Puzzles of War - Casino Olimpia

1 Chapter 1 - Mission Brief General Long enjoyed seeing the satisfied looks on his men’s faces. Their last mission into the DRC was the best he had ever seen or experienced. These were his men, the boys he shaped into the strongest and bravest soldiers their military had ever produced. Their skills far exceeded those of the soldier who wore the same uniform they did. He was proud of them and they were proud of who they were. He could see that they were biting at the bit to receive their new orders. As their commanding officer it gave him great pleasure to award them with this very important mission. After successfully completing their previous missions, their services were in high demand and everyone in senior command expected them to succeed. They had a month off to recharge and he could see that they were ready. There was no doubt that they would tackle this mission with the same dedication and professionalism as they did their previous ones. Due to the importance of the high ranking officials involved the president asked him personally to activate his men because they were the country’s most powerful weapon. They were extremely dangerous and multi-skilled soldiers who were capable of doing many more dangerous things which other soldiers couldn’t do. They were extensively trained in bush war tactics which gave them the upper hand over their enemy on that terrain. Because of their abilities and experience the brother became their country and the president’s most powerful weapon. They were super soldiers who followed orders and when their commander-in-chief, the president, ordered them to kill bad guys, they followed his instructions and execute their orders without questioning. He and General Long were the only people responsible for activating the missions Jack and his brothers executed. The general explained that if they chose to accept their new orders, that the president granted him permission to activate them immediately. They would however infiltrate enemy territory without backup, support or approval. Unfortunately no high ranking official, either state or military, including the president would ever admit knowing about or approving this mission. How could they? The last time the general checked, his men did not exist because they were ghosts and unless he was mistaken, ghosts couldn’t be seen neither could they be caught or killed. He looked at his men and asked if he was wrong?” The brothers answered as one “No sir!” Their answer satisfied General Long who happily continued to explain that after they successfully removed Africa’s most notorious gunrunner, the time had arrived for them to start focusing their attention towards the remaining members of 47’s team. If they wanted to achieve the best possible result and successfully destroy 47’s entire business, they needed to start at the bottom and work up the supply line until they reached the two guys at the top. Angola was the most southern country on 47’s supply line and therefore he and the president decided that the brothers should start there. They will start by firstly eliminating those men who ran and controlled the enemy’s war activities in Angola. These men were responsible for the supply of weapons to the war zones and planned the attacks which caused many civilian deaths. General Long loved seeing the determination on his men’s faces and knew that those targets inside their mission file would soon meet their ultimate fate. He explained that the three men in their mission file were all at the top of their military’s kill list and were very dangerous. They were responsible for killing many innocent women and children as well as many South-African soldiers. They ruled Angola as if they owned it which made them not just dangerous but also ruthless and uncontrollable. They had to be stopped! Unfortunately they were schooled by 47 and Swart and became just as cold hearten and deadly as those two were. Like the men who previously employed them and supplied their weapons and ammunition, they also enjoyed killing. The president approved this mission because these bastards had to be stopped. If they were allowed to continue playing their deadly games, many more innocent lives would be lost. Jack stepped forward to inform the general that he and his brother had already accepted their missions when they completed training. They did not only accept this mission but any other mission their country and president required them to execute. He respectfully suggested that their commanding officer stopped wasting time and started the mission brief instead. Due to the importance of this mission and the number of high ranking officials involved, he required everyone to be at maximum awareness. General Long was pleased and accepted Jack’s suggestion because he knew that it was only a matter of time before Jack would take charge. He was the leader of this team and led by example. He also had the most combat experience between the brothers and was the strongest candidate during training. Before starting the mission brief he first studied his men. They were big, strong and fit and very proud of whom they were. After studying his men the general confessed that he was extremely proud of them. They were the best he had ever trained and he was extremely proud to be their father and commanding officer. He was about to send them on a very dangerous mission which could kill them and therefore required them to focus. In order to successfully execute their orders, they needed to trust their training and had to remember their pledge to the brotherhood. He wanted them to look after each other and to return together, alive! Although he trained them better than any other soldiers he ever trained, he always worried when he had to send them away like this. They were his sons and unlike the other soldiers he trained, occupied a special place in his heart. He loved them and worried that they might be injured or get killed. He explained his worries to the boys but they settled his nerves and promised to be careful. The idea of receiving another dangerous mission excited the brothers and he could see the pride and satisfaction on his men’s faces. They were proud to be entrusted with such an important missions and it showed. General Long trained them well and they understood exactly how dangerous they really were, especially when working together as a team. He handed Jack their mission file and instructed him to activate the team. Jack shook the general’s hand then took the mission file from the man he and his brothers called dad. He showed the file to his team and pointed at the red ribbon and seal which indicated that this was a “Top Secret” mission. They simply nodded because they understood the seriousness of the contents inside that file. He deliberately made eye contact with each one individually as a means to ensure that he had every man’s undivided attention. Top secret missions like this one, could not afford any slip ups. His men looked serious and eagerly awaited their orders. He explained that the contents inside that file were going to demand a lot from them and were going to teach each one more about himself than he though he knew. Top secret missions made a habit out of teaching soldiers what they were really capable of doing. This mission was no different and the manner in which they conducted their mission would determine if they returned home safely or became war victims forgotten in a foreign land. The orders inside that file were labelled top secret because it could kill them. “Yes and so can mosquito’s!” Pete shouted. He had enough of the pep talk and demanded that his skipper cut the crap and open that file. They were ready and wanted to kill bad guys! The rest of the guys loudly backed Pete’s request which prompted Jack into action so he tore the seal open and exposed the contents. He asked if they were ready and when they shouted yes, he pulled it out. He removed the top secret contents and displayed it on the table in front of his team. There were three packs each with a different photograph attached to it. The last sheet he pulled from the file contained handwritten instructions which cemented General Long’s previous statement that this was truly an undercover operation. Everyone including General Long was quiet as they watched Jack spread their target details out page by page. They impatiently waited to hear what those handwritten instructions were going to be. When he was done Jack took the first form and read the name of their first target loud enough for everyone to hear. It was General Edmar Francisco who was the leader of their enemy’s feared death squad. General Francisco and his men were responsible for the deaths of many innocent women and children. They were known to brutally r**e young girls and their love for young boys who they sadistically sodomized and tortured, drove the fear of god into the people of Angola. These men ruled the southern parts of Angola by promoting the fear of s****l assault and death. As a service to the people of Angola, the president approved the execution of this vulgar man. Hopefully without their feared leader the remaining members of his squadron will stop their brutality towards their most innocent citizens. Jack had to fight really hard not to show his anger and could see from his men’s expressions that they too were fighting as hard as he was to hide the anger inside of them. This was good because now they had a personal agenda and score to settle with this bastard which prompted him to continue. Target number two was General Henda Pereira who was the squadron commander of Angola’s feared and renowned MiG Squadron 6. This very special squadron regularly bombed villages to the south-east of Angola where residents stood against the regime and supported the opposition in an attempt to bring about change in their country. Pereira ordered every one of those attacks himself and openly joked that the south-east feared the mere mention of his name. By now everyone including General Long was filled with rage and could no longer hide their feelings. They understood why the president approved this mission because these bastards needed to be stopped. Those senseless killings could no longer be allowed! Jack took the third form and it was obvious from the tone in his voice that he was ready to kill. He started reading but then stopped to compose himself. Target number three was Commander Mario Armando who was in charge of underground operations throughout Angola. Armando and his men were feared because of their torturing techniques and well known to cut off body parts in order to achieve success and to leave a reminder of what would happen if their victims did not support them and their regime. He was a cold blooded murderer and enjoyed torturing people even when he knew that they were innocent. The local people feared him because he hurt them and left deep physical scars wherever he went. By now not a single man around that table needed further encouragement. They were filled with rage and wanted those men dead. Jack walked away to deal with his own anger and by doing so also allowed his brother time to calm down. Nick was frustrated and felt that they needed to get into Angola as quickly as possible. He asked Jack to finish the mission brief in order for them to start working on their execution strategy. He insisted that those bastards needed to be stopped and wanted his brothers to speed up proceedings. Jack needed no second invitation and started the short mission brief. These men were not just responsible for the deaths of many innocent civilians but they were also responsible for the killing of South-African troops. Their commander-in-chief requested that they conducted this mission with the same professionalism as their previous ones. They had to infiltrate enemy territory then locate all three their targets before executing them quietly. The president wished them luck and ordered them to stay alive. General Long handed Jack another file which he opened without hesitation. He pulled out the information and shared it with his team. Their intelligence indicated that the three men in their mission file were good friends who met at the same place every month where they discussed and approved their next attacks.