Chapter 1

Warlock Twenty Ponies didn't really mind anti grav transports. They were smooth and could easily carry fifty men and their gear. But sometimes he missed the flap, flap, flap of the helicopter's rotors. The young men behind him began to sing the song again for about the fifth time, and he muttered along with it until they were done. Young Crow's Wing came up.
"If they're singing it bothers you, sir," he remarked, "I'll tell them that's enough."
"No problem!" the Warlock answered. "It brings back so many memories."
The younger man smiled. "I'm so glad I got to take part in this year's reenactment," he piped, "to play my Grate grandfather! I'm so glad he had my grandfather before he left! Sir!" the young man whispered, "You didn't really father several children for women that lost their husbands, did you?"
"That's a question I can't answer," the Warlock put in. "It's most improper to ask."
The young man smiled.
"Sit down, everybody!" the pilot called back. "We're goin' in! We'll be landing behind the cemetery. Everybody walks up from there."
The ship settled, the troops formed up, and they made their way through the cemetery to the position. Twenty Ponies admired the crypts for the Union troops, all three-thousand had chosen to be buried here. He knew only one position was empty, as there was only one empty in his people's crypt, which was behind the position. Finally he could see it again, the three earthworks that had been carefully preserved to look like they did seventy-five years ago. He stopped by the plaque and read it. "On this ground in the year 2,020 two hundred troops of The Spiritist republic held back three thousand troops of The United States Of America for a period of ten hours after which the American troops withdrew with 600 survivors. 416 wounded were recovered, the rest of the Union's forces were killed. 27 Republic Troops survived and 173 were killed. It is called "The Battle Of Redding," but most will agree it was the battle that broke the Union forces. From that moment on the war, for them, was lost. On this ground victory was won on July 4th! Those who fell here will always be remembered, for they were a turning point in history. 200 men," the Warlock muttered, 200 of us!"
He thought back to that morning. They had finished training the day before, had been loaded on trucks and were headed for the ridge. He had stopped at a command post to receive his final orders and he found it in chaos! The clerk told him to wait a few minutes. He heard two officers talking. One was saying "There's nothing! There's absolutely nothing! We can't pull anybody from anywhere else to send up there! We've got nothing to send!"
Twenty Ponies walked over. "Excuse me, sir!" he snapped, "I have a full battle group, two-hundred men. Is there some emergency? We're headed for the ridge, but we could be diverted."
The two men looked at him, obviously for a moment, stunned.
"Replacements?" the older one moaned, "Recruits?"
"Fighting people of The Spiritist Republic," Twenty Ponies answered, "ready to perform their duties. Commanche warriors. What needs to be done we will do it! May I ask what the mission is, sir?"
The older man sighed. "Somehow an enemy column has got through our defenses. It's proceeding on this highway towards the ridge. We've got absolutely nothing to stop it! There is one hope. There's a prepared defense position that was never used, with a support bunker, here, just outside the community of Redding! The enemy will have to go by that position! If he's going to get to the ridge he knows we're too strong on the other routes. If we could get troops here, man that position, there's a chance we could divert other forces and meet them further up the road. But holding them for a few hours here, would be crucial. But there may be as many as four-thousand of them! You're 200 men would not be able to hold them long."
"But we would be able to hold them," Twenty Ponies answered. "I'm short one man, one of my Warlocks got sick. But I can fill in for him. I believe we're here," he pointed to the map. "If we go up this route here can we get ahead of them, get to the position before they reach it?"
"Your drivers are going to have to drive like hell!" the senior Warlock answered. "But yes, you should be able to get ahead of them and have a couple of hours to set up. We'll try to slow them down a little bit. We haven't got much air support, but it would be used more effectively keeping these troops from reaching the ridge and supporting those there. We'll try to give you more time. But understand, this is a volunteer only mission. Any of your men that wish to stay behind are free to do so. This is virtual suicide!"
Twenty Ponies nodded. "They're refueling our trucks," he snapped. "I'll go talk to the men. We'll get underway, sir, as quick as we can."
He hurried to where his people were stretching their legs and called them around him. He explained the situation. Warlock Crow's Wing looked around. "Well, I think we'd better get to the trucks, hadn't we, sir," he remarked, "and get rolling? Come on, everybody!" he screamed. "Let's get going!"
As they hurried for the trucks Crow's Wing remarked "Two Eagles is going to be damned mad he missed this! What rotten luck, appendicitis, the day after graduation!"

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