Conflicting Alliances (standard:action, 3427 words)
Author: Stewart Knight	Added: Mar 28 2001	Views/Reads: 4296/2292	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Team on the Falkland Islands engage an Argentinean insurgency unit. Only survivor of insurgency unit is American mercenary An abridged backstory chapter from The Meek Shall. A novel dealing with so

Conflicting Alliances 

The Regiment had almost completed a tour of the Falkland Islands. While
the regiment had not been directly involved in the conflict, being sent 
as relief, some action had been seen by some reconnaissance units 
working in small four man teams on outlying islands and settlements. 

Dave Mitchell, Dinger Bell, Arthur Hayes and Roy Kemp were of one of
these teams. Dave as junior NCO was in command. 

They had been involved in skirmishes with Argentinean insurgency units
on two occasions and in one action had taken prisoner an American 
mercenary who had been the only survivor of a four man Argentinean 
team. 

“What do we do with him Dave?” asked Kemp, a spotty faced Liverpudlian.
He indicated the very scared and cowering mercenary. 

“I suppose we call a cassy-vac and have him and his mates carted out,”
Dave replied, not sure what exactly to do, “if he was an Argie, we 
should just waste him and carry on to the next settlement." 

Dinger was angry. ”He's a fucking Yank, he's supposed to be on our side,
I say we fucking kill him anyway, he's a traitor." 

“I’d be the one in the shit if we got caught, being IC the unit,” Dave
reasoned. 

“None of us would say anything. Look, if we call in a chopper to bring
him in we'll all be debriefed and have to go back to Kelly's Garden. I 
was looking forward to getting my feet up for a few days out at the 
settlement, that's out the fucking window if we go back,” Dinger said. 

The team had been on a settlement recce that should have involved
patrolling an outlying area of the barren Islands. In reality, the 
teams found a warm settlement, preferably with the minimum of 
occupants, and proceeded to consume all the decent food and beer, doing 
the minimum of patrol work, although a guard was always placed in a 
strategic position and in radio contact. 

“He won't have an easy time when the Monkeys get hold of him,” Dave
said, referring to the Military police, ”besides, loads of fucking 
brownie points for me." 

“Yeah, and fuck up our little holiday,” said a very large and lanky
soldier, Arthur Hayes. He was usually very quiet, but Dave had seen him 
angry, it was considered generally that Arthur was a man not to be 
trifled with. 

“We don't fucking just kill him!” Dinger stated angrily. 

“Let's take a vote,” Dave suggested, succumbing to the holiday notion. 

“I can pay for you to get me to Stanley, safely,” the American announced
suddenly in a Texan drawl, emphasising the last word. On the verge of 
tears, he looked incongruous in full battle dress and camouflage cream. 


All four pairs of eyes looked at the American. “What can you pay? We'll
take anything you have anyway,” Dave said, looking avariciously towards 
his companions. 

“I have cheques, I can write them out and sign them. I have money, and
travellers cheques." 

Before Dave could say otherwise, Kemp began rifling through the
Americans pockets. 

Dave did not try to stop Kemp’s search but looked disapproving. 

Dave asked, ”Where?” He knew Kemp would find nothing and this was
confirmed. 

“There's fuckall on him!” Kemp said and kicked the American. 



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