Read Online Sic Semper Tyrannis by Marcus Richardson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Marcus Richardson
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radio silence all units. RAF-3 has the floor.”
Rob and Jerry waited in silence for a few tense minutes as the response team maneuvered into position. He glanced at the map. He hated being stuck here while his men were out sneaking up on the Chinese. He didn’t feel too old for that shit. But, it had been one of the stipulations he’d been forced to make when the Regulators re-elected him their war chief. He was barred from personal engagements—the men viewed him as irreplaceable.
“Where’s Lance and his patrol?” asked Rob.
Jerry pointed to the south ridge. “He checked in here. I suggested RAF-3 set up there,” he shifted his finger to the eastern ridge across a narrow stream. “This spot is the high ground and they’ll get a good crossfire going. We’ll see,” he said with a shrug.
“Sounds good. It’s what I would have done.”
“HQ ,” whispered the team leader. “ I got a visual on Two and his boys. No sign of …” The voice paused. “ Wait a minute…yeah, there they are. ”
“Can you confirm numbers?” asked Jerry.
“Yeah—definitely twelve that I can see.”
Rob leaned over the mic and pushed the transmit button: “ RAF-3, this is One. Can you pull it off? ”
There was no hesitation: “ Hell yes. ”
“Then have at ‘em.”
“ Roger that HQ. Moving to intercept .”
Rob paced the floor of the little room for a few minutes like a caged animal. Jerry finally turned and looked up at his commander. “You want to be out there, huh?” he said with a jerk of his head towards the map. “Dude, just go .”
Rob paused and stared at Jerry. “I can’t stay in here while they—”
“I never saw you, man,” replied Jerry with a smile. He turned back to the radio.
Rob grinned. He grabbed the Winchester and bolted for the door. If he took the upper path, he could cut across the Regulator compound and come up from behind Lance, on a higher ridge, and get a good view—if not participate—in the ambush. He ran as fast as he could for the deer trail. A quick glance at his watch and some mental map-checking—yup, he’d only have a few minutes…
PO SIN LICKED HIS lips and replaced the cigarette in his mouth. He drew in and exhaled the pungent smoke that he knew his one-time friend despised. He couldn’t help but grin. Everything was going as planned.
“Are you certain of this?” asked Shin Ho, now Undersecretary to the Supreme Leader, himself. He narrowed his eyes and looked over the top of the report in his pudgy little hands.
Po Sin bowed his head. “Yes. It is all there in the report. I have confirmed the information myself. Our Expeditionary Force has completely breached the border and is moving north on schedule.”
“Not completely on schedule, I see.”
Po Sin frowned. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and flicked the ash into the provided ashtray. He glanced down at the specks of ash that landed on the Undersecretary’s desk before answering. “What you refer to is just a minor hiccup. A scouting party was lost—”
“The deaths of fifty-two men and the loss of a dozen vehicles, all their weapons and gear…” Now it was Shin Ho’s turn to frown. “You call this a hiccup? ”
Po Sin spread his hands, cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Of course we mourn the loss of so many men—the place they had stopped at was evidently booby-trapped. We had not expected such cowardice from the Americans. But, as I said, it was merely a scouting platoon. This minor tragedy has had no effect whatsoever on the rest of the Expedition. We are on schedule and have removed the bulk of the fighting forces across the border into Arizona.”
“This supply line is awful long, Po Sin,” said Shin Ho, idly waving at the smoke that was clouding his office. He laid the paper down on the desk and tapped it with a bejeweled finger. “Do you think it wise to bring so much
Rob and Jerry waited in silence for a few tense minutes as the response team maneuvered into position. He glanced at the map. He hated being stuck here while his men were out sneaking up on the Chinese. He didn’t feel too old for that shit. But, it had been one of the stipulations he’d been forced to make when the Regulators re-elected him their war chief. He was barred from personal engagements—the men viewed him as irreplaceable.
“Where’s Lance and his patrol?” asked Rob.
Jerry pointed to the south ridge. “He checked in here. I suggested RAF-3 set up there,” he shifted his finger to the eastern ridge across a narrow stream. “This spot is the high ground and they’ll get a good crossfire going. We’ll see,” he said with a shrug.
“Sounds good. It’s what I would have done.”
“HQ ,” whispered the team leader. “ I got a visual on Two and his boys. No sign of …” The voice paused. “ Wait a minute…yeah, there they are. ”
“Can you confirm numbers?” asked Jerry.
“Yeah—definitely twelve that I can see.”
Rob leaned over the mic and pushed the transmit button: “ RAF-3, this is One. Can you pull it off? ”
There was no hesitation: “ Hell yes. ”
“Then have at ‘em.”
“ Roger that HQ. Moving to intercept .”
Rob paced the floor of the little room for a few minutes like a caged animal. Jerry finally turned and looked up at his commander. “You want to be out there, huh?” he said with a jerk of his head towards the map. “Dude, just go .”
Rob paused and stared at Jerry. “I can’t stay in here while they—”
“I never saw you, man,” replied Jerry with a smile. He turned back to the radio.
Rob grinned. He grabbed the Winchester and bolted for the door. If he took the upper path, he could cut across the Regulator compound and come up from behind Lance, on a higher ridge, and get a good view—if not participate—in the ambush. He ran as fast as he could for the deer trail. A quick glance at his watch and some mental map-checking—yup, he’d only have a few minutes…
PO SIN LICKED HIS lips and replaced the cigarette in his mouth. He drew in and exhaled the pungent smoke that he knew his one-time friend despised. He couldn’t help but grin. Everything was going as planned.
“Are you certain of this?” asked Shin Ho, now Undersecretary to the Supreme Leader, himself. He narrowed his eyes and looked over the top of the report in his pudgy little hands.
Po Sin bowed his head. “Yes. It is all there in the report. I have confirmed the information myself. Our Expeditionary Force has completely breached the border and is moving north on schedule.”
“Not completely on schedule, I see.”
Po Sin frowned. He removed the cigarette from his mouth and flicked the ash into the provided ashtray. He glanced down at the specks of ash that landed on the Undersecretary’s desk before answering. “What you refer to is just a minor hiccup. A scouting party was lost—”
“The deaths of fifty-two men and the loss of a dozen vehicles, all their weapons and gear…” Now it was Shin Ho’s turn to frown. “You call this a hiccup? ”
Po Sin spread his hands, cigarette dangling from his mouth. “Of course we mourn the loss of so many men—the place they had stopped at was evidently booby-trapped. We had not expected such cowardice from the Americans. But, as I said, it was merely a scouting platoon. This minor tragedy has had no effect whatsoever on the rest of the Expedition. We are on schedule and have removed the bulk of the fighting forces across the border into Arizona.”
“This supply line is awful long, Po Sin,” said Shin Ho, idly waving at the smoke that was clouding his office. He laid the paper down on the desk and tapped it with a bejeweled finger. “Do you think it wise to bring so much
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