CHAPTER 13

Eddie’s hands were shaking as he reached into his bag and tried to retrieve another battery for his belt. Jessica had to reach over and grab his arm. She had a hard enough time keeping her own hand from shaking but, she had no choice but do it. Eddie could not freak out now because she needed him.

“We don’t have to do this Jessie,” Eddie told her. “Nobody at the office told us to come over here.”

Jessica looked out the front window of her car. They were close enough to see the madness. It frightened Jessica but, it angered her even more. The Germans could do whatever they wanted here. They had the guns. They had the armored vehicles. They even had the long lines of trucks that were driving right by them and into the apartments for some inexplicable reason. The colony had no defense against this. Theoretically, IFOR was supposed to be the colonies defense! There was no one on this island, or the entire planet for that matter, that would commit suicide by going toe to toe with the Wehrmacht, trying to match them gun for gun. That left only one thing that might help, even a little. Jessica knew that this thing was in Eddie’s bag.

“Eddie,” she said in as calm a voice as she could muster, “why did we get in this business again?” Before he could speak she quickly injected, “and don’t say money cause I know what you make.”

“This is something else entirely different Jessie,” Eddie protested. “Helping people is one thing but, dying? No, I don’t think I signed on for that.”

Telling him that he could not get killed here was rather stupid and pointless. Nobody would believe that when you had all those guns within plain view. Instead of telling him that, Jessica said, “sure you could. We both could Eddie. The problem is, if we do nothing then we’re just prolonging the inevitable. If we try and do something now, just maybe, we can stop it before it goes that far.” It was obvious from the look on his face that he had no clue so Jessica told him, “how long before they kick in your door, or mine? You know we’re probably high up on their list? Right?”

Eddie grunted and opened the car door, “oh sure, you have to pick now to start making sense!”

As he stormed off Jessica remained a second longer and wondered exactly what he meant by that? In particular the word ‘now’ stuck out. She just shook it off and got out of the car. As she caught up with her camera man she began doing her usual prep like this was going to be any other broadcast. Jessica was sure she looked nervous while doing that much but, all that mattered here was that she did not look so nervous once the camera was on.

They stopped well short of the mayhem that was currently going on in the apartment complex. They got nowhere near the wall of troopers who were guarding the perimeter. Jessica figured they were close enough at about a half block away. There were some others who had gathered around gawking at the spectacle and, so far, these people remained unmolested so, Jessica figured, who would be able to tell what she was doing? The camera that Eddie took from his bag looked like any other headset. She was wearing a lapel microphone so, to distant eyes, her report would seem like they were just two people talking.

She stood in front of Eddie, took a deep breath, and waited for his fingers to go up. When the count down was over she told the camera, “I’m live on the west end where, as you can see behind me, the Three Twenty-First Panzer Grenadiers have assaulted what is nothing more than a peaceful apartment complex. This attack would appear to be unprovoked. There is no link between it and this mornings explosion at the…”

Eddie’s eyes were getting big and he was pointing behind Jessica. She stopped talking and looked over her shoulder. Several troopers were walking towards them. They were being led by this very large looking man with stripes on his armor. He had a scowl on his face and, at first, Jessie wondered if they were just coming this way for some other reason. Eddie shrugged in a questioning manner. Jessie knew what he meant by that and wondered what to say. She was, after all, on a live broadcast.

Quickly, Jessica gave up the idea of running. Instead she decided to use this. Instead of waiting to see if the German’s were after her, she nodded for Eddie to follow and went after them instead. Eddie was obviously not pleased by her decision but he followed as Jessica told the camera, “several troopers are leaving the perimeter and we’re going to ask them what is going on.”

The Germans did not seem inclined to answer any questions. Jessica wanted to gulp when the only response she got was in German. The guy with the stripes was also not talking to her. He was commanding his four followers who quickly surrounded the reporters and raised their weapons. Jessica did not back down though. She also did not put her hands on her head as this Sergeant was motioning for her to do. Instead, she told the man, “you do realize this is live, right?”

Eddie did put his hands on his head but, then again, nobody could see him do it since his head was also where the little camera was. He then told Jessie, “I don’t think this guy speaks English.”

Jessica wondered if she really was about to die because, it became perfectly obvious after a second that they were at a bit of a standoff. She would not raise her hands and the German repeated his gesture. Jessica began to get the idea that he knew perfectly well who she was and had orders not to shoot. She pushed her situation, “before I stop transmitting I have to receive written word, from your superiors, that this is a lawful interference with the security of an IFOR operation. Till that time, the Treaty of Beta Canaan clearly gives me the right to be here. Do you understand that, Sergeant.”

Eddie gulped and repeated, “I don’t think he speaks English.”

Jessie locked eyes with the German, “well do you have that or not?”

The German developed a scowl on his face and said one word in a very hostile tone, “no.”

Fortunately for Jessie, and she suspected this Sergeant as well, another group of German’s approached. Jessica almost did not recognize the man who was leading this party. She had never seen Colonel Horst dressed in combat gear before now. Normally he had the habit of wearing his overly gaudy looking ceremonial uniforms with all of the ribbons and, sometimes, even a sash. The guy had to have an entire closet full of uniforms because Jessica was positive she had never seen him wear the same one twice. He seemed calm enough when he addressed his sergeant in German.

The Sergeant gave Jessica one last scowl, pointed out two troopers, and then began walking back to the perimeter with the rest of his people. Jessica was a little confused until, in a pleasant enough tone, Horst nodded to the woman and told her, “you may continue broadcasting miss Walsh. I wish it. We have left two troopers here to make sure you will not be interfered with again. Good day.”

That was not good enough for Jessie who replied, “Colonel, as the ranking German officer on this planet, do you care to make an official comment?”

Horst was leaving but, he did managed to stop, nod politely, and then reply, “I believe, Miss Walsh, that is exactly what I just did.” He continued on despite Jessica’s hounding questions that he simply ignored. Jessie could have followed him but, despite her bold moves so far, even she did not wish to press her luck any further. Instead, she looked at the two German’s that were left behind. What she saw surprised her. From a distance, they all looked menacing, hostile, and even terrifying when you got right down too it. These two troopers, a boy and a girl, looked anything but. Their faces were young and innocent. Even more surprising to Jessica was the fact that she could see exactly how scared they were. It surprised her.

As Horst passed by his perimeter he asked the man who had left it, “Sergeant, what is your name?”

“Berg, sir,” the large man snapped to attention and replied, “Sergeant Dieter Berg.”

Horst nodded thoughtfully and then asked, “and what exactly did you think you were doing Sergeant?”

The man had obviously been in Wehrmacht for a long time. He knew exactly what to say, “my standing orders, colonel.”

Horst became somewhat angered as he replied, “and as a result that woman made a fool out of you in front of the entire colony! That is the exact opposite message that I intend to give!”

Yes, this man was obviously a life time member of the Werhmacht. He did not show the fear that most enlisted would display for a colonel. He defended his actions instead, “sir, our standing orders are…”

Horst would not tolerate that, even from a long standing noncom. He cut the man off by replacing his words with, “are the duty of every German soldier to follow. That does not, however, mean you do so with stupidity!” That shut the sergeant up and Horst stepped up to the larger man and drove his authority home by asking, “you look old enough Sergeant, were you in the Bundeswehr?”

Berg showed the proper amount of backing down, “yes, colonel.”

“Then,” Horst continued, “you were taught the very misguided notion of questioning orders. You of all people, I would almost expect, would question the sanity of a general order when it does not quite fit the situation. That was at least one thing that the Bundeswehr got right. Germany needs obedience but not automatons. Perhaps, whoever promoted you, was not as good a judge of character as he thought.”

Still, Berg showed no fear. He remained firm and business like when he asked, “does the colonel wish to demote me?”

Horst simply nodded and replied politely, “cross me again and see. Fortunately for you sergeant, right now, I’m busy.” Horst left without returning the salute that the Sergeant gave him. He had forgotten the man by the time he reached the staircase of the primary target building. He actually stopped and stepped out of the way for the woman and her three children. He even bowed slightly and gestured for them to continue as if they were just walking by and not being hearded off by several of his troopers. He then proceeded up the staircase with his staff in tow.

Horst entered the apartment just as one of his soldiers applied a forceful shin to the ribs of their prisoner. The boy had been on his knees and zip tied. Now the boy laid on his side and was coughing up blood on the dirty floor. Horst stepped over to the boy, took a look around the room, and commented on it’s state. He did so in English, “did you ever bother to clean this place?”

The boy responded by spitting blood out of his mouth, so, Horst switched back to German and asked his interrogator, “what has he told you? What about all of these computers? Do we have anything yet?”

The interrogator was stripped down to his undershirt and sweating. His look seemed in stark contrast to his posture when he came to the position of attention and replied, “he has provided us with the names of some of his coconspirators sir. As for the computers, he wiped them before we could secure the objective.”

Horst went to a knee beside the boy. Silently and calmly he let the word, “damn,” slip from his lips. He reached down and turned the boys chin, “Gordon Peavy, you are of little concern to me. As is your entire movement. You know who I am so you know what I can do to you. If you wish to avoid a firing squad you know what you have to tell me.”

After a few gasps and with tears rolling down his cheek, Gordon squeaked, “I told you who we are. It’s all over the net. You already know that!”

Sounding almost sympathetic, Horst replied, “and hence you are smart enough to know that this is not the information I am looking for. Who was your contact? Who was your real target?” When all the boy did was spit up blood, Horst told the kid, “I am not planning on just shooting you boy. I will execute every single person who lives in this complex if you do not tell me.”

The interrogator then snapped at the boy and acted as if he would beat him some more. Horst raised a hand and stopped the man. He then pointed out, “he can tell us nothing if he is dead.” Silence descended on the room and Horst stood back up. He looked at the assembled men of his intelligence unit and then began issuing orders, “load up the prisoners and transport them back to base.”

The interrogator asked as he pointed to Gordon, “and this one Colonel?”

The unspoken question was, “do we kill him or not?” Horst recognized that and made it clear, “him as well. There is a reporter just outside the perimeter. I have given her protection and, knowing her work as I do, I have no doubt she is closer to the perimeter by now. Make absolutely certain that she gets footage of this one being escorted out.”

A random captain asked, “do we put him in the trucks with the others?”

“Of course not,” Horst snapped, “make sure this one is in an armored vehicle with plenty of protection.” Then Horst thought about it and decided, “get extra protection as well.”

Gordon found himself almost being carried down the stairs. He had blood stains all over him. He was sure that his face was a complete mess. Gordon thought about it for a moment and realized that this was an advantage. The German’s had given him a weapon. When he caught the first blurry sight of people, his fellow colonists, he used that weapon. Gordon could make out and recognize one person in the crowd of sobbing and frightened colonists who were sitting in lines with their hands on their heads. He only recognized her because, unlike everyone else, she was pleading with the Germans, trying to keep them from taking her children away. Those three kids made her stand out more than her face which, Gordon could not really see because swollen eyes tends to blur the vision.

Screaming to her, Gordon sounded defiant, “Katie! Do you see what they did!? Do you see what they’re going to do to all of us! This is what Earth wants for us all! You have to stand up and fight! You have too…”

Gordon’s head exploded.