Day 2: Syrian Desert - Early afternoon
Captain Jim Ploughwright checked the ePIRB beacon locator, as the others of his squad moved out around him into a defensive perimeter, from where they had dismounted from their Bushmaster armoured vehicle.
“Stinky, rock outcrop on the ridge, swing round behind,” and Jim hand signed the message as well in case his voice mic didn’t pick up over the residual sandstorm wind noise. Stinky and Drongo moved off up the far side of the ridge, scouting and covering each other, as they picked their way carefully along the edge of the ridge and the sand dune trying to engulf it.
Jim heard one of their hand sized drones loft from their Bushmaster behind him and then follow the pair of forward scouts. It would relay video of the view, from a 100 metres up directly to their helmet head up displays, giving them another pair of eyes and ears. The two scouts reached their position and Jim hand signed to his marksmen.
“Macca, high point,” and Jim indicated the point of the rock ridge where it emerged from the sand dune. He watched the best sniper in the Australian Army move upslope with Bluey, his observer, leading and scouting for them as they moved easily over the broken ground. The whiz of another drone cut through the subsiding wind noise. That was three mini drones as well as their high altitude Stealth Angel sitting 1000 metres above their heads, and monitoring the different insurgent patrols making their way towards them. Spocky was a rogue genius and could handle 6 or so drones at a time. The Angel was armed with Gabriel missiles and Spocky would only sound their last trump if the insurgents became a real threat. A Gabriel could kill everything in a 50 metre radius, so a patrol of a few shit face murderers could all be put down at once.
Bluey signed the ok and Jim waved the rest of the squad forward with him. They picked their way carefully along the edge of the ridge, he leading and the other two out on either side. Just in front of them their drone scanned the ground for signs of IEDs, mines or other booby traps or whatever else the shit faces might have littered this place with.
Jim checked his feed from the Angel. Two groups of shit faces were getting close but they should be able to retrieve this bloke and move off before sending both lots to paradise with Gabbies. Their squad drone began to hover over the outcrop. Jim blinked on his Head Up Display to show its video feed and he made out the unmoving body they had been sent to retrieve. He switched the feed to infra-red and he could clearly see the bloke was alive. His body heat was obvious against he cool of the rocks in the crevice of the outcrop. Whoever had put him there knew what to do to make it easy for them to find him.
“Bluey?” “Clear!” “Macca?” “Clear,” came their replies over his squad com earpiece. He moved forward and covered the outcrop with his Austyre as Boomer clambered down to the body and quickly did a med scan.
“Good to go,” and Blowfly clambered down to help retrieve the unconscious body while Jim covered them.
“Ten minutes to contact,” came Spocky’s cool calm warning. Boomer slung the body over his shoulder as Blowfly took his medkit and Jim covered them as they moved back toward their Bushmaster. Jim gave the wind up signal and saw the scout team begin their return. Macca waited till the last minute and did the same so he could cover everyone if needed. Red was training the 50 cal on the top of the Bushmaster slowly back and forth in the direction the insurgents were coming from. He gave the thumbs up as they all arrived back at the same time and clambered aboard. Dozer, the driver, started up the beast and they moved off in the direction that Spocky was feeding him from the Angels viewpoint. They had to avoid getting into rpg and sniper range of the shit faces, and using a Gabby was a last resort given their price tag.
Jim stood up through the Commanders hatch in the roof and kept a close eye on the Angel feed. “Fuck you’re good Spocky,” was all he said as he watched them meander in and around the landscape and then leave the insurgents behind.
“All clear Cap, an' we’ve a green light from CombCom!”
“Sound their last trump Spocky,” and Jim watched the video feed as the three Gabbies dropped away from the Angel, ignited and sped toward their targets. All the crew stuck their heads up through the roof hatches. Three clouds appeared and rose upward from the ground then the crump of the explosions reached them!
“Djinnie, watch out for the Djinnie,” screamed a voice from below and Jim nearly shit himself as he dropped through the hatch to stare at their guest sitting up, wide eyed and crying. The tears left tracks down his dust covered cheeks and Jim saw the floor at the man’s feet grow dark from where he had wet himself in fear.
“It’s ok mate you’re safe!” Jim said calmly to him. The man stared at him. “No one is safe, the Djinn have returned!”