio again. “Hello convoys two and three, we are going to Plan B. Do you understand? We’re going to Plan B.”

  The radios squawked twice in succession. “Convoy two, understood, Plan B.”

  “Convoy three, understood, Plan B.”

  Debs nodded to her assistant Kegan and he left to brief their convoy.

  Plan B was relatively simple. Thirty of her fighters would head north to shadow the Company convoy. She had despatched the vehicles with the most fuel so that they could travel the furthest but their orders were to only observe.

  The main purpose for this tailing force was to locate the Company base. A bonus was that they would provide advance notice if the Company returned for a ground attack on the rebels. The other two convoys were each to send thirty troops to scout out the Farm.

  Debs was suspicious that the Company may have set traps at the Farm. She wouldn’t put it past them to booby-trap the bodies and there was no telling what other surprises were waiting for the rebels.

  The two groups of thirty fighters would approach the burning farm buildings at intervals. They were not just searching for traps but also looking out for any Company troops that may have been left behind on a suicide mission. A secondary mission was to check for any friendly forces who had survived the executions, but this was only a long shot.

  Debs had heard stories about how, days after a mass execution, somebody had crawled out from underneath a pile of corpses. All life was valuable to the rebels and even one survivor would be a bonus.

  It took around fifteen minutes for the scouts to form up, ready to enter the Farm. “Convoy two scouts you are good to deploy,” Debs said over the radio.

  “Convoy two, deploying scouts now.”

  Deb's plan was to stagger the advance. Sending in all sixty scouts could provide superior numbers for an attack in an open field. The problem was that if the Company had left traps or even suicide snipers behind, the more rebels she deployed, the more targets that she would be providing.

  The first scouts reached the farm buildings unhindered, without a single explosion or a shot fired. Instead, an eerie calm hung over the area.

  “Hello, Convoy three, you can now deploy your people,” Debs said.

  “Convoy three, deploying scouts now.”

  The first group had crawled quite a bit, looking for cover while they searched for potential hazards at the same time.

  Although still cautious, the second group approached a little faster, walking in tactical formation, as they headed to the smouldering buildings.

  The first group had already checked all of the bodies. “Any survivors?” Debs asked over the radio.

  Convoy two’s scout leader stated gravely, “No, sorry, everyone is dead.”

  It still seemed crazy to Debs that the Company had destroyed the buildings, killed the people and left all the valuable resources intact. Of course, potentially they had deployed poison or something. The good news was that it looked like the Farm had enough resources for them to survive the winter.

  Debs was preparing to give those remaining in the convoys the order to move in on the Farm. She had planned to stagger their approaches so that each one could set up a defensive position before the next convoy moved in. The last convoy would remain ready to provide a rear guard, giving the others more time to fortify. There was still a chance that the Company convoy would return unexpectedly.

  But then she heard a droning sound from above. Although she didn’t fully recognise the sound, considering the warning of an aerial attack on the compound, it seemed obvious what they were and that the Farm was the next target. Was this part of the plan? The Company had baited the Farm and was now about to bomb it, hoping to catch as many of the rebels in the bombardment as it could. Somehow it knew that her convoys had headed to the Farm and they had planned for this occasion. She didn’t know how many planes were coming or how many bombs they carried but she hoped that the wide-open spaces would favour her people.

  She quickly got on the radio. “Hello, all troops on the ground, all troops on the ground, this is Debs, we have bombers incoming, I say again, we have bombers incoming. Get away from the buildings, get away from the buildings, and get into the fields. If anyone is close to the tree line, get into the woods. Get under cover now!”

  From her vantage point, she could see the fighters below. Jolted into action, fighters were running in every direction, trying to find any modicum of cover. She expected shrapnel bombs to finish off the buildings. Why they would waste munitions on this was unclear – the fires had already done most of the damage. Perhaps they were trying to deprive the rebels of a foundation for rebuilding.

  Whatever their strategy, she needed to get everyone to cover. “Convoys two and three, if any vehicles are not under cover, move them now,” Debs shouted into the handset. “Camouflage as best you can, take cover, we do not know what is coming. Do you hear me, over?” She was talking fast, barely breathing.

  “Convoy two leader, message received, all under control.”

  “Convoy three leader, received all messages and understood, enacting now.”

  At the same time as Debs was on the radio, she was directing her immediate forces. As soon as she released the button on the radio, she shouted frantically, “Disperse the vehicles, get them under cover.”

  Luckily most of the vehicles had remained back in the cover, but a few command vehicles were together out in the open. The drivers quickly gunned their engines and darted under the trees.

  The droning got louder and louder, like a huge swarm of bees. Suddenly a new sound, a whistling sound, started up. Debs had an ominous feeling in the pit of her stomach. More whistling followed.

  Eric looked visibly shaken: he had heard bombs before and they always brought death. Seeing his fear, Debs said, “Although these bombs may do some damage, the wide-open spaces will limit it. Our fighters are spread out and we will survive this.”

  She wasn’t prepared for what happened next. The first bomb hit, exploding into a fireball near the house. The already smouldering buildings now became enveloped in an inferno.

  Debs reacted instinctively. Grabbing the radio, she shouted, “Get out of the fields.” It was now obvious to her that the targets were the valuable crops, but her fighters were in grave danger. “They are using firebombs. Get under water. If you are near any river or water races, submerge
yourself. Do not stay in the open fields, I repeat, do not stay in the fields – try to reach the woods.”

  The heat was suddenly unbearable, the effects devastating. People weren’t merely running around burning – it seemed as though they melted where they stood.

  The two planes flew side by side, leaving a line of devastation behind them. When the fire trail reached the woods, they too exploded. Even being wet from the autumn rain was not enough to protect the trees or the troops they were sheltering against these hell bombs. The fire raged on seemingly unhindered and the flames spread rapidly through the whole Farm area.

  Debs had considered ordering her fighters to open fire at the bombers but they had not had time to deploy heavy weaponry. Any attempt to damage the planes with small arms would just draw attention to themselves. After the planes’ first bombing run, they circled round for another pass.

  She launched herself back into the truck to grab the radio handset. “Anybody who’s not undercover, take cover now and then do not move. They’re looking for survivors. Do not make yourself a target.” With that, she crawled away from the vehicle in case it was the next target.

  The planes seemed to be mainly concerned with surveying their success, however. Before long they headed off northwards.

  Debs was devastated. She had sent her people into the fields, making them easy fodder for the fire. The flames had taken over sixty good fighters. All of the scouts around the buildings were gone plus some other fighters who had been waiting to deploy in the woods. Frank had trained her to expect losses during fighting but this wasn’t fighting, it was a massacre. Just plain murder.

  After she was sure that the planes were not returning and the fires had left nothing but a scorched piece of earth, Debs decide to make her move.

  She called on the other convoy leaders to come to her location. They had to discuss their limited options. Their initial plans had literally just gone up in smoke and she needed to take control and lead the shocked survivors.

  36

  Debs briefs the rebels for the journey north

  12 September 2202

  The mood in the clearing was sombre as Debs prepared to address the convoy leaders. They sat on their packs, waiting for her to speak.

  Slowly and deliberately she began. “It is clear that we cannot stay here. The Company knows of this location. Even if we were to rebuild and fortify it, they could just as easily return and in a few minutes burn this place to the ground. Before today, I had never seen bombs that could create such devastation. I have now and we need to take them seriously.”

  Pepper watched the leader of Convoy two get to his feet. He was older than Debs and quite a bit taller. “What can we do? Where can we go?”

  “That’s a good question, Cenk, and I’m just about to explain,” Debs said impatiently. “Before we left the compound, I had a long discussion with Frank. We talked about our options and discussed worst case scenarios. Most of the plans involved fighting the Company for the resources at the Farm. If the worst happened, he trusted me to think on my feet. I believe you’ll all agree, we’ve reached the worst case scenario.”

  “Clearly no resources are left here, so what do you suggest?” Cenk asked in a challenging tone.

  “Before I explain my plan, let’s take stock of our situation. How many fighters do you have left?” she asked the convoy leaders.

  “I have seventy-six people alive, of whom twenty are badly injured,” Cenk stated coldly.

  “I have eighty people left alive. Eight of them are badly injured and another five in critical condition,” replied Lacey, the leader of Convoy three.

  “With my eighty remaining troops, that brings us to a total of two hundred and twenty fighters capable of fighting and twenty-five injured. And before anyone speaks, I have not forgotten that we have lost over sixty of our brothers and sisters today!” Debs let those numbers sink in.

  “We will head north and meet up with our scouts that are trailing the Company convoy. We will follow the convoy to its base and plunder it for its resources. My plan is simple but is not without risk so I am open to any other reasonable suggestions.”

  Debs had only just finished when Cenk countered. “So to clarify, your plan is to follow a heavily armed convoy belonging to the Company, which has just defeated us, and attack it in its own base?” he said incredulously. “Why not head back to the compound?”

  Debs was prepared for this suggestion. “We left the compound because we had intelligence of proposed attacks on both the compound and the Farm. The attack on the Farm supports our intelligence, so the compound is believed lost. Frank and I discussed the option of returning to the compound after an attack and he believed that the risk of returning to an ambush was too high. As with this location, if the Company is aware of the compound, it is not safe. The convoy will not expect us to follow them though. They will expect us to cower under rocks. We will surprise them. We will go on the offensive.” Debs’ voice, which had been gradually getting louder, was resolute as she finished.

  “The reason they don’t expect this plan is because it’s a crazy plan!” Cenk said. “It’s suicide to attack their base. They are better armed and better supplied.”

  “With the addition of the scouts ahead and the element of surprise, we have a better chance there than staying here and starving. Once Frank knows what has happened here, he will also head north to bolster our numbers.”

  “Why don’t we wait for Frank to come here?” Cenk asked.

  Debs was hesitant to identify Flo as an intelligence source but needed to convince them to follow her. “The intelligence that warned Frank of the attacks will have updated him on our situation. I cannot divulge Frank’s sources as the Company has spies everywhere, but I think we can all agree, the intelligence has been reliable.”

  Cenk murmured under his breath but didn’t say anything further out loud.

  “We will leave ten fighters from each convoy here to care for the injured. Although there are not enough resources for us all to survive, they should be able to scavenge enough for the smaller group. We will also leave any stores that we can spare for their immediate survival. We’ll plan to return for them once we have more resources but a small group will make less of a target and they could survive even if we fail.” Debs waited for any feedback but the group around her remained silent.

  She continued, “I want you to go back and prepare your people. I have been in constant communication with our scouts and the convoy is still heading north. I am currently confident that we will not be heading into an ambush but want to head north before our scouts are too far away for our radios to reach. We will travel in the same convoys as when we came here. I will lead and then Cenk and Lacey will follow at thirty-minute intervals.

  “Yes we want to avenge our losses but the main reason for the assault is to get the resources that will help us survive the winter. I want constant communication between our convoys.”

  “What about the chances of the Company intercepting our signals?” Lacey asked.

  “I am prepared to risk that as I believe the risk is greater if our convoys are separated – we are a more powerful force if we consolidate our numbers. I realise that this is a desperate plan but our options are limited. This is your last chance. Has anyone got any better suggestions?”

  Pepper looked around the group and noted that no one voiced any objections. He wondered how he had ended up here.

  He was now part of a group of freedom fighters, where the dangers just kept on increasing. He longed for the simpler time, as a lone wolf, when he could hide in large groups. Blending in was a tactic he had used time and time again to escape the Company. It was hard enough for someone of his size to avoid standing out, but this group of several hundred fighters that he now belonged to would be much more visible.

  37

  Will briefs Brand on the assault on the Farm

  12 September 2202

  This was the second time today that Will had stood in front of Brand.
At least this time he felt he had better news.

  “Have you news of complete success? Have you got good news for me or do I need to replace you with someone who can succeed?” Brand asked.

  Will was cautious. Brand could be joking about replacing him. But the best way to survive with Brand was to treat nothing he said as a joke. Brand loved his own jokes, but they were his jokes and nobody else was allowed to take part in that comedy.

  “We have successfully destroyed the Farm. The firebombs burned all of their resources, including food supplies. When the bombers arrived, the rebels that had escaped the compound were already at the Farm. I had the planes fly over for a final pass after the bombardment and the rebels that had been seen moving before the bombs were dropped, moved no more. There was no visible movement whatsoever from the planes.” Will stopped as he could see Brand was about to respond.

  “So you are telling me that not one rebel has survived? We have killed all of them, both at the compound and now at the Farm.”

  “I cannot lie,” Will replied. “There may have been a negligible number of escapees. Maybe a dozen in total.”

  “You do well not to lie to me,” Brand said, “because if I find you are lying to me, you will not be living much longer.”

  “I value your trust in me,” said Will, “and that is why I am being honest. In such a large area, the odd person may have avoided detection from the air. The firebombs did exactly what we expected of them. The burning buildings and the bodies of the Farm residents drew the rebels into our killing zone. The firebombs finished off the buildings and everybody in those fields would have been turned to ash. Those bombs create so much heat that it can melt steel girders. Blood and bone stand no chance against that heat.”

  “I suppose you expect some kind of reward, some kind of congratulations for doing your job?” Brand said briskly.