POV: Aritra NaskarDate: October 2, 2012Location: Jadavpur Villa – Underground Operations Room & Karachi Desert Exclusion ZoneTime: 3:30 AM IST
A single lamp burned at the far end of the underground chamber, throwing long shadows against the stone walls adorned with satellite maps. I entered quietly, hooded trench coat damp from the monsoon mist, and surveyed the assembled circle: Major General Raghav Sen, Lieutenant General Mehra, Katherine Naskar, and Nova Tech's core team—Priya, Arnav, Ishita, and Dr. Rhea Mukherjee. A soft hum rose from the server stacks lining the opposite wall, where live drone telemetry from Karachi still streamed.
General Sen spoke without preamble. "We now move to Phase Two—testing our newly acquired technology at Pakistan's inland bases and terrorist training camps. Time window: 0400–0600 PST. We call this Operation Desert Veil."
Katherine stepped forward, calm and precise. "We'll deploy two new elements: the XC-9 Sentinel APC retrofit and the Portable Fusion Pulse Cannon. APCs will infiltrate convoys under camouflage drones; the Cannon will provide non‐lethal crowd control and disable hostile vehicles at range."
Rhea activated the holomap above the obsidian table. Three target zones appeared:
Camp Zirak, Quetta Plateau (30.2340° N, 67.0011° E) – Baloch separatist training.
Thal Desert Firing Range (31.2333° N, 71.4667° E) – Intermittent ISIS-K insurgent encampment.
Chaman Border Crossing (30.9157° N, 61.4530° E) – Smuggling pipeline staging area.
I straightened. "Phase One—Infiltration. Under cover of darkness, Sentinel Echo (APC #1) and Sentinel Foxtrot (APC #2) will glide in via our glider launch from INS Sarosh, same coastal corridor as Karachi. Each APC carries two drone controllers, a micro‐Comm tower, and a 5 kW Fusion Pulse Cannon secured in the rear hatch."
Lieutenant General Mehra nodded. "My teams will provide drone escorts—Karachi Alpha and Bravo will shadow the gliders until insertion. From there, the APCs proceed on pre-mapped desert tracks, using Nova Tech's hidden waypoints to avoid Pakistani patrols."
Arnav stepped up to the console. "Phase Two—Recon & Containment. Once on site:• Drone Omega (airborne) will hover at 10,000 ft for thermal sweep, identifying camp perimeters, guard rotations, and vehicle clusters.• APCs will move to Alpha Point (the camp's west ridge), deploy passive scanning turrets, and feed data back to Omega."
Priya tapped her tablet to display a drone-APC linkage diagram. "The APC's onboard AI will coordinate with Omega via encrypted mesh. When thermal hotspots above 70°C or unauthorized movement is detected, APC crew arms the Fusion Cannon in Stun Mode—non‐lethal sonic pulse to incapacitate and disorient—then reverts to Disable Mode for engine neutralization."
General Sen's voice was low but stern. "We must avoid lethal force unless absolutely necessary. Our aim is to dismantle these camps without civilian casualties. Any weapons fire—be it drone micro‐munitions or Cannon pulses—must be surgical."
I added: "Phase Three—Intel Exfiltration. After containment, each APC will upload full surveillance logs—infrared sweeps, turret scans, Fusion Cannon logs—to our encrypted satellite uplink. Drone Omega will broadcast a decoy signal to mask the APCs' extraction route. Both APCs then rendezvous at Extraction Point Z (30.0000° N, 68.0000° E) for pickup by INS Sarosh on its return leg."
Dr. Rhea clicked to show the Cannon's target envelope: a 200‐meter radius, adjustable attenuation, with a full‐power pulse that fries electronic ignitions without structural damage. "We've tested against engine blocks—vehicles stall safely, occupants unharmed."
Katherine interjected: "Phase Four—Humanitarian Liaison. Simultaneously, Everest Delta will deploy relief-kits to border villages—food, water, medical supplies—to counter any backlash or civilian panic. We'll declare it a neutral humanitarian mission under UN oversight."
I looked around the table—faces taut with determination. "Any final adjustments?"
Lieutenant General Mehra cleared his throat. "Weather's predicted clear until 0600 PST. Winds south-west at 10 knots. One caveat: local Pakistani drones have been sighted near Thal at 0500 PST. Omega must maintain stealth altitude and frequency hopping. If detected, divert to Phoenix network fallback."
Arnav tapped a routing matrix. "Understood. Fallback will route through encrypted GulfSat channels."
General Sen gave a curt nod. "Then Operation Desert Veil is a go. Dismissed at 0330 PST."
Location: Karachi Desert Exclusion Zone – 0400 PST**Time: 3:30 AM IST (0400 PST)**
In the predawn hush off the Makran coast, two cargo gliders detached from the deck of INS Sarosh. They glided over glassy waters under a moonless sky, each carrying an XC-9 Sentinel strapped beneath. At Phoenix command aboard the corvette, I monitored their approach on the holo-map. Omega's beacon had locked onto the gliders—ensuring thermal stealth and encrypted comms.
At 0500 PST, the gliders—code-named Desert Skimmers—entered the Thal Desert's exclusion zone at 5,000 ft. We watched their descent to 1,500 ft as APC silhouettes emerged from the glider bays, wheels spinning up. Each APC ignited electric drive with near-silent purr, then slipped into the dunes.
"Sentinels on the move," Priya whispered.
Location: Thal Desert Firing Range – 0508 PST**Time: 3:38 AM IST**
Under Omega's thermal guidance, Sentinel Echo rolled through rocky plateaus toward the center of the firing range. In the distance, faint fires from insurgent cook-pits flickered—our first visual. Stealth turrets on the APC roof scanned with near-infrared lasers, painting the area in a grid of red points on the live feed.
On screen: three fortified compounds and two vehicle clusters. Turret locks engaged on each target, marking them with green diamonds.
"Targets locked," Arnav announced. "Echo, arm Fusion Cannon in Stun Mode."
A soft hum rose from the APC's rear as the Cannon's coils charged. In coordination, Omega buzzed overhead and recorded spectral imaging of the compounds: guard shifts, entry points, and fuel depots.
At my signal, Katherine's calm voice crackled through comms: "Proceed on my mark." She tapped her desk at Jadavpur Villa. "Mark."
Sentinel Echo unleashed a 100-ms sonic pulse: a translucent wave rippled toward the compounds. Fires sputtered out; sirens blared as guards covered their ears, disoriented but unhurt. Engines stalled on the vehicle clusters. Infrared showed bodies collapse to the ground, blinking but alive.
"Stun success—zero collateral injuries," Syed reported. "Now switch to Disable Mode for engines."
A second pulse rippled out. Engines fell silent; lights flickered off. The compounds lay still beneath a silent desert sky.
Location: Camp Zirak, Quetta Plateau – 0530 PST**Time: 3:58 AM IST**
Sentinel Foxtrot rolled up to Camp Zirak under Omega's guidance. Director-energy turret performed passive scan—identifying munitions bunkers and training yards. Bravo's thermal camera logged 12 figures moving rifles. Two missiles—not high-yield interceptors, but Quantum-Enriched Guidance Units affixed to APC's turret—were readied.
"Launch QEG-1," I ordered.
A small flash flickered on camp's perimeter: missile struck a weapons cache—shower of inert fragmentation aimed only at equipment. The second missile targeted a guard tower—rendered top to bottom with non-lethal high-frequency tremors, forcing inhabitants to surrender.
Omega's camera zoomed in—fighters dropping arms, surrendering with hands above heads.
"Confirmed neutralization," Arnav murmured.
Location: Extraction Point Z – 0605 PST**Time: 4:33 AM IST**
Desert Skimmers returned to the rendezvous coordinates as APCs converged. Pilots initiated induction beams; glider bays opened. APCs docked smoothly. Omega and Bravo sealed payloads inside; gliders detached and glided back toward INS Sarosh. Within minutes, the silhouettes vanished into the night sky.
"Operation complete," General Sen's voice crackled from the secure line. "Excellent execution. APC crews report zero casualties. Thermal sweeps show no follow-up movement."
I exhaled, letting the tension dissipate. "Send the live feeds and ledgers to Eastern Command. Then purge all caches. We'll review the dossier tonight."
Location: Nova Tech – Underground Council ChamberTime: 9:00 AM IST**
Back at Jadavpur Villa, as the holomap faded, Priya read the operation metrics: "Drones recovered: eight. APCs safe: two. Non‐lethal pulses fired: six. QEG missiles: two. Dismantled munitions: 1200 small arms, 300 explosive devices."
Katherine rose, eyes bright. "The world will hear of Operation Desert Veil at noon. We'll emphasize surgical precision, non‐lethal strategy, and the nexus with humanitarian aid."
Elena tapped her tablet. "UN Water Commission has signed on. They'll monitor dam security too—no more jamming attempts."
I looked around at faces glowing in torchlight. "Tonight, we celebrate another triumph of transparency… and another lesson in vigilance. But Viktor's silhouette still lingers. We prepare for his next vector."
As dawn broke fully over Jadavpur's ivy-clad façade, the world's edge had been tested once more—and Nova Tech, ledger in hand and drones on wing, had held the line. In the quiet that followed, I knew our fight would continue: anywhere shadows rose, we would answer with light.