4.2 Crusaders Book II - Stakes Declared

1.                    An undisclosed location on the border of Pakistan

Miles slept most of the trip to the makeshift air strip on the border. He was armed only with his service dagger in his right boots, and carrying his belongings in a knap sack. It includes a rare artifact; a bejeweled dagger that once belong to the Pharoah's wizard, Immotep. It was discovered, transacted many times before it came to the new master. He was traveling in a Humvee minus the roof cover. The vehicle was acquired by the driver from an ambush; Alif what else in his name drove like there was road on these lands; swerving to avoid the possible pit holes that may contain mines.

"You drive over one, and then you go kaboom!" Alif laughed at his own joke but Miles was looking at the sun up ahead in their view.

"Alif, do you have any machine guns or perhaps then a Stinger?" Miles removed his seat belt and looked to the rear seat.

"Lieutenant," That was the rank held by Miles and most of his old command would referred him as that. "Do you think I drive for the President? Why would you need a Stinger? We are miles from any air field ....unfriendly to ours."

"Alif, those are not sun spots. I think they are Hind's." Miles point to the pair of heavily armed copters approaching them. Alif let off some expletives which would not made the headlines. Alif' driving became more intense and dangerous as he avoids the missile and then the larger bullets.

"Behind there are some AK' rifles. Improvise, Lieutenant." Alif shouted out as he turn right to avoid the approaching bullets. Miles reached back and saw the AK. The two rifles are cello taped to be one, and there were a bag of fragment grenades.

Miles gave the instructions and then Alif slowed the vehicle. He was an advanced mathematician graduate with the knack of knowledge on aerodynamics. He found it very useful in this parts. Alif adjusted the acceleration and looked for the ideal terrain. He then nodded and drove hard at it. It was a low rise which was in the way of the Hind coming at it on a parallel run.

"One thing about the Humvee is the engine. It got ...power..." Alif screamed out loud and turned the wheel to head for the low rise. Miles climbed up on his seat to pop his upper part of the body above the missing roof. Alif hit the pedal harder and pray his education works out well. The Humvee took off into the air while Miles threw the bag. He had pulled earlier pulled the pin off one of the grenade.

"Mama One, Mama Two...." The grenades went off in midair just before the first Hind path. The fragmented grenades hit the Hind cockpit and killed the pilot. The copter lost control and crashed into the approaching Hind.

"Yeehaw! We done it." Miles sat back and pulled out the small fragment from his left cheek.

Later he got off at the landing strip; a deserted clearing with a empty shed that served as the waiting area. Alif did not wait for the goodbye but drove off. He's got his gold pieces and now he is back to serve another customer. He left a pair of AK for Miles.

Miles could make out the approaching DC-3 aircraft approaching from behind the sun. He looked at his watch. Its late by ten minutes, but it arrived nevertheless. The aircraft landed and taxied down the runway. It pulled up at the shed and then the rear door opened on the aircraft. The ladder was lowered and the pilot stepped out. He was dressed in the aviation suit complete with flying boots. The only difference was the cross on his chest; its not of the Bismark but of the faith.

"Jurgen Marsden, pilot extraordinaire. I am told to pick up Lieutenant Miles." The pilot removed his sun shades.

Miles was going to reply when he saw the two trucks filled with tribal mercenaries arriving in high speed. The pilot saw the trucks and spoke into his comms.

"Jackie darling, unwanted guests left side." On the left side of the DC-3, a compartment of the plane hull dropped open, and the multi barrel gun opened up. It spews out deadly projectiles which tore the truck from its engine to it rear lights. The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style rotary cannon which fires 20 mm rounds at an extremely high rate.

"Thank you, darling." Jurgen spoke back in the comms. Then both men boarded the plane and then they took for Rome. It was going to Rome.

2.                    Portos De Santos, Brazil

The Captain of the Goliath looked at the letter from the Shipping agent. Then he looked at the wads of currency and nodded. He told the Chief Steward to bring the guest to the reserved unit on the same deck as his unit. That was over a week now, and they are on the high sea. The Captain looked at the sea charts and smiled; he may make it to Madrid with some hours to spare and a bonus on the fees.

"Captain, you might want to see this." The 3^rd Officer acting as lookout this morning, called out to him. The Captain joined him there, and was handed the binoculars. The Captain looked at where the officer pointed; the dark speck was floating above the waves and approaching fast. 

"A frigging yacht out here ain't rare. They are the crazies one or worse pirates." The Captain was agitated to be drag from his command seat.

"Captain, this is the Atlantic. They are no pirates here." The young officer just posted here from the Gulf was beginning to feel nervous.

The Captain ignored him until the comms came in. The boatswain hailed the Captain that they been asked to stopped for boarding party.

"Tell them to frag off." The Captain gave his command. After his answer was given, he left the cannon shots on the hull.

"Damned, there goes my bonus. Heave over. That way I can claimed on Insurance."

Seven men clad in dark fatigues covered with kelvar , and armed with automatic rifles. Two of them ran up to the deck and held up the crews. They asked for the guest unit and was given. Four went to look for the unit while two others stood on the engine room.

"He's not here. Must had seen us coming. Do we conduct a search now. Its a fragging huge ship." The one in the deck  heard the voice over and told his men to come back to the deck.

"Captain, you used the comms to tell your guest to come out or we would blow the ship up." The captain started out in expletives to be replied with a bullet in his head. The leader then told the 3^rd Officer to do the comms.

Meanwhile the two men at the Engine room smiled when they heard the command. While one held up the three Engine room crew, the other placed the explosives he had carried on him. He placed the last one and shouted out.

"Charlie, its in." But Charlie not answering. He's dead with a poison dart in the back of his neck. Someone dropped him just seconds before. Tommy was the one who placed the explosives; stood up to have a dart in his lower neck. He dropped face down.

In the deck, the leader was getting agitated on the lost of communications with his two men at the Engine room. He looked at te two newly arrived other men, and told them to take the 3^rd Officer with them to the Engine room. He then looked at the sea charts again. He heard his other men dropping down on the floor and looked over. The one who fell had a dart in the back of his neck.

"I''ll be damned!" The leader picked up his automatic and scanned the deck. "He's here."

"Come out, bastard. I would fight with you." The leader shouted out. He then placed down his automatic, and pulled the curved scimitar out from his back. The shout got Kruger to walked into the deck with the dart gun in his hand.

"A gun? I am ashamed of you." The leader mocked at Kruger 'choice of weapon. Kruger dropped the dart gun and reached into the back. He drew out the Excalibur and held it in both his hands. The leader did not pause and leapt over to fight Kruger. The scimitar came slashing down but Kruger had his sword to block it. Kruger did not stopped there, as he in turn swing the sword from the side. The scimitar came down to block it, but the heavier sword pushed hard against the scimitar. The extra push hit the scimitar and caused it to dropped down but Kruger took up his swing. The blade cut to the leader on his left ribs pass the kelvar pads. Kruger did stop there; he pushed up and ended at the upper rib cage. He then twist the sword and slashed it across the chest. Then he pull it out. 

The 3^rd Officer grabbed the automatic rifle from the other member of the striking force and the officer used the hilt on the gun holder.

"I learned some karate-do before." The 3^rd Officer looked at the injured man while he holds the automatic rifle. "I got him covered."

A short while later, Kruger was navigating the yacht to Madrid. He reckons it won't many any difference between a river boat and a yacht.