One Man’s War

Day Two

“ Looks peaceful enough.” Captain Broussard whispered to Lieutenant Glass as he viewed the hilltop surrounding “Baker’s Point”.

“ That’s what they want us to think.” The Lieutenant offered.

“ My thoughts exactly.” The Captain turned to look behind him. “ Sergeant Reynolds, your men ready?”

“ As ready as a horse for a Shadow Carrot.” The sergeant responded.

“ Good.” He looked to the other soldier waiting to his left.

“ Sergeant Casey?”

“ Ready Sir.”

“ Ok, operation “Castle Break” begins in two minutes. Spread the word.” The captain went back to his binoculars.

At 07:42 Sergeant Casey fired a 5. 67 mm round aimed at “Baker’s Point”. The round went off right at the foot of the command post. Dark brown smoke filled the area surrounding the Allied position and Captain “Blister” motioned Sergeant Reynolds to attack from the right, and Sergeant Casey from the left. He would take center.

Even with the Alliance faction knowing an attack was imminent the aggression took them a bit by surprise. Their soldiers took to the surrounding trenches to snub the attack as quickly as possible. Bullets whizzed around the Captain’s head and his peripheral vision told him that soldiers were falling all around. An RPG round silenced the rapid fire weapon accosting the center attack and the captain looked to see Sergeant Casey shouldering her rocket launcher and continuing her attack from the left. She grinned at him, he let go a smile that he just couldn’t contain.

Sergeant Reynolds seemed to be making headway with his attack also, and his second in command, Corporal Warren had tossed a grenade into the south window of the structure. This delivered a devastating blast. With courageous soldiers like these how could the Independents loose?

There was still plenty of fight left in the purplebellies on that ridge though. It would take more than just a wop on the rump to scare the seasoned Allied forces off that strategic point of interest. It was going to be a long day. But the captain did know a secret that his forces were not aware of. It was one of the reasons why “ Baker’s Point” had to be taken. Only he and Lieutenant Glass knew of what was to come. They would inform their troops about it at the end of the fight. Lieutenant Glass had been ordered to stay back with the remaining forces in Coppers Canyon.

The captain knew that the 82nd Independent Bomber Wing was in route and would be arriving that night to deliver the same shit the Alliance air support had been giving the browncoats. “ Wait till our air force shows up!” The Captain thought to himself. “ Those crop dusters and goat headers could fly the pants off of any Allied airmen!” Commander Rick had a firm belief in that.

The assault on “Baker’s Point” went on much of the day. With some struggle the center attack reached the bottom of “Baker’s Point” by late afternoon. Allied opposition had died down a bit but combat was still going on around them. The main building was still occupied by enemy forces and the captain found a trench near the bottom of the shelter and took safety there. The dead and the dying lay all around. Commander Broussard called for the radioman.

“ Get Sergeant Reynolds and Sergeant Casey on the line!” He commanded.

After receiving orders from his superior office Sergeant Reynolds motioned his troops to move east in a bid to surround the fortress on “Baker’s Point”. Sergeant Casey would take her platoon and attack from the north. Commander Rick would concentrate the fire upon himself in order for the others to proceed with their assaults.

Mal Reynolds gave the order to corporal Warren and private Tracey to eliminated the gun mount on top of the observation building. This was accomplished with a couple of wax bombs ( something akin to sticky bombs, it’s in the manual). In ten minutes the gun was silenced.

This completed, there were only a small number of purplebellies left in the fortification. Three Alliance soldiers had already surrendered. Commander Rick “Blister” looked around as the fighting began to die down. They had started the assault with seventy five troops. Casualties were heavy, sixteen killed, twenty-three wounded. The battle had been costly. At that moment the captain heard a thud to his right, between him and his radioman. He looked around to find a grenade lying in the bunker .

In an instant time seemed to stand still. Visions came into the captain‘s brain. His family, his friend’s, his soldiers in arms. Commander Rick witness all of this in one flap of a butterfly’s wings.

“…………………BOOM…………………….”

There was a flash of brilliant light then all was bathed in nothingness. The war ceased to exist. There were no names and no recounts of ever living. The captain felt like a vapor floating in a vacuum. If captain Rick “Blister“ Broussard knew anything, he knew it was over. The time filled with pain and suffering would be gone. It had been a good life for the most part. A loving family and an adventure filled childhood. What more could a human soul ask for?

Some time later the commander became aware that he could hear sounds, voices and the crackle of burning wood. He was aware of the clank of metal as weapons came into contact with armor. He could smell smoke, burnt wood and scorched brick, and lastly he could smell blood. His legs were numb, yet he felt pain in a thousand places in his torso. He opened his eyes. There were delicate hands cradling his face, and he looked to see one of the pretties sights he’d seen in a long while.

“ Sergeant Casey!”

“ Sir?”

Her face was sad. There were tears rolling down her darkened, dirt soiled cheeks. It was a look that the commander had witnessed many times himself. He was dying. There was nothing they could do.

“ The battle?”

“The battle is won sir! Baker’s point is ours.” It was almost a song to his ears, he grinned. The sadness in the sergeant’s eyes broke his heart but there was no turning back the inevitable. She removed her brown jacket and placed it behind his head.

Another soldier approached.

“ Captain Broussard! We‘ve captured the remaining Alliance fighters. Corporal Warren has them at the top of the hill. Objective is secured sir! Ready for orders.”

The commander looked at the gathering crown of loyal combatants.

“ This is it soldiers! Set demolitions and blow the crap out of this station!” He looked at the growing number of faces that came into his sight. “Reynolds, get with Lieutenant Glass. Gather half of the troops and head for B Company to the south. Sergeant Casey…………….!”

He looked into the face of a true friend and loyal soldier. “ I have a feeling that there are great things in store for you. You must live on, promise me.”

She only nodded.

“Gather the remaining half of the troops and head for the Zilla swamps to the west. Get out as many as possible, understood?”

“Sir, I will.” She answered.

“ There’s going to be an air strike tonight. Independent Air Command will launch a extraction campaign that will withdraw our remaining forces. We’ve taken he fight to the bastards my friends. A fight they’re not soon to forget.”

Commander Rick “Blister” Broussard looked up to the heavens. Early evening was extending it‘s blue veil. The battle had taken the better part the day. A thousand stars were twinkling in the gradually darkening sky. Captain Rick dreamed that each twinkling star was a soul given to a lost soldier of his command. One of those stars would be his.

“ They can’t take the sky from me.” He whispered as his eyes closed and he drifted into the sleep of a released human soul.

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Malcolm Reynolds marched up the hill to the outpost where the final Alliance prisoners were being held.

“ These the last two?” The Sergeant asked Corporal Warren.

“ Yes Sir, last two remaining.” She answered.

“ Tracey, rig some demolition!” The sergeant commanded. “ Blow the fèn féi out of this building once and for all!”

“ Affirm that Sarg!” The private went off to follow the order.

Malcolm looked at the two Alliance soldiers standing at attention. “ Gentlemen, it’s your lucky day.” He eyeballed their uneasiness. “ With prisoners, I usually cut their balls off and feed them to my cattle, “ He lied, “……but today I’m in a bit of a rush. So what I need from you is your name, rank and ID number so that conformation can be established that you are prisoners of war to Alliance headquarters.

Records were to be kept so that is was understood that the prisoners were alive at this point. Records by both sides.

The Sergeant paused a second.

“Don’t want some little kid digging your bones up out of the sand years from now and mistaking them for dinosaur relics do we? “ He stopped and looked at Zoe with a wink. He approached the first guy.

“ You!…….Name, rank and ID!” Malcolm questioned forcibly.

“ Harlin! Sergeant Buck Jacob Harlin. Advance observation squad 60259!” Came his reply.

Mal Reynolds had never been a prisoner interrogator before, he was liking it. He looked at the other soldier.

“ …..and you?”

Just as the first soldier had stood at attention so stood the second . He responded.

“ Broussard Sir! Corporal Bud Broussard, ID number 35627, I launched the last grenade attack.”

He seemed proud of that fact.

Malcolm Reynolds and Zoe Warren stood with their mouths open. It couldn’t be…..could it? It was just too ironically crazy to think about.

End