Cabimas, 3:12 pm…

Valeria is watching the afternoon news. Her news habit has only gotten worse since Phrixus left.

The news announcer says, “On national news, a paramilitary group called The Venezuelan Revolutionary Army has made a public declaration on social media declaring themselves fighters for the independence and freedom of Venezuela, ready to battle the ‘recent conquest’ of the U.S. and VOA. Here is a segment of the video of the presumed leader of the group.”

A different voice says, “…a malignant force has stepped over this great country, killed our people and put us under the boot of the enemy. The Vanguard of the Atlantic has handed over our sacred homeland to the nefarious claws of the United States of America. It is our unbreakable conviction that we will restore order and sovereignty to the country even if this costs our lives. We invite the people of this great country to rise against the tyrants and heed our call… We fight for the liberation of our country! For Venezuela!”

Other people repeat his last phrase.

The news announcer comes in again over the chanting. “The armed forces have promised to attack at any time, it is unknown the numbers of soldiers and their exact agenda, more news at 7:00 pm…”

“Of course this was going to happen, the previous government falls, some buffoons stay and form their little gang to recover their lost power,” says Roberth.

“Phrixus told me about a guerrilla movement, a post-Ernesto Castellanos regime like the one in Colombia. The worst part of the story is they would be capable of harming civilians to attain their goals, like The People’s Militia but worse,” says Valeria.

“I wish he was here, he is always the expert in dismantling those kinds of organizations, I hope he calls us or send us a message soon...”

“…Soon as possible.” Valeria holds the gift he gave her in her hands.

***

One week later…

Phrixus is called to a briefing session by Captain Brewer.

“Phrixus, we have read your records and profile and we have agreed you are the best candidate for this mission. Allow me to explain the situation: We have gathered enough information about The Charred Ring, as you know they are the most notorious rebel faction operating in Africa helping the Red Confederacy in any way. We have located a distinctive cell in The Republic of the Congo, which according to our intel, is their place of operations, in a bar called ‘Last Shot.’ We have found a cooperator who is willing to share valuable information about the whereabouts of The Charred Ring headquarters but there is a situation; she is under suspicion and if her disguise is compromised she is good as dead. Your task is to guide her out for extraction safe and sound. Are you willing take this mission?”

“Sounds uncomplicated, I’ll do it.”

“Excellent, now listen carefully, once you are inside, ask the barman for the ‘services of the brass maiden’ and pay for it. That should get you in contact with the VIP, after that is up to you how to proceed. Report to the armory to get your gear and request anything you might need, you will depart in one hour. Dismissed.”

Phrixus goes to the depot to get his equipment for his mission, where he is greeted by the quartermaster.

“Phrixus, right? Here is everything you need for your job, I can grant you additional approved equipment from this list.”

The quartermaster hands him a bundle of money, a small, silenced pistol with additional ammo, a standard-issue combat knife, a two-way radio, and a civilian uniform suited for the area of operation, Phrixus checks the provided list to see if there is something else that might come handy.

“I could use a compass, lockpicks set and a hotwiring kit.”

“Here you go, good luck,” says the quartermaster.

With everything in hand, Phrixus awaits the transport for his trip to Congo.

***

Republic of the Congo, 8:11 pm…

A semblance of hostility and uneasiness… it describes the district where Phrixus is, a common poverty-stricken area where you should keep a low profile to avoid either being a victim of a mugging or get interrogated by a corrupted policeman. Walking down the sidewalk, he arrives to the front of the appointed bar. It looks more glamorous than the rest of the area. Entering inside, it has the atmosphere of a Wild West lounge, the presence of escorts indicate the place is half brothel half saloon. He approaches the barman.

The barman speaks first. “A new face in the Last Shot, just a friendly word of warning pal, do not make the mistake of doing something to piss off the bosses of the house, like hurting the girls or picking a fight with the wrong guy. They take out the trash without a hitch, and permanently, if you know what I mean. So… what’s your poison tonight?”

“I want the services of the brass maiden.”

He pauses. “That will be 225,000 francs.”

Phrixus hands over cash, and the barman picks up a phone and speaks in a low voice. After a few seconds he returns his attention to Phrixus. “Go to the table seven at the Smoker’s Lobby, she will be with you shortly.”

Heading up to the place Phrixus finds his table, secluded and sumptuous. He sits down and waits for the VIP, as its name implies the room reeks of tobacco, groups of people filling the air with swirls of smoke from their cigars and cigarettes and enjoying the company of their escorts, probably businessmen or any kind of wealthy men. A minute later a black woman in a trench coat approaches Phrixus and takes a seat, after a moment of awkward silence she is the first to speak.

“You aren’t talkative, are you?”

“Most of the time, I assume you know who I am?”

“The VOA only sent me a picture of you and nothing else, I’m Vanissa.”

“Name’s Phrixus, so… any questions before we go?”

“I have one condition, I will give you the information in exchange for full U.S. citizenship.”

“Hey, I’m a soldier, not a lawyer.”

“I want to leave this place, the Red Confederacy has installed itself in the region and I know what happens to the nations which are under their flag. What I have could be my passage to get out of here, that is just what I want.”

“The VOA might arrange something but I can’t make any promises, for now we should focus on how to leave the bar and get to the rendezvous point. How would you suggest we escape?”

“Follow me.”

Phrixus accompanies Vanissa to her private room, inside she rummages in her closet and pulls out an extendable ladder.

“We are going out through the window and will descend into a quiet alley. We go out quickly, blend in with the people and you take me to your transport. Put the ladder in place while I get my things, it won’t take long.”

While Phrixus puts the ladder in position he quickly examines the alley, it has poor illumination and multiple passages. He remembers that she might be under supervision of the patrons, which could mean a potential trap. With pistol and mind locked and loaded he prepares himself for the worst, knowing an escape like this couldn’t be that easy.

“The ladder’s set,” Phrixus says.

“I’m ready, let’s go.”

They climb down a few stories of the building and proceed with caution in the alleyway, the silence here is uncomfortable, navigating through the passages they approach the exit, only to take an unexpected turn and find five men in front of them.

“Vanissa... are you planning to retire already?” A man in the middle of the group says. “You always had good advantages inside the family and you decide to throw it away? Who is the idiot next to you?”

Phrixus remains silent.

“I’m done working with you,” Vanissa says. “If you don’t like it you can go to hell.”

“Wrong answer Vanissa, you should have known the bosses’ rules, either you come with us or,” he slips his hand inside his jacket, “you should know and believe me, I don’t want to do this.”

Vanissa takes cover behind a garbage container, leaving Phrixus standing in the way of the men.

“Get lost right now or we’ll send you to a world of pain.”

“Is that supposed to provoke me?” Phrixus says. “Nah, I won’t be riled by the likes of you, you are nothing but target practice.”

With that sentence, the group of men pull out their guns but Phrixus with lightning-speed withdraws his silenced pistol and kills them one by one before they could even shoot back.

As they fall to the ground, Vanissa shakily observes the outcome of the confrontation. “Oh God, I never expected this…”

“No time for regrets, we need to go now!”

They hurriedly leave the scene.

***

17 minutes later, somewhere on the outskirts of the town…

“What do you know about The Charred Ring?” says Phrixus while holding his compass to guide them.

“I was working as an escort for a special client, he was so drunk that he left his briefcase behind in my room and never bothered to come back for it. I was too curious, so I looked inside. I found all kinds of memos and maps, about the Red Confederacy, their plans, movements, operations, recruits, names and addresses of leaders, everything they are planning here in Africa, and some snippets of info about The Charred Ring, the name of that violent band of extremists who want to take control of the continent, they are getting help from the confederacy in exchange for unquestionable fealty. I’m not sure what their next goals are once they take over everything here, but I’m pretty sure they’ll keep sending Bellusaxum and God knows what else to them… I stored all the papers in this folder so maybe I could win my freedom.”

“I call that a good jackpot.” They keep walking but the path ahead is more barren, they are going to need a transport to reach the rendezvous point, they take a detour to an abandoned gas station, it doesn’t look so awful despite his poor condition, since they are not sure if there may be people inside Phrixus decides to silently pick the lock.

“I can’t sense people inside but one can never be too careless.” Phrixus says while picking the lock, in ten seconds the door unlocks and he slips inside, Vanissa behind him being vigilant, fortunately the building is deserted. They check the place for anything that might indicate a usable vehicle nearby.

“Hey! There is a car over there.” says Vanissa, pointing out a car to the other side of the station.

“I hope it’s functional.” says Phrixus

The car is open and he starts to assess the vehicle’s instruments to if everything is adequate. So far no problems, Phrixus starts to hotwire the car and after a few tries it turns on. They leave the place and resume their travel, on the way Phrixus contacts the rescue team and confirms the arrival.

“EVAC team here, we will arrive shortly.”

As Phrixus and Vanissa arrive at the rendezvous point and wait, it takes one minute for a stealth chopper to appear and drop his electronic camouflage. When it lands, they quickly board it and the helicopter leaves the area, engaging its cloaking device in mid-air.

***

Camp Morgan, 5:51 am…

The helicopter arrives at the base, Phrixus and Vanissa disembark, and are greeted by Captain Brewer.

“Welcome to Camp Morgan ma’am, please come with me to discuss everything. We are interested in this intel you say you possess. Phrixus you are free to go the barracks and rest, we will discuss our findings tomorrow at 6:00 pm. Dismissed.”

Vanissa is a bit anxious but Phrixus gives her a nod of good faith. With the briefcase in hand she follows the captain, while Phrixus heads to the barracks to take a nap.

***

The next day, 5:57 pm…

Phrixus is called for a briefing session.

“Just in time, the information we reviewed from Vanissa has proved to be accurate, the Red Confederacy are using this faction called The Charred Ring as proxies to destabilize the region and their governments and replace them with puppet rulers to do the bidding of their sponsors. They also have been deploying troops and setting up outposts to begin their skirmishes and campaigns, but that will be taken care of by other soldiers. Our main issue here is The Charred Ring, analyzing the intel, we have pinpointed the location of their headquarters in Somalia. The confederacy is leeching its Bellusaxum with complete freedom as the country is under their control. We can cripple them by deposing the leader, their cells scattered in the region will weaken and we can get a foothold in the continent. We found the exact location of The Corsair but there is a catch—moving an army to get him will attract too much attention and he will relocate to another place. We’ll send you there alone and once this Corsair perishes, we’ll push out the Red Confederacy in Africa.”

“Will do, but I’m gonna need proper equipment for a fair fight.”

“We have you covered in that matter, any questions?”

“What happened to Vanissa?”

“We agreed to grant her asylum in the U.S. for bringing this essential intel. Regarding your gear it will be secretly stashed near the area of operations, you will receive the coordinates of your equipment when you arrive, Officer Eve Grant has notified me of suitable supplies convenient for your abilities. You will depart in half an hour, good luck. Dismissed.”

Although Phrixus acknowledges the need to dismantle the Red Confederacy, he is also uneasy about the intentions of the VOA; the situation in Africa looks like a small section of the bigger picture. His first impression is that of a massive hostile takeover. He wonders what will happen once the war is over. Assuming the VOA wins, they would have amassed enough geopolitical power across the globe and their influence will remain firm for the time being, for what it’s worth. The Red Confederacy allows the VOA to pull out his royal flush and win the cherished crown jewel. Even the powers of Earth would have a difficult time hiding from the restless shadow of the VOA, what hidden agenda they may reveal later…

What a time to be alive… there is no “serene and content life” in my existence for the foreseeable future. Phrixus thinks in frustration, although he won’t jump to conclusions about what might happen once everything is over, he remains focused to keep fighting the Red Confederacy, hoping they never reach South America.