Chapter 24: Training

Two days later, at a remote site in the foothills south of Algiers CA, high-lifters with the OSG symbol blazoned on their sides set down and unloaded the SO team in a landscape of scrub and low trees. The officer in charge walked briskly over to where Pru and Bravo Force waited among the low bushes at the edge of the landing zone that had been marked, but not cleared. They, like the SO officer, wore combat fatigues.

The SO officer looked along Bravo Force's file and stopped at Pru. He saluted, then held out his hand. "Captain Ishmael al-Khud," he said.

Pru, caught by surprise, returned his salute, though hardly with military precision, then took his hand.

"Prudence Whiteside," she replied.

The tall soldier chuckled. "General Khan told me you and your friends are not conventional forces." His smile was genuine, his tone friendly, and he spoke in Arabic, but Pru sensed no depth to his apparent friendliness. The officer went on, "But, he did say you are well-trained and effective. I've listened to the recordings of your Wadi Felucca operation, and I agree."

"We are not conventional, no," Pru acknowledged, "but we do our best". She introduced the rest of Bravo Force. Captain al-Khud nodded at Mira.

"You must be the scout I was told about. I'm pleased to meet you. Your reports are excellent." Mira smiled at him, thanked him. Pru's heightened senses caught sparks between them.

He turned back to Pru. "My orders are to operate alongside your force. I think we need to spend the next day or two learning how we can work together and get a look at the situation. We will have our base set up shortly. Can I expect to meet with you in about an hour?"

As he spoke, the men and women of his SO force were methodically unloading the high-lifters and beginning to set up camp among the few trees at the edge of the wide wadi.

Pru bent to look into the low campaign tent to which a soldier had directed her. Captain al-Khud rose as far as the roof permitted and gestured her to a seat. Pru settled in and said, "Captain, I have no rank, so call me Pru. In fact, I'm not a soldier at all."

"So I understand, but it makes no difference. I'm confident of your ability — as far as it goes, if I may say so. By that, I only mean we all have limitations. And, you have the advantage of knowing the ground and the tactical situation. I'm satisfied we can work together. Call me Ishmael."

Something about the man's face tugged at Pru's memory. "You're General Khan's..."

"He's my grandfather, Pru. I'm proud to be a member of his family and to bear his name. And, if I'm not mistaken, you're the woman who was involved in that fracas in The Yemen a while back."

Pru threw up her hands. "Everywhere I go, all I hear about is The Yemen. Now everyone wants to make a soldier out of me."

"Well, I don't care what you do in your spare time, Pru. All I want here in Algeria is the benefit of what you and your Bravo Force know and can do."

Pru thought ruefully about her 'spare time', but shook her head and began to discuss the situation with this youthful replica of General Khan. She sensed his earnestness and willingness, but was concerned by a sense of deep tradition, formality and military order that underlay it all.

Pru told Ishmael about her rudimentary plan for taking over the village and offering the women — and men — who wanted it, an opportunity for freedom. They discussed the medical issues briefly, agreeing to defer details until the medical team arrived.

Before long, they had agreed to carry out joint field exercises in the nearby hills to integrate her Bravo Force into his command. After a day or two of that, Mira was to go back to the village to continue observations, and when the operation was launched, inform some of the women there that help was on its way.

Pru told Ishmael, "I'm concerned about this being a daylight operation. At Wadi Felucca, we were under cover of darkness and had the advantage of night goggles. This will be a lot more like that other thing," she grinned as she alluded to the Yemeni affair, "but there we were really just using surprise and bluff. Nobody there thought women could or would do that kind of thing."

"I'm glad you recognize how different this is," Ishmael said. We'll have surprise on our side, I hope, but that's not going to carry the day in itself. We'll need to work fast and smart, and we'll need some luck. I'm counting on your people to look after the women and children. I'll have some of my women troopers work with you, but those children will need the assurance I hope you can give them.

"I'm really concerned about the pregnant women," Pru said. "They're frightened and fragile. And, who knows when one of them'll go into labor? There are at least two who are close enough to term."

"We can do some simulations with the med team when they get here," he said. "I can see that time is of the essence."

Pru and Captain al-Khud spent the rest of the day on simulations of their very different forces, attempting to work Bravo Force's skills into the larger, more formal structure of the Special Ops team. They ran simulations of the planned attack and occupation of the mountain village, going over the ideas again and again. All the Bravo Force women took part.