Chapter 45
SSG Alexander Davis had always believed in following orders. Without orders, and a leadership structure, chaos would ensue, and that was just as likely to make you lose a football game as it was to make you lose a battle. Right now though, Staff Sergeant Davis had to make a choice. Cabral had asked him to cover up something that he wasn’t quite sure he was okay with.
Captain Williams had assigned 1SG Cabral to get a detachment together and go investigate some Intel the elf prisoner had given them, but the First Sergeant wanted Alexander to lead that detachment while he and a couple of others followed the company. 1SG Cabral was convinced the elf had done some kind of magic to make the commander send them away so she could pull an escape and would do just about anything to prevent that from happening uncontested.
Alexander hadn’t been at the meeting where Captain Williams had given out the Intel, but he did know that the First Sergeant had been ordered to investigate. And it made sense. Cabral was by far the most experienced soldier they had for things like that, and something told Alexander that this was going to turn into something more than a simple recon.
All day while marching, Alexander had been trying to determine if that feeling was just his anxiety at leading a mission like that, or if there was more to it. The fact that the First Sergeant trusted him to lead an op with that kind of importance attached should have made him feel proud, but instead, it curdled in his stomach, like sour milk.
Before he could make a final decision, the whole day had passed, and it was time for the detachment to form up and do gear checks. Alexander found a moment to talk with the First Sergeant.
“Hey, First Sergeant, do you have a moment? I need to talk to you.” He asked.
“Sure. Let's move away from the others while they prep their gear.” Dirk replied.
The two walked behind a supply truck, and Alexander turned to the senior NCO.
“I’m not sure this is the best idea, First Sergeant. I appreciate you entrusting me with this, but something tells me this is going to be more than just a wild goose chase. I think the men deserve to have you leading them. Maybe I can take your place with the group you selected for the ‘secondary objective’?” He asked.
The First Sergeant let a bit of his mask slip, showing just how tired he was. “I understand the hesitation, Staff Sergeant, but nobody else can do what I need you to do. Your men trust you and will follow your orders. If for some reason you end up meeting an enemy element, just wait them out and return to the company. I gave you the details on our planned routes to the target site, so even if we end up deviating from our course, you can meet us at the objective. We're only a day and a half of travel out, so you won't be out for long.”
Alexander took a moment to compose his thoughts. “I understand, First Sergeant, but what happens if the prisoner never tries to escape, and the captain ends up finding out? Or what happens to you if a group of elves stumble upon you and the others? There’s just a lot of possibilities this goes sideways, and you end up getting caught. And I don’t want that.”
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“If anything like that happens, you can lay it at my feet, Sergeant Davis. It’s not like they can afford to court martial me with things as they are, and I trust my instincts. That elf prisoner is plotting something. The more of us she kills, the happier she’ll be.” The First Sergeant replied.
“Understood. I guess you leave me with no real options.” Alexander replied. “I’ll follow orders, but I hope I’m wrong on this. See you on the flip side First Sergeant.”
He still felt quite unsettled, and if anything, he felt even less confident after the discussion, but he had his orders, and someone had to check out what the elf had told them. Lieutenant Jeckal, an Israeli national, and SSG Garcia would be the other leaders on this op, both original members of Savage Company, and both of whom the First Sergeant had explained his plan to.
Half an hour later, everyone had checked their gear and was ready to head out. It didn’t take the 30-man detachment long to sneak out of camp and head into the brush. The rest of the company was camped out around a fast-food restaurant that somehow still had power. Coming across the oddity had been enough for the officers to call a halt, and some of the supply guys had managed to get everything up and running, so everyone had chowed down on burgers, fries, and chicken tenders for the evening meal.
Tomorrow the formation would go to full noise and light discipline, with the tanks and supply vehicles trailing behind the infantry about 15 miles back. All the exo-mecha pilots would be strapped into their mechas on board the transport trucks, ready to rock and roll if the need arose.
All that wouldn’t be his responsibility now, instead he had to focus on getting 25 men to the nearest elf patrol route and get them dug in before they were noticed. Then they’d have to wait until a patrol came by, or didn’t as the case may be, before returning to meet up with the rest of the men for the attack. If they did meet a patrol, they would try to radio back the details for the officers to review.
Alexander still felt uncomfortable with the part he was being asked to play, but he did feel confident that if anyone could do it, the soldiers who’d been picked for the mission had a good chance of surviving.
As the night wore on, and the 30-man detachment made their way further into the swamps and forests of northeastern Georgia, Alexander let himself focus fully on the mission he was involved with. They needed to focus on finding the elf patrol as quickly as possible. It spoke volumes that elves and humans used similar basic tactics during war, hinting at some kind of absolute truth in wars, or, at the least, some universal best practices.
A few hours later, just as the sun began to turn the sky just a hint of pink and orange, the detachment crept into place. Alexander had broken the group into 5 man teams, providing the perfect excuse for why the First Sergeant and the others were missing. Each team had been assigned a predetermined observation point, and then they’d broken off from a central rally point, far away from the predicted elf route. Each team would create an LP/OP (Listening Post/Observation Post) once they reached their assigned area, and stay there, collecting records of any civilian or enemy movement through the area until darkness fell again. Then they would carefully deconstruct their LP/OP, leaving behind no traces of their presence, and then make their way back to the rally point.
As SSG Davis finished placing handfuls of dirt and dead leaves over the dug-out position he and his 4 teammates had dug between a tightly packed copse of trees. The position was just large enough for the three to lay down in, while the other two members climbed into the trees and hid themselves there.
Now that the board was set, and all the chess pieces in play, there was nothing to do but wait.