Team Bravo - Operation Silent Thunder

What is Battlefield Bytes: Team Bravo? This series highlights the exciting exploits of Team Bravo. Each issue delves into hypothetical scenarios that showcase Team Bravo's advanced use of AI, autonomous systems, and unmanned vehicles, bringing you closer to the cutting edge of combat technology.

Mission Briefing

Location: Takir Highlands, Northern Elqari Region

Objective: Eliminate "The Warlord", a high-value arms dealer responsible for supplying insurgents with advanced weaponry. The operation is to be carried out with minimal visibility, utilizing the V-Bat drone for aerial reconnaissance and electronic warfare, along with Jax’s M107 Barrett rifle for long-range neutralization. The mission requires a clean elimination of the target before the arrival of insurgent reinforcements. Ensure safe extraction without detection or casualties.

From Ethan’s perspective

The cold air clung to my skin like a second layer, but I barely felt it. My attention was glued to the V-Bat feed on my tablet, watching the compound below. The drone hovered silently above the target area, capturing every detail from its high-altitude perch. A perfect eye in the sky, feeding us intel on every guard, every vehicle, and every step our target took.

Jax lay beside me, completely still, his M107 Barrett rifle resting heavy in his hands. That thing was a beast—firing .50 caliber rounds that could punch through walls like paper. And Jax? He handled it like it was just an extension of himself. One shot, one kill. That was his style.

“Two guards at the west gate, one more by the entrance,” I whispered into the comms, keeping my voice low. The V-Bat was relaying heat signatures from the compound, each red silhouette glowing faintly on my screen. “Still no sign of the target.”

Jax didn’t respond, not verbally at least. His body was still, breathing controlled, eyes glued to the scope as he scanned the compound. The M107 wasn’t a sniper rifle for the faint of heart. At over 1,000 meters, it would tear through a man—and whatever stood behind him.

We were deep in enemy territory, no backup, no air cover, just us. And that’s how we liked it.

“Keep scanning,” Jax finally muttered, his voice a low rumble. “He’ll show.”

Our target, “The Warlord”, an arms dealer notorious for fueling half the insurgencies in the region. He was smart, slippery, and thought he was untouchable. Today, we were going to prove him wrong.

And then, like clockwork, it happened. A black SUV rolled into the compound, kicking up dust as it stopped just outside the main building. My heart rate picked up, and I zoomed in with the V-Bat. The door opened, and there he was—The Warlord. Slick suit, sunglasses, and that air of arrogance about him, like the world revolved around him.

“That’s our guy,” I confirmed, fingers tapping rapidly to adjust the drone’s angle.

Jax shifted slightly, aligning the Barrett’s crosshairs with The Warlord’s chest. “Distance?”

“One thousand, one hundred meters,” I said, keeping an eye on the wind speed. “Barely a breeze.”

Jax’s finger hovered over the trigger, the rifle ready to unleash a thunderous boom. But something didn’t sit right. A flicker on my tablet caught my attention—heat signatures moving fast in the distance.

“Convoy incoming,” I muttered, zooming the V-Bat out to catch a clearer view. “Northeast. Multiple vehicles. We’ve got about five minutes before they arrive.”

Jax clenched his jaw. “No time to wait, then.”

I recalibrated the drone, activating its jamming suite. “I’ll disrupt their comms, but you need to take the shot before they arrive.”

Jax settled into position, his breathing steady. His finger tightened on the trigger as he tracked The Warlord through the scope. The Warlord turned, heading toward the main building. Just like that, our perfect shot disappeared.

“Damn it,” Jax hissed. “He’s inside.”

“Give me a second,” I replied, my fingers moving rapidly across the tablet. There—second floor, open window, and the target pacing inside. “Got him. Second floor, near the window.”

Jax didn’t waste any time. He realigned his shot, aiming straight through the open window. The Warlord was backlit by the dim light inside the room, pacing like he had all the time in the world.

“Take the shot,” I urged.

Jax exhaled slowly, the entire world shrinking down to the crosshairs on his target. His finger squeezed the trigger, and the Barrett roared.

BOOM.

The shot was deafening, echoing across the valley. The bullet ripped through the window, and on my screen, I watched as The Warlord staggered, clutching his chest before collapsing to the ground.

“Target down,” Jax said, calm as ever. “Confirmed kill.”

But we weren’t out of the woods yet. The convoy was closing fast, and the Barrett’s shot would have given away our position if anyone was paying attention.

“They’re almost at the compound,” I warned, quickly switching the V-Bat into jamming mode. The convoy’s communications went dark as I jammed their signals. “Comms are down, but we need to move.”

Jax was already packing up the Barrett, moving with the precision of someone who’s done this a hundred times before. “Let’s go.”

We broke from our position, moving fast over the rocky terrain toward the extraction point. The V-Bat stayed overhead, keeping watch on the convoy as it rolled into the compound below. They still didn’t know their leader was dead, but it wouldn’t take long for them to figure it out.

The low hum of the ISV reached my ears just as we cleared the ridge. The vehicle crested the hill and skidded to a stop in front of us. Jax and I jumped in, and the ISV roared to life, speeding away from the valley as the first rays of sunlight began creeping over the horizon.

I glanced back, watching the compound grow smaller in the distance. The convoy had arrived, and chaos was about to erupt inside.

“That was close,” I muttered, catching my breath.

Jax chuckled, wiping the dust from his hands. “Close enough.”

The ISV picked up speed, the mission behind us now. The Warlord was dead, his weapons network dismantled, and the insurgents would be scrambling without their key supplier. But in the back of my mind, I knew this wasn’t the end.

There would be another mission. There always was.