The Storm Maker (32 page)

       “Last
time against me,” Suka laughed. “You got lucky that you could escape.”

       Sayett
ignored him and continued talking to Hantex. “But she is not part of the armed
machinery of the state. She was overseeing our investigation because she
oversees our banking system and your men started robbing banks to finance this
scheme.”

       “Distasteful
task for us, too,” Hantex said, “Ranx Rangers are soldiers not outlaws, however
your government left us no choice. I couldn’t convert my wealth in the Ranxian
currency to the Starfirian one without a thorough investigation.”

       That
is the whole point, you scoundrel, Sayett thought. He said, “What I mean is,
she is like a books examiner for a bank, in no way dangerous to you and your
operations.”

       “Mayhaps,”
Hantex said, “but then you should hope that your army doesn’t manage to
decimate us.” The two Ranx soldiers had returned and Hantex called to them.
“Take this detective back to his underground cell.” While they escorted Sayett
downstairs, Hantex turned to Suka and handed him the cassette from the tape
recorder.

       “Now
we will use the police chief,” he said to Suka. “Take this cassette and those
signed papers and give them to the Coldwoods chief. Put him on the helicopter
we have and tell our pilot to drop him off at the Southstar airport. Get photos
from the dark room before you go down and tell the chief to take the photos,
signed papers and the cassette straight to the capital and to give them to this
House of War.”

       “What
about our pilot?” Suka asked. “The chief could have him arrested at the
Southstar airport.”

       “Forget
the pilot,” Hantex said, “but don’t forget to give some money to the chief for
an airplane ticket to the capital.”

       “He
is a police chief, he doesn’t need a ticket on a plane,” Suka said.

       “They
do in this country,” Hantex said. “Stuff a few hundred star bills in his
pocket.”

       “Be
back in a few,” Suka said and went to the dark room to collect the photographs.
Hantex walked into another room that served as the control center for the
machine where a dozen technicians were handling various instruments. Hantex
closed the door behind him and then called for all of them to gather around.

Colonel
Sthykar, Relkyett, Pelyett and Tulkar walked carefully through the woods
towards Relkyett’s neighbor’s plot. Relkyett was the only one who knew the way
and was out in the front with his rifle, slowly moving away the twigs and
branches; they all avoided stepping on leaves to prevent the crunching sound
and kept watch for any sign of trouble. Pelyett was slightly anxious; he did
not like walking out in the open with enemies looking for them. Tulkar was to
his side and was trying to think hard about any time in the past when he might
have had some conversation about the mechanics of helicopters. Sthykar was the
last in the line, walking backwards with his ATR rifle aimed to their rear. He
was making sure that no one was following them or would ambush them from the
sides.

       After
around an hour or so of walking Relkyett informed the rest in whispers that now
they were treading on the neighbor’s property. Relkyett picked up pace as they
got closer and in one instance tripped near some birds’ feeding ground, sending
tens of birds flying into the air.

       “A
bit rusty, aren’t we?” Sthykar said turning around.

       “Yeah,”
Relkyett laughed. “Momentarily lost my balance. Birds flying off is a tip off
to the enemy.”

       “So
who is this neighbor, anyhow?” Sthykar asked as they got closer.

       “His
name is Sydhar; he is a writer,” Relkyett replied. “His last book sold over a
million copies. He told me that sale gave him the money to buy this lot as well
as the helicopter.”

       As
they were talking they stumbled out into a place that had been significantly
cleared of trees with some sawed off tree stumps still standing. A man in his
early thirties with a Lockyett Repeating Rifle in his hand approached them and
a woman of similar age stood and watched from the door of a large wooden
mansion. It was a beautifully created place. A two story wooden house with four
big square rooms, two each on both the floors made up the right and left parts
of the house. In the middle was a large rectangular room that reached out front
just a couple of feet ahead from the rest of the house and a triangular room on
top of that with a circular window covered with light red colored glass. Wild
grass surrounded the front of the house; the back sloped down to a small creek.
On the right side of the house, some distance from the rightmost wall, was a
large single story wooden shed that stretched back considerable length.

       “The
helicopter will be in there,” Relkyett slowly whispered as the home owner walked
to them.

       “Hey,
new neighbor, Relkyett right?” he asked.

       “Yeah,”
Relkyett replied.

       “My
wife heard the birds fly off,” he said. “I thought it was some wild animal so I
came to hunt it.”

       “Would
our neighbors like some tea, coffee or beer?” his wife asked loudly from the
home.

       “No
thank you, madam,” Relkyett said. “We are in quiet a hurry.”

       “In
that case, I am going inside, Sydhar,” she said, and went into the house.

        “These
are my hunting friends,” Relkyett said pointing towards his companions. “And
this is Sydhar, he is a renowned writer.”

       “Well,
I don’t know about the renowned part, but if you came to ask my permission to
hunt on my lands you are certainly welcome to it,” Sydhar said, “There is a lot
of game here and we will be heading back in a couple of weeks anyhow.”

       “Appreciate,
but I came to ask to borrow your helicopter,” Relkyett said.

       “Why?
Do you want to find someone who has gotten lost?” Sydhar asked.

       “Something
worse than that,” Sthykar said. “I am Colonel Sthykar, by the way, of the Mountain
Cavalry.”

       “
The
Colonel Sthykar?” Sydhar asked in amazement.

       “As
far as I know there is only one me.” Sthykar was used to the reaction. He took
out his Army ID card and showed it to Sydhar.

       “So
it was true that you know him,” Sydhar said to Relkyett. He turned to Sthykar,
“I thought he was telling tall tales when he claimed to have fought under your
command.”

       “He
was one of my capitans,” Sthykar said. “But Mr. Sydhar, listen carefully to
what I am going to tell you now. There are some ruthless people out in these
woods, south of Relkyett’s property.” Sthykar quickly summarized the situation
and the need for the helicopter, and then said as a final assurance, “Now I
will be honest, there is a great chance that your helicopter may be damaged or
destroyed, however, the army will buy you a new helicopter. I will personally
order and requisition it for you.”

       “Is
it dangerous here?” Sydhar asked.

       “Your
property is far away, but it could very well be in the middle of the battle
zone,” Sthykar replied. “The whole warrior class will be charging in and there
will be bedlam in these woods. You have another transport? A car maybe?”

       “I
have a car,” Sydhar replied. “We don’t use helicopter for transport; only flew
it a few times, more as recreation.”

       “Take
your wife and drive out north,” Sthykar said pointing to a small dirt road on
the right side of the house. “Don’t stop till you reach Southstar.”

       “You
know I would have liked to take part in this fight,” Sydhar said tapping his
rifle. “But I have to get my wife to safety.”

       “Definitely
do that first,” Sthykar replied as the mention of Sydhar’s wife brought the
image of Slyntya in his mind. He had pushed her away from his thoughts; he was
trained to concentrate on the task at hand and ignore distractions including
his own pain. But now worries about her came flooding to him. He summoned great
will to once again push the thoughts of her out of his mind. He was going to
carry out the rescue in same cold and calculating manner as if she were an
unrelated woman.

He
suddenly realized that words were being exchanged between Relkyett and Sydhar
and they were all staring at him.        “Sorry, I missed what you just said.”

       “Colonel
Sthykar,” Sydhar said, “I don’t care for a new helicopter if you bring mine
back in flying condition even with dents and holes. However, I do have one
condition for your borrowing it.”

       “Go
ahead,” Sthykar said.

       “As
your friend told you, I am an author,” Sydhar said. “Now I know you are a
quiet, solitary man and you have refused all interviews with the newspapers and
the radios. I understand you, I am a recluse myself. Let me write a book on
your life. When this is all done, and it is all quiet and peaceful, perhaps
months from now or even years. I will wait.”

       “That’s
it?” Sthykar laughed. “You have the deal for your book.”

       “You
will need to write multiple books to cover all of his adventures, battles,
combats and deeds,” Relkyett said.

       “Even
better,” Sydhar laughed. “The more books I can write, the better I like it.”

       “Alright,
Mr. Sydhar,” Sthykar said. “Let us all be on our way. You get your wife to
safety and we will take the helicopter.”

       “It’s
in that shed,” Sydhar said. “Keys are on the wall.”

       “Take
care,” Relkyett said

       Sydhar
ran to the house to inform his wife of the matter. The others rushed to the
shed and Sthykar and Relkyett opened the door. Pelyett got in the pilot’s seat
up front. The helicopter was a five seater with two independent seats in the
front and three adjoined in the back. As Pelyett drove the helicopter out of
the shed, Sthykar pointed out a toolbox on a shelf near the wall.

       “Tulkar,
grab that box; it will have tools for repair,” he said.

       Tulkar
ran inside and grabbed the toolbox.

       “You
get in the front with Pelyett,” Sthykar said to Relkyett. “You know the way.
Tulkar and I will be in the back.”

       Relkyett
climbed in the front side seat. Pelyett started up the rotors and checked on
the instruments. Sthykar loaded up his bag, his radio, the explosives box and
the rope and then got in behind the pilot. Tulkar loaded up the toolbox and got
in from the other side.

       As
they closed the doors they saw Sydhar and his wife get in the car and drive
away. Sydhar waved at them from his window and then hit the gas.

       “Take
her up,” Sthykar said, setting up his radio. “It’s time for me to call Colonel
Jontvyk. Let’s see where they have reached.”

       Pelyett
pulled the stick and took the helicopter up in the air. Relkyett pointed his
finger while fumbling over a map and Pelyett pushed the stick forward and they
were off to a flying start.

* * *

       Capitan
Haryett examined his map as the warriors around him took a final bite of the
food or final drink of a coffee before they marched out. The townspeople were
generously offering more to the soldiers, but most did not want to get full
just before the battle. Haryett was a stout man with thick mustaches in his
late thirties, commanded the sixth division of the region’s reserve army, and
today was leading the sixth and seventh divisions as well, and commanding those
captains.

       “I
don’t like it,” Haryett said pointing to the road on the map. “Three lanes in
each direction with a divider in the middle. Our men will have to cross six
open lanes of concrete where they will be exposed.”

       “Why
don’t we just get in the trucks and drive up to this compound?” another capitan
said. “It would be faster that way.”

       “Apparently
a hundred SPASI guards got ambushed on the road there. They think we would face
similar fate, as if three thousand warriors can be just ambushed by a few
yahoos,” Haryett scoffed, then moved his finger on the map to the elevation
just beyond the road. “Perfect spot for the enemy to hole up in these mountains
and pick us off in the open when we are crossing the road.”

       “Why
don’t we go up north here?” the third capitan said putting his finger farther
up north on the map. “That is flat topography, no hills overlooking the road.”

       “Orders.
Colonel Weltar wants us to reach there as fast as possible.” Capitan Haryett
folded up the map. “Alright, let’s go. Fast march through the woods, but we will
stop a quarter mile from the road and reexamine our situation. Capitans, take
your divisions.”

       All
the soldiers, dressed in red and black uniform and carrying their ATRs, picked
up their backpacks, and with some shouting and hooting from the townspeople
started moving westward on foot.

* * *

       Corporal
Montex had arrived to take command of the Ranx Rangers who had positioned
themselves on a ridge north of Coldwoods. They were atop of the ridge in one
single file stretching from one end to another, dressed in all black with their
Ranx rifles pointed down the slope. This was the topmost hill and Montex was
handed a binoculars by a ranger. Montex looked out north. Farther than four
small hills ahead of him he saw small characters moving down the slope of a smaller
hill. There were so many of them that Montex rubbed his eyes and looked again.
He had known that they would be heavily outnumbered, but seeing it with his own
eyes made him fearful. But he had to appear confident for his men to hold their
morale. He handed the binoculars back to the soldier who looked through them.

       “Thousands,”
he said. “We can’t stop them.”

       “Three
thousand,” Montex replied. “And we only have to delay them till Boss Hantex
fires up the storm machine.” If it works, he thought.

       “They
can flank us from either side,” the soldier said. “They don’t have to charge up
this ridge.”

       “That’s
even better for us,” Montex said. “Like I said we only have to delay them. If
they try to go around the ridge, it will take them much longer. This is the
fastest way to the compound. I believe they will charge up the hill.”

       “Unfortunately,
tall trees on the slope give them cover while coming up.”

       “No
doubt,” Montex replied. “Now let’s get ready. They will be upon us in less than
an hour.”

       Corporal
Montex then sat down on the ridge, behind a couple of high rocks, clutching his
Ranx rifle and neatly stacking his magazines to his side. He pushed his rifle
barrel out through a small crevice and aimed it down the hill and waited.

* * *

       “Be
careful now,” Capitan Jolvyt of the tenth division said to a soldier who
slipped and only a friend’s quick reaction saved him from tumbling down fifty
feet on a rocky hill.

       “This
might be a good time to stop for coffee,” the capitan of the ninth division
said, “final break before the battle.”

       “Yeah,”
Jolvyt said, “give the orders. Ten minute stop and then prepare for war.”

       Jolvyt
was a big man in his late forties, and most likely the next in line to be the
colonel of this district’s warrior class after Weltar retired. So far they had
the advantage of higher ground and thus were moving quickly without worrying
about facing resistance. The enemy was said to be elite Ranx Rangers, they
wouldn’t make the mistake of attacking up the hill against a numerically larger
enemy. They had reached the last big hill and Jolvyt looked at the land. It was
relatively flat and dense forest from here on out. They could expect a fight
any time after they descended and made their way forward.