The Worth of Souls

by T. Martin O’Neil

  After killing the over-watch guards, on a predetermined signal, they would commence firing at the village as though covering an action against the drug lord and his men. This provided two options. It covered a crucial diversion away from the drug production plant. If done in conjunction with an attack against the camp from the ingress road side of the village, the guards attention at the drug production plant would more than likely be drawn toward the village and away from their primary assignment.

  The second group of four men would head over to the production plant building and be prepared to insert the transmitters. When sufficient attention was drawn toward the village, they would enter the building and insert the transmitters. They only needed 5 minutes or less, so the feint against the village and the shooting by the over-watch shooters had to last at least that long.

  The third group with the remaining men would attack from the side away from the drug production building. This was a show of force rather than a conquest effort. All the false attack was required to do was occupy the attention of the village occupants and lure the guards away from the production plant for just 5 minutes.

  The plan had merit and Bee agreed this was the same way they would do their reconnaissance. If it panned out, they would use that overlay to complete the attack.

  Chapter 7

  Implementing The Reconnaissance

  Bee took two men plus Xay and headed toward the cliffs to attempt to ascertain the active caves. This meant the arduous task of determining just how many were occupied as well as where they might be. There appeared over 200 large and small caves throughout the area. Xay was familiar with many, but freely admitted there were many more.

  Swede was assigned three men to move through the poppy fields toward the production building and determine the best way to enter and leave the storage site. This was extremely tedious since any disturbances of the ground such as footprints or out-of-the-normal ground markings would be considered as interlopers of another drug lord or government operative. This also had to be done under the cover of darkness to minimize the chance they might be discovered.

  Spoke and Xiong were to determine ingress and egress from the entire village and production facility to see if there were any shipments or supplies arriving or leaving. They would lay low along the principal road and monitor vehicles as well as personnel in and out of the village.

  Senior Chief LaMonde remained with the last two men at the base camp to respond if needed.

  Complete darkness enveloped the squads around 1900. By 2300, the moon had risen and each squad disappeared heading for their assigned responsibilities. Spoke and Xiong were the last to depart.

  Each man had a small flashlight with a red and blue filter capability. Each filter had its specific uses. Because the moon was a waning moon, there was still enough light to easily see, but it was not as bright as a full moon. This permitted each squad to move without lights to their starting recon locations. It also meant that the moon’s light would depart the sky earlier in the evening.

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  Bee, Xay and the other two men left the rendezvous point headed for the karst cliffs. Each man knew they must find the occupied caves to protect the team’s operations. If they were being used as storage, they also needed to find out how much was being stored and hopefully where those bales were headed. Since there would not be a shipping label or manifest attached to the bale, there had to be other ways to check out how and where the shipment would go. If it had significant waterproofing applied to the outside of the bale, chances were that it would go via watercraft. Such a destination could be Hong Kong, Shanghai or any number of large ports. If it had burlap bindings or cloth wrappings, chances were that it was bound overland to Bangkok or somewhere reachable by roads.

  The men moved through the jungle noting the subtle changes to the geography and flora. As the ground got steeper and the jungle thinned, the evidence of the sandpaper-like karst became more evident. Soon they would be doing some serious climbing.

  Almost to the point of climbing, they came across a well-worn path up the face of the cliff. Xay motioned to Bee that the path led to four larger caves about half way up the cliff. There were other caves that could be reached after they got to those four.

  Bee motioned the group to follow Xay at a 25-meter spacing. The last man had to erase their footprints so not to alert anyone else coming up the trail in the daylight that American boots had gone up or down the trail. It took almost 30-minutes for the group to move up the steep path. Slowly they edged up the cliff; dark red karst lightly crunching under their feet.

  Xay suddenly stopped and motioned Bee to join him. He whispered that the first cave was only about 50-meters farther.

  Bee motioned for the other men to join them. He then moved Xay back to the rear of the group and they continued to climb, this time only 10-meters apart. Bee saw the first cave and motioned for everyone to stop and to hold position. Carefully he edged forward. The first sign of human life was the distinct smell of bitter Chinese cigarette tobacco burning. He knew the first cave was occupied. He then moved back to the group and relayed his findings.

  Xay said the only way to get to the next three caves was to move past the first cave. It also meant they could not get past the first cave without alerting anyone else of their presence.

  Bee figured that the only way they could know just how many caves were occupied was to wait until the next day and see if these guards were relieved. They would then count how many men came up the trail.

  Quietly, the four men moved down the karst trail until once again they were in the welcome dark embrace of the jungle. Here they would wait until the guard was relieved and count those coming and going. Bee spread the men out to ensure all could count approaching guards and not be seen. He also determined he would wait until the present guards returned down the trail before leaving their station. He knew that doing so would put him late to the rendezvous with the rest of the team, but this all-important piece of the recon took precedence.

  Light was beginning to form as a faint glow in the sky. It was almost 0500. Bee knew it would be first light by 0600. He felt his knotted muscles needed stretching. He attempted isometrics to keep blood flowing and thus not cause his extremities to cramp or “go to sleep.” He also took a bite of carbohydrate crackers placing the khaki-colored foil-like wrapper in the side pocket of his cammies so as not to leave any trace of his presence.

  Bee then checked his weapons; his M-14, his .45 and his knife. All of them were topped off and ready to use. He had three baseball-shaped anti-personnel grenades and made sure if they were needed he could grab them without any interference. Now, he just had to wait for the guard to be changed.

  As the light became more pronounced, Bee heard muffled voices from below. Three men carrying Russian or Chinese bolt action rifles, complete with spike bayonets and crude telescopic sights came up the karst trail with little heed to whomever or whatever might be watching them. They were totally oblivious of their surroundings. They continued past the four men; 3 SEALS and Xay. Each had a small pack of personal supplies and no doubt ammunition. They probably had batteries for a radio, a signal light and perhaps a blanket.

  Bee calculated they would need at least a half hour to get to the caves, relieve the guard and have the tired guards return down the mountain. He wondered if any would look down and see any stray foreign footprints and send out an alarm. He only hoped they would be too concerned about their upcoming guard shift and forget their surroundings. Luck was on their side. The men climbed and grumbled as they did.

  Noting that the climb was rather steep, Bee rationalized that they probably would not hump up 50-pound bales of heroin just to turn them around and hump them back down again. Use of these caves probably was for guarding the operation only. It was also apparent that the trail was the only way up or down from the caves. The telescopic sights, even though crude, on the very accurate Russian or Chinese rifles could reach
a long way. From their vantage point in the caves, they were almost invincible.

  Sure enough, almost 30-minutes on the dot, the tired three men from the caves stumbled down the trail carrying their rifles and what passed for small packs. This was important since it possibly demonstrated that with only three men, more than likely only one or two caves were being used. It also meant that they might have rotated ammo. Did this mean there was a shortage or just keeping those weapons from posing a threat to the drug lord? Most of these trusted snipers achieved the trust of the drug lord by strict obedience and allegiance to him. If the ‘slaves’ had weapons, an enterprising one or twenty might want to overthrow the boss. Since each guard had his own rifle, these men must be the top shooters even if they did not have any ammo. None of the men had rifle grenades or hand grenades, so one could probably also rule out true paramilitary activities. No doubt again a reflection on their very paranoid boss.

  Waiting for another 30-minutes, the three SEALS and Xay made their way down to the rendezvous point. At the appropriate time, they left the trail and headed into the jungle. They arrived some 40-minutes later to the much-relieved looks of Spoke, Swede and Xiong.

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  Swede and his three men left the team’s gathering place. Their destination was the closest point across the poppy fields toward the production facility. All four men waited for midnight. This permitted them to watch and determine if it was used at night for production or just guarded. They followed as much as possible the trails and footprints of the workers who cared for and harvested the poppy gum. This way they would not leave overt trails. They would return the same way they entered and obliterate their unique boot prints.

  The building that appeared to be the storage building was the only one with guards. Two of the building’s sides were plywood and two were galvanized, corrugated sheet metal. The metal sides had padlocks on the doors. Three men walked a perimeter route around the building. Other than that, no activity seemed to occur. There were no lights inside or outside. There also was no generator noise indicating no need for electricity. The production facilities had both electricity and lights. This building was unoccupied except for the guards.

  The guards walking a perimeter foot patrol were the only indication that the building had anything of importance. In the moonlight, a dirt track across the poppy fields from the village indicated that vehicles had accessed the building at least periodically, but not lately.

  Swede moved his men in a semi-circle around the building but about 150-meters away. They would rely on their binoculars to get them close. They remained close enough to the jungle to move back into the safety of the foliage if necessary.

  There was another path leading toward the karst cliffs. This led into the jungle and possibly was used to transport bales of heroin from the production facility to possible storage sites in the caves.

  The odd thing was the steel sided part of the building. If there were storage sites in the cliffs, why the extra security at the production building? Perhaps there were no storage sites in the cliffs, but only lookout posts. Perhaps all the heroin bales were kept here. Swede reasoned that this made much more sense. He also reasoned that the drug lord wanted direct access to his product for shipment. It also made sense that a shipment was due to go out soon. That was why there were locks and guards on that particular building. All thoughts, however, would have to wait until reports from the other groups.

  Swede waited the appointed two-hour time and moved back into the jungle waiting for his men to return. Fifteen minutes elapsed and all men were accounted for. Quietly they passed on their observations. There was something valuable in that building. Armed roving patrols don’t guard empty buildings without good reason. Each man made his report and they moved back to the rendezvous location obliterating their footprints and tracks.

  This was the right time to be there. It also was the correct location. Even without getting eyes on bales of heroin, Swede would bet a month’s salary that was where the drugs were stored. He also would bet the drugs would be leaving soon.

  Spoke and Xiong arrived at the small well-traveled dirt road. Spoke stationed himself and watched the road from the bamboo grove undergrowth. Broad-leaf plants hid him from easy view. Bamboo orchids also marked the groves with their beautiful purple flowers and a soft, almost subliminally fragrant scent. Were it not a potential killing zone, this could easily pass for one of the more beautiful places on earth.

  Xiong moved away from the road toward the village. He reasoned that any non-narcotics storage of supplies may help in determining just how many people this village had. Often there were other things the drug lords did that might interest the SEALS. He watched a building that had a guard stationed near its entrance.

  After almost a half hour, the man holding an SKS semi-automatic rifle moved away from the door and a second man changed places with him. He too carried an SKS rifle. With the spike bayonets, these rifles must be Chinese copies of the venerable Soviet rifle. The first man moved down the wall and into the darkness, effectively rotating the guard.

  The SKS rifle was the semi-automatic Soviet predecessor to the indomitable, fully automatic AK-47. It fired the same round, a 7.62×39mm, but its fixed magazine only held 10 rounds. It was extremely well built which was its downfall. With the Soviets, in order to make way for the much more cheaply built AK-47, the SKS was given to many other countries. When the AK-47 was added to the Soviet arsenal the Soviets recognized its fully automatic potential as well as the cheaper stamped sheet steel manufacturing methods. China had its own copy of the SKS and no doubt these rifles were Chinese in origin due to the spike-shaped bayonets rather than the knife-shaped Soviet bayonets.

  As Xiong watched, he could hear muffled voices from inside the hut. While not clear, it sounded like crying. A disembodied voice whispered something and the crying stopped. The thought entered Xiong’s mind that a mother comforting her child should not be in a guarded hut. He continued watching with his interest piqued. Nothing happened for almost an hour.

  Again, the change of the guard appeared. It was getting close to what might be the overhaul and changing of the guards at midnight. Xiong watched as two more unarmed men arrived. The rifles changed hands. This was significant since possibly, there were not enough weapons to go around. Perhaps there was not enough ammo either. Xiong felt the need to find out.

  Quietly he moved in the shadows to follow the two guards going off shift. They moved toward an outlying hut located back in the jungle. Xiong followed realizing that the longer he did so, the more dangerous it was that he would be discovered. They continued past the first hut and moved to another one. Both entered the third hut without so much as a thought that they were being followed.

  Xiong moved to the dark side of the hut and listened intently. There were some muffled snorts and a little complaining, but soon all was quiet, punctuated by snores. Perhaps this was a male bunk room. It made sense if these were workers that had the added duty to perform periodic guard duty.

  Xiong next looked for some place that might be an armory of sorts. He moved among the huts. Moving slowly, he knew there might be a few dogs about. He did not want to alert them. Dogs were seldom used for guard duty, but frequently were used to clean up human waste and eatable garbage. In this way, dogs performed a useful task much like the American Indians used them. Because of the late night coming and going of guards, most of the dogs were desensitized to quiet human movement. Xiong counted on this.

  Xiong looked carefully at each hut for telltale signs of security; padlocks on doors, bars on windows or a cleaning station. The place looked pretty barren of an armory. He spotted the large house located farther back in the jungle. It had a wide veranda completely surrounding the dwelling. The base was masonry; karst stones joined with copious amounts of cement. The workmanship left a lot to be desired. Still the effect was that of a fortress. Perhaps this was where the armory was.

  Investing ove
r an hour, he slowly moved back to the guarded hut. Again, he heard a muffled crying followed by whispered assurances. The guards changed positions once more. Xiong moved back toward the location he’d left Spoke. Once in contact, he relayed his findings. Both considered what was in the hut and voiced their thoughts in quiet, muffled whispers.

  Spoke thought for a second and then said that it might be human traffickers using that hut for slaves. Both men agreed that it must be checked out. Spoke reflected on the operation he’d been on only a few months previous. It was just south of this location. His thoughts went to Kaipo and his help to find other child slaves bound for the sex trade in Thailand and other places. He remembered how quickly Kaipo had recruited assistance from additional men. Perhaps this was where they had originated. He’d have to visit with Bee later in the day when they regrouped.

  Just now, Spoke and Xiong knew they had to move back to the rendezvous point without being spotted.

  Chapter 8

  Imperial Hammer and Other Surprises

  It was now almost 0900 and time to compare notes right after a short, cold meal. Then, depending on the assignment, each man could get some much-needed shut-eye. The meal completed, the five key operators, Bee, Swede, Spoke, Xay and Xiong, gathered with their notes from their explorations. Bee asked each to make their report.

  Spoke and Xiong went first. They explained that they saw no vehicle or pedestrian traffic in or out of the compound; tracks from previous traffic, but not last evening. Xiong mentioned the guard situation and the trading-off of weapons and ammo. An armory appeared to be in a large, house-like building set away from the rest of the buildings. Spoke then mentioned the guarded hut with noises sounding like possible slaves. He covered the guard rotation and apparent lack of weapons and ammo by the two guards. Xiong then gave his recap of following the retiring guards to a hut that seemed to be a bachelor dorm.