NationStates Jolt Archive

(Hudecia, I've been using this map (http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/middle_east_and_asia/brunei.gif) for reference, so you might find it useful. As for other AMW nations who may be interested in getting involved, please TG me and Hudecia with some details on who you would want to RP, or alternatively do an OOC post here, so long as there isn't too much OOC chatter)

Slowly creeping through the triple canopy rainforest, a six man detachment from the Tiger Squadron of the Royal Brunei Special Forces Sabre Regiment proceeded carefully. Tasked with gathering intelligence on Kalla's fighters, and other undesirables who lurked in the Borneo jungle, this was just one of hundreds of LRRP operations that took place every year, just beyond the Bruniean border. For years, these remote places had been the areas of concern for the government. Now, with a vast Islamic state encompassing much of the region, these concerns are only heightened, with fears that insurgents could infiltrate through the porous jungle. Long before Brunei had become a protectorate of Baghdad, the Sultan’s armed forces had worked behind the scenes, working covertly, often on other nation’s sovereign territory to prevent these insurgents from wreaking havoc in the homeland. Their methods were questionable, but it was considered that the end justified the means.

For just over a day the Special Forces had remained close to the Sungai Bekong river, watching closely for any movements of concern. They sported an eclectic array of weapons largely based on individual preference, most choosing either M-14s, AK-47s or FN FALs, all which used the larger 7.62mm round for added stopping power. These missions, however, were designed specifically to avoid direct conflict, focusing on gaining human and signals intelligence. Sometimes, teams would be tasked with tapping phone lines, placing listening devices, or more usually, as on this mission, questioning informants, voluntary ones or otherwise. Beneath the heavy foliage, off limits to recon Satellites, it was often the only way of learning of troop movements in the vicinity.

By nightfall Recon Team Y had reached a position only a mile and a half from the edge of Kula Nyapor and while the rest established a hide site amidst the jungle a three man recon team left to scout out the Eastern outskirts of the village.

The three men had made their way fairly rapidly through the trees having left the majority of their equipment with the main team and now they had stopped after spotting a make shift checkpoint at a position along the main road into town, a road which eventually led all the way to the Brunei border.

First Sergeant Lim Jong Seng, the team leader, talked through the plan to capture a ‘tongue’ with his two less experienced subordinates, one of which was on his first actual patrol after completing the extremely rigorous training regime the unit inflicted on recruits.
“See two men, both with assault weapons”
“Yah, look like police or some sort of militia, not regular army, guarding road?”
The NCO nodded, “Okay here’s the plan…”

The Corporal, serving as the team sniper, positioned his Remington rifle on a bipod about two hundred yards away from the soldiers, using his scope to monitor the enemy and check for anybody else. Just in case; he screwed a silencer onto the end of the barrel.

Sergeant Seng and the Private made their way down a steep bank covertlyand crept around the flanks of the two sentries. They then got into position, hiding in vegetation before the Sergeant gave a hand signal. The private, covering the few yards to his target quickly and silently, cut the throat of the nearest militiamen from behind. Even as the body fell and before the other soldier realised what had happened, Sergeant Seng had brought his arm around the man’s neck and knocked him unconscious with the butt of his sidearm. The sniper meanwhile would provide overwatch while they carried the bodies back into the jungle. The dead one would be hidden and the third they intended to carry back to the hide where they’d interrogate him, once he woke up. That was the plan at least…

Unfortunately for the young private, he had forgotten to make sure he had killed the man he had knifed, apparently with such surgical precision. To his horror however, after he had turned his back to watch his Sergeant nail the other guard, the rapidly expiring sentry had reached for his rifle and sprayed a hapless burst into the air. Within a second, a well placed sniper round through the skull finally finished him off, but the damage had been done. They heard shouting, and the sound of men approaching from the village a few hundred yards away.

First Sergeant Sing ditched the unconscious body he had been lifting off the floor, “Quick, lets go!” The two commandos raced back into the vegetation, as their sniper lay in position to cover their withdrawal. Like all the NCOs in his elite unit, Sing was a veteran of many of these patrols as well as more hazardous missions during the Gabon war, but this concerned him, they had been detected and with nearly twenty miles to the border, an escape on foot might be challenging. Nevertheless, with the approaching twilight they would be in a better position to evade, and if necessary fight.

Dayak militia leader Bondo strode silently beneath the soaring treetops of the jungle. Kneeling beside the dead bodies of his comrades he swore silently to himself.

In times past such attacks would be blamed on the Madurese but ever since Kalla's government instituted harsh punishments for ethnic conflict the fighting had all but ceased. Now, the two groups were beginning to form a mutual loathing for the oppressive regime ruling from Sulawesi.

He carefully pointed his M-16 rifle towards the unknown jungle, scanning for enemies but seeing none. The M-16 had been a gift from the Hudecian military while they were evacuating the island in the face of 'popular' revolt. The scenes of anti-Hudecian mobs attacking pro-Hudecian police sparked a near revolt in Hudecia, prompting its weak-kneed leaders to prematurely pull out. Leaving Kalimantan alone to the wiles of Kalla.

He quickly radioed back to the village for more men and to send a report to Sulawesi of the attack. Most likely it would be ignored but he decided that it would be best to follow protocol.

Motioning to his squad of men, Bondo began moving stealthily through the jungle. Whomever it was, they would pay for killing his men.

-Sulawesi-

With Kalla slowly consolidating his absolute control of Aceh, Borneo and Sulawesi he was looking towards the Spyran-supported Javanese government and elsewhere.

His dream of a Islamic state in South East Asia was still incomplete as long as nations such as Brunei, Malaysia, and Java existed.

-Near the border in Borneo-

Bondo was trying to move fast with night quickly falling and he was making plenty of mistakes in pursuing the attackers and he knew it. He had been trained by the Hudecians after all, trained to be part of an independent Bornese Army, a dream that seemed so long ago.

Now, he and some of his men were part of what remained. Well trained and well armed they had returned to their villages with all their weapons out of fear of the new Islamic Army would attempt to purge them.

Although three of his men were were no better than 'farmers with pitchforks' as his Hudecian handlers liked to refer to the villagers, his other two were decently trained and at least more cautious.

The attack seemed to have been poorly planned and executed by the still- unknown attackers who were heading north in Bondo's mind. Indicating a lack of discipline and training he mused silently, possibly the sign of rival villagers. As such, he saw no need to sacrifice speed for safety. However he did leave the three militiamen on point, just in case he was facing something more serious.

OCC: Since I RP'd Malaysia during the Bonstock affair, want me to do it now? Although I think DNK might do a better job since the last throes of Bonstock weren't exactly well-played, and I operated Malaysia more or less as it was in RL, so things are probably actually different.

But notwithstanding...

IC: Ever since Mohammed Kalla took power in Sulawesi island, Mumbai has kept an eye on him. In addition to a number of 'assets' in Sulawesi and Borneo, the HDF has even gone so far as to draw up a full plan for a combined-arms assault on the island in order to 'take him out,' as it were.

Because of Hindustan's great distrust of Kalla, a Hindustani warship, furnished with a contingent of armed marines, is rarely absent from the Java Sea area, based out of Jakarta in support of Sujavan naval forces. In this case, the vessels are INS Calcutta, a Type 12M frigate, and INS Mahabaleshwar.

A fair bit of extra suspicion, especially at Kalla's motives and taste for remaining a peaceful, non-beligerant member of the international community (OCC: I would use a Sukarno comparison but seeing as he isn't much in AMW), developes in Mumbai as word trickles in from the Foreign Ministry's office in Kota Kinabalu of a buildup of armed men along the border with Kalimantan. And it seems rather doubtful that this is by chance.

Therefore, the Sujavan government finds itself contacted by Mumbai...

OOC: LRR, I'm perfectly happy for you to RP Malaysia, though perhaps it should be Malaya once more, as it no longer includes the provinces in Borneo, the addition of which resulted in the name change. Up to you of course...

IC:

Trecking eastwards, Sergeant Seng brought up the rear of the column, constantly on the look out for any pursuers. The young private had been silent since the incident, and none of the others had said a word to him. He felt sorry for the kid, he had made a mistake, but it happened to everyone, and it was his first time on a real op.

After spending most of the night moving away from the village, at a slow and stealthy pace he changed tactics as dawn approached. Checking on the map to see they were a good few miles from the nearest road or village, he left a series of clues to anybody attempting to follow them. A few footprints and disturbed earth was left, leaving a rough track. At a certain point, he took out his .38 revolver, and emptied the chamber onto the floor, before inserting a fresh lot of rounds. The bullets, fairly generic throughout the world would not give away their identity but prompt a good deal of interest. Underneath a shrub, just inches from where the discarded rounds lay, he planted a claymore.

Then he gave orders to his five subordinates and they setup an ambush position just fifty yards or so away. Each team member setup a concealed position along a determined line of fire arc, with each solider about ten feet from the next. The plan was to wait, at least until dusk. If by then they had not encountered a hostile patrol, they would once again use the cover of darkness and hopefully reach the Bruneian frontier by the early hours of the following morning. Sergeant Seng, however, expected trouble soon.

OCC: Ok. But before I start, do you think we should say Bonstock's invasion happened or forget about it? If it did, the Malay(si)an military is rather badly dismembered. Not that military strength is terribly important for the RP, but it strikes me as a good idea to clear that up.

OOC: Lets keep the Bonstockian invasion in there for now I guess... but its up to you UE.

IC:

Bondo squatted next to the footprints that were so clearly visible in the soft earth.

"These guys really are amateurs," Shihab grunted next to him. "Even the dumbest villager knows not to be so obvious when fleeing a hit and run."

Bondo paused at the comment. His thoughts grinding against each other, refreshing and refining them until they were as sharp as a knife.

"Unless they want to be found," Bondo said at last.

"You think these guys could be trying to lead us to something?"

"I have no idea, but from now on we need to be more careful," Bondo quietly ordered. "These guys might be better than I thought, and we should be more careful."

Shihab's radio chattered noisily as another group reported in. That would bring the total number of pursuers to 18. However, Bondo would have traded them all in for 2 more men as well trained as Shihab and Saleh.

Saleh trailed far behind the group acting as a rear-guard. He was there now, crouching behind some cover, his eyes scanning the area for dangers.

In contrast, the three villagers were muttering impatiently and pacing back and forth, anxious to continue the pursuit. One of the younger ones however decided to go forward a little further, abandoning the group but staying within sight range.

He shuffled awkwardly onward, not really paying too much attention to his surroundings until he heard an unfamiliar clinking sound as his boot struck something metal. Looking down his heart raced as he saw several bullets lying on the ground. What a find, he thought happily, Bondo will be very impressed.

"Hey! Look what I found!" The young man yelled back to the group.

Bondo cringed and began scanning the thick jungle with his M-16 while crouching down. Shihab and one of the villagers stood tall, abandoning all restraint, curious as to what the young boy had discovered while the third villager dashed up to the young man and began examining the bullets.

"Looks like they dropped some bullets!" The other villager now yelled back.

Bondo swore silently and remained crouched, the young boy he might understand acting so stupidly but the older man was being careless. With four of his men in the open, Bondo's group was badly positioned but he didn't have time to think more about it before all hell broke loose.

The claymore went off. The jungle erupted in gunfire. All six special forces began shooting simultaneously, hundreds of rounds zipping through undergrowth towards the enemy patrol. Sergeant Seng, with his M-14 set on semi-automatic, lined up a figure in his ironsights before squeezing the trigger several times until he saw the man go down. Lying prone, with shrubs to help hide his muzzle flash he shuffled to find his next target. Suddenly he noticed one of his men screaming what sounded like a warcry. The young Private, perhaps to prove his somewhat misguided notion of valour, had broken cover, dashing towards the enemy, firing an entire AK clip from the hip. Instead of withdrawing, as he closed the distance with the beleagured enemy, he brought his now empty rifle to bear, bayonet affixed.

OCC: Ok, that's fine with me Hudecia.

IC:

Republic Of Malaya

Things were decidedly not looking up for the infant Republic Of Malaya. The short, but incredibly brutal, war between 'invading' Singapore and 'liberating' China might have been a boon to morale in Beijing, but for ordinary Malayans, it was the last thing any sane man or woman could ask for. Kuala Lumpur itself, bombed by both the Singaporeans and the Chinese, is decades away from being fully rebuilt, and the number of fully operable factories in the country can be counted on one hand with fingers left over.

But by far the biggest loss of all is loss of human life. The sheer number of war dead, the overwhelming majority of which are civilians, has yet to be definitively counted, and both parties' liberal smattering of landmines, small remote explosives, booby traps, and unexploded ordnance throughout the battered peninsula claims tens of victims daily.

However, for the first time in modern history, Malaya is its own nation, and from the rubble comes a very real desire on the part of a great many Malayans to make Malaya into a functioning and proper parliamentary democracy. In fact, for the first time since the Bonstockian invasion, Parliament meets. While it might be at AF Butterworth instead of in Kuala Lumpur, it is a significant milestone in the rehabilitation of Malaya and evidence of a commitment to good governance on the part of the newly-formed Parliamentary Assembly.

But, as Prime Minister Chong Kah Kiat stresses in his first address to Parliament, Defense must be one of Malaya's top priorities. Malaya is clearly not going to allow itself to be pushed around and bullied by anyone, least of all the Singaporeans or Mohammed Kalla...

Seeing the young boy charging at the enemy was more than Bondo could bear. Turning his M-16 away from the enemies who were firing relentlessly into their group he fired two rounds at his legs, bringing the young boy down.

With any luck, the boy would faint from the shock of being shot and would appear to be dead to the attackers. Although he was likely mortally wounded from the claymore blast, which had blown the other militiaman to pieces. The nearest doctor was over 50 kilometres away at a missionary camp.

Shihab was unlucky, although he reacted quickly to the blast he was caught in the open as the bullets whizzed through the thick underbrush and caught him first in the shoulder and then in the arm, the knee, and finally the chest. He lay on the ground now, rolling and moaning in pain.

Saleh was still in back of the group trying to locate the flashes from amidst the undergrowth. For the most part it was hidden, but he spotted one fairly consistent position. Saleh squeezed off a dozen rounds from his M-16 into the underbrush from which he thought he saw one of the ambushers.

The last militiaman had managed to hit the ground with only a leg wound and was now praying to Allah fervently.

Just as the Sergeant injected a fresh magazine into the M-14, he heard a yelp of pain, coming from a few feet away. Rising to a crouch, he reached into his belt, quickly ripping the pin from a grenade and lobbing into the direction of the enemy troops. As it exploded a few seconds later, he covered the few feet to one of his corporal's a few yards away. He was lying in the undergrowth and as soon as the NCO reached the position, he could see blood emerging through his fatigues from his lower torso. "Medic, on me!"

The firefight was now dominated by outbound rounds, with most of the enemy patrol probably killed or injured. As a couple fragmentation grenades were tossed out to hopefully force any survivors to retreat, the team's medical specialist ran across. Kneeling beside his wounded comrade he quickly cut away the clothing to get a better look at the wound. After about a minute he shouted to the Sergeant above the din of gunfire, "We need to get him out of here, he's gonna bleed out otherwise."

Sergeant Seng dashed over to another position, and after reaching his comms specialist, he took the radio reciever while the other soldier simply kept firing from the prone position. "Romeo Tango Yankee One Zero to Treetop, over."

After getting a reply from the radio operator back across the border he passed on his message, "Treetop, we are declaring an EMTAC, mission compromised, engaging with indigenous forces, we have a man down and require immediate extraction map co-ordinates to follow, over."

***

The claxon sounded at Tutong Air Base. Nowadays only a small corner of the large airfield was given over to the Royal Brunei Army Air Corps. Since becoming a protectorate of UE, the Sultan had shrunk the size of the indigenous military so that it numbered only a few thousand. Its air element had only two squadrons, one rotary and one fixed wing, and having been replaced by UE forces in providing strategic security, its main roles were border security, search and rescue and general utility duties in support of ground forces. Mostly they retained their Quinntonian and European equipment, though future purchases of more recent Elias systems were rumoured.

A four man crew dashed over from a barracks buildings to their olive green Bell 412 Griffon. As the current alert crew, they had to be available at five minutes notice. Mostly their missions were over water SAR or responding to piracy attacks on shipping. When the aircraft commander contacted the tower over the radio, he did not recieve his customary briefing, or any information on what they were supposed to do for that matter, other than to takeoff and await instructions. His only clue was that a maintenance crew promptly arrived with fresh ammunition boxes for the two pintle mounted M240 machineguns. This was not normal for a simple search and rescue.

Completing the checklist, the two pilots started the pair of engines, and waited for the RPM needles to climb to takeoff power. Before this happened, the control tower ordered them to standown. Unknown to the crew, senior officers had decided that sending a helicopter in broad daylight across the border into the middle of a firefight, where they would have to circle round and search for an LZ, was unnecessarily dangerous, not to mention creating a diplomatic incident. Of course this would mean that Recon Team Y would have fend for itself.

AF Keluang, Republic Of Malaya

In a rarely-used hangar at the very back of Keluang airbase, a structure riddled with bullet holes and complete with a hole knocked through the wall by a Bonstockian Leopard 2, a ragtag collection of men from all three Malayan armed services is brought before a short man with aviator sunglasses. While a lavish commissioning ceremony is held beside the main runway for the RMAF's new A4K Kahu strike jets, bought from RNZAF stock, a unit is formed that will no doubt have a much more immediate role to play in Malaya's national security.

The man in the aviator sunglasses (who, if he was wearing a nametag, would be labeled Colonel Abdul Rahman) doesn't bother with introductions, and gets right to business.

The men in the hangar are (hopefully) the best Malaya's new armed forces have to offer. Present in the group of fifty-seven are three of the navy clearance divers sent to blow up the bridge across the Johor strait during the Bonstockian invasion, a number of light infantry troopers involved in hunting Bonstockian special forces parties, CSAR troops who plucked a pair of MB339 pilots from the water within shouting distance of the Singapore waterfront, and many others, experienced and new recruits. All of them already passed a difficult selection process which saw most of the 241 initial volunteers returned to unit or hospitalized.

The remaining volunteers, dubbed 'Special Reconaissance Squadron,' are gathered together and praised for their accomplishment, given the new Squadron insignia, and sent away for specialized training at a small airbase in northeastern Johor state.

AF Butterworth, Republic Of Malaya

"If this nation is to perservere in the face of aggressors, it must work hard to build strong partnerships with neighbor countries and do its best to hold back those hostile forces, through diplomacy or force of arms..."

If there's one thing that stares at the command staff of the new Malayan Armed Forces in a particularly threatening manner, it is the fact that, save the fourteen new ex-RNZAF Skyhawks and a handful of Mi-8s, a collection of missile FACs (prominent among them three surviving Laksamana corvettes), and several captured Singaporean Leopards, Malaya is almost devoid of major weaponry.

Top priority for the new Malayan armed forces is to get back up to proper strength.

After the attackers had withdrawn, Bondo took stock of what was left of his group. The young boy was most certainly dead, having what was left of his poor body destroyed by a grenade.

Shihab was also dead now, the last militiaman had come out of his prone position on the group to place a round in his head to put him out of his misery. Saleh was fine, and so was Bondo more or less.

The firefight had brough all the pursuers running. They now had the 12 extra men huddled around them. The wounded militiaman would be left behind with one other man while the rest of them would go chasing after the group.

"I know that I got one of them, I heard his cry after he was hit." Saleh said nonchallantly.

"Then they'll be calling for help soon," Bondo swore before turning and facing the ambush site. "What a mess."

A militiaman came running up with the remains of a partially detonated claymore. Eyeing it over, Bondo radioed back to the village and warned them that the group was likely professional and from the direction they were going, they were from Brunei.

Without pausing to bury the dead, even Shihab, the group dashed off as fast as they could into the forest chasing the attackers, spreading out a little bit but moving more or less in a group.

-Sulawesi-

"We have a report from Borneo, near the border, they say that the Brunei forces crossed the border and attacked a village, then ambushed the group that chased them." The general was pressing the case very hard. His forces had been itching to have an excuse to continue the 'liberation' process.

"Very well General, deploy some troops near the border, but don't do anything quite yet... lets see how this goes..." Kalla quietly pondered.

Seng was now highly concerned. Corporal Adman, filled with morphine, would require surgery within hours. Furthermore, the young private who had got them into this situation had taken an injury to his ankle. Although it was quite minor, just a piece of shrapnel from one of the frags, it slowed the team down further.

They had just under fifteen miles to the border, but the terrain was difficult. Out of the six men, two would have to carry Adman, leaving only four, one of which was injured, to defend them. Sergeant Seng brought up the rear so he could keep an eye on their tracks and watch out for pursuers, who he thought would return in greater strength. He could not feel anger towards his superiors, as he, perhaps as well as anyone, knew a rescue mission was asking too much, but he cursed himself that he had to ask for it.

Jakarta, People's Republic of Sujava

War Committee planners in Jakarta had little time to give more than a once over to the occasional story of a death in Borneo or Singaporean rifle fire across the Malay border... the threat of imperial intrests from the east, and the need to secure Sumatra and Java in case the forces of the Islamic Republic sought to sweep down from Aceh, occupied far more attention. Still, even if the PRSJ wanted to keep itself well removed from the ethno-religious conflict in the surrounding areas, it never hurt to sleep with one eye open.

[just a TAG, really]

(Actually, I'd say that would lead to severe eye dryness, but that's off topic. ;) ) TAG

Communique to Prime Minister Chong Kah Kiat of Malaya,

Her Majesty's government, in the interests of promoting stability, peace and prosperity in the world, wish to make the government of Malaya a confidential offer that will assist Malaya in regaining its security as a soverign nation.

The United Kingdom is prepared to offer extensive financial and military assistance to develop the security forces of Malaya, which includes equipment and training by Her Majesty's armed forces. The United Kingdom will guarantee the security of Malaya if the nation's interests are attacked without provocation, which if necessary could involve the deployment of Her Majesty's armed forces. The United Kingdom will offer extremely favourable terms for trade with not only Great Britain, but other nations of the Commonwealth, and will encourage investment in the Malayan economy.

This far reaching assistance is conditional on Malaya once again adopting the status of a dominion. Although full independance of government is assured, Her Majesty must be recognised as head of state and would be represented by a Governor-General appointed by Her Majesty, who would perform ceremonial and legal functions such as giving assent to parliamentary laws and ensuring that elections occur in a free and fair manner and that rights and liberties are extended equally to the Malayan people. The offices and powers of the Prime Minister will remain unchanged.

In partnership, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and the Dominion of Malaya would work to further our mutual interests in South East Asia and promote the causes of democracy, moderacy and peace.

Sincerely,
The Rt. Hon. Thomas W. Chaffin MP,
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Northern Ireland

AF Butterworth, Republic Of Malaya

A heated debate starts in Parliament on the subject of once again becoming a British dominion, although the general opinion is that it really can't hurt all that much.

After all, there's only so much that a shell-shocked and decimated military can do for the nation, and nobody is about to turn down trade incentives with the UK. But as a matter of fairness, and to appease the more nationalistic MPs, Parliament agrees on a date one month in the future (OCC: Say, by the end of the week?) to hold a referendum on the subject.

The Prime Minister's office sends Downing Street a diplomatic communique;

"To The Hon. Prime Minister Thomas Chaffin of The United Kingdom,

The Prime Minister of Malaya is most grateful for Great Britan's generous offer, and is eager to establish diplomatic ties with the United Kingdom. It is not the Prime Minister's wish to force dominion status on the people of Malaya, and therefore a referendum is scheduled for one month from tuesday.

However, it is the Prime Minister's opinion that the people of Malaya and the Parliament of Malaya are open and generally in approval of becoming a member of the British Commonwealth, and see the many positive aspects of such in the areas of defense, commerce, and good governance. The Prime Minister is certain that Great Britain will have a positive influence on the Republic Of Malaya, making sure of good and moderate governance, economic prosperity, and national security.

-Prime Minister Chong Kah Kiat of The Republic Of Malaya"

When news of the British offer reaches the new Ministry of Defense, full of grizzled old veterans with little taste for colonial powers, it is first met by disapproval. That is, until the generals and cabinet members realize that being an English dominion means having their pick of British arms. Army generals imagine SA80-armed infantrymen supported by Challenger tanks as the Airforce staff picture Hawk 200s and second-hand Tornados flying from shelters that used to house MiG-29s and F/A-18s.

But what matters most is keeping Mohammed Kalla and other extremist influences in check, and nobody can imagine English help as being detrimental in this regard...

-10 miles from the border-

Bondo was just about out of breath, but Saleh and the other militiamen were still going strong. It seemed that both sides had just about given up on being stealthy to Bondo, who was anxious to catch up with these men.

His militiamen swore they could hear the attackers in the bush up ahead and so they were beginning to fan out in a semicircle in an attempt to surround the group.

Saleh and Bondo remained behind the militiamen, not trusting their abilities to find danger.

With probably around two hours to reach the border, Seng relented to the medic and allowed the men a five minute break, primarily so that Corporal Adman's wound could be re-dressed. Keeping watch, he knew that his pursuers would not be far behind, but he was hoping that their pace, having to be observant to tracks and trails, was slower than that of his men.

Suddenly, shots rang out in the jungle and the team ducked for cover as bullets zipped over their heads. Seng knew at this point that a firefight could not be won. Although highly trained warriors, his team was outnumbered and under strength. The odds of any of them making back into Brunei alive were seriously slim and the possibility of them all going down fighting was much more likely. In seconds he had to make a decision, and making instant evaluations of the tactical and strategic scenario, he ordered that his men capitulate to the enemy. This was not a piece of land worth dieing for, and neither was the mission. Shocked by the ease in which he suggested surrender, the men nonetheless followed orders, hurredly burning maps and any paperwork they carried with them. Just before he destroyed the radio system, he uttered a few garbled codewords into the reciever. Then as he ventured out from cover, M-14 held above his head, he told his teammates that no matter what they were to deny everything, and under no circumstances give any information to their captors.

As the militiamen opened fire wildly at the semi-concealed group of attackers, Bondo began swearing uncontrollably. Having given away the precious element of surprise he thought that they would be in for a long and bloody firefight before this was over.

It came as a great surprise then when one of them raised his M-14 above his head and moved out to surrender.

Yelling at his militia to hold their fire, Bondo slowly got up, his own M-16 pointed at the men. As he moved closer he called for some of the militia to move forward and take their guns. They forced the men onto their knees at gunpoint while they collected their weapons and searched them for anything that would identify who they are and what they were doing.

Bondo spotted the wounded corporal and quickly examined his wounds, making the same deduction which Seng had made before that. Staying there and waiting for help was out of the question, but moving the wounded man might just kill him.

So the decision was made to call for a helicopter airlift of the wounded man out of the jungle. A clearing in the jungle nearby would be used, and Bondo used a GPS to identify his exact location for the helicopter crew. The GPS, like all his weapons was stolen from the Borneo Army before it disbanded.

Bondo did not make this decision lightly, as he knew that the helicopter would have to evacuate the wounded man to an IRI (Islamic Republic of Indonesia) Army base. He didn't trust the IRIA, but in this case, it was better than just letting the man to die.

-Benuang- East Kalimantan-

Captain Hara was initially from Aceh province of Indonesia, and as such felt extremely uncomfortable flying his Hudecian-made Blackhawk deep into the jungle on the word of a former Bornean colonel.

Still, he had referred the issue to his colonel and this mission had been given the go-ahead, so he was now flying high above the jungle with a local officer as a guide and a GPS to guide him to ex-colonel Bondo's location. In addition to this, a half dozen of the feared Islamic Guards, the most elite and dangerous soldiers in the republic were on board.

If Bondo was correct in his assumption that his captured attackers were not local and were indeed foreign, Hara suspected that he would soon be flying many more missions and most of them would involve some sort of full-scale war.

Hara cringed at the thought. No soldier wanted to die for their country, their mission was always to make others die for theirs. In this case, Hara didn't really care for either of the two situations.

But so far, Bondo had not been able to obtain any confirmation of their true identities.

"That would explain the Islamic Guardsmen then." Hara thought. "They'll beat and torture them until they get the information out of them."

Hara began sweating profusely as the thoughts of screams of terror and pain filled his imagination. Hara tried to maintain his composure as he kept the helicopter on path. A hand gripped his shoulder, nearly giving the 20-something a heart attack.

"How much longer?" The guardsman yelled over the whinning of the helicopter blades.

"About 10 minutes," Hara replied. The guardsman returned to his spot in the rear and began leading the group of soldiers in prayer. Looking at his co-pilot, Hara saw the same fear in his eyes that Hara was sure was in his own.

Bandar Seri Begawan

After hearing news that an LRRP team had been captured 'over the fence', a panic bordering on hysteria had erupted in the upper echelons of the Sultanate's government. Soon after they had heard the last transmission from Seng, radar had reported a helicopter approaching the last known position, and with air activity so close to the border extremely rare, it was obvious that it was to transport the Bruneians to somewhere deep within Borneo or even further. Seng's Commanding Officer had immediately advocated a bold plan which would involve shooting down the helicopter before it landed then using its planned LZ for an all-guns-blazing rescue attempt. However, by the time this plan had even been passed up the chain of command, the opportunity had disappeared as the helicopter tookoff, presumably with the prisoners on board.

The Bruneian chain of command itself was cumbersome. Any military actions which involved diplomatic repurcussions would have to be cleared and authorised by several different authorities, the Bruneian MoD, the MoD in Baghdad via United Elias South East Asia Command (COMSEA) , the Bruneian Grand Vizier and finally the Sultan himself. Whilst this was fine for planning operations in advance, it made the process of reacting to sudden events a slow one, and this was mostly because it very rarely needed to. After dithering for a good eight hours, a decision was finally taken to send a communique to Sulawesi.

Addressed to Kalla and signed by the Sultan it simply stated that during an escape and evasion exercise, some Bruneian troops had become lost and may have unintentionally crossed onto foreign territory. Along with apologies came a very kind request that the soldiers be returned as soon as possible.

Whilst awaiting a response from Sulawesi, military commanders in Brunei would have time to consider contigency plans and other solutions to what was certain to become a deeply regretful incident.

-Landing Zone- Codenamed: Suharto-

Hara placed his Blackhawk down roughly in the clearing, but the Islamic Guardsmen were already off the helicopter and heading towards Bondo and his men who were waiting anxiously at the edge of the clearing. The lieutenant guardsman still inside the helicopter turned towards Hara and glared before issuing a final order.

"Take off now and return to base," the Guardsman barked.

"But what about picking up the wounded?" Hara began to protest.

"There are no wounded here," the Guardsman shouted now. "You couldn't find the landing site because your GPS broke."

"Our GPS is ..." Hara began to reply before he was rudely cut off by the sound of his mobile GPS system being bashed by the butt end of a pistol. The lieutenant now pressed his magnum directly against Hara's helmet.

"Take off now."

This time Hara obeyed. As the blackhawk lifted off the Guardsman jumped and rolled onto the ground, nearly spraining his ankle in the process.

"Where are they going?!" Bondo was nearly hysteric as the helicopter lifted away. However, seeing the distinctive green and gold berets of the Islamic Guardsmen, he understood all too clearly now.

"Where are they?" The Lieutenant asked. Bondo simply pointed in the direction of the captive group.

Marching over towards the group, the militiamen and Saleh began to back away, some of them moving behind what cover they could discretely find. The Guardsmen watched all of this with great pleasure, enjoying the fear that their status inflicted upon others. They were chosen from the most elite and devout of all Indonesia by Mohammed Kalla himself and were responsible to Kalla alone. They lost their names upon joining the group and were referred to either by their serial number or more usually, by their rank.

The Lieutenant, took stock of the situation. With one of the wounded nearly dead, and another one with a leg wound, there were plenty of useful tools around. Without even bothering to ask Bondo what information he had gathered, the Lieutenant marched right up to the one who seemed to be the leader and addressed him directly.

"Who are you, where are you from and what were you doing here?" The Lieutenant stared directly into the man's eyes, hoping to see the same fear he saw in Bondo's, but instead seeing defiance.

This would require a lot of effort to break him.

The Lieutenant allowed himself a small smile as he relished the thought of breaking this pathetic little man into a bug which he would squash once he had fulfilled his usefulness.

OOC: Not to be a bother, but could you try to get a response into that Beaver And The Bear thread, Hudecia? I'm just trying to wrap up all my loose ends in AMW.

bump for UE

As the helicopter tookoff without them, Seng felt a wave of relief. Here, so close to the border, he felt safe, trusting that his comrades would find him.
Now looking into the officer's eyes, he felt like being combative, but knew that he should be cleverer. After pausing enough time to prove that he was not intimidated, he answered the man's questions. "We are servants of Allah." He looked towards his two wounded subordinates, "your Muslim brethren require medical attention..."

The Lieutenant paused for a moment, taking his time in arranging his thoughts.

"If you are servants of Allah, then why would you kill your brothers for no reason? Why would you lead them on a chase across this jungle? And where would such devout servants of Allah be getting such advanced equipment?"

"No... I do not think you are servants of Allah, although you may claim to be. If you were servants of Allah, you would tell us the truth, but instead you try to twist your way out."

The Lieutenant nodded one of the privates, who then approached the prisoner with the wounded leg. Staring at the prisoner the private mockingly asked him if the pain was too much before placing his boot onto the wound and slowly pushing down.

Bump

The young private bit his lip as he was kicked, trying not to give his captors the pleasure of seeing him scream in pain.

Seng stared back at the Lieutenant, raising his voice, "Listen here you thugs, until you give my men medical attention, I'm not giving you so much as the time of day!" Before the officer had time to respond, Seng became aware of the rumbling of approaching rotors.

***

Three helicopters sweep low, just a few feet over the rainforest canopy. The three Griffons, taking off just a few minutes before now crossed over the border from an Islamic Kingdom to an Islamic Republic. Door gunners look through infrared sights on their FN MAGs, with orders only to fire if they came under fire.

Lieutenant Abdul Ghofar, sitting in the noisy cabin of the lead helicopter, inserts a magazine into his Muhannad combat rifle, knowing that their actions could well provoke a war, but that he would try and avoid at all costs. The operation was supposed to be simple; two choppers inserting twelve more special forces into the same LZ the intelligence officers believed the Indonesian Black Hawk had used. Although most believed that the captors had already been evacuated to the other side of Borneo, or even across to Sulawesi, the Commanding Officer of the Royal Brunei 'Sabre' Special Forces Regiment had convinced those in power that a rescue mission should still be attempted. Their Rules of Engagement were strict however, meant that they had little fire support available, apart from a pair of Bruneian Air Corps OV-10s that would fly just within Bruneian airspace unless they were called upon. These ageing counter-insurgency aircraft now represented the combat power of Brunei's indigenous air forces, with the Elias Air Force now having a monopoly on fast jets.

Through his headphones, connected to the crew intercom, he heard the pilot giving a three minute warning.

The Islamic Guardsman Lieutenant stared at the sky as he listened to the helicopters coming closer. He waved his man off the private and motioned for them to take up position in defence of the area.

He stared at Bondo and issued him a direct order for the first time.

"If we begin shooting, you kill all of them," the Lieutenant motioned towards the captives. "They are of no use now... we know who they work for."

"We're not executioners!" One of the militia blustered.

The Lieutenant's glare moved from Bondo, who stood their stoicly, towards the young militiaman who had spoken. He then fixed his eyes on the militiaman who now regretted his words. Moving slowly but deliberately towards the young man, the Lieutenant unholstered his magnum.

Seeing the Guardsman's so called "Death Pistol" coming out, the young man turned to run but only made it a few steps before a bullet whizzed through his leg shattering the bone along the way. Crying in pain the militiaman writhed on the ground as the Lieutenant approached. The Lieutenant then shot the man in the other leg, and both arms before finally sending the final two rounds into the man's skull.

Bondo stood stoicly still through the event, and the other militia turned their heads away in fear. As the Lieutenant returned, he repeated his order adding the question, "did I make myself clear?"

"The jungle swallows all secrets..." Bondo's simple reply was.

Bondo had made already his decision when the helicopter landed, staring Saleh in the eye, they both knew what they had to do. Even if it meant their lives. In a way, the militia had received the message too. They knew now that they were way over their heads and only cared about getting out alive. They saw Bondo as their best chance and watched him for instructions.

While the Lieutenant was turned away and busy with the young man, Saleh had been busy slicing Seng's ropes and had placed a pistol discretely in his now-free hands.

Seng, his arms behind his back still, felt the comforting metal of a handgun being passed into his hands. Fingering the safety, he nodded quickly at the militiamen, waiting until the Lieutenant was gazing elsewhere. Then in barely a second he brought the weapon infront of him, aimed and fired three quick and accurate shots at the officer. He then swung around and before the Islamic Guardsman could react, shot the subordinate who had kicked his wounded comrade. As Bondo and Seng took aim at the remaining guardsmen he ripped a knife from one of the dead and quickly started cutting the rest of team free from their bonds.

The first of the Bruneian helicopters descended into the small clearing, only just wide enough to accomodate the rotorspan. As shots echoed through the trees, the gunners refrained from opening fire, unsure who exactly was firing at who. Even before the metal skids touched earth, another six man team of special forces had jumped off, the men rushing towards the treeline to join the fray.

The remaining guardsmen, although stunned at first by the audacity Bondo and Saleh to shoot at them, and even more surprised that somehow the prisoners escaped, still managed to take cover suffering moderate casualties.

The Lieutenant was not dead, but his subordinate was and so was another of the privates. The remaining three, although all were slightly wounded, took cover and returned fire on the militia, gunning down two of them easily. The Lieutenant, despite his years of training to resist pain, was on the verge of tears from the three bullet holes in his body. He fumbled for his sidearm before remembering that he had spent the last rounds in the body of the militiaman whom he was now lying on. With one arm wounded he tried to reload it but each time the bullets slipped through his bloody fingers.

Bondo and Saleh were trying to regain control of the militia, who were firing wildly at the Guardsmen and without any real effect or strategy. They motioned vainly for them all to take cover and to recover their wounded. The militia continued to behave erratically, mostly out of fear.

There was no denying that what they were doing was either extremely courageous, or extremely stupid. If they survived the gunfight, they and their families would be hunted down and tortured to death one at a time by the Islamic Republic. That was, IF the Republic found out about what they did.