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Dr. Halsey stepped aside. “Chief Mendez?”
Mendez exhaled and unclasped his hands. He strode to the podium and cleared his throat. “Thisoperation will be different from your previous missions. You will be engaging the enemy using liverounds and lethal force. They will be returning the favor. If there is any doubt, any confusion—andmake no mistake: in combat, there will be confusion—takeno chances. Kill first, ask questions later.
“Support on this mission will be limited to the resources and firepower of this destroyer,” Mendezcontinued. “This is to minimize the chance of a leak in the command structure.”
Mendez walked to the star map. The face of Colonel Watts snapped off and blueprints for a Parabola-class freighter appeared.
“Although we don’t know the location of the rebel base, we believe they receive periodic shipmentsfrom Eridanus Two. The independent freighterLaden is due to leave space dock in six hours for a routinerecertification of her engines. She is being loaded with enough food and water to supply a small city.Additionally, her captain has been identified as a rebel officer thought to have been killed during
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Operation: TREBUCHET.
“You will slip aboard this freighter and hopefully hitch a ride to the rebel base. Once there, infiltrate theinstallation, grab Watts, and get off of that rock any way you can.”
Chief Mendez gazed at them all. “Questions?”
“Sir,” John said. “What are our extraction options?”
“You have two options: a panic button that will relay a distress signal to a preestablished listening ship.Also, thePioneer will stay on-station . . . briefly. Our window here is thirteen hours.” He tapped the starmap on the edge of the asteroid belt and it glowed with a blue Nav marker. “I’ll leave the extractionchoice up to you. But let me point out that this asteroid belt has a circumference of more than a billionkilometers . . . making it impossible to canvass with ONI surveillance craft. If things get hot, you will beon your own.
“Any other questions?”
The Spartans sat, silent and immobile.
“No? Well, listen up, Recruits,” Mendez added. “This time I’ve told you all the twists that I know of. Beprepared for anything.” His gaze fixed on John. “Squad Leader, you are hereby promoted to the rank ofPetty Officer Third Class.”
“Sir!” John snapped to attention.
“Assemble your team and equipment. Be ready to muster at 0300. We’ll drop you off at the EridanusTwo docks. You’re on your own from there.”
“Yes, sir!” John said.
Mendez saluted. He and Dr. Halsey then left the room.
John turned to face his teammates. The other Spartans stood at attention. Thirty-three—too many for thisoperation. He needed a small team: five or six maximum.
“Sam, Kelly, Linda, and Fred, meet me in the weapons locker in ten minutes.” The other Spartans sighedand their gazed dropped to the deck. “The rest of you fall out. You’ll have the more difficult part of thismission: You’ll have to wait here.”