Suddenly, as if on signal, the birds sitting in the lone tree paused in their chatter and became still. Some of them turned their heads slightly in an effort to better identify the danger they sensed, rather than saw or heard. Not waiting to find out its source, the birds took to wing as one in a frenzy that bordered on panic. Predators that had moved up near the tree under cover of darkness and now lay hidden in the rocks were startled by their sudden flight. Fearful that they had been discovered, the predators tensed up, ready to strike in any direction. Only when the last of the birds had flown from earshot and stillness returned to the rocky ledge did the predators relax, but only a little: they knew the birds had been spooked by something-something big. Perhaps that something was their prey. Minutes later this assumption was confirmed when the morning silence was again broken. The slow, distant rumble of many heavily burdened trucks could be heard. As the trucks drew closer to the lone tree, the sound of gears grinding and the laboring of the engines became distinct.
In the early morning sun, the line of twenty trucks and half a dozen jeeps moved slowly west from Gondar, along the dirt track that followed a gorge that cut into the mountain like a scar. Dust rose and hung about them in the morning calm. The pace of the trucks and their lack of proper dispersion infuriated Major Neboatov. The column was moving too fast to provide proper detailed recon ahead and too slow to enable it to reach a position from which they could cut off the force that had assaulted them several hours before.
Immediately after the fighting at the airfield had ended, a lively debate had begun. Neboatov knew that the guerrilla force would disperse at dawn. Time therefore was critical. He insisted that a force of two battalions, moving along separate routes, move immediately to intercept the enemy before they slipped back across the Sudanese border; there was always the outside chance that they could get into position before the guerrilla force made it to safety or dispersed. Such a bold stroke might succeed. But there was a great deal of indecision on the part of the Ethiopian regimental commander. A former guerrilla with years of experience fighting the former government, he had never made the transition to waging a counterguerrilla war. And even Neboatov's assistant, Captain Torres, sided with the regimental commander.
Thus, instead of striking out with all available forces and speed, the regimental commander had reported to army headquarters in Addis Ababa and requested instructions. For hours nothing was done, either in Gondar or in Addis Ababa. When instructions were received, at 0435 hours, they were a compromise. The battalion to which Neboatov was attached as an advisor was to move out at dawn by truck in pursuit of the attackers. Incensed by the half-measure, Neboatov contacted the senior Soviet advisor in Addis Ababa. He submitted his own report and recommendation, stating that the battalion, cut to two-thirds strength by the attack, was in no shape to move. Furthermore, his report pointed out, using such a small force to chase the enemy was pointless. He never received a response, other than acknowledgment that his message had been received. Frustrated, Neboatov decided, against his better judgment, to go out with the column. Though it would accomplish nothing, at least he could vent his frustrations in the field. Anything had to be better than sitting around doing nothing and accomplishing less.
As was the normal practice, Neboatov and Captain Torres were in the fourth vehicle. The guerrillas were in the habit of mining roads and trails. In the early days too many Soviet and Cuban advisors had been lost to this practice. To reduce this wastage, an order was issued that advisors would not travel in the lead vehicles. Though this reduced casualties among the advisors, it lowered the esteem in which the Ethiopian forces once held their fellow socialists. Neboatov, a combat veteran, understood the need for leadership and the effects it had on morale. When he arrived, he ignored the order. The effect was immediate and beneficial. The officers of the battalion he was assigned to accepted him but shunned Torres, who insisted that it was important that they follow the order. The result was that the Ethiopians openly snubbed and looked down upon Torres while Neboatov was held in high regard. Neboatov made real headway with the Ethiopians and established a relationship based on trust and respect. This hard-eamed rapport was threatened, however, when he received a reprimand from Lieutenant Colonel Lvov, his immediate superior. It didn't take a great deal of intelligence to figure out that Torres had reported Neboatov's violation through his own channels. Neboatov never forgave him.
Torres, now slouched down in the back of the jeep, was asleep. The initial excitement of assembling the battalion and moving out was gone. The tedium of the trip, the unchanging scenery, and the effects of lost sleep began to dull Neboatov's senses. Rather than give in to the urge to sleep, as Torres had, he studied the terrain and kept track of their progress, calculating the time it would take to arrive at various critical points along their route. There were precious few features on the terrain that he could use for reference. Running his finger along a map, he followed the winding goat track they were on. The map showed a hairpin turn at a rocky outcropping just ahead, where the goat trail came out of the gorge they were in. The place had a name, but Neboatov could not pronounce it. He knew that it had something to do with a lone tree and that everyone used the place as a reference point. Neboatov sat up in the seat and tried to look ahead for the rocky ledge, but the lead vehicles and the dust they kicked up frustrated his view. It was not until he felt the jeep begin to climb a steep incline that he realized they were at the turn.
On top of the ledge, the predators that had been startled when the birds had taken wing listened to the advance of the trucks. Unlike the birds, they did not flee. Instead, they slowly eased themselves into position and prepared to strike. Even the drone of a pair of attack helicopters patrolling the road in front of the column of trucks did not bother them. In silence they waited for the first vehicles to come over the crest of the ledge and move past the lone, empty tree. They would strike only when they were ready; they would not be rushed. Their leader patiently watched and waited. He watched as the first vehicle of the convoy passed the tree and continued without halting or slowing. He relaxed, watching as the second, then the third vehicle reached and passed the tree. As the fourth vehicle reached the lone tree, Sergeant First Class Hector Veldez, one of the hidden predators, raised his M-16A2 automatic rifle to his shoulder and, in a booming voice, ordered his men to fire.
Without thought, Neboatov reacted to the first crack of rifle fire and the choke of mortar rounds being fired. Looking neither left nor right, and not bothering to gauge the speed of the jeep, he threw himself out of the vehicle, flattening out on contact with the ground and rolling toward the tree. Hitting a large, serpentine root that rose a foot from the ground, Neboatov stopped, scrambled to the other side of the root, and rolled over onto his back. For a moment he lay there, listening to his heart pound in his chest, gasping for breath. He watched bits of leaves from the tree above detach themselves and flutter down on him. The sound of his breathing was soon obscured by the crescendo of battle unfolding all about him. The bits of leaves were fragments that had been chipped off by stray bullets.
Rolling back over onto his stomach, Neboatov slowly raised his head and peered over the root. The first six vehicles of the convoy were stopped and burning or overturned. His own jeep was ablaze; its driver lay next to it in a pool of blood. Captain Torres hung half out of the jeep, his body engulfed in flames. From the far side of the road, figures rose up from hidden positions and began to move toward the vehicles. The line of attackers advanced swiftly, staying crouched low to the ground, their rifles at the ready. They were going to move to the edge of the knoll and fire down onto the remainder of the column, now halted and under fire from other hidden assailants.