For Our Unity

Chapter III: Exploding Ground

"Be advised, drones had detected another group of suspects heading your way." Moments later, our radio went alive with a report from local HANRA fighters serving as additional eyes on the ground. "We saw several groups of bandits but we can confirm they are not Islamists. Those people have a red armband and cap with a red star and heading towards your position".

"Communists", Stephen's voice went to a growl, clearly showed his displeasure upon the confirmation of their identifying marks. "Those men might try to mop up those rats from NII and gathering weapons for their own forces but don't be lethargic, the enemy of our enemy, in this case, is also the enemy and they were also fanatical bastards. Never forget the Medan Incident. Fucking looters, all of them... We won't forget and will not forgive."

He referred to a hostage-taking incident in Medan that occurred 4 months ago in a Chinese restaurant when we were still in training, perpetrated by the FDNI.

"No sane Indonesian want communism, Sergeant. It's in our constitution! So congratulations, you are really part of us now!" exclaimed Rudi as he was checking his gun.

"Not even I whose homeland was as elusive as ever want to be subjected to a bunch of Godless politicos, oppressing us for our own good, they say... despite their propaganda. You know that I once lived in America and had seen it by myself, reinforced by my Uyghur friends who managed to flee China to the US, before the Great Change in China... I am grateful to God everyday for fact that they had came back to their senses, and embrace what had made their nation great in the past..."

"...which allowed America to back us in the fight." said Janice in reply to Ahmad's statement.

"Exactly."

The Communists were not much different than the Islamists in term of savagery; 10 female hostages were raped during the standoff and as the result, the whole event ended up bloody with the entire hostage-takers, save two gunmen, killed in the police assault that follows and 9 hostages, 4 of them were children, died of their wounds. The resulting city-wide lockdown yielded three cells of FDNI fighters exposed and their members were convicted. 3 from 30 captured fighters later cooperated with the apparatus in return of full amnesty while the rest were put into an internment-labor camp in the outskirts of a city called Doloksanggul. That operation also uncovered three NII sleeper cells. All save for 2 captured jihadists were hanged upon trial.

I suggested, "How about airstrike?" 

"Good idea". After forwarding my idea into the Lieutenant, Stephen responded: "Airstrike authorized and we got Apaches already airborne."

"Roger that, coordinates received, this is Trenggiling 3-1, airstrikes inbound".

Two Army AH-64E Apache Guardians flew over and firing their laser-guided rockets, Several trees were knocked out. A second pass saw both Boeing-made attack helicopters were circling their targets before unleashing their deadly load of 30mm cannons and 70mm rockets. We're lucky today that nobody seems to care to carry MANPADS, a nightmare for helicopters. "Strike effective. Red fighters are all KIA. Hold on... Be advised, we are having a few more target of opportunity; NII jihadists. Engaging now!"

............

Same location, 1720 Western Indonesia Time

Pvt. Handy Jayakusuma.

After the airstrike, there was a significant reduction of engagements by the rebels. However, due to the terrain and vegetations in the area. Sporadic fire from stragglers remained, and there were always possibility that snipers were left behind to pick us up one by one. Nevertheless, our reinforcements were here in form of a fresh mechanized company from 1125th Battalion and supporting ground drones as well as an attachment of digital blue-clad Brimob police officers, and so medium tanks supporting us were re-deployed to support the push by the said company.