Private Echelon: Pirates versus Privateers

Chapter Three

Operation Trojan Horse

Galmudug

Kiyo Village
Somalia

Pirate Compound
August 12, 2009

04:15 hour

Captain Kozlovsky and his men and other prisoners from different countries are detained separately inside small houses within a small shore village named Kiyo on east Galmudug. His men are constantly under physical and psychological torture. Scream of pain is heard from Kozlovsky's chamber. He, Dmitry and other prisoners can only stare helplessly when they hear those screams. " Why do they torture us? What have we done wrong to them?" Weeps Dmitry. " Pull yourself together, Dmitry. It is what they're looking from us. Broken spirits. As a tool to force our families and government for ransom." Says the Captain. " Do we have chance to escape?" Asks an Indian sailor. Captain Kozlovsky answers, " So far I don't. Guards are everywhere and we've been weakened by being deprived of sufficient food. We won't make it through the sea even if we managed to get a ship or boat." " Do you think our countries we'll pay?" Asks the Indian sailor. " I don't know." Answers the Captain. 

Indian Ocean
MV Ardent, captured pirates mothership
Bridge

August 12, 2009
04:21 hour

" Sir, we'll arrive at Galmudug shore in five minutes." Reports a ninja. " Alright! Prepare all men as planned. Sniper, security and mortar teams stay on the ship. Others, gather on the deck!" Orders Nate. Men in black suits and balaclava rally to the front deck. They sit down in front of Nate who is about to give a briefing. " Men, as we have planned. We'll conduct a raid on Kiyo Village. Your tasks are to liberate prisoners and kill or capture all pirates. Remember not to harm civilians. Restrain all unarmed military age men." He continues, "  We'll be divided into three, my team is to liberate prisoners. Sam's team is to locate missing merchant ships and destroy all pirate ships as well ammo dumps. Hector's is to block the village's main road to intercept any pirate reinforcement. Maintain stealth. Use firearm only when needed. Sniper, security and mortar teams will guard captured prisoner and provide fire support from the ship. Understand?", " Yes, sir!" Answer all ninjas.


The ship treads approaching the shore. From afar, on a dark beach, houses are spread out. A little light is seen from windows and doors. A wooden pier spreads out lengthways where some ships are docked. From Nate's night vision binocular several pirates are patrolling while others come and out from a small house on the beach. " A dock post." Thinks Nate. At the bridge, the ship's radio calls in Somali, 


" Gadid, come in, Gadid, What is your status?" 


The ninja interpreter behind him says to the pirate commander, " Answer him. Don't play a trick. I understand what you say." 


The commander speaks in Somali, " This is Gadid, we found no merchant ship today. We will land." 


The voice from the radio replies, " Welcome home. We'll send crews aboard to help."


The ninja forces the pirate commander, " Tell the men to go to bridge directly."


The pirate commander says, " We need them at the bridge."


The voice replies, " They will be there."


The ship slowly moors to the pier and lowers its anchor. A pirate group  of five places a bridge to the ship then they board the ship through it. All of them are eventually ambushed by the ninjas on the deck.

Galmudug

Kiyo Village Shore
Somalia

Pirate Compound
August 12, 2009

04:28 hour


Ropes are thrown below from deck and hang on the ship's railing. A moment later, massive black figures rappel down to water and pier. Little by little, the sword-gun wielding black figures creeps and swims through pier platform and water. Zip - zip sounds are hard. The sniper team, using night vision goggles, shoot all pirates on shore, pier platform and dock guard post then gather on the shore in front of the village. The attacking party are divided into two flanks and one main groups with Nate's leading on the middle. The village is quiet and dark, no one is around except several strolling armed pirates. Nate whispers on his radio, " Commence Operation Trojan Horse! Go! Go! Go!". The raid commences.


Nate and his ninjas charge at the village, wielding silenced micro-uzi and various bladed weapons. Soon they flood a part of the village and kill all armed men they run into by bladed weapons and crossbows. A pirate is walking near the first houses closest to the beach and turns his head toward the street behind him, when he turns again, Nate appears and has his sword slashes the pirate's neck. Another is grabbed and thrown to the ninjas following him. He and his fireteams rush at the street, kill armed pirates they run into using swords, sometimes one pirate is stabbed or slashed by more than three ninjas. They sweep street by street, House by house, room by room, alley by alley. Civilians inside houses scream in fear when their houses breached. The houses armed occupants both sleeping and awake are mostly slashed or stabbed, the unarmed are rounded up and herded toward the beach. 'Urban' shootouts and violent hand to hand combat between pirates and attacking ninjas in close range. Bludgeoning, stabbing, slashing beating, strangling take place. Prisoners are liberated from chambers and a torture room. They take any weapons around from dead pirates. Captain Kozlovsky and sailors are startled when they hear eerie commotions around. The sailors inside the chamber become panic and think there are mass executions outside. Suddenly, the noise approaches and ended with a bloody sword blade break through the chamber door. When the door is bashed open from outside, a pirate body falls inside the room surprising the hostages inside. Four men in black pointing gun and wielding blade breach the chamber. " Gentlemen, you are free. You are to follow the men outside." Says a ninja. Captain Kozlovsky answers, " Is this for real?" Tears coming down from his eyes. " Hurray!" Shouts the sailor. Under a ninja, they are guided outside. Around Kozlovsky and his men during their run, a pirate is punched repeatedly in his face by a large muscular Greek sailor while three Turkish ones are beating and stomping another pirate on floor. On another corner a mix of several Russian and Nigerian sailors hack and beat  three pirates mercilessly using various rifle butts, machetes and axes. Three pirates are herded by several sailors, forced to kneel and executed using captured AK by shooting them at chests and heads. Some burn enemy technical jeeps, houses and motorcycles. Enemy weapon and ammunition caches are looted. Bodies of pirates are strewn on alleys, streets and below house walls. The frenzy and angry sailors are immediately taken by the ninjas and ordered to gather on the pier in order to restore order. The heavily wounded pirates are either left or herded to captivity by ninjas. Some angry sailors crowd to harm cowering civilians that is suspected as pirates relatives but soon dismissed by the ninjas.  Alerted pirates fight back using machetes, axes and firearms from houses and on streets but eventually are all subdued.  Houses start to burn.


Meanwhile , Sam's fireteams storm all ships and plant charges on ammunition dumps and pirate motherships as well their skiffs. The pirates on the dock guard post and ammo dumps are unprepared. They are overwhelmed by the ninjas' massive firepower and those who are overrun are stabbed or slashed. Seven pirates retreat to a pirate mothership and resist from  its deck. One is shot during his run. After a brief but pitched fire exchange and massive grenade throwing that kill half of them, the remaining three surrender. There was few hiding places and chances for the pirates to organize an organized defense due to the ninja's attack speed. Hector's ten men are waiting on the west side of the village, where the main road to the village is. Some previously fleeing pirates warned others nearby. Not long after, a group of attacking pirates and vehicles are going at the village right to berms where Hector's ninjas have been waiting. The group are in massive formation, with three makeshift armed vehicles driven in fast speed and pirates running around them shooting at the village. The two approaching vehicles are quickly destroyed by the ninjas' anti-tank fires. The following pirates are peppered by bullets. The ambushed attackers stop and start to fight behind the intact vehicle and floor triggering an exchange fire. Hector calls for artillery support. " Support. We need three artillery fire on the west. North of you. At coordinate 4, 3,6, 1. Over." The mortar team answers, " Understood. Firing mortar." Three rounds strike around the attacking convoy route. Enemy resistance suddenly becomes silent.


Nate stands in the village center around a bon fire site where village inhabitant usually gather surrounded by Ninjas, captured pirates and liberated sailors. A ninja reports to him, " Sir, we have five ninjas severely wounded and three lightly. They are under medical assistance now. We manage to liberate a total of a hundred and five sailors including Captain Kozlovsky, some of them are sick and weakened. Sam's team have planted all charges on enemy boats. An enemy counter attack have been repelled. We also captured 30 pirates, weapon caches and dumps as well many civilians. MV Kalina is also found. Its tank is found to be full." Nate replies, " Call Captain Kozlovsky." The Captain is called and then a middle aged man strides forward from between sailors. 


Nate speaks to the Captain, "Are you Captain Viktor Kozlovsky?" The Captain answers, " Yes, sir. I am."


Nate replies, "We were tasked to search you and take you and your men home." The Captain shakes Nate's hand, " Thank you, sir. Please let me know if I can help you." 


Nate replies by asking, " Do you see any prisoner beside ones in this village?"
," I don't think so, sir." Answers Kozlovsky.


" Are you sure?", " Yes, sir."


Nate asks other prisoners, " Do any of you see any prisoner other than you in this village?", " No, sir." Answer them 


Nate orders, " Bring the thirty pirates in front of me." Thirty pirates are herded to Nate while being thrown with rocks and bottles by the sailors and forced to kneel in front of Nate. Some sailors try to beat and hack during their march them using but deterred by ninjas.


" Kill them!", " Burn them alive!", " Cut their heads with your sword, sir!" Such shouts are heard from the sailors. They are again thrown with projectiles. 


Nate stretches his left hands at the sailors to tell them to be calm. The sailors become quiet. Nate orders his interpreter, " Interpret my words to them."


Nate starts interrogating in his usual fashion, " If you don't want thirty more heads roll to ground, you better to answer everything I ask with honest. If I find you lie, the sailors will be your judge."


Nate orders the sailors, " Friends, shout at these men." The sailors shout furiously to them, " Kill them! Give them to me! I'll tear them! Aaaahh!!"


When they figure out what Nate and the sailors say, they quake in fear. The pirate, one by one speaks. Then it is found out that all prisoners on the area are all  held within the village. Nate then orders them again to show who between captured civilians are pirates. Two men are dragged from them.


When the interrogation finishes, Nate asks Captain Kozlovsky " Captain, we need your ship to extract from this place. Are you willing to lead us out?" " Yes, sir." Says Captain Kozlovsky. 


" Good, Captain, let's get out from here." The Captain turns and call his men, " Everybody! Board the ship, we'll get out of here." " Oorah!!" Shouts his men. 


Nate orders his ninjas, " Sam, take the sailors and prisoners to MV Kalina, follow Captain Kozlovsky. Hector, you're our rear guard. Make a safe passage for the civilians and them  to leave this village as far as they can through the west road." Lastly,  Nate orders his men to take all enemy heavy weapons and rocket launchers.


Columns of humans walk toward and board MV Kalina. The first is joyful armed sailors and ninjas escorting   marched pirates prisoners whose hands are told to be put behind their heads and ninjas carrying machine guns, grenades, ammunition boxes, rifles, and rocket launchers. Lastly, Hector's rear guard board the ship. The ship now become busy. Moments later, it leaves the shore.


On its stern, as the ship is leaving. Nate, crowded by ninjas and sailors orders Sam to detonate all planted charges on the village. Explosions occur simultaneously within the village and on anchored boats that scuttle them on the pier followed by victory cries from the ninjas and sailors. The explosions on ammunition and weapons dumps and caches ignite fire that spread between houses. Reddish burning houses marks the village in darkness from afar.

          

 To be continued

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