
The invaders had intercepted and decoded the last desperate communications of the defenders. It had said, “Communications Compromised! Refugees use protocols to Safe Zone.” One such “protocol” was a spray-painted sign at an obscure crossroads. It read “Gone North.” On discovering this, Lieutenant Role of the occupying force posted a lookout near the place to see if it was in fact one of the defenders’ instructions. Within an hour the observer reported a band of about fifty refugees and handful of soldiers approaching the sign and then turning West. Role ordered the word “North” removed to symbolise the Resistance’s future.
Padre