Sweetness in the Dark (20 page)

But the two of them spoke of things more important than long life. Great-grandfather Leffingwell talked of mates killed in battle at Guadalcanal and New Guinea. He described how fighting with your mates was the essence of life itself and that the rest of his existence on earth paled in comparison.

Noel just wanted to get a better gun. His old grandfather’s shotgun wouldn’t do in a pitched battle. And his great-grandfather wouldn’t give up his old Enfield. Trouble was, Noel knew that his great-grandfather couldn’t see much beyond the trench line to hit anything. And no matter how many times Noel discussed that issue with his great-grandfather, Noel still ended up with the shotgun.

“Noel, I want you and your grandfather to report to headquarters,” Noel’s sergeant yelled down the line.

Noel nudged his great-grandfather, who hadn’t heard any of it and motioned for them to head to the rear. They both gathered up their belongings.

Noel walked up to the small ravine that sheltered headquarters from direct fire. The timber covered redoubt was camouflaged with netting from air surveillance. As Noel lifted the corner of the netting to duck under, he stopped with a start.

Standing in front of him were six of the sharpest looking soldiers he had ever seen. Nobody in his own unit even had uniforms, never mind real helmets and body armor like these guys. And weapons. He stared at the assault rifles and bandoliers of ammunition strapped to their webbing. Real soldiers.

As he stared at what looked like aliens from space, his commanding officer broke his silence. “Noel, Grandfather Leffingwell, this is Major Smith, United States Army, 24th Infantry Division. He and his men are the lead units for a full deployment of Americans. I want you and your grandfather to liaison with them.”

“Ah, are you sure? This old man and his grandson are the best you’ve got? We came here to fight and meaning no disrespect, we may have to move fast and hard. We don’t want to get any of your people killed because you can’t keep up,” the American major said.

Before the Kiwi commanding officer could open his mouth to explain, Great-grandfather Leffingwell got right in the major’s face. “Listen here, Mr. Whatever-Your-Name-Was. I was fighting these Asian devils before your father was even conceived. That’s if you have a father. If the commander says I have to work with you, then bloody hell, that’s what I’ll do. Best you keep up with me though, because I don’t want you fellows lost in the bush.”

Before the major could open his mouth to respond, Noel’s great-grandfather wheeled back around for another go.

“And Mister, you may address me as Grandfather Leffingwell. I’ll let you shorten it to GG if you like. My grandson and I will be waiting for you while we have tea.” The two Kiwis ducked just outside the netting and settled into retrieving their stove to brew up tea.

“What was that?” Major Smith asked.

“That, Sir, is why I picked those two for liaison duty. Don’t underestimate either one. They’re both cut from the same cloth down here. Tough men, even for their ages. And just so you know, that ‘old man’ you refered to was with a Kiwi Air Force fighter unit on Guadalcanal. He was a radioman when the Japs almost overran the airfield. He ran to support the Marines, taking over a machine gun after its crew had been killed. He single handedly stopped a Jap charge.”

“That guy?” the major asked.

“They estimated after the battle, ‘that guy’ wiped out close to three companies. Three hundred men sent to Jap heaven by that man. He was awarded the Victoria Cross for his work,” the Kiwi commander said. “Just don’t piss him off as I think you Yanks are fond of saying.”

“OK, but if he can’t keep up, I’ll be talking to you.”

“Major, if he can’t keep up, I’ll eat your hat, helmet and all,” the Kiwi said.

The major and his associates stepped over to where Noel and GG were sipping hot tea. Both looked up at the Americans standing in front of them.

“I guess we’re stuck with each other. Maybe we can get reacquainted?” the major said.

“The only reacquainting we need to do is when you Yanks are standing over a pile of dead Indonesians that you’ve bloody well killed. I appreciate all the bloody help we can get at a time like this, but piss off ‘til then.”

“Grandfather, please, the major is trying to make amends,” Noel interjected.

“And where in the bloody hell did you Yanks drop in from? It isn’t like we’re just around the corner from America. And from what I hear, you’ve got plenty of your own problems, eh what?” GG said.

Noel saw from the facial expression that the major was about to unload, but in good Allied cooperation mode, he held it in. Major Smith released the tension by explaining the situation his division had found itself.

The 24th Division had been part of the one hundred thousand Allied troops in Afghanistan when ‘the Pulse’ hit. With the communication satellites knocked out, shortwave radios had to substitute for sporadic contact with the United States. As the situation collapsed in America, the commanders realized that support was non-existent for their men.

Being stuck in Afghanistan surrounded by hostiles with no logistic support from home, they knew they had to get out. The major explained that a lucky communication link with a carrier battle group in the Pacific Ocean had led to a rescue plan.

The nuclear carrier and its escorts would meet the Allied forces near Gwadar, Pakistan, for evacuation. The army would have to march through southern Afghanistan and then cross Baluchistan to reach the Indian Ocean port.

But the Navy Admiral had stated that even packing the troops as tight as possible, they could only load a third of the force at a time. Since time was critical and everyone couldn’t be transported back to the States, it was decided to move one third to Australia, one third to New Zealand and the final third would ride back to America.

Stopping at the U.S. base on the island of Diego Garcia, two destroyers from the battle group picked up thousands of MREs to leave with the stranded troops until they returned for their extraction. Major Smith explained his unit was in the second evacuation. Thirty-three thousand American, Canadian, British and Danish troops had been off-loaded in Christchurch.

His battalion was being sent to reinforce the Desert Road sector while other units were assigned to the East Cape and to the area west of Mt. Tongariro. The full contingent of troops were mostly stuck around Christchurch, due to lack of logistical support.

Until enough food, fuel and transportation were found, New Zealand couldn’t support all the troops at the front line. But the troops committed would make the Indonesians think twice about charging south towards Wellington.

“So how long do you think we’ll have to hold out here, Major?” Noel asked. His great-grandfather continued to sulk over his tea.

“We heard that an offensive has started in the Pacific Northwest to get order restored. Right now the United States doesn’t have one West Coast port in friendly hands. The Chinese or criminal gangs have the entire coast locked up tight. Until something is done about that, America won’t be doing much out in the Pacific,” Major Smith said.

“How the bloody hell do gangs take over the whole West Coast of America? That wouldn’t have happened with my good friend, Paul Kendall, on watch. Now there was a fighting man. Not the wankers in uniform today,” GG mumbled as he again focused on his tea.

“My grandfather’s friend from Guadalcanal lives in Idaho. They have stayed in touch all these years by short wave radio. That’s how we know what happened after ‘the Pulse’,” Noel explained.

“It came as a shock to us, also. Fighting for freedom in Afghanistan and your hometown in America goes puff. I know lots of the men weren’t happy about getting dumped here, but they knew the score. Scuttlebutt on the ship I was on said that as each ship reached home port in the States, the crew all deserted. Going home to protect their own, like all of us would do,” the major said. “If our battle group had taken the first load back to the States, the rest of us would probably still be in Pakistan”

“Well, we’re glad they deposited you here. Sorry for the circumstances. Kiwis are usually a lot more hospitable. And I’m sure the Aussies are glad for your help, too. My grandfather and I had some very serious talks about the future before you guys showed up. I can tell you, reaching my next birthday was looking pretty grim,” Noel said.

“Well, we’ll do our best to make sure you have another one,” Smith offered. “Now, for GG here, I’m not making any guarantees.”

Noel looked at his great-grandfather as he grunted in response to the major. But Noel detected a slight curl of a smile on the corner of his great-grandfather’s mouth. The major would never see it from his angle, but Noel definitely noticed a smile.

Just to dissuade any thoughts of a cordial relationship developing, Great-grandfather Leffingwell asked, “So, since the Yanks have finally arrived, do we finally get to kill Indonesians today?”

“My orders are to defend the line, so we wait,” Major Smith said.

”What? You Yanks had the same orders sixty years ago on the ‘canal’. Defense. Wait. Can’t believe you sods actually made it to Tokyo Bay. Bloody hell, I can’t take it anymore. Where the hell is the loo? Might as well go piss off by myself,” Noel’s great-grandfather stormed off toward the latrine.

Noel looked at Major Smith and rolled his eyes in the international language that says ‘What can you do?’ The major returned the sympathetic look.

The Kiwi commander walked up. “Everything right here? I saw Mr. Leffingwell walk off.“

“We’re good. Just working out liaison duties with Noel and his grandfather,” Major Smith replied. “I was wondering why you picked Mr. Leffingwell as liaison though. I thought someone younger might be more appropriate.”

“Well, you have Noel if you’re looking for young. But you need to know that this unit is here because of Noel’s grandfather,” the commander said. “When he and Noel left their home with pushbikes laden with gear, they were heading north to meet the invaders. Just two Kiwis doing their duty. Word soon spread that Mr. Leffingwell was going to war with his grandson. By the time they reached Nelson, they had a company strength unit. By the time they hit Picton, their personal army had grown to battalion strength.”

“You mean your government didn’t call these troops up?”

“No. When the recipient of the Victoria Cross, the New Zealand Cross and a Bronze Star starts marching to war, abled bodied men and women just fall in behind. Even if that recipient is in his eighties. There have only been twenty-two Kiwis awarded the Victoria Cross - mostly during World War I. Eight received them in the Second World War, all but one in Europe. Only Mr. Leffingwell earned his in the Pacific. And since our military has been progressively shrunk over the years, no Kiwi has won one since 1945,” the Kiwi commander explained.

“Mr. Leffingwell earned a Bronze Star. Was that on the Canal?”

“Many say it should have been higher, but he wasn’t an American. Mr. Leffingwell is a local celebrity in the Marlborough Sound District. His birthday is celebrated each year at the various RSA Clubs.”

“RSA?”

“Returned Services Association. Where veterans go to socialize. I think you have your American Legion Posts,” the Kiwi commander said. “Well, the ‘Leffingwell Battalion’, as it’s become known, got transport over the Cook Strait and marched up here. The group elected me as their commander, since I’ve seen action, most recently as an officer with the British Army in Iraq.”

“I understand now. Noel, tell your grandfather when he returns we move out in the morning to reconnoiter the area ahead of us. We’ll need a squad of your men to provide security, Commander,” Major Smith said.

Cheyenne, Wyoming

“Governor, your delegate almost blew it yesterday,” the Idaho governor was agitated. “With her on the Colorado delegation mouthing off with that liberal claptrap, the Texas delegation almost rode home with this Convention.”

“I am sorry about that. I had no idea how bad she was until I saw her in action. I thought a little counter argument would be good for things,” the Colorado governor said.

The Constitutional Convention had been adjourned for the weekend. Not because their business wasn’t critical - it was. The new country needed a proper government to assume responsibility. The Martial Law that had been declared by the member governors would work for a time, but a new form of permanent administration was needed to be put in place.

The weekend break had been agreed to by all parties to work behind the scenes in private. After the failed vote to adopt the old U.S. Constitution for the Union of American States, each side in the argument knew that they needed time to organize. Each would be ready on Monday morning to fight for the vision they had for the UAS.

What had become known as the Idaho Plan was being supported by the original six states plus Virginia, Nebraska and Ohio. The opposing group was being led by Louisiana and included Texas and most of the old Confederacy, with Wisconsin and Nevada being the only non-southern states in the Louisiana group.

The five Canadian Provinces were meeting with the Idaho group and supported their goals. But all five had taken on a certain aloofness since the vote on Friday. Realizing that they were outsiders in this debate, they were determined to watch the proceedings and decide where the new country was headed.

Their primary reason for joining with the American states was to assure that the Chinese invasion of British Columbia would be repulsed. They understood that American military power, even as crippled as it was presently, was their only hope for keeping the west coast of Canada free and open.

So with twelve members caucusing under the Idaho Plan and eight working on the Louisiana Plan, that left twenty member states maintaining a neutral position on the Constitution question. It was for these undecided votes that each side worked hard over the weekend.

“So what are we going to do about Rebecca? Can we throw her out of the Convention?” the South Dakota governor asked.