Читать книгу End Game - Dale Brown - Страница 25

Sergeant Ibn came up to the bridge to report to Sattari while the tanker captain was talking to the Americans.

‘All our men are back. No losses. Mission accomplished,’ said the sergeant, his face as grim as ever.

‘The success of the mission is entirely yours,’ Sattari told him. ‘You trained everyone superbly – I for one benefited greatly from your drills.’

The sergeant turned beet red, then bent his head.

Had Sattari mistaken shyness for skepticism? No, he thought; Ibn – and most likely the others – were wary of an unproven commander whose experience was entirely in the cockpit. They must have felt, and with some justification, that he had only gotten his position because of his father, who still had some influence with the government. Or else they thought the entire scheme of equipping a special operations group with gear and machines any civilian – any rich civilian – could buy was preposterous.

They would not think so now.

Ibn remained at attention.

‘Relax, Sergeant,’ Sattari told him. ‘See to the men.’

‘Thank you, Captain.’

Was there more respect in his voice? Less doubt?

Perhaps. But more important, Sattari felt sure of himself. He had done it; he had succeeded. Tonight was only the start.

‘The Americans want us to go west,’ the tanker captain told him. ‘They say they have spotted some mines.’

Had he not been so tired, Sattari would have burst out laughing.

‘Comply. Make as much noise as you can.’

‘The decoy will begin chattering any moment now.’

‘That’s fine,’ said Sattari. ‘They will think the submarine launched it. Combined with the sonar they heard – they won’t be able to piece the different parts together.’

The ship’s commander was a short, sinewy man who had somehow managed to keep his face clear of wrinkles despite having spent his life at sea. He looked at Sattari as if he didn’t understand, and the commando leader felt compelled to explain further.

‘You see,’ Sattari said, ‘these Americans are clever people. They love puzzles, and they love to piece them together. In this case, the fact that the pieces don’t fit will confuse them. Their instincts will be to press ahead and attack. They will realize it’s a decoy soon enough, then they will look for the submarine in earnest.’

‘You speak of the Americans as if you know them very well,’ said the ship’s captain.

‘I speak from unfortunate experience.’