"No battle plan survives first contact with the enemy." - Field Marshal Helmut Von Moltke the Elder (26 October 1800 - 24 April 1891), German military leader

....

Secret Interrogation Room

"Where is Black Tiger?"

"Mark my word, you dogs, one way or another, I will be out of here."

Captain Yadomi sighed and then his eyes went on to a restrained Cambodian male on the chair. He went lower in order to be be closer to the captive, "We chose to take you alive, but trust me, we can change our mind in seconds. And here, your favors won't work."

"You have a wrong man. I have no idea who he is."

"Lies!" His defiant word was harshly interrupted by Agent Saki who was accompanying Yadomi, in English. "Tell us about Black Tiger and where he is!"

Silence reigned for a few seconds. Then, "He's everywhere, and he's very dangerous."

"Where is he??"

"I wish that I know... I am just doing busi... GRRAAHHH!!! It's painful!!"

"Tell us about him! You can look at this all day!" The agent put down a perfectly framed picture of the said Chinese while his right hand was pulling Nan's ear with an electric clamp secured on the ceiling.

"Stop."

Saki let Yadomi take over. "Here. Eat and drink this. No drugs inside. We have all the time in the world just for you to answer us accordingly."

"Okay, okay. Before I eat, let me tell you people. I don't know his exact location. However, I know someone who's close to him... Christopher Huang... from the Philippines. A Senator there!!!"

"Tell us everything you know, and don't forget your meals."

......

1st Lt. Ryutaro Hatamoto

While Naicho and American CIA agents took their turn interrogating Om Nan, we're to ensure their security to the highest degree.

Dig in, people, I want a line of sight across that rice field.

"Yes sir."

We have to give thanks for the armory inside that safehouse hence our ability to re-equip and resupply.

"Ma'am, look!"

Kokoro and then I put on our binoculars as the clear sky began to change into orange-reddish hue. Not too soon, across the compound with rice fields ahead, I can see few military-bearing men who had just disembarked from a double-cabin pick-up truck.

"Confirmed, multiple military-age men, unarmed. Keep your eyes open."

"Two more, locals like them," Himari's G28, a marksman variant of the HK417 still pointed at the truck, below my team's position.

"They're pointing at our direction" her low voice unnerving, but that's we're trained for.

"Track' em." I told Himari, with a nod from Kokoro.

"Yes, sir. Those are scouts."

Then we saw it; Cafes and stores were closing, villagers who were still outside head for their homes, some houses had its doors locked as well.

"Something's got 'em spooked" quipped Maruyama.

"More unknown on four SUVs, far end of the ricefield," Himari reported.

Further observation did nothing to calm the situation down.

"Confirmed, tangos with assault rifles. At least, they care enough to make sure civvies were out of the harm's way."

"I concur," I replied at Kokoro's report. "But how the hell they know where we are?"

"Later on." The voice of Yadomi from the net answered our question. "If they open fire, let 'em know we're here. Also, I'll head to your position, people. My part on the interrogation is complete... I'll tell you guys later after we're out from here."

"Speaking of "out", how about extraction, sir?" I asked him.

"Standby... we have to hold for 45 minutes... He's coming with us. Also, the Americans did tell me that their people are also ready to provide backup."

I want to ask the exact nature of that asset he's talking about as he positioned himself among us. It must be either an aircraft or a helicopter. However, all of my thinking was interrupted by a rattle of automatic fire.

"They are taking out the lights," said Oonishi.

The captain replied, "Engage night vision, ready illumination flares as back up."

"We got hostiles, back of the fields, and in the woods," called Murasame.

"Waste them."

A crack from Himari's G28 opened what would be my first real firefight. "Enemy sniper is eliminated."

Overall, the fighters we're facing are good, very good.

"Those people must be Chinese!" Maruyama exclaimed while firing his Belgian-made FN SCAR-H. "But their English is good."

"Correction, Maruyama." Well, I love being a Tan Beret much more as the exhilaration of being in action. "A trusted source had told me that a few of those bastards were once Western operatives."

"Son of a... Why you don't tell us before, sir?" It's Izumi who responded in the wake of the bomb that I had just dropped. "Anyway, they shall not get past us!"

From my scope, I saw one merc who was issuing a hand signal to his fellows. A quick deduction, and then I double-tapped him straight in the head.

Clad in gray or black, most of them used customized Kalashnikov-pattern and M4 style rifles, which for the latter case, I guessed those things were mostly copies from China, the Norinco CQ-A.

"Oorah! Hell yeah!"

"We did it!" exclaimed Maruyama.

"It's not over, Izumi, Maruyama, there'll be more."

"Yes, sir..."

A clang, then a hiss of smoke. From the curtain, our thermal sight identified more movements.

"Contact!" Katayama exclaimed; he's the first to open fire from his HK 433, procured by the NDF to replace its G36 within the whole special ops community.

"Shit, not again!" My attention partially went to Maruyama as he suddenly stopped firing. A quick glance showed that a spent case has been stuck inside the chamber of his SCAR.

"I'll cover you." Izumi patted his back, and his Maximi Mk 48 machine gun went into action while Maruyama is troubleshooting his rifle.

"Sniper! Himari, find that shooter and take it out!" Murasame ordered, while our heads went lower for a few microseconds thanks to a sniper who had just fired at us.

"I see him... a guy with SVD... he's concealed, but not that good." A crack, and then a whisper in English. "Target down."

"RPG spotted," she called us again. Another crack and I saw the mercenary with rocket launcher had his head holed.

"Stay down." Each time I listen to Kokoro's voice below me, my grip on the gun become steadier and my chance to score a one-hit kill went up among the noise of gunfire and brass hitting the ground.

I won't lose her. Not on her first real action with me. One merc with a CQ was too close to her for comfort, and I promptly dispatched him with two bullets straight to his neck and lung.

On my left, Oonishi had loaded her grenade launcher attached to her 416, it was her second 40mm round to be used.

"Cover your ears!"

The grenade did its magic as we can listen to those people's screams and cries of pain, a few won't make it alive.

"Fire in the hole" The Captain had one frag unpinned, and he let it loose on the sidewall where a bunch of mercenaries was foolishly grouped together.

"They are pulling back." I noticed their fire was slacking after the grenade explosion.

"Is that it?"

"No!" Kokoro snapped at Murasame who asked that. "They will stop at nothing."

We've taken down about two squads of those guys.

......

"More incoming! 30 minutes!"

"Roger that." That's my response to the captain's announcement while the rest were either shooting or reloading their guns as those mercs reached an optimal range; 600 meters.

"Pick your targets!" He told us while taking out three mercs in quick succession with his Howa Type 20, the only one of us who used a Japanese rifle.

Heavier automatic fire was another new development; that means that they were bringing their machine guns to play.

I take a deep breath and aimed at one of the gunners covering his comrades. One 7.62 snuffed the life out of the burly man.

"Here, guys!" Maruyama had volunteered to carry extra ammunition from inside the compound along with a man who was part of a team of five gunmen which I know were CIA paramilitary officers, despite there were all looking Asian; just like us.

"You'll only find death here, go home." One of the CIA men shouted in Chinese, then in English while firing his customized Kalashnikov.

"One down, more to go, Wang."

"I agree, Nhu.." said another American. "Now I understand what those guys in Benghazi face, even my time in Afghanistan..."

My ears suddenly caught a recognizable screech, then the Captain's shout to all of us.

"RPG, get down!!!"

The screech gets closer, and straight on the rooftop where we're defending ourselves, we ducked as it morphed into a burst of molten metal penetrating the rooftop's wall, then flying debris all over the place. After it settled...

"Wang, Wang..."

The position who got hit turned to be where the Americans were stationed at, I seethed inside as they confirmed one of their comrades has fallen. We don't know him, but the fact that some family will grieve back in the US laid bare on us

"Bastards!"

On the other side of the compound; "Reloading!"

"I'll cover you," Oonishi told me, as it seems that the mercs will inevitably break through.

"Dragon 1, this is Whitehorse..."

"Come in, Whitehorse" Yadomi's attention was on the radio while we're keeping those people busy.

"You got authorization to request a drone strike on hostiles. Just give us the target!"

"Terauchi!" barked the Captain at his second in command.

"Yes sir!"

"Launch the targeting drone for the strike!"

To the uninitiated, the drone we're using is the American-made Switchblade. It's a type of drone with a built-in warhead with an ability to hover over the target before engaging it by detonating itself, hence the name "loitering munition" or "suicide drone".

It can also destroy soft-skinned vehicles like the SUVs and pick-up trucks those mercs were using, and as its technology advances, it's now capable of being launched from an aircraft. In this case, a hum of propeller announced our guardian angel; a small propeller passenger plane orbiting overhead with a bristling load of those little things inside its hold.

From a briefcase, Terauchi readied something that looks like a quadcopter drone and immediately get it airborne by remote control.

No radio traffic from Terauchi, only a few manipulations on the screen, covering 360 degrees, then...

"BOOM!"

The pitch-black sky did its job, along with the small size of the drone itself, as a group of mercenaries who had just disembarked from their vehicles got vaporized by the ensuing blast.

"Enjoy the fireworks, people. Courtesy of Uncle Sam." Yadomi told us.

"Hey, thanks for the appreciation." Said one of the CIA men in fluent Japanese.

"You are welcome."

"Oh, yeah!" I can hear Kokoro cheered along with her team, and I can't hold it anymore as two more drones impacted their targets. Their rifles were next to useless against those little things, and more were coming.

"Fifteen minutes!!" The Captain's voice changed, into another air of urgency on it.

"Tell your premier I say..." *crack*

"Sniper!!"

In place of Maruyama's temple was a small hole. Everybody held their breath, a few unintelligible grunts and sighs went out instead of any coherent words.

"Shit... we lost Maruyama." That bullet might actually be meant for me.

There was little comfort with the fact that Himari has the shooter neutralized, well-concealed between cars, and the intermittent explosion from the air-launched drones.

I loaded another magazine.

"One more!"

We can grieve later, as a pressing matter come ahead; we're running low on ammo.

"This just getting better, and better," told Oonishi, who loaded another 40mm and took out three mercs in that fashion.

"This is Whitehorse... package has done its usefulness and ready for transport..."

"To all units, just hold a little bit longer. We'll be back, all of us..."

"More fighters incoming, on the rice fields!!" The warning from the beleaguered CIA operatives did cause me to take a crucial decision.

"Izumi! Cover the right flank and smoke 'em!" I pointed at the American position, as the mercenaries were closing in.

Then a report came from Kokoro. "I'm out!!"

Great...

"Oonishi, can you hold?"

"No problem." Her assurance did help, and with the Captain divert one of his team members to bolster her, Corporal Hiro Matsuura, his driver back in Sihanouk, I crawled into Maruyama's body.

"Rest easy," I mumbled before my hand reached his SCAR, and two magazines from his vest. With all my might I head down into her position, riddled with bullets just like ours.

"About time!"

"You're welcome, Kokoro-chan." The SCAR went on to her hand, and she went back in action.

......

I heard multiple beating of helicopter rotors, followed by a flare signal from Yadomi.

About damn time. I mumbled, as my radio set went on with orders from the Captain for those still inside to start gathering on the roof.

......

"Those friends are backing down..." quipped one of the pilots inside an unmarked Russian-made Mi-17 approaching the compound. Thanks to Cambodia and China operated a similar type, it's easy to be masked as a regular military training flight.

"Put us on the roof"

"Roger, Ash."

"Friendly forces got two KIA..."

"God bless their soul." said the officer in charge who had just ordered the approach who sported callsign Ash, while his family and friends know him by his real name, Yuki Matsuyama.

"We're taking small arms fire!"

"Hurry up..." muttered Whitehorse, in the meantime, a second Mi-17 on their right-hand side banked slightly right.

....

"We'll clean this up before sunrise, everyone, get in!"

The new guy in charge with "Ash" as callsign and his men jumped out from the helo, and in their place, our team.

Things went fast from here, the extraction was a success. However, to our amazement, the helicopter carrying our package peeled over and break formation from the one with my team inside.

It seems forever, as we have to fly low to avoid being detected by Cambodian and Chinese military radars.

"Captain, where they are going?" Kokoro asked.

"We give him to the Americans to be dealt with. In return, we already got everything we need, and we're going to the Philippines soon."

Nobody wants to raise objections anymore, as we only have one thing in mind, and also the fact that we'd lost one of ours; his body lay beneath our feet for us to see.

"We head for Vietnam, from there, you'll get your debriefing."

"Yes, sir." responded all of us.

Anyway, mission accomplished.

......

A/N: Finally this chapter is done! Hope you enjoy!