A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Vrassa Station North, Northern Vrassa, November 14, 5636  11:47 pm

It was a night like many others.  Cold, even for Vrassa, a frozen fog was building in the valley, but here on the mountain top it was relatively clear.  Cpl. Sarah Tyler sat on the radio, as it made its scan through channels listening for the signals coming from Keris and Artania.  Kalistan had fewer assets in Artania, but the Station still needed to collect their reports.  It was the top of the hour and reports would be coming in very soon.  They would also say one word:  "Clear."  Cpl Tyler would mark each freq down with a C, and then spend the rest of the hour scanning the static.

At 11:49 local, Tyler saw a red light blinking on her console.  The blinking light caught her by surprise.  She wasn't quite sure what to do.  She looked around, for the officer in charge, but the Lieutenant had already returned to the BOQ for the evening.  "Damn," she thought.  "What does that red light mean?"  It had an H over it... with a plug for a 1/4 inch phone jack.

She thought for a moment and unplugged her phones from the scanner, and plugged it into the female jack.  She keyed the mic twice, out of habit.

"Hello?"  She asked.

"Who is this?" the voice asked on the other end.

"This is Co..."  she stopped herself short.  "This is Sarah.  Who is this?"

"Civilian, get off this channel," the voice shouted back into the headset.

"This is Corporal Sarah Tyler in Vrassa."

There was a pause.  "What did one snowman say to the other?"  asked the voice.

Corporal Tyler answered "What?  Who is this?"

"Civilian, get off this channel!"  repeated the voice.  She took her headset off.  What the hell was this?  She had no idea what to do.  She looked under the desk and found her manual.  She opened it up and flipped through it.  

How to scan.  

How to log.  

How to repair the radio.  

How to remove crypto.  

How to destroy crypto.  

Switches, 

Settings  

"Hutori..."  

Hutori.  H.  "If this light designated Hotel illuminates, mount the TH-401 Headset device into the female 1/4 inch jack.  Announce your station callsign, wait for response.  Answer Copy.  Contact will say the Challenge Phrase, provide Pass Phrase.  Challenge Phrase and Pass Phrase are found in removable appendix 14-a and is replaced monthly."  That's all.  Who is this?

Cpl Tyler picked up the headset and keyed the mic twice.  "Vrassa North- Delta Oscar 4 Niner," she said into the mic.

"Bout god damned time.  Hutori Center Kilo 7 Whiskey Bravo.  Over."

Cpl. Tyler now understood she was talking to Hutori.  "Copy" she said, to identify that she had received him and was listening.

"What did one snowman say to the other?" the voice asked.  What?  this again?  She thought.  Oh..  the annex...

Cpl Tyler followed the matrix...  tonight was Tuesday.  And it was the 14th.  cross reference.  "Smells like carrots" she said into the microphone.

"Finally,  Look:  lighthouse, she's a go.  Get that message to 6, now.  We are gonna need whatever you can send us.  In the South.  Tell her, in the South..."  after a long pause...  "Do you copy?"

Cpl Tyler said,  "Y... yes sir.  In the South..."

"Corporal, Are you alright there?"

Cpl Tyler took a deep breath, and said.  "Yes, all clear.  I will get the message to my superiors."

"No.  To 6.  Not to some stupid sergeant."

"To 6.  Ok..."

The line went back to static.  Cpl Tyler called her Lieutenant and it took him three minutes to answer the phone.  "Sir, I got a call.  It's for someone named Six.  The guy said Lighthouse is a go, they need whatever we can send, and they need it in the South."

"What the hell time is it, Corporal?" said the drowsy officer.

"Almost Midnight Sir."

"Who sent that message?" asked the Lieutennant.

"It was Hutori."

"Hut...  You said this message was for 6?"

"Yes sir.  Six."  She could hear the Leiutennant jump out of bed.  "Oh sh--  I've gotta make a call, and will be right down there.  It's gonna be a long night.  Get the coffee on."  He hung up before she could say anything.