War of the Sun Read Online Free PDF

in the ship’s sick bay, the man broke loose and killed himself by dashing his head against a bulkhead.
    Wolf ordered that a heavily-armed search party be dispatched to Sin City to turn up any trace of the AWOL crew members. They failed on all accounts, leaving Wolf no choice but to sail on without the missing men.
    By 0830 hours, there was still no sign that the men inside the Canal Control tower would allow the New Jersey to pass.
    Wolf ordered that radio contact be made once again with the extortionists. They had succeeded in getting the New Jersey for the night. Now that their cesspool had sucked in seventeen human beings, the messages from the Sin City authorities became more direct. At 0845 hours, Canal Control’s rulers demanded that the New Jersey pay a bribe in addition to the exorbitant toll fee already paid. Only then would it be allowed to pass.
    Wolf had had enough. For many reasons, he had patiently resisted using force to move through the canal. But now his patience had simply run out.
    He ordered the crew to their battle stations. Then he opened a direct radio link between himself and the extortionists on shore.
    “This is the captain of the battleship New Jersey,” he told them in his heavily-accented English. “We have paid the required toll. We now demand that we be allowed to proceed immediately.”
    The radio’s electronic distortion didn’t hide the bizarre arrogance of the return message. The voice was so sing-songy it was hard to determine if it belonged to a man or a woman.
    “This is Canal Control, Captain. May we remind you that you are in no position to make demands.”
    Wolf knew the arrogance on the other end of the radio line was well placed. Sin City’s strong hand was its control of this critical point in the canal. They felt they were invulnerable to attack because any use of firepower against them would risk damage to the canal and its locks. The perpetrator would thus be sentencing himself and his ship to be stranded in the canal, possibly forever.
    Yet Wolf refused to countenance such behavior. Plus, he had some valuable intelligence on his side: he knew the lackeys controlling the canal locks were not actually in the tower, but hidden deep inside a bunker nearby. But he also knew these people would not make a move without orders from the tower itself.
    “Canal Control,” he called into the radio again. “Allow us to pass, or my guns shall be brought to bear.”
    There was no immediate response. After a few minutes, Wolf ordered the battleship’s forward gun turrets brought to starboard. A shipboard alarm sounded as the two huge turrets, each bearing three massive sixteen-inch guns, swung into position, pointing in the general direction of Sin City.
    Silence fell over the ship. The tension on the bridge was palpable.
    Suddenly the radio crackled to life. “If you are bluffing, Captain Wolf, it is a pathetic attempt.”
    Wolf ignored the taunt. Instead he gave a few quick orders which resulted in the loading of shells into each of the forward guns. The shells, each the weight of a small automobile, had an explosive warhead containing enormous destructive capability.
    “There are innocent people inside our city,” the radio crackled again with the strange voice. “Even some of your own people. They have chosen to stay. Do you intend to kill them?”
    “If they were foolish enough to be tempted by your lies,” Wolf replied harshly, “then they are foolish enough to die.”
    There was a burst of static, followed by a hideous sexual laugh.
    “You surprise us, Captain Wolf—you are so quick to judge us. You see, we know you yourself have partaken of us. Of our pleasures. We know this, sir, because we have your past visit in its entirety on videotape. This, too, can be had for a slightly higher adjustment in our toll fee, plus another…”
    At that instant Wolf gave the order for the first turret to fire. The huge guns roared to life, expelling three shells at incredible