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I was married to someone named Chris. That had never happened before, but what had he meant I'm the White Rose? What did he mean he shared my magic through our marriage? I had felt I was pregnant even before he asked about the baby needing a mother. Something was changing and I didn't have a clue what.
“Sir, I hope I'm not interrupting,” Lieutenant Strong said.
“Come in Lieutenant. What do you need?” I asked.
“Sir I just wanted to apologize for any problems I might have caused. That prayer you said was beautiful. It sounded like one my mom use to say whenever we'd go out to play. She said it was to keep us safe,” he said.
“Thank you Lieutenant and I'm glad you feel safe under my care. As for a prayer, I haven't got a clue what you're talking about. I don't believe in god so why on earth would I offer a prayer to something I don't believe in. I was simply meditating about what is yet to come,” I said.
I didn't go for religious nonsense and had avoided the company Chaplain even though from what I had heard we were of equal rank.
“Lieutenant can you do me a favor when you leave, could you have the Chaplain come see me,” I said.
“He's been hoping to get a chance to talk with you since you got here sir. I'm sure he'll be here as soon as possible once I find him,” he said.
Chaplains. I had no use for them, but knew there were many in the military who did believe in a god, and for them Chaplains were indeed a godsend I guessed.
“Captain I was hoping to get a chance to meet with you,” The chaplain said when he stepped in my command tent.
“Captain I wouldn't be to excited about this meeting. First off I am not a believer in any god and I see all religions the same way. If you were hoping to minister to me don't waste your time, or efforts please. I wanted to meet with you simply because I'm sure there are many in your company who do believe and I wanted to make sure you understood that the day after tomorrow we will be marching out of here and getting through the enemy is going to make the hell your religion teaches about seem like a vacations spot,” I said.
“You really think it will be that bad?” he asked.
“Yes Captain I do. I need to know if you are ready to walk through that valley of death you and your kind like to preach about. I also want to let you know that once we break camp here I won't tolerate anyone violating my orders. I can get us out of here in one piece, but it means my orders are more the word of god than the words you preach are. And they will remain so until we are back at one of our bases, or someone else takes command of this company. If you have a problem with that now is the time to say so, as I said, once we are on the march I won't have time for anyone to do anything but what I tell them,” I said.
“Are you really that good at your job Captain? I do know what special forces are all about, I'm special forces trained,” he said.
“Good then you know about the final test for special forces and that no one has ever completed that test without losing at least one of the men they went into it with,” I said.
“Yes I know the stats on that test, and I heard that some First Lieutenant completed it not long ago and didn't lose a single man under their command, none of the men even got a scratch from what I heard,” he said.
“I can't say no one got a scratch, I think we all got a few scratches,” I said.
“That was you? My god they weren't kidding when they said they were sending in the best. Captain I lost three of the men under my command when I took that test. I can assure you there isn't a man here that will give you any trouble when you're ready to move out. Sir, it is truly a pleasure to meet you in person,” he said.
“Captain one last thing. Since you are special forces trained you understand the men I brought with me are special forces as well and have worked with me since I came to this hellhole. I expect them and their orders to be treated as though they came from me, I'd also like to ask you to be my second in command until we get back,” I said.
“Don't hold me in to high of regard Captain, I generally agreed with the General until you got here. Our Lieutenant didn't have a clue what he was doing which is part of the reason the General made things so hard for you, he was still use to giving the orders,” he said.
“When the Lieutenant failed to be able to command why didn't you step in and take command? You out ranked him and had the training,” I asked wondering now just what kind of man this chaplain was.
“I didn't want the blood on my hands Captain. One of the men I lost in my final test for special forces died because I made a mistake. I became a Chaplain thinking maybe I could somehow absolve myself of that,” he said.
“Has it absolved you of it? Do you feel any less guilty of that mans death now than the day he died? We all make mistakes Captain, it's by learning from those mistakes we absolve ourselves of the guilt associated with the mistakes. Help me get these men out of here and back to their families and just maybe the guilt of that mans death won't be so heavy a burden any longer,” I said knowing my words were beyond this mans understanding.
He stood up and gave me a salute doing a crisp about face and marched out of the tent. He had come into my tent hoping to share his god with me and I sent him out wondering if maybe his god had chosen someone who didn't believe in either his god or any other god to finally bring some peace to his soul.
“So Mac what do you think of this Chaplain? Think he'll be able to find his peace of mind?” I asked as Mac came in the tent.
“I think you gave him a lot to think about,” Mac said.
“So tell me do you believe in a god?” I asked.
“I never did sir. Faith is something I reserve only for those who have proven they deserve my faith. Getting these men out of here, I have an over abundance of faith you'll manage just fine,” he said.
“Don't try sweet talking me Mac how do you really feel?” I asked and we both laughed and went out to join the men in the feast.
Night fall came and the men who had been standing guard all day came in and found the feast still going on. I asked my men to cover the guard duties tonight since I wanted them getting everything ready for our departure the following day. Let these men who for the better part of two weeks had little to celebrate enjoy themselves, because the next few days were going to be the nightmares of which horror movies could only hint at.
“Captain we have everything ready,” Mac said.
“Give the order to get this camp packed up there will be no fires tonight and I want ever tent down and stowed for transport. Anyone who doesn't have their gear packed when I give the word will end up losing whatever it is they didn't get ready,” I said.
One more day and all hell would break loose. As much death as these men had seen it was going to be nothing compared to the death my team and I were going to bring down on the enemy, and there was no way of hiding it from any of these men.
I watched as the company of regular army packed everything in preparation. There was a quiet efficiency and just before night fall the camp was packed and ready to travel. I set the guard letting everyone know my men and I would be pulling the watch from this point on until we reached our destination. I had no doubt these men would fight, but they didn't have our training and I needed men on night guard duty who wouldn't miss things, or see things that weren't there.
An hour before sunrise Mac let me know the enemy was forming up to attack and if we didn't want a lot of blood spilled we needed to get moving. I gave the order and Curtis and Scott formed the company up and started them on the march that would end when we met up with Alpha company and showed the enemy our special forces were indeed a force to be reckoned with.
Mac and I stayed behind just long enough to set the last of the surprises we planned for the enemy and we too moved out as fast as we could. At the route out we paused just long enough to see the swarm of enemy enter the camp and set off the first of the explosions that would destroy the gear that had to be left behind so we could move at a better p
ace making it difficult for the enemy to keep up. With each wave of enemy solders entering the camp the explosions got bigger and bigger. We set the trip wires across the trail making sure we staggered them so they wouldn't know where they could go they wouldn't hit one.
Before anyone in the company even knew we hadn't left with them we were back with them and I moved up to the front to make sure everything there was as it had been planned.
“Sir the men were wondering what all the explosions are?” Lieutenant Strong asked.
“You can tell them it's the enemy scratching their ass trying to figure out where we went. Lieutenant for the next couple hours it's going to sound like we are trapped in a war zone with no visible enemy presence. When those explosions stop then it's time for them to be on guard, but for now I want them to keep moving and stay as quiet as they can. That means I don't want to hear any of them shooting at anything,” I said.
“I'll pass the word sir,” he said.
I pushed hard for the next couple hours letting them know I wasn't slowing down until we reached our first good defensible place to do so. I wasn't worried about my men keeping the pace it was one we could have maintained all day without thinking about, but these soft army foot solders had it easier and couldn't keep it going the way we could.
“Captain can I ask a question?”one of the Sargent's from the companies asked.
“What is it Sargent?” I asked.
“Are all Air Force officers this tough or just you?” he asked.
“And if I said it was all Air Force officers?” I asked.
“Then I'd have to say maybe the Air Force aren't the wimps everyone thinks they are,” he said.
“Well Sargent for the record I'm special forces trained, so to be fair I doubt very many Air Force officers are as tough as I am,” I said.
“So you must be in your mid twenties right?” he asked.
“I'll be twenty in about six months, but I fail to see what difference my age makes,” I said.
“I guess it doesn't sir, it's just I had a bet with some of the other guys about your age,” he said.
“So how did you do on that bet?” I asked.
“None of us were close, but I was the closest at twenty-six,” he said.
“I imagine the others aren't going to want to believe how young I really am, are they?” I asked.
“Probably not sir. So how did you get to be a Captain so young, isn't there an age limit or something?” he asked.
“If there is I guess they made an exception for me. When I got out of basic training I was selected for OCS. After a year there I was promoted to First Lieutenant and accepted for special forces training. At my final for special forces qualification I did what to that point everyone said couldn't be done and was promoted to Captain. I imagine when your General is done telling them everything I did I'll be luck if I don't end up in jail,” I said.
“You enjoyed the hell out of it though didn't you sir? Telling the General to shut the fuck up I mean,” he said.
“Sargent I don't give a damn for protocol most of the time. You can ask any of my men they all have a chance to give input, until we are in the field. When I got to your camp I already knew I was the ranking officer healthy enough to command, in other words I knew your General had been wounded and was no longer able to command. Because of his wounds he wasn't able to handle the situation any longer. I wasn't opening the floor for him to add anything. He and his orders had gotten your company into the mess you were in and it's my job to get you out of it. The General may be very competent at making battle plans in an office, but out here where you're getting shot at is another thing all together,” I said.
“Can I ask one more question sir?” he asked.
“Ask away Sargent,” I said.
“What is it you did that was supposed to be impossible?” he asked.
“I captured a high security Marine base with five men. The best part was they knew we was coming and still failed to stop us,” I replied.
I dropped back to talk with the Chaplain, leaving the Sargent to scratch his head.
“They're all curious Captain,” he said.
“I'm not surprised at their curiosity, just their boldness in asking,” I said.
“How much longer before it starts getting bloody out here?” he asked.
“Hopefully never. Did you know there was never anything about this company having an assignment that would have brought them in contact with the enemy?” I asked.
“I thought it kind of strange. Is there anything else I should know?” he asked.
“Not really, be ready the real fight is going to be starting within the next hour. Captain you might want to pass the word on to all your men to keep their eyes open from here on out,” I said.
“I take it all these explosions are yours, and each one has a different meaning,” he asked.
“I know where all the charges are supposed to be, and yes they each have a different meaning to both me and my men. There's still one I'm waiting for, but by the time I hear it I hope we've reached our first break,” I said.
I hadn't realized just how fast we had been moving until I realized we had gone past the place I had talked to my men about taking the first break to let the soft army men catch their breath. I heard the explosion that told me the camp was no longer there and realized we had to have traveled almost twice the distance I thought was possible.
Since no one seemed interested in even slowing I let my men set the pace figuring these army men were terrified enough all they could think of was getting the hell out of there.
“Captain just how far is it to this first break you planned out?” the chaplain asked.
“We missed the first one if my calculations are correct. The second one I planned is maybe another half a click ahead of us. Your men are moving a lot faster than I figured on,” I said.
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked.
“That depends on how tired my men are, if my men are to tired to get the surprises we planned on setup at each stop, it could be a bad thing. If Alpha company is moving slower than planned, it could be a bad thing. If the nasty surprises we left behind us did more damage than we hoped possible it could be a very good thing. Until we reach the stop I have no idea one way or the other,” I said.
I knew Curtis wouldn't bypass the second stop as he had the first, I also knew Mac would take care of setting up the charges where we were supposed to have stopped for the first rest break we planned. If my calculations were right once we left this rest stop we had about four more hours before we would get to where we would make camp for the night.
Ten minutes after we stopped Mac came strolling in with a grin on his face.
“You seem in a good mood. Care to share?” I asked.
“You should see the confusion we created with the presents we left back in the camp. They're running all over hell trying to find out whose dead and who's still alive. The big present must have taken out most of their command officers and no one else had a clue what they were supposed to be doing,” he said.
“That sounds like a best case scenario, lets hope we can keep them off balance, and that Alpha Company is having the same kind of luck. You did get the presents dropped off at site one didn't you?” I asked.
“Sure did we got them dropped off at site two as well. I never expected it to take so long to catch up with a bunch of regulars,” he said.
“We're only ten clicks from where we planned to set up camp for the night? Mac the regulars have been setting the pace and I thought this was site two,” I said.
“Sir if the enemy has half as much trouble following the trail as I had we could still set up camp where you planned, sleep in and still be out of there before they figure out where we went,” he said.
“Mac we're cutting a trail a blind man could follow,” I said.
I heard some explosions off in the distance behind us and if the layout of the map had been right from the sound it should have been the p
resents Mac left for the enemy back where we were supposed to have stopped for our first rest break.
I wanted to check the area we were in since it wasn't near as defensible as I would have liked. Mac insisted on going with me and rather than chance making a lot of noise if we came across any scouts for the enemy we opted to take our crossbows so we could dispatch them without the noise of a gun. The front checked out clear as did both sides. When we got to the rear of the company however we came across half a dozen scouting parties close enough they should have known where the camp was. We were able to take each of the scouting parties without much trouble, but there was no telling if they had informed the main body of our location before we took them out.
“I want our scouts out five clicks ahead and at least one click to each side. I also want to keep at least three scouts of our men bringing up the rear and keeping the main body clear of any threat by at least five clicks, and ten clicks would be better,” I said.
“I'll get Drew and Bill to help me keep things clear from the rear, but unless you use some of these regulars we don't have enough men to handle the front and sides,” Mac said.
“You worry about the back and I'll let Curtis worry about the front I'll take the rest of our men and get that Chaplain to pick out the best of the regulars and between us we should be able to handle the sides. Curtis knew to mark the trail well enough even that Lieutenant shouldn't have trouble following it and if he started wondering the scouts to either side could get them back on track. Mac I don't want rifles used unless there is no choice. The sooner we have to use the rifles the sooner we have them bare down on us with their full force and I want them finding those presents we left to help make that full force a more manageable figure. I figure it will take two maybe three days before we meet up with Major Jackson and Alpha company and I still don't know what we can count on from these regulars,” I said.
“I'll have Drew and Bill pull double quivers of bolts and I'll re-stock what I have, that should give us enough to handle most anything we come across without having to use rifles,” he said.
“Captain Franks it's time to put your training to work, unless you think your god is going to miraculously save all these men from either death or a POW camp,” I said when I found him.
“Captain Waters? I'm not sure what you mean,” he said.
I mean I want you to pick out at least two of the best men in your company at scouting. They'll be joining me guarding the right flank of our move while you and two of my men will be guarding the left flank,” I said.
“I thought you said your men could handle the job Captain,” he said.
“I have three of my men guarding our rear and four more guarding the front. That leaves me five men and I need two of them with the group to insure they stay on the trail which leaves three and if I give you two that leaves me with one. These men in this company have done a wonderful job since we got the headache out of the way, but my men and I can't do this alone,” I said.
“I understand I think I know just the men, I hope you don't mind but they're both God fearing men,” he said.
“We can't all be perfect Captain, as long as they aren't afraid to shoot a crossbow and shoot to kill, and keep their god to themselves I wouldn't care if they were your gods own angels. I just want to insure these men get home to their loved ones,” I said.
I let the rest of my team know what we needed and let them know if they had problems working with the Chaplain to follow orders first and let me know when we got to the camp for the night.
“Jeff I want any enemy you come across dead as quietly as possible. I don't want that Chaplain taking anything but a crossbow or bow and arrows while I know I can count on you to not use the noise makers I can't count on him not to,” I said.
Captain Franks got back with the men he selected as I finished giving instruction to my men.
“Captain Franks this is Jeff Miner the ranking NCO you'll have with you, anything you need you can let him know and he'll get it for you,” I said.
I introduced the other two men and let him know I had already briefed them of what it was they would be doing.
“One more thing Captain I want you and these men you brought to turn in your firearms. I don't want anyone shooting guns if it can be helped that would bring the full force of the enemy down on us and the quieter we are the longer it will take for them to find and catchup to us. Believe me when the guns are needed I'll make sure you have them, but for what we're doing today crossbows and archery are the better choice, the crossbow has a longer more accurate range, but for some a bow and arrow is easier, so you'll have your choice which you have,” I said.
They all chose crossbows and I gave each of them three quivers of bolts with instructions on how to cock and load them.
“Gentlemen accuracy does count and if by chance you only wound I hope you have strong stomachs because it will mean either putting another bolt in them or slitting their throat. Any scouts you come across are to be killed, and I do mean killed. We aren't taking prisoners and we can't let them inform their commanders where we are,” I said.
“Captain Waters you can't be serious, to do what you're saying is nothing short of murder,” Captain Franks said.
“Captain Franks I'm very serious. This is war the very job of war is murder, to kill your enemy before he kills you. I suggest you read your bible a little more closely if you don't believe that. According to your own bible anyone that doesn't follow the same beliefs is worthy only of death. If you don't have the stomach for war, why are you here? These men need strong leaders who understand the purpose behind the fight not men who preach feel good philosophy that will do nothing to keep them alive,” I said.
“I'm sorry Captain Waters, but if you think I can kill just to kill you're sadly mistaken,” he said.
“I'm sorry if you feel I'm asking you to kill simply to kill, because that isn't my intent, and if it were I could understand your apprehension. I want you to think about this though, we don't have anyway of keeping prisoners, if we did I would rather take prisoners. If we let any of those scouting our location live they will pass where we are to their superiors and we will be over run without much hope of escape. So since we can't take prisoners we can't leave any of the scouts we come across alive it's the only way of protecting ourselves. I didn't invent the rules of war, and I don't particularly like the rules of war, but I will kill if it's the only way I have to protect, and that sir is what this is,” I said.
“I'm sorry Captain, but it's just that thinking that I became a Chaplain. I can't kill for no valid reason and your argument doesn't show a valid reason for taking another mans life in my book,” he said.
“In that case Captain why don't you go find me the Lieutenant and then you can stay here with these oh so precious souls you aren't willing to kill to protect. I just hope when this is over your moral code of right and wrong doesn't get you killed,” I said.
Another delay all because I wanted to give someone I knew to be a coward a chance to rise above their cowardice and do something to save lives for a change. It took twenty minutes for the Lieutenant to show up and even then he didn't have a clue that I asked for him. The men from the company were present and privy to everything that had been said and the fact the Chaplain didn't have a stomach for the job that needed to be done.
“I don't understand Captain I saw the Chaplain on my way here and he never said a word about you wanting to see me,” Lieutenant Strong said when he finally showed up.
“Lieutenant, who is your next in command here?” I asked.
“That would be the Chaplain sir,” he said.
“No Lieutenant, the Chaplain doesn't have the stomach for war and would rather let every man here die or become a prisoner than fight to help them,” I said.
“Then I would say Sargent Strong would be next in line,” he said.
I turned to the men the Chaplain found and asked if any of them knew who Sargent Strong was and if so to find him and let him know I wa
nted to talk to him. A couple of them took off to find the Sargent and I laid out what it was I needed from the Lieutenant while waiting for the Sargent and men who went to find him.
“You wanted to see me Captain.” This man had to be one of the biggest men I had ever seen and I had no doubt if he was ever to get a hold of me he could break me in half without much trouble.
“Sargent I need you to keep these men moving and in line. I'm sure you're aware that I've gathered all firearms so no one will get the idea to start shooting at something. I want those firearms kept safe and only on my orders are they to be dispersed. I have two of my men available to help you keep everyone moving in the right direction, but since these men know you better than my men I trust you'll be better able to lead them than my men could,” I said.
“I take it your men will be in constant contact with you sir?” he asked.
“Sargent my men and I are here to protect you and your men, to if at all possible see that you are all able to get back home to your families. To do our job means we do need to be able to trust you and your men to want to live and get back home, to help us do our jobs,” I said.
“I understand Captain, but I have to ask why you came to me. We still have two officers and they should have been who you came to for this,” he said.
“The Lieutenant there will be working with some of my men to insure we aren't flanked on the right, and The Captain isn't willing to defend anyone not even himself, I can't trust him, thus I can't put him in charge of anything. When I dismissed him I asked he send me the Lieutenant and he couldn't even do that. Do you think you're able to handle this Sargent or do I need to find someone else?” I asked.
“I think I can handle anything for the White Rose, sir,” he said.
The White Rose had been mentioned in my dream, and in my dream I understood the reference, but this wasn't my dream and in this reality magic and fairy folk didn't exist. There was no such thing as the White Rose, yet for some reason this Sargent thought there was, and even made reference to me as the White Rose.
I looked around at the men standing there and it seemed they all knew what the reference meant and none seemed surprised that the Sargent would dare use it in reference to me. As the reference set in it was like a light came on in each of the men standing there, as though they had all been privy to my dream and its understanding.
“Sargent I hope you don't plan on sharing that title with everyone here,” I said.
“No sir. I'm sorry if I offended you in using your units title in referring to you sir,” he said.
Of course. I had named my unit the White Rose thus making me the White Rose. Surely that was all he meant.
“No offense taken Sargent. Let's get this show moving again and if possible Sargent I would like to keep the pace we had this morning,” I said.
The Hidden Rose Page 11