The general went to the large-scale wall map and pointed. He indicated a section that seemed to be in an area where there were no roads.
“The west coast. The closest town of any size is Lebak. This area is well north of that and from what we can tell, up this river that runs down from the range of mountains that make up the western part of the island. From what our source says, there are about fifty guards at this location. It was well prepared in advance, with soldiers carrying heavy loads on packboards hiking up the trails from the seacoast and from the short distance up the river that could be navigated by flat-bottomed boats.
“Evidently they had built the housing for the hostages, provided food and bunks and clothing for those who needed it. It is from there that those who have been released were taken to Lebak, and sent by boat here to Davao, where they could catch air transportation home.”
“When can we go in, General?” Murdock asked.
“Probably the sooner the better. If we take the time to set up a military maneuver in the area, the rebels will hear about it and might scatter the hostages.”
“General, sir. How far from here to Lebak?” Jaybird asked.
The general pointed to one of his aides.
“Straight across the mountains, it’s about a hundred and twenty-five miles,” a captain with pilot wings on his shirt said. “To the camp itself we think it’s about a hundred and ten miles. That’s at a different angle. The distance from Lebak to the suspected hostage area is thirty miles up the coast road and then about six miles on a trail up the side of the mountains. This road up is supposed to be good enough for a jeep.”
Jaybird turned to Murdock. “Sir, that’s well within the turnaround range of the forty-six. There and back to Davao with no added fuel.”
“How many hostages can we get into a CH-46?” the general asked.
Jaybird nodded. “Sir, we can put twenty-five combat troops in the bird, so thirty civilians wouldn’t be unreasonable. I understand there are only fifty-two hostages now.”
“Yes, that was right yesterday,” said the general. “Amsterdam came through with some more cash and three more of the Dutch tourists are now free. So we’re dealing with forty-nine, if they are all alive.”
“Sir, it’s not yet 1000,” Murdock said. “We can be ready for a mission tonight. We’d need to leave here about 1910 for a 2000 landing. Do we have any intel about possible landing zones in the area?”
“None. We could send a Super Saber over there to check out LZs, but that would only alert them that we know where they are.”
“If there’s no LZs, we can always rope down,” Murdock said. “Then, after we capture the compound, we’ll find an LZ tonight or in the morning with daylight. We’ll tell the birds which. How much circling time would they have, Jaybird, before they need to fly back to Davao?”
Jaybird scowled for a moment, then nodded. “Two-hundred-fifty-mile round trip off a four-hundred-and-twenty-mile range. That leaves them another hour to cruise around before heading back.”
“What about long-range radio?” Murdock asked. “We have only five-mile-range units.”
“You can talk to the chopper, he can relay,” the general said.
“But when the chopper goes back to Davao, how do we contact him to come back and get us?” DeWitt asked.
The general frowned for a moment. “We can put a portable radio in the chopper for you to take with you. It’s on the same band as the chopper and can communicate over two hundred miles. You pick it up as you exit the chopper and you’ll be able to talk directly with us here at Davao, or with the chopper.”
“Good, that covers one problem,” Murdock said.
An aide came in and handed the general a slip of paper. He read it. “Gentlemen, your new man to replace Sergeant Estrada has been selected. He’s Sergeant Pablo Kalibo, one of our best. He’s checked in at your compound.”
“We should get cracking on our attack plan,” Murdock said.
“Good, Commander. There are a few other elements you need to know about. You can have anything on the base that we can furnish you as before. We’ll have the longer-range radios on the choppers to communicate here with the base. The other item may surprise you, but it’s a firm decision and set in concrete and there is no way to change it. I’ll be going on the strike with you.”
15
Murdock turned toward the general. “But sir, this is a highly dangerous field operation. My men train year-round to climb ropes and swim and run twenty miles a day.”
“Commander, last week I ran a marathon, three hours and twenty-two minutes. Every morning before breakfast I do a hundred sit-ups and then a hundred push-ups. I might not be in as good a shape as your men, but I can handle my end of things. Commander, I was an enlisted man for six years. I came up through the ranks. I fought the old bunch of guerrillas for five years. I’ve been bloodied more times than I can remember. My younger brother and his wife died in a rebel terrorist bombing three years ago. I was sent here to help end this reign of terror, and I fully intend to go and help you.”
Murdock and the others in the room were silent.
“One more thing. I won’t have any insignia on. I know that you men function as a team and there is no rank in the field. The two leaders do everything every other grunt does. I can do that. I’m coming, or you’re not going. Clear enough?”
Murdock grinned and held out his hand. “Welcome on board, sir. What will we call you?”
“Domingo has worked for forty-two years; in the field I’ll be Domingo. I’d like an hour to fire some of your weapons.” He looked at one of his aides. “Captain, take one of the SEALs and get the weapons and ammo, and come back and pick me up here. We’re due on the range in fifteen minutes.”
“Jaybird, go,” Murdock said. The two men left the room quickly.
“I’ll check on ammo and see what we need,” Senior Chief Sadler said. He hurried out.
“Not much we can plan on this one, General. We’ll go in, find an LZ as near the place as we can, then hike in and take the compound down. We won’t be able to use our hot weapons because of the hostages. This will be a surgical strike, not a broadsword bash. If there are only fifty defenders, we should have no trouble. My big worry is that they will use the hostages as shields.”
“We go in silent,” DeWitt said. “We go in with knives and the two EARs, and try to take down all the awake guards around the hostages before we fire a shot.”
“Great minds,” Murdock said. “So, if we can control the hostages from their quarters and fire out, we’ll have the war half won.”
“Then we mop them up and call in the choppers,” De Witt said. “They will be back in Davao by then, so we’ll have a fifty-minute wait.”
“Worst possible?” Murdock said.
“If they have enough guards inside the hostage area to hold it and we have to try to take it down from the outside.”
“Right, and if they threaten to execute a hostage every five minutes unless we withdraw, and they shoot the first one,” Lieutenant Juan Ejercito said.
“Don’t even suggest that,” Murdock said.
“What’s this EAR weapon?” the general asked.
DeWitt explained it to the general.
“It doesn’t harm them in any way?” General Domingo asked.
“Not that we can tell. Maybe a headache or two, but nothing serious or lasting.”
“I must admit that as an old infantryman, I’m amazed at what I hear about this twenty-millimeter rifle. It actually shoots a twenty and you can get airbursts with it?”