1240 hours Command Tent, Babanango Base
"What do they mean, 'It's the army's responsibility!" Rogers roared at Kann. "Those bloody morons at Intell are the ones who let the prisoners go free! I'm gonna head over there right now and..."
"Sir, should we halt the assault?" Kann interrupted.
Rogers stood and thought for a moment. His face seemed to becoming redder and redder with each passing second. "The assault force has already engaged the enemy so advise the officers by radio of the situation and let them decide how to react. Tell them they are not to take any prisoners. Kill all the Zulus in the area."
Kann took his radio off his belt and pressed the transmission button, "All units of Operation Anthill, this is Charlie 85. Be advised that Firebreathing Gerbil is reported to be in your area. Repeat, Firebreathing Gerbil is reported to be in your area. Conduct your operations accordingly. Command has authorized freedom of action and ordered full extermination of insurgents. No prisoners are to be taken."
1242 hours Mfule River Valley
Chris replaced his radio to his belt. In a panic, he missed the belt several times with the radio clip as the fire up ahead reached a crescendo.
How could Thandi be here now? He wondered deriliously if he would die here in this forest today.
An explosion several meters away snapped him back to attention. Body parts of his soldiers flew through the air. The air around him was filled with the sound of bullets splitting the air and the soft 'thwup' sounds of them impacting on soft tissue. Confusion ruled the day. The confusion and panic spread through the men, fueled by seeing their comrades fall in droves to the unseen enemy. They sprayed automatic fire into the surrounding forest, not knowing who or what they were shooting at. As explosions and bullets tore through their ranks, Chris tried to steady his mind and see where the fire was coming from.
Just then an automatic shotgun nearby opened up, cutting down those nearest the shooter in heaps. Hysteria climaxed and the soldiers then began to target each other hoping to hit whoever was trying to kill them.
"Stop! Don't fall for it!" Chris cried out but couldn't possibly be heard over the din of gunfire. Losing control over his own fear, he crouched down and ran as fast as he could for the forest and away from the madness. Some of the men followed him and bullets narrowly missed him from behind. As he made it away from the main body of troops the soldiers following him were dropped by a barrage of automatic fire coming from the forest infront of him.
The rebels must be attacking in a pincer!
Knowing he had only the tiniest chance of surviving, Chris ran on crashing through the brush. Twigs, branches and brush clawed away at him cutting his skin and tearing his uniform. He held his arms over his face and charged through. On the way he saw a dead rebel who must have been hit by the troopers' wild fire.
After several minutes his collapsed exhausted beside his jeep. It was then that he realized none of the men who had followed him had survived. His chest heaved trying to catch up on all the oxygen he had depleted in his dash to escape. His hands shook as he got into the jeep and started it. His adrenaline gradually eased off and he started to feel deeply relieved at having survived that incredible barrage. Although he bled from scores of scrapes and cuts, he had not been hit by any stray bullets.
1515 hours Babanango Base North Gate
"Nice night for a walk." said the guard.
"Washday tomorrow right? Nothing clean." Chris answered the security check. "I need immediate clearance to the command tent."
"Sir you may proceed for immediate debriefing at the command tent. You may also require a trip to the field hospital sir."
Chris didn't reply and accelerated through the base and up to the command tent. The base was a ghost town with the whole division attending the assault. He slammed on the brakes infront of the command tent and a thick cloud of dust preceeded him.
Inside the tent, Colonel Rogers sat at his desk listening to the radio with a morbid, sad look on his rugged face. Kann was standing infront of him.
"Colonel..." started Chris.
"You deserted your men, didn't you? You snivelling coward." snarled Roger.
"Sir things were confusing and everyone was shooting in all directions.." stuttered Chris.
"Your job is to manage your men, not run from them. You do know what we do with cowards in the British armed forces." Rogers said with that grim, serious expression Chris was so used to seeing.
Kann looked at Chris and said with a smile, "Sir shall we have him doused in gasoline and set ablaze?"
"Nah, we're already desperately short on petrol. Round up a couple of armoured personel carriers, chain his arms and legs to them and have them drive in opposite directions. It'll be good for the men to see it."
"Ah, sir. All the APC's are still in Mfule Valley." answered Kann. "But I noticed there are a particularly weak-looking bunch of skinnies holding the block in the incentive grounds today."
"Okay then. I just want to have a word with him first. Chris, I need you tell me exactly what you saw in Mfule. Did you see Thandi?"
Chris wondered for a moment why he should bother answering since he was doomed to by squashed under a block of blood-stained cement like a common cockroach. But he answered anyways, "My unit was too far back to see the front where it all started. It's quite possible they took prisoners before the radio alert came in and Thandi could have been one of them."
"You made sure you were well in the rear so you could make a quick exit. Correct me if I'm wrong." said Rogers.
"Didn't you want to have a look at sweet little Thandi?" smirked Kann.
Chris couldn't even see Roger's hand move before the deafening boom of his desert eagle made every muscle in his body jerk in surprised reaction. Kann clutched his stomach and dropped to the floor gagging and choking from the gutshot. His convulsing face looked up at Rogers and his mouth opened and closed as if trying to ask, "Why?"
Chris started to shake again as he looked back at Rogers having just witnessed him shoot his closest officer in cold blood.
"Second Lieutenant Chris Maxim, you have interfered with my operations one too many times. When you set those prisoners free at Mengani you set back our whole plan by a week and almost compromised it. If you had succeeded in calling in a forensics team and exposed what actually happened you'd already have been greeted by Mr. Desert Eagle here."
Plan? Exposed what actually happened? "Sir what do you mean by 'exposed...'"
"I am the Devil of Nkwalini, the sword of hope for the Zulu people." answered Rogers. All the anger had dissipated from him and only the sadness remained.
A thousand questions all went through Chris's mind at the same time. "But what about Thandi? I thought she was the devil?"
"She was just a pawn in a big game of chess being played between the defense minister Garry Oleham and myself." Rogers took the clip out of his pistol and loaded a new round into it to replace the one spent.
"But I saw her hypnotise the soldier.."
"Staged. Intell, Thandi and the soldier had practiced for many hours in a secret hut in Mfule Valley when they were off-duty. They had to be convincing so McMann would pass word on to Garry and propogate the myth of hypnotism. Thandi knew no more about hypnotism than you or I."
Chris listened on in shocked silence. Roger continued, "When I first arrived in Zululand, fresh from the European front, I was a British man. I lived for the army and only cared about what my superiors told me. A few weeks after being posted here, I was on a safari while off-duty and came upon a Zulu woman out collecting ubhonisi which you know are sugar beans. I had studied the same Zulu cultural courses as you did at military college so I was able to speak with her to a limited degree. Being a country dweller she had not learned to speak english so I took advantage of the opportunity to practice swahili. She told me of how the British were denying them their desire to live in their traditional way in harmony with nature. They were a peaceful people who wanted to be friends with the English who had come to Zululand. Her husband had been forced to join the rebels and she had gotten word that he died fighting the English."
"She took me to her small village and I met the other villagers. I was lucky there were no rebels present that day or we would not be having this conversation now. From that day on I made a habit of visiting her on my days off and we became close. I came to see how the British mandate in Zululand was just the explotation of a peace-loving people and I could no longer tolerate the way we treated them."
Chris asked, "But what about this dam and the incentive grounds? How could you..."
"It's all the work of Garry Oleham. He ordered everything you see here. I just manage it. For me it's a front to cover up my true intentions."
"Which are?" asked Chris.
"The total annihilation of the British occupation forces of Zululand." answered Rogers. "The slaughter of British troops until now were entirely orchestrated by myself. I enlisted people who shared my viewpoints and I carefully selected those I could trust most. The massacres were carried out as follows: when the platoons were planning to gather in a wooded area I alerted Thandi who passed word onto the rebels. Thandi herself would go to the area in advance. Rebels operating from prepared underground hideouts surrounded the area after the troops assembled."
"But how did you make them shoot each other?"
"French infiltrators whose friends and family had been killed by the English were smuggled from Europe. I armed them with auto-shotguns and fletchette ammo. They joined the platoons the very day of the ambushes and opened fire on those around them just after the rebels sprang the ambush. In the crossfire, the British troops were lost in confusion and opened up on each other. Few of the french volunteers survived but they cost the British dear."
Rogers went on, "Garry Oleham is now dead. He was due in today for a visit to Zululand to meet with McMann. Rebels alerted to his incoming transport were in place to hit him with stinger missiles."
"But they don't have weapons like that." said Chris.
"Remember the transport ships that were pirated in the Red Sea? I had them filled with everything the rebels would need and then gave the raiders interception coordinates."
"So why did you shoot Kann just now? Why not keep it all covered up?" Chris looked down at Kann who was almost dead.
Rogers looked sad again and looking at his desktop said, "Thandi and I were close. Very close if you know what I mean. Kann's secret order to have the prisoner convoy ambushed, killed Thandi and her daughter. When he mentioned her just now I couldn't help but shoot him."
"What? Thandi is dead? What ambush?" asked Chris.
"Kann had an ambush set up hoping to get another promotion, and after the prisoners had all been killed he ordered the trucks blown up with plastique to try and make it look like a rebel attack. Zulu informants far and wide heard the resounding detonations and saw 2 British APC's leave the area just after. They alerted me and I had the soldiers in those APC's hauled down to Intell for interrogation. They gave in quickly when promised immunity if they pointed the finger at who had ordered the ambush. You see, Zululand Intelligence has never hurt a prisoner. They only offer the carrot, not the stick. They are good people down there. "
"Chris, the British forces in Zululand are doomed. In a few days, the rebels, using the weapons captured at Mfule today, will overrun the garrison in Zimbabwe. They cannot hold with the Babanango division destroyed. And you can be assured they'll be having their own little game of 'watch the englishmen try to hold the cement block over their comrades while Zulus jump up on down on the block.' This base will be taken anytime now. The rebels don't know I was helping them. I gave all my orders through Thandi so no Zulus would blow my cover with rumors or a careless remark at the wrong time."
"Today I tried to save your life by asking you to stay back from the assault. I wanted to give you this." Rogers opened a drawer on his desk and took out a document. He handed it to Chris. "This is a transfer order for you to go to Europe. It cites my misgivings about you but that's just to cover up the truth. Europe'll be far safer than Zululand for you. You're a good man and I'd hate to see you die. The mercy you showed the Zulu people at Mengani did not go unnoticed and Thandi made sure all the people knew of you. I even passed on your picture from your file to her. That is why you survived today. The rebels intentionally avoided harming you. Now I ask that you spare my life and smuggle me out of here before the rebels get here."
"Ah....alright, alright." Chris's voice wavered with nervousness. "I'll get a jeep and a duffle bag to..."
Just then sounds of rapidly approaching vehicles cut short the conversation. Chris looked out the tent door and could see a jeep filled with 5 Zulu rebels and a browning calibre 50 swaying on its suspension. He saw they were not the usual 'skinnies' but were the muscular iziCwa elite who did nothing but train in the art of warfare. The were showcases of modern infantry weaponry with all kinds of arms strapped onto their webbing. The five warriors made their way into the tent, swaggering with confidence.
"Time's up for you Jolly Rogers." The leader looked at Rogers with cruel eyes and a pitiless grin. Another spat on Kann, still agonizing on the floor in his struggle with death.
"He's not what you think. He's a good man who helped the Zulus in secret." pleaded Chris.
The leader said, "We got ourselves here da most wanted man in Zululand." He turned to Chris and said, "It looks like he's been lying to ya. Thandi wanted to hypnotise him more than anybody else. Boya, ya better get yur skinny white ass outta here 'cause ole Jolly Rogers here's gonna dance to da rhythm of lead. That is, unless ya wanna join in da fun, huh?"
Rogers said, "Chris, you get yourself down to Zimbabwe and submit that transfer request. You'll be alright if you do that." Chris was about to protest again when Rogers cut him off. "Go now!"
Chris walked out of the tent with a feeling of intense sadness and confusion.
Was Rogers the devil or not?
An explosion of gunfire erupted within the tent. One long burst of machinegun fire continued on after the initial outburst. Chris stopped and slowly went back to peek in the tent door. One of the rebels was standing over the almost unrecognizable remains of Rogers and another rebel was nursing their leader lying on the floor with blood pouring out of a chest wound. Two more rebels lay dead on the floor with holes in their foreheads, apparently victims of Roger's desert eagle.
Chris did not think it was possible to feel so sad for someone like Rogers as he drove on to Zimbabwe with a large container of gasoline in the back.
He went on to get his transfer to Europe. He was an admired officer who was popular with the men because he cared about them. Zululand became independent after the route of the army. Few there escaped their retribution. The war in Europe eventually ended and Chris returned to England to become a builder. He never mentioned to anyone what had passed in the command tent that fateful day.
But not a day passed that he didn't wonder, "Was Colonel Rogers the saviour of the Zulus or a masterful teller of lies?"
This is the storage hut where Thandi put her sugar beans.
