Marauder

  TITLES BY CLIVE CUSSLER

  DIRK PITT® ADVENTURES

  Celtic Empire (with Dirk Cussler)

  Odessa Sea (with Dirk Cussler)

  Havana Storm (with Dirk Cussler)

  Poseidon’s Arrow (with Dirk Cussler)

  Crescent Dawn (with Dirk Cussler)

  Arctic Drift (with Dirk Cussler)

  Treasure of Khan (with Dirk Cussler)

  Black Wind (with Dirk Cussler)

  Trojan Odyssey

  Valhalla Rising

  Atlantis Found

  Flood Tide

  Shock Wave

  Inca Gold

  Sahara

  Dragon

  Treasure

  Cyclops

  Deep Six

  Pacific Vortex!

  Night Probe!

  Vixen 03

  Raise the Titanic!

  Iceberg

  The Mediterranean Caper

  SAM AND REMI FARGO ADVENTURES®

  Wrath of Poseidon (with Robin Burcell)

  The Oracle (with Robin Burcell)

  The Gray Ghost (with Robin Burcell)

  The Romanov Ransom (with Robin Burcell)

  Pirate (with Robin Burcell)

  The Solomon Curse (with Russell Blake)

  The Eye of Heaven (with Russell Blake)

  The Mayan Secrets (with Thomas Perry)

  The Tombs (with Thomas Perry)

  The Kingdom (with Grant Blackwood)

  Lost Empire (with Grant Blackwood)

  Spartan Gold (with Grant Blackwood)

  ISAAC BELL ADVENTURES®

  The Titanic Secret (with Jack Du Brul)

  The Cutthroat (with Justin Scott)

  The Gangster (with Justin Scott)

  The Assassin (with Justin Scott)

  The Bootlegger (with Justin Scott)

  The Striker (with Justin Scott)

  The Thief (with Justin Scott)

  The Race (with Justin Scott)

  The Spy (with Justin Scott)

  The Wrecker (with Justin Scott)

  The Chase

  KURT AUSTIN ADVENTURES

  Novels from the NUMA® FILES

  Journey of the Pharaohs (with Graham Brown)

  Sea of Greed (with Graham Brown)

  The Rising Sea (with Graham Brown)

  Nighthawk (with Graham Brown)

  The Pharaoh’s Secret (with Graham Brown)

  Ghost Ship (with Graham Brown)

  Zero Hour (with Graham Brown)

  The Storm (with Graham Brown)

  Devil’s Gate (with Graham Brown)

  Medusa (with Paul Kemprecos)

  The Navigator (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Polar Shift (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Lost City (with Paul Kemprecos)

  White Death (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Fire Ice (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Blue Gold (with Paul Kemprecos)

  Serpent (with Paul Kemprecos)

  OREGON FILES®

  Final Option (with Boyd Morrison)

  Shadow Tyrants (with Boyd Morrison)

  Typhoon Fury (with Boyd Morrison)

  The Emperor’s Revenge (with Boyd Morrison)

  Piranha (with Boyd Morrison)

  Mirage (with Jack Du Brul)

  The Jungle (with Jack Du Brul)

  The Silent Sea (with Jack Du Brul)

  Corsair (with Jack Du Brul)

  Plague Ship (with Jack Du Brul)

  Skeleton Coast (with Jack Du Brul)

  Dark Watch (with Jack Du Brul)

  Sacred Stone (with Craig Dirgo)

  Golden Buddha (with Craig Dirgo)

  NONFICTION

  Built for Adventure: The Classic Automobiles of Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt

  Built to Thrill: More Classic Automobiles from Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt

  The Sea Hunters (with Craig Dirgo)

  The Sea Hunters II (with Craig Dirgo)

  Clive Cussler and Dirk Pitt Revealed (with Craig Dirgo)

  CHILDREN’S BOOKS

  The Adventures of Vin Fiz

  The Adventures of Hotsy Totsy

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  Copyright © 2020 by Sandecker, RLLLP

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  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Cussler, Clive, author. | Morrison, Boyd, author.

  Title: Marauder : a novel of the Oregon files / Clive Cussler and Boyd Morrison.

  Description: New York : G. P. Putnam’s Sons, [2020] | Series: Oregon files

  Identifiers: LCCN 2020042842 (print) | LCCN 2020042843 (ebook) | ISBN 9780593087916 (hardcover) | ISBN 9780593087923 (ebook)

  Subjects: GSAFD: Suspense fiction.

  Classification: LCC PS3553.U75 M27 2020 (print) | LCC PS3553.U75 (ebook) | DDC 813/.54--dc23

  LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020042842

  LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020042843

  Title page art: Balinese temple by Cocos.Bounty/Shutterstock.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  pid_prh_5.6.1_c0_r0

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Titles by Clive Cussler

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Cast of Characters

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

>   Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Chapter Seventy

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Chapter Seventy-Four

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Epilogue

  About the Authors

  CAST OF CHARACTERS

  THE CORPORATION

  Juan Cabrillo—Chairman of the Corporation and captain of the Oregon.

  Max Hanley—President of the Corporation, Juan’s second-in-command, and chief engineer of the Oregon.

  Linda Ross—Vice President of Operations for the Corporation and U.S. Navy veteran.

  Eddie Seng—Director of Shore Operations for the Corporation and former CIA agent.

  Eric Stone—Chief helmsman on the Oregon and U.S. Navy veteran.

  Mark “Murph” Murphy—Chief weapons officer on the Oregon and former U.S. military weapons designer.

  Franklin “Linc” Lincoln—Corporation operative and former U.S. Navy SEAL.

  Marion MacDougal “MacD” Lawless—Corporation operative and former U.S. Army Ranger.

  Raven Malloy—Corporation operative and former U.S. Army Military Police investigator.

  George “Gomez” Adams—Helicopter pilot and drone operator on the Oregon.

  Hali Kasim—Chief communications officer on the Oregon.

  Dr. Julia Huxley—Chief medical officer on the Oregon.

  Kevin Nixon—Chief of the Oregon’s Magic Shop.

  Maurice—Chief steward on the Oregon.

  STRAIT OF MALACCA

  Omar Jabal—Captain of the oil tanker Dahar.

  Kersen—Terrorist leader.

  Abdul Tanjung—Terrorist.

  MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA

  April Jin—Former intelligence officer in the Royal Australian Navy.

  Angus Polk—Former commando and Australian Department of Defence analyst.

  Lu Yang—Former stepfather of April Jin.

  William Campbell—Lu’s attorney.

  TIMOR SEA

  Sylvia Chang—Scientist for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

  Roberta Jordan—Cook.

  Lieutenant Commander Womack—Executive officer of the Ocean Protector.

  BALI, INDONESIA

  Sinduk—Terrorist leader.

  Oliver Muñoz—Husband of Senator Maria Muñoz.

  Elena Muñoz—Daughter of Senator Maria Muñoz.

  Emily Schmidt—Wife of Senator Gunther Schmidt.

  Kyle Schmidt—Son of Senator Gunther Schmidt.

  AUSTRALIA

  Leonard Thurman—Doctor at Royal Darwin Hospital.

  Paul Wheatley—Electrician.

  Harry Knoll—Electrician.

  Sam Carter—Royal Australian Air Force airman.

  Todd Wilson—Royal Australian Air Force airman.

  Burt Gulman—Nhulunbuy harbormaster.

  Sawyer—American hunter.

  Bob Parsons—U.S. Marine and hovercraft pilot.

  Renee Labelle—Friend of Parsons’.

  Victor Ormond—Archaeologist.

  CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

  Langston Overholt IV—The Corporation’s CIA liaison.

  SHIP CREWS

  Raymond Wilbanks—Captain of the Shepparton.

  Gabriel Rathman—Captain of the Centaurus.

  SHIPS

  Salacia—Roman bireme.

  Oregon—The Corporation’s flagship.

  Dahar—Kuwaiti oil tanker.

  Namaka—American research vessel.

  Empiric—Australian research vessel.

  Ocean Protector—Australian Defence Force vessel.

  Marauder—Trimaran.

  Shepparton—Australian cargo ship.

  Marsh Flyer—Hovercraft transport.

  Centaurus—Cargo ship.

  Thai Navigator—Ore carrier.

  ONE

  STRAIT OF MALACCA

  Captain Omar Rahal tracked the small boat racing across the placid waters of the narrow strait. It was approaching his California-bound oil tanker from dead ahead, and far too quickly to be a fishing boat. He’d tried to raise them on the radio, but there was no response. It meant only one thing.

  Pirates.

  Using his binoculars, he could see that the boat was full of men armed with guns, but there was nothing he could do to avoid them. The Dahar was more than 300 meters long, and the strait between Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra was barely three kilometers across at its narrowest point. The ponderous ship would be impossible to turn around, and the speedboat would easily outmaneuver any attempt to ram it.

  “Increase to full speed,” he nevertheless told the executive officer. “We’re not going to make the Dahar an easy target.” Such high velocity for a ship as big as theirs was risky in these tight confines, even with calm seas, but he couldn’t let them hijack his ship without doing something.

  As the XO ordered full power, Rahal activated the shipwide intercom. “Now hear this, men. We have hostiles off our bow. They are armed and mean to board us. Initiate emergency lockdowns and go to your action stations. Do not, I repeat, do not attempt to fight them.” He didn’t want any crew members to die on his watch.

  The boat passed behind the bow of the Dahar so that Rahal could no longer see it. He went to the port bridge wing so he could watch for it over the side of the ship.

  They came back into view, and he could now make out seven men clad in T-shirts and armed with automatic rifles. There had to be an eighth driving, hidden by the roof of the tiny wheelhouse. The boat circled around so it could match the tanker’s speed. Rahal spied a man holding an extendable ladder.

  He called to the XO. “Activate the SSAS alarm.”

  The XO flipped open a safety cover and pressed a large red button. The Ship Security Alert System was a silent alarm that contacted the ship’s base of operations to inform them that a hijacking was in progress. It ensured that the hijackers would not be warned that help had been summoned.

  A few seconds later, the bridge phone rang. Rahal picked it up.

  “This is Captain Rahal on the Dahar.”

  “Captain, this is operations headquarters. We are calling to verify that you have an emergency in progress.”

  “Affirmative. This is not a false alarm.” Rahal recited the code sequence verifying his identity. “Seven or eight armed men are preparing to board us.”

  “Understood. We have your position and will contact the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Indonesian Sea and Coast Guard. Stay on the line as long as you can. Are there any ships in your vicinity that could render aid?”

  “What do we have on our radar?” Rahal asked the XO.

  The XO peered at the
radar screen and shook his head in dismay. “The closest vessel looks to be a freighter thirty kilometers behind us.”

  “Even if we stop, it would take her two hours to get here,” Rahal spoke into the phone. “What’s my ETA on the Coast Guard?”

  “The MMEA is scrambling a helicopter in Johor, but the soonest they’ll make it to you is ninety minutes. Stay calm and do not resist the hijackers. Help is on the way.”

  Rahal smirked at the XO. “‘Help is on the way,’ he says.”

  “We’re going to need it,” the XO replied, pointing down at the deck.

  The top of the ladder poked above the railing. Rahal dropped the phone and ran out to the bridge wing again. While some of the hijackers had their weapons trained on the railing in case anyone tried to push it away, others began climbing up, several of them carrying large backpacks in addition to their weapons. When seven of them were on deck, they ran toward the superstructure at the rear of the ship.

  Rahal got back on the phone. “Headquarters, I have to hang up now. The hostiles are approaching the bridge.”

  “Good luck, Captain.”

  Rahal tried to calm himself for the sake of the rest of the bridge crew, but his insides felt like pudding. He hadn’t been this shaken since the Iraqis invaded his native Kuwait when he was a teenager working on a fishing boat.

  A few moments later, he heard feet pounding up the stairs.

  “No sudden moves,” Rahal said to his men.

  The door was flung open, and three Southeast Asian men burst onto the bridge with their weapons at the ready.

  “Don’t shoot,” Rahal said in English with his hands in the air. “We’re unarmed.”

  A lean and wiry man with scarred flesh where his left ear should have been stepped forward with a menacing grin. He didn’t have the rotted teeth of a drug-using robber. This man was a trained professional.

  “You are Captain Rahal?” the man said in Indonesian-accented Arabic.

  “Yes,” Rahal replied in the same language, surprised that the man knew his name. “What do you want?”

  “I want your ship. Now I have it.”

  “And my crew?”

  One of the hijackers went to the controls and set the engines to full stop.

  “If you and your crew behave, you will depart the ship with me, and we will ransom you. If no one pays, then we will kill you.”