The tension in the air was thick as the Special Forces waited for orders. The snipers positioned around the house used their thermal imaging technology to keep an eye on the situation inside. They could see the five people inside the house, three of them being armed militants while the other two were Captain Vasili's wife and child. The kidnappers were pacing back and forth, seemingly trying to figure out how to get out of the house alive.

The sniper turned to his spotter, seeking guidance on how to proceed. "What order do you think the High Command is going to give us?" he asked, his eyes fixed on the scope.

The spotter's eyes remained fixed on his binoculars, which also had thermal imaging capabilities. "I believe the High Command wants those goons taken out, but we must protect Vasili's wife and daughter at all costs," he replied firmly.

As they continued to wait for orders, the tension inside the Command Ops room was palpable. Alexander watched the situation unfold on the large LCD screen mounted on the wall, his fingers tapping restlessly on the table.

"I believe we should inform Captain Vasili about the status of his wife and daughter," he suggested. "It may help alleviate some of the stress he's feeling right now."

Sergei nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea, Your Majesty. I'll make sure to pass along the information to him as soon as possible."

Alexander couldn't help but feel a sense of unease as he watched the situation unfold. They had promised Captain Vasili that they would do everything in their power to bring his family back safely, but with the kidnappers on edge and the situation rapidly escalating, it seemed like a near-impossible task.

But Alexander refused to give up hope. He knew that they had the best soldiers and resources at their disposal, and he was determined to use every available tool at their disposal to bring Captain Vasili's family back home.

Meanwhile, in the capital city of Mali, a colonial territory of the Francois Republic. Captain Vasili sat in silence as he looked out of the window of the Polkan Jeep. His thoughts were fixed on the safety of his family on the other side of the world. His decision of taking Ralf Hietela risked their safety and he is thinking right now whether what he did was right or wrong.

He just hoped that the Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire will keep his promise by sending the best of the best soldiers of the Ruthenia Empire stationed in Hanseong to get his family back.

The Polkan Jeep that they were riding was headed to the airport, where the Bogatyr turboprop aircraft was waiting for them to pick them up. Though the airport is not the extraction point, the original plans were thrown out of the window as the situation changed during the encounter.

As the Polkan Jeep drove down the dusty road of Bamako, the radio on his chest flickered to life.

"Captain Vasili, this is the Command Ops, do you hear me?"

Captain Vasili quickly picked the radio up and answered the call.

"Yes, Mr. Defense Minister, this is Captain Vasili."

"We have good news for you. The good news is that we have found your wife and daughter. The bad news is that they are being held captive by three armed personnel"

"Is that so?" Captain Vasili listened intently, his heart racing with both relief and fear. "So how do you plan on getting them out? Have they demanded a ransom or something?"

"We have our best men on the ground, and they are working to secure their release. And no, there are no ransoms yet. We need you to remain calm and trust in our soldiers. We will do everything in our power to bring your family back safely," the Defense Minister replied."Okay, I trust them, sir, I'm praying to the almighty for their safe release. I will wait for the news, if anything happens, please tell me immediately."

"Understood, Captain Vasili, Command Ops out."

Upon ending the transmission, Captain Vasili heaved a sigh of relief. He was relieved that his wife and daughter were still alive.

One of his men, Ivan, gently pressed Vasili's shoulder. "It's going to be okay. If the Special Forces are already in the area, your family's safety is guaranteed."

Despite Ivan's optimism, Vasili's heart still felt heavy with worry. He couldn't shake off the feeling of guilt that he had put his family in danger by pursuing Ralf Hietela.

"We can't be too certain of that. Who knows if those men are loyal to Ralf Hietela, if they haven't heard from him in about fifteen minutes, they might kill them."

"I understand your concerns, Captain," Ivan said, his voice low and sympathetic. "But the only thing that we can do right now is trusting the men on the ground."

Captain Vasili nodded, still feeling a sense of helplessness.

***

Back in the Command Ops.

An unexpected development arose in the scene.

"Your Majesty, one of the kidnappers opened the window and shouted to our men that they want to talk," Alexei announced.

"Talk?" Alexander scoffed. "It seems like those men's commitment and loyalty to Ralf Hietela is not as strong as we expected. Very well, let's hear it."

One of the special forces stepped forward with a megaphone and spoke.action

"What do you want?"

"We need to know if Ralf Hietela is alive," the lead kidnapper said.

"Ralf Hietela is alive and is taken into custody. Look, we are willing to compromise a deal if you want. Hand over the lady and the child and we will guarantee your safety. There is no way out for the three of you. We have you surrounded."The lead kidnapper hesitated for a moment before responding. "Fine, we will release the woman and child, but we need safe passage out of here."

The Special Forces team quickly relayed the information to Command Ops, and the room erupted in a flurry of activity.

"Your Majesty, they are willing to let Captain Vasili's wife and daughter go but they are looking for a guarantee of a safe passage. Should we give it to them?"

"Well, the goal here is to get Captain Vasili's family out of there so we must accept the deal."

"Understood, Your Majesty, relaying those instructions to the men on the ground right now," Alexei said and relayed the orders through the telephone. "Proceed with the deal."

"Okay you have a deal but first we need you to release the hostages," the Special Forces team responded through the megaphone.

After a few tense moments, the door of the house opened and the three armed militants stepped out, their weapons held at their sides. Captain Vasili's wife and child emerged moments later, unharmed but visibly shaken. The Special Forces team quickly rushed to their side, escorting them to safety.

The snipers kept their sights on the hostages.

Once Captain Vasili's family was secured, the team turned their attention back to the kidnappers. "You've held up your end of the deal, now it's our turn," the team leader said.

The three kidnappers were relieved that it was an easy way out. However, the team leader's expression turned from friendly to serious in an instant.

"I'm sorry but the Ruthenia Empire doesn't negotiate with the likes of you…"

After saying that, confusion fell on the kidnappers until a sound akin to a gunshot echoed. One of the kidnappers' heads burst in an instant when a sniper fired from a distance. The other two kidnappers looked around in fear, but they were quickly taken down by the other snipers.

Alexander smiled in satisfaction after seeing the kidnappers' corpses on the ground.

"Do they really think that the Ruthenia Empire is that lenient?" Alexander laughed. "That's where they are wrong. Inform Captain Vasili about the situation, I'm sure he will be relieved to hear that his family is safe," he said as he turned to leave the Command Ops room.

***

Captain Vasili's radio crackled to life once more. They are already at the airport, boarding the Bogatyr aircraft.

"Captain Vasili, your family is safe. The kidnappers have been neutralized."

Captain Vasili's voice was thick with emotion as he spoke into the radio. "Thank you, thank you so much. I don't know how to express my gratitude to all of you."

The Defense Minister's voice crackled over the radio. "No need to thank us, Captain. We were just doing our duty. We're just glad that we were able to bring your family back safely."

Captain Vasili's eyes misted over as he thought of his wife and daughter, who were now safe and sound. "I can't wait to see them again," he said, his voice shaking slightly. "I'll make sure to thank each and every one of you personally when I return to Ruthenia."

"We'll be waiting for you, Captain," the Defense Minister said. "Now, you should focus on reuniting with your family. They've been through a lot."

Captain Vasili nodded, wiping away a tear. "Thank you, I will. I'll see you all soon." With that, he ended the transmission and leaned back in his seat, a sense of overwhelming relief washing over him.

Ivan, who was sitting next to him, clapped him on the back. "See, I told you everything would be fine," he said, a grin on his face.

Captain Vasili smiled weakly at him. "I know, I know. I'm just so glad that they're safe."