The Battle for Goathland

As soon as Evan left, the Commander called the Prime Minister to tell him of the potential attack, citing "the same source" as the previous. The Prime Minister instructed the Commander to set up a defense to take out all terrorists "with extreme prejudice". A battle board with mounted satellite photo overlain by a terrain map was brought into the designated "war room". Unit team leaders were called in to begin strategizing their defense/response. In the meantime, the Commander sent out a recon team to Goathland to both set up recorded surveillance and to coordinate localized evacuation. By 15:00 the rest of the unit was ready and waiting on the tarmac to be transported 280 miles by helicopter to Goathland.

By 18:00 they assembled in the Goathland Inn for a quick meet/greet and strategy meeting. By 19:30 everything was in place. The Prime Minister authorized use of a RQ2 Pioneer UAV, which had recently undergone modifications by Israel for airstrip landing/takeoff. The RQ2 was a medium-sized reconnaissance drone jointly developed by the US and Israel back in 1986. It was equipped with Starlite and Infra-Red high-resolution cameras, ultra-sensitive directional microphones, and white noise dampeners to help hide the noise generated by its propellers. The RQ2 could maintain fly time of up to five hours. They Commander coordinated the use of the RQ2 and an extra squad with B-Squadron of the 23rd Special Air Services (SAS) unit, based in Leeds, only 70 miles from Goathland. It was scheduled for takeoff at 21:00 from the SAS base in Leeds.

In preparation for the attack, they had set up extra fire-fighting equipment/stations in each of the larger building structures within the target area; they evacuated all civilians and "replaced" several of them with civilian-clad soldiers. Each team had one rifleman equipped with a thermal scope which could sense heat signatures, even through walls. Teams of four were placed in each of the previously identified target areas.

The recon team had previously identified the most likely and best avenues of access to each of the targets, and set up kill-zone corridors outside using sets of claymore mines and set lines of fire. They fortified team-staging areas outside using sand bags, trash bins, and other large heavy equipment, making sure these areas were not within the lines of fire already set up. Sniper units were switched out every two hours to maintain alertness and focus. Several of the outside teams were equipped with M203 grenade-launchers, starburst shells and percussion grenades. It never hurt to be a bit over prepared. At 21:00 they had their eye in the sky.

At 23:00, a series of soft pops was heard near the train station – approximately 30 people dressed in black robes and white face masks appeared. Their presence was recorded and reported by both the UAV and the surveillance teams. The group split into five teams of six and spread out in different directions: one team went to the Goathland Hut, one to Goathland Village Hall, one to the Fairhaven Country Guest House, one to the Goathland Hotel, and one remained at the train station. As soon as the four other groups of black-clad men left the train station area, those left behind set up to get ready to cast. They waited a few minutes so their compatriots could get in place.

Unbeknownst to them, they were already in the cross hairs of the Readiness Unit, however, no action could be taken against them until they were positively identified as attackers. Within a few minutes, everybody was in place. The black-clad men pointed their sticks at their targets and yelled "Fiendfyre". They then collapsed dead with bullets through their head. This scene repeated itself at nearly all the locations, except at the Goathland Hotel. It was the one place Midshipman Fenix had not predicted would be attacked, although to be fair, he did talk about it in his brief. The UAV notified command that one group of tangos broke off to an unprotected part of town. A free-roving SAS unit was dispatched to follow them. One of the sniper teams was also alerted to provide overwatch.

The SAS squad was approximately 30 yards away when the tangos began their attack. The SAS immediately opened fire on them, taking them down in a hail of bullets. One of the jets of flame from one of the tangos, however, was able to reach the roof of the hotel. Two members of the unit entered the building to assist in evacuation, while the other two members of the team secured and covered the dead tangos. Overall, it had been a quick and clean operation….Until those pesky "Aurors" in red cloaks appeared.

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