Tom was at his locker in the gear room. He had a large, sturdy bag he always put his gear into for missions. He always checked his modified M4 first. He had used it on all his SEAL deployments and it felt like an extension of his arms. He packed plenty of ammunition, his all-black night uniform, scuba gear, night vision goggles, helmet and this new particle beam weapon they gave him. Tom knew that on high-risk covert missions, it is usually better to stick to what has always worked. He thought he could fire his M4 almost without aiming because he had used it so many times. But he knew it did nothing to think about it – the particle beam rifle was coming along, so he better accept it. It was better to focus on the mission.
From his SEAL days he had learned to evaluate a mission on the spot. This was based on the key elements needed in special operations for a mission to succeed. Anybody could learn about these elements as they were all outlined in Spec Ops: Case Studies in Special Operations Warfare Theory and Practice, which could be picked up in any bookstore. But Tom had memorized it. Written by a brilliant SEAL officer, it served as a manual for planning special missions. The key takeaway is that special operations succeed when a small team attains “relative superiority” over a larger enemy force. That relative superiority could be achieved through six elements: simplicity, security, repetition, surprise, speed, and sense of purpose. He scrolled though each item in his mind.
“Simplicity: I am just getting to shore, sneaking up to this secret base, possibly neutralizing a couple guards outside, taking a look inside and leaving before sunrise. Yes that’s pretty simple,” he thought.
“Security: they don’t have any way of knowing that I’m coming. Check.”
“Repetition: I’ve done this before. I will practice shooting and maneuvering in South Korea. Check”
“Surprise: The North Koreans do not expect me to show up at that base.”
“Speed: I’ll be in and out in one night. That should be fast enough.”
“Sense of purpose: It’s definitely clear we have to figure out whether North Korea has nuclear weapons before they use them. Because they would use them. Yes I feel this mission is important.”
Just then he heard the door to the locker room open. He turned around and saw Sara walking in, ignoring the “Men” sign outside.
“You’re not much for men only signs are you?” Tom quipped.
“Well, I needed to talk to you before you left” She said.
She stopped a few feet from him. Tom kept packing his gear but was looking at Sara. He liked how she looked wearing her hair up – it showed more of her face. He also liked the way she dressed – she always seemed to take the typical dark work suit and add a dash of color – today she was wearing a small scarf that was deep red. She always looked well put-together. He appreciated her presence because he knew she was concerned for him. He could feel it sitting next to her at the briefing. That together with her sharp mind made her one of the top analysts in SAD, he often thought.
Sara started speaking a little too slowly “I – just wanted to see if you needed anything while you were gone. Like do you need me to do anything for you while you’re away?” She was touching her hair while she talked.
“Can you grab my mail? I was actually expecting a package today.”
She paused “OK – sure I can do that.”
“I ordered a book – Heart of Darkness. Would have been nice to read it on the plane, but I guess that’s not happening.”
She paused again “I’ll be watching over the mission closely on this one, Tom. I’ll make sure it goes right from this end.”
“With you here, I know we’ll be in good shape.”
“Well I better go help Matt send that message to PACOM. Good luck Tom. I’ll get that book for you.”
“Thanks.”
Sara walked out of the gear room slowly. Tom stood still for a few moments – he knew it was better to avoid saying a mission will go well. It always seemed to jinx it. He shrugged off the odd feeling and kept packing. But in the back of his head, he remembered what he had learned from countless DEVGRU and SAD operations. Missions rarely went completely according to plan.