A mission to the dirtiest of little wars

The Briefing: Six SEALs have a covert meet with their CIA contact in the middle of a D.C. slum. Twenty-four hours later, they're parachuting into Kosovo.

The Preparations: Everything is top secret, strictly “need-to-know.” The weapons are already stowed when the warriors board the plane. And their first op is outlined in detail only moments before they leap out into the darkness.

The Plan: To help bring a nasty genocidal war to a permanent end, by any means possible.

The Mission: Rescue a downed U.S. flier. Cut off a massive drugs-for-guns deal. Find the one Serbian leader who is blocking the peace process--and take him off the board. But someone on their own side is blowing the SEALs cover. And a successful escape may impossible.

Mike Martell