Desert Strike

by Leo Nix

  “Ah, I don't believe I actually said anything of the sort, Abbess. I recall I ordered one of our overly excited privates to leave her alone when she protested he was hurting her.” His lie flowed so smoothly from his lips even he believed it – no one else in the room did.

  “Liar!” screamed Nancy. “You treated me and the other girls like filth!” She stood up, leaned forward and spat in his face. The members surrounding Normy watched but no one moved or spoke. The tension grew as Abbess Leonie waited for Normy to break. She'd played this game many times and knew that it was only moments away.

  “You lying bitch!” Normy exploded with indignation wiping the spittle from his cheek. “You've set me up, haven't you! I knew it the day I saw you. You're no God-fearing crusader at all, you're just a heathen wishing to drag our church into the gutter like the rest of them.” Normy had the sense to stand up for himself, he dared not show any sign of weakness. He too had played this game and knew how to bully and dominate a subordinate.

  “Corporal Normy,” Abbess Leonie interrupted him with her soft voice. “I've interviewed every member of your platoon and they all said much the same thing. That's interesting, don't you think?” She paused long enough to see a bead of sweat break from his forehead and roll down his face. “This little interview today was just to confirm that my decision to excommunicate you and your men is the correct one.”

  “What?” yelled Normy. “You're not my fucking commanding officer! You're just some dumb slut from Longreach who thinks she's head of all Crusaders. You have zero jurisdiction over me.” Normy looked around and saw the hardened faces and quickly changed tact. “If you would just let me have my vehicle back I'll take my people home to Marree where we belong and get out of your hair.” He was just starting his usual game of confuse and confound but stopped when the Abbess stood up behind her desk. The twelve Apostles, the elders of her church, followed suit standing as one, surrounding him.

  “It has been decided that you'll be allowed to return to Marree,” came the Abbess' soft voice. She'd won again. “The Apostles have agreed that you and your Stosstruppen don't belong here. You should return to your own congregation, your own people. I shall have my Prior explain this to you.” Abbess Leonie noticed his lips part in a smile and thought to herself, 'he thinks he's won. Good, I might enjoy this after all.'

  One of the elders took a step forward and announced formally. “You are most fortunate, Corporal Normy. You have been offered the traditional Longreach Crusader's choice of punishment.”

  Normy's face seemed to turn green as his head swung around the room once more. “And what choice is that?” he snarled.

  “It's a tradition of the Church of Revelations, Crusaders of Light Battalion, that when a member fails to show respect to the church, or fellow church members, his choice is trial by snake or by arms,” replied the Prior lifting his hand and waving it towards the glass terrariums.

  Abbess Leonie smiled to herself. When she heard her sister's story over dinner the night of her arrival, the Abbess had begun to plan this very moment.

  “Well Corporal, what will it be?” the Abbess walked over to the nearest terrarium and moved her hand towards the curled snake inside. An enormous Northern Taipan immediately struck out slamming it's fangs into the transparent barricade. It left a smear of poison to drip down the inside panel of glass.

  The lone man seated in the centre of the room shuffled his feet nervously for a moment then stood up. He didn't need further demonstration.

  Decisively he snapped his feet together and gave the stiff-armed salute of his battalion.

  “Abbess Leonie, it is my honour, as leader of my platoon of the illustrious Stosstruppen Battalion, to accept your trial by arms.” Inside he knew he'd won. These yokels had no idea what they were up against. His platoon were ranked the best of the Stosstruppen Battalion and the Stosstruppen were the best of the best. Hadn't he and his platoon beaten the famed Sundown's Commando and easily escaped from their prison?

  “Then you accept trial by arms over trial by snake?” asked the Prior as he lifted the eyebrow over his right eye.

  “On behalf of my platoon, I accept.” Normy's voice was clear and prideful.

  “Be it on your head then,” said the Abbess as she walked from the room with her sister. The circle remained unbroken except for the Prior who spoke next.

  “Corporal Normy, Stosstruppen Battalion, Army Corps Alpha of the Revelationist Church, Adelaide. You and your platoon have acted without respect for the tenets of the law of the church. Your punishment is trial by arms.” He paused waiting for Normy to acknowledge then continued. “You and your platoon members will be issued one weapon apiece and driven to a location in the desert where upon you will be matched one to one with the Crusaders of Light, the Mount Isa Ravens Claws and the Talons. As has been practised by our church since the Apocalypse, each force shall meet with and defeat the others. The winning team is the platoon that survives the confrontation.”

  The corporal frowned, he was confused. “What is this shit? We have to face a platoon from each of the battalions? That's, what, ninety soldiers against my eighteen? In a pig's arse! That's bullshit!”

  The Prior calmly spoke again. “Corporal, you fail to understand. Each battalion is evenly matched to your numbers, eighteen apiece. Each battalion is pitted against the other. You will all be dropped off in separate locations in the desert. Whichever battalion holds out and defeats all the others by the following morning, wins. You will go home to Marree if you win.”

  The Prior paused to let this news sink in then spoke again. “It's an honour for your platoon to be the first Stosstruppen to participate in the Cup. We've only competed against each other, now we have you. Wonderful!” As his face lit up, Normy noticed the other elders smiling at him. 'This is odd. Something's going on here but I've been deliberately left out of the loop.'

  A voice came from the surrounding elders, a woman's high pitched voice, weak from age said, “Corporal, if you win you gain your freedom and the Cup. We will be waiting for the outcome with high expectations of your success. Your Stosstruppen have quite a reputation against Sundown's Commando you know.”

  Again Normy snapped in anger. “What cup is that? The bloody Holy Grail? This is plain bullshit! That's not trial by arms, that's a game of capture-the-flag, a game of paintball!”

  The same frail voice spoke again. “Young man, you're lucky we're even giving you automatic rifles. The last time we ran the competition for the 'Thunderdome Cup' the contestants were given knives.”

  Normy went cold inside and slumped down into his chair. The elders filed out leaving him alone while his guards waited for him to stand. In a daze, he was quietly escorted to his dormitory.

  'So that's why those other battalions are here,' he thought to himself as he watched four proud Talons, wearing red beret's and red stripped beading worked into their breast pockets, proudly walk down the footpath.

  By the end of the following week, the four teams had been assembled and armed. Only the Stosstruppen remained weaponless - until they were dropped off at their allocated location in the Diamantina Lakes region.

  On the day of the Thunderdome Cup it was hot, dry and the sunshine was so bright it was disorienting.

  “Hey, Dory, look up there. They've got a flamin' drone filming us,” cried one of the Stosstruppen. “Wave, everybody. Let them know we're not afraid.”

  But they were. The reputation of the battalions they faced preceded them. Within each heart rested the fear of facing the best of the northern churches - the Mount Isa Talons.

  Chapter 4 - Thunderdome Cup

  The Diamantina lakes region was once a national park, complete with billabongs and creeks. It was lush with life in the wet season, but just a dusty hole in the dry season. Corporal Normy and his platoon of eighteen were dropped off with supplies for two days, weapons and ammunition. They stood together quietly as the armed lieutenant spoke, his automatic raised just high enough to show he was in command. />
  “You Stosstruppen can unpack your gear and set up over there on the edge of the creek.” He pointed his chin at a line of trees marking the creek bed. “If you're careful and very lucky you'll eventually be able to make your way to the park headquarters. Unfortunately your enemy have already started their hunt so I wouldn't bother trying to get there now. If I were you lot, I'd set my ambushes here and wait for them to arrive.”

  “What direction is the park headquarters, lieutenant?” asked Dory, a tall man of forty odd years with a bushy black beard streaked with gray.

  “Across the creek, mate. Just cross it and keep walking for about six hours,” replied the lieutenant. “If you survive the fire-fights, you can win your freedom by making it to the park headquarters. But… take a gander at the last lot who tried that, they're lying out there.” He pointed towards the creek itself.

  “So you bastards have done this before, eh?” said Dory, curious to know exactly what he was in for.

  “We do this regularly, mate. We have a special competition. We call it the 'Thunderdome Cup'.” The officer's smile broadened. “Once a month, we gather a handful of civilians, give them a rifle or two and if they make it to the park headquarters they get to go home. No one's ever made it.”

  Corporal Normy pushed to the front of his platoon. “That's because you blokes have never faced the Stosstruppen Battalion. We'll eat your Talons and Crusaders for breakfast,” he said his face dark with suppressed rage.

  “Bravado doesn't win a competition like this, Corporal. Skill, discipline and good luck might.” He paused for a moment. “Anyway, I'm off to enjoy watching the fun with a few beers in the cool of the Diamantina Park headquarters. You've got a few hours of sunlight left so use it wisely and set yourselves up around the creek. The competition starts tomorrow morning. And don't forget, without water you'll be easy prey for our boys.”

  Normy looked at the lieutenant and asked, “so who will be coming at us first?”

  “You've got all three battalions against you. The Ravens Claws, the elite Talons and the Crusaders. But this time we've added a catch.” He smiled broadly. “Each battalion will compete to take you out but they also have to compete and take each other out at the same time. No one's allowed to band together either, it's each battalion for themselves.” His eyes sparkled. “I'll be filming it with my quadcopter drones. You can see one of them above us now.” He pointed at the tiny speck flying high above them.

  Dory called out to his platoon members as the lieutenant climbed back into the truck with his two guards. “Hey, fella's! He must be thinking of making a Mad Max movie. Don't worry, it won't be a flop. We'll take out those battalions of theirs and we'll be movie heroes.”

  The truck drove off leaving behind a cloud of choking dust. Corporal Normy called his platoon together. “OK boys, we've got a shit-storm coming and I bet they've only given us enough ammunition for a single fire-fight. Grab your gear and hump it, we've got no time to spare. I don't trust that prick when he says we've got till tomorrow, so double-time it.” He reached down and lifted the first of a dozen packs containing their ammunition, food and water. “We've got to prepare our defense and plan our counter attack in case they come early. So let's get moving.”

  They ran to the tree line where Normy sent his men off to reconnoitre the area while he unpacked and sorted out their gear. Within the half hour he'd enough information to decide their best course of action. The smell of decaying human bodies helped with his decision.

  “They've set us up, boys. This is no ambush position. There's no way we can defend it. We collect as much water as possible then head up onto that hill over there. If we gain the high ground first we might survive an assault or two before we give our lives to the glory of our Lord. Come on.” He led his men to the creek edge away from the horrific smell of death.

  They filled their water bottles but not one of them showed concern that there may be bodies in the now shrinksing water hole. These men had other things on their minds. The Stosstruppen reached down with determination and discipline to collect their kit and jogged behind Corporal Normy across the salt-pan.

  It was late afternoon before they climbed to the top of the hill. Normy carefully placed his listening posts overlooking the creek approach which was the most vulnerable to attack. While they marched across the flats, the drone followed them. Even though several of their marksmen tried to shoot it down, it remained untouched - a tormenting reminder high up in the darkening sky.

  “Come on, fella's. Build them rock shelters strong and deep - they just might save your miserable lives.”

  Normy walked from post to post, making sure his men were properly prepared. Each position was strategically placed to fight off invaders climbing up the escarpment or storming across its broad top. This was a defensible position and certainly a better prospect for their survival than the creek.

  “Dory, I'll sort out some food for the boys. As I call them in, can you keep an eye on the approaches? We don't know if what that officer said was true or not, so we'd better be prepared for anything.” Normy set about feeding his exhausted men, section by section.

  Their church comrades came for them at first light as the lieutenant said they would. Among their equipment they'd found a set of binoculars and now they watched a platoon of eighteen Longreach Crusaders walking towards their hilltop position from the north. A call from the south side made Normy and Dory scurry over to investigate. When they arrived at the lookout's position, they saw another platoon approaching. These were probably Ravens Claws from Mount Isa.

  “And where the hell are the Talons themselves? I thought they'd want to be the first to get stuck into us,” mumbled Dory through his beard. “Unless they've sent them as back-up in case this lot fails.”

  “Corp, I can see something to the right of the Ravens Claws. It looks like a dust cloud,” called one of the lookouts.

  Normy pointed his binoculars in the direction the private was pointing, In the pale dawn light he saw another smudge on the horizon.

  “Ah, I see what they've done. They've dropped each battalion at three points of the compass, North, South and West. The only way we can escape is to recross that salt-pan. Then we'll be sitting ducks if we do.” Normy stood thinking quietly. The dagger tattoo on his neck pulsed with each heart beat. “All we've got to do is hold them off for a few hours. Single shot only, no automatics. We have to last just a few hours, then they'll start shooting each other. I guarantee it.” He sounded confident enough for some of the heads to nod in agreement.

  “I hope you're right, Corp. If you're not, then I'll say 'goodbye' to you now,” offered Private Elias, putting his hand out to his mate Tim for a cigarette. So waited Charlie Platoon, Stosstruppen Battalion, recently of Marree, Revelationist Army Alpha.

  As the enemy approached closer the platoon members became nervous. Normy called them to gather in front of him. They still had time before they would need to defend their position.

  Corporal Normy stood tall and strong. In the desperate eyes of his platoon, he looked the sort of leader they needed right then - confident and in control. “We're Stosstruppen! We kill soldiers like these dick-heads every day!” He spoke with a conviction they'd not heard from him before. “The Stosstruppen are the elite of the Revelationists. We're Army Alpha, the military arm of the church. We carry the sacred tradition of all Christian Knights of the Crusades in our hearts. We were trained by the best to be the best.” He looked at his men and his chest filled with a pride he'd not felt before. “Colonel Rommel served with the Australian army for thirty years. He's a veteran of four war zones with the SAS and before that with the commandos. Us lot, we were hand-picked by Captain Burgess, hero of Afghanistan, East Timor and Bougainville. We are the best of the best boys. It was us what they called in to show the Deaths Heads how it's done. We're the ones who took Sundown's Commando down at Mungerannie.” He spoke with passion and his men responded in kind. “Remember your training and let's show these desert yokels how the
Stosstruppen fight!” His short but powerful speech lifted the misery that tried to congeal deep in their hearts.

  Corporal Normy may have been an obnoxious, narcissistic son-of-a-bitch at times, but right now, he was like Archangel Michael leading his troops with the Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

  Bullets spattered against the stone wall that Tim and Elias built the night before. Their job was to stop the enemy storming up their side of the hill. It had an escarpment or lip of about a metre high that would prevent a charge but a determined assault would simply rise over it like the ocean tide.

  “Tim, these bloody rocks won't hold up for much longer,” said Elias softly. “Look, they're falling apart.” He shrugged as he pushed several of the rocks back into place then crawled across to a pile of rocks bringing back enough to replace the broken ones. He leaned against the rock wall as Tim raised his rifle and fired twice down the hill at the enemy.

  “Got one!” shouted Tim excitedly as he ducked down. “That should slow them down a bit.”

  They could hear more rifle fire coming up from below and from each side of the escarpment. They were surrounded by at least two platoons of their fellow Revelationists. One was assaulting from the right flank where Elias and Tim were and the other from the front and left flank.

  Normy placed most of his men to hold the front where several dingo and kangaroo tracks led all the way to the hill top. A gentle slope which fit, well-trained soldiers could easily run up to assault their position. The right flank was held by just these two, Elias and Tim. They knew they probably wouldn't have any support when the shit hit the fan.

  “I reckon you'd better hit a few more heads, Tim. I heard Dory shout out that Allan's down and you can hear the front positions are under heavy fire.” Elias winced as bullets hit the rock wall again and a blast of rock shards cut into his face.

  “Bastards!” he said as he wiped a trickle of blood out of his eyes. Elias pulled out his tobacco pouch and rolled two cigarettes. Tim fired downhill a few more times while waiting for his smoke. He leaned back against the rock wall and pulled out his lighter. He had to flick it a dozen times before it lit. They both drew on their cigarettes, inhaling deeply.