Counterstrike (Black Fleet Trilogy, Book 3) Read Online Free PDF

Marcum was still technically serving as CENTCOM Chief of Staff, but with no Haven, no Jericho Station, and no CENTCOM to speak of he had to wonder what power that title even commanded anymore. What he did know, however, was that any effort to arrest Jackson Wolfe would not only result in further harming a completely demoralized force but may well serve as the spark for a compete mutiny within the ranks. He wasn’t even all that confident that his own captain aboard the Amsterdam wouldn’t shoot him in the head if he tried to order an intercept of the Ares .
    “Orderly! Have our JAG rep haul ass to my office,” he stabbed at the intercom button on his desk.
    “At once, Admiral!”
    He’d been on the wrong side of every major decision since the Phage had first appeared in the Xi’an System. It was a trend that he very much would like to correct.
    ****
    “So you don’t remember anything leading up to the evacuation of the Blue Jacket ?” Davis asked.
    “Just some fragmented imagery,” Jackson said, sitting down next to her on a bench that overlooked the Ohio River. “The neurologists tell me that anything I remember is likely something my brain is fabricating to try and fill in the gaps, since the head trauma would have made it virtually impossible for my short term memory to transfer to long term. To be honest, maybe it’s best I don’t remember.”
    “Why do you say that?” she asked, sounding oddly hurt.
    “The decision to ram the ship into that Alpha was one I made out of utter desperation,” he said, eyeing her sidelong, confused by her reaction. “I think that if I vividly remembered everything leading up to the impact it could adversely affect my ability to command now, cause me to second guess every decision.”
    “I see,” she said, now looking uncomfortable.
    “You seem like you have something on your mind that wants to get out, Lieutenant,” Jacksons said, intentionally addressing her by rank to remind himself that there was a line that could not be crossed.
    “Perhaps now isn’t the best time to—” the strident alert tone of Jackson’s comlink interrupted her.
    “This is Wolfe,” Jackson said, slipping the earpiece in. “Understood, we’ll be at the pickup location in approximately ninety minutes. Wolfe out.”
    “Bad news?” Davis asked, standing and composing herself.
    “Fleet-wide emergency recall,” Jackson nodded. “A shuttle will pick us up at the airport here in Louisville and take us directly to the Ares . The order came in from Admiral Marcum. What was it you were saying?”
    “It will wait, Captain,” she said crisply.
    “Then let’s get moving,” he stood. “The shuttle is already on its way.”

Chapter 4
     
     
    “Report.”
    “We’ve been told to stand by for a command-level briefing from the Amsterdam , sir.” Lieutenant Commander Barrett stood and vacated the command seat as Jackson walked onto the bridge of the Ares .
    “Any word on what it’s all about, official or otherwise?” Jackson asked as he walked around the bridge to take a quick look at all the stations.
    “Negative, sir,” Barrett said. “I reached out to see if anyone knew anything on the back channels, but the rumor mill is shockingly quiet on this one.”
    “That fact alone is terrifying beyond all fucking measure,” Master Chief Green said from the hatchway. The salty chief’s massive arms were crossed over his chest and he wore his usual scowl as spacers scurried about to prepare the Ares for any potential orders that came down during the briefing.
    “I don’t suppose the enlisted intel network was any more successful than Lieutenant Commander Barrett’s friends?”
    “Not a peep, Captain,” Chief Green said. “Whatever this is about, the admiral is keeping a tight lid on it. I might have heard from an unsubstantiated source that he had the entire legal section aboard the Amsterdam working for twenty hours straight on something before ordering the