Aftermath (The Unforeseen Duology Book 2) by McArdle Keith

Author:McArdle, Keith [McArdle, Keith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Phalanx Press
Published: 2016-05-31T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

“Navy pilots still on rotating roster flying back-to-back missions 24/7. Helicopter pilots flying medevac missions lucky to get more than four hours sleep per night. “We have the capability to continue this operational intensity for at least another three months,” assures Admiral Mike Canahan. No pilots were available for comment.” – Washington Post (US)

Major General White, overall commander of the Royal Marine contingent, sat in his office aboard the HMS Illustrious staring at the large map of Queensland attached to the wall opposite his desk. Small, red pins were pushed into the map where Royal Marine patrols had been involved in firefights against Indonesian forces. The markers clustered together in a narrow band that stretched from Greenvale down to Roma. The allies owned the coast, and on a national scale had destroyed the Indonesian resistance. Queensland, however, remained the last stronghold of diehard Indonesian soldiers. They controlled a portion of the high ground of the Great Dividing Range and were fighting hard to keep it. From reports he had read, briefings he sat through, and conversations with Royal Marines fresh from the field, White knew the enemy would never surrender. They would not give in or walk away; never would they throw down their weapons and stumble out of the forests with their hands up, begging for mercy. No, they would fight until they were killed or died as a result of the harsh Queensland elements. White knew it would not be an easy fight. The allies would win, of that there was no doubt, but at what price? How many more of Her Majesty’s troops would need to lay their lives down to secure victory? He leaned back in his chair, placed his glasses down on the desk, closed his eyes, and sighed.

Gently tapping a pen against the wooden surface of the desk, White sat solemnly, deep in thought. He continued to stare at the map of Queensland as if it might offer a solution of its own. After a moment, White picked up his glasses, placed them back on his face, and leaned forward, an angry glint entering his eyes.

“I’m going to fucking kill you all,” he spoke softly to the map of Queensland. Picking up the phone nearby he dialled a number. “My office, five minutes” was all he said before hanging up.

* * * * *

Less than an hour after she restocked her medical pack, another casualty evacuation call came in and Tanya’s heart began thumping. Normally cool under stress, Tanya could not help thinking she may well be on her way to pick up Craig, wounded or dying. With shaking hands and a sick feeling in her stomach, she shouldered the pack, grasped her weapon, and strode through the rabbit warren that was the lower deck of the carrier. Briskly ascending ladders, dodging sailors along the narrow passageways, and stepping through doorways designed to be sealed watertight should the carrier begin sinking, she eventually made her way up to the flight deck where the helicopter tasked with casualty evacuation had just commenced its start-up procedure.

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