Apocalypsis 02 - Warpaint

and gunpower at the ready.
    Kowi was nodding his head. “Pretty decent.”
    “It gets better,” I said, turning to another page I had marked.
    A very successful technique to be utilized when a completely undetected rescue cannot be done (and in most cases, that type of operation would be impossible to execute), is the distraction team set. At least, that’s what my unit called it back in the day. The distraction team’s job was not to rescue, but merely to cause a ruckus and not get killed in the process. While they keep the enemy busy in another part of their territory, the rescue team moves in and takes the prisoners, when it is likely that most of the enemy’s manpower will be occupied with fighting off the distraction. I caution you in its use for many reasons. First, the distraction team members very much risk getting injured or killed. They will be calling the enemy directly to them, often making no secret of their existence. One could use a distraction that does not risk as much, such as a fire, but these usually do not keep the enemy distracted long enough and often result in an unpleasant surprise visit upon the rescue unit. Second, they risk being ambushed from behind, as their enemy may well have planned for an attack from that location and have already set up contingency plans to manage it. This is why very close and comprehensive scouting and reconnaissance (recon) must be done in advance to find all of the locations the enemy might be familiar with and consider a part of its territory. Of course, there is never a line drawn around the area they consider their territory - but they do tend to frequent the places that they are comfortable fighting from and for.
    “Wow. That’s a lot of stuff. Is that just on that one page?” asked Kowi.
    “Yeah. The whole book is full of this kind of thing. George was like a war commander or something.”
    “Can I see it?” asked Kowi.
    I handed it over. “Sure. Anytime. Just make sure it stays here in my hut, is all I ask.”
    “No problem,” said Kowi, absently, paging through the book.
    “So you think we should do a recon kinda thing first?” asked Trip. “I just feel like we’re going to see those kids in there and not be able to walk away, you know? Like if Celia were there, and I saw her …” his voice cracked and he couldn’t continue. I saw him swallowing hard to keep his emotions under control. It was strange to see him go from so angry and strong to so vulnerable like that. But it made him seem more human, so it was almost a relief.
    “I understand. I’m not sure what to say. Yes, I think we need to do recon. But if they know we’re out there, and planning on coming back, they’ll be ready for us and we’ll lose a huge advantage.”
    “Maybe we can compromise,” said Kowi.
    Trip and I focused our attention on him. I was anxious to have someone else coming up with the ideas. The responsibility of having people follow my plan was huge, and all I could think about was how I would be to blame if kids died. I was no hero, and my complete lack of desire to shoulder any blame was proof of that. I was much more comfortable being one of the ground troops than being the leader.
    “We could plan a quick attack thing. Like do recon one day and the rescue attack the next. That way, very little could happen in between. No extra injuries for the prisoners there, hopefully, and no time for the canners to change anything about how they operate.”
    I nodded my head, considering the benefits.
    “The question is, can Bryn train us fast enough to get us ready?” asked Trip, looking right at me.
    “When do you want to do this?” I asked.
    “A week. Is that enough time?”
    “Are you kidding? You want me to cram a lifetime’s worth of krav maga into a week? With time for muscle recovery? Uh … no . There’s no way.”
    “What can you do in a week?” asked Kowi.
    “Teach you only the most basic moves, and maybe make you just one small level above amateur.”
    “That’s what we’ll have to do then. It’s not like we have much of a choice, if we want to keep them from hurting any more kids or venturing out into our territory.”
    I shook my head. They were asking for miracles, and I was no miracle-worker. “What about weapons? They have a lot of firepower and we have almost nothing.”
    “We have the grenades,” said Trip.
    “I’m not sure using grenades is the best idea. They’re loud, they can injure us too. I think we’re better off