We’re gonna be on our own for the next four hours. At least.

Webb said, ‘What about the other elements of the strike force? The SBS and SFSG?’

‘They had to wait on the ground until D Squadron was ready to depart. Orders from the head shed. They were adamant that the teams came in together, or not at all.’

Casey said, ‘But why not send the other teams in ahead of D Squadron? It doesn’t make sense.’

‘That’s not how the Foreign Office sees it,’ Mallet said. ‘As far as they’re concerned, the priority is a smooth operation with no friendly casualties. They don’t want coffins coming home draped in Union Jacks. That means a coordinated attack, maximum firepower. They’re not going to sanction a staggered assault.’

‘What if the rebels attack before they arrive?’

‘We’ll do what we do best,’ Mallet replied. ‘Fight.’

‘The rebels will take hours to get here, anyway,’ Loader said. ‘They’ll be busy securing the rest of the critical infrastructure right now. Scouring the president’s other homes. They won’t hassle us for a while.’

‘The Machete Boys aren’t far away,’ Casey reminded the others. ‘They’re at Farangi, according to the last reports. Thirty miles away.’

‘Even if they hit us, the odds are still in our favour,’ Loader argued. ‘We’ve got the Gimpys, the .50 cal, the mortars. That’s more than enough hardware to hold the Boys off.’

‘Tiny’s right. For once in his life,’ Mallet said. ‘The situation isn’t ideal, but it’s nothing we can’t handle.’

‘And if they hit us hard?’

Gregory’s powdery blue eyes twinkled. ‘Then we’ll give the bastards hell.’

Mallet checked his watch. ‘It’s first light in eighty minutes. There’s a decent chance that the rebels will hit us then. We’ll need to get the defences sorted out before they turn up.’ He nodded at Gregory. ‘How many lads have you got, Mike?’

‘Six. Myself, the colonel, the two guys watching the gate and the two on the front door.’

Mallet made a quick mental calculation and nodded. ‘That gives us twenty-five soldiers in total. Fourteen in the platoon under the major, your guys, plus my lot.’

‘It’s a good number,’ Loader said.

‘Against a few small groups of Machete Boys,’ Bowman said. ‘But if General Kakuba’s men and his Russian mates turn up, it’ll get hot.’

‘That’s a big fucking “if”. That mob has only just finished capturing the main airport. They’re hours away.’

Mallet rubbed his temples and turned to Mavinda. ‘What firepower have you got with you, Major?’

‘We have AK-47s. Grenades. Browning pistols.’

‘Anything heavier?’

Mavinda nodded. ‘Two FN machine guns.’

‘Ammo?’

‘Plenty. Twelve hundred rounds of belt apiece.’