by Dave Hazel
“Great question Sir,” Mykal said and his eyes lit up. “I honestly wasn’t thinking that far ahead yet, but that is something we will have to work out as soon as this briefing ends. I’m glad you brought that to our attention,” Mykal added and caught the murmurs and questioning of everyone present. “What Captain Landis is referring to, if we were to come back and return right here, the green fog would make everyone here disappear to who knows where? We will have to have a plan established before we leave. Great question Sir. Very good point. Any other questions.”
“What, per chance, will happen if your mission is unsuccessful?” Lieutenant Johnson asked. “I mean in respect to finding the princess who is a prisoner?”
Mykal didn’t know why Johnson was asking any questions because he knew Johnson would never volunteer to go with him. “Well, then we will have to return here and make sure we’re back before the February 7th deadline and try to rescue her when she will be surrounded by thousands of Sosos.”
“Wouldn’t it be prudent to not risk the men and just wait here for that date?” Johnson fired back as if he was trying to stir something up. “By your own admission it is going to be very dangerous. Men will be injured and possibly killed due to what you experienced the last time. You also said you don’t know if the prisoner will be found by your group, so wouldn’t it be wise to sit back and wait for her to be returned here on the 7th of February?”
“I appreciate your concern Lieutenant Johnson,” Mykal replied and tried not to show Johnson had irritated him and got under his skin. “But I also explained the problems with just waiting for that date to roll by could be worse in the long run. I’m not going to rehearse those answers again. Bottom line though, I’m going to find and rescue her by myself if I have to. But I know for sure Towbar is going with me. I presented the case before the men and that is why I asked for volunteers.”
“And as one who had been through the shit on the other side of the world, I already said first that I, as a full blooded Mah-reen want to go with Mykal and Towbar,” Sergeant McTaggert shouted and it seemed like he was trying to stick it to Lieutenant Johnson, an Army Green Beret, which riled up the crowd.
Hundreds of other shouted they wanted to go which in turn made Lieutenant Johnson look around in defeat until he finally backed away.
“Thank you men. Thank you very much,” Mykal said and laughed while he tried to calm the crowd. Mykal wasn’t sure why McTaggert wanted to respond to Lieutenant Johnson, but he was grateful that he did. “We’re going to end this meeting to get ready for our departure tomorrow. Be sure to let your company commanders know if you want to go. If you don’t get selected to leave, because I can’t take all of you,” he said and had to laugh at the joyous mob. “Just make sure you stay ready cuz if we come back unannounced we may have to leave in a hurry to return back there. For now we need to go make preparations and think through all possible contingencies. Captain Landis brought up a great point and we will work on this through the day. Once again men, thank you for your support.”
2.
“Man, I really don’t understand what Johnson’s problem with me is,” Mykal said to Major Chick who was flanked by Major Innes and Captain Taylor on the other side of the table in his tent.
“Ignore him Mykal,” Chick chuckled humorously. “He’s just a pain in the ass.”
“He’s got some kind of jealousy bug up his ass,” Innes said and smirked. “I wouldn’t worry about him one little bit Myk. You could see the entire group was behind you. All the men support you and from what you saw with your own eyes just about all the men want to go with you.”
Captain Landis brought up a great point as you expounded Myk,” Captain Taylor said to change the subject. “Have you and Towbar given it any thought as to remedy that issue?”
“Me and Towbar were talking about it on our way over here. The only thing I can think of is to limit our use of the green fog to the end of the Pass where we brought the new group. It would be out of the way so we wouldn’t endanger any of our men.”
“But if you’re returning with injured men, the delay could result in the loss of life,” Taylor replied. “Why not say somewhere in the middle of the Pass?”
“We talked about that and my only fear with that is if any part of Towbar’s army happens to be arriving from Beramus, they’d be zapped outta here,” Mykal said and gave a deep sigh. “But I do hate to give up that much time should there be some who are seriously injured as you say and they may need medical help right away. And to be honest, I’m sure the chances of us appearing in the middle of the Pass while Towbar’s soldiers are arriving would be minimal at best, but I just don’t wanna take that chance. The big problem with arriving where we came in at is radio communications. We wouldn’t be able to call for help until we got more than half way through the Pass. As you bring it up, that delay could lead to the loss of life.”
“What if we were to leave four or five vehicles at that location?” Major Chick asked with a snap of his fingers. “We could leave vehicles, food, supplies and medical kits. We will leave at least one vehicle that can travel fast so you could send someone this way quickly and they could call for help when they get into radio range and the choppers could be sent right away.”
“That’s a great idea Sir,” Mykal said and nodded while thinking how that would work out. “When we returned with the Lost Patrol, I honestly thought we were gonna lose Captain Diaz in the middle of the night. He was hurt bad and we had no radio communications at all. And we were on foot. But thankfully, he had a miracle healing from God, as he says. That would be a great idea. And if a real serious emergency takes place and we have to get help even faster than that, we could return at the front of the Pass, but to the east where we’ve carted off the dead. The only people who would be at risk of being transported away would be the friggin Sosos,” Mykal said and laughed. “The only problem with coming in that way, it might cause them to attack.”
“It’s good that you mentioned that as a possibility Myk,” Innes said while tapping his fingertips together. “We will have to make some adjustments. The entire opening of the Pass will be laid with land mines now that the Sosos gave up that ground.”
“Oh damn,” Mykal gasped at the thought of having to return from the north without thinking about the land mines.
“It’s really not an issue Myk,” Innes said with a comforting nod. “If you return from the north just try to make your team appear about two or three miles to the east and then as your team moves to the Pass be sure to stay near the wall of the mountains and call us. We will have the men make sure they configure the mine field so that the north east corner of the Pass opening won’t have mines there. Besides, we still have the little yellow and orange flags placed over the mines that are near the Pass to warn and protect Towbar’s people as well as our people.”
“I’m just glad we covered this,” Mykal said and turned to Towbar who nodded in agreement. “We could have had some horrible surprises if we wouldn’t have thought this through.”
“One other thing we could think about Sir,” Captain Taylor said and turned to Major Chick. “We know the latest that Mykal and his people will be gone for, whether they come and go three times a week, is February 7th. Instead of just leaving some vehicles and supplies where they plan to return, we could set up a little detachment of twenty to thirty men to include medical personnel, a couple of helicopters and their crews, et cetera et cetera to be stationed there until they return for the final time. Obviously they would have to be some distance from where Mykal’s team will actually arrive and I would also ask you Towbar, to have some of your men to be stationed there with them. This way if any of your army happens to come from the capitol city Beramus and they don’t happen to know about us, your people will be there to explain who and what we are doing there.”
“That is a very good idea,” Towbar said and nodded his agreement. “Just tell me what you would like of my men and I will ensure you will have their full co-operation. My generals already kno
w they are to assist and they will yield to your lead.”
“I’m so glad some of this was brought up,” Mykal said. “I know if there were outsiders listening in they would probably find all this talk boring and unproductive. But these items are so very important cuz I expect, if we don’t find Princess Doninka right away, we’re gonna be coming back several times.”
“That is not going to be an issue with us,” Major Chick replied. “We’re here to support your mission and you explained the importance of this detour, this mission inside the overall campaign if you will.”
“When I get back, I want you to fill me in on the battalion and company commanders that Colonel Fisher brought with him. I don’t know anything about any of them and I haven’t even talked with them other than the brief little greetings when we left. Me and Colonel Fisher kinda knocked heads when we first met. But I will trust your judgment. That’s why I’m leaning on you guys cuz I don’t know anything about any of them.”
“They’re all a good group of men Mykal,” Major Innes said. “I will gladly give you the important information when you return. Colonel Fisher is not a bad guy Myk, though he is a head strong alpha male who wants to have hands on control until he fully trusts his subordinates. Some find him rough around the edges, but he has earned his way up the chain of command. That eagle he wears on his collar wasn’t just given to him. He is a firebrand and a go getter. I see that man making general rapidly.”
“That’s fine. We’ll talk about that later. I’m gonna go and start getting my stuff together. Can I count on you men to select the people who are going with me?” He waited for their response. “Definitely, I want McTaggert and any of those who were part of the Lost Patrol are first picks. Then any who came here with our 1983 group have priority over those who just arrived with Colonel Fisher, the 1984 group,” Mykal said and deliberately paused before his next suggestion. “I don’t really have a problem with foreigners from the first group, but I don’t know if I want Russians to come along. I know I said I was going to take a company size group, but I don’t think that would be good. Let’s make it only a platoon size, maybe as big as two platoons, but then I’ll get with you on that cuz I know we’re taking some Elves, a couple of Dwarves and I think some of Towbar’s soldiers too. I’ll make the final cut tomorrow morning so go ahead and put together a force the size of two platoons.”
“Will do Mykal,” Major Chick said.
3.
“So how are your people finding it here so far?” Mykal asked his three Elvin friends Starling, Leeno and Blair. “And how is your arm doing Blair?” He asked in reference to the Goblin crossbow bolt he had been shot with while they were trapped under the mountain on the other side of the world.
“My arm is healing nicely,” Blair answered in his musical tone that was soft and airy. “Thank you for asking.”
“Our people are highly impressed with what they have seen thus far,” Starling answered Mykal’s first question. “They would like to inspect the forested areas to the north,” he said and pointed toward the mouth of the Pass. “However, that will have to wait due to the danger of the Sosos and their allies.”
“I don’t know if this will help you and your people in making their decision to move to this part of the world or not, but there will not always be this problem of the Sosos like it is now. My people are going to destroy them. You have seen just a taste of what our weapons are like,” Mykal said referring to the battle just before the end of the year. “We brought bigger and more powerful weapons and we’re going to bring even bigger and more powerful weapons to stop the Sosos completely. Now I don’t wanna mislead you guys, unless we bring some big bombers and bomb the shit outta their home land, they will build their forces up over time and may start the wars again, but we will put a hurt on them before this is all said and done.”
“We appreciate that information Mykal,” Leeno said. “And we will be sure to pass that information on to our leaders.”
“My friend has amazed me when he first arrived here,” Towbar said. “When we found the rest of his Crew and the teams of Lieutenant Light and his convoy I was utterly amazed all over again. When we went to his world and I had a glimpse of the raw power they have I was at a loss for words. The weapons I witnessed in the battles have just utterly dumbfounded me. Now that they have even greater weapons here, I am once again at a loss for words. I know we will stop the Sosos.”
“We were awed by the display of power your people showed,” Blair said.
“Well good. Listen guys, me and Towbar came over for something else. Back on the other side of the world, do you guys know where Zizmon-Tarl’s palace is?”
“Zizmon-Tarl has several homes that he resides in,” Leeno answered. “However, there is one that would classify as a palatial fortress.”
“We had never been there,” Starling said. “However we have an idea where it is located.”
“We could never travel there,” Blair said. “Elves would be killed on sight, thus we never ventured into those lands.”
“Me and Towbar have to go there.”
All three gave Mykal and Towbar the same questioning glare without speaking.
“You have met Princess Doninka, do you know who I’m talking about?” Mykal asked and continued when they acknowledged they had remembered her. He explained how she had been captured and the deal the Sosos with Zizmon-Tarl’s help came up with the trade for the King option. He explained that they were going to try to rescue her before the deadline. “So I’m taking a group of my men and we’re going after her. Would you guys be willing to come with us to help us find that palace?” Mykal asked and there wasn’t an immediate response. They looked at each other. “Or do you know any of your people who would be willing to come with us to help us find that palace? I know the risk you Elves face because of your skin, but you’re gonna be with a large group of my people and I won’t let you guys be put into any danger.”
“It is not that my friends,” Starling said. “We will gladly accompany you there. You have earned our respect and trust. You have saved our lives and proved your true devotion and friendship to us. That will not be a concern for us.”
“What you must understand my friend,” Leeno continued when Starling stopped. “There is no simple or easy way to get to Zizmon-Tarl’s palace.”
“Do you remember the dangers of the Black Forest?” Blair asked. “We informed you that it was also called the Forest of Death.”
“Oh believe me, I friggin remember,” Mykal scoffed and laughed.
“To get to Zizmon-Tarl’s palace would be more difficult than the Forest of Death.” Starling said.
“For many days travel from any direction Zizmon-Tarl has his land protected by his creations,” Leeno said.
“It will be an extremely dangerous venture from any direction we approach his palace,” Blair added.
“But one thing that will greatly benefit us this time is we will have the ability to return here every day if need be,” Mykal laughed excitedly. “Whether we need to get more men, more supplies, better weapons, return the injured or whatever we gotta do, we can come and go as we need to with the green fog.”
“That should present a great advantage of some sort,” Starling said and the three looked at each other.
“We will join you Mykal,” Leeno said without conferring with each other. It seemed like they were of one mind.
“That’s great cuz we’ll need you guys to help find our way there,” Mykal said with a happy laugh. “And if you wanna bring some others, some of your Elf brothers or people along, I don’t have a problem with that. The more the merrier,” he joked.
“We may invite a few others to join us,” Starling said. “You can never have too many Elves on an adventure.”
“No problem, but we’ll probably be bringing more than fifty of my men. Make sure you guys check with me before the day ends,” Mykal said as he and Towbar walked away.
They walked through the rear area of the camp until Mykal f
ound who he was looking for, Nordad the wizard with his two men Codlon and Agnor who survived the mountain on the other side of the world. They were conversing with the Dosch brothers. Mykal made sure they understood all that had taken place. He desperately wanted Nordad’s help.
“…So I came over here to see if you would be interested in going back to the other side of the world with us to help us find Zizmon-Tarl’s palace?”
“Will I have to remain there for the rest of my days?” Nordad asked while he fingered his white beard. “We have grown very fond of Towbar’s people and we would like to live out the rest of our days here,” Nordad said and looked to his two men who agreed.
“No problem at all,” Mykal laughed and clapped his hands together. “As a matter of fact we’re planning on going back and forth for supplies and whatever other needs that may arise.”
“I am pleased that you enjoy your stay here thus far,” Towbar said to the older wizard. “We gladly accept you here and you can make your home here if you like.”
“Myk, do you mind if we come along on this journey to rescue Doninka?” Roy Jr. asked. “We know the girl and we would like to help. Are you okay with that?” He asked and turned to his younger brother Randy.
“You know it,” Randy quickly replied. “My one goal was to come here and kill Sosos. But if I can help rescue Doninka with you, I would consider that an honor,” he added and lifted his cowboy hat to run his fingers through his hair.
“I’ll tell you what,” Mykal said with a smile and a wink, “you two have been here with me since day one. I’ll take you two over anyone else with Towbar. You guys are my family as far as I’m concerned. I’ll take you with me anywhere,” he repeated with a heartfelt smile. He gladly accepted their offer. Their company helped eased his loss of Boris, Kurt and Denny. They also filled the gap of Jake, Larry and Sam who were back home. “We’re leaving tomorrow morning some time. So do what you gotta do to get yourselves squared away and you’ll be first on my list of people I’m taking with me. If any of the military people say anything, tell them you two are number one and number two on my list,” he laughed and high fived their extended hands.