Guns for Hire - Script Sixty One

San Vicente, Palawan, Departure + 17min

With the C-27 at around 20,000 ft Varnik level out & pointed its nose towards Bangkok & left Gigi to take the controls & made his way into the main cargo area where Alex, T-Bird, Vrasten, Skinpin & the others were sorting, packing & stowing kit as required & generally getting back into civilian mode, without knowing the details of what had taken place Varnik assumed from the laughter & general good spirits that all had gone to plan & only those intended not to be breathing anymore were indeed dead,

"OK, Alex, fella's, we're looking at about three & a half hours to Bangkok, maybe four depending upon the head wind, I want Jesus to run a systems check while we're there & file a flight plan so you'll have plenty of time, twelve hours maybe, for a shower, a shave & a shit, you'll be happy to note we'll be giving Bhutan a wide birth, the intention is to go through KolKata & from there the same route we came in on, enjoy the flight"

Vrasten, thinking of home, dropped a couple of quick e-mail's, one to Hercaclio to check all was OK back at the ranch as well take a drive over to Burfield & make sure there wasn't anything they needed to be aware at the airstrip, & a second to the Forlorn Hope to check if anybody had been asking for him, Alex, T-Bird or Skinpin.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 3hr 52min

As Gigi put the Spartan into final approach various mobile phones started to chirp into activity as they came within range of the Thai domestic mobile tower masts, thumbing through the various messages both Vrasten & Alex saw they had received a number of voice mails over the last hour or so from Sahel Asef Kazmi, their patrons intermediary, listening to the voice mail it was clear that although he hadn't actually said a lot he wasn't in the least bit happy, in fact Vrasten, who new about these things, reckoned he was positively apoplectic.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 4hr 18min

With permission granted to house the Spartan in one of the rental hangers at the far side of the airport the crew set about submitting the flight plan for the homeward journey, arranging for fuel, fresh water & pizza's.

T-Bird was about to offer his services to Jesus who was unscrewing one of the turboprops inspection covers when Boyd beat him to it.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 4hr 26min

With the aircrew busy doing what aircrew do & the hired hands chilling out on the Spartans lowered rear ramp Alex & Vrasten pulled T-Bird & Skinpin over towards a quiet corner of the hanger out of earshot of the others, quickly they explained that for what ever reason their contact seemed, for reasons unknown, have taken issue & therefore they were about to return his numerous calls.

Seven minutes later Alex cut off the call whilst Sahel was in mid flow,

"It seems" growled Alex, "it seems that he's not fucking impressed that we didn't give him a heads up once we new when the hit was going to be so he could arrange for all his little soldiers to be in the right place at the right time, what does he fucking think this is, a fucking bus timetable. The upshot is it sounds like they're gonna use it as a pathetic excuse not to pay the balance of the contract, it's not our fault if his so called bloodless coup has gone tits up"

For the next half an hour the four debated what came next, Alex, slightly calmer, expanded on what Sahel had said, it seemed the intention as far as Sahel was concerned was that those leading the coup in Puerta Princessa itself were primed to overflow the Halls of Justice etc whilst the junta's followers were floundering under the news of Balelang's demise, however as it turned out the Balelang's pembunuh anak laki-laki were aware of the assassination & on the streets taking revenge before leader in exile Iska Diwata Lakan's followers could react, the outcome was an enforced & bloody curfew, random killings & a breakdown of what little society had existed previously.

Vrasten did a bit of research of his own, hitting the web he picked up various news items relating to the apparent assassination of Kuratong Balelang & the growing civil unrest as well as the bloody retribution being inflicted upon the population by the dictators supporters. In addition there were various statements & edicts being reported from concerned parties including the UN as well as by spokespersons for both Iska Diwata Lakan calling for calm & democratic elections & on behalf Mutiara Nadda Balelang, Kuratong Balelang's sister & Minister for Justice who demanded those responsible for her bothers murder be hunted down & promising that any who broke the curfew would be punished accordingly.

T-Bird, enraged by Alex's explanation did his damnedest to pursued Vrasten & Skinpin that revenge for non payment was the only way forward.

As Skinpin lead the others back towards the Spartan it was clear that the loitering Xavier, König & Bancroft new something was up if not what, smiling innocently Skinpin asked who was putting the kettle on.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 13hr 39min

The following morning Jesus confirmed that the Spartan was good to go but Varnik was still waiting for ATC approval which should be through anytime.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 15hr 31min

Two hours later the anticipated approval still hadn't come through, in fact Jesus reported that the dude they'd been conversing with had suggested there was a problem that needed further investigation & therefore approval could not be given.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 18hr 47min

By mid afternoon every one could smell a rat, killing time reading a selection of international newspapers, Vrasten's attention had been caught by a nondescript supposed airport employee who had spent most of the morning just hanging around the hanger without appearing to actually fulfill any function, after keeping his eye on him for a while Vrasten reckoned he was actually keeping an eye on the Spartan & its crew, playing his role Vrasten wandered around the hanger making a note of one or two others who seemed to be erroneous to any activity in the hanger, satisfied with his suspicions he quietly had a word with the others to let them know they were being observed.

Just in case several side arms were loaded & distributed.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 21hr 19min

By early evening it was pretty obvious that the Thai ATC were stalling for time as there was nothing wrong with the flight plan that Varnik & Gigi had prepared, on the quiet Alex asked Varnik that if they made a run for it what did he think there chances were of getting airborne or being pursued.

Without knowledge of who specifically was behind the delay & to what ends they'd go it was an impossible call to make, Varnik thought on balance that if they got off the ground there wouldn't be much the authorities would or could do unless of course they involved the RTAF but even so he thought this unlikely as if there were to be military intervention why had it already not occurred.

For the moment they agreed to sit tight & see what developed.

Vrasten later reported that the watchers appeared to have changed guard.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 27hr 32min

In the early hours of the following morning Jesus woke Alex & Vrasten to advise them that having continued to push for continued approval to depart Bangkok the following morning the Thai ATC had finally & categorically refused approval to depart adding that they had been asked to notify the aircraft's captain that the Thai Border Police (Security & Counter Insurgency Services) would be in attendance during the morning & Varnik along with his crew & any passengers would be required to present their papers & comply with any requirements of the border services.

Varnik had obviously confirmed full cooperation the Thai Authorities but had instructed Jesus to quietly commence preparations for an emergency take off just in case.

As Skinpin woke the hired hands Alex, T-Bird & Vrasten discussed their options with Varnik & Gigi whilst Jesus checked what time the sun would be up.

Varnik advised he'd put a call through to Werner Lorenz at the Moran Shipping Line advising that potentially he may have a problem, he also reiterated To Alex, T-Bird & Vrasten that he would not compromise his aircraft or the life of its crew as per their agreement but that he would assist in any way he could.

Whilst they continued to discuss the problem Skinpin had the grunts make sure everything was stowed & secured for a quick lift off & assist Jesus as required.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 30hr 49min

As the sun rose over the horizon Jesus confirmed that ATC had just let him know that the inspection of the aircraft had been scheduled for 0800 hrs local time, this gave them around 75 minutes to make a decision.

Before however they could talk further Bancroft came hurtling up the ramp,

"If we're going to do anything I think knows the time, I was stretching my legs outside the hanger & could see a line of red emergency lights heading this way"

Immediately Alex turned to Varnik,

"Are you prepared to make a run for it if we go now ?"

Varnik swore under his breath & made a decision,

Jesus, we ready to roll ?"

Jesus nodded his confirmation,

"Engine's pre-primed, everything stowed & secured boss"

"Gigi, fire em' up, Jesus get that ramp closed, we're out here"

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 30hr 50min

Not waiting for the engine's to achieve full power Varnik began to wheel the Spartan around towards the open hanger doors, over the aircraft's comm's system Jesus warned that some fucker was trying to shut the hanger's doors.

Suvarnabhumi IA, Bangkok, Thailand, Departure + 30hr 51min

With engines roaring Varnik pointed the C-27's nose towards the hanger opening & pushed the throttle levers forward, with a jerk the Spartan lurched forward.

Watching over Varnik's shoulder T-Bird could see four goons, two to each door, trying to work out how to close them, confirming that those watching weren't exactly familiar with airside operations, eventually they realised that you simply kept pulling the continuous chain feed.

As the C-27's crawl slowly increased in pace the doors inched towards each, T-Bird felt himself tensing & closing his eyes as the Spartan's wing tips slid between the creeping doors leaving the barest trace of paint behind them.

Outside the hanger Varnik didn't wait until he hit the runway proper, he allowed the power to build before giving it full steam across the apron, across the grass & onto the taxi way, by the time he hit the runway he was at ninety percent rotation speed.

Out of the port observation window Alex & Vrasten could see the convoy of vehicles heading towards them & hear the demands of the ATC controller on the link Jesus had provided demanding they shut down all engines.

For a moment it looked like the pursuing vehicles would manage to block them off, stomach churningly however the C-27 left the ground pulling sharply to the starboard to remove itself from the incoming flight path.

Thai Airspace, Departure + 31hr 24min

For twenty minutes or so the Suvarnabhumi tower demanded that Varnik comply & turnabout face & bring the Spartan back down to earth, eventually Gigi, tired of listening to his demands, flicked off the comm's & looked up the frequency for Kolkata ATC, it had almost sounded like the air traffic controller was relieved he was being ignored.

Andaman Sea, Departure + 32hr 17min

Having crossed the coast south of Dawei & with a setting that skirted the Yangon Peninsula Alex, T-Bird & Vrasten decided it would be for the best if they disposed of the heavier weaponry as well as any unsavoury ammunition, at least this way it was hoped that it may avoid unwanted questions further down the line or more particularly when they landed, assuming permission was forthcoming, at West Bengal's Kolkata airport.

With the various kit piled ready for Jesus to open the ramp, something he warned wasn't very pleasant when in flight, Boyd leapt to his feet demanding he be allowed to keep his matched custom paired 20mm autocannons until Vrasten promised him they'd replace them with an identical pair when, or if, they got back to the US, mollified he agreed however Alex swore he had a tear in his eye & relented telling him to strip them to individual components & loose them somewhere safe, secure & unseen.

Bay of Bengal, Departure + 33hr 44min

At around 18,000 ft Jesus cracked open the rear ramp having made sure everybody was harnessed & on a body line apart from Boyd who was simply too heavy, if he went over the edge it was simply adios amigo.

As all were buffeted by the back draft the kit to be disposed of was hurled from the open rear end, as the Spartan lurched however due to turbulence Diaz, screaming, lost his footing was unceremoniously sucked out of the aircraft's tail.

Desperately T-Bird & Vrasten tried & failed to drag him back inside as his body pin wheeled on the end of a twenty foot lanyard, pushing them aside Boyd grabbed the lanyard & with little apparent effort pulled him back inside, Diaz grinned & then passed out.

Sunderban, Coast of West Bengal, Departure + 34hr 52min

Having been granted permission to land at Kolkata Varnik & his crew put the Spartan in landing mode & continued to reduce altitude. In the back of everybody's mind was the suspicion that there might be a reception committee, if there was it was Varnik's call.

Vrasten, keen to help, ran a quick check on the internet to see if there were any reports of any incidents at Suvarnabhumi IA, surprisingly there was nothing.

Kolkata IA, West Bengal, Departure + 34hr 52min

Seated in the make shift passenger area of the cargo hold all held their breath as the Spartan dropped towards the runway, anticipating the C-27's bounce & sudden deceleration as the C-27's undercarriage touched down & despite their concerns of a waiting posse all were caught slightly unawares as the Spartan's engines roared as it suddenly rocketed skyward, out of the starboard windows there was a flash of ground, buildings & police vehicles.

West Bengal Airspace, Departure + 34hr 54min

Alex & the other seven in the Spartans cargo area assumed that the flight crew could only have aborted if there was a problem on the ground, moments later a grinning Jesus confirm there had indeed been a waiting reception party.

West Bengal Airspace, Departure + 35hr 12min

"So"

Varnik addressed Alex, T-Bird & Vrasten,

"Kolkata ATC have also demanded our return suggesting I & my crew are possibly harboring international terrorists, the choices are somewhat limited, I can turn this bird around & you take your chances with Hoover's down there waiting for you, I would add alone, as I would categorically suggest that I & my crew were acting in fear of our lives as agreed or I can try & reach Tashkent as planned & maybe face the same scenario there. As I've already said Jesus has had a look at the fuel situation & it's very tight that we'll make it with the current payload, if however we loose the five tonne battle-bus & adjust our altitude that shouldn't be a problem"

For a few moments the possibility of pursuit &/or a further reception party at Tashkent were discussed, the former was ruled out as if it was going to happen it would have already & all thought the latter was unlikely as relations between the Bengal & Uzbekistan authorities were thought to be pretty much nonexistent, decision made T-Bird set about adding any unnecessary kit to the soon to be dumped hummer.

Bangladesh Airspace, Departure + 35hr 29min

With the hummer loaded with all excess baggage Vrasten asked Jesus how soon they'd be over open water, Jesus smiled & told Vrasten that other than a few gold fish ponds it was land all the way.

After a hurried conversation it was decided that they'd drop the hummer off south of Kathmandu along the Nepalese/Indian border in the remote Chitwan National Park.

Indian - Nepalese Border, Chitwan National Park, Departure + 36hr 18min

Just under an hour later Jesus lowered the rear ramp as Gigi took the C-27 down to around 3,500 feet, with a final check that there was nothing in the hummer that could be connected to them or their recent holiday the hummer was rolled out of the back of the Spartans hold, it plummeted gracefully end over end until it disappeared into the tree canopy closely followed by a plume of broken trees & dirt.

Tashkent IA, Uzbekistan, Departure + 39hr 41min

Three & a bit hours later Varnik dropped the Spartan onto the tarmac & parked up as directed in the eastern most refueling area, for the next couple of hours the flight crew negotiated with the airports service providers as well as the local ATC regarding their unscheduled stopover & flight request, on board the Spartan all waited nervously fingering their retained sidearm's.

Tashkent IA, Uzbekistan, Departure + 40hr 53min

Eventually Jesus & Gigi returned to the C-27 doing there best to look solemn, they failed miserably.

Gigi relayed the good news, their flight plan had been approved & fuel would be along side shortly & for a ever so small fee any requests coming from others relating to the C-27's arrival & impending destination would get mysteriously get overlooked, Vrasten, T-Bird & Alex agreed it was $25K well spent.

Tashkent IA, Uzbekistan, Departure + 41hr 47min

With a nights stopover arranged, hot fresh food on board & the C-27 fully fueled there was at last a relaxed atmosphere on the flight deck & cargo hold.

US Airspace, Departure + 78hr 22min

After departing Uzbekistan the following morning Varnik & his crew had continued back the way they'd flown east, refueling first at Baku, then Odessa followed by Gardermoen & finally Kefflavik in Iceland before a finally contacting Richmond ATC.

On route they'd had minor trouble with contaminated fuel at Heydar Aliyer in Azerbeign & Vrasten had had replies from both the Forlorn Hope as well as Hercaclio. Icepick, the Hope's head of security said nobody had missed them & other than a post card nobody had chased them or threatened them in their absence. Hercaclio confirmed all was OK at Mariposa although they had started wonder if anybody was coming back, he'd also confirmed that he'd made a trip back out to Burfield & everything seemed in order, the Wayliss brothers were still working on fixing up one airfields remaining buildings & Boyd's van was still in one piece & if Vrasten let him no when they needed picking up he'd sort it out.

They, Alex, Skinpin, T-Bird & Vrasten, had discussed re-contacting Sahel Asef Kazmi to discuss matters but had held off pending a safe homecoming, such topics of conversation however were cut short when Jesus suggested they look out of both the port & starboard observation windows, he confirmed that as well as their escorts Richmond ATC had informed Varnik that on arrival there were some gentlemen who'd like to ask the Spartan's crew & her passengers a few questions.

Richmond IA, Departure + 79hr 04min

Segregated from the international arrivals area a number of vehicles were waiting the C-27's arrival representing the US Customs & Immigration Services, the US Marshals Service as well as a number of unidentified organisations.

For several hours the Spartan's crew & passengers were questioned as to where they'd journeyed from as well as their recent activities, whilst this took place the Spartan was subjected to an intense search, whilst Vrasten & Co lied, badly, about their fishing interests Varnik produced flight logs which confirmed the flight to & its return from Bangkok with no mention of the time spent on Culio.

Amazingly, the flight records & its crew/passengers records were taken at face value, finally copies of everybody's passports were taken & varnik was allowed to file a domestic flight plan to Kansas IA & on to the private airstrip at Burfield.

Burfield Airstrip, 12.17am 12/11/17

Surprised to still be at liberty Vrasten confirmed contact details for Boyd, Bancroft, König & Diaz in case there was anything they could be used on in the future & transferred the balance of payment due to them direct to the the account details provided, similarly he agreed with Jesus what was to be paid to the Moran Shipping Line over & above the original contract value.

Jesus did add that in view of the interest shown by the various parties at Richmond he wasn't sure how things stood for the future but he was sure Werner would be in contact with them to settle the bill.

Under the curious eye of a couple of Wayliss's joiners Varnik put the Spartan back into the air & departed for pastures unknown.

Eventually Hercaclio & Elodia Ortega arrived in Alex's repaired RV & the new ranch pick-up, Elodia departed soon after to drop Bancroft, König & Diaz at San Diego IA whilst Boyd drove away north, with everything apparently settled Alex, T-Bird, Skinpin, Vrasten & Hercaclio headed in the RV for Mariposa & the ranch, T-Bird questioned Hercaclio as to where the girls were, slightly disappointed that they hadn't been with the Ortega's, with Hercalio driving & the others snoozing Alex bit the bullet & put a call into Sahel Asef Kazmi.

After around thirty seconds the call was picked up by an unknown female who said she'd go fetch Saleh, eventually he took Alex's call, without making any commitment in respect of the contract he agreed to meet them at the Mariott in two days time.

Call made they headed for home.

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