[Chapter 432: The Night Attack of the Dark Elves]
The generator-powered lights lit up the entire camp. Raul followed Bosque to inspect the temporary security asures set up around the camp.
Besides sentries watching for movent, Andrei and his team drove iron stakes into the bushes surrounding the camp and installed infrared alarms on them. These passive infrared alarms detected heat radiation emitted by large animals, including humans. Once an intruder or a wild beast crossed the periter, the alarms, connected wirelessly to the sentries' and Bosque and Raul's vibrators and buzzers, would alert them.
With funding from Hawke, Bosque's Hurricane Security Company had purchased a large amount of security equipnt. After setting everything up, Bosque notified the four guides not to leave within thirty feet of the camp. Onard and the others, confused but surrounded by security personnel, complied.
The makeshift camp was arranged with vehicles and tents, placing Hawke and Erica's tent at the center. Erica helped Hawke clean up, then cleaned herself and changed into dry clothes while organizing their firearms.
The serval, Shana, had eaten a lot of the at Erica fed her and followed them inside. Hawke quickly shooed her out of the tent; after all, it was a wild animal, and no one could tolerate being bitten unexpectedly in their sleep.
Erica zipped the tent closed and turned off the light. "I'm going to sleep."
Hawke hugged her from behind as they lay on two adjoining canvas cots.
Outside the tent, Shana lay at the entrance, waiting for daylight to enjoy her free al.
The working serval had gotten used to relaxing.
---
At the Sudanese North-South ceasefire line near the Ethiopian border, a Pakistani peacekeeping force camp was operating under a major's orders. Due to a generator running low on fuel, the spotlight on the watchtower had been temporarily shut off for several days.
The sentries had been replaced by the major's trusted compatriots. The moonlit grasslands were unusually quiet, as if even mosquitoes and flies avoided the area. Suddenly, the roar of motors from a convoy of over ten old trucks carrying n in all-black military uniforms disrupted the silence. They were driving along a dirt road near the border, heading toward Ethiopia.
Among the vehicles were two sand-colored Humr SUVs, each equipped with M2 heavy machine gun turrets on their roofs.
Mousad sat in the front passenger seat of one of the Humrs, constantly checking the GPS location. According to the digital map, they were approaching the country's No. 1 Hunting Camp inside the national park. Mousad had been there before and recalled the area clearly. He picked up an old-style walkie-talkie and ordered, "Speed up. Move toward the preset rendezvous point outside Hunting Camp No. 1!"
The Black soldiers were poorly trained, with 99% illiteracy and limited skills in handling heavy weapons. Still, the South Sudanese civil war had hardened many into battle-ready n, even if they mostly fired randomly.
With ample funding from Gurg, Amin had sent an elite contingent from his tribe. They weren't highly sophisticated but could launch firepower assaults.
The convoy quickly crossed the border, continuing through the parched grasslands.
...
When they were about five kiloters away, Mousad ordered all vehicles to turn off their lights and proceed slowly under the moonlight. At roughly two kiloters, all vehicles stopped.
The sergeants in the trucks urged the black soldiers to disembark quickly. Dressed in black uniforms and black berets, they carried AK-series rifles and gathered in front of the trucks.
Mousad instructed the Humr drivers, "Wait here. Once you hear my signal or gunshots, whichever cos first, move forward imdiately and provide fire support."
The drivers responded, "Understood!"
Mousad put on a helt and addressed the seventy-plus n fully assembled, "Let's move!"
The n wore no helts but all had black berets. They marched silently with discipline.
...
Mousad summoned Ben Ossas, who led a scout squad of hunters specializing in stealth and sabotage. "Take your n and deal with the sentries."
"Understood." Ben Ossas was short and lean, in his thirties, with dirty yellow-black teeth, one of his front teeth missing. His family had hunted for generations, and he was very familiar with Hunting Camp No. 1.
...
As they neared the camp, Mousad raised his hand and slowed the pace as they approached the lit camp. The squad dispersed, flanking the sides based on sergeants' signals.
At about one hundred ters, Mousad raised his left fist to halt the advance. The flanks continued a short distance before stopping.
He signaled Ben Ossas toward the lit camp, who nodded and crept forward with three others. They wore black combat gear and berets, with dark skin exposed and AK rifles painted black slung on their backs. Their combat knives were matte black as well.
They were the elves of the night -- masters of the grasslands and veterans of years of Sudanese civil war -- the elite among South Sudanese tribes.
However, born and raised in poverty and worshipping primitive tribal gods, they lacked understanding of modern technology.
The four silently approached the camp and spotted a sentry sitting on a vehicle roof. One man unwrapped a black cloth, retrieved wooden arrow tips, attached them to a drawn bow, and advanced quietly with just two arrows.
Ben Ossas raised his rifle and followed closely. The other two spread out, scouting for any hidden sentries.
...
Inside the central tent, the sleeping serval Shana suddenly lifted her head and turned towards the west, wing like a kitten. The noise reached Hawke, who instantly woke up, grabbing the pistol on the pillow.
Moonlight cast Shana's shadow on the tent, pacing back and forth.
Erica woke, asking, "What is it?"
Hawke slipped on his shoes, strapped on his gear, and grabbed an AKM rifle. "I'm checking."
...
Beneath the moonlight, the four figures moved like ghosts, making no noise detectable by human ears. They passed within 30 to 25 ters of the camp unnoticed. The infrared alarms detected body heat and triggered signals, but the four had no clue, continuing forward.
...
Inside the central tent, Hawke and Erica's alarm vibrated and beeped. Bosque's voice crackled over the radio: "West side, soone reached the periter."
Hawke imdiately shut off both the alarm and tent lights. Erica donned a tactical vest, slung a Scorpion submachine gun on her back, picked up a helt, and wore it.
Hawke matched her speed, donning combat gear, a backpack, a helt, and connecting his radio earphone.
Erica gently tapped the serval's head as she opened the tent, and Shana followed her out.
Edward and Raul erged from an adjacent tent. Hawke motioned them to silence before hiding in the tent's shadows.
They quickly spread out to cover different directions, centered around Hawke and Erica.
Using infrared binoculars, Hawke scanned northwest and spotted four figures. He lowered the binoculars and gestured to Erica and the others.
...
Earlier, at the camp's edge, Bosque had heard the infrared alarm, identified its number, and imdiately placed a screen near the driver's seat to watch. Using night vision, he looked west and spotted the intruders.
He pressed the radio and alerted the camp. Soldiers awakened and ard rapidly. All were professional soldiers trained heavily in offensive and defensive raids.
As the targets approached, Bosque quietly opened his vehicle door and crouched near the front.
When the lead figure was within twenty ters and about to raise his bow, Bosque ordered, "Open fire!"
Two hidden lookouts and the mounted sentry fired simultaneously.
The once quiet camp erupted in chaos. Bosque's elite security jumped from tents, organized and ready.
...
The attacker aiming to kill with a bow took three bullets to the head, half his skull blown away.
In the camp's center, hot shell casings hit the ground. Erica turned the gun barrel for a second shot, dropping another intruder.
Another figure succumbed under crossfire from two hidden sentries.
Ben Ossas dove to a depression, using the darkness to try to evade. His natural camouflage had savored him through failed raids before.
But this ti, it failed.
Hawke lowered his night vision goggles, quickly repositioned, kneeled, and fired three single shots from his AKM.
Ben Ossas felt a warmth spread through him, noticed sothing wet on his hand, and lost the strength to pull it back.
...
Gunfire montarily ceased as Bosque climbed atop the truck, used night vision to survey the west, spotting nurous red shadows.
Jumping down, he radioed, "Lights off!"
All camp lights went dark.
"West side, at the twelve o'clock position, enemy attack -- over fifty enemies. Prepare to engage!"
Bosque continued, "Groups 1 to 5, prepare for contact. Groups 6 to 8, retrieve heavy weapons!"
...
Hawke heard Andrei's loud reply, "All ard!"
He ordered Edward, "Request governnt reinforcents!"
The Ethiopian army's helicopters were practically non-existent, and the fastest support would arrive in six to seven hours. For now, they had to rely on themselves.
...
Bosque called, "Illumination flares, ready! Fire!"
A loud bang echoed as a flare shot into the northwest sky, illuminating the area.
Bosque ordered, "Machine gun suppressive fire!"
Using the convoy trucks as cover, three PKM machine gun positions unleashed flas of fire.
*****
spatreon/Sayonara816.
Reviews
All reviews (0)