The Keepers of the Persian Gate Read Online Free PDF

immediately placed in an aircraft hangar away from the public eye while the pilots were allowed some well-earned shut-eye.
    As they approached the Beriev in the RIBs, the Libyan markings which had been painted on the side earlier in the day became clearer. The guys at Ellington seemed to have done a pretty good job on the exterior of the plane. It certainly had the old rusty look of something that originated from the Soviet era.
    “You can definitely tell that this is over thirty years old,” said Marco. As the first of the RIBs came alongside the Beriev, it was obvious that the rust had only been painted over earlier in the day. In fact, the men could still smell the fresh paint. The RIBs moved to an aft hatch which was lying open, only a few feet above the water line.
    The SEALs began to disembark first and then helped the rest of the international team to board the Beriev. It was to be expected that the interior of this particular version of the Beriev would not be quite as luxurious as that of the Gaddafi refit. Stepping onboard, it had the air of an old rusty fishing boat rather than a cutting edge aircraft. She wasn’t exactly set up for twenty-six soldiers either. That was not to mention the four cars also aboard which added to the spacing issues. The team began to familiarise themselves with their new surroundings as they slowly made their way down either side of the cars. There was not much room.
    “Pree-VYEHT,” a voice called out from the cockpit of the Beriev. It appeared to be the pilot. He walked into the cargo room and went to speak in Russian. He looked quite dishevelled.
    Alex stood to attention, but was duly dismissed. As the pilot spoke, Alex began to translate. “My name is Captain Bylinkin. Welcome aboard the only active military Beriev Be-12mkh. Please treat her with respect and she will return the favour. As you can see, there are grab handles down each inner side of the fuselage. You are to attach yourself to these with these harnesses.”
    Captain Bylinkin began to hand out harnesses and pointed to the handles, the sort of thing one would see on buses or on the London Underground.
    “Dangle on your feet, and it will take some of the weight as though you were sitting down,” said Captain Bylinkin.
    The Captain finished his demonstration and made his way back to the cockpit. As he did, a nervous co-pilot peered his head around the corner. Meanwhile, the SEAL team began unloading various supplies.
    “Gentlemen, when we land the aircraft and begin to taxi I expect you all to dispense with the usual etiquette of keeping your belt fastened until the plane comes to a standstill. I want you in the cars immediately following landing and ready to go. We estimate three minutes between landing and standstill once we get to the airport,” said Lieutenant Graham.
    The SEALs and the international team would be split across the four vehicles. There would be ten SEALs split between the two Land Rovers, with sixteen between the two Mercedes.
    “Jake will drive the front 4x4 with me up front. Taylor will drive the rear. Naval Special Warfare Development Group will ride in the limousines with the international team. This is to ensure that you guys are adequately protected should the limousines become separated from the Land Rovers for any reason. Is everyone happy how this is going to work once we hit the ground? There won’t be time for questions after the ramp door opens,” explained Lieutenant Graham.
    Everyone nodded.
    “Right, let’s get the rest of the stuff unloaded and we’ll be on our way,” ordered Lieutenant Graham.
    Paddy had heard about how the SEALs would routinely bring a lot of gear with them on missions. In this case they literally had over a ton of gear with them. It mostly seemed to consist of weapons, ammunition and flares.
    “There’s enough here to conduct a small war,” observed Marco.
    Once all the equipment was loaded onboard, the co-pilot came out and walked down the