Echo Six: Black Ops 6 - Battle for Beirut Read Online Free PDF Page A

days leave."
    He explained the problem, and that he needed to get to Beirut. Fast.
    "You can take some leave, Commander, but I need a favor as well, and this kind of ties up with a problem that's just arrived on my desk. A United Nations Commissioner is visiting Lebanon, traveling via Israel, some kind of a fact-finding mission. His office asked NATO to deliver a packet of documents he'll need to brief him about Beirut. It all flared up after he left, and it's vital the information is put into his hands before he gets into serious discussion. His aircraft is currently on the ground at Ben Gurion, so you can fly there first and hand him the documents. This stuff is sensitive, and it must be handed to him personally. We cannot transmit it electronically, for obvious reasons."
    He was irritated at first. After all, it sounded like a job for a low ranking messenger, not a unit commander. He said as much to Brooks, but the Admiral explained the packet was ultra-secret. So much so, that if it fell into the wrong hands, it would cause severe embarrassment to a lot of people, both in NATO and the UN. He agreed, and in return Brooks arranged for NATO to handle his journey from Brussels to Israel. Just over two hours later he checked into the airport, doing his best to control his impatience at the interminable delays.
    The flight was more than four hours, and part of the journey took them over the Eastern Mediterranean. At one time, he looked down and saw the unmistakable sight of a full Carrier Battle Group. From his briefings, he knew they'd dispatched the USS Nimitz to the Mediterranean to beef up the Sixth Fleet, part of the NATO response to the problems in Syria.
    When do these pisspot Islamic countries not have problems?
    As they flew past the Nimitz, he felt a stirring of pride. One of the largest warships in the world, the nuclear powered carrier was commissioned in June 1975. The ship was named for World War II Pacific fleet commander Chester W. Nimitz, and weighed over one hundred thousand tons. She had a ship’s complement in excess of three thousand men, and the air wing alone consisted of almost two and a half thousand men.
    The statistics were mind-boggling, but it was enough to know she was a superb warship, able to project massive force anywhere in the world. It was immensely satisfying to know his country, America, had built such an awesome vessel. And America was the major part of NATO, the organization that employed him, for now. He pushed his own problems to the back of his mind.
    I have to look ahead. There’s something far more serious than illness to take care of. I have to locate Nava and bring her home. No matter what it takes.
    He arrived in Ben Gurion just over three hours after take off, having gained an hour because of the time-zone difference. But it was already 1630 hours, and he was conscious of the period that had elapsed since Nava had disappeared. More than twenty-four hours were lost, and with every hour she was missing, it would be more difficult to find her. When he checked the board, there were no flights due out to Beirut until the following morning, but he knew the UN Commissioner was due to depart for Beirut at 2030 hours that evening.
    The UN Commissioner was holding court in the VIP lounge. Talley waited by the door until the great man had finished speaking, and then a flunkey allowed him forward. Andreas Jensen was Danish, a tall, slim, smooth diplomat; his suit, like his haircut and his expense account, neat and very pricey. He stared coldly at Talley for a few moments, and then raised an eyebrow. It was the invitation to speak.
    "These documents, Sir, I brought them from Brussels to hand to you personally."
    Jensen nodded at his aide, who reached out a hand to take the proffered file. Talley held on.
    "Sir, my orders are to hand this to you personally."
    His expression was even colder, but finally he sighed and held out his hand. "Give it to me."
    He passed over the file. As his hand