“We’re not here for the politics,” said Cameron, his voice elevated.
“Fair enough,” said Isaac, and he spun back toward the table. “Let us tell you how we can help you. As I was saying, we were happy to jump on board right away. As you are aware the Kalinihta,” Isaac gestured to the photograph of the yacht, “is owned by billionaire Demetrius Stratos and as Alastair told you, he has already secured substantial funding for our operation.”
“Is that how we were able to get the satellite imagery so fast?” asked Cameron.
Eazy spoke up, “There are many international satellites directed at the Middle East region and I have a direct feed into several of them.”
Cameron glanced at Alastair and raised his brow. Alastair raised one brow in return. They had utilized satellite imagery like the photographs on the wall on nearly every mission while in the Legion and after and Cameron were aware that to gain access to the level of detail displayed in these pictures was near impossible. Anyone could pay to task a satellite down to one meter and big money could easily get half of that. These super sharp pictures were down to a quarter of a meter easy.
Eazy anticipated Cameron’s next question. “The hacks are old and unnoticeable,” he shrugged his shoulders, “maybe tolerated. You know they seldom risk upgrading the firmware. If the upgrade knocks out a satellite, well...” he raised his hands in the air.
“I am glad we have them,” said Pepe. “How recent are they?”
“All from within the last twelve hours,” said Isaac, “most an hour before sunset, and the infrareds after. We pulled from the birds right after we heard from Alistair. As you can see the Kalinihta is anchored here as reported.” Isaac referenced an aerial picture of the small harbor at the edge of the building compound. The photograph displayed the buildings closest to the water, a small beach, a dock, and man-made break walls hugging around them. At the mouth of the tiny port was a yacht flanked by buoyed skiffs. The detail of the image was pristine. The chaise lounge pillows on the deck of the Kalinihta were clear, as were the side tables.
“The Kalinihta does not take much water. Why not use the dock?” asked Ari.
“Same reason the skiffs don’t,” said Cameron.
“You’re right,” said Eazy. “Good eyes.”
“We have done this before,” said Alastair.
Isaac ran his finger through the center of the picture, “The road is guarded by a tower and from movement we think that building number four, adjacent to the main building number one here on the courtyard, is a barracks. The clearest point of entry is directly through the harbor, up the beach, and right up the steps to the compound.” He gestured to an image of the entire complex, “You see here, and by the model on the table. The walls are three meters high surrounding the compound.”
“Ah,” said Ari, “There is something in the water.”
“Mines would be my guess,” said Cameron.
“And you would be right. We also have intelligence that the beach is mined,” said Isaac. He gestured toward another two photographs, “We have images of individuals crossing so there must be a safe line... Still.”
Eazy continued Isaac’s thought, “We believe the safe line would be monitored electronically, or at least as guarded. You can see the guards there.” He shot the bead of a laser pointer onto three shadows near the waters edge of the compound, two at the ends of the wide steps, and one obvious sentry on the dock.
“Electronically? That’s far more high tech than I imagined for these fellas,” said Cameron.
“Well that is the meat of it,” said Isaac.
“How’s that?” asked Cameron.
“One of the reasons our friend Dada was so glad to help,” said Alastair. “This is not only a stronghold of the National Volunteer Coast Guard. According to Dada this is the home of their leader Abbo Mohammed.”
“Their leader?” asked Ari.
“And all that implies,” said Isaac. “A lot of men, a lot of guns, and I expect an RPG or two.”
“The man that wanted us out of the way,” said Cameron.
“The bald man in London Alastair was telling us about,” said Isaac.
Cameron nodded his head, “I think this is pretty straight forward then, we do a helodrop a kilometer out then take the yacht from the water.”
“I thought you would see it that way. Our helicopter is a modified Sikorsky Black Hawk. She’s already fueled and loaded in the launch bay.”
“In the launch bay? This place is full of surprises,” said Cameron.
Isaac nodded at Cameron. “I think you will find we have all of the gear you require in the armory,” said Isaac. “We leave in three hours.”
“And if they are not all on the boat?” asked Ari.
“Need be, I can clear the way to the compound,” said Eazy. “There will be a lot of noise which means the team going ashore will have to be fast and surgical.”
“If anyone has been taken to the main house it will have been my sister,” said Pepe. “Cameron and I will go.”
“Not without me,” said Alastair. He placed a hand upon Pepe’s shoulder, “Viva Legionne.” Pepe’s eyes matched Alastair’s, “The Legion is our strength.”
* * * * *
Chapter 14
Somali Coast North of Kismayu
Cameron slipped another clip into a pocket of his wetsuit, then for a third time, in the dim light of the cabin, inspected the MP-5 submachine gun he had selected from Isaac and Eazy’s armory. The bewildering variety of weapons amassed in their munitions store amused Cameron. A matter of tactical operation protocol was that all of the munitions were interchangeable. Perhaps confidence in experience was high or maybe the years between field and undercover ops had forgiven rigor and set them in their ways, because each armed by personal preference. In the cockpit were Isaac and Dakarai, the towering Afrikaan. Isaac and Dakarai were to stay on the helo after the drop. Across the cabin of the Black Hawk, Eazy was inspecting his CTAR-21, an Israeli commando submachine gun. Alastair sat next to Eazy, with his hands on his lap, his back arrow straight. Pepe was sitting in the back leaning against the corner inspecting the MP-5 he had selected. Cameron watched Pepe maneuver the safety toggle from single fire to rapid then back to single. Pepe’s gaze was not on his weapon. He stared vacuously into the interior of the cabin sliding the toggle to different hot actions. Cameron recognized that Pepe was running a combat simulation. Though the small team was well equipped, no one else wanted to see battle this morning. The plan was a direct action infiltration exfiltration, a commando specialization. The four of them were to shadow the yacht with the zodiacs and then rescue the crew. If anyone was missing, Eazy was to evacuate with whatever hostages were onboard while the other three went ashore, and they were only going ashore if necessary. Their team was too small to take any great risks. Somewhere outside of the Black Hawk was Ari in the Dark Star. Ari had not hesitated in his role of the mission. If everything went well on the yacht, they would not see Ari again until the mission was complete. If they had to get to the main house on the beach, what they referred to as building number one, then Ari was going to come in like the cavalry, strafing with the guns newly fitted at the bunker, and lift them out, or at least provide cover for the Black Hawk if all of the hostages had been moved to shore.
That was a major kink in the plan.
The team was counting on the hostages being left on the yacht and even with the satellite images that Eazy was able to retrieve there was no way of knowing if that was the case. The team had debated as to whether the zodiacs should be brought to shore or the Black Hawk brought in. In the end, Pepe made the call. If the compound was still too hot to evacuate with the Black Hack there was no way the three of them were going the get all of the hostages onto the beach and out. “If we fail, we fail big,” said Pepe. So that was Plan A, the yacht, Plan B, the compound with Ari, Plan C, the compound with the Black Hawk, and if Plan C went awry their last resort Plan D would be the zodiacs on the beach with strafing fire fr
om Ari. No one wanted Plan D. They all agreed the Kalinihta was to be utilized if the yacht had fuel and the captain was in shape to pilot the ship yet they had no time to discover if the hull was rigged with explosives and they certainly could not outrun the skiffs that would have GPS locks on the yacht.
If the uncertainty bothered any of them, none of them blinked. Cameron, Pepe, and Alastair had been on missions less certain, missions deemed impossible, missions deemed suicide. Cameron did not know the history of his new ex-Mossad and Afrikaan comrades yet he knew brothers-in-arms. Certainly every soldier regardless of status prefers black and white. The reality is that every mission is colored with hues of grey. Besides there was never a time this mission was going to be a no-go. Pepe’s sister was being held hostage. Regardless of the financial incentive sent down by Stratos. Three Legionnaires were destined to make this trip from the moment the Kalinihta was boarded.
Cameron checked if the knives he had strapped on were secure. He unsheathed the knife on his ankle and began to sharpen the blade against a small accompanied stone.
“Look at you,” said Pepe.
Cameron lifted his gaze to Pepe, “What?”
“What was that show you were taping? Steel Chef?”
“Uh, ya, something like that,” said Cameron.
“Ha, ha, if they could see you now.”
“You would probably win more with that steel,” said Alastair, his eyes now open. Pepe began to boisterously laugh.
“You could really,” said Pepe, having a hard time getting the words out, “put an ‘edge’ on that show.”
Alastair and Eazy now joined in the laughter.
“Might help you ‘cut out’ the competition,” said Alastair, causing the three to laugh even harder.
“Oh, you’re funny,” said Cameron. “The both of you, clowns.” Cameron pointed the end of the blade at Eazy, “What are you laughing for? You even know what they’re talking about?”
“I don’t need to,” said Eazy. “Everyone appreciates the Dragon Chef’s ‘sharp wit’.”
This caused all three to bellow.
Cameron raised his brow and shrugged, “Open the door so I can jump out of this bird.”
Over their headsets they heard Isaac’s voice, “You’ll have your wish soon Dragon. Three minutes to drop. Prep the zodiacs.”
The laughter stopped. “Clear,” each said into their headsets.
The four men secured their kits and prepped for the door.
Eazy dropped to his knees and pulled two large duffels to the center of the cabin. “We will need one of these in each of the zodiacs.”
“Explosives?” asked Pepe.
“More than just that. The contents will get you across the two mine fields if the three of you have to get up to the compound,” said Eazy.
Dakarai entered the cabin from the cockpit to open the hatch.
“On target, H2 check in,” said Isaac.
“H2 at your 11,” said Ari.
“H2 affirmed,” said Isaac. “Open Hatch.”
Dakarai opened the hatch, “Hatch open,” said Dakarai. “Get ready for bump one.” Dakarai released the first zodiac and the helo lifted slightly.
Ari’s voice came on the headsets, “Zodiac one in the water.”
“Get ready for bump two,” said Dakarai. He released the second zodiac and the helo lifted and tilted before straightening out. “She’s caught.”
Ari’s voice came on the radio again, “Zodiac two is dangling.”
Dakarai pulled a ten-inch blade from his belt and slipped the edge into his cuff, “Back in two H1.”
“Affirmative,” said Isaac. “Don’t damage the boat, we only brought two.”
Dakarai slipped over the side.
The team did not need to wait long. In less than a minute, the helo lifted slightly.
“H1, Zodiac two is in the water,” said Ari.
Dakarai put an arm up onto the hatch and then Eazy and Pepe pulled him in.
Dakarai composed himself quickly and swung around into position, “You should be able to stay dry. The water is glass, the boats are below.”
“Great. Let’s drop the ropes,” said Pepe.
As soon as the ropes were uncoiled, Pepe and Eazy stepped into their positions to fast rope.
“Team ready H1,” said Dakarai.
“Then team clear,” said Isaac.
Eazy and Pepe slid down the ropes into a zodiac below. As soon as they were clear of the ropes, they secured the zodiacs together while on the helo Alastair and Cameron clipped the first duffel onto the ropes.
“Package ready,” said Dakarai.
“Ready for package,” said Eazy.
Cameron and Alastair let the duffel drop. Eazy and Pepe secured, and then moved the duffel to the second zodiac.
“Package ready.”
“Ready for package.”
The second duffel dropped from the helo onto the zodiac followed by Alastair and then Cameron.
“Team clear” said Dakarai.
“Team is in the water,” said Ari.
“See you soon boys,” said Isaac.
The two helicopters moved off and within minutes the zodiacs were separated and motoring toward shore.
* * * * *
Chapter 15
Abbo’s Compound
The equatorial sky densely glittered above while below the two zodiacs glided across the mirrored surface of the early morning ocean. The water so still and silent that the two-man crews had pulled the rotors up and were now bent over the sides rowing in rapid uniform pace. Before the small inflatable crafts the profile of the Kalinihta glowed white bow to stern, hugged between the two hilly shadows of the break walls that extended out into the water beside her. On shore, the compound was dark, with no lights in the windows or the exterior, darkest before the dawn.
Careful to not nudge the hull too harshly the team gently drew the zodiacs to the stern of the Kalinihta. Pepe eased a small mirror around the corner of the swim platform. He flashed a hand gesture to Cameron and Alastair to signal the deck was clear. The crews used their hands to slide the crafts along the hull and then when the first zodiac was in position Pepe rolled from the inflatable up onto the platform, keeping out of view of the aft deck and salon steps above. Pepe extended his mirror then pointed two fingers at his eyes. This meant the salon was dark and that they would need the night vision gear. Eazy quietly handed the three men each a headset that comprised the monocular lens and a battery pack. Alastair and Cameron fit their gear into place, Pepe passed preferring to trust the darkness.
In three quick movements, Cameron allowed himself to be boosted by Alastair up onto the deck and into a gun ready point position. To his left the Jacuzzi sat flat, reflecting iridescent green to his night glass, on his right the chaise lounges were unspoiled. Cameron scanned the dark void of the aft salon through the open glass doors. The ceiling mirror and heavy metal trim brought a lot of light into his scope. He took three hunched steps forward ready to dodge if needed. The luxury of the fine wood paneled lounge was in no less a state than earlier in the week. Original artwork still adorned the walls and the fabrics of the cushions, though green tinted by the night glass, were untainted. The neat and unwrinkled placement of the pillows on the furniture did not appear to be in any way abnormal. The Kalinihta was in stasis, immune to the circumstance of her crew.
Alastair sidled Cameron’s left and then Pepe his right.
The three men shared a glance and a nod and then went onto their planned routes. They had reviewed blueprints of the Kalinihta at the bunker. There were two decks above, the sky deck and top deck, and below were the cabins and engine room. Alastair was to work his way skyward, Cameron to the bow, and Pepe was going to the compartments below where most likely the hostages, and his sister, were being held. A standard sweep the three had performed countless times before. Eazy was to stay with the zodiacs unless requested.
The three strode forward in unison, a rhythmic machine, Alastair and Cameron with
MP-5s ready and Pepe wielding a blade. At the back of the salon, a decorative spiral staircase shot up to the sky deck while to the side a second stairwell slipped to the stateroom and guest cabins below. At the point of the stairwells, Pepe and Alastair split off to their own appropriate preplanned routes. Cameron pressed forward toward the bow of the yacht.
Cameron entered the dining salon next. The large dining table and small side bar were in order as was the rest of the lounge, preserved as the aft salon had been. Even the compliment of liquor lining the corner-mirrored shelves above the bar was untouched. Then again, the men who took the yacht thought of themselves not as pirates rather as an Islamic coastguard, and as such were Muslims bound to a Sharia law prohibiting alcohol. The team’s overall boarding plan took advantage that these captors were devout. In moments, dawn would begin and the morning call to prayer would come. As worshipers of Islam the devout believe God’s most favored prayer of the day is the Fajr dawn prayer. Muslims believe all others sleep while the devout pray. The plan hinged on infiltrating the yacht, and then if necessary the compound, just before the prayer, and then evacuating while surrounding reinforcements were still praying.
A large mural of a silver olive tree covered the wall at the back of the dining salon. Cameron knew from the blueprints that a television was behind a retractable panel and that behind that was the galley. On either side of the wall was a door, the one to the left would lead up to the pilot house, the one to the right would lead down to the crew’s mess. Cameron placed his back near the edge of the left side entryway then eased the door open. The hallway was dimly lit from the forward pilothouse. He disengaged his night glass so as not to be blinded by a flood of light. From a pocket, Cameron pulled a thin scope and then began to ease the glass to the corner to catch the reflection. When he noticed how reflective the dim light was on the gold trim of the hallway sconce he stopped. The scope could betray him yet the fixture could be his ally. Cameron slipped the scope back into his sleeve pocket and then nuzzled close to the corner to use the sconce fixture as a mirror. Within the golden shine was a pocket of clarity, a slight window of reflection onto the helm. In the image, Cameron saw a man hunched forward.
The Somali Deception Episode I (A Cameron Kincaid Serial) Page 6
