Heart of Darkness: Broken Arrow, #1

By Simon Polling

For every death on the battlefield, sixteen Veterans are returning home with injuries. Most injuries are not physically visible.

This book is a work of fiction around a real issue; Veteran Mental Health and undiagnosed PTSD, which affects the Veterans, their families and the community. The author hopes this book finds Veterans who may be silently suffering and be otherwise unaware. The topics and issues within these pages are a mosaic of veterans experiences all rolled into one. There is help out there, there is no need to suffer in silence

One veteran's journey through the darkness after he is injured on the battlefield. The CIA sent in the best Navy SEAL team on a critical intel mission in Afghanistan, 2010. Ralph Arnold is injured, locked inside his fragmented memory is the key to unravelling the time-critical mission details. In his mind are the fragments of himself, clinging together, trying to be whole again.

Ralph's journey and struggle is built on a collection of veteran accounts, told here within the fabric of fiction. Ralph's journey could be in some degree, any veterans story the world over. The number of veterans returning home with injuries is on the rise at an unhealthy rate. Some injuries visible, some hiding in the shadows of their mind. May all veterans have victory over their enemy within, and find peace.

'On the battlefield, the military pledges to leave no soldier behind. As a nation, let it be our pledge that when they return home, we leave no veteran behind.'
Dan Lipinski

'I am left with basically nothing. Too trapped in a war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war.'
Army Veteran Daniel Somers

This is the back story of Ralph Arnold, a prequel to DELTA in The Leader Files series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon Polling
• Release date: Jun 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201167073

Simon Polling

Simon is a former Submariner with over 15 years of Naval experience behind him. He now is a Paramedic, has witnessed the full spectrum of life, from a baby drawing his first breath to a lady expelling her last. He has witnessed moments that won’t appear in the history books in their true form; instead, history will remember a news reporters bland, tame, sanitised version of history. He has lived on a deserted tropical island, a prawn farm, kangaroo sanctuary, has been swept overboard in the treacherous waters of Bass Strait and has failed at marriage. Always keen to take every life moment and put it onto paper, as the sights, sounds and feelings are all highly emotive while they are fresh, before they get lost to the waste of fading memory.  His love of researching a topic led to a formidable ability to blend enough plausibility into his works of fiction. To grab and hold the reader attention until they can be released from the story’s grasp on the closing page. Simon has been writing since the early 90’s. His busy lifestyle meant that he never found the time to finish a manuscript, until now. With eleven novels at various degrees of completion, his latest work; a companion series to The Leader Files is the series Broken Arrow, with two of its instalments having already exploded into the published scene. Member of: Writers SA Australian Society of Authors

Book preview

Broken Arrow

Heart of Darkness

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Simon Polling

BROKEN ARROW – Heart of Darkness

Copyright © 2021 by Simon Polling

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission from the author.

Printed by Amazon

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the fighting men and women, past and present. People the world over, heed a calling or are called upon to serve. They serve in a dangerous environment with the knowledge of the dangers that may befall them.

With the evolution of warfare, we have seen a decrease in battlefield fatalities. However, the number of wounded veterans returning home is ever increasing. Some of the wounds are not visible as physical scars. Some of the wounds are not self-evident to the veteran, sometimes for years. Often veterans, their families and their civilian colleagues don’t become aware of their wounds until something outwardly goes wrong.

This book is dedicated to those veterans who have left one battlefield and may now blindly be walking through a new and unseen minefield. A minefield so dangerous it kills at a rate sixteen times greater than battlefield fatalities.

Preface

In December of 2020, there had been 41 battlefield deaths of Australian servicemen and women in the Afghanistan conflict. At least 500 veteran suicides over the same duration.[1]. US Veteran suicide for 2018 amounted to 6,435[2], a rate of more than seventeen avoidable deaths per day. 59.6% of US Veterans who died by suicide had a mental health or substance use disorder. Many did not seek help and suffered in silence.

This book is a work of fiction but based on the all too real experiences of Veterans. Through many conversations with Veterans with PTSD, I have developed a mosaic Veteran character in these pages. The aim of this book is not to glorify war and battles won, instead it focusses on the returned warrior. The Veteran who struggles with separation from the Armed Services and tries to find his or her way back home. Whilst battling haunting flashbacks, fragmented memories, substance abuse, hypervigilance and anger issues to name a few.

It is hoped by reading this book, a Veteran may find similarities this story has to their own journey. So they may recognize that the signs and symptoms they are experiencing are not personal flaws; they are instead a part of something else. It is hoped that this book may encourage Veterans to seek some assistance, and not become a statistic.

Special thanks goes to Kylie, Ako and Justin for sharing their knowledge and journey with me.

Simon Polling

Author, 2021

Chapter

One

The Heart of Darkness

Operation Dragon Strike, 2010

Commander Norris had long purposeful strides. He advanced quickly down the passage outside the Tactical Operations Centre (TOC) at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Chapman. Deep in the Khost Provence of Afghanistan, but that is where the Special Forces felt at home.

Commander Norris reentered the TOC. His eyes immediately went to the board, viewing the latest on his men in battle.

Updates? he barked.

Still LOS sir. Nil comms since TABOR21 made second run on Sierra 17’s smoke. TABOR reported the Taliban crowded Sierra’s position. It was a tight line.

Norris muttered, I bet it was., Sons of bitches! Commander Norris was peeved, Is that A-10 still in the air?

TABOR21 this is Tango Two. What is your status?

This is TABOR21 we are Winchester, wheels down 28 over.

Sir they have expended all their ammunition and will be landing at How-Z-Medad in... Sergeant Simmons glanced at the zulu wall clock, three minutes sir.

Sergeant Simmons held her hand to her earpiece, Sir TABOR is pretty certain that all the Tangos were neutralized.

The Commanders eyes were wide, Pretty certain doesn’t cut it. He returned his attention to the board, Those boys will be tired and low on ammo.

I need eyes in the sky, most ricky tick. If there’s Tangos still crowding them, I wanna know. If my boys are hurt, I wanna know. Make it happen.

Yes sir.

Give me the OC at Wilson. ordered Norris.

OC Wilson on button two, sir.

CDR Norris donned the headset with boom mic and pressed button two, Harry this is Art.

Forward Operating Base (FOB) Wilson

LtCol Harry Sloan had a similar headset on and was handed some briefing papers. His eyes held concern as he took in the evolving situation on his wall of status screens in the operations centre.

Eyes in the sky, the circling fixed wing drone providing real-time intelligence on the Taliban forces below. The stronghold clusters around the Senjaray district were gearing up and mobilizing. Activity was everywhere from there to Arghandab.

Hey Art, what can I do ya?

How fast can you scramble a patrol, my guys need an exit?

That was you? No can-do Art. Whatever your boys did, they woke a hornet’s nest. The whole heart of darkness has gone active. I need all my troops to stand-to and defend the walls.

CDR Norris cupped his hand over the mic and spoke quietly and clearly, Harry, what my boys grabbed, the tango’s mean to get back.

Harry viewed the Taliban movements. Sending any sized patrol out into that was going to result in fatalities, the only question was the number.

Art, there are approximately 2,000 Taliban amassing in Senjaray, not twelve mile east of my post. If they come at us with half that number; we will be in serious KimChi.

Right. Just make sure your boys don’t shoot the friendlies coming at your walls ahead of the hoard.

Which direction will they come from Art?

The east. What they have in the bag is worth it, Harry.

The call ended. LtCol Sloan lowered his headset to the table and read the briefing notes that had been handed to him prior to the call. Then he turned to the awaiting Signals Corporal.

Get these forces updates into my brief, handing the papers over, Ensure the base guard are aware there are friendlies out there that may be coming at the FOB from the east. Don’t shoot the Special Forces at the door.

Yes, sir.

TOC, FOB Chapman, Khost Provence

CDR Norris threw his headset to the desk and studied the big screens. Drone footage of Sierra17’s position wasn’t up yet. Nil comms from his men, didn’t mean anything; but it did raise the risk index. Norris turned and stormed towards the TOC door, calling out over his shoulder.

Reestablish comms with Sierra 17, I don’t care how. Send carrier pigeons if you have to, just make it happen.

The soundproof door sealed shut behind him.

2 miles north of the Arghandab River

Senjaray District, Afghanistan

The remains of a mudbrick wall stood, scorched from gunfire and 30-calibre fire from the A-10 Warthog. Broken earth and bodies lay smoldering in the wake of an episode of the Afghanistan conflict, which had just played out. Bodies lay nondescript as they fell. The congestion of bodies close to the wall indicated that it was the pinnacle or focus of the battle. Stained with blood, yet even the bearded vulture’s circled and would not land. That reek of burnt flesh sticks in the nostrils long after one has left the battlefield.

150 yards to the west, crawled a soldier. His progress painfully slow. Gunshot wounds to his leg, back and head. Another hand reached out and his good leg helped thrust his body another six inches further from the chaotic scene of death and destruction behind him.

Afghan dirt coated the blood and sweat stained hand. Clawing forward across scorching earth was killing him faster than the wounds of battle. Special Forces Master Chief Ralph Arnold had to find safety, out of sight, out of the sun. Away from the two-legged and winged vultures that wish to pick at him until he was but bones in the sand. The heat of the Afghan sand, the blistering sun and the straining of his body, busting all clots that were trying to form at his wounds.

Commander Norris Office, FOB Chapman

Three hundred miles away from Arghandab, Art Norris sat at his desk. Before him was the operational file for the grab team Sierra 17. He sent those four men out five days ago on a mission. A mission that could shorten the Afghan war and save countless lives. Not only that but had the ability to break the Taliban and al-Qaeda’s backbone and their iron-fist control over these peoples and their land.

The intel was supposed to be solid. Could they have underestimated what the team was walking into? What the hell went wrong? These guys were all seasoned Special Operators. Nothing sneaks up on them or catches them by surprise, nothing.

His door opened. Only Art’s eyes moved. CIA Case Officer Natalie Searle poked her head through.

Any news?

CDR Norris shook his head and pushed back in his seat, Lost comms with the team after they called in air support on their location. His words respectful to the call his men made. Officer Searle took a step inside and shut the door behind her. Norris was aware this meant the conversation was not over.

CIA Station Chief in Kabul wants to know if they got confirmation?

Natalie, my guys haven’t returned. It is likely that they have been too busy to make radio contact with the details you are after. Maybe it is because of the nature of the information, it was too delicate to pass via the comms. Either way, there is nothing new to report. Tell that to Edmonds.

The White Hous...

The answer will still be the same. Now if you don’t mind, I have a 4-man team in the middle of 2,000 Taliban, who are really pissed and looking for fight. They know what we have done. And may take out their frustrations on the troops at FOB Wilson. This is not my first day on the job, Natalie. I know how to make reports the moment they come in. CDR Norris lowered his attention to his desk, to the open file.

Natalie Searle watched him a moment but held back any further comments regarding the matter. She turned and left his office. Art flicked through the team’s personal sheets again, looking for a fault. Pete, Murph and Andy. Lead by their patrol commander Ralph Arnold, Arnie. Couldn’t have put a finer and more dedicated bunch together in ten SEAL Teams. There was a knock at his door.

Enter. said the Commander as he closed the file and looked up.

Sir, update.

Come in and shut the door.

Sergeant Simmons did so, Sir, eyes in the sky. No movement at the location of Tabor’s attack coordinates. Just lots of dead bodies. Unable to make out with certainty the uniforms sir.

I need certainty, dead or alive.

Yes sir. Sergeant Simmons left the office. The Commander shut his eyes for a moment. Upon opening them he looked tired. He reopened the file, looking at the faces of his men.

CIA Situation Room, US Embassy, Kabul

Chief of Station Edmonds was watching the drone footage, coupled with audio of some Taliban radio and cell intercepts. His satphone rang. Looking at the caller id, he took another look at the big screen and left the situation room.

He scanned the outside hallway left and right, Tell me they got it?

Unknown sir, Norris has lost contact with his men.

God dammit. He called out in frustration. His left hand ran through his silvering hair, I need accurate reports. I need to brief Langley so they can make the correct report to the President, Natalie. The clock is ticking on this, we need to know?

Yes sir. I won’t let you down.

Chief Edmonds placed another call, once again eyeing the hallway for passing ears.

"Yeah, it’s me. No word from the team is a dangerous place