The Phoenix Company War Stories - Book 1

Chapter 10 - Operation Dark Dagger

Bilak would grip his rifle tight as he was getting to the LZ, anxious to get into the fight. He had two teams, Team One was tasked with recovering the supplies and Team Two was taked with recovering Shane. Bilak would put his night vision goggles on and his helicopter approached the prison.

"Nova Lead, this is Hornet 5-1 on station for fire on your command. Let me know where you need the heat." Hornet 5-1 was the AC-130 tasked with assisting the rescue mission.

"Hornet 5-1, I read you 5 by 5. Let's kick the door in and get our man home. Send a 105 through the front and we will move in to recover the asset." Bilak said still trying to remain professional about the situation as he acknowledges he knows the asset personally he can't let his friendship get in the way of the mission priorities.

"Copy, sending 105 in 10 seconds. We will be in the AO for 15 minutes. Over." As he finished his transmission the 105mm round could be heard screeching through the hair and blew open a massive hole through the front of the prison with a loud boom. Bilak's helicopter got in through the opening of the wreckage and fast roped out of the Helicopter.

His team moved through the prison and took out people he saw along the way. After reaching the room that Shane was in Bilak kicked open the door and shot one of the three men guarding the asset and Rogue shot the other two in the room. he would move to identify who was tied up and confirmed it was Shane but he looked pretty beat up from very rough forms of interrogation. His blood on the floor and his clothes.

"Rogue, get him and help him out of here. I will cover the hallway ahead of you and you move behind me understand? We can't lose him here." Bilak ordered as he checked the bodies of the men he killed for any identifying information. He quickly realized he killed Russian Ultranationalists similar to the ones from the reports on Ashika Island.

"All Teams, this is Nova Lead, we have recovered the asset and the targets we have engaged are Russian Ultranationalists. In the case we get in contact with them, get to the edge of the prison near the entrance for the extract and I need my other assets online to engage. All air assets turn on thermal imaging they will try to sneak up on us." Bilak informed the teams before moving into the hallway with his gun up and waves with his arm for Rogue to move down the hall with Shane's arm over her shoulder helping him through the hall.

"Nova Lead, this is Hornet 5-1, you have a massive force moving in towards the prison.
They will be at your position in 30 seconds. How copy, over?"

"Clear out as many as you can, I will try to take out the stragglers that move to me. We are moving the asset as we speak. Over"
Bilak responded as he swept his rifle through the hallway and went to the courtyard of the prison as he heard heavy explosions from the AC 130 clearing the area.

"Python 1-3, I need a strafing run at the entrance of the prison. What is your status at this time, over?" Python was the A-10 Warthog that was also set for this mission as air support.

"Nova Lead we hear you loud and clear, we have enough fuel for one gun run and we are RTB for resupply."

"You are clear for gun run then make your way out of the AO. What is the current status of extract? We are at the LZ waiting for it." Bilak felt tense as he knew Team One was already done and ready to go and while the AC 130 was blasting away his opposition right now, he will be down to one asset in 2 minutes.

"Nova Lead, this is Falcon 6-4, we are inbound and our ETA is 5 minutes, pop a flare so we can figure out your area." Bilak fired off a flare and Rogue set Shane up against a wall and got her gun up on the rest of the courtyard.

"Nova Lead, This is Hornet 5-1, we are bingo fuel and are RTB for resupply. Godspeed sir. Over and out."

"Tigress 2-1, you are my last air asset I need you dropping their armor, how copy? Bilak radioed to his AH 64 Apache in the air.

"Nova, don't worry we will cover as long as we can and take out any clusters of anyone we see. Over."

The gunship opened fire on the armored vehicles near the prison but a squad of soldiers got through and moved through the prison towards the flare Rogue opened fire before taking a round to the chest plate. Bilak dragged her around the corner and threw a grenade at the squad before blowing them up.

"Phoenix Actual, Rogue is hit but not critically wounded. She was hit in the plate by a round. Asset is still in our hands and is still unconscious. I need my evac to double time it." Bilak reported as he checked his mags and reloaded his rifle.

"Evac is less than one mike out, be ready."
More men pushed through to the courtyard and Bilak sprayed down the hallway with his APC 556 and threw a grenade he killed more than 5 men in less than 10 seconds. He could hear the helicopter rotors as he fought them. He pulled out one of his combat stims and ingected Rogue with it as the helicopter landed. Rogue woke up from the sudden boost. She took Shane with a bit of struggle and both got in the helicopter as Bilak was still shooting them.

"Nova Lead, you have 15 seconds to reach the extract. I cannot stay here." The extract pilot told him. Bilak shot a few more and sprinted for the helicopter and got in. Firing out the side of the helicopter as it sped off into the night sky. Tigress 2-1 shortly following behind them and back to base after a successful rescue mission and resupply mission.

"Phoenix Actual, this is Falcon 6-4, the package is secure and we are RTB at this time. All assets are out of the AO over and out." The extract pilot said as Bilak managed to recover Shane's Scorpion Evo during the raid and checked it's condition as they flew back to base.