Eliminating Dragons

       Cases of child abuse are currently being reported every 10 seconds.

      Nearly 1,640 children die as a result of abuse, that's four to five children in a single day.

    
      80% of these fatalities are at the hands of at least one of the child's parents.

~ Child Abuse Statistics. (https://www.childhelp.org/child-abuse-statistics/)

  

   

      

    September 3rd, 2013 a concerned neighbor   tips off Child Welfare Social Workers about a possible child neglect case. The case is checked out but later is closed. Not long after, another tip triggers a reopening of the case but again is shut down. Many tips follow but nothing ever comes of it.

    This chain of events nabs the attention of the concealed S.S.A. The agents continually kept an eye out for such things so when a repeated case of possible child maltreatment was closed they could not dismiss the incident. Within the hour team leaders were briefing their units. "Okay guys, each team will have a portfolio on the case so study 'em well and keep them up to date. Due to multiple child maltreatment tips we've decided to check it out for ourselves. The victim is 3 year old Ava Wellington. Ava lives with her mom, Karin Wellington, who has a boyfriend, Darrin Holstead. We could be in the target area any where from a few days to a few weeks so this may not be an in-and-out situation. We have four vehicles at our disposal, three are equipment and field operations vehicles and the fourth is a civilian vehicle."

Team 1 insignia. 

Team 2's insignia. 

     The first day saw the agents setting up audio devices in the target area while conjointly setting up their observable points. One was an unoccupied rental house across the street, the second was a shed roof top shrouded in a veil of low hanging foliage, the third was an alley way behind the house which only gave limited observablity  at constrained time duration. 

Day Two: A few blocks from the target area two agents sit in their vehicle conversing on the situation and the events that have unfolded so far. 
Agent Ray: "Okay so, so far we know that the boyfriend is a jerk who does not pull his weight, and the mom works pretty late. So yeah, it's a tough life for Ava."
Agent Tiege: "Right, yeah this guy is abusive from what I'm seein' here. He has a criminal record, although nothing major. He does have a history of a few mental issues. Let me see here." The agent paused then scowled. Still looking at his information file he stated in an annoyed manner. "You know what, with all these tips and what not I'm surprised no family or close friends have come to help out or even check out on how little Ava is doing."
Agent Ray: "Well why should they? I mean it's not their kid."
Agent Tiege: He looked up now irritated and a little disbelieving. "What on Earth do you mean, 'why should they'? What kind of a question is that? Look, you see something you do something, especially when you know you possess the competency and the know-how, and above all else when it is a vulnerable innocent! You serious man?"
Agent Ray: He was nodding as he looked out the window of the vehicle."Well, yeah I know but I meant it as in, who thinks like that really?"
Agent Tiege: "Right. Not many is the answer."

      Several days into the invisible operation the teams had not only verified unstable situations but furthermore uncovered the boyfriend's abusive nature. It was not easy to see a child in such a situation, and yet nothing had happened that would successfully nab the attention of Child Protective Services. However, the atmosphere in the home continually seemed to darken.

Day three and the waiting and witnessing begins to grow on the fiery agents. The teams continually submit information to their files as each day brings new events. In the meantime the agents clandestinely observed and waited for the right moments.

"I don't like the atmosphere I tell ya'." One agent stated as he huddled next to his team mate on a shed roof top not 100 yards from the house. His team mate shook his head. "It's a bad situation to begin with and an all too common one, but yes, something does seem off."

       September 7th, 2013 6:23 P.M. An icy rain begins to fall as teams keep watch on their target area. Across the street a four-man team in the rental house was in charge of monitoring the audio devices. The agents recorded and saved all which the audio systems picked up. Within an instant the atmosphere within the house changed from tense to confusing and threatening.
Team 1, Audio unit: "Woah! Guys, something's not right. Hold on, I can't tell. Wait. Do any of the teams have a visual on Ava or anyone?" the agent said as he clutched his headphones.
 The agent sitting next to him was frantically trying to communicate with other units. "Do any units have a visual?"
       In the midst of the fray the two man unit atop the shed roof had eyes on the horror that was unfolding. Without warning one of the agents lifted his M40 rifle and steadied it on the ridge of the roof. His team mate radioed into the audio unit. "We have visual, It appears. I don't know I can't tell, he could be drunk! He's beating Ava!"                 
         Meanwhile the audio receiving unit attempted to make sense of the ordeal. "Team two send your entry team in, be advised your spotting unit is set to fire." Without hesitation the audio receiving unit turned their attention to the spotting unit."Guys give us your status whats going on? Requesting an immediate answer!"

Team 2 prepares to enter the Wellington house just before their spotting unit takes out Ava's attacker.

         With steady breathing the sniper from team two's spotting unit replied, "Eliminating the dragon." Seconds after, a shot left agent Kort's rifle traveling at 2,550 feet per-second dropping its target like vengeful lightning. Within moments  a four man team entered the Wellington house to find Ava on the ground, she was barely moving.

        Team 2 Entry unit: "We've entered the house, I've located Mrs. Wellington I got two guys attending Ava. Could I get a few more in here?" As the two agents attended Ava they held her hand and did their best to calm her. "Ava, your safe now We're going to take care of you okay? My names Ray and I'm going to be right here, just lie still for me okay?"


      Ten minutes later an ambulance arrived and Ava was taken to the hospital. Upon securing the house and handing things over to law enforcement the agents began pulling out. Four of the agents would stay in the area for a week or so to explain the situation to law enforcement as well as ensure a safe and stable home for Ava Wellington.

    Sadly this scenario has true origins. Unfortunately, for many, their will never be a knight to save the day. A child may never experience the joys of recalling past holidays or the sweet memories that come with growing up. This situation is all too common and is the result of selfishness and the societal loss of moral ideals. Less and less is the value of innocence considered and more and more do parents and adults  fail  to realize their duties of protection  and care for  the innocent. 

Be A Knight!

"Protecting and defending the innocent and the weak is not a matter of preference, rather; it is a matter of duty".
~American Knight

The Battle of Ameins Part III

 

An allied soldier flushes German troops out of the remains of a trench.

 

As team three’s tank advanced on another pillbox an enemy artillery shell landed dangerously close destroying the right track of the tank. Now immobilized Feisty Fire’s crew would have to sit and wait until help arrived from teams one and two. At about this time teams one and two had met up at a field station and were just heading out to attend to more wounded when Feisty Fire’s distress call was received. Now with two missions on their hands the teams loaded up and doubled their pace. After attending to team three’s busted tank they headed back to the medic station taking in the fallen soldiers as they went.

The day ended with the allied forces and the Great Britain’s 4th Army gaining an impressive 15 miles past their starting point. The German troops numbered around 27,000 men of which 12,000 would surrender. While August 8th was a huge success the following days would not prove to be so quick. Despite this the attack had done its job putting the war in favor of the allied forces.The 2,000 British artillery, 800 aircraft, and 400 tanks used would prove to be invaluable in softening the enemy and pushing through their lines. Having done their job the S.S.A.  returned to the current time period with plenty of lessons learned and many a terror seen.

Fortitude

"Fortitude is the guard and support of all 
other virtues." ~ John Locke

The Battle of Ameins Part II

 

Feisty Fire!

             On the morning of August 7th, 1918 the twelve man team would arrive at their designated time era and historical location in France in which they would prepare themselves for the upcoming attack the next day. Team one briefed with team two about the upcoming engagement then headed eight miles out to where the artillery units were set up and familiarized themselves with the other men they would be working with. The team would be operating the French built American designated M1918 155 GPF 155mm Field Gun. Their six man team would do their absolute best to operate the devastatingly massive gun and cause maximum damage to the enemy.Team one’s main objective was to provide calculated artillery strikes on visible targets which compromised team two’s objective thus covering their advancement. The second team would move up 5 miles from the drop point and station themselves just behind the British 4th Army where they also prepared using period weaponry. A French FT-17 tank, a Ford Model M1918 3-ton tank, and an empty flatbed truck were acquired for use the next day. Only two vehicles would actually be put to S.S.A. use. The French FT-17 Renault was internally covered with kevlar so as to provide just a little more protection while the flatbed truck would have to make do and follow behind the tank. The night was an uneasy one both for the allied units and the agents in the field. 

             The morning of August 8th came quickly and with it came the adrenaline and fear that would ensue. The gun crews began receiving coordinates for target areas while several miles back a massive strike force of 800 aircraft waited ready to devastate the enemy lines. When the time came for the artillery batteries to open fire the ground shook with their massive power. Team one manned their gun and when ready releasing 155 mm of explosive onto the target area. With every shot a cloud of dust rose from the ground as if a thunderstorm had come up from nowhere. After several minutes of bombardment the team adjusted their piece to the next set of coordinates. Again the 155 mm Field Gun joined the rest of the guns in their grueling bombardment. As the artillery crew’s part in the attack neared it’s end team two was simultaneously beginning their part in the battle.

             Team two would later be joined by team one. It was estimated that a force of 20,000 German troops would be guarding the Amiens positions and resistance was expected. The attack on the German held lines began slowly at first but then mounted up speed as the day wore on,casualties were mounting but the allied forces pushed on.Team two did their best to pick up the wounded and made constant runs from the battlefield to medical stations. The two man FT-17 Renault advanced with the mainlines of allied forces running into plenty of conflict. Team two's tank, nicknamed "Feisty Fire" not only covered the flatbed and the wounded but also helped give the British infantry cover and fire support when approaching the deathly trenches. Feisty Fire took multiple hits to its frontal armor but to no avail, the little tank courageously charged into the sheets of on coming enemy fire only stopping to return fire with its deadly S.A. 18, 37 mm Puteaux gun. Mile after mile yielded the allies ground and left the injured and dead from both sides behind. Team two was nearly overwhelmed with their task.

Non-combative hostility.

The following is a short. Please share and enjoy! 

Hey guys, I come from a small and secretive tactical unit known as the S.S.A. While we usually file reports and mission data files I thought I'd just share this one with you as resent reports from our sponsoring nation indicate an upward trend of such events. We specialize in a variety of missions, from saving children from predators and human trafficking to preventing serious tragic catastrophes. On this particular mission we got a call out, it was the year 2002, this mission would be no ordinary one. In fact it was one of the more dangerous type. Mission briefing called for the services of a Catholic Priest. This sort of intermediary action is not something we have the skills for but fortunately protocol has us covered. Four kids, alone, in a suburban home somehow get hold of a Ouija board. For some reason or other the kids decide to mess with this thing. It takes us approximately 5 minutes to get from our drop zone to the inside of the house. By the time we reach the house and the room where the kids are at there is complete chaos. Before I continue I will describe our current state and defenses. All 12 of us are armed with fully automatic weapons as well as other backup weapons. We are typically kit out with ballistic and bio warfare protection aided by a state-of-the-art computer system able to detect, track, and warn of targets we may not see at the moment or be able to detect naturally. We're always decked in traditionally all-black equipment leaving for a formidable sight. Despite all this, we ourselves are not armed for what we were about to meet. Our priest is an on-call combat specialist from host-nation and frequently accompanies our team on such missions. By the time we reach the room we find two young girls who appear to be in shock while one boy yells helplessly at his friend who is now having a severe seizure. We decide to drag both girls, still dazed, to another room while attending to both boys. With six in the room and six others in the back room with the two girls we decide to act. The boys body convulsing severely must be attended to. We always operate in pairs so as to never be left fending for ourselves, but despite our digital system's countermeasures and sound suppression system there's no escaping the audible horrer and scream emanating from inside the home. Kortts, my wingman, is yelling at the top of his lungs as he discusses whether a sedative will alleviate or worsen one of the boy's conditions who has no collapsed on the floor and appears to be foaming at the mouth. A single sedative is administered with no ill or positive effect. Without a moment to lose and the situation grows ever more dangerous our priest makes his move. From this point we retreat from the room all of us sweating profusely. I remember my wingman ,Kortts, saying to me with exhaustion, "Di..Did I really just see that?" I shook my head unable to give a coherent answer. I remember thinking later, "why on Earth would this ever seem like a good idea for a kid, ugh, this is awful. "Several years later and much therapy and the kids are still shaken up. I hope no one ever finds it in themselves to mess with this kind of stuff.~ Tracer
   
S.S.A. (-.|'-)

The Battle of Ameins

Captured German soldiers walk past an idling British Mark IV tank during the Battle of Amiens

In the Footsteps of the British 4th

The year was 1918 and WWI had been fiercely raging for four years and casualties were mounting up in the millions from both the allied and enemy sides. After  the German offensive of 1918 the allied powers would strike back in what was called the Battle of Amiens. Over 15 miles of ground was gained by allied forces overwhelming the German troops at six to one.The S.S.A. would operate alongside the British 4th Army under the command of Sir Henry Rawlison. The team of twelve men would operate in several areas. Team two would operate one of the 2,000 British artillery pieces used behind the fighting lines while the other six members (team one) would follow along behind the joint British, French, and American forces advancing on Germany. The initial attack would take place on August 8th, 1918, there would be no shortage of casualties and action. It was the S.S.A.’s mission to protect and recover what men they could in a critical effort to return them to thair homes and families. Due to the fact that historical events such as this could not be altered in any practical way period weapons would be used except for a few modified items and armor. The attack would be devastating to the germans, the allied troops would equally suffer but the assault was necessary for the advancement of the war.