March 26, 2001 Operations Room, Sindh Delta Force (SDF) — Undisclosed Location 02:00 Hours
The screen in the darkened room flickered with a green-tinted satellite feed of the Arabian Sea. Two hundred miles off the coast of Karachi, a heavy freighter—the MV Kuber-2—plowed through the dark water toward Mumbai.
To the world, it was carrying "industrial heavy machinery" for one of India's largest conglomerates. But according to the intelligence packet received four hours ago from Delhi, the machinery was hollow. Inside was the final, desperate harvest of the Waziristan labs—three tons of high-grade heroin, the last liquid asset of the Dubai cartel.
I sat in the shadows, my face illuminated by the data streams. Beside me was a RAW liaison officer, his eyes fixed on the same target.
"The Industrialist in Mumbai thinks he's untouchable because he funds both sides of the aisle in Delhi," the Indian officer whispered. "He thinks his banner is a shield."
"In this room," I replied, my voice a low rumble, "there are no banners. Only targets."
The Mid-Sea Audit
The "Sindh Delta" protocol had evolved. It was no longer just about cleaning offices; it was about neutralizing the infrastructure of the "Three Snakes". We had named the operational arm the Sindh Delta Force (SDF)—a phantom unit made of men who had officially "retired" from their respective services.
"SDF-1 is in position," a voice crackled over the secure line.
On the screen, two silent silhouettes—unmarked semi-submersible craft—rose from the depths like predators. They didn't carry torpedoes. They carried magnetic limpet mines with a specific, delayed-fuse chemical composition designed to burn through steel and ignite on contact with water.
"Initiate the 'Technical Failure,'" I ordered.
The Disappearance
We didn't blow the ship out of the water. That would have left a debris field and triggered an international investigation. Instead, the SDF divers attached the charges to the fuel tanks and the lower cargo hold where the "machinery" was stored.
Ten minutes later, the MV Kuber-2 didn't explode. It began to glow from the inside.
The chemical reaction was silent and intense, melting the hull from the interior out. As the water rushed in, it reacted with the specialized charges, creating a localized vacuum. The ship didn't sink; it seemed to be swallowed by the ocean.
Within twenty minutes, the satellite feed showed nothing but a calm, black expanse of water. No distress signal had been sent. The jamming suites on the SDF crafts had seen to that.
The Financial Shockwave
"The loss is measurable," Shaukat Aziz said, stepping into the room with a fresh ledger. "That shipment was the collateral for a 400-million-dollar loan the Industrialist took from a Dubai bank. Without that cargo, he defaults by Monday."
I stood up, adjusting my uniform. "He won't just default. He'll be finished. When he tries to claim insurance, he'll find that the 'industrial machinery' listed on his manifest never left the warehouse in Waziristan—because we seized the real ones yesterday".
The Mumbai tycoon would wake up to a ghost in his bank account. His revenue was gone, his drugs were at the bottom of the sea, and he couldn't even complain to the police without admitting to smuggling.
The Aftermath
I walked to the balcony, looking toward the horizon. The "Devil in the Saffron" in Delhi and the "Devil in the Turban" in Pindi had just lost their primary ATM.
Nobody knew what happened to the MV Kuber-2. It would be recorded as a "vessel lost to unknown maritime circumstances." But in the boardrooms of Dubai and the war rooms of the cartel, the message was clear: the "Bureaucrat General" was no longer playing by the rules of engagement.
"Mahmood," I said, not looking back. "Prepare the 'Silk Road' convoy. Now that their sea route is closed, they'll be desperate to hit our trucks. Let's make sure they find nothing but a wall of steel".
I picked up my pen. One more audit completed. One more shadow removed from the future.
Author's Note: The Silent War The destruction of the MV Kuber-2 is a turning point. Aditya (as Musharraf) has moved beyond internal purges to Economic Sabotage. By using the SDF to hit the financial heart of the cartel, he is forcing the "Shadow Masters" to reveal themselves.