Bush Snipers. Greg Pius
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Introduction
This book directly follows on from my first book SNIPERS. This time the chapters are split into four sections resembling the four seasons. Starting with Summer this book takes the reader through the various things experienced once a civil war has settled down into a war of attrition. Most of the rebels are fighting for the survival of their cause. This centers on their demands to get fair treatment from an oppressive government. The central government is not prepared to compromise on any of their policies. Their Prime Minister states that they will not negotiate with terrorists. Only the United Nations peace negotiations team members are sounding rational and reasonable in this hot debate. The Chief United Nations negotiator wants peace talks to continue. Meanwhile the United Nations continues to run refugee camps to shelter the most vulnerable people.
Our band of travelers has been reduced by one death. Freya Hill is dead! Her lover Dr. Roman Ruffe is so devastated by her death that he resigns from his lucrative hospital post. Roman moves to a country hospital to get away from the sorrowful city sights that remind him of his dead lover. Unfortunately he picks the wrong country hospital.
As for the Feelgood family, what is left of it, they are also leaving the city. The family is reduced in number by the death of Mrs. Mary Feelgood in a city suburban train bombing. They have a further loss due to the death of Mrs. Hilda Horan (nee Feelgood) from suicide. The old head of the family, Mr. Abraham Feelgood , is now an invalid. He suffered a stroke after shooting dead his son-in-law Mr. Lucas Horan. Everyone in the family had blamed Lucas Horan for the suicide of his wife Hilda. Hilda's father had arranged the marriage! Later he overlooked Lucas's many infidelities. Yet Hilda had been his favorite daughter! Abraham Feelgood could not handle the public shame from Hilda's suicide. So he got his government approved pistol went to see Roman at his office late at night and shot him dead. Fortunately for Mr. Feelgood he was a very rich man who had lots of friends in high office. These friends got him off any police investigation. The police were told to treat the shooting of Lucas Horan as a rebel atrocity. As such it came under federal legal jurisdiction. Of course there was no investigation by Spymaster Leopold's office, or any other federal agency. Still it was made clear to the Feelgood family that Abraham Feelgood had used up all his political capital. There was extreme pressure to prosecute coming from the rich member of the Horan family. It also had political puppets in the federal government. These puppets insisted that Abraham Feelgood leave the city for good.
Hear Feelgood was now the acting head of the family. She had resigned her post at her hospital. Now she was taking her little family to their family estate. This involved a road trip of three hundred kilometers. The Feelgood Estate was almost directly due west of the city but was not in rebel held territory. Hera's sister Hannah was going with them on this family retreat. Hannah had been Freya Hill's best friend and was grieving for Freya. She was still also grieving for her mother and her sister. Hannah had resigned from her city teaching position.
Adam Champion was in big trouble. He was being held in a military prison to face charges of dereliction of duty in a war zone. Champion could also have to face a murder charge. Champion was the last person to see the former spymaster Yves Machel before his assassination. The army wanted to court martial him but the state government also wanted him tried for murder. This was not possible because of a law passed to protect serving military officers from murder charges under the Emergency War Powers Act. Governor-General Dent intervened in this clash of state and federal jurisdictions to suggest a compromise. Under his plan of legal procedure, Captain Adam Champion would first face a court martial . Once he was a citizen again he could then be tried for murder. Things looked pretty bleak for Champion on both counts.
At the United Nations refugee camp, two rebels were showing signs of great leadership. One was the man who was the brains behind the initial safe transit of rebel women, children and the elderly. This clever man was called Ivan Shakata. As a result of this, Shakata had become the informal leader of the camp refugees. Owing to the unexpected death of a rebel alliance leader, Alice Shibata, a position on the rebel council was made available to this extraordinary civilian. When Shibata's faction objected, they were allowed to also include a replacement for their death representative. Shane Mullingah, Shibata's former aide, was also added to the rebel alliance leadership council.
Another great leader was an Iranian immigrant called Nahid Anaheed. Her husband was a well known rebel fighter. But it was Mrs. Anaheed's work to make things better for the refugee women, and their children, that got her accolades. She set up cooperative help groups, organised to send the children to the local school and set up a women's security force. Struggling mothers were given support with child care and meals. School aged children were given places at the UNICEF schools, even if this did mean classes in overcrowded rooms and lunches in packed playground were unavoidable.
Women were protected from theft of food, assaults and rape by a strong refugee woman security team carrying very large sticks. When the older males complained about this to Shakata he told them that he fully supported Mrs. Anaheed's efforts. Further he stated that he would personally punish any man guilty of raping female refugees. Furthermore he stated that anyone stealing from refugee families and assaulting woman or children would be punished. There were former judges and magistrates in the refugee camp. Shakata planned to use them when necessary. Slowly the refuge camp became a secure and safe environment for desperate families whose younger male members were away fighting for the rebels.
The civil war was about to get much nastier for both sides. The government could now deploy its full military might to drive rebels out of the cities. Rebel held suburbs were bombed mercilessly. In retaliation, the rebel increased their use of car bombs, road side bombs and suicide bombers.
Summer Entitlements
Arriving at the United Nations refugee camp, the largest one in Australia, Flint went looking for Ivan Shakata. He was about to introduce himself when Shakata beat him to it by exclaiming,
"Why if it isn't the great Cain Flint himself. I thought you were on the run from government trackers."
Flint winced when he recalled the many near misses he had with those self same trackers. But he replied calmly,
"Well trackers need a trail but I covered mine up too well."
Shakata laughed but Flint did not see any laughter in his eyes. Instead he heard Shakata ask,
"What can I do for you Mr. Flint?"
Flint squirmed when he heard the name that he regarded still as representing his father. So he made a request when he said,
"Please call me Cain . That other name makes me look for Dad."
Shakata was seeing a softer side to this famous killer. He was puzzled, so he enquired,
"How are your father and mother? "
Flint went pale as he replied,
"Not too good. They are both dead."
Shakata saw the pain in Flint's eye but needed to know how much steel was in his heart, so he pried deeper,
"Sorry to hear that, my condolences. What did they die of?'
The pain in Flint's eyes turned to red hot anger. His tone lowered the temperature of the air inside Shakata's tent. Flint barked out,
"Both of them died of pneumonia. It was the government's fault! That's five lives to get revenge for that are blood debts. If you add in my childhood mates killed by state police officers, then I still need to kill more government targets. I intend to exact a full revenge on government