No Further (Blood and Armor Book 3) by Bill Fawcett & Casey Moores

Author:Bill Fawcett & Casey Moores [Fawcett, Bill & Moores, Casey]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Theogony Books
Published: 2024-06-25T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11: 29 September, Year 10

Eastern Syria

1740

Burak leaned casually back in his seat, crossed his legs, and sipped his tea. The sun rode low enough to create dazzling mirages across the plains to the west. Except for the low hum of generators and engines, it was relatively peaceful.

The quiet before the storm.

He checked his watch. Though he didn’t expect the enemy to strike before sundown, it was best to be prepared well ahead of time. He sipped the last of his tea and set it down with a clatter so the attendant would know to clean up. When he opened the door, the vehicle’s characteristic light stench of sweat and urine drifted out and assaulted his nostrils.

Inside his mobile command center, Malaphor and the two sensor technicians stared numbly at the displays. A fourth man, his communications technician, was crammed into the front of the compartment, headphones tight to his ears, oblivious to Burak’s arrival while tapping at an array of screens.

“How is Sector Constantine progressing?” Before he finished asking, he found his own answer and his eyes went wide.

“Advancing faster than the prescribed—er, charging along quite—I mean to say, ahead of the line we drew for their time.”

“Yes, I can see they’re ahead of their timeline!” Burak said heatedly. “Why?”

“Their scout elements encountered a screen of resistance and the column accelerated to engage them,” the sensor tech said.

“Why did you not come out to inform me?” Burak asked.

Both Malaphor and the sensor techs looked at him with a blend of fear and confusion.

“I-it does not, that is to say, there is just a worm in the way, so being ahead of schedule, um, allows the bird to—”

“Is there any sign of our quarry?” Burak asked.

“No, sir,” the sensor tech asked.

Burak clenched his fists and quietly cursed General Jadid, who commanded the Syrian’s central armored column. Until now, the man had been lumbering and mind-numbingly cautious. He had been, at the very least, predictable in the pacing of his advance. It was this predictability upon which Burak had crafted his current operation. Rather, he’d developed the plan based on the enemy’s recognition of the general’s predictability. Now, however, General Jadid seemed to be in an uncharacteristic rush to capture as much ground as possible before nightfall. At this rate, he was in danger of advancing past the Kurdish ambush Burak was expecting. With one minor exception, the Kurdish combat suits seemed to prefer to operate at night, when their advantage was greatest. If Jadid was able to occupy the city of Sinjar before darkness fully settled, the odds of such an ambush decreased exponentially.

“And nothing else of note?”

“Just a few helicopters a few minutes ago, flying northwest from Tal Afar,” the other sensor tech said. “We only tracked them for a few miles before they disappeared behind some terrain.”

“Where?” Burak said. As the man repeated the city name, Burak cut him off and thrust an arm toward the screen. “No, show me!”

The tech expanded the map and slewed it east, past the end of Mount Sinjar.

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