The brief time he spent within the conference room he could tell that there were factions fighting for power within the army itself, most prominent were the Chief of Army, General Roka and Chief of Royal Guards Sugun as they were two different armies. The Royal Army was the nation's national army but the Royal guards were a privately funded army from Pagan and Yuma's pocket on its own. Therefore, it did not take orders from the Army chief but Pagan himself, although the army chief was still a higher ranking officer than the guard chief. This explained the disparity in equipment they each equipped their soldiers with.
Some things happened and he landed himself with Saraswati, his new liaison officer to the Army headquarters. She was critical in getting assistance from the army while in the south regions, he couldn't just depend on his now four-man squad of elite Royal Guard Hunters to do everything for him, even Bipin his personal assistant was worked like a workhorse as it was.
"So what do you think about the situation in the South, Badala?" Saraswati asked him from the passenger seat as he drove back to the palace armory.
"I'm more interested in the forces backing the Golden Path than the group themselves, I do have a pretty good idea who it is as well!"
"Ohh? Really, who is it?"
"Solomon Khoo, the arms supplier for the Royal Army and Guards. Switched sides and now supplies the Golden Path, I don't know about his motivations though…."
"Everyone knows about his betrayal Badala." Saraswati laughs unrestraint.
"There is also another person I'm sure is on that side."
"And who might that be?" Saraswati said not so seriously expecting an answer from him.
Ajay had a hunch the one running the show presently was Sabal, he recalled the shattered look on Amita's face that day he destroyed the expeditionary force she led. Seeing that prideful face of hers she always wore break gave his heart great satisfaction, Pagan enjoyed the end of the day as well. Chopping down those Golden Path terrorists with his own hands, he wore a contented look the next following few days. That said, she was in no condition to fight against Sabal for power implying he might have likely taken full control of the Golden Path and begun this invasion with the help from the arms dealer…..
…and that asshole Willis Huntley.
There was no way Ajay could forget about the CIA case officer. That dick sent him on a wild goose chase after helping him land, manipulating him into hunting down CIA assets for him from Yuma's lieutenants. It also explained why he was quite reserved about sharing things with the hunters other than Maya and Bipin. Maya was loyal to Yuma so she wouldn't be a double agent, Bipin was always close to him and he could read from the man's eyes his efforts were always genuine.
But it was for another reason Ajay truly despised the man. If it was just that for the intel he provided to him he would have left it as a business transaction with a shrewd businessman. But at the end of their agreement Willis tossed him to Yuma directly to fulfill his end of the deal by, "Asking her yourself…" He was imprisoned on Durgesh Prison as a result of that. The memories there left a scar on his sanity, the bone piercing cold, the hungry predators and the narcotics Yuma pumped into him.
"Badala….Badala? Helloooo?"
"Uh….sorry! Just phasing out that's all!" Ajay responded recovering his sense.
"Mmmm… you were awfully quiet back there, don't tell me you really know the players behind the scenes?"
"…"
"And, you probably keep it withheld because I don't need to know. Is this your way of protecting me?"
"How the hell did you get that assumption?"
Saraswati smiled thoughtfully at Ajay. He hoped his blush would not be seen from behind the mask.
-Why do all the women in Kyrat have this kind of charm?-
"So with that said, Captain Roka will be our support within the Southern Kyrat territories!" Ajay had given the gathered hunters a brief introduction to his liaison officer with Army HQ.
"A pleasure to be working with you all, you can call be Saras when we're off duty!" She purred. Ajay wondered if this was the image she wanted to set herself with Yuma's minions.
"I like her already!" Anish declared immediately enchanted by her wiles.
"Shut up, Anish!" Maya warned him with a kick.
"So these are the brave men…. and woman who took back Ratu Gadhi!" Saras looked at every one of them before turning too Maya last. Saras smiled at Maya warmly with her smiling back. It seemed seeing a fellow woman in the same circumstances brought them to admire one another. Ajay had no problem with that.
"Um…A-Ouch!-Badala! What's with the mask?" Anish asked him and nearly revealed his real name but luckily Maya was close by to kick him again to remind him.
"Do you not like it?" Ajay grinned maliciously at him, to silence him.
"Uh- nevermind!" Which he successfully did leaving Saras with only a suspicion of what Anish was trying to say.
Ajay gave a brief introduction of everyone to Saraswati.
"Maya, documentation…." Ajay reminded her about the proof they worked under him.
"Oops!" She stuck her tongue out cheekily. Ajay sighed.
-If that's how you want to play it…-
"Then our engagement is annulled. You'll report back to Yuma today! I wish you a-."
"Hey, wait a second!" Maya shouted frantic. She really didn't think Ajay would tell them to leave, the rest expressed just the same expression as her.
"You are all supposed to be stationed at the Royal Fortress or Durgesh Prison. There's nothing that says you're working with me, so that means you are all AWOL. And as I said before specifically, you're either useful to me or you're not!" Ajay stated the facts.
Maya bit her lower lip, because even if he was being mean he was right. There was nothing to keep them together with him, it wasn't good especially for Maya's case because she was sent to report on Ajay, what would her mistress say?
"Alright, just please!- Let me get on the phone with Mistress Yuma to convince you otherwise!" She hoped her mistress would settle this for her.
At the mention of Yuma, Ajay turned pale. Being made to talk with her over the phone was a terrifying thing!
"Alright! You can stay, just please don't ever mention talking too Yuma!" He rubbed his forehead from the massive headache he would have had to go through.
Maya was in stupor for a second then smirked, she had just understood from this that Ajay was actually terrified of Mistress Yuma. It may have come terribly close to losing control of the situation quickly, but this new knowledge would serve her well as a trump card against him in future.
"Right, pack up we're going to Captain Roka's base near Bagdahur Fortress."
"What are you staring in thin air for?! Get your asses going!" Maya commanded them to move out.
As Maya went off to settle their logistics before moving out she had a passing glance at Ajay and Saraswati, curious as to what their relationship was.
"Don't you think you were a little harsh on them?" Saras went over to Ajay when their backs were to them.
"My missions are one of the most dangerous, they already lost a comrade on the first mission when we barely even reached the area. They're not obligated to follow me, plus they are technically Yuma's troops."
"Oh! So they were loaned to you by mistress Yuma."
"No… they're here to watch me."
Ajay, Saraswati, Bipin, Maya and the hunters boarded a truck headed deep into the Southern territories over King's bridge. Loaded on it were all the supplies, the ammunition and weapons provided to them as they were temporarily detached from their main unit to aid Ajay.
Saraswati carefully moved through the packed passenger compartment to where Maya was.
"Hi, do you mind if I sit next to you?" Saras said with a cheerful smile.
"Sure." Maya had no reason to refuse her and went back to stroking Bishal, the white tiger cub she named who was lay on her lap chuffing.
"Soo Cuuutee!" Saraswati was late to notice what the white fur ball was but was pleasantly surprised with the discovery.
Maya held out the cub to her.
"May I?" Saras asked.
"He won't bite." Maya placed the docile cub in her hands as she stared at the fine coat of the tiger cub, it was after all its mother's child.
"He's beautiful!" She squealed as she pressed the cub's soft fur against her cheeks.
"He is." The tiger cub chaffed cheerfully not minding the rough handling of Saras.
"Where did you find him?" Maya was reminded of the scene where she and the rest were locked in fear of the sky-tiger, its mother and left Ajay alone to fight it to submission. Then there was Prayan's death. Saras noticed she touched on a sensitive topic.
"It's alright, I'm sorry I asked!"
"No, it's fine!" Maya shook her head as she received back the cub.
"It's mother killed my friend and Badala in turn killed it, as we were about to be on our way we stumbled upon him. Badala handed it to me saying it if I didn't take it in it will die anyway."
"I'm sorry."
"No. It's alright, I'm already over it. I don't regret anything now."
"That's nice to hear. Say, are you and Badala-."
"NO!" Maya seemed to know what she was about to ask.
"Oh! You seem awfully sure what I meant, do I take it as a yes?"
"NO!" She shouted louder getting the attention of the rest in the passenger compartment.
"Why does everyone think he and I are a couple?!"
"Well, the way you two talk with one another seems like you're very close."
"Well, we're not!" Maya's expression changed almost immediately from a frown to a smile in the presence of the tiger cub. It had a special soul healing ability for her, but then- Ajay was the one who gave it to her.
Saraswati giggled at Maya's reddening expression while she was still dazed.
"Say, what's he looks like under that mask? Surely you've seen it!" Saras became interested on Ajay's hidden appearance, who wouldn't be when you publicly conceal your face.
"He wears it to hide his shame." He still was intolerable!
"I heard that!" Ajay shouted from the front.
"How do you always hear me?!"
"Who else talks behind my back?!"
"Just shut up and drive will you!"
"If I wasn't on the wheel, I'd gag you and toss you on the road!"
"Jee! I wonder what Mistress Yuma would think about my disappearance?" She replied sarcastically.
"Urgh!" Being reminded of her sent shivers down his spine, Maya was now using this weakness of his without restraint to get her way because he knew she'd do it and Yuma was watching for her always.
Saraswati and the hunters laughed at Ajay and Maya's comedy skit and earned glares from both of them.
"They're really like a couple, aren't they?" She said to Anish.
"They are, like an old couple. Just don't say it directly to them. Funny thing is, after a while they forget they even had the fight and go back too normal." Anish had been around their interactions for nearly two weeks and studied the trends between them.
After the surprise assault on Ratu Gadhi, Ajay took them on missions to destroy hidden Golden Path cells within the Northern regions until there were absolutely none left. He also did it to gauge the strengths of the hunters, and was not disappointed. In the past he had to do everything himself, having someone as capable as him alongside helped save valuable seconds. As expected of the hunters that were sent to kill him.
Ajay's mood turned foul because of the stress Maya caused him, Darshan sits next to him in the driving compartment smoking as usual without a care in the world.
"Don't be so rough on the young miss." Ajay though he was hearing voices, the one who spoke was Darshan himself. He had actually never heard him speak, just smile or grunt but never a compete sentence.
"I don't want you guys getting too comfortable to me." Ajay answered.
"Mmmm….. it's good to be cautious but it might force you to take the lonely road." Darshan spoke casually before sticking the pipe in his mouth once more.
Ajay was having conflicting views of what Darshan was really like. At times, he was hazy and high, quiet and contemplative staring into the sky. But never as a person with collected thoughts, Darshan left him wise words to ponder upon. Who the hell was this forty-year-old bearded junkie? He was an even bigger mystery than any of the others.
(Screech) Ajay slammed the brakes when he spotted something on the road.
"Golden Path! Lower your arms, step out of the vehicle and surrender your cargo!" Shouted a guerilla fighter leading the ambush group.
"You've gonna be kidding me…!"
"Royal Army, get out of the truck!" The man repeated.
Ajay scanned the surroundings. An eight-man group divided in two for the front and rear. Ajay was more than familiar of how the Golden path organized their armed parties.
"Bloody hell!" Maya cursed from the back. "There's a kid back here!" She scolds at his brake skills. Can't she read the mood?
-One of these days I'm gonna toss that cub of a cliff!-
"Stay in the vehicle! I'll handle this!" He said in a pissed off tone.
"You'll handle it?" Saras didn't see the odds in their favor, they were caught unawares from this entire capture.
"Just watch." Darshan said coolly smoking as if nothing happened.
Ajay alighted the vehicle menacingly without any visible arms on him. Ajay was anything but happy now.
The Golden Path fighters backed off unconsciously as they met the unfamiliar presence of Badala donned in the terrifying mask of Yalung.
"Identify yourself!" The leader demanded with his weapon raised to react to any sudden movements this dreadful foe might present.
"Do you really wanna know?..." Ajay grinned maliciously through the mask adding terror to the fighters. "It may cost you your life…"
That's right, the Golden Path fighters arrived just when he needed them. He would take out his stress on this sorry lot.
"Fuck! Kill him!-" Sensing hostility and imminent danger the leader made his decision. The moment the leader turned his head to announce to his men, Ajay sprinted forwards and pressed the kukri in his possession against the leader's throat from behind. He kicked the man as he drew the pistol from his holster, the man fell forward and his throat grazed against the knife killing him.
The fighters barely had the time to register what had happened as Ajay pumped a few shots into two and threw his kukri at the last of the four men in the front of their vehicle. The rear group noticing the commotion up front came to investigate only to find four dead corpses of their comrades.
"Guuurghh!" A female fighter in their rear guard fell with a gorge in her back. The remaining fighters looked around cautiously for the assailant but in vail. As a shadow fell from the trees above and cut off a fighter's arm, the man screamed at the top of his lungs.
"Gyyyaaaaahhhh!" Squirming on the floor as he held the stump where his hand was.
"Shit! Where is he?!"
"Dammit! This is a goddamn nightmare!"
The two untouched Golden Path fighters announced their fears to one another one last time before a knife stabbed them one after another in the heart instantly killing them, they collapsed with widen eyes expressing the traumatic death they bore witness to.
"Hyiiiee!" The last one-armed fighter made a squeal sound at the terrifying visage of the blood soaked demon finished with the rest of his comrades turning his attention to him.
Ajay picked up his kukri and licked the blade out of favor to add dread to his image as he approached the final fighter who was using his other arm to push himself away from Ajay.
Ajay was right in front the fighter after a few effortless steps forward. "P-Please!- No! Not like this!- Have mercy!" Tears and snot were flowing from his face, a yellow stain trickled down his pants.
"Mercy…." Ajay murmured.
"Please let me live! I'll sacrifice a goat every day in your name!" The reply the fighter gave intrigued him.
"Oh? So you know what I am?"
"L-Lord Yalung! Please be merciful, I assure you an offering will be given every day!" The fighter slammed his head against the floor kowtowing to Ajay till his forehead bled.
"I dunno….. to me goats blood and man's blood makes little difference!" Ajay said spinning the knife in his hand over the fighter.
The fighter's pupils shrunk in despair.
"I have a message for Sabal."
"Name it! I will deliver it with haste!" The fighter said instantly.
"But you know what?... I think it'll be better if he comes here to see it for himself, if you know what I mean!" Ajay cackled diabolically. The fighter gazed up lifeless as he knew he was finished.
(Bang)
"That'll do for a message." He exhaled from all the relieving the built-up tension Maya put him through, Ajay spent a while doing something with the corpses lying around. He picked up the weapons and ammo on the bodies and threw them in the truck with the help of Darshan and Anish before they all returned to the truck and Ajay drove it on with his trip to Saraswati's base.
She had taken a glimpse out of the back compartment covers to see what was going on outside, the hunters didn't seem bothered by the ambush of Golden Path fighter which was all too strange. But later she knew why.
As the truck had continued on its pre-planned route Saraswati looked at a bloodstained Ajay with horror, she had difficulty processing what had just happened. "Wh-…..What in the world just happened?"
"The usual..." Ajay said changing gears.
"The Usual?! That was a bloody slaughter!"
Bipin was laughing in resign in the back. "I guess you thought he was the brains type didn't you, sadly he isn't wearing that mask to impress the ladies."
Maya snorted at her brothers comment about it being for picking up girls. Saraswati's mind was a mess, she'd never seen anyone kill so quick and efficiently as he had. From the way Ajay had conducted himself rationally in the conference to their first meet, she had always thought-
"You thought wrong." Maya showed her ability to read minds and hers as was no exception.
"Huh?"
"You were probably thinking he planned the attack at Ratu Gadhi while we were the ones who did the hard labor. But in actuality he could have done the siege on his own, we just happened be with him to speed things up." Maya spoke without turning to Saras as she stroked her dear Bishal to sleep.
"….H-Himself?..." Saraswati's heart raced in shock.
The hunters with Badala were all doing their own thing as if that ambush had never happened indicating that it was a normal occurrence.
Saraswati sighed to herself, there was no point dwelling upon it. She had to just except the facts.
Badala was a both a genius in strategy and monster of warfare.
The group had spent nearly two days in the encampment of their temporary home. Saraswati provided them with a bunk to sleep in with the option for a private quarter for Ajay and Maya. Maya took the private quarters as was afforded due to her commission status, but Ajay opted to sleep where the rest of the men were which was the bunks despite her insistence he take up a personal quarters. To him, it didn't matter where he slept, he was used to sleeping on the cold hard floor in the past so a bed was already considered a luxury to him.
Ajay realized the situation on shortage of arms throughout the Army was a serious affair. When they arrived at the camp armory there was only weapons and ammo to fully equip only for fifty people in the hundred-man camp, that left the other half unarmed. The weapons and ammo taken from the dead fighter was immediately distributed to the camp patrol groups, Ajay offered up some of their ammo reserves to Saraswati's camp which she politely excepted.
Ajay had finally finished his preparation and planning on his next line of attack on the Golden Path. He coordinated his plan with Saraswati who directly wired the plans to her father, it was not until morning did General Arjun corresponded to Ajay on the Army Headquarters status of preparation.
Ajay opened the letter, inside a simple note slip writing…. "You have First Blood!"
Ajay gathered the hunters in the planning room where he shared his intentions with them and Saraswati's troops.
His operation consisted of three major points. Attacking and securing the airport, reinforcing the route between them and Bagduhur Stronghold. Last but not least, strike an arms depot to steal much needed supplies to arm the rest and hold out till morning.
This was all supposed to be done within an hour or two so that when the next Golden Path patrol comes, it wouldn't matter if they tried to call reinforcements as the place was already reinforced.
"Why the airport, sir?" A soldier asked.
"That's where the Golden path gets its shiny IFVs and additional firepower through. Kyrat's natural mountainous boundary prevents heavy vehicles from passing through in large numbers so they can't come in from anywhere but by airlift. Doing this prevents the Golden Path from equipping soldiers any further than before and keeps the group from amassing. We'll be capturing some of the weapons already stockpiled there against them so there won't be ammunition shortages."
The soldiers seemed to get why they were so focused on the airport now.
"Anything can happen during this raid, but if successful it'll delay the attack from the Golden Path and damage their fighting spirit! The attack begins at midnight so that the Golden Path response will be slower in the within the darkness." Ajay states the unpredictability of the operation.
"But if we are successful, wouldn't the Golden Path focus all efforts on retaking it?" Maya was the one who posed the question.
"They will and that's the entire point! Their attention will no longer be to invade the North but fighting to retake the airport. That's the only way their arms and supplies can come into the country quicker to support the growing army at Banapur." The group seemed to understand why they were doing this operation and what kind of significance their action played in preserving the North.
"But we won't be in the hot pocket when the Golden Path sends all forces to our location!"
All of them were interested to hear why was that.
"I've coordinated with HQ on the reinforcements that arrive at sunrise. The air cav will arrive exactly at sunrise to reinforce us after we take the airport and dig in. Oh! And, there will be a surprise guest among the reinforcements!" Ajay smiled.
The soldiers began to talk among themselves about who could it be? Some shared their belief it was Miss Anika, the Royal Army poster girl. Maya and the hunters seemed to have a clue on who was most likely coming again.
"We'll move at dusk, so eat up and rest up, we've got a long night ahead of us!" Saras was in the process of dismissing her men.
"Permission to speak ma'am!" One of her lieutenants asked.
"Speak!"
"What is the probability of success and what are the chances of survival?" All heads turned to Saras for her answer.
"Badala tells me the odds aren't in our favor, we are after all a hundred fighting the entire Golden Path expeditionary force and local protection groups. We'll be depending entirely on the reinforcements to break the enemies advance."
Many expressed their reluctance towards such an insane mission.
"If you're looking for proof whether there's a chance we make it out, you should know Badala was the one who devised the recapture of Ratu Gadhi." Saraswati shared Ajay's impressive track record with the company who immediately dispersed after receiving a satisfying response.
The room was left with just Ajay, Saras and the hunters.
"Now that they're gone, what will we be doing?" Maya asked.
"We'll be launching the raid to take the airport after of which we will monitor the defense line and assist when possible."
"That's it?" Anish voiced his thoughts earning a kick from Maya.
"Not quite, we'll be dividing into two groups. One side takes the troops to capture the airport while the other needs to ransack the supply depot, which is critical to the plan if we want to hold out till morning. And-…. I have a target for assassination."
His last objective widened their eyes.
"There will likely be two Golden Path VIPs there managing the assault to take back the airport. One is Sabal, the Golden Path's top commander, the other is Willis Huntley, CIA case officer."
"What?! The hell's the CIA doing here?!" Maya nearly shouted. Saras guessed this was the person he was aware of within the Golden Path.
"Anything in the 'interest' of the states, but as usual at the expense of others….."
The atmosphere had changed a little around the hunters, their usual carefree attitude changed into one of tension.
"This is serious, why would the CIA be involved here?" Anish asked still having trouble believing.
"Mohan Ghale was aided by Willis ages ago, the asshole is here to finish what he left out!"
"You've met him?"
"Guy's a deucebag, uses people to get things done all for the 'Greater Good'! I've seen him use others only to deny liability for the actions he made them do, really scum of the earth! He just-…"
"Um… Badala?-"
"WHAT!" Ajay just realized he was shouting, the subject on Willis was getting him worked up for no reason. The hunters were astonished to see him so angry.
"Sorry. It's just-….. forget it! Be at the square at six!" Ajay walked out of the room with an expression they had never seen on him before.
All heads turned to Maya on reflex as if expecting something out of her. Like she was the closest to him.
"What? What has this got to do with me?!"
No one said a word, instead they directed their stares at her.
"Urgh, fine!" She stormed her way out of the planning room.
-Now where the hell is he?-
Maya spent a good time searching for him but recalled a certain place he might be. It was one of the nearby village special places, cliff overlooking the horizon under a rock formation where lover's met.
She was spot on as she saw Ajay sitting against the rocks without his mask on, gazing into the setting sun with the sadden lonely expression on his face. The expression was somehow pulling at her heartstrings, she had never seen him this way before. He'd either be angry most of the time, or wearing that malicious grin of his or simply a blank face. The image of a battle menace slowly melted away into a troubled young man. Suddenly the words of her mistress returned to her mind making her hesitate to come closer to him. This was the prime opportunity her mentor had been speaking of the day after she received her orders, Yuma gave her some tips on seduction 101. But Maya has not an ounce of confidence to pull it off.
-What do I do?! I'm already here so I shouldn't back out now!-
"A-Ajay!" Maya announced her arrival as she closed the distance.
Ajay turned around shocked that someone was behind him.
"Y-Yo!" She greeted. Ajay blankly stared back at her which didn't help her in forming what she wanted to say.
"…Were you crying?" She broke ice in a humorous way.
Ajay rolled his eyes obviously not humored and walked pass her to get down the cliff. But Maya reached out and grasped his hand.
"Hey! Wait! What's wrong, can't you tell me?"
"I can manage."
"No!- Urgh!" Ajay and Maya struggled as he yanked to break free and she pulled him towards her.
"AJAY! STOP!" She had to shout for him to stop trying to get away which he did.
Ajay sighed and leaned against the rock boulder wall signally that he had given up running.
"What did Willis do to you?"
"When a fellow countryman asks you, would you do it for your country, would you do it? Even if the task is horrifying."
"Oh Ajay! He didn't-…."
"Like I said before, I've done wrong that's why I know Pagan better than anyone." Ajay laughed with sadness in his tone. Even though the things the he did have yet to happen, he had still done them before and to live with the shame was unimaginable, when the task had been done with Pagan's death he spent weeks' soul searching on top of Ghale Homestead. There had been plenty of drinking involved.
Maya had no words to give to him, he was under the pressure of a heavy burden of guilt she might never know of.
"In the end, he double-crossed me and threw me to the people I'd been killing. Then I was subjected to a freezing cold, dosed with drugs, tortured! Something I never want to remember again!"
"Ajay….I'm sorry." She gave her condolences as she knew nothing else to give.
-But these things have yet to happen and I'll be damned if I let it!- Ajay overcame his depression.
"No, it happened a long time ago. I'll get over it someday, thanks for the help!" He said with a cheerful smile which baffled her.
"But I didn't do anything!"
"You were there to listen to my thoughts, that was all I needed."
-That's all?- Maya could feel he was not telling the full story but if he was ok as he was then she wouldn't question his threshold. -Why the hell am I worrying my ass of for this idiot?-
"(Sigh) Feels great to have let it out!" Ajay stretched himself feeling relieved. Walking down the rocky slope but stopped midway.
"You coming? We've got an airport to take."
"Uh-Yeah! Wait up!" Maya caught up and walked alongside him.
"By the way, I found out that was Lovers' arc cliff! Quite ironic isn't it?" He said smirk.
"Congrats on meeting your imaginary girlfriend!" She responded harshly to him.
"Oh- come on! Don't be like that! You know I was just joking with you! Can't you give a man something to smile about?" Ajay cracked off a laugh.
"Smile about something else then!"
"Hah! Tongue sharp as ever!"
-(Sigh) I really suck at this, seduce him? That's not something I know!- Maya gave up the notion, it wasn't her style.
But somehow this talk had brought Ajay closer, more comfortable with her even if she didn't know it yet.
The hundred men strong company known as the 3rd Company boarded the trucks after loading on the equipment on board. Saras joined her men she would be leading, while Ajay and the hunters were taking a separate route on the ATVs that were in the vehicle depot.
They organized a secure radio channel to keep up to date with one another's activities before going their separate ways.
That night, Ajay set off the flames of war in Kyrat.
"What the hell are you doing?! Get your arse back to the trucks!" Solomon kicked his lazy hired guns in the backsides for taking a smoke break in an untimely period.
The mercenaries whined but still obeyed his orders on boarding the convoy of trucks to deliver the next shipment of arms and vehicles to Banapur before turning in for the night after a long day of escort duties.
"…I still can't figure out why you jumped ship!" Willis came to him asking Solomon just as he was climbing onto the SUV.
"Ha! Even a spook like you can't figure that out, you must really be a slouch! Then again maybe that's why Langley forgot about you all those years ago on Rook Island!" Solomon antagonized Willis.
"Hmph! This coming from a little shit who fucked up bad in Hong Kong, I'll take that as a compliment!" Willis sparred with him.
"Yeah- well! Try having Interpol hounding your ass every single day, breaking all your safe houses and fall back plans, I'm actually impressed they thought so highly of a minor triad leader like myself!"
Willis threw one of his cigars to Solomon who caught it and popped it into his mouth, lighting it then taking a big puff out of it.
"The reason I pulled out of Rook Island, eh?... Seems you didn't get the word, Hoyt's dead. The little Americano 'Snow White' shivved him!"
"Holy fuck! That SoCal deucebag actually pulled it off, damn!" Willis processed the update on his old site but still found it hard to believe.
"So of course, with no one to pay me for my fucking merchandise I simply cashed out!"
"So what's the deal with supplying guerillas?"
"I should ask you the same question. Why is the CIA helping terrorists?" Solomon grinned back.
"I'll have you know the Directorates' definition for these fellows is 'Freedom Fighters' since the 80s."
"Mmm… with a single change in phrase, the United States decides its allies and enemies! Well, my reason for joining is simply a matter of playing my cards right!"
"Cards eh?"
"From harsh lessons learnt on Rook Island It had taught me a way to avoid unfortunate sudden changes in the market. And the answer is, always work for the winning side."
Using his intel sources, Solomon was able to determine the political geography and who would be on the advantage if he joined. Naturally, it was the Golden Path. There were vast quantities of rare materials only found in abundance here on Kyrat on demand internationally. If he continued to work for Pagan he'd receive a fixed sum every time, but as Solomon had learnt from long ago it was never safe to simply leave things as stagnant as they are.
"So you are smart!"
"I'll take that as a compliment from Langley."
Willis laughed. Solomon started his engine and pushed down the hand brakes.
"Hey Solly, I'll be a shame to let you die in this cesspit so before you go I've got a word of financial advice for you!"
Solomon pulled up his handbrake and turned to Willis.
"Between you and me, this Sabal kid isn't the soundest of minds so I'd consider planning short-term!"
Solomon smiled and nodded.
"Noted, thanks for the tip. Oh!- And it's Solomon, not Solly…. Gwei Lo!" Solomon drove off to lead his convoy of mercenaries back to the airport.
Willis buried the finished cigar under his heel.
"(Sigh) Another deuce bag…."
