What We are Fighting For part 2
22nd of March 2046, Khartoum
"Sir we're surrounded by the enemy! Requesting backup." Euler voice was desperate. Outnumber by wide margin, knowing no matter how advanced his weapon is it would not be enough. In this kind of situation was reinforcement really that useful? Could Euler survived long enough until it comes? Unfortunately for him the world was a cruel place for a newbie in military.
"Copy Euler this is Lieutenant Rashid, right now you need to survive and-----bzzzzzzttt-----" The connection was interrupted. Was it the weather affecting the signal frequency? No it was definitely a signal jammer. But how? Euler pondered the question and in his quest of finding the truth he checked the drone live feed in his tablet only to find them all showing the same thing, a pitch black screen.More mystery for our poor soldier to figure out.
A silent weapon that could take down military drone in one shoot did such thing really exist? It was what you could describe as hopeless situation. In his panic Euler ignored his drones, the only tool that let him knew the enemy location. Blind, not knowing where the enemy might attack.Cut off from his comrade, a mere one infantry dare to fight hundred men? Surely that wasn't possible.
Abandoned by fate, Euler tried to keep his cool although it's futile. With his thermal vision Euler could see more than 30 men had already come out from the cave beneath him. He made sure his M4 Carbine was besides him, his hand although shaking was ready to control the direction of sentry gun with his foldable tablet.
Those green humanoid figures in Euler vision remind him of his plastic army toy that he used to play as a kid. He would lift them, made them fight against each others. He imagine the enemy to be a communist and in the end he would always win because he have the power of freedom. His now deceased mom used to scold him all the time for not playing outside, she was never harsh on her warning and sometimes even spend some of her times outside of works to play with Euler.
"NO! It can't be!" as Euler pressed his tablet many time hoping some changed would happen. It repeated the same message 'No Service and Signal'. He lost control of the sentry gun and thermal missile, somehow those supposed terrorist had technology advanced enough to interrupt the signal of UN forces. It's impossible for them to knew the location of those weapons so direct sabotaging is out of question. Euler raised his brow, sweat dripping down, he intensified his vision even though it will not enhanced his thermal vision in any way, desperation could do wonder to weak mind. Among the usual green, yellow, and red color, Euler could see an unusual color those dark blue color, unusual heat signature. That was his clue. Euler switch from his thermal google to telescope, looking at those unusual heat signature in real vision. It was dark but Euler saw about 3 to 4 men guarding a certain machine. The size could be between 1,3 to 2 meters, it looks like a block with parabola on top of it , between the parabola a pair of long antennae, although faintly Euler saw a glowing button in that machine. The machine didn't looks like something that could be carried easily so it must be something of importance, Euler slide his telescope a little to the right and he could see a wheelbarrow that run in diesel engine certainly explained how they carried it. It was enough clue for even a newbie soldier like Euler to piece together all the facts. The machine he saw right now was a jamming machine. By jamming the signal those terrorist could cut the UN communication. As for how the drone, sentry gun, and missile launcher were disabled, that machine must have doubled as EMP machine. It was a well thought strategy on their part, disabling most of modern technology and forced this battlefield into traditional brute battle. If that's what they wanted then so be it.
Euler put aside his M4 Carbine and opened the zipper of his military bag. Inside it was various thing he need on any kind of situation. "What I need right now is a sniper rifle to lessen the number of enemy as many as I can" thought Euler. He felt around inside the bag and he pulled his hand when he touched the weapon he need. Euler had been trained to know about various weapon before he became UN soldier but really Zastava M76? Euler checked his magazine and he saw about 10 cartridges of 7.92x57mm Mauser. Euler checked his bag again and he had 2 more magazines so he had about 30 cartridges in total, at least Euler need to kill 20 men before he could safely retreat. Without further ado, Euler assumed his stance and started focusing his iron sight to the nearest enemy. As a sniper you need to be calm, observing the situation and air current, making sure you fire at the right moment so you don't reveal your location. It was past midnight, the wind was calm and there was no obstruction between his bullet and his target. Slowly, slowly, made sure it's an instant kill, and now! Euler pressed his trigger and what could be described as 'modest' recoil pushed back his arm. Euler ignore the pain in his arm and instinctively choose his 2nd target. After the first victim of course the enemy would be confused and in the middle of that chaos a leader was needed to calm it. Euler wait for that particular moment when the leader of Sudanese Liberation Army would show his face. The chaos ensued for a little bit but Euler did not see any sign of leader ordering the Janjaweed or Sudan Liberation Army, it was bad, in no time the enemy would recover and resumed their assault. Euler stopped his search for the enemy leader and this time he focused his iron sight to the enemy SUV. Unlike the 1st target, the SUV was about 600 meters from his location, luckily Zastave M76 could effectively hit any target within 800 meters range. Since his observation with thermal vision before, Euler noticed the SUV's engine was occasionally shown when the enemy opened its front to cool the engine. Again patience, waited for the right moment, and now! The 2nd shot was fired and it hit right at the SUV's engine. The combination of gunpowder flung at high speed and the flammable liquid inside the engine caused a small explosion that killed 3 men. Small explosion indeed but it was enough to confused the enemy and decrease their moral.
"Now show me your face leader" Euler wait again and from behind the explosion, an old man walked to the middle of that chaos. The smoke from that explosion partially covered his face but Euler could see that old man was using a turban. Although he was an old man, the broad shoulder and straight posture shown that old man at the very least had formal military training. Now that Euler looked at the old man again, he was wearing a rather unconventional military uniform with modified sword holster. Uneasiness, almost nauseating feeling was what Euler felt when he saw that old man. Euler was certain that man was the enemy leader, giving command and radiated charismatic aura on the level of Mrs. Ami. But it did not make sense, Euler expected as a leader he would hide in some kind of cover after knowing the enemy had a sniper but that old man he was standing on plain sight, inviting Euler to his trap. It was definitely a trap but the possibility of it being a bluff was not zero either. Would he shot that old man or run away right now? Weren't there any alternatives? Euler head was spinning, making the most rational decision with the situation he was presented right now. After a long 3 seconds Euler decided that it was a bluff . Euler pressed his trigger and the hot lead from his sniper rifle was launched at the speed of 783 m/s, it was a sure hit kill, targeted at the old man torso. The bullet was travelling beyond anything human sense could comprehend. Suddenly the old man tilted his head toward Euler who was 1 kilometer from him and he dashed to his right evading the bullet that was fired. Euler was shocked, did that old man just dodge a sniper bullet? It's impossible! Euler pressed his trigger again and this time the old man mockingly pointed his gun at Euler direction while side stepping the bullet that was fired. "I need to retreat right now, there is no way I can fight someone like that" Euler thought.
Euler checked his bag and threw away any unnecessary items, now only his M4 Carbine, tablet, and reserved ammunition were inside it. Any grenade he could find was thrown away to other direction to distract the enemy with the explosion. Carrying his military bag in shoulder and his Zastave M76 with both hand, Euler ran away as fast as he could. According to the map in his tablet the nearest ally he could find near his vicinity was Bradley, lucky for Euler he was already acquaintance with Bradley so he did not need to explain the situation formally.
Bradley blinded by shade of night couldn't see what horrifying amount of enemy was ready to ambushed him. Diligently keeping watch, he finally saw a human figure running pathetically. That human figure wore the same uniform as him and when he zoomed in Bradley recognize that was Euler. In no time Euler approached Bradley's parameter and explained the situation that has befall him. Of course just like Euler, Bradley was shocked when he heard the terrorist already prepared to ambushed them.
"I assume we are outside the jamming range. Bradley check your communicator, see if we can contact the headquarters."
"I haven't turn on my communicator. Let me see for a bit." the communicator was sort of like walkie talkie but has greater range, Bradley pressed the 'on' button, wait for any static noise to gone, and it worked!? It worked! Bradley immediately pick up and he engaged in serious talk with the representative of headquarters, Euler was overjoyed but Bradley face was sour.
"Why the long face? Your communicator is working, we can call reinforcement and finally get out of this hell hole."
"That's the problem Euler."
"What do you mean?" Euler did not like that tone.
"Khartoum was already seized by the enemy. Our headquarters was no longer safe, in addition the Sudan Liberation Army already took the citizen of Khartoum and Lieutenant Rashid as hostage." in just a few second Euler hope had vanished into thin air.
"But can't we just contact the UN and abort this mission?"
"No we can't. Because of our failure in this mission, UN has erased any involvement with us by accusing us of being blackwater mercenary posed as UN soldier. They will not send any reinforcement and instead a negotiator will be send here in 1 week. "
"They….they..just abandon us? Even though we have fought for them…how the hell can we survive in here for 1 week? " Euler was angry and sad but he could not show any emotion, his emotion was already dead, maybe his physical body would follow soon. Euler could not mutter any word, like an orphan that realized their parent abandoned them, Euler contemplating the reality of this cruel world.
The troop that was chasing Euler was now getting closer. Euler could see the face of that despicable old man. But what could he a do in that situation? He and Bradley could not run to Khartoum and if they ran to wilderness, the Janjaweed who knew local terrain could track them in no time. No matter how you saw it, the moment UN Military Alliance was deployed to Khartoum they were already trapped by the Sudan Liberation Army or maybe the failure of this mission was already schemed by something greater, something more evil and sinister.
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What We Are Fighting for part 2 end