Percy drove us back to the base, Jeff was happy in his turret I enjoyed riding shotgun and making banter with Jeff. Normally I Had to focus so much on driving and looking for trouble, that I just lookeed for trouble... This was a breeze, and I could 'relax' enough to give Jeff a Proper Hard time.
As he put it it was 'the ass crack that dawn forgot' early, and he wasn't in the mood, which of course, made it all the better.
"Commander!" Percy said, standing at attention. The commander nodded at him. "I'd watch it, Big man is fiesty this morning, and Little man isn't awake yet." He chuckled.
The commander rubbed his hands together. "Yea it gets damn cold when the sun goes down Come on, my office is warm."
He motioned us towards it, he was very excited. "Well, what is the good news." I sighed. jokingly as Percy closed the door to the office.
"The constant shelling has worked, with a few pep talks, and eventually an order Cheif took the drone up." He beamed. "Almost half of their forces fled." He slid the tablet to me, showing a map, revealing enemy encampments.
"These are their checkpoints." The commander said. "We even got a few good close-ups of their motors." He chuckled swyping to a picture of them. "I still think a stealth attack will be best."
"Flanking has worked well for us." I nodded. "Without an elevation advantage, our groups will be firing into each other."
"Well, when I had the idea, the Airmen fighting the on the front, would more be distractions." Jeff nodded. "Rifle fire until, our hummers, and troop transports, pull up, then the." He looked at me like he was looking for a term.
"Stand down?" I asked.
"Yes, Stand down." Jeff nodded.
"'Simple." I nodded. "I like simple early in the morning." I chuckled. "Are we ready?"
"We just need to get you filled up, and stocked." The commander said. "And then we are ready!"
"Got it." Percy nodded and left.
"Please give the orders." The commander said handing me the tablet Jeff and I followed him, to the gymnasium.
"Damn." I Stopped, in the threshold from the door.
"If you have any words that help with this." I turned blanlky to the commander. there was one tenth the base was going to be involved, and waiting to hear from me.
The commander turned to me. "I'd like to hear them." He sighed.
"What you can do to one man you can do to a thousand," Jeff said like he had only hoped they were the right words.
"That was helpful." The commander chuckled. "Thanks." Then paused. "The first good thing to happen since the winter." He sighed. "You two meeting." He clarfied quickly.
"Attention!." Someone called. The group of airmen and airwoman stood, Saluting.
"Well." The commander sighed and strolled to the front of the group. A new man, one who suddenly projected confidence, one, his men and woman would surly would want to follow into battle. "At ease." He chuckled at his airmen.
"I know you know how important this mission is, I know because I told you all, so here are the two who planned it." He mentioned to us. "Big, man, and Little man."
Jeff took, my hand for a second, but I didn't let go when he realized he had done it and tried to take his hand back. "It's ok." I squeezed it, as we started walking I let it go, and smiled at him.
"Good morning!" I grunted. "Good op''s start on good mornings!" I nodded at the group. "This morning is important to keeping our neighbors warm, bringing back water, and lights." I sighed. "The Enemy is very well defended, They are prepared for a frontal assault, with Mortor stations at the bases of the front row of turbines."
"Assuming we wouldn't use our artillery on them, they did however leave us a way to flank them." Jeff boomed, I glanced at him, to make sure it\was him speaking, that sudden roar came from that little puppy.
"Flanking seems to work well for us, but all the humvee's and transports will be involved in the flanking Operation. The tanks, will join the artillery and provide additional distracting fire."
"A quick one-two punch. We all come back!" Jeff shouted.
"The weapons these thugs have, are dangerous, and we need to know how they got the, we need people alive." I said quelling the crowd
"Use your eyes, listen, think, and act!" The commander said. "Let's move out!" He shouted. The room roared, and we broke out into a cheer.
I met the Lutients driving the tanks. "You are the big dogs on the road." I nodded at them. "If you get a clear shot, then take it, but do not risk damaging the turbines. If you start taking fire, fall back one-hundred yards, and resume firing, if you take fire fall back again, and resume firing." I nodded, indicating I was done. I ran over the list of people I wanted to talk to, give them last-minute details.
"Sir!" Percy said to me. "Cluck, cluck, cluck." Jeff laughed at Percy.
"Form up and head out!" I shouted, taking my place in the driver seat, lead of the Convoy.
"Role out." The commander ordered. We drove out towards the wind farm. It would have been beautiful, but a cold, the freezing fog, was a never-ending cloud of ice. It made the world feel dead, the sun was just starting to peek over the mountains.
.
"We are joining the attack." One of the tanks reported in, just as we turned the final long stretch back towards and into the wind farm The tanks received no additional fire. I got the feeling I get when things were too easy, I gritted my teeth. its a raw stinking, sick like feeling, that hangs in your stomach, and colder than the ice wall I drove us through.
"There!" Percy shouted. "A service entrance." He said, pointing. I turned off. He hopped out cut the chain there the gates open I pulled through stopped. and let him in. "Ok teams, remember to stay in formation, Team three hold your fire, team one hold your fire once your in position, team two, have fun."
I sped off, towards the mortars, Jeff saw the enemy and the short few second burst from the Saw sent then jumping for cover. Counting turbines i got to the last one, turned at took a position, the remaining humvee's and transports followed, Airmen jumped out, kneeling, or taking cover behind their vehicles The unmistakable rattle of guns being drawn, filled the air.
"Surrender!" I shouted. "Drop your weapons, and walk towards us, face away from us, and put your hands up." A few of the enemies heeeded my orders. "Now lay on your stomach, hands on your heads!"
"Fall in!" Percy shouted.
One Airman per surrenderor approached and zip tied the surrender, checking them for concealed weapons, and explosives. Percy and I Approached the one guy that didn't surrender in our group.
"Ok, buddy." Percy said. "Let's get on the ground." He grabbed his shoulder, and he pulled him down. The guy didn't move, Stuffing came out of his shirt:
"Fuck scarecrows!" I shouted. "Leave them and Fall back!" I shouted. "On the double." I turned Grabbed Percy's shoulder and ran back to our humvee, for cover. The scarecrows all exploded, knocking us forward. It might have looked like we were sliding into the home, but felt like I was a rag doll, being launched out of a cannon, in the general direction of home.
I looked up at Jeff, who was shielding his eyes. My ears wrang like I was standing in a wind tunnel, Jeff's lips were moving, but all I heard, was the painful roar of big cathedral bells from all around me. I looked down, I had ten fingers, I pushed my self up, Still had two feet, I looked at Percy who was staggering to, as well.
"Jeff, I can't hear, I am in shock, have everyone report in!" I am sure I said loud enough for everyone to hear. He got on his radio, he nodded, I assumed to the responses. A sudden burst in roaring made me dizzy, I pitched into Percy, who seemed a bit better off than me. At least he caught me. I gave him the thumbs up or thumbs down gesture, he responded with a thumbs up. The ringing stopped. "Everyone ok?" I asked, rubbing my ears.
"Everyone surrendered." Jeff nodded. "No turbines took damage either."
"Big man." Percy called me over, to the mortars.
"That doesn't look right," I said as I squatted next to him.
He picked it up. "Black PVC pipe, no way this was going to be a danger."
"Armor units, fall into position in the wind farm, go slow, something doesn't feel right." I called on the radio.
"Consolidating your pieces?" The commander called on the radio.
"Yea, the Mortor was fake, no one put up a fight." My mind raced, as to what it meant, for sure they were playing the long game. Whoever they were, my mind went to cunning Russian Spies, it fit. I walked to what was once a scarecrow, it had been a shovel, the shovel could now hold a gallon of water, no problem now. It was still intact though,. I picked it up, and inspected the dent in it.
"Commander, I care not to tell you over the radio why, but I am sending some forces to the college, I advise you stay on alert."" I called out.
"I'll call the resvere guard out." The commander said.
In the distance, I could hear tanks roll up the road to the farm. "What is it?" Percy asked.
"This was found behind where the scarecrows where." I sighed. "Either someone doesn't know how to build an effective bomb, with very nice explosives, or the shovelhead was used as a cone on a speaker, to funnel the explosion away from the wind turbine."
"Here!" Percy said holding an evidence bag. "We can test it at the base." I dropped it in.
There was a series of loud bangs, and the roar of engines, and distance Bangs from SAWs. "Check-in!" I shouted on the radio. "Armor Check in!"
"IED. " Someone shouted. "Jim's in the turret he'll spin around and check."
"All armor fall back to the wind far." I order. I clenched my fists irritated that I didn't see the IED coming.
"Big man." I assume Jim called out.
"I got eyes, on what looks like Trasport Bravo out for the mission. Hold on." The split second he was silent seemed agnongizly like forever. "I am being called back."
"Commander I am sending a few tanks, and the medivac back to base." I saw the positions of the tanks in my mental 'map' I saw the ones closest to the Medivac units, ordered them to assist the units, and kept my 'eyes' close to support, damaged transport.
"Looks like Cheif is going to be busy, but no one looks injured too bad." Jim called out.
"Percy, you know how to look for IEDs?"
He chuckled nodding his head. "What Airman doesn't who spent time overseas hasn't?"
I groaned but shuddered a nod at him. "Take two others, who don't and show them what to look for." He nodded at me. "Percy, I think we just got lucky, and you know, that happens only once." I pointed at him. We loaded up the prisoners, I order the reinforcements for the college to be ready when Percy reported in.
"Yea, we got lucky?" Percy called in the radio. "Someone fucked up, and good." He chuckled. "Someone didn't connect all the detenators, was like obviously a whoops. I like it's salvageable." He added.
"If you can safely disarm them." I ordered
"Maybe I wasn't clear, the only thing rigged, was what went off."
"I'll be right there." I sighed into the radio.
"Big man!" The commander said in a tone that indicative of an impending order. "Percy, know's what he is doing, tell him what to look for, and leave it."
"Look for secondary denominators, on IED's themselves." I radioed in.
"Hell." Percy laughed. "I ain't a rookie, the first thing I did. I say it's clear." I ordered the reinforcement out, Percy only winced When I left him in charge. We met the convoy carrying support personnel in the middle.
"Anything?" I asked out the window. The driver shook his head. "Us either, but keep your eyes out." I nodded at her we made it back, the commander greeted us.
"We scared off whoever was there." I said to him.
"Hello." He chuckled.
"Hi." I grunted. "It wouldn't surprise me to find out, this was planned." I inspected his face, I saw the gears turn a bit, but didn't have time for him to catch up. "Most of the force defending left, there was no resistance, the bombs seemed to be designed to shield the wind turbines."
"The IED's? He asked.
"A warning." I sighed. "We could have hurt you if we really wanted." I sighed.
"Well, your Russian theory seems to pan out." He sighed.