Cyprus Rage

by J E Higgins

  The team returned late that afternoon to compare notes and begin planning. “Alright!” Tarkov opened upon their arrival back at the warehouse. “We have had a chance to recce the area and gain insight into what we are dealing with.” He walked the team into the planning area where a collection of long unrolled maps and blueprints their German lawyer was able to procure for them depicted the greater area of the port and surrounding land. “Now that we have had time to consider our situation, we are ready to start considering our plan.”

  The fluid transit situation could make it easy to sneak in without raising suspicion. The smaller numbers mean we have a better chance of moving up tactically on our adversary. This was the first idea recommended by De’vor as the mercenaries reviewed the maps.

  “The lighting is dim,” De’vor began. “From what we saw walking around, it looks like they keep the lampposts spaced a good distance apart so they are not in the way of the cargo system. There should be ample dead space between the stacks of steel trailers that we can use to move up on.”

  The Italians explained that currently most of the ships were relegated to the peninsula across the way. Kalopolis enjoyed some connections in the port administration that allowed him to be pardoned from the rules. He was allowed to conduct his business in more private settings. This meant he could cordon off his area from anyone who was not part of his group. This revelation largely prevented the idea of a ground assault.

  “They can control the area if they know they are the only ones allowed out there,” Sacchini spoke up. “We won’t be able to feign some sort of decoy that would allow us to get close to them.”

  “The problem is the security,” Sauwa added. “We don’t know how much they’ll have out there, but with both sides concerned about this deal, we must assume they will both bring their own and that adds up to a lot if we’re trying to move on the ships directly. Assuming we met the very professional looking security team for one of the sides today, we can’t approach this thinking we’re just taking on some street gangsters. We have to expect that they’ll take precautions.”

  “Right,” Carzona suddenly interrupted. He looked at Sauwa and then around at the team. “The problem is that the end goal is destroying the cargo or the ship that will be carrying the cargo. No matter which approach we choose, it will call for using a lot of heavy explosives. Explosives we have to transport over serious dead space and set it while possibly being under fire.”

  “What if we don’t?” Tarkov interjected. The room went silent ─ all eyes were on him. He continued. “Hitting the ships while they’re in port is futile. We don’t have enough intelligence to form a reasonable plan. We don’t know if the cargo will be moved from one ship to the pier before going onto the other ship or if it will be simply moved vessel to vessel. And, as our young lady has pointed out, we will be attacking when security will be at its strongest. Any operation at this point would be both blind and stupid. We should hit the ship when it’s out at sea and is more vulnerable.”

  “That thought has merit, Sacchini agreed.

  “If we can arrange for some ocean-going craft, such as the fishing boat that brought us in,” the Russian went on, “we can observe our target when it leaves port and follow it out a good distance. With the aid of smaller crafts such as rubber rafts, that we should be able to acquire, we can close the distance quickly and neutralize the ship.”

  “The rafts should be no problem,” Carzona commented. “I have excellent contacts and access to a wide variety of equipment. On the other hand, finding a seafaring boat that meets the requirements for this mission will be difficult. If this mission is executed far out at sea, I am concerned, it may not deliver the intended results of the overall mission. Remember, you’re hired to carry out an operation aimed at permanently disabling this pipeline. As it stands, we are at best only stopping a shipment. A shipment that can be hastily replaced and the threat is still with us.”

  “Not necessarily,” Sauwa spoke up, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Tarkov has a point. We can’t logically take the ship or the cargo at the port with any measure of success. The ship has to be taken at sea. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t still attack the port itself and create some havoc that will definitely complicate things. If we can get one of our adversaries to make an appearance there, they will be more vulnerable.”

  “What are you saying?” Tarkov asked. “You know that this business will most likely be conducted by intermediaries. Neither Kalopolis or the buyers will be there personally.”

  “The buyers no,” she persisted. “But this is a big deal for the arms trafficker. One he wouldn’t want to lose because of a glitch. A glitch could be if a man managing all this were suddenly taken out of the equation at a most inconvenient time.”

  “You’re talking about doing something to Prokopis?” De’vor exclaimed.

  Sauwa nodded. “If we kill Prokopis just before the deal, Kalopolis won’t have time to replace him, and he would likely have to make an appearance to ensure all goes smoothly. He’s risking a seriously big account and can’t afford to let it fall through.”

  “Yes, but assassinating his lieutenant could also alert him and blow the whole thing,” De’vor growled revealing his disdain for the South African yet again.

  “Assassination yes,” Sauwa responded. “What I’m talking about is murder. Prokopis enjoys clubs in the seedier section of town. He likes to go slumming with some rough customers. If he were to get sliced up as part of a back-alley brawl that incident would be totally believable. His boss wouldn’t think anything more than that. Besides, he’ll be too pre-occupied with the arms deal to really stop and consider the matter. On such short notice, it should force him to be on site.”

  “That’s wonderful,” Gorzo interjected. “But how does that make it any easier to achieve our goal?”

  She continued. “If we take the ship out on the water, it may or may not raise enough attention to bring the authorities into this. If we arrange for a high-profile assassination of a top arms trafficker at the biggest port in Cyprus, it will definitely pique serious interest from all the wrong people. Enough attention and inquiry that would bring this whole operation to an end. Especially, if the assassination is loud and audacious. With the ships in port and the weapons being transferred, they will see the cargo as the target of any threat they are expecting. Our enemies will be alert and expecting us. However, when the transfer is complete, and the ship has launched, it is perceivable that we will have a window of opportunity. The ship will have pulled out which leaves fewer people to contend with. Everyone will be focused on packing up and leaving. Their attention will be diverted enough that we can initiate an assault.”

  “You’re making many assumptions,” De’vor argued. “One of which is the time we have to spend on this assault while we are letting the ship get further away. Not to mention that we are still a small number going up against a sizable and armed detail. The idea we would get Kalopolis is a gamble at best.”

  Everyone waited for Sauwa’s response. She took a slight breath, then went on. “You’re right. This plan only works provided we conduct it at the same time we’re moving against the ship. This means that we will have to split up. It also means we will need to bring on a few more men.”

  “That is a tall order,” Carzona interrupted.

  “Call Valikov,” Sauwa suggested. “I think you’ll find he can find you some good people on short notice. In fact, I’ll bet he’s kept a few people on standby just in case you called.” The Filipino was taken aback, but he nodded as he let the young lady continue. “The next problem is the target. You’re right. Catching him in a gunfight is an amateur consideration. What we’re looking to do is not kill him in an actual assault but distract him enough to get him to walk into an ambush.” She walked over to the blueprints on the table. She pointed at the target area of the pier. “They have one access road in and out. With the ship gone, they have nothing to stay and protect. Therefore, if they come under fire, their
objective will be to get their charge out of there as quickly as possible. Anyone else will be looking to get away expecting that the gunfire will only attract the police. They’ll be so fixated on escaping from the assaulting force that they’ll be less observant of signs of a secondary attack that they could drive into on their way out.”

  “What kind of secondary ambush are you thinking of?’ Tarkov asked, intrigued by Sauwa’s thought process.

  “A bomb,” she replied. “The Israelis are quite adept at carrying out assassinations with the use of car bombs. One of their best tricks is to load a car with explosives, place it along the traveled route of their target, and blow it as the target goes by. We have it loaded with explosives and stage a car inside the port along the route then blow it as Kalopolis is going by.”

  “It is an idea,” Tarkov spoke up. “Though I have to agree we’re working off more assumptions than hardened intelligence. I see a lot of margin for error. We’re assuming that our target will stick around long after the ship departs leaving us with far lighter security.”

  Sauwa nodded. “This is a big order, one of Kalopolis’ biggest. We know this because he is coordinating a complex shipment to send weapons halfway around the world and far from his usual operating environment. A man with as many nearby big spending clients like him wouldn’t bother unless he was being paid top dollar. And the possibility that it would be repeat business, as I’m sure is the case, he’ll want to stick around until the ship carrying the cargo is out of the port. He’d want to make sure that nothing went wrong while it was in the port.”

  Tarkov had moved closer to examine the blueprints and photographs. He looked the location over thoroughly as he passed his hand over the paper. He used his finger to trace over the lines representing the portion of the port where the transaction was to occur. Then, he slid the same finger across the part depicting the peninsula, where he traced the road and grounds next to it. “The lighting system is focused primarily toward the land. The only lighting directed at the water are the floodlights along the pier to aid ships as they land. Otherwise, the area along the water is mostly dark at night. Even if they had someone in the high-rise cranes watching, they would only be able to see what was happening on the ground.”

  “You’re saying we should move on them through the water,” Sacchini interjected as he gazed over the blueprints following the Russian’s finger movements.

  “If we could find a way to get a team and equipment to the far side of the port undetected,” Tarkov continued as he tapped the area of the peninsula, “we could use small craft such as rafts or canoes to move through the water using darkness as concealment and come up right alongside them where they least expect it and attack from behind.”

  “That still leaves the question of who will go after the ship,” Gorzo asked, looking around at everyone as if the issue had been completely ignored.

  Tarkov rose and stood erect to look over the room. “As Sauwa has already mentioned, we split up and attack both simultaneously. Gorzo, Sacchini and I will pursue the ship since we are all naval commandos by training and experience. De’vor, you will lead the assault with the men we are able to bring in for this mission. Sauwa, you will handle the assassination part of the mission. How do you see that playing out?”

  Sauwa moved to the maps and pointed toward the road. “As I suggested earlier, we have a car moved in full of explosives. When they pass, we detonate. I and maybe two others follow up with a third team that will be staged nearby.”

  “Good, then we know what we have to do. We will gradually develop the plan as we work through it,” Tarkov said as he ended the meeting.

  Sauwa stepped outside to get some air. It had been a long day of planning and operational work, and she was feeling a bit tired. She leaned up against the wall of the warehouse and looked out at the bright blue sky. Some part of her wished this was nothing more than a vacation. She would have liked to have simply enjoyed the place and all it had to offer.

  The door opened, and soon she was joined by Sacchini who walked out looking just as exhausted as she felt. He turned and spotted her right behind him. “Oh, tired of being cooped up inside yourself, huh?” He now wore a pleasant expression. He reminded her of the dopey uncle families have that always seem to be cheerful and made all the children laugh. She wondered if that was the kind of man Sacchini was when he was not being a mercenary. It was strange to think of a hardened soldier and killer as being someone different.

  “I needed some air,” she replied as she leaned her head back against the wall and felt the sunrays on her face.

  “I felt the same way,” he moved up along the wall next to her. “All this operational planning wears me out.”

  “Not to pry,” she said, “but, you don’t strike me as the action junky type.”

  “Action junky?” he questioned. “What type do I look like?” He smiled in a fatherly way.

  She rolled her head from side to side against the wall. “I don’t know. Not a professional mercenary, not someone who enjoys this type of work.”

  “Strange,” he replied, “because you do.”

  Surprised she looked back at him. He didn’t wait for her to speak. “I got into this because after I was out of the navy, I was hard up for work. The economy was bad; there were no jobs out there. Then I read about a conflict going on in Croatia. I had done some recces for intelligence gathering and had a fair idea of what was happening outside of what the papers were reporting. I also knew that the Croatians were hiring foreign professionals to help fight the Serb army. With nothing else happening for me, I packed some gear and headed for adventure as a soldier of fortune. I spent about a year or so there in the early nineties working operations for the Croatians.

  After that, I moved around the Middle-East working personal security first then as a free-lance operative for various intelligence services. A few times I did some work for the occasional gun runner. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve gotten to see the difference between those who flirt with this life, those who are in it simply because, like me, it’s the job they fell into and turned out to be pretty good at it. Then there are those people meant for this is life and were meant to lead. And, I’m sorry to say, this is who you are Sauwa. What we’re doing here, this is the world you belong in.”

  She shot him a puzzled look. He continued, “I doubt you’ll ever do anything else. It’s not a bad thing, the world needs people like you and Tarkov. It just simply means that this is likely how you will meet your end, fighting in some battlefield, or on some operation such as this.”

  “Don’t presume you know me,” Sauwa replied acidly as she turned her head back toward the sun.

  The Italian chuckled. “I do know you. I know you very well. I see the cold serious look in your eye when we are discussing our operation. The instinctive professionalism you employ when we’re out operating. And, the utter resolve you have for carrying this whole thing out without the slightest concern for the dangers. We all see it. De’vor thinks you’re a cold-blooded psychopath, Gorzo is attracted to the danger he sees in you, and me, I’m afraid of it.”

  “You agree with De’vor then?” she asked. “That I’m a stone-cold killer.”

  “No,” he shook his head. “He thinks you’re pure evil. I don’t think you’re evil. You are just very good at what you do, and you don’t want to accept who you are.” Sacchini lifted himself from the wall, took a deep breath and started to walk away. “Take it from an old pro who has been doing this longer than you have. Your peace only comes when it’s in the shadows fighting.” He didn’t wait for her to reply. They both knew there was nothing more to say. He quietly walked back inside leaving her to ponder his words.

  24

  The door burst open and men came through it at an explosive speed one right after the other. Each man quickly vanished from the doorway to take up different positions a few feet from the wall. The first man called out in English everything he saw that could pose a threat to the team as he
advanced into the warehouse. He turned smartly to the right pointing his rifle to cover the far corner as he pushed past the door jamb and approached the corner at a fast pace. He stopped a few feet from the corner before turning on the balls of his feet and heading toward the main room. The next man followed in an identical manner, but he came through the door and moved quickly to the left. The rest of the team peeled off alternating directions as they broke past the doorway. They moved to various places inside the perimeter between the first two men.

  The exercise continued as the team tactically moved through the remainder of the warehouse. They covered every corner and walkway between the large wooden crates, engaging by verbal recognition the silhouettes meant to represent potential hostiles. They ended on the other side of the massive building.

  Tired and sweaty the men loosened the tactical equipment they wore. This had been the third time today they had traversed the giant labyrinth conducting this exercise. The last three days had been filled with long periods of practicing this particular exercise in addition to training in a few other places. The fast pace, the lengthy maze, and the heightened tension had all taken its toll and fatigue was setting in.

  Rhys looked back to where they had come from. Mehendra emerged from the stacks of crates followed by two of the Greeks. Like the rest of the team, they were decked out in tactical gear designed for an urban setting. “They were excellent this time around,” Mehendra stated, not waiting for his commander to pose the question. “They hit all the targets with precision, identifying and engaging us instantly.”