NationStates Jolt Archive

Agujeran Government Deploys Counter-Insurgency Forces to Troubled Region

The San Tomas Free Press

In response to the recent upsurge in rebel activity in and around the city of San Valerio, President, Marshall Vicente De Los Santos has dispatched several additional infantry and mechanized divisions to the area at the request of local authorities, who are feeling popular pressure from both those loyal to Marshall De Los Santos’s new military government and the popular movement for democratic government, the resident socialist organization in the region.

While his Excellency, the President has not outlawed the PMDG as a political body, recent outbursts of violence in the provincial regions attributed to the group’s instigation have led to a crackdown on civilian militias that carry the group’s banner, in addition to other, less visible measures to curtail the group’s revolutionary influences. As early as two days ago, a meeting here in the capital was raided by the President’s military police, and several local leaders taken into custody. Charges have yet to be released.

Included among the reinforcements being deployed will be the 5th and 6th Presidential infantry divisions, notable for their brutal history during the 4 years war that led to Marshall De Los Sant-

“What the Hell is this? Revolutionary literature!”

The 15 year old boy found himself on the ground, the newspaper snatched from his hands, staring up at the half-masked face of a uniformed policeman, nightstick in hand.

“I should drag you in, scum!”

Of course, the boy was completely unaware that the San Tomas Free Press had just that day been added to the list of prohibited rags in San Valerio.

“I didn’t know, sir.”

The soldier leveled his nightstick and offered a stern kick to the boy’s ribs.

“Well now you do, revolutionary swine.”

The boy shielded himself from further blows, but the soldier seemed to quickly lose interest and stamped off, in search of others to bully. He got to his feet and dusted himself off, before heading off down the dusty cobblestone street in the direction of his home.

In the distance, an artillery piece thundered. He couldn’t tell who was firing: the government or the local militia, of which his father and two brothers had recently enlisted in. The fighting had yet to come to the city itself, but it was unwise to travel the countryside alone, or at all on some days.

Life was hard in San Valerio, and had been even before the ascension of Marshall De Los Santos and his military administration. The Generals had actually seemed a positive influence in the city for awhile, before corruption had its way with them, and the military police replaced the street gangs as the dominant extorters in the city. The boy imagined this was what had driven his father and brothers to join up with the militia, leaving him to care for his mother and sisters.

As he walked, he passed few people. Most had shut themselves up in their homes, hearing of the arrival of the government’s reinforcements, and not wanting to be caught in the way when they went to work rooting out “dissention.” Still, at the moment there was no sign of any of the new soldiers, and the militia forces had made themselves unusually scarce. The boy found it to be a relief, and walked for the first time in peace without being harassed by either side.

He rounded the corner, reveling the peace of the day, and saw to his shock that the front of his apartment building had been cordoned off, several military police standing in front of the barricade, armed with assault weapons. He could vaguely here shouting from inside the building and rushed forward, only to be knocked back by one of the soldiers, who glared at him, but said nothing.

A few moments later, a pair of police came through the front door, dragging the boy’s sobbing mother out into the street. They hastily shoved her into the back of their truck, and before he could utter so much as a word of protest, they were off, leaving behind a few of their compatriots, who set about ransacking the building.

Then, the noise of engines filled the street, and a pair of trucks, laden with armed men in civilian clothes rounded the corner. They opened fire on the few soldiers almost immediately, leaving two wounded, and a third fleeing for his life.

The trucks halted and the civilians jumped down, some going into the house to have a look around. One of the boy’s brothers was with them, and quickly learned of what had happened. He had little chance to react, however, as within a moment, a full squad of government troops had appeared, and a firefight ensued. The boy and his brother, along with most of the militia fighters, were both killed…

The San Tomas Free Press

War in San Valencio!

Early yesterday afternoon, shots were fired in what will undoubtedly be the spark that ignites the powder keg in the rebellious San Valencio region. Members of a local militia apparently fired upon police investigators apparently after they raided the home of a local militia fighter. Government forces soon arrived on scene, and a firefight ensued that took the lives of no less than 2 dozen militia fighters, with no government casualties being reported. Citizens of the city are calling the episode a massacre, and calling for justice, sparking other violence retaliatory episodes against government soldiers recently arrived in the city. General Diego, head of the San Valencio garrison has established a state of martial law in the city.

The Government of Atopiana extends their support to the government of Agujera, and as a show of solidarity has sent the 203rd Shock Division to Agujera to assist in ridding the world of the upstart rebels.

The Shock Division has extensive COIN training and is extremely capable.

Official Communique From The Skgorria Foreign Ministry

We sympathise with your plight: if you wish, we will send troops to help bring your country back into order.

Primo Frank of Atopiana encourages the Agujeran government to accept the offer of help from the Skgorrians - none can compete with the Skgorrian's ability to crush uprisings. Special Action Division are superb COIN operatives!

Official Statement From the Agujeran Government

While we, the people and government of the nation of Agujero, appreciate wholeheartedly the offers of support and declarations of solidarity from the nations of Skgorria and Atopiana, President Marshall De Los Santos assures you that the uprisings are nothing but brief flare-ups of malcontent, and that normal order will be restored shortly, making additional foreign deployments unnecessary.

However, His Excellency, the President does wish to pursue diplomatic relations with both of your honorable nations, and offers an exchange of embassies and the opening of economic ties as a precursor to possible closer relations.

TO: Agujero
FROM: Centrist Authority Party

We believe that it is the fundamental duty of the government to discipline its citizens into conformity and obedience of the government which they are graced to have. We do not have any soldiers in our organization, but we do have many experienced personnel who can act as military advisors. Our organization is young, but to this day we boast the success in toppling a communist uprising that had support from foreign powers to the point that the troop numbers were at least fifty foreigners and communist soldiers per one loyalist unit. The Communist leadership was destroyed and the foreign troops had to retreat with their tails between their legs.

We would be willing to send a team of military advisors to help identify and suppress revolutionary activity and help root out the source of your problems.

~Quinn Colin Larkin

TO: Agujero
FROM: Centrist Authority Party

We believe that it is the fundamental duty of the government to discipline its citizens into conformity and obedience of the government which they are graced to have. We do not have any soldiers in our organization, but we do have many experienced personnel who can act as military advisors. Our organization is young, but to this day we boast the success in toppling a communist uprising that had support from foreign powers to the point that the troop numbers were at least fifty foreigners and communist soldiers per one loyalist unit. The Communist leadership was destroyed and the foreign troops had to retreat with their tails between their legs.

We would be willing to send a team of military advisors to help identify and suppress revolutionary activity and help root out the source of your problems.

~Quinn Colin Larkin

RE:

To: Centrist Authority Party
From: General Augustin Castillo, Minister of Foreign Affairs

His Excellency, President De Los Santos, sends his regards and thanks you for your offer that he is most willing to accept. He is greatly impressed by your past success and is certain of similar results in Agujero.

******ENCRYPTED MESSAGE*******
To: Minister Augusten Castillo
From: Chairman Quinn Colin Larkin

Unfortunately, I am handling other matters myself, but I will send my most competent lieutenant and his choice advisors. They shall be arriving via a civillian aircraft that will say they are representing an aluminum trading firm. Upon hailing them, they will bear the transponder number 22040. This will identify them as my men.

******ENCRYPTED MESSAGE*******
To: Minister Augusten Castillo
From: Chairman Quinn Colin Larkin

Unfortunately, I am handling other matters myself, but I will send my most competent lieutenant and his choice advisors. They shall be arriving via a civillian aircraft that will say they are representing an aluminum trading firm. Upon hailing them, they will bear the transponder number 22040. This will identify them as my men.

encrypting...

RE:

To: Chairman Quinn Colin Larkin
From: Minister Augustin Castillo

These details have been confirmed. We will clear a runway and a section of our largest terminal at the San Tomas International Airport for the reception. They will be met by an officer of the Department of Military Intelligence. The Agujeran government will take care to preserve the clandestine nature of their arrival.

General Amadis Diego threw open the white shutters and stepped regally out onto the balcony of the old Governor’s palace of San Valencio. Smoke was still rising from a depot a few miles to the west, on the outskirts of the city where a gunbattle between militia forces and his own men had detonated a cache of brand new imported plastic explosives. He grimaced at the thought of the cost of replacing them, but comforted himself in knowing that the rebels’ original goal had been to capture them. He figured that in the long run, he would break even in terms of casualties.

He swatted a mosquito that had landed on the side of his face and reached into his pocket to remove a gold-trimmed handkerchief with which to wipe away the guts. In the distance he could here to droning of helicopter engines: a patrol searching out the remains of a rebel encampment located south of the city. The camps sprung up overnight, and were gone by morning. The militias had, in a matter of days it seemed, gained control of the surrounding jungles, and General Diego could not help feeling as if he were slowly being boxed in. His men still controlled the roads, and the militias didn’t seem to have any helicopters, so for the moment the supply lanes remained open, but he could hot help sensing an air of mal omen.

He had been in the siege of Villa Basilio during the 4 years war, and he knew all too well what it felt like to be trapped like a rat, strangled for supplies by an enemy that controlled the countryside. He dared not question the orders of the Marshall, but all the same, he wished that the air force could simply bomb the jungle, and drive this faceless enemy from its hiding place. Either way, sooner or later there would be an assault and they would come pouring out of their holes, and he would have to fight them.

Better to get it over with, he decided as he turned and walked back into the cool darkness of the governor’s study. A lieutenant saluted as he entered the room.

“General Diego, sir. I’ve been told by General Aureliano that his men encountered a large group of armed men in the jungles 50 miles north of here last night. He says he thinks his men killed most of them, and that the survivors fled south, towards San Valencio. He asks you to be wary, as PMDG activity to the north is increasing. He thinks your presence here is stirring up a hornets’ nest.”

Diego nodded.

“Send my regards to General Aureliano, and tell him I’m deploying a unit to search for the survivors of that patrol.”

The lieutenant saluted and left the room. Diego walked over and took a seat in a comfortable leather armchair behind a solid oak desk. He removed a cigar from a box on the desk and sat back, rolling it between his fingers, unlit. The militias were massing against him. They weren’t organized yet, but they had numbers, and they had guns. It would be no easy task to hold San Valencio against them for any long period of time.

encrypting...

RE:

To: Chairman Quinn Colin Larkin
From: Minister Augustin Castillo

These details have been confirmed. We will clear a runway and a section of our largest terminal at the San Tomas International Airport for the reception. They will be met by an officer of the Department of Military Intelligence. The Agujeran government will take care to preserve the clandestine nature of their arrival.

The small Gulfstream V descended low from the sky. All of the men on board were legally registered with the Siapian government as "licensed mercenaries", a politically delicate title, granted to those who were either retired intelligence officers in the hope that if they discovered something interesting it would be forwarded back to SIN, the Siapian Intelligence Network. It was granted to non-official cover operatives, so that they could fight for others to infiltrate certain circles, and it was also granted to the vast armies of mercenaries supported by the many corporations who sought to defend their overseas assets. All a mercenary license did was absolve The Community of responsibility for someone who was caught intervening in a situation like this. That, and give them the permission to execute their own man instead of letting a foreigner do it.

The lead man was balding and had tan skin and was completely bald. The men behind him were all quite youger, with full heads of hair. They were all decorated soldiers, and the majority of them had scars on their faces. Presently, they were all dressed in civilian clothing. They walked towards where they were to meet the intelligence officer.

Officer Martin Valdez checked his watch.

"Right on time," said the individual next to him, a tall young man dressed in a white button down shirt and a pair of dark pants. A windbreaker concealed the shoulder holster that held a Glock 17. Officer Valdez himself was unarmed. He was also shorter in stature and a bit older, but well built. He wore a white suit, a pair of ray-bans, and held a slightly crushed panama hat with a sweat-stained band under his left arm.

It was oppresively hot, and both men were reluctant to step out of the shade of the hanger onto the tarmac, but strode confidently out to meet their charges.

Valdez extended a hand to the leading individual, who appeared older than the rest. His expression was friendly

"Martin Valdez. Agujeran Military Intelligence. His Excellency, Marshall De Los Santos sends his regards."

"Pleasure." For some reason the word "oaky" seemed a perfect word to describe the bald man's voice. "I'm Ryan Ross, behind me from left is Eli Aaron, Eoin O'Coy, Cross Cuzemano, and Turner Thompson. I don't mean any disresepct, but I feel we must skip any pleasantries that you may have had planned so we may get down to business. There will be plenty of time for celebration once the enemy is suppressed."

"Pleasure." For some reason the word "oaky" seemed a perfect word to describe the bald man's voice. "I'm Ryan Ross, behind me from left is Eli Aaron, Eoin O'Coy, Cross Cuzemano, and Turner Thompson. I don't mean any disresepct, but I feel we must skip any pleasantries that you may have had planned so we may get down to business. There will be plenty of time for celebration once the enemy is suppressed."

Valdez nodded. He liked the man's style.

"Right this way, then. There's an armored car waiting. I can have you taken to your headquarters in the city, or if you'd prefer to jump right into things, we can head out and get a look at the fight. Government forces have just made contact with some guerillas a dozen miles south of here, giving you an opportunity to size up what you'll be working with..and against."

"Let's split. I would personally like to go to your headquarters, for I would like to make a few suggestions before we continue. Mr. Thompson and Mr. O'Coy would be most suitable on the field now. The rest will come with me." He said, walking towards the car.

"Let's split. I would personally like to go to your headquarters, for I would like to make a few suggestions before we continue. Mr. Thompson and Mr. O'Coy would be most suitable on the field now. The rest will come with me." He said, walking towards the car.

Valdez agreed and followed the man into the hangar, where three armored scout cars were parked.

Valdez gestured at the leading car.

"I'll accompany you to Military Intelligence, where you can have a word with my superior, General Castillo. Lieutenant Trujillo will take Mr. Thompson and Mr. O'Coy to base 11, close to the engagement."

Inside the car, Ross spoke bluntly to Valdez. "I have some strong recommendations for how things should be managed off the bat. In my experience, generals can sometimes have fragile egos, especially when it comes to being told how to do their jobs. Would it be better if I made my suggestions now, or can I speak freely before your superior?"

Inside the car, Ross spoke bluntly to Valdez. "I have some recommendations for how things should be managed off the bat. In my experience, generals can sometimes have fragile egos, especially when it comes to being told how to do their jobs. Would it be better if I made my suggestions now, or can I speak freely before your superior?"

Valdez smiled and replied without missing a beat.

"General Castillos, as well as being head of Military Intelligence, is also the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Marshall De Los Santos. It was mostly his suggestion to employ your services here in the country. The President merely signed off on it. If you can't speak plainly with him about how to get the job done, then I don't know why he's paying you. "

The car turned into the city and almost immediately was confronted with the classical grandeur of the Presidential palace. Taking a right, it pulled up in front of a wrought iron gate protecting a smaller, less audacious piece of architecture: the superagency that housed the Departments of Military Intelligence, Foreign Relations, and Interior Affairs.

"That's the answer I was hoping I would hear." Ross said, gently sighing. "The grandiose nature of this complex and the presidential palace implies subtly that the insurgency has the support of the populace. I have access to my nation's intelligence archives and have read the dossier on the Marshall and the way things are run around here. My intuition tells me that whoever is supposed to be looking after the needs of the people is dead from the neck up. I'm not a humanitarian by any stretch of the imagination..." Anyone who could have gazed into his soul would see the blood of innocent men, women and children on his hands, "...but I believe it was said by Machiavelli that you need the people to have a vested interest in your success, or at least think they will lose if the current regime is toppled. Before we go in and meet General Castillos, if you haven't already, seal your borders and deport all foreign journalists, but do it discretely. If there are any humanitarian operations here, torch them and make it look like the geurillas did it. The more civvies that go up in the flames, the better."

"Would you mind telling me what the local religion is, if there is any? If you are a Christian country, what saints are most revered by your people?"

Adam Wincenty was in his spartan office as usual, a small mountain of paperwork taking up valueable desk real-estate that would normally be used for a nice beer or for his weary feet. He pulled the next file demanding his attention off the foot-high pile. The folder was matte-black, save for a silver embossment near the top right in the shape of a skull.
"Lets see what the Deaths Head want now." he asked himself.
The folder contained dossiers of 5 members of the Deathshead, an even briefer description of 30 support personel, a rehashment of Senate Resolution V195-2; a measure allowing arms manufacturers to supply terrorist groups at will, a statement of support of the gargantuan Global Tethedron Inc. for the Aquejeran rebels, and basic background on the Aquejeran rebels.

Wincenty smiled to himself, and picked up a black encrypted phone. A second later, a bored yet respectful voice answered.
"Yes sir?"
"Operation Silver Night is go."
"Yes sir."
The line ended, and Gen. Wincenty threw the folder into the out box, a big red "Approved" stamped on the cover.

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

The Cessna Citation XXI streaked through the air at 45,000 feet at a blistering Mach 0.98; just slow enough to avoid sonic shockwaves that a higher speed might cause. On board were 5 men: Colonel Xurxo Xosé, Major Dragos Mikhailo, Captain Zora Miroslava, and 1st Lieutenants Viktoriya Anastasiya and Zuzana Markéta.
Their Mission: Make contact with rebel forces surrounding the city of San Valerio. The plane's automated pilot annouced through the cabin.
"Descending to Fight Level Two Eight Zero feet. Speed decreasing to Mach Zero Point Six Zero. Bail out time Three minutes."
The men and women were silent, and looked at each other through their tinted helmets. Each was displaying vital information for the coming drop.
As the plane crossed the threshhold for a HALO drop, it deployed chaff and flares.
"Prepare for deployment" flashed on the inside of their visors.
The plane's autopilot broadcast over the International Air Distress frequency "Mayday, Mayday, this is Flight 25142, we have taken a missile hit and are going down."
With the commencement of that broadcast, the main exit opened, and the five soldiers and their supply packs were ejected. A fuel tank explosion destroyed the now empty plane as it coursed through the air.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"Mikhailo reporting. Report in team." Ordered Major Mikhailo into his helmet, the first to land at the drop site. His parachute was stuffed into a hollow, rotten log.
"Xosé reporting."
"Anastasiya reporting. "
"Miroslava reporting."
"Markéta reporting."

Walking to a clearing, Xosé ordered over his integrated headset "Fall in." Four shadowy men emerged from the tree line. Xosé flipped up his visor, revealing his dead grey eyes and a heavily scared face, and spoke quietly.

"SatCom suggests that we should head north. We will most likely be ambushed by rebels. Keep your weapons visible but not at the ready. Lets move out."

"I'll pass along your suggestions to my superior and ensure that the orders are given immediately," replied Valdez. "Agujero is a devoutly Catholic country," he continued. "This island was the site of a Spanish mission in the early 1600's, established by a group of monks dedicated to the Order of St. Tomas The Devout. A century later, it became a penal colony for Iberian prisoners. When the colony was abolished a few decades later, many of the convicts had found God with the help of the monks and the Order. Their descendants would eventually found the nation of Agujero. The Order of St. Tomas still exists here, and he is revered by Agujerans as a humble, pious man, protector of the righteous, the poor, and disenfranchised."

---------------

Bernardo Esparza crept low to the ground, moving quietly through the underbrush. The rays of the sun barely penetrated the heavy jungle canopy, and all was quiet save for the hum of the jungle. He held an AK-47 at the ready, and with a subtle gesture ordered his concealed comrades forward.

The ten of them had been tracking the strangers for nearly an hour, ever since they had seen the explosion of their aircraft. It was time to make their move.

As the strangers stepped out into what amounted to a small clearing, the guerillas took up positions. Bernardo, a bold man, stepped out ahead of them, training his gun on the man in the lead. He shouted at them in Spanish to identify themselves. Silently, the others came out of the trees, surrounding their quarries, training their rifles on their heads.

OOC: Note, the men are wearing what looks like a future-force warrior armor with NBC protection and bright-orange hunters markings.

The team picked up their trackers twenty minutes before they stepped into the clearing. Stepping into the clearing, Xosé gave an order over his headset.
"Stand down, contact expected." Twenty seconds later, a low-tech Калашникова was aimed rougly at his bullet-proofed helmet, and a number of other guerillas emerged. The lead man yelled at him in spanish.
Xose activated the loudspeaker built into the helmet, not wanting to lift the visor shield up in the event one of them got trigger happy.
"I am Colonel Xurxo Xosé of the 36th Deaths Head Battalion. We have been sent by international forces to make contact with your forces and act as military advisors and arms suppliers. Your crude weapons are testament to this fact. Now, stand down and take us to your leader."
He hit another button, disabling the loudspeaker, and proceeded to follow suit with the rest of his unit and ripped off the orange "Look at me!" markings.

"I'll pass along your suggestions to my superior and ensure that the orders are given immediately," replied Valdez. "Agujero is a devoutly Catholic country," he continued. "This island was the site of a Spanish mission in the early 1600's, established by a group of monks dedicated to the Order of St. Tomas The Devout. A century later, it became a penal colony for Iberian prisoners. When the colony was abolished a few decades later, many of the convicts had found God with the help of the monks and the Order. Their descendants would eventually found the nation of Agujero. The Order of St. Tomas still exists here, and he is revered by Agujerans as a humble, pious man, protector of the righteous, the poor, and disenfranchised."




"We are going to need more information from your head, but from what the dossier said, there is widespread looting amongst your soldiers. Machiavelli, in The Prince says that a man is more likely to forget the loss of his father than the loss of his gold. I understand that the soldiers here are prone to looting. Depending on how extensive education is in your nation, you could possibly work the angle that your current leader has had a 'divine inspiration', or at least one of the popular generals could. Whatever the case, the looting needs to be stopped and it would be best if the looters were made example of. Iff the conditions are right, and the people are of enough faith and not of enough secularized education, you could say that St. Thomas appeared before your leader. Divert some funding to the Order, stop the looting, and say that in your vision that those who survived were saved by the Divine will, and will be called to serve a higher purpose. It is obvious that this revolution is popular, so if you emphasize change and enact real change, you could win the hearts and minds of the Christian moralists. Ironically these are the most vicious fighters."

"I had the pleasure of working with an excellent soldier when I was still in the service. His name was Paul Kesson, and we fought against Baptist terrorists together, and he created a doctrine to live by. 'If you cannot hold it, burn it to the ground. If you cannot win the hearts of an entire village, then kill them all. If you cannot take every single inch of the shores, then do not get off the boat.'" Ross paused briefly. "Intel has it that your men have been having trouble holding the forests..."

"I'll let you pass that along to General castillos," replied Valdez as the car came to a halt in front of the building. A soldier opened the door for the foreigner, and Valdez followed him out, leading him up the steps into the large reception hall.

"Right this way."

-------

Esparza was skeptical to say the least. A man in a strange suit had been surrounded, and now was demanding that he stand down and take him to their leader. It sounded more like something out of a science fiction movie than a scene from the brutal guerilla war that had ravaged their nation for the past few weeks.

One of the other militia fighters appeared by his side and whispered into his ear.

"I don't trust them, Bernardo."

He did not reply, but kept watching the strangers.

"They were probably sent by the tyrant."

Esparza shook his head slowly.

"No. He'd never expect us to fall for something like this."

"We should just kill them and get it over with."

Esparza was seriously considering the option, but looking at the foreigner's gun, he felt the truth of his comment about dated weaponry. Any ally was a useful ally in the current circumstances, and to him, the promise of arms and ammunition pulled particularly hard at the strings in his head.

How to reconcile this with the threat of bringing heavily armed strangers into the presence of one of the most powerful rebel leaders in the country? He quickly concocted a plan.

He raised his hand and lowered his weapon. The others, with great hesitation, eventually followed suit. He addressed the man in the lead.

"Alright. I'll take you," he said to the Colonel. "And only you. The rest of these men will stay here, with my own. They'll give up their arms, and those armored suits, and they'll wait. If the commandant says you're straight, he'll send for them. If he doesn't...well."

He didn't finish his sentence. A sizeable force of guerillas had by now appeared on the outskirts of the clearing to join those already there.

"I'll let you pass that along to General castillos," replied Valdez as the car came to a halt in front of the building. A soldier opened the door for the foreigner, and Valdez followed him out, leading him up the steps into the large reception hall.

"Right this way."

The three men exited the car silently, each walking in near perfect unison. They observed the reception hall through their sunglasses, without saying a word. Nice as the hall may have been, they were not there for the hall, and there would be time to see the country after the job was done. They simply and passively analyzed the room, observing everything they could before they would be led to the next room.

The team looked around at the new interlopers. Lt. Markéta subconsciously moved her hand towards one of the many combat knives located on her BDU. Trained in several martial arts, she could kill half the men around her, and she figured that the one asking them to surrender their gear would make a great human shield, but she refrained. The other members assumed subtle combat stances, save for Xosé. Confident that their armor would make a mockery of the 7.62x39 the rebels were mostly using. The jungle would turn into a bloodbath should Xosé give the word.

Col Xosé spoke calmly in spanish. A readout told him that SatCOM had a lock on his position, and infrared images were being fed into a computer array thousands of miles away. A massive airstrike could be executed at any moment to eliminate all evidence of his existance, all in the name of plausible denyability.
"Your nation is not powerful enough to defend itself against the interests we represent." pointing up, he continued "The eye in the sky is all powerful, and we are being watched. Don't be a fool, your cause will be dead without help, and we are willing to provide it. My men will not surrender their weapons, should governmental forces locate us, nor will they surrender their uniforms. Such evidence would compromise our mission should governmental forces respond with sufficient strength. I, however, will accompany you alone, provided I am not disarmed until we are in a position of relative saftey from external forces."

He flipped his visor up, staring at Bernardo with the kind of penetrating eyes that made a man fear for his soul.
"I hope I have made myself quite clear."