Anatomy of a Rebellion

Chapter 2

Second Day

For breakfast the next morning he joined his comrades in the lobby for some chow. Even though it was the same food they ate in Istanbul, it somehow tasted better just because they were on American soil. It was obvious the change of scenery made them all a little livelier.

"I'm telling you Derrick, you can't bet that kind of money on the Bears. They're terrible. Their offensive line is so bad they might as well send in the cheerleaders." Wallace said to Wakeman.

"Ah, what do you know about football anyhow? Last year you said New England was going to be in the Super Bowl and they only won two games all season!" another soldier joined in.

"How was I supposed to know that Mayson would break his collarbone in the first game?" he defended. "The entire team was demolished after that! Most of their starters weren't even able to walk after week five!"

McGill raised a brow, "Football season is several months away. Why are you guys arguing about this now?"

Percy himself knew nothing about sports, but Wallace was quite the whiz. Before graduating high school he had received full scholarships to any number of colleges for football and baseball; he bragged often that many professional teams already scouted him. Yet he turned them all down. Within a week of graduating from high school he left for basic training. It was an uncommon story but yet familiar in some way. In Percy's eyes, all of those he served with turned down good opportunities to utilize their great talents when they joined the services.

"Major," a voice called to him. He turned his attention away from his team. Behind him stood Lieutenant Ross, her long hair nearly falling out of its bun, the uniform which was normally pressed neatly was in disarray and mud was wiped across her nose.

"You look like hell," Wallace commented, never minding their difference in rank. "Long night?"

"I hope it was," Percy interrupted. "You never came to me with instructions from the General like he told me you would."

Annoyance flashed in her eyes for a brief moment before a facade fell into place. He was only teasing and she knew this, but it still irritated the hell out of her. If they were on the field, she would have allowed herself a chance to retort. Instead, it was best to show the other soldiers she had the utmost respect for the man in front of her.

"I'm here with instructions now. The General requests an audience with you immediately." she informed him.

He passed a glance over the silent table to assure his team that he would return. Normally he would refuse to go into a meeting without proper information beforehand; he was notorious for disrespecting officers with his demanding attention to such details. Some officers complained he was an arrogant upstart or knew nothing of respect. However, in the case of Laredo, Percy knew the lack of information wasn't something to holler about. He didn't have the same standards for Tristan's staff as he did for his own.

To Percy's surprise, the General didn't have any information either. Percy entered their makeshift office only to find his staff preparing to leave. Tristan buckled the last clasp of his jacket right as Percy arrived and saluted. He waved off the salute, disinterested in any formalities.

Tristan explained, "The brigade is moving north to Dallas. Lackland was blown to hell in the middle of the night." He stopped fiddling with this uniform to make eye contact. "They're blaming it on Tejano's, and being part Mexican myself they're moving me to a place where they can keep an eye on me." He smiled and explained, "Well, they won't say that – they claim it's for personnel reasons – but only an i***t wouldn't believe it, especially with my shaky record.

"Anyway, you will be left with Laredo. Let's face it; they're trying to get rid of you guys. No one believes we can keep South Texas so they're trying to get everyone out. You won't be receiving any back up and extra supplies could take months to get here. Our hands are tied elsewhere, unfortunately."

Percy remained silent. He had arrived assuming they would merely be a support unit, not that they would be the only unit. Despite the fact Tristan continued to speak, Percy's mind was focused on other things. His entire approach to Laredo would be revamped and he had to start planning right away.

"Sorry, Major," the General said with a hardy pat on Percy's shoulder. He strutted past, in a hurry to leave the hotel. Percy refused to salute, so Mackenzie made sure to offer a sharp one. Tristan ignored it.

The last aide left; the sound of the door as it closed signaled to Percy that he was in command now. He stood motionless for a moment. Mackenzie, used to her commander's idiosyncrasies, waited patiently behind him. She knew he would not show any emotion, whether it was fear or nervousness over his new predicament. She also knew he did not feel any fear; if anything, he was elated to be in command again. Just like in Istanbul, he would take a city on the verge of collapse and conquer it.

Over his shoulder he said, "Lieutenant, please bring Company operations into this room. Has Sergeant Chen returned?"

"He finished scouting a week before you arrived, Major. He wants to report to you personally." she informed him.

"Have all squad leaders report here at 1900hours tonight," he ordered.

At exactly 1900hours the eight squad leaders and several of Percy's aides were assembled in that very room. The relaxed atmosphere normally found in Percy's meetings was not there. By that time, the fact that the General left was well known, as it was hard not to notice the departure of several thousand troops. Percy's men had watched the spectacle of the entire brigade moving out, one battalion at a time. They quickly realized they had been dropped down into the center of a lost cause – America abandoned them at Laredo.

Still, most of them lazed around the room in their fatigues. Their shirts were unbuttoned or not tucked in, their laces weren't tied and their hats were on crooked if at all. If they were up for inspection, they all would have failed. Percy himself always looked sharp in his dress uniform and was rarely seen prattling about in fatigues. It made him an easy target on the battlefield, but as an officer he paid it little mind.

The reason for the difference in appearance between Percy and his men was because of Percy's non-commissioned XO, Wallace Chevalier. Percy knew each man personally, but Wallace was his mouthpiece. That also explained why Percy situated himself in the corner during the meeting, while Wallace took center stage.

Wallace spoke for Percy, "You guys already know that the General and his lackeys left town. Apparently they believe that eight squads can do what eight companies can't. Regardless of what they want us to do or what they think we can do, we know what we have to do. Laredo and the southern part of Texas rightfully belong to the United States. This is our house and we will not leave until every last Mexican in Laredo is dead or captured. I know these past two years have been tough on everyone. It was disappointing for all of us to find out our leave had been revoked and our vacation spot was now Laredo. The sooner we get rid of the bastards in this town the faster we can get home."

"What if they just send us back out again, Sarge?" someone asked.

"Then f**k them," was his response.

"What happens afterward is not our concern at the moment," Mackenzie interrupted. "Our concern is the Mexican invasion force, how to remove it, and how to prevent it from getting larger."

"Sergeant Chen," Percy said, speaking for the first time.

The Sergeant stood from his seat, a fresh cut on his face evidence that he had been out in the fight recently. He said, "Here's the thing: the majority of American causalities have not been from traditional combat. Our biggest enemy is traps, car bombs, sniper fire – things you'd expect when facing a group of thugs. The majority of causalities sustained were actually Texan civilians, who were either caught up in the fight or directly part of it. In other words, it would be best to ignore the statistics as they fail to reflect the actual strength and ability of the enemy. The enemy force itself is small. It's made up almost entirely of cartel mercenaries with little experience and a few Mexican soldiers who crossed the river chasing after wayward American soldiers and minutemen. Because of the sensitive nature of the situation between the United States and Mexico, no troops from either side can legally cross the border."

"That means we can't go in and get rid of the problem," one man commented.

Chen nodded, "Exactly. As long as the cartels still have money, they will continue to buy young men to fight their war. Our biggest goal at the moment is to remove their Laredo commander. It's a former General from Colombia, Francisco Prieto. At present, he is the most notable member of the invasion force and the only one with significant military experience. I hope that gives you an idea of how bad they want this city."

"Why would they work so hard for Laredo when they could push up around us and surround the city?" someone asked.

"It's the symbolism," someone answered. It was the only civilian there, a war correspondent named Francis Jordan Attaway who had been attached to their unit since their first year. "We've lost thousands of Americans trying to protect this city. If we lost here the morale would drop to an all-time low and taking Corpus Christi would be easier."

"Which is why we can't lose," Percy added.

They allowed a moment of silence so it could sink in. Then, Chen wasted no more time as he pulled up a map on the overhead projector. It displayed Laredo and its many streets; a green dot at the international airport showed the United States Army temporary headquarters for all Laredo operations. On the other side of town there were two red dots, one directly on the community college and another on the Cathedral of San Agustin.

Chen explained, "General Prieto has set up headquarters at the Laredo Community College. This is where he eats, sleeps and plans. The only time he is ever seen outside of the campus is the trips he makes to the destroyed cathedral and one trip he made to the hospital."

"Our best chance of nabbing him would be to intercept his trip to the cathedral. Surrounding the college is a possibility but the left side is unapproachable, because it's situated right next to the Rio Grande," Wallace observed.

"It wouldn't be difficult to sneak over the border," Wakeman suggested. "We've done similar operations hundreds of times."

"It would be impossible. American troops have filled the river with traps and explosives for hundreds of miles. There is only one point within that stretch that is crossable: San Dario Avenue. If we destroy the crossing we can prevent more cartel members from entering Laredo for at least a week," Chen said.

Percy stood and gave his orders, "This is how it'll go down, barring no attacks from cartel members tonight. We'll completely abandon the airport. Six squads – Wakeman, McGill, Patterson, Barton, Randall, and Matthews – will attack the college while Chen's will ambush the General's motorcade. Fleetwood's unit will destroy the bridge no later than fifteen minutes after the initial ambush but will remain on alert until then. This all needs to be carried out at 0600hours. The squads attacking the community college will report to Wallace for position. Ross, you're with me."

"Any questions?" Wallace asked. When no one responded, he said, "Then let's get to it."