| RETURN TO THE WAR SITE |
As Kyle Sharone made his way from his office in the Israeli Defense building towards the elevator, he was preoccupied with the day’s problems. As the Elevator doors opened, he stepped inside pressing the button for the parking garage. As the elevator started to drop, his thoughts were momentarily stemmed by the gravity change he felt in his stomach.
As the door opened, he pondered the touchy situation as he walked to his car. As he reached the door and pulled out his keys, he heard a noise from behind. Spinning around and looking over the deathly silent parking garage, he could see a shadow of a figure in the shadows.
“Who is there?, he called out, slowly reaching inside his vest for his side arm.
As his hand reached the weapon and he slide the safety off with his thumb, the figure moved into the light. As the face became recognizable, he reset the safety and unclenched his muscles.
“Oh, it’s you Shadow, damn I almost shot you. What are you doing here, I told you never to come here”
As the man grew closer he replied, “I had no choice, I had to see you right away.”
“Did you get the message to the GNSF?”, Sharone asked.
“Yes, but we have another issue. I have been contacted by my informant with the Russian Military, and he has extremely important information for the GNSF”, Ghost explained.
Taking a look around again to make sure they were still alone, Sharone motioned to Ghost to get in the car. Once both were inside, Sharone pressed for information. “What is it he wants sent to the GNSF?”
Shaking his head and looking very frazzled, Ghost said, “He has information and a map of the BotC location in Ossetia, and some details of what they are planning”
A bit confused, Sharone questioned, “That is very good news, so why do you look like you have a noose around your neck?”
“One of my Georgian sources was taken by the BotC, and that means I may be compromised” Ghost mumbled.
Pondering the situation, Sharone smiled and said, “OK, well let’s not get too worried, even if the BotC find out about you, they won’t know who you really are. You will just have to drop this cover and move to a new location.” Feeling that this would calm his friend, he was taken back when Ghost blurted out,
“You don’t understand, The Colonel is there, and he knows me... the REAL me!”
As the smile completely left Sharone’s face, he reached over to his briefcase and unlocked it. Once open he pulled out an envelope and passed it to Ghost.
“Here, Sharone barked, “these are directions to a safe house, a new ID and Money. Go there and talk with no one. Once you get there, stay put and we will send a team for you. “After a moment of thought, he added, “You know you will have to be relocated out of here, probably to Mexico or South America, at least until things cool down. Now before you go, how do I get in touch with this Russian source?”
Looking a bit less rattled, Ghost replied, “I have already set it up, he will contact the GNSF through an MI-6 contact. At this point it looks like we are out of the loop unless you have contact in the UK. ”
As both men shook hands, Ghost got out of the car and vanished into the shadows.
As John Scarlettt sat in his office going over some paperwork, he heard a knock on his door.
“Come in”, he called out.
As the door opened, Ron Hatfield entered the office and closed the door behind him.
“Morning Ron, have a seat”, Scarlettt said, motioning to the large chair. “I hear you have made contact with a Russian asset. Fill me in”.
As Hatfield sat down, he began,
“Yes, I made contact with a Commander from the Russian Special Forces by way of a Debka operative. It seems the Debka agents cover may have been blown with the capture of an informant, so is being made to vanish. It seems the Israeli Military has turned this Russian into an operative by getting his family out of Russia, and dramatically increasing their financial worth. It seems he has a lot of information about the Brotherhoods presence in Georgia.”
Leaning back in his chair, Scarlettt relied,
“So it looks like those sick buggers are at it again. Do the Yanks know about this?”
“No, but it seems that Debka was in contact with the GNSF fellows.” Hatfield replied.
After a while of silence, Scarlettt leaned forward and said,
“Well that’s a bloody good turn, as maybe the GNSF can get in there and deal with these nutters. With the UN and NATO watching like hawks, we won’t be able to get involved. I wager the Yanks are in the same boat. So, if we can get some information from this Russian, we can send it over to the GNSF. Maybe that will be enough to get the GNSF involved. ”
Hatfield started shaking his head and replied,
“Well that’s going to be a bit of bother, as this Russian is on active duty in Ossetia. The only way to get anything from him is to have someone meet him there. I have no Idea how we can pull this off, as the whole area is infested with Russian, mostly Spetsnaz troops.”
After contemplating the situation, Scarlettt asked,
“Can you get a message to the Russian?”
“Yes, I can have it coded into his wife’s letters like last time”, Hatfield said.
Smiling, Scarlettt added,
“Good, tell him we will try to have someone meet him out there, possibly a GNSF chap. I will grease the wheels and somehow get the GNSF smack in the middle of things.”
At that, Hatfield stood up and headed out of the office. As he closed the door behind him, he smiled, as if anyone could make this work, that sly old dogger Scarlettt could.
As Fleet Admiral Stern and Admiral Wallbanger were sitting in the FADM’s office going over Intel from the Georgia region, they were interrupted by a pounding on the door, followed by some form of commotion outside the office. Looking directly at the CNO, the Fleet Admiral barked,
“What the hell is going on?”
Knowing that tone, the CNO replied, “Don’t worry boss, I’ll handle this”
Just then, the door opened, revealing Lieutenant Maz and the Fleet Admirals secretary jostling for position in the now open doorway.
“I’m sorry sir’s, I told the Lieutenant you couldn’t be disturbed, but he went psycho and barged by. You want me to call security sir?”
Looking like a rabid bear with his nuts in a trap, the CNO replied,
“No, that’s ok; I will deal with the Lieutenant. Lieutenant Maz, SIT!”
At that, the secretary nodded and smiled. As she closed the door, she sat down at her desk, anxiously awaiting the sound of all hell breaking loose. As the Lieutenant sat in the chair, obviously almost ready to explode about something, the CNO glared, and in a calm voice said,
“Lieutenant, can you give me one good reason why I should allow you to leave this room in anything other than a body bag.”
Figuring he had only moments left to live, he blurted out, “Sir, the BotC are in Georgia, and the Colonel is there too”
As the CNO looked on with the unwavering stare, the Fleet Admiral stood up, sending his chair back into the wall. While his gaze never broke, the CNO knew that sound and waited.
“Lieutenant, I want you to calm yourself down, start from the beginning, and tell me everything”, the Fleet Admiral said, in a calm but obviously angry voice.
“Yes sir, I’m sorry about barging in sir, I just knew you would want to know this, and I tried to tell the secretary that it …”.
Before the lieutenant could go any farther, the room was filled by the CNO’s voice, which must have registered on the Richter scale,
“LIEUTENANT!”.
As the word seemed to echo in the small office, the Fleet Admiral again spoke”
“Lieutenant, I want you to calm yourself down, start from the beginning, and tell me everything, but not in novel form”
As the Lieutenant drew a breath and relaxed a bit, he started.
“Sir, I was working with Lieutenant Cheesehead on the perimeter detector at the far end of the runway, when I needed to, well you know, natures call. Anyway, I went into the wooded area and, well you know, did my thing. As I was, you know, finishing, a guy walked up and asked me if I was a GNSF officer.”
As he took another breath, he could see the fires of hell burning in the CNO eyes. As he looked over, he was almost sure that the Fleet Admiral was preparing a mental letter to his family of his untimely death in a training accident. Quickly, he continued.
“I asked him what he wanted, and he told me he had an important message for you. He said he was Debka-ghost, and that the Colonel was in the Ost area with the nutcase. He also said things were not good at all. As I, you know, got my uniform back in a sealed position, I asked him what he meant, but when I looked up he was gone.”
The Fleet Admiral looked at the Lieutenant, then the CNO, who was still in a fixated stare with the Lieutenant.
“Boss, relax.”, the fleet Admiral said, causing the CNO to break his death stare.
“Sir, I know you will probably court martial me for barging in, but I ..”, the Lieutenant blurted out, but was cut short by the Fleet Admiral,
“AT EASE LUETENANT!”
Sitting back down, the fleet Admiral looked over to Admiral Wallbanger and said,
“Well, this is sure an interesting turn of events”.
At that, the Lieutenant again piped up.
“Sir, I was thinking about this all the way over here, and I think I know what the guy was trying to say. I think the Ost area is Ossetia in Georgia, and the nutcase is probably the guy Lafitte from the Brotherhood of the coast, and the Colonel may be that Black ops guy.”
As the Lieutenant sat back waiting for the inevitable, the Fleet Admiral looked over to the Lieutenant and said,
“Have you spoken to anyone about this, any of this?”
The Lieutenant replied, “No Sir, I came right over and told no one”
“Thank you for bringing this to us. None of this leaves this room, do you understand, you are to speak about this to no one.”
“Aye sir”, the Lieutenant replied.
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral said, “Thank you Lieutenant, you are dismissed sir”
Feeling a wave of partial relief, the Lieutenant got up and opened the door, knowing this was only a delay of the inevitable. As he started through the door, the Fleet Admiral called out,
“Lieutenant, your appraisal of the message, you came up with that on your way over here?”
Looking back, the Lieutenant replied,
“Yes sir, I know I may be way off base, but I thought you would like some input. I ….” All of a sudden, something popped into the Lieutenants head telling him now would be a really good time to stop talking.“… Thank you sir” the Lieutenant ended and closed the door.
Looking over at Admiral Wallbanger, the Fleet Admiral questioned,
“So, what do you think we should do with the Lieutenant?”
Still looking like he was ready to pop, the Admiral replied,
“I’m sorry about that boss, I could have him cleaning latrines for the next 5 million years, but I was thinking more along the lines of letting him help in the Intel Department”
Looking confused, the Fleet Admiral replied, “Come again?”
At that, the CNO added,
“Come on boss, he just confirmed what we were checking into. We now know that the BotC are in Georgia, and looks like Vikhalnakov and Lafitte are there too. I know he went overboard, but it was important, and he told no one about it.”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral replied, “Boy, I knew you were a softy way down inside”
“Yea, we are too nice to these guys”, the CNO chuckled.
As Colonel Aleksei Vikhalnokov sat in the Command tent, Jean Lafitte walked in.
“Ah, my old friend, glad you could come and help.” The Colonel said.
“Are you kidding, I wouldn’t pass up a chance to get out of that damn confining base. Besides, I am sure somewhere along the way I will get a chance to add more GNSF trophies to me wall, hahahaha”, Lafitte exclaimed, as he danced around and around.
Shaking his head, the Colonel tapped on a large map, trying to get Lafitte’s attention. After a few moments, and probably due to dizziness, Lafitte stopped spinning long enough to see the Colonel tapping.
“OK, OK, so fill me in” Lafitte said as he tried to walk to the desk.
As the colonel pointed out key areas that were occupied by Russian and Black Squad forces, he detailed the plans that were to be put in place. Once Lafitte had been briefed, the Colonel remarked,
“Now, I know you want to drive the GNSF guys nuts, but we need to keep absolute secrecy until Phase one is in place. After that, it won’t matter, and you can send a bloody invitation card to the GNSF if you want.”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to mess up your plans, but I’m still confused on what the hell you’re doing here anyway, and why you need us ?”
“Simple, the Russian government has to pull out to keep NATO and the UN happy, so a few friends have asked me to do a few things for them.”
Scratching his head, Lafitte replied,
“OK, now I’m really confused, since when do you play guard dog for others, and why the hell am I here?”
Shaking his head, the Colonel tried again,
“I have a good relationship with some back home, and I’m sure you remember how helpful they were to us last time. So, I am helping them to keep my doors open”
As the Colonel finished, he could see Lafitte’s attention was lax as he looked around, then out the window, finally asking,
“Don’t get me wrong Aleksei, I would help you any time, but why the hell am I here?”
Sliding down into his chair, the Colonel banged his head on the desk in a succession of rapid blows, then looking up said,
“I am helping my Friends, you and the Brotherhood are here to help me, your friend, and in a few weeks you will have the opportunity to blow stuff up and kill GNSF people!”
At this, Lafitte smiled and replied,
“Damn, why the hell didn’t you say that in the first place, count us in!”
At this, the Colonels head hit the table and remained there for a moment, then, sitting back up, he commented,
“So, all we need to do now is make sure everything we do is kept secret. We have already taken 3 operatives that were leaking information. They have been dealt with.”
Finally sitting down, Lafitte queried
“So, if you have removed all the squealers, what the problem?”
As the Colonels face grew angry and cold, he replied while restraining his anger,
“We have NOT got them all. From our Intel and operatives there is at least one more, and he must be close to us. After interrogating one spy, he divulged information that only our group knows”
Jumping up to his feet, Lafitte yelled out angrily,
“You sure as hell better not be thinking any Brotherhood member is a snitch!”
“No, No. Your people don’t even know this info.” The Colonel replied, trying to calm Lafitte before he lost it.
Sitting back down, Lafitte, now calmer, leaned in and asked,
“So, who besides you and your men know these details, because I can’t believe any of them are snitches.”
The Colonel replied,
“No one, not even the Russians, except for a few high ranking members in Moscow, and the ones that have been placed under my command unofficially, and they are all Spetsnaz.”
Lafitte thought a minute, then looking right at the Colonel said,
“You know what you need to do, don’t let anyone know what’s going on, especially back in Russia. Keep them in the dark and halt any sensitive comms. Maybe send some false comms to pinpoint the leak. The only people you can trust are the ones you have here with you. No one here goes out, and no one comes in, and all comms should be restricted to you.”
Looking a bit happier, the Colonel smiled and said, “Thanks my friend”
As Lafitte got up and headed out of the tent, he looked back and said,
“Don’t worry, Hands and the boys get in tonight. We will make sure the only people coming and going are doing armed patrols. That way, no info can ever get out.”
As Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili headed away from the Security Council building, his mood was foul. His frustration at the situation hung like a cloud over him as the limo headed down the highway. After a while, the window to the cab descended, and the driver called back,
“Hello Mr. President, I see things are not going well”
Surprised by this, the president looked at the face in the rear view mirror and knew this was not his normal driver. His thoughts now turned to Russian hit squads.
“Who the hell are you, and where is Demitri”
The driver smiled and replied,
“My name is Ron Hatfield Mr. President, and I am with MI6. I am here to unofficially help you with your problem”
The President felt a wave of relief as he sat there contemplating this new twist in this seemingly unending chaotic month, and then asked,
“OK, so what can MI6 do for me? Are you not bound by the same UN and NATO rules made by those pathetic puppets?”
Hatfield started to laugh, and then continued,
“Well yes we are, and that is why this meeting never took place. There is however, a group that sometime does go outside the rules of the pathetic puppets as you say. They are good bunch of fellow and always seem to get the crappy jobs done.”
Intrigued by this, the president instructed,
“OK, I’m listening, continue”
As the president listened, Hatfield filled the president in on the Intel they already had, as well as the GNSF and BotC presence. While most of the information shocked the president, he took comfort in the fact that at least now he knew the stakes. He then asked,
“OK, so how can the GNSF help? If I call them in the Russians will use that as an excuse to move their troops back in. Also, why would the GNSF want to get involved?”
As the Limo pulled up to its destination, Hatfield explained,
“The GNSF were assembled for just such situations, and they sure do have a bone to pick with the BotC. You will not be able to ask them to declare war on Russian troops still inside Georgia, but you could, as you said to the Council, ask them to monitor the withdrawal. Publically, you would have to get them in under a false and unrelated pretence, like military training assistance. If you like we will contact the GNSF and get this in motion ”
As the limo stopped and the president got out, he walked to the driver’s window and said,
“Please, make it happen, and thank you for this, it will not be forgotten”,
“Mr. President, I wish you well. MI6 will also continue to pass you anything we uncover to keep you in the loop.” Hatfield replied as he slowly pulled the limo away.
As the Fleet Admiral sat in his office with Task Force Commander Captain Alpha going over GNSF personnel files, a voice came over the intercom,
“Sir, Admiral Wallbanger is here”
“Thank you, send him in” the Fleet Admiral replied.
As the CNO entered the room, Captain Alpha stood and called “ATTENTION ON DECK”
“Please, have a seat boss”, the Fleet Admiral said, then continued,
“Have you looked over the request that Brice sent over?”
Having a seat, the CNO replied,
“Sure have boss, and I think we should agree, then go in there and kick some BotC ass. I owe them a whole bunch”
At this, Captain Alpha added,
“I agree with the CNO Sir, let’s get payback on these scum balls”
As the fleet Admiral cracked a short-lived smile, he replied,
“Well, while I concur with both of your sentiments, it’s not going to be that easy. If we do decide to get involved we will be putting ourselves in a very tenuous position.”
At this, both officers enthusiasm died a bit. As the CNO quickly tried to find a good argument to get the ass kicking started, the intercom rang out again,
“Sir, Rear Admiral Phantom is here”
“Thank you, please send him in, then make sure we are not disturbed”.
As the Rear Admiral entered, the Fleet Admiral motioned to a chair, and then announced,
“OK, I have asked the Rear Admiral to join us, as I have tasked him with analyzing this situation. Rear Admiral if you please”
As the Rear Admiral opened his file, he started,
“There are two major scenarios in play here. One is that the BotC are involved for some reason, the other is they are not and others are using the lie of their presence to push our buttons. The closest thing to proof we have is pictures of their planes in Russia. We have no clear proof they are in Georgia. So let’s look at both scenarios”
As the Rear Admiral passed out some paperwork, he continued,
“If the BotC are not there, then this is a case of the GNSF being used. Since other parties involved like KATSAS and MI6 will have their own agendas, we must be cautious not to become expendable pawns. We are also not sure what the US involvement is, as we are sure not in their good books. I would recommend we assume this worst condition until proven otherwise.”
As the Rear Admiral explained his take on the situation, the CNO felt that a chance to kick BotC ass was fading fast. As he tried hard to search for something to tip the scales, he was paused by the remainder of the Rear Admirals assessment.
“Now, if the BotC are involved, then they have a good reason for being there other than 'guns for hire'. There must be something there they want, or they simply want the GNSF involved. In all our past engagements, they seem to start conflicts that they know we will become dragged into. The motivation to date seems to be only one thing, a war of attrition with us. This would indicate a future master plan where they need us out of the picture.”
Pausing to take a drink, the Rear Admiral finished,
“So, I would recommend we conditionally accept the call for help. We cannot publically go in as peacekeepers as all would view us as interfering, while the Russians would see it as a declaration of War. Our best bet is to go in as training assistants, or some other form of contractors, and in a location far from the contested area. While most parties will complain, they will not be able to act without proof of our involvement. This being said, if the BotC ARE there and we act as anything other than trainers, it must be completely covert. Until such time as we can prove to the UN and NATO the BotC are there , ALL actions must NEVER be linked to us.”
As the Rear Admiral closed his folder, the others pondered the situation. Looking over to the CNO, the Fleet Admiral asked,
“So boss, I know you want to kick BotC ass, but are you ready to jump into this mess?”
As the CNO thought about it, he fought to keep the hatred of the BotC out of the equation. After a few moments he replied,
“Yes Boss, we kind of have to, and I am sure our boys can pull this off. If nothing else we can determine if the BotC are really there”
Nodding his head, the Fleet Admiral turned to the Rear Admiral and said,
“OK, we will do this, as long as the requesting parties agree to a few things. If there is the slightest chance of us being shafted, I will pull us out faster than F-16 in a power dive. Thank you for the input Rear Admiral, it gives us a lot to think about.”
At that, the Fleet Admiral turned to Captain Alpha and said,
“Once we start this, it will only be the ground forces in play. Sea and Air assets will be on standby until we get proof of the BotC involvement. This will not be a Rambo type operation; it will be covert beyond anything our people have done. I need to know, and I need to know now, can our people pull this off?”
Without flinching, the Captain responded,
“Sir, YES SIR. If ordered to, our forces could push a Humvey though a 4 inch sewer line, and not make a sound or leave a trace.”
At that, the Fleet Admiral smiled and replied,
“OK then, the boss and I will compose a response for the Intel Dept to send, detailing our conditions and stipulation. We will call this operation Oversee. Thank you, dismissed”
As the Captain and the Rear Admiral headed out of the office, the Rear Admiral turned and said,
“Sir, we sure better be careful on this one, it’s going to be like playing Russian roulette with an anti tank weapon”
As the two left and closed the door, the Fleet Admiral turned to the CNO and said,
“Boss, I got a really bad feeling about this. If our people screw up, we could end up being on the Russians hit list, and that would end it all. Make damn sure there is less than a zero percent chance anything happens that gives the Russians a chance to vent on us. ”
Nodding his head, the Admiral replied,
“I know boss, I don't think we have ever been this deep in it, and we haven't even started yet. I think I will order in another case of Beavertails, that always makes you feel better”
As the sun started to set in the Ossetia region, Colonel Aleksei Vikhalnokov walked through the camp amongst the hustle and bustle. As he smiled at the latest shipment being unloaded, Lafitte walked over to him and said,
“Hello my friend, I have a present for you.”
Looking a bit curious as well as a bit scared, as Lafitte’s presents could sometimes get weird, the Colonel replied,
“Well I just hope it’s not another head from a psychotic Korean Dictator”
At this, Lafitte burst out laughing and replied,
“No, I think he is still sitting on a pole back in Dubrovnik. Something better.”
As Lafitte smiled, he continued,
“I found another traitor in your midst. Well, actually Long John found him by doing some of his digging he likes to do. It’s all in here”
As Lafitte handed the folder to the Colonel, the Colonels face grew cold. After taking the file, he asked,
“Is it one of mine?”
Still smiling, Lafitte replied,
“No, he is one of the Spetsnaz squad members.”
The Colonel felt relieved, as Laffite added,
“You want me to take care of this for you?”
Without taking his gaze from the folder, the Colonel replied,
“No, I will deal with this matter personally.” After a few moments, the Colonel added,“Are you sure there is no mistake?”
Lafitte, now looking straight into the sky and slowly spinning around replied,
“No, it’s all in there, a ton of stuff. He was really caught with his pants down”
As Lafitte continued the slow spin, the Colonel started to walk away, then turning back called out,
“Lafitte, can you ask your guy to keep digging, as there may be more out there. I will make it well worth his while”
Stopping the spin, and looking directly at the Colonel, Lafitte replied,
“He is one it right now, and don’t worry about payment, he loves digging rats out of the woodwork. If there are more, he will find them”.
As the Colonel walked away, he headed over to the command tent. On his way, he spotted Captain Ivanovich walking out of the mess tent, and motioned the Captain to join him. The two met up and the Colonel filled him in on the traitor Long John had found. When he was done, the Captain stated,
“Well, I would say death is far too kind for him. You want me to show him things that would make the Devil puke?”
After contemplating the request, the colonel replied,
“No, not yet. I need some time to think of a fitting punishment for this one. ”
As the CNO sat in his office trying to piece the bits of Intel he had into something that made sense, he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in”, he called out.
As the Door opened, Captain Alpha came in, saluted and sat down.
“You wanted to see me sir?
Admiral Wallbanger pushed aside the paperwork and replied,
“Yes Captain, I need to talk with you about a very sensitive matter, that does not leave this room, do you understand?”
“Yes Sir”, the Captain quickly replied.
“I need your assessment on our Seal teams, your personal unofficial assessment on their ability to pull off a very touchy and delicate mission”.
Smiling, the Captain replied, “Sir, our guys are ready for anything, and they are the best of the best”
Smiling, the Admiral nodded and continued,
“Yes, I know, but this a very different animal. Lets say hypothetically we need a team to go inside hostile territory, get Intel, and extract an operative.”
Captain Alpha looked a bit puzzled, and replied,
“Sir, that’s what we do all the time?”
Pausing a moment, the Admiral tried again,
“Yes, but not like this. They will be going into a patrolled hostile area, probably Russia, and will be dealing with Spetsnaz troop, not dumb terrorists. Also, under no circumstances can ANY Russian soldier be fired on, nor can our presence ever be known.”
The Captains face now lost the happy glow, and he asked,
“Sir, what you are describing is a stealth recon mission, which we have done many times before, but at least we were able to return fire if fired on. Will that be the case here?
Looking down at his desk, the Admiral replied,
“No. Hypothetically, if a Russian was killed, or we were discovered, the Russians would probably declare war on us. I do not have to tell you even we would lose that one. Also being deemed a “third party” organization that is not part of an official country, we would get no help in that situation. We may even have NATO side with the Russians.”
Dropping his head, the Captain blurted out
“Sir, permission to speak freely?”
“Go ahead Captain; this is a hypothetical situation, so please tell me what you really think”
“Well sir, it sounds like a stacked mission with a very low probability of success. Some would call it a suicide mission. I would hate to have to be in a position to refuse an order of combat to prevent a slaughter of my men. If it went bad, the GNSF could loose it all. There would have to be one hell of a good reason for it to take such a high risk”
The Admiral sat and pondered for a moment, then replied,
“I totally agree with you; but let’s say the Intel the operative had was extremely valuable, hypothetically of course”
The Captain, looking directly at the Admiral asked,
“Hypothetically, how valuable?”
The Admiral bit his lip and replied,
“Hypothetically, Proof of BotC presence in Georgia, Plans and maps of what they are up to and where they are stationed… the location of the BotC base.”
At that, the Captains eyes opened, commenting,
“Well, the BotC base location is big enough to risk almost everything for.”
Taking a sip of coffee, the Admiral spoke,
“Thank you for your time sir, and remember, even though this is all hypothetical, it does not leave this room. In any event, I want you to provide me a list of names of the best we have, that would stand some chance of pulling off a mission like this, if one were ever to happen in the future.”
“Aye sir”, the Captain replied, as he stood, saluted and left the room.
Sitting back in his chair and looking at the paperwork, the Admiral sighed,
“Damn, I need a drink… a really big one.”
As Colonel Vikhalnokov, Lafitte, and Long John the Cook sat at the Map table in the Command tent, A Soldier walked in, saluted and said,
“Colonel Sir, you wanted to see me?”
Looking up, the Colonel stood and returned the salute, then motioned to a chair saying,
“Ah, Lieutenant Boris Dravaski of the 12th Spetsnaz squad, please sit down. Captain Ivanovich, please see we are not disturbed.”
As the Captain walked from the tent opening outside, he closed the flap and took position. Flashing a glance at both Lafitte and Long John, the Colonel turned to the Lieutenant and said,
“The reason I have called you here is that we have a problem with a leak from our operation”
As the Lieutenants chin dropped, he jumped to his feet and yelled,
“Sir, I sure hope you don’t think I am a traitor, I live for the Motherland!”
As a stern look came over the Colonels face, he barked back,
“Take your seat Lieutenant!”
Felling like his life was about to end, the Lieutenant sat back down and waited for the inevitable. Once he was again seated, the Colonel continued,
“Lieutenant, I have many friends in extremely high places, and along with my friend Long John here from the BotC, we have done a complete and thorough check on every Spetsnaz member.”
As the Colonel opened a file on the Lieutenant, he turned a few pages then stopped. As the Lieutenant could feel his life slipping away, the Colonel asked,
“So, it says here that while on a mission in Georgia 6 years ago, you killed your commanding officer, General Michael Dubroski. Seems he ordered your squad to take an area and you refused, please explain this?”
The Lieutenants eyes popped out of his head, as he asked,
“How did you find out about that, no one but the Kremlin knew that?”
Smiling, the Colonel replied, “There is nothing I don’t know or can’t find out; so, why?”
Taking a deep breath and trying to muster up all the courage and pride he had left, the Lieutenant decided to lay it out, since he was a dead man anyway. Looking straight at the Colonel, he replied.
“I don’t give a damn about what the report says, he was a filthy traitor and was sending us out to be slaughtered, so he would be free to pass Intel to the US. Kill me if you want, but I would do it again in a second.”
As the Colonel looked over to Lafitte, who seemed to be impressed with the balls this officer was showing, he turned back to the Lieutenant and replied,
“The General was a favorite of the Party. You must have known killing him would end it for you. So why did you do it?”
Without breaking his gaze back at the Colonel, the Lieutenant replied,
“Because he was a filthy traitor, and I was not going to let him send my men to their death. The Kremlin knew this and that is why I am still alive, even though I will never be more than a Lieutenant. I say again, I would do it again in a second.”
As the Colonel pushed back his chair a bit, he reached into a case and pulled out a completely silvered Magnum 44. At the sight of this, Boris kept the gaze, not wanting to give the Colonel the satisfaction of seeing him scared. As he took what he knew would be his last deep breath, the Colonel placed the weapon on the table in front of him, as he remarked,
“This rightfully belongs to you.”
Completely confused, and expecting Lafitte to grab it and blow a hole in his head, he mumbled,
“I don’t understand Colonel?”
Smiling, the Colonel replied,
“Well, Lieutenant, I was given this by someone high up in the Party to kill the General with. We knew he was a traitor and I was to splatter him all over checkpoint 7. The only problem was you did it for me, and paid a heavy price. So, this is now yours.”
As the Lieutenant almost passed out from a wave of adrenaline at the thought he was not going to die, the Colonel continued,
“Of all the Spetsnaz members we have here, there is one who is a traitor. He is not in your squad, and is being dealt with as we speak. I need someone that I can completely trust to keep the others in line and loyal, and that would be you Lieutenant Colonel.”
As the Colonel stood up and stretched out his hand to Boris, he stood up and shook it. Feeling as if he was going to explode, the replied,
“Thank you Colonel, I will not let you down, but I can never obtain a higher rank than Lieutenant, by the order of General Bercklenskii, but the sentiment was very kind”
As Boris headed for the door, hoping to get far away before he passed out, the Colonel added,
“No Sentiment Lieutenant Colonel, its official. As for the General, sorry to say he died two days ago in a terrible accident.”
As Boris, turned back and looked at the Colonel, the Colonel continued,
“You have paid much for your heroic actions. I never forget a deed, good or bad, and always make sure the deed is rewarded appropriately”.
As Boris walked out into the cold air, he could still not fathom how close he came to being discovered.
As the GNSF forces started unpacking and setting up equipment, Admiral Wallbanger walked around like a prison camp guard making sure everything was done fast and right. As he was about to ream out a soldier for dropping a small crate, the Fleet Admiral called out from the back of the hanger,
“Admiral, do you have a minute”
Making a mental note of the soldier for later ass chewing, the Admiral headed to the back of the hanger where a small War room had been set up. As he walked over to a table, the Fleet Admiral asked,
“Ok boss, where do we stand asset and time wise”
Moving over top of the large map laid out on the table, the Admiral detailed the current situation,
“Well, right now we have most of the special forces and pilots here in Italy, with the remainder on the way. We should have all the Air and Ground assets we are using here by tonight. As for the Submarine forces, we have 4 subs in the Mediterranean area right now, with more on the way”
Peering at the map and looking a bit flustered, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Damn, I knew the Sea forces would be a problem, as they can’t be moved as fast as the rest. How long are we looking at to get more subs here? Don’t we have some around the Korea area?”
Smiling, the CNO replied,
“Yes, we have four near Korea, but I am going to leave them there just in case. Seems the BotC always seem to get friendly with the North Koreans when we are around.”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Yea boss, I know, but we need more subs here, and it’s going to take a long time to get any here from the base.”
Still smiling, which started to piss off the Fleet Admiral, the CNO added,
“I have a surprise for you” as he pointed to a spot on the map in the middle of the Pacific.
Trying to relax by taking a few breaths, the Fleet Admiral, now losing his cool, barked,
“Boss, this is a really big problem, and your smirk is really starting to piss me off. Damn it, this is serious!”
Shooting a cold angry look right back at the Fleet Admiral, the CNO then flipped back to a smile and quickly commented,
“No problemo , we have twelve subs on the way from here” he gleamed, pointing at Hawaii on the large map”
Now looking a bit confused, the Fleet Admiral questioned,
“You want to check notes, we don’t have any subs anywhere near Hawaii, that’s too close to the US base, and they really don’t like us.”
As the CNO smiled and shook his head confiming his finger location, a light went off in the fleet Admirals head. As his body was rushed with anger and adrenaline, his mood went from foul to a full tyrade,
“ Oh no, no f***ing way!, DAMN!, Don't tell me the US are sending subs in. For Christ sake, that’s all we need”
At this, the Fleet Admiral flipped the large table over, emmiting a huge crash that echoed throughout the hanger. As the echos slowly faded, the Admiral noticed it had become very quiet. Turning he could see every soldier standing like statues, looking at the two officers. With a simple glance, the work force sprang back into double time production, as if nothing had happened. Turning to the Fleet Admiral, who was fighting to keep his temper, the Admiral quickly blurted out,
“Boss, they are not US, they are OUR subs”
At this, the Fleet Admiral calmed down, but looked at the CNO with one of those “don’t give me that crap” looks. The CNO continued,
“Boss, it was a surprise, and I was going to tell you later. You remember how the US went nuts on us and invaded our base.
Still maintaining the same look, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Hell yea, and we are still not in their good books. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started helping the BotC just to kill us off”
As the CNO started to chuckle, he explained,
“Yea, maybe so, but they looked like such fools in that conflict, especially with us saving their butts. So, in an effort to make them look good again in the public eye, me and the Intel department spent the last month doing some creative damage control, making them look like the heroes.”
As the Fleet Admiral contemplated picking the overturned table back up, then slamming it on the CNOs head, the Admiral continued,
“So, being very reluctantly grateful to us, the US has donated some subs as part of their good will for our actions in that conflict.”
At this the Fleet Admiral looked very shocked, and not buying the story he asked,
“What do you mean donated… on loan, pre World War 2 subs…. Or ones already sunk?”
As the CNO started to laugh, he replied,
“We have 4 brand new shinny Seawolfs, 4 LA class attack subs, and believe it or not, 3 improved Akula's that the US somehow got their hands on. They are all at Pearl Harbor and will be heading over tomorrow morning. We already have all our people on board them, and they will be here in three days.”
As the impact of the news sank in, the Fleet Admiral pulled at a chair and sat down.
“Boy Boss, it’s not often I get to see you lose it, it’s usually me. Makes a nice change I must say” the Admiral chuckled.
“Very funny", the Fleet Admiral replied,, I’m getting too old for this crap. It’s all those damn Beavertails you ordered in. Too much sugar and not enough coffee."
As the CNO continued to chuckle, the Fleet Admiral tried to gain some composure, and standing up said,
Well, I can see you’re having way to much fun with this, so I am going to find myself a huge coffee earn and go hide in a quiet hole somewhere.”
At that, the Fleet Admiral started heading to the hanger’s side exit. As he headed through the door, the Admiral, who was still laughing, was sure he heard the Fleet Admiral mumble,
“Smart ass, paybacks a bitch”
As the Colonel sat in the command tent going over troop placement, Captain Ivanovich entered the tent and said,
“Sir, you wanted to see me?”
Looking up, the Colonel replied,
“Yes my friend, we have much to discuss, have a seat”
As the Captain sat down, the Colonel continued,
“We are all set with placement of troops. What were you able to find out about the GNSF?"
“Well sir, it looks like the Georgian President has asked them to come to Georgia for training exercises. Publically they will be stationed near Bolnisi and assisting the Georgians in military training, but we know they are hear looking for the BotC.”
Smiling, the Colonel replied,
“Good, Lafitte was right, he said they would come. Now the real fun can begin.”
Looking the Colonel and smiling, the Captain asked,
“So, do we strike the GNSF when they arrive? If we don’t give them a chance to set up, they will be sitting ducks.”
“No. We will ignore them for now, as there is nothing they can do at this point. As long as we stay invisible the political pressure will do our job for us. If they take any actions then the Russians will become very upset, and they are not nice when they are upset.”, the Colonel explained.
At this, the Captain started to laugh, and then added,
“So, what do we do about the GNSF then?”
“Smiling, the Colonel stated,
“Nothing. We continue with the mission as if nothing has changed. I want to make sure that our presence here cannot be verified in any form. As long as we are not officially here, we can continue setting up. As for the GNSF, they will have enough worries with the Russians, as they will be under constant scruteny. "
As the Captain chuckled, the Colonel addded,
" I do however have a special mission for you my old friend ”
As the Colonel looked on, he could see an evil grin forming on the Captains face, as he responded,
“Aye sir”
As the UN Security Council meeting started, the room was notably full of tension. Once order was established, the Russian representative stood up, along with several of his aids, apparently to try to make a very visible point. Before the President of the council could speak, the Russian representative spoke out,
“Members of the council, before we start I must protest the actions of the Georgian President in his decision to bring the GNSF into this situation. Russia has complied with all the requests of this council, and still the Georgians wish to cause conflict by bringing in terrorists.”
As a low hum seemed to move through the assembly, the Russian representative continued,
“If the Georgian president continues to taunt and throw stones at the tiger, it may again turn. If we are to reach a resolution of our problems then the UN must stop this influx of terrorists. We shall not sit back and wait for this council to act if we are in any way threatened.”
As the hum turned quickly into a chorus of chaotic chatter, the Council president hammered down his gavel several times, the replied,
“We have contacted the GNSF about their involvement in this matter, and they have assured us they will not interfere. They will be operating in the south part of Georgia and will not enter the Ossetia area. Also, while they are not a countries military force, they are also not terrorists.”
Smiling, the Russian representative replied,
“Well, in your eyes. One man’s freedom fighter is another man’s terrorist. We see the GNSF as nothing more than a US backed black ops terrorist group. It is no different from when the US supported the Al Quada against Russia, now they call them terrorists. We have been patient in hopes the council can resolve the problems in Georgia, but our patience is being pushed to the limit.”
As the Russian representative sat down, the US representative stood up barking,
“The United States of America in no way supports the GNSF, now or ever. We do not feel they are a terrorist group, but they do work outside the lines which we do not support in any way.”
At this, the Russian representative shot to his feet and replied,
“Ah, then that must be why the US just gave 8 atomic submarines, and 4 stolen Akulas to the GNSF.”
This stopped the US representative in his tracks, and the Russian representative continued,
“Maybe if we start working outside the rules your country would dislike us enough to supply us with some weaponry?”
As the room again started to become unruly, the Georgian president stood up and interjected,
“We have asked the GNSF to come and aid in training our forces, as well as help improve our security. We will also be asking them to help in mine location and removal in Ossetia, later when this conflict is resolved. We are also tired of the Russian cries of us taunting them into being aggressive invaders.”
As the president finally got the room back into order, he remarked,
“We will never resolve anything if we do not stay calm and sensible. The GNSF have promised not to get involved, and not to go near the disputed area. Until anything happens, we can simply forget they are there and assume the Georgian president is sincere in his wish for a peaceful resolution. It would also be helpful if the Russian representative would work with us, and not threaten armed conflict at every little problem.”
As the Security Council President sat down, he watched the Russian representative speak to an aid, then stand and reply,
“Very well Mr. President, we will do this your way, with no more threats, just a factual promise. Should the GNSF attack any of our forces, we shall respond immediately, and, as the US likes to say, with extreme prejudice.”
At this, the entire Russian delegation got up and walked out.
As the Colonel sorted some paperwork and started marking on the large map in front of him, Lafitte walked into the Command tent.
“Hey, you know where Ivanovich is, he said he was going on a special mission. I was hoping I could tag along, I’m bored as hell.”, Lafitte exclaimed.
The Colonel looked up and smiled, replying,
“Your too late, he has already gone.”
Lafitte looked dejected, and added,
“Damn, I was hoping to get out of this camp, I’m going stir crazy. I guess there is no way of catching up to him?”
The Colonel, still smiling, shook his head and replied,
“Nope, and besides you wouldn’t want to be where he is going, as if you’re not Russian you would be shot on site.”
Lafitte pondered this for a moment, and then a light bulb went off inside his troubled mind. Smiling, he said,
“Oh, so he is dealing with the last traitorous scumbag that Long John found. Oh well, guess I might as well go to the mess tent and drive your Spetsnaz guys nuts with a food fight”
As Lafitte shuffled out of the tent, almost falling when he ran into one of the door tent poles, the Colonel chuckled to himself,
“Damn that guy makes me laugh”
As the Colonel anxiously waited for news of the mission he sent CPT Ivanovich on, Lafitte strolled into the tent.
“So, any word from the CPT, I figured we would be back by now. Hope nothing went wrong.”, Lafitte said
The Colonel, looking a bit worried, replied,
“Well, it was a risky mission, but the CPT can take care of himself”
Seeing the Colonel was a bit worried, he went over and sat down across from the Colonel at the large War table, commenting,
“So, I know the basics of the mission, as I gave the CPT a note to put in the package like you asked, but you never did tell me the details.”
As the Colonel was about to explain it, Captain Ivanovich walked into the tent,
“Damn, you had me worried, how did it go?”, the Colonel asked.
Looking a bit depressed, the Captain walked over and sat down with the two, and explained.
“Well, I would say it was a complete success. We met the GNSF team they sent, only two, and Boris handed them the package. I then told them they were under sniper watch and executed Boris right in front of them. They were a bit shocked but just stood there. I then told them to get out and maybe one would live to extract. After looking like they were lost, the confused pair ran back to their extraction zone.”
As the Captain paused to have a drink from his canteen, the Colonel barked, “THEN!!!”
“Well, they both made it to extraction and waited. So, being a bit bored I asked them over the radio to choose which one lived and which one dies. After a moment, one stood up and volunteered to die. I was impressed with his balls, so as there chopper came in, I ordered one of the squad to only wound him. Once the Helicopter was airborne, the Russian troops who heard the shot came in, and we joined them. While they could not stop the helicopter, they did see it leave. Then, we split off and came back here”
With a harsh look on his face, the Colonel asked, in a restrained voice,
“Are you telling me you let them BOTH leave. Tell me you killed at least one of them?”
Looking back at the Colonel, the Captain replied,
“Sir, I couldn’t execute a helpless soldier, even if he was GNSF, especially when he showed real courage. These two were about a green as they get, not like our soldiers, so it would be like killing puppies. Besides, you don’t need the GNSF body, I fixed that.”
Sitting at the table fuming, and a bit curious, the Colonel responded,
“I needed the Russians to find a GNSF body, but that’s OK because YOU FIXED IT!!!! .... PUPPIES!!!! ”
Seeing the Colonel was close to melt down, the Captain quickly finished with,
“Yes Sir, I fixed it. I killed Boris with an American weapon, that Aimpoint Lafitte has in his office. It uses 5.56 mm standard NATO rounds, not the 7.62 mm Russian rounds. Anyway, since the GNSF were in old Russian uniforms with no GNSF markings, the body wouldn’t have helped much.”
At this, the Colonel cooled down, while Lafitte seemed to be starting a meltdown of his own. The Colonel then replied,
“That was damn fine thinking Captain, and it will make the death by GNSF more convincing.”
At this, Lafitte went nuts. He stood up and pounded on the table, and yelled,
“YOU FIXED IT!!! I don’t BELIEVE YOU.”
As Lafitte started to pace in a circle like a rabid animal, the Colonel tried to calm him,
“Lafitte relax, this works even better, why are you getting upset”
Lafitte stopped in his tracks, moved quickly to the table, and slamming his fist down on it right in front of the Captain, screamed,
“YOU STOLE MY GUN!!!!! I DON’T BELIEVE YOU STOLE MY GUN. I SHOULD KILL YOU WHERE YOU SIT!!!”
Looking up at Lafitte, with a calm and cool expression on his face, the Captain replied,
“Yea, but I knew you wouldn’t mind. I brought it back and put it in your office, PLUS, I brought you back a present”
At this, the Captain pulled out the chrome 44 Magnum he had taken from Boris’s corpse, and handed it to Lafitte. Seeing this, Lafitte took the weapon and exclaimed,
“For me, you took this off of Boris’s dead body for me? Damn, that is the nicest present I have ever got. Come on, let’s get some chow and I will buy you a few drinks.”
As the two left the tent with their arms wrapped around each other, the Colonel chuckled to himself, and went back to going over paperwork.
As the UN Security Council emergency meeting began, all sat quiet as the Russian representative stood up and spoke out,
“Members of the council, I have here a very disturbing report from one of our squads near the Georgian border. It seems that a well-respected Russian officer was killed execution style. What is more disturbing is that the people that did this were seen evacuating in a helicopter”
After holding up a picture of the dead Russian soldier, the Russian representative continued,
“We have spoken with the troops that saw and fired on the helicopter, in an attempt to discover who did this heinous act. The helicopter was described as looking like an American Black Hawk helicopter.”
At this, the US representative stood up and exclaimed,
“Don’t even think of trying to blame the US for this, we don’t have any troops anywhere near Georgia”
As the Russian representative just stood there staring, the US representative sat back down and the Russian representative continued,
“You are always quick to claim innocence, even before you have all the facts. This makes us wonder of the US’s real intentions. However, we do not believe it is a US helicopter, as it seemed to have been modified to help mask its radar signal. We would have normally expected this to be a US incursion, but our satellite photo’s show what we believe to be the same helicopter sitting at an Air base in Italy.”
Expecting another outburst, but with none forthcoming, he continued,
“We believe the forces that did this terrorist like action were GNSF. The Russian soldier was killed with a NATO caliber weapon, not Russian. In addition, blood found at the helicopter landing site, believed to be from a wounded GNSF member has been sent for analysis. The findings will be turned over to the Council”
Turning to the Council President, the Russian representative added,
“We warned this council that just such a situation would occur from allowing the GNSF into Georgia. I have spoken to my superiors and they will give the council 2 weeks to come up with a satisfactory resolution, otherwise we will have no other option but to enter Georgia in force and exterminate the GNSF terrorists. Good day”
At this, the Russian representative got up and left.
As the Fleet Admiral Walked into the meeting room at the conference centre, he saw the UN Council president, the Russian Ambassador and some Nota members sitting at a large table. Always maintaining situational awareness, the Fleet Admiral also noticed a huge contingent of Spetsnaz officers in and around the complex, with a small handful of NATO officers. As the President motioned to him to take a seat, he moved slowly to the table and sat down. Before allowing the others to speak and start asking questions, the Fleet Admiral spoke up,
“Gentlemen, thank you for agreeing to this meeting. I have no intention of beating around the bush or lying, so I will simply lay it all out on the table. After I am done, if the Russian Ambassador feels he wants to have me arrested or executed, that is his move, as I have brought no escorts with me.”
The group looked a bit puzzled at this statement, except the Russian ambassador, who simply smiled and nodded his head. At that, the Fleet Admiral continued,
“In regards to the incident outside the Georgian border, yes, the forces seen in the Helicopter were GNSF. You all received copies of the Intel we picked up, which turned out to be a trap by the BotC. I and I alone authorized this mission, without the knowledge of the GNSF. I handpicked two men that I could trust for the mission. We were supposed to make contact with a defecting Spetsnaz officer who appears to have been working for the BotC and not the Russians. I am sure the Russian Ambassador is completely aware of the background of the officer killed, and the location of his family.”
Without any form of physical confirmation, the Russian Ambassador sat silently, still presenting a slight smile.
“The mission was hard due to the fact it was inside Russian borders, and that is why it was covert. Our two men met with Boris, who was accompanied by a second officer who I am sure you know, Captain Ivanovich. If our Intel is correct, he isn’t in the Russians good books either, as he works for your Colonel Vikhalnokov of the Black Squad”
At this, without showing any emotion, the Russian ambassador interjected,
“We know of the Black Squad, but they are no longer Russian officers, they are renegades.”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral continued,
“Well, at the meet, Boris was executed by Ivanovich, who then passed that Intel and told them to leave. It seems they were going to allow one to leave with the info and kill a second one, I assume to give the Russians a body to pin the GNSF with this. For some reason, they only wounded one and did let them both leave. That is why we were there, to get proof of BotC involvement and help get them out. Now, what happens now is totally up to the Russian Ambassador. I will surrender to him if he chooses, but will add one thing. The GNSF WILL continue hunting the BOTC in Georgia; now that we are satisfied they are there. IF any ties are found to the Russians, then it could get very messy indeed. At least if I was still in charge I could “assist” the Russians in keeping their good name.”
At this, the Russian Ambassador smiled and stood up, replying,
“Admiral, I am not here to arrest or kill you, simply to get the truth. You westerners are so melodramatic. I assure you we are in no way involved with this terrorist group and will not hinder your operation to exterminate them, as long as you do not enter Russian territory again, for ANY reason. If they come into Russia, we will execute them on sight.”
As the Russian Ambassador started to leave, he turned and added,
“You men are lucky Ivanovich was there, as even though he is a psycho he would never kill what you say not armed duck. You have courage to come here today with no armed escort, and you will need all of that if what you say is true and the Colonel is there. You just make sure you stay out of Russia, or next time it will be the GNSF that is executed.”
As the Fleet Admiral tried to get comfortable in the bed, Admiral Wallbanger walked in, being chased by a nurse.
“I’m sorry sir, you can’t go in for a while, he needs his rest”, the Nurse complained while trying to hold back the CNO. As the Nurse tried in vain to hold back the CNO, a voice rang out,
“Its ok nurse, you would have more luck stopping a train, let him in”
As the nurse passed a look of disgust to the CNO, she turned and left.
“Hey Boss, I think she likes you”, the Fleet admiral chuckled, quickly stopping as pain shot up his side.
As Admiral Wallbanger came over to the bedside, he asked,
“How are you doing today sir?”
Looking at the CNO, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Really crappy, how do you think I’m doing. I hate being stuck in here.”
The CNO smiled and replied,
“Guess you should be glad Thunder isn’t a better shot. He Really does feel bad about the whole thing. ”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“I can’t believe he shot me, Christ we got to get these guys trained better. So, how is Maz doing?”
“He is doing really good, and they are letting him out later today. It was just a flesh wound, but it will probably teach him to keep his head down”, the CNO replied.
As the Fleet Admiral squirmed a bit, he said,
“Make sure you get those photos and reports over to the UN and the Russian Ambassador. That should convince them the BotC are at it again, and cut us some slack with the Russians.”
Looking back, the CNO replied,
“Well, the UN will be happy to see it, but not sure the Russians will be swayed so easy”
Still fidgeting and not being able to get comfortable, the Fleet Admiral shook his head and replied,
“Not a matter of them buying it, they are fully aware the BotC are there, and probably covertly supporting them. We just need them to know WE know so they will step back and stay out of our way.”
As the CNO nodded, the nurse had returned with four MP’s and announced,
“Admiral Sir, you have to leave NOW! Please don’t make me have the MP drag you out, even though I would enjoy watching that.”
Spinning around, the CNO barked back,
“DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO YOU ARE TALKING TO MA’AM !!”
Smiling, the nurse replied,
“Yes Sir, you’re the CNO, but in HERE, IM THE BOSS. Now MOVE OUT SOLDIER!”
Not believing what is taking place, and with the MP’s cautiously taking a step forward, the CNO looked back at the Fleet Admiral, who smiling said,
“Better do as she says Boss, according to procedures and the UCMJ she CAN have you forcibly removed. I am also pretty sure she would enjoy doing it too”
As the CNO, now really fuming made his way to the door, to the great relief of the MP’s, he turned back and said,
“I’m going to find out what idiot made these rules!”
As he was almost out the door, he could hear the Fleet Admiral laughing while trying not to aggravate the wound.
As the CNO made his way out of the infirmary, he looked back to see an ear-to-ear grin on the nurse.
“Sir, sorry about that sir, we had no choice. Thank you for not making us have to get physical, we felt bad enough as it was, but they are the rules”, one of the MP’s remarked.
Turning to the MP, the CNO replied,
“I know sir, and don’t feel bad, you did what you had to and what was expected, but when I found out who made that rule all hell is going to break loose”
Looking back at the CNO with a worried look, the MP, almost forcing it from his mouth, replied,
“Ah Sir, that would be you that made that rule. Remember last year when Spellfire and Beerdawg broke into your liquor cabinet, and you sent them to the infirmary to…”
“YES, Thank you sir, That will be all” the CNO barked, cutting the MP of in mid sentence, and sending all four heading for the exit at double time
As shots rang out from the cliffs far above, the Georgian forces scrambled to try to get cover. In only a few moments, the invisibly snipers had kill almost all of them. As a few wounded tried to reach cover, they were quickly cut down.
“Damn, this be like shooting fish in a barrel”, Israël Hands commented.
Looking over, Colonel Vikhalnokov replied,
“Yea, but not much sport. These guys are really bad, no wonder they wanted the GNSF to train them. What a Stupid place to make a camp. ”
As the sound of firing stopped, all that could be seen below were dead bodies.
“OK, let’s move out. We will kill any left alive as we make our way to what’s left of the main camp. We need to make sure the Commander is dead.” The Colonel commanded.
As the group made their way down the mountain and out into the killing fields, all was quiet. The pushed on towards the camp they had decimated from above, when the sound of an explosion in the distance rang out. Looking up, they could see a flaming jet spiraling to earth, with one cute visible.
“What the hell, is that one of their or ours”, Smelly Kelly asked.
Looking up, the Colonel replied,
“It’s a MIG-29, probably Russian. Looks like we may have to do a humanitarian job as well. Ok, camp is just ahead, look for any survivors and be careful”
As they all approached the camp, nothing seemed to be alive, except one figure hiding in the bushes. As they got closer, El_Grog said,
“Yep, that’s the commander we are supposed to capture.”
As the Colonel looked towards the bush, he caught sight of the commander, yelling out,
“You are surrounded and all your pathetic troops are dead. You disgrace yourself hiding in that bush like a coward”
As the Commander could now see several armed figures all around, he called out.
“I surrender, do not shoot”
As the last echo of his words grew quiet, the air was filled with the sound of a single shot. As all watched, the commander slumped to one side, missing part of his head. Turning to the Colonel, One Ball Dick asked,
“What the hell did you shoot him for?”
Looking back with a cold stare the Colonel replied,
“Because he was a coward, and as such would have no possible information or use to us. I bet if you check his weapon it probably hasn’t even been fired”
At the sound of anything that even remotely resembled a bet, Hands jumped up and ran over to the body. After a moment he turned and called out,
“Damn, full clip, remind me never to play poker with you”.
As the group gathered, they started heading for the location where the cute came down. As they climber back up the mountain, they heard the sound of gunfire. Moving closer, they could see a cloud of colored smoke coming from just over a ridge.
“Hey, looks like that pilot found our extraction zone, which should make this a lot easier”, El_Grog stated.
Crouching down, the Colonel replied,
“Yes, but I don’t think he is alone”
No sooner did the words leave his mouth; bullets started flying past from beyond the ridge, one striking El_Grog. As the group hit the ground, they all clenched up when Smelly Kelly yelled out,
“Grenade!”
As the sound of the explosion rippled behind them, they knew they got lucky, and returned fire at the ridge. With all prone and ready, they made short work of any that was fool enough to pop a head up. As all died down, a lone soldier jumped up from a crevice with a grenade, being quickly dispatched by the Colonel. As the soldier fell and the grenade went off beside him, the air again became deathly quiet.
Taking stock, two BotC were hit, El_Grog and Smelly Kelly. As the Colonel got ready to breach the crest, a voice came out,
“Hello Comrades, they are all now dead over here. Do not shoot me as I’m having a very bad day”
As the group confirmed that all the Georgian soldiers were dead, they got ready for extraction will tending to the wounded.
As Lafitte sat in the mess hall picking at a turkey leg and some ribs, Colonel Vikhalnokov strolled in and sat down at the table.
“Lafitte, you look bored”
Lafitte, taking a large bit of the turkey leg replied,
“Of course I’m bored; I haven’t done anything since we got here except eat. Soon I won’t be able to fit into my damn flight suit”
As the Colonel chuckled, he added,
“Well, I think I can relieve some of your boredom. How would you like to get in your plane and kill some things?”
As Lafitte’s mood perked up, he quickly replied, “Hell yea!”, spitting turkey all over the place.
“Sorry about that. So, what do I get to kill, GNSF I hope?”
Smiling the Colonel answered,
“No, but almost as good. The Russians are doing some maneuvers outside the Georgian border. There is a large tank battalion that will be part of this exercise, and I want you to kill some of the tanks”
Lafitte sat there, not showing his usual enthusiasm at the thought of killing stuff. After a moment as the Colonel sat looking a bit confused at no reaction, Lafitte replied,
“OK, now I’m confused. I though the Russians were more or less on our side, so why kill their tanks?”
“Glad you asked. The majority of the tank battalion is loyal to our cause, but the commander is a loyal old guard Russian that the Kremlin wants to go away… forever. Our job is to take out the lead tanks with the commander in it, plus a few that are loyal to him. The reports of this attack will state that the battalion was attacked and taken over by unknown rebels. The rest of the tanks will then enter Georgia and wipe out that area we are having trouble clearing out.”
Still looking confused, Lafitte asked,
“OK, so how the hell am I supposed to tell one damn tank from another? I don’t want to have to take crap from you about hitting the wrong ones. Besides, why do the Russians need us to do this, they could do it themselves easier?”
The Colonel, still smiling, explained,
“Well it’s quite simple. Having the tanks attacked by F-16’s will add to the Russian claims it was an outside attack, therefore they are the victims. As for hitting the right tanks, you will really love this one. The group loyal to us has coated the target tanks will a clear solution, which glows like hell when viewed using night vision. They will stand out like sore thumbs. Once the attack starts, a call for help will probably have MIG’s sent in, so be prepared. If you have to kill them then that is fine, as the Air Wing that will be close enough are a specially selected group of pilots the Kremlin also want gone. They are trying to do a bit of housecleaning”
As the Colonel explained when and where the tanks could be found, Lafitte seemed to get out of his depression. By the time the operation was all laid out, Lafitte was back to his happy bouncy self. As he headed out of the mess hall, throwing the turkey leg over his shoulder, the Colonel called out,
“Good luck, and be careful, as I will have many more things for you to destroy very soon, most of the GNSF”
As Lafitte, Red Cutlass and Hands sat in the mess hall having a few drinks after their mission, Captain Ivanovich walked in.
“Captain, get over here a host a few to our dear departed friend”, Hands called out.
Seeing the three at the table, the Captain walked over and sat down. Without a work, he grabbed one of the bottles on the table and belted back a long one. Then, pouring what little was left into a mug, he stood up and with his typical emotionless face called out,
“To Fallen Comrades!”
As the group continued drinking, Colonel Vikhalnokov walked in and headed for the table. As he took a seat, Lafitte slid a mug over to him. Picking up the mug, he stood up and extended it and also called out,
“To our brave fallen comrade”.
They all sprang to their feet, clanged mugs, then drank to Toejam Foot. As the all sat back down, the Colonel spoke,
“Nice job men. You got all the target tanks, and the remainder changed heading and started to move to area 44 inside the Georgian border. The only small snag was several of the HQ battalion got hit, and the Russians are screaming blue murder.”
As the three just stared back, and the Captain reeled in another bottle to work on, the Colonel continued,
“What’s the story Lafitte? I know your men are good and you did a surgical strike on the tank column, so how did your planes manage to hit the HQ battalion when it was clear of the area and to the north. I really hate having my plans complicated.”
The Captain watched intently as Lafitte responded,
“Simple really, the bastards fired at us and shot down Toejam. So, we took out their SAM launchers and a few AAA guns. And as for the Russians being pissed, they are lucky I was out of weapons of that HQ battalion would be no more!”
As the Colonel paused for a moment, the Captain interjected,
“You killed Russian forces just because they fired at you. You did know they had to fire at you to make it look good, but you still fired on them just because one of your men got hit?”
Lafitte, staring directly back at the Captain, who was still sprouting his usual cold face, and replied,
“You got it, and if I had more weapons I would have killed them all”
For a brief instant, the others could see what appeared to be a smile trying to escape from the Captain, which quickly faded as he replied,
“I would fly with you any time, only I can’t fly.”
Looking over at Lafitte, the Colonel and added as he stood,
“Well, that’s exactly what I told the Kremlin. We won’t have to worry about anymore friendly fire from them, as I won’t tolerate one of ours being shot at.”
As the Colonel left the mess hall, Lafitte turned to the Captain, who was actually smiling in a sick twisted kind of way, and complained,
“I don’t know what he is pissed about, the tanks we were supposed to hit were killed and the others are on track to Georgia”
With the grin getting a bit bigger and a little scarier for even hands, the Captain replied,
“Well he won’t say, but he detoured the tanks. He sent them to the HQ battalion where the annihilated the whole thing. He can be one nasty bastard when he gets mad. Now, pass me that bottle”
As the CNO was sitting in his office, trying to get some peace and quiet, he heard a knock on the door.
“Come in”, he reluctantly replied,
As the Door opened, Lieutenant Commander Brice Williams came in and saluted. As he watched the CNO motion to him, he walked over and had a seat at the desk.
“Sir, sorry to bother you, but I am afraid I have some bad news”
Shaking his head, Admiral Wallbanger replied,
“Well, why does that not surprise me. I just went over the Intel about the tanks, and I am just looking over a roster to pick some pilots to go and get them.”
As the Lieutenant Commander’s head dropped, he replied,
“Well, that’s part of the bad news. Seems the Fleet Admiral was up on a typical RECON flight with Admiral Clash and Rear Admiral Sparks, when they decided to hit the tanks. Seems they must have had it planned as they loaded out the planes for tank attacks”
Sitting in partial shock, the Admiral yelled,
“Well isn’t that just great, the boss goes off and does his own damn thing again without telling me. When he gets back I’m going the kick his ass, superior or not.”
After a moment of silence, the Lieutenant Commander added,
“Ah, well sir, that may not be for a while. Seems that the whole flight was shot down”
This hit the Admiral like a ton of bricks. As he sat there speechless and pondering the worst, the Lieutenant Commander added,
“We have a RESCAP over the area and Black Hawks were sent. We did pick up Admiral Clash, but as yet can’t find the other two. From the information we have from Admiral Clash so far, both managed to eject and chutes were spotted. The bad part is they more than likely came down near a BotC airport we didn’t know was there. Seems they were ambushed by 3 MIGs that came out of nowhere.”
As the CNO sat with his head in his hands, he said,
“Keep me informed and let me know the minute you learn anything. I will start putting a Special Forces team together just in case we need to go in.”
As the Lieutenant Commander continued to sit in the chair, the Admiral knew his day was not going to get any better. Not wanting to prolong the hammer, he asked,
“OK, since you are still sitting there, I will assume you’re not finished making my day happy and cheerful. Spit it out!”
“Well sir, our sub force did find and sink the two submarines that attacked ours the other day”, the Lieutenant Commander replied.
Smiling a bit, the Admiral replied,
“Well, about time I had some good news. Well, keep me informed Lieutenant Commander, dismissed”
As the Lieutenant Commander got up and opened the door, he turned and said,
”Well sir, it was good news, except the part where Rear Admiral Paul accidentally sank a freighter during the attack. I’m sure it won’t be fun explaining that one sir, especially since it was an Italian vessel”
As the Lieutenant Commander left and closed the door, the Admirals head fell and hit the desk.
As the Fleet Admiral and Rear Admiral paced back and forth in large barracks room, the door opened and two armed guards came in. Once they were inside the room, three more figures came in and sat at a large table in the middle of the room. One then motioned to the guards, at which point walked over to the Rear Admiral and said,
“Come with us”
Looking over to the Fleet Admiral, Rear Admiral Sparks got to his feet, and was then led outside by the two guards. As they closed the door behind them, the Fleet Admiral addressed the largest of the men at the table,
“Were are you taking him”
The officer looked back and replied,
“Don’t worry Fleet Admiral; he is just being taken to the mess hall to get some food. We are not barbarians here. I am Colonel Vikhalnokov, to my left is Captain Ivanovich and to my right one of your biggest admirers, Commodore Jean Lafitte”
At this the Fleet admiral smiled, and replied,
“Well at last I get to meet the two psychopaths who have been a pain in my ass for the last few years. You may not be barbarians as you say, but from all I know you are all certifiable nutcases, especially Commodore Lafitte. I was really hoping to meet you under different circumstances, like in battle”
As the others smiled, Lafitte replied,
“Damn you are a self assured arrogant one, guess that’s why I really wanted to meet you face to face before I killed you, but alas I guess won’t get that chance.”
Still smiling, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Well, now that we have met, don’t expect anything other than my rank, serial number, and total loathing and disrespect.”
At this, the Colonel started to laugh and commented,
“Sir, we have no need of information from you, we have no problem with our Intel. I do have a couple of things I would like to ask you, but you answer as you please. I am just curious as to why you, and the GNSF actually do what you do.”
As the Fleet Admiral looked back a bit surprised at the strange question, the Colonel continued,
“I mean, we do what we do because we are hired hands so to speak. The Brotherhood likes the life of a pirate, and so we need to get out and active now and then, for fun and funds. But you, you get involved in battles that cause you looses, and for what, global abuse? Most of the big boys see you as terrorists, not much different from us.”
After shaking his head a bit, the Fleet Admiral responded,
“Well, it’s simple. We are sick of seeing people get pushed around by scum, while the big boys as you call them take care of those that are in THEIR best interest. We simply fill the gap of trying to uphold justice for all. We are nothing like you terrorist scum, who prey on the weak for personal gain.”
As the Colonel chuckled a bit, he replied,
“Well let’s not be too sanctimonious here, as I don’t think you really view your job as super hero to the weak. We are a lot more alike than you will ever admit, our methods are just different. We also see how the big boys only do what’s in THIER best interest, while letting small groups get bigger and more troublesome. Since they financially ground the Soviet Union into bankruptcy, the balance of power has been severely shifted. Now that the US are it, and others like the Muslims and other factions are running rampant. We do not like to see this terrorist activity any more than you do, we do not bomb US civilian cities or kill unarmed people. We are here to fill the gap left by the Soviet demise, to keep the US in check, and the other problem countries.”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral chuckled,
“Damn, so you are the great restorers of the global structure, crap I think I’m going to puke. I can’t believe you expect anyone with a brain to believe that crap. Lafitte, so you are now the great super hero, what happened to the moronic drunken pirate that I have heard so much about?”
At this, Lafitte stood up, and walking over to the Fleet Admiral put his hand on his shoulder and said,
“I am the same one you met in the water two, or was it three years ago, when you were a Seawolf flunky. I am happy you managed to get out of your crippled sub, as hounding you since has given me great pleasure. Face the facts, you have never come close to besting us, and that will never change. But like all good things, they must eventually end. Well, I mustsay good bye for now, as I have matters to deal with.”
As Lafitte left the barracks, the Colonel looked at the Fleet Admiral and said,
“The time is now done for GNSF interfering in our matters, and you must die out like the Seawolves. Now that the head has been cut off the GNSF dragon, the rest will fall like butterflies.”
At this, the Colonel got up and walked to the door. As it opened, Rear Admiral Sparks was led back in with a huge tray of food. As the Rear Admiral placed it on the table, the Colonel looking back said,
“We are not barbarians, please eat and relax for the short time you have left. I will promise you I will allow you to die with dignity as a warrior if you wish, but until them just think about what I said, we shall talk again.”
As the Colonel got half way out the door, the Fleet Admiral yelled out,
“If you think killing me will stop the GNSF, then you’re a bigger fool than I give you credit for. They will go on and hunt the lot of you down until the BotC is a bad memory”
Smiling and shaking his head, the Colonel replied,
“Nice speech, but we both know it isn’t true. The GNSF has very few left with any pride or guts, as shown by you yourself having to get out here and fight. When your troops do get the balls up to fight, they end up killing themselves hahahaha. They are weak and pathetic, and without the REAL warriors, there is nothing left but scared children. Do not worry, soon the Admiral’s left there will fall, and the rest will scatter like leaves in the wind.”
As the Colonel left, Captain Ivanovich looked back and added,
“It will be me that sends both of you and your Admiral Wallbanger to your makers, but I promise you will all die a hero’s death.
As the sun started to rise, the Brotherhood group surveyed the damage. As the sun started to illuminate the corpses all around, Long John remarked,
“Damn, that’s the easiest battle I have even been in. We killed the whole lot of them and I don’t think they even fired a shot back at us”
Shaking his head, the Colonel replied,
“Yea, it was pretty pathetic. One guy did throw a grenade, or at least try to, and bounced it off the hut wall and blew himself up. I would have to say the GNSF have become very soft. It’s almost like fighting with tribe people with sticks and rocks. I guess now that they have lost a couple of their real fighters, the rest are folding.”
As they both shook their heads, Smelly Kelly walked over and reported,
“Well, the whole complex is clear, and it’s ours again. Damn, I didn’t even break a sweat on this one”
Was the three walked over to El Grog and One Ball, they could see that the radio was already set up. Long John, pulling a bottle out of his vest, passed it to El Grog and asked,
“Have you contacted Lafitte yet and given a report?”
“Aye, and I also told him this was about as much of a challenge as shooting school girls. Can we go back to fighting fisherman; they put up more of a fight.”
As the group started to laugh, the Colonel chimed in with,
“OK men, I know that this was easy, but I can’t believe the GNSF has gone this soft. They must have at least a few real warriors left; if not then they are less trouble to us than the mosquitos. I will sure get a chuckle when I let the Fleet Admiral know how pathetic his forces were.”
As the group all burst out laughing, El Grog cracked the bottle open and started passing it around. After a few moments, the radio came to life.
“Base to Turkey shooters, come in”
As the rest continued to laugh, Smell Kelly picked up the mic and responded,
“Base, this is turkey shooters, even though I feel like a chicken plucker, go ahead”
“I need you to wrap it up there and prepare to get back to base. We have dispatched a group to hold the complex and start setting up for the shipments.”
As the others finished the bottle, they started gathering their gear together as Smelly Kelly replied,
“Aye matey, we will be ready to move out once the base sitters get here.”
As the Colonel walking into the mess tent, Lafitte was already there eating, with the rest of the Brotherhood warriors. As the Colonel walked over and sat down, Lafitte asked,
“So, looks like taking back the Communications complex was a cake walk”
As Captain Ivanovich just sat there shaking his head, the Colonel answered,
“Yea, it was pretty pathetic performance by the GNSF and Georgian forces. It looks like we will have no trouble with their ground forces at all.
We will still have to be careful with the submarine fleet and air wings, at least until the whole beast is crushed.”
As Lafitte took a large gulp of his drink, spilling most of it, he inquired,
“OK, so the reason I called you all back is we have a job to do, that should finish what’s left of the GNSF command structure. Our convoy is following the Russian supply convoy closely, as they believe we are a second wave of supplies. They will break off and head to the complex at the last minute, where our people are waiting to off load all those goodies.”
As the Captain dug into his steak with his field knife, like a crazed killer dismembering a corpse, he added,
“So, what are the chances of the GNSF taking a pot shot at the convoy? Not that I expect much of a fight, but maybe the unarmed convoy is more to their combat skills hahaha”
As the Captain started to laugh, something rare indeed, Lafitte replied,
“Well, don’t count the GNSF yet, they may be pathetic cowards, but they may have a couple of real fighters left. I am sure once we eliminate the CNO and a couple of Admirals, they will fall apart.”
Turning to Lafitte, the Colonel asked,
“So, do we run escort for the convoy?”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Nope, we won’t have to; the Russians will do it for us. You see, WE are going to attack the convoy and blame it on the GNSF.”
Looking dissatisfied with the plan, the Colonel complained,
“You are not serious, you want to attack our convoy, are you mad. Do you have any idea what I had to go through to get those things, and they are irreplaceable!”
“No, we are not going to attack OUR convoy; we are going to attack the Russian convoy. This way, they Russians will go nuts and kill anything that comes near the area.”
At this, the Captain started to laugh, and blurted out,
“Damn Lafitte, you are one devious son of a bitch”.
As the whole BotC group broke into laughter, the Colonel, still looking unsure commented,
“This is risky Lafitte, as if the Russians ever link this to us we will lose all assistance, and it will strain my relations with some people very high up. Not that I mind sinking a few comrades to get our shipment here, but this must be perfect with no possible link to us”
As the two looked at each other, Long John spoke up adding,
“Just one problem maties, what if the GNSF attack our convoy first? That would drop the whole plan in the crapper.”
After thinking a while, Lafitte replied,
“Well, it would dampen the impact a bit, but as a worst case it would still work. Remember, our convoy won’t scream mayday to the Russians, so as far as the Russians are concerned, all is well. Although I would prefer our goodies not get damaged in transit, so we better strike first.”
As the group started going over the plan of attack, and making a right mess of the table, the Captain asked,
“Now, what about the GNSF prisoners?”
Looking over, the Colonel replied,
“Just as we planned, we kill them at the border and let the Russians find the bodies.”
“I know we should finish them off, but I just don’t go for executions, it’s disgusting and cowardly. These are real warriors and should die like warriors.” the Captain complained.
Shaking his head, the Colonel replied,
“We already decided this; you can do one on one combat and kill him with honor. You were fine with that a few days ago?”
“Yea, but that was before I checked him out. When we moved them this morning to the holding base, I could see the Fleet Admiral was in pain. He still has a wound that isn’t totally healed, and I won’t do combat against a cripple.”
At this, Lafitte stood up and yelled,
“ENOUGH! We are not going to kill them. I agree with the Captain, they are real warriors and not too different from us. I have a better plan.”
Curious, the group all sat up listening, as Lafitte barked his instructions.
“Colonel, I need you to arrange the transfer of the prisoners to the Russians as War criminals. Once we attack the convoy, we tell them we shot down two of the planes responsible, and want to turn the evil GNSF pilots over to them for proper processing. That will keep them locked up for a very long time.”
As the Colonel though about the idea, he started to smile, then said,
“Damn, that is really good. Damn, brilliant. I will set it up”
As the Fleet Admiral and Rear Admiral were led there cell at the new compound, they noticed that the room was large and looked more like a Holiday Inn suite than a jail cell. As the two guards left and closed the door, the two wondered what was going on. The Rear Admiral looking around, commented,
“Damn sir, this is really nice, think they are going to kill us now, just to be jerks?”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“I’m not sure what the hell they are up to, but whatever it is it changes nothing. We are going to get out of here and I’m going to wring that scumbag Lafitte’s neck on the way out.”
As the two got comfortable and started to eat from the spread laid out on the table, the door opened and Lafitte and Ivanovich walked in. As the two approached the table, the Fleet Admiral made a beeline to Lafitte, but was stopped short in his tracks by what appeared to be a blur of colors and movement. A few seconds later, the Fleet Admiral realized he was 3 inches off the ground, held by the neck, with both hands pinned.
As he wondered how long he could keep conscious, the Captain said.
“Relax comrade; I really don’t want to have to injure you further”
As the Captain placed the Fleet Admiral down in his chair, the Rear Admiral who was surprised by the speed of the whole thing stood up, drawing a look from the Captain who barked,
“Stay put Rear Admiral, as I would have no problem breaking you in half”
As the Fleet Admiral was placed in the chair, and the Captain removed his iron grip on his throat, the Fleet Admiral coughed out,
“Stand Down Admiral”
While he sat there getting his breath back, the two pirates sat down at the table. Smiling, Lafitte spoke,
“Relax my friend, we are only here to talk and make sure you’re comfortable. There is no need to make things ugly, as it serves no purpose.”
After a moment, the Fleet Admiral turned to star at Lafitte and called out,
“What are you trying to prove here Lafitte, that you are kind and good? Save the crap, I will eventually get hold of you, and then even your goons won’t be able to identify what I leave.”
At this, the Captain started to laugh, and turning to Lafitte said,
“Yea, your right, he does have warrior blood.”
Smiling, Lafitte asked,
“I hope you find these accommodations to your satisfaction.”
Jumping in, the Rear Admiral chuckled,
“Boy, you must be soft in the head if you think this nice act carries any weight. You might as well lock us in a dark hole, as you will not get anything from us, except a painful death”
Lafitte, seeming to ignore the comment and still staring at the Fleet Admiral added,
“Why don’t you just relax and accept your fate, and forget about being rescued as your group doesn’t even think we have you. This is one time you won’t be getting away, so just do yourselves a favor and ride it out.”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral smiled and commented,
“You must really want something from us bad, or you would have killed us already. Well, if I were you I would shoot us now before we get a chance for payback”
“I told you he would say that, now do you agree with me,” the Captain blurted out.
As Lafitte nodded his head, he grabbed a turkey leg off the plate and said,
“OK, I will tell you how this will go down. You are not going to be killed; both the Captain and I agree that would be tacky and tasteless. You have proven yourself as true warriors, just as we are.”
“Give me a break you psycho, save the I love you speeches for Barney. So what now, you let us go so we can meet in combat?” the Fleet Admiral blurted out.
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Well, while I would actually love to do that, I can’t have you messing with my plans. The GNSF are a pathetic force at this time, as we proved by taking back the Communications complex, without even being fired on. No, we will not let you go, but rather turn you over to the Russians as War criminals”
As the Fleet Admiral started to laugh, he replied,
“Well, you may have friends in the Kremlin, but the Russians won’t hold us, it will make them look very bad in the public eye.”
Joining the Fleet Admiral in laughing, Lafitte blurted out,
“True, if it wasn’t for the Russian convoy you attacked before being shot down.”
At this, the Laughter from the Fleet Admiral stopped.
“Oh yea, seems that very soon a Russian supply convoy will be attacked by some nasty ass F-16's with shiny new GNSF paint jobs. After that, we will explain to the Russians how we were appalled by the attack and shot down two planes trying to flee into Georgia. Once they see the wreckage we have, they will take you and lock you up for a while.”
Angered by the plan, and its possibility of actually working, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Not bad Lafitte, not bad at all. But even so, the GNSF will eventually bring the true story to light and the Russians will be forced to release us, unless you’ve scheduled a prison accident for us?”
Now no longer smiling, but looking very serious, Lafitte explained,
“Yes, that’s exactly what will happen, except for the accident part, but by the time you get out we will be done here in Georgia and long gone.”
As Lafitte got up and both pirates headed for the door, the Captain turned and said,
“The Commandant of the prison is a close friend of mine. You will be treated well and not harmed. Maybe next time I will get the chance to face you in combat comrade”
As the two walked through the door, Lafitte yelled out,
“No, I don’t think so Captain, he is mine. See you in the Air sometime Fleet Admiral”
As the GNSF offices all looked over the large map and Intel gathered, a loud yell rang out from the CNO’s office,
“Alpha, Swordfish, GET IN HERE!”
As the sound was still echoing in the large room, the Rear Admiral and Captain were already half way to the CNO’s office. As they both entered, the not so happy CNO pointed at the chairs, and both quickly sat down. As soon as their butts hit the seat, the Admiral yelled,
“Captain, I want you to dig deep into your special forces and find some people for a special mission. I DO NOT want a repeat of what happened at the Complex. Rear Admiral, get me the best pilots we have and tell them to be ready, it’s time we did some ass kicking of our own.”
As both nodded, the Admiral seemed to calm a bit, and continued,
“It looks like the BotC may have a convoy bringing in something valuable. They are currently shadowing a Russian supply convoy, and whatever it is they are carrying, it seems to be important to them. We are going to blow the crap out of it and send a clear message to those scumbags that we take crap from no one. We will have to make sure we stay well clear of the Russians on this.”
“Do we have any subs in the area?” the Rear Admiral asked,
“No, not close enough to get there before they reach the shore. I have sent a few anyway, in case we have to strike a second time. This one we will need to do with planes, so make sure you get them ready.”
As the Rear Admiral nodded, the Admiral turned to the Captain and said,
“We have a location where we feel the BotC are doing something. I need a team that can get in and get some Intel back on what is there. We cannot afford to screw this one up, as they are already six steps ahead of us. I want your best, and nothing less.”
As the Captain nodded, the Admiral’s mood changed to one of deep concern, at which point he announced,
“We have Intel that both Fleet Admiral Stern and Rear Admiral Sparks are alive and in the hands of the BotC. We know where they are being kept, but do not have a lot of time. We believe they will ship them both out to a secure location in Russia, at which point recue is out of the question.”
As both officers were glad to hear the news, they were both also concerned about the possible mission. Speaking up, the Captain said,
“Sir, no worries sir, I will personally make sure that we get them both out alive, and we won’t stop until we succeed”
Looking directly at the Captain, the Admiral replied,
“Sir, you get one chance, and only one chance. If we launch this mission and you fail, I will have the entire area leveled to the ground. I am tired of playing nice, and if I have to burn half of Georgia, I will get those bastards! Dismissed”
As the CNO sat back and tried to calm down, the Captain replied as he stood up,
“Sir, we won’t fail”
As both saluted and left, the Admiral spun in his chair and opened the liquor cabinet.
As the CNO was about to leave his office, his door opened and Lieutenant Commander Brice Williams barged in, calling out,
“Sir, sorry to bother you, but the Russian President is on line 4, and boy is he pissed. Seems the BotC hit their Supply convoy and they think we did it.”
The Admiral, sitting back down at his desk, picked up the phone.
“Hello Mr. President, this is Admiral Wallbanger, CNO of the GNSF”
“Get Fleet Admiral Stern on the phone NOW!” the president yelled.
“Sir, Fleet Admiral is not here, he has been taken prisoner by the BotC in South Ossetia.”
After a brief pause, the president continued,
“Well then, you’re the one on the hook for this. I just received a call that one of our supply convoys was attacked and sunk by GNSF fighter planes. They also shot down several of our MIG's.”
Taking a deep breath, the Admiral replied,
“Sir, you must know that we did not do this, it’s a typical trick that the BotC have used before. We have set up to sink a BotC convoy shadowing yours, but we have not sent planes up yet. Please let me assure you we are not responsible for this.”
There was a long pause, and then the president answered,
“I am tending to believe you, only because I know the Fleet Admiral has never lied to me, but I can’t say the same for the Generals. They are extremely angry, and I am afraid without hard proof the GNSF will take the heat on this one. I will try to calm them, but you need to get me proof of this.”
“Sir, I was just heading out the door to do just that. We believe we have found a BotC base in Georgia and we are going in to get proof, a recon mission only,” the Admiral answered.
There was a long pause and the Admiral could here loud talking on the other end of the phone. After a while the president spoke up,
“Well, I would recommend you do not try to send planes anywhere near that area, even if you think the BotC has a convoy. Our fighters will shoot down any non-Russian plane anywhere near there, and they will try twice as hard if they find F-16’s. As for your Georgia mission, that is within Georgia and not our concern, unless you stray into Russia then you will be shot on site. You need to get proof, and you need it fast, as the Generals are ready to launch a full out attack on the Brindisi base. I will try to buy you some time, but it will only be a few days.”
With an angry grimace flooding across the Admirals face, he replied,
“Thank you sir, you have been more than kind, and I will get you proof so all will know that the GNSF would never attack a UN member country.”
As the Admiral listened to the phone hang up on the other end, he placed the receiver down.
As the Admiral headed to the door, the Lieutenant Commander said,
“I’m sorry sir; I hate to stick you with stuff like this”
Stopping, the Admiral replied,
“How long ago did this happen?”
“About 20-30 minutes ago sir, we caught some of the SOS com traffic during the attack”, the Lieutenant Commander replied.
Smiling, the Admiral replied,
“Sir, you are doing a great job, and I can see you haven’t slept for some time. Go get some sleep Commander; you will need it for the days to follow”
As the Admiral left the room and started heading for the briefing room, the Lieutenant Commander called out,
“Sir, ..”
However, before he could even get it out, the Admiral replied, without stopping,
“That’s right Commander, it’s called a field promotion, don’t argue, just get some sleep”
As the BotC forces scurried around, Captain Ivanovich walked across the compound supervising the workers. Things were now set for the shipment they had been waiting on for so long, and all that was left to do was wait. As he continued his rounds, he noticed the Colonel all geared up and going over a map with a few BotC. Walking over to the group, he asked,
“Colonel, it looks like you are going somewhere. You should really hang out here and let me take your place.”
The Colonel turned around and smiled, replying,
“Not this time Captain, I will go nuts if I sit here any longer, besides I need you here to make sure the shipment gets unloaded fast and efficiently. You know there is no one here the men are more afraid of”
As the Colonel laughed a bit, the Captain asked,
“So, exactly what kind of field trip do you have planed?”
As the group of BotC soldiers headed out and started loading up a small old Hewey Helicopter, the Colonel pointed to the map and explained,
“This area is the last one that could cause us any problems. Seems the Georgians have set up a roadblock and dug in deep. They are worried that the Russians will try to move back in, and we need this road to get our cargo around the mountains.”
Nodding, the Captain commented,
“It looks risky if you ask me, why don’t you just get Lafitte to air strike the area, it would be much safer”
Shaking his head, the Colonel replied,
“No, we can’t take the chance of damaging the road, or bringing any attention to that area. We need to go in quiet, and silently remove the forces. If we are successful then no one will even know we were there, and we will have clear passage. That is why I need you here to get the trucks loaded and ready to move on my signal. We will only have about 12 hours before the Georgian’s wonder why the blockade hasn’t checked in.”
Nodding, the Captain replied,
“Understood, and when you signal we will be loaded and ready to move. Just be careful out there, and if problems arise just call and we will flood the area with everything we have.”
At this, the Captain went back to supervising the work, in preparation for the cargo offload.
As Admiral Wallbanger pulled the rifle from the weapons area, he pondered the upcoming mission. Knowing they would only get one shot at rescuing his people, he decided he would go in with the team. As he started to pull on some body armor, Commanders Pavd and Micksp walked in. Surprised to see the Admiral half geared up, Commander Pavd asked,
“Sir, sorry sir, we didn’t know you were here, we just need a few more things. Sir, what are you doing if I can ask?”
Looking a bit peeved, like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the CNO replied,
“I’m going with you, to make sure nothing screws up.”
As both Commanders looked at each other, Commander Micksp said,
“Sir, I know it’s not my place, but I think you should remain here, as we can’t afford to lose another COC officer. Don’t worry sir, we will get them out, I promise”
As the Admiral smiled, he replied,
“I know you will sir, and I know you would all do fine without me, but this is something I have to do for myself.”
As both Commander looked at each other and nodded, they walked over and grabbed some ammo and a few weapons. As they headed out, Commander Pavd smiled and said,
“Sir, we both understand, and will be glad to have you with us”
As the Admiral smiled, the two Commanders left and met up with Lieutenant Cheesehead in the hall. As they walked away, he could hear Commander Micksp say,
“Boy is Captain Alpha going to be pissed, should be a good show”
As the two continued down the hall laughing, the Admirals smile melted away faster than snow in Arizona.
As the Fleet Admiral and Rear Admiral say in their room, eating some of the diner that was brought to them, the Door opened and Lafitte walked in. Seeing that both men were eating, Lafitte asked,
“Sorry to disturb you during diner, I can come back. I know I hate to be bugged when I’m eating”
As Lafitte turned to leave, the fleet admiral called out,
“Why don’t you come over here and join us”
Stopping in his tracks, Lafitte turned around with a surprised look on his face, very similar to the one the Rear Admiral was sprouting. Lafitte smiled and replied,
“Oh, I guess you want another shot at wringing my neck. Nice thought but that wouldn’t be wise.”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“No, seriously, join us”
As Lafitte walked over and sat across from the two GNSF officers, Lafitte asked,
“So, why are you being so accommodating?”
As he continued eating, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Well, as I see it, even though I will one day kill you, you and your people have treated us well. I guess at this time being civil would be the best thing”
As Lafitte smiled, he turned and yelled at the guard watching through the slightly open door,
“Leave us, there will be no trouble here”
At that, the door closed. Grabbing a few items from the huge plate of food, Lafitte dug in and started eating. After a few bites, he commented,
“You know, when we first met in combat, I was really determined to hang you head on my wall. Now, I would prefer to talk than kill you. You fascinate me, as does your group. I know the Colonel wouldn’t understand why you put up with global abuse in your day to day career, but I do.”
Stopping a moment to take a few more mouthfuls, Lafitte continued,
“I know we are on different ends of the stick, but we are a lot alike. I know, I know, you are good and I am evil, but that aside I think there is a lot in common. When you boil it all down, we are both working for the same thing really, global stability. The only difference is we have no time for the UN, and will do it following our own rules.”
As Lafitte grabbed a few more mouthfuls, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Well, I do understand what you’re saying, but from my point of view there is a good and bad way, and I just hope when my times done, I was doing it the right way. I must say you are not at all what I expected, as you sure don’t fit the mold of a psychopathic moronic maniac. Never the less, we will stop you and the rest of your group, or die trying.”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Well, I know most picture me that way, and that is fine as sometimes I have too much fun. Even though we are having a nice meal together, that does change the fact I am one nasty person who is capable of virtually anything. While I may show respect and admiration for someone, that doesn’t mean I would twitch at cutting them to bits.”
As Lafitte jammed one more mouthful in, he added,
“You know, if things were different, you would have made a great BotC, one of the best.”
At that, Lafitte stood up and headed for the door. As he was half way there, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Well, by the same token, you could have made a fine GNSF officer”
As he started to laugh and opened the door, Lafitte replied,
“No, I don’t think so, I’m not good following orders, and when someone pisses me off I prefer to butcher them than talk. Enjoy your meal and thanks for the talk, but I must run as work calls. I will see you once you’re settled in Russia”
As the door closed, the Rear Admiral stated,
“Is he for real, I don’t know if he is a lunatic or schizophrenic?”
Looking at the Rear Admiral with a very serious face, he replied,
“He is no mad man or lunatic. He is a very disciplined educated person, wrapped around a core of pure evil. That is probably one of the most dangerous men I have ever met.”
Looking a slight bit worried, the Rear Admiral asked,
“Sir, do you think they know where we are. You think they will try to rescue us?”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“I am very sure the boss knows exactly where we are, but I sure hope he doesn’t try a rescue. Not that I like this situation, but the risk is too high. I’m afraid it’s just you and I”
As Lafitte and Long John worked on their next mission, Captain Ivanovich came over and stated,
“Well, the GNSF busted their people out last night”
Looking shocked, Long John replied,
“How, I thought we had that place locked up tighter than a frog ass”
Smiling, Lafitte commented,
“Well, we did until I changed the personnel stationed there. You remember that list you made?”
Pondering for a while, Long John replied,
“What list, Damn I made so many lists me fingers are crooked?”
Chuckling, Lafitte said,
“I think you called it your cannon fodder list. The list you made of all the Spetsnaz people we had that were sub-par and a possible liability”
At this, the Captain smiled and added,
“I thought we were going to send those guys to the GNSF to train them to fight better?”
As both Long John and Lafitte looked at the Captain, who was now actually smiling, all was quiet for almost a min, when Lafitte broke out laughing and replied,
“OH, hahaha, I get it, you made a funny!”
At this, all three started to laugh. When the Laughter dies down, Lafitte added,
“Damn Captain, that was pretty funny in a weird sort of way. Next time you think of one, DON’T”
At this, Long John burst out laughing, while the Captain produced a pouting face that resembled the look of a wounded hyena. As the two pirates could see this dissatisfaction, they stopped laughing and Long John said,
“You know, the Colonel will probably be pissed that you let them get the prisoners out.”
Smiling, Lafitte added,
“Well, I left a note for the GNSF, just in the name of diplomacy. Besides, kicking the crap out of the GNSF adds a fraction of excitement to our work here, even if they aren’t very good at it. Anyway, we are almost done in this stinking place, and I know the Colonel wanted the week weeded out, so I took care of that for him.”
At this, all three started to smile, although the Captains looked very strained. Looking down at the map, Lafitte pointed and explained,
“We will probably have problems here, as a few of our subs have picked up what we think are GNSF subs. I have informed our divers that they can sink as many scurvy GNSF as possible. Maybe this will make the GNSF think twice about messing with us.”
As the Captain turned to walk away, he stated,
“I am sure the Colonel will have no problem with the way you handled that. I know he too wants to have a chance at the GNSF brass in combat. I myself really liked the Fleet Admiral, and I really need to kill him bad”
As the Captain walked away, Lafitte called out,
“Hey, we had this conversation already, he is mine!”
As the Captain continued to walk away, he called back,
“No problem, you can kill him, as long as you get there first”
As the Fleet Admiral sat at his desk going over all the Intel of the events that transpired while he was a prisoner, he felt good to be back. As he started comparing all the mission and outcomes, the intercom rang out,
“Sir, Admiral Wallbanger is here”
“Send him in”, the Fleet Admiral replied.
As the CNO entered and took a seat, his mood was one of waiting for the hammer to fall. Looking over at the CNO, the Fleet Admiral said,
“Don’t worry boss, I’m not going to ream you ass for that stupid rescue stunt, I’m kind of glad you got me out of there… even though it was NOT ADVISED”
Seeing the Fleet Admiral smiling, the CNO replied,
“Yea I know, but you must have known I would do it anyway”
As the Fleet Admiral nodded his head, the Admiral slid the BotC note across the table and said,
“Have you seen this note from Lafitte yet. Do you believe this idiot!”
Again, nodding his head, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Yea, I have seen it, and the sad part he is right on some of the stuff he said.”
Looking shocked, the Admiral yelled,
“WHAT, you can’t be serious! I think they had you there too long”
Looking sad, the Fleet Admiral explained,
“Look at all the missions and Intel we have. First, they humiliate us in an ambush mission, then attack some targets and blame it on us, then let you do a prison break. They are always three steps ahead of us, or so it would appear. We have 2 major problems, they are killing us with sub diffusion, and we are killing ourselves”
Looking a bit confused, the Admiral asked,
“What do you mean?”
“Since we got here, they have been pulling our strings to engage them in meaningless combat. I believe they are trying to keep us busy so we do not figure out what they are really up to. As long as they keep us dancing to their tune, they are unimpeded to do whatever it is they are doing here.”
Looking confused still, the Admiral disagreed,
“I can’t believe these moronic psycho’s are that smart, they are just lucky”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Yea, that’s our biggest problem, we are underestimating them, and it’s hurting us. I got to meet the psycho Lafitte, and he sure is not stupid or psychotic. He is a very smart man with a pure evil center, and probably the most dangerous person I have ever met. So, tell me, what would have happened if your prison break failed ?”
Taken back by the question , the Admiral took a deep breath and replied,
“Well, I don’t know, we would …”
Before the sentence could be finished, the Fleet Admiral interjected,
“BOSS, it’s me here, cut the crap. What would have happened”
After a slight pause, and with an angry look coming over the CNO’s face, he replied,
“I would have vaporized everything in the area. I’m tired of this cat and mouse crap, I would have sent in the F-16’s to bomb the crap out of anything that moved!”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Yea, I figured that would be your next move, General Order 1. I am pretty sure the BotC knew that would happen too. Why do you think they moved us from their base to that crappy isolated farm?”
Pondering the reasoning for a while, the Admiral started to see what the Fleet Admiral was saying. After a pause the Fleet Admiral continued.
“During all our battles so far, we have been fighting ourselves more than them. Every mission we set up is plagued with problems in getting the people to the combat zone. Whether its equipment malfunctions, logistics, or communications problems, we have a hard time getting whom we need to where they need to be. Then, we end up fighting short staffed. This is a failing on our part as the COC, and we will need to fix this if we hope to have a chance at ridding the globe of the BotC for good.”
Nodding his head, knowing the Fleet Admiral was right, the CNO asked,
“So, what’s our next move?”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral explained,
“Well, and you should like this, we go on a killing spree and waste as many BotC and their assets as possible. They staged an attack on the Russian supply convoy in the hopes of blaming us. Since I am sure the Russians are closing their eyes to the BotC, if not actually helping them, that attack was very risky on their part. This tells me that whatever is on those ships shadowing the Russians is very valuable to them. Right now, they have staged it so if we try to attack that convoy, Russian fighters will be all over us. There would be no way to get to the convoy without engaging the Russians.”
Looking dejected, the Admiral replied,
“I know, we had a mission set, but couldn’t send it in after that. So what do we do now, our subs are too far to intercept, even at flank.”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Simple, we launch the flight and kill the convoy. I have sent a message to the Kremlin stating our intentions and warning them to stay clear.”
Again looking surprised, the Admiral asked,
“Come on boss, the Russians wont clear out, and you know we couldn’t attack the target with being engaged by the Russian, so how they hell do we pull this off?”
Smiling a very unsettling smile, almost like something one would expect to see on Lafitte, the Fleet Admiral replied
“We send the flight to attack the convoy, if the Russians send intercept planes, we take them out. It is time to put all in boss, they have been warned. It’s time to stop fighting battles, and start fighting a WAR”
As the Fleet Admiral walked into the hanger, he saw Admiral Wallbanger, Admiral Clash and Rear Admiral Swordfish all geared up and waiting as the F-16’s were pulled from the hanger and started up.
“Boss, what the hell are you doing?”
Looking over, the CNO walked towards the Fleet Admiral while the other two disappeared behind one of the planes. As the CNO reached the Fleet Admiral, he turning him around by a gentle tug on the shoulder and they both walked just outside the hanger. Once they were clear of others, the Admiral said,
“Boss, you know were going out to hit that convoy”
Looking at the Admiral with distain, he replied,
“I know we are going to attack the convoy, but I don’t remember anyone deciding it was you three that were going. You know damn well I’m going on this mission”
Shaking his head, the Admiral replied,
“Nope, sorry boss but you can’t go this time”
Looking like he was going to pop, the Fleet Admiral barked in a low voice,
“Boss, don’t make me pull rank and bust your ass, you know I’m going on this one, and that’s final”
Perplexed by the big smile that came over the Admirals face, the Admiral replied,
“Sorry boss, I would love to have you come, but it’s not my call, you have been outranked”
At this, the Admiral grabbed both of the Fleet admirals shoulders and spun him around. Once turned, the Fleet Admiral could see the same nurse that gave the Admiral a hard time walking towards them with four MP’s. As they reached the two, and before the Fleet Admiral could say anything, the nurse asked,
“Fleet Admiral Stern, what exactly are doing out here. The Doctor has told you that you must remain in the barracks until tomorrow when you’re cleared to return to duty.”
Pondering the last encounter with the nurse, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Aye Ma’am, I am aware of that, but this mission must leave now and I must go with it. This is an extremely important and vital mission, and it supersedes normal protocols.”
As the CNO started to chuckle, just audibly, the Fleet Admiral shot him a nasty look. Turning back to the nurse to continue, she interjected,
“Forget it sir, save your breath. You are going to let these men do their jobs and get back to the barracks, or I am afraid these fine MP’s will have to carry you”
As the Fleet Admirals blood boiled, he was just about to yell when the nurse added,
“DON’T!, I have a signed order from JAG validating the doctor’s orders. If you have a problem with this, then you take it up with JAG”.
Spinning around to look for ADM Clash, the Fleet Admiral could see he was already in his plane and heading down the taxi way. Turning to the Admiral, he barked,
“Very cute boss. You just better all get back alive, because I have some asses to kick and I want them damage free before I start.”
As the Fleet Admiral walked back to the barracks with the four MP’s and nurse, the Admiral ran to his plane and got in. Trying to calm the Fleet Admirals mood, the nurse said in a soft voice,
“Sir, cut them some slack. They very rarely get a chance to bust your balls, and they could really use the laughs considering what they are flying into.”
As the old Hewey touched down at the BotC base with the engine sputtering, a stretcher was clearly visible on the helicopters frame. With no instruction, a medical crew rushed over to the Hewey and proceeded to take the wounded member to the infirmary. Seeing this, Captain Ivanovich ran to the chopper to see who it was. As he was almost there, he watched as the Colonel climbed out of the Helicopter and headed his way.
“Damn, you gave me a scare, I thought you purchased the big farm” the Captain called out.
Shaking his head, the Colonel replied,
“No, but One Ball was hit, and it looks pretty bad. He saved my ass out there.”
As the Colonel continued walking to the infirmary, the Captain followed. As both walked inside, one of the medical staff blocked their passage and said,
“Sorry Sirs, you can’t go in there for a while”
With a stare that could melt steel, the Captain gazed at the man, who then recognized who it was. With a horrified look on his face, the medic said in an almost stuttering voice,
Sir, I’m sorry, I, I, you can go in Sir, I’m very sorry”
As the Captain pushed the medic aside, both walked into the triage area where One Ball was being worked on. As they walked closer, the chief medic looked back seeing the two officers approaching. As he gave a few instruction to the staff, he turned and commented,
“He is very lucky, 2 centimeters more to the right and he would have been dead on the spot. He will be out of commission for a few days, but will be fine. He is out cold, so there is no point you hanging around. I will have someone call you when he wakes up”
As the Colonel nodded, both officers walked to the door. As they were about to leave, the medic called out,
“And Captain, I need all my staff functional, so refrain from scaring the crap out of any of them in future”
As the Colonel chuckled to himself, the Captain spun around and gave a cold stare to the medic, who then said,
“Save the evil eye, what are going to do kill me. Suite yourself, but don’t cry when I’m not here to patch you up for the 30th time”
At this, the Captain cracked a smile and turned back, heading outside. As they walked along, the Colonel said,
“You know, you really do have to work on your people skills”
As the Captain looked puzzled at this statement, he shrugged his shoulders and asked,
“So, what happened out there?”
“That was no ordinary road block. The only thing out there was snipers, and they had almost every inch of the area covered. Someone was expecting us, and it wasn’t the GNSF, as the ones I examined looked to be Russian. I want to know who they were and how they knew we were coming”
As the Captain nodded his head, he replied,
“I will look into it, and get Long John to work his detective magic”
As the Fleet Admiral settled back in the barracks, the nurse came in with a smile carrying a folder. She then said with a happy voice,
“Sir, I hope you’re not still mad at me, but you know I have my orders too”
Looking up, the Fleet Admiral produced a fraction smile and replied,
“No Ma’am, I’m not mad at all, you were doing your job.”
Her smile grew larger as she said,
“Well that’s good, because I have some really good news for you, the doctor has signed your back to active duty papers, so you can get back into action”
At this, the Fleet Admiral shook his head and replied,
“Good news, right. Figures, I get the OK right after those three get off the ground, how fitting”
At this, the nurse burst out laughing and said,
“Sir, there is always a bright side, like a karma thing. You just be really careful when you go on that flight, you hear me! I don’t want to see you back in the infirmary again!”
Looking a bit confused, and wondering if this nurse was all there, he commented,
“Well Ma’am, I would be really careful IF the flight wasn’t already gone. So don’t worry about me, I think I can be careful navigating this damn barracks”
As the nurse again burst out laughing, she turned and headed out the door, as she was walking across the compound she yelled out,
“I told you, it’s a karma thing”.
As the Fleet Admiral sat there, wondering exactly what type of medication the nurse was on, and pondering if it would make the boss a happier camper, the half open door on the barracks was kicked fully open, generating a huge crash.
“OH damn, sorry boss, didn’t realize you were here, Admiral Wallbanger said.
Very shocked to see the Admiral still here, the Fleet Admiral asked,
“What the hell are you doing here? Christ you haven’t been gone long enough to leave the towers airspace. OH CRAP!, don’t tell me you guys crashed?”
As the Admiral stood there looking dejected, he walked in and sat down on a bunk, then replied,
“No, we never got off the damn ground. Clash had problems with the hydraulics and ended up drifting off the taxiway and getting stuck in the grass. Then as Sword was about to take off, he lost his HUD, and his MFD’s were intermittently blanking out. My plane was fine, but we scrubbed the mission until the crew can find the problems. We are set to go tomorrow if all works out.”
As the CNO sat there dejected, the Fleet Admiral started to laugh, mumbling,
“It’s a karma thing hahaha; damn she must be a witch hahaha”
Looking confused, the Admiral asked,
“What, sorry boss, I missed that”
Still chuckling, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Never mind. Well, seems the doctor has cleared me, so expect me to be in that flight tomorrow, and if you even think about arguing I will have the doctor lock you up and give you a full body cavity inspection”
Surprised that this drew no reaction from the Admiral, the Fleet Admiral asked,
“OK, what’s wrong?”
As the Admiral sat there looking a bit peeved, he explained,
“Well boss, we will need you on the flight tomorrow, Clash is out”
As the Fleet Admiral sat there saying nothing, the Admiral continued,
“When he shut down his plane, he was pissed and as he was getting out of the cockpit he slipped. He fell of the plane and messed up his leg, so he will be out of commission for about a week. He is having it looked at in the infirmary right now, and from the preliminary I have from the repair crew, his plane will take a few days to fix anyway.”
After a few moments of silence, the Fleet Admiral busted out laughing. As hard as the Admiral tried, he could not keep a straight face either, and soon both were laughing. After a while, the Fleet Admiral stood up and said,
“Damn, I feel good, I’m going to get something to eat, come on, and I will buy you a coffee. It’s a karma thing “
As the Fleet Admiral headed out, still laughing, the Admiral followed, pondering what medication the nurse had given him, and if he could get some.
As the Colonel headed back from the infirmary, he saw Lafitte getting out of the Hewey and heading over. As the two met, Lafitte asked,
“So, how is One Ball, I heard he got shot?”
Nodding, the Colonel replied,
“Yea he did, but he is fine. He saved my ass out there, and someone is going to pay heavily for that shot.”
Lafitte smiled and replied,
“One Ball is a damn good old scurvy dog; he is always careful and very smart. What exactly happened, the GNSF get a lucky shot in? I hope you killed the bastard slow”
Looking pissed and shaking his head, the Colonel stated,
“No, it wasn’t GNSF, I think they were Russians. It wasn’t a normal roadblock at all, but a trap where we almost died. When we got there it was dead and empty, then One Ball spotted three snipers. Whoever they were, they had the whole area locked down tight with snipers everywhere. We managed to clear them all out, but One Ball was hit covering my ass. A sniper was buried in a whole, just like the old days in Vietnam, and when the sniper moved to pop me, One Ball saw it and yelled for me to get down. The sniper spun and fired before One Ball could get set, but I did kill him.”
Looking puzzled, Lafitte questioned,
“You sure it wasn’t GNSF? I mean the Russians are on our side, and I don’t think the Georgians know what a sniper is?”
Looking more angry that ever, the Colonel replied,
“No, they were Russians, and when I find out who is behind this they will wish they had been airdropped naked into Siberia. I have the Captain and your Long John working on it. So, how was your trip, I will assume it went well by your mood”
Producing a huge grin, Lafitte replied,
“Aye, we sank two scumbag GNSF subs and the cargo is now being offloaded at the complex. I grabbed the Hewey and came straight back. They are setting up to move the tanks when all is ready for the final push”.
Smiling, the Colonel said,
“Good, and from last reports the convoy will be docking in about 20 hours, so all is well. Now that the GNSF is too weak and pathetic to hamper our work, we need to remove this other thorn from our side. Once we find out who those snipers were commanded by I will have a very special mission for you, one with lots of carnage”
As the Colonel sat at his desk pondering how he would salvage the latest setback, Lafitte walked in and stated,
“Did you hear about the convoy?”
“Yea”, the Colonel replied,” seems the GNSF still have one or two pilots that can actual do battle. I really need those missiles, so we need to figure out how to salvage this situation. ”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Yea, and from our Intel at the GNSF base, it was the Fleet Admiral and CNO that were in the flight. Glad to see he is back to form, now killing him will be that much more fun”
Shaking his head, the Colonel barked,
“Well that’s all fine, but this messes our plans up a bit. I am not worried about killing anyone right now, I NEED those missiles. I will have to see if I can get my contacts to send more, but they are experimental and I’m not sure there are any more out there.”
As Lafitte walked over to the table and jumped into a chair, his calculations were a bit off and he toppled to the floor. As soon as he hit the floor, he sprang back up into the chair in one fast motion, pretending as if it never happened. Smiling he replied,
“Oh, don’t worry about the missiles, I will get them back.”
Looking confused, the Colonel asked,
“And how do you propose to do that, seeing they are on one of the cargo ships that were sunk!”
As Lafitte fidgeted in the chair, trying to relieve the discomfort of the whack he took on his ass, he replied,
“No worries comrade matey, I have a DSRV and will go out to the wreck and salvage the booty. Piece of cake, just like a nice slice of Black Forrest cake. Damn, I wish we had some cake, I’m getting hungry”
As the Colonel put his hands in his head, he mumbled,
“You can’t get the missiles, even with a DSRV, but the thought was nice, I guess”
Getting a little more serious, Lafitte argued,
“I sure as hell can get the missiles, I have checked and the wreck is shallow enough ”
Popping his head up, the Colonel barked,
“How Shallow do you think it is man, I was told it’s over 600 feet down”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Well, 652 feet to be exact, but the DSRV can do that no problems.”
Shaking his head again, and getting really angry, the Colonel replied,
“Damn Lafitte, I KNOW the DSRV can go deep enough, it’s the problem of GETTING the missiles. It is too deep for any divers to go out and drag the missiles out. Forget about it, I will see what else I can scrounge up to fit”
As the Colonel got up and walked over to a large cabinet in the corner of the office, Lafitte blurted out,
“Pussy attitude”
Spinning around, he gave Lafitte a stone cold stare, which prompted Lafitte to add,
“Yea of little faith, I have divers that can go in and get it. They have dove over 800 feet before. Damn Colonel, you really need to start trusting me”
As the Colonel looked on, he asked,
“Are you sure about this?”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“No problem. They will go in with rebreathers filled with Hydrox, and fitted with scrubbers to give them more down time. I will send six in, and two will perform system swap-out to further extend their time. Once they get the missiles out, they will Air bag them to the surface where our sub can gather them up. When they are done, they will come back to the DSRV which will act as a Decompression chamber for them.”
Finally, starting to smile, the Colonel again asked,
“Well that is great news, if you are sure they can pull it off?”
Lafitte, now loosing the smile replied,
“Oh, they can do it, Two Thumbs holds the Ultra Deep Diving record of 1100 feet, but we do have one problem”
Losing his smile, the Colonel asked,
“I knew it, what’s the problem?”
Lafitte explained,
“Well, all our subs are well out of that area due to Russian Anti submarine searches, and none have the DSRV anyway. We can fit one of the Seawolfs with the DSRV and head out to the wreck from here though”.
Looking agitated, as he was still waiting for the other shoe to drop, the Colonel barked,
“AND!”
“Well, we only have two subs in port, a Seawolf and my Akula. This means we have to head in with only two subs, and one Bear for assistance.”
Pondering the situation, the Colonel asked,
“Well, that seems easy enough, and I can pull strings to make sure the Russians do not try to kill you.”
Lafitte, looking back added,
“It's not the Russians I’m worried about, it’s the GNSF. We have had sporadic contact with GNSF subs in the area. While we can’t get a good track due to the distance, there are at least two in that area. They also have a P3 flying the area as well.”
The Colonel sat a long while debating the feasibility of the plan, then said,
“Damn, it’s risky, but I need those missiles. Can we send a fighter squad to knock out the P3?”
Lafitte shook his head and replied
“No, the Russians are ignoring the search planes, as they are no threat to them, but if we send in fighters, they will scramble MIG’s. We will have to do this with the subs and Bear alone. As long as we get about an hour uninterrupted we are good, but if we have to engage GNSF subs it will leave the DSRV stranded.”
The Colonel nodded and remarked
“Well, I guess this mission calls for volunteers due to its risk”
Lafitte smiled and replied,
“Hell, being a pirate means you already agreed to volunteer for everything hahaha”
As Lafitte started to leave, he turned back and said,
“I can get the Missiles up, but if we lose our two subs they will be easy collecting for the GNSF”
As Lafitte left, the Colonel called out,
“Then make damn sure we kill them first!”
As Rear Admiral Swordfish climbed out of his plane, he started heading over to meet the Fleet Admiral. When he was half way, he noticed that Slim Jim had already grabbed him. Not wanting to deal with the news hound, he turned and headed to the hanger.
Once Inside, he screamed out “ATTENTION!” causing all there to stop in the tracks. As he walked in, he barked,
“GET ME THE MAINTENACE LOGS OF ADMIRAL WALLBANGERS PLANE… NOW!”
As the whole crew scurried around, one officer came back with the logbook. Looking mighty scared, the officer asked,
“What’s wrong sir?
Looking at the officer, the Rear Admiral replied,
“I don’t know, you tell me why a planes gear deploys in flight by itself!”
Sensing the gravity of the situation, the officer quickly dug through the maintenance log, and after a while replied,
“Sir, I’m not sure, there was never any repairs done to the Admiral’s gears, or any of the hydraulic systems, they all tested fine”
Just then, the Black Hawk touched down, and the Rear Admiral watched in relief as the CNO got out and started walking to the infirmary under his own power along with two medics. He then noticed the Fleet Admiral making a beeline to the hanger.
As the Fleet Admiral entered the hanger, on officer yelled, “ATTENTION ON DECK!” which shot the hustling people into a frozen saluted state. Looking around, the Fleet Admiral called out to an MP in the corner,
“Sir, pass me your side arm, I think we need to cut some non essential staff here”
As the officers all stood there sweating, the Rear Admiral waved off the MP and turned to the Fleet Admiral saying,
“Relax sir, I have this under control. I checked the maintenance logs and there was never any work done on the Admirals plane that could have caused this. It looks like a normal malfunction, and not an error or neglect. Please, let me handle this, you go cheer up Wallbanger, he loved that plane”
Taking one last look over the whole maintenance crew, the Fleet Admiral stated,
“This will be our last mechanical problem, as I want every plane inspected with a fine tooth comb. I will NOT tolerate any more breakdowns”
As the Fleet Admiral turned and walked over to the infirmary, the crew drew a breath of relief. Looking over the crew, the Rear Admiral called out,
“You heard the Fleet Admiral, I want every plane and chopper checked over with a microscope, and I want it done NOW!”
At this, the crew started to slowly move around, but looking totally confused on what to do first. Looking over to the MP, The Rear Admiral called out,
“Sir, pass me your side arm, I think the Fleet Admiral was right, we need to cut some non essential staff here”
At this, the whole crew flew into over drive. As the MP smiled, he commented,
“Sir, Permission to remain and cut non productive staff!”
As the Rear Admiral smiled and headed for the door, he replied,
“Keep an eye on them, and make them sweat”
As the pirates' all gathered in the war tent, the Colonel sat patiently waiting for all to be seated. As all were quiet, he noticed that Lafitte was missing. As they all continued to sit there quietly, the Colonel started to lose his patience when Lafitte finally walked in. Scurrying over to the table, he sat down, plopping a large box on the table, at which point he said,
“Sorry I’m late, but check this out”
Opening the box, the others could see it was a cake. Lafitte, disappointed in the lack of enthusiasm, stated,
“Come on, what’s wrong with you all, its Black Forrest cake. Ummm, I love Black Forrest cake. Do you have any idea what I had to go through to get this, so who wants some?”
As most of the pirates chuckled, the Colonel looking not so amused, replied,
“Lafitte, we are here to do some serious planning, and I think cake is the last thing on anyone’s mind”
At this, Captain Ivanovich added,
“I can’t believe you brought a cake to a War meeting.”
As Lafitte looked at the Captains cold glare, he asked,
“So, you want some?”
Breaking a smile, the Captain replied,
“Hell yea, slide me a big chunk of that bad asses cake”
As the other pirates started to laugh, the Colonel flashed a look of discontent to the Captain, who replied quickly,
“Come on Colonel, you always be saying I should be working on my people skills…. Plus its Black Forrest, reminds me of home.”
As the whole group started laughing louder, the Colonel shook his head in disbelief. As Lafitte and the Captain took a huge chunk, Lafitte slid the cake to the center of the table, where it remained for about 2 seconds before the rest of the pirates dug in. As the Colonel sat there waiting, Lafitte said,
“OK, let’s get serious here. We have Intel from an operative within the GNSF base that they are moving most of their supplies to the forward base they set up. We have the route and it crosses a large bridge about half way between. The Georgians have this bridge locked up tight with tanks and lots of troops, as it is the lifeline for all the northern area. We are going to go in and blow it up before they can get their crap across”
Surprised by the speedy transition from cake party to actual business, the Colonel added,
“That right, but because of heavy AA presence and fighters at the forward base, we can’t air strike the bridge. We are going to assemble a team and take out the bridge with demo charges. I will lead the ground team in, while Lafitte sets up an Air attack on the Early Warning Radar station the GNSF set up. We will need to get on the ground, destroy the bridge and get out fast, before they can send in reinforcements. If we can, we will take out the tanks there, but the priority is the bridge.”
As they all looked over the maps and details, Lafitte added,
“We also have some Intel that the GNSF will be launching an Air Strike against the Radar station we set up. I am not sure how they found out about it, but it messing up their air operations and will be a high priority for them. Just to be nasty, we will have our flight standing by and will launch once they are in the air. Our goal will be the Radar, but if we can also mess up their flight it will really drive them nuts, plus cut down on flights we need to protect the radar and kill theirs.”
As the group continued to study the plans, Long John slid a map on the table, showing the location of the sunken cargo ships that carried their missiles. He then said,
“We are also set to launch a salvage of the missiles once the other two attacks are underway. Lafitte and I will leave for the wreck after these attacks have been completed, as that should throw their COC into a chaotic state, or at least wake them the fudge up.”
As the group all got up, except Lafitte and the Captain, who were still eating cake, the Colonel said,
“OK, we know what needs doing, let’s get everything ready.”
As the group left the tent, Lafitte and the Captain remained, finishing off what was left of the cake. Smiling, Ivanovich commented,
“Damn that was good, now I know why you are so happy all the time. I feel so good I need to kill someone”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Well, we will do that too, but what about some more cake. Don’t tell anyone, but I have 11 more in the officers mess locked up”
As the Captain smiled, he added,
“Well, let’s go be killing another one of these cakes, but one thing first”
Standing up, Lafitte replied,
“What’s that?”
As the Captain stood up, he asked,
“Can you be getting me one of those bad asses’ hats like you have?
As Lafitte started to laugh, he nodded and grabbed the Captain around the shoulders.
-------------------
As the Colonel made his way to the armory, he heard some laughing and looked back. To his amazement, he watched Lafitte and Ivanovich-the-butcher prancing arm in arm to the mess tent.
As he turned and continued on to the armory, he mumbled to himself,
“I don’t believe this. Maybe I will get lucky and get killed in combat”
As the GNSF crew landed in the Black Hawk, the medical crew ran out to meet them. As the injured soldiers were being taken off the Helicopter, the remaining team members headed for the Command Building. As they got close, Commander Brice Williams intercepted them with a team of six soldiers dressed in Hazmat Suites, asking,
“Sir, how did it go, everyone OK?”
The Fleet Admiral replied,
“Well we had three hit, but we left the pirate scum dead, along with the 3 tanks and SAM launcher. The Area is secure, you can head in”
Smiling, the Commander replied,
“That’s great news sir, now we will deal with the cargo and clean it up”
As the Commander turned to the Hazmat team and called out,
“OK, you heard them, to the chopper, let’s get to work”
As the Hazmat crew scrambled to the chopper, the GNSF team continued on their way to the War Room. As the group finally reached the war room, they met up with Rear admiral Swordfish. As they all sat down, the CNO said,
“OK people, we did a good job and creamed their tanks. That should take care of the warheads, so now even if they had the missiles, which they don’t; the best they could do is deliver Christmas card with them. They will probably be a touch upset, but once we hit their Radar station they will be fit to be tied. We now have messed up their plans and should soon have them on the defensive”
As the group started working on the details of the next mission, the Fleet Admiral added,
“We have now hit these guys with a heavy blow, so I don’t expect them to underestimate us in the future. From here on in, we go in hard and hit them until it hurts”
A Lafitte left the mess hall, leaving the Captain with the remaining half of the Black Forrest cake, he could here crashing coming from the command tent. Figuring it was a good fight, he headed over, not wanting to miss in on the action. As he got there, he was about to walk inside when a chair came flying out and almost took his head off. Smiling, he figured it was a good one and set to jump into the brawl. As he shot in the tent, looking for the first target to attack, he was surprised to see only the Colonel inside, completely trashing the place. As Lafitte dodged another flying object, he called out,
“Hell Colonel, not much of a fight if you don’t have an opponent”
Not seeing Lafitte enter the room, the Colonel stopped and spun around. While Lafitte had seen the Colonel pissed before, he had never seen him this mad, and the expression on the Colonels face even began to scare him a bit. Not wanting to see how much farther the Colonel went before reaching critical mass and a complete meltdown, Lafitte yelled out,
“Colonel, relax. What the hell is wrong?”
While the Colonel didn’t seem to calm down at all, he did stop and just stand there. As Lafitte pondered a way of defusing the situation, the Captain strolled in, complete with one of Lafitte’s stupid hats on. As he was about to speak, he saw the Captain and froze. Quickly grabbing Lafitte’s arm, he yanked Lafitte out of the tent so fast Lafitte kept going and ended up face down in the dirt. Shrugging off the unexpected flight, and trying to stay calm, he got to his feet. Before he could even form the words, the Captain said in a scared voice,
“Stay here and don’t move. I have only ever seen him like this once before, and never wanted to see it again.”
As Lafitte stood there staring intently, he was surprised as hell by something he had never seen before, or ever expected to see, the Captain with a scared look on his face. After a moment, he asked in a quiet voice,
“Holy shit man, you’re scared? I never thought I would ever see that from you. Is it that bad?”
Still looking worried, the Captain replied,
“You must never ever speak of this. It was many years ago at a Spetsnaz training facility, where him and his brother were training for elite status. His brother was set to break all the records that had been set, which bothered the top trainer there who held the records. The Trainer rode his brother bad through the whole thing.”
Lafitte, not sure what the fuss was all about, asked,
“Well, that don’t seem like a big thing?”
The Captain, continued,
“On the last day, he and his brother were one and two in the training, and the last run was an obstacle course with live fire. As his brother went over a barbed wired wall, he was shot in the leg by the trainer, which the Colonel saw, and knew was deliberate. This sent his brother rolling off the wall with some wire wrapped around his neck. As the Colonel, myself, and few others rushed in to get him down, the trainer kept yelling to leave the weak behind or you will fail. We got his brother down, but his neck was broken and he was dead.”
Lafitte, shocked by the story just stood there listening as the Captain continued,
“Since all of us didn’t finish the course, we were failed and thrown out in disgrace. As we were all leaving, I saw the look the Colonel gave the Trainer, and it was the look just as he has now. I didn’t see him again until the graduation parade, where I went to watch a friend graduate.”
Lafitte shook his head and replied,
“Well, I guess it’s a good thing you did drag me out of there.”
Looking as scared as he did when he walked into the tent just thinkign about it, the Captain added,
“No, you don’t understand. After his brother’s funeral, he went back to the training facility the day they were having the graduation parade ceremonies. He walked out onto the field and cut the trainers throat right in front of everyone. He then proceeded to kill most of the graduating class in hand to hand combat with only a knife. Only a few of the graduates that were considered worthy were spared. He then left and killed the trainer’s whole family, the camp Commandant and his family, and finally the three Generals at the Kremlin that oversaw the training. The whole Kremlin was scared to death of him. After that, he vanished for over two years. After a changing of the guard in Moscow, the new régime set up the Black Squad, a cover Spetsnaz team that did the really nasty jobs, and asked him to lead it. He contacted me and several others to be part of the team, and we jumped at it.”
Lafitte, totally shocked stood there and said nothing. After a while, the Captain finished with,
“The greatest magic trick the Devil ever pulled was to convince the world he didn’t really exist. I’m not afraid of death, or the devil, but I sure am scared of the Colonel. Please, NEVER let him know you know!”
As the two just stood there, they heard the Colonel yell,
“LAFITTE, IVANOVICH, GET IN HERE!”
As both looked at each other, they headed into the tent. Once they got inside, they sidestepped all the obstacles thrown around, which looked like an airstrike took place. As both picked up a chair and sat at the table, the Colonel just stared back. Finally after few few tense moments, Lafitte asked,
“What wrong Colonel, it must be bad?”
As the Colonel took a deep breath, he spoke,
“The GNSF destroyed the tanks that were bringing the warheads in. I can’t believe they picked this time to show some balls. We are now totally screwed, and all that is left to do it hunt down and kill every GNSF officer on the planet”
Lafitte, keeping a calm straight face, replied,
“Sir, it looks really bad, but it’s not as bad as you think. We did not have all 16 warheads on the tanks, only eight. The other eight were loaded on the Hewey and airdropped about 30 miles from here. I really hate putting all my eggs in one basket. I have already sent a crew to hump them back, and they should be here in a day or so.”
As the Colonels face seemed to come back to a semblance of normality, he simply sat there looking at Lafitte and the Captain, then asking,
“Captain, did you know about this?”
Without speaking, the Captain just nodded his head”
The three sat for a while not speaking, when the Colonel finally said,
“You know you two saved everything we have worked for here. Captain, you go right on wearing that stupid hat and eating cake, as regardless of what you both do or act like, you have proven yourselves to be the best here.”
As both smiled at the Colonel, he continued,
“Now, as for the GNSF, I am growing tired of the few real warriors they have messing with us. I want the leaders and fighters taken out, leaving the rest of the pathetic cowardly scum to sit there playing with themselves. You two set up any nasty carnage you see fit, and start racking up the body count, as soon we will be out of here. Lafitte, do something for me, take your plane and rain death down the likes of which they have never seen”
As the two got up and headed out, the Captain turned back and asked,
“Colonel, you want me to bring you some cake, it really good?”
As the Colonel looked back, he whispered,
“Get out .......... now!”
As the Colonel paced back and forth waiting for the flight to return, he heard a loud roar of a plane approaching. Suddenly, as the volume increased to an ear splitting level, a plane passed right over head, very close to the ground, and upside down. Shaking his head and trying to get his hearing back, he mumbled,
“Damn fool, that has to be Lafitte”
As he watched as only two planes landed, he wondered what happened to the other two planes. Heading out onto the taxiway and over to the parking area, he watched Lafitte and Toe Jam get out of their planes. As the two walked over to him, he checked the sky but could see no more planes.
“What happened to the other two?” the Colonel asked.
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“Well, that crappy new snot nose pilot got himself killed during the first run in with the Georgian planes. As for Long John, the idiot was playing with a SAM-3 site, when they got a lucky shot in. I saw his chute and he was drifting back this way”
Just then, Toe Jam started laughing and pointed to the sky. As the other two looked, they could see a small parachute on the horizon. Seeing this, Lafitte burst into laughter and replied,
“Damn idiot, if it wasn’t so god damn funny I would shoot him for breaking his plane”
As the Colonel watched in disbelief, he queried,”
“You have to be kidding me? Are you telling me he was shot down, then you went to target, returned home and landed, and he is still up there? What the hell really happened?”
Still laughing, Toe Jam replied,
“That’s what happened, you see Long John likes sky diving, and if you look it’s not a normal ejection parachute, it’s a hand gliding chute. He said if he ever was shot down, he wanted to glide home.
Shaking his head, sure the two were full of crap, the Colonel barked,
“Out with it Lafitte, did you shoot him down on the way back?”
Lafitte, still laughing replied,
“No, I don’t believe it myself, but it’s true. He was up about 35,000 when he ejected, and looks like he has been slowly heading home ever since; damn this is one for the records”
Still not sure what to make of this, the Colonel asked,
“Where exactly did he get shot down?”
Toe Jam replied,
“He got hit by a SAM site just on the other side of the border. It just popped up out of nowhere and he tried to whack it”
Shaking his head, and looking very flustered, the Colonel relied,
“The border?, damn that’s only about 30 miles from here. You sure he didn’t do this just to get to play with his damn chute?”
As Lafitte was now all laughed out, he replied,
“No, he may be nuts, but no one in their right mind would chance taking a SAM hit for kicks, not even him”
Totally done with this weird situation, the Colonel pitched it right out of his head, and asked,
“So, how did the run go, from what you’ve told me it would have only been you two that got there?”
With an evil grin, Lafitte replied,
“Both targets are history. Toe Jam smoked one, and I took out the other. We even sent a few stupid Georgian planes down on the way back. Guess the GNSF training isn’t going well hahahaha”
As the Colonel smiled, he stood for a few moments contemplating the events, then stated,
“So, they have SAM’s at the border. We really need to take out the EW Radar, seems they can track us right from take off.”
As the group continued to watch the chute come in, they noticed that Long John was finally running out of altitude. As they watched him try to put down on the airfield, they all chuckled as he caught a treetop at the edge of the field, leaving him hanging in the breeze.
Now laughing himself, the Colonel said,
“OK Lafitte, go get you’re man down from there”
As Lafitte looked at toe Jam and smiled, To Jam said,
“Cake?”
At this, turning to the Colonel, Lafitte replied,
“Cake it is.”
As the two started walking to the mess hall, the Colonel called out,
“Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone?”
Calling back while still walking, Lafitte replied,
“He broke a plane and had his fun; he can hang around a bit”
As the GNSF staff looked over the latest reports and roster, the Fleet Admiral started the meeting,
“Ok people, we have a few tasks to do that should spell the beginning of the end for the BotC. First, we have a go ahead to move to the forward base in South Ossetia, which should put us close to the BotC and make hunting them down easier. For the details of this, I will pass the floor to Admiral Wallbanger”
As the Admiral opened a folder, he began,
“OK, it’s a large move we are doing, and the Georgians have thrown all they have along the route to help keep it safe. Most of the trip will be easy and safe, but once we get to the Ossetia area it will get risky. The biggest obstacle is a large bridge we must cross, which the Georgians have secured with a whole tank battalion. Once across we should be ok as the forest cover will mask us most of the way. We have only one possible obstacle in our way, and that is an area that is about 8 miles from the bridge. The Georgians had this area secured, but we lost all contact with the squad there. We believe they were taken out to allow the BotC tanks to roll by unimpeded, and we have no idea if they left the area or are still there. We will assume they are still present and send in a squad to make sure, Rear Admiral Swordfish, please give us the details”
At that, the Rear Admiral started to explain the mission,
“We will be sending in a small squad, and sweep the area to make sure it is clear. Once we are done, the Georgians will move a squad in and keep the area clear. Since their troops are all spread out to cover the convoy route, the squad they are sending for this are green recruits, so we must clear the area for them.”
As the Admiral flipped a few pages in the folder, he continued,
“Thank you Rear Admiral. Now, we are also going to position subs near the area their cargo ships went down, just to make sure they do not try a salvage of the missiles. We do not expect them to try as the wreck is deep, but just in case we should be prepared. We have also been asked by the Georgians to destroy two of their manufacturing complexes that have been taken over by the BotC. These complexes are used for missile manufacturing and research, and since they are heavily fortified, we will air strike it.”
As the Admiral finished, the Fleet Admiral took the floor,
“This is a make or break point here. We need to make sure that choke area is clear, and after that we will have an unimpeded route to the new base. As indicated, the bridge is the only other risky area, but with the fire power the Georgians have there, the BotC won’t go near it.”
As the Fleet Admiral closed his folder, he added,
“We really need this to go smooth, but we are having problems with personnel availability. We have many people scattered all over the place, and getting a squad together on short notice is proving difficult. I need all Commanders to dig deep and get us some good soldiers so we can kick these pirates’ asses. Now let’s get to work, Dismissed”
As the group broke up, the Admiral remained behind with the Fleet Admiral. Once all but Rear Admiral Swordfish had cleared the room, the Fleet Admiral added,
“You know, we are so strapped that were going to have to get in there ourselves to get this done. We better all brush up on our training and pray to god we get some luck”
As the Black Hawk touched down, Fleet Admiral Stern and Admiral Wallbanger climbed out while the medic crew removed Lieutenant Thunder on a stretcher. As the two watched the injured soldier being taken away, another medic moved in to take the second stretcher. As he approached the plane, the Fleet Admiral yelled,
“STAND DOWN SIR!”
As the medic backed off, the Fleet Admiral and CNO took hold of the second stretcher and carried it towards the infirmary. Unlike the previous stretcher bearing a wounded soldier, this one had the sheet pulled all the way up, signifying a lost team member. As other started to walk towards the two, including Slim Jim, the CNO Barked,
“HOLD YOUR POSSITIONS!”
As all froze in their place, the two carried the fallen warrior to the infirmary and disappeared inside.
As Lafitte climbed out of the Hewey, Captain Ivanovich walked over and asked,
“Hey, I heard the GNSF attacked the Missile plant we took?”
Shaking dust off his clothes, Lafitte replied,
“Yea, and I was in the damn building at the time. Our boys locked up two planes, but the idiots couldn’t hit the damn things. I mean crap, a plane at 80 feet and you MISS!!”
Surprised, the Captain queried,
“How bad did they hit it, is it toasting?”
Lafitte smirked and replied,
“You mean Toast. No, they damaged the building I was in, but it’s still operational, well enough for what we need anyway. The other complex wasn’t hit at all. We picked up Russian communications about the flight, as it had four planes, but Russian fighters took two out. Well at least they didn’t get lucky, or I would be toast.”
Smiling, the Captain said,
“Come on, I will buy you a drink. You think the GNSF will try again?”
As the two walked to the mess hall, Lafitte replied,
“I don’t know, but if we can get those damn missiles out of the deep, we can finish here and really start to have some fun”
As the two planes landed and taxied to the parking area, the Fleet Admiral quickly got out of the cockpit and was met by a medic, who replied,
“Sir, we have Rear Admiral Swordfish, and he is fine”
As the Fleet Admiral started walking closer to the medic, he asked,
“What about the CNO?”
At this, the medic replied,
“They are out looking for him right now sir”
As the Fleet Admiral nodded and headed for the hanger, Commander Williams met him. As they continued walking to the hanger, the Commander said,
“Sir, we have a few things we need to discuss”
Not stopping, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Not now, I have to get out there and look for the Boss”
As they reached the hanger, the Commander replied,
“Sir, we have all Black hawks out there looking as we speak. The area is heavy with Russian planes, so there is nothing you can do.”
Just standing there, the Fleet Admiral kept looking around hoping to find one helicopter in the hanger, but had no luck. As he turned to leave, he heard the unmistakable sound of a Black hawk heading closer. Heading over to the landing pad, he watched as the chopper touched down and the crew exited. As he walked up to the pilot her said,
“Sir, I want this chopper back in the air as soon as it’s fueled, and I am going with you.”
At this, the pilot looked towards the Captain, then back to the Fleet Admiral. Sensing something was wrong by the look on the pilots face, the Fleet Admiral barked,
“Out with it man”
As the pilot again looked at the Commander, he replied,
“Sir, we found the Admiral, but he was already in the hands of Spetsnaz soldiers.”
As the group just stood there saying nothing, the pilot added,
“Sir, don’t worry, we were not going to let them take the Admiral that easy. The other chopper is hanging in a high hover watching them on infrared. He has about enough fuel to hold until I get back and take over. We will track them until we know where the Admiral is being taken.”
As a slight smile came over the Fleet Admirals face, he replied,
“Excellent work sir, and once this is done I want to talk with both you and the other pilot. But for now, you call me when you’re gassed up”
As the Fleet Admiral turned to walk away, the pilot replied,
“Sir, I’m sorry, but you cannot come. To have the best chance of success we must fly alone to cut down on fuel use”
Realizing that the pilot was right, he nodded and headed to the command building, calling back,
“You and the other pilot stay with him as long as you can, and get me details on how many troops are with him. Come on Commander, we have a rescue to plan, but first I want you to get me the Russian President on the line. I want to ask him how he feels about full out WAR!.”
As Admiral Wallbanger was being led into a small beat up barn, an officer was standing there smiling. As the Admiral was slammed into a small chair and tied, the officer walked over and asked,
“Ah, so who might we have here?”
The Admiral, a bit beat up from the nasty landing replied,
“Well, why don’t you untie me and I will show you!”
As the officer laughed, one of the soldiers slammed his gunstock across the Admirals head. The officer then, looking at the soldier with a nasty grin, called out,
“That’s enough, can’t you see we must have one of the GNSF HQ people, as they seem to be the only ones with balls. So, are you going to tell us who you are, or are you going to pretend you’re a stupid Georgian?”
As the Admiral sat there really pissed at the shot he took to the head, he replied,
“Admiral Wallbanger, Chief Naval Officer of the GNSF, the group that will soon exterminate you scum”
As the officer smiled, one of the soldiers started cursing in Russian and went to again strike the Admiral. As the he was about to slam his weapon into the Admirals head, a loud shot rang out. As the soldier dropped to the floor with a bullet hole in his head, the officer turned to the other soldiers there and said,
“Now, did I not tell him that was enough? We do not treat our prisoners like this, as if anyone is going to bust him to pieces it will be me. Now, the rest of you, get out and find the other one.”
At this, the other soldiers scurried out of the barn. A bit confused and shocked at this, the Admiral waited until all the soldiers were out of the barn, and then asked,
“Are you with the Georgian’s?”
At this, the officer burst into laughter and replied,
“Oh, I see, you think I’m here to free you. No, I’m your worst nightmare; I just hate people not listening to me. You and I will become good friends for the short life you have left. My Name is Captain Ivanovich, and once I get you back to our base we can discuss how you want to die.”
As the Admiral squirmed in the old chair trying to free the ropes, a soldier came in and said,
“Captain, we got word from the north patrol that the other one was taken out by helicopter.”
Nodding, but not looking too happy, the Captain replied,
“Very well, I want the north squad to stay here with the tanks, and make sure our guest stays put. The convoy will be by in less than twelve hours, and once they get here have them take our prisoner with them back to outpost three. I will meet you there, and then I can really get some quality time with the Admiral.”
As the Captain headed out of the barn, he called back,
“I will be seeing you very soon Admiral, enjoy the relaxation now, you will need your strength for our talks.”
As the Captain climber aboard the Hewey, he turned to the senior officer and said,
“You keep him safe until the convoy gets here, or I will have all your heads on posts around my tent. Also, make sure the convoy gets that package I left at the house, and have it delivered to the Colonel.”
As the Colonel and the others got off the Hewey, they lowered One Eye Jack down in a stretcher. As the medics carried him to the infirmary, he kept yelling,
“Get me out of this damn thing; it’s only a bloody flesh wound. Let’s go back and kick some more butts”
As the medics ignored his bitching and continued to the infirmary, the Colonel heard the sound of the Sub Pen bell. As he headed down to the pen, Long John caught up to him and walked along. As the two entered the building and went down the long staircase, Long John said,
“I hope Lafitte made out as well as we did”
As they turned the corner, the Colonel saw that one of the four bays contained a Seawolf, while the other three were empty. As he walked up to the sub, the crew was piling out, some of them soaking wet. Looking at the DSRV attacked to the sub, he wondered if they were successful. As he walked over the gangplank, he heard a crewmember yell,
“Get those missiles out and over to the storage area, and handle them with care”
These words brought a great smile to the Colonels face, as he watched the first of the missiles being hoisted out of the sub. As the boats XO passed the Colonel, the Colonel turned and called out,
“Where is Lafitte, is he still out there shooting at GNSF?”
Hearing the voice the XO turned back and looked to see who was speaking. Seeing the Colonel, he replied,
“Oh, hello sir. No, Lafitte was sunk by that bloody GNSF P3”
As the XO continued on his way, the Colonel turned to Long John and said,
“Damn, I don’t believe it; I never thought that nasty ass could ever die?”
Looking sad, Long John replied,
“It can’t be, there is no way, he has 900 lives. What do we do now?”
As both stood there, they heard a voice yell,
“Well for starters, you can get me some god damn dry clothes, I’m wet, cold and I stink, and I hate Submarines”
As the two turned, they saw Lafitte standing there soaking wet and looking like something even a cat would not bring home.
“What the hell happened?”, Long John asked
Lafitte, shaking his hair like a dog, and spraying the Colonel with seawater and grime, replied
“We were waiting for the DSRV to send up the missiles when a GNSF sub fired a UUV. Since I couldn’t take a chance in having them see the missiles, I fired 6 Subrocks and three 53cm’s. I then headed south to keep them away when one of the Subrocks sunk him, then a second hit just to make sure he was dead hahaha. Well, the big problem was I almost hit their damn P3 with a Subrock, as he was really close when I fired, and probably saw me. Since my torps were now a waste, I sent them east to cover our other sub. That’s when the damn P3 dropped a torp on me. It was too close to evade so we stayed shallow and once it hit we managed to get everyone off before she split apart. Then we just sat there as the missiles popped up and waited for the other sub to come get us.”
Smiling, Long John chuckled,
“So you sunk one of their boats, nice”
Shaking his head, Lafitte replied,
“No, I sank two, seems the torps I sent east hit another one hahahaha. Have to love the horseshoe shots. So, how did you two’s excursion go Colonel, must be good I see your still breathing?”
The Colonel and Long John smiled, and Long John replied,
Well, except for One Eye getting shot up a bit, we walked in, creamed their tanks, walked right across the bridge, planted charges and then wiped out the camp nearby. We even got a fireworks display when we blew the bridge, it was a thing of beauty.
Still smiling, the Colonel stated,
“Well Lafitte, once again you said you would do something, and did exactly that. You never cease to amaze me. Come on, I will buy all the drinks at the mess hall, once you get cleaned up”
As Lafitte headed for the showers he replied,
“You can buy the drinks, but I’m not going to the mess hall, I’m going out to the Runway”
Surprised, Long John asked,
“Why the runway?”
As Lafitte reached the showers, he called back,
“I want open space. You have any idea what it’s like in one sub with two crews and pile of stupid missiles?”
As Lafitte and the Colonel looked over the Missiles that were salvaged, their faces gleamed like a kids face at Christmas. As one of the Technicians came over, Lafitte asked,
“So, how badly damaged are they, can you salvage any. I would hate to think I went though all that crap to get junk?”
The Technician replied,
“Most of them are in pretty good condition and should be completely reconditioned in a few days. Of the twelve you brought back, only four are damaged beyond salvage. Once we fill them with new propellant they will be as good as new.”
As the Colonel smiled, he added,
“We only need six missiles, so use parts from the others to get me six totally perfect units.”
Smiling, the technician replied,
“Well, if you only need six, then you made my job really easy. Give me three days and I will have you six that are in better condition than when they were made.”
As everyone looked very pleased with themselves, the sound of trucks started to build. Looking at the Colonel, Lafitte stated,
“Looks like the convoy is here, things are going well”
As both left the secured bunker, they headed over to the camps central area. As they watched the convoy roll in, they heard the sputtering sound of their old Hewey coming in. As the convoy stopped, the troops piled out and started unloading boxes and equipment. Pleased that all was going well, they headed over to the Hewey. Once there, all they could see was the pilot walking towards them. As the pilot smiled and saluted, the Colonel asked,
“Where’s the Captain, wasn’t he with you?”
Nodding his head, the Pilot replied,
“Yes sir, he was just here a second ago. I thought he was in a hurry to find you as he still hasn’t taken his kit off the bird”
As both looked around, neither could see the Captain. After a quick mental calculation of the direction they came, Lafitte smiled and said,
“He has gone to the mess tent; I think I must have got him hooked on that cake”
As both officers walked to the mess hall, Lafitte said,
“You go in and see if he is there; I have something to do real quickly”
As Lafitte walked away, the Colonel went over to the mess hall. As he entered, he quickly spotted a blur near the back of the hall behind the other officers that were there. Moments later, the Captain walked back into the hall from the back exit, with Lafitte right behind him. Seeing this, the Colonel barked,
“EVERYONE OUT, NOW!!”
Within 10 seconds, the hall was empty, except them and the Captain. As the Captain stood there with his usual blank expression, the Colonel could see a faint glimpse of a look of guilt. As the Colonel smiled and pulled out a chair, he said,
“Have a seat Captain, and tell us all about your day”
As the three sat down, Lafitte was giggling, and said,
“You sneaky bastard, you were trying to ditch us. Well sorry, but I’m the king of ditching hahaha”
Looking a bit like a rat caught in a snare, the Captain sat there with a small grin trying to look innocent. In a quiet voice the Colonel said,
“Pavel my friend, why would want to hide from us. You know you can tell us anything, no matter how bad. And where are the prisoners you were supposed to have with you?”
As the Captain looked like he was trying to formulate a huge complex lie, Lafitte added,
“Come one, the real story, not a pile of crap because I will know”
As the Captain took a deep breath, he explained,
“Fine, I was simply going to get some food and calm down a bit before reporting in, but I guess the food can wait. As I said in my last report, we had a Russian pilot that was shot down, plus a GNSF pilot. Both were going to be transported back here.”
Looking on, both sat silent waiting for the rest of the story.
“After a discussion with the GNSF Pilot, he told me he was Admiral Wallbanger, their chief of the navy or something, which is strange as he was in a plane”
As Lafitte smiled, he injected,
“Chief of Naval Operations, he is the Fleet Admirals right hand, and a fine catch. So, where is he?”
As both waited for an answer, the Captain continued,
“Well, I had the north squad and tanks stay with him while I went to check the convoy’s progress in the Hewey. As we lifted off, I was sure I saw something for a second, maybe a chopper. I had the pilot fly over the north approach and saw three of our soldiers dead. At that point I figured the GNSF had decided to pull a stupid insane rescue.”
As the two sat there motionless, the Captain finished,
“After we hovered a bit, I saw two figures in the grass moving slowly, and watched as they shot a couple of our people near the cabin. At that point I knew they were enemies, so I took out my sniper riffle and shot them both. We searched around but didn’t find any others.”
Nodding his head, the Colonel replied,
“Excellent, but why the secrecy, and where is the Admiral?”
Looking at the two, the Captain replied,
“He is dead, I shot him in the head, quick and painless.”
Looking confused, Lafitte asked,
“Why the hell did you shoot him, you know he would have made a nice bargaining chip, we could have had the Fleet Admiral jump through hoops for us?”
As a smile came to the Captain face, he replied,
“No chance in that. I took the two dead GNSF to the Admiral and asked him to identify them, and he went nuts. Turns out they were a Rear Admiral Phantom and none other than the Fleet Admiral. So, seeing how upset the Admiral was, I didn’t have the heart to make him suffer, so I laid him to rest”
Sitting there as if he was in a trance, the Colonel seemed to stare into space. After a moment he asked,
“So, you’re telling me, you killed the Fleet Admiral, the Admiral, and a Rear Admiral. You’re telling me you killed a good chunk of their chain of command. YOU are telling me you cut the head off the GNSF beast?”
As the Colonel sat there with a half smile, Lafitte added,
“You bastard, I really wanted a shot at him. Oh well, still as far as I am concerned, that’s good news, and time to PARTY!”
As the Captain broke another rare smile, and Lafitte got up and danced around the mess hall, the Colonel said,
“Well Pavel, you have out done yourself this time. We fight battle after battle trying to kills these people, and you kill them all on a damn convoy-babysitting mission, how ironic. So, where are the bodies now?”
As he shrugged his shoulders a bit, he replied,
“Well, after the convoy passed through we picked up a Georgian battalion heading in, so we just left the bodies there”
At this, Lafitte stopped spinning around and almost hit the floor, turning and trying to get his balance, he yelled,
“You have to be kidding me, you LEFT THEM!”
A bit confused, the Captain replied,
“Yes, the Georgians will find them and return them to the GNSF for a proper burial”
At this, Lafitte sat back down and plopped his head on the table. A bit confused himself, the Colonel asked,
“What’s the problem Lafitte, you know that was the best thing to do, as they were great warriors?”
As Lafitte lifted his head, he said in a sad voice,
“Yes they were great warriors, but now they will not get the proper burial they deserve”
Now really confused, the Colonel reiterated,
“They will be sent back to the GNSF, what’s the problem?”
As Lafitte, looking very sad stood up, he replied,
“We have beat down the GNSF so bad in the last few weeks, I am afraid they will not have enough resources left to even burry the poor souls.”
As the other two fought back the urge to bust out giggling, Lafitte broke into laughter and started dancing all over the place. At that, they all broke into fits of laughter that could be heard all over the camp.
As the Colonel watched as the missiles they salvaged were being refitted, Captain Ivanovich came in and said,
“Colonel, looks like you were right, we just got confirmation that the GNSF are turning the communications complex back over to the Georgians. Seems they feel we have been pushed out of the area and that we no longer have a need for the complex.”
Smiling, the Colonel replied,
“Good, start putting a team together, as we need that complex for one more task. Once the GNSF have pulled what little forces they have left out, we will hit it again. A few more bloodbaths and the Georgians will refuse to send troops anywhere, even their own complexes.”
The Captain replied,
“I already have a few in mind for this sir. So, how are these missiles going?”
Pointing at the two missiles on a rack in front of them, he replied,
“They have two done already, and have the guidance system and detonation systems in place and fully functional. Hey, where is Lafitte at, I haven’t seen him for a couple of days now?”
Staring at the missiles, the Captain replied,
“Oh, he went out in the Seawolf to hunt down any GNSF near sub base 3. The P3 radioed in about four hours ago, stating they have sunk two already, and the area now seems reasonably clear. They are going to sweep it a couple of more times then return.”
As the two watched as the third missile was being finished, Long John came in and said,
“Hello maties, got some news on the GNSF. Seems they have brought Admiral Clash in to take over operations here. It also seems they are having a lot of trouble getting their convoy to their forward base, not having a bridge and all hahaha”
Turning to Long John, the Colonel replied,
“Good, by the time they get set up we should be done here. Coordinate and get everything ready to move these missiles to sub base three once they are all complete. We can then finish up in this crap hole and setup to really have some fun. Oh, and tell Lafitte when he gets back I will have that missiles he wants ready to load”
As the two left the Colonel, his eyes gleamed as he saw a third missile hit the completed rack. Walking over to the technician in charge, he asked,
“Do you have that special missile ready yet?”
Smiling, the technician pointed to a lone missile sitting on a rack in the corner, and replied,
“It’s done sir, and if you need it we can make another one out of what we have left.”
Smiling, the Colonel replied,
“Good job, but we will only need one, that should be more than enough to finish off the GNSF. Have someone ship it to Sub Pen 1.”
As the Heyew touched down, the medics ran in and removed the three wounded soldiers. As the Colonel got out of the chopper, he started to walk to the War tent, when Captain Ivanovich intercepted him.
“What happened?”, the Captain asked, to which the Colonel replied,
“Well, looks like the GNSF may have trained the Georgians to be a little better than useless. We airdropped on the complex and were swarmed by them. We managed to kill most off, and then went hunting for the two command officers. While heading to the beach, Grog was hit by a tank and I managed to pull him down the trail. The other two found one of the officers, but were hit and had to abort and head for the beach. Once I made the beach, I found the other officer”
Looking around, the Captain asked,
“So, did you bring the commander back?”
Staring at the Captain, the Colonel replied,
“They shot three of our people, what do you think”
Shaking his head, the Captain asked,
“So, how bad does that mess up our plans, or do we take another shot at the complex in force?”
Shaking his head, the Colonel explained,
“No, we will simply move the missiles from sub base #2 instead of #3. Get word to Lafitte and tell him about the change. We also need to hit that damn EWR station the GNSF have up, it gives them too much time to react to us. Start preparation to get a small flight to go in and cream the damn thing. Tell them to expect to run into opposition as they will see us coming.”
As the Captain left to make preparations, the Colonel headed over to the infirmary to check on the men.
As Lafitte walked from the Sub pen, he saw the crew moving the missile he wanted on board his Akula. Smiling, he continued to the War tent, running into Captain Ivanovich and Long John on the way. Smiling, Long John asked,
“So, how was the hunting?”
Lafitte smiled and replied,
“Bad, it looks like waters are all fished out. Guess the GNSF have no more fishes left hahaha.”
As the group headed over to the War Tent, the Captain asked,
“So, I guess we will be done in this hole soon, as I can’t wait to get some leave in.”
As the group walked into the tent, they saw the Colonel, Israel Hands, and Smelly Kelly sitting at the war desk. As they walked in and sat down, the Colonel looked at Lafitte and said,
“Looks like we may have a bit of a problem with that GNSF convoy. The Georgians look like they are sending the last of their tanks to escort the GNSF convoy to the forward base. We will have to take them out.”
Looking over the map, Lafitte replied,
“Well, we will have to do it by air, as we can’t get a ground team of sufficient size there that fast.”
The Colonel nodded and added,
“I agree, and maybe we can hit them as they link up with the convoy, get two birds with one stone?”
Lafitte again looked over the map, then pulled out a topography map and started checking. After a while he said,
“Nope, won’t work. They will probably meet up here, and the ground cover is too dense. We would need to dumb bomb at a really low altitude, which would leave us open to SAM’s. It will be better to hit the tanks here, and worry about the convoy later. Once the tanks are taken out, the convoy will move slower and be accessible for a ground hit.”
Not sure he agreed with Lafitte, the Colonel questioned,
“Well, you’re going to be shot at with SAM’s no matter where you engage, so I don’t see the point?”
Lafitte pointed at the map, and explained,
“Here it’s all open, and we can lock up and bomb the tanks easily with missiles, plus they will probably expect us to wait and hit both at the same time. The SAM’s with the tanks are not a big issue; it’s the shoulder-mounted ones on the troops at the convoy that are trouble. Trying to air strike the convoy would be fatal, as we would be cut apart unless we dropped from high up, then the trees would add cover for them, and mess up any guided weapons.”
As the Colonel contemplated what Lafitte had explained, he replied,
“Yea, I guess you right, makes sense, but what about the convoy, that’s the real target”
“Tanks”, Lafitte replied,
Totally disagreeing, the Colonel said,
“No, the Convoy is the priority target, not the tanks”
As Lafitte smiled, he said,
“No, I didn’t mean the Georgian tanks; I mean the tanks WE have. If we Airstrike the Georgian tanks, it will allow us a bit more time to get our tanks to the convoy. If they don’t know we hit the Georgian tanks, they will think OUR tanks are the Georgians. By the time they realize it’s us, half the convoy will be burning, and they will have little to fight with.”
As the Colonel smiled and nodded, the Captain called out,
“Damn, that totally brilliant. The Convoy will sit and wait for the escort tanks, brilliant ”
At this point, Long John added,
"Well, we will have to make sure the kill is fast and total, before they can radio in whats happening"
As Lafitte stood up, he added,
“Agreed, so lets take some of those parachute jammers you concocted, to mess up their radio comms. Anyway, we better get a crew together, as we have only a little more time before the window to attack the tanks in the clear closes, and then would have to fight a tank vs. tank battle. We will head out after the tanks as soon as the team is ready to go, we will just have to postpone the Radar attack a bit”
Shaking his head in agreement, the Colonel replied,
“Ok, let’s go finish off the GNSF”
As the last of the BotC gathered up their equipment and loaded up the trucks, Colonel Vikhalnokov came out of the now empty war tent and walked over to Lafitte. As Lafitte watched the final packing of the trucks, he saw the Colonel walk up and said,
“Well Colonel, we are just about done here. We will be ready to move out within the next 30 minutes.”
As the Colonel took one last look around at the now deserted camp, he replied,
“Is the cargo loaded on the trucks?”
Lafitte, shaking his head replied,
“No, too risky to move them by ground, so we loaded them on the subs, splitting them all up. The GNSF would have to sink all our subs to kill the cargo, and that won’t happen. The fleet left for the Base yesterday, with four Akula’s running a screen. We also have the six trawlers dropping those nasty noisemakers to mess up the low-end spectrum. With our boats running slow and deep, they will never pick us up again.”
Smiling, the Colonel commented,
“Nice work as always. So are you flying back to the base?”
Smiling, Lafitte replied,
“No, I’m going with you and the trucks. If I fly I would be tempted to kill something on the way, and we cannot afford to give them any help in tracking us. We know the satellite rotation they use, and we have it timed to vanish off the map once we are deep in Russia”
As the last of the trucks were loaded and started to head out, only two APC’s remained. As the two got into one, the Colonel asked,
“I’m a bit concerned about the subs. I know we are taking precautions, but we cannot afford to have them find the base. Maybe we should have them detour for a while?”
Smiling and chuckling, Lafitte replied,
“No worries there, we can get them to the base directly. I have a surprise that should mess up any plans of tracking us. I have loaded one warhead on a 65cm torpedo and will launch it from a lone Akula off the BC coast. It will detonate underwater, and boy will that mess up sensors for a while, not to mention the EMP will fry anything in the area. At that point, the cargo will be 200 miles west of the water zero point, and well outside the area of interest. Plus, now they will know what we have hahaha.”
As the two laughed, the APC’s rolled out of the deserted camp towards the Russian border.