Solar Storm: Homeward Bound

by Vincent Keith

  “That’s going to be a priority at some point because without them I don’t suppose we’ll see a lot of planting after the snow melts. I guess it depends on how many people survived.”

  The Major nodded, “It’s a problem for sure. Without the irrigation pumps or some way to power local well pumps, it’s too dry in a lot of areas to do any kind of farming.”

  “Between that and the lack of big farm machinery it’s going to be a thin harvest for the next several years,” said Jack

  “So, even the people who make it through the winter might not make it through the next year?” asked Rachael.

  “Yeah, I’m afraid so. If history is as good an indicator as it always has been, we’ll see an increase in raiding. Followed by a rise of the little dictators and warlords come spring. A few people will decide that forcing others to do the work while they get the benefits is the way to go. I suspect that may be a big part of your scouting mission, Master Sergeant,” said the Major.

  “Roger that. We’ll be looking for situations where that might happen. Our goal is to stop it before it gets out of hand.”

  “I’ll introduce you to Lieutenant Green, Monica. She’s been my designated S2 since she arrived. She served as an MP in the Sandbox and worked with Army Intel in the Stan.”

  “That’s like the millionth time I’ve heard that, but I still don’t know what it means,” said Lexi.

  “What?”

  “The Stan and the Sandbox.”

  “Really?” asked Jack.

  “My fault I guess,” said Rachael. “I avoided anything to do with the wars after Joe was killed.”

  “That’s why I never asked you. I figured it would just remind you of Dad and…”

  “Sorry honey, you should always feel free to ask. The Sandbox is what the guys called Iraq. You were too young to remember any of that. Later, most of the activity was in Afghanistan. That’s what the troops call it, the Stan, rather than Afghanistan.”

  “Oh.” Lexi’s jaw worked as if chewing on the information. “So they had women soldiers in combat?”

  “Not directly in the fighting, but some of them saw combat. Mostly the women worked around the bases, but a lot of them worked convoy security or as drivers and that ended up being combat, often enough,” said Major Yanakovic.

  THEY SPENT the afternoon and evening sitting in a well-lit conference room exchanging stories and information with the Major and his staff. Jack made notes concerning possible trade goods and barter opportunities. He also got a pretty good idea of the situation around the dam and up to the north where they’d be traveling.

  “There’s one group operating just off of Route-155, up north of the town of Nespelem. We’ve taken in several refugees from that area. Most of them were driven out of their homes. For all we know, it could be someone else living in the same town, but our current bet is on escapees from the Colville corrections facility.”

  “Isn’t most of that area Colville Tribal land?” asked Jack.

  “It is. Pretty much everything between here and forty miles to the north, then east of the Columbia River and west of US-97. It’s a big area and sparsely populated.”

  “These folks all out on the edges of the town?”

  “Mostly from the west side, too risky to hit in the middle, the neighbors would probably get involved if they knew something was happening. As it is, they’ve all been isolated enough that no one knew anything until the houses went up in flames. The sons of bitches didn’t leave the families much beyond a bag of clothes. No food, no water, no way to carry anything. In a couple of cases they were taken in by relatives, but mostly people don’t have the resources to support them, so we’ve been taking them in here.”

  Jack could tell Lieutenant Green was frustrated with the whole situation.

  “I suspect that Captain O’Neal will help deal with that when his men get here. Until then, I think you’re doing the only thing you really can,” said Jack.

  “Ma’am, we all know it’s going to get worse before it gets better. The Captain has orders to do whatever it takes to stop that kind of crap,” Miguel added.

  “Once I get home and figure out what our situation is, we’ll be in touch, and maybe we can help. I suspect it’s going to take me a few weeks just to get used to staying in one place for very long.”

  Lt. Green looked at Miguel. “Did your Captain give you any better idea of when he would be here?”

  “We’re probably looking at four weeks minimum Ma’am, but once we get the radios set up, you and the Major can talk with him.”

  The Lieutenant gave Miguel a long considering look. Jack suspected she thought he was just dodging the question, and he might have been. He had his orders and she wasn’t in his chain of command. Then again, it never hurt to be polite.

  “I’m sure Lexi would love to help get the radios up and running. I know it’s been tough trying to relay everything through Fort Lewis,” said Jack.

  Lexi nodded, “Okay!”

  The Lieutenant looked at Jack and Lexi then back at Hernandez, who just smiled.

  “Lexi has become our primary radio operator,” said Jack. “At this point, she could probably pass the General Class license exam for amateur radio. Although, I doubt there’s anyone giving exams or paying much attention to who's licensed and who isn’t. In any case, it’s another set of hands, and she’s already familiar with the equipment and procedures.”

  While she’s doing that, I’ll want to chat with your quartermaster and find out what kinds of supplies you folks need that we might help with. The Major indicated that my people are trying to get a wagon team down here to help out with your shortage of firewood. As soon as Lexi gets the radios up, we’ll contact my folks and get an update.”

  Lt. Green’s expression softened. “So how long will you be staying?”

  “Well, the Master Sergeant has to establish barracks and a command post, and we need to get the radios working. Allan is hoping to re-shoe the horses before we move on, so I’d guess at least two days, maybe three? Miguel?”

  “We should be ready to move out tomorrow. Allan, or the Doc may need more time.”

  Jack nodded.

  “Ma’am, the area the Major mentioned should do the job for billets and offices. We can set up our own mess tent, or we could use what you have. We can make it work either way. Do you have a preference?”

  “I don’t see much point in splitting it up. It just makes more work. We’re running pretty low on supplies. We’ve got a team out hunting but…”

  “I imagine you’re going quite some distance for that?” asked Jack.

  “Not too far, about fifteen miles to the northeast.”

  “Do you know what arms your hunters are equipped with?”

  “At the moment, it’s whatever rifles they had handy. They’re frugal with ammunition, but no one is really comfortable using 5.56 for hunting, although I’m told it works fine.”

  “Maybe they should standardize on 7.62? At least for communal hunting trips. I don’t speak for Aaron, but 30-06 would be another option if he’s willing to trade some of his stock of ammo for something else. Hunting rifles in 30-06 are popular. Although, I’d expect to see a lot of .30-30, and Winchester .243 or .270 around here.”

  “Right, one more thing to add to the list for command,” said Miguel.

  “You think the General’s going to be able to do anything?” asked Jack.

  “Way above my pay grade, I know we’ve been tasked with extending our rations with barter and hunting which is a first, for me anyway.”

  Lt Green’s eyebrows went up, “What exactly are you authorized to bargain with?”

  “The one thing we’ve got more of than anyone else, ammo. Although I gotta say, I wish we’d stocked .22 long-rifle. Based on what Eli was saying, that’s become a substitute for money,” said Miguel.

  “Who’s Eli?”

  “Sorry Ma’am, that would be Sheriff Eli Jackson of Pilot Rock Oregon.”

  “Ah, that’s down whe
re your teams cleaned out that Sheriff who would be King?”

  “Yes, Ma’am.”

  “Do you suppose you’ll have time to give me a full debrief on that operation before you depart?”

  Miguel sat a bit straighter, “Actually Ma’am, I brought a full after action report. I’d be happy to answer any questions you have once you’ve looked it over. I think we’ll have plenty of time while Corporal Hoffman and Lexi set up the radios. We can’t move on until that’s done, regardless.”

  ALLAN SLUMPED down at the table and heaved a sigh of frustration.

  “There’s not a single farrier in town, how’s that possible?” asked Allan.

  “One of life’s little imponderables. If I had to guess, I suspect it has to do with the lack of horses,” said Jack.

  “I’m not comfortable going another eighty miles the way things are. Damn, we just assumed there would be one. Why did we do that?”

  “Because it’s what you were used to, it’s a common problem, Allan. When you checked, who did you ask and what did you ask?”

  “Well, I talked to the guys at the machine shop, and the guys working on the tractors if there was a farrier in town.”

  “I’ll ask around, but you need to maybe ask a different question.”

  “Like what?”

  “Go back and talk to the people you’ve spoken too, but ask if they know anyone who owns horses. I’ll bet you get a different answer. Track down a few owners and see who they use. Also, ask them if they know of someone who has a forge or experiments with blacksmithing.”

  “Ah, okay. But a blacksmith won’t necessarily know how to shoe a horse.”

  “Sure, but you know how right?”

  “Yeah, but I’ve never worked a forge before.”

  “Okay, but between the two of you, if you can’t find a real farrier then…”

  “Oh, well yeah, I’ve got a stock of shoes they just need to be fitted.”

  “Right, and worst case, ask the guys in the machine shop if they have a way to just heat a horseshoe enough so you can bend it to the right size.”

  “I don’t know Jack, Dad never taught me how to do that.”

  “The first guy to make horseshoes didn’t have anyone to teach him either. You’re not making them, you’re only adjusting them, right? You’ve put shoes on before?”

  “Sure, Dad had me learn all that, just never had to resize ‘em before. We usually had a couple extra sets of shoes made before we took a string out. We’ve only had a few horses throw a shoe on the trail, but it happens.”

  “Okay, so worst case, you start with a shoe that’s too big and resize it to fit. If the guys in the shop can’t heat it and we don’t find a forge, ask them if they have a hydraulic press. We might bend them with the hydraulic press and then machine them flat and trim them to size.”

  Allan looked at him like he was crazy, “Bend it cold?”

  “Sure, maybe not ideal but there’s no shortage of heavy equipment in that shop. Time to get used to making do with what’s available, but check to see if there are any horse owners first.”

  “Okay, thanks, Jack.”

  Jack smiled and headed off to his meeting with the food committee. He was pretty sure they were trying to figure out some trade for something bigger than a pheasant or a fish. Deer came to mind. Jack thought perhaps this was a job for Annie, but then, she wasn’t here.

  Jack refused numerous requests to hang out for a couple more days. He was only days away from home, and the delays were driving him mad. He’d gone from hoping he’d be able to get home at all, to being so close it hurt. The anticipation was just too much.

  Morning arrived, and Major Yanakovic tried one more time to get Jack to stay for just a couple more days.

  “Not a chance Ron, I haven’t been home since I left for the trade show in Vegas back in late September. If we keep moving, I’ll be home in time for Christmas. If we hang out here, and the weather changes again, I might not make it until after the New Year.”

  Yanakovic nodded. “Yeah, I understand, but—”

  “You and your folks are always welcome to come up for a visit. I guarantee we’ll be back when the weather warms up. Until then, you’ve got our radio contact info. I suspect we’ll be sending someone down to help coordinate as soon as Captain O’Neal arrives. He’s going to come up and visit his parents and pick up his guys. His teams will be stationed here, so you’ll have plenty of hands to help with the raiders.”

  Yanakovic sighed.

  “I promise we’ll send him back with one of our working computers and the full library. It’s not much, but there’s a fair amount of useful information. And I’m sure we’ll work out some way to keep you guys supplied with firewood so you can concentrate on making generators.”

  “Yeah, yeah, okay you win,” he said raising his hands in surrender. “I suppose if I were in your shoes I’d be eager to get home too.”

  “Just remember, we’re only three days away by horse or a couple of hours by truck. It’s only about ninety miles…” Jack stopped, his hand going to stroke his finger length beard. “I… wow, ninety miles just seems so far now. Days, it takes days. I used to cover that in an hour and a half on my motorcycle. It’s just so surreal.”

  Ron nodded. “I never even gave a second thought to driving someplace less than a hundred miles, now… Yeah, surreal covers it.”

  Jack shook his head trying to get his thoughts back on track. “Right. We’ll be in touch. If you could confirm with Henry tonight after sundown that we’re headed his way and expect to show up around mid-morning on the third day, I’d appreciate it. Hey, what the hell is the date anyway?”

  “December eighteenth.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “When I started off, I figured I’d be walking the whole way, and I’d be home by the first week in December. As it happens, we did a respectable stretch on bikes and covered a lot more ground than we could have done on foot. Still, here it is almost Christmas and even using bicycles and horses it’s still taken two and a half months.”

  “Look what you’ve accomplished on the way. If you’d avoided helping Rachael and Lexi, had just passed through the towns, or gone around instead of trying to help out, you’d have been home already. But do you really think you’d be better off?”

  “No. No, I don’t regret a single day of it… I mean… well, you know.”

  “Yeah, go already, get home. We’ll let them know you’re on your way and to keep a watch out for you.”

  “Thanks, Ron, you guys be safe. We’ll be in touch.”

  Once again everyone mounted up, and the company turned north with their freshly shoed horses headed up the road.

  45

  REFUGEES

  It was late afternoon, and Jack was ready to get his ass out of the saddle. Lexi seemed fine, but Rachael was looking a bit worn. And Allan—well Allan was born to the saddle and could probably sit his horse just fine for days at a time.

  As usual, Doug was on point and had drifted out of sight, well ahead of the rest. Miguel took a short trip up a rise and would sit for a while, watching their back trail. Neither of them would complain about any hardship, it just wasn’t the way Rangers worked. Which left it to Jack to call a halt.

  “Hey Sergeant, how far do you figure we’ve come?”

  “A bit over forty miles according to the last mileage marker.”

  “The secret is out, so much for the Ranger mystique eh?”

  “I could probably have kept track myself but with a long line of little signs doing the work, why bother?”

  “Fair enough. So, we’re about half way?”

  “Not quite. Are you thinking about finding a spot to camp for the night?”

  “I am. I’m the tenderfoot of the gang, and my muscles still aren’t used to this riding day in and day out.”

  “I’d guess there’s something besides your foot that’s tender at the moment.”

  Jack chuckled, “Yeah, that too.”


  “We should cross a stream about half a mile ahead, at least it shows as a creek on the maps. It’ll save us having to melt snow for water for the horses and us.”

  “Okay, you want to let Doug know.”

  “He knows. That’s where he’s waiting for us. While you were busy making contacts, he and I spent some quality time with the topo-maps and got ourselves familiar with the territory. We’re—“

  The radio chirped, interrupting Miguel mid-sentence.

  “Bravo Two-One, Bravo Two-Two.” It was Doug.

  “Bravo Two-Two, go.”

  “We’ve got company coming down the side road from the north, looks like a family pulling something big. No other movement. Permission to contact?”

  “Roger that, I’m heading your way. Bravo Two-One out.”

  Miguel looked at Jack, then Rachael, then back to Jack.

  “Mind if I take Lexi?”

  “Wait, what?” asked Rachael. “What did I miss?”

  “Doc you okay?” asked Miguel, his expression one of friendly concern.

  “Oh I’m fine, I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep at the dam, too many injuries to deal with. Lectures on sanitation practices, folks dying for lack of medical care. Normal stuff.”

  “Sorry, I know it sucks. We’ve got a family up ahead that’s struggling with the snow, Doug is closing to contact. I’d like to bring Lexi along, to make it less threatening.”

  “Oh… Lexi… Oh never mind, of course she wants to go. Fine, she’ll be safe enough with the two of you. Go.”

  Miguel nodded, signaled to Lexi, and the two took off at a trot through the calf-deep snow.

  Seeing the commotion, Allan moved up to where Jack and Rachael were. She was leaning back against him, her hands clasped in front of her as she blew into them. Jack wrapped his arms around her.

  “What’s up?” asked Allan.

  “Doug found a family traveling down from the north. They seemed to be struggling, so they’ve gone off to help and figure out what the story is,” said Jack.