Dawn of Defiance

by Dempsey, Albert

  "Okay, Lieutenant, I’m going to get some shut-eye before all the shit happens tomorrow. We're also sweeping Newlands forest to flush out some hippies," Steenkamp said.

  With that he deactivated the direct feed to Lucas, but kept the screen open to monitor their movements.

  Once the extremists from Lamberts Bay were in custody, he would put pressure on Nathan to divulge the location of Kathryn Baxter, who had since gone deep underground. His new protégé had some success in exposing a few low level activists. But she still needed to get close to the black girl who had caused so much trouble in the first place. She would no doubt be thoroughly interrogated. Perhaps she would expose the Baxter girl’s location.

  Steenkamp got up slowly, his body still hurt from old injuries he wished to forget. Especially his lower back, however he would have to brave the sofa once again as he needed to be close to the monitor.

  Turning the lights down Steenkamp made his way to the sofa and grunted a curse as he lay down. Just a few hours was all he needed before the mayhem would start. He had selected three platoons of fifty men each to sweep Newlands forests. At least Warrant Officer Van Breda has succeeded in joining the PRM. She too was embedded with them in Newlands Forest. Such dedication to the mission, poor girl he thought to himself as he looked at the rain beating against his office windows.

  How on earth do they survive in the forest? He thought.

  They too must have dedication, but it was probably desperation that put them there in the first place.

  Steenkamp watched the rain beat against the window for awhile until his eyes couldn’t fight the fatigue anymore. He always thought of his childhood sweetheart Mina and the countless hours they’d spent fishing together in Langebaan.

  Chapter 42

  "Those who vote decide nothing; those who count the votes decide everything."

  Josef Stalin

  Operation Clean Sweep engulfed Lamberts Bay like a storm cloud, catching everyone by surprise, especially the local Police Chief who was furious by the time he arrived at the station.

  Lt. Commander Modisa had already deployed his troops around the town and the outlying areas, stretching all the way from Lamberts Bay to Strandfontein. The main N7 freeway to Namibia had a road-block in place between Clanwillam and Klawer. Nothing moved in or out without it being scanned and searched.

  "What the hell is going on here and who are you?” the station Chief asked Modisa who stood up slowly from behind the desk in the charge office.

  "Why didn't you report this to me?" the Station Commander said to the duty officer who was about to speak.

  "Because I gave him strict orders not to” Modisa said with a little arrogance.

  Vibrations caused the windows of the Police Station to rattle as the armored troop carriers drove past to find parking across the road next to the beach. Both men stared at each other.

  I am now informing you that Operation Clean Sweep is now underway and the success of this mission depends on surprise and you full co operation," Modisa said.

  "As of now our operation takes precedence, you are to order all of your off-duty personnel to report in immediately, their assistance may be required."

  Just then four heavily armed soldiers came into the Police Station, followed by a technical officer in a UWN uniform. Locals had not seen so many white troops since the old days of Apartheid.

  "Lt Commander Modisa, sir! We are ready to deploy the drones as the wind conditions are now perfect."

  Modisa was not used to having so many highly trained white soldiers at his disposal. However, it was the thick German accent that seemed out of place.

  "Fine, deploy them. I will be with you now."

  "Yes, Sir," the officer said as he returned to the control vehicle.

  "I will leave my liaison officer, Lt. Steiner, here for the duration of the operation," Modisa said as he left the Police Station, followed by the Station Chief who no doubt still wanted to ask him a few questions.

  Just then two black military helicopters allocated for this mission arrived and circled over the town before they swooped over the harbor and towards the dunes in the distance.

  "I will be in touch once it's over!" Modisa said as he walked towards the armored command vehicle.

  The hydraulic doors hissed open to reveal a wide array of high-tech screens and surveillance equipment. It closed air-tight once Modisa was safely inside. Within seconds it made its way down the main road and out towards the allocated search area when some activity was spotted.

  The Station Commander watched as the remaining helicopter hovered at altitude, this caught his attention. It was stationery, obviously scanning his little town below with its high-tech equipment. After a minute or two it sped off along the coast on its way to the dunes to assist in the second helicopter in the scan of the area. Scouts had noticed several sightings of strangers not local to the area.

  Modisa had been briefed concerning Nathan Cohen and his group of extremists. He would no doubt be a difficult man to catch and for the first time Modisa wondered if he had enough troops to complete the mission, or if they would slip through his net.

  The armored vehicle was abuzz with activity deciphering info from ground troops and motorized patrols. The ISIS map of the area showed all troops in place. No doubt the UWN troops at his disposal had done this kind of search mission before, as they all deployed like clockwork. The only thing that annoyed Modisa was that they all spoke German to each other.

  "Please, speak in English," Lt. Commander Modisa ordered the German operator who was coordinating the scan of the area from behind her console.

  "Yes, Sir," she replied in English.

  "Sir, we have something; it's coming in now, please wait," she said as she punched something in on her console.

  The drones had picked up heat signatures of a few humans deep in the bush. As it zoomed in, it switched to optical enhancement to reveal seven targets. Modisa was riveted to the monitor that displayed statistics of temperature, distance, GPS location and an array of other numbers he did not fully understand. Switching to another color spectrum to get a better idea of the target, it flickered a few times then went back to normal.

  "No, it's not them," Modisa said.

  The local beggar’s were called Bergies. They had no official status and became more of a nuisance than anything at all.

  "Should we arrest them?" the operator asked Modisa.

  "No, move on, they're not important."

  Computer monitors displayed troop positions, camera views from vehicles, and ground support and feed from the road blocks. Patching into the main search helicopter, Lucas focused on the footage as it flew along the beach towards the dunes, where local fishermen had reported seeing some human activity. The drone operator had also deployed his craft over the area; it had a greater array of surveillance gadgetry. The live view showed terrain on two different screens under a spectrum of filters. All heat signatures were visible; nothing could hide in the bush.

  "I have Colonel Steenkamp on the line for you, Sir" the communications officer said to Modisa.

  Lucas swiveled around in his chair to face a monitor at his terminal station. Steenkamp's face came into view; he was sitting at his desk, his beloved painting of a Rattle Brigade in full operation during the Border War in the late 1980's, was clearly visible behind him. Lucas had only read about 32 Battalion and the Bush War of those days.

  "Any news?" Steenkamp asked.

  "Nothing so far, Sir, but we are monitoring all activity and I feel we’ll spot them very soon - they can’t hide forever. We are also conducting ISIS scans across cluster zones and our eyes in the sky will have something for us in no time," Modisa said, impressed with his knowledge of the latest tactics.

  "Ok, fine, I have my hands full on this side as it's still raining cats and dogs in Newlands. This forest is pretty overgrown. Anyway, I will keep your channel open; just buzz me when you locate them, ok?" Steenkamp said.

  With that he signed off.

/>   It was a long drive to Strandfontein; already the sun was beating down on those who stood at the check points. Modisa laughed inside as he couldn’t help thinking about Steenkamp, probably drenched in Newlands forest, chasing all those New Age hippies.

  Modisa then decided to move up front and sit next to the driver, as he wanted a clear view of the area and as such he had not been to this part of the country before. The control vehicle was positioned in the middle of the small convoy, which had now been reduced to five vehicles.

  Just then an operator swiveled around to speak to Modisa.

  "Sir, they’ve found something. I’ll patch you through now," the operator said to Modisa over the ComSat headset.

  Modisa went to see the images coming in from the surveillance helicopter that was scanning the dunes.

  "Yes, Sir, it's as we suspected: human activity. Shall we land?" the pilot asked.

  "No, come fetch me first, I want to see for myself," Lucas ordered.

  What they didn’t know was that Lt. Commander Modisa was trained as a master tracker; he wanted to evaluate the campsite personally before he contacted Steenkamp.

  Within a few minutes the command vehicle came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road. Then the distinctive sound of a helicopter became audible as it sped directly towards and over them, turning sharply and then descended to land thirty meters in front of them. Modisa stepped out of the control vehicle just as it touched down. Within minutes he was safely aboard and en route to the location where the surveillance drones were monitoring the terrain, sending images to the control vehicle.

  When the helicopter reached the target zone it banked to the left and began circling with the door open. Modisa watched the scene below as his troops fanned out across the dunes.

  Finally his moment had arrived as the helicopter touched down on the beach, which was about a hundred meters to the location. Modisa was excited, his heart beating and his adrenaline pumping. He would establish himself as the great hunter once more, like his forefathers of old. If only they could see him now.

  Steenkamp had a reputation; soon he too would have his own. With the rotor blades still turning, Modisa got out and made his way to safety. Standing on the beach he admired the scene; it was breathtaking. Paradise as far as you could see.

  A soldier came running up to him.

  "Sir, we’ve found something," he said almost breathless.

  Lucas just nodded.

  He knew the camp site would have been abandoned before sunrise. That’s what he would have done and if Nathan Cohen was as good as they say he was, then probably sooner. However he also knew this would not turn out to be afire-fight as those on the run were not soldiers; they were a bunch of frightened religious freaks.

  But he didn’t care, they were a high-priority for some unknown reason and they would look good on his report.

  He walked slowly, taking in the surroundings and the unique aroma of the fynbos. This truly was a wilderness in paradise.

  It was not long before he came to the camp-site and the first evidence of human activity. They had left in a hurry, the signs were all there. A small group had occupied this area for a considerable period of time. Modisa began assessing the scene; different shoe prints were still visible, a few tent pegs had been hastily left behind, and most interesting of all, a disused box of playing cards was found partially buried in the sand. Perhaps they could lift some prints off it, he thought signaling a soldier to bag it for evidence.

  From Modisa’s estimation they had missed them by a few hours, perhaps a day at the most.

  "Sergeant!" Modisa called over his ComSat.

  The man came running over.

  "I want your men to search for recently dug holes; they’ve buried their trash, that’s for sure. Search for a hundred meters in all directions," he said as he looked around.

  They probably followed the beach all the way to Strandfontein, Modisa thought to himself as he looked in the direction.

  A city person would take the easiest route, the most practical one.

  "Sergeant, I want your squad in the air and deployed to Strandfontein within the hour. Search the beach to this location."

  Modisa looked around, he was sure they couldn’t be too far away. He spent another half an hour at the abandoned camp site, taking everything in, almost sensing the people and what they went through. From what Steenkamp had told him, this group had now been on the run for almost two months; they would be tired, unmotivated and probably sick of their situation. Malnutrition would have made them weak and certainly no match for his troops.

  "Sir, we have found vehicle tracks, about three kilometers from here. I’ll send the images through to you."

  Modisa thought about how everything revolved around technology. He didn’t feel like walking the distance, so he agreed. From what he could see, perhaps ten people had camped there; they had been very careful to remain undetected so far. This spoke of someone with leadership and survival training.

  The flight to Strandfontein would follow the coastline, perhaps they would be spotted from the air. But he knew if the extremists really wanted to survive, they could if they had the know-how. Modisa had personally completed a ten day survival training program while still in Police College; all trainees had to complete the exercise in order to graduate. Their instructor had been ex-special forces operative from the days of the SADF. The man was rumored to be a product of the infamous, Apartheid era, 32 Battalion. Modisa was glad times had changed, he was now part of the UWN and he felt untouchable.

  However Steenkamp was an impatient man, he requested an update immediately. While in flight Modisa sent a message to Head Quarters.

  Allocated the extremists camp at GPS coordinates, see attached file.

  It has been deserted for less than 24hours.

  Human activity: (+- 8/12)

  Movement: North and they may have a 4x4 vehicle.

  Found traces of target shooting, 9mm small arms

  Lt. Commander Lucas Modisa

  Operation Clean Sweep

  It was a slow flight along the coast to Strandfontein, the helicopters often circling back when any kind of suspicious activity was spotted, but it would be impossible to locate people hiding in such a vast area.

  Today's mission would be dissected by experts and then it would be analyzed and filed into archives. No doubt Steenkamp would already be on it; his staff would be ordered to access the data as it came in and scrutinize every bit of information. The physical evidence however would be sent through on the next available shuttle to HQ. They would set their Forensic department onto it. Perhaps those cards would be the key in identifying the other players involved.

  It was already getting late and the operation for the day would be winding down. Reports from Central Command had confirmed that Lt. Colonel Steenkamp's three platoons had swept through Newlands forests, and netted over two hundred and seventy arrests for trespassing and ISIS violations.

  Did they really think they could avoid capture? Really, how pathetic, Modisa thought to himself. He was glad to be on the right side of the law.

  From a vantage point under a cluster of boulders that shadowed Strandfontein, Nathan watched through his binoculars as the helicopters circled and landed in the town below. They had escaped just in the nick of time. He thanked God for the strange feeling in his gut. It was a warning. If they delayed for just one more day then it would've been over for them.

  The two helicopters had been busy, flying to and fro. Searching the entire area with their high-tech scanners, yet Nathan knew how to hide. After all, he used to be a hunter once.

  Kate's campaign had only served to stir the hornets' nest and now that the storm was upon them, he would have to come up with an ingenious plan if they wanted to reach the safety of Namibia. And for that he would have to do something outrageous to slip past Steenkamp's troops.

  Tomorrow would be a day to be remembered!

  Chapter 43

  "Gradually, by selective breeding,
the congenital differences between rulers and ruled will increase until they become almost different species. A revolt of the plebs would become as unthinkable as an organized insurrection of sheep against the practice of eating mutton."

  Bertrand Russell

  The evening sky began to glimmer as the first traces of light appeared along the horizon. Nathan led the way as Hannes and Zane followed in silence along the narrow pathway that meandered through the fynbos. They had separated from Nicole and the group less than two hours ago, after being dropped at the side of the road.

  The going was easier than they expected as they followed a dirt road until it branched off to the left, then taking the pathways that meandered to a cluster of trees which grew along a ridge overlooking Lutzville in the distance. GPS coordinates put them at precisely 3.7 kilometers from the sleepy little town, which was only now beginning to show signs of stirring.

  Perhaps there was another way, Nathan thought to himself. So much at stake once again!

  "It's a suicide mission, and you know it," Nicole's voice kept echoing in his head.

  Hannes did not want to split from the group either, it was obvious, so they all walked in silence. Each man contemplating what may lie ahead.

  "Let's rest for a few minutes," Hannes pleaded as he sat down on a boulder.

  Nathan agreed and made his way to where Hannes now rested.

  "Only ten minutes," Nathan said as he looked around.

  Exhaustion and the lack of a good night’s sleep had left Hannes on edge. He looked physically ill and about to throw up. He had strength but very little stamina. Zane, on the other hand, was fine; always full of energy and positive, regardless of the risks involved.

  "Please, conserve your water," Nathan reminded them.

  Hannes heard but still continued to drink too much. Gulping down mouthful after mouthful of water.

  The sunrise that morning was once again breathtaking, but they had no time to marvel at the wonders of Gods beauty. They were on a mission.

  The spare iBand had been downloaded with all the latest maps from Kate’s hacked iPad. Both units had been synchronized as virtual copies of each other, as Nathan needed a smaller device for his mission. In its memory the unit contained a detailed map of the Lutzville area, which he studied carefully selecting possible targets.