CH72

There was a huge explosion several miles from their base. The local commander ordered a recon team in force to investigate. As part of the recon being sent were two Apache attack helicopters. Presently on ready alert was a Captain Wales who was a co-pilot and gunner as part of the 662 Squadron, 3 Regiment, Army Air Corps. Out of the base in southern Afghanistan called Camp Bastion.

Outside of his unit he was more commonly refereed to as Prince Harry. The fourth in line to the throne. A Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mauahid spoke to Reuters and was quoted as saying: "We are using all strength to get rid of him, either by killing or kidnapping. We have informed our commanders in Helmand to do whatever they can to eliminate him."

The ground unit made up of three Foxhounds and two Mastiffs holding 8 infantry with a crew of 2. The base commander had ordered the 2 RAF Harrier GR9's that were on alert to have engines warm. And two Gazelle's on ready alert.

The two Apache's came in a little behind and flanking the ground units with the three Foxhounds out in front.

As the Foxhounds approached the lead unit was hit by an RPG. Damaged but not knocked out of action and with one minor injury of one of the crew. The other two Foxhounds immediately called for Apache air support.

Each Apache came in from their flanking positions and using their 30 mm Cannon mounted under the nose and strafed anything that moved. After their initial pass they each peeled right now heading east and west respectively. At this point one called out a missile warning.

"This is Camel two one, I've been hit. Port engine down. Loosing hydraulics. I have a fire on the port side. Making an emergency landing."

The base commander had been listening in the whole time. "Get the Harriers and the ready alert Gazelle's in the air."

Herbert Kitchener with his support and military guards of the Black Watch were just arriving at Camp Bastion. Just in time to watch 2 Harrier GR9's and 2 Gazelle's take off. He headed straight for the command and control center to find out what was going on. With him came his own 4 Apache Attack Helicopters and 4 Harrier GR9's. Along with 4 Foxhounds, 4 Mastiffs and support trucks with fuel,water, food and ammunition transports. Captain Rachel Paderborn had ordered the Apache's and the Harrier's to remain airborne but on station. She wanted to know what was going on before letting them land.

Getting an overview of what was happening from the base commander he asked Rachel to lend support with half of the Apache's and Harrier's. She had immediately transferred the orders to the units involved.

The Captain in one of the Mastiffs had immediately called in for air support as soon as the Apache went down. Only to find that the 2 Harrier's were 1 minute minus already in bound. The 2 Gazelle's were 1 minute behind them. With 2 more Harrier's 3 minutes out with 2 Apache's 5 minutes out.

Happy with the amount of support headed his way he ordered the units he had deployed.

With the arrival of the 2 Harrier's and the 2 Gazelle's it was all over. They just had to sweep the area for any injured.

What they found was a huge hole in the ground. A number of civilians dressed in chemical suits. All the dead had US Military emblems indicating the unit they were attached to. All were armed with HK automatic weapons. They had access to RPG's and Stinger Missile systems.

All the civilians were transported back to Camp Bastion for interrogation.

Horatio Herbert Kitchener III was mad. What were the Americans doing out there? And why did they attack his Military units. He had lost one Apache Helicopter with 2 injured and had 2 more injured in the damaged Foxhound. He wanted answers and left it to the Base Commander to get information out of the civilians.

Meanwhile he was in contact with the overall US commander of the region. He was going to explain why his troops were attacking his. A simple phone call was not sufficient. He had ordered him out here for a thorough explanation. He was using his rank of UK Secretary of Defense to get what he wanted. He had no authority over the man. But his superior was going to get an earful and a big political fallout if he didn't get the answers he wanted.

The Base Commander had the place on full alert as the US Commander and his Military guard was arriving. He had everything in the air and his ground forces deployed for an all out attack. If this idiot was stupid enough to try and finish what he had started, he was not going to make it easy.

The US Commander for his part was arriving mad. He did not like being ordered around. However politics of the situation dictated that he accede to his request.

What he had also not anticipated was the greeting he was getting. The British looked ready to shoot him and everyone with him to pieces.

"I need you to come with me. We need to talk." Herbert tells him and grabs his arm to escort him to the conference room.

However he just yanks his arm free. "You will explain now!" And the troops that came with him all raise their weapons. This action causes all of the UK troops to do the same.

Herbert is unfazed by all the Testosterone floating around and leans in. "You can order your men to relinquish their weapons and be held and you come with me. OR, I will order my men to take them from them using any means necessary." Herbert is mad and has the authority.

"You wouldn't dare." The US commander says thru gritted teeth. To have Herbert only raise his hand. Knowing that if it came down his men would take the Americans. Probably after shooting them.

"You're making a mistake. This will end your carrier." He threatens.

"My career is to protect UK interests. What you and your men have been doing out there has already ended yours and if you are not careful I will have all UK troops out of Afghanistan in under a week.

Make your choice. And make it quick." Herbert gives him an ultimatum.

He doesn't know what he is talking about, but getting into a fight about what he doesn't know will not solve anything. "WEAPONS DOWN!" He has reached his decision.

"Take their weapons and hold them. No violence, no shooting." Herbert orders. "And you sir, are with me."

The US commander of the region is shown the US personnel that had been there to protect the site. The written and signed confessions from the civilians that were working in the processing plant. The amount of Opium and Heroin that was produced on a monthly basis.

How the drugs were transferred from this site to somewhere else. They were paid well for the work they did. It was all transferred into their account that they could check on on-line. It was all done using an offshore account.

The civilians never saw anyone other than the men stationed here to guard the site. They never moved the drugs from the processing plant or storage to the transport planes that flew in.

They also never saw the pilots leave the plane. They just flew in were loaded and flew back out.

He was also shown pictures taken of the site that had exploded and gotten the attention of the close by UK base. His finding out that Prince Harry was assigned to that base helped to explain why the British were so paranoid about this site and the reception he got.

He swore up and down that he had no knowledge of what was going on out here. He had not authorized any planes to land at this site. He had no idea where they were flying in from or where they were going.

The site were the explosion took place and took out the processing plant was quarantined. No one went in there without a hazmat suit on. The explosion had scattered the stuff everywhere.

The US soldiers were given their weapons back and asked to help with the quarantine of the area. After finding out that the place was a drug manufacturing site they were only too willing to help.

Herbert had ordered in additional Apache and Gazelle helicopters. It might take a day for them to get here. He was leaving with only half of the ground forces he had arrived with and was taking only one Apache with him.

He was taking the US commander of the area with him and they were headed for the closest airfield where they would get a flight out of the theater. They had both agreed that the local area command might be compromised and they needed to be at the nearest NATO base to do additional investigating of where the transport planes were coming from and where were they going?

Herbert had informed the commander of Camp Bastion that it might be days or weeks before he could expect any other additional support. They needed answers and if anyone showed up, he was to try and take them alive if he could. But what came in would not be allowed to leave.

Herbert and the US area commander had talked a lot while traveling in one of the Mastiff's. They both needed answers. Herbert had injuries and in his mind a US Military that had lost a few screws somewhere along the way. The US was spending Billions to try and get rid of drugs. Now their own military was making those same drugs and sending them who knows where.

The trip was uneventful to the closest air base. Transport with air support (Herbert was the UK Chief of Defense after all) was proving to be more of a problem.

Until the US commander had half-jokingly come up with an alternate idea. Who needed a C-17 or C-130 if you had two seat combat planes available? And if they did have in flight trouble that required combat, what was safer? A lumbering transport or an agile fighter plane?

Herbert had turned and was grinning at the US CAG for the airbase. "Yes sir. I'll have you two wheels up in 30." And he salutes and leaves.

"I was joking!" He was a ground ponder. Not an air jock.

"This was your idea. And it gets us out of here before anyone has a chance to put a plan to intercept us into motion. So yea, this is what we are going to do."

Not soon after the CAG left another man came in and told them to follow him. He was going to find them flight suits that would fit them. "Unless they wanted to show up on the other side with their brains in their feet." He was laughing inside when he saw the face on the US commander, but kept a straight face anyway.

The CAG was true to his word. They were wheels up 30. They were each in a backseat of a RAF Tornado GR4's. With two American F-15 C's acting as fighter support. Each plane had 2 drop tanks for long range flights. All four were armed with heat seekers and radar guided missiles.

The CAG had saluted and wished them luck. Not that he knew why they needed to leave in a hurry. But when you have the UK Chief of Defense asking for aircraft, you didn't ask questions. Not if you wanted to remain CAG.

It required being air refueling to reach Al Dhafra Air Base in the EAU which was home to the US 380th Air Expeditionary Wing.

Aircraft assigned; KC-10A Extenders, U-2 Dragon Ladies, E-3 AWACS and RQ-4 Global Hawk. Its mission is air refueling and reconnaissance.

They both head immediately for the base commander. Herbert wanted to make a secure teleconference call as soon as possible. Something was happening back near Camp Bastion and he wasn't leaving Rachel without anything to work with. Those two went way back. Even his wife liked her! And that alone spoke volumes.

The first Chief of JRDF Operations Brigadier Jonathan Thomason was finally on the vid. Their permanent Joint Headquarters was at Northwood, Middlesex.

"Jon I have need of your group. Rachel has next to nothing to work with and the shit is piling up at Camp Bastion." Herbert tells him.

"What are we dealing with?" Jon asks. He needs a reason, Chief of Defense or not.

"I'll be sending you information on the joint NATO scrambler with encryption detailing the problem. I would like some of your group on the ground ASAP. Keep the rest handy. We may need them elsewhere when it is all said and done."

"I'll read it and get back to you."

"Thanks Jon. Until you read it, I suggest you keep this to yourself." Herbert warns him.

"If you are calling me, it is likely as bad as my imagination will allow." And he ends the call.

Herbert heads back out to the base commander. "This is a Recon base, if I'm correct." Herbert asks.

"You are correct. We have the absolute latest on base. You are planning something. I've seen that face before."

Smiling. "Have you got something that can search this area here (pointing to a section on a map) and stay on station? And can what it finds be sent via Satellite phone?"

"I have just the thing you are asking for. However I'm going to need something to release one for recon. You don't just send these things out like you can Predators." He asks trying to cover his tail which would be exposed if something happened to it.

"I'll have you something in an hour. About as long as it'll take to get my other answer." And Herbert went off to make still another call. What he was asking for was something even he didn't have the authority to ask for.

One hour later Jon had told him that he would have the Paratroops on the ground at Camp Bastion in less than 24 hours. The rest was being placed on alert for immediate deployment.

Fifteen minutes later the base commander had his orders to release one of the RQ-4 Global Hawks.

One hour later it was in the air and headed for the coordinates designated. It was going to take a few hours for it to reach that point. Herbert had decided to take that time to get some sleep. It had been a busy last 36 hours. And he wasn't that young anymore. But before bed he made another call. This one was to his wife and his little girls. It was time to be daddy before bed.

Cooper McCalman was a very unusual person. You would never have thought looking at him he would be married with three little girls at home. Fortunately, the type of jobs he did didn't come around very often, so he got to be at home a lot. However, when he was gone it could be months before he was back. If he came back at all.

His wife didn't really know what he did. Just that he was attached to one of the UK Commando groups. However he never seemed to go with them when they were deployed. This had made her very happy. She had married him knowing he was in the military. And she was a strong woman who would wait as long as it took for the man she loved to come back home.

He was a lucky man, finding woman like her was hard. It didn't hurt that she could compete with any of those super models out there. Even after having 3 children. But then she liked working out with her husband. They spent a lot of time together in everything they did. Even after kids they still couldn't keep their hands off each other. PDA was not something they worried very much about. Other men didn't get her attention and other women didn't get his.

Right now however Cooper was breaking camp and repacking his dirt bike.

It is based on the single cylinder, 654cc Dakar desert racer. The "cockpit" contains a scroll map, GPS, and homing device that sends a signal for satellite triangulation that will pinpoint the location of the homer within 50 meters. The engines mufflers are more of a "silent" type than on the regular racer; no need in announcing your arrival before you get to where you are going. It was decided that even though the Dakar has handicapped itself with the smaller engine rule (450cc & under), the British Army has no such restrictions.

Painted in desert camouflage British pattern, all surfaces of the bike are painted in a matte finish to prevent reflection of any light. Its petrol tank holds 36 litres (roughly 9.5 US gallons); giving the bike an effective range of about 250 miles at cruising speeds. The tires do not contain conventional inner tubes, but a "bib mousse" that simulates a tire inflation of about 0.9 bar (13.5 psi). The "bib" is not susceptible to punctures and will maintain its form with any number of nails through the material. The "bib" can be subject to overheating, causing it to melt, but those temperatures are only experienced at a sustained speed of about 140kph (~87mph).

On one side of the rear of the bike is a rack for various long arms, currently a silenced HK MP7. The other side has a "luggage" piece that contains ammunition, rations (2 days), various miscellaneous items and a small toolkit with the tools made from titanium to keep weight down to a minimum.

Just before firing it up and continuing his little trip he pulled out his Satellite phone and checked in. Smiling at the fact that the Americans were sending out one of their bigger toys made his job easier. The sooner he was done the sooner he could go home. And in an instant it was out of his mind and fired up his bike to continue his assignment.

Cooper had just stopped for a water break when his Satellite phone beeped at him from his helmet. Pulling it out, he found a set of coordinates to proceed to. Good, maybe those millions the Americans had spent was actually going to work out for once.

It was far enough away that it would be close to dark by the time he got there. And that could be a problem. He has night vision, but when it got dark all the workers and any guards would all be bunched up in one location. Kind of hard to take them out one by one if they weren't alone.

He was getting close and it was just over an hour until dark. Not wanting the engine of his bike to give him away. He pulled out the equipment he was going to need, then laid his bike down and covered it with a camo net.

He checked his weapons, HK USP 45 Compact Tactical with a silencer and two spare clips. HK MP7 with silencer and two spare clips. Both had a laser pointer attached. Set of 6 Shuriken (Throwing stars or Ninja stars). Condor Tool & Knife Wing Throwing Knife Set, Nylon Sheath (set of 3). Three .5 pound Semtex with remote blasting caps. Remote detonator signal sender. Two bottles of water. Half an MRE. Ka-Bar Utility Knife 1217 (one in each boot). Night vision goggles. Three flare sticks and two glow sticks. And his in the field medical kit that he had created just for himself.

Taking a quick peek he decided on the best route to take. He would take them out one at a time. Starting with that guy. He wasn't here to get information. That was for the team that followed him. He was here to clear the area for them to enter with no opposition.

He was leaving the satellite phone behind with the bike. If he wasn't alive to get back here and use it, having it on him wasn't going to help him any. And without it meant he had space for an extra clip for the pistol.

The sun was going to be down in about an hour and he was approaching his first target. He needed to hurry before it got dark. And he did not like to hurry. It tended to generate mistakes.