Carstairs smiled, showing pointy grey teeth. ‘I’m delighted to hear it. My superiors will be too. It was unanimously agreed you were an excellent fit for Operation Hydra. You’re intimately familiar with the more remote Afghan regions as well as its urban areas. You have extensive combat experience of this enemy and understand their tactics and habits. You’re fluent in Arabic as well as Dari, the official state language, and Pashto, spoken by most Taliban fighters.’

‘Sounds like quite a tribute. Are you asking me to command this mission?’

‘Not this time, Benedict. You’ll be playing a key role but the eight-man task force will be headed by Captain Jack Buchanan. He was with B Squadron until just eight months ago, having served three years before returning to his parent unit. Promotion prospects aren’t so rosy these days for officers within UKSF.’

‘One of those,’ said Ben, who had never been too fond of that kind of rank-climbing ambitiousness. He wasn’t familiar with Buchanan. The six hundred or so men of 22 SAS were divided into four squadrons, A, B, D and G, each subdivided into four specialised troops and with its own command HQ. Ben had served with A Squadron; and in any case that was probably before Buchanan’s time.

‘Easy for you to say, as the youngest man in the regiment’s history to make major,’ Carstairs replied. ‘Buchanan’s an excellent soldier. Limited combat experience, but his credentials are otherwise perfect and he jumped at the chance to take on this command. Because of your time out, you come back in with the rank of trooper. I trust that isn’t going to be an issue?’

‘Not as far as I’m concerned. I never gave a damn about being an officer. When do I meet the team?’

‘About five minutes before you’ll be in the air. Speed is of the essence here and there’ll be no time for proper introductions or briefings until you’re on the other side ready to deploy, approximately twelve hours from now.’

‘Then you’d better fill me in.’

‘As far as I can. You’ll have gathered that this is anything but a regular mission. We’re operating strictly off the books here, even though it’s been sanctioned at the very highest level.’

‘I’m sure it has,’ Ben said. ‘By the same senior officials who’ll turn their backs and deny the whole thing ever happened, if it all goes belly-up. Correct?’

Carstairs nodded. ‘That’s the deal. The need for secrecy is absolute. As I’ve already explained to Buchanan, mess this up and you’re on your own. Your job will be to make sure you don’t. You mustn’t. You can’t.’ There was an edge of anxiety in his voice, as though the axe would fall on him too if the mission failed.