Skipping his translator, Volkov protested. “Da. Impossible.”
“The Hamza’s true demise is quite a different story than the public case study. Its commanding officer had armed it with nuclear weapons from China and had taken it rogue. He was going to take out an American aircraft carrier outside of Honolulu. Hundreds of thousands would have died.”
After the Russian translation, Volkov tested his English. “Why do that?”
“He was dying, and he reverted to a fundamental ideology in his terminal status.”
While Renard paused to let the Russian translator engage Volkov, Jake recalled how Olivia had scoured the dying man’s dossier to uncover his hidden motivation. It was the first and last time a psychologist’s acumen had helped him pursue a submerged adversary, but her advice had allowed him and Renard to predict the crazed captain’s location.
Cahill snorted. “I’m on a team of superheroes.”
Renard withdrew a Marlboro from his blazer and lighted it while a steward cleared plates. A second server placed a large bowl of dried fruits in the table’s center and lowered dessert plates beside each patron.
When the waiters left, Renard continued. “Lieutenant Commander Faisel Raja was the executive officer of the Hamza. According to Admiral Khan, whom I trust implicitly, only Raja and the commanding officer knew of the submarine’s true mission. But it’s doubtful that Lieutenant Colonel Raja knew of his brother’s culpability. The cover story that became submarine lore was fed to all but a select few, and I’d wager everything that Raja thought his brother was an innocent victim.”
Jake felt a modicum of guilt for the Pakistani deaths. Though ten years old, the memory occupied a spot within a large carousel of ghosts that rotated through his nightmares. “Raja’s brother deserved what he got, but that leaves a crew of thirty-six innocent men we killed.”
“We’ve killed hundreds of innocent men. This is our unavoidable fate.”
“I’m not defending Raja. I’m just saying I see why he could talk fifteen guys into joining him. Money — yeah. But money plus a chance to crush the guys who killed their innocent countrymen? No wonder they were motivated.”
“But that was forever ago, long before I even knew you blokes. How’d they know it was you? I mean us? We are a team now, after all, and this was an attack on all of us.”
“That’s the nastiest part. Someone told him the truth about the Hamza.”
Jake corrected his boss. “You mean a partial truth. The part about us sinking it, but not the part about his brother supporting the captain’s going rogue.”
“Indeed. And I can only assume the purpose was to fuel this mission against us. The sum of skills required to storm the Goliath is easy to find, but to gather a group of confidants for a private attack takes months, even years of recruiting. This took planning, and that leaves a puppet master unaccounted for.”
Jake questioned the gap. “I thought Raja was broken. Didn’t the interrogators get the puppet master’s name out of him?”
“He claims to have been contacted by an anonymous source, and I’ve been assured all appropriate techniques were used to compel him to give a name. He said he called his contact his ‘distant friend’ but never saw him in person.” Renard inhaled from his Marlboro and then blew smoke. “This is a lead for Olivia to follow, and I’ll trust her skill and hunger to uncover hidden truths. I am frustrated, though, that the number of enemies working against me continues to rise.”
“You mean working against us, mate.”
“Da. Against us.”
“Count me in, too, Pierre. You’ve known me long enough that I don’t have to say it. All three of your commanders are loyal.”
“I feel like King Arthur. You all honor me.”
The conversation became subdued while the patrons ate the dried fruits. Jake ate dates and figs, filling the gap left over from his incomplete devouring of meats.
While the servers brought coffee and tea, Renard lit a new cigarette. “I believe this news ends our ordeal. I suggest you all make travel plans tonight and that we meet for breakfast tomorrow. After that, we part ways and forget about each other for weeks.”
After finishing their beverages, the men stood and began to bid each other farewell. As Jake turned to say goodnight to Henri, he saw the Frenchman’s back. The mechanic faced Cahill, who extended his grip.
As Henri reached outward to accept the gesture, the Australian kicked the Frenchman’s hand.
“Damn it, Terry! You whore! Why would you do such a thing?”
The Goliath’s commander smiled broadly, and Jake could tell that his ace mechanic was surprised but not angry. The joviality between the formal loose acquaintances signaled a new foundation for a tighter team — a growing family.
“You offered me money back on the submarine if I could do that. And since you never specified a time limit, I want me hundred Euro.”
About the Author
After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1991, John Monteith served on a nuclear ballistic missile submarine and as a top-rated instructor of combat tactics at the U.S. Naval Submarine School. He now works as an engineer when not writing.
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ROGUE AVENGER (2005)
ROGUE BETRAYER (2007)
ROGUE CRUSADER (2010)
ROGUE DEFENDER (2013)
ROGUE ENFORCER (2014)
ROGUE FORTRESS (2015)
ROGUE GOLIATH (2015)
ROGUE HUNTER (2016)
ROGUE INVADER (2017)
ROGUE JUSTICE (2017)
ROGUE KINGDOM (2018)
PROPHECY OF ASHES (2018)
PROPHECY OF BLOOD (2018)
John Monteith recommends his talented colleagues:
Graham Brown, author of The Gods of War.
Jeff Edwards, author of Sword of Shiva.
Thomas Mays, author of A Sword into Darkness.
Kevin Miller, author of Raven One.
Ted Nulty, author of Gone Feral.