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  Just outside the entrance to the building, the squad leader shouted, “Milton, can you get a LAWS around the corner without getting shot?”

  “Yeah, Sarge, I think so, but I’ve never fired one of these things from a blind position and the back blast has me a bit concerned, so get everyone well back.”

  The squad members moved back to safety as Milton prepared his shot. From the opposite side of the entryway, one Knight Infantryman laid down a volley of covering fire toward the Zeta position just as Milton gently pushed down on the trigger mechanism of his LAWS rocket.

  Lucky or a super shot, no one would ever really know, but the rocket went directly up to the second-floor landing and detonated as hoped for by the Knights. The Zees, however, had already withdrawn to their secondarily prepared position. Still, the landing was now clear to defenders which allowed the Knights to advance up the stairs. On the next to last step upward, the point man halted and tossed a flash-bang and a grenade to both his left and right. Following the detonation 2nd squad dashed up the remaining stairs and flooded into the wide hallway. There was no return fire as there were no defenders in the hallway, either alive or dead.

  Two doors down on the left side of the hallway, Paco Romero and José Maria Morales waited for their enemy’s approach. By this point they knew that the door would soon be blown apart, followed by a flash-bang and grenades. They had no hope of surviving this attack, but both were confident they would take some of these men with them.

  “Paco,” whispered José, remember, when the door is blown in, don’t forget to cover your ears and close your eyes. Even with our plugs and dark goggles, the sound and blast will be nearly unbearable. As soon as the grenade that follows explodes, raise above our shelter and open fire as soon as the first enemy appears. Lo entiendes?”

  “Si, José, of course I understand, this is not my first rodeo, though I suspect it will be my last. I only hope I can take a couple of these gringos to hell with me.”

  “That we shall my friend, that we shall.”

  Only seconds later the two Zetas heard the door explode inward in the office to their right. This was followed by a flash-bang and a grenade. The same procedure was followed at the two offices across the hall.

  “Okay, Paco, are you ready?”

  “Of course,” replied Paco as he kissed the cross he wore around his neck and silently prayed for forgiveness for his sins.

  The door suddenly exploded inward as José and Paco placed their hands over their ears. The flash-bang was a horrible thing to experience, but by being prepared with ear plugs, hands covering their ears, and dark goggles the two men were stunned, but still able to maintain their inner-ear balance. The anticipated grenade exploded almost immediately following the flash-bang.

  Paco and José hurriedly raised their heads and rifles as three men charged into the room firing their weapons on full-auto. Both of the Zees returned fire from their protected positions. All three of the Knights were struck in the chest and face as the rifles rose from the blowback of the full-auto function. The three Knights were dead before they hit the ground.

  The two Zetas were most pleased with themselves, until they saw the satchel charge fly into the room. Their pleasure quickly turned to terror as the last thing they saw was the bright flash that imprinted upon their optic nerves before facing the just reward of murderers.

  The remaining Zees heard everything, including the much more powerful explosion from the satchel charge.

  In the 2nd floor hallway the squad leaders met to decide how to proceed. “Sarge,” said one of the Knights, “they was ready for the flash-bang and the grenades. How many satchels do we have left?”

  A quick count of the remaining offices came to three more than the remaining satchel charges. “Well, hell,” said Wang, “that’s not good, not good at all. Sparks, call Turner and see if we can get more charges.”

  “Roger, I’m on it.” A few seconds later the radioman reported that Turner was off the net. The Sergeant Major has a crew heading to the ammo train to find more satchel charges. We’re waiting for him to come back on the line.”

  “Roger that. Okay, let’s do a count. We know there were initially fifteen Zees defending this building. Let’s see, four snipers are down, two guards at the entrances, two more in the 1st floor offices, and these two. That leaves, um, five, yeah, five more of these bastards to take out.”

  Sparks added the two squad leaders to the command net. The Sergeant Major informed them that he was sending three more satchels up to them.

  Sergeant Gonzalez opened the door to the Commanding Officer’s Office chair and sat calmly waiting for the arrival of the Knights. When he heard them take out the last office holding Zee defenders, Gonzalez shouted out, “WAIT! DON’T SHOOT! I SURRENDER! I’LL TALK!”

  A voice from the hallway called out, “All right, come out with your hands above your head.”

  “I am sorry, but both of my legs have been injured. I will need help to go with you.”

  A small mirror eased its way across the door’s entryway. Sergeant Wang could see the Mexican sergeant sitting in the General’s chair with his empty hands raised well above his head.

  “If you so much as twitch, you will die where you sit,” said Wang.

  “I understand. I will not move.”

  Sergeant Wang slowly entered the room, his weapon at the ready and swept the interior. There was no one else in the office.

  Wang and two Knights slowly approached Sergeant Gonzalez. The two Privates reached under Gonzalez’s armpits and began raising him from the chair. In the two seconds that followed the men in the room realized that there was nothing wrong with Mexican’s legs and they heard the distinctive sound of three hand grenade spoons flinging away from the baseball sized explosives.

  The two men jumped back from Gonzalez and saw a sardonic smile cross his lips just before he died in a hail of gunfire. It takes five seconds for a hand grenade to explode once the spoon is released. The three Knights had no time to reach the relative safety of the hallway before the three eggs exploded.

  The Headquarters Building was secured at 0725 Hours.

  When the Knights counted their own losses, the count came to nine.

  “No, sir, that can’t be right. We lost eight five men in the assault, not nine. How did you get nine?”

  The Alpha Company 1st Sergeant told them that Senior Sergeant Turner’s body had been recovered. He had taken a round directly into his right eye.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Bantu Justice

  15 May 03, 0800 Hours

  Fort Bliss, Texas

  Steiner was furious at the loss of nine men against these peasants. Yes, he was angry, but also saddened at the losses, especially that of Senior Sergeant Nat Turner.

  In the throes of a blood lust, Steiner ordered the removal of the hands, feet, heads, and genitals of the dead Zetas. Following this horror, and after the prisoners had bled out, their heads were hacked off. The Zeta leadership had been tied in kneeling positions, where they were unable to look away from the savage executions of the others. The eyes of the Zetas were taped open to ensure that they could not avoid seeing Bantu justice.

  The Sergeant Major ordered two details, one to create a mud bath to thickly coat the remaining Zees. The second detail was directed to create firepits with stout spits. The Zetas were then coated with twelve inches of mud along with a pole attached to the prisoner’s backs. Two holes were bored to allow straws to be placed in the noses of the Zees and two holes around the eyes to allow the prisoners to see the fire below; at least until their eyes were burned to the point of blindness.

  Once the mud had sufficiently dried, the three men were then hung over the white hot coals in the firepits, where they were left inside their mud cocoons to be slowly baked. Death would not come quickly for the men who allowed their soldiers to torture Steiner’s people. This was Zulu and Bantu justice in a purely African style.

  This act of torture was brutal, savage, and cer
tainly barbaric, but in the eyes of the Knights, it fit Old Testament Biblical Justice as it was, “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.”

  The merc vehicle drivers were then released to get some sleep while the remaining Black Knights resupplied the force with new LAVs and munitions. They also recovered the two trucks captured by the Zetas from their attack upon the Merc Advanced Party. The Sergeant Major thought that the two trucks with hundreds of bullet holes would remind the Knights to never again become complacent in their duties.

  By 1000 Hours the convoy was loaded up, resupplied, and on the road west. They did leave a calling card for whoever came next to Fort Bliss. The heads of the Zetas were placed atop the fence at the Main Gate.

  Steiner was not pleased with what he had ordered to be done, and inwardly vowed to never again condone such savagery; a promise he kept until his dying day.

  What he failed to comprehend, in his twisted and certainly convoluted evaluation of the evils done to his men were the thefts, rapes, and murders committed by those same mercenary soldiers on their rampage across America.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Chopper Down

  15 May 0630 Hours

  Morning Briefing

  ROA Tactical Operations Center

  I-10 West

  “Sir,” said, Sergeant Major Bradley Cobb, “I am concerned about the detail we sent to Stanley. I find it worrisome that our detail sent to check on the Ammo Depot north of San Antone, has not caught up with us, yet, and we’ve had no radio contact for the last several Hours. Without that report, we have no idea what Steiner’s group took; it could be Stingers, sir.”

  “Damn, Bradley, you are absolutely correct. Okay, Bradley, please find out when Ben last reported in. All right, Susan, get a bird wound up and ready in case there is trouble. The last I heard they planned to be back late last night.”

  “Yes, sir, I’ll get a bird ready to fly back along their route to try and intercept them. I hope they didn’t have trouble obtaining fuel. I’d better take a maintenance crew along in case they’ve become stranded, or downed.”

  “Not a pretty picture, Colonel, so let’s get that mission off ASAP, Roger?”

  “Roger that, sir, I’ll get on it right after this meeting.”

  “Good, but you may not be the pilot; we need you here. Send your Exec.”

  Levi then said, “All right, let’s adjourn for now. We’ll meet back up after we discover what has happened to the Stanley detail.

  Tragedy

  15 May 03, 1130

  ROA Convoy

  I-10 West

  “Kahuna 6: Eyes 1 5. Over.”

  “Eyes 1 5: Kahuna Base. Over.”

  “Roger Base: We have a crash site: Send a Dust-Off, I am 75 miles east of your location. You’d best find the Boss and get him to the horn. Over.”

  “Roger 1 5: Wait. Out.”

  The TOC Runner ran to find General Levi Levins and returned with him in under three minutes. Susan was at her duty station in the map tent. She heard the call from her XO, Eyes 1 5 and immediately called the helipad to get both Dustys to wound ‘em up to get the Doctor to the crash site soonest.

  Levi ran in, and contact was reestablished with Eyes 1 5.

  “Eyes 1 5: K 6: Send your traffic. Over.”

  “Roger, K 6. We are on the ground at the crash site of the detail sent to Ft. Stanley. There are two survivors, both badly hurt, with six dead. Colonel Smith and Staff Sergeant Witherspoon are still alive: Over.”

  “Roger 1 5 call back when the Dust-Offs arrive, or if you have something else to report. Over.”

  “K 6: Eyes 1 5: Roger, Out.”

  “Sergeant Major!”

  “Sir!”

  “Get a runner to the Doc and have him get on the Dust-Off. If he can get them stabilized at the crash site, he is to return with them to Chalmers. We have two seriously wounded. Roger?”

  “Roger, sir, on it!”

  “Jones,” shouted Levi, “contact Chalmers and tell them to be prepared for casualties. The Dust-Off will take them to the Hospital as soon as we can get the wounded stabilized.”

  “Roger, sir, on it!” shouted Sergeant First Class Jones.

  Back at Chalmers, the ROA capital, the radio transmission from Sergeant First Class Jones was forwarded to the hospital, where preparations to receive trauma victims were put into motion. If the two men were able to be stabilized, they would be flown to the hospital facility. If they made it that far, they would have a good chance at recovery.

  Upon his return, the Cobra Pilot reported to the TOC and gave his briefing to Levi, Gus, Susan, and Bradley.

  Levi said, “All right, Captain, tell us what happened.”

  “Yes, sir, Colonel Smith was conscious, well, barely, but he was able to tell us that something went wrong with the main rotor. The whole ship began to shake just before the engine quit and the Huey crashed.

  He also said that the radios had been destroyed upon impact, which apparently happened about six Hours before we found them.”

  Gus wanted to know if any paperwork or notes were found that would shed any light about their mission results, or if Colonel Smith had been able to tell the Pilot what they found?”

  “Sir, I am sorry to report that we found no paperwork, and the Colonel lost consciousness before he could tell me more.”

  “All right,” said Levi, “tell me, Captain, do you have any idea what caused the crash?”

  “Sir, I can only give you a guess based on my experience in the Berzerkistan sandbox. I believe that sand infiltrated the engine, or damaged the rotors, other than that, I am at a complete loss.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” and looking at his staff, he asked if there were any further questions.

  Susan said, “Jerry, did I hear you correctly that Ben said the Huey began to shake violently just before the engine quit?”

  “Yes, ma’am, those were the Colonel’s exact words.”

  The Pilot was excused, and the Round Table discussion began.

  “All right, Susan, what happened?” asked Levi.

  “Yes, sir, what I think we’ll find is that the engine was, in fact, infiltrated by sand. The shaking of the bird just before engine failure seems to be what was most likely the cause of the crash. The pitting from sand exposure pretty much confirms Jerry’s thoughts on what happened. It was just bad karma that both went bad at the same moment.”

  “Well crap,” said Gus, “does that mean that we have to ground all of our birds, and then do what?”

  Susan thought for a couple of seconds before saying, “Gus, we may very well have to do exactly that, but it just seems too soon for so much damage to have been suffered by the engine, unless they were overtaken by a severe sandstorm, a haboob.

  At any rate, our maintenance guys will begin tearing apart the engines and evaluating the rotors for sand and corrosion damage. I’ll get them started on it as soon as we conclude here.

  Fortunately, we only have three Snakes and two Dustys that have been in these desert conditions.

  Sir, my recommendation is to dispatch at least three Snakes and two more Dustys from Chalmers while our guys get on with the obvious mission we have here. Oh, and it would also be helpful, and the work will go faster if we can go to Davis-Monthan and use their facilities.”

  Levi sighed and said, “Good plan, Susan make it happen.

  Bradley, get with First Sergeant Torre and arrange security for this mission to Davis-Monthan.”

  Turning to Gus, Levi said, “Colonel Murtaugh, I am not comfortable with only three gunships on hand. If we have maintenance problems with them, we may not be able to effectively engage the Black Knights when we do catch up to them. Please contact Colonel Guyardo and ask him to dispatch, oh, say, another fifteen Snakes and three more Hueys. I don’t want for us to have Steiner in our sights and not have the necessary birds to do the job. We need to smash him in one engagement.”

  Both answered, “Roger, sir, I’m on it.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-
THREE

  Gaining Ground

  16 May 03, 1800 Hours

  ROA Convoy

  While Steiner’s force was engaged with the Zeta’s at Fort Bliss, the ROA force was continuing the chase in the hope of closing the distance between the two forces before the mercs reached Phoenix, Arizona.

  Levi’s Legion found the going easy, though a bit narrow in some places out of Boerne. This more rapid movement resulted in a slowly diminishing gap between the ROA force now known as Levi’s Legion and their adversary, the Black Knight Mercenaries. Because of Steiner’s merc being forced into a skirmish at Fort Bliss, Levi and crew were now only two hundred and twenty-five miles behind Steiner. However, once the mercs were back on the road, they began to make very good time across the flat Sonoran Desert of New Mexico.

  Over the evening meal, Levi’s planning staff met to discuss their progress. Levi said, “I believe we can make it to El Paso by 18 May. Colonel Levins, remind your recon flights to be extra careful up there. Until we can identify what Steiner’s men took from the Depot at San Antone, we just don’t know exactly what we’re facing. Let’s not have any tragic surprises, Roger?”

  “Yes, sir,” said Colonel Susan Levins.

  Levi then asked when air recons of Fort Bliss could begin.

  “Sir, we should be able to begin those flights by late on the 17th. General, I know you hate to stop at Bliss, but our fuel supply, though not yet critical, is at the lowest point in weeks. We’re running a lot of flights, so fuel and maintenance are key factors in our operational status,” said Colonel Levins.