Chapter 12
Simon was sitting at the mouth of the cave. He was thinking with a headache. Thinking. Thinking that Sensrif had managed to push its project one step further. Thinking that only Ruritania had the technology to create this virus, so how had Sensrif managed to build it?
He lifted his head.He could see soldiers at their posts. He could also see several wounded soldiers through the window of the infirmary, which had no door. Their numbers had decreased compared to before, and Simon's task was harder; he had to show the highest efficiency with these few people.
Victor came.He looked at Simon with a bruised face. He said:
· Sir, how's your head?
Simon said:
· I'm fine. It's not the first time my head's been busted. My whole body is sore. That fall and the tumbling I did when I fell from the vehicle has knocked the life out of me.
Victor sat beside Simon and said:
· Yeah, I bet. I'm amazed your position didn't break.
Simon said:
· If it bothers you, you can break it now.
Victor laughed and said:
· No, I won't do anything. It's easier for me this way.
A silence fell between them.Both were looking at the state the camp was in.
After a while,Simon said:
· Victor. You still don't know what the Ruritanian missiles were doing at the Sensrif base?
Victor said:
· I'm sorry, sir, but no. I couldn't find out even during my captivity. However you look at it, our missiles shouldn't be there. I don't know how they ended up there.
Simon thought for a moment and said:
· Even in the past, during the war with Greenland, we got help from Sensrif. It's impossible that we gave them the missiles. And after that war, our relations were completely cut off. When did those missiles go to Sensrif?
Victor said:
· That's right, they didn't even attack our country to steal the missiles.
Simon said:
· Maybe they got them from Greenland.
Victor said:
· Did we give missiles to Greenland?
Simon said:
· I don't know. Maybe we did, and they took them from the Greenlanders during the war.
Suddenly,John spoke from behind them:
· Ruritania had given missiles to Greenland, but none of them were stolen; they were all launched.
Simon and Victor turned and saw John.
Simon said:
· Ah, Johnny, good timing. Come, sit down.
John sat beside them and said:
· I heard you. Ruritania has helped us a lot in this war, mostly with aerial weapons, the bulk of which are fighters and air-to-air missiles. They've also provided several long-range guided and ballistic missiles, but none of them were stolen, and they were all used successfully. Also, keep in mind that due to lack of time during the war, Greenlandic engineers didn't come for training, and the Ruritanians themselves handled the launch operations.
Simon said:
· Then how can our missiles be with them? It's impossible.
Simon saw Caesar and Leo from a distance,talking while Caesar carried a box, heading towards Simon and the others. Simon said to John:
· Leo's condition is much better, right?
John said:
· Yeah. He was very upset. You know, Michael was like a good friend to him. They were comrades from the very beginning until Michael's death. My service time is much longer than theirs, but they were together from the start.
Victor said:
· Did Michael have a family too?
John said:
· Yes, he has a wife and a child.
Simon said:
· Does his wife know that he...?
John said:
· No.
Victor said:
· How are we going to tell them?
John said:
· I don't know. I just hope that day never comes.
Leo and Caesar reached the others.Caesar placed the box on the ground, and at that moment, Victor said:
· Leo, glad to see you.
Leo smiled and said:
· Thanks, Victor. I'm glad you're back too.
Caesar took out cool drinks from the box and gave them to everyone.
John said:
· Oh my God, where did you get these?
Caesar turned to Simon and said:
· Guess.
Everyone fell silent.
Caesar said:
· From General Richard.
Everyone was surprised.
Simon said:
· The General?
Caesar said:
· Yes. He said he'll contact us tonight at 9 PM sharp for new orders.
Victor said:
· They deployed us here and left us to God, and now they remember us? What's happened?
Caesar said:
· I don't know that. They just told me that.
Simon said:
· New orders. We probably have to relocate. We need to be ready.
John said:
· We can do it, but let's have a drink now and distance ourselves from this dirty world.
Simon agreed with John.He picked up a drink and opened it. Simultaneously, Victor asked:
· What about the soldiers?
Leo said:
· They have some too. Don't worry.
Simon prepared his drink,and everyone got ready. They clinked their bottles together and said in unison:
· To hope for victory!!
××××
The rain had stopped, but anyone looking at the sky knew it was going to rain again. Traces of the previous rain remained on the trees and grass. Drops dripped from the leaves, and the birds had started singing.
The team had finally reached a safe place.They were standing in the forest, by a road they didn't know, to regroup. No one knew what was going to happen or where they were supposed to go. Everyone looked at Jake, their commander, but even Jake didn't know what to do.
Liz was asleep,her bandages changed, and Jake sat beside her. Liz's face was pale. Jake lifted his head and looked at his team. They had many wounded, and the few healthy soldiers were tending to the injured. Mack and Will were also helping the soldiers. Ammunition was low. Food was scarce. Their equipment wasn't working properly. Their rifles were getting damaged from overuse, mud, and water inside them. The situation was very bad.
Jake was simultaneously nervous,upset, and guilt-ridden. He heard Mack's voice:
· Sir?
Jake turned and saw Mack,his face wounded and with dried mud on it:
· Sir, are you okay?
Jake said in a strained voice:
· The soldiers' condition is very bad, isn't it?
Mack paused.It seemed he didn't want to answer. Finally, he said:
· Yes, sir. Very bad.
Jake said nothing.Mack said:
· Sir, I know you're upset right now, but what should we do now? We don't even have enough resources to get to the nearest base.
Jake didn't know what to say.Nothing came to mind.
At that moment,Will ran towards Jake. Jake saw him panting. Will said:
· Jake, they've contacted us from the capital of Ruritania. Come on.
Jake was surprised.He stood up and said to Will:
· All captains, gather there quickly.
Jake headed towards the vehicle that was farthest away,where Alex's laptop was. When Jake arrived, Alex said to him:
· Sir, you're here. Please, General Richard has contacted us!
Jake looked at the laptop screen .It was Richard. Seeing Jake, Richard said:
· Jake Walker, glad to see you. Oh my God, why do you all look so rough?
Jake said angrily:
· What are the orders?
Richard said:
· I've sent a search team looking for you. They're coming towards you with vehicles and full equipment and supplies. They'll take you to the nearest Atlas base where my people from the army are currently stationed.
Jake said:
· Is our mission over?
Richard said:
· In Sensrif, yes, but as long as the war continues, no. I'm also coming to that base. We'll talk about the mission and the operations that have been designed there. Well done.
Jake immediately said:
· Sir, excuse me.
Richard,who was about to end the call, stopped and said:
· Is something wrong, Walker?
Jake said:
· Do you have any news about Commander Simon? Are they coming to the same base or not?
Richard said:
· No. They still have a mission. End of call.
And then he disconnected.
Jake stared at the laptop monitor for a few seconds.Will said:
· Well, so we just wait?
Jake said:
· Yeah, you heard what he said. We wait for them to come.
Joe said sarcastically:
· It's nothing. It's easy. We're not doing anything. Exactly what we always do.
And then he walked away with a sneer.Will, Mack, and Alex looked at each other. Jake was angered by Joe's words but didn't show it and went towards the soldiers to check their condition and organize the team.
××××
It was almost 9 P M . All the captains were seated in their chairs, and only Michael's chair was empty. Nathan had placed his laptop on the table and was waiting for General Richard to make contact.
Simon was waiting outside the cave entrance.He was looking at the cloudy sky where the moon and stars were trying to show themselves. He thought about Jake, how he could help a lot if he were here. He thought about Nadia. It was good that he had sent her back to her country. If she were here, she would have suffered a lot.
At that moment,he heard Victor's voice from behind him:
· Sir, the General is on the line and waiting for you.
Simon turned and looked at Victor and said:
· Alright. Let's go.
He sat in his chair. The laptop was placed in front of him, and after a long time, he saw the face of General Richard. Richard, seeing Simon, said:
· Simon Riik, Commander of the Ruritanian Atlas Special Force. Glad to see you're in good spirits.
Simon said:
· Yes, sir, thank you. I'm glad to see you too.
The General said in his firm,hard voice:
· I've received reports of your operations. I'm aware of the operation you carried out on Sensrif soil. Your work was excellent. I'm also aware of the attack on you. But the past is not important. Now we must look forward.
Simon nodded in agreement.
The General continued:
· I have new missions for you. I currently have no information about your location. That's why I can't send you forces to accompany you. Therefore, you must come to the location that will be sent to you yourselves. I'll be waiting for you there.
Simon said:
· Sir, you yourself are coming to that base?
The General said:
· Correct.
Simon said:
· Well, we're at war right now. If we vacate this front now, this part of the border that the Atlas and Ghost forces are holding together through cooperation will be lost. We can't leave this place empty.
The General said:
· Riik, I understand your concern. But we have higher objectives in mind.
John stood up from his chair and came behind Simon,and after saluting the General, said:
· I'm John Clare, Commander of the Ghost Force. Sir, with the Atlas force leaving, we will be greatly weakened. How can we hold out without them?
The General said:
· You're coming too, Commander Clare!
John was surprised.Everyone was surprised.
John said:
· We must receive orders from the Central High Command. We can't do anything without their order.
The General said:
· I didn't go through all this running around and fighting to hear you say that, Clare.
At that moment,a message was sent. It was an image. Simon opened it. It was an agreement.
The General,while his image was hidden behind the document, said:
· Read it. You might like it.
Simon began reading the text of the agreement:
Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Greenland
Document No: MOU/2030/1407
Date of Issue: 2030/6/12
Subject: Temporary Transfer of Operational Control of Special Units (Ghost) (Greenland) to Atlas Forces.
Draft: Pursuant to Article 34 of the Military Cooperation Agreement and in light of the urgent necessity to counter border threats, hereby the special operational units Ghost are placed under the (temporary control) of the Atlas Forces for a period of 168 hours.
Operational Area (Declared): Zone X - Coordinates: N 39/120 E 47/123
Duties:
Attack on the coastal line (port) of Sensrif and its defense until the arrival of the main army.
Special Conditions:
Any offensive action outside the declared operational area must be approved by the High Command of both countries.
Deployed forces must abide by national rules and regulations, but operational reports will be collected and analyzed jointly.
All documents and evidence related to the operation must be submitted to the Ministry of Defense of Greenland upon mission completion.
Seal and Signature: General James Mackenzie Title: Joint Chief of Greenland Official Seal: Ministry of Defense of the Kingdom of Greenland.
After reading the agreement, Simon looked at those around him, and after bringing Richard's image back on screen, said:
· Aren't we fighting on Greenland's soil? So we should be under their command, not them under ours.
The General said:
· Don't worry about that, Riik. I command this operation.
John said:
· Which army is going to defend this sector when we're not here?
The General said:
· Sensrif won't attack there. I mean, they won't advance from there. It's not worth it anyway. Why would they enter the country through a mountainous area when they have a flat route in the north? The place you're in is mountainous. The Sensrif forces aren't stupid enough to come from there and risk their army. They know that with guerrilla warfare, Greenland can defeat them, but in the north, where the route is flat, Sensrif's strength surpasses Greenland's.
Simon said:
· Alright, sir. We'll move out tomorrow morning. We'll be at the base in two days.
Richard said:
· Excellent. I'll see you inside the base.
And then the call ended.
××××
The base gates opened, and the vehicles carrying the Atlas and Ghost teams from the wild forests of the Sensrif-Ruritania border entered the base.
The base was large.One of Ruritania's main bases, located far from the tense borders.
As the vehicles stopped,personnel came to help the wounded. Jake saw Liz being placed on a stretcher and taken towards the infirmary. Jake entrusted Liz to Alex to look after her. Will, who had been shot in the leg, was also taken to the infirmary to remove the bullet and receive treatment.
The personnel wanted to take Mack too,but he insisted he was fine and that the scrape on his ribs was nothing threatening. He kept saying:
· This wound is already bandaged, it's no problem anymore, leave me alone.
But a medic,an ordinary girl with dark circles under her eyes from overwork, said:
· No, it needs to be cleaned. Also, you've taken a blow to the head; you need to be checked to make sure nothing's wrong.
But Mack resisted so much that the girl finally let him go.
Most of the soldiers were taken to the infirmary,and the remaining soldiers went to their barracks to rest.
Finally,only Jake, Joe, and Mack remained. A man with soldiers came to greet Jake.
The man was tall with black hair.He was good-looking, but his face never gave off good energy to Jake, who knew him.
The man,while shaking hands, said to Jake:
· Jake Walker, it's a great pleasure to see you, Commander.
Jake,whose nerves were still frayed, said:
· Gus, good to see you.
Gus turned to Mack and said:
· Mack. I see you got wounded, man.
Mack,who knew this was a taunt, said calmly:
· Yes, yes, thank you, Gus. That's right, I'm wounded, but I can still handle things better than a lot of people, buddy.
Gus's face contorted.
Another man next to Gus saluted and welcomed the others.
Jake said:
· I don't know you?
The man said:
· That's right, sir, sorry. I should have introduced myself first. I am Captain Frank Lincoln. I am the captain of this base.
Jake said with impatience and a nervous edge:
· New at this?
Frank said:
· Yes, sir.
Jake shook his head.Gus said:
· Commander, I heard you managed to assassinate the Sensrif General, is that right?
Jake,knowing Gus intended to taunt him, said in the same tone:
· How so?
Gus said with a devilish smile:
· Well, it's a very big job you did. Of course, this great honor is no surprise, given what percentage of your soldiers came back alive.
Jake turned red.Because of his bad nerves, he couldn't respond and only thought about beating or even killing Gus. At that moment, Mack said:
· At least we took a step for this country. Some people just hid in their holes.
Gus was surprised.Perhaps that was one of the heaviest taunts one could throw at him.
At that moment,a thick, intimidating voice from behind Gus and his soldiers said:
· Jake Walker. Welcome to the Grand Air Base of Ruritania.
Jake and his companions'attention was drawn. Richard appeared from behind Gus and said:
· You're back, Walker. Now our work will proceed faster and better. You can help us a lot. Come, we must go to the command room.
Richard put his hand on Jake's back and accompanied him.Jake's companions and Richard's entourage followed behind them. Gus and his men followed them. Joe and Mack brought up the rear, following the others towards the large command building.
Richard,with his hand still on Jake's shoulder, said:
· It's good that you're safe and here now, Walker. We have serious missions ahead where you can help us a lot. First, we'll talk about the upcoming operation, and then you'll go rest until the operation begins.
Jake,as if ashamed, said:
· Sir, sorry, but it's better to assign command of this operation to someone else.
Richard said in surprise:
· Why?
Jake said:
· Sir, I'm not a capable commander.
Richard said:
· Listen, Walker, you did a great thing. You managed to complete the mission I gave you and return.
Jake said:
· But, sir, I lost all my soldiers...
Richard interrupted Jake and said:
· That's right, I told you before that if you win a battle with heavy casualties, it's no different from defeat.
Jake finished Richard's sentence:
· Because if we win like that again, we'll be destroyed.
Richard said:
· That's right, son. But remember, some things are worth the other. No matter the cost, it's worth it.
Jake said:
· Hundreds of soldiers were killed so that one person could be killed.
Richard said:
· But where is the value of these, and where is the value of that one person.
Jake was surprised.This talk was unlike Richard. The lives of Richard's soldiers were very important to him. Why would he say such a thing?
Mack was explaining about Gus and his companions to Joe. Joe said:
· So you joined the army together, right?
Mack said:
· Right.
Joe asked:
· So why aren't you on good terms? You know, it's like you're always bickering?
Mack said:
· Well, back then we were divided into two groups from the start. We were competing from the beginning. We were all trying to get into the Atlas team. It's a great honor for a soldier to enter this group. You know, it's kind of like...
Joe said:
· The ultimate honor or something for a soldier?
Mack said:
· Right. Back then, Commander Jake and Simon were the best in every way. We, who were with them, also performed well.
Mack paused a little.Joe said:
· What's wrong?
Mack said:
· One of that group, named Tom, died during training. It was really bad. Anyway. Yeah, basically, it was like this: our team, which included Commander Jake and Simon, me, Victor, and Caesar, joined the Atlas team and later became the seniors of the team. But these guys went to regular military bases and became base commanders. From that time until now, we've been bickering. We Atlas members never come here unless our work brings us to these bases.
Joe said:
· I see.
Mack said:
· Yeah. Now, Commander Jake was like this because the Commander is a very calm person. Even back when they used to bicker, the Commander would calm them down. You haven't seen Commander Simon's behavior. Back then, the bickering could get very heated. Everyone is afraid of him. I think the only one who dares to talk back and bicker with him is Gus.
Joe said:
· Besides these, were there other people who were bad with you?
Mack said:
· Yeah, there are, but they were deployed to other places. I don't really remember their names well, but there's Kruger, who is on the same level as Gus. There was another one named Lance, and I don't remember the other one.
They reached the command building. After passing through corridors and halls, they reached the desired room. This room, like all the rooms where they planned future operations, had a large table in the middle and chairs around it.
Richard,Jake, and their companions sat on the chairs.
Richard began to speak:
· We have carried out many operations for the past and present wars of Sensrif and Greenland.
From attacking Sensrif facilities to assassinating the Sensrif General deep within Sensrif.
Now that we've done all this,we must not hold back. We must continue until Sensrif is defeated. After the news of the General's assassination, we designed operations that the Atlas team is capable of carrying out.
Mack said:
· Excuse me, sir, but most of our soldiers are dead and the rest are wounded. How are we supposed to carry out this operation?
Richard said:
· Don't worry. We have soldiers who can fill in for the Atlas team members.
Then Richard signaled to Frank.Frank stood up, and the room darkened.
A projector turned on,showing an image of a base. Frank went to the side of the image and began explaining the plan:
· Okay, this is one of Sensrif's air bases near the Greenland border. Fortunately, it's also close to the tri-border area.
Simultaneously,the image changed and showed a picture of a port.
Frank continued:
· This is the Sensrif port that Greenland is going to attack. You might wonder what this has to do with the air base. The connection is that if Greenland wants to attack here, Sensrif's dangerous fighters won't let the Greenlanders do their job. That's our task. Destroying the enemy's radars. We must destroy the enemy's radars to paralyze Sensrif's air force for a while. This way, Greenland can capture the port.
Mack said:
· I think it's impossible. Is it a joke that we go to a country like Sensrif's air force base and destroy their radars? Obviously, it can't be done.
Jake said:
· He's right. It's too dangerous. Why not use a cyber attack? We have good hackers.
Richard said:
· We tried. It didn't work.
Jake said:
· It's not possible.
Gus said:
· Got a better idea?
Jake said:
· Use a missile strike.
Richard said:
· We can't. We've assessed that route; it's a loss for us.
Jake said:
· Well, do you have a plan or not? Did you just say we should go and resolve the issue somehow and come back?
Frank said:
· No, you're not going to the base.
The image returned to the base,and Frank said:
· Here. Do you see these valleys? This is a path that Greenlandic fighters can use to approach the base. The Greenlandic fighters, after getting close, can launch their missiles from a distance to disable the enemy's main, large radars.
Your task is to take out the radars covering this valley.Destroy them so the fighters can get through. The fighters take off from the Greenland air base and enter our airspace. After aerial refueling in Ruritanian airspace, they enter Sensrif airspace and then the valleys.
Gus said:
· First, you enter the area, and after the destruction, the Greenlandic fighters will have performed their final aerial refueling. You must have destroyed the radars. After the operation is complete, helicopters come and extract you from the area.
Jake thought.This was a good way. But something occurred to him:
· Suppose we do it successfully. The port is taken by the Greenlanders. Then what? Sensrif, with the missiles it has, can destroy them so that nothing remains of Greenland.
Frank changed the image to a missile site and said:
· This is Sensrif's missile site and underground missile city. After the destruction of the radars, while the Greenlanders are taking the port, Ruritanian stealth bombers purchased by Greenland will destroy this site with Greenlandic bunker-buster missiles.
Joe said:
· Our team isn't complete. Commander Will and Captain Liz are injured.
Richard said:
· That's why there are temporary replacements. Gus and Frank will participate in this operation in their place.
Jake and Mack looked at each other.Joe noticed this look.
Richard said:
· Well done. Go get some rest. Gus and Frank, I ask you to handle all the operation's logistics. Everything must be ready by the start of the operation.
Jake said:
· Sir, aren't you staying?
Richard said:
· No, I have to go to the Ruritania base on Greenland soil. We have to plan for the port operation.
Joe said:
· Sir, who is the commander of that operation?
Richard said:
· Simon Riik.
Jake's attention was caught.He said:
· Simon? Is he in Greenland?
Richard said:
· Yes. I have to go.
Then Richard quickly left the room.
Gus and Frank also left the room after Richard.Mack, Joe, and Jake moved together towards the exit of the building.
When they got outside,Jake asked Joe:
· Joe, are you going to rest now, or do you have any plans?
Joe said angrily:
· Does it make a difference to you??
And he left.
Jake just watched him go.Mack said:
· It's okay. He's just angry right now. If you apologize to him later, he'll be okay.
Jake said:
· I didn't do anything to apologize for.
Mack said:
· Commander, forget it...
Jake interrupted Mack and said:
· What's your plan, Mack?
Mack took a deep breath and said:
· I'm going to go rest. Where are you going?
Jake said:
· I'm going to see Will and Liz.
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