Slovak's Wrath

Chapter 20

Fort Bragg, NC
12:00 May 3rd, 2023

I loaded up into the AC-17 'super specter' gunship. The AC-17 was basically a AC-130, with supersonic jet engines. I took a seat on the wall, and the ramp lifted up. The plane then taxied to the runway, and lifted off. Townes told me that my briefing would be mid-flight on my ST, or, Satellite Tablet. Which was basically a tablet that never lost signal, and could access all US military and allied networks. I logged onto it, and opened the "GR brief" 'app.' It immediately turned into a grid-map of the world, zooming all the way out. Townes's voice came on and as it did, it zoomed in on the area he was describing, and drew lines or anything else that went with the plan he was describing. "Alright so, we've located one of those Marked of Covenant leaders. They call him 'General Felix' his real name is Marcus Gantry Felix. He and his mixed ILA, MoC forces are located in the Sahara, near the Egyptian-Sudan border. But I got good news and bad news... Good news, we got a carrier just off the coast of the red sea. We also have an air force base a few miles north of the Egyptian border, so you can call in support anytime things get hairy. Don't worry, the area your going to is remote enough to where only villages will here the massive firefight if there is one. Bad news, the place is heavily defended, and well known. The force there is called the 'red devils' by the locals, and by both the Egyptian and Sudan militaries. It feeds off a local town, and a big one too. The red devils are utilizing a massive force of, at the most, a million gunmen, one thousand tanks, lord-knows how many SAMs and quad-AA, and some air support. We've asked for the Sudanian military's help since we were goin under the guise of an air-campaign against these guys, but have been told we're on our own. I wish we could have more ground units to help you, but this is technically a black op, so we can only use the USAF for help. So, your going in alone, but don't worry, we got some gear to help you. We suspect that there are mortar positions everywhere, and dug-in tanks and infantry. So, we're giving you a shoulder-mounted rocket pod, targets that are highlighted on your CC-HUD can be locked onto, and fired at. We're also giving you a pack of mini-drones. We call them 'flying C4' since they automatically lock onto an enemy, and fly at them and explode with the force of a C4 charge. That's about it for gear. Your AC-17 will refuel with a KC refueling jet, and continue on it's course. Due to the AA coverage, the AC-17 will only be able to clear an area if no areas are clear from hostiles. That's all." The brief then shut off.

***

As we neared the drop-zone, the crew was talking, making preps for combat and whatnot. After a few minutes, the crew raised their voices, and talked faster. "Colonel, get your gear ready. Change of plans." Is what I heard from the Major flying the specter. I put on my cross com, and got my gear ready for a jump. "You're gonna do a HALO, but the problem is is that there's no clear area except for this one. Which is sparsely defended. But there's heavy quad-AA, we're gonna start shooting, and as soon as we tell you to jump, jump. We're lowering the ramp now." The specter hit it's brakes, and the specter slowed down fast, making me jerk back a little. It then started shooting as it turned to the side. "Get those fuckers before they lock!" Is what I could hear on the comms. The ramp lowered, and I made my way to it, holding on tight. It was bright, the guns were louder now, and they sounded like hells bells. "Go go go!! NOW!" Is what the major yelled. I then ran and jumped out, the wind slammed into my face. My goggles were like my cross-com, except for jumping. I could see the drop zone, and how much AA was being fired from it. "Heavy crap being launched archangel, they'll tear me up if I open my chute." I said on comms. "We see it colonel, we're doing all we can." Was the response. A massive explosion engulfed the area, probably from the howitzer round onboard. The AA got less dense, and just became sparse. My altimeter went off, and I opened my chute. I was pulled into an upright position, and I could finally look up and around. I could see the specter, way above me, still shooting. I looked down, and saw the small fires around the area. It took me a few minutes to land, and once I did, the area was lifeless. "Sir, we're jumpin' out. We'll be at aylay air base if you need us." Said the major over comms. "Roger archangel, you go on ahead." I responded, as I did, the specter flew out. "Now... It's just me for now." I said to myself as I started walking.