The Storm Maker (29 page)

        “Did
you hear what Chief Yucker said?” Sthykar asked, pointing to a road on the map,
“They ambushed a hundred SPASI guards somewhere there. They surely have enough
manpower to hold the gate. No, we have to open that gate quickly and I can
think of only one way to do it: blow it.”

       “We
would need explosives for that,” Muftar said.

       “Not
a problem,” Relkyett said. “This is a lumber town; you can buy explosives in
half a dozen stores.”

       “The
problem is we have to blast the gate from the inside,” Sthykar said. “We would
never be able to get close from the outside. I will have to sneak inside again
or we have to find a helicopter in this town.”

       “In
this town?” Kartar said. “Unlikely. If you had told me earlier, I would have
brought mine.”

       “Actually
there is one,” Relkyett said. “One of my neighbors has a helicopter. I can take
you there and we can borrow it.”

       “Or
commandeer it,” Sthykar said wryly.

       As
they were discussing their battle plan, the ex-policeman Ryder walked in along
with a man in his late forties dressed in hunting clothes, a green hat and
shirt and brown pants and boots.

       “Colonel,
I rounded up nine men from nearby,” he said, then introduced his companion.
“This is Capitan Yytar, the rest are standing outside.”

       “Ex-Capitan,
that is; it’s been more than ten years since I was in the 999
^th
reserve army,” Yytar said. “I am honored to meet you, Colonel Sthykar.”

       “And
we are delighted to have your help. You must know this area very well,” Sthykar
said.

       “Ran
around everywhere in these woods as children,” Yytar said. “I got eight more
armed fellas outside, all of whom know the lay of this land well.”

       “How
many ATR’s, Yytar?” Sthykar asked.

       “Only
two—mine,” Yytar said. “Ex-officers of the six armies can own ATRs and I
brought both of mine.”

       “That
gives us six automatic rifles, since we have four of our own,” Sthykar said.
“The rest of the volunteers are going to have to fight with single-shot hunting
rifles or repeating rifles.”

       “Most
of the men outside have their repeaters with them,” Yytar said.

       “Let’s
go out and meet them,” Sthykar said. “We are done in this police station.” He
packed his radio into his bag, folded up the map and put it in his pants
pocket. He took the chief’s pen and hitched it to his front shirt pocket under
the jacket, then walked outside along with Ryder and Yytar. The rest of his
friends followed them and mingled with the new arrivals, introducing
themselves. Many of them waved at Sthykar.

       “Alright,
listen up, here is the plan,” Sthykar said. “We have a war at our hands.
Colonel Weltar and his warriors will be coming up in a few hours. We have to
get to the hostages before the shooting starts to make sure our enemies don’t
harm them in desperation. I will be going with Relkyett to one of his neighbors
to get a helicopter; Pelyett and Tulkar are coming with us. Colonel Jontvyk has
the highest army rank in my absence and he will lead the rest of you near to
the compound where you will await our arrival in the helicopter.”

       The
crowd had listened in pin drop silence. Now many conversations broke out
amongst them. Sthykar turned to Rydar and Yytar, “You will have to help Jontvyk
with finding the way there.”

       “Not
a problem,” Rydar said.

       “I
know Colonel Weltar,” Yytar said. “He is a friend from my days in the 999
^th
Reserve;
both of us were capitans at the same time.”

       “How
far is the nearest gun store from here?” Sthykar asked the crowd.

       “Just
ten minutes up the road there is old man Zyf’s store,” Rydar said, “What are
you looking to buy?”

       “Buy
the whole store,” Sthykar said.

       “The
whole store?” Yytar asked. “You mean all the ammo boxes as well.”

       “That
too, but I mean the whole store, guns, explosive sticks, bullets, bows and
arrows and all,” Sthykar said. “I am thinking if we can’t get the hostages out
of the compound then we can at least secure them till the 999
^th
Reserves storm the the place. The scientist I met there told me that most
everyone lives underground below the tower. I bet our hostages are in there as
well, in a prison like structure. They are SPASI and Police and they can help
us hold off Ranxians.”

       “Alright,
but where do we get the money for it,” Yytar said. “I don’t want to just take
it from old man Zyf, a native of Coldwoods for all of his seventy plus years.”

       “A
cantankerous, but jolly, old coot,” Rydar said.

       “Take
this—my army identification card,” Sthykar said. “Tell him the army is
purchasing his store and at the marked prices, we won’t negotiate down. We
officers have the authority to make such purchases when urgently needed in the
training or in the field. The House of War will send him the check later.”

       Rydar
took the card and put it in his inner coat pocket. “I hope he believes us.”

       “Take
me with you,” a young man that had arrived with Yytar jumped in front of them.
He had been apparently listening to their conversation when Zyf was mentioned.
“Zyf is a friend of an uncle. I can convince him.”

       Sthykar
patted him on the back, “Take this boy with you, Rydar, and definitely buy me
some explosives, even if you have to drive into the town for it.”

       “Will
do,” Rydar said. “But I know Zyf has some sticks in his store. We will be back
in no time.”

       “We
are going to wait for you here,” Sthykar said, “Felptar and Hayett and I are
going to give a quick overview of warfare tactics to everyone here.”

       Rydar,
Yytar and the young man took off in Rydar’s car, driving up the road at an
accelerating pace. Sthykar asked for the rest to assemble in a circle for a
quick lesson on jungle fighting.

*  *  *

       Old
Man Zyf’s gun store was located a few turns up the road from the Coldwoods
police station. It was a wooden, one room store with a single window and an
electric sign advertising ‘Zyf’s Guns’ hanging from it. A car was parked in the
lot. The store was located in an isolated place; however it was very accessible
to the hunters who stopped by for ammo on their way into the woods.

       When
the three of them walked into the store, Old Zyf himself was at the glass
counter alone. He was an old man with full beard, a few front teeth that had
been lost, a big slumping belly down the middle, and an old worn hunting cap on
his head. As soon he saw the young man, he pointed at him and laughed.

       “How’s
your uncle, boy?” Zyf asked.

       “Great,”
young man replied. “These here are—”

       “Oh
I know them fellas. That’s Ryder over there—he got fired from the police, and
that’s Yytar—he got the boot from the army,” Zyf chuckled.

       “Zyf
you haven’t changed,” Rydar guffawed.

       “Haven’t
seen you in a couple of years and we live in the same crummy cold town,” Zyf
said. “What’s the matter, you got no use for me?”

       “I
got no use for your guns, because as you put it, I got fired from the police,”
Rydar chuckled.

       “Well,
what do you folks wanna buy?” Zyf asked.

       “The
whole store,” Yytar said.

       “Say
what? You didn’t decide to drop by here to have some humor at the expense of
old Zyf, now did ya?”

       “No
joke,” Yytar said and put Sthykar’s army card on the counter.

Zyf
picked up and studied it.     “Colonel Sthykar?” Zyf guffawed. “You don’t fool
me none.”

       “He
is in town and he wants to purchase your whole store,” Rydar said. “He has the
authority to make purchases and the House of War will write you a big, fat
check for it. We will buy at the marked prices and won’t try to haggle them
down even a star.”

       “Now
you better not be running a con at me,” he said, picking up a shotgun lying at
the far end of the countertop. “If you are, you will hear from me and my
shotgun and that might just be the last thing you hear.”

       “Serious,
old Zyf,” the young man said. “You can trust me. We have a big problem and
Colonel Sthykar needs these guns.”

       “Alright,
square with me now,” Zyf said putting down the shotgun. “What’s going on here?”

       Rydar
and Yytar looked at each other and then decided to let him in on the recent
events in the town.

* * *

       Just
as Sthykar finished talking to the group, two vehicles, one car and one
half-sized truck rolled in the station parking lot. Rydar and Yytar got out of
the car; old man Zyf and the young man got out of the truck with Zyf carrying
his shotgun on his shoulder and walking with a big open grin, showing his half
fallen teeth and moving his huge, portly belly.

       “Honor
to meet you, Colonel Sthykar,” he said walking up to Sthykar. “Keenly read your
battles in newspaper, myself. By the way, we got my store in that truck, everything
you wanted, repeaters, pistols, knives, even explosive sticks.”

       “Luckily
we didn’t have to go into the town,” Rydar said, “Zyf, here, had enough
explosives.”

       “Grateful.
Just want to assure you that the House of War will pay cash for all of it at
your price,” Sthykar said. “What’s the inventory?”

       “My
whole store: fifty eight repeating rifles, a hundred and forty two hunting
rifles, fifty four pistols, fifty some knives, a dozen bows and a couple
hundred arrows and two boxes full of explosives,” Zyf said.

       “Got
all the ammo as well,” Rydar said. “He didn’t have a count, but must be at
least ten thousand rounds for rifles and a couple thousand for pistols.”

       “I
am not going to sit there and count bullets, policeman,” Zyf said. “And before
you get smart and tell me to read the factory receipts, let me tell you there
are some odd folks in this town who reach in the ammo box, grab and buy an odd
number of bullets.”

       “Well,
that’s alright,” Sthykar laughed. He turned to the entire crowd.  “Listen up
now. Guns are in that truck. Take all the repeaters, take only fifty hunting
rifles, I don’t want you to get heavy and awkward in a gunfight. Take all the
pistols, they will be light to hang on your belts; take a few knives, we don’t
need bows and arrows. I will take one box of explosives, you folks take the
second.”

       Everyone
walked over to the truck and went to open the back door. Zyf stood back and
then laughed. “Unless you boys mean to shoot it open, I got the keys.” He
dangled them in the air and then tossed them up into the crowd. Three or four
hands reached up to grab them.

       “Alright,
let’s hurry up unloading here,” Sthykar said. “We have to give Mr. Zyf his
truck back so he can leave town.”

       “Oh,
I am going with you boys,” Zyf said. “That was my condition to selling my goods
on trust.”

       “We
had to tell him,” Yytar said walking over.

       “I
am not going to stop you, but it is dangerous.” Sthykar told him.

       “Colonel
Sthykar, you retired me today by buying my whole store...don’t got nothing more
to do,” Zyf said. “And I may get retired for good from my life today as well.
Certainly will be some end to this damn rat of a life; retire from the work and
retire from the life on the same day.”

       “Don’t
say that, Zyf,” a Coldwoods townsman said. “Some of us have much life ahead.”

       “Tell
you that remaining life not gonna turn out better than what you have,” Zyf
said. “Take it from me, it gets crummier every year, till you are a backcountry
old coot, hoping some snake will do you in your sleep. But if you are so
worried, hide behind my tummy; it can cover any two of you.”

       A
lot of men laughed and Zyf himself was smiling and slapping his shotgun on his
palm.

       “Colonel
Jontvyk,” Sthykar said. “Take your team; wait a hundred meters from their wall
till our chopper arrives. I will contact you on the army radio frequency.”

       “Follow
me,” Jontvyk said. His group crossed the road and was off into the woods. Only
Sthykar, Relkyett, Pelyett and Tulkar remained behind.

       “Let
me guess why you got me with you,” Tulkar said, “it’s because I am a mechanic.”

       “No
surprise there,” Sthykar said.

       “A
car mechanic!” Tulkar said, “I don’t know jack about the choppers. Besides you
are a mechanical engineer.”

       “Now
now, I can’t do the fighting and the repairing at the same time, can I?”
Sthykar said. “That’s why I got Pelyett too. I can fly but I can’t do the
fighting and the flying at the same time, can I? He is a pilot and will do best
behind the stick. If we need any repairing, I will tell you what to do; I just
need someone mechanical who can move around the machine parts.”