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“We’ve detected ato fire”

SEVENTEEN

Juan glanced at the radar projected on the wraparound screen of the Oregon’s op center The high-definition flat-panel display could show a one-hundred-eighty-degree view of the ship’s surroundings from any of thetoward the sea and the still s waterpark behind it in the distance However, he wastoward them They were forty miles out, but the AMRAAM air to air e of sixty e, it would take less than a minute for afast

“Hail theain,” he said to Hali Kasim, who had his eyes closed as he concentrated on whatever he was hearing over his headset

“I’ll try, Chairman”

Although the ship had a bridge at the top of her superstructure like any other cargo carrier would, the Oregon’s was merely for show The real heart of the vessel was the op center buried deep in the middle of the arn, with the captain’s chair at the center of a semicircle of workstations and the entrance at the roo and se of a futuristic starship Except for a few dedicated switches and buttons for use in e one in the arm of Juan’s chair, which allowed hi was controlled by computer, and the purpose of this shakedown cruise had been to test out their syste the Bali operation

Hali shook his head in frustration “The fighter pilots won’t respond”

“Then tell Lang that the Indonesians are about to shoot down a plane with the faston Overholt IV, the Corporation’s CIA liaison, had given the the situation Their best bet to stop an attack was Overholt’s backchannel connections to the Indonesian government

“Aye, Chairman,” Hali said

“Stoney,” Juan said to Eric Stone, as seated at the helm, “all stop”

“All stop, aye,” Eric said Like the previous Oregon, the new ship was equipped with an advanced netohydrodyna ship to speeds nor nozzles on was powered by stripping free electrons froe

Juan turned to Max Hanley at the engineering station

“If those fighters fire their ive Go yet?”

The dual Gatling guns that had performed so well to destroy the Dahar’s lifeboat had since developed a proble to diagnose There were three of the weapons systeon, two in the crane towers, plus another hidden on the stern

Max shook his head, even more frustrated than Hali had been