Operation Honey Trap vs The Emperor of the Apocalypse

The men were up early and back on the trail of the girls.

Alton had barely slept a wink as he alternated between replaying every moment of his sweet encounter with Delphi and figuring out a plan to infiltrate the group instead of attacking them head-on.

"Penny for your thoughts Commander?" asked Wolf, who was riding next to him and had noticed he was wearing a rare smile. "You seem happy today."

The majority of his thoughts were unprintable and certainly not something he planned to share with Wolf. Or Niko for that matter. And his plan for the men to 'join the rebellion' was still too sketchy to share. He would brief the guards when it was fully formed, and he could instruct them all on their roles.

"I'm thinking we'll take a shortcut up ahead through the swamp instead of along the road and see if we can get ahead of them on the road."

He pulled out the map and showed the men the planned route.

"Going through the swamp's obviously riskier than the road, so we'll ride in battle formation. Be on high alert, especially for tubiàn croc's. I'll take the lead. Niko, you're rearguard. As much as possible we'll stick to dry land, but anywhere near the water, a croc can launch itself at your horse, so keep your swords drawn."

"Yes Commander!" said Niko, who was excited at the prospect of getting ahead of the women and seeing Indy again.

Beyond that, he hadn't thought much further… He knew he had a tough problem to solve, keeping her out of the harem, but he had an unshakeable feeling that he could make that happen and that the details of 'how,' would work themselves out.

The Commander set off into the wetlands. There was an old levee bank that wound its way through the water, so they followed that. Occasionally it was submerged, and the horses would have to feel their way through the swamp water.

"There's a red bellied black snake swimming over there," called Baer, who was riding behind Alton. "Just a natural one."

They all breathed a sigh of relief. No one even flinched at a natural snake that could be flicked away with one stroke of a sword.

"It's their tubiàn cousins we don't want to run into in these boggy conditions," replied Commander Meyer grimly.

"All clear behind us," Niko confirmed.

"Stay alert men," said the commander.

They continued on with only the chirping of birds and cicadas to accompany them. It was getting uncomfortably hot, but they all wore their long sleeved uniforms through the wetlands to keep the rampant mosquitoes at bay.

As they rode along the levee, they came to a body of water that was covered in green waterweed that looked exactly like grass. Baer spotted a shape covered in weed that could have been a log. He stared at it intently. An eye flickered closed then open again.

"Croc!" he shouted, pointing left and slightly behind where he and the commander rode on the bank.

The massive creature shot out of the water and ran up the levee on its awful stumpy legs.

It clamped its jaws around the leg of Han's horse and started to drag it back into the water while it screamed a series of terrified whinnies.

Han hacked at its nose with his sword, but the skin was tough there, and while he managed to draw blood, it didn't let go and kept dragging his horse inexorably towards the water.

Han leapt off the horse as it slipped into the water off the muddy bank. His lucky sailor hat flew off. As the beast and the horse disappeared under the green weed, the hat was all that was left of them, bobbing jauntily on the green surface.

Han leant forward with his sword trying to drag the hat back before it got too far away from the levee.

"Han!" said the commander sharply. "Don't even think about it! What did I tell you last time you risked your life for that bloody hat?"

"But it's my lucky hat," he said sadly.

"It's clearly not lucky, it's unlucky. Every time you wear it you get singled out by a man-eating beast. Good riddance to bad rubbish, I say."

Han watched dejectedly as the hat floated out of reach and then tipped on its end and started to sink.

"I hope that's not bad juju," he sulked.

"The bad juju is you lost your horse and you're going to have to share until we can catch you another one," said his commander. "Hop on behind Bo."

Bo looked most put out to have Han sitting behind him in the sticky heat.

"Sit back further," he complained.

"I can't. Your horse is too goddam small. If I sit any further back, I'll be on the ground."

"Well just stop touching me then."

"Same problem. Your horse is too fucking small. Why didn't you catch a bigger one?"

"I had no idea I'd have to fit your fat arse on here, did I?"

"Fat arse? My arse is all muscle. And better a fat arse than a skinny one like yours mate."

"You said it."

"Shut up you two," said Commander Meyer. "There's no choice here. Han's horse just got eaten by a bloody crocodile. We've got bigger problems than you two sharing a horse."

"Easy for you to say Commander," Bo grumbled under his breath. "You don't have Han rubbing himself all over you."

"Fuck off!" snapped Han loudly.

"You're the one hugging me. You fuck off."

"Ow!" shouted Bo. "Did you just cut me Han?" he asked his friend incredulously.

"No! Why would I cut you. I'm not a fucking psycho."

"Shut up you two before I come back there and make you," the commander roared.

"My arm's bleeding Commander," said Bo. "If it wasn't Han…"

Bo's speculation was cut-off by a shout from Niko at the back.

"Something just sliced me on the neck, Commander!"