| Subject: ...For Meritorious Service, 24d part three |
Author:
TxJAG_b
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Date Posted: 10:27:41 04/30/08 Wed
In reply to:
TxJAG_b
's message, "...For Meritorious Service" on 09:04:26 05/08/07 Tue
A/N1: I thumb-wrestled my muse and won - he/she agreed I could post this part :) Thanks again to my triple beta team and all the advisors who made this possible.
A/N2: Confused about who is on Darcy's side and who isn't? Well, you probably know that Mac isn't [and Darcy's reach doesn't extend to the Patrick Henry so Harm is safe. Other than our heroes and friends [Bud, Sturgis, Gibbs, Tony, Coleman - yes the NCIS folks are their friends] everyone else is suspect. I wish I could say who was who - but that would spoil Chapter 25 when all the bad guys are revealed for who they are. Get set, the bumpy ride is going to get bumpier [is that a word?] On with story...we left off yesterday with Nicole and Harm reaching an understanding and Mac on a dangerous recon mission in Amariya, Iraq.....
VFA-218 Ready Room
USS Patrick Henry
That initial talk had cleared the air between Nicole and Harm.
After breakfast, he had gone back to his quarters to check his email. Finding nothing of import in his in-box, he was about to lay down for a quick nap when Supergirl stuck her head in his door.
“You up for a game of checkers?”
Harm knew it was an overture, and though he usually stayed away from the game, it sounded like a way he could further bond with his new XO. Now they were sitting across from each other in the ready room. Each staring intently at the checkerboard.
“Your turn,”
“I was commissioned through NROTC at Purdue….” Harm gave her a puzzled look.
“Oh sorry, you meant it’s my turn to move my pieces….”
He nodded in understanding. “That’s okay.”
In truth, they had been exchanging information about each other as they contemplated their moves on the checkerboard. Harm had already learned that she was the older of two daughters and had three older brothers. The Supergirl moniker came from her days as a middle distance runner. Somebody had said something about her being ‘faster than a speeding bullet’ and someone said ‘well, she can’t be Superboy, so she’s gotta be Supergirl’…and it stuck.
Combined with her tough attitude [she said it came from growing up in her big Chicago family] she did seem to have some of the super-heroine’s traits.
Nicole studied the board.
“Have you heard from your boyfriend lately?”
She had told Harm earlier about her boyfriend who was an aviator on Reprisal. They had met at Pensacola.
“Are you trying to throw my game off?” she asked warily.
“No, no.” the tall aviator/lawyer said almost immediately. She gave him a ‘yeah, right’ look. “Really; I’m not.” Harm said smiling.
Supergirl though, wasn’t entirely convinced. “Well in case you are, he told me some things about you…”
“Oh yeah?” that sounded like a challenge. It reminded him of his verbal duels with Mac. Mac. The very thought that she was miles away rather than here with him felt very odd for some reason….
Nicole began, with obvious relish, her litany of Rabb accomplishments.
“…how you downed two Libyan MiGs in the Gulf of Sidra, your little flying stunt with Admiral Boone and your maneuver with Tuna’s plane when you were over Yugoslavian territory, not to mention your game of ‘follow the leader’ with the missile with a dirty nuke warhead--”
“Impressive.” Harm said interrupting, sounding amused and a little bit embarrassed. “What else?” .
Nicole almost said, ‘your ramp strike that led you to become a JAG Corps attorney.’ But she didn’t. She was starting to like Harmon Rabb and she didn’t want to screw that up. For an attorney, he seemed like a pretty decent guy.
She paused trying to look as if she was deep in thought. “Lessee, there was the time that you and Admiral Boone led that C-130 back to Patuxant Naval Air Station at Christmas time. I think it had a load of Christmas mail and was lost in the fog, wasn’t it? The controllers at the tower said your ‘Cat looked like Rudolf the Red Nosed reindeer leading in Santa’s sleigh as you landed in that pea soup weather--”
“Actually it was Toys for Tots, but enough; mea culpa,” Harm said gently as he held up his hands in surrender to her verbal barrage.
Nicole smiled and hop-scotched her checker piece across the board. “And you can king me, too.”
Hill 521
Near Amariya, Iraq
“Still nothing sir.”
Ebbits moved over to the Marine keeping watch on Hill 522. “Keep watching, Mickens” The slightly built Recon soldier nodded.
Ebbits turned his attention back to the Samoan native.
“Calapango, how’re our scouts doing?”
The Marine shook his head as he kept his binoculars trained on the town. “Master Guns just reported in, sir; no joy.”
*~*
Mac found herself alternatively running and walking as townspeople appeared. No one seemed to give her a second glance. Finding this thing was definitely turning out to be like looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.
The Marine light Colonel looked across the alleyway and saw Kayce coming up the street. She had her head down and seemed to be nursing an injured arm.
“Danvers!” Mac hissed as the Corporal came into earshot.
Kayce looked up and smiled at Mac. “Heard some noise down the street that I thought might be our phantom tractor ma’am….”
Col. Livingston’s Position
Near Amariya, Iraq
“Anyone leaving the town yet, Cienfeuntes?”
The Sergeant could feel Colonel Livingston’s presence in back of him. It was not unlike that feeling he got when a saw big hairy spider or scorpion cross his path. “No ma’am,” he said quickly.
Her next words dripped icicles. “The Master Guns better get his act together and fast. We can’t keep lobbing smoke shells at that village all day….”
Amariya, Iraq
Salim edged his foot off the brake and gave the vehicle some gas. He was rewarded by the bucking shudder that results from a badly worn clutch as the BMD began to lurch forward.
Silently he swore under his breath as he shoved his foot into the clutch pedal, hoping the worn gear teeth would interact with the drive-shaft the next time he released the pressure.
Again he eased his foot up toward him as he gave the venerable personnel carrier more gas.
This time the little armored vehicle rattled forward, emitting a cloud of blue smoke from its exhausts. One of his fellow crewmembers gave him an enthusiastic pat on the back as a reward for his efforts.
(This vehicle’s drive train may be shot, but at least its main gun was still operational….) The insurgent driver thought proudly.
Sure, the vehicle had only ten main round 73mm shells left, but it had an unlimited supply of machinegun ammunition. And those machine guns had quite a bite.
He gave the carrier more gas. His orders were clear; if the Americans attacked, he was to take his ‘old friend’ to the storage bunker built into the hill. This vehicle was their trump card. If the Americans assaulted the town, he and his crew would lie in wait like a trap door spider. And then when the Americans felt secure, he would strike…
*~*
Mac huddled on one side of the alleyway and Kayce leaned on the door jamb on the other side, looking like a sickly man.
The dust colored BMD rattled its way past the two women, sounding like a refugee from the scrap yard.
Salim had his head out of the driver’s hatch in the open air, as if he were motoring along on a Sunday drive. It was obvious to Mac that this guerilla felt invincible in his armored vehicle - despite what sounded like an impending American invasion into the town.
As soon as little carrier trundled down to the end of the alleyway, it pivoted left on its tracks and picked up speed.
Kayce straightened up and walked over to the light Colonel.
“That looks pretty damn operational to me, ma’am.”
“It runs, but does it shoot?” Mac wondered out loud.
“Meaning no disrespect ma’am, but how do we intend to find that out? Chuck a rock at it and see if the crew returns fire?”
“She is very operational, American….”
Mac and Kayce whipped around, weapons drawn, to face a young Arab man.
Col. Livingston’s Position
Near Amariya, Iraq
Corporal Gonzalez nodded as he signed off the radio and turned his head toward Darcy. “Master Guns reports that our ‘little tank that could’ is moving through the village….”
An unsettling smile spread across Darcy’s face. “I knew I could count on Wilbane; which way does he say it’s headed?”
Corporal Gonzalez didn’t know why, but that smile of hers made his blood run cold. “The Master Guns says it’s headed for the hillside….”
“Tell Firefly Four to get ready to fire on my command….”
*~*
The young Arab man held up his hands but broke into a big smile at the same time. “You’re Americans, aren’t you? You did say you want to know if that tank can fire its gun…I heard you speak English!”
Mac and Kayce lowered their weapons, looked at each other and then back at teenager.
<> Mac began in Arabic.
“C’mon Lieutenant Colonel,” the young man said dismissively in broken English, “I know you are Americans! I love Marines! Know all about them!” His eyes were wild with excitement.
Mac wondered if they could knock him unconscious, she certainly didn’t want to kill him…
He seemed to know what the Marines were thinking. “Do not worry; I love Americans! USA!! Hate Saddam! I show you…!!”
Before either Marine could react, the young man took off like a shot.
Insurgent positions
Amariya, Iraq
“What are the Americans doing, Kahleed?” Asked a tall almost anemic looking Arab.
The small wiry man jumped down from his position on the roof of the house to the fortified position they had built weeks earlier. “Their infantry have not made any moves toward the town yet, Ahmad, but their armed helicopters appear to be observing our movements.”
“Then we shall have to scratch their ‘eyes’ out, brother.” He said referring to the helos.
He motioned to a black clad guerilla holding a Gimlet man-portable surface to air missile launcher.
*~*
Mac and Kayce took off at dead run, figuring that their cover was blown. It really didn’t matter now whether they looked like girls or not. Thanks to that excited teenager, the whole of Amariya would soon know there were Americans in their town.
“We’ll never catch him,” Huffed Kayce, “He got too much of a head start on us!”
“Less talk, more running!” Mac managed to get out.
They were about to turn the same corner they just saw the young man head around when they heard a loud metallic ker-thunk, followed by a couple of hollow bongs.
The two Force Recon Marines slid to a stop, exchanging puzzled looks.
In broken English they heard:
“US Marines! Halt…or we open…fire!!”
The demand was met with chatter from the carriers’ machine guns and the obvious report of its 73mm main gun.
Mac felt her heart stutter. That nutty kid got himself killed for them….what kind of crazy war is this?
Before either Marine could say anything the teen bolted back around the corner. He was wearing a devilish grin.
“There is your proof!” he called out as he ran past them and disappeared down another alleyway.
The growl of the BMD’s engine made both women start; then they broke into a run as well.
“Should we thank him, Colonel?” Kayce managed to quip as they bolted down the same alleyway the teen took.
Aboard Firefly Four
Near Amariya, Iraq
Lieutenant Mason Aubrey kept his eyes glued to the village. As soon as he got the word from Colonel Livingston, he would fire a barrage of Hellfire missiles at the designated target.
He found it hard to believe that after all this time the insurgents would have an operational tank. Most of those had been turned over to Coalition forces by the remnants of the Iraqi Army command back in May.
“I’ve got a flash!” yelped his weapons officer.
“What is it?” growled Aubrey. He hated surprises. Especially ones that happened on the battlefield.
“SAM!”
Mason Aubrey’s blood chilled.
“Initiating evasive maneuvers!” he snapped as he began to weave the helo up and down violently.
“Firing chaff!” called out his weapons officer.
Mason knew at this range that would do little good. “Heading for the deck, hang on!”
The missile zipped past the diving Cobra gunship and detonated.
*~*
The renewed sounds of battle reached Mac and Kayce’s ears. Things were going from bad to worse.
Up ahead they saw the Master Gunnery Sergeant emerge from a building.
“What the hell’s going on?!” He said in low a voice as he could manage when he met them.
“We found…the BMD…and it’s operational….” Mac replied as she tried to catch her breath.
The Master Gunnery Sergeant nodded his head. “Then our job here is done.”
He clicked his radio and in what seemed like a moment, Sergeant Williams drove up and met them. Wilbanes and Kayce climbed in the bed of the truck, while Mac climbed in the passenger seat.
“Let’s get out of here, Sergeant.” Mac said as she strapped herself in.
Aboard Firefly Four
Mason felt the gunship shudder as alarms began going off. “Ah Dammit! It managed to clip us!” he swore as he fought for control.
“ How bad is it?!” the weapons officer’s voice sounded like it was near panic.
“Can’t tell!” barked the Lieutenant.” He yanked the control arm downward. “We gotta set down now!!”
Col. Livingston’s Position
Near Amariya, Iraq
Cienfuentes lowered his binoculars. “There goes the Colonel and the Master Guns, ma’am.” He reported to Darcy
Corporal Gonzales at the same time lowered his. “No sign of the BMD ma’am.”
“Maybe it will follow them out of the town….” Darcy said thinking aloud. She didn’t appear aware of the Sergeant listening to an urgent report from his radio. His head snapped up, catching her attention.
“Sergeant?”
“Colonel, we’ve got bigger problems, Firefly Four had to make an emergency landing – he took a glancing blow from a man-portable SAM!”
---TBC…
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