CHAPTER 10
Cain, Saam and I entered the compound that night. After searching for about an hour, I located Jace, the compound warrior whom I had invited to leave with me on my first trip to the general’s compound. I signaled him over and presented a deal to him.
I told him I was going to kill the general and liberate the slaves. I told him we were establishing a new settlement where I would need workers so I would be taking the slaves. I said we could always use warriors as well.
Jace said, "Most of the warriors here would leave if they were free to do so."
I told him if he and any others would like to join us, they should meet us in front of the general’s quarters at dawn.
I told Jace to tell the other warriors they could join us or they would have to leave after we took the compound.
I sent Saam to warn Byron’s guards that we would take the compound at dawn.
Two hours before sunrise, Cain and I entered the building containing the generals quarters. We entered by the same side door I had used when I freed the professor.
I opened the door to the kitchen. As we entered, a cook’s helper rushed over to see what we wanted and tried to usher us out of the kitchen. Cain grabbed him by the throat and dragged him into the corridor. There was a couple minutes whispered conversation, a brief scuffle then the kitchen helper slid from Cain's grasp and collapsed onto the floor.
"First door at top of the 3rd flight," I said motioning to the stairs.
Swords drawn, Cain and I mounted the steps two at a time. At the third floor we encountered two guards. They were both armed with spears and were standing outside of the first door. Cain and I closed the distance between the guards and the top of the stairs before they could respond to our presence. We cut them down before they could raise a spear or an alarm.
I tried the door… unlocked. I opened the door. A warrior was inside the room sitting at a table. The warrior looked up,
"What do you mean barging in here?" he shouted.
Cain’s spear flew past me and sank into his right shoulder. The warrior spun out of the chair from the force of impact. I walked over to him and asked him,
"Are you the general?"
"Yes, I’m called the general, and you are both dead men," he said.
I cut off his bellow for help with a thrust of my sword through his open mouth and out the back of his skull.
At dawn Saam, Cain, and I walked down the stairs and out the front door. We exited the building and walked toward the large tent where the officers were eating their morning meal. We were joined by between 50 and 75 warriors. I moved the tent flaps aside and tossed the generals head onto the first table.
"I am now in command of this compound," I announced.
Two of the officers snapped out of their shock and leapt from their seats only to be cut down by Cain’s sword before they could draw their own weapons.
I continued, "We have the support of the majority of your warriors. You and any warriors that are still loyal to you must leave the compound within the hour or you will be killed. Any resistance, defiance, or hesitation will be dealt with by summary execution."
Jace and Cain went to the slave pens and as he opened the gate Jace told the slaves they were going to march immediately. With Saam as their tracker to guide them, Jace picked twenty warriors to march the slaves north and then east toward the site of the new compound.
In less than an hour from the time Cain and I walked into the officer’s tent we had seized complete control of the compound. And Saam and Jace had started north with the slave workforce.
Forty of the warriors that were still loyal to the Army of the Great Basin were preparing to leave the compound through the front gates. Two of the warrior's that had chosen to leave the Army of the Great Basin but not join us were standing in front of Cain and me.
"You are free to join us, but if you choose to go your own way you must leave this compound. This compound and its workshops will be destroyed. We don’t want it to be used as an outpost for the Army of the Great Basin in their search for us," I told them.
"We will be taking the guns and gunpowder," said a warrior standing in the front of the mob.
"No, the guns will have to be destroyed," Cain said.
There was a loud muttering from the crowd.
"How will you stop us from killing you and taking the guns?" The warrior who had spoken up asked.
"The Army of the Great Basin loyalist has been killed. And you will suffer the same fate if you attempt to defy us." I told him.
"Even more reason for us to have our guns. You told them they were free to leave, not walk into an ambush," One of the officers said.
"No, I told them they must leave. I didn’t say they were free to rejoin the Army of the Great Basin. I told you that you were free to leave, and you are. This compound is going to be destroyed so you cannot stay here," I told him.
You are free to go north to the Three Rivers region or anywhere else you may choose. You just can't return to the Old city and warn the Army of the Great Basin.
You and your warriors will see the executed bodies as you leave. You cannot return to the Old City or the Army of the Great Basin. When we are ready, a warning will be sent to the Army of the Great Basin. The Army of the Great Basin will not be allowed to operate north of the Old City.
We will not attack them if they stay out of the interior valley. They may still operate their farms but no warrior camps or compounds. If warriors of the Army of the Great Basin are found in the great valley north of the Old City, we will destroy them and their farms. They will be hunted down and exterminated if they try to extend their power and influence into the valley north of the Old City.
At this point Byron walked into the compound.
"Is there a problem?" asked Byron.
I looked back at the warrior standing with the mob of warriors. He shook his head and asked, "May we take our weapons?"
"Sure, just no guns and no gunpowder may leave the compound." I said.
I turned to Byron and said, "No, no problem."
"Good, my guards are concealed and will shadow and determine if these warriors return to the old city ruins or head toward the Three Rivers region. They will be permitted to go north but will be killed if they try to return south.
"Can you send some of your warriors to assist me? I want to recover certain plans, diagrams, and some personal items. All of the mechanisms and machinery must be destroyed as well. There are a few things I need to gather and a few things I want to assure are completely destroyed," Byron said.
Counting the two officers, a total of twelve warriors had chosen to leave the Army of the Great Basin but not to join us. They had gathered their personal affects, food and water and marched out of the compound and started the trek north to the three rivers region.
The remainder of that day and about half of the next day were spent loading wagons with the things Byron wanted to salvage. Food, water, and the personal items of the warriors that were accompanying us to the new compound site were also loaded on to the wagons.
At midday, the day after the compound had fallen we destroyed the compound with fire and well placed barrels of gunpowder. Byron had taken special care in the destruction of the factory machinery and of the casting foundry. When Byron was satisfied with the demolition we started on our way back to the new compound site.
Our trip back to the compound site was uneventful. When we arrived, Saam greeted us and showed us the area where the slaves and warriors had set up camp well out of sight of the underground compound entrance. Saam informed us that three of the slaves had slipped away during the march back to the new compound.
Saam and Cain marched the warriors to the area and had the wagons setup to form a mess area. Byron and I entered the underground compound when the warriors were well out of sight.
Byron's guards would return once they had determined the destination of the compound warriors that had chosen to leave. Byron and I retired to our quarters
to cleanup from the trip. An hour later I was walking toward the committee room when I met Sari.
She looked up with concern on her face and asked, "Where is Saam?"
"He’s safe. He's getting the settlement warriors settled in. And I’m on my way to talk to the committee," I told her.
"We can talk some more later. You and Saam can tell me about your adventure," she said.
She gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, turned and walked back down the hallway. I was taken by surprise but said nothing, but I found there was a silly smile on my face. I shook my head, regained my composure and walked up to the committee room door.