“Normally I’d agree with you. But intel reports this General Barre is moving up more troops to his headquarters in Mogadishu. We’re worried it could be more than a single NATFOR unit can handle, so I called in Delta Six. They’re due to land here by dawn. Captain Walker, would you take care of Lieutenant Talley, help him with anything he needs.”

  “If you want me to, Sir.”

  He nodded and turned back to his board. After a few seconds, it was obvious he’d forgotten they were even there.

  “Lieutenant Talley, perhaps we could find somewhere to get a coffee and have a chat?”

  So it’s ‘Lieutenant’ again.

  “Sure, wherever you think.”

  She nodded and led the way through the carrier’s labyrinth of passages, until the smell of fresh brewed coffee announced they’d arrived at a wardroom.

  “Sit down, I’ll fetch the coffee. How do you like it?”

  He was about to protest and say he’d get the coffees, but he saw her look and decided to back off the macho guy act.

  Besides, she killed men back in Somalia, so she’ll have no trouble fetching two cups of Java.

  “Black, no sugar.”

  She nodded and walked away. He sat at an empty table and looked around the room. It was half full, mainly with petty officers and several other junior officers. A lieutenant commander, engineering, was holding court in one corner, addressing three of his junior officers; probably in the unfathomable intricacies of the carrier’s propulsion unit. That was good news. Talley hoped the guy would give them a good drilling. Being in close proximity to nuclear power plants was inclined to make him cautious about his surroundings. He looked up as Caitlin came back with the coffee.

  “Thanks. Were you aware they were calling in a second NATFOR unit?”

  “It’s news to me. I’ll talk to the Colonel later, but he’s obviously uncovered new data about Barre, enough to make him worried. I’ll let you know what I find, but in any case, it’s a done deal. Are you recovered now?”

  “I’m sorry, what do you mean?”

  “You were like a bear who’d just been woken early from hibernation when I called to see you.”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. I was just, well, you know…”

  “It was a hard one, that mission. It must have been even harder on you, leading it.”

  Talley shrugged. “I’ve known worse, but I guess that’s something you wouldn’t have experience of.”

  “Yeah, that’s the kind of reply I‘d have expected from a macho, kickass Seal. I was passing your cabin when that sailor came out. He was worried about you.”

  He flared, angry that she had pried into his personal affairs. “Listen, you’d no right to interfere with…”

  “Oh, but I do have the right. I’m Colonel Hakim’s second-in-command, and he’d entrusted me to make certain that all aspects of the operation ran smoothly. And that includes the personnel. If you have a problem, we all have a problem, and I have to deal with it.”

  They stared at each other for long moments. It was something that could have gone either way. But suddenly Talley felt more miserable than he had for a long time, and he knew instinctively that the way he was handling her was all wrong. There was only one way for him to go.

  “I’m sorry, Caitlin. It’s just that I’ve been under a lot of pressure lately. You wouldn’t understand.”

  She softened. “Abe, I would understand, that’s where you’re wrong. Do you think I don’t realize the pressure that service people are under? I used to be married, and that went south more than a year ago.”

  “It did? I’m sorry to hear that.”

  Like hell.

  “Yeah, and I’ve no doubt it was for the same reason as your problems. Your wife wants a divorce?”

  “You know?”

  “Yes, I’m sorry. It came out in the background checks.”

  He nodded dumbly, and then something happened. The dam broke, and he told her everything; the wife, the kids, the house, losing it all, and the suspicions about Kay having a lover. She listened without interruption until he’d finished.

  “It’s always more difficult when there are kids involved. I didn’t have that problem.”

  “It hurts. It’s like a kick in the guts.”

  “But you’ll see them, you’re sure to have some kind of access to them when it’s all sorted.”

  He looked up. “You’re talking as if it’s already over.”

  She was silent. He read something in her eyes that he didn’t like.

  “What do you know that I don’t?”

  “Abe, I’m sorry. My job entails making extensive checks on all our personnel, especially the squad commanders. The whole NATFOR project is in its early days, and your unit is flying the flag, so to speak. There’s a lot riding on your success, and we had to make sure our people weren’t saddled with too many problems. The intel I have from San Diego suggested to me that your wife has already made the decision to move on. I believe she’s already filed for divorce. She’s…”

  She hesitated, and he tried to work out what she wasn’t telling him. But it wasn’t too difficult.

  “Who is he?”

  “I can’t name names, you understand. You’ll need to speak to her about that. But he’s a lieutenant commander at the US Navy Medical Center in San Diego. A naval psychologist, I believe. He has a shore based job, so he’s…”

  She stopped, but he knew what she meant to say.

  He’s there when she needs him.

  “It’s a pity that US naval ships are all dry.” He stood up. “I could do with a drink right now, or something. Look, thanks for the coffee, but I need to get back to my cabin. I’ll catch you later.”

  He walked away quickly, a hollow feeling in his guts, and managed to find his way back to his cabin. He threw himself onto his bunk and lay on his back. He wanted to be on his own to find solitude, yet strangely, he felt lonely. His mind had gone blank, numb.

  What the hell can I do about it? Nothing is the answer to that. It’s finished.

  As he lay there, he realized it was negative thinking. He had to face up to the here and now, not pine for what might have been. He felt a little better, but still, that strange feeling of loneliness wouldn’t go away.

  He heard a knock at the door.

  “Fuck off!”

  Lonely or not, he didn’t want to talk to anyone, not just now. Then he had second thoughts.

  Shit! That could be Admiral Alexander or Colonel Hakim. I’m sure heading straight toward Washout Lane; career, marriage, family, and home. The full works.

  Before he could get up, the door opened, and Caitlin Walker stepped inside the cabin, closing the door behind her. She stared at him intently.

  “You said you wanted a drink.”

  “Yeah, I did. But the Abraham Lincoln’s dry, like every other vessel in the Navy.”

  “That’s true. But you also said ‘or something’.”

  He laughed. “I know, but fat chance on board this tub.”

  “I’m the ‘or something’.”

  She started to unbutton her uniform, starting with the blouse, revealing her bra, supporting a neat, pert pair of tits. They jutted forwards, like the guns on a battleship.

  No, they’re too short for that kind of a comparison, too neat. Shorter, howitzers maybe.

  The bra came off, she unzipped the skirt, and it fell to the floor, revealing her embroidered white panties. She looked down at him.

  “Well? Are you going to cooperate, or do I have to give you the order to undress?”

  “Er, no, Ma’am. No, sorry.”

  With trembling fingers, he began to unfasten his borrowed uniform. Less than thirty seconds later, they were both naked.

  “I bolted the door, so we’re quite safe,” she murmured as he pulled her down on the bunk. She was magnificent. Her body trim and flat, skin smooth and pliable, almost like soft plastic. Her aroma overcame him; a mix of female musk and perspiration, with just a hint of soap. He reacted instantly.

  “My, my, you are an eager sailor,” she smiled. “Abe, let me do the work. You need this. Just relax and I’ll make it good for you, for both of us. Please, I want to do this.”

  “Sure,” he croaked.

  He was conscious of only two things; the girl sprawling over him in all her trim loveliness, and his hard penis that was touching her cool skin. She took it in her hand and caressed it. He almost passed out with the extraordinary waves of ecstasy that coursed through him, like powerful hurricane force waves breaking on a beach. And then she wriggled her hips into position and gently slid his penis inside her. He groaned.

  “Oh, God, Caitlin, this is incredible!”

  “Mm, it’s pretty damn good. They ought to put this in naval regulations, some kind of remedy for overstressed commanders.”

  “I’ll second that anytime. Oh, dear Christ, don’t stop, that’s…wow!”

  She was somehow moving her hips and sliding up and down the shaft of his penis, simultaneously. Then she bent down and started to lick his face.

  I ought to do something. I’m a guy, for Christ’s sake!

  But she pushed him back down.

  “This one’s on me. Believe me; I’m enjoying it, so long as you are too. Let’s keep going as we are.”

  “I’m not complaining.”

  He realized afterward that they’d fucked for a good half hour. Not bad for a Frog, or former Frog. He remembered he’d left the Seals behind. The sex with Caitlin had been an astounding experience, not least because it had been so unexpected. He relaxed, and they lay side by side on the narrow bunk, post-coitally content and happy. Finally, he turned his head to look at her.

  “What made that happen, Caitlin?”

  Her eyes opened, she’d been dozing. “My friends call me Cate, with a C.”

  “Yeah, Cate, what did a guy like me do to deserve that?”

  “Is that some kind of complaint?”

  He grinned. “I guess I’d call it more of a wish list.”

  She returned his smile. “You want the honest truth? I lusted after you from the first moment I saw you on that cliff top. You were glaring at me for daring to interfere with your training operation. For a while, I thought you were going to get all macho and start bawling me out. But you didn’t.”

  He remembered when she’d turned up and wrecked his training mission. He also remembered his anger at the way her noisy arrival had driven a Mac Truck through days of careful planning and strenuous effort. Wisely, he said nothing, and let her continue.

  “At first, I didn’t expect to be working so closely with you, but the way it worked out, well, we seem to have been thrown together.”

  “Yeah, literally, in bed.”

  She laughed. “That too. But no, I meant working together. It all seemed to happen so fast, but I’m not complaining.”

  They lay together, relaxed and happy, enjoying the post-coital bliss. She broke the silence suddenly.

  “What are you going to do about your family?”

  He shrugged. “What can I do? She’s made up her mind, got a replacement to fill the vacancy in her bed, a surrogate father for the kids. I’ll do my best to stay involved with James and Joshua. I suppose that’s about all I can do.”

  He wouldn’t normally want to talk to a third party about his personal affairs, his marriage, his children, but Cate was different. In such a short time, they’d shared so much between them, and now this. Besides, she knew most of it.

  “If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. I guess you’ll need legal advice, a lawyer, whether or not you decide to let the divorce to go through.”

  “It’ll go through, whether I allow it or not. I don’t know about legal advice, but if I need anything, I’ll let you know, thanks.”

  “That’s okay. I have contacts in the JAG, and they have colleagues who’ve left the service and gone into private practice, so they’ll know people who are good and willing to help our own.”

  “Thanks.”

  He woke up in the middle of the night and she’d gone. His bunk felt cold without her, without her soft warmth, and the aromatic fragrance of her body. He went back to sleep, dreaming of her and the unexpected sex they’d shared. He woke again while it was still dark, showered and dressed, and went looking for breakfast. Instead, he found Hakim, or more accurately, the Colonel found him.

  “Ah, Talley, I need you in the operations room. We have something of a situation.”

  When was there ever not a situation, a euphemism for a crisis? Crisis was the name of the game, their ‘raison d’etre’. He followed Hakim, making a mental note to grab some breakfast the second he had a chance. Talley had a strong suspicion it was going to be a long day. They walked into the room, and immediately, he saw a number of men in Multicam kit getting to their feet. Delta Six had arrived, at least, some of them. He made a swift count and found there were only twelve men. NATFOR units were intended to operate with a minimum strength of twenty. Hakim hurried to introduce them.

  “Gentlemen, this is Lieutenant Abe Talley, commander of Echo Six. Lieutenant, may I introduce Delta Six.” He smiled. “Most of these men are Germans, but they all speak good English.”

  A couple of them nodded a greeting.

  Talley looked at the Colonel, puzzled. “Where are the rest? According to my calculations, there should be at least twenty men here.”

  Hakim nodded. “You’re right. Until yesterday, there were twenty. The other eight, including the commander, Lieutenant Robert Newley, were involved in a training accident. It should have been a straightforward abseil from a helo, but there was a mechanical failure.”

  Feeling a sense of déjà vu, Talley asked, “Was it an Osprey, a V22?”

  “Yes, it was, I’m afraid.”

  “So they’re all dead?”

  “Yes, all eight men, as well as the pilot and crew.”

  “Those damned aircraft. They shouldn’t be cleared to fly.”

  “That’s not what the Pentagon thinks. Besides, they’ve completed thousands of hours in operations, and we have to expect some failures from mechanical breakdown.”

  “Tell that to those Delta Six guys, Colonel. Remember, you nearly lost your own life when our Osprey crash-landed on the way in.”

  “I haven’t forgotten,” he replied drily. “Thanks to Captain Walker, we lived to tell the tale.”

  “Who’s talking about me?”

  Talley gave her a smile of welcome.

  “The Colonel was recalling your landing in the Osprey.”

  “Yes, that was a bit hairy. This is Delta Six?”

  “What’s left of them; another Osprey crash, took out eight of the squad, including the commander.”

  “He wasn’t the best guy for the job, but he was all we had,” a voice said bitterly.

  The trooper that spoke seared a mean look at them. NATFOR allowed the teams to grow beards, and this man wore a straggling, bushy growth on his chin. A closer inspection made the reason obvious. He had a deep scar running from his neck diagonally across his chin. It looked like a street fighting wound, not something acquired in combat. He introduced himself. “I’m Sergeant Gerd Fischer, in temporary command of Delta Six until they fly someone else in.” He smiled coldly. “I did my time in Kommando Spezialkräfte before I joined up as did most of my boys, so you can be sure we’ll give these black bastards a good beating.”

  Talley didn’t reply for a moment. The arrogant German obviously shared his racial views with his Nazi predecessors, and with Brenner. Fischer was of average height, but with a huge, muscled body that he’d obviously worked hard to achieve. Apart from his beard, he had no hair on his head. It was close shaved, like a billiard ball. Added to his sallow, leathery skin, and broad, broken nose underneath intense, coal-black eyes, he looked what he clearly was; a bigoted, racist bully. Talley finally nodded.

  “I’m sure you will, Sergeant.”

  The rest of Talley’s squad came into the operations room and swapped greetings with their counterparts in Delta Six.

  Hakim coughed for them to listen. “Gentlemen, your attention. Before we start the briefing, you’ve met Delta Six, sadly depleted after their tragic helo accident. I’ve decided to balance the two squads, so I’m transferring two men from Echo Six to Delta Six, one of whom will be an officer who will take over command. I need a couple of volunteers.”

  “I will lead Delta Six,” a voice said from the back. A voice Talley knew well. Lieutenant Michel Dubois, the Frenchman.

  “I’ll go with him,” Karl Brenner called out in his harsh tones.

  Of course, Brenner would be happy to join a unit comprised mainly of Germans, especially with the racist views of the Sergeant. And perhaps Dubois will find an outlet for his natural sadism and violence.

  “Very well, I agree,” Hakim said, with some relief. Transferring men from tightly knit elite units was no easy matter, and this had gone easier than expected. “Let’s look at the maps on the briefing board and go over the mission. It’s planned for this evening. You’ll be taken a kilometer off the beach to swim in the rest of the way. When you hit the beach, you need to climb a high chalk cliff so that you can come in behind them. It’s the only place where they won’t be expecting you. Barre’s headquarters, which is also his home, is here on the outskirts of Mogadishu, about a kilometer from where you land. The area is called Dagmeada Shangeani. His compound is a fortified palace, ringed by high walls and barbed wire. It’s well protected and guarded day and night by heavy patrols. This won’t be easy.”

  Talley noticed that Dubois and Brenner had already walked over to join their new unit, mostly comprised of their European compatriots. They were chatting quietly to the new arrivals, clearly kindred spirits. It resolved a problem for Talley, too, both men were a potential flashpoint, their voluntarily joining Delta Six was the best possible solution. So far, except that Sergeant Gerd Fischer made him feel uncomfortable.

  How will the rest of Delta Six fight when it comes to real action? Brutality has its place in the heat of a fight, and added to a degree of skill, it can win battles. But when the shooting stops, something more is needed; the skills of diplomacy, winning hearts and minds. Gunning down innocent civilians is not going to achieve a lasting solution to any problem, and it’ll breed even more enemies.