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“Take all the time you need, Top.  We were the ones pushing here.  I don’t think they were expecting an answer right away and I don’t think they are even expecting to have anyone come back with us today.  We surprised ‘em pretty good this morning.  They figured someone would be coming around sometime, but not nearly so many of us and certainly not at the crack of dawn, over.”

“Point.  Ok, we need to talk to them.  If they are willing, and frankly they better be, bring back Lawson and one or two others of his choosing.  We aren’t leaving anyone there though, period.  We’ll stay in contact with them over the radio, which is only fair.  There’s too much to think about to make a snap decision on this and I refuse to do it unless I absolutely have to, over.”

“Roger.  I’ll let you know how many are coming back on the way in.  Jackson, out.”

Jackson walked back to the group from his command truck after closing the connection with Mallory.  “Mr. Lawson, as I said it’s a decision that needs to be made at a higher pay-grade than mine.  It also needs to be made after a bit more discussion than we’ve had so far.  First Sergeant Jensen is willing to meet with you and one or two others if you’d like, back at the base.”  Lawson was nodding his head as though he had been thinking along the same lines already.  “We would obviously provide safe conduct for you; however Sergeant Jensen has not authorized me to allow anyone to remain behind at this time.”

“As long as someone here in town would be able to radio in occasionally and talk to one of us who went with you I don’t see there being a problem with that.  I can think of a number of potential issues that would need to be worked around off the top of my head if this is going to work out at all and I would be happy to meet with your First Sergeant.  If she is willing to meet with us today, can you wait while I and two others get ready to go?”

...

“I’m trying to be cool and rational about this,” Sheri was clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides, “honest I am, and I know that none of the people who will be coming into the base were at the meeting with Keeler and I, but I’m having a real hard time here.  I can’t believe that none of those people saw Pete walk me into the house at gunpoint or that the story didn’t circulate after the ‘elders’ left and none of them did a single thing to try to help me.”

“I think you’re doing a fabulous job but I’m probably a little biased.” Chuck said, but wisely didn’t try to hold her hand or rub her shoulders or try to get her to calm down.

“Sheri, I know you are pissed about this which is why I wanted to be the one to tell you.” Mallory said.  “Lawson and I hammered this out for most of the day today and this was a sticking point.  It wasn’t until I threatened to tell him to go to pound sand and all but declare open season on his town that he backed off.  He understood that you would be upset but he also figured that you would ‘understand the situation that they had been put in’.  I’m not going to come to his defense but he did watch a man get his heart all but blown out of his chest from about two arms lengths away, Sheri.”

Mallory paused and then asked.  “I’m not asking if it’s fair, I’m asking if it’s the right thing to do.”

“Yes, alright, yes it’s the right thing to do.  There, are you happy now?”

“No, I’m not happy.  I’m not as pissed about this as you are but I’m not happy either.  Sheri, in a very real sense, whether they knew it or not, they ended up being the bait in a trap that could have caused me to lose not just one of my soldiers but two friends as well.  This does not make me happy.” Mallory said.

“They won’t be coming in for at least a couple of weeks because everyone needs some time to cool down and come to grips with their arrival.  There are also a lot of logistics that are going to need to be worked out surrounding putting either a permanent or rotating detachment there in the town.  It will take time and with time things will get easier.  I won’t say you will forget and I don’t expect you to forgive but I do expect you to live with it.  Am I asking too much?”

Sheri was silent for a good half minute before she answered, “No, you aren’t, and I wasn’t just pouting.  I hold grudges though, I can’t help it, I have all my life.”  She turned to Chuck and said with a small smile, “You’d do well to remember that Mr.” Then she took a deep breath and looked squarely at Mallory, “I can deal with it, it just came as a shock and a bit of a blow.  This whole thing just happened so fast.  Yesterday morning we were talking about going out to meet with these people for the first time, then yesterday afternoon I was abducted.  Last night Pete gets blown away less than a foot away from me,” she put her arms around Chuck, “and then I fall asleep in this man’s arms and now this.  It just seems so surreal.  You’re taking it much better than I am.”

“That’s because I’ve had twenty years of being told to dig a hole so that I could fill it back up, both metaphorically and literally.  Oh, believe me, I’ll scream into my pillow tonight most likely-- but you aren’t allowed to see that, so you won’t.”

“You’re very weird, and a little bit scary,” Sheri replied.

“Better than being like Joel.  He’s a lot scary and only a little weird.  And on that note let’s go get some chow.”

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Morris had the radio detail again.  He was sure everyone else was pulling their fair share, but it seemed like he was always in this stupid tent.  Then again, there was that old saw that ‘them’s that did the best in combat, saw the most combat’.  Not that manning the radio was really all that tough.

It was 19:14, or 7:14 pm, on Saturday, August 18
^th
.  Morris had forty-six minutes left in his shift and, frankly, he was bored.  The number of groups in the area wanting to join up had all but dried up and communication was down to routine traffic with the local farmers.  So it came as a complete and utter shock when a totally unfamiliar voice came over his headphones, and on the secure channel, no less.  No, it wasn’t on a secure channel--it was on THE secure channel.  The first inbound communication from higher in over two months!

“Promised Land Two this is
Lima Alpha November Charlie Echo Romeo Six, over,” the voice on the other end said.

Usually, in the interest of maintaining proper radio discipline, and to keep transmissions short, both parties start with their entire call signs and then respond with only the last two or three letters and/or numbers.  There is one exception.  Training kicked in and Morris replied, “Lima Alpha November Charlie Echo Romeo Six this is Promised Land Two.”  That one exception was currently LANCER or the current call sign for the President of the United States.

Morris hadn’t had to do the next part, seriously, in over two months, as he’d recognized every voice over the radio and they’d verbally decided on authentication and duress codes prior to departure.  “Wait one, please, over.”  He needed to grab the code book as it wasn’t close by since they weren’t using it.  Bad practice, Morris, and this is what you get.

“Take your time, son, it’s OK.  Over.” 

That stopped Morris in mid reach, “Say again, over.”

“I said take your time Morris, it’s OK.  Over.”

Morris blinked, ok, whoever this was knew him by name.  Interesting.  He got the code book and turned to the current page.  “Authenticate Bravo Niner Delta Whiskey Alpha Foxtrot Four.  Over.”

“I authenticate Five Zulu Echo Yankee Lima Tree Papa.  Over.”

At this point a truncated call sign was permissible, “I authenticate, go ahead Romeo Six.  Over.” 
I can’t believe I’m having this conversation.

“Critical message follows, repeat, critical message follows.  Critical message to be archived, over.”

“Roger, I copy critical message to follow.  Critical message to be archived, archiving active, over.”  Why they couldn’t just say ‘record the stinkin’ message’ was beyond him.  But they couldn’t, so they didn’t.

“As of 5:00 hours GMT, 19 August 2012, procedure ARCLiTE, repeat Alpha Romeo Charlie Lima Tango Echo is in effect.  Critical message ends.”  There was a sigh on the other end, but he hadn’t said over, so he wasn’t done.

“Specialist Morris, we’ve never met in person.  I’m Colonel Spencer Olsen, and this is the thirty-first time I’ve relayed this message.  There are a few things I want you to know.  First, you are not alone, although you are a little unique in how quickly your group got their act together.  The National Guard and full-time military all over the U.S. and northern hemisphere are in the exact same situation you are.”

“Some of them are at their bases & forts, some of them are still in their Armories and some, like you, have moved out either by choice or by circumstance and had to set up elsewhere.  Some are doing a little worse than you all seem to be, some are doing as well, and few, frankly, are doing better.  We’ve been monitoring anyone utilizing the satellite systems, including yourselves, which is how I knew it was you manning the radio.  When contacting your group, for example, it had been decided that it would be yourself, Pine, or Wilson manning the radio.”

“When I transmitted the critical message, a download was also initiated to your system that can only be accessed by your First Sergeant, Sergeant Jensen.  In a few moments, you’ll be bringing her into the ‘net.  Before then, I want to say how proud I am of what we know of, from what we’ve gathered, about what you all have done.  One day, I’d like to meet Chuck Turner too, sounds like a hell of a man and damned good shot.  You’ve all done a truly incredible job under some very difficult and stressful circumstances.”

“From the decision to leave the Armory, to the location you chose, to the integration with the civilian population, everything we’ve been able to gather has been the absolutely exemplary ideal of a United States Soldier.  I am proud to know that I have served with such honorable men and women up to this point and I know you will continue to be such--and Morris, this isn’t a script.  I’m not saying the same thing to everyone.  There’s a whole bank of people here monitoring communications and some folks have stood out.  You people are one of those groups and I want you to know that, and I want you to share that.”

“Now, I need to speak with First Sergeant Jensen.  If you would please get her, I would appreciate it, over,” Colonel Olsen was done and the praise had been sincere.  You could tell when an officer was just blowing sunshine.  He wasn’t finished though.

“Wilco, wait one.  Over.”  Everyone that Mallory had been relying on for her command meetings had started wearing a radio a couple of weeks ago, so now it was a simple matter of calling Top on her radio.

“Alpha Six, this is Papa Two, over.”

“Papa Two, this is Alpha Six, go ahead, over.”  Mallory was a little taken aback as she was usually Mike Six inside the base, and Alpha Six when talking to someone outside the base.

“Six, I have a call for you, please proceed to the communications tent, over.”

“Go ahead and send it to my radio please, over.”  Mallory was on the other side of the base and really didn’t want to head over to the communications tent to deal with a farmer right now.

“Negative, Alpha Six, your presence is required in the communications tent, over.”

“Say again, over.” What was so important that her presence was required in the tent?

“Repeat, the physical presence in the communications tent of ALPHA SIX for a call from someone with a very long call sign is required, over.”

Really?  “Roger, be there in a minute, over.” 

“Papa Two out.”

Less than two minutes later, she was in the tent.  “Who’s on the radio?”

“A Colonel Spencer Olsen.  He called in from higher, duh, obviously, sorry.  They’ve been monitoring communications for a while; he knew who I was by my voice.  He authenticated, he’s on
the
secure channel, not just
a
secure channel.  He authenticated LANCER.  There’s also a data dump that is “Eyes Only” for you.  I haven’t even tried to touch it, much less get into it.  He had a critical message that as of 05:00 ZULU tomorrow morning something called ARCLiTE goes into effect.”

“That and they’re proud of us, specifically us, and we aren’t alone in this.  We’ve done at least as well as everyone else and better than many.  And he’d like to meet Chuck some day, so apparently they were monitoring the feed when he made the world a better place.”  Morris usually didn’t babble and had to clamp his mouth shut.

For Mallory’s part she was doing her best to keep emotion off of her face.  She had no idea what ARCLiTE meant, officially, but ever since boot camp there had been unofficial ARCLIGHTs and none of them had been ‘good’.  “Alright, get me a pair of headphones.  Let’s see what he has to say.”

A few seconds later, Mallory identified herself on the radio.  “This is Alpha Six, go ahead, over.”

“Specialist Morris, is this transmission still being archived?  Over.” Col. Olsen asked.

“Yes, Sir.  Over.”

“Then with all due respect to First Sergeant Jensen, please remove yourself from the ‘net.”  Although it was phrased as a request, it was still an order.  Morris was already reaching for the switch as he glanced towards Top, who nodded to him as she slowly blinked.

“Dismissed, Morris.”

After Morris was disconnected and had left the tent and it was just Mallory and the Colonel, he continued.  “First of all, I assume that Specialist Morris filled you in as much as he could in the very limited time available to him.  Secondly, he probably left you with more questions than answers.  That’s simply in the nature of the situation.”

“Third, I’m going to dispense with some of the protocol, as the link we’ve got established is fully bi-directional and supports you and I arguing at full speed and talking over each other if we want to.  Have you been informed that ARCLiTE will go into effect at 05:00 ZULU tomorrow?”

Mallory waited a second, and realized that this is what the Colonel meant by dispensing with some of the protocol, before answering, “Yes, sir, although I don’t know what that means.”

“In a nutshell, ARCLiTE is Autonomous Regimental Control, Long Term Engagement.  It was initially designed for a situation where either communications were going to be unavailable for an extended period of time or could compromise a unit, up to a Regiment in size, or some sort of short-term catastrophe disrupted centralized command and control.  In this case, it’s a bit of a combination of things.”