Serve and Protect

by Douglas Varnell

  On the fifth day of December there was a major assault on the Nation of Afghanistan. Four specially equipped cloaked Verron Freighters loaded with 500,000 pounds of Opium Poppy Eradication Formula and thousands of misting nozzles left Verron under the command of Katelyn Verron. She had that day off from Area 51 and would have taken the day off even if it had been the middle of the week. There was a large storm-front that was covering most of Afghanistan. Katelyn had intentionally planned to fly her mission over the country between February and May when the precipitation is the heaviest, but December was one of the more precipitous months and this was an excellent day to seed the heavy cloud cover hovering over most of the country. The formula was so concentrated that when mixed with the falling rain in a ratio of 1 ounce per billion gallons of water it was very effective. The four tankers would dispense their cargo from an altitude of 60,000 feet and adjust their flight patterns to take advantage of the prevailing wind. The four loads equaling 2 million pounds of formula were plenty to kill every opium poppy plant in Afghanistan and if the rains and winds kept moving east, it may even reach some of Pakistan. One thing that Tlase and Katelyn had recently discovered was that the formula not only affects the plants, but also any bails or drying areas that may process the opium paste. It would require the entire evening to systematically cover the matrix Lucy had laid out for the best possible distribution of the opiumside. It was only about 9:00 PM when the four ships came through the gateway created by Katelyn. They immediately spread-out across the country and opened the nozzles that were attached to the bottom of the ships. The clouds were heavy and some were already dropping their rain. When the mist hit the clouds some was released along with the falling rain, the rest may not fall till morning or later that night, but one thing was for certain, wherever the rain fell, there were going to be some very unhappy opium poppy farmers.

  While the freighters were maneuvering through the skies above, Hunter and both his troop transports were preparing to target every known warehouse and opium processing facility they could locate. There were few that could not be found by the hundreds of cloaked drones Hunter had released into the heavens over Afghanistan, specifically targeting the emissions from the opium operation. Opium manufacturers felt safe and secure with their locations, ranging from buried deep under a mountain to boldly occupying a warehouse district in the middle of a town or village, even in the industrial district of Kabul. Hunter knew that thousands of people earned their livelihood from the opium business and that destroying the drug industry would cause financial problems for an already poor country. He hoped to do in Afghanistan what was now being done in several countries in Africa, once an area was stable, try to help it economically with cheap energy, water and agriculture. It was a slow process, but Africa was proof it could be done, even if it was being done very carefully and faced constant resistance from those who do not want to give up their choke-hold on others.

  Over the past year the Terrorist Elimination Team had targeted strictly known Taliban training centers and strongholds. They had focused primarily on small to medium sized towns scattered all over Afghanistan, moving in and out quickly and quietly eliminating their target and moving on with little resistance and few witnesses. But tonight they were focused on several targets that were in major metropolitan areas. It would require going into the heart of the cities, and destroying a plant or warehouse and several known weapons depots, there was no way to avoid confrontations with those protecting the facilities and even harder to avoid collateral damage. That’s why tonight for the first time the two teams of commandoes would be using rapture rounds instead of the usual whitematter loads they had been firing. Hunter didn’t want to leave a bunch of dead bodies behind, but also didn’t have any desire to leave homes and buildings destroyed or filled with large holes. They intended to use containment bombs on the larger installations, limit their use of whitematter rounds to large vehicles and if there were no innocents in the vicinity, the smallest plasma grenades on the other difficult targets. For the first time, each member of the team carried a 9mm pistol with conventional rounds, just in case there was an enemy to close to an innocent to use a rapture round. Major Bentley was leading the attacks on Mazari Sharif and Herat. Hunter was leading the other unit on Kabul and Jalalabad. The targets and the plan for eliminating them was precisely coordinated to begin shortly after Katelyn and the freighters had finished their initial defoliating run, but sometimes circumstances change and plans have to be adjusted at a moment’s notice. This turned out to be one of those times.

  Mullah Mohammed Omar had been waiting years for this day. From his hiding place deep underneath a mountain in Northern Pakistan he had carefully managed to infiltrate the military and the highest levels of the newly elected government with his faithful followers. With the support of ISIS and financial help from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, he had managed to finance the coup that was going to take place this very evening. In a well-coordinated move that took little more than two hours, he had managed to assassinate the military leaders of Afghanistan and replace them with those who had managed to convince them they were loyal subordinates. With the Afghan Army completely under his control, he quickly raided the palace of the President who had been elected the year before in a free election under the close watch of the U.N. All over Kabul the elected members of the ruling party were rousted from their homes and escorted to the nearby soccer stadium to be detained until their execution for treason against Islam. With the Army under his control, military vehicles soon filled the streets of Kabul rounding-up any resistors and destroying anything that appeared to violate the new laws of the land. Innocent people were killed, women were raped and Western supported businesses were burned. Mullah Omar had taken over the capital of Afghanistan and the seat of government and declared himself the leader of Afghanistan. Those who believed in him cheered his rise to the seat of power; even those who didn’t, were not stupid enough to let anyone know. Before the sun rose on the morning of the 6th of December, any resistors were either dead or filling the stadium turned detention center. The drones Hunter had in place looking for opium activity soon broadcast something completely different. He immediately sent a message to Major Bentley and Unit 2 to abort their mission and meet him at 34.5 degrees N, 69 degrees E, just outside Kabul, Afghanistan. It was time for a change of plans.

  Still under the cover of darkness, Colonel Hunter Verron and Major Bentley greeted each other surrounded by a small stand of trees in a field outside Kabul. With the rain coming down and the ships cloaked, they were well-hidden from prying eyes. Besides, any activity in the area was inside the city limits of Kabul. No one was concerned about a small field of corn a few miles away. The fifty men from the two transports crowded together in one ship to discuss the major turn of events. Hunter had never intended to fight a major battle in the center of the Afghan capital, but with so many of the Taliban concentrated at the same time in one place, he couldn’t pass-up the opportunity to do some major damage to the organization and hopefully eliminate the top leaders of the group. It was a delicate situation. He didn’t want to inflict any harm on the city or to the innocent bystanders who were attempting to live life as usual. As he closely monitored the activities of the coup, Major Bentley noticed a big smile begin to form on Hunter’s face. Then he began to laugh. Those around him looked over his shoulder to get a look at what he was laughing at. What they saw was thousands of military vehicles amassing in one place to prepare for a military parade through the heart of Kabul, in the traditional show of power so often immolated in other areas. In their arrogance, they wanted to show the people of Kabul that they were in power and possessed the firepower of the now defunct Afghan Army. Tanks, missile launchers, APCs, military trucks, machinegun bearing jeeps and Humvees ... virtually every vehicle that would run was now being prepared to haul the gun-toting Taliban on their victory ride through Kabul. Mullah Omar and his Generals and chiefs were formed-up on the steps in front of the capital to review the triumphant troops. />
  Hunter and Major Bentley reviewed the map of Kabul and the locations of their original targets. They had become a much lower priority for the time being, but if they were located in the areas he now intended to engage, well, he of course would eliminate them along with anything else in his path. The parade in front of the Capital building and the stadium were a couple of miles apart. Before he began his assault on the thousands of military vehicles conveniently located in the wide streets flowing through the heart of the city, he wanted to first make sure that the hostages being held at the stadium were safe. Remaining cloaked at all times, he directed Bentley’s unit to the stadium. His men were to jump from the hovering transport into the stadium; placing themselves between the thousands of prisoners and the surrounding Taliban guards. As soon as the 25 commandoes were on the ground, the transport was to begin destroying vehicles and soldiers at the front of the long parade. Once the hostages were secure, the men would then spread-out and proceed toward the capital building, destroying any targets they encountered along the way. Now that the Taliban had control of the Afghan Army and their equipment, it made it much easier to differentiate the good-guys from the bad; if it wasn’t part of the Terrorist Elimination Unit it was bad.

  Hunter’s men were going to drop right into the middle of the capital. Half would jump onto the roof of the seven story capital building and work their way toward the front steps where the newly declared leader of Afghanistan was reviewing his troops. The other half were going to jump out right in the middle of the street facing the arrogant pack of Generals and Mullahs, shooting everything in sight. Those who escaped the street and went for the safety of the building would find that it was not all that safe. The transport that dropped Unit 1 off would then begin raining on their parade, raining 7.62mm whitematter rounds at every vehicle in the street. Hunter changed his mind about using the more destructive round. Kabul would soon need a new Main Street and a few million tons of dirt and gravel to fill the holes that were going to cover the major thoroughfare. One of the Sergeants asked about injuries to those along the street. Hunter reminded him, “If they are outside their home cheering their heroes instead of in their homes cowering in fear, then I would consider them supporters of the Taliban. If a few disappear with the vehicles then I certainly won’t lose any sleep over it. This is an opportunity to take out the entire upper echelon of the Taliban and the majority of their troops. If we regain control of Kabul and reseat the President and his staff, the other cities where the Taliban has control will fall much more easily. Today, if it’s armed and pointing at you; kill it.”

  Things began to happen really fast when Captain Bentley and his team dropped into the stadium. There had to be over 200 soldiers surrounding the make-shift prison and over fifty of those were inside the stadium keeping a close watch on the detainees. Dropping just feet away from the surrounding soldiers and drawing their attention away from the huddled group of prisoners, the team wasted no time in vaporizing the guards with rapture rounds fired from suppressed 30 round H&K 9mm. The onlookers began to scream as one man after another vanished into thin air while the evil looking men in gray body armor swept the stadium clean. While his men headed for the exits of the stadium to clear the outside perimeter, the sound of 7.62mm rounds could be heard and each time one discharged there was a bright light filling the sky. Captain Bentley began to speak in Pashto to the crowd, telling them to remain where they are while he and his team cleared the city. President Aziz came forward and asked, “Are you the men who have been targeting the Taliban?” Bentley nodded his head as a yes and informed the President, “I know this coup was unexpected by your government and our unit, but having so many of them in one location will make our job much easier. We don’t even have to sort them out. If it’s armed, it dies.” President Aziz asked, “How many of you are there?” Major Bentley smiled and answered, “More than they will be able to handle. In a few hours, we’ll come get you and give you your country back. Meanwhile, please stay put.” He then turned and followed his men out of the stadium to the cheers of several thousand government officials and their families.

  His men and the hovering transport had done an excellent job of clearing the perimeter of the stadium and it was easy to follow its path towards the parade. There was nothing left on the streets it had chosen to follow to the center of town. There were however quite a few deep holes the 25 men had to avoid.

  Hunter and his 12 men jumped from the cloaked transport on the opposite side of the parade from where the Mullahs and Generals were standing on the steps leading into their new headquarters. Hunter was glad the body armor had helmet cameras, because he wanted to watch the look on Omar’s face. When a row of tanks three abreast vanished before his eyes, the two missile carriers behind them disappeared and five 2 ½ ton trucks loaded with gun waving Taliban suddenly ceased to exist, and he was faced with 12 heavily armed men in dark gray body armor, his look of jubilation turned to one of sheer panic. Before any of his security detail could react, they began to vaporize before his eyes as round after round of rapture rounds found their target. The Generals began to disappear from his sides and when the other Taliban leaders turned and raced for the safety of the building, Mullah Mohammed Omar raised his hands in surrender, then vanished as Hunter put a rapture round into his chest. There were dozens of flashes from inside the building and four of the Mullahs who had taken cover in the building came out with their hands up, only to face the same fate as their leader. The Terrorist Elimination Unit did not take prisoners unless they needed some information from them. Hunter decided he would prefer to get his information someplace else.

  While Hunter and his men cleared the Capital and surrounding buildings, his transports were filling the sky-line with flashes of light as he targeted the parade staging area filled with thousands of soldiers and their transportation preparing to enter the parade. The transport proceeded to follow the parade route toward the viewing stand. Some of the more alert drivers of the vehicles had turned up side streets and were attempting to flee. The slow moving trucks, tanks and APCs made terrible getaway vehicles.

  For the next four hours the Elimination Team and their transports scoured the streets and as many buildings as possible looking for the Taliban who had gotten away. They found hundreds of weapons abandoned in the streets where the Taliban had managed to easily mingle with the other citizens of Kabul. Many were pointed out by the surrounding locals and pushed from the crowds. To their amazement, those men were vaporized just like the armed ones were. There would be no prison or mass trials to deal with in Kabul. Half of each unit proceeded to patrol the streets and take care of the two opium production facilities and their storage warehouse, as well as two armories that were filled with millions of rounds of ammunition and weapons. With a transport hovering overhead as the group left the stadium and half a dozen body armored commandoes walking along each side, the detainees began the two mile walk back to the capital. Other than thousands of deep holes in the streets, there were no signs of casualties. Even if there were innocent civilians killed, there would be nothing for the media to photograph.

  Many were in tears as they watched their President walking toward the Capital along the same parade route that had earlier been filled with his enemy. He and his cabinet members slowly negotiated the stairs where the Taliban had been arrogantly proclaiming their victory. Hunter activated his voice control as he stood next to President Aziz and announced in Pashtu to those who had gathered in the bombed-out streets, “A year ago you elected this man in an honest and free election. The people of Afghanistan chose President Aziz to lead them. They did not choose Muhammad Omar. The Taliban in the city of Kabul have been destroyed. We will continue to do the same in every city across your Nation until it is truly free and you and your families can live in peace in a country where you can prosper and thrive and live a life without fear. President Aziz has the full support of me and my men. I want to make it very clear, no other form of government will be tolerated other than the fre
ely elected government that is once again in control. As your Nation becomes more stable, other Nations will be willing to invest in the prosperity of Afghanistan. President Aziz has been working hard to bring Afghanistan back from the decades of wars and Taliban terror. The Taliban’s reign of terror will soon be over. As-Salaam-Alaikum.”

  Before he left the city, Hunter contacted King Verron and suggested that since virtually all weapons taken from the Afghan Army had been destroyed, the President had very little to defend himself with, he probably should arrange for the U.N. Peacekeepers to come back to Kabul. He then assured the President that he and his men would continue to scour Afghanistan and Pakistan for the Taliban until they were either all dead or there were simply too few of them to matter. While he was still talking to the President and his staff, a message came in about opium crops all over Afghanistan vanishing in a flash of light during the night. At first no one paid any attention, thinking the light was simply the lightning from the storms, but when they got up the next morning the opium poppies were gone and nothing else, not an ear of corn, head of wheat or a blade of grass – even the weeds in the poppy fields, were still there. President Aziz gave Hunter a questioning look. Hunter just told him, “We hurt the Taliban in more ways than one today. We just eliminated a very significant source of their revenue. Let me know if you need assistance in planting food crops in their place. Poppies will never grow there again.”