Brannigan nodded. 'Yeah. I'm familiar with the weapon. Officially they're FA-MAS automatic rifles. That's kind of a misnomer, because they have a selector for semiauto too. The French soldiers call them clairons. That's their word for bugles.'
'Uh-huh,' Dave said. 'They kind of look like that.'
'Did you see any mortars or artillery?' Brannigan asked.
'Negative, sir,' Connie replied.
'Shit!' Brannigan said again. 'How many people do you think that place can hold?'
'Well, sir,' Connie said, 'if their entire line is like the parts that Garth and Mike saw, I'd say they could easily take in a couple of thousand.'
'Remember what Dr. Joplin said,' the Skipper pointed out. 'They have only a few more guys than we do.'
'Maybe so, sir,' Connie said. 'He told us they didn't want to make a big deal out of this, but now I'm not so sure. If we start kicking their asses real bad, they'll call in reinforcements quick. Maybe artillery and CAS from the Iranian Air Force. We could be wiped out quick before our side could react.'
Matty Matsuno glanced at the Skipper, asking, 'Are we at that place they call between the rock and the hard place?'
'Yeah,' Brannigan said. He stood up. 'Okay, guys. Good job. Get some rest and you better sleep fast. You might be going out there again real quick.'
'Aye, sir!'
The Sneaky Petes got to their feet and followed Connie out of the bunker entrance.
CHAPTER 5
SEAL BASE CAMP
FIRST SECTION BUNKER
11 JUNE 1030 HOURS
AT the end of the morning watch, Lieutenant Jim Cruiser's entire First Assault Section were informed they would not be returning to sentry duties on the first dog watch, as they normally would have. They were to go back to their bunker to fix some chow and stand by for further orders. Now, after two and a half hours of waiting, the seven men lounged on their foam mattresses, catching up on lost sleep.
The sights and sounds inside the cavern were ones of dozing men and deep breathing punctuated now and then with snores. When Cruiser stepped inside the rocky abode, he grinned at the spectacle.
'Isn't this a cozy picture?' he remarked. 'It reminds me of my happy boyhood days at summer camp.' He chuckled. 'Well, except for the M-sixteens and the SAW.'
Gutsy Olson, the Alpha Fire Team leader, raised his head. 'What's going on, sir?' he asked. 'The senior chief said we was off watch 'til further orders.'
'Right,' Cruiser said. He emitted a loud, sharp whistle at those still slumbering. 'Let's go! Wake up!'
Monty Sturgis got to his knees and stretched. 'And I was having such a beautiful dream.'
Pete Dawson, now on his feet, grinned at him. 'About a good-looking woman, I bet.'
Monty shook his head. 'Nope. I dreamed you paid me back that fifty bucks you owe me.'
Andy Malachenko laughed. 'You must have really been dreaming. He's owed me fifty for three months now.'
'Well, hell, guys,' Pete said. 'I'd rather owe it to you than beat you out of it.'
Now everyone was up and looking expectantly at their section commander. Cruiser motioned them to follow him away from the living space to the area near the entrance that was used for section get-togethers. He turned to face them. 'Sit down and get comfortable, guys.'
Like everyone else in Brannigan's Brigands, the First Assault Section had constructed tables and benches out of the wood from the crates that had been emptied of supplies and ammunition. They situated themselves among the rough-hewn furniture to get the word.
'The Skipper gave me a WARNO,' Cruiser said. Whatever sleepy feelings were left over from their naps immediately evaporated, and they instinctively sat up straighter and leaned forward. 'Combat patrol,' he continued, giving an answer to the unasked question.
'Ambush or raid?' Gutsy Olson inquired.
'Raid,' Cruiser responded. 'The objective is to test the enemy's ability to respond to a small surprise attack on part of their line. In this case, the north flank.'
'Uh-oh!' Gutsy said. 'This reminds me of that one attack we made down there in South America.' He glanced over at the others. 'Andy, me, and Lieutenant Cruiser were on that operation against a bunch of neo-Nazi rebels. They were tough bastards, let me tell you. All professional soldiers from South America and Europe. We was going up against 'em for the first time, and the Skipper wanted to find out how much of a fight they could give us. He told us about an old Chinese saying that says that the best way to test a tiger is to let him out of his cage.'
'Actually, he said you could do it that way,' Andy said, 'or go into the cage with him.'
'I remember that particular action only too well,' Cruiser said. 'I was hit and medevaced out of there. It was touch and go for a while if I was gonna be able to walk again.' He paused as the unpleasant memory flitted through his mind. 'Anyhow, that's exactly what we're gonna do--test the tiger.'
'I'm on pins and needles about the execution phase of this thing,' Monty Sturgis said. 'I got to tell you guys that this is the strangest operation I've ever been on in my ten years in the SEALs.'
'Okay,' Cruiser said. He laid his map out on the floor so they could all see it. 'This is gonna be an RON. We'll leave at thirteen-hundred hours from headquarters. There's a hole in the top of the bunker just big enough for a man to pass through. Gomez is using the place for commo. He sets his Shadowfire radio out there for long-range transmissions. There's plenty of concealment around the place, so we'll leave from there, and head east far enough to drop below the horizon. Then we move north about fifteen kilometers to this point on the map. It's near the desert where we ran our DPVs in Operation Rolling Thunder.' He used his laser pointer to indicate the spot. 'We should arrive there at approximately seventeen-thirty hours. As you can see from the wider contour lines, it's not so steep in that area. That's always a welcome break. At that time we'll turn west to this point'--he employed the beam once again--'which we'll reach at twenty-hundred hours. From there we turn south to an area that is at a direct right angle to the enemy lines. That's where we start climbing back up into the Gharawdara Highlands. When we're within a couple of kilometers of the enemy sometime after zero-one-hundred hours, we stop. I'll send two of you guys forward for a recon on the objective, which is the Zaheya positions.' He glanced up at his team leaders. 'Each of you guys give me one man for that chore.'
'Morales,' Gutsy Olson said.
'Halonen,' Monty Sturgis announced.
'You two guys will go for a look-see and bring back any helpful intel you can get,' Cruiser said. 'Do a good job, because at oh-five-hundred hours we attack the place. We'll stay engaged only long enough to get them to respond, then we haul ass straight across the valley and up the slope to our home positions.'
'Will we be making a fire-and-maneuver withdrawal, sir?' Monty Sturgis asked.
'No,' Cruiser replied. 'We're going to be running as fast as we can. Minimum time is of the essence when we cross that two hundred meters of no-man's-land.'
'Damn, sir!' Dawson exclaimed. 'Those Persians or whatever they are will shoot us in the back!'
'Every weapon in this detachment will be covering us,' Cruiser said. 'We'll also take advantage of the cover and concealment given us by the rock formations and tall shrubs while we haul ass. The Skipper wanted me to emphasize that it's important that we keep running. However, if anyone is hit, we bring him back with us. Buddy up for that purpose and keep your eye on your partner during the withdrawal.'
'What are we taking with us, sir?'
'We'll be lean and mean,' Cruiser answered. 'One bandolier of ammo each, two canteens, personal medical kits, rations for one meal, energy bars, and any other small items you prefer for this sort of operation. All that goes into your rucksacks. It won't be a heavy load. You'll wear your pistols and knives on your belts. The grenadiers will bring along their M-two-oh-threes with six rounds each. Benson will have three bandoliers for the SAW. And don't forget your NVGs. We'll use the One-twenty-sixes with LASH headsets for commo. Usual call signs.' He looked at his watch. 'Get your gear together. I'll check it when you're ready. Then we'll take it easy and store up some energy until twelve-forty-five hours. That's the time we'll head for headquarters to leave. Turn to, guys.'
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SEAL HEADQUARTERS
