Chapter Eight : The Betrayal
Captain Roger Steinham and his elite group of one hundred and forty CIA operatives, had just arrived on the shores of Mahalia, a little known African country with a rogue Dictator named Yousef Hanswala. Hanswala had allied himself with the Russian Government and turned his back on the USA. Steinham and his elite group of men were here to lead an attack on Hanswala’s Palace in the foothills of the Benbicki Mountain range a mere three miles from Steinham’s location.
It was two o clock in the morning when Steinham and his group of men made their way up the coast. They could barely see in front of themselves and there was no moonlight to guide the way. Steinham preferred it that way. If they could barely see each other, then the same could be said of the enemy.
They were only a little over a mile away from the target when Steinham used his radio transmitter to question the whereabouts of air support.
“It’s on its way Captain,” General Utka informed him. Steinham was starting to have his doubts. The air support was ten minutes behind schedule. Secondly, Steinham had been promised the support of five hundred rebel soldiers in the assault on the palace. There was no sign of anything forthcoming.
Somethings not right, the CIA operative thought to himself. “What is it Captain?” Steinham’s trusted Lieutenant Haskell asked curiously. “I hope I’m wrong Lieutenant but I fear our superiors have sold us down the river and made a last minute deal with Hanswala. There is no air support as yet and there are no rebel soldiers.”
Lieutenant Haskell was Captain Steinham’s most trusted subordinate. They had been on multiple missions together. One of them would stick out in Captain Steinham’s mind for the rest of his life. They suffered heavy casualties on a mission in a country in Central America. Steinham was badly wounded and his men were outnumbered but Haskell risked his life to rescue him and bring him to safety. The Lieutenant received two wounds for his troubles although neither of them were serious. The CIA leader would always remember that.
“What do you suggest Captain?”
“I suggest we fall back. My instincts are that this is a trap. Utka and myself have history. I don’t think he cares what happens to us and doesn’t want to admit a u-turn. The Mahalian Government must have come to a last minute agreement and given the Mahalian Government free reign to deal with us. Utka would betray his own mother if it suited him.”
Lieutenant Haskell relayed the intention to fall back and the men retreated back down the coastline. They had arrived from two submarines, but when Steinham made contact with the Submarine leaders it was clear that they were already on their way back and had no intention of returning. Steinham and his men were stranded. This left the CIA operatives with only one remaining option. They would have to make contact with Rebel forces in the Western region of the country. Their supplies were limited and once daylight came, the heat might prove unbearable. Captain Steinham was angry. He felt as if he had been stripped naked and left exposed in front of his enemies. If he ever reached the United States mainland he would exact vengeance for this.
Suddenly, from a height, overlooking the beach, two large searchlights were turned on and shined down on the CIA operatives. This was followed by gunfire. Steinham successfully aimed for the seachlights and shot them out, but the fire continued. He was wounded in the left shoulder. Many of his men cried out in pain as they too were shot. It was a turkey shoot he thought to himself.
Steinham ordered his men to climb up the beach. While their number had been halved, they were not completely surrounded and Hanswala had only sent a small fraction of his army to carry out the ambush. The CIA operatives also had more cover in the sand dunes than they had on the beach itself.
Steinhams men stopped firing. After a while it became apparent that the Mahalian soldiers thought that they had been wiped out. The Mahalians, shined torchlights down on the seventy lifeless soldiers. The CIA operatives waited patiently. Steinham hated the taste of sand in his mouth and the pain from his wound. It was however better than being dead, he thought to himself. The veteran agent had no emotional attachment to the men who worked for him but he didn’t like losing them. He took pride in the fact that on several previous missions he had not lost a single operative or ally. Steinham would fight for all of his men on the field of battle but on a social level he was a cold fish. He didn’t care for pleasantries or small talk. He just liked doing what he did as long as nobody betrayed him.
Ten minutes later, eighty or so Mahalian soldiers slowly made their way onto the beach. Steinham could just about make them out.
“Shall we eliminate them Captain?” Lieutenant Haskell asked in a whisper. This time it’s our turn, Steinham thought to himself. The CIA operative gave the order to open fire. There was no holding back. Within a matter of minutes it appeared that virtually all the Mahalian soldiers were dead. There was little or no sign of movement from the beach. There was also no sign of fire from where the soldiers had come from. The assassin for hire was fully aware that in a matter of minutes, reinforcements would arrive.
The CIA operative had a decision to make. He could take on the Mahalian army with what was left of his group or he could link up with Rebel forces some two days away by foot. It didn’t seem like much of a choice. “Ok men, lets fall back,” he declared aloud.