Chapter 57: Plans for Five

Sunday July 20, 2008

After a late breakfast Captain Thomas called for another briefing about the Five. The first bit of luck was about timing, which was now confirmed with multiple sources.

To the Five, the highest priority was the three or four times during each year when the slow ship from China arrived with ethical drugs, medical supplies, and about three dozen female illegals who were convinced that their life would be better in the US, so they gave the names of family members as hostage for their cost of passage and signed on for the trip. When they arrived things went from bad to worse as they were taken to an isolated site the Five owned in the tiny mining town of Troma. There they were thoroughly evaluated in ways you can probably guess for service in the brothels the Five owned. Those who didn’t measure up were sold to the less discriminating.

The original projected arrival date for the ship was in late August. With that in mind the Five planned, three months ago, to move on us August 16, with the medicine administered to kill the Chief on that weekend. One new bit of data was that the Five intended to hire men (roughly 40) on August 7 for minimal training at their base. The thinking was that after the shooting was over they would keep a handful a men to run things. The Five knew history, they were counting on collaborators among the captured townspeople to manage their neighbors, much like the Egyptians used Jews in their monument business. It was a system that worked time and time again through history.

In early July the Five got word that the boat had left for Peru, with an excess of talent on board. Since the girls had to be “sorted and tested” by the Five and their bodyguards right away the “hands on” evaluation took priority and pushed back the invasion. The revised plan now was to have the hired troops report on August 19 (first come, first choice of leftover girls) and attack on August 25. The attack was planned with ground troops coming on two fronts by truck plus an airplane landing at the runway with troops on board. After the Colony was secured they assumed it would be easy to climb, and overcome, the mountain tribe.

The most recent confirmation about the change in date was some mail they sent to Grisha. Every other week the MASH helicopter makes a “mail run” to a nearby city for the Tribe and the Colony. Grisha’s mail, which was intercepted during the week, included instructions and drugs to keep the Chief alive until August 24. His death would precede the new attack date selected by the Five.

Based on this confirmation, our plan was to attack early the morning of August 17, they would be tired from a drinking party the night before and did not expected the girls to arrive until roughly Noon on the 17th. We would use the Hercules to divert the girls to the Colony instead of the Five’s party central at Troma. The girls would not be happy, but it was much better than the alternative.

In the 1930’s Troma had a copper mine, so the government built a single highway with heavy bridges and a small airfield in the town. But the mine gave out by 1942. The Five purchased the land and buildings cheap about a dozen years ago. It still had the 1930 airstrip (not for jets) and the bridges were in good shape, although the roads were in pretty bad shape. The meager population of the town was mostly natives who supported themselves, poorly, with farming. There was not even a bar or a place to stay. With no wealth the town had a part-time constable and zero military presence. That made it perfect as a “country retreat” for the Five.

Troma was about 120 miles from the Colony and about 150 miles from Moyobamba, the Five’s base of operations. Because of these distances the Five considered Troma a safe refuge. The third city used by the Five was Salaverry, a port city connected to Moyobamba by road. All of these cities were in north Peru, far from Lima the capital. The drug company owned an Otter (STOL aircraft) and a Global Ranger (helicopter), these were used for medical deliveries and by the doctors who sometimes traveled to other hospitals in a 300 mile radius. The Five also used these aircraft to travel to and from Troma as both could land and takeoff from the parking area at the house. Such aircraft are the fastest way to get around the rugged country.

(They planned that the Caribou bringing the girls would land at the airstrip, trucks would be used to bring the girls to the compound. Both the Caribou and the Hercules could land at the compound, but it was tight and commercial pilots refused to try.)

In their Troma compound the Five had a three-story main house, a tent barrack that could hold about 50 soldiers and a large tent, surrounded by a wire fence, where the girls would be kept. Some bodyguards (5 to 10) lived in the main house with the Five - they would require flash-bangs and gunfire from the helicopter gunships. When we attacked, we expected another 10 soldiers to be sleeping in the barracks. We planned to hit them and the sentries first with a shot of curare.

Moving away from the coast, Peru has almost no roads, the rugged terrain makes building roads very expensive. With photo-maps one could drive a military-type truck along foot trails cross-country, but that was dangerous (breakdown) and slow (at least 2 or 3 days from the Colony to Troma). The Chinook simplified getting our people in position on time. We talked about one of the M-113s but it would take a round trip slung under the Chinook and really added very little to our “Capture Them All” battle plan.

(The M-113 and an experienced 10-man squad could wipe out the Five and all 50+ of their troops easily, but it is harder to steal the assets from dead people, and for us, this “revenge” attack really was designed to earn a nice profit for the Patron. After the Five were drained economically of cash, investments and all assets, then the Buzzard’s Buffet awaited them.)

The ship, the drug company and the warehouse would all be secured by small forces after the Five were in custody. We assumed that most of the usual professional guards would be in Troma to help with the party for the China girls. Wouldn’t you?

The Five employed no female soldiers/bodyguards, females with firearms could not stomach the way the men acted.