October, 1995
Somewhere near Moscow, Russia
Red Star walked through the corridors of the new Oktober Guard base, trying not to seethe. The Guard had been moved out of their old base west of Moscow after it was bombed by the Red Shadows during their offensive known to the West’s media as ‘The War of the Red Shadows’. The base had been too big a target, someone in the Russian Defence Ministry had argued. Better to follow the idea of the American GI Joe team and hide the base in a more low-profile place. Thus, the team had been moved to this old, decommissioned archives facility south of the city.
That wasn’t what was annoying Red Star. Nor was the fact that during the mission that had ended the immediate threat of the Red Shadows Molot, the Guard’s paratrooper specialist, had been killed whilst Ruslan the unit’s demolitions expert had been wounded and spent five months convalescing.
No, what annoyed Red Star was that despite his being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel when the Guard had been expanded, he’d recently had a general put in charge of the outfit over his head. The Defence Ministry had decided in its infinite wisdom that due to the Guard’s role as defender of the former Soviet states against Cobra and the Red Shadows, a general officer was needed to deal with the issues of international co-operation that might arise. The fact that the Guard was almost by default an arm of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, since their respective formations, had effectively demanded a general officer in command. Mostly, the general had left Red Star to get on with the upgrades this base needed, as well as recruiting a replacement for Molot and a new reconnaissance and infiltration expert. However, he’d infuriated the field officer when he’d sent Sergei, the Guard’s covert ops specialist on a mission without informing Red Star.
Red Star reached the door to General Iron Bear’s office, knocked once and then entered. The general looked up from some paperwork.
“Ah, Colonel. Good morning.”
“Sir,” Red Star replied in a grudging tone that conceded it was indeed morning and that, yes, some might call it ‘good’.
“Be seated.” Iron Bear could see this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.
Red Star sat and Iron Bear leaned back in his seat.
“I have some news you’re not going to like, particularly,” Iron Bear began. “As you know, Sergei was deployed on an undercover operation four months ago.”
Iron Bear paused, but Red Star didn’t react.
“He was sent to Azerbaijan to investigate reports of a mercenary group operating down there.”
“Iron Grenadiers?” Red Star interrupted.
Iron Bear shook his head, “No, not Destro’s men. These are another group. They’ve been identified as ‘Black Dragons’. I’ve done some digging in the classified records. Black Dragon mercenaries were reported to be working for the Chinese during the 1960s. There are even reports of them working for the Nazis during the Great Patriotic War. Whoever they are, they’re reputedly highly trained in demolitions, sabotage, assassination and martial arts. They’re quite the threat.”
Red Star frowned, but said nothing.
“Sergei was sent to Azerbaijan to try to infiltrate them and see what their objective was. He went incognito as a disgruntled ex-Russian Army soldier looking for mercenary work. He was involved in a few missions related to this Nagorno-Karabakh region. Someone apparently took notice and he was recruited to the Black Dragons. That was two months ago. Since then, he’s been moved around the southern republics, between various camps. Two weeks ago, he reported he was heading to Azerbaijan to a village there. He has since stopped reporting in.”
Red Star’s frown deepened. Iron Bear didn’t know what he was thinking, but knew it wasn’t going to be good.
Iron Bear went on, “Initially, Sergei was reporting in on a weekly basis. Once he was in, he was reporting on a three-day basis, thanks to him being able to utilise a radio when no one was around. He has missed his last three check-ins.”
Red Star finally spoke up, “You want us to find and rescue him?”
“Yes. I’ve got coordinates for the location of the village in Azerbaijan. Send in Nikolai to recon the area, then take your team in and rescue him. I’ll get clearance from the Azerbaijani government for you to use a Mi-24 for the extraction and an Su-25 for Berkut to provide air support.”
“They’re that well-armed, we need an anti-tank jet?” Red Star asked, concerned.
“Unfortunately, yes. Sergei last report indicated they had at least two HISS tanks at the village.”
Red Star swore under his breath. “I’ll get on it right away,” he said louder.
“One more thing, Colonel.”
“Sir?”
“I’m sorry I went over your head and sent him out without consulting you. I shouldn’t have done that. This is your team, after all.”
“You’re the general,” Red Star replied.
“Nonetheless, I should consult with you on missions.”
Red Star saluted, “Is that all, sir?”
Iron Bear nodded, “Dismissed.”
Two days later, Azerbaijan
02:00 local time.
The Oktober Guard moved quietly and slowly through the field toward the road. Yuri was on point, leading the way. Big Bear was close behind, an RPD machine gun in his hands. Lt. Gorky and Wong came next, the half-Asian carrying an SVD Dragunov rifle. Behind them were Katya, Red Star and Sgt. Misha, each carrying an AKS carbine assault rifle.
Yuri reached the hedge separating the road from the field. He signalled the group to stop as he pushed through the hedge. Crouched on the other side of the road, Nikolai flashed a small light at him.
Yuri turned back to the others, “There’s Nikolai, let’s go.”
The soldiers jogged across the road to where Nikolai was waiting near a petrol station.
“Sergei’s in the village,” Nikolai reported. “I’m not sure where, they’ve moved him at least twice whilst I’ve been here. There are a lot of Black Dragons around.”
“Very well, move out,” Red Star said. Nikolai nodded, and moved off, leading the way.
Nikolai, Red Star reflected, was a hard man. A member of the Spetsnaz who, like Yuri, Red Star himself and Big Bear, had served in Afghanistan. He’d been toughened and forged into a fierce soldier in that war. He’d also become an expert at infiltration and recon work, sneaking in and out of enemy territory, frequently leaving several dead enemies in his wake.
Yuri had served with Big Bear in the 103rd Guards Airborne Division. He’d been with the Guard now for three months and Red Star still didn’t know much about the taciturn paratrooper. He was a good soldier, from what Red Star had seen in training, but didn’t say a lot.
The team headed up a steep path away from the main road, toward the village. Nikolai waved them to a halt.
“There’s patrols around here,” he warned.
“What about villagers?” Red Star asked.
“The Black Dragons massacred them,” Nikolai replied. “I found two mass graves in fields near the farm. They seem to be planning to use this village as a major base.”
“Yeah, well, not for long they’re not,” Lt. Gorky said, cocking his rifle in a rather dramatic fashion.
“Where’s Sergei?” Red Star asked.
“They’ve moved him around,” Nikolai reminded the colonel. “He’s not likely to be in the church, but he could be in that barn,” he indicated a distant structure, “the tavern, one of those two houses or at the farm.”
Red Star turned to Wong; “I want you in the church tower on over-watch. Warn us of any trouble approaching and if a fire fight erupts, give us sniper support.”
Wong nodded and trotted off toward the church. Red Star turned to Nikolai. “Let’s go.”
Wong was an odd man in a group of admittedly eccentric soldiers. His father was a Chinese immigrant who’d worked on a farm on Sakhalin Island. There, the elder Wong had met and fallen in love with Wong’s mother. Alexi Wong had grown up working on the family farm and learning English from American Westerns he watched on TV thanks to broadcasts the farm picked up from Alaska. Wong had become obsessed with them, learning to lasso and even managing to get hold of a genuine American Stetson.
He entered the church, making his way around several crates of weapons and ammo, before climbing a ladder into the top of the tower.
Wong set up his rifle, then tied his rope he carried to a nail before tossing it down past the ladder. He’d be able to make a faster exit that way, if needed.
“Wong, in position,” he reported over his walkie-talkie.
Katya clicked her radio in response. Red Star waved Nikolai forward as they approached a large house.
Three soldiers were standing on the veranda as the Guard approached. Nikolai halted the team with a raised fist. One of the Black Dragons was standing at one of the veranda, smoking, facing away from the commandos. The other two were deep in conversation facing toward the soldiers.
Red Star used hand-signals to direct Nikolai to take out the smoker, whilst he and Sergeant Misha shot the other two. One a whispered count of three, all three fired one round, dropping the Black Dragons with headshots. The squad moved up to the door, which stood open.
Nikolai led the way in, his rifle at the ready. Two Black Dragons charged out of the doorway leading to the kitchen. Nikolai dropped them both with short bursts as Yuri and Red Star moved into the short corridor leading to the bedrooms. Misha and Gorky followed them, moving to one room as the others moved into another. Black Dragons were quickly shot one after another.
“Clear,” called Misha.
“Clear,” Red Star replied.
“Kitchen’s clear,” Nikolai answered.
“Building clear,” Red Star confirmed. “Let’s move on.”
The commandos moved outside to rejoin Big Bear and Katya. The group then moved swiftly across the village toward another house.
“This is Wong. You’ve got a foot patrol moving toward you from the direction of that ruined house, watch out!”
Wong’s warning came across the team’s radios just as Nikolai waved for them to halt. It was too late.
The Black Dragons opened fire, utilising sub-machine guns, as the Oktober Guard returned fire.
The sound of automatic weapons fire echoed off the building as the Guard quickly cut down the six Black Dragons. Somewhere, an alarm began to sound.
“Move it!” Red Star barked. “Get to the next building!”
The soldiers sprinted through the village as the Black Dragons began rushing from several of the houses.
Red Star led Nikolai, Misha, Gorky and Yuri into the second house as Katya and Big Bear crouched behind the garden wall and fired at the approaching Black Dragons. Several of the mercenaries were cut down by Big Bear’s extended bursts of automatic fire, whilst Katya fired shorter bursts.
“This building’s clear!” Red Star shouted to them. “We need to get to the warehouse!”
The team began moving around the house, firing bursts at the Black Dragons to make them duck for cover as the team ran.
Within minutes, they reached and cleared the warehouse, doubled back across the village to the tavern and cleared that.
All that was left was to assault the farm.
The Oktober Guard fought their way through to the edge of the village, where the farm was located. Big Bear took up a covering position at the end of the track leading to the farmyard, whilst Red Star led the rest of the team to the buildings, Nikolai and Gorky assaulted the house as Sgt. Misha and Red Star stormed the barn. Yuri and Katya covering them.
Sergei was in the barn, strapped to a chair. His clothes were torn and bloodstained. Red Star shone a torch over his body, as Yuri moved in.
Sergei had clearly been tortured. His nose was broken and had dried blood caked under it. His arms were broken and both shoulders dislocated. Several fingers had been broken as well.
“Sergei? Are you alright? Yuri, cut him loose.” Red Star spoke.
Yuri moved forward as Sergei raised his head, his bruised eyes barely open.
“Yuri?” Sergei asked, through swollen lips. “Who the hell is Yuri?”
“I am, Comrade,” Yuri replied as he pulled out a combat knife and cut Sergei’s bonds. “Your new friend in the Guard.”
Yuri and Red Star helped Sergei to stand up, before he half collapsed into Red Star’s arms.
“I didn’t tell them der’mo, Colonel,” Sergei managed to say.
“Good man,” Red Star said, lowering Sergei to the straw covered floor. “Katya, get over here and help him, for God’s sake.”
Nikolai and Gorky entered the barn as Katya knelt next to him. The radio operator took a medical kit Misha handed to her and shrugged off her radio pack.
“Big Bear’s still covering the approach, Colonel,” Gorky reported. “Farmhouse is secure.”
Red Star nodded. “Good.”
The commanding officer moved to the radio set and contacted Daina, who was waiting at an Azerbaijani airfield several miles away.
“Daina, this is Red Star, we’re ready for extraction.”
“We’ve got a problem, Colonel,” Daina replied. “Tanya and I were doing our pre-flight checks and we’ve got problems with the engines. It’s going to take at least another hour to repair.”
Red Star cursed under his breath, looking at his watch. It was now 03:45.
“Can’t you come and get us in another helicopter?” he asked.
“Negative, we’re stuck at this fighter base and the nearest helicopters we could get to are Mi-28 attack birds.”
