Spriggan: Covert Ops

By: Ominae

Rating: T

NOTE:

All characters of Spriggan are under the copyright of Hiroshi Takashige and Ryoji Minagawa. All others are off my own. Any events depicted are based on real life events for storytelling purposes.

Summary:

The operations that the Children of Soldier Machine Organic System (COSMOS) aka Project COSMOS has participated in for the US military in the eyes of officers who were present to oversee and manage the unit's child soldiers. AU - Events will be based on actual events that happened in real life where the US military had participated in covert ops from the Cold War to the present.

Chapter 1: Target Snatch


March 18, 1969

Somewhere in A Shau Valley, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, South Vietnam


An unmarked Bell UH-1H Huey utility helicopter was seen moving towards the outskirts of the A Shau Valley in the early hours of morning, flying low to avoid the risk of being detected by anti-aircraft installations established by the People's Army of Vietnam or more commonly known to Free World Military Forces as the North Vietnamese Army.

Inside the chopper was a squad of 12 soldiers inside, seated down on the floor. They appear to be teenagers, most of them Asian with a few Caucasians. They were dressed in Thai-made tiger stripe BDUs, boonie hats and web gear with black leather fingerless gloves. They were also clad in Panama sole-type Tropical Combat Boots. Their faces were covered in black and green camo paint.

A Caucasian man in his 30s, also clad in the same tiger stripe BDUs and Paname sole-type combat boots, began to speak with them. He was also seated on the floor.

"Alright, let's go over the mission plan." said the man when the squad nodded their heads in unison. "As all of you are aware, the Marines are preparing to make a withdrawal back to Vandegrift Combat Base since most of the valley's control was taken from the PAVN. But MACV-SOG received some important information for an operation that needs to be done."

The man unfolded a map of the valley, which includes the location of the USMC's Vandegrift Combat Base. A circle was seen on the map, which indicates a target destination.

"We'll be deployed here in this section of A Shau Valley." The man pointed to the circle drawn on the map before he took out a black and white photo of a man in his late 20s with an East Asian appearance. He has neatly combed hair and was wearing an olive drab military-type shirt.

"Our target is Nguyễn Văn Tấn. He's a liaison officer assigned to the PAVN with family links to the Vietnamese Communist Party. Recent information indicates that he's scheduled to withdraw with some units of the PAVN's 9th Regiment out of the valley due to safety reasons."

The debriefing continued when he pointed to a X mark on the map. "MACV-SOG has pointed to this area as the point of origin where the squads from the 9th Regiment would head to in order to link up with other friendlies prior to withdrawing with the VIP. We ambush them here and take the VIP into our custody. Any vehicles you see, take them out with thermite grenades. We need to deny the enemy the chances of getting them serviced in case they get damaged."

One of the pilots informed him. "Captain Wayne!"

"We almost there?!"

"Four more minutes! Then we fly in to deposit them!"

"Check your gear again!" The Captain gave his orders. "Make sure they're in top shape. Out there... Once something goes wrong, we don't have a reset button that we can use to fix our fuckups! Is that clear?"

I can't believe my first mission after being transferred from the Rangers is to lead a bunch of military trained child soldiers called COSMOS into battle. Is this the CIA's handiwork or did MACV-SOG get their hands dirty like they always do?

"Yes, sir!" The squad began to check their weapons, gear and the manpack radios they're bringing in for the op. For the purpose of the mission, all of them were armed with a mixture of Ithaca M3A1 submachine guns with integral suppressors and two RPD light machine guns, modified with short barrels and buttstocks. Two soldiers in the team served as snipers, armed with suppressed XM21 sniper rifles with Redfield Adjustable Ranging Telescopes attached via scope mounts. Frag, smoke and thermite grenades were also included in the loadout.

"One more thing. Do not open fire unless the enemy fires first or I give the order. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir!"

For Captain Wayne, he was also armed with the suppressed M3A1. For his sidearm, he used a Colt M1911A1 because he can trust the firepower of the .45 ACP caliber.

"Get ready! We're about to approach the LZ!"

The Huey began to hover near the LZ when the cabin door was opened, but not too high enough so that the squad can easily jump down without getting injured. Captain Wayne followed once a COSMOS soldier gave the thumbs up that the area is safe.

"Move out! Go!"

The officer led the way as the Huey began to take off. Staying in the area could get them detected by PAVN forces.


Forests of A Shau Valley, Thừa Thiên-Huế Province, South Vietnam


The COSMOS squad advanced carefully in the forest, scouting out their surroundings for any PAVN sapper units that could be in the area either as an advance force or as a blocking force.

"Target in sight." One of the COSMOS soldiers reported to Captain Wayne when he caught sight of their destination...

Which was a three-way dirt road intersection. There was some marks on the road, made from explosives thrown into the area from a previous fight.

"Everyone, stay in the bushes and wait. Let the sniper do the recon."

The squad nodded, getting to the good bushes that remained before they went for the prone position. Most of the area had been bombed, thanks to artillery and to B2 bombers deployed to break the valley's natural cover.

The snipers had their XM21 slings secured on their backs before they went for the nearest elevated position that can get a good look at the three-way road intersection. They moved in using debris from fallen trees and craters from bomb drops to cover their approach, using elevated terrain to get a good view. But at least they were a bit near the squad in case they need to fall back and regroup.

Captain Wayne used hand signals to let the squad know that they need to get down.

For now, they waited and waited. But for this matter, the squad's been trained to wait unless the target shows itself thanks to multiple rehearsals in a black site.

They waited until it was almost 12 in the afternoon.

Captain Wayne saw an incoming convoy approaching the intersection. He ordered one of the soldiers to get eyes on it.

Coming down the road was a couple of Mitsubishi CJ3B-J6 jeeps, most likely taken from Army of the Republic of Vietnam forces. Behind it was a ZIL-151 truck with a Mitsubishi CJ3B-J4 jeep. The soldier reported that someone matching the physical description of the VIP was in the backseat of the captured J4. Each jeep had four soldiers each. It's unknown how many men were inside the truck since a tarp was covering the bed.

"Intelligence surely paid off." Captain Wayne replied when he heard the news. "Tell the snipers to shoot the drivers after they're in range."

The instructions were relayed to the snipers via manpack radio they brought with them.

The only thing they need to do was to wait. The convoy was almost near the intersection in about... 5 minutes.

The soldier was on standby with the manpack radio, waiting for the signal for the snipers to shoot at the convoy and pin them down for an incoming ambush.

Here goes...

5

4

3

2

1

and there.

The snipers immediately opened fire at the PAVN soldiers manning the two J6 jeeps. They subsequently crashed on impact due to the dead drivers, forcing the ZIL truck and the J4 jeep from the back to fully stop.

"Go, go, go!" Captain Wayne gave the order when the shooting started.

The COSMOS squads moved out from the bushes with the RPD-armed soldiers providing close quarters on the vehicles (except for the J4 jeep), forcing the PAVN forces to keep their heads down to avoid being hit.

From the immediate attack, the PAVN soldiers on the overturned jeeps were a bit dazed by the impact and were trying to get back on their feet. Two COSMOS soldiers aimed their M3A1s at them before they fired. They then fired again to ensure their death.

The first COSMOS soldier with the RPD aimed it at the truck's cabin, taking out the front passenger and the driver, the latter to make sure he was dead for good.

The other COSMOS soldier with the second RPD charged for the truck's covered bed, spraying it with several 7.62 x 39 Soviet bullets. He could hear loud groans of the PAVN soldiers being shot. He then lobbed in a primed M26 frag grenade as a form of insurance.

Captain Wayne led a small team to the J4 jeep. They shot the four PAVN soldiers manning it with their M3A1s. After they were shot dead, the COSMOS team approached their corpses and fired again via double tap.

"Clear!" A COSMOS soldier shouted after checking the bombed truck bed to see the PAVN soldiers inside dead.

"Clear!" Another COSMOS soldier shouted after he checked the pulse of the PAVN soldier he shot at the J4's front passenger seat.

"All clear!"

The sniper radioed in and confirmed that the area should be clear of hostiles.

"Check it, Number 39." Captain Wayne ordered one of the COSMOS soldiers to check the VIP if he's still inside the jeep.

"Yes, sir." The COSMOS soldier drew out a M1911A1 from the holster strapped on his web belt after he secured the M3A1's sling on his right shoulder. He took out the photo and compared it to the VIP.

["Hands up!"] The soldier shouted in Vietnamese, having no hint of a foreign accent. ["Or else I'll shoot!"]

The VIP raised his hands up slowly, being scared that his escorts were killed in the ambush.

The M1911A1-armed COSMOS soldier examined the B&W photo of Nguyễn Văn Tấn. He checked it against the VIP after a couple of COSMOS soldiers restrained him by pushing him down while keeping a hold of his arms. The VIP looked the same, except that he was growing a beard for quite some time.

"It's him, sir. We got the target." The soldier showed the captain the photo.

"Pack him up. And get someone to radio the chopper."

"Yes, sir."

The two COSMOS soldiers placed a black hood over his head after Nguyễn was restrained by tying his wrists behind his back. They kept a close eye on him as they moved out.

"Pop it!" Captain Wayne got a M14 thermite grenade and threw it at the J4 after taking the safety pin off.

The other COSMOS soldier threw primed M14s into the other vehicles to render them useless.

The squad began to retreat back into the forest after they called for an extract by chopper. The snipers stayed behind to cover their escape, being the last to leave.

When the other Huey began to arrive at the designated LZ, the squad hauled in their prisoner and waited for the others to start getting inside before they moved in last, in part to get the prisoner inside.

The Huey took off at once, not wanting to stay around and be a moving target.

It was mission accomplished as they were now airborne, the cabin door closed afterwards.


Forward Operational Base #4 (Camp Villarosa), Da Nang, Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam


It was early nightfall when the Huey began to arrive at the outskirts of the camp. At the edge of the helipad, four MACV-SOG soldiers were on standby to help the squad take the prisoner in.

The Huey was guided in for a landing safely, since there was still some sun, which helped the pilots land.

"Let's go!" The MACV-SOG soldiers moved in towards the chopper as the pilots turned off the engine. The cabin door was opened and Captain Wayne was the first person to step out. Two COSMOS soldiers followed after him, moving the prisoner with them.

"He's all yours!" Captain Wayne greeted two MACV-SOG soldiers who took custody of the hooded VIP.

"We'll take it from here! Good work, Captain!"

The captain nodded, watching the VIP get taken away. From here on, it was up to them to determine what kind of information they can dig out from Nguyễn's head.


Chapter 1 END

PS - Always wanted to do a fic that centers on the elite child soldiers of COSMOS in the Spriggan world. This fic hit me when I decided to do it based on actual black ops missions that have taken place with special forces used by various governments for (mostly) anti-terrorist missions or for classic cloak and dagger such as those that happened back in the Vietnam War in an effort to weaken North Vietnamese-backed forces. There may be some chapters that center on events based from some conspiracy theorists (mostly from the left) that black ops missions did take place/are taking place in certain countries.

This will probably continue until I can hit some places in Iraq and Afghanistan that did have black ops missions using spec ops commandos. Who knows... This fic won't involve anyone else from the rest of the Spriggan 'verse, but who knows about that too, that could change. Except maybe Sho Kanaya since he's the main face of COSMOS and Colonel Ralph Cooley for the meantime.

Please let me know how I did with regards to this chapter.