‘C’mon. If we can see them, they can see us,’ said Higgins grimly.
He knew that the San’s didn’t circle like that unless they had targets on the ground, and the likelihood was that it was one of the other squads down there getting a hammering. There was nothing they could do for them. They were too far away and, besides, four more men wouldn’t make a bit of difference against three San’s and whatever Chinese patrols were on the ground. But the knowledge of the distant bloodbath still left a sick feeling in Higgins’ gut.
They slowed down in the canyon with the relative safety that it provided — not that they had much choice. It was far more technical riding than on the open desert plain.
They pulled into the base camp just after 1400 hours, covered in dust and sweat, exhausted from the ride and the waning adrenalin kick. Stumbling off their bikes they stretched their aching backs and joints.
A few of the men came out to greet them, though there were no high-fives or backslapping. Finn immediately sensed an air of sobriety.
‘What’s going on, boys? Thought you’d be glad to see us!’ Finn asked the group.
‘Sorry, mate. But we just heard that Delta squad has been hit hard. Reports are that they got mowed down by a couple of San’s and a Chinese patrol,’ replied Jessop, worriedly rubbing his straw-coloured buzz cut.
‘Fuck me. I think we saw them on our way back, poor bastards,’ said Finn, his stomach suddenly clenching.
At that moment Taylor came out of the mine. ‘Well done, men. Mission accomplished. Clean yourselves up, have some food, then let’s debrief at 1530. Oh, and make sure the bikes and all the gear come inside. The Chinese are likely to be sending out recon drones after what happened today.’
The men dispersed, deflated by the news of Delta squad. Finn shuddered at the thought that it could be them next.
That night Finn couldn’t sleep. He was too wound up after the day’s activities. He was replaying the mission in his head, trying to memorise every moment, how he felt, what he was thinking, the sensations. He was trying to distract himself from a nagging thought… how easily it could have been their team that was taken out by the Chinese helicopters. How it really just boiled down to luck. Yes, he was finally getting what he’d set out to get: a real challenge. But was it worth it?
He popped a Nightcap to help him relax. It seemed to do the trick and he managed to get half a night’s sleep.
General Stephens, Sarah and Fletcher were in the conference room with the military leaders and advisors, going through the reports on the day’s attacks. After the final presentation by Fletcher, who was in charge of the overall operation, the room was silent.
‘Well, ladies and gentlemen, I must congratulate you on a successful first wave of attacks,’ said General Stephens, leaning back in his chair. ‘There can be no doubt that we have inflicted serious damage to the Chinese transportation lines and it will prove costly to them.’
‘With the exception of Delta squad, we sustained minimal losses in the five attacks. But you can bet we won’t have it so easy next time. Tomorrow we strike again with the squads in the north. This will be a different story, I expect,’ said Fletcher.
Stephens nodded grimly.
‘It will be interesting to see the Chinese response to these attacks. The reality is we caught them well off-guard today — and it meant low casualties for us. I wonder how quickly they sharpen up to our guerrilla tactics,’ pondered Fletcher.
‘Unfortunately, as we all know, there’s only one way to find out — keep attacking,’ replied General Stephens.
There was a knock at the door, and a young assistant strode over to General Stephens, bending at the waist to whisper something into his ear as he handed the general a note.
Stephens quickly read the note, then looked up to the assembled group. ‘Well, people. You will have to excuse me. Ambassador Xian is threatening all sorts of things to my assistants if I don’t return his call immediately,’ he said with a wry smile.
The general was already walking to the door. ‘Fletch, Sarah. Come with me to my office. I want you to hear what he has to say.’
‘Sure thing, Marty,’ responded Fletch.
Sarah did not reply. She just gathered her things and moved over to the door, a picture of emotionless efficiency.
Once the three had entered his office, Stephens called his secretary, putting it on speaker setting, and asking to be put through to Ambassador Xian.
Xian picked up immediately. ‘What is the meaning of these attacks on our infrastructure?’ shouted Xian through the speaker.
‘Well, hello Mr Ambassador. You seem to have forgotten who you are talking to. I suggest you conduct yourself more professionally or this call is finished,’ replied Stephens, coldly. Both Fletcher and Sarah were in awe of the general’s ability to remain cool and calm.
Xian paused. ‘I… please excuse me, General, but you must understand. Beijing has learnt of these attacks and my superiors are asking many questions. They are also threatening reprisals. Please, explain these attacks.’
‘Well, Xian,’ said the general, his voice emotionless, ‘let me explain something to you. You are on our land. We don’t want you here anymore, so we’re going to get you out. We will not stop this line of aggression until you and your army are swimming back to Guangzhou. Mark my words, this is only the beginning.’
It was Xian’s turn to drop the temperature. After a few seconds of silence, his voice came through the speaker. ‘Well, General, I can only conclude that you have lost your mind and I pity your fellow-Australians. I am very sorry but your actions will result in serious reprisals against your nation that are outside of my control.’
‘So be it, Ambassador. The Australian people are ready for whatever you decide to throw at us,’ replied General Stephens.
‘Goodbye, General,’ said Xian, hanging up without waiting for a reply.
General Stephens looked up at Fletcher and Sarah with a wan smile. ‘That could have gone better, don’t you think?’
They both stared back speechless, stunned by the threat Xian had made, but also still in awe of General Stephens’ composure when confronted by such aggression.
‘Yes, well, I think we’ve hurt their feelings,’ said Fletcher dryly.
‘They’re certainly not happy about us crashing their little party, are they?’ said Sarah, desperately trying to refrain from smiling.
General Stephens picked up on the guilt they felt, having a laugh when it could mean that soon innocent Australians would probably be in danger.
‘You know, Winston Churchill once said, “War is a game that is played with a smile. If you can't smile, grin. If you can't grin, keep out of the way till you can.” I think he was absolutely right. If we are to win this game we can’t paralyse ourselves with fear and self-doubt. We are doing the right thing here, guys.’
Chapter 11
‘Drone! Drone! Drone!’ yelled Carver from inside the mine.
‘Fuck. Inside now!’ yelled Higgins.
Finn sprinted towards the mine entrance as the others were running into the opening. Higgins was right behind him, but stopped. ‘Hunt, wait! Help me with this lot.’
Finn skidded to a halt, turned and ran back to help Higgins with the weaponry and tools that had been left behind by one of the others. It looked like only a day after their first mission, someone was already getting sloppy.
‘C’mon, Hunt. Take the rifle. I’ve got the rest. Move! Come on!’
Finn grabbed the rifle and together they legged it back to the mine.
Gasping for air, both men collapsed on the ground, dropping their loads.
‘Quiet! It’ll be overhead in a second — it may have audio sensors,’ hissed Taylor.