LM Fulbright

Reapers War: The Beginning

We see the fight is still going on and its getting rather desperate.

Two hundred meters down the west side of the hill from Rebel Station explosions could be heard. Sergeants Howard and Steel looked up the hill and saw the flashes of red and orange light. “Well, it’s no longer a possible contact. Let’s get up there.”

Seung-heon was glad for the wall around the fuel truck, as he would have some cover and concealment. He worked his way around to the rear, pulled out the C-4 compound, and placed it on the fuel tank. He set the timer and got ready to vacate.

Jake’s mind was beginning to clear, and as it did, he realized where he was. He rolled over and felt some numbness in his legs. He worked them hard back and forth and then tried low crawling back to safety. It was hard, but he did manage to crawl behind a good size tree. He knew for sure that the men inside Bravo 9, 10, 11 and 12 had to be killed, along with the two men in the tower. He did not know about the others or the men on the second floor of the main building. This is the captain’s fault. If he’d of just taken the time to be a leader these men would have had a chance. Now, they are dead and stripe or no stripe he was going to tell him so. In a way he hoped he was one of the ones who didn’t make it. Then he asked God to forgive him of that thought.

Seung-heon quickly looked around for an escape route. The only way out seemed to be off to his right where the bunker he had destroyed was still smoking. There were at least fifty meters between him and the bunker and another thirty to the cover of the tree line. He waited for just another second, then jumped up and sprinted out into the open, firing from the waist a long burst intended on keeping the enemy heads down.

Fagan and his team had finally worked their way around, so he could see the berm surrounding the fuel truck. He thought maybe they could make it there. He was just about to move when suddenly a man immerged from behind the blast wall and started running, firing as he went. Fagan got off a couple of rounds and one hit, but the others missed as he ducked back behind the cover of the trees.

Staff Sergeant Allen in Rebel Base was reacting rather nervously as he told his assistant what to do. “Get on the phone to all positions and get a sit/rep.”

“Situation report,” Captain Beckman shouted as he and Watkins ran into Rebel Base.

“Only the bunkers on the south end have reported in,” Allen said, as he plotted.

“That’s it!” Watkins exclaimed, walking over to the switchboard.

“How about Anderson, have they responded?” The captain asked urgently.

“Anderson was coming in from checking on the bunkers when it all started. Griffin was in the squad room, so I know he’s responding.”

“What about the team that’s 200 meters down the west side? How come they haven’t responded?” the captain demanded.

“Yes, Sir, they are on their way.”

“Well, it had better be quick.” The captain picked up a pad and headed to his office.

Rogers, the assistant controller connected all lines to the bunkers and spun them up. “All positions report your status.”

“Bravo One, we are secure.”

“Bravo Two, we are secure.”

On it went with still no answers from the destroyed bunkers or the west and east towers.

The QRT for the south side was finally suited up. Hixon, not knowing what to do, thought it best to keep his team on this end and support the bunkers there. He prepared to deploy his men.

Sergeant Lei was standing next to Rebel Base, his next target. He quickly took out the C-4 compound and placed it on the wall, set the timer for fifteen seconds and ran back into the tree line. He got down and waited.

Adrenalin now coursing through his body, and with his legs now operational, Jake got up and ran, dodging trees and brush for the twenty or so meters. He had to get to the back door of the main building. He didn’t realize he was running that fast until he ran out of the tree line and there was the wall around the generator. He quickly back peddled and slid to a stop. He got down and noticed that the generator wasn’t running. Someone must have forgotten to put gas in it. Either that or it had been damaged.

Sergeant Allen worked frantically to get power to the radio, but could only do it through the batteries, which were weak. He looked up to see the captain as he came back into the room. He keyed the handset transmit button and frantically called, “Reaper One, this is Rebel Base. How copy, over.” A few seconds passed. “Reaper One, this is Rebel Base, over.”

Howard and his men were headed up the hill when the frantic call came. Steel, up front, stopped, turned quickly and grabbed the handset from Hammer. “This is Reaper One. We copy, Rebel Base.”

“Reaper One, we are under attack by an unknown number of enemy forces. It’s believed they have breached the perimeter from the North and East — ” Then, static.

Lei was watching the wall where he placed the C-4, he figured it should have exploded by now, when it did.

The captain, on the other side of the counter in Rebel Base, was standing there looking through a checklist when he dropped the book on the floor. He stooped down to get it when the explosion ripped right through the wall and completely obliterated everything inside. Sergeants Watkins and Allen received the full force of the blast as everything from the wood to the bits and pieces of equipment were sent through their bodies. There was nothing left of Rebel Base.

Jake was about to run into the back door when the explosion almost knocked him off his feet. He steadied himself and looked in the direction of the explosion. He saw the dust and debris and knew immediately that Rebel Base was destroyed. That’s when he saw Lei. He raised his GAU and fired from the hip a quick three rounds.

Lei saw Jake and quickly hit the ground just as three rounds hit the trees around him.

Follow the action as it continues in the next post.

Reapers War: The Beginning

Would appreciate comments and of course likes.

The attack on Rebel Station Continues.

Jake, after diving into the prone position, tried to see if anyone was coming into the perimeter. He could see the com building over his left shoulder and the destroyed Bunker 8 over his right. He scanned back and forth, but didn’t see anyone, and as his mind worked in a million different ways, there was another explosion over near Tango Three, then three more simultaneous explosions, all of this happening within forty-five seconds. The entire northern perimeter was now a shambles and completely wide open. He was looking for a place that provided cover when he felt the concussion, that’s when the ground picked him up and threw him back down with a hard thud. He grunted as he hit the ground dazed and slightly confused. Everything was now a muffle. He tried to get up, but found that his legs just would not cooperate.

Up in the tower on the east side, Sergeant King and Airman Daniels were watching the east perimeter. The explosions from the north perimeter and the main building shook their tower to the point of collapse. King steadied himself on a sandbag and swung around, putting the star light scope to his eye. He scanned the immediate area and saw movement off his left shoulder. It was a man standing just inside the wooded area directly behind the main building and he was silhouetted by the light. At first, he thought it was one of the men from inside the building, but then he saw that the man was pointing something at them. He recognized it from some recent pictures as an RPG. “INCOMING,” he yelled and dropped down behind the sandbag wall.

Sgt. Kang, after taking out the west end of the building, reloaded his RPG. He started to put it down when he heard something behind him. He turned around quickly. As he did, he lost his balance and fell to his right, pulling the trigger, sending the RPG round to the North. He saw it go almost straight up and out of sight. He thought it would land somewhere down the hill, but it didn’t. With only one round left, he quickly dropped the RPG launcher and grabbed his AK-47 and prepared to defend himself.

King, up in the tower at Tango Two, was looking off to the northeast when AK-47 rounds started punching through the sandbags. The first couple of rounds hit him and knocked him against the far wall. Daniels saw King go down and he made a foolish decision. He jumped up and immediately took a round in his shoulder and one to the head.

Lt. Chung smiled at the sight of the destroyed bunker and waved to Sgt. Kyung-gu to advance and prepare for the next target. Using the smoke from the explosions as concealment, they jumped up and started running in carrying their RPGs in one hand and their AK’s in the other. Chung ran to the left of the now destroyed bunker and Sergeant Kyung-gu to the right. They got down behind what was left of the outer walls, put their RPG’s down, and prepared to use the AK’s.

Inside the comm building the explosions sent everyone into a panic. This must be the attack Anderson talked about to destroy the site. The Lieutenant ordered everyone to take cover.

The five men of the comm security team were surprised at what was taking place, but managed to take up positions at the front corners of the com building. They hadn’t seen anyone yet because of the smoke, but they knew they were coming. The team leader looked at the destroyed Bunker 9 and figured they could use it as cover against whoever might be attacking. He signaled for his men to follow him, which they did reluctantly.

Chung, squatting down beside the bunker, had a clear line of sight to the com building. He was preparing to advance when he saw five men moving toward him in the open. He dropped his AK and let it hang from its sling, pulled out several grenades and pulled the pins. Sergeant Kyung-gu, on the other side, did the same. The five undertrained and unprepared men of the security team were now within thirty meters of the bunker when several grenades came flying through the air and exploded around them. The attackers followed up with AK-47’s on full auto. Three of them were killed instantly, including the leader. The two remaining men, who happened to be at the tail end of the line panicked, threw down their M-16’s and took off running back toward the com building. Chung, still using the destroyed bunker as cover, saw the two remaining men run away. He slung his AK back over his shoulder and picked up the RPG. He loaded another round and got into a kneeling position. He could see the small com building in front of him, and using the bunker to lean against, he took aim and fired. The round went straight into the north end, penetrating the wall and exploded, sending pieces of building and equipment everywhere, killing everyone inside. Sergeant Kyung-gu reloaded his RPG and fired at the rusted satellite dish on the right. It soon became a pile of twisted junk. Chung smiled, loaded his last remaining RPG round and fired at the second dish. He watched as not only the dishes were destroyed, but the other antennas came crashing to the ground as well.

Sergeant Fagan and his four-man fire team ran in the direction of the west end of the main building.

“What’s happening?” Vincent yelled breathlessly as he ran, looking at what was left of the second story of the main building.

“We are being attacked, that’s what,” Fagan said breathing hard, as he unslung his M-16 and jacked a round into the chamber.

“Are we authorized to do that?” Patterson said, unsure of what to do.

“Lock and load, boys, lock and load,” Fagan said, as his team ran faster.

With Bravo 12 and the tower destroyed, Sergeant Seung-heon ran across the road way, into the trees, and headed for the fuel truck.

Sergeant Fagan’s team ran toward the west end of the main building. They could see where the second floor had collapsed. Getting into position at the west end corner, he got down on one knee. His other team members took up secure positions, and he worked his way up, so he could see around the corner. From that position, he could see the foot path that led along the west end perimeter and between the wooded area and Bravo 12. He quickly checked the perimeter to the west. When he didn’t see anyone, he looked back to the foot path. It was clear, so he turned around. “We move in two’s. I’ll take Vincent. Thompson, you and Patterson will cover us. Once we get across to the wood line, we’ll cover you.”

Sergeant Kang watched as the four men ran across the way and disappeared around the west end of the main building. And, when he was satisfied there was not going to be a response from the south end, he began his egress. But, as he stood up, his eye caught a glimpse of something. He couldn’t quite make it out, so he decided to check it out. He slowly moved from tree to tree until he reached the spot that caught his eye. When he moved closer, he saw a deuce. He smiled and moved around them, counting six. He had eight grenades, so he quickly opened the hood on three, dropped them in and ran. Five seconds later the grenades went off. He made his way into the tree line and headed toward the east, the way he came in.

Reapers War The Beginning:

For those who are following be looking for the next post where we will see . . . 

Reapers War: The Beginning

The attack on Rebel Station Continues.

Jake had just gotten to the edge of the open area and was walking down the footpath that was about twenty meters between the com’s compound and the backside of Bravo 8. He stopped for a second then proceeded on. As he approached a group of three trees, he heard what he thought was a thump, then felt the shockwave as the RPG round exploded. The blast from the explosion lit up the darkness while the crack and thunder sent multiple shock waves throughout the perimeter. He stumbled forward from the blast, but was able to stop his fall by grabbing a small branch. Regaining his balance, he quickly ducked down, just as the metal grate from the top of Bravo 9 sliced through the middle of the tree, showering him with splintered wood. And then the top of the tree fell on him. Jake was trying to crawl out from under the tree when a third explosion shook the ground, but this explosion came from the other side of the compound.

In Bravo 10 Masters looked at Peterson. And the shock of what had just happened sent panic through his mind. He started to shake as he said, “What the . . .”

At Bravo 11 the same scenario played out for all the positions, fear.

The complacency of the men in this last six months was now going to be their death and there was nothing anyone could do now about it.

Kang had replaced the AK with the RPG and was waiting. When he heard the explosion on the north perimeter, he fired, sending his RPG round right into the second floor of the west end of the main building. He watched it all the way until it made contact, penetrated, and exploded. The blast sent pieces of wood out into the air. He could see the flame and hear the short screams. He smiled and got ready for the next action.

Up in the second story, on the west end of the main building, was Sergeant Landis and his first squad. They had to be on post by 0600 and had just gone down for the night when the first bunker was hit. Landis, startled, jumped up. That’s when the round from Kang’s RPG penetrated the outer wall and exploded right in the midst of first squad killing everyone inside.

Sergeant Fagan was standing outside of the bunker of Bravo Two when he heard the explosions from the north perimeter. It didn’t register right away what was happening until the explosion from the main building almost knocked him off his feet. The others of his team ran outside the bunker and stood there looking, first in shock, then in fear.

“What just happened?”

Fagan got his wits about him and yelled “Let’s go,” and he brought his M-16 to port arms.

When Griffin felt the concussion from the first explosion he looked up and then the next explosion, but that one was from above. Both explosions shook the foundation of the main building where he was standing.

Hathaway yelled, “Was that —?”

“Yes it was – an explosion. Everybody get your gear, we’re being attacked,” yelled Griffin. “Pierce, George, Jennings, with me, we’ve got to get to the Duck.”

Masters and Peterson, in Bravo 10, were preparing the best way they knew how to engage the enemy when they disappeared in a flash of light and thunderous blast.

Lei spun quickly around with his RPG and aimed at the next bunker, Bravo 8. He was so close he didn’t to even line it up, he just pointed and whoosh. Bravo 8 was no more.

Jake pushed through the debris, and as he got clear, he jumped up and started running in the direction of the now destroyed Bravo 9. He got to the edge of the wood line where the foot path ended and dove into a prone position. He quickly recovered and began looking for a target. He could smell the air, filled with burnt dirt, metal, and sulfur as it moved through the compound. The atmosphere was quickly filled with the smell of high explosives and Jake knew from experience that it would just grow thicker as the battle went on. The biggest thing he detected was the overwhelming smell of burnt flesh. That was a smell that stuck with you for a very long time. He remembered it from Vietnam and it was still sickening. He cleared his mind so he could focus.

Captain Beckman jumped up at the sound of the second explosion. He thought he was dreaming and then the third and fourth. Watkins came running in. “Get everybody up,” the captain shouted.

Watkins ran out and upstairs. But in a few seconds, he was back down the stairs. “They’re all dead, Sir. The entire west end has been destroyed. The ell tee was among them.”

Up in the tower of Tango Two, Sgt. Taylor and SrA Thornton were watching to the northwest when the first two explosions shook the walls and floor. The whole north portion of the perimeter seemed to light up like the day. Immediately they turned around and looked down at Bravo 12. That’s when Taylor saw a man step out of the trees and into the clear zone. He knelt down directly to the north of Bravo 12 and put a weapon on his shoulder. Taylor grabbed the field phone, spun the crank and without waiting for someone to pick up on the other end, he yelled, “INCOMING.” He threw the phone down and tried to bring the M-60 to bear. But as he swung it around, Bravo 12 got a direct hit and the shock wave sent him stumbling backward.

Seung-heon, already prepared, was excited when the bunker to his left was hit twice. He looked down the sights of his RPG, lined it up so that Bravo 12 was at dead center, and squeezed the trigger. The round left the tube and in a second the interior wall of the bunker exploding into a mass of flesh and sand bags, sending debris flying in all directions. He quickly picked up the next round, reloaded his RPG, and took aim at the tower.

Thornton quickly picked up the field phone from the floor and rang up Rebel Base.

“Sergeant Allen,” said the frantic voice on the other end.

“We’re being attacked.  We just saw Bravo 12 go up in a huge explosion. Explosions came from the north perimeter and the main building has been hit as well — ”

Sergeant Allen heard the explosion, then static.

The RPG round from Seung-heons weapon exploded at Tango-Two, killing Taylor and Thornton. Seung-heon jumped up and headed for the fuel truck.

On the south end of the compound, in the QRT building, sat Sergeant Hixon and the rest of his thirteen-man squad. They heard the explosions and he walked, as if nothing was going on, over to the field phone. It rang as he reached for it.

“Hixon, this is Allen, we are under attack on the north end, get your men into position, they may hit your end as well.” Hixon was stunned. Not sure how to respond, he yelled nervously, “We are under attack. Let’s go!”

Hixon and his team stumbled around bumping into each other as they tried to find their gear. It could have been viewed as the Key Stone Cops.

“A great time for Sergeant Fagan to be out checking on the bunkers,” Hixon said when he realized he was gone.

Reapers War

Here is the sequel to “Reapers War The Beginning”

In “Valley of the Shadow:Reapers War” you can follow Jake and the Reapers as they try and find friendly lines, which they believe to be somewhere South, and that’s only if there is friendly. 

Amazonkindle or KindleUnlimited. 

Reapers War The Beginning:

The men on Rebel Station face not only the coming war with North Korea, but a war with an unbelieving and incompetent Captain. When Jake arrives he immediately has his hands full. Can he get his men ready? Can he convince the Captain?

AmazonKindle and Kindle Unlimited.