Part One: Memories and Siblings

Disclaimer: Same as before…

Kaffer - Offensive Afrikaner slang for a black person.

Somewhere on the Veldt
North of Pretoria, South Africa
Nace, Tiny, Zaf and Nyathi
11 April 2004, 0615

"Wooo-uuuppp...wooo-uuupp…"

The sound echoed across the veldt and Nace tightened his grip on his rifle as his troop waited at the RV point for the Casspir armored vehicles that would take them back to base.

"What's that?" Zaf asked.

"Impisi," Nace replied and at Zaf's quizzical look he added, "Spotted hyena. Scavengers mostly."

"What do you mean mostly?" Zaf asked.

Nace raised his hand, gesturing for Zaf to be quiet as they held a perimeter near a road junction. The sound of rustling in a nearby bush catching his attention.

"Halt!" Nyathi shouted, aiming his weapon at the movement.

"Good security," Neuland said as he stepped from out of the bushes.

"Sorry sir!" Nyathi quickly replied, lowering his rifle.

"No need to apologize." Neuland raised his left hand, his right remaining on the pistol grip of his R5 carbine, "You're keeping good security. The Sergeant Major and I have been seeing that trend."

"Look around for the Smadge," Tiny whispered to Zaf.

"Good advice," Neuland said as he walked past them, walking over to confer with Munro.

"Right, Munro, your lads are maintaining good security and noise discipline. Their counter tracking skills could use some work…" Neuland began as he spoke to Munro.

Nace saw Zaf turning his head so he could overhear. He tossed a pebble at Zaf, "Oi, knock off the earwig. Eyes forward. See if you can't find where the Smadge is lurking."

Zaf silently nodded, with a sheepish expression on his face. The troop scanned the perimeter, looking for any sign of Mholongo. Nace scanned the brush in front of him, his gaze moving slowly, taking in the long grass, the brush, and a couple large rocks.

The rocks are too obvious a hiding place. The bushes might be a bit more promising...Nace thought as he scanned the area. The Smadge and the Colonel are veterans of multiple small team operations. The sort of blokes who'd sneak behind enemy lines, pinpointing positions for our artillery and aircraft to sort out...experts at camouflage.

There was that clump just to the left of that stand of acacia trees. Bloody termite mound. Nace thought. Wait. Movement…

That movement became quite obvious as Nace saw a human silhouette rise from the ground. The Smadge had been lying still, beside the termite mound. He walked over to the perimeter before walking over to talk to Prinsloo.

Nace could hear the sound of engines approaching and saw the tall, narrow, silhouettes of several Casspir armored vehicles approaching their position. The troop climbed aboard the personnel carriers.

As the vehicles bounced along the terrain of the veldt Nyathi turned to Nace, "Oi, Sergeant?"

"Yeah," Nace said, turning to face Nyathi.

"What's the deal with the impisi?"

"They got rather bold during the war. If you couldn't get the wounded in time…" Nace began.

Mozambique/Rhodesia Border
Northeast of Salisbury, Rhodesia
Nace, Dinger, and Baz
22 October 1996, 1344

"Looks like you got him, Bilby," Baz said as he looked at the pool of blood and the indentation in the long grass.

"Dark blood too," Dinger remarked as he cradled the RPD light machinegun, "Gutshot."

Stomach wound. It can take days to die from those. Nace thought as he held his telescope sighted FN-FAL rifle in his hands. Hope his mates sorted him out with a shot of morphine, if they had any.

"Looks like he had some mates with him that dragged him off," Sergeant Colin Frith, Rhodesian SAS, remarked as he indicated the flattening in the grass.

All Nace had seen after parachuting into the area where the terrs had been spotted was a lone figure that had popped out from behind a rock, firing an AK-47. Nace had snapped off a shot in that direction, one of several he'd fired during that contact. And the only shot he wasn't sure had hit its target.

"Right," Lieutenant Henry Tresckow, the patrol leader, said, "Let's see if we can't find this bloke. If he's still alive he could give us some intelligence on his mates."

The team moved through thick brush and high grass. There was another pool of blood at the base of an acacia tree.

"Fucking outrageous," Dinger remarked, as he pointed at a pair of footprints in the soft soil beside the tree, "They dragged their mate away from the contact and when he got too heavy after a kilometer or so they left him be."

"Perhaps they went to sort him out later," Nace replied.

"Hah!" Baz sourly laughed as he adjusted the grip on his AK-47. "More like they left him here."

Nace looked to the right of the tree, seeing the trail of blood and drag marks in the soil. As he moved several meters into the brush he parted a branch only to recoil at the sight of a young man barely out of his teens and half eaten.

"Looks like hyenas got him," Frith remarked from over Nace's right shoulder.

"Buggers even ate through his webbing," Dinger said as he crouched down, looking at pieces of the ZANLA man's ammo belt lying on the ground.

"Something that has jaws that can crush bone isn't going to be bothered by thick nylon webbing," Nace commented, face ashen.

"They left him with his weapon," Baz remarked, picking up the man's AK-47 which was lying a meter away.

"He used it too," Dinger said, pointing to several 7.62mm brass casings lying near the corpse.

The AK's wooden handguards were chewed through, and the pistol grip was covered with blood. Baz held up the rifle. "Lot of good that did him."

"Well, you answered your question." Lance Corporal Erich Spyde, one of the other snipers, walked over to Nace, "You got the bloke."

"Wasn't a clean kill," Nace replied.

"You got the bloke anyway." Spyde prodded the corpse with the barrel of his telescope sighted FN-FAL as he wrinkled his nose at the stench of early decay, "What does it matter if a bullet or a pride of hyenas finished him off?"

"A sniper should make a clean kill. Don't make a bloke suffer more than necessary." Nace replied.

"Pfah!" Spyde replied, "He's just another kaffer."

"Major Konig's lessons clearly failed to sink in." Nace pinched his nose as the odor of decay wafted through the air.

"Meh, he's a bloody old windbag." Spyde crouched down, rooting through the dead man's pockets and magazine pouches.

"Prick." Nace grumbled.

Spyde stood up and faced Nace with an angry expression. "You want to have go at me, Bilby."

"Gladly, wanker!" Nace replied preparing to strike Spyde with the muzzle of his rifle if he had to.

"Oi! Wind your necks in before I sort you both out!" Sergeant Prinsloo said as he thrust a hand between the two soldiers.

Dequar Road Base
Pretoria, South Africa
Nace, Zaf, Tiny, and Nyathi
11 April 2004, 1707

"Hyenas really ate the wounded guy?" Zaf hefted the barrel of the Vektor SS-77 light machinegun he was cleaning.

Nace nodded as he took the barrel from Zaf and seated it into the SS-77. "If you couldn't sort out a wounded bloke soon enough, the hyenas would get him. They got especially bold as the war progressed."

"I thought hyenas were wary of man." Zaf pulled the charging handle of the SS-77 to the rear and squeezed the trigger to do a functions check of the weapon.

"Well, lets not forget as late as the 1970s it was the comforting tradition of some tribes to drag their dead and dying into the bush and let the hyenas get to them." Nace replied.

"So what happened to Spyde?" Nyathi asked, looking up from cleaning his own rifle.

"After Apartheid ended he chose to leave the South African military," Nace replied, "Honestly a lot of us were glad to see him go."

"What are terrs, again, boss?" Nyathi asked.

"Terrs, that's Rhodesian Army slang for terrorist," Nace replied, "We adopted it in the South African Army as well after near three decades of working with the Rhodesians."

Presently the men finished cleaning their weapons and packed their gear away. After changing into civilian clothes they stepped out of the building and towards the parking lot.

"Oi, Bilby!" Dinger said, "Don't think you've gotten out of telling us about the naartjie in New York City."

"And of course your upcoming first date in six years," Baz smirked.

"Wanker." Nace shot him the finger with a slight grin.

"I'm more curious about this whole nurse story," Nyathi began.

Nace fixed Tiny with a glare, and the big man held both hands palms up, "I didn't tell them anything."

"It's ancient history." Nace replied, "Anyway, I'll meet you lot there. I've got someplace to go first."

"Right, we'll see you there," Dinger popped the door to his car open, "At Elephant and Friends Pub."

"Certainly bru." Nace nodded and walked off.

"Oi, Bilby," Baz waved, "Need a ride?"

"Thanks, Baz, I appreciate it." Nace replied.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church
Pretoria, South Africa
Nace Bilby and Benjamin 'Baz' Vaas
11 April 2004, 1752

"I appreciate the ride, bru," Nace said as he stepped out of the car.

"No problem," Baz clutching a cigarette in his mouth.

"I'll not be long," Nace said before closing the door and walking towards the brick building. As he entered the church, dipping his fingers in the Holy Water and crossing himself.

He walked towards the small alcove by the altar where several candles were lit. He approached it, striking a match from the small stockpile beside the candles, lighting one of them before he knelt down and crossed himself.

"For the men who did not return home. For the men whose lives we took on the other side. For those of us who remain among the living." Nace said softly before crossing himself.

Nace walked out of the church to find Baz standing outside, smoking a cigarette. "Your little ritual?"

"Yeah," Nace replied, "Always for the same three. The blokes who didn't return. The lives we took. And those of us among the living."

"I see why you asked to make the switch from sniper to EOD," Baz blew smoke into the air.

"I do think I did the Lord's work both as a sniper and as an EOD operator. I think, though, in the case of the latter I really do God's work," Nace replied, "After all landmines are a big killer out here."

"I do question if the Old Man upstairs exists," Baz sighed, "With what we saw during the war..."

"Someone made sure we survived the Battle of the Line," Nace countered.

Baz took another drag off his cigarette, "There were a lot of blokes that didn't. Why did the Old Man upstairs, if he exists, take them?"

"That's your business if you believe in him or not." Nace replied, "Faith is an individual thing after all."

"You'd make a rotten chaplain, Bilby," Baz quipped as he flicked some ash from his cigarette to the ground.

"Not my place to preach to others. On another note, have you visited the memorial yet?" Nace asked.

Baz blew a bit of smoke from his cigarette, "No, I haven't."

"I've not been there yet, but I do want to go," Nace reached into a pocket, hearing his cell phone buzz. He took a look at the screen and saw its display read 'Dinger'.

He opened the phone and said, "We'll be there shortly, bru. We're about to leave the church."

"Why do you want to go?" Baz asked.

"To remember the lads that didn't make it," Nace tucked his hands into his pockets, walking towards the car.

Deric and Ivy's Residence
Brooklyn, N.Y.C.
Deric and Ivy Storm
12 April 2004, 0645

Deric smiled as he watched Ivy slide the black pencil skirt up over her hips before fastening it closed. He let out a low whistle as he took in how it contrasted nicely with the ivory silk blouse she wore.

"Red," he smiled as he fastened his belt buckle, "I am loving your fashion choice."

Ivy turned to face him, smiling coyly, "If nothing else, it stops Goliath from nipping at my heels."

"Maybe we should babysit Goliath more often," Deric quipped sarcastically.

Ivy walked towards Deric, slowly, deliberately sashaying her hips as she did so. A wry smile creased her features as she stopped just short of him. She put her arms around his neck, and looked up at him. "And let's not forget Zack's coming in tonight."

"I did buy up the groceries, Red." Deric wrapped his arms around his wife's waist.

"A home cooked dinner? We definitely should babysit Goliath more often." Ivy slid closer to Deric before angling her face up to kiss her husband.

Deric leaned down closer, kissing his wife. Ivy pressed her body against her husband, eyes closed. She moaned lightly into the kiss.

Hmm, we've got to feed the dogs before we leave for work. Got to remember forty-five minutes for traffic. Remember to straighten out my clothes and maybe we might have time...oooh...Ivy thought as she felt Deric nuzzle her neck.

There was a sound of barking from outside the bedroom door. Ivy sighed, "Well there goes that idea."

"Awesome timing," Deric grumbled.

He headed for the door in time to see Goliath and Ghost sitting outside the bedroom door, mouths open and tails wagging.

"Chowhounds," Deric quipped before heading down the stairs to go feed them. Deric could hear the clicking of Ivy's stiletto heels behind him.

"I swear Goliath's also influencing Ghost." Ivy smirked.

"Hopefully Ghost is a calming influence on Goliath," Deric replied.

Ivy reached over to get her purse as they watched the dogs tear eagerly into their meals. After the dogs ate Deric let them out into the back garden of their apartment to take care of their business before letting them back into the house.

As they headed for the front door, Ivy let out a gasp as she felt a sharp sensation through her bottom. She glanced behind her and down in time to see Deric's hand moving away.

"Rain check for later?" Deric smirked.

"If you can be a good boy through the rest of the day...and dinner," Ivy smiled before walking to the car, with a seductive sway of her hips.

Elephant and Friends Bar
Pretoria, South Africa
Nace, Baz, Dinger, Tiny, and Zaf
11 April 2004, 1833

"Welcome!" Dinger said as he knocked back a shot of whiskey. He saw Baz and Nace walking into the bar towards the table where a good number of men from the troop were clustered.

"Wanker," Nace replied with a slight smirk.

"What's going on?" Zaf whispered to Tiny.

"It's an old tradition we have. We do three toasts on the last day of drill," Tiny replied as he took a sip of his own beer.

"For what?" Zaf asked.

"You'll see," Tiny replied as Nace and Baz ordered their drinks.

"Right," Munro said, "I'd like to propose a toast. To the lads who didn't return home."

"Here. Here." came the solemn call from around the table.

The men took drinks from their glasses as Dinger began, "To the lads among the living."

"Here. Here." The men echoed.

Nace raised his glass of bourbon, "To all of us. Living. Dead. Veterans and neophytes. God's will to us all."

"Here. Here."

"Right," Baz grinned, hefting a soft leather case, "Who's up for some billiards."

"Pfah! Who's up to see me clean up on Baz," Dinger replied.

"Bloody pool sharks," Nace quipped and took a sip of his bourbon.

"Right, gentlemen, place your bets," Munro toothily smiled as he extracted a small black leather notebook and a mechanical pencil from his pocket.

Nace reached into his pocket and pulled out a few Rand, "Boss, put me down for the spread."

Munro clicked his pencil, "Not supporting either of your mates, eh?"

"Trying not to lose too much of my hard earned pay," Nace quipped.

"Promises to be a lively game," Munro replied, knocking back a sip of his Old Fashioned, before smiling, "So what's this I've heard about some naartjie in New York City."

"That's right," Baz replied, setting his pool cue aside.

"You wankers," Nace groaned as he proceeded to tell his mates about ADA Borgia.

Dinger said, "Well, according to Nace, she's 5'10", of Italian descent, fair, soft looking skin, brown hair…"

As Dinger repeated Nace's description, near word for word, Nace turned red and that wasn't just from the bourbon he was drinking.

"Sounds quite lovely," Zaf remarked.

Nace smiled, "Very much so…"

"Someone's got it bad," Baz chimed in.

"I've got a date with her when I get back to New York City," Nace replied.

"Oh, let's hear this…" Dinger grinned toothily.

TBC