Ashes - Battle In The Ashes Part 15

Both Moi and Wink possessed unpredictable and volatile personalities.

Ben had hoped for several years now that they would meet and kill each other. No such luck.Corrie sighed and removed her headset. "Moi and Wink have had a major falling-out. Moi wants to attack Wink's position and Wink wants to declare war on all blacks. Hoffman told both of them to maintain peace or he'd send troops in to be sure it was done."

Ben was reflective for a moment, then he smiled. "Now that is interesting. When we get out of this hole we're in, we'll just have to see if we can agitate them both a little bit."

"Rebels coming in!" a lookout pa.s.sed the word. "About forty of them."

A half a dozen teams of Rebels and GSG 9 troops, all looking weary and bedraggled entered the camp. Ben stood up and shook hands with Major Dietl.

179.

"It certainly is good to see you alive and well, General," the major said with a smile. "It's been a rather dicey couple of days."

"It has for a fact," Ben agreed. "Sit down and rest. Eat. We'll cross over just as soon as I'm sure we're not walking into an ambush."

Major Dietl sank to the ground with a sigh of relief.

A Scout walked into the encampment. "Barry's back, General. He said it was an easy swim. He says it's clean on the other side."

"Easy swim for him," Ben said with a smile. "He's Ike-trained. He's got web-feet and gills. All right, Paul. Take your Scouts across and cover the other side for us. We'll be along presently."

"Right, sir."

The Scouts secured the east end of the bridge while Ben and the others packed up their meager supplies and began the crossing. They marched for another ten miles and saw no signs of human life. They pa.s.sed only a few deserted farms; most had been destroyed by the retreated Rebels. Ben had left precious little for Hoffman's army.

Ben called a halt and told Corrie to start sending out very short coded messages. "Let's see what we get in reply."

They got nearly every team that had bugged out of the old town. The teams were all within a five mile range of each other.

"Tell them to start heading north," Ben said, pointing to a spot on the map. "We'll link up there."

Cecil had Rebel personnel on the Texas-Louisiana border and intercepted the coded messages. He sent word to Ike and planes were waiting on the small strip 180.

when Ben and his group arrived. Two hours later they were back in Ben's CP just north of I-20.

"Where you worried about me, Ike?" Ben asked with a smile, removing his filthy s.h.i.+rt and tossing it aside."Not a d.a.m.n bit," Ike said stiffly. "I'm tired of worryin' about you."

Ben laughed at him and Ike exploded. He outlined, for the umpteenth time, all the reasons why Ben should stay out of the field and start acting more like a commanding general. Lamar Chase came in and sat down, after pouring himself a cup of coffee. He listened and chuckled occasionally at Ike's antics. He knew that Ike's words were bouncing off Ben like water off a duck.

Finally, Ben, showered and shaved and dressed in clean clothing, looked at Ike. With a bland expression on his face, Ben said, "I'm sorry. Were you speaking to me, Ike?"

Ike stood sputtering and stammering and flapping his arms like a fat bear. He finally stalked out of the room, muttering about a.s.sociating with crazy people. He slammed the door behind him.

"You going to lecture me, too, Lamar?"

"Nope," the doctor said. "It wouldn't do any good, would it?"

"Not a bit."

"So our little talk of a few weeks ago is right out the window, huh, Ben?"

"Not entirely, Lamar. But if I see that my taking a chance will accomplish something, I think it's worth the risk. You want to argue that?"

"No." The doctor was strangely quiet.

"Are you sick?"

Lamar smiled and shook his head. "No. Just glad 181.

you're back, Ben." He lifted his coffee mug in a salute in Ben's direction, then left the room.

"What the h.e.l.l's wrong with him?" Jersey blurted.

"He's getting mellow in his old age, I suppose. Have our spooks gotten any information out of von Hanstein?"

"Nothing that we didn't already know," Beth said, her hair still damp from the shower. "I talked to one of those weirdos from intelligence, and it's like we thought all along: Hoffman doesn't really have much of a plan. The spook thought von Hanstein was telling the truth."

"Beth, you make d.a.m.n sure the general is not physically harmed. Some of our people are certain to be taken prisoner, and I want to be able to have something to swap ... unharmed."

"Field Marshal Jesus Hoffman on the horn, General," Corrie said.

"No kidding?"

"No kidding, sir."

"I'11 be d.a.m.ned," Ben said, taking the seat Corrie just vacated for him.He keyed the mic. "This is Ben Raines."

"General Raines," Hoffman's voice sprang into Ben's ears. "This is Field Marshal Hoffman. I believe you have one of my generals."

"That I do."

"He is an old and dear friend of mine, General."

"General von Hanstein has not been harmed nor will he be, Field Marshal.

I expect the same treatment to be accorded should any of my personnel be taken prisoner."

"I a.s.sure you that will be the case."

"Thank you."

182.

"Now, then, General Raines. Shall we discuss the release of General von Hanstein?"

"Oh, I think not, Field Marshal. Von Hanstein is really quite comfortable here and we have many, many things to discuss."

"He will tell you absolutely nothing, General." Hoffman's tone turned a bit cooler, losing some of its geniality. Ben felt all that buddy-buddy c.r.a.p was forced anyway. "Not even under torture."

"Field Marshal, I have no intention whatsoever of torturing von Hanstein. He is in comfortable, if not lavish quarters. He is eating the same food we are, and except for some sore feet from all that walking we did bugging out of that little town before you starting sh.e.l.ling it, your general is in fine shape." Ben chuckled and that seemed to infuriate Hoffman. Ben heard his sharp intake of breath.

Hoffman's tone turned to ice. "You cannot win, General. Your position is quite unenviable. I a.s.sure you of that."

"Oh? That's news to me, Field Marshal." Ben smiled and winked at his team. In order for them all to hear, he had turned on the speaker and cut the volume low to prevent feedback. "Seems to me like my people have been kicking your goose-stepping a.s.s all over the place."

Hoffman almost lost it at that. Ben could practically feel the hate coming over the airwaves. Hoffman took several deep breaths and said, "You will live to regret that remark, General Raines."

"I doubt it, Hoffman." Ben dropped all pretense of formality, since neither of them meant any of it. "But I will tell you something I really believe: this just might be the end for both of us."

183.

Hoffman was silent for a time. Then he sighed. "All right. I will admit that has crossed my mind. But it does not have to be, General."

"I don't much care for any of the options you're about to present me, Field Marshal.""Surely you recognize I represent the master race?"

Ben laughed. "The master race. You've got to be kidding. You're just like the rest of us, Hoffman. All mixed up. You've got German, Spanish, Indian, and no telling what else coursing through your veins. Where do you come off with this master race c.r.a.p?"

"I think, General, that you are trying to bait me," Hoffman replied, avoiding the question. "You know exactly what I mean."

"This conversation is beginning to bore me, Field Marshal. It's just about time for dinner, and I'm hungry. Is there anything else on your mind?"

"Your arrogance will defeat you, General Raines." Hoffman could scarcely keep his anger in check. He was so angry his voice trembled, for he had radioed on an open frequency and knew that thousands of people- including many of his own-were listening to the exchange. And he was not making a very good showing. "I will bury you all!"

"A Russian leader said pretty much the same thing, decades ago," Ben reminded the n.a.z.i leader. "He was wrong, and so are you. You might kill me, Hoffman, but the Rebel movement will go on, and eventually, be victorious. You don't have much sense, but I think you have enough to know that."

Hoffman lost it. He exploded in anger and started cursing Ben, in German, Spanish, and English, the profanity all jumbled up in languages.

184.

Ben laughed at the man and signed off. He turned to his team and said, "That will blow the lid off, gang. He's got to recoup his verbal losses.

He'll hit us hard and hit us soon. Put everybody on full alert."

"I can't understand why he radioed on an open frequency." Beth said.

"He's so arrogant he felt his troops would get a morale lift by listening to the conversation," Ben said, moving to a wall map. "It never occurred to him that he would come off second best." He studied the map for a moment. "I'm guessing now, but I'll bet that he'll probably move up artillery and start pounding us. All along this line.

He'll try to punch through. Corrie, send a runner and tell Chase to pack up and move out. Have him s.h.i.+ft all his MASH units back twenty miles.

Right now!"

Ned Hawkins of the New Texas Rangers had entered the room and was standing quietly, listening. "Have we lost Texas, General?" he asked.

Ben shook his head. "No." He studied the map for a moment longer. Then he smiled grimly. "But we're going to let Hoffman have some territory.

We'll let him punch through," he jabbed a finger at the map, "along this line, and commit his troops. While he's doing that, we'll be doing an end-around and hara.s.s the h.e.l.l out of him on three fronts. From the south, east, and west. But we won't be able to do much in b.u.mble-bee size teams. We'll reform in company strength and make him fight us along a line that conceivably could stretch for a thousand miles. He'll have to match us unit for unit or we'll be all over and around him by infiltration."

Ike had walked in with Doctor Chase. "Just as soon as we do theend-around and counterattack, Hoffman 185.

will order General Jahn's paratroopers to surface and hit our northern people hard," Ike said.

"Yes. So, Ike, you and Rebet take your battalions and all the latest reinforcements and move north, up to the thirty-sixth parallel. That'll put nearly seven thousand people under your command. You've got to keep Jahn's paratroopers contained and off our backs. As soon as Hoffman makes his push, Jahn might regroup into a major force and strike ..."

His eyes searched the big wall map north of the thirty-sixth parallel, "... somewhere. And he might decide to stay in small units and wage a guerrilla war. I don't know."

"Whichever way he goes, we'll hold them, Ben," Ike said. "But where does this put you, Ben? As if I can't guess."

Ben smiled. "In the field, Ike. I'm reforming my company and heading south. We can't afford to let even one able-bodied person stay back in this fight." He winked at Ike. "And I do a pretty fair job out there in the field."

Ike nodded his head. "I won't try to talk you out of it, Ben. I'm through with that." He stepped closer and stuck out his hand. "Good luck, Ben."

Ben shook the hand. "Same to you, Ike." He dropped the hand and smiled.

"Maybe someday we can all sit around and reminisce about this."

Ike returned the smile, but like Ben's smile, it was forced. Both men knew this was root-hog-or-die time. That they would never see each other again after this moment was a real possibility.

Chase knew it, and walked to the table and poured three drinks, about two fingers each. "Drink up, boys. This is no time to be maudlin."

186 The men clinked gla.s.ses. Ben said, "To victory." He looked over at Jersey. "Right, Jersey?" She smiled. "Kick-a.s.s time, General!"

186.

187.

Chapter Two.At dawn, Hoffman's big guns had been moved into position and opened up.

From the ruins of Forth Worth-Dallas west over to Midland, Hoffman's gunners lobbed in rounds. But they fell on no Rebel positions. Ben had guessed accurately and s.h.i.+fted his troops. The incoming rounds created a lot of sound and fury but the Rebels sustained no casualties. And as Ben had predicted, when the big guns fell silent, Hoffman's troops ma.s.sed for a northern push across I-20. They surged across, and found nothing.

Hoffman stood just north of the smoking ruins of Abilene, a look of confusion on his face. That was quickly replaced by fury when a runner handed him a message.

"Rebels are attacking our flanks and hitting hard to the south of us,"Hoffman said. "Have we had any word from General Jahn?"

"General Jahn has been forced to regroup in order to combat the multinational force operating to the north of us," Hoffman was informed.

"Five Division is ranging far ahead of the other columns, sir," a young captain said, excitement in 188.

his voice. "The swastika is flying proudly over the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth. We are victorious!"

Hoffman stared at the young man. "How many Rebels has Five Division killed?"

"Why ... ah ... none, sir. But they have taken prisoner a group of people believed to be agents of the Rebel government. They deny it, of course. They claim to be from something called the Church of the Only Holy Way and they are demanding protection."

Hoffman continued to stare at the young captain. "Protection from what?"

"Us, sir."

"Send them to Colonel Barlach," Hoffman ordered. "He'll get the truth from them."