respond to this situation in the way we are, we shouldn’t forget other pressing issues. Korea, or example. I understand that there has been a spike in terrorist communications warning of a new attack on the south? Cat?’
Catalina dos Santos was the Director of National Intelligence – like the president, the first female to hold the position – and was the immediate replacement for the notorious – and still missing – US traitor, Charles Hansard. It was a tough role to take on after the scandal left by her predecessor, but the general consensus was that dos Santos was doing a pretty good job so far.
As she started to give a breakdown on what was known about the situation in South Korea, Jeb Richards looked across the table and nodded his head imperceptibly towards Mason in a gesture of thanks.
Even though Mason had been subtle, Richards recognized the fact that the Secretary of State had supported him.
So, Clark Mason thought that it might be dangerous to concentrate too much on the hijacking incident too. Interesting.
As the meeting wore on, Richards considered the fact that he might have an ally in Clark Mason. And there weren’t too many better allies to have than the Sec State, a man of enormous power and influence, backed up by huge personal wealth.
And – seeing the potential opportunities – Richards wasted no time in starting to make his plans.
The cold hard stare was enough to seriously unsettle Major Ho Sang-ok; he had used it enough times himself, and knew what it meant.
It meant his career – if not his life – was over.
‘My dear friend,’ Lieutenant General U Chun-su began gently, ‘would you be so kind as to update me on the current situation?’
Ho cleared his throat. ‘As you know, demands have been made by the pirates directly to the Tsing Tao Shipping Line, in the order of a fifty million US dollar ransom. The Chinese government has vetoed the paying of this ransom, and President Abrams was also clear that there would not be a payout. The intelligence services and military of both China and the US have been working overtime to locate the vessel, presumably with the intention of retaking it by force.’
‘The cargo?’ U asked, eyes narrowed.
‘We believe that the most likely scenario is that the pirates will sell the cargo off to cover their costs and raise some capital. We’ve got agents in the area right now, trying to find out any information about who’s selling what to whom.’
‘My friend, this does not fill me with confidence. What is the status of our own cargo?’ The façade slipped suddenly, and U’s hand crashed down onto his desktop. ‘Do you have any fucking idea where our cargo is, you fucking incompetent? Do you realize what’s riding on this?’
Ho kept his gaze level, standing rigidly to attention. ‘No, sir. We do not have any information about the location of our cargo. Captains Jang and O are no longer in communication with us, and we have to assume that they were killed or captured while defending the ship.’
U looked down at his desk, reorganizing the scattered papers, regaining control of his emotions. ‘President Kim is not happy, as you might well expect. Someone’s head will roll for this, Major Ho, and – I assure you – it won’t be mine. Do we understand each other?’
Ho nodded his head. ‘Yes sir.’
‘Good. Now what do we know about these pirates?’
‘Our intelligence in that region is limited, but we have identified a group calling itself Liang Kebangkitan as the most likely hijackers.’
‘And what do we know about these people?’
‘Not a lot, I’m afraid sir. Apparently it’s led by a man called Arief Suprapto, a career criminal. But nobody knows where they’re based, or how to contact them.’
‘This doesn’t sound promising, Ho.’
Ho smiled for the first time during the meeting; he was about to play his only trump card, the only thing which – if it came off – might save him.
‘We have learnt
Catalina dos Santos was the Director of National Intelligence – like the president, the first female to hold the position – and was the immediate replacement for the notorious – and still missing – US traitor, Charles Hansard. It was a tough role to take on after the scandal left by her predecessor, but the general consensus was that dos Santos was doing a pretty good job so far.
As she started to give a breakdown on what was known about the situation in South Korea, Jeb Richards looked across the table and nodded his head imperceptibly towards Mason in a gesture of thanks.
Even though Mason had been subtle, Richards recognized the fact that the Secretary of State had supported him.
So, Clark Mason thought that it might be dangerous to concentrate too much on the hijacking incident too. Interesting.
As the meeting wore on, Richards considered the fact that he might have an ally in Clark Mason. And there weren’t too many better allies to have than the Sec State, a man of enormous power and influence, backed up by huge personal wealth.
And – seeing the potential opportunities – Richards wasted no time in starting to make his plans.
The cold hard stare was enough to seriously unsettle Major Ho Sang-ok; he had used it enough times himself, and knew what it meant.
It meant his career – if not his life – was over.
‘My dear friend,’ Lieutenant General U Chun-su began gently, ‘would you be so kind as to update me on the current situation?’
Ho cleared his throat. ‘As you know, demands have been made by the pirates directly to the Tsing Tao Shipping Line, in the order of a fifty million US dollar ransom. The Chinese government has vetoed the paying of this ransom, and President Abrams was also clear that there would not be a payout. The intelligence services and military of both China and the US have been working overtime to locate the vessel, presumably with the intention of retaking it by force.’
‘The cargo?’ U asked, eyes narrowed.
‘We believe that the most likely scenario is that the pirates will sell the cargo off to cover their costs and raise some capital. We’ve got agents in the area right now, trying to find out any information about who’s selling what to whom.’
‘My friend, this does not fill me with confidence. What is the status of our own cargo?’ The façade slipped suddenly, and U’s hand crashed down onto his desktop. ‘Do you have any fucking idea where our cargo is, you fucking incompetent? Do you realize what’s riding on this?’
Ho kept his gaze level, standing rigidly to attention. ‘No, sir. We do not have any information about the location of our cargo. Captains Jang and O are no longer in communication with us, and we have to assume that they were killed or captured while defending the ship.’
U looked down at his desk, reorganizing the scattered papers, regaining control of his emotions. ‘President Kim is not happy, as you might well expect. Someone’s head will roll for this, Major Ho, and – I assure you – it won’t be mine. Do we understand each other?’
Ho nodded his head. ‘Yes sir.’
‘Good. Now what do we know about these pirates?’
‘Our intelligence in that region is limited, but we have identified a group calling itself Liang Kebangkitan as the most likely hijackers.’
‘And what do we know about these people?’
‘Not a lot, I’m afraid sir. Apparently it’s led by a man called Arief Suprapto, a career criminal. But nobody knows where they’re based, or how to contact them.’
‘This doesn’t sound promising, Ho.’
Ho smiled for the first time during the meeting; he was about to play his only trump card, the only thing which – if it came off – might save him.
‘We have learnt
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