| RETURN TO THE WAR SITE |
“Damn, I feel totally ridiculous in this stupid uniform; I can’t wait to get it off”, one of the Privates mumbled.
“I know, but we really need to keep a very low profile”, the second replied.
As the Two Privates walked towards the pier, they could see a General pacing back and forth impatiently. Slowly they walked over to him, trying to look inconspicuous. As they finally reached the General, one of the men called out,
“Hello General, how are you on this fine day”
As the General spun around, he was face to face with two privates, both smiling. As a wave of aggravation flooded over the General, he walked up to one of the privates, and staring directly at him, replied.
“I am very busy, so you both better get back to what you are supposed to be doing. “
As he got right in the face of the closest private, holding a hard cold stare, he added in a soft but very angry voice,
“And if I ever see you two again without a proper salute I will have you cut into small pieces and fed to the fish. Now get the hell out of here fast before I shoot you where you stand”
As the General stood there, the private that was now about 4 inches from his face, smiled and replied,
“Damn General, I come all this way to meet you about our supplies, and you threaten me?”
As the Generals face grew blank, the private, bringing his face within an inch of the Generals added,
“I have no problem concluding our deal with you, but don’t expect a salute any time soon. Oh, and just to let you know, no one that has ever threatened to kill me is still breathing.”
Without breaking the stare the two had going, the General questioned,
“So you are the buyer I am supposed to meet. So why the hell are you dressed in a Columbian uniform? You know I could have you shot for impersonating a Columbian officer?”
Smiling even more, the private answered,
“Simple, we do not want anyone to know we are here, and that is why who I am is of no importance to you. I will forgive your small transgression, but please keep in mind I can be far more dangerous than a frag without the pin. So, let’s play nice, and I won’t have to send my boys in to wipe out your entire pathetic forces. I am sure you know we are far worse than the pathetic drug cartel you’re fighting”
As the General backed off and broke the stare, his expression quickly changed from hard to one of terror. Finally recognizing the face he was looking at from an INTEL report he saw a long time ago, he humbly replied,
“I am truly sorry. We are very grateful to you for the assistance you have given us. Your generous contribution has saved our Military from certain collapse. We will make sure that your instructions are followed exactly, and know this; you now have a friend for life."
As the Privates smile grew very wide, he turned to the other private and simply nodded his head. As he turned back to the General, he walked over and wrapped his arm around him. As the General smiled a very nervous smile, the Private commented,
“Well General, I am sure glad you feel that way. We hate the fact that the drug cartel is killing your country and are very glad to help. We also really appreciate the efforts you went through to get us these things. Now let’s go over the arrangements for the pickup of these supplies and have a drink to celebrate our new friendship."
As the General walked out of the makeshift office at the docks, he saw the two Privates walking around. As he walked up to them he quietly called out;
“Hello my friends. Boy I wish I knew your names so I could greet you properly”
As the Privates turned around, the one that appeared to be the leader replied,
“General, friend is perfect. So, you are sure you understand the instructions, as the timing is critical?”
The General smiled and replied,
“Yes, it’s all set, and it will be done to the second. I have warned all the men this is critical, and anyone screwing up will be shot on the spot.”
As the private smiled, he put his arm around the General and chuckled”
“Oh, don’t worry about that General, I can guarantee you any slackers will be dead already before you even un-holster your weapon”
At that, the two privates walked away, shouting instructions to the dock workers on what goes where. As the General turned and walked back to his office, he could not help but feel stressed about the loading. It was a large task, and time limited, but if he pulled it off he would finally be rid of these two, and still be breathing to boot.
As the Privates continued to make sure everything was in its exact spot, they looked at each other and smiled. Just then, a worker came over and informed them all was exactly as ordered. As both nodded their heads, the leader spoke up and ordered,
“This loading will take place in exactly 14 hours and 17 minutes. Have all of your people ready and make sure no one screws up. You know exactly what must be done, so make sure your people know it”
As the worker nodded and turned to walk away, the Private added,
“Also, know this. Any screw ups during this will result in your men dropping like flies, and you suffering a slow painful death”
As the worker nodded and started running for the barracks building, the two privates started to laugh. Turning to the leader, the other Private queried,
“Are you really sure this can be pulled off in such a short period of time, I mean doing all the loading in only 3 hours and 12 min?”
Smiling, the other replied,
“It can be done, with a bit to spare if they don’t screw it up. If they mess up at any time, we can quickly abort and finish when the next window opens, minus a lot of workers of course.”
As the two broke into laughter, they walked over to the Generals office to cause him more grief, just for fun.
As the Fleet Admiral sat in his office going over INTEL and satellite photos, a voice rang out on the intercom,
"Sir, Admiral Wallbanger is here to see you"
"Thank you, please send him in", the Fleet Admiral replied.
As the Door opened, the CNO entered and quickly sat down at the large desk. As he started to scan all of the photographs laid out on the table, the Fleet Admiral spoke.
"Thanks for coming, maybe you can help me piece this strange puzzle together"
Looking closer at the pictures, the CNO replied,
"So, these are the crates on the Dock in Tumaco I gather. Boy there is a lot of stuff there".
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral began laying the pictures in a line, then said,
"Yea, there sure is, and according to the INTEL, its mostly military hardware bought by the Columbian Military from the Russians. It’s a huge shipment, and could sure provide the Columbian Military more than enough fire power to resolve the Cartel problem. The only problem is something is just not right here"
Looking at the pictures and time stamps, the CNO's face changed to one of confusion. He then looked at the larger photos showing the huge presence of Columbian Military. Sitting back and saying nothing, the Fleet Admiral waited.
"OK, so if they have all this fire power, why the hell haven’t they opened it yet? From what I see, they are sticking it on the dock and waiting for something. You think they are supplying the Cartel?” the CNO asked.
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral responded,
"I thought about that, but it doesn’t make sense. They pick a port far from Cartel controlled areas, and then use almost all their forces to guard it. If they were supplying the Cartel they wouldn’t have to guard it at all, and a closer port would have been smarter. No, I think they are holding this shipment for someone else, possibly the people that provided financial aid."
As they both continued to look over the data, the CNO looked over some long range pictures of the entire area and ocean, then stated,
"Ok, then somewhere out there are ships heading in to pick this stuff up."
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral looked very confused and replied,
"Exactly, but I checked and there are no ships anywhere near there that could handle that much stuff. The largest thing we have that could take it is a North Korean Supply convoy, but they are over 22 days away. This just doesn’t make any sense".
As the two kept going over the information, the frustration grew. Just then the CNO smiled and shouted,
"That’s it, damn, should have thought of that sooner, an air lift."
As the Fleet Admirals head came up off the table, he smiled and replied,
"Damn, that has to be it. I knew you would figure this out. I will have the team watch all air traffic in the area very closely. Anything that could take that will be tracked 24/7"
As the Fleet Admiral started to gather up all the paperwork, the CNO commented,
"You know boss, we really need someone down there, maybe we should send someone to scope it out and watch for the pick up?"
Looking over, the Fleet Admiral replied,
"Not yet, it’s too much of a hot spot down there. There are players involved here we know nothing about, and even the US is sitting and watching. With the crap that went down during our last operation, we need to stay completely out of this one, officially anyways"
Smiling, the CNO commented,
"I agree; we stay completely out of it, officially, so anything we do will be totally covert."
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral responded,
"Look, if and when we decide to become involved it would have to be totally covert. The Columbian Government depends on trade with countries that consider us evil terrorists, and would break all ties if they found out we were involved. If and when the Columbians ask for help, we would be limited to a small covert force, far smaller than the Cartel. I would be hard pressed to put any of our people in that position"
Nodding, the CNO replied,
"Understood, and I agree. On the off chance we do get involved, we will have to do this with volunteers. Anyway boss, have to run, got some things to take care of."
As the CNO left, the Fleet Admiral pondered the problems of getting involved in this mess. While he could work out most problems before hand, this shipment thing was driving him nuts.
As the General walked out of his office, he turned to watch the crew packing up all of his belongings. A partial smile came over his face at the thought of finally getting out of this place, and back to his base in Bogotá. As he strolled over to the APC, he was met by his aid and, a Corporal who asked,
“Well sir, another job well done. I bet you are looking forward to getting out of this hole?”
The General, nodded his head, but still looked very rattled. Noticing this, the Corporal commented,
“Sir, what’s wrong? Everything went perfectly”
As the General and aid got into the APC, he turned to the Corporal and replied,
“I know my friend, but I won’t feel better until I am far from here. I feel like I have walked into Hell itself, and just like the stench of death it is a feeling hard to shake off. I know we did what we had to for our country, but sometimes I wonder if it was worth it”
Looking confused, the Corporal questioned,
“Sir, you did what you had to, and we got more than enough arms and money to have a good shot at finally taking care of the Cartel. I must admit though sir; the brief glimpse I got of that Private you were dealing with gave me the creeps. Who were they anyway?”
“It is far better you don’t know my friend, suffice to say that is a close as I ever want to come to pure evil.”
As the General closed the APC door, the vehicle started moving out with a few of the trucks already loaded. As the corporal headed back to oversee the loading, he noticed one of the foremen standing there just staring out at the water. As he reached the man, he grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, all set to dress down the slacker. As the man spun in place, the corporal noticed a look of complete terror on the man’s face. Shocked by this, he asked in a calm voice,
“What is wrong with you, you look like you saw a ghost?”
As the man looked back at the corporal, never changing his expression, he replied,
“No sir, not a ghost, but a demon”
As the corporal sprouted a very small smirk, the foreman continued,
“His eyes, his eyes were black and radiated evil. I do not fear death, and I am not scared of the Cartel, but this, this man scares the hell out of me.”
Feeling a bit uneasy himself after only having caught a glimpse of this man he replied,
“Well, he is gone, so don’t worry about it. Let’s just pack up and get the hell out of here”
As the corporal walked away, the foreman called out,
“Sir, the greatest trick the devil ever pulled was making everyone believe he didn’t exist”
At this, the foreman ran over to the trucks and started rushing the men to work faster. As the corporal continued to walk away, a cold shiver ran up his spine.
As the Fleet Admiral walked towards the mess hall to get a large refill of coffee, he bumped into the CNO who was just leaving.
“Attention on Deck!” the CNO called, while snapping a perfect salute, then asked,
“Sir, have you seen the latest INTEL?”
“Yes, and I don’t like it at all. This proves that either the US are involved or have been seriously compromised. We must assume that no one can be trusted, and should take a back seat to this whole thing until we know what’s up”, the Fleet Admiral replied.
Smiling, the CNO replied,
“Aye sir, and that’s why I have started to assemble an elite team of personnel, just in case we need to get involved. They have all volunteered for the assignment if one happens.”
As the Fleet Admiral smiled, he replied,
“Look boss, I know you’re dying to get into this, but right now we have no idea who we are up against. Christ for all we know the Canadian Government could be involved. We need to just sit back and wait until we know something”
Still smiling, the CNO answered,
“I totally agree boss, but it doesn’t hurt to be ready. Anyway, I have to run, have a few more errands to do, talk to you later”
As the CNO walked off, the Fleet Admiral walked over to the now empty coffee pot. After mumbling some quiet obscenities, a staff member ran over and said,
“Sorry sir, don’t worry, we have a fresh pot brewing, and it’s strong, just like you like it”
“Thank you”, the Fleet Admiral replied, with a smile. As he took a seat, he started to ponder something strange that had popped into his head. Why does the CNO seem to have so many damn errands to run?”
As the CNO shuffled papers on his desk, he heard a knock on the door.
“Hang on, I’m a bit busy at the minute”, the CNO yelled.
As he quickly gathered up the papers and stuffed them in a folder, the door opened and the Fleet Admiral walked in. Looking at the CNO as he finished stuffing the envelope, he watched him head to the safe and quickly chuck it in.
“Gee boss, you have been hiding out a lot lately, and some would think that you were up to something. So, are you going to tell me what the hell is going on?”, the Fleet Admiral asked.
“Nothing, I am just busting my brain trying to decode that damn note and figure out where the cargo went. Every time I started in on it, someone would grab me for something, so I decided to vanish for a bit”, the CNO replied, not sure the Fleet Admiral was buying it.
As the Fleet Admiral smiled, he got up and headed for the door. As he started to walk out, he commented,
“Nice save, you actually almost had me believing that one. Talk to you later, and whatever you are up to, stop it.”
As the Fleet Admiral sat in his office, trying to restrain a foul mood, his secretary’s voice rang out over the intercom.
“Sir, I have been trying for the last thirty minutes, and no one can seem to find the CNO anywhere.”
As his anger increased, the Fleet Admiral answered,
“Thank you, now contact the MP’s and see if anyone can track him down. Let me know the minute you get something.”
As he sat there trying to figure out where the boss was hiding this time, he looked over the last report from INTEL. Knowing Slim Jim was probably in deep just made the matters worse. As he grabbed the coded message and stared at it, he couldn’t help but wonder if anyone would crack this thing.
As he went back to square one and started to run though a decoding sequence, the intercom again came to life.
“Sir, we just got word from the guard shack that Admiral Wallbanger left the base last night about 7:00 pm. They have tried raising him on his phone, but do not get any answer.”
Pushing the note aside, he replied,
“Thank you, now get hold of Brice Williams for me and have him track down the CNO with what ever means nessissary ”
As Lieutenant Commander Trainzmainiac made his way down the hallway, he ran into Rear Admiral Phantom. As the two walked together, the Lieutenant Commander asked,
“Sir, do you have any idea what this is all about, no one seems to know what is going on?”
“No, but I am sure we will find out in a very short while”
As the two walked down the hall to the War room, they could see Admiral Clash and Admiral Paul heading into the room. As the two walked in and took a seat, they noticed that the room was very quiet. As Commander Brice Williams entered the room, he motioned to an MP, who nodded and closed the door.
As all sat there waiting, the Fleet Admiral came in from a side office, which drew a call for Attention on Deck from the DCNO. As all saluted, the Fleet admiral returned the salute, then said,
“Please be seated. What is discussed here does not leave this room.”
As the Fleet Admiral took a seat, looking very serious, he began.
“Three days ago the CNO vanished from this base without word to anyone. We have just received a telegram from him indicating he is somewhere in Columbia. I know you are all aware of the situation there, and our need to stay completely out of it. GNSF will NOT become involved in this Drug War, as there are powerful players behind the scenes here.”
As the room sat silent and wondered why they were here, the Fleet Admiral continued.
“Since one of our own is mixed up in this, and I know we all want to help, I have to make it PERFECTLY CLEAR to all here that GNSF WILL NOT get involved. ANYONE, and I mean ANYONE, that does ANYHTING that could be seen as involvement in this will be Court Marshaled on the spot. I hope I am perfectly clear on this.”
As the group sat there looking stunned, Lieutenant Commander Trainzmainiac injected,
“Sir, we can’t just ..”
“AT EASE SIR!”, the Fleet Admiral barked, sending the room again into silence, then added,
“Do you understand what I just said sir?”
“YES SIR!”, the Lieutenant replied.
Looking around, the Fleet Admiral continued,
“Good. Now I do know that it will be very hard for many of you to sit there doing nothing while the CNO is in harms way. I understand this and sympathize, but GNSF will not, under any circumstances be involved. Now since this may put a lot of personal pressure on many of you, I have decided to allow anyone who wishes to leave GNSF right here and now.”
As the whole group looked stunned, and started to wonder if the Fleet Admiral had lost his mind or simply snapped and gone over to the dark side, he cracked a slight smile and added,
“You see, if someone was to leave GNSF, then they would no longer be bound by GNSF rules, and if they were to do something or get mixed up in something, GNSF would not be there to help… or be in any way involved.”
At this, a few of the people in the room started smiling, and after a few moments all had got it. Looking over the faces, the Fleet Admiral stood up and said.
“Again, none of this leaves this room. I want the Task Force Commander and DCNO to get a list of people that wish to volunteer to separate from GNSF and enrole in a special training exercise. I will also take some time and be willing to help coordinate all these non GNSF people in a planned exercise somewhere warm. This training exercise will be extremely dangerous and totally voluntary, but will be very satisfying.”
As the Fleet Admiral looked around the room, he could see most of the people there were twitching to get involved. Pondering the severity of the upcoming situation he cleared his throat and added in a loud voice.
“This will NOT be a walk in the park. It will be a live fire exorcize using materials and assets provided by the hosting country. While we will have specific goals in this exorcize, the primary goal will be to make sure that GNSF is never implicated as being involved. While we will not be GNSF, this will still mean the implementation of GWO-1c and GWO-1d. This will be a very serious exercise”
While all at the table took a deep breath at the mere mention of GWO-1, they all understood that it was a necessity of the mission.
“OK people; get me a list of volunteers without divulging any details of this mission. I want the list within 48 hours, after which time that is what we go with. While I know everyone will want to come, we will be limited to the size of the exercise party. Thank you, Dismissed!”
As the Fleet Admiral went over the operational plans with the DCNO and DWD, the door to the War room opened and Commander Brice Williams came in.
“Sorry to disturb you, but I knew you would want to see this ASAP”
As the Commander approached the table, he dropped a note down for all to see.
HELLO ADM WALLBANGER AND FADM STERN, MY GNSF FRIENDS. HOPE YOU ARE STILL WELL AND READY FOR OUR NEXT ENCOUNTER. WE ARE CURRENTLY BUSY RELAXING AND GROWING, BUY(BUT) LOOKS LIKE YOU WILL ALSO BE BUISY(BUSY) SOON WITH THE CARTEL. DONT(DON'T) WASTE TOO MUCH TIME HUNTUNG DOWN THE CARGO, AS (IT?) WAS OURS AND WE HAVE IT HAHAHA. BET YOU NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT A SUB PICK UP, DID YOU. POOR GNSF, ALWAYS TWO STEPS BEHIND AS USUAL(.) WE WILL LEAVE YOU TO YOUR LITTLE CONFLICT, AS WE HAVE BIGGER AND BETTER THINGS TO DO AT THE MOMENT. TRY NOT TO LOSE TOO MANY, AS WE STILL HAVE A SCORE TO SETTLE WITH YOU, ONE WE WILL DEAL WITH WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT. LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR NEXT MEETING, WHERE I CAN IMMORTALIZ E (IMMORTALIZE) BOTH OF YOUR HEADS ON MY SUBS STATEROOM BULKHEAD.
COM
J EAN (JEAN)
LAFITTE
As the group read the note, the Fleet Admiral looked up and said,
“Excellent work Commander, I knew your people wouldn’t let us down”.
As the Commander smiled, he replied,
“Well sir, we would love to take the credit, but it wasn’t our people that decoded it, it was one of yours, an Ensign Shadow. I would love to get this guy in our group, but he said he would prefer to run around and kill things”
As the officers started to laugh, the Fleet Admiral shook his head and stated,
“Damn Pirates, this Lafitte is really getting on my nerves. I wonder how much they are involved in this mess; this could get really ugly with them in the mix. Well people, looks like the Boss had it right all along, even if he did go lone wolf on us. Let’s wrap up these plans and get everything set.”
As the group worked away on the planning, the Commander saluted and exited. As he left and started down the hall he mumbled to himself,
“Boy am I glad I’m stuck at a desk. I hope these guys know what they are getting themselves into”
As the base started to come alive, many people were scurrying all over the place. As Rear Admiral Phantom, Admiral Paul, Lieutenant Commander Trainzmainiac and Lieutenant Thunder sat in the war room, the Fleet Admiral entered and said,
“OK people, here is the latest. Following the instructions Admiral Wallbanger left, I have pushed us up to DEFCON 3. I need all people that have volunteered for this special exercise to get into civvies and head out. Follow the instruction in the EAM, and further instruction will come at the end of the trip”
“Sir”, Lieutenant Commander Trainzmainiac questioned, “Where exactly are we heading?”
Looking over, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“You know all you need to know at this point sir, suffice to say you will be told everything when the time is right. What I need all to do is make sure all the people head out one by one, make their own way to the location given, and make sure NO ONE takes ANYTHING that can be linked to GNSF. I want everyone looking like tourists heading out on a nice vacation.”
As the group sat there, the Fleet Admiral continued,
“I know you all basically have an idea of what’s coming, but make sure you keep it to yourselves and make sure the other keep their mouths shut. I want everyone on the planet to see you all as regular people heading out for some sun and fun. This exercise needs to be kept absolutely top secret, as if this leaks out at all, we will defiantly all end up dead. So, start moving out, dismissed”
As the group got up and started to disperse, the Fleet Admiral called out,
“Rear Admiral, I need a quick word with you”
As the others all filed out, the Fleet Admiral commented,
“I want you to make sure that everyone that shows up at the airport has nothing with them that can link them to the GNSF. Once they are onboard the plane and it takes off, the crew will hand out uniforms for the men. The sizes have all been set up, and they are to put them on ONLY when the plane comes in on its final approach. I will be getting there about a day after you arrive, so you’re in charge. The most important thing is to make sure everyone follows the instruction given to them at the end of the flight to the letter. Whatever the Columbian military ask, you make sure they DO!”
As the Rear Admiral nodded his head, he replied,
“Not a problem sir, I will take care of it.
As the Fleet Admiral walked into the small cafeteria, he spotted Admiral Clash at a table with Read Admiral Swordfish, Admiral Paul and Vice Admiral Sparks. As he went to drain the coffee pot, Vice Admiral Sparks called out to the serving staff,
“Put a fresh pot on for the Fleet Admiral, and bring it to our table when it’s ready”, as he motioned for the Fleet Admiral to join the group.
As the Fleet Admiral dropped his tanker size mug on the counter and walked to the table, Admiral Paul said,
“Sir, don’t get upset, be we ALL want in on this operation. I know you don’t want to involve us, but we really want in.”
As the Fleet Admiral sat down, he looked around the table and replied,
“Well, you all know that we need to make things here look as normal as possible, and that would be hard to do if you all came. So, you better all take steps to make it look like business as usual here. Paul, im sorry but we need you here, especially with the boss missing. ”
A bit shocked at the response, Vice Admiral Sparks replied,
“Sir, does that mean the rest of us can go?”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral answered,
“Yes it does, providing you can get things set up to look like you are still here AND you are ready to leave in 1 hour.”
As the group looked puzzled, the Rear Admiral queried,
“I thought the flight was leaving tomorrow?”
Nodding his head, the Fleet Admiral responded,
“It is, but we will not be going with them. We are tagging a ride with a US cargo plane, which is on route as we speak. The pilot has agreed to stop here for refueling, at which time we board. It will be here in about an hour, so anyone not set and on the tarmac gets left here. We will land at our location about midnight tonight, and will be a day ahead of the rest. This will give us a chance to set up the command post properly and survey what assets we have to work with. So, get to it, time is a wasting”
At that, the groups all jumped up, and headed off to get things in order. As the Fleet Admiral watched them run off, the server walked over to the table with the Fleet Admirals coffee, which probably weighed more than full SEAL battle gear, and said,
“Here you go sir, now sit there and enjoy it, as I doubt you will get another cup of good coffee for a long while”.
As the server walked away, the Fleet Admiral smiled and pondered how many crates of grade A beans could be fit in a C-130.
As the group sat uncomfortably in the cargo hold on the large transport, they could feel the plane begin to descend. They then heard the sound of the landing gear coming down, as the sound echoed throughout the cargo bay.
“OK people, looks like we are here.” The Fleet Admiral called out, as he opened a box and started taking out packaged clothes, each labeled with an officer’s name.
“OK, now everyone needs to get these uniforms on. While we are here we are no longer GNSF, we are part of the gracious hosts military”, the Fleet Admiral added.
As he passed out the uniforms, the officers proceeded to unwrap the uniforms and put them on. As most were almost dressed, Admiral Clash called out,
“No way, sir are you serious, Columbian Military. Damn, this is as bad as painting a florescent bull’s eye on our backs. Please tell me we are in Jamaica and not Columbia.”
As all started to laugh, the Fleet Admiral chuckled and replied,
“Welcome to Columbia people, land of coffee and chaos. Now, a few things before we leave the safety of the plane. NO ONE is to speak a word, PERIOD! We will disembark and be escorted by the Columbian military to a secure location. As far as anyone on the ground is concerned, we are Columbian Special Forces personnel, and as such we will say NOTHING, as we can’t afford anyone to know we are anything but.”
As the Plane touched down and finally came to a stop, the large cargo door opened. As the group stood there, a group of six Columbian officers walked up and pointed to a hanger, at which point the group started walking there. Once the group was inside, the door closed and one of the Columbians turned to the Fleet Admiral and said,
“Welcome to Columbia sir, and thank you for coming. I need you all to stay here and set up whatever you need. The sergeant here will get you anything you need if he can, so please let him know of your needs. Please do not, under any circumstances leave this hanger. I have guards outside to keep everyone else out, but I need you all to stay put. Your people will be in about a day, and will bring them here.”
“Thank you sir, I will make sure we all stay in here out of sight.” The Fleet Admiral replied.
As they looked around, they could see a lot of equipment in the hanger, at which point the Fleet Admiral called out,
“OK people, let’s see what we got and get set up, we only have a day to make this home for the incoming troops”.
As the group sat aboard the C-130, they took the time to relax and make small talk. While the trip itself was uneventful, many took great interest in the mid air refueling that they had watched earlier. As they continued to pass the time, with some joking about the poor in flight service, the Captain called over the intercom.
“Can I have your attention please, this is the Captain. We are now entering Columbian airspace and will be starting our descent momentarily. The cabin crew will now hand out uniforms for all on board. Everyone needs to be fully dressed before we touchdown. Stow all of your civilian clothes and belongings in your bags. The crew will provide details of exactly what you need to do”
As some of the GNSF people looked a little confused, three crew members started pulling wrapped uniforms out of a large crate. As they pulled each package out, they called out the name attached to it. One by one the names were called and the uniforms handed out.
“What exactly is going on here sir” Ensign Shadow asked Rear Admiral Phantom.
“Well sir, we are about to enter Operation Night Shadow, fitting considering you’re name”, the Rear Admiral replied while laughing.
“I know that much sir, but if I’m not wrong, these are Columbian uniforms, and seeing we are in Columbian air space, I will assume we landing in Columbia”, the Ensign questioned.
“Well, they are not as nice as our GNSF ones, but no biggie”, Captain Alpha injected.
As many of the men started to laugh, the Ensign smiled and replied,
“Yea your right, no big deal, it’s only Columbia. I’m just glad it’s a friendly place, or else we would all be executed for impersonation. Funny how most Militaries are allowed to kill on sight anyone impersonating them?”
At this, the plane went silent, and a few started to look nervous. At this, Lieutenant Commander Trainzmainiac commented,
“Hey, that’s a wives tail, they don’t that anymore. They have invited us here, so there is no worry”
As the men started to relax, Rear Admiral Phantom cleared his throat in a very loud manner, then spoke,
“OK, listen up. We were invited here by the Columbian Military COC, that much is true. However, the Ensign is correct; being in Columbian uniforms is an executable offense. Only the top COC here knows of our existence, and that is why you will all read and understand the latest EAM sent out, they are attached to your packs”
At this, the crew opened another large crate and started handing out back packs with a folder attached. As the crew read over the EAM, the plane grew very quiet. Once the Rear Admiral was sure all had read the EAM, he again spoke,
“Now, NONE of the Columbian military know we are GNSF, and it MUST stay that way. You are not to speak to ANYONE, under ANY circumstances. There Military personnel have been told we are an elite Columbian Special Forces Squad, one with a nasty reputation, and they have been ordered not to approach us or talk to us. We will do EXACTLY the same thing. Do you all fully understand?”
As the Rear Admiral received a loud YES SIR from all on board, he added.
“I will only be able to say this to you all once, so make sure you don’t screw up as there is no second chance. If any of the Columbian Military personnel hear even one word of English, we are royally screwed, and on the spot execution is possible, torture and execution more probable. Once you leave this plane, you WILL NOT utter a single word… period. The only place we are free to talk is in our Command complex, which will be their hanger number three. That hanger is off limits to all Columbian forces punishable by death. So while they won’t come near, they will be watching and listening like hawks.”
As the remainder of the group finally finished getting dressed, the plane touched down on the runway, and after a short while came to a stop. As the crew stood by the large cargo door, they looked at the Rear Admiral, waiting for his signal, who then called out.
“OK people, this is it, when this door opens you go silent. You will say nothing and follow me like roaches on a road kill. You will keep eyes front and not look around or make eye contact with anyone. This is it people, go silent and robotic. OK, open the door”
As the door opened, the group could see many Columbian military waiting. As the group stood there, almost frozen in time, a high ranking officer came forward and nodded his head, then pointed at a hanger. At this the Rear Admiral nodded and started to follow the officer. As soon as the Rear Admiral was outside the plane, he looked back and all members of the group followed, like silent lemings.
As the group walked towards the hanger, all personnel in the path parted a huge opening, as if avoiding plague victims. The group continued to walk until they reached the hanger door, then went inside. As the group entered, they passed by two armed guards at the door. Once inside, they could see the hanger was decked out with all kinds of command and control equipment. As Captain Alpha, who was bringing up the rear made it inside, the door closed with a loud bang.
As the door slam echoed throughout the Hanger, the officer who escorted them to the hanger spoke,
“Hello, my name is General Velez, and I will be your liaison during your stay. Let me explain the situation here, so you have a better understanding of what you are up against. Please, everyone take a seat”
As the General waited, all the GNSF personnel took a seat, at which point he continued.
“As you know, the GNSF has been kind enough to offer the Columbian Government assistance in our war against the Cartel. Our Military is in bad shape at the moment, and even with the cash influx we received, many military commanders are still unsure if they should stay or defect to the rich Cartel. Because of this, we cannot trust anyone, and that is why you have been asked to take precautions. We believe many commanders may actually be working for the Cartel, and they got word of your presence, you would all be hunted and executed. You must be careful here, as we are powerless to protect you should your true nature be revealed.”
As the General took a breath, he continued,
“You must be careful not to speak anywhere outside this hanger, and you can only trust myself, and the two guards at the door over there, they are my most loyal friends. Now, I’m sure you have other questions, but I will leave that to someone else that wants to talk with you. Take great care my GNSF friends, and may you all get through this without incident”
As the General smiled, he turned and headed out the door opened by one of the guards. As the door again closed, a voice was heard from the back of the Hanger,
“OK people, listen up”
As the group turned around, they saw Admiral Wallbanger standing there in full Columbian Military garb, a Major General no less. As the group all spun the chairs around to face the Admiral, he continued.
“Welcome to Bogota Gentlemen. I will spare you the politics and red tape. We are here, at the request of the Columbian government, to take down a drug cartel running out of Cartagena on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. As you can see, living quarters have been provided inside this hangar that is from now on our primary base of operation. We are here incognito, so DO NOT leave this hangar. Columbian military is assuring security in and around this hanger. This is a full closure operation. We are not here, never been here, never will be.”
As the group listened, the Admiral continued,
“Operation Night Shadow, will require joint operations between our sea, land and air specialists. As we speak, Rear Admiral Swordfish, Commander Newt-icop and Ensign Feerless, who were participating in a joint sea exercise with the US Navy have been recalled and are headed to secret coordinates just outside Columbian waters to await orders.”
“This operation will consist of 3 major goals: first ,knock out the Cartel's drug distribution capabilities, their transformation and cocaine storage facility, and then capture or terminate Ruiz Rodriguez, the Cartagena's drug Cartel's king pin. Of course, search and destroy of all Cartel's members will be mandatory. Our assets are what you see here, plus of course our Seawolves, and 3 F-16 fighters supplied by the Columbian Air Defense Forces, which are of unknown status at this time. FADM Stern is looking into this matter with Lieutenant Junior Grade Pyronight, and will report their findings to me shortly.”
As the Admiral looked around, he could see all were fixated on his words, which made him feel more relaxed and confident of their ability to pull this off. As he produced an almost unseen smile, he continued,
“So there it is Gentlemen. We know that the Cartel has some Columbian military assets under their control, and possibly some of the current military commanders. That is easy to understand when you consider the amount of money they have at their disposal to bribe and recruit. We will knock these assets out of the way first. We will hit fast, hard, and vanish, so the Cartel doesn't have a clue of what is happening.”
Taking a moment to drink some fine Columbian coffee, the Admiral returned to the briefing,
But I must again make sure you fully understand the nature of this operation. Each mission will launch will have a direct impact on our ability to launch the next one. We must be at our best, as we cannot afford to bring in any more assets from HQ. What we have here is all we have. So, we do it right, or we fail and go back home to lick our wounds. And I do not have to tell you guys that this is unacceptable.”
As the Admiral walked over to a large map, he picked up a pointer and whacked it, explaining,
“Ok, now here is what we are…. What the h......”
As the Fleet Admiral looked over the three F-16’s in the hanger, Lieutenant Pyronight walked over and said,
“Well sir, the third one is in bad shape, but they should be able to get it fixed up in a day or two. How are these two?”
“Well, the one over there is in great condition, and that is yours. My one here needs a bit of work, but at least it seems flyable. I have gone over the maintenance records and these two have been maintained well, but I want them to do a full test on all systems”.
As the two went over the paperwork from maintenance, the Fleet Admiral called out to one of the crew,
“Hey, where are the Air to Air missiles, all I see are AIM-9’s, I need to see the 120’s and which version they are.”
Looking not happy, the crew boss walked over and said,
“Sir, I’m really sorry, but AIM-9’s are all we have. We tried to get medium and long range missiles, but the US refused. I sorry they didn’t tell you this before”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral looked at the Lieutenant and shook his head. Seeing this, the Lieutenant replied,
“No worries sir, I know it really suck, but I will still be honored to be your wing man”
Smiling, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Well sir, the honor is all mine, I just didn’t want my first flight with you to be a suicide one. If we run into MIG’s we will be in serious trouble, as these rust buckets may be flyable, but they just can’t outmaneuver a MIG.”
As the two looked at the crew chief, the chief replied,
“Sir, we are going to take these two planes outside and run a full start up and systems test on everything, then have them armed up and ready. When we are done you can take them up for a test flight and report anything you want changed”
“Thank you sir, you guys have done a great job with what you’re working with, and we appreciate it. We will leave you to it.”
As the two walked back to the command hanger in silence, they saw the rest of the Columbian forces going through drills. As they finally entered the hanger, the noticed the CNO was already addressing the troops, so the stood quietly. As they listened, they could hear the sound of the two F-16’s engines coming to life.
... As the Admiral walked over to a large map, he picked up a pointer and whacked it, explaining,
“Ok, now here is what we are…. What the h......”
All of a sudden, the Admiral was interrupted by the sounds of General Velez busting through the door, and calling out,
"Sorry for the interruption, but we have just picked up a flight of four planes heading for the coast. We believe they are cargo planes running a large shipment to the coast, and if it gets there they will more than enough money to virtually destroy our Military structure. I hate to ask this, but can you send up some pilots to shoot them down. I wouldn’t ask if this wasn’t extremely important."
As the troops sat there and watched, the Admiral walked over to the General, while both the Fleet Admiral and the Lieutenant had also walked over.
“General, they are working on the two flyable planes as we speak, but they still need to be armed”, the Fleet Admiral said.
“Hello Boss, looks like we get to start early.”, the Admiral greeted.
Looking at both officers, the General, who was looking very tense replied,
“The planes are now both armed, as I had them load up once we got contact, and both planes are running and ready. Please, this is very important ”
“OK General, we will send the two planes up if it is that important”, the CNO replied.
As the General smiled, looking very relieved, he turn and headed for the door calling back,
“Thank you sirs, I knew you wouldn’t let us down”
As the CNO smiled, he turned to the Fleet Admiral and said,
“OK, let’s get two pilots up”
Shaking his head, the Fleet Admiral turned to the Lieutenant and said”
“OK Pyronight, time for us to fly into the mouth of hell, get on out there and get ready”
“Aye sir”, the Lieutenant replied and ran from the hanger.
As the CNO looked at the Fleet Admiral puzzled, he asked.
“What the hell is going on, why don’t we send two of the senior pilots up, and what is this mouth of hell crap, you trying to scare the Lieutenant?”
Still shaking his head, and brandishing a half smile, the Fleet Admiral replied,
“Boss, none of our pilots are ready to fly this one, so it will be me and Pyro. As for the hell, well maybe you should find out why the only Air to Air weapons we have are short range heat seekers. If we run into a MIG up there we are screwed, so i wont send anyone else, as Pyro already knows the score. ”
As the CNO’s face went cold and white, the Fleet Admiral added,
“Forget it; you are staying here, as these people need to be briefed. It is probably only a drug flight with unarmed cargo planes, we can handle this. Our biggest worry is hoping the planes are ok. And make sure they get that third one fixed, we will need it.”
As the Fleet Admiral ran out of the hanger, leaving the CNO still standing there, he turned to the group and said,
“OK people, let’s wrap this up, as I want to head to the tower and listen to the sound of the Boss and Lieutenant cleaning up the skies”.
As the CNO walked to the board, he shook loose the feeling of impending doom and continued with the briefing.
As the Two Pilots lifted off of the tarmac and headed out into the evening sky, Admiral Wallbanger watched from the ground. As he started to walk over to the control tower, he could see all the Columbian military personnel watching, but staying well clear of his path.
As he finally made his way into the tower building and up the stairs into the control tower, he could hear the controller wish the flight good luck. Once inside the tower, he was met by General Velez, who smiling said,
“Welcome Admiral, and thank you again for your help. You are free to relax here as everyone in this facility works directly for me, and all can be trusted. I have made sure this tower is also off limits for the regular forces, so it can be another place your people can come when they get stir crazy in the hanger”
“Thank you General, that will make things nicer for the men. So, how is the flight doing?”, the Admiral queried.
“They have just passes outside our radar range here, and we estimate they should reach the planes in about 20 minutes or so.”, the General replied, then walking over to a large map pointed at a location and continued.
“They are now about here, and we think the planes are somewhere in this area.”
Looking less than happy, the CNO replied,
“What do mean you THINK the planes are around here? Don’t you have them on radar? Now General, I’m getting a bit confused here, are you or are you not tracking the planes and our pilots?”
As the General stared down at the floor he replied,
“We do not have the radar systems to track our air space properly. We have 4 search radar stations, and this one picked up the flight of four planes. This is our biggest problem, we can pick up the Cartels planes sometimes, but they are impossible for us to track continuously. They fly low and use terrain as cover, and then drop their cargo in different locations in the Gulf of Mexico. This is why we need your help so badly, with the F-16s we have we can at least use its radar to find them if we can get an idea of what route they are using, which changes every time”.
As the CNO started pacing, one of the controllers, very excited, yelled out,
“El sir, grupo siete de la búsqueda tiene un este del título del contacto, él es un combatiente, oh mi dios, él es un MIG”
Spinning around, the General yelled,
“CUÁL, está usted sure, él mejora esté seguro, yo necesita AHORA saber”
As the Admiral looked on, he could tell something was wrong, but not knowing he stood there waiting.
As the controller keyed the microphone, he called out,
“ESTÁ USTED SURE, general Velez está aquí y quiere la confirmación, y él no es feliz”
After a moment, which seemed like hours, the voice responded,
“Voló a la derecha sobre nosotros y tres han confirmado de la representación visual que era un avión de combate, una está seguros que era un viejo estilo MIG ruso.”
As the General turned around, visibly upset, he threw his mug across the room, bringing total silence as it shattered against the wall, as he mumbled to himself,
“Fuerzas patéticas, equipement de la mierda, una broma total”
At this, the Admiral had seen enough, and walking over to the General quietly said,
“OK General, I need to know what the hell is going on, and right now, or we are out of here”
As the General, who was still upset, looked at the Admiral, he whispered,
“Come with me please”
As the General led the Admiral into a small office off the Control room, and closed the door, he explained the situation,
“I am sorry Admiral, it is very hard to work with the crap we have. I just got a message from one of our search units that they spotted a plane heading east, probably trailing the cargo planes, and one officer is very sure it was a MIG.”
“WHAT!!!, show me where” the Admiral barked,
As the General grabbed the door handle, he said,
“Please Admiral, I know you are upset, but having both of us screaming will not help, and will only hamper the controllers. We need clear heads now”
As the General opened the door, the Admiral nodded. As both walked over to the large map, the General pointed to a location where the MIG was spotted, then replied.
“It was spotted here, which means it may be trailing the Cargo flight. We have heard rumors that the Cartel has some old MIG’s, but have never seen one. This must be a huge shipment, as the few we have caught had no escort.”
Just then, the Controller again yelled out,
“General, acabamos de conseguir un informe del complejo del entrenamiento del recluta…”
“ENGLISH PLEASE, WE HAVE A GUEST!”, the General yelled,
The Controller stopped, then continued,
“Sorry General, we just got a report from the recruit training complex. They spotted the four planes flying over and heading to the gulf.”
At this the General turned to the map and pointed at the location, saying,
“This is where they are, and the MIG is behind, somewhere around here. If your people stayed on the flight path, they will be here. They may be able to take out the planes before the MIG is even close enough to..”
“Sir, the planes, they are not small craft, the training commandant says they are big cargo planes, really big, with 4 prop engines, he says C-130.”, the Controller blurted out.
As the General turned to the Admiral, he said,
“This is bigger than any shipment before, do you think your pilots can take them down”
Looking totally pissed, the Admiral replied.
“General, that is not the problem, they can easily kill those things, it’s the MIGs that are the problem. Your planes have only short range missiles, really old ones. Against a MIG they are in trouble, if the MIG has 40T’s, they are both screwed. Now, shipment or not, call them back NOW!”
Looking at the Admiral, with an almost sad puppy look, the General replied,
“Admiral, we can’t, we have no way to communicate with the planes outside of about 90 miles. All we have is an ATC channel, and they are way past our range. Even if we could get through, I know the Cartel monitor the channel. I am very sorry Admiral, your people are on their own”
“Nothing on radar, I don’t like this”, the Fleet Admiral called out.
“Yea, I have nothing either”, Lieutenant Pyro replied.
“OK, let’s keep going.”, The Fleet Admiral said.
As the two continued on the laid out flight path, a feeling a foreboding came over both. They had already passed the point where they should have picked up the planes, and nothing was out there. After a while, the Fleet Admiral called,
“OK Pyro, we are about 120 miles from 5, which is marked as a hostile airport. We will continue a bit longer, then I am scrubbing this mission.”
As they continued to get closer, all of a sudden a contact popped up on the Fleet Admirals Radar.
“OK, got something, about 70 miles out. Looks to be going about 220K, so it’s possible this is our cargo flight. Nothing on RWR so we will need to get close and ID it visually”
“Roger that, I have it now.”
As they closed on the unknown contact, the Fleet Admiral called out,
“Well, they are heading for the airport, and there is no way we can catch them. They are at angels 17, if they go in to land we will have to break off.”
As the two increased speed and continued on, the fleet admiral called out,
“OK, I have separation, there are four planes. I think that’s our target, and they have turned east, towards the Gulf. OK, let’s go and blow some blow”
“Roger that sir, I’m on it”
As the two headed in, now only about 30 miles from the targets, another blip appeared on the Fleet Admirals Radar.
“Got another one, just west and trailing the four group”, the Fleet Admiral called out
“Roger sir, I got him. What do you want to do”, the Lieutenant asked
“You stick with the four ship and I will keep an eye on this one. He is running 220K, angels 20, some it may be a civilian plane, no RWR on it.”
As the Fleet Admiral though about it, he felt very uneasy. Sitting in an old plane with only antique Aim-9’s did not sit well with him. Watching the contact he noticed the speed increase to 280K. As a cold shiver ran down his spine, he flipped of his radar. If this was a fighter, they were in trouble.
“Pyro, I’ve gone radar quiet, just in case. If this is a fighter group, we are out of here.”
“Roger sir, I have him locked but nothing yet. I’m close to the cargo planes, heading in for a run”
As the Fleet Admiral watched the clock, counting the second, he waited for the two min mark since radar quiet, at which point he would turn it back on. As the clock ticked past the first minute, he could see the trail from the plane ahead.
“OK Pyro, I have visual on the unknown. Single, with a trail, it’s a jet but I can’t ID, not close enough, turning to get behind it”
As the Fleet Admiral turned right to slide in behind, the Lieutenant called out,
“MIG-23 on RWR, Jammer on. He is trying to lock me up”
As the Fleet Admiral switched on his radar, he could not gain the target. Looking frantically out the plane, he tried to re establish a visual.
“Damn, he has gone low, I’ve lost him”, he called out
As the Fleet Admiral continued to turn right, he caught a flash against the ground, and spotted the plane. Not being close enough for a shot with the Aim-9s, let alone close enough to ID the plane, he had the same phase running over in his mind, He is trying to lock me up. As the phase repeated in his head a third time, he fired two AIM-9s at the target, knowing he was still too far.
As the missiles speed to the target he pondered, what if this isn’t the MIG, but a passenger plane. Just as the thought popped up, it was swamped by another. I will not risk my wingman. As he watched the unknown plane, it broke right and sent out chaff and flares. As the Fleet Admiral continued the turn following the plane, the AIM-9s on rail came to life, and the tone grew.
“Fired two, sending two more” the Fleet admiral called as he rippled two more off at the target.
As the second two left the rails, the unknown plane, still popping flares passed beneath him. Just before the plane outturned him, he heard a loud bang.
“He’s passed underneath me, don’t know if I hit him, spinning to look” the Fleet Admiral called out.
“Roger sir, lost him from RWR, I’m engaging the transports, damn they are big”
As the Fleet Admiral watched his RWR, he spotted one of the Cargo planes pulling off to the left. Seeing a clear RWR and knowing if the MIG was alive and behind him he was dead anyway, he fired off an AIM-9 at the cargo plane then chased it. As the Missile vanished amongst the flares and struck the plane, it continued to turn left heading towards him. As the two planes passed feet apart, the Fleet Admiral squeezed of a stream of gun fire, hitting the plane mid section and sending debris into his plane.
“Damn, just gunned that transport and took some damage, don’t think I killed him.”
“Roger sir, your one is going down, have a second one, want me to take him”, the Lieutenant called out
“Roger, blow him away, heading up and turning to see if that MIG is around, or if he has friends.”
As the two circled the area, both their radar systems were clear.
“Sir, I’m sure we got them all, I know I splashed three and I saw your one go down”, the Lieutenant called.
“Roger, well I can’t see anything, so looks like I got the MIG. Let’s head home, I think we have done more than enough. Nice work Pyro, very nice work”
As the two headed back, the fleet Admiral kept an eye on the radar, as they didnt want any more surprises,
"Sir, how much fuel you have left, 3800 here", the Luetenant called out.
"I have lots, 5600. You head in and land first, I will do circles to make sure nothing comes up our butts."
As the two finally reached the 30 mile perimeter of the airbase, the Luetenat requested landing. The sound of this brought cheers throught the tower, which both could hear on the radio. As the tower instructed the Luetenant to proceed, the fleet Admiral called out.
"Cowboy 1-1, Targets destroyed, along with a MIG. I want to see the General the moment I land."
As the CNO headed out of the Tower to meet the returning pilots, he could see Lieutenant Pyronight standing beside his plane. All of the Columbian troops were cheering, while still keeping a good distance from the pilot. As the Admiral walked out of the tower and headed over to the Lieutenant, the Fleet admirals plane rolled off the runway and headed down the taxiway.
As the Admiral reached Lieutenant Pyronight, he could see the large smile on his face.
“Hello sir, four scumbag planes are now in flaming pieces, and went sent down a MIG to keep them company”, the Lieutenant gloated, in a very quiet voice.
“Excellent job sir, we were really worried for a while there”, the admiral replied.
As the two stood there, the Fleet Admiral rolled up and shut down the plane. As he climbed out and headed for the two officers, a second huge cheer erupted from the Columbian ground troops.
“Great job boss, you had us worried for a while there”, the Admiral said softly as the Fleet Admiral joined them.
As the Fleet Admiral looked around, he could see the General walking over to them.
“In the hanger, NOW”, the fleet admiral mumbled, then headed for the plane maintenance hangar.
As the three entered the hanger, they could see Admiral Clash sitting quietly in the corner. As the three walk up to him, the maintenance staff backed away. As the General entered the hanger, he called for all to leave and take a 30 min break. Once the crew was gone, the Fleet Admiral turned to the group and said.
“Lieutenant Pyronight; that was some great flying. General, I’m about ready to pack up and leave with the shit you are in. But for the grace of God, we would have been splattered all over the hills. Where the hell did that MIG come from?”
As the other stood silent, the General, looking embarrassed replied,
“Sir, if you decide to leave I would understand. We had no idea they had fighters, as we have never seen them. If I had known I would never had asked you to take out the planes.”
As the Fleet Admiral stood there, he looked at the General for what seemed like eternity, and then replied,
“Well, it’s over now and we came here to do a job, but we will not go airborne again with the limited weapons we have, it borders on suicide”
As the General nodded his head, Admiral Clash commented,
“Well sir, that may no longer be a problem. I have some good news and some bad news, which do you want first”.
As the Fleet Admiral turned, looking un-amused, he replied,
“Well we could really use some good news, so spit it out.”
Smiling, the Admiral replied,
“Well, it seems that when you went up, I came here and decided to go through what weapons they had. I figured you would want to be rearmed when you got back. After digging a while, I found a stack of crates marked A-A, so I figured I would check them out. It seems these are some crates left behind from that huge shipment that disappeared on the dock”
Still looking at the Admiral, the fleet Admiral injected,
“Are you going to get to the point any time soon Admiral?”
Still smiling, the Admiral replied,
“Well, guess what, there were not AIM-9s, they were AIM-120s, both B and C4 variants. Guess you didn’t need to fly with the crappy9s after all”.
The Fleet Admiral, now looking madder than hell turned to the General and said,
“I am so sorry, I had no idea what was in those crates. All I know is that the group that picked up the cargo left them on the dock, and told the commander there to send them here. We were so busy setting things up here for you we never looked to see what they were, and since they came from Russia, we figured they were just AK-47s”
As the Fleet Admiral turned to Admiral Clash, he asked,
“OK, how many?”
“About 20 I think, we haven’t opened all of the crates, but judging by the ones we did open, we should have at least 20”
As the Fleet Admiral finally cracked a half smile, Admiral Wallbanger piped in with,
“OK, so what’s the bad news, they are all crap and won’t work?”
At this, the Fleet Admiral turned to Admiral Clash, flashed a nasty look and added,
“If that is the bad news I will bust you to ensign for jerking my chain!”
Without losing the smile, Admiral Clash replied,
“No sir, I wouldn’t do that, that’s just plane mean. The bad news, well, see for yourself, and remember, don’t shoot the messenger”
As Admiral Clash pointed to a crate, the Fleet Admiral walked over and looked inside. On top of the missiles was a piece of paper. Picking up the paper, he started to read what was on it. After he had finished, he turned and looked at Admiral Clash, who backed up two steps, then handing the paper to Admiral Wallbanger and mumbled,
“Great, just %@% Great”
As the Fleet Admiral walked to the hanger door, he called back,
“OK, load them up, if they have any MIGs left we will take care of them”
As the Fleet Admiral walked away, the CNO looked down at the note.
“Hello my GNSF friends, I couldn’t bear to think of Admiral Wallbanger of Fleet Admiral Stern being killed by some scum drug lord, so maybe these will help keep you safe, that is if you smart enough to check your stock before flying. I have big plans for both you Admirals, and no drug head is going to mess that up. So, stay safe, I have a special place on my wall for your heads next time we meet. Don’t disappoint me; keep your asses alive, they belong to ME.
Commodore Jean Lafitte”
As the Doctor made his final rounds, he signed off on all brought back from the failed mission. While all suffered major wounds, he managed to pull everyone through. As he signed the papers for release of the final wounded member, Lieutenant Ramius, Admiral Wallbanger walked in.
“So, how you feeling today Lieutenant?”
“Good sir, the doc just told me I’m clear to go back to light duty”, the lieutenant replied.
As the CNO walked over to the Doctor, he asked
“So doc, how is the Fleet Admiral doing?”
“Fine, I released him about 30 minutes after you, and told him the same thing, LIGHT WORK and lots of rest”
Looking a bit puzzled, the Admiral replied,
“Well that’s strange, I haven’t seen him around at all, and no one seems to know where he is”
As the Admiral left, he walked down the hall wondering where the hell the boss went to. As he left the infirmary complex and headed across the compound to the HQ building, he ran into Admiral Paul.
“Hello Admiral, how are you doing today”, the CNO asked.
“Good, I just got news that it’s over, Ruiz Rodriguez is dead, and all his facilities are completely trashed”
Smiling, the CNO asked,
“What happened, I told Clash I wanted him alive?”
“Well, there was a problem. Seems Clash and Thunder never made it to the compound as the GPS unit they had went on the fritz and they ended up lost about 15 miles east of the target. They were found by a Columbian Military patrol and lead to the compound to meet the main Columbian force”
Looking puzzled, the CNO again questioned the Admiral,
“OK, so then the Columbians killed him. Damn, I wish they would have just captured him”
Shaking his head, Admiral Paul added,
“No, Ruiz Rodriguez was dead when they got there. They entered the complex and found everyone dead, with Ruiz Rodriguez nailed to the front of a building. It was pretty freaky stuff from what Slim Jim said.”
As if in an effort to shake his brain back into a fully function mode, the CNO shook his head rapidly, then said,
“What! What the hell was Slim Jim doing there?”
“Oh, he was met by the main Columbian force as they made their way to the compound, and they asked if he wanted to come along and document the capture. But seems like someone else hit the camp and killed everyone. Oh, and there was a note written in what we think was the blood of Ruiz Rodriguez, saying ‘The GNSF are Mine’, which really seemed to piss off the Fleet Admiral when I told him about it”
Looking totally confused, the CNO dropped his head and asked,
“When did you tell the Fleet Admiral about the note, I haven’t seen him for 3 days now”
Looking a bit confused himself, the Admiral replied,
“I saw him about fifteen minutes ago. I told him the same story, then when I got to the note he went quiet and just walked away. So anyway boss, shouldn’t you be resting?”
As the CNO raised his head he replied,
“That is exactly what I am going to do; I have had way too much for one day”
As the Submarine moved slowly through the water, the Captain walked into the room and called out,
“Sonar, Radio, do you have a location on the GNSF submarines?”
“Sonar, nothing on sonar sir, they are too far away”
“Radio, sir, we have a SOSUS and sonabouy location on the two submarines. They are heading back to base and nowhere near us.”
As the Captain smiled, he turned to the first officer and said,
“Good, then we have a clear path home. Sonar, let me know if anything pops up; I want a clear uneventful ride home.”
“Aye sir”, the Sonar man called.
As the Captain headed out of the room, the first officer turned and called,
“OOD, you have the bridge”
As the OOD called out confirming the order, the first officer headed quickly down the hallway to catch the Captain. As he caught up to him he called out,
“Sir, a moment”
As the Captain spun around, he replied,
“What's troubling my friend”
“Nothing really, I’m just a bit fuzzy why went to all the trouble to hit that compound. It really wasn’t our fight, and we took a big chance”
As the Captain’s face grew hard and cold, he replied,
“Simple, it was personal.”
Looking a bit confused at this answer, the first officer just stared, at which point the Captain elaborated,
“Look, most of what we do is a bore, and a pain in the ass. The only pleasure I get is blowing shit up and fighting the GNSF. There is no way in hell I’m going to let some backwoods scumbag deprive me of my kill. Now, let’s go and hoist a few to celebrate”.