The night was going to be one of the dark nearly moonless things, without much of any glow through the misting rain to see by. The rain wasn’t a problem, and in fact might be better to have since it covered so much in the way of sound and visibility on the ground. But it was a two-edged sword in that it limited those same things when it came to detecting the enemy. Our element was at a crossroads, as I tried to figure out what to do based on what Jacko had reported before the Skyraiders made their last run and bugged out. Supposedly the NVA had proceeded down the trail next to the cliff wall and then, for some unknown reason, possibly reports about Kilo being set further down in an ambush, had turned and headed back up the valley.

“They’re not headed for the confluence,” I said to the Gunny, turning down another hit on his C-ration cigarette.