Indigenous Canoe Insertion

Gathered in the pre-dawn quiet of JRH, your team finalizes its preparations and receives some final words of encouragement from your Mission Commander – callsign GUARDIAN.  After a final equipment check, you board a Quest Kodiak aircraft that has taxied into position for your departure for a discreet entry into Myanmar.

Your aircraft moves through the no-fly zone, exploiting the contours of the Northern Myanmar mountainous landscape.  The flight, a masterclass in deception, maintains a low profile, hugging the river valleys to minimize its radar signature.

Upon landing at a secluded strip ~50 km NORTH and upstream from CHIPWI, you disembark and move down the footpath 3 km to the water edge.  There you are greeted by the sight of canoes, waiting among the reeds.  These canoes, the lifeline of the indigenous peoples, represent your passage deeper into the heart of Kachin State.

Your team embarks in the canoes, slipping silently into the water.  The journey is marked by a realization that the current is much stronger than you had anticipated and it seems every bend in the river offers a new hazard.  The challenge of maintaining a covert profile is compounded by unexpected obstacles; submerged logs test your navigational acumen and shifting currents hint at the uncontrollable forces at play.

At one point, the faint hum of a distant patrol boat prompts an immediate withdrawal to the shore, a reminder of the ever-present threat of the Tatmadaw lurking.  Later on, you see locals on the river’s edge staring at you and it’s unclear whether they are ‘friend’ or ‘foe’ and if your cover has been blown.  As you approach your designated Landing Site, you move the canoes onto the shore and into the bush to obscure them from view.  

Your team focused now on the task at hand as it begins its 5 km trek to the crash site location where you hope to locate Captain Chan, your estimated arrival time several hours behind schedule.