Vengeance (The Kurgan War Book 4) Read Online Free PDF Page B

“Are all of the biological agents accounted for?”
    “No, sir. One is missing. Colonel Valens said that the assailants took something called the Alpha Virus. I checked the database before coming in here but could find nothing in our files relating to the virus.”
    “And you won’t. The information is classified.” Oshiro sat there for a moment contemplating the ramifications of a virus designed to exterminate life on a mass scale, in the hands of their enemy or some radical terror group. He could never understand why people thought it necessary to build biological weapons of mass destruction when the arsenal at the disposal of the federation president was already powerful enough to destroy billions of people several times over. “What is Valens’ next move?”
    “His team is busy sifting through the remains of the freighter that was destroyed near Eris. He’s hoping to find something there that may give him a clue as to who is behind all of this.”
    Oshiro nodded. It was a longshot but what else could they do. His next step would be to inform the commander of the ADF of Valens’ findings. “Sean, when we’re done here, please contact General Sadir’s aide and let him know that I need to speak with the general right away.”
    Parker knew Oshiro better than he knew himself. “I’ve already set one up at fourteen thirty, sir.”
    Oshiro smiled. “I should have known you’d be one step ahead of me. Let’s look at the other issues of the day. Has the captain of the Sydney been able to find Captain Sheridan and Master Sergeant Cole on board his ship?”  
    “No, sir. He feels they must have been in the escape pod that malfunctioned during the docking at Tranquility Station and came down inside Northern Mongolia. Shall I order a search for them to commence forthwith?”
    Oshiro nodded. He doubted they would be found until they wanted to be. In a highly charged environment where you can’t tell friend from foe, they had done precisely what he would have done in their place and gone to ground. “Who spoke with the Sydney ?”
    “I had Captain Ramo from the personnel branch make the call, sir. As far as the Sydney is concerned, we’re looking for a couple of men who have gone AWOL.”
    For now the ruse is working , thought Oshiro. He cleared his mind of Sheridan and Cole. It wouldn’t help to worry about them. They would get in touch with him when they needed to, of that he had no doubt.  
    Parker handed over the tablet he had in his hand. “Sir, you asked to be shown the latest operational reports from the fleets when they arrived.”
    Oshiro took the device and skimmed over the tabulated figures. The losses in manpower and materials were bad, but not as bad as it had been in previous months. Without knowing the Kurgans’ overall strength, he had no way of knowing if they were winning, losing, or just breaking even with these figures. What troubled him the most was the loss of yet another carrier. Before the war, it took on average three years to build a single fighter carrier. With civilian and military crews working twenty-four seven, carriers were now being completed in just under three months’ time. An eternity, as far as Oshiro was concerned. However, the recent modification of several deep-space supertankers into fighter carriers had cut the time down significantly and was helping to offset the growing losses.
    “Sir, Admiral Sheridan has asked for a private meeting with you at sixteen hundred hours tomorrow.”
    Oshiro lowered the tablet. He had a perplexed look on his face. “Is Robert here in Norfolk?”
    Parker shook his head. “No, sir. His aide, Commander Roy, is here on his behalf.”
    “Did he say why?”
    “No, sir. I asked him, but Admiral Sheridan insisted that it was urgent and that Commander Roy would convey his message to you.”
    “Very well, please see to it that we are not disturbed.” Paranoia seemed to be gripping everyone since the attempted assassination of the