Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 3:55 am
Page, still sitting at the radio post for lack of anything better to do while waiting for rescue, perked up at the sound of Alix's voice cutting in on the channel.
"One, this is Lead. What's been going on over there? Last thing we saw up here before the bottom fell out of this pile of bollocks was you guys getting hit by that bomber swarm and all those ground contacts coming towards you. Are you all all right? I'm assuming you didn't find Jackal?"
On the other end, Alix scrambled to find some way to summarize the recent clusterfuck. As she caught Page up, she nonverbally waved the rest of the group off, towards the trucks. It took her a few minutes to put it all in order, but she felt she'd done the story justice - the abandoned house, the radio, the shootout with potential UDF traitors, the errant bombing raid, all of it. As he listened, Page could feel his jaw drop - he'd had a feeling this was all a bit too easily set up, but there was no dispute now. Once again, Excalibur had been lured into someone's trap.
But instead of the rage he expected himself to feel at this news, he felt more like laughing. The last time they'd been set up, it had taken an entire SS battalion with tanks and artillery support, and a few hundred Spanish troops on top of that to pin Excalibur down back in Spain, and now these Saffie fuckups thought they could do the same with a handful of antique bombers and a couple dozen dim farmhands with hunting rifles?
"...so that's what happened. My rough idea was to head back to Rand as fast as possible to try and link up with you and Blue Flight...but then I heard you had to make a crash landing?"
"Well," Page responded, trying to sound unruffled, "the emphasis is on 'crashed' over 'landed'. We're really in a bad way out here - we've got three of our crew dead from the impact, but the rest of us - that's Kaya and Coetzee - seem to be in alright condition. Can't speak for them, of course, but they're walking and talking."
He looked out the window, trying to pick out the path in the darkness. "But the good news is, I think the pilot put us down near the road we used to get here. If you come back the way you came, sooner or later, you'll probably see us and we can link up. We can probably send Blue Flight back to Rand in the meantime - no doubt they're pretty low on fuel and ammo."
Alix furrowed her brow. "How close are you to the road? Are you sure we'll be able to see you?"
Page glanced at the burning engine outside, the flames now spreading to the dry veldt at a rather worrying rate. "Trust me, if you're within ten miles, you'll probably be able to see us."
She ran the new plan through in her mind - grab the trucks, link up with the crash site people, and then get to Rand and join up with Silva and Blue Flight...where hopefully, somebody would be qualified to decide what the hell to do after that.
Hopefully not Cutler.
Oh, who was she kidding? Of course it would be Cutler.
A rustling from the bushes betrayed the return of Geoff and Doug - bearing a prisoner and, unfortunately, the body of Lev, either dead or dying. Alix winced at the sight.
"All right, Captain, we'll try to get to you as soon as possible. I'm going to have to go now - we're pretty banged up down here, and I think we may have just brought in a prisoner and one of ours, KIA."
Page's voice turned to ice. "Who was it?"
"I think it's Sergeant Sikorskivitch. Sorry sir, I really do have to go now - he's in a bad way. We'll be leaving to join you momentarily."
"Right. Keep us posted, if you can."
As Geoff approached, he seemed to be taking great pains to avoid Reide -Alix could guess why. While all this weas going on, the South African looked pained, like somebody who couldn't quite think straight. She felt bad for him.
"I'll be right back, Lieutenant. Stay here, all right?"
He nodded dully, massaging his temples.
Alix glanced at the Sergeant. It did indeed look bad - worse than anything she'd ever seen anybody survive before.
"Get him onto one of the trucks. Quickly. And for God's sake, do what you can for him."
Alix looked over the prisoner - a ridiculously youthful-looking, scared sort. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze.
"Get him loaded on as well, then. We've got to get the hell out of here, now - we'll conduct the interrogation back at Rand. Not out here in the open."
"One, this is Lead. What's been going on over there? Last thing we saw up here before the bottom fell out of this pile of bollocks was you guys getting hit by that bomber swarm and all those ground contacts coming towards you. Are you all all right? I'm assuming you didn't find Jackal?"
On the other end, Alix scrambled to find some way to summarize the recent clusterfuck. As she caught Page up, she nonverbally waved the rest of the group off, towards the trucks. It took her a few minutes to put it all in order, but she felt she'd done the story justice - the abandoned house, the radio, the shootout with potential UDF traitors, the errant bombing raid, all of it. As he listened, Page could feel his jaw drop - he'd had a feeling this was all a bit too easily set up, but there was no dispute now. Once again, Excalibur had been lured into someone's trap.
But instead of the rage he expected himself to feel at this news, he felt more like laughing. The last time they'd been set up, it had taken an entire SS battalion with tanks and artillery support, and a few hundred Spanish troops on top of that to pin Excalibur down back in Spain, and now these Saffie fuckups thought they could do the same with a handful of antique bombers and a couple dozen dim farmhands with hunting rifles?
"...so that's what happened. My rough idea was to head back to Rand as fast as possible to try and link up with you and Blue Flight...but then I heard you had to make a crash landing?"
"Well," Page responded, trying to sound unruffled, "the emphasis is on 'crashed' over 'landed'. We're really in a bad way out here - we've got three of our crew dead from the impact, but the rest of us - that's Kaya and Coetzee - seem to be in alright condition. Can't speak for them, of course, but they're walking and talking."
He looked out the window, trying to pick out the path in the darkness. "But the good news is, I think the pilot put us down near the road we used to get here. If you come back the way you came, sooner or later, you'll probably see us and we can link up. We can probably send Blue Flight back to Rand in the meantime - no doubt they're pretty low on fuel and ammo."
Alix furrowed her brow. "How close are you to the road? Are you sure we'll be able to see you?"
Page glanced at the burning engine outside, the flames now spreading to the dry veldt at a rather worrying rate. "Trust me, if you're within ten miles, you'll probably be able to see us."
She ran the new plan through in her mind - grab the trucks, link up with the crash site people, and then get to Rand and join up with Silva and Blue Flight...where hopefully, somebody would be qualified to decide what the hell to do after that.
Hopefully not Cutler.
Oh, who was she kidding? Of course it would be Cutler.
A rustling from the bushes betrayed the return of Geoff and Doug - bearing a prisoner and, unfortunately, the body of Lev, either dead or dying. Alix winced at the sight.
"All right, Captain, we'll try to get to you as soon as possible. I'm going to have to go now - we're pretty banged up down here, and I think we may have just brought in a prisoner and one of ours, KIA."
Page's voice turned to ice. "Who was it?"
"I think it's Sergeant Sikorskivitch. Sorry sir, I really do have to go now - he's in a bad way. We'll be leaving to join you momentarily."
"Right. Keep us posted, if you can."
As Geoff approached, he seemed to be taking great pains to avoid Reide -Alix could guess why. While all this weas going on, the South African looked pained, like somebody who couldn't quite think straight. She felt bad for him.
"I'll be right back, Lieutenant. Stay here, all right?"
He nodded dully, massaging his temples.
GOram wrote:
Ms. Noble. We found Lev. He's in a bad way. Mr. Stanford is rendering what aid he can, but he needs a hospital and he needs it fast.
Alix glanced at the Sergeant. It did indeed look bad - worse than anything she'd ever seen anybody survive before.
"Get him onto one of the trucks. Quickly. And for God's sake, do what you can for him."
GOram wrote:Also, the men who attacked us. They're all wearing UDF uniform. Now, I don't know what's going on, but this fellow -
Talbot gestured at the teenage soldier with the muzzle of his Thompson
Seems like he might be the cooperative sort. Perhaps you ought to have a quick word with him?
Alix looked over the prisoner - a ridiculously youthful-looking, scared sort. He seemed to be avoiding her gaze.
"Get him loaded on as well, then. We've got to get the hell out of here, now - we'll conduct the interrogation back at Rand. Not out here in the open."