Alarm of War v-1

by Kennedy Hudner

  Brill waited until they were in the open, spoke into his radio and ducked lower in his spider hole as the Blues in the trees opened fire from behind the attackers. The Gold commander ordered his men to wheel around and return fire, and that was when the main Blue force emerged from their spider holes for the second time that day and caught them unawares. Only ten Green and Gold troops escaped back to their base.

  “Nice job, Hiram! That was great!” Emily shouted to Brill. She couldn’t stop smiling. Her face was smudged and dirty and her teeth gleamed white against the dirt. She had commanded one of the teams that ambushed the last attackers from behind. She was exhausted and exhilarated all at once.

  Sergeant Kaelin joined them. “Well, recruit, the odds were two-to-one against you, and you pulled it off,” Kaelin said, nodding in pleasure as he looked over the “dead” Green and Gold troops. “What made you think up that plan?”

  Brill, who had not moved more than a hundred feet in the entire battle, looked sweat-soaked and haggard. His eyes were a little too bright and he spoke rapidly. “They key was that we have fought against the Green and Gold companies before.” He waived his notebook in the air. “Green Company has always been bold and aggressive, while Gold has been cautious and methodical.” Brill smiled in satisfaction. “I figured that the two commanders would not work well together and that with some pressure, their command and control would go to hell. I hoped if I could split them up, spread them out by making them chase us through the woods, we could whittle them down to size.”

  Sergeant Kaelin nodded. “That was a good job, Brill.” He looked at him for a long moment, pausing as if he were going to say something more, then abruptly turned and left. Emily turned back to Brill.

  “All honor to you, Hiram! By my life! It worked like a charm!” She laughed and hugged him. He shook his head somberly.

  “You know what, Em?” he said softly, so that only she could hear. “I didn’t know if it would work, I really didn’t.” He swallowed and lowered his chin. “I mean, I thought it should work, but I was so scared. Once I sent you out to harass them, all I could do was sit and wait to see what would happen. Gods of Our Mothers, I waited for hours before I had a clear picture of what was going on, and even then I was afraid to believe it.” He smiled weakly. “Harder than it looks, Em. Harder than it looks.”

  And that, Emily thought at the time, was the lesson of the day.

  There were more missions, and sometimes Blue Company came out on the losing end. Through it all, Emily kept her head down and her mouth shut, anxious not to rile Sgt. Kaelin. A couple of times he made her the officer for a tactical problem, but they were relatively simple and straightforward, focusing more on logistics and movement than combat. She performed the tasks competently and that was that.

  Chapter 10

  P.D. 948

  The Recruit

  At Victorian Fleet Training Facility on Aberdeen

  One morning late in the third month of training, Sergeant Kaelin assembled Blue Company and told them to stand at ease.

  “Alright, most of you know that in five days this training cycle ends and you will rotate to specialized Fleet Training. On that day you will officially become “Cadets” instead of mere recruits. You will begin classes in line with your long-term assignments within the Fleet. Today,” he paused to consult the clipboard he held, flipping several pages before coming to the one he wanted. “Okay, today there is a light schedule in the morning at the weapons range. You’ll be brought back here for your mid-day meal and this afternoon you’ll begin packing your equipment, tagging anything that needs maintenance. Report out front in fifteen minutes with your rifle and two battery packs. No other equipment is needed.” He closed his clipboard with an audible ‘snap.’ “Recruit Skiffington is in charge of the Company for today’s activities. That is all! Dismissed!”

  Beside her, Cookie gave a “Whoop!” and grinned broadly. “We are almost outta here! I finally get rid of you candyass Navy pukes and start Marine training.” She turned and started back to the barracks to get her equipment.

  Emily laughed and started to join her, then caught sight of Brill. She hesitated. Brill was frowning.

  “What?” she demanded. “Aren’t you glad we’re getting out of here? Don’t you want to start all those intelligence school courses you’ve been waiting for?”

  Brill glanced at her and then back to the main yard, where transport trucks were already pulling up to take them to the weapons range. “How many days off have we had, Em?”

  “What?” she said, confused. “Come on, lighten up, Hiram. What’s your problem?”

  “Three days,” he said, answering his own question. “We’ve been here for three months, and in that entire time they have given us three days with no training. Now, with five days left of training, they tell us we have light training today and nothing but packing and cleaning for the rest of the week. Don’t you find that a little…” he groped for the right words, “…too good to be true?”

  Emily sucked in a breath, thinking furiously. Five days left…five days to put them in the field, five days to…

  “Oh, damn!” She turned and glared in the direction of the Administration Building, where Sgt. Kaelin kept his office.

  “What’s with you two?” It was Cookie, who had come back to see what was keeping them.

  “Hiram thinks it’s all bullshit. If he’s right, instead of rifle range, we are going to be sent on a major exercise.” Emily quickly explained it. Cookie whirled on Brill.

  “Goddammit, tell me you’re makin’ this up!” she said accusingly.

  Hiram shrugged. “Think about it. They put us into the field with little ammo, no food or water, then they throw something big at us. It’s perfect, in a gruesome sort of way. Catch us unawares. Lot of stress, have to think on our feet.” He shrugged again. “Think of it as Sgt. Kaelin’s special graduation present as we go off to Fleet School.”

  “Aw, bugger me,” Cookie moaned.

  In the Administration Building across the field, Sgt. Kaelin stood in the window, watching them through a pair of binoculars.

  “You are a mean sonofabitch,” you know that, Sergeant?” Major Korber said pleasantly.

  “I never disagree with the Major, sir.”

  Korber snorted derisively. “Have they figured you out, Sergeant? Will they escape the full emotional trauma of the dirty trick you are playing on them? Or are they going to be thoroughly and irrevocably screwed, like the last class?”

  Kaelin scanned the field once again with the binoculars. “Well, sir, I think some of them sense that something is not quite right.”

  Major Korber leaned forward. “Really? Who?”

  “Brill, Sir.”

  Korber looked blank.

  “The smart one. The guy who completely buggered Green and Gold two weeks ago. He’s talking to Tuttle.”

  “Ah, the history major. Is she smart enough to figure it out?”

  Kaelin grinned ruefully. “Yes, sir. She’s plenty smart. I haven’t thrown much at her yet. Been saving her for this.”

  Korber gestured for the binoculars. Kaelin handed them over and the Major peered through them. “Okay, I see Brill. Looks like a bloody accountant, doesn’t he? I recognize Sanchez. She already looks like a Marine.” He moved the binoculars a fraction. “Is that Tuttle?” He snorted. “She’s tiny, for Christ’s sake.” He lowered the binoculars, his smile gone, and his tone serious. “Is she tough, Andy?” he asked, using the Sergeant’s Christian name.

  Kaelin shrugged. “Well, sir, that’s what this mission is intended to find out, isn’t it?”

  “Has any group ever successfully completed this mission?”

  “No, sir. Always a first time, though.”

  Korber pursed his lips. “Who is the officer of the day?

  Kaelin grinned wolfishly. “Skiffington.”

  Korber shook his head in dismay. “You’ve got a mean streak, Andy.

  On the parade field, Emily checked her watch:
ten minutes left. Grant Skiffington was nearby. She ran to him. “Hey, Skiff! Hold up! There’s a real good chance this is a setup for a surprise mission. You should tell everyone to wear full battle rattle. Extra food and batteries.”

  Skiffington stopped and turned to her. He smiled condescendingly. “And you made the jump from a morning at the rifle range to a surprise mission how, exactly?”

  “Hiram thinks they’re going to send us on a major exercise.”

  Skiffington pursed his lips and nodded. “Ah, well,” he said sarcastically. “If Brill says it, it must be so, right?” He looked tall and fit and more like a soldier than Brill, and the contrast of the two of them standing side by side somehow made Brill’s hunch sound like a feeble joke.

  “Sergeant Kaelin would never give us five days of light duty,” Brill said defensively. Emily winced.

  Skiffington laughed then, the tone hovering on the edge of outright scorn. “You want everyone to carry thirty extra pounds because the Sergeant is being nice? You sound like the lunatic fringe, you know that?”

  Two bright spots appeared on Brill’s cheeks. Cookie Sanchez pushed forward, thrusting her face close to Skiffington’s. “Show a little respect, you piece of shit,” she growled. “While you busy getting’ our asses shot off time after time, Hiram here is the guy who took out two enemy companies. You got balls, Skiffy, I give you that, but you ain’t got the brains of a gnat. Hiram is smart, you hear? If he says the Sergeant is about to mess with us, that’s good enough for me.”

  Emily looked at Cookie in surprise. This was something more than a person just defending a friend. There was a distinct whiff of ownership in her tone and body language. Skiffington’s gaze flickered from her to Brill and back again. A little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Well,” he drawled. “Who would have guessed? The notebook geek and the Amazon lady.”

  Emily could sense Cookie sliding towards a fight. “It’s just a smart precaution, Skiff,” Emily said quietly, hoping to defuse the situation. The other members of Blue Company were looking at each other. Not a few laughed. Some look concerned. But Skiffington was in command, and he did not like anyone to disagree with him in public.

  Skiffington snorted in amusement. “We’re going to the rifle range. Bring whatever gear you want, just don’t complain about how heavy it is later.”

  An hour later Blue Company assembled at the rifle range. As they assembled, about thirty of them wore full battle gear. Sergeant Kaelin shook his head wonderingly.

  “I see that some of you recruits are either hard of hearing, just plain stupid, or gluttons for punishment,” he remarked sarcastically. Emily wasn’t sure, but she could have sworn he glanced at her as he said it. She felt a little flicker of doubt. What if she was wrong? Screw it, she thought. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Cookie glanced at her, gave a reassuring wink. Brill kept his eyes fixed straight ahead, his jaw set.

  After ninety minutes of target practice, Sergeant Kaelin blew his whistle and shouted, “Cease fire! Cease fire! Blue Company, load up by platoon on the trucks. Back to base for lunch, then we start to pack up the Company equipment. Get a move on, people!”

  As they boarded the trucks, Skiffington shot her an “I told you so” look, then they were headed back to camp, down a long gravel spur that led to the main camp road. Emily’s transport was third in a row of five trucks. As the truck lurched and bounced along, Emily glanced at her watch. Just coming on noon; her stomach was grumbling with hunger. She looked at Brill. He shrugged apologetically. “Sorry,” he said, a little sheepishly.

  “Don’t you go be sorry, sugar,” Cookie said from the other side of the truck. “It ain’t over yet. We got ourselves ten miles or more on this back road. Good ambush territory. You keep your safety off and your eyes peeled.”

  Emily laughed out loud. Of course! “Hey, folks,” she called to the others. “Weapons ready! Keep your eyes on the trees for bad guys.” The others in the truck collectively blinked. Three shook their heads in disgust and went back to talking, but the rest dutifully unlimbered their rifles and turned in their seats to keep watch outward.

  The ambush came two miles later. Shots rang out from a copse of woods and the first truck skidded to a halt. Inside men were already screaming from being hit, and two recruits were flashing a cheerful fluorescent orange.

  “Now we’re havin’ fun!” Cookie whooped, firing into the woods. Hiram Brill turned to Emily. “Thank God,” he breathed. And Emily surprised herself by thinking: The road is closed. They’ll have ambush teams all along the road.

  It was over in fifteen minutes. Skiffington quickly organized his troops and charged into the ambush site. The ambushers — it turned out to be Green Company — faded back into the forest, leaving behind several dead and wounded. The first truck in the convoy had been hit the worst: four dead, ten wounded. Skiffington returned from pursuing the ambushers, grinning broadly, his rifle cradled in his arms. “Looks like we’re going to get some fun out of this day after all,” he told Emily. She glared at him, annoyed that he did not even have the good grace to apologize for his earlier behavior. Skiffington could care less; he was just happy to be fighting again.

  Scowling darkly, Kaelin called on the survivors to assemble in front of him.

  “All right, everybody take a knee and listen up. Lesson of the day: Be prepared!” He glanced around sourly. “You all should know that by now. You think the enemy is going to send you a nice little note, ‘Excuse me, but we are going to attack you tomorrow at noon?’” He shook his head angrily. “Why in God’s name do you think we practiced all those ambushes? You want to take the enemy by surprise! Well guess what, people, the enemy wants to take you by surprise, too! We are training you for war, people! Not for a day at the target range. War! Stay alert or die!”

  He took out a map tacked to a piece of poster board. “Okay, new orders!” He pointed to the bottom of the map. “You are here, about two miles from the main road. The main road leads you due east to the Dunloe River, then follows the river as it curves back north and northwest to the Killarney Bridge. Total distance is forty miles.”

  Emily could see the map. The river road described a huge ‘S’, bending counter-clockwise until it reached the Killarney Bridge, where it then crossed the Dunloe River and turned northeast. They were at the bottom of the ‘S’. It would be a lot shorter to go in a straight line, but the terrain was a mix of bogs and steep hills. Sgt. Kaelin started talking again and she gave him her full attention.

  “Blue Company’s mission is to secure the river crossing for Gold Company. Gold Company is leading a convoy of trucks that have to reach the Four Corners crossroads-” He pointed to a spot two miles past the Killarney Bridge. “For you to fulfill your mission, the trucks have to be at the Four Corners twenty-four hours from now. Enemy forces hold the Killarney Bridge. Channel 3 on your radios have been assigned to you, and Channel 4 to Gold Company. You’ll be able to speak to Gold Company when they are within five miles of you.”

  He turned to Grant Skiffington. “Mr. Skiffington, you have your orders! I will be along as an observer only. You will handle the mission as you deem fit. As a little added incentive, the side that wins the exercise gets two weeks leave before having to start Fleet School.” That triggered an undercurrent of excited murmurs and at least one unabashed cheer.

  To Emily’s dismay, Skiffington ordered everyone back on to the trucks. Emily stepped close to him, speaking in a low voice.

  “Skiff, the road is going to be blocked. They’ll have ambush teams all along it.”

  “And now that we know they’re there, we’ll be ready for them. Relax, Tuttle. Once we blow through their ambushes and get behind them, we’ll have a fast run to the bridge.”

  Emily thought that if she were defending the bridge, she would have ambushes set up every mile. With every attack, Blue Company would be whittled down just a little more, until the force that reached the bridge would not be strong enough to do anything. “Skiff, take a look at the map,�
� she said urgently. “We can cut cross-country-”

  “Mr. Skiffington!” Sgt. Kaelin bellowed. “You have a mission to accomplish! Take that bridge!”

  Skiffington smiled sardonically. “Their playin’ our song, Tuttle. Time to move.” He put his map back into its pouch. “Everybody on the trucks!” Skiffington shouted. “You, too, Tuttle.”

  Emily walked back to her truck, her face red and lips pressed together. “Got a problem, Tuttle?” Sgt. Kaelin asked her. She wheeled on him angrily.

  “You’re supposed to be an observer here, Sergeant! Why are you egging him on like that?” she demanded.

  The Sergeant shrugged eloquently. “Always somebody egging you on, Tuttle. Get used to it.”

  They reached the river road, turned north, and promptly hit an ambush in force. Emily guessed there must have been thirty or more soldiers shooting at them. Skiffington tried to organize a sharp counter-attack, but everyone was so pinned down it took time. They finally drove off the ambushers, who were forced to leave behind one smiling recruit. She blinked a cheerful orange and waved at them. All told it cost Blue Company five dead, seven wounded and delayed them for three hours.

  Emily again implored Skiffington to leave the road. “They are going to nibble us to death if we stay on the road! When we make it — if we make it — we won’t have enough troops left to take the bridge.”

  Skiffington paused, dug out his field map and inspected it. Emily pointed out an alternate route, cutting across country. “This is not an easy walk,” she said, “but we’ll be hard for them to find in these hills, away from this damn road. With a little luck, we might surprise them.”

  Sgt. Kaelin frowned and looked at his watch. “Time’s running out, Mr. Skiffington. You are the commanding officer. You’ve got a mission to accomplish and a lot of ground to cover before you can do it. What are you going to do?” he demanded.