Not on my Watch

Chapter 10

To be defeated, you must first give up. --Bushmaster, from Of Mice and Men

                                   September, 2012

                                        Mesa Verde

           The rebel forces were now firmly entrenched at Mesa Verde.   The park had been shut down to the public, with full cooperation from the rangers who managed the park.  Vin had managed to convince them that national security trumped any damage that might be incurred on historical sites, though he did assure them his army would do their best to inflict as little damage as possible, and wouldn't just go trampling any plants or hurting wildlife.   Defensive bases had been set up at the major cliff dwellings in the park, which were designed for warfare, even to the point of having holes in the walls from which to shoot arrows.

           Rowan watched Vin ride around, commanding his troops in training exercises.  He was such a natural on horseback.  Her heart swelled with pride to know he was hers.  His sleek muscles gleamed in the sun.  By now, the whole rebel force knew they were dating.  It had been hard to hide for long, especially with the way they looked at each other.  They were very careful, though, not to let that get in the way of their working relationship.   Vin didn't favor Rowan over any of his other soldiers, which now numbered about 5,000, with the recruits they'd received.   He made sure they knew that his orders applied equally to all of them.

           Chief Joseph had made good on his word and spoken to the tribal council, as well as sending word to other tribes.  The chiefs had decided to at least send several natives to help train the servicemen.  They had yet to decide if they wanted to be part of the army, but they were all sworn to secrecy.

           There was no electricity in the park.  They had the Air Force vehicles that had been at Pine Valley, and they tried to limit their use, except to drive into the nearby towns on occasion.  All other transportation was limited to foot and horses.  They had three or four short-wave radios in camp.

          All other communication to people outside the park was by letter, and courier.   Because of this, those who wanted to join the rebels had been trickling into the park slowly, but there were more every day, both Natives and people from towns nearby who were disgusted at the current state of the union and wanted to get their freedoms back.  Thank goodness the army had had the foresight to stock up on supplies.  They were also making good use of the local plants, and had started gardens for more food.

            She watched with interest as a runner came up and handed a message to Vin.  He opened it, read it intently, then frowned, his brow furrowing.   Uh oh.   That frown meant he was worried about something.  She wondered if this was another missive from Lone Warrior.  He folded the letter and tucked it into his pouch, then made the signal to take a break for a few minutes.  He came trotting over to where Rowan stood watching.  She was curious as to what was going on. When he reached her, he dismounted, giving her a quick kiss.

           "Kat, mi amor," he began.  "I've got a note here saying to contact Hill Air Force Base by radio as soon as possible.  I guess I better go see what they want.   Can you take over here for a little while?"

           "Of course.  I know the drills as well as you do."  She mounted his horse and rode off to conduct the training exercises.   The troops were coming along nicely.  She had them do the exercises several more times until Vin returned, which was less than an hour later.   He signaled for everyone to take a break, so he could talk to Rowan.