Rainbow Six: Broken Arrow

Chapter 24: Execute Authority

A furious battle raged on the small island of Cayo Herra, akin to Tarawa or Guadalcanal. Marines fought against dug-in SRF troops who had beaches lined with mines and explosives. Airstrikes had weakened the island's primary defenses, but the real battle was on now that the ground invasion had occurred. Tanks rolled across open grass fields, Venom helicopters lit up mobilizing SRF forces, and F/A-18s dropped AGMs on security vehicles. Anti-air guns fired into the sky like fireworks and SRF drones exposed Marine positions. It was a small-scale war. A controlled chaos.

Rainbow operators were forced into the airspace by their Ospreys and Viper gunships that escorted them to the airfield, where Marines had already loosely cleared out of hostiles and were already undergoing a more in-depth sweep when the Ospreys touched down.

Thatcher was the first out of the tilt-rotor aircraft, and his platoon followed swiftly behind him. As they rushed them off the ramp, the V-22's Crew Chief herded them out like cattle, "Move! Move! Move!" He hollered over the thumping blades, tightly gripping the Sig pistol on his chest rig while keeping watch for hostiles.

Once they were offloaded the three VTOLs took back off to the carrier, and the gunships were needed elsewhere on the island to support infantry forces. 

The large element of various operators rushed to a reinforced building that led to an underground hanger. This was a high-dollar installation, Thatcher thought. Their objective was simple: find the warhead, called strictly 'Daisy Cutter', for radio secrecy.

Once formed up near the hangar entrance, they were halted when three M1 Abrams rolled up the beached hovercrafts. "Rainbow Actual, this is Bison 3-1. Ready to breach." The lead tank radioed Thatcher.

"You're clear, 3-1. Send it." Thatcher said confidently into the radio.

"Roger, Actual. Stand clear." The lead tank rotated its current 180 degrees and rammed the hangar door with a battering ram with shark teeth-like prongs bolted to the front of the chassis. The two followed behind, giving the operators sufficient cover. "Rainbow, keep your heads down. We'll clean up the way to the objective."

As the tanks rolled into the below-ground hanger, they cleared small units of SRF security forces with their unmanned M2 .50 cals, eviscerating the helpless SRF troops, the heavy machine guns tearing apart the trucks and UAVs that the enemy fruitlessly hid behind. The SRF wasn't expecting this level of force to assault the island.

"Bison, cease-fire. Block off the exits and destroy anything trying to get through." Thatcher said, breaking off from the formation and engaging hostiles with his team following.

As they cleared forward, the team spotted an MC-130 sitting with a heavy enemy presence dug in around it. Thatcher slid and took cover behind one of the Abrams while the SRF pinned them with machine guns.

"What the hell is a US plane doing here?" Thatcher yelled at Maverick over the raging battle.

"You're guess is as good as mine. Looks important. Too important." He responded.

***

General Romavich put on his body armor as his officers rushed to get their subordinates organized. He was calm. Too calm, like a man who has accepted his fate.

One of Romavich's Lieutenants approached him with a radio chattering with panicked Russian voices on the other side. "General, US Marines have captured the airfield and breached the underground hangar. Security Forces are requesting orders for the package."

General Romavich smiled grimly. There was no way for the cargo plane to depart without being shot down by the American jets rumbling the island.

"Prime it. We waited too late, but the war will still go on." The General racked the charging handle on his AK. "To the bunker."