Tanah Tumpahnya Darahku

CHAPTER 1: BRIEFINGS

Is life valuable?
Is it even worth losing all your loved ones for?
Is your death the price for a military ribbon?
Answer me,

IS IT?

These thoughts pondered around my brain as I enter the meeting/briefing room for our next mission. To be clear, I was walking, until a familiar voice entered my eardrums. 

"Wei, Faiz!", it called out in a tired tone, wheezing for air.

I looked around, it was my friend, 25-year-old Corporal, Ahmad Ezra bin Abdullah. We both are a part of the Kor Risik Diraja(Royal Intelligence Corps), 92nd Army's Special Branch Battalion. He has one different character that I can't seem to pinpoint about him. He's a special friend.

"Oh, hey Ez. Woke up late again today?" I crossed my arms as I let out a small chuckle.

"Not funny lah!" He slightly nudged my arm as he started walking normally again.

Me and Ezra discussed about our families and their specialties to each other while walking to the briefing room. I nudged the door as I went in, and slightly hit Ezra's head. "Ow!", he cried out as he sat down, scratching his head.

"ALL RISE!"

I stood up straight and saw our very own General Dato' Ibrahim bin Muhamad Faisal enter the room, carrying some documents. 

"Sit," said our general.

"Today, I have orders from HR that our own Kor Risik Diraja will be sent to Pulau Rinai. If someone isn't familiar with the island, you may raise your hand up, but I am sur-"

Tuan General was cut off and seven hands immediately rise. Seven people do not know about the conflict happening there. I was puzzled and shocked, a little bit. 

"Okay then. I may explain. Pulau Rinai is an island off the coast of Kuala Terengganu and is represented as a part of Terengganu. It is being occupied by a radical and extremist militant group named Kumpulan Pejuang Kemerdekaan Rinai (Rinai Independence Fighters' Group). Over the past week, their numbers have been increasing by the hundreds and they are harassing the local population. And so, we launch Operation Rinai." 

"Permission to speak, General?" I heard Ezra ask.

"Granted, Corporal. What is it?"

"May I go to the bathroom?" Me and a few people silently giggled to the request, but not Tuan General.

"You may. After all, we don't leave anyone behind. That includes mission briefing. For the others, calm down and we may continue with the briefing after Corporal Ezra returns from the restroom."

As we waited for Ez to return, I fiddled and fidgeted around with a pen I found on my desk. Black pen. UNIMAS pen. I felt a slight tap on my right shoulder, it was just a fly. A fat fly, to say. But then I felt another tap on my left shoulder.

"For god's sake, who is doing that-" I was getting angry, well, at least until I saw her face. Yes, her. She was Lance Corporal Nurul Atiqah binti Majid, one of the top graduates from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS). She was from the 165th Army Intelligence Battalion. Well, after she told me who she was. 

"A-Atiqah? What're you doing here? Don't tell me you joined the military." I turned around shocked and confused.

"Hi Faz! Yeah, I joined the military. It's not bad, just waiting for anything to happen. But do you happen to know where my black pen is?" She asked, in a medium high-pitched voice. 

"This one?" I showed the black pen that I fidgeted with.

"Yep, that one! Thanks so much Faz!" She took the black pen.

Atiqah was my best friend since Form 1, aside from Ezra. When I would be sad, she'd try to help out. She was a great friend until she went to UNIMAS, and I went to Universiti Malaya (UM). We hadn't seen each other since then. I still remember the first time and last time we saw each other, man, that was so long ago. Then, there was a knock. Ezra came in.

"Alright, we may continue," the General exclaimed.

"Operation Rinai will happen starting the day after tomorrow, our Kor Risik Diraja will be entering Pulau Rinai. Main objective? Gather info and don't get caught. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Everyone said in unison.

"Very well. Here is the list of KRD personnel that will be participating in the operation."

Oh, so they weren't technically documents. They were lists.

"Let's see here..." I muttered to myself.

"L/CPL Johnathan Eng Xia, CPL Aria anak Seraki, CPL Ahmad Ezra bin Abdullah, L/CPL Nurul Atiqah bt. Majid, CPL Tunku Rayyan Abd al-Rahman, SGT Emir Muzaffar and CPL Muhammad Faiz..." I looked and muttered.

"After reading your lists, you may be dismissed," the Tuan General exclaimed.

After reading mine, I stood up and walked out of the briefing room, with Atiqah and Ez tailing behind me. I went straight to my dorm and lied down on the bed. As minutes passed by, I decided to tell my mother about the operation.


Mak

Assalamualaikum mak, how are you?
I hope you are well.
Uhm, I'm getting sent to Pulau Rinai for an operation, and
I have to go the day after tomorrow.

I then put my phone down until...

* DING! *

Mak

Assalamualaikum mak, how are you?

I hope you are well. 

Uhm, I'm getting sent to Pulau Rinai for an operation, and 

I have to go the day after tomorrow.

Waalaikumsalam Faiz, I am well.
Pulau Rinai, huh.Alright, but please be safe there, Faiz.Faiz ni anak bongsu mak!hahaha
I laughed from my mother's response, it's as if she knows who and how I really act like. That's why I love her so much.

"Faz, who are you texting?" I looked to the left and saw Ezra at the doorframe, giving me a slight smirk.

"My mother. Just informed her about the operation." I explained.

"Well, finish texting! We have to get ready for tomorrow's 2nd briefing!" Ezra exclaimed at me, as I throw a pillow at him.

We then slept.

-----------------------------------------------------THE NEXT DAY--------------------------------------------------------

I woke up to the sound of my alarm, with Ezra still sleeping soundly. I took my glasses as I tried, with all my might, I say, to wake Ez up.

"Ezra, wake up... it's time for Fajr." I wipe my eyes as I shake Ez to try and make him wake up.

"Mmm.......5 more minutes..." I heard Ezra mutter as he turned over to the side.

Damn. I really wouldn't like to do this, but why not. He was the one who informed me yesterday, yet he is the one that needs to be woken up.

I went to the bathroom and filled my hand up with water. And poured it over Ezra. Classic Asian way. 

"Holy mother- FAIZ!!" Ezra shocked up awake and tried to chase me.

"You can't catch me, Ez! Try as hard as your body can-" I was looking back and smiling at Ezra until I bumped into someone familiar. To be honest, I wasn't even paying attention to the way I was going, and I was lucky I didn't run into the General.

"Faz?" I looked up and saw Atiqah with a confused-smiling face on her as she gave me a hand to get up.

Just then, we heard the call to prayer being sounded. Me, Atiqah and Ezra ran to the prayer room and prayed. After that, we simply had breakfast.

"Faz, do you think we could get, like, militant clothes?" Ezra asked me.

"You heard the General yesterday. We will be disguising ourselves as CIVILIANS in Pulau Rinai, not militants. Plus, I did some research, women aren't allowed to be part of the group, so that rules Atiqah out." I had to explain further to both Atiqah and Ezra.

Then, we heard the bell ring. We finished our breakfast and rushed straight to the briefing room. We saw the General with Brigadier General Mustafa Harun and Colonel Arun Chandran. Along the way in, we saw Aria, Johnathan, Rayyan and Emir enter aswell.

"Good morning, soldiers. I think you all have heard of our Brigadier General Mustafa Harun;" said General Ibrahim.

"Greetings." said Brig Gen. Mustafa.

", and Colonel Arun Chandran a/l Selvaraj." continued the General.

"Salutations." replied Col. Arun.

"They will be assisting you in the arms training, reconnaissance training and all the case scenarios," the General added.

This is gonna be a long day.