by J E Higgins
With a shrug and a hand wave, Sauwa nodded in agreement as she motioned for them to return to the fire and the young man waiting in anticipation. When they returned, Micha was standing up awkwardly fiddling with his fingers. Through Oleg, Sauwa calmly expressed her dismay that she could not bring him along. She phrased it explaining her own precarious situation and told him she did not know where she was going or how she was going to get there. Currently, she didn’t even have a job once she left, and it would be impossible for him to follow her. Micha lowered his head, his disappointment quite clear. Yet, he seemed to have understood well enough. Mustering as much dignity as possible he wandered off to join his friends.
Sauwa looked at Oleg, who returned her glance with a nod as his means of saying thank you. Tired and feeling guilty, Sauwa grabbed her Bergen and her blanket and slowly walked toward her tent.
Colonel Mjovich was gnashing his teeth as if he was a wild dog preparing to defend his territory. He paced slowly across the floor of his meeting room like a predator preparing to strike. That was the exact tone of the meeting as his staff stood poised and silent unsure what to do or what was going to happen.
“This has been a disaster,” he growled through his teeth. He was of two minds as he looked at his terrified staff. They had lost a skilled military advisor who had made them a far more effective force. Abhajiri’s guidance had helped them become more victorious against a better trained and better equipped Serbian force. He had been a true Muslim patriot coming to the aid of fellow Muslims in their dire need. However, Mjovich had found the Iranian’s constant calls for restraint and reconciliation when dealing with the Croatians to be utterly naïve. “We’ve been seriously crippled by this assassination, and this has happened at a time when the Serb bastards are at our throats.”
“What is our next step, sir?” One of the young officers dared speak up during the colonel’s tirade.
Mjovich’s smile was sly and sinister in response to the young man’s question. “I know this was a Croatian plot. It was too well planned and too professional to have come from the Serbians. No, this was the Croatians using one of their foul mercenaries. I’m sure of it. As elaborate as it was, it could have even been that Black Widow that supposedly exists.”
“Are we believing the myth, sir?” Another officer gulped.
The colonel shook his head. “I don’t know. All I know is that our Iranian friend is dead, and I can only think the Croatians are the reason why. They only prove, yet again, what traitors they really are. And, I do intend to make them pay.”
17
A few days later Sauwa inspected a long, flat-bottomed boat that looked as if it belonged in a museum. Marko stood next to her his eyes sparkling as if he were looking at a yacht readying for a luxury cruise. “I have found you a boat.” His voice betrayed the excitement he was obviously trying to conceal in front of his mercenary.
Sauwa stepped forward to take a closer look. The boat was indeed old yet its hull was in remarkably good condition. Stepping onto it, she felt the wood slightly give as she walked over to the motor in the rear. Like the boat, the motor was something of a relic from the cold war ─ a model from the sixties-seventies time period. However, relic that it was it had been well maintained by the previous owner and looked to be in acceptable working condition.
That Marko was able to obtain a boat at all was a miracle. That it was big enough to carry a few sizable boxes and crew made it even more unusual. Where he got it was a question she was not prepared to ask. The problems involved were the same regardless of whether they stole it or obtained it from a legitimate source. What troubled Sauwa was ensuring the craft would meet their needs. Pulling the cord the motor turned over immediately. The motor came to life with a loud irregular grumble and a growling burble emerging from the water.
She could feel Marko moving behind her as she scrutinized the boat. “So far the boat looks adequate for our needs,” she said.
“I’m glad you approve,” he replied. “Getting it was not easy.”
“Nothing in this war is.” Sauwa was still bent over the side studying the motor. “However, in this case, we’re doing a lot with very little.”
“You understand the situation well,” Marko chuckled. “Sometimes, I think better than many of my own countrymen.”
“I just understand fighting a desperate war,” she replied as she rose and turned to face the guerrilla leader. “When will we be ready to leave?”
Marko scratched his chin as he slowly looked around. “I intend to have everything loaded within the next few hours. As you and I discussed, my hope is that you will be leaving at sunset.”
“I don’t like moving at night,” Sauwa lamented. “Still, this area is controlled more by the Bosnians and the Serbs than your people. If we move by night with limited illumination and running the boat at low speed, we should be in Croatian country by morning. It’s not quite out of harm’s way but certainly in friendlier territory. We should then be able to maneuver easier.”
“To be honest, I never truly considered the river as a means of transport,” Marko said in a way that was meant to be complementary. She could also sense he was looking for some greater reassurance of the mission’s success.
“Whether it works or not is yet to be seen.” Sauwa knew this wasn’t what the guerrilla leader wanted to hear. She also had learned from experience that new ideas tend to sound better in theory than what emerges once put into practice. Despite all her planning, she remained cognizant of the fact that several things could easily go wrong. It was not lost on her that she had developed this plan with limited information and other responsibilities consuming valuable time. It was not an ideal situation.
Marko rolled his tongue across his teeth as he tried not to reveal his high state of nervous tension. He wanted to hear a more optimistic assessment from her. Sauwa moved past him making her way to the front of the boat. She took a moment to examine the smaller craft moored along the riverbank just a short distance ahead.
“That is the boat for your forward team.” Marko automatically explained without waiting for her to ask questions. “Like this one, the smaller boat should also be capable of making the trip down the river.”
“You aren’t a boatman by trade are you, Marko?” Sauwa interjected cutting the guerrilla leader off in mid-sentence.
“No, I’m afraid I am not,” was Marko’s chagrined response.
Ignoring his obvious discomfort, Sauwa continued. “We have to make it down a very long river with a constantly changing depth and then might still need to use these boats to navigate the coastline.”
“I, myself, am not a sailor,” Marko spoke up. “However, I am sending some men with you who are. They have traveled these waters for many years and know them quite well.”
“Well enough to get all the way to the Adriatic?” Sauwa made no attempt to hide her skepticism. And Marko’s face again displayed an uncomfortable look. “They know it well enough,” he responded gruffly.
Sauwa nodded in acknowledgment. She reminded herself that they all had to work with what they had. That Marko was able to scrounge up some people who knew something about riding the river was a much-needed break. “Well, if everything is as ready as we can make it, we’ll be shoving off tonight.”
“Good,” Marko replied with a gentler voice. “I guess in a few hours we will be saying our last words to each other.” His eyes became soft as he looked at her in a paternalistic way. “If I don’t have a chance to say it later, many of us including myself will miss you. You have not only been a great mentor to us, you have also been a good friend.”
His words took Sauwa off guard. She smiled warmly as she looked him in the eye. “I have also appreciated your hospitality and your friendship.”
“I only regret that we could not offer you a permanent home.” Marko placed a hand on her shoulder. “I know that outside our country you are a fugitive and highly sought after by some powerful governments. For all that you have done for our cause, you s
hould have been rewarded at least with our protection so you could have a home where you could find peace. However, it is not to be, and the only reward I can offer is to give you a means to escape before your enemies are at our door.”
“I thank you for the kindness you have shown me.” Sauwa touched Marko’s hand in an affectionate way. The conversation ended with both of them leaving the boat. Marko continued back to camp as Sauwa went to check the smaller boat. While it was still daylight she wanted to make a thorough inspection.
It was almost dusk when the final five wooden boxes were loaded onto the larger of the two crafts. Sauwa was standing by in a pair of brown worker’s trousers, an oversized grey knit sweater, and black knit watch cap. A charcoal grey flannel coat completed her attire. The clothes weren’t simply intended to help disguise her while on this mission but also serve to help her when she escaped into Montenegro. Her fatigues would not help her disappear as easily.
She reached behind her and pulled a weapon from her waistband. The Zastava M57 Tokarev pistol she had been given was in fine working condition. It had been the primary weapon of the Yugoslav army up until the 1990s. In light of the number of recent attacks on the Serbian army supplies, it had become a premier weapon for the guerrillas as well.
Fingering the left side of the pistol, she felt it to make sure the safety was on. She pulled back the slide enough to verify she had a round in the chamber. Rifles and grenades would be carried under cover. Her concern was having something she could reach quickly in close quarters or to address potential threats that they might meet along the way. She had told Marko she expected a civilian disguise would deter prying eyes, but they both knew it had only a fifty-fifty chance as most forces shot at ethnicity, not uniforms. Her hope was that after tonight they would generally be in Croatian controlled territory ensuring less chance of enemy contact.
The guerrillas had finished with the final crate and had draped a large canvass cover over the top. Then they added a few bundles of large netting and some fishing gear. At first glance, it would appear they were fishermen and their equipment was simply piled in the boat. She supervised the operation carefully, paying close attention to any details that might attract unwanted attention.
She heard thrashing in the trees behind her. Turning around she saw Marko arrive followed by an entourage of men clad in similar attire to her own. This would be the crew going with her. Directly behind Marko was Oleg. He was waving the others to the boat while he and Marko joined Sauwa.
“Everything all right so far?” Oleg asked with a big grin while rubbing his hands excitedly.
“We’re as good as we’re going to be,” Sauwa replied in a noncommittal tone. “We’ll still be taking a serious risk.”
“When aren’t we?” Marko spoke up. “No matter how we do this, the situation will be the same.”
“Are these are the men going with us?” Sauwa looked at the motley crew moving toward the boats.
“They will be security for this mission,” Marko explained. “They will be the group in charge of future supply runs after this. As to your earlier concern, they have had experience navigating this river all the way to the sea.”
“Well, let’s check our communications,” Sauwa said as she tucked the pistol back into her waistband and reached into a box containing two small walkie-talkies. Handing one to Oleg she walked several paces away before pressing the button and speaking into the contraption. “Testing, testing.”
Oleg’s voice crackled over the receiver as he replied. “I read you. I read you very well.”
She walked back to where the two men were standing. Marko looked satisfied. “Remember these only have a short reach, fifty meters at best. So don’t get too far away from the cargo boat.”
Next, they pulled some small flashlights from a box. Illumination was essential for moving in the pitch darkness. It was also a good draw for enemy attention. They had a mixture of small flashlights that they could use for most of the journey. The hope was that their flash wouldn’t be powerful enough to be easily seen by anyone patrolling the hills, but would provide enough light to at least see anything in front of them. They had a few larger, more powerful flashlights to be used in the event of an emergency. After a quick check and finding all the flashlights were in good working order, Sauwa took one of the walkie-talkies, a big flashlight and a smaller one. She handed the rest of them to Oleg who went over to the larger boat to distribute them to the others.
Marko placed his hand on her shoulder. “When you get to the border, we have friends there with good connections to the black-market networks. They will assist in getting you with people who can help you get to where you need to go.”
“Then I guess we’re ready,” Sauwa sighed. Marko’s promise of contacts to the border sounded questionable and did little to comfort her. She reached down to retrieve her Bergen. Throwing it over her shoulder she gathered the rest of her equipment and headed for the smaller craft. The sun was getting lower, creating a beautiful dark pinkish sky. She wanted to take some time to enjoy the sight but knew she couldn’t.
She was barely in the boat when Oleg joined her. “This is it,” he said his voice still holding a hint of boyish excitement.
Sauwa didn’t reply. Her mind was occupied with other things, not the least of which was a small rope bracelet she wore on her wrist. It had been a going away present from Enya, the only friend Sauwa could remember having in a long time. She played with it nervously as she looked back and thought about how she was now bound, once again, for a life of uncertainty. The last year she had been living in a hellish war zone, but at least she was no more hunted than anyone else with whom she had fought alongside. She was not a fugitive here, and her past crimes were of no concern to anyone around her. It was a strange freedom she had enjoyed. When she crossed into Montenegro all that would change.
Dropping her gear into the smaller craft, Sauwa walked the few feet over to the larger boat. Oleg was waiting with the rest of the men. He approached her as she neared. “Well, we’ve checked all the gear,” he began. “The lights work, and the guns are covered but accessible if needed in a hurry. I checked the fuel in the motor, and it’s filled to the top. We only were able to find enough fuel for one reserve canister for each boat.” Oleg nodded in the direction of the smaller craft. “I don’t know if we’ll have enough for the entire voyage.”
“We work with what we have and improvise the rest,” Sauwa explained with a shrug. Even though the supply raids against the Serbs had yielded an abundance of useful resources, the guerrillas were still lacking many things. Fuel remained in short supply, and Sauwa was surprised they were able to find any working hand-held radios with full batteries, no less. It came as quite a relief that the radios worked when tested. They were the only communication devices the Croatians had. If they hadn’t worked, the crew would have been unable to communicate between the two boats as they rode the river at night.
Sauwa looked over the crew of men standing before her. They were mostly older men in their mid-forties. A couple of men appeared to be at least fifty. Regardless, she had worked with them all on one mission or another and knew them all to be strong and able. A couple in the group had their issues working with or taking orders from a woman. It didn’t matter. For this journey, Oleg would be presented as the one in charge. She was simply an advisor offering her services when asked.
At the end of the line of men, she spotted a much younger man who was trying to hide his face beneath the hood of his coat. It took her a couple of seconds to realize it was Micha, the boy with whom she had spoken to a few nights before ─ the wishful adventurer. “What is he doing here?” Sauwa turned and quietly whispered to Oleg.
“He volunteered for the mission,” Oleg replied in an equally hushed tone. “Marko nor I felt there would be any problem. He’s proven himself capable the times he’s been on a mission.”
“He also wants to go with me when I leave,” Sauwa reminded him. “That he was so adamant makes me a little u
neasy about him coming.”
Oleg lowered his head to be closer to her ear as he whispered. “We have to leave shortly. It’s too late to get a replacement. If you send him away, we have to explain it to Marko who won’t like making such a change at so late an hour.”
Pursing her lips, Sauwa eventually capitulated. She looked over at young Micha, whose tight facial expression reflected he had a good idea of what their hushed conversation was all about. She smiled and nodded at him pleasantly. His face relaxed into a beaming smile as he dropped the hood of his jacket back revealing his whole face.
With everyone assembled, and only minutes until they stepped off, Sauwa explained the final instructions to Oleg. “We keep the boats moving at medium speed. We should use only the small flashlights to see ahead and reserve the larger ones for emergencies. Every thirty minutes on your order we cut the engines so we can conduct an audio recce and listen for any sounds that might alert us to a threat. If we come across any potential enemy patrols, we keep the motors off and drift with the current until we’re out of danger. The same goes for any towns or cities we pass, we keep the motors off and move past paddling quietly.”
Oleg nodded as he turned back to the men and explained everything in Croatian. His orders were met with a chorus of complying grunts and head nods. One of the men spoke up with his hand tentatively raised. Cocking his head slightly toward Sauwa, Oleg interpreted. “They want to know what should be done if we are attacked?”
Turning away from the men, she tilted her head back in Oleg’s direction. “As we’re in the lead boat, we’ll most likely make the first contact. If confronted, we act like we’re just looking for a place to fish. We’ll give a squawk on the radio to let them know they need to park along the bank until the issue is resolved. Everyone keeps weapons hidden, and we’ll try to move without any conflict.”
“If it comes down to violence, you and I will initiate the shooting and the others should try to move past us while we provide cover fire. Should the fighting prove too intense, we will improvise on our next course of action from there. No matter what we have to protect the cargo from damage. They must keep it out of harm’s way at all cost.”