Macomb takes the helicopter into a rapid lift and quickly flies off towards the sun. Hoping to gain some benefit by forcing the pursuing craft to fly with the sun directly into their faces.
Smith opens fire with the 12.7mm gun in the front of the gunship, sending sparks flying out of one of the pursuing craft. He is soon out of range though and before you know it, Mac puts the Hind in a steep climb and the other helicopters can do nothing to keep up. Soon you are alone in the air. You both know you will need to find a place to land though and there will be more aircraft out to find you, and soon. The radio said so...
Smith says, "Fly as low as you can, but we should land before daybreak."
Survival
Tracking
Smith takes a moment to look at the terrain as best he can in the night and the navigational maps in the cockpit as Mac flies the helicopter away from the airbase. He estimates that if they continue flying East, the will reach the Pakistan border in approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. That will leave about an hour before dawn.
Smith says through the intercom, "We can make the border before dawn. We can also monitor enemy radio and they do not know who we are. What do you think?"
All in all that went a hell of a lot smoother than it should have. Mac can't stop from grinning a bit as he brings the helicopter towards a low altitude flying pattern. If we somehow got this to American intel our careers might not be completely over. See if you can't monitor the radio for chatter Smith.
Smith says, "Command has been looking to get its hand on this baby for about seven years. We have a Soviet General hogtied in the back. It might be promotion time, if we don't get spotted by one of them Migs."
Smith turns the radio dial until he finds a Pakistani military frequency that he figures the Russians are monitoring.
Bluff
Electronics Wisdom or +1 for intelligence
He then says in a Russian accent, "I am flight Lt, flying General Oumerov, we have decided to defyect. I will be coming across de border please be hyelpful. Coming to Peshawar in about 2 hours time. Our crossing point would be Kotal. Spassibo."
In a few minutes, a response comes back. "Copy, Lieutenant, we have you on our radar. Follow your present course, you will be met by two aircraft to escort you in."
Good thinking Smith. Mac says softly almost to himself. So do we want to actually try to land this at an airbase or do we want to land elsewhere? That defecting part was a stroke of genius.
Smith switching to internal comms, says "I think it would be best to land and contact our contact at Pakistani Intelligence. We need to get a lot of information from the General. If we just landed the chopper at a farmhouse we will probably get arrested."
Mac continues to take the helicopter on a low level flight pattern.
Smith says, "Our good friend Al-Salahar. We should talk to him."
[/ooc] Found it[/ooc]
Mac easily makes his way through the hills, staying just under the ground radar floor. Somewhere out there, two Pakistani aircraft are searching for him...
Within the next hour, you find yourself in Pakistani airspace and flying as low as you can through the green valleys and treed hills towards Parachinar Airport, a relatively small one at that.
As good as Mac is at avoiding radar, the visual acuity of ground observers still seems to be top notch...
"Attention! Soviet Aircraft! You have entered Pakistani airspace. You are ordered to land immediately. Respond."
Smith says, "Parachinar control, we are the helo that was looking to defect. Sorry about the false info but we were trying to avoid the Soviet Air Force. Where would you like us to land, over"
There is a long pause and as you close with the airport, you can see several trucks driving towards the helipads. "Copy, pilot. Land at the heliport. You will be escorted in and debriefed upon arrival. Control out."
Well that could have gone worse. SMITH do you want to check on our passenger? Mac says as he pilots the aircraft towards the helipad.
Smith says, "Sure, it is good opportunity to wake him up."
Smith then undoes his seatbelt and then walks back to the see the General still tied up where he had left him.
If General is still unconscious, Smith will start to bruskly hit the man on his cheeks to wake him up and then say this and if he is already up say this "Хорошее утром Генеральный Товарищ! Я надеюсь, что вы хорошо отдохнули.Я хотел бы сообщить вам, что вы сейчас в Пакистане как гости правительства Пакистана и Родезии.
Russian
The General is already awake when you check on him, he only laughs at your words.
As you land, the helicopter is surrounded by at least a dozen Pakistani soldiers with FALs all pointed at you. One of them, a Lieutenant from the looks of his uniform, speaks in English, the common tongue of international travel. "Welcome to Pakistan. Surrender your weapons to my soldiers. Then we will take you to be debriefed and processed."
Smith to General, "У нас есть девиз Генеральной, «тот, кто смеет, побед». Что-то вроде, если вы не будете принимать риски, вы не пьете шампанское"
Russian
Smith pops the cockpit door and says, "Ok, do not shoot. We come bearing gifts. Please radio Al-Salahar, he will be extremely happy to see us."
Smith then says while giving up his .45 Colt, "This was my grandpa's."
T
Mac slowly opens the pilot's door of the helicopter and throws his rifle and handgun to the ground. Sure thing. He says to the Pakistani Lieutenant. He then says lowly to Smith. Isn't quite the parade I was expecting.
Smith whispers, "The bandstand was probably at the other base. But this fat bastard against some Migs or Sukhois would have left us dead. C'est la vie."
The soldiers take your weapons and escort the three of you into the airport terminal, through some back hallways and into a separate room for each of you. The rooms you are in have a simple desk and two chairs. Once seated, the door is locked behind you and you are left alone for a few minutes. Eventually the Lieutenant returns to you and closes the door, though you can see two guards outside. He sits himself down in the chair across from you and leans back, folding his arms across his chest.
"Name?"
Smith says, "Smith, Timothy K. Have you contacted AL-Salahar, yet?"
Smith says, "Lieutenant, I have been working with Director Al-Salahar since those damned commies invaded your neighbor a few months back. I am not sure if you are privvy to what happened at his HQ about a month ago. My colleague and I saved the place from a KGB hit squad. Tell him the Rhodesian says hello. He will know me."
John Macomb, Sir. Also familiar with Director Al-Salahar. What we say now is true and he can confirm that. Macomb says calmly not wishing to escalate anything with friendlies. Cigarette? he offers.
Mac is eventually led into the same room as Smith has been in, lounging around on a cot in a large squad room full of empty cots. You don't see the General anywhere. Before he leaves, an aide runs up to the lieutenant.
"Sir, he is on his way."
"Did you contact him already?"
"No, sir, he radioed just after they arrived."
The lieutenant stiffens up, one of his fists tightening. "Fine. Prepare for his arrival. Dismissed."
"Sir!", the aide salutes and turns away.
Lieutenant Mahsud, as it reads on his nameplate, turns to you. "It seems you do have friends in very high places. Perhaps we can have an arrangement? My superior seems to have forgotten that I exist. A Russian general on his plate would do me a great honor for my career...", he trails off, his eyebrow raising.
Smith says, "One hand washes the other, bring the general here so we can have a little chat before the Director gets here and We will definitely write a nice blurb about how you had helped us and were extremely courteous to us."
Lt. Mahsud thinks for a moment. "I can do this. It will take a couple of hours for Director Al-Salahar to arrive, so you must be quick." He then signals for the guards to go and retrieve the general. When they return, you see that he has been handcuffed as they sit him in a chair. "Do keep him somewhat intact. I want my superior to be impressed that we captured him alive."
The general smiles when the officer says this, but he says nothing.
Smith walks over to the General and says, "You know general, I know the SU generally does not care about its people but to liquidate your own soldiers in a warzone, is a bit extreme, no?"
Extreme perhaps, but necessary. He was a leak in the pipe. Leak sealed." He grins. "Perhaps you will not be so leaky."
Smith says, "So comrade general, you seem to want to recruit me as you had mentioned on the chopper. Which organization are you trying to recruit me for?"
"My organization would not be interested in someone so willing to just hand over a prime target like myself to just anyone. That ship has sailed, comrade."
I think your organization will be very interested in the fact that such a prime target was so easily captured by just two regular Joes. They must be wondering what secrets you are spilling General Ourumov.
Smith says, "You think waiting will save you. We know who you are and your family. The city of isn't it? Your organization would kill to get the two of us working for it, I mean we have easily thwarted it on numerous occasions with very minimal effort on our own. The idea to kidnap you was ours. We crossed the border, found some informants broke into you compound and stole one of the most prized pieces of hardware on a whim. In about an hour, my friend and I will be released given a medal and then we will cross the Friendship Bridge in the USSR and wreak havoc. So as to not mince words, in essence, you tell us the information we want to know or we will hunt down your family. Both of us speak fluent Russian and we will find them."
Mac recalls that the dossier on General Arkady Ourumov mentions that he is married with no children. His wife lives in Novosibirsk with his mother. They have been married 22 years. Other than that, it lists no living relatives.
The general only shakes his head. "Threaten me all you wish, they already have my family. I tell you anything about them, they die and I watch. It is a simple arrangement. You want to know them? Join me then. I will take you to them, but first you will have to get me out of here."
Smith says, "Well I do not join organizations blindly. If we were interested in joining up with you I would need more information than just your word. You have already changed your tune about this invitation twice. So I cannot even come close to believing you are not just lying to avoid a Pakistani prison and torture. Your Gulags are bad but their prisons are on a whole other level. So, you can try to convince us on the justness and point of your organization or rot."