Hakim sighed. “Lieutenant, for every soldier that falls, he has ten more, a hundred more, lining up to take their place. These people are born into squalor and poverty. The warlords offer their only chance of relief, of any real wealth for them and their families. And the pirates too, of course, but they’re becoming one and the same thing.”

  “We also hurt those pirates pretty bad, Sir. That must count for something.”

  Hakim nodded. “That’s true, and the hostages are safe. It’s a big plus. However, General Barre and the other principals will recruit more people. There’ll be more men to pirate merchant vessels, and more soldiers to support his terrorist activities inside and outside Somalia; more hostages taken prisoner. Barre was the one we needed. Without him, it’ll all come back with a vengeance. Before the month is out, he’ll have made up his losses.”

  “That’s why we have to go back in and finish the job. And there’s also Delta Six. We have to get them out.”

  “Haven’t we lost enough men, Lieutenant?”

  “That’s just my point, Sir. We can’t abandon Delta Six. Those men have to come home.”

  Hakim looked thoughtful. “I’ll take a look at this laptop. It’ll be encrypted, I’ve no doubt, but this ship has an intel section that should be able to help, and if all else fails, I can upload the data to DC. NSA will be able to read anything I throw at them. Take a break, Talley. Clean up and get some sleep. Report back here at 2000 hours, and we’ll talk some more. Cate, would you come with me to the operations room. I need your help.”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  “And Talley. It might not be possible to mount a rescue operation. You may just have to accept that.”

  “Sir, I made a promise to those men.”

  “Yes, I’m sure you did. But it may have been a promise you can’t keep.”

  Talley switched off the shower, feeling little better. He was tired and dejected. Everything he’d trained for, everything he’d aimed for, had hit a brick wall. He’d transferred from the Navy Seals to what seemed like a thrilling new career in an international unit, a unit that could go anywhere, could hit the enemy whoever and wherever they were. But with the failure of the incursion into Mogadishu, that career had almost certainly hit the buffers.

  What next? Maybe the Navy will take me back, but I might wind up teaching the BUD/S course at Coronado. No that would be too much like failure, going back and watching other guys leave for missions overseas, while I stay on the beach. And my marriage to Kay, that’s over. She’s decided to kick me out of her life and set up with some naval medic, probably a rich Ivy League puke marking time before he ends his commission and begins a lucrative career in private medicine. And where Kay goes, so do my kids.

  He was enough of a traditionalist to accept that children belonged with their mother. Even so, it was a tough and bitter pill to swallow. He briefly considered cashing in everything, leaving it all and buying a charter boat on some remote Pacific island. It sounded good, but he doubted the reality would be the same.

  So what am I left with? Damn all! Shit, shit, shit! I’m a total fuck up!

  He lay down on his bunk, but he couldn’t sleep. He’d left men back there in Mogadishu, and no matter what the brass said; he wouldn’t rest until he got them out, even if he had to steal a boat and go back there himself. Finally, he fell into a restless sleep. It was a nightmare.

  He heard the screams as Barre tortured his captives. But it wasn’t the men of Delta Six. Instead, he could hear Kay screaming that the General was torturing his boys, James and Joshua. He was inside the compound, trying to find his way through a thick mist that had descended to cover everything with a clammy, gray blanket. The fog swirled and he sighted Barre. The Somali General had a huge pistol in his hand, and he was dragging Kay away. Except it wasn’t Kay, it was Cate. He ran toward them, but Barre turned and laughed at him with huge white teeth, like model tombstones. Then he descended into a hole in the ground, dragging Cate after him. Or was it Kay?

  He awoke covered in sweat and had a feeling of dread in his guts. And he knew that until he went back and finished what he’d started, his life was on hold. His feelings of self worth, self esteem, and pride in what he’d trained to do; his fighting skills that were so prized, superior to those of most military men, would be on the shelf as it were. No matter what happened to him, no matter who turned their back on him, it had to be done. There was no other door to step through, other than the one that led him back to Mogadishu. He’d made a promise, and at the time, he wasn’t sure how he’d manage to keep it. But he knew he would keep it, one way or the other, or die in the attempt. There was no third option. He climbed out of his bunk, pulled on his uniform, splashed water over his face, and wrenched the door open. It was time to confront Hakim, time to clear up any misunderstandings. He was going back.

  As he threw open the door, he bumped into Cate. She had her hand raised ready to knock, and she took a step back.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”

  “It’s okay, I’ll live,” she grinned. “Hakim wants to see you in the operations room.”

  “Yeah, I want to see him too.”

  She shot him a worried look. “Change of plans?”

  “No. I’m going back. I’m going to get those men out. And I’ll kill Barre.”

  She nodded, unsurprised. “I kind of assumed you would.”

  “You did?”

  She chuckled. “Sure. You’re not the kind of guy to let someone push your face in the dirt. I reckon you feel you have a score to settle with Barre.”

  “It’s not just that,” he pointed out as they threaded their way through the long, gray pipe-filled passages of the carrier. “Our own people are in there. We have to get them out.”

  “I know that. You don’t know when to throw in the towel, do you, Abe?”

  He was astonished. “You think I should throw in the towel, just give up?”

  She was laughing at him. “Not at all, I think you’re an honorable man who keeps his promises. But it’s not what I think that matters. I feel I know you after only a short time. And when your mind is made up, anyone who stands in your way should take care. And that includes General Barre.”

  He smiled. “I see you’ve got me all worked out. What about Hakim?”

  “Wait and see what he has to say. Maybe he’ll come around to your way of thinking.”

  “You think he might?”

  “Just wait. Talk to him.”

  They’d reached the operations room. They walked in and saw Hakim studying a huge map of North Africa pinned to the board. He looked up.

  “Ah, Talley, you know what we have here?”

  “A map of Africa, Sir?”

  “Indeed, more than that. It’s a map of Barre’s operations. Thanks to the information in that laptop you brought back, we now know more about what he’s up to, and who his partner is.”

  “His partner?”

  “Yes. A certain Jamal Osman.”

  “Do you know where to find him, Sir?”

  “Oh, yes. He’s the UNHCR Commissioner for Somalia, The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and one of our political masters.”

  Hakim smiled at Talley’s reaction. “It is something of a shock, but not a complete surprise. These pirates have had it their own way for too long. Osman is playing a double game, taking gold from Barre in exchange for useful information. And he is able to operate under the umbrella of the UNHCR. He has an office here in Mogadishu, diplomatic status. It’s a cozy set up.”

  “What do you intend to do about it?”

  “Do?” Hakim’s eyes were flashing with fiery enthusiasm. “This is exactly the problem NATFOR was set up to deal with, a multi-national problem which would normally require UN approval for action. Our charter allows us to take action. I want you to go in and deal with Jamal Osman.”

  “Deal with him?”

  “Kill him, Talley. Do I have to spell it out?”

  In a matter of minutes, the game had changed. He realized he was being handed a last chance to turn the mission around. But this time, things would be different.

  “I understand, Sir. In that case I need reliable air support on this one, no half measures or political maybes. They cover us all the way in, over the location, and all the way out.”

  “Done, but you had air support last time, as I recall. What’s going to be different?”

  “This time I want them to be much closer to us, right down there, amongst the action. It’s the only way we can be sure of getting on equal terms with Barre.”

  “What about stealth? I thought that was your specialty.”

  “Barre is fully alerted to our presence, Colonel, so a stealth approach is screwed. We will go in quietly, but there’s no chance of completing the mission without him becoming aware of us being there. This time, I want to be able to call in a flight of FA-18s if necessary, something that can hurt them badly.”

  “I can arrange that. We also have a Marine squadron of Cobra gunships on the carrier. I’ll make a request for them to be made available to you. I have full NATO approval for any resources necessary, within reason, of course.” He smiled gently. “The game has changed, now that we know about Osman. The United Nations are not happy, not happy at all, that one of their senior officials has been double-crossing them. NATFOR is empowered to do whatever is necessary to take him out of the picture. Naturally, they’re not advocating a terminal solution. Not officially.”

  His smile was meaningful.

  “And unofficially?”

  “They’ve requested we take ‘extreme measures’. It’s our decision.”

  “I understand, Sir. We’re running out of time.” He checked the clock on the wall. “It’s almost 1730 hours. We’ll need to go in tonight, and I suggest we launch the operation as soon as it’s dark. I doubt Delta Six can last much longer. Barre is certain to be subjecting them to torture. That’s about 2130. It doesn’t give us much time.”

  “We’re in your hands, Talley. Tell me what you need. First, how will you infiltrate? Another beach landing could be a problem.”

  “Agreed. No, we’ll use the remaining Osprey. Its service ceiling is 25,000 feet. It’s a noisy bird, and they’ll probably hear us coming, but I’ll direct the pilot to continue on a course across the country, so they won’t suspect it’s dropping parachutists. We’ll HAHO drop from ten kilometers out to the west of Mogadishu and glide in to the target. And I mean right inside.”

  “Barre’s HQ?”

  “Not this time. We’ll take this Osman character first, and we’ll land in his backyard. My guess is he’ll prove to be a valuable source of intelligence. With any luck, he’ll be able to give us the back door into Barre’s headquarters.”

  “I like the sound of that, Talley. So you’ll go for Osman and take Barre second. I’ll make sure those aircraft are ready for you. Will you want UAVs as well?”

  Talley shook his head. “Not this time. I need the flexibility and precision of the manned aircraft.”

  “And exfiltration?”

  “We’ll have to play it by ear. Mogadishu can be a graveyard to helos, as we found out to our cost. There’re too many RPGs in that city for slow moving, low flying aircraft. I’d like them standing by, but my guess is we’ll want to be taken off by sea. Besides, we’ll have the survivors from Delta Six with us, and that could mean a lot of helos in the air with half the population of Mogadishu firing off RPGs. We’ll go out by sea. The beach is heavily mined, but we can make our way to the port and go out from the docks.”

  Hakim nodded and made some notes on a pad. “That sounds good enough. Bear in mind you may encounter local police when you get to the docks.”

  “Yeah, I guess. They’ll encounter the F/A-18s and the Cobras.”

  “Point taken. I’ll start making the arrangements. Are you sure about using the Osprey to go in? I mean, not everyone shares your confidence in them.”

  They both turned as Cate Walker entered the operations room.

  “What was that about the Osprey?”

  “Lieutenant Talley intends to infiltrate Echo Six back into Mogadishu using a HAHO drop from a V22.”

  “It’s the best aircraft for that kind of job. High flying, long range, and she carries a heavy load.”

  “Perhaps you’re right. I certainly hope so,” he murmured. “Talley will fill you in on the details. We’re about finished. I suggest we meet back here at 2000, Lieutenant. That’ll give you time to brief your men and prepare your equipment.” He moved closer to Talley, who assumed the Colonel meant to shake his hand. He held out his arm, and this time Hakim gripped it, staring at the younger man’s eyes. “I know how hard this has been, but believe me, if Echo Six pulls this one off against the odds, it’ll count as a huge success against piracy and terrorism. Make no mistake, what started as an important operation has achieved a global dimension. If you pull it off, the reputation and standing of NATFOR will be restored.”

  “We’ll do our best, Sir.”

  Chapter Eight

  The atmosphere on the flight deck was tense as they waited to board the Osprey. All jokes about the controversial aircraft were on hold as they prepared for the coming fight. Fifty meters away, four Cobra gunships were standing ready on the flight deck, ready to take off. At the other end of the carrier, a pair of F/A 18 Super Hornets was also ready and waiting, fuelled up and armed, their crews standing close by in their flight kit. Everyone stiffened to attention as Rear Admiral Alexander strode up to them. He nodded at Hakim and stared at Talley.

  “Listen to me, Lieutenant Talley. Don’t screw this one up, you hear? These are my men and aircraft you’re playing with here, not some NATO Mickey Mouse outfit. And those Delta Six boys need you to get them out. See to it. If not, you’ll answer to me. When I was in command at NATFOR, I cut you a lot of slack, but there are thousands of lives at stake on this ship, and there’s not room for screw-ups.”

  Talley nodded. Admiral Alexander sure is a changed man since he took over command of the carrier.

  Hakim stepped forward, his face beginning to redden. “No, Admiral, that’s not the way it works! The orders for this operation come directly from NATO, and they were issued with the authority of the President of the United States. Unless things have changed, I believe he’s your senior officer. All you’re required to do is obey your orders, nothing more. That means make sure those aircraft are in the right place at the right time. Is that clear, Sir?”

  Alexander stared at him for a few seconds. It was obvious to them all that he’d have liked to have said a great deal more, but Hakim had trumped his authority by reminding him of the President’s role. He muttered, “Don’t fuck up, and don’t mess with my planes.” Abruptly, he turned on his heel and left.

  They watched him stalk away to the island. Hakim smiled at Talley.

  “Don’t worry about him. He has a lot of responsibility running a nuclear carrier.”

  “I’m not worried about him. He won’t be shooting at us. Colonel, it’s time to leave.”

  “Good luck, all of you. Cate will maintain communications with my operations room, so take care of her. I’m growing rather fond of her. She’s a good officer.”

  Yeah, I’m pretty fond of her too.

  “I will, Sir.”

  They shook hands and marched up the ramp into the dark cabin of the Osprey. They sat in the canvas pull-down seats and strapped in as the engines started to spool up. Cate sat next to him, wearing full camo kit like the rest of them, with an armored vest, Gallet half-helmet and the cumbersome parachutes; the main parachute strapped to her back and the smaller reserve pack to her front. Together with her webbing, weapons and equipment bag, he was once more reminded of a child playing at being a soldier. Except that this was no game. The engine noise increased to a roar, the ramp began to rise, and the Osprey lifted off the deck of the carrier. When it had gained height, the pilot increased speed and began to rotate the nacelles into winged flight mode. They were on the way. The cabin floor remained at a steep angle as the pilot continued to gain height. They’d agreed to make the jump from the maximum ceiling of 25,000 feet in order to avoid alerting the Somalis.

  “How many jumps have you made?” he shouted to Cate above the racket. “I mean, HAHO jumps, like this one.”

  She grinned. “None, I completed the free-fall parachutist’s course, but I’ve never done one of these.” She saw him looking at her aghast. “Don’t worry, the principles are the same.”

  He shook his head. “It’s not quite the same, so stay close to me when we jump and follow me down. Do what I do, and go where I go.”

  “Is this some kind of a macho thing, Abe? You still think I’m some kind of vulnerable female?”

  “It’s some kind of a keeping you alive thing. Believe me, there’s a world of difference between free-fall and HAHO.”

  “Okay, I’ll follow you down. Satisfied?”

  “Yes. It’s going to be a tight landing. Any mistakes and you could drop into the center of some warlord’s dinner party. I mean it. Stay closed up to me, right until we land.”

  “Yes, Sir!” she grinned. “Seriously, I will stay close, so don’t worry about me.”

  The men began their endless round of equipment checks, weapons, GPS, electronics, packs, and then their parachutes. The Osprey was fast, and almost as they finished, a crewman came into the cabin and spoke to Talley.

  “Skipper says we’ll be at the drop point in five minutes.”

  “Copy that.”

  The man went forward and began to lower the ramp. He connected up his safety line and switched on the red light. Although they were over Africa, the air temperature at 25,000 feet was icy cold. Talley was glad of his camo kit, helmet, and heavy vest. He’d start to sweat when they got on the ground; they all would. That was Africa, but a slight discomfort was little to sacrifice to stay alive and remain almost invisible to the enemy.

  “Two minutes.”

  “Stand up! Move to the ramp.”

  They bunched around the ramp, ready to jump. As he pulled down his goggles, he could see Cate’s face, pale and intense with concentration.