Hunter Legacy 5 Hail the Hero Read Free Page A

to launch. Slice also acknowledged the additional orders.
    I asked Abagail to cancel team coms, and opened
a vid.
    “Marshall, Admiral, and Generals. I’m
in Miami, and the American fleet prevailed. However, it was at some cost. Both
Carriers are damaged to the level they cannot recover fighters. Nine of their
new Corvette and Privateer ships were lost, with twenty three other losses.
Most of their smaller ships are damaged, and I’m recovering the worst of them
now.”
    “Something odd has happened here. The
entire American fleet is without coms, and their ships display on the scanner
as if dead. I have no contact as yet with anyone above the rank of Commander. I’ll
keep you informed as we learn anything new. Hunter out.”
    I sent the vid off, having added Admiral
Bentley to the recipients, so she would know what had happened.
    I turned to Jane.
    “Did the work on the Pilot’s and Crew Mess’s
get completed?”
    “Confirmed.”
    “Fully ready for occupation?”
    “Duh!”
    The twins smiled at hearing Jane copy their
favourite saying.
    I looked around the Bridge.
    “Volunteers to meet American pilots
please. Take them to the Pilot’s Mess. Overflow to use the Crew Mess instead.
You’ll need to get directions, as I don’t even know where they are.”
    “Confirmed.”
    Everyone laughed. As a tension releaser,
Jane was doing well.
    Most of the team left the Bridge.
    I moved into my Ready Room, and had no
sooner sat in a lounge chair, when a flash of white landed in my lap. I gave
her a huge cuddle. A random thought told me Angel was now eleven weeks old.
    “You’re getting bigger, sweetie
pie,” I told her. “Soon you’ll be able to jump up on things without
using a ramp.”
    Meow!
    She looked pleased with that comment. She tried
to jump to the top of the chair, landed two thirds the way up, and climbed the
rest of the way. She was soon fast asleep on top.
    I tried to look at emails to pass the time,
but found I couldn’t concentrate.
    Fifteen minutes passed, and midnight ticked
over. I started pacing.
    “Jon,” said Jane through coms,
“there’s an email you must view now.”
    I took my pad out, saw the email
highlighted with an urgent flag, and threw the vid to the wall. An American
four star General looked out at me.
    “Vice Admiral Hunter. I’m General Patton,
of the American Joint Chiefs. Your communications about the Miami situation
have been received via the British Fleet. We appreciate you ensuring we
received your updates, in spite of not having the proper channels available.
You are hereby recalled to active duty. Until the status of Admiral Jedburgh is
established, you are placed in command of all American ships and personnel,
within the Miami and Midgard systems. You will please send all ships requiring
shipyard work back to Dallas, as soon as they can either move themselves, or be
towed.”
    “You are ordered to destroy all
missile launchers on the surface of Midgard, and to blockade the Midgard
planet, in preparation for the arrival of a diplomatic mission. You are further
ordered to investigate the system for other inhabited planets, moons, or
stations. You will remove Midgard’s ability to wage war.”
    “Orders are being sent to all ship
captains and unit commanders. I understand you don’t have an aide. You will
immediately appoint yourself one, who will communicate with my aide, to receive
copies of these orders, for communication through local means.”
    “Admiral, please keep us up to date
with all new information, no matter how trivial it may seem. Patton out.”
    There were contact details attached to the
email.
    “Jane, whisper to Alison, and get her in
here ASAP, please.”
    “Confirmed.”
    I responded with an orders received and
understood message, adding we had no new information at this time, but we were
trying to make contact with each ship now.
    I stood again to start pacing, when a
whirlwind crossed the room, grabbed me, and started to hug the life out of me.
    I