The conditions were perfect – a blanket of thick cloud covered the full moon, casting the terrain into deep shadow. The two of us were perched high on the hills overlooking the valley, scanning the ground far below.

The spotter looked up from his scope and nodded, confirming that the mission was good. I nodded back, carefully taking the precious magazine and inspecting it briefly.

Within the magazine lay five precision-crafted, copper-jacketed 7.62×51mm bullets cast in pure silver – I imagined them gleaming with reflected moonlight. Taking several deep breaths of the cool night air, I carefully inserted the magazine into the rifle and pulled the stock firmly into my shoulder. The spotter gave a few short syllables, and I adjusted accordingly. The night vision scope painted the view in green and black, turning impenetrable darkness into a dim twilight.

“Target sighted.”