The Rangers Are Coming (21 page)

              The two carefully disengaged and rose to their feet.  Robby bowed as did the Black Ninja.  Then the dark warrior did something completely unexpected.  He removed his black scarf to reveal his actual identity.  There was a gasp through the crowd and cries of surprise. The “He,” was a “She.”  Standing in front of Robby was none other than the spiritual leader of them all.  Her long blond hair untangled from the bun that enclosed it and cascaded down her shoulders.

              Arcadia turned and looked at the astonished faces.  “Jesus Christ is our Lord, and we live in His love.  We are part of Him as God intended us all to be.  It has been my honor to serve you all these years and to help you know that Jesus is our strength and comfort.  Now the time is coming when we must change history as He told me we must.  Since that is the case, if we must fight, we fight.  Congratulations, Robby, you are the best of us all.”

              The men had listened to Arcadia speak from the pulpit every Sunday for years.  She was always dressed in her shimmering white gown/dress.  She glided through the camp and could be seen often at many of the events and exercises.  She was held in the highest possible respect and honor by every person at the Fort.  They spoke to her only when she spoke to them.  She was their angel.  Now they realized that she was also their greatest warrior and hundreds of them had battled with her as if she were nothing but another opponent.  Robby was the first to bow deeply again, and then to applaud.  He was soon joined by the entire brigade and the true bond that had been Arcadia’s purpose in the first place was now complete.

20

The Black Hills, South Dakota

              The Great Plains were giving way to the lovely forest and steep escarpments of the Black Hills.  It was early summer 1774.  This was heart of the Sioux nation and its many allied tribes throughout the center of the country from the Missouri River to the Rocky Mountains.

              Robby and Willis were filled with wonder and fascination as the big Chinook hopscotched across the country.  Not only were they caught up with the fact that the endless forests had given way to endless plains after they crossed the big Missouri River, but they were completely in awe of the millions and millions of huge buffalo that thundered in clouds of dust for miles and miles.  Robby had to ask Arcadia what the animals were since he had never seen anything like them.

              The whole trip was a dream-like adventure.  Following the martial arts competition, Arcadia had sent for Robby.  He went to the administration building and was escorted deep into it, to places he didn’t realize existed.  At last, he came to a stop in front of a door and gently knocked, “Come!” was the response, and Robby entered the holy of holies, the office of Arcadia.  She was standing in front of a row of monitors that covered half the room.  She was not wearing her familiar dress, but a pair of tight pants and a floppy sweater.

              “Welcome to information central,” she said brightly.  “Have a seat.”  Robby sat down almost on the edge of the chair.  “Just relax Robert,” said Arcadia, “you would think I was mad at you or something for fighting so well yesterday.  To tell you the truth, I’m proud of you.  That was some quick thinking last year when you took out those Red Coats.  You covered your tracks very well, and the people of Concord never were suspected in the incident.  It was written off as an assault and robbery by persons of ill-repute.”

              Robby wasn’t sure how Arcadia knew so much about the incident.  They had reported it, of course, when they returned, but nobody had mentioned it since.

              “I see from your records,” said Arcadia consulting a computer screen that you made a shot from almost a mile.  That’s good shooting.”

              “Thank you, ma’am” said Robby.

              “Please call me Arcadia.  I have a special mission that I’ve been planning for a while, and I wonder if you might like to help me do it.”

              “Anything, I can do to help, Arcadia,” said Robby.

              “Do you believe that all men are created equal and are endowed by their creator with rights from God that include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?”

              “I do believe that.”

              “Would you say that this applies to all people, no matter their race or social situation?”

              “I’m opposed to slavery, if that’s what you mean,” said Robby firmly.

              “Yes, of course, but did you know that there are as many Native Americans living on this continent as there are colonists? 

              “No,” said Robby in surprise.

              “There’s almost 2 million people and God will not honor us for having this opportunity to change history for the better, if we did not include these people.  I’m going to tell you that if we do nothing, all but about 100,000 of them are going to be killed, driven from their ancestral lands, and reduced to poverty and misery in the future.”

              “That’s tragic,” said Robby.

              “It’s something we’re going to keep from happening.  You know that we recruited several hundred Native Americans into the Rangers.  We attempted to get representatives from as many different tribes as possible.  On their holiday furlough, we sent these men home and had them assume personalities that were inspired by the deities they worship and told their people the truth of their fates if they do not alter their lifestyles.  We sent some pretty convincing technology with them.  When they reported back, we found they were successful in changing the key elements of their societies to allow them to co-exist with the white majority that is headed their way, or who has already clashed disastrously with the white settlers who have moved in.  Right now, our Cherokee Rangers are talking to the big Cherokee nation in the south to attempt to do the same.  Which brings me to our mission, there are about a million people living out in the plains.  The largest and most influential groups of these are the great Sioux nation, principally the Lakota Sioux.  I’m going out there and make contact with them in an effort to ease their society onto a new path.  In addition to being a little dangerous, I’m going to need some men who have already proved to be cool under fire, and possess skills that I may need.  So the question is, would you and Willis like to come with me to visit these people?”

              Robby’s head was spinning.  Over the years, he’d become accustomed to absorbing new and strange concepts and equipment, but this expedition was simply beyond anything he had ever imagined.  He was excited by the prospect and honored Arcadia had chosen him.  “I would be very happy to help you in any way I can,” he said.

              “Wonderful,” said Arcadia.  “Get with Willis and brief him on what we’ve discussed.  We’ll be leaving the day after tomorrow.  I’ve made arrangements for the special equipment you need to bring along.  You already have your rifle, Report to the quartermaster, and pick up 200 more rounds of ammunition. He’s working on your packs.”

              Robby ran to find Willis and tell him the exciting news.  Then they both went to the big supply building and reported to the quartermaster.  He seemed ready for them.

              “Heading out with Arcadia, I see.  Well, here are your packs.  We tried to keep them manageable but they’re still a load.”

              Robby estimated that the pack weighed at least 40 pounds.  He shouldered it with little effort.

              They spent the rest of the day studying the geography of the plains and the customs of the Lakota Sioux.

              The next morning they reported to the airstrip and found a big Chinook helicopter waiting for them.  When they looked inside, they found a Humvee, and one of the four-wheel ATV’s that the brigade used for scouting the terrain in rough country.  There was also two other men, in the Chinook, obviously Indians, but Robby and Willis knew them both since they were trained medics.  They slapped hands with Magua and Chistauk and were glad to see them along on the trip.  They were good men, reliable and smart.

              The trip across half the continent took three days.  Robby learned from the crew  the helicopter would cruise at about 150 miles per hour and had a range of about 300 miles.  This meant  the helicopter had to stop for refueling about every two hours.  He asked Arcadia how the fuel had gotten there.

              “You have our friend Ben Franklin to thank for that.  He’s been working on a number of big projects since we arrived.  One of them was to take a crew out to western Pennsylvania and drill an oil well.  Using our design he built a refinery and started turning out the right fuel to run all of our vehicles.”

              “In advance of this mission, and others like it, he’s constructed a number of steel fuel tanks and placed them at strategic locations along our flight route.  They are filled with fuel for us to use.  It was a very big job.  It took years to finish.  That’s why our mission could not start until now.  Don’t worry, we have a healthy reserve.”

              Arcadia was looking at some very detailed pictures of the land.  They were obviously taken from the air.  “Did you take these pictures on a previous scouting mission,” asked Robby.

              “No, we’ve never been here before,” said Arcadia.

              “Then where did these pictures come from,” asked Robby?

              Arcadia looked squarely at Robby, “In the time you have been training as a Ranger, you have come into contact with many new, wondrous things.  You know what a computer is, you know what a picture is, you know that we can fly in great machines, and make war with weapons beyond anything you could have even imagined.  Where do suppose all of that came from?”

              “A gift of God,” ventured Robby?

              “That’s really a good answer.  It’s true that none of what we’re doing could be anything except by authority of our God.  I knew I’d chosen the right man to lead this mission, Sergeant,” laughed Arcadia.

              He paused for a moment and then said, “Did you say Sergeant?”

              “We promote our best as soon as we can.  Your many skills and your good sense means that you deserve promotion as well.”

              “Thank you, very much Arcadia,” said Robby, “I’ll try to deserve the honor you have shown me.”  He paused and then said, “All right, what are we looking at, pointing to the pictures?”

              “These are the Great Plains west of the Missouri river.  The most holy spot for the Sioux are in the Black Hills.  We’ll be there tomorrow.”

              “We are going close to the Sioux encampment.  In the early summer, many of the tribes come together to celebrate and to join together for their big buffalo hunt.  I’m going to drop in on their evening rituals tonight.”

              The plan was for the Chinook to touch down a few miles from the big camp, unload the Humvee and the ATV, and leave Robby, Willis and the two medics to work their way to the big camp.  Robby and Willis would go first and the medics would follow at some distance in the Humvee.  Arcadia would direct the operations by radio using pre-arranged code words.

              Then the Chinook would fly directly over the camp, masking the engine noise with thunder from speakers and simulate lightning with static discharges along the fuselage.  Arcadia, dressed in her shimmering white dress would be lowered to the ground in a harness and step into the midst of the several thousand Indians.

              Arcadia had spent weeks learning the Lakota language and hoped her arrival would signal to the Lakota they were being paid a visit by the Spirit Mother.  Robby’s job was to get close enough to kill anyone who threatened Arcadia.  He set up about 500 hundred yards away on a bluff overlooking the camp and downwind from the horses and dogs.  In his Ghillie suit, he was invisible, but the night scopes he was wearing gave him a clear view of the camp.

              The Sioux were dancing ceremoniously and the drums were beating as the huge crowd sat in a wide circle around the blazing fire.  Suddenly there was the sound of thunder and all looked up to see lightning flashing in the sky.  A figure was slowly descending.  The drums stopped and all gasped to see that a tall woman with golden hair and wearing a pure white and shimmering dress with a silver belt was coming toward the ground.

              Arcadia landed between the fire and the crowd.  The dancers had scattered.  Arcadia was happy to see fear on most of their faces and not anger.  She quickly stepped out of the harness and it ascended rapidly back to the Chinook that flew quickly away.

              She raised her arms and spoke, “I bring the love of the Sprit world of which I am supreme to the great people of the Sioux nation,” she said in flawless Sioux.  “I welcome the Lakota, the Brule, the Ogallala, the Arapahoe, the Cheyenne and all the clans of the Sioux at this celebration to give thanks to your Spirit Mother and prayers for a successful hunt this season.  I will bless you with the greatest hunt you have ever known.”

              One of the fiery warriors jumped to his feet and screamed, “You are not the Sprit Mother, but a demon from under the earth!”  He raised his tomahawk and moved toward Arcadia.  “Take him,” said Arcadia into the nearly invisible wire microphone across her cheek. 

              Robby was watching the scene and had a round in the chamber.  As the painted warrior came toward her, he aimed and fired.  Just before the warrior reached a calm and quiet Arcadia, the warrior’s head blew into a hundred bloody pieces.

              “Are there others who doubt, asked Arcadia?  “Do you not know that I have come to offer great counsel to the chiefs of the Sioux?  Your entire people are in mortal danger.  I have come to save you from death.  Why else would I have come at this time when you are all together to hear my words?”