Chapter 4: Chapter 4: The First Battle

Edna stood in the warzone. The weather was cloudy, and the area was rocky and hilly. There were forests nearby. They were standing on guard currently; the combat had not begun.

After reaching the base camp, they left for the warzone. There were reports of a conflict. General Cartwright was at the base camp, but Bancroft had accompanied them here. The General would enter combat, but not at the time.

“Feeling alright?”

She looked around and saw Edith standing beside her. The two sisters looked extremely similar, except that Edith’s hair was cut short, as in a pixie cut, like all the female soldiers who served in the Baldornan Ground Infantry.

“Yeah, I guess.”

Her sister clapped her on the back.

“I know you’re nervous. Even I am.”

“You? Why would you be? I mean, this is the first time I’m doing this. You’re a Commander.”

“I know,” her sister replied, sighing. “But the nerves never go away. You could become the Minister, for all it matters, and they would still be there. Especially considering the stakes here. Not only are we protecting the country, but we’re also trying to redeem ourselves in their eyes. The terrorists have been running rackets in the cities. They’ve been kidnapping children to perform experiments on. They are doing all sorts of shitty stuff. We have to stop them if we die trying. At this point, we’re all alone. The people, the government, they’re all against us. So, if we don’t fight for ourselves, we’re doomed. Either we win or we die. There’s no other option, none at all.”

Edna nodded, understanding the seriousness of the situation.

“So, buck up and pull on the boots, sister. This is going to be life or death, with no in-between. Win or die trying, that’s what they say.” She took off the shotgun which hung on her shoulder and cocked it.

A soldier came running up towards them. “They’re coming.”

Everyone ran to their positions. Edith nodded to her sister. “Good luck, Edna. Stay safe and don’t worry about me.” Edna nodded. “Same to you. Bye, Edith.”

Edith ran off to her position, whistling at her soldiers to get them into position. Edna quickly climbed over a rock and ran to her position near the trees, from where she could get a good view of the battlefield. Taking out her typewriter, she began to paint a picture in words of what was occurring.

The Barbonians came on the horizon, running towards them and firing. Some of them came from the sides, firing at them from behind the rocks.

Edith fired furiously from her spot between the rocks. Then she shouted, “Ground Runners, go!”

And from the forest, Deputy Bancroft burst out, riding a horse as she raised her gun and shot down three of the enemy gun operators who were stunned by her sudden arrival. The enemy soldiers ran out to engage with her, and her soldiers followed and joined the fray as well.

Riley and William, along with another member of their battalion named Jack Travis, were setting up the advanced missile launcher under the guidance of Lieutenant Gorman. They had assembled it.

“Bring the missiles over, William!”

He picked up one of the heavy ones and brought it over.

“Get it in, quick!” said the Lieutenant as he helped them lift it. But no sooner had he come over than a gunshot resounded. The bullet hit Riley in her shoulder, and she groaned, falling to the ground. The missile fell down on her leg, injuring her further.

William looked around. An enemy jeep was arriving to ambush them from behind. He leaped behind the launcher as the bullets were fired, dragging Riley along with him. He fumbled for his walkie-talkie, taking it out of his pocket. Gorman was shot in his stomach, and he fell down.

Suddenly, he heard a loud cry along with thudding footsteps. He looked as Edith ran along, a large rocket launcher on her shoulder. She aimed at the jeep and fired, blowing it to pieces. Then she turned her attention to Riley.

“Are you alright?”

Riley nodded, panting heavily. She looked up, and a horrified expression came across her features. Both her Commander and her friend looked up and realized what had provoked her reaction.

A huge helicopter was in the air. It emitted a deafening whirring sound as the door opened, and a gun came out. Realizing what was about to happen, Bancroft shouted, and her voice echoed across the entire battle zone.

“GET DOWN! NOW!”

All the personnel ran for cover in the forest. The man in the copter shot arbitrarily. Many men fell as the ground became stained with fallen bodies.

Edith and William dragged Riley and Gorman along with them behind the launcher and ducked.

Edna was looking on, suppressing the urge to run out and look for her sister when Bancroft’s voice spoke through the walkie-talkie.

“Withdraw. Go back, run to the jeep in which you arrived. We’re retreating.”

“Wilco.”

She got up and picked up the typewriter, using all her strength to turn away from the bloody battlefield. They had lost the first battle. She trudged through to the jeep. She heard a loud sound and turned around.

The helicopter was crashing towards the ground, up in flames. She looked down, where a bruised and injured Edith was standing, her rocket launcher on her shoulder as she stared at the machine with a special hatred. She had destroyed it, granting them enough time to make a retreat.

Edna turned around and ran towards the jeep. Alfred and William were there.

“Get in.”

She immediately obeyed, and they set off.

“Will Riley be alright?”

“Yeah, she’ll be fine. A bullet in the shoulder and a broken leg aren’t much for her. The fact that we had to retreat is going to bother her much more than any of that.”

She remembered her sister’s speech prior to the battle. Win, or die trying. But this wasn’t the end. They had lost the battle, but they could still win the war.

“We’re not done yet, are we?”

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“Of course not, but we are going to re-evaluate. The General is definitely not going to be happy.”

Bancroft spoke through the radio.

“William? Are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here. I have the correspondent and the cameraman. Is the Commander alright?”

“Commander Garson is fine. She’s taking the rest of her Battalion back. Come along, on the pass.”

“On it. Wilco.”

They drove for a while and met the other jeeps at the mountain pass, from where they traveled back towards the camp.

When they reached, they got out. The doctors immediately arrived to tend to them. Edith carried Riley to one of the medical tents on her shoulder. The soldiers carried the bodies of the fallen ones to another tent.

Bancroft carried a severely wounded and weak Gorman to the medical tent.

Edna went behind her sister and sat by her bedside as she was tended to. Edith had broken an arm, and she had suffered several bruises. She had a cut across her eyebrow, which the nurse said was going to be a permanent scar.

Once everything was done, Edna helped her into the tent where she slept. There, she laid her down and sat down beside her.

“Do you need anything?”

“No, I’m good.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, slowly processing things before Edna spoke.

“You know, I’m actually starting to think Mom’s concerns when you decided to join the army were actually quite valid.”

Edith chuckled. “They were. I knew they were. But I knew that I wanted to do it. And I did it.”

“You’re really brave. Really. I mean, to go up there when everyone was falling and shoot the chopper down, not everyone can do that.”

“They can. Bravery isn’t something that we’re born with. It needs to be practiced, and it can be practiced, by anyone. Once you get rid of any fears, you’re truly free. Free to run, free to take risks, free to be brave. Nothing can hold you back. Fear is natural. The brave ones aren’t those who don’t feel fear, they are those who can overcome it. That’s all you have to do. And I know you will do it. You just need a little time.”

Edna nodded. “I guess so. You better rest now, okay? I’ve got to complete the report.”

“Yeah, you do that.”

She laid a blanket over Edith before leaving the tent.

General Cartwright sat by Bancroft’s bed, listening to her detail the events that had occurred.

“Commander Garson used a rocket launcher to shoot the thing down. It had caused enough damage. Most of our soldiers were either dead or injured, and many of the guns were down. I ordered a retreat, and we backed out.”

Cartwright nodded. “So, we underestimated them.”

The Deputy’s arm was in a sling, and a bandage was wrapped around her head.

“We very much did. They weren’t terrorists, they were Barbonian soldiers. This isn’t a terrorist conflict, it’s a war. We need much more men and equipment, and a message needs to be sent across the military that no matter how much Buckhoff plans to deny it, we have a war on our hands. And we need the air forces too.”

“I’ll get it done. What about Correspondent Garson? Is she alright?”

“Yeah, she’s fine. She’s got the report.”

“Good. Get well soon, Bancroft. And for your old mentor’s sake, try not to die.”

Bancroft smiled. “You know what they say, General. There are no promises on the battlefield.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Cartwright replied, sighing. “Take rest. I’ll come back.”

She left to contact the main base.

The camp was completely silent. Everyone was sleeping except for two soldiers who were standing on guard, pacing the area.

One of them suddenly stopped and looked over at the hills nearby. He spotted a light and called to his companion.

“Hey, Arnie. You see that little light over there?”

Arnie stood up and walked over.

“Yeah, there is something.”

He picked up his binoculars and looked. There were a series of jeeps, raising the dust as they approached them. Throwing it down, he ran towards the tents and yelled at the top of his voice.

“THEY’RE COMING! THEY’RE ATTACKING!”

 

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