Balance of Power: A Novel by James W. Huston Read Free Book Online

don’t get it. Unless they’re rendezvousing with some other ship. But who? Some combat ship from some navy? Whose? We know where every combatant is in the Pacific, and there isn’t one that can even be a factor—at least not before we get there.”
    Armstrong stared at the chart. “If we have to go now, there’s only one way we could do it.” He looked at the captain. “Are the 53s up?”
    The captain nodded.
    “We’ll have to take the whole det. I can’t take one squad onto a ship with twenty or thirty terrorists and…” He looked at Lawson. “How many ship’s company on the Pacific Flyer ?”
    “Twenty-six.”
    “Thirty terrorists and twenty-six hostages?” Armstrong shook his head. “Shit! Who wants us to go so soon? We aren’t even giving ’em a chance to play their hand.” He paused. “This should be a job for USSOCOM,” he said, frowning and fighting against the urge to say something he would regret. He knew the Special Operations Command was not only the right command to run such an operation, it would be salivating to get the chance. “This is their op!”
    Lawson hesitated. “I think Washington has some info we don’t have.”
    “Like what?”
    “I’m not sure. I’m trying to read between the lines in the messages I’ve read. Maybe they’ve intercepted something. Something that makes them either think, or know, that these boys aren’t going to be around for very long. Like maybe this isn’t the usual hostage deal. Maybe the terrorists have something else in mind.”
    “Like what ?”
    “I don’t know. All I know is we’ve got to go, and they say so.”
    “ Who says so?”
    “National Command Authority.”
    “Roger that,” Armstrong said, immediately recognizing the brick wall that had just been erected in front of him. “And what exactly are our orders?”
    “Hostage rescue. No casualties.”
    “Jump in the ocean, but don’t get wet.” He thought some more. His arms flexed involuntarily against his taut sleeves as he considered the details of the mission forming in his head. “We’ll have to go right at them. I sure can’t promise no casualties. That’s up to them.” He looked at Lawson and Cooper. “Agree?”
    They nodded.
    “They didn’t ask us to guarantee no casualties, did they?”
    “No, they just said no casualties,” Cooper echoed, getting uncomfortable.
    “Well shit, sir, excuse my French. What the hell does that mean? Are we supposed to go unarmed?”
    “I don’t think so. I expect it means to minimize casualties. I’m sure they expect you to be able to defend yourselves….”
    Armstrong stood up straight and shook his head. “It doesn’t work like that. We’re not going there to chat—we’re going there to get the Americans off the ship. If they won’t let them go, we whack them. Simple as that. Is that what I am authorized to do or not?”
    “I don’t know really,” Cooper said softly, frustrated. “I can’t give you any guidance….”
    “Maybe we should ask for clarification—”
    Cooper interrupted. “No time.” He looked at his watch. “You’ve got to get going now.”
    “This is a shit sandwich.”
    “Do the best you can.”
    Armstrong stared at him coolly. He wasn’t angry at Captain Cooper; he was angry about the orders he had received. “I’ll bet Lieutenant Commander Becker would push back at these orders.” Becker was the Naval Special Warfare Task Unit commander in charge not only of the SEAL platoon, but also the RHIB Det (Rigid Hull, Inflatable Boat Detachment) and the MCT, the Mobile Communication Team. But Becker had flown ahead to Thailand for the upcoming Cobra Gold exercise.
    “Maybe. But he’s not here. This one’s on your shoulders.”

    Washington clicked on the microphone on the bridge of the Pacific Flyer . He listened for the sound. He blew into it until he heard his breath on the ship’s loudspeakers. He began to speak in his native language in a way that made it clear he was giving orders to