The deadly smile and the restless avenging spirit … I could smell that.
I used to discover the gate to hell and as I have special abilities to handle, I was able to disable them and finally rescued my friends. When I got with it again, I had no reason to be afraid of.
My sword continued to be kept on my belt while I had an air gun ready to take down the enemy, I would never wonder much.
What I didn't get enough was why? Why could a spirit never stop trying to taking vengeance on and on and on? I didn't understand. And when I began to retake the past serious, I also remembered the times out of there, I looked to it …
…
When I checked another body, I found the new body. As usual, checking ID and, yes!
"Ran Kobayashi."
Irony you're, dear. If there were not a story of deadly Heavenly Host, I might have taken board and fly to Tunisia, enjoying the beach of Sfax playing soccer. I knew Arabic, right?
But then, Ran Kobayashi, a brief corpse. Then, I walked to another room, perhaps medical one, and I, once again, discovered another dead body.
And, this time, her fate was so similar to Yui and Seiko: beheaded.
"Fuck … anyone else got their heads out from bodies?"
Her name was also checked: Miyu Shinohara. Wow, so similar to Seiko, but look on her costumes, it was not similar much. There was a sense that no connection between two girls either. Oh, another connection: they were now both headless.
I sat down, again. I got tired a lot because I could not speak anymore. I went an extreme disappointment and anger, and I didn't want to wait anymore. Hell, who was there, show up!
When I sat there, I quickly returned to my memoir, again …
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October 2006
Baghdad, Iraq
For some reasons, I was permitted to meet Saddam Hussein, and when I received a profile about planned execution of the tyrant, I felt myself should spend the rest of my year there to meet Saddam before the execution. So I met.
"ما الذي يبحث عنه الأمريكيون عني؟" (What are you Americans looking from me?)
"صدام حسين ، آتي إلى هنا بسلام. لست متأكداً مما إذا كان يجب أن نتحدث أم لا ، لكن صدقوني ، عندما كنت رئيساً للعراق ، يجب أن تكون لديك تجربة رائعة ، أليس كذلك؟" (Saddam Hussein, I come here with peace. I am not sure if we should speak out or not, but believe me, when you were President of Iraq, you must have an awesome experience, don't you?)
"More than just awesome, my friend."
Saddam's answer showing that he was extremely arrogant and over proud of himself. But I was not surprised if this answer came from a tyrant. So I just told him that, in December, he should change his clothes, because he would be free. His response, however, proved that he knew the fate was coming to him.
My short meeting only took for 7 minutes. After that, I left.
…
Cars and trucks were exist there, but there were a lot of our troops in the streets. I sensed the city had become increasing tense. Number of sectarian violence had increased in just few months. Meanwhile, the Italians had started to depart away, so we had to rely on the Romanians to patrol Baghdad. Some of our Polish GROM troops were also entrusted. Myself this time, walked with the GROM, and met with the Captain of the patrol group.
Jakub Bogałoszewski, 49 years old
A very experienced captain, Jakub was known to be extremely brutal and right-handed. He joined the Polish Armed Forces at 1988 (back then named as People's Army), and he remained since.
Jakub was not a kind of person you should mess with, but when he became humorous, he was also extremely funny and easy-going. I knew him when the Poles patrolled Baghdad following the fall of Saddam, so I would not be surprised at all.
"Jakub, what the hell you are doing?"
"Hah! You just came back, don't you?"
"You are 49. I am a robot cat, so I have no age."
"You are cool. Maybe you are the robot version of Wolverine. Say, who else create you guys successfully? I am surprised."
"This is a long story. Better talk next time."
"So, do you know why we began to check more cars than usual?"
I walked with the Poles in Baghdad and when I marked there to check out, I saw several cars holding suspicious things. The only reason I started to check, must be …
"Mohammed Farah-Abdi, the Yemeni militant of Somali origin. Second hand of Al-Qaeda in Iraq and a member of Al-Shabaab in Somalia."
Farah-Abdi was known to be a mad scientist and he often manufactured, even ran for himself, a factory to make bombs and detonations. Some of them worked for Al-Qaeda and his brothers had tie with them.
Because of his involvement on the failed attack on the Ukrainian embassy in Paris as for the result of Ukraine's involvement in Iraq War, he was listed as a terrorist that must be killed. The Ukrainians wanted him to be extradited to Kiev, so that they could finally execute this bastard.
Back then, he committed attacks on Western interests, a lot. But never thought he would do it to Ukraine. However, I was aware with the fact that he called for a jihad wave in Crimea, then-part of Ukraine, summoning Tatars and muslims to revolt against … the Orthodox infidels. This was when Europe got alarmed, after what they did to Madrid and Beslan in 2004.
I could have seen that coming. Mohammed Farah-Abdi must have been to Baghdad to prepare for a large attack. So I would take my hand up, and, got it!
It's time …
…
…
…
I tried to seek any cars, as well as looking across the street when there were a lot of people walking around. However I quietly recognized a big difference in Baghdad: Sunni in one side and Shi'a in one side. The Sunni followers lived separately from the Shi'a and open discrimination could be heard.
The Sunnis of Iraq, except the Kurds who didn't feel bond with the Arabs, extremely hated the Shi'a. In the past, various Sunnis took power, like the Hashemites, and later the Ba'ath. Ba'ath Iraq intended to make an Arab unity, but later married with Islamic and Sunni extremism, turning it into sectarian issues. Me and Jakub were aware with it.
But why not the Kurds? Well, the Kurds are Sunni majority, but their adherence to Kurdish nationalism, desire to form their own country and strongly anti-Arab pro-Israeli, alienated them from pan-Arabism and pan-Islamism. Kurds are also secular people as well. Saddam did once commit genocide against Kurds by gassing them, leaving to them extremely hated Saddam. It was the Peshmerga who captured Saddam, and the Kurdistan region in Iraq, was one of the most stable place in Iraq, where contractors from many countries, including Israel, visiting there.
But again, we were in Baghdad, which is nowhere near to Kurdistan.
"أسرع أسرع! نحن لا ننتظرك." (Faster, faster! We are not waiting for you.)
We were still hunting for Mohammed Farah-Abdi when we patrolled there. And everything was fine until Jakub and I saw someone running there. He carried something in the bag and tried to cover it.
Our senses both believed it could be a terrorist plot. As increasing sectarian violence in Baghdad had emerged, we had to be fast. We ought to have taken it seriously.
"Let's go, Jakub."
We ran to the building and quietly opened the door, as I and Jakub ran up with a number of GROM soldiers. We then moved quietly to not getting trapped. Then, I slowly heard about it …
"Farah-Abdi! Inshallah!"
What?
Mohammed Farah-Abdi, the most hunted person, had been to the city? I didn't understand a bit, until I discovered out this was …
Those bastards had digged a tunnel long before we invaded Iraq, in order to prevent themselves from being discovered. I told to Jakub and both of us understood that, they were planning to make several suicide attacks. Some of those insurgents I saw from the window were also from Chechnya and Dagestan, both are Republics under Russian administration and has long histories of violence. Though, the Russians are extremely brutal, following Beslan 2004, the Russians had executed and killed a lot of Chechens. This brutal treatment of Russian troops in Chechnya earned them the name "butcher of Chechnya"; but for anti-muslim groups in Europe, Russia is seen as a savior.
Again, I tried to see how many insurgents, but perhaps 10 to 12, including Farah-Abdi. After that, we decided to interrupt them. I and Jakub counted on.
"3, 2, 1!"
I shot my air gun into the door, cracked down the door at the expense of those insurgents. They were startled and tried to arm themselves, but I and Jakub's men were faster in one step. We shot them immediately and took down two of them. Then we immediately entered in and shot three others. Those remaining fired back. Gun fires came.
"تموت ، أيها الأوغاد الكافرون!" (Die, you infidel bastards!)
Mohammed Farah-Abdi was very scared that he had to take his design and told them to blast the place. I knew what was Farah-Abdi planning, so I shot to his foot.
Abdi was hit and he fell. Then, he tried to move, as his men started to take cover. But our experience proved to be better and we beat all of these insurgents in few seconds later. The last two was down.
The number was 11. Abdi was one of them. We lost zero. So great to feel how many we had killed.
…
…
…
After then, we looked on Mohammed Farah-Abdi, our Somali boy captured by Polish GROM. To be frank, capturing him was the best thing we had right now. And not surprised, at all cost.
Those Chechens, I would need to text about possibility of it. The United States was quite secretly backing Russia against Chechens, as for the rapid increase of Islamic extremism, and no surprise that NATO also thought the same, though likely to woo Georgia by supporting Russia against Chechens to calm Russia's fear over NATO expansion.
Shit!
When we decided to take Farah-Abdi, suddenly, an explosion in somewhere occurred.
"BOOM!"
Really?
We took out Farah-Abdi while watching from the window about the explosion. Turning out, someone had carried an attack there, and both had something to do with it.
I questioned Abdi how many tunnels like that, and Abdi claimed more than just one. I didn't know why, but if more than just one, then it could be serious. We looked again and for some reasons, I must be aware with it.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"
I immediately escorted Abdi, together with our GROM allies under Jakub's command. Jakub was also serious, when he eliminated all obstacles across the city. People had begun to gather to see the explosion, as the explosion just distanced from the place we captured Farah-Abdi three streets.
None of us denied about the military gathering around as well. They were examining the level of the attack, they concluded.
The attack headed into a market near our patrol post. It exploded and killed 30 people, and injured 44 people. The suicide attack proved to be deadly, as it injured some of our patrol soldiers.
Those jundis had failed to understand it. I must have extreme regret for trying to aid them, a failed army, of course.
No one like this story, but it was a must.
…
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…
After that, I let Jakub to escort Farah-Abdi. The Poles did very well, again. I loved it. Thank you Poland.
I didn't imagine the war anything more tragic, but at least Iraq was not Vietnam in an extent. Outside hearing about the story of Viet Ram (Vietnam + Ramadi, lol), Iraq at least didn't end up like Vietnam, when we could contain it.
Of course, the Poles thought less or more of Vietnam is still a question. In the past, Poland and Vietnam were both communists, so no surprise that we had a level of knowledge there.
The Poles, as I had spoken for those who knew, had a deep sympathy to the Vietnamese people. If we had used times, you would realize they are similar in their historical pain. Both were used to be repeatedly invaded and invaded by imperial forces, such as Russia, China, the Mongols, and an extent, the Turks, the Germans, the Swedes and the Austrians for Poland; and the Khmers, the Thais, the Japanese and the French for Vietnam.
But what truly made those who knew Vietnamese history in Poland upset, is Vietnam has not escaped from communist regime. Poland, meanwhile, has revolted and overthrown those commies in 1989.
Being an American myself, in the U.S., we have an official day called the Pulaski Day, celebrated since 1986 by Polish American community. It quickly reminded me that, the Poles and Vietnamese are also very influential with their impressive wars and revolutions. I remembered when the Poles repulsed the Turks at Vienna 1683, the Balkan nations made a revolution against the Turks and the Habsburg finally re-captured much of their lost territory. The Polish anthem inspired Europeans to wage a revolt of 1848. When Polish partisans fought the WWII against Germans and Soviets, they got supported by entire of world's partisans together and even India's Gandhi showed solidarity with Poland. The Poles revolted against communist rule in 1980s inspired whole parts of Europe and the world to fight back communist authoritarianism and leaving North Korea as the only communist bastion in de facto.
But the Vietnamese? Well, I would have no idea if I didn't go with Jakub …
"Jakub Bogałoszewski, what the hell man?"
He read a book called Historia w Wietnamu, privately published in Poland during 1990s. I wondered …
"Wait, you are reading …"
"My friend, my father used to be in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. His impression on them led him to collect a number of memory over the Vietnamese and it was him to requested to publish the book."
"Why you try to read about this communist state, seriously?"
At that time, I didn't have my attention.
"Blame it or not, it is still there. And I won't hate a country just because of a terrible Government, either."
"Jakub, what are your impressions of Vietnam anyway?"
"They are also great people."
He told that the Vietnamese are extremely amazing people, and his father wasn't wrong. I didn't understand enough, but when I listened to him, I soon understood it was more complicated than you thought.
He told me that the Vietnamese are tough people, because they fought China for thousand years. They were also tough warriors by repelling the Khmer and Cham invasions, and repeated invasions from China as well as Thailand; but the greatest was against the Mongols. If we read history, the Mongols are cousins of the Turks who would invade Europe at 1400s and being repelled by the mighty Poles at 1683. Those who invaded Vietnam in 1200s, formed mostly by the Turks.
In modern era, Vietnamese proved to be great fighters when they repelled Japan and France, contributed to the revolt against imperial rules in Asia and Africa.
But the funniest part is … lol, the Turks had been kicked ass twice!
The tragedy of Vietnam was communism. The communist retards had taken over the country, and me, together with Jakub, agreed with it. As an American, I supported our view. But Jakub spoke something that would haunt me …
"However, judging out the nature of Asian continent is an extremely complex, when many countries fell under tyranny and authoritarianism too long, I feel that the continent is not ready to move toward democracy like Europe, or other parts of the world."
"What?"
"You know, Asia is not Europe or the Americas. Nor even similar to Oceania. This continent has a long history of being under authoritarianism, and China, one the world's ancient civilizations, is the birth place of authoritarian rule. Because of it, China always saw themselves the need of waging war to impose their rule and oppress dissidents."
"China? Birth place of authoritarianism?"
"Yes. Unlike India, Iran and ancient Europe/Rome/Greek, Chinese civilization didn't have idea of democracy but full authoritarian rule. People in there to fend themselves against Chinese imperialism had no choice but to become tough. So they would accept any kind of rules, if this defends their countries. I feel Vietnam fell to communist tyranny is sad, because the reds murdered many people; but an aspect also tells me, this maybe the temporary way to fight against Chinese imperialism, as China later invaded this country at 1979."
"You mean like …"
So I quietly realized what he told me. Vietnam is an Asian country, and the continent has a long history of totalitarian rules rather than democracy. This might explain why movement for democratic changes in Asia so weak comparing to Europe or the Americas. He also explained that, some democratic countries in Asia are actually not democratic like North Korea, like Thailand which the military held behind "elections", or going to the Arab Gulf nations which are extremely authoritarian and oppressive. Not just say Pakistan, Cambodia, Malaysia are actually not democracy, etc. This left Taiwan, Japan, Mongolia, South Korea, Indonesia and India as few democratic bastions.
However, all behind this came from China. The Chinese would invade any countries that do not follow their system of obeying China. They did it to Korea before, cutting Korea to two. They did to Vietnam. They did to India. They tried with Taiwan. They supplied Taliban in Afghanistan. They helped Iranian regime with nuclear weapons. I will never know why, but it seemed like, Vietnamese people have no choice but to accept communist tyranny in their head, or else China will make it worse.
That's what Jakub said.
…
…
Quick enough, Jakub finally stated:
"You may see it coming. I am sure China's imperial habit has never stopped. It is just, when and why. They are also far smarter than Russia."
Well, we talked about it in a base after the explosion. When we imprisoned Farah-Abdi, I spent time talking with Jakub and soon I realized, it was real.
As the later, Jakub said:
"I'll travel to Southeast Asia when my military career over. I am looking to become a human right activist and an analyst."
"Such amazing dream, but you're 49 now. You're not young anymore."
"Not young anymore doesn't make me old."
"Well … wish you the best. But … say, you will also visit Vietnam, right? I am taking a group of former U.S. veterans to the country."
"Yes."
"Do you think this country will become a democracy soon?"
"I do. And I believe in the bless of God, the Vietnamese shall free themselves from communist rule. Not 10 years, then 20 years, then 30 years, and more. But beyond 100 years, you will not see the communists in Vietnam anymore."
I and him looked on, and we saw a determination between us that there would be no more communist regimes in the world, like how the Poles overthrew the commies at 1989.
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Jakub Bogałoszewski retired in 2009, and he had become a teacher in the Jagiellonian University. He did travel and collect a memoir of Asia's historical struggle between democracy and authoritarianism. Following China's ambitions to take over South China and East China Seas, he put a lot of criticisms against China. When One Belt, One Road came to mind, he believed this could have been China's plan to promote their influence and to increasing their controls on other part of the world, and he was not hesitate to claim OBOR as a new Chinese project of neo-colonialism.
Thus, his stance was marked with criticisms by Chinese in their medias.
He also campaigns for freedom of speeches in other Asian nations, urging South Korea, Taiwan and Japan to take more aggressive stance against human rights violation in Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, Burma, etc.
Wow, I had few words, but I thought he could be …
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#####
But seeing two dead bodies also marked me with a deep insult.
I soon wondered who could have been there anyway. I got mad with this.
"Who could have been so mad like today?"
I would never forgive those who did it. I must have sensed this way, which, I must take my head serious.
Little Ran and Miyu, might be?
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…
"Please … if you know Sachiko …"
I quickly stood up when I heard someone appeared to us. The spirit of someone appeared behind me, I smelt it.
…
…
"Who're you, anyway?"
I put my gun up and looked into … exactly what I expected, how amusing.
"Lmao!"
I saw you now. A spirit of the already headless Miyu came back, lol. What did she want?
"I came because …"
"You were dead? Yeah, I know."
She was surprised that I didn't get scared to see her spirit. But if I had to explain, it would be a waste of time. I just asked a question.
"あなたがこれのようなことを全部やり遂げたのは何だったの？" (What the fuck you let everything like this came to you?)
She blushed … and then she explained to me. After a while, I soon understood, it was something … I must bear it.