The Devil's Handshake (43 page)

The Russian President looked towards the
Director of the GRU to see if their listening post in Yemen had
picked this call up.

He got answer he didn’t want.

“
We did pick up this call.
It was made to the United Nations offices in Djibouti and then
followed by another one to Viper. In both cases the woman asked for
help and blamed HARE,” he answered using Wasir’s and Jawari’s
codename.

“
Sir, I recommend we declare
to United Nations that we have a brigade on the way that can
provide support for the mission,” the Chief of the General Staff of
the Russian military said knowing they were thirty minutes away
from entering Adwalland’s air space. He could see the situation
descending into a full-blown confrontation between Russia and
America if they didn’t.

The Russian President took stock for a moment
through the placement of his hands into a praying form under his
chin elbows on the table.

The political loss of face at having
Americans arriving at Russia’s new significantly publicized Navy
base to secure it was bad enough. The loss of his new ally in
Africa would have political consequences with respect to Russia
future plans for the region would be disastrous. Privately, he
reflected somewhat bitterly that the Americans were out-thinking
him on this.

He reached a decision. The United Nations
Mission at this moment was of secondary importance.

“
Sergey Viktorovich please
notify the Americans as soon as the Brigade enters the Adwalland
air space that we are sending Russian Armed forces to provide
assistance in stabilizing the situation in Borama. Let them know
they must not to interfere or prevent our aircraft. Also let them
know that although we welcome their help in supporting the United
Nations Mission at Lughaya; they must not to confuse the situation
by stepping outside their United Nations remit.” the Foreign
Minister nodded and took notes.

“
Once our troops are on the
ground inform the Secretary General and get our Ambassador to call
a Security Council meeting immediately reviewing the situation on
the ground,” The Russian President further added. Again the
Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded his acceptance at his orders
without comment.

“
Valery Vasilevich, as soon
the troops are on the ground and have secured the situation in the
capital, tell the Brigade Commander to send his troops with all
haste to relieve the Americans at the Mission,” the President then
informed his Chief of General Staff.

“
Sir, may I suggest that we
set all Russian forces on Elevated Combat Readiness?” suggested the
Marshal, referring to the equivalent of the American’s DEFCON TWO
knowing these decisions by his President would in probability lead
to an exchange of fire between Russia and America.

The Chairman of the Government of the Russian
Federation took this as his cue to enter the discussion.

“
That is required by law Mr.
President!” he said. Being a former lawyer before he entered
politics at the President’s side over thirteen years ago, he was
ever aware of the need to do things in line with in accordance with
the federal constitutional law “On the Government of the Russian
Federation” and as his position demanded of him.

The Russian President inwardly sighed,
knowing his Prime Minister was correct in his demand.

Because Russia had never forgotten the loss
of face over the Cuban Missile Crisis, they had written into their
constitution that all Russian Armed Forces must be ready for combat
when declared members of the Russian military were to enter into
theatre.

“
They will automatically
respond accordingly,” the President replied reluctantly knowing
that the Americans would respond in kind.

Ever the diplomat, the Minister of Foreign
Affairs offered his thoughts.

“
Sir, I believe the moment
we do that, the Americans will not yield the security of the
Mission,” he said reflecting on his personal dealings with the
current Secretary of State and their determination to prevent the
President at every turn in his foreign policy goals.

The President of the Russia Federation took a
further minute to reflect on the advice offered around the table,
as he did so he fixed his piercing gaze upon the Prime
Minister.

In response the man quickly sat up straight
and straightened his tie. To those who knew him well, this was his
poker tell whenever he had gotten one over on the Russian
President.

“
Make it so!” the leader of
Russia ordered with all the authority of his office towards the
Marshal ignoring his Minister of Foreign Affairs warning and
putting his Prime Minister back in his place.

“
No trumped up little Prime
Minister is going to make me look weak!” the President of the
Russian Federation thought.

49

Borama

The coup d’état started with Andrew Martin
pulling in his Land Cruiser up outside the Presidential Palace
walls in the center of the small city.

Picking up the Codex phone at his side, he
promptly dialed the President’s direct number to ask him to
surrender.

The exchange was quick and ended with the
President telling him he personally would put a bullet in both him
and Wasir.

“
I take it he told us to
fuck off!” asked Wilson. Martin nodded.

Five minutes later the ex-colonel sent the
first two armored personnel carriers towards the gates at speed.
One went left of the wall, the other to the right to take up
offensive positions so to provide covering fire to those who would
follow them.

Seeing this, the Gurkha’s and the militia
loyal to the President’s reply was instantaneous. They let loose a
barrage of defensive fire towards the Turaegs as they exited from
their vehicles, killing several in the process as they took up
defensive covering fire positions behind the vehicles.

The M60 mounted on a Toyota Land cruiser of
Martin quickly stopped them in their tracks. A ripple of heavy
machine gunfire attacked the wall, forcing the Gurkhas beneath the
wall.

Deciding there and then he would need to use
one of their RPG on the mounted M60, the senior NCO, an experienced
solider who had seen service in Afghanistan and Iraq, of the men
behind the wall spoke into the speaker attached to his
earpiece.

“
BUFFALO cover fire needed
on 60,” he said using the call sign of the team on the left of the
wall.

Instantly three of the Gurkhas, from the team
on the other side of the wall to the ex-corporal responded to his
appeal. They let off a volley of bullets in the general direction
of the M60 so to draw the man in charge of the weapon to shift his
assault towards them.

Seizing his moment to strike, the forty-three
year-old former Corporal took a deep breath and poked his head over
the wall. He took aim then released the Grenade from the weapon. He
had never missed during his two tours of the Helmand in
Afghanistan. He didn’t miss today either.

The loud explosion and the screams from the
fireball that followed on from the blowing up of the open top Jeep
forced the Turaegs to scatter in panic.

As they did so, they gave the Militia on the
wall the opportunity to pick off four of them and wound at least
fourteen.

With the first assault in full flow Wilson
ordered up another carrier, this one though had a battering ram
attached to the front.

“
Take it out,” he said to
the Ukrainian commander using his call sign.

At full speed, the vehicle did just that as
the bullets fired from the Militia and the Gurkhas on the walls
bounced off the carrier.

The ramshackle gate of the Presidential
Offices was no match for the battering ram of the Type 63 and
debris flew in all directions as the vehicle burst through.

Once the Type 63 carriers were inside the
compound, the two nests in front of the offices let rip with their
12.7mm rounds into the approaching vehicles.

The effect was instantaneous.

The deadly shells tore through human flesh
inside the carriers, bringing screams of pain and terror, stopping
dead in an instant the initial assault of Martin in the
process.

Following their colleagues’ lead on the
ground, the Gurkhas and the Militia on the wall also let rip on the
now retreating assault vehicles.

A second RPG fired by one of the other
Gurkhas took out the side of one the armored vehicle that was
reversing from the right in the process.

“
FUCK!” said Martin as Wasir
turned up, he had just lost over forty men in the initial assault
and the last thing he needed was Wasir on the scene.

“
Tony put a couple of M60s
and RPGs up on those BLOODY roofs and bung some covering fire on
the wall! They’re sitting ducks down there!” he shouted pointing
towards the houses across the street from the building.

He hadn’t anticipated that the President had
armor-piercing rounds that would take out his vehicles nor had he
thought he would be facing Gurkhas, one of the most professional
and fearsome fighting units of the British Army.

“
Yes, Boss!” answered the
former RSM.

“
How are things going, Mr.
Andrew?” asked the former pirate and coup leader as he walked into
the room.

“
To plan!” answered the
mercenary, lying.

Forty-five minutes later with the battle
still raging the second breach effort of the compound took place.
This time it was successful, as the men on the wall, under constant
fire from across the street, were forced to retreat back into the
offices.

“
WHAT’S THE TIMING ON THE
ARRIVAL OF THE CALVARY?” shouted Thomas across the sound of machine
gun fire towards the general direction of Igor seeing that now the
Gurkhas and the militia retreating behind the two machines
guns.

With a cut across Thomas’s head and dust
covering his face courtesy of a RPG that had hit the wall by the
side of his position and had knocked him off his feet he looked
nothing like the cool and calm image of his public persona.

“
THEY ARE ABOUT FIVE MINUTES
OUT!” answered Igor, having just been updated on his Codex
telephone by the inbound commanding officer just seconds
before.

Thomas gave a singular nod before returning
to his position to offer defensive fire in the direction of the
advancing troops.

Turning towards Jawari, the Zaslon commander
proceeded to update him on the situation and what were needed to
ensure that either side sustained no friendly casualties.

Omar Jawari nodded then quickly and called
his man at the airport to tell them to expect reinforcements
arriving by planes in five minutes and the code words he must use
to identify themselves as his men.

A nod of thanks came from Igor in return once
the terrified President of Adwalland confirmed it was done.
Returning to his Codex phone he then updated the Commander of the
inbound assault force.

“
CONFIRMED TEACHER IS STILL
A HOLD!” Igor said just as the militia of Wasir and the Turaegs
breached the inner walls of the offices.

“
Breach, Breach, SANDBOX!”
came the cry.

It was now a race against time as the men
downstairs let rip and the building shook from the sound of
grenades.

At five minutes past eight local time just as
the back doors of the IL-76 opened to enable his men to disembark
at speed, Podpolovnk Alekseyevich Valeri Stukalov took a private
moment to reflect on the situation.

In his entire professional career, he had
faced many dangerous situations, but this was almost certainly his
worst one yet! It was so fast moving with so many variables that he
wasn’t sure what would come next.

It had started when he had been informed by
Moscow that the situation had escalated to the point where both
America and Russia were about to go toe to toe with each other. He
wasn’t aware of all facts as to how that had happened, and if he
were honest it didn’t concern him at that moment; he had his
mission to focus on.

That changed though the moment two American
F-15s fighter jets appeared alongside them as they approached Adwal
airspace.

Initially, he told the captains to ignore
them. That order though had to be quickly changed when the fighter
jet promptly issued three warnings after telling them not to enter
Adwal airspace and then fired warning shots in front of them.

Immediately, as their mission was on the live
feed, Moscow Command stepped in and told them to identify
themselves as Russian Armed Forces to the pilot.

“
Sir!” said the captain
attempting to protest, fearing what their response would
be.

“
Just do it,” he ordered,
praying that it would work.

Command was right, it bought them a further
three minutes of approach time. Suddenly their radio crackled
up.

“
Captain, if you or
colleague deviate from your flight path into Borama we will shoot
you down,” said the pilot of one of the F-15s.

It was only when the flash signal came over
the wire on his laptop that he was actually informed of why this
was happening and what his new orders were.

The primary objective hadn’t changed; they
still needed to rescue the President of the little African country
and assist him in stabilizing the city. It was the second one that
bothered him.

“
Once HARE is secured make
all haste to Lughaya to relieve United States of America Armed
forces engaged on a rescue operation on behalf of the United
Nations. Lethal force is authorized.”