Excerpt

Chapter One

Somewhere in the mountain jungle of Guatemala, very near the Mexican border, a convoy of military trucks, loaded with men and supplies, was bumping and rolling along a road barely adequate for their passage. The commander of the convoy had to occasionally halt the trucks and order the men to clear fallen trees from the road, so they could pass. At one of these stops, Oberst Winfred Keitel stepped from his vehicle and spread a map on the hood. He wore a jungle fatigue uniform with the military rank of colonel on the collar. He also wore a webbed belt and holster around his waist. The skin on his face was so tight it gave him a skeletal appearance. His nose was thin and protruded out to a point. His eyes were bright blue, and when he smiles, it usually was a sardonic smile. A captain and a sergeant joined him while he studied the map.

In an authoritative voice Keitel said, "Kapitan, we must be very close to the Mexican border, and I'm concerned about running into some patrols. I would like you to send out six two-men recon groups in thirty-degree intervals, which will provide us with a secure one hundred eighty degree arc. We will give them four hours to complete the assignment. Two hours out and two hours back. Tell the remaining men to check the loads and the trucks while they are waiting."

"Jawohl Herr Oberst," said Captain Mueller. He then turned to the sergeant and said, "Select the men, Sergeant, and I will brief them."

"Jawohl Herr Hauptner."

As they waited, the captain turned to Keitel, "Oberst, you haven't been very specific about our mission. As you requested, I told the men we are going in to train the local native revolutionaries to use some of our more sophisticated weapons and we are the vanguard of our army. But you have not said why our entire army is leaving Guatemala or what our subsequent mission will be."

"Kapitan, as I said, we are going to train these aborigines and, at the same time prepare a place for the rest of the army. We, then, will help these aborigines take control of the Mexican state of Chiapas. This is our mission."

"So our home base will no longer be Guatemala?" asked the captain.

"No, Guatemala is no longer a friendly environment for us," said Keitel angrily.

"We have been through this a number of times before, always looking for a friendly country to take Mr. Brabant's army."

"Karitan, you will not use Mr. Brabant's name so freely in connection with this force of men."

"Yes sir. So, will we support the revolt as we did in Panama?"

"Yes, but this time will be different. This time we will not rely on some Revolutionary government to take control. We will be in charge."

"What do you mean, 'in charge'?"

"All I will tell you now is that Chiapas will be our new home, and there will be no Latinos or aborigines trying to tell us what to do. I will tell you more, later. Now get the men moving," the Colonel said crisply.