Disclaimer: This is a work of original fiction. Any names or characters, businesses or places, events or incidents, are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Chapter 11 -- Unknown Briefing

Commanding Officer (Underground), Somewhere unknown, Washington, USA, 1 December 2020, 0930 hrs

While looking at a stack of bundled military reports on a clipboard…

“Are you sure you want to do this, boss? Should we postpone the upcoming military operation and reassess the situation first?” A high-ranking Young Templar with the rank of Colonel asks his superior, a Tri-Sixer officer with the rank of Brigadier General.

“Yes, we should, Colonel Webster.” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General replies as he turns over the next page. “This is our only chance to wipe them out. We know the Ravens are good at concealing their nests from others. The discovery of their main headquarters by one of our units has given us an opportunity to annihilate them once and for all.” .

“Attacking the Ravens is no easy feat. We will face several casualties on our side, and they will come after us with fury. If we fail, we are putting our entire safe zone at high risk from their revenge attacks, sir,” Maxwell expresses his concerns.

“I’m aware of it. If we don’t use this opportunity to wipe them out, it will be tougher for us to track them down next time. We must neutralize them completely before they can conduct future attacks on our bases and people. Let’s not forget what they did to a recent safe zone in Vermont, Colonel.” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General sighs for a moment before finishing his speech. “I understand this military operation is risky, as it needs a lot of manpower and equipment. Still, I won’t let this opportunity slip away.” .

“You are doing this just to find your loved ones, right?” Maxwell correctly guessed his superior’s intentions to attack the Ravens’ main headquarters.

“Not that, to be honest. I’m doing this based on my hunch that we will take them out completely despite the high risk.” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General replies with confidence. Then he turns to face the Young Templar Colonel before giving him a new order. “I want you to prepare an online meeting with Major Rose later, after lunchtime. I want to speak to her regarding the memo sent to us by her team.” .

“On it, General. I will take my leave then.” Maxwell acknowledges his new order before saluting his superior and leaving the room.

After his deputy left the room…

The Tri-Sixer general takes out a family photo and stares at it, depressed. “I’m sorry for sending you and our kids away, Maria. I can’t let Simon’s followers pursue you and our beloved kids just because of your family's history. I hope you and our kids are somewhere safe out there. I will find all of you; just wait. Daddy’s coming.” .

Situation Command Room (Underground), Somewhere unknown, Washington, USA, 1 December 2020, 1430 hrs

Later after lunch…

“Since everyone is present in this room, we can begin the online secured call with Major Rose. Let’s get this call moving.” With that said, the Tri-Sixer Brigadier General gives a nod to a fellow Tri-Sixer officer to start the meeting.

Soon, Major Rose appears on the huge monitor screen before the Tri-Sixer general speaks to her.

“Good afternoon, and thank you for attending this online meeting, Major Rose. We are calling you today to discuss the memo your team sent to us last week. “But first, we’d like to hear updates from you regarding the ongoing surveillance on the enemy’s main base so far.” .

Without hesitation, the Young Templar officer clears her throat before speaking.

“Sir.” Mira begins.

“After days of watching the Ravens, we now believe we can’t destroy their main headquarters without support from other units. They have a functional military airfield, where we saw several parked AH-64E Apache combat helicopters on the tarmac. Also, they deployed a KM-SAM battery AA unit to guard their entire base. In addition, we spotted parked military vehicles of K-31 Chunma, K-30 Biho, Marder 2 and Leopard 2A6 tanks at the nearby tank depots. If we launch an attack on their headquarters using our ground troops only, the Ravens would heavily retaliate, and we would face lots of casualties among our troops. Hence, we need to coordinate our attacks together with our air and armoured units.” .

'Damn! I severely underestimated the Ravens. I thought they didn't have heavy tanks and helicopters in their possession.' A sense of uncertainty takes hold of the Tri-Sixer general's mind. He assumed the Ravens were just an ordinary special forces branch of the Young Templar military. Now he knows why various militaries worldwide fear the Ravens more than the others.

“Do you have second thoughts of attacking their headquarters, sir?” Mira interrupts his thoughts as she sees his reluctance on his face.

“Maybe?” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General replies with uncertainty in his voice. “But my concern is that you and your combat unit have a high chance of losing your lives to the Ravens. Let’s not forget they know your identity well, Major. Hence, we can’t afford to lose you since your fighting skills are essential in winning this hell war.” .

“I'm aware of this, sir. But I still want you to proceed with this military operation to attack their base, general.” Mira persists. “If we fail to take them out completely, the Ravens will regroup, and they will be hard for us to detect them again. Also, their commanding officer, Brigadier General Bettino Rico, is present in their base. Taking him out during the attack would remove one less obstacle to stop Chief Simon and end the war. Have faith in us, sir!”

“Is this your main reason for wanting me to grant permission to proceed with the military operation, Major Rose?” The Tri-Sixer general questions her with his doubt.

“That's correct, sir.” Mira reaffirms with confidence. “I know their weaknesses since I'm used to being part of them. Though they will not hesitate to kill me on sight for leaving them, I'm ready to die to ensure both humankind and the peaceful Young Templars survive. If it weren't for your humane treatment, I could have died long ago. Hence, the only way to repay my debt is to assist the international taskforce in eliminating the Raven's CO, sir.” .

“I’m moved by your words, Major. But...” The Tri-Sixer general lets out a sigh before continuing. “I don’t want to see you die during the attack. If you fall in battle, it will be hard for us to find a suitable Young Templar candidate to fill your current position.” .

“I know of someone who can replace me should you hear me KIA, general,” Mira says before suggesting further. “I want you to find this Young Templar soldier who goes by the callsign name, Angel Goddess. She’s willing to defect to our side if you tell her the truth about my motivations for leaving the Ravens. I will leave the convincing part to you and your team since I have faith that she will switch sides in future, sir.” .

“Where should we start searching for this Young Templar soldier? We need specifics, Major Rose.” Maxwell asks.

“I have an inside source that can help you look for the unknown Young Templar soldier,” Mira replies. “I will direct the source to contact you via secure communication channels, colonel. Do keep a lookout for your communication channels in the coming days.” .

“Thank you, Major. Is there anything else you would like to comment on before we move on to discuss your memo?” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General asks.

“Nope, sir. We can discuss the memo my team sent to you. We need to sort out all the details right before we can attack their main headquarters.” Mira says.

The Tri-Sixer general nods before speaking.

“In your memo, you requested support units such as Warthogs, Abrams and all available combat units for support. I know that attacking the Ravens is a daunting task for you and your company. But why do you need so many support units?”

“It’s simple,” Mira replies in a soft but serious tone. “We must not spare any Raven operators after destroying their main headquarters. Any surviving ones will become more fanatical than before, and they will assist Chief Simon further to commit more genocide.” .

“I understand your sentiments, but you can’t kill all of them just because they are Ravens.” The Tri-Sixer general reminds her in a displeased tone.

“Remember, they are bound by the Geneva code, Major. Hence, this doesn’t mean we should execute them upon capturing them as POWs (Prisoners of War). Don’t forget, we gave you a second chance to live by treating you with proper medical care. We even took a mile further by helping to integrate you with humans through compassion. If we can deprogram you from Chief Simon’s fanatical ideology, we shouldn’t give up on those who want to switch sides. Please reconsider your stance, Major.” .

“Sorry for my words earlier, sir. I will reconsider my stance.” Mira bows her head as she apologises.

“Good. Even though war is hell, we should try to save the enemies whenever possible.” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General imparts wisdom to the Young Templar Major.

“If we are unwilling to take them as prisoners, we are no different from Chief Simon’s followers. We must also remember that some of them are former humans, Major. This is why we cannot kill them just because they became Young Templars. I hoped you would remember this in the future.” .

The Tri-Sixer general lets out a sigh before speaking further.

“Alright, I will grant you units such as Abrams, LAV 6 ISCs and ACSV TCV, Warthogs, F-16s and lastly, the experimental Sparrow FPV drones at your disposal. They will arrive at Lone Paul Outpost via C-17s in the next two weeks, except for the air units. The F-16s and Warthogs will fly with an air refuelling group before landing at the same outpost. As for you, inform your team to stop the recon mission and pack up their stuff. It’s time to leave and head back undetected. We will contact you again once we confirm the outpost got your requested units.” .

“Thank you, General. I will inform my team to pack up right away. Is there anything else you want to discuss?” Mira asks.

“Nothing else, Major. I will contact you again on which Raven to eliminate and remind you about the Geneva code before conducting the attack. See you again in about two weeks’ time. You are free to go now.” The Tri-Sixer Brigadier General dismisses her.

“Noted, general.” Mira salutes him before logging off the call.

‘I hope he’s right. I can’t bear to see my faithful brothers and sisters lose their lives capturing Raven operators,’ Mira thought as she turned off the laptop.

Author's end note: There will be an update and Q&A episode on 5th July 2025, 9pm Singapore Time. It will address the status of future chapters for this Hellwave story and I will be hosting a Q&A session as well. Feel free to post your questions about the Hellwave's lore and story universe during that episode, and I will answer them to the best of my ability. See you there on 5th July!

To be continued...

End of Chapter 11

Note: All the characters, places and storylines are owned by Jeremy Mountbatten. All rights reserved by the author. Feel free to give some feedback and don't forget to vote for this chapter. If you want to support me, you can tip me on Ko-Fi (link provided below).