10 Phase two - Part three: Touchdown Angola

There was a light knock on the door that had Quintin awake, he looked first at Naomi who laid sleeping next to him, he couldn't get over how beautiful she was, laying completely naked, it almost looked like she was smiling. Quintin closed her up with the blankets and carefully climbed out, got dressed and left the room, outside Cleopatra was waiting for him.

"So?" she asked smiling "How was she?"

Quintin's face went red "I still have no words, she's, gorgeous for a lack of better words"

Cleopatra nodded " I'd like to thank you in advance, Naomi was my little black sheep. She's odd, always following my orders to the book, but never doing anything for her self. You were the first step she ever took to a social life, and thanks to that, she might rank up"

"Rank up?"

"Yes, i wasn't completely honest with you, Devonte might be the strongest male in my pack, but the strongest member next to me is Naomi, and now thanks to you, she will no doubt be the next leader of my pack, when im gone"

"I dont understand? thanks to me? where are you going?"

"As i said before, theres a right way and a wrong way to rank up as a werewolf, the right way is to follow your alpha, socialise on diffrent levels like friendship, comradeship, brother and sisterhood, and then of course love and intercourse. The last bit that will boost your growth is physical training. Now thanks to her love for you she will reach amarok, and i can take a long needed vacation"

"Seriously? a vacation from being a pack leader?"

"Yup, I've been a leader for thousands of years Quintin, i need a break, geez. Why don't you go say goodbye to Naomi, your helicopter will land shortly"

Quintin nodded.

***

Koos allowed his unit to sleep in for the day, their work the previous night was top notch, and he believed in rewarding good work; round of beers last night and long sleep in the morning equals happy and well rested men.

"Ja wat!" Frits loudly said as he sat down next to him, it was already past noon, and Frits just arrived from the field doctor. After Koos handed him a beer and a smoke, they sat in silence for a few seconds, nothing beats a cold beer on a hot day, and Angola was at fifty degrees today.

"So what did the doc say?" Koos asked eventually.

"My eardrums are red, he said i should avoid noise of that capacity for a while, but otherwise, I'll hear just fine"

"Good" Koos grunted smiling "because youre going to want to hear this"

Frits looked at him blankly "You trying to be funny boet?"

"That depends, apparently there's a scientist coming to study those hyenas we shot up last night"

Frits laughed "You're right, that is funny"

'Hes not joking captain " A Sergeant Major said approaching them. Both Koos and Frits stood up saluting him "And you two will devise a small unit to escort him"

"What!? Do we look like fokken babysitters to you!?"

"Orders from above Koos! you will be taking him to the area where you emptied out four kerkorrels, and a dozen G5 rounds! over a million Rand's worth of fokkin artillery on fokkin hyenas!'

" Oh, i see, so this is our punishment? "

"Arent you smart? now, without hurting the Battalion too much, give me names of men you want?"

Koos looked at Frits, then stroked his beard "To tell you the truth sir, i need only one, someone who can drive all the vehicles in this camp"

"You'll be taking a Ratel twenty Koos"

"Only a twenty? What if we run into T55s?"

"You run, you know better than anyone Ratels are quicker than tanks!"

"ok ok S!M! no need to pop a vein!"

"Good! Now in terms of a driver, i have someone for you. His name is Piet Cronjé a Lieutenant from 32 Battalion. About two years ago he was in a battle, standing next to a Ratel when the Ratel tripped a cheese mine, the mine blew the fokkin Ratel onto its roof and sent Piet flying like a ragdoll. The field medic said he couldn't believe he was still alive, better yet in one piece, trouble is, for the past two years the poor man's bomskok was getting to him"

"In what way?" Frits asked.

"He started going bosbefok during battles, and rammed turs like it was a game to him, no jokes when saying this boys, hes got more kills with a Ratel using hit and run, than the Ratel killing using its cannon"

"Hit and runs hey?" Koos asked.

"Yup, luckily whatever 32 Battalion does are usualy smeered closed, so nobody hears of it, but at this point it got out of hand, so 32 Battalion dropped him here, and haven't returned for him since, its been three weeks, poor bloke is bored out of his senses"

"Call him here, I'll take him" Koos said, angered, leaving a man behind like that. The Sergeant nodded leaving, and came back with a bald headed grunt built like a pillar, shorter than Koos, taller than Frits. One could clearly see the scars of the mine on his left arm, up his neck, and on the left side of his face and head. "General, Captain" he saluted.

"Lieutenant, i hear you're bored?"

"Sir yes sir" He bluntly said.

"Good, you can come with me, i have an errand to run, after that you can join my unit"

"But sir, im 32 Battalion"

"Not anymore, you're a part of 1 SAI now, 32 isn't coming back for you" Koos placed his hand on Piet's shoulder "Piet, with your bomskok you need a more relaxed environment, otherwise it will only get worse" halfheartedly Piet nodded.

"If it makes you feel any better Piet, that Ratel 32 dumped here with you, its yours now" Piet's smile returned "Thank you Sergeant"

"And thats two flies with one swat" The Sergeant Major said seeing the Puma helicopter land in the distance "I'll be right back"

Piet elbowed Frits on his arm "Sorry cap, where did you get that beer?"

"Want one Piet?" Koos asked and took a beer out of his cooler.

"Well this day just got much better" Piet said happily taking the beer and cracking it.

"So, you ram turs hey?" Koos continued. Piet nodded drinking.

"Well, were going to need a loose cannon for this one, you won't beleive me if i told you we used artillery on hyenas last night?"

Piet laughed "And here i thought i was crazy?"

"No jokes boet, those were some big fokkin mutts"

"Attention!" The sergeant major said returning with a tall man in jungle cammoflarge "This is Quintin Trueno, he will be the man you'll escort into Angola"

"Oh!? so were babysitters now!?" Piet asked.

"Thats what i said!" Koos bellowed.

"Shutup! nobody asked you to shoot fokkin hyenas wit artillery! now get it done!" The man left mumbling to himself.

"Bliksem, you weren't joking about the hyenas hey Koos?" Piet laughed.

"Nope" Koos replied approaching Quintin "So frikkie... you ready to rumble in the jungle hey?"

Quintin stood watching Koos, although he bulked up quite alot, Koos was bigger and taller than him, he has never met someone higher on his shoulders than himself so far.

"uh, yes?"

"Thats 'Yes sir!' for you boet!"

"Yes sir!" Quintin repeated.

"Good, because take a look around pipsqueak! you're not in the fokkin jungle now! you're in the bushveld!"

Quintin shriveled in then scanned, it was true; tents, vehicles even uniforms, all a coffee shade brown, not even camo printed.

"Captain, will you be so kind to go get this roof some browns, before i get fokkin jungle fever and beat his head like a drum!"

"Be right back" Frits left.

"So, what's so special about these hyenas boet?" Piet asked still laughing at Koos's words. Quintin looked up at Koos, who looked like he got slightly angrier.

"He asked you a Question!"

"I, uh, its, sort of confidential, sir"

"Confidential!? Whats so confidential about hyenas!?" Koos roared, he was so angry he could open fire at his own shadow.

"I'm sorry sir! it just is!" Quintin yelled defending.

Frits came over and shoved a uniform in his arms "Use that tent there" he pointed at Koos's tent. Quintin quickly ducked in, not wanting to be in the scorching stare of Koos for any longer.

"So? did he squeal?" Frits asked.

"Fokker said its confidential"

"Confidential!? whats so confidential about fokkin hyenas!?"

"Thats what i asked him! Anyway, Piet, go get your Ratel, as soon as this frikkie put his browns on, were off, i want this ordeal over asap!"

Quintin was busy tying his boot laces, Ezbar told him not to say anything at all, these men are only there to wound one if possable, so he could get a vail of blood, if they die during this mission, its only collateral damage, many lives will be kept safe if this succeeds. He jumped up and headed out. A large sand brown six by six vehicle with a small cannoned turret on top was waiting outside, it had what seemed like smeers of back paint al over its front and side, almost as of water ran from front to back and rusted the thing in that fashion. When Quintin approached a smell horrid and vile hit him, he gagged.

"Ghurg! what!? what the fuck is that smell!?"

Koos was in the turret hatch "Jump in boet! were going!"

Quintin's insides turned "Uuhalg fuck! its fucking awefull!"

"Jump! i don't have all day!"

Quintin squeezed his nose and hopped im, Frits closed the side hatch and beat it twice "Good to go Piet!" The Ratel rumbled off.

"Head for the east exit Piet, then floor it!" Koos called.

Now with his nose closed, Quintin could taste that smell.

"For fucksakes! hugrg! how can you breath in this!?"

"Hoi! don't kots in here frikkie!" Frits yelled.

"hmm... hmm... hmmhhu!" Quintin almost hurled.

"Fok! if you kots here! I'll beat the fokkin crap out of you!" Frits yelled again.

Koos and Piet was laughing "You think thats paint this thing is covered in boet!?" Koos called down.

"Its not paint!?"

"Nope"

"Fuck, is that where the smell is comming from!?"

"Yup"

"Shit! its, its rotten!, like, a skunk pissed on rotten eggs, then, fucking ate it, then puked it out! what is it!?"

"Thats the smell of death boet"

"Death!? death doesn't have a smell!"

"You sure? ever smelled a rotting carcass before?"

Thats it! that smell! thats the name he was looking for! he once smelled a road killed dog that had that same scent, its then that it all made sence to him, that black paint, it wasnt paint, it was... "Blood!?"

"Bullseye!" Koos said.

"What the fuck!? why do you paint this thing with blood?"

"We didn't, Our driver here is very fond of ramming shit"

"Ramming!? what like cows? and sheep?"

"Turs!" Piet called back.

"Turs?"

"Yes! turs, terrorists, insurgents, the enemy!"

"Thats... insane! thats inhumane! you can't run people over! thats... that's..."

"War... that's war boet" Koos helped him.

"Fuck that! shooting at those shooting at you, thats war, not running them over, and carrying their blood on this thing like war paint!"

Koos jumped off the turret seat and grabbed him by his collar "Listen here boet! Understand one thing! we dont hate them, no feeling of animosity, were soldiers thats all, soldiers just as they are! We fight because we are ordered to, just as they are ordered to! Now! do you want to know what they do to us!? huh!!" Koos screamed, lifting Quintin off his seat "They take antiaircraft guns, level them to the ground, then fire at us with it, have you seen what an antiaircraft gun does, to a fokkin Ratel like this!? huh!? It tares through this fokkin thing like butter!" Koos was still screaming, he threw Quintin down in his chair "This is a Infantry fighting vehicle, it carries twelve troops, all dead if that thing opens up on us...! so tell me again Quintin... What's humane? running men over? or killing them with cannons meant to take down aircraft?"

Quintin was speechless. Koos climbed back onto his turret seat.

"Exactly, nothing is humane in war, no matter how you die in war, it was due to the war that you died, if you didn't come to war, you wouldnt have died" he mumbled opening another beer. Quintin realised, just as his struggle on the streets was harsh, these men had it worse, at least he didn't get shot at before. And now Koos said, they don't hate the enemy? they're only soldiers, just as the enemy are only soldiers.

"Im sorry sir, i was out of place"

"No need to apologize frikkie, just don't assume everything is what it seems, never, look at a situation and judge it without knowing the whole truth, never"

Quintin felt ashamed, but this Ratel must have killed alot of men to smell this bad.

"With all due respect sir, why not wash this thing then, instead you carry the blood on it around like a bad reminder of the aftermath of war?"

Koos shrugged "Ask our driver"

Quintin looked at Piet, who also shrugged. "Why wash it when it just kept drawing more blood, heck, there are some intestines stuck in the wheel arched, thats the sour smell you're smelling"

Quintin gagged again, making the three men laugh.

"Please can whe wash this thing!? ill even help! i swear!"

"Why boet? were going after hyenas, nothing draws hyenas like the smell of rotten flesh" Koos chuckled.

Quintin's shrill found him again, werehyenas bite through steel, they're not safe in this thing! its basically a food tray, on wheels! and he's going to be food!

"Uh, um..." he remembered that small cannon on the top of this thing "What type of gun does this thing have?"

"A twenty millimeter auto cannon"

"Auto cannon?"

"Yup, fires three hundred rounds a minute"

"What type of ammo?"

Koos reached into the chain belt magazines of the cannon and took a round out, it was about three times larger than your average carrot, it didn't give Quintin much hope "Its small'ish"

"You ever see a balloon burst boet?"

"Yeah?"

"That's what happens if you shoot a hyena with this, pop, over and out, its fires a high explosive tip, so it makes a big mess, trust me" Koos said and reloaded the round. Quintin sighed, that settled him more, there might stil be hope.

"Speaking of which, you know when you go to the toilet right?" Koos asked lighting a cigarette

"uh, yes?"

"You lock the door, and sit down to take a dump?"

"yes?"

"Technically speaking, that's you, being confidential about your business right? locked door n all?"

"Yes, i guess so?"

"Know this frikkie! eventually i will smell that shit, then I'll know you're taking a dump, and not maybe jerking off or something, the truth will come out..." he leaned over to Quintin "Still want to keep this confidential? maybe tell us now and avoid us finding out for our selves?"

Quintin looked at Koos, then dropped his gaze.

"Im sorry sir, i wish i could"

"Arriving at the coordinates General" Piet called from the front.