There are seven islands, listed in order of decreasing size.
Port Cay: 11050 feet by 4050 feet (largest dimensions in two orthogonal directions). Average elevation is 15 feet, and the maximum elevation is 50 feet, both above mean high water (mhw). Port Cay houses the team’s airfield (8000’ by 200’ asphalt runway, heading east-west, east end is 18’ elevation, dropping to 12’ at the west end.). The island was artificially extended to accommodate the runway. To support aircraft operations, the island also has a hangar. The Nest’s communication and radar facilities are adjacent to the hangar.
Bon Secours Cay: 7000’ x 2000’, avg. ele., 15’; max. ele., 40’ mhw. The name denotes the home of the team’s hospital. The camp’s administration and security offices are adjacent to the hospital. Homes occupy most of the other area.
Nord Cay: 4100’ x 1940’; avg. ele., 15’; max. ele., 25’ mhw. Northernmost island. Team member homes.
Sud Cay: 2000’ x 3000’; avg. ele., 18’; max. ele., 40’ mhw. Southernmost occupied island. Sud Cay has the only deep draft dock on its eastern shore. More homes and storage facilities.
Home Cay: 3200’ x 1580’; avg. ele., 13’; max. ele., 20’ mhw. First island settled; Ian Jamse and Kevin deVeel’s homes are there.
Cottage Cay: 2600’ x 1200’; avg. ele., 10’; max. ele., 30’ mhw. A community of cottages for single or unattached team members. The southwest shore has a protected lagoon; the team’s small boat anchorage is there.
Tiny Cay: 2000’ x 1000’; avg. ele., 8’; max. ele., 10’ mhw. Uninhabited with only brush, Tiny Cay lies about two miles south and slightly west of Sud Cay. It is used for training.
All islands except Tiny Cay have a dock with boats capable of navigating between islands. Bon Secours has three of them due to its relatively central location.
Cell phone and WiFi service are provided, with a connection to BTC. Security monitors all coastlines for intrusions as well as passing traffic.
The team’s aircraft are leased, including two Gulfstream g150’s, a B737-700C and a Piper Mirage. The team owns outright a Lockheed C130 retired from US Air Force service. The hangar is capable of protecting these as well as a Eurocopter EC-135.
Cast
IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE
IAN Jamse
Beckie’s husband, the team’s leader
Chelsie
US alphabet agency manager
Freddie Wilson
One of Jamse’s team, assigned to job in SE Asia, Karen’s husband
Rebecca Jamse (Beckie)
Ian Jamse’s wife and teammate
Sam Dabron
One of Jamse’s team; training and assigned to a job in Syria
Maurice Boynton
Ian’s personal assistant
Elena Rios (Lena)
One of Jamse’s team; training
Amy Rose Ardan
Millie’s daughter, college sophomore, apprentice team member
Dylan Rhys
Amy’s boyfriend
Bethany Stadd (Beth)
One of Ian’s team
Patrice
Pilot, one of Ian’s team
Willie Llorens
One of Ian’s team
Shalin deVeel
Kevin deVeel’s wife, Beckie’s friend
Barbara Saunders
One of Ian’s team, working in Riyadh with Ian and Kevin
Tamryn deVeel-Trout
Kevin’s sister, Marc’s wife
Carys Jamse
Ian’s mother, Nigel’s wife
Mikeala Trout
Older of Tamryn and Marc’s daughters
Courtney Trout
Younger of Tamryn and Marc’s daughters
Pieter deVeel
Kevin and Tamryn’s father, Natalie’s husband
Natalie deVeel
Kevin and Tamryn’s mother, Pieter’s wife
(Five smugglers)
Moving dagga from Lesothos to South Africa
Else Meyer
One of Jamse’s team, a boffin who handles IT etc, Jannike’s partner
Police Officer
In charge of team with Ian
Danie
Police helicopter pilot
With Ian
(Nurse)
At the Surgery
Doctor
At the Surgery
Nigel Jamse
Ian’s father, Carys’ husband
Marc Trout
Kevin’s brother-in-law, Tamryn’s husband, Mikeala and Courtney’s father
Millie Ardan
Chief Doctor, trauma surgeon, one of Jamse’s team, Amy’s mother
Karen Wilson
One of Jamse’s team, pilot and troop, Freddie’s wife
Leonid Danilin
One of Jamse’s team, assigned to job in Nigeria, Fedor’s partner
Fedor Starinov
One of Jamse’s team, assigned to job in Nigeria, Leonid’s partner
Derek Hamilton
One of Jamse’s team, Emily’s husband
Emily Hamilton
Derek’s wife
Go Rou
Handles legal and financial work for the team, Shen’s wife
Jannike Meyer
One of Jamse’s team, airside manager, Else’s partner
Sue Jinet
One of Jamse’s team, Nurse and troop, Rich’s significant other
Kamala deVeel
Kevin and Shalin’s daughter, Kieran’s twin
Kieran deVeel
Kevin and Shalin’s son, Kamala’s twin
Ben Daley
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Stacy
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
The Chief
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Gillian Bespar
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Jimmy Wolf
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Imad
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Ed
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Shorty
One of Sam’s team, working in Syria
Sheikh Ilyas Dalila
Ian’s customer in Syria, Solène’s father
Solène Dalila
Dalila’s 15YO daughter
Sheikh Abdul Bakir
Syrian working with Dalila on the protection job
Go Shen
One of Jamse’s team, handles security for the Nest, Rou’s husband
Rich Quinn
One of Jamse’s team, Sue’s significant other
Lisa Grove
Wants to join the team, Wendy’s sister
Melissa Durst (Lissa)
Wendy Grove
Girl from Ian and Beckie’s past; Lisa’s sister
Mike Sverdupe
Beckie’s brother, Melissa’s SO
Kerry Byrne
Works for Rou, contracts
Curt Bennet
Doctor, working for Millie
Pieter Nijs
Team’s Chief Armorer and Mechanic, Elena’s husband
(Moriko Claire)
Beckie’s OB/GYN
(Three agents)
Working for Chelsie
Jean-Luc Fereré
Pilot, one of Jamse’s team, Mathilde’s partner
(Three terrorists)
Waiting for the weapon in San Diego
(Terrorist leader)
Also waiting in San Diego
Raptor Five (Eric)
Local San Diego Agent, Lisa’s friend
Megan Grove
Lisa and Wendy’s adopted sister
Doctor Alan Carver
Plastic surgeon
Mrs. Grove
Lisa’s mother
Mr. Grove
Lisa’s father
Josie
One of Millie’s nurses
Doc
tor Jones
Archeologist contracting with Ian and Beckie for protection
Doctor Brody
Archeologist contracting with Ian and Beckie for protection
(Woman)
At Bakir’s house outside Paris
(Two guards)
Keeping Bakir safe
Devon Bredeck
Beckie’s prom date
Michel
French police
Gene
French police
Pierre Monteaux
French police commander
Maryam
directing video of Ian and Kevin
Achmed
taking video
Also
Trillian
Jamse’s ocelot
Acknowledgments
Great thanks to my wife and family for their support!
Thanks to Amy Rose Davis, one of the Twelve Worlds contributors, who graciously lent her name to Amy Rose Ardan. I hope she’s not dismayed with the way her namesake character turned out. Find her excellent work at http://www.amazon.com/Amy-Rose-Davis/e/B004GG38AI/
Also, thanks are certainly due my beta readers Carol and Phil. Without their efforts, I can’t imagine the problems this story would have.
Like all budget constrained authors, I draw heavily on Google Earth for scenes set in lands not local to me. Any failures in the fictionalization of these scenes are mine.
About the Author
Tony Lavely lives with his lovely, compassionate wife in Massachusetts, in reasonable proximity to their children and grandchildren. Retirement has provided ample time for him to pursue writing. Coda? is his forth novel. One of the Mercenaries stories, it is a thriller set in an approximation to the real world.
He was privileged to be a part of the Twelve Worlds Anthology for Charity, still available at on-line outlets. This collection of short stories benefits Reading Is Fundamental, and meeting (on-linely) the other authors was great fun and excellent experience. Those guys are great! (‘Guys’ used in the best The Electric Company tradition: “Hey, you guys!”)
He reads fantasy and adventure, confidently believes that The Muppet Movie is one of the best movies ever made, and his iPod playlist includes works from Beethoven to Twisted Sister.
He blogs at http://www.tonylavely.com/
On Twitter: twitter.com/tlavely
Email: atl.for.writing (at) gmail.com.
At this writing, the Mercenaries stories include (and are best read in the following order):
Sandfall
Allure
Freedom Does Matter
Connections
Coda?
Coming early in 2016:
Discoveries
In process:
Princess (working title)
Ralf and Catrin (working title)
The links will take you to Amazon, where you may peruse more information on these, and of course, purchase one or more.
If you find a typo in this book and report it with this number (CS160115.3), you can score a coupon for Discoveries or any of Tony’s books, as well as his thanks.
Excerpt From Discoveries
This story immediately follows Coda?
The planned release date is early 2016; watch for it or follow my blog or Twitter. The excerpt is from the draft; you could end up with material that doesn’t make it into the final version!
Part I: Back Home - Planning
BECKIE JAMSE’S FLIGHT HOME FROM Paris was uneventful; she even managed to nap, sporadically. Willie met her with an extended apology for leaving her; it took until they reached the lanai and Boynton before he got to current news. “Rou called Friday to say the money from the Paris meeting’s on the way. Given any thought who you’ll assign?”
“I had a couple ideas I’d like you gentlemen to vet, but first,” she said to Boynton, “how about some coffee?” He rose and went into the house. When he returned with the tray, she continued, “Who do you think? And who should we not send?”
“That’s a little easier.” Willie leaned back, hands behind his head. “Sam would be good, but I think he’s better in Syria.”
“Yeah. Freddie, too, I think. In Vietnam,” she said in response to his raised eyebrows. “His team should continue the mine clearing effort there. How about Ben? Ben Daley?”
Boynton nodded as he finished distributing the cups and spoons. After Beckie thanked him, she again gazed at Willie.
“To be honest,” he said, “Ben’s a little… not young, but he’s only been in charge once or twice. If he wants to do something like this, he should be second or third in command. And I’m not sure he’d want to leave Syria for a straight protection kind of job.”
“Yeah. Jimmy would have been…” She allowed her voice to trail off. I’m not gonna futz around moping because he left.
“Well, he’s not—”
Her wave cut him off.
“Well,” Boynton said, “here’s a thought: Leonid and Fedor.”
“That might work,” Willie said. “The contract in Nigeria is about to expire and there’s no hint that they want to extend it.”
“Huh?” Beckie said. “I didn’t hear that Boko Haram promised to play nice again; what happened? There’s no problem with our guys?”
“While I’ll know better in a couple days, no, no problems. We only had a chance for a quick conversation when Leonid called, but he implied the government isn’t willing or able to pay the bill any longer.”
“Damn! I’d support them a couple more months, but not if there’s no future to it. Let’s ask Leonid if there’s anything they need to wrap up before they disengage, if the contract’s cancelled. Now, what other things have been going on?”
They spent the next half-hour on the team’s other activities before Beckie sipped the last of her coffee and asked, “I assume you both think a woman would be out of place in, you know, Pakistan? Especially in the mountains?”
Willie and Boynton both stared at her; their disbelief was signaled by wide eyes and open mouths. Wow, I got both of them. “What?”
The two men glanced at each other, then began to speak over each other. Beckie waved and pointed to Boynton.
He glanced again at Willie, then said, “I fear… You can’t be thinking of going—”
“What! Me?” She chuckled her disbelief. “Not fucking likely! You guys have wrapped the Nest up so tight I can barely get on the plane to see my doctor.” She choked off her laugh at the men’s relief. Maybe I’ve been even more… obstinate than I thought. “No, I was thinking Barbara. I don’t think Beth’s any more ready than Ben, but…”
“Okay,” Willie said. “I do agree, with both of those. But Barbara’s just getting into the bank job; she’s perfect for it. So, the more I think about it, the more Leonid looks like a good choice, especially if that contract lapses. And Fedor will go with him.” He finished his coffee as well. “We might move Ben to fill in for them in Nigeria, if you still think that’s viable.”
She nodded. “Ask them to disengage and come back here. We’ll all talk about it.”
As the men relaxed, Beckie did also, then sat back up. “I know we talked to Beth about her contact in South Africa before New Years; did anything come across while I was in Paris?”
“Not a word. Tjaart Mulder has given his report every other day or so, and it’s all the same. He’s still trying to get permission to visit the smuggler who’s in jail, but since he has low expectations… It’s more like making sure all the i’s are dotted and the t’s crossed than anything he expects to be useful.”
“Yeah. And if they killed the other two—”
“Huh?”
“The cop and the doctor.” Willie nodded his recollection. “If they killed them, there won’t be a money trail to follow.”
“That’s an idea, though,” Boynton said. “When he calls, I’ll ask about their finances. If they did die accidentally.”
“I’m okay with that, I guess, if there’s nothing better for him to do. We do
n’t really expect anything?”
“No, but just to make sure.”
“Right. Speaking of Beth, I assume the silence from the Groves means Lisa’s training went well?”
“All reports were positive,” Boynton said.
“Cool. I’ll track her… Beth, down and see how the other stuff is going, too.”
The rest of the day, she caught up with Shalin deVeel and Millie Arden, mostly to reassure them nothing really bad had happened in the Parisian suburbs. Shalin told her that Willie had been ready to fly everyone he could grab to rescue her, but she’d managed it herself before they could deploy. Beckie laughed. I’ll have to talk to him a little more, I guess.
The next day, while Beckie sat nibbling her breakfast, Willie entered, his hands full of papers. “Apparently, Jones and Brody—or Brody anyway—didn’t get enough of our company in Paris. He’d like to meet with us again. I agreed, but said if he wanted you in attendance, he’d have to come here. It took an hour, but he agreed. I’ve asked Janni to arrange meeting him in Nassau, once his schedule is firm. He thought it would be a week or so.”