The Reinvention Of Rudd Carter. A Western Action Adventure Novel (11 page)

Macao was at the opposite end of the economic scale from Hong Kong. Where the British had brought affluence to Hong Kong, the Portuguese had left Macao in squalor, like most of China at the time.

Arriving at the China Sea Saloon at eight o’clock, Rudd and Sui Yen entered a large, noisy bar through two swinging doors. There were sailors of all nationalities, pimps, prostitutes of various price levels, and an assortment of low-life characters and opportunists, all congregated under one roof to display their wares and sell to any takers.

Although it had not been their intention to be conspicuous in English business suits, they were more so in their fighting attire: one Anglo Saxon man, standing six-foot-three and powerfully built, and one Asian man, five-foot-ten and equally muscular, both of them dressed in black cotton pants, white tunics, and sandals.

Standing just inside the entrance to allow their eyes to adjust to the light, they were approached by a waiter who led them across the room to a table occupied by three men, one Englishman and two Asian men of middle age. The Englishman stood, shook hands with Sui Yen and introduced himself to Rudd as Colonel Jeffers. He then introduced Rudd and Sui Yen to his two companions, Mr. Chung and Mr. Wong.

After being seated, the colonel addressed Rudd. “Mr. Carter, we’ve been hearing a lot about your fighting skills from Sui Yen and, of course, the local press has been reporting your tournament successes. Now that I’ve met you in person and see how powerfully built you are, it is easy to understand why you have become a local champion.”

“Colonel, I’m flattered by your kind remarks,” Rudd said. “How can I be of service?”

Turning to Sui Yen, the colonel asked, “Will you be kind enough to interpret for our two Chinese friends?”

Sui Yen nodded. “I’ll be glad to, Colonel.”

“About two years ago,” the colonel began, fixing his eyes on Rudd, “right after my retirement, the local British and Chinese authorities asked me to form a covert military organization designed to run secret raids against pirate strongholds along the South China and Indochina coast. For centuries, Southeastern China and Indochina have depended on trade out of Hong Kong. In the last few years, the pirate raids on small private merchant vessels, such as sailing junks, has all but stopped trade. Military escorts proved too expensive, and the feeling was that the only way to deal with the problem was to attack the pirate strongholds with military force and wipe them out. Last year, we attacked five major pirate bases with very positive results. The raids against private merchant boats have slowed down considerably.”

Rudd glanced back and forth between Sui Yen and the colonel. “How many casualties did you have in those five raids, Colonel?”

“In five raids, we had one killed and five wounded. One seriously. The raids, conducted under cover of darkness, gave us the advantage of total surprise. We completely wiped out their camps down to the last man.”

“Colonel, may I ask how much I can expect to earn as a mercenary with your organization?” asked Rudd.

“The pay is by the day, per excursion.”

“How long is the average excursion?”

“About two weeks, give or take a day or two. Are you interested?”

“What are you offering?”

The colonel laughed. “Very good, Mr. Carter. What do you want?”

“Three times what I make per day at the bank, which is about five thousand pounds a year. It ought to be easy to pro-rate that by the day.”

“Done. We train on Saturdays at half-pay. Are you all right with that?”

“You can count me in, sir,” Rudd said without hesitation. “Please keep me informed as to where and when the training will be.”

“Sui Yen will keep you informed about everything,” replied the colonel.

Rudd glanced at Sui Yen and asked in Mandarin Chinese, “Shall we go?”

Sui Yen nodded. They stood, shook hands with the Colonel and his companions, and started for the exit. Just then, four drunken Russian sailors apparently decided to have some fun by blocking their exit.

“Pardon me,” Rudd said to the Russian standing in front of him. “You’re in my way.”

The Russian laughed and pushed at him as if to drive him back from the door, but when the sailor’s hand came at Rudd’s chest, he sidestepped, seized the Russian’s wrist, and snapped it back so hard that the sailor’s head hit the doorjamb with a loud bang, knocking him out. Rudd kicked the swinging door open, pushed the unconscious man out into the street, and turned his attention to the next sailor barring his way. In the meantime, Sui Yen caught the man standing in his way with a well-placed kick to the solar plexus that dropped him instantly. Too drunk to have sense enough to run, the two remaining sailors stood their ground and flailed out with their fists, only to get kicked through the doors out into the street. The crowd in the bar was so impressed with the exhibition that they broke into spontaneous applause. Colonel Jeffers and his two Chinese friends were on their feet applauding and cheering. Rudd and Sui Yen bowed to the room and walked out to disappear into the night.

All in all, it was a successful interview.

Rudd began his training with Colonel Jeffers’ group. Being aware that the colonel was always close by watching, he made it a point to be sure that the colonel would be impressed with his physical agility and ability to learn quickly. At ease with all manner of firearms, he was fascinated with the new machine guns and their tactical use. Semi-automatic weapons were just beginning to make an appearance and would have a lasting effect on how he would deploy an infantry platoon in future combat.

Coming in from the training field one day, the colonel addressed Rudd. “Mr. Carter, I’ve been watching you for the last few weeks, and I want you to know that I’m very impressed with what you have shown us. So impressed, that I want to invite you to join us on our next raid. I think you will be a great asset.”

“Colonel Jeffers, coming from you, I’m greatly honored.” Excited by the colonel’s remarks, he said, “I’ve been waiting for this day. Thank you, sir.”

“I think you have what it takes to be a leader,” the colonel replied. “Some of the men and I have been talking and agree that after you get a few raids under your belt, we should promote you to squad leader.”

“Is there a raid coming up soon, sir?”

“Yes, there is, within a couple of weeks. We’re going to have a meeting about it this afternoon. I’ll relay all the information to you after the meeting.”

Rudd was excited. At last, he would see action. Eight weeks of training, and now he would have the chance to show his comrades what he could do. He knew he would be all right in a firefight.
But how will it feel to slit someone’s throat and not feel guilt or regret later on? They taught me how to do it, but not how to feel about it.
That facet of his training bothered him right up to the moment he stepped onto the gangplank of the departing ship two weeks later.

After dark on Saturday, Rudd and 50 other men boarded a small steamship that carried them to some tiny islands off the South China coast, reported to be a base for several hundred pirates. Rudd did not tell Ming Li about the nature of the trip, explaining he would be away for two weeks on a business trip. If she needed anything, all she had to do was contact Sui Yen, and he would take care of it.

It took three days to sail to their destination. Anchoring off shore, Colonel Jeffers called for an orientation meeting before the first shore boats were dropped in the water.

“The pirates of this region have had their way with the small merchant vessels they have been waylaying, encountering little or no resistance. These pirates are merciless. Boarding small vessels, they kill the men and boys, rape the women and girls, killing them afterwards and throwing the small children and babies overboard. There are four camps that we have come here to destroy. Show no mercy. Take no prisoners unless it’s for interrogation.” The colonel spoke slowly and confidently, measuring his words. “We have the element of surprise with us, so this should not be a difficult mission. Now, go in there and show them what we’re made of.”

The men rowed onto the beach and waited while a scouting party reconnoitered the situation ahead. After the scouts returned, they planned their attack. Divided into five ten-man squads, the 50 men moved to their first target. They infiltrated the target at night under cover of darkness with knives, crossbows, and piano wire. Firearms were to be used only as a last resort.

The attack on the first camp started at midnight. Rudd’s squad went in early to take out the standing guards. This would be his baptism by fire. He found a sentry with a rifle slung over his shoulder, lazily standing by the corner of a building. Sneaking up behind him, he reached around, grabbed the sentry’s mouth with his left hand, and simultaneously drove his knife up under the ribcage, piercing his heart. Holding the man until he was sure he was dead, he released his grip and let him fall to the ground. Creeping up on another sentry, the unlucky pirate unexpectedly turned towards him to receive Rudd’s knife through the throat.

The 70 or 80 pirates in the camp were unaware they were under attack until it was too late. Taking great pains to keep their victims from calling out or screaming, the raiders moved quickly and stealthily through the shacks where the pirates slept, leaving no one alive. When it was over, Rudd was surprised at how smoothly the assault had gone. From start to finish, only a few minutes had elapsed. Feeling no guilt for the two lives he had just taken, he looked forward to the next raid.

Marching back to the ship and sleeping until almost daybreak, they got under way early in order to seek out a safe place to land their boats for the next night’s raid. Excited and thrilled by the action of the night before, Rudd thought of how easy it had been to slit two pirate’s throats without conscience, because he knew of their cruelty and unmerciful ruthlessness to their victims. No shots were fired, and none of his group had been injured. He looked forward to the next night’s raid. Not only did he seem to have an aptitude for this work, he found it to his liking.

Steaming to the island of their next raid, a man dropped into the seat next to him and asked with a German accent, “So, how do you like being a soldier of fortune?”

Turning, he saw a young man, roughly his own age, about the same build and coloring, smiling at him. “So far I think this is what I’m cut out to do.” He held out his hand. “I’m Rudd Carter.”

“I know who you are,” the man responded. “We all know who you are. We’ve been watching you since the first day you came to camp. Everybody is very impressed with how quickly you’ve advanced with your training and the way you handled yourself last night. First rate. You were born to it.” Shaking Rudd’s hand, he said, “I’m Günter Schmidt. I’m looking forward to working alongside you again tonight.”

“Where do you hail from, Günter?”

“Berlin. Can’t you tell?” he said, laughing. “Where are you from?”

“From Hong Kong, but I was born in England.”

“An Englisher… I like that. We were all betting you were an Aussie.”

“Good, I’ve worked hard at dropping that stuffy English accent.”

“You’ve succeeded,” Günter said, as he got up to leave. “I’ll see you later.”

The ship dropped anchor and lowered the shore boats into the water in preparation for landing. The First Sergeant came to where Rudd sat and gave him a pat on the back. “Nice work last night, son. Would you be up for going with the scouting party today? Günter is the lead man and told me he’d like to have you along. What do you say?”

“I’d like that, Sergeant,” he answered without hesitation. “Thank you for considering me.” Rudd stood up and approached Günter. “I appreciate you asking for me. I’ll try not to get in the way.”

“Englisher, after what you showed us last night, I’m positive that you can only be an asset. You’re quicker and smarter than anyone here, except me, of course.” He snickered. “I want you on all of my scouting parties from now on. I think you’ll like it… besides it pays more.” The German flashed a big grin. “We’re going to board our shore boats in fifteen minutes. Bring a carbine, your favorite knife, and a pistol. Some of the men will also have crossbows, just in case we run into some unexpected problems. Who knows,” he said, suddenly lifting his lips into a sneer, “we might have some fun out there today.”

Thirty minutes later, they stood on the shore, ready to start toward the next target.

“Englisher,” Günter called out, “stay next to me all day, and I promise you’ll learn something.”

He then selected one of the men to be the point man, to walk fifty yards out in front of the main scouting party and give advance warning so that the rest of them wouldn’t walk into an unwelcome surprise. As they proceeded, the foliage got denser, and in response, Günter sent a man out on each flank. He didn’t expect any trouble but wanted to err on the side of caution. Rudd noted that Günter, being very experienced and sure of himself, had the respect of his men who obeyed his orders without question.

They respect him because he is a professional. He has proven himself time and again under fire with the men. They work as a team with him, not under him.

After moving through thick underbrush for an hour, they came to a large clearing. At the far end of the clearing, they could see eight huts with a few men moving about. They counted 20 men in and around the complex; no sentinels could be seen anywhere.

Turning to Rudd, Günter shrugged. “I guess they’re not expecting anyone. Why should they? No one has ever come after them before.” Chuckling, he said, “And when we’re finished with all four camps, there isn’t going to be anyone left here to come after again.” He gave Rudd another of his sly-but-dark smiles.

“What’s to prevent other pirates from moving into these camps and starting up all over again?” Rudd asked.

“Pay attention the next two or three days and you’ll see.”

Without warning, two Asian men stepped out of the trees into the clearing about 50 yards from where Rudd and the others lay in the brush. The Asians were quickly brought down by arrows. Rudd and Günter watched as one of the raiders stealthily crawled to the two downed men, slit their throats, and tied lines around their feet. Then he crawled back into the trees and slowly dragged their bodies out of the clearing. Horizontal on the ground in silence for ten minutes, they watched for any indication from the camp that they had been spotted. Günter whispered to Rudd, “It’s always about surprise. Learning everything about your enemy and not letting them know anything about you.”