Operation: Crimson Space

Unconventional

Arkady's pov
       I stepped out of the Humvee and started walking towards the TOC, I heard Erik to my right "how'd it go?" I replied "Better than I was expecting" he asked "did she see the error of her ways?" I glanced over and said "You could say that" he nodded before saying "We've got a hit on Deimos" I stopped and asked "where?" He said "Al-Abyar." I paused before asking "Libya? Really?" He nodded and said "we've got images from CIA case officers in Benghazi showing Deimos coming out of the international airport." I sighed before saying "Desert warfare fucking sucks." He chuckled before saying "yea, so we have to be ready for it." I followed him into the TOC, I looked around seeing case officers and intelligence analysts. I heard Sam "Kasper" I looked at him and heard him say "You should get your gear ready, your team is mobilizing in a few hours." I nodded as he said "briefing is in 2 hours." I waved as I turned and walked back out of the TOC heading to the barracks. I pushed the door open and headed inside before I heard Nienke "You're back!" I nodded with a small smile.
        She replied by asking "how'd it go?" I replied "it sounds like Viperstrike is going to take Ela in." She nodded saying "good, good." I sat on the bed and sighed "have you heard about this mission?" She shook her head no and asked "how's it look?" I chuckled and said "we get to fight in Libya during the dry season." She asked "so it'll be hot?" I nodded and said "extremely." She said "I'm assuming this has to do with Deimos" I replied "sharp as always." She chuckled before I said "sam said to get our gear ready we've got a briefing in 2 hours." She sighed and said "no rest for the weary I guess." I chuckled and said "always busy around here." I pulled my gear out and started getting it ready before pulling on my uniform. I looked over and asked Nienke "Does it ever feel like we just trade one enemy for another one? We bury one enemy and another one works it's way through the cracks." She said "it's human nature, since the beginning of our history we've always been fighting. The only way it stops is if we fundamentally change our species."
     I lifted an eyebrow and said "quite the cynical view" she laughed before saying "I prefer pragmatic." I nodded as I stood and walked over, saying "I don't know what to expect on this mission, but I know it'll work out." She chuckled before saying "get ready" I laughed before lifting my plate carrier over my head and fastening it, I grabbed my 416 and helmet before asking "ready?" She nodded as we started walking to the TOC. I mused "I wonder if this is another Bin Laden." Nienke looked at me in shock before asking "what do you mean?" I replied "it took the US military 10 years to kill bin Laden. I wonder if it takes us that long to kill Deimos." I saw her mull over my words before saying "I guess only time will tell." I nodded before pulling the TOC door open, I saw Erik, Karina and Olivier(lion) standing around the table. Nienke asked "Olivier? What's Wolfguard doing here?" He replied "the mission needs a... softer hand." I paused before looking at Sam "what is our mission?" He replied "A Nighthaven R&D team lead says they have some information on Deimos. Nighthaven knows things they're not sharing."
I paused before saying "so it looks like we are going to war" Sam paused before saying "we might just have to take out Nighthaven completely." I heard Olivier "what makes you say that?" I was about to say something when the perimeter alarms went off. Sam said "looks like Nighthaven wants to dance" Olivier said "how do you know?" I replied for Sam "Elzbieta told me they would." He replied "well what are you waiting for? We have a stadium to defend." I chuckled as I put my helmet on and pulled the priming handle on my 416. I ran to my defense position and waited until I heard Iana next to me "how do you think this goes?" I said "they want to spring Kali from the detention center. They're gonna come hard. This can go either way" she sighed but moved down the wall. I heard Sam "We've got an ISR Pred feed." I looked around with my NODs just to say "I've got 40-50 armed targets moving through the wheat fields." Nøkk replied "let them get close. We've got night vision they don't" Erik replied on the radio "Sam, get the exterior flood lights off, same with interior. You're lighting us up over here."
I waited before Sam replied "ISR is report 50-60 armed targets, Asymmetric movement, headed southeast to north." I keyed my radio "tak, I put that on the net about 2 minutes ago. Tell the ISR operators they're useless." I heard Lion laugh before I heard Nøkk say "engage, engage!" I propped my rifle over the wall and started firing. Nighthaven scrambled for cover, we kept firing ducking as rounds snapped past us. Nighthaven could only fire at muzzle flashes but their return fire was getting too accurate for comfort. I yelled "I'm moving left! They've got me pinned!" As Iana yelled "I'm on Kasper!" As we moved a couple meters down the wall and started reengaging. I fired a long burst before my 416 cleared empty causing me to yell "Reloading!" I pulled a magazine from my plate carrier and slid it into the magazine well, punching the magazine lock and priming the rifle. I looked to the left and saw an IR laser on the wall infront of Lion causing me to yell "Lion, Get Down!" He ducked as a couple rounds punched into the metal plate infront of him.
      Iana radioed "They've got Night Vision! They can see us!" As Lion nodded his thanks. I stood up and started firing at where I saw the laser coming from, I fired a couple round before watching the laser fly wildly before falling to the ground. I heard the zip of a rifle before I felt the pain and got ripped to the ground. I looked down and saw my sleeve start darkening, I stood as the adrenaline flooded my system and the pain disappeared. I fired round after round before Zero said "Viperstrike and Redhammer are sending reinforcements. Hold strong." I heard Iana "You're hit!" I answered "Im still in this!" Before firing at the Nighthaven operators running from cover to cover trying to make their way closer to the stadium. I heard Maverick "Moving right!" As we stood and fired round after round trying to keep their heads down just for Maverick to come back and yell "Rights no good! Rights no good!" I sighed as Zero came on the net "We have F-16s en route from Aviano. It's a puddle jump for them, they'll be here in 15 minutes." I sighed in relief as I looked to my right and saw Vigil get ripped to the ground as a round caught him, Flores yelled "Man Down!"
I shared a look with Iana before yelling "Welcome to the big leagues darling!" As I started standing and firing another burst as he was dragged into the stadium. Nighthaven responded by peppering the wall infront of me with rounds. I heard a pair of black hawks start circling before Maverick yelled "Are those friendlies?! zero do we have friendlies incoming?!" Zero replied "Viperstrike is being infilled on the roof of the stadium. I repeat, Viperstrike is here!" We all looked at each other is relief as Nighthaven turned their attention to the Blackhawk. Nøkk yelled "Suppressing!" Several of us yelled back "Suppressing!" As we all stood and started firing wildly. Rounds snapping past Nighthaven's head and hitting their friends got their attention back on us. I heard Hibana on the net "Got room for some more?" Maverick replied "Always!" As I heard gunfire above me. I wanted to look behind me and find out how many Viperstrike ops we had to help us, but I needed to stay in the gunfight. We were holding on but barely, and Nighthaven knew that. Just then Zero came on the Net "Be advised, F-16s are 2 mikes out."
I felt my rifle clear empty causing me to yell "Reloading!" Before I started getting dizzy and my arm started going numb. I looked down and my sleeve was dark, I looked at Iana and said "Hey, Nie!" She looked over as I ripped my tourniquet off my shoulder strap and said "I need your help here!" She crouched over and took the tourniquet sliding it up my arm before tightening it and latching it down. I hissed at the intense pain, it hurt more than the being shot. She said "you have to go inside!" I pulled my pistol and said "we're barely holding on! We can't afford to lose anyone else!" She looked conflicted as Zero said "Make sure your IR strobes are on. F-16s are 1 Mike out." We all double checked our IR strobes before reengaging. I saw Iana looking at me worriedly as I fired my Glock at any shapes, just then I heard the roar of an F-16s 20mm Vulcan cannon. All I saw was geysers of dirt being kicked up before we all got shaken by the impact of the GBU-39 small diameter bombs.
I watched as Nighthaven tried pressing their attack even harder figuring the closer they got to us the less effective Air support would be. They were right, except we knew that's what they'd do, it's what we were all trained to do. We reacted as well as we could, I grabbed some frag grenades and threw them. Everything we had to slow down the advance of Nighthaven was used, just as we thought they'd over run us, the F-16s did their second run. Zero was heard "Redhammer is en route, eta 10 mikes." Nøkk replied "bullshit! This will be over in 10 minutes!" Hibana also replied "they're pushing hard! We need support!" I heard Zero "this is what we have to work with" I sighed as Maverick said "I'm moving right again! Testing right!" Lion looked at me and said "My friend, go into my back left pocket! I have Doc's stim!" I moved over and found it stimming myself, I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt it working. Quickly I ripped my tourniquet off before pulling my 416 up and firing a long burst until it jammed.
I crouched and pulled the priming handle trying to clear the jam, eventually I got frustrated and banged my rifles buttstock on the ground groaning "матуся(motherfucker)" before it cleared. I heard Nøkk "we need to assault through! Any volunteers!?" I heard Maverick "I'll go!" I replied on the Net "I will!" Valkyrie also volunteered Thatcher and Blitz were quickly to volunteer as well. Nøkk said "Maverick, you're gun." He nodded before yelling "let's rally in the stadium!" I looked at Iana and said "Stay safe, I'll see you on the other end." She looked at me worriedly as maverick moved past me I turned and followed him, lifting my rifle to fire and dropping it when we passed behind a teammate. Zero met us inside the building and said "The F-16s are egressing, they're bingo fuel. This is it until Redhammer gets here." I saw the two from Viperstrike come down from the roof as we looked at each other before maverick gave our orders. "We're gonna go to the basement, we'll go out the north side door. We get a flank off and kill the last hold outs." I smirked as we all nodded and got our positions. "Blitz, you're point. Valkyrie your second, I'm third, thatcher your fourth and Kasper, you've got rear." We jogged through the base and got the basement, we all took deep breaths before I radioed "Strike team moving exterior, I repeat were coming out" As we pushed out into the access tunnels.