by C. R. Daems
“That’s what you were doing when you stopped eight hundred meters from the action?”
“Yes. I wanted to see the situation for myself before I decided the best course of action. Otherwise, it’s fire, ready, aim,” I said. Patten was silent as we continued to climb.
“Two Tasmanians,” a voice shouted from around a clump of boulders. A few seconds later, two Rangers appeared. The older one shook his head. “Sergeant Beal was right. A lot of macho boys aren’t going to be happy. A woman passed the Tasmanian school when they couldn’t.” He smiled. “Hi, Patten, you Tasmanians saved a lot of lives with your snipers. I thought it was going to be a bloodbath judging by the number of snipers in these mountains.”
“Hi, Sergeant Gordon. You can thank Luan.” He nodded at me. “She just about cleared this side of the pass from eight hundred meters out.”
“What are you looking for up here?” Gordon asked, staring at me as he tried to take my measure.
“Just looking. I’m new and wanted to see what we looked like from the enemies’ perspective, see the terrain, and maybe get a peek at where we are going,” I said.
He gave a hearty laugh. “You have a fox among the wolves, Patten. Congratulations, Luan. We have a lot of respect for anyone who can qualify to wear the Tasmanian fur.”
Just then we heard another person approaching by the rattling of stone cascading down the slope. He was obviously in a hurry.
“Sarge, we found a satellite dish and it appears to be attached to a bomb,” a redheaded corporal said. His forehead glistened from the mad dash from wherever he had been. His face was pale and he was wide-eyed with panic. “That could bury the army in the pass.”
“Let’s go look,” Patten said, looking at Gordon. “Luan has an explosive specialty.”
Yeah, I’m qualified in the classroom defusing bombs with dyes, I mused, but I had to admit Patten was right, I should at least look at it. I followed the group back up the trail the corporal had slid down for about two hundred meters, which was at least three quarters up the mountain. From there I could see the armored vehicles and hundreds of people moving into and through the pass. The corporal was right; a landslide would not only kill a lot of people and destroy equipment, but it would cut off part of our force from the main unit and supplies.
“There,” the corporal shouted while pointing. I moved forward and knelt near the parabolic dish and noted two wires coming out of a small black box. I carefully followed the wires, crawling on my hands and knees into a narrow cave. It widened after a few meters and allowed me to stand. Some six meters ahead, each wire led to a small black box attached to a metal cylinder. I quickly crawled out.
“Patten, call Lacy,” I said. As Patten was my spotter, he carried our communication equipment and usually relayed any order or directions from command. A minute later, he transferred the connection to my earbud.
“Lacy, the Rangers found a satellite dish near the top of the mountain. It’s hooked by two wires that lead to two metal cylinders. It appears to be a bomb, and if it explodes it could collapse a good part of this mountain and bury the pass.”
“Can you disable it?” Lacy asked.
“If I get lucky,” I said, not meaning it to be a joke as it may have sounded. “I’d say the two wires from the cylinders are the equivalent of a dead man’s switch—break them and it activates the firing cap inside the cylinders. If fact, a specific signal to the dish probably does just that—breaks the connection. So I’d have to get into the black box attached to the dish and see if I could create a new bridge between the two wires,” I said, while considering all the possible traps that may exist inside those small black boxes which appeared to have simple screws holding them to the dish and cylinder.
“I’ve talked to General Dubois, who is heading this expedition. He’s sending two of his best bomb disposal experts. Stay and watch. It should be good experience for you as one of your specialties is explosives. Tell everyone else to evacuate the mountain.”
“Yes, sir,” I said and looked toward Gordon. “Sergeant Gordon, General Dubois is sending some bomb disposal folks up to dismantle this one, but he wants everyone to evacuate the mountain. I’m to stay and watch.”
Patten looked defiant. “You stay, I stay. We’re a team.”
“Gary, they may need you if the army boys can’t disarm the device,” I said, thinking this campaign was far from over. It was a long trek to Hilan City where the mines were located and the miners lived. Before Patten could respond, his TCom chimed and he transferred the call to me.
“Luan, we have a problem. Communications with Hilan is via a satellite which passes overhead every eight hours and provides a one-hour window. The window will be active in seven minutes, so, the bomb is yours,” he said.
I cut the connection, not wanting to waste time on unnecessary conversation. I folded into a sitting position and focused on the antenna, ignoring Patten, who was talking every ten or twenty seconds.
“Jolie, do something…Jolie you only have five minutes…you don’t have time for thinking…” I barely heard Patten or the other comments from the Rangers standing around; obviously running wouldn’t save them so they decided to stay and watch.
I knew I couldn’t dismantle the black box in the allotted time and something told me that was exactly what the bomb maker wanted someone to try. The screws were probably part of the connection, therefore removing them would set off the bomb. The wires were covered but so thin that trying to strip the covering would probably break the wire and the connection.
“Three minutes, Jolie… Do something, anything,” Patten was shouting.
Two large rocks held the antenna in place, which I surmised was to prevent the dish from being blown over by the wind…and breaking the connection prematurely.
Therefore… I stood and carefully removed the two rocks, lifted the antenna, and crawled back into the cave. Inside, I cautiously stood and walked as far into the cave as the wires would permit, placed the antenna down, and secured it with several smaller rocks I found lying around on the ground. Then I went outside.
“Patten, tell Lacy they can send up those bomb experts if the mountain doesn’t collapse in the next hour.”
It didn’t.
* * *
Three hours later, two Rangers appeared, a tall, rugged-looking man in his thirties and a smaller, younger man. “I’m Technical Sergeant Tucker and he’s Sergeant Dean.” He looked to me then to Patten. Great job dismantling that bomb in under seven minutes.”
Patten laughed. “Luan,” he jerked his head in my direction, “has the explosive specialty, but the Fox couldn’t do anything in seven minutes. She just sat there looking at the dish for four minutes then picked it up and carried it into the cave. It’s a miracle it hasn’t gone off.”
Tucker turned his gaze on me for several minutes before speaking. “That was good thinking, Luan. Let’s go take a look.” He nodded to me and followed me into the cave, past the cylinders where he gave a small whistle, to the dish. “This is certainly a dead area for that antenna and the reason they had it outside. Well, what do you think?” he asked, after inspecting the dish, wires, and cylinder.
“I thought it was a dead man’s switch and the black boxes had some built-in traps to trigger it,” I said.
He nodded. “I agree. I’m glad you didn’t try to open the box or cut the wires to disconnect the antenna.” He stood with his lips pursed in thought. “In my experience, the simpler the device looks the more cautious you need to be. Let’s empty the cylinders first so if we trip a trap it won’t matter.” He proceeded to take out a drill and made a small hole in the cylinder, smelled it, and smiled. “Sparks won’t set off the nitrates in the cylinder, but it wouldn’t matter as these drills and saw blades aren’t made of metal,” he said. He began to cut a circular hole in toward the bottom and then spent the next twenty minutes emptying its contents. Then he repeated the process on the other cylinder. “All right, let’s try the black box on the dish.” He dri
lled a small hole in the center of the box and fed a snakelike optical scope into it. “Looks like you were right. The two wires are connected by a bridge wire which is wound around the screws.” He took out a small leather case, unzipped it, and withdrew a small screwdriver. He had only turned the screw a few turns when there was a loud pop in each of the cylinders. He laughed. “We’re dead, since we tripped a trap that ignited the cylinders which caused a large chuck of the mountain to loosen and crush the people and vehicles below.” He finished taking the screws off and removed the black box’s cover. “Clever,” he said. “Turning the screws caused the bridge wire to loosen and fall off the screw, breaking the connection. And the bridge wire runs into this mechanism which I’ll wager opens the connection if it gets the right signal. So you were twice right, it was a dead man’s switch and the black boxes had traps.”
“Thank you, Sergeant Tucker, for taking the time to explain what needed to be done, how it’s done, and showing me the traps,” I said, knowing I might need what I learned sometime in the future.
“You did all the right things, neutralize the bomb and leave it for someone with the right equipment, time, and experience. And thanks for not blowing up the mountain.” Tucker grinned and began packing up his equipment.
“Patten, call Lacy and let him know the status, and ask him if we can scout ahead a little,” I said, looking out over the landscape which had a good view of the next several kilometers. It didn’t look inviting—a sandy path varying between a couple hundred meters to a half a kilometer running between mountains ranging from three to six hundred meters high. The lower mountains appeared to have more trees and shrubs whereas the higher mountains were relatively bare. I couldn’t see any breaks in the mountains where an army could exit. Once you entered the pass you were committed until Hilan. The army had assault shuttles and helicopters but they were all but useless. Shooting into the mountain could unleash a landslide, which could block the pass or kill the people they were trying to protect. And snipers could easily bring down a helicopter with unpredictable results. As I watched, I noticed a reconnaissance force had begun to advance.
“Patten do you see any movement in the mountains ahead?” I asked as he had a 40x60 mm spotting scope which was significantly better than my 25x30 mm sniper’s scope.
“No, but that doesn’t mean much. I’d have to get lucky and catch someone moving as I scanned the area.” He shrugged. “Until they fire at the army and we have a position to focus on, the chances are close to zero.”
“You’re right. Check in with Lacy and find out what he wants us to do,” I said. Patten talked for several minutes into his TCom before answering.
“Lacy said to meet them in the pass.”
* * *
It took six hours to descend to ground level as the sun had set hours ago and the quarter moon didn’t provide much light. Lacy must have been monitoring us as he and Simon were there to meet us when we reached ground level.
“That was quick thinking, Luan,” Lacy said. “The boys from the bomb unit were impressed. They said that bomb would have created a significant landslide and killed a lot of people as well as blocking the pass. Sergeant Gordon appears to have given you your Tasmanian handle. He said you were a fox among wolves. The bomb unit boys agree and so does Patten. So, like it or not, it’s Fox.”
“We were lucky you decided to go sightseeing. You were the only one with any knowledge of bombs within a two-hour walk.” Simon said and smiled. “Welcome to the Tasmanians, Fox. You have officially earned your fur.”
“Go get something hot to eat and then get some sleep. It will be several hours before the scouts return and the army begins to advance,” Lacy said and waved us toward the rear.
It took us fifteen minutes to find the tent the army had erected as a mess hall. The food was bland but it was hot and provided needed fuel for my body. As everyone kept saying, I couldn’t afford to lose weight.
“I hope we don’t encounter any more bombs, Luan. You scared the shit out of me just sitting there looking at that dish as the minutes ticked away. How do you do it?” Patten asked between mouthfuls of the tasteless stew.
“When you rush, you’re more likely to make a mistake,” I said. “With that bomb, it would have been fatal for us and those below in the pass. I had to consider all my options before I could pick the one I thought less likely to detonate the bomb. But…before I could do that I needed to be calm, otherwise I might overlook one or more of the options.”
“I’m growing prematurely old as your teammate. That is, if I don’t have a heart attack first.” Patten shook his head as he wiped up the last of the stew with a chunk of bread.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Planet: Harari: Hihari Sniper Teams
“So far, the army isn’t encountering much resistance. Just random snipers, which is causing them to advance slowly but not enough to stop them,” Simon said after assembling his platoon at the rear of the advancing army. “The Rangers are scouting ahead but the Hihari have set traps which have killed four and wounded two more, and the snipers have killed or wounded another fifteen—including three Rangers, two dead. The snipers are being more careful after their heavy losses at the entrance to Kobby Pass. I expect they will be calling on us as night falls.”
“Scouts or snipers?” asked Clifton, who was in charge of the scouts in squad one.
“I’ll recommend scouts covered by snipers,” Simon said. “It’s hard to look for bombs and traps while snipers are shooting at you.”
“Are the snipers on both sides or just one?” I asked.
“Sometimes on one and other times on both,” Clifton said. “But they have gotten smarter and are changing positions after each shot. So it’s hard to tell how many and to target them.”
“Did they find any bombs?”
“Not yet, but they’ve just started looking,” Clifton said. “But they have set booby traps on the convenient trails.”
“Why the questions, Luan?”
“I’d like to go back to where they found the bomb and observe what the snipers are doing. The elevation may provide a better view,” I said. I wasn’t really sure what I hoped to accomplish, but it was clear the snipers had the advantage on the scouts and on any sniper shooting from a lower elevation.
Lacy looked to Patten. “I’m willing. Her instincts have been good so far.” He shrugged. Lacy looked to Sadler then Simon.
It was a tradeoff. We only had four pairs of shooters, so if Patten and I were not available, they would be short twenty-five percent of their snipers. On the other hand, we might be more effective up on the mountain.
“Your call, Lacy,” Simon said. “I have no objection either way.”
“All right. But keep me up to date on what you’re doing, in case I need you.”
“Simon, I’d like to send a scout team with them,” Clifton said. “There might be better access to the next mountain or…” When Simon nodded, he looked around. “Harold, Benny, you functional?”
“I’m up for a stroll up the mountain,” Harold said. He was tall, lean, and wiry. His narrow, young face had a three-day stubble and he wore his dark brown hair in a crew cut.
“At least we will be doing something,” Benny said. “I’m bored. The Rangers have been doing all the heavy lifting so far.” Benny was a bit smaller than Harold, but his rugged face looked several years older and to have been chiseled out of stone under his full beard. He was also heavier built and looked to lift weights.
* * *
We left a half hour later, after packing like we would be gone several days and would encounter multiple firefights along the way, since we would have no way of being resupplied on a deserted mountain if we encountered trouble.
Even though it had started to get dark about halfway to our planned position, we made good time with the scouts leading the way.
“Where do you want to set up?” Patten asked when we arrived. I pointed to several meter-sized boulders. He nodded and we proceeded to eat a light
snack, relieve ourselves, and unpack our gear. Then Patten set up the night vision camera we had brought, and we settled down to watch. About an hour later, Harold appeared about two meters away from me. I hadn’t heard anything until he spoke.
“See anything interesting?” he asked softly, looking through his own night vision goggles.
“Pretty quiet,” I said. “It’s a cat and mouse game the Rangers are playing with the Hihari. The Hihari have the advantage. They have the high ground, don’t have to move, have traps to distract and slow the Rangers, and have alternate shooting positions already established. I’m hoping they have an established pattern they are following. If so, we should know in a few hours.”
“And if they do?” he asked.
“Then I get to distract the Hihari and give the Rangers an advantage.”
“From here? That looks like a kilometer or two away.”
“Between one thousand two hundred and one thousand four hundred meters,” I said.
“You can’t possibly hit them from—”
“We’ve got trouble,” Benny said as he crawled up next to Patten. “There is a large group of Hihari coming our way.” He nodded to our right where the mountain we were on dipped five hundred meters and connected to the next one. Patten immediately turned his scope and scanned the area.
“I count twenty, and unless they are carrying camping gear for a month, they are planning to set up another bomb,” Patten said and immediately called Lacy. "Lacy said he's sending help.”
I smiled, translation, try and hold them for the five hours it will take to reach you. I crawled to a new position where I could see the connecting ridge and had reasonable cover. As I did I heard Patten.
“Save your ammo. Your SCAR 16s aren’t going to be effective at this range. Let Luan do her thing. Plus it will make them think there is only one sniper up here and they may get careless.”
