Vigilante: The Pale Horse: Post Apocalyptic Justice

by Cliff Deane

  Gus said, “Levi, old friend, it’s a good thing you, and I are flexible because it seems that every single time we put a plan into motion, we have to change the danged thing. Oh well, at least the core of the plans give us direction, so we don’t have to start from scratch every doggone time. Yep, a good thing we’re flexible.

  So, General, what do we do while we’re waiting for the scouting reports?”

  Levi chuckled and said, “I guess the first thing is to stay flexible. After that let’s send out scouts to find some targets of opportunity, take a couple of shots and boot scoot. How many do you think we should commit?”

  “Oh, let’s see, we need to send two back to Pickett to let Leon know about our change of plans and to tell him to continue his mission as agreed. That leaves us with two-hundred and twenty-five, so if we keep fifty to secure our new campsite, we’re looking at one man short of forty-four patrols of four men each, so let’s hold back fifty for Hq duty, giving us a fair mix of combatants and support personnel.

  Levi, I hate to say this, but Kate should be included in one of the combat patrols, rather than staying in camp. What say we put her with Tim and Kevin?”

  Levi did not like that option at all, not the going with Tim and Kevin thing, but putting her on a combat patrol, and of course, his first reaction was to say, “No way in Hell,” but he knew Gus was right. If she was bound and determined to become a combat soldier and pull her weight as such, then she had to have experience. No, he didn’t like it at all, but he finally gave his permission.

  Gus directed the 1st. Sgt. to gather the Officers and Platoon Sergeants for a mission briefing thirty minutes after arriving at the new campsite.

  ◎

  9 May 2100

  TFL Encampment

  NW of DC

  As Task Force Levins (TFL) began setting up camp Levi held a meeting with his Officers and NCOs to inform them of the latest change in plan and the two separate missions that TFL was about to undertake.

  He said, “Gentlemen, we have an entirely new set of priorities ahead of us. Yeah, I know we alter plans a lot, but we alter those plans because the change in circumstances often gives us better options to strike at our enemy.

  If there is one thing upon which Colonel Murtaugh and I agree, it is that we must remain flexible to our ever changing environment.

  All right, here are the next two missions:

  One:

  We will eliminate the guard force overseeing the removal of autos from the Interstate. We will accomplish this mission by the use of almost half of our combat force.

  Support personnel will assist in the security of our encampment until we return; only Cooks and Operational Staff from the TOC are currently off this duty roster.

  It is my intention to overwhelm the guard force with an initial volley of fire taking down the entire enemy force from concealed positions on each side of the highway. The Guards will be caught in the open with no cover.

  It is imperative that we maintain noise discipline during our movement into these concealed positions; therefore I intend for us to move into position at night approximately one mile ahead of the auto removal workforce. This should ensure that we are in a position to have the greatest possibility of surprise, and success as we press our attack.

  If possible, I would like one or two prisoners for questioning.

  Following the elimination of the guards, the slaves will be released; those with prior military service will be offered the opportunity to join our force.

  Snipers; if guards take hostages and fail to surrender then you are weapons free to engage. Please don’t hit any of the captives.

  Are there any questions?”

  The only question was the timeframe for movement to the ambush site. Levi left that detail to the planners to include in their final plan of attack.

  “All right then, Colonel Murtaugh will brief you on the second mission and guidance. Oh, if you have not read Sun Tzu’s The Art of War, I suggest you pay close attention; Colonel Murtaugh.”

  Gus took over the briefing and said, “Good evening everyone; before we begin I want to mention flexibility; live it.

  Okay, let’s get to it; the second mission we will undertake is that of assassination of the Caliphate hierarchy, destruction of Mosques, vehicles, depots, and command and control centers.

  To accomplish this mission, we will use forty-four, four-man patrols beginning on 11 May. We will utilize both day and night attacks.

  It is imperative that you properly mark your maps when you discover targets of opportunity that are not immediately defeatable

  Also make a note of libraries, fuel stations, Walmart Distribution Centers, and any other locations of interest. Note enemy strong points, fortifications, and things like slave quarters. Oh, yes, I almost forget; note anything the enemy is destroying. We have found that it appears that every Church currently in reach of the Caliphate has been destroyed.

  Mosques are considered to be high priority targets. You each have a copy of the map showing the locations of these Caliphate Mosques. These are excellent locations to find Imams and those in positions of leadership.

  Yes, I know, the list seems unending, and it is. If you find something interesting, then make a note of what it is and where it is located.

  General Levins mentioned Sun Tzu; for those of you who are not familiar with him, I will give a short background. Sun Tzu was a genius at the art of war with a specialty in Guerilla tactics.

  His country, Wu was being threatened by a neighboring country, Chu. Wu was much smaller than Chu and had only a small army of loyal fighters under Tzu’s command. He then wrote a book entitled The Art of War and made it available to his Officers. Actually, his book is more of a treatise with only thirteen relatively short chapters.

  The crux of his writings on Guerilla Warfare is as follows:

  Hit and run; do not allow your force to be drawn into long engagements.

  Strike where the enemy is weak, and you are strong.

  Lure the enemy forces into ambushes.

  Know your enemy as you know yourself.

  Use traps, snares, and camouflaged pits filled with sharpened bamboo stakes.

  Never allow your force to become surrounded, or cut off from a retreat.

  All warfare is based on deception.

  Gentlemen, these are the outlined principle teachings of Sun Tzu and have been the Guerilla Bible for paramilitary fighters, as well as standing armies since he wrote his thirteen chapter treatise. If you are a history buff, you may recall that these tactics were used to perfection in our war against the Viet Cong Guerillas in Viet Nam. That war lasted for ten years; we lost nearly fifty-nine thousand men, while the enemy lost nearly one million and in the end, we withdrew from the field.

  Oh, I suppose I should also mention that Sun Tzu wrote his Treatise nearly two thousand six hundred years ago, and its precepts are as valid today as they were when he put pen to rice paper.

  Now it is our time to use the wisdom of Sun Tzu against a numerically superior force. So, don’t get cocky and bite off more than you can safely chew; be avenging ghosts. Please remember that we will win this war the same way we would eat an elephant; one bite at a time.”

  The briefing ended with instructions to have a movement to ambush plan prepared by 1300 the following day.

  Just before the meeting broke up, Gus told everyone to be prepared to see and hear some initial results of Sun Tzu’s genius scheduled for 0210 hours.

  ◎

  10 May 0900

  TFL Encampment

  NW of DC

  One hundred men of TF Levins lay in wait; watching the progress of the slaves, as they struggled to clear the highway. As the procession slowly drew level with the ambush site, the men smiled as they saw that all of the guards were spaced along the outside of the roadway. In reality, it would have been impossible for any of the guards to be in the median because they could never be seen as being below their Abds. Then again, why have guards in the me
dian when escape could only be achieved by running away from the road?

  Captain Neal Page was Colonel Pickett’s XO and had been assigned to lead the Horse Cavalry under General Levins.

  Neal Page knew full well that a major weakness in the minds of the Caliphate was arrogance, and arrogance would soon see them in Hell.

  The signal to open fire was a red flare which Neal expected to cause the guards to watch as it climbed into the sky for just a couple of seconds before reacting. As they had no cover, their lives were soon to be over.

  Neal told his troopers not to engage the first two men on the right side of the road. He positioned two of his snipers, to his right; they would attempt to wound these first two men and take them, prisoner.

  A red flare whooshed into the morning sky, drawing the eyes of slaves and guards alike, as a murderous volley of rifle fire struck down the guard force. Within a few seconds, all of the guards were on the ground, either dead or wounded.

  Using a captured megaphone, Neal ordered the former slaves to remain on the ground until told to rise. This took but a few minutes as the ROA force went among the guards, ending the suffering of the wounded.

  The first two guards had taken hits to their leg and lay on the ground screaming in pain. Their pitiful screams stopped only when additional threats were issued. Field first aid was then given to the prisoners to stop the bleeding.

  Those rescued were lined up and told they were free, though any prior service person was asked to remain. Of the two hundred prisoners, thirty-two were prior service, but only twenty were combat veterans, four were cooks, and two were Company Clerks. Each of the twenty-eight eagerly chose enlistments in Task Force Levins. Evaluation of each recruit would begin upon the return to Camp TFL.

  Weapons from the guards were given to those men who were now free. The new recruits would be issued ROA weapons and equipment upon their final acceptance into the TFL.

  Neal was pleased with the condition of the prisoners. All were well fed and buffed up from their work on the road.

  ◎

  13May 0900

  Ruhullah (Spirit of God) Abdul Majid (Servant of the all Glorious)

  1600 Pennsylvania Ave,

  DC

  Ruhullah Majid sat with his fellow Clerics and Senior Military Officers. He wanted to know, primarily three things; why these attacks had so suddenly begun, why they had been so successful, and who were these savage Infidels who dared to attack the true followers of Allah.

  “This must end; I will not tolerate insurrection in my Province, praise Allah. I expect you to find those responsible, and I would prefer them to be taken alive so that they may receive the mercy of Allah as we make a public spectacle of their beheading.

  General Ar-Rahman (Exceedingly Compassionate), tell me, in the name of Allah, what your Quds Force plans to do.”

  The General knew his own head could soon be on the line if he failed in his task. He said, “Allah be praised, we shall, by the will and grace of Allah, establish ambush sites throughout the areas of our responsibility. Only if Allah wills it, shall we put an end to this abomination, in the name of Allah, Allahu Akbar (God is Great).”

  Ruhullah Majid’s smile was that of a python that had just spotted a potential meal as he said, “As I am sure that Allah does, if fact, will the capture of these infidels the matter falls to your abilities, General; does it not? Allahu Akbar.”

  “My dear Supreme Leader, Allah alone grants my blessings to lead our military, I shall, Allah willing, grant your demand, and as Allah has deemed you, Allah be praised in his wisdom, to lead us with the words of Allah, to victory. The work of Allah shall surely shine through you, Majid. Allahu Akbar.”

  This game of placing blame and responsibility bounced back and forth like master ping-pong players. If; in the end, the operation resulted in failure a scapegoat must be found, yet neither was truly sure who it would be; probably some low ranking Officer would be sacrificed upon the altar of Allah.

  ◎

  13May

  Camp TFL,

  NW of DC

  Levi and Gus were discussing a possible reaction from the Caliphate to the recent attacks.

  Gus was confident that they would put ambushes in place to catch ROA forces as they approached potential targets.

  “I think,” said Gus, “that we should halt planned attacks and send out scouts at night with Infra-Red searching devices in an effort to see if the enemy has established ambush sites.

  Once we identify their location on our city maps, we can revisit the same sites the following night to find out if the enemy plans to move their ambushes each night, or remain in a static mode hoping to keep them hidden.”

  “Gus, I believe you have hit the nail right on the proverbial head. Go ahead and get with Neal to work out the details and let’s get started tonight, but don’t hit any of the ambushes we identify. Let the Caliphate forces think they are well hidden. Of course, if some other target of opportunity presents itself and poses minimal risk, the patrols should take ‘em out. Agreed?”

  “Yes sir, I’ll go to see Neal right now and get to work. What say we meet for lunch at 1230, and bring Kate. I want to get her feeling on the patrol plan.”

  Levi looked curiously at Gus when he said, “Why is that, Gus?”

  “Levi, have you failed to notice that Kate, while she is fearless, is also one smart cookie. I thought maybe we should begin grooming her for leadership roles a few years down the road.”

  “Hmmm, yeah, I think that may be a good idea, okay, run with it, but I don’t want it to look like she is getting any special treatment; we good?”

  “Of course, buddy, of course, besides if she thought I was making her the teacher’s pet, she would probably kick my butt. Seriously, have you seen her train with the Martial Arts Class; she’s incredible,” said Gus.

  “Yes, I have, and her skills are most impressive, but I don’t want to push her too far or too fast.”

  “I know, Boss, don’t worry, just let me handle her more subtle training, okay?”

  “Oh dear God, you’ll make a Devil Dog Gyrene out of her!”

  Gus cackled as he left to find Neal.

  ◎◎◎

  Chapter 12

  Susan and the Wasp

  12 May 0900

  Camp Lejeune

  Protectorate, ROA

  The morning was beautiful, but the early dawn sky of flaming red warned of possibly heavy rains by late afternoon. Spring in western Virginia in year ought one had been one of warm, pleasant days, and cool nights. Rainfall had been, perhaps a bit above normal, though no one complained as the farmer's fields were already lush and weeks ahead of schedule.

  As Lt. Colonel Ben Smith made his way from Lejeune to Defiance in a three-vehicle convoy of up-gunned Humvees, he was pleased to see the vehicle removal team using bulldozers to push cars and trucks off the roadway. By using the old secondary and county roads, the process of clearing them had become rather routine, but still very slow. Additionally, the skills learned by the operators would hopefully, make the job somewhat easier and less tedious when other, more heavily blocked roads could begin to be cleared.

  The fuel crunch feared by everyone had been alleviated when full storage tanks of fuel, holding millions of gallons had been discovered in several locations. The ROA annexed all of these sites, and controlled both the flow and protected the sites against attack.

  These fuel reserves were dispensed to communities within the ROA into tanker trucks and used primarily by hospitals, farmers and military transportation, such as the mission of Lt. Col. Ben Smith on this day. Usage was minimal as barely 2% of the burgeoning population of the ROA had functioning motor vehicles. Travel by horse was now the preferred method of transportation, when you could find one. A few carpenters and wheelwrights had opened blacksmith shops offering everything from horseshoes to modern buggies. Many of these new-fangled horse drawn buggies were made from pickup truck beds, while others were more traditional in nature and far more co
mfortable.

  The horse breeding businesses were huge successes as horses would be, without question the primary mode of transportation for decades to come. Mules were also coming back into favor for plowing and general farm chores.

  Leather for saddles and other accouterments were becoming difficult to come by as lime; an utterly necessary material for the production of leather was rapidly being used up.

  A few people had gone to the library in an attempt to locate information on how to make lime from limestone, and the pre-industrial methods of leather production.

  The ROA had copious quantities of limestone, but limestone has to be cooked at around nine hundred degrees Fahrenheit to fracture the stone. The sticking point reared its ugly head from the fact that the ROA had no coal deposits, and coal is necessary for the production of quicklime.

  President Ralph Bassett formed a committee to address this problem and, the idea of trade with the coal mining regions of Virginia, which also has vast quantities of limestone, evolved into the first attempt at International Trade by the Republic Of America.

  Unfortunately, the brain trust of the ROA had no idea what these outlying coal regions needed that the ROA could supply.

  Ralph informed his committee that the best way to find out what other regions needed was simply to go and ask.

  He called in the Coal Committee after Ben arrived from Lejeune to discuss how to safely get to and from the coal regions. Another sticking point was the transportation of goods to and from the ROA.

  President Ralph called the meeting to order at 1:00 pm on 12 May 01.