Rumors of War (Green Zone War Book 1) by Jake Elwood

Author:Jake Elwood [Elwood, Jake]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-03-19T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

"I hope you all enjoyed your shore leave, because it's time to get back to work."

Captain Nishida's gaze moved around the long table in the boardroom, making Tom want to squirm in his seat. Which was an odd reaction, because he seemed to be more fit for duty than almost anyone else in the room. The officers around him all looked hung over. Carstairs may have still been a bit drunk. Even Nishida had a red tinge to her eyes.

"We have a simple assignment," Nishida went on. "A freighter called the Spring Sunshine left Garnet six hours ago, bound for Argo with supplies for the outpost. She left unescorted." Nishida steepled her fingers. "The Admiralty believes that her departure, and her unprotected status, may have been observed. She may be targeted by pirates.

"Our mission is not to overtake her. We will catch up to her, and we will shadow her. If pirates attack, we'll intervene."

Boudreau said, "We're using a civilian ship as bait?"

Nishida spread her hands in a shrug. "The Admiralty offered her an escort, but she didn't want to wait for us. Deadlines, profit margins, that sort of thing. They made their choice. In spite of that, we'll still put ourselves in a position to intervene if they're attacked." She looked around the table. "Any further questions?"

There were none.

"This will be an excellent training opportunity. We'll be tracking a ship by dead reckoning, then attempting a discreet surveillance. If we're lucky enough that pirates strike, it'll be an even better opportunity. So make sure your junior people are on hand to see how it's done." She looked at each officer in turn. "That's all. Dismissed."

"Do you think we'll see pirates?" Tom asked as he followed Brady out of the meeting room.

"The odds are against it," she said. "If there was any real risk, the freighter would still be here waiting for us." She glanced at him and laughed. "Don't look so disappointed! Pirate attacks do happen, and the Spring Sunshine is out there unprotected. We might get some excitement."

"I'm getting pretty good with the helm controls."

"Forget it." She thought for a moment. "Actually, I'll get you to go to Operations and observe the Tactical station." She held up a finger. "Don't actually do anything."

"God forbid," Tom muttered.

"But watch how it's done. An extra set of eyes won't hurt, either." She rubbed her temples. "In the meantime, I want you to inspect the missile bay and all the laser turrets, just in case. Half the crew is hung over." She winced. "Probably more than half. If we see combat, we'd better be ready."

"Aye aye," said Tom.

"Good man. If you need anything, don't call me. I'm going to take a nap."

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