Nest Among The Stars

Death - Part 13

It was dark long before he reached the crossroads, the light fading into nothingness along with the sounds of battle. Attired in the 'feldgrau' uniform that had been forced upon all the young men earlier in the day, he passed easily into the ranks of the soldiers he found there. Security was oddly lax given the nearness of their enemies. Other than a cursory glance at the uniform's unit insignia and the double lightening slashes on the collar, no one challenged his approach. He carried with him the rifle he had used with deadly effect only a short while ago, the telescopic sight removed and placed in a side pocket of the tunic.

Four tanks were in place where the roads intersected. The villagers called them by their nickname of 'Tiger'; Michael recognized the imposing grey metal monstrosities as 'Panzerkampfwagen VI's', their textbook designation. Reeking with destructive power, they sat silent in the evening blackness, sparsely covered with camouflage netting.

One tank, with its long thick barrel pointed in the direction of the enemy's anticipated approach, was squarely in the middle of the intersection. Two others flanked it, positioned in the fields on either side, each about twenty meters from the road. They too had their guns fixed on some indefinite point farther down the road. Against any readily determined logic, the fourth behemoth was on the main road twenty meters back of the first tank, the barrel of its gun aimed at nothing. All were exposed to attack from the air without any hope of remaining hidden by the flimsy netting over them. He immediately saw it as an asinine deployment of armor. The Major must either have been supremely confident in the continuance of the low cloud cover, or a fool. Michael knew the latter to be true, for nothing he had witnessed so far marked the man as a tactical genius.

Other than a few disinterested sentries, the soldiers were either huddled in small tents scattered among the trees or dug into shallow trenches along the sides of the road. Two rectangular portable trailers, placed to the side of the road well back of the tanks, offered the most likely location to find the officers. Close to a line of trees at their backs, the trailers were darkened by blackout curtains. One trailer, silent and without any noticeable activity, sprouted a number of antennae from its roof; a clear indication of its use as a command and communications centre. The second trailer, its blackout curtains improperly fastened, allowing thin lines of yellow light to frame the windows, rang with celebratory sounds of laughter and off-key singing. It did not require a leap of faith to reach the conclusion that this would be the most likely place to find the Major.

Hiding in plain sight, the uniform and his mysterious ability to speak the language saved him from drawing any attention. Slinging the rifle across his back he approached several men busy unloading small wooden crates from a truck. Once removed, they were stacking the crates near to the lighted trailer. By offering to render assistance he could bring himself closer to it without raising suspicion.

His presence was not questioned by the other soldiers, who were more than thankful to have the extra pair of hands shortening the task's duration. Careful to ensure he would gain the last crate, Michael took hold of it and, after accepting the parting waves of the other men as they headed for the warmth of their tents, he walked towards the trailer. Placing the crate on a nearby pile, he quickly looked around. Seeing no one else about, Michael hurriedly stepped backwards into the trailer's shadow.

After a few minutes of listening and watching, he was satisfied nothing further was going to be done in the area. Moving past the crates he headed towards the door at the front of the trailer. There were two sentries walking back and forth in no discernible pattern. Cold, they kept in motion only to keep warm with little concern apparent for actually guarding the area. Michael felt no pity in knowing they were about to die fulfilling a duty they had no interest in. Biding his time, he dropped to one knee, pretending to tie a loose boot lace until he saw that the two soldiers were walking in opposite directions to each other, heading toward the corners of the trailer. He quickly stood up, took the slung rifle from his back, and moved for the man nearest him.