“Here this is yours.” He took it frowning and opened it.
“What? No. A promotion. Commander?”
“It is, you deserve it. The CNO’s signed it. Commander Sayers.” Nathan saluted.”
“Wow, I didn’t expect this.” Nathan pointed to the case. “There’s more.” Larry picked the next envelope and opened it.
“You’re shitting me.”
It was a posting to Groton, Connecticut. Naval Submarine school for the Prospective Commanding Officer course.
“There you go Larry. Pass that and you’ll get your own boat.”
“Wow. Shit wow.”
“You start soon. Report to your training section and you’ll be given all your details. It’s hard Larry, I didn’t think I’d make it at times. But I know you can do it, just don’t give up. Give em a bit of the Chicago boy. You’ll be ok.”
“This is unbelievable. Sir what will you do for an XO?”
“I have a guy in mind Larry. Lot’s of experience, a seasoned vet.”
“He’ll need to be, putting up with you Nathan.” Nathan laughed.
“Got your eye on a boat?” He grinned.
“I have to pass first sir.”
“Yeah, but assuming you do? You know what she is? You’re stood on her. The CNO tells me this boat’s yours if you reach the standard. Pass and you’ll be ready before she is. She has a name. Although you can ask for a change, it’s sometimes granted.
She’s going to be USS Fallujah, named after the battle in Iraq. Go on Larry, kiss her hull, make her yours. I did with mine.” He walked over and kissed her hull, he turned with a huge grin. “What a day. Thanks Nathan. Thanks.”
SHE PICKED UP THE PHONE, “Nikki here.”
“I’m in town.”
“Nathan.”
“I’m at the Bearfoot tavern on 2nd street, you know it?”
“Yeah I do, I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
Nikki walked into the bar restaurant and sat.
“I didn’t expect you here.”
“I ordered wings, honey mustard, that ok?”
“Yes,”
Nathan handed her a letter. She opened it.
“Me? Me? A Lieutenant Commander? You’ve got to be shitting me?” He grinned.
“Yep, the CNO signed it.”
“Wow.”
“You have a choice of postings. Take your pick. But before you do. Larry’s on the sub Commanders course at Groton and I need an Executive Officer.” He paused, then his eyes glinted. “The job’s yours,” she beamed.
“Let me think about that one sir. I’ll need a couple of nano seconds. Yes, yes sir. I accept the offer.” She stood, came around the table and hugged him. “Thanks.”
“Thanks Nikki. USS Stonewall Jackson has a new XO. She’ll be a proud boat when I tell her.”
MAY LEFT THE PORT AND stayed the night in a very good hotel. Tomorrow she’d fly to Shanghai and then Thai airlines to Bangkok. She left the hotel after breakfast and waited for her taxi. A dark limousine drew up. The door opened, a man looking like Military stood and beckoned her inside. She knew it wasn’t an option. She got in and sat.
“Hello, Tang Li.” It was Ling Shimming of the MSS. “Let me show you something.”
He inserted a DVD disk into a player, the large screen came to life.
It showed her in Shimming’s office complete with sound. At the range in building 14, with Dr Blast selecting a gun. Being issued with her MSS card and credit card. Close ups of the cards were shown. There was audio of her call from the market mall. The MSS team storming and shooting the men chasing her. Her conversation with Deputy Long without sound. At the end was her climbing into the limo and sat with Ling Shimming. He stopped the disk and removed it.
“May Hsin, you have two choices, refuse my request or accept it.
Refuse and this disk along with DNA evidence, from certain places, will be passed to our colleagues at the NSB.
It will be difficult to explain.” He smiled like a hungry shark.
“Accept and things will be easier. The disk will stay in my safe. I know you are a patriotic woman from Taiwan and will never betray your country.
I’d find it very useful at times to have available a real life NSB Officer.
I promise you this, I’ll never ask you to compromise Taiwan in anyway. You will have complete freedom to refuse any assignment I ask of you. You will remain an NSB Officer. You will retain your position in Gothic Panda MSS. Payment will be by deposit in a South Korean Bank. Any payment traced will appear to be from a South Korean source.
I will ensure that the ROC government will not be subject to compromise by the MSS. You know I wish one day that Taiwan will return to the PRC. I won’t pretend otherwise.
But I will give the ROC the benefit of the doubt if I can. You can take this disk if you wish and show it to the NSB and talk your way out of it. Good luck with that.
Or you can accept, only I will know of you. Your code name will be Water wheel.
Over to you May. Decide now.
She thought about it long and hard. For long minutes. There where pros and cons. She had ways of taking out her own insurance, he mustn’t know about that.
“I accept Ling. I’ll be your Water wheel.”
“A wise move May. We’ll be in contact if we need to, goodbye.” She got out of the Limo and into a waiting taxi. May sighed. She knew she was in at the deep end either way.
Let the Tiger help me. It owes me one.