by Sid K
The bullets were hitting the back of the front seat compartment and although they were losing velocity on impact, the ricochet hits still felt like stings.
The next moment it appeared as if the entire forest had opened up with automatic fire with bullets hitting both sides of all the SPASI trucks. SPASI guards returned fire into the woods with their submachine guns. They had a one-foot tall opening in the middle of the truck across the length of the each side, bifurcated with a steel rod. It allowed the SPASI guards to fire back; unfortunately it also meant that the bullets came in as well. Sayett heard sounds of both the SPASI submachine guns as well as the Ranx Rifles. The bullets were hitting trucks, trees, tires, roads, whizzing into the air as well injuring and slaying the fighters on both sides.
“We are under fire from both sides,” a SPASI guard in another truck shouted through the radio.
“Stay off the radio for my orders,” Sayett replied. The shouts on the inter-truck radio died down. Both Sayett and Qyett were still under intense fire that wasn’t letting up. Sayett knew the gunmen were smart, they were firing one at a time; when one of them ran out of the bullets, another took over. Sayett and Qyett occasionally returned fire over the now open front; however they could barely lift up their hand for more than a quick moment to avoid getting hit. Their position was already elevated in the truck and they would have had to point their guns downward. Thus their bullets were mostly going in the air at an upward angle.
“There must be tens of them in the woods,” Qyett said. “Bullets are splattering the truck left and right.”
Sayett took the main radio and connected directly to the SPASI headquarters. “Chief Detective Sayett to SPASI Chief...Sayett to SPASI Chief, we are under attack...I repeat, under massive attack!”
Within a minute Chief Yucker was on the radio, “Sayett where are you? What is going on?”
“Under ambush,” Sayett said, “by tens of riflemen. We are inside Coldwoods area,” he looked at Qyett who nodded his head, “approaching the target.”
“Can you fight them off?” Yucker asked.
“Unlikely,” Sayett said, while the bullets kept passing and hitting over their heads. “They got us good; we are caught in the middle.”
“You hold strong, Sayett; I am going to the House of War right now,” Yucker said, “I am going to get help.”
“Alright then,” Sayett said.
Yucker clicked off on his side. Sayett put down the radio speaker and changed his pistol magazine.
“How long before the help comes?” Qyett asked.
“Chief Yucker will call the Supreme Commander and get the mobilization going,” Sayett said. “But when they reach here depends on where the closest army base is.”
“They should mobilize the local warrior class,” Qyett said.
“They might do just that. But they will take at least a couple of hours as well.”
After a few more minutes of firing, Sayett heard the rifle fire taper off. It was only the SPASI guards shooting submachine guns. They were also not getting any incoming fire over their heads. But before he could even imagine that the enemy had retreated, a loud voice with a foreign accent spoke through a megaphone.
“We have you surrounded,” the voice boomed. “Throw down your guns and surrender, or die.”
“Stop firing,” Sayett said over the inter-truck radio. “Stop firing right now. My order.”
SPASI firing ceased. Now an eerie silence ensued, as no one dared move a foot and everyone waited in anticipation.
Sayett and Qyett slowly got up, keeping one hand on their guns, and peered over the dashboard at the four men on the road some distance from them. Three of them had their rifles aimed, but the fourth one was holding a megaphone with one hand and his rifle was aimed up in the air.
Sayett had brought a megaphone with him as well to use in the raid. He took it out from under his seat and talked back in a loud boom. “What guarantee do we have?”
“None, but you have no other option,” the man on the road replied. “We are not murderers; if you surrender, you will live.”
We are not murderers, Sayett thought, what a truckload of nonsense. However the man was right, Sayett and SPASI guards had no choice. They could not hold until the army or the warriors got there. Besides, this was no syndicate, these were trained Ranx soldiers; he hoped they would not shoot prisoners.
“We will surrender, hold your fire,” Sayett said over the megaphone.
“Go on, we won’t fire,” the booming voice replied.
Sayett put down the megaphone and picked up the inter-truck radio speaker. “SPASI Guards, this is Sayett. We have been given the option to surrender. I have accepted it. Help is on the way. Chief Yucker knows of our predicament. We are not soldiers holding the last line of defense for our country, so I will not sacrifice anyone here and we won’t fight to the last man. Your orders are to leave your guns in the trucks and come out slowly. One truck at a time, starting with the first one.”
SPASI guards were hesitant, but they knew that Sayett spoke the truth. As much some of them would have liked to fight till death, they were duty bound to follow orders. SPASI guards came out unarmed from one truck at a time. Ranx riflemen emerged from the both sides of the woods pointing their Ranx rifles at the guards. No words were exchanged between the two parties.
Sayett and Qyett left their weapons in the truck and walked out. The man with the megaphone and his three armed associates walked towards them.
“I am Chief Detective Sayett,” Sayett said to them, “I have the command and the highest rank here. Who is my counterpart amongst you?”
“I am,” the man with megaphone said as he handed it to one of his soldiers. “Corporal Montex,” he said with a smile.
“Corporal in the Ranx Army?” Sayett asked.
“No more talk detective,” Montex said.
“I want to negotiate; I have the authority to do so, what are your demands?” Sayett said.
Montex laughed. “But I don’t have that authority. You can negotiate with my boss when we get there,” he said. “Now leave your dead behind and leave those injured as well who you aren’t willing to carry on your backs. We will give medicine to the injured at our base, but anybody who tries to run, we shoot on the spot.”
“Nobody will run,” Sayett said.
“Then let’s go,” Montex said and then smiled slyly. “Your army will be coming; we have to prepare for a war.”
Sayett did not like this last comment and he could not believe that these Ranxians thought they could hide out and evade capture when the Army took over the search. Now it appeared that they were preparing to fight even the army? With what, though? Even one Starfirian Army regiment with a thousand soldiers had enough firepower to destroy their base. This was strange.
As Sayett was thinking these thoughts, the Ranxians had arranged the SPASI guards in two files, with Ranxians themselves standing a few feet away on each side with their guns aimed. Sayett tapped Qyett on the shoulder and they walked over to stand in front of each files respectively. He counted the SPASI guards on his way and had come up with a count of sixty-six, including both unharmed as well as injured but alive. In contrast there were only a few dead amongst the Ranxians who were being carried back. Sayett would have guessed no more than a dozen Ranxians had died.
“Follow me,” Montex said.
They walked into the woods guarded on each side by the armed Ranxians. Some SPASI guards helped the injured limp along, while the seriously injured were carried on the backs of the bigger guards. Tired and demoralized the guards moved along quietly with their heads slumped.
chapter 19 – the battleplan
“We are almost there,” Relkyett said to the friends following him.
“Relkyett, do you know the police chief,” Tulkar asked walking up beside him. “I mean, what is he going to think when he sees fifteen armed men show up at his police station?”
“I have my army identification,” Sthykar said.
“So do I,” Jontvyk said.
“Don’t worry,” Relkyett laughed. “I have met the police chief a couple of times in one of the town taverns and had conversation with him, as well with two of his policemen different times. He will recognize me.”
“The question is whether he will believe us,” Karyett said.
They walked for another twenty minutes before they were out of the woods and on the side of a road. In front of them across the road was a rectangular building.
“That’s the police station,” Relkyett said.
“Why are people assembled outside?” Tulkar wondered.
“Let’s go find out,” Sthykar said. “Relkyett, you go in front since you are known to the town folks.”
There was no traffic on the road, so Relkyett crossed over, followed by Sthykar and then the rest of them.
Twenty or so people—men, women and elderly—had assembled outside of the Coldwoods Police Station. They were conversing amongst themselves about the puzzling disappearance of their town police.
“My husband is a policeman; he was supposed to come home to pick up his food,” one woman said. “Surprised to see him go away with the rest.”
“My son had overnight duty,” an elderly woman said. “He must be tired. He always comes home in the morning after night duty.”
“We call the police when we are in trouble,” a man said, “but who do we call when the police are in trouble?”
“We call the army,” another woman said.
“Coming through! Let the colonel through,” Relkyett called when reaching the outer edge of the crowd. He made his way towards the station door.
“That was fast, we were just talking of the army,” the woman said.
“Not the army, madam,” Sthykar said from behind Relkyett. “Just a few of us soldiers on vacation. Now, what is the problem here?”
“Our entire town police are missing,” an elderly man said. He stepped in front of the station’s front door and when Relkyett and Sthykar reached it and pointed to a handwritten note taped to the door.
We have all gone to rescue lost mountain climbers—Police Chief’
And it was signed.
“Is that the right signature?” Sthykar asked.
“It is,” the man replied, “I am retired policeman, Rydar; I have seen his signature before when I was in the police a few years back.”
“What does anybody know?” Sthykar turned to face the crowd. His friends were standing yet further behind the crowd.
“My husband was at home off duty; him and his partners were suddenly called in by the chief,” one woman said. “Their duty did not start till tonight. I hadn’t made his lunch then so I came to deliver when I found this place empty.”
“She called me,” Rydar said. “I called others and we have been scratching our heads for the last half an hour.”
“Do the police go on a rescue like this?” Sthykar asked.
“Yes, but rarely more than half a dozen policemen go,” Rydar said. “They also call the towns folk for help. Never all of them at once. There is also that old law that requires the presence of at least two policemen at every town police station at all times.”
“I am familiar with that law,” Relkyett said. “No police chief would be ignorant of it. We have to assume the town police is in trouble.”
“Alright, I am taking over command of this matter,” Sthykar said. “Rydar, you stay here; rest of you go back home. I will have the Town Administrator make a town wide announcement when we solve this mystery.”
“Colonel, I respect your ability, but this isn’t army jurisdiction,” a man said. “You can’t order us dispersed or conduct a police investigation.”
“Rightly said,” Sthykar replied with a smile. “However I do not assume command as an Army officer, that I could only do under orders from the House of War; but under the King’s name as the King’s Champion which gives me the privilege of national investigation authority.” Sthykar took out his Champion’s card and held it aloft for to the crowd to view.
“You are…” Rydar began.
“Colonel Sthykar,” he said. He had not wanted to reveal himself, but he had to convince them of the veracity of his claim as a Champion.
The crowd was delighted and clapped and yelled in joy. They had only heard of the legend of Colonel Sthykar on the radio or read it in the newspaper. Now they were standing in front of him and their excitement momentarily made them forget the matter of the disappearance of their police.
“Alright, let me and my friends get to work here,” Sthykar said. “Your townsman, Rydar, will help us.”
The crowd slowly walked back to their cars. Some of them turned again to catch his sight. A few people waved at him as they drove away and he waved back. Sthykar’s friends walked up to the door as the last of the car left the parking lot.
“I hope the whole town doesn’t show up to meet you now that they know of your presence,” Jontvyk chuckled.
“I guess we will have to be fast then,” Sthykar said. “This must be the handiwork of those gunmen in the woods. We will be back in the forest in no time.”
“What gunmen?” Rydar asked.
“Long story; will tell later,” Sthykar said and then called out to his two big, 6’2’’ and 6’4’’ tall friends, “Dentar, Felptar come here.”
Sthykar, Dentar and Felptar leaned over one of the doors and in one hard shove broke it down. The iron lock stayed on the outer hinge, but the wooden door fell on the ground with a thud. Sthykar walked in followed by Dentar and Felptar as the rest entered after them.
“Nobody touch anything,” Sthykar said. “See something, say it, but don’t move it.”
Sthykar leaned over one of the side tables and looked at the cards. He was familiar with the game that was being played. He turned over the cards of all the different players.
“They must have left in a real hurry,” Sthykar said. “Not all the players in the game had even finished playing their hand.”
“All the rifles are gone, too.” Rydar pointed to an empty rifle rack on the wall. “And they took their pistols as well, but everything else is on the desks.”
Sthykar walked to the chief’s desk. He looked at the schedule that was half finished and the pen that hadn’t been capped.
“Like I said, they left in real hurry,” Sthykar said pointing the schedule. “The chief did not even finish his patrol schedule for the next week—didn’t even cap his pen!”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Relkyett said. “That woman just said earlier that the chief called in the off-duty policemen. That must take few minutes even if they lived up the road.”
“Right,” Sthykar said. “It only makes sense if they were suddenly ambushed.” Sthykar quickly corrected himself, “No, kidnapped. I don’t see a single cartridge or blood spot. Whoever did it, must have taken them by complete surprise.”
“Ranx Rangers,” Felptar said. “They are the ones with the ability to pull it off.”
“I believe so,” Sthykar said. “I am going to call the House of War now.” He picked up the phone on the chief’s desk and then tossed it down. “Damn, I should have seen it coming,” he said. “It is dead, no ring tone. They cut the telephone wires.”
“Colonel, you can call from my house, it is just ten minute drive away,” Rydar said.
“I have a powerful radio with me,” Sthykar said and put the bag he was carrying onto the chief’s desk. He opened it, rummaged through and took out a big radio. He drew out the radio antenna, flicked on the switch and turned a couple of knobs. Then he took up the radio mic.
* * *
SPASI Chief Yucker had reached the House of War where he was received by the Supreme Commander Krratyk Nyk. Air Commander Byter Booter and Warrior Commander Tybett Ryt were also present in the main conference room.
“Chief Yucker, tragic what happened to your detectives and the guards,” Supreme Commander Krratyk said, “as well as Constellar Slyntya’s kidnapping.”
&
nbsp; “Took all of us at SPASI with complete surprise,” Yucker said as he took his seat opposite to Krratyk. “These Ranxians seem to have a lot of manpower and firepower.”
“I ordered the mobilization of the local warrior class as soon as I got your telephone call,” Krratyk said. “Commander Tybett will tell you more of it.”
“Chief Yucker,” Warrior Commander Tybett said. “We have ordered mobilization of two thousand warriors of the 999th Reserve Army under Colonel Weltar; Coldwoods is in that district. They will take about three to four hours to get assembled.”
“I thought two hours was the standard time for the first two thousand warriors’ mobilization in an emergency,” Yucker spoke with a concern.
“True for over ninety percent of our reserve armies,” Tybett said, “Except for sparsely populated warrior districts where people are spread out a lot more and it takes longer for sufficient warriors to assemble. Unfortunately, Coldwoods is under one such district, geographically large but sparsely populated. I don’t believe you want me to send the warriors directly to this syndicate’s location.”
“Definitely not,” Yucker said. “They are a competent and organized fighting force. We need an assault by a massed army.”
“The nearest regular army base is a six-hour drive away,” Krratyk said. “Weltar’s 999th reserve army is the closest fighting force we have there.”
“My fighter planes can strafe those bastards,” Air Commander Byter said/ “Only we would have to know where they are keeping the hostages.”
“I don’t believe we have that knowledge,” Yucker said. “I would be totally against air attack.”
“I agree,” Krratyk said, “and I won’t approve an air attack till the hostages are rescued and safely back in our hands. What I want to know is if the Ranxian State has a hand in it. If so we can try to intimidate the Ranxian leaders. Our military power is five times greater than that of Ranx Nation.”
“We captured a man from the Eye of Ranx—their spy department—for playing both sides,” Yucker said, “but he claims he was given the order by his supervisor. How far up the order comes from he didn’t know.”
