Chapter 14: SWAT Forward OP
It was a waiting game now. Although the SWAT team was now on 8 hour alert, all of the teams, the Mounted Team, the Trojack Team, the Black Guard, and Companion Team were all sitting in the abandoned fire house’s common room. Once the population in this part of Trenaport had been evacuated the fire department had closed the station and moved it to the spaceport to be loaded on to a ship to Home. The teams’ gear was laid out by unit in the abandoned equipment bay. This was the worse time for the teams. They were looking over maps, and building diagrams. The waiting was in the early part. All of the advance training was over. All four teams had played both aggressor, and rescuer. All four teams thought they were the best, but in General Alpine’s opinion they were evenly matched with maybe the Trojack security unit being a little better at entry and recovery, with the Black Guard being a bit better in the infiltration with both police units being about evenly matched on infiltration and entry. She hated to admit that her Black Guardsmen were being second best by the biopeople but her guardsmen lacked certain finesse when it came to gaining entry quickly and quietly without killing the subject. They also knew how to clear a building quickly. The detachment commander told her over dinner one evening that her NCOs were learning big time from the clones.
“Part of it is that when these guys were doing their thing, on Trojack, they didn’t want to destroy company merchandise. So they learned very early how to make an entry that didn’t get clones killed.” The Major remarked, “But they are good. Their infiltration has a lot to be desired. They don’t usually have to cross into an enemy held position and take it out without being spotted. I am really surprised that the MPs and the cops are good at that.”
“I’m not,” General Alphine had commented, “but they need to get in close and not be seen before they make an entry. So when they make entry they can do it fast and furious. We could learn some stuff from the Companions and the Mounties. I think once we clear Trena; I think I will mention to Lord Wilson that Home might set up a Special Forces hostage rescue academy. There will be a lot of Mounties that can teach the course, and there might be a call for them to be an on call hostage rescue team.”
“They’ll need to earn some money somehow.” the captain said.
Now the Princess stood watching silently as the four team leaders began to work out how they would do things.
“Look we know that there will be more than Hozenbur in the area. They may not have heard that we’re hunting for Hozenbur. They may think we could be hunting them. There may also be people in there ready to support Hozenbur. So we need to set up a response protocol.” The Companion Team leaders spoke. The Trojack, the Mounties, and the Black Guard teams had generally accepted them as the overall Tactical coordinator. General Alphine had to admit the woman and her lifemate were good. It was unnerving to be around them sometimes. As one would start to talk then the other would finish. Or they would both begin speaking together as they were doing now and you couldn’t tell one from the other. “Unless someone objects, I have divided the twenty block area into four strike areas. Each of our teams has been assigned a strike area. Black Guard is assigned Blue; Mounties, Red; Companions Green, Trojack Yellow. Get the feel of your sector. When the sector is entered by the sweep team, I want you guys to deploy half your team forward. I want us to be ready to make the infiltration and the extraction. If your team makes the infiltration, we’ll back you up. The uniforms are securing the area. There’ll be no foot traffic and road traffic in or out of the area.
“The sweep teams will be made up of cadets from the Queen’s Own Royal Corps of Cadets. Major Atomi will be their lead.” the Companion pointed to Lamile who was studying the map. She had been pulled from her team to attend this briefing.
“My guys are going to go into the center and work a spiral out.” Lamile said, “I’ve been talking with Lieutenant Jones here and she agrees with me. It is significant that the twenty block area has been blind to the surveillance team. We think that the center of the zone is where Aunt Lisa is being held. It could be an elaborate spoof. But we’re going here. I will be going in with my team of twenty. Lady Hawthorne will be here soon and she’ll oversee the deployment of the rest of the teams. The rest of my guys will be arriving in the next hour or so. We have about three hours of day light left. Princess Carroll, Kellogg, are we authorized to work after dark?”
“Negative.” The marine commandant said, “My guys can work after dark they own the night to repeat a corny phrase, you guys might miss something in the dark. Besides it would be out of cover to be doing the survey after dark.”
“Maybe we’ll get lucky.” Lamile said “and get this done tonight.”
The Companions looked at each other shrugged in unison and turned to the group and spoke in unison, “That would be outstanding. To continue…
“The sweep team will be doing what they have been doing for the last week or so. Checking buildings and such. The Marshal doesn’t want them in harm’s way; but they will search these buildings to ensure everyone is out of the area. Major if you stumble upon anyone call for an officer and we’ll take over. If you stumble upon Hozenbur, disengage and get out of there. We don’t want you harmed.”
Lamile nodded.
“If Lady Atomi stumbles on Hozenbur she’ll get out of there and we’ll go into stack and rack. If someone else stumbles upon the captain we’ll get the cadets to safety and then go in. Lady Atomi I want you guys to work on the edges. I know you think a spiral out is better; but I think it will be safer for you.”
Lamile nodded again. She had mixed feelings about her assignment. She was concerned about the danger her cadets were in. Not certain how Hozenbur would react to them should she find her.
“Force leader,” She turned to the thonians, “Is there any possibility that Hozenbur will know who I am? Am I putting my kids and Lady Wilson in more danger?”
“We know you have been in the news Lamile,” Kellogg said, “We have let it be known that your cadets are searching the neighborhoods and securing the abandon homes. But no one has even mentioned that you are hunting Lady Wilson at this time. But to answer your question I can’t answer how safe you will really be; but we think that you will be okay!”
Lamile nodded and knew she could trust Kellogg. He had made a point of checking up on her personally every day. Making sure she was okay.
“Let’s go around the table one more time,” the Force Leader said, “Go or no go!”
“Medical,” She asked.
“We’re staged with the landing craft is sitting at Trenaport Main. The crew is sleeping in the bird and that includes all my medics. The Valiant has been named to receive our casualties. I have an ISR team with me they’ll be first in after you guys clear the house.” a woman in the livery of the Interstellar Rescue Service spoke up. She had been living with the team since they had started practicing. At first a fire department medic unit had been assigned; but they were needed by Trena Fire as they were getting short on staff and the IRS team knew something about hot landing zones. “We’ll triage your injured and Lady Wilson then yell for the Calvary. They’ll be on the ground five minutes after light on skids.”
“Logistics?” the Thonian asked.
“I’m ready,” Sergeant Hoi had been seconded to the team when they moved to the fire station. Langtree hadn’t even blinked an eye when the team said they needed a top logistic sergeant. Langtree had turned to his aid and asked why are you still here? He turned to the team commanders. “There’ll be a mess team here in a while. Some of the cadets will be making up your bunks. I think we have everything we need.”
“Fire?” the Companion asked.
“The Trojack team will be staging in the fire house and they will be your fire suppression team,” A fire fighter wearing the white shirt of a battalion chief spoke up. He had been on duty since the announcement had been made of the disaster. After leaving Trena he would end his fifty year career as a fire fighter.
“As planned,” a captain in the Trenaport Mounted Patrol replied. “My guys have the outer perimeter, the MPs have the warm zone, and the SWAT units have the hot zone. This is the entire 20 block area. One block out from the hot zone the MPs are setting up road blocks. Everyone in this area is now to be positively identified. Three blocks out from the warm zone we have closed everything down. No traffic in or out unless the CP has cleared them. I don’t have enough people; but General Qoum is loaning me some militia men, a lot of my off duty people are coming in to help. We can do it. But force leaders, you and I both know we cannot secure a neighborhood this big.”
“PIO,” both thonians nodded as they asked.
“No press in the command post, and I have set up a press center in a park in the cold zone. At least it’s ready to go. Any newsmen found in the hot zone are instantly violated and will spend the night on the Prison Ship.”
”Okay it is now 1706 hours. “ The captain gave the time hack turned to the team and asked, “Go no go one last time.”
“Entry go,” the swat commander called.
“Survey go,” Lamile called.
“Fire go,” The chief called.
“EMS go!” the IRS office called.
“Perimeter go” the Mounty called.
“Logistics Go!” Sergeant Hoi called. He had never been part of something like this.
“TacCom and ComSec go,” Alice said she had not been asked to report, but thought she should speak up. “I have a com black out. Only our stuff will work in here. The major and her cadets will have a camera attached to their uniforms and a secure com back to here. The area will be swept continuously until we are contained. Again go!”
“Flight Ops!” the captain called realizing she had forgotten the quiet lieutenant in the corner.
“Flight is go!” the militia forward air controller called.
“Mr. Kellogg” The companions turned to the man she knew to be running the search for the closer. “We are go.”
“Execute!” Kellogg ordered softly.
“I’ll be with my cadets!” Lamile called left the fire station. One of the police officers drove her to where her cadets were working.
The drill was simple four kids would approach a house and knock on the door. They would announce themselves. Rattle the door knob and then enter the house. Two other kids would stand by the door as their team members went in ready to assist if needed. The team captain stood by the door and marked an X on the wall beside the door. The team captain would mark the time they entered and exited and what they found. If they found nothing they would secure the building. Anyone entering the building would have to use forcible entry. They would leap frog the house next to them as another team was already in it.
If the teams found a home with a person in a house they called for an adult and moved on. They didn’t find many. They were mostly drunks and derelicts that were running from the authorities. The few kids they found whose parent were not to be found were taken directly to the academy. This neighborhood had been declared evacuated a month or so before.
By nightfall the teams began wandering into the fire station. They were tired. Lady Hawthorne watched her cadets enter the fire station and collapse in small groups around the dining tables or just on the floor. As she watched them, a couple of them went right into the squad bay and right to sleep. She was proud of them. Each and every one of them had volunteered for this mission. A mission that some adults would find daunting! Not only was it exhaustive; it was potentially dangerous. She was having trouble justifying the use of her young people this way. But all of them knew what the risks were and what could happen. She made a decision as she saw them settle in for the night.
“Major Hawthorne,” Millie approached her with a cup of hot coffee distracting her quiet observation of her cadets. She took the coffee. “Want me to get some more guys form the school? I think maybe ten or twenty of the NCOs can be broken out of their duties. You want them.”
“Check with Mr. Kellogg and see if he’s okay with it. Then make sure that Jenkins is cool with it. I don’t want the school shut down because of this.” Lady Hawthorne said.
“Understand ma’am,” the master sergeant replied. She made her call and came back to the head mistress. “Major can I borrow a minute of your time.”
“I guess so,” they sat down at the table.
“I can retire at the end of the year.” The sergeant started, “If I were to show up on your door on Home would you hire me.”
“Millie,” Lady Hawthorne said looking the older women in the eye, “In a heartbeat Millie. I owe you! I couldn’t have done this without you.”
“Thank you,” the master sergeant replied then looked oddly at the noble woman “May I say something else Major,”
Deloris nodded.
“A lot of the guys have been watching you and over you for a while now. Without a doubt everyone is in awe of you. What you have done with those kids, is nothing less than admirable. Whatever it is you have I have not seen it in any of the officers, or the guys I have been looking after for years. They wouldn’t say it to your face, they would be … I don’t know the word for it, but they would want you to know that even if you hadn’t accepted the commission in the militia they would still call you General. We all think you have it between the ears.”
“Thank you Millie,” Lady Hawthorne distracted as another group of cadets coming in. This time it was Major Atomi. She came over to Lady Hawthorne and said, “That’s the last of us Major. I am going to get some food and then stretch out for a while.”
”Okay get some hot food and some sleep. Have you talked to Colonel Wilson today?” Lady Hawthorne asked.
“Yeah, as we came in. I briefed her on my plan for tomorrow. Told her how I was using the cadets. I made sure that she didn’t need me or the guys back.” Lamile responded, “She wants to be here; but knows it will be counterproductive. One of us has to be at the academy so it can still function.”
“Okay Lamile. Call your mother, let her know you are okay and then get some rack time.” the sergeant chimed in. Lamile took two steps back saluted and was soon sound asleep on the floor amongst the cadets.
That is where Mylea found her the next morning when she stopped by the fire house to see how things were going. Her daughter looked so peaceful. Someone quietly called, “XO on deck,” That broke the spell and her sleeping baby stirred and sat up.
“Mom,” a groggy Lamile called seeing her mother as she got to her feet, “I meant to call.”
“Alice called and told me where you were.” She looked over to a recliner where the humbot was apparently sound asleep. She was surprised to see the silver bar on the woman’s collars. She would have to talk to the security officer about the promotion to lieutenant, “Let’s go the galley let these guys sleep.”
“Commander, Major,” a marine came up to them as they sat down in the galley holding a plate of food and a cup of orange juice for both of them.
“Thank you private,” Mylea said taking the food.
“How many did you check yesterday,” Mylea asked handing her a plate of food.
“Maybe twenty,” the young woman replied, “It’s much too slow. There’s got to be a better way.”
“There is,” Kellogg sat down with them. “We’ve been back checking the surveillance data. We think we know where she is. I have been pouring over the aerials and I think I have found fifteen homes that seem to have people in them. We have found homes with a heat signature that was not there a couple of weeks ago. This one in particular was empty for months, and now it is lit up like a Christmas Tree! These houses here and here are empty. Everywhere we have found people in here, there’s been a concentration. Like here and here.” He pointed out a couple of concentrations on several of the hard copy prints.
“Commander,” Kellogg looked at Mylea, “I need Lamile for a special job that none of these cops can do.
I don’t trust my guesses. So I need to send Lamile in with a couple of her cadets to check out this house.”
Kellogg waited for Mylea to say something, anything. He knew the order she and Wilson had issued about the cadets. They were not to be put in danger. He agreed with them. Some of Lamile’s cadets were barely sixteen. He didn’t want them harmed. If someone was asking to use his son on this he would be anything but calm.
“Go on,” Mylea said knowing Kellogg was waiting for her.
“All I need is for her and a hand full of her older cadets to do a survey of the houses Hozenbur can see from this window. Then do the houses on either side. We need to know that Hozies in here. She won’t blow her cover if she thinks we‘re just doing the survey. As much as most of us hate her, we know she is a professional. She will not kill or endanger Lamile unless she feels threatened. Lamile’s cadets can get in and get out.”
“Mom,” Lamile said Mylea held up her finger to quiet her daughter.
“Okay Kell,” Mylea said, “I won’t disagree with you. And I have been observing how you been watching over the kids. Lamile you did know that your drivers have all been SWAT or Black Guardsmen, and except for when you go into the houses, they never lose sight of you. That time you were in that house for fifteen minutes and we lost connectivity with your camera a couple of the guys were on the verge of rushing in.”
“I know,” Lamile said. “You’re okay with this?”
“Hell no,” Mylea replied, “But there’s a lot of things I don’t like when it comes to you growing up. But I sure as hell can’t stop it. No one ever said motherhood wasn’t worrisome. Even when their children grow up! Kell, the major and her cadets are yours to use. But if you think Mike would ream you out if you got Lisa hurt what do you think I’ll do if Lamile gets hurt?”
“Uh Commander,” Kellogg looked the evacuation command’s second ranking officer in the eye, “You can send my remains to Shannon’s on west third if Lamile comes to any grief.”
They understood each other.
“Now you go and rescue my friend.” Mylea said, “I’ll stay in the CP. Alice!”
“Yes Chief?” Alice stirred from her slumber. While in recovery mode regenerating she often looked as if she was asleep.
“I want a complete com black out. I don’t want Lord Wilson in here and I don’t want the Queen in here until we have Lisa out. I want to know that she is safe before Michael gets the info. If there is any grief I want to be the one tell him. I owe him that much!”
“Done,” Alice replied absently stroking the cat that was nuzzling her. A few seconds later the cat jumped off her lap and went in search of Lamile. Alice had told the robot to stay with the XO’s daughter.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 218
