“Will your investigations be effective, do you think, sir?”
“I will ascertain what happened by the end of the week, Stark. I can trust you, I know – we have more than one ear to the ground in Berlin. They will tell us if there was an operation here. I may never be able to produce evidence that would convince a court. My witnesses will be foreigners – Swiss, Germans, possibly French – who will not be willing to stand in a witness box, who won’t be able to do so in most cases.”
“So… Nothing can happen.”
“There can be no conviction and sentence in the High Court of Justice. There almost never is in such cases. More than that, I cannot say. I will make contact with you at the appropriate time. You should inform Air Commodore Branksome that the operation he knows about was a disaster – Intelligence gave you incorrect information and as a result you ran headlong into a massive escort and lost seven pilots and planes. He will no doubt be delighted he was right to tell me he had doubts about the whole business. You will not imply, hint or in any way infer that there are any questions about his involvement – I would not like to see him take leave and disappear. Goodbye for now, Squadron Leader Stark. We shall meet again.”
Suitably mysterious, Thomas thought as he escorted his guest to his car and watched it pull away with a throaty grumble from the engine. He suspected that the vehicle had been made more powerful for Intelligence use. Very cloak and dagger!
He went to the telephone, was unfortunate to have a clear line.
“The operation, sir, the one authorised by London. A complete cock-up, sir. Lost seven pilots and their planes. In exchange, maybe five Mes. Never got near the Jus, sir. Heavy escort and would have lost the whole squadron if the Germans had not been second-raters. It felt like their squadrons were still working up, not yet effective for service. The man from London has left – didn’t even apologise for the complete balls he made of it.”
“More than half of your squadron gone, Stark! Stand down from operations with immediate effect. I will send replacements to you and you must train them up. Probably elsewhere. I will consult with London. The answer may be to send you back to England and bring in a new squadron in your place. Further orders will come within a few days – I can’t tell how long. For the while, you must accept that your squadron will see no further action for the foreseeable future. You are lucky to have survived, of course – I presume you were in the thick of things?”
“One 110; one 109 destroyed and another damaged, sir. Waiting on the camera guns to tell us how accurate our claims are. The men who went down may also have done some damage in their passing.”
“Let us hope so, Stark. I would not like to think their sacrifice had been for nothing.”
The call ended and Thomas sat to write his report, swearing very quietly about the bastard Branksome. It would be especially galling if it became clear that he had betrayed them and that nothing could be done for lack of evidence to stand in court.
Rod put his head through the door.
“I’ve opened the bar early, Thomas. Nothing more for the boys to do today other than get drunk.”
“I might well join them when I’ve written this, Rod.”
“Best thing, Thomas. Tomorrow will be another day.”
“One advantage of being a foreign squadron, Rod – we only have next of kin for Chuck. None known for the others. No letters to write for them.”
# # #
Thank you for reading The Gathering Clouds. Note: The author’s Innocents at War Series, has received much critical acclaim and comes highly recommended. Find out more here:
Series Page Links
US - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01N6QNS7Y
UK - https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01N6QNS7Y
By the Same Author
Links to all of this prolific author’s growing list of books, and his revised author bio can be found by clicking the link below:
www.theelectronicbookcompany.com/Andrew-Wareham.php
Man of Conflict Series: Youngest son of a wealthy English merchant, Septimus Pearce is an utterly spoiled brat whose disgraceful conduct threatens his family’s good name. His father forces him to join the army in an attempt to reform him, but even the disciplines of army life where he sees bloody action in three countries fail to exorcise his nastier character traits. Please note: This series is currently available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
Book One Kindle Link http://getBook.at/Conflict-1
Innocents at War Series: The Royal Flying Corps grew from the amateur hobbyists flying the earliest and most dangerous machines. Mostly drawn from the Army and Navy, the pilots regarded themselves as gentlemen members of a new club. The Great War saw the death of amateurism - except in the higher ranks - and the unplanned, fortuitous creation of a professional force.
Innocents at War follows the career of Anglo-American flier, Tommy Stark, an enthusiastic boy forced to grow up quickly as many around him die. His deep affection for squire’s daughter, Grace is his only certainty as the bitter conflict threatens to strip the world of its innocence.
Series Page Links:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06X9XZDJV
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B06X9XZDJV
A Poor Man at the Gate Series: Book One: The Privateersman is FREE on Kindle -Escaping the hangman’s noose in England, commoner Tom Andrews finds himself aboard a privateering ship before fleeing to New York at the time of the Revolutionary War. It is a place where opportunities abound for the unscrupulous. Hastily forced to return to England, he ruthlessly chases riches in the early industrial boom. But will wealth buy him love and social respectability?
Kindle links to the whole series:
US/worldwide
http://tinyurl.com/A-Poor-Man
UK only
http://tinyurl.com/A-Poor-Man-UK
The Duty and Destiny Series: These superbly-crafted novel length sea/land stories are set in the period of the French Revolutionary War (1793 – 1802). The series follows the naval career and love-life of Frederick Harris, the second son of a middling Hampshire landowner, a brave but somewhat reluctant mariner. (Book One was first published in 2014.) Please note: This series is currently available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
Kindle links to the whole series:
US/worldwide:
http://tinyurl.com/Duty-and-Destiny-Series
UK only:
http://tinyurl.com/Duty-and-Destiny-Series-UK
Hungry Harry: An Orphan in the Ranks: Born in a home for fallen women, at the age of eight the barefooted and waiflike Harry is sent out to work. After years of unpaid toil and hunger, he runs away and is cajoled into believing that the Army is his only option. He joins a battalion that is sent to Africa’s Slave Coast where disease is the biggest killer of men. When the much-thinned battalion returns to England and is disbanded, he drifts into smuggling in order to survive. All goes well until he is betrayed and forced back on the run. Leaving the West Country behind, he enlists in a Sussex regiment which is sent to quell rioting in the north where he faces danger from the angry Mob, and from the rage of a sadistic young ensign who is out for Harry’s blood.
Universal Kindle Link
http://viewbook.at/Harry-One
Book One: Long Way Place: In the early 1900s gutter rat, Ned Hawkins aims to rise from the grinding poverty of an English slum, but is forced to flee the country and ends up in Papua. It is a dangerous place where cannibalism and cannibals are never far away. Despite this menacing backdrop, he prospers and almost by accident, finds love. However, there are ominous stirrings in the land that bode ill for the future. Note: All three books are now available on Kindle.
Universal Kindle Link: http://getbook.at/Cannibal-One
The Electronic Book Company
www.theelectronicbookcompany.com
www.facebook.com/quality.ebooks
ook 1)
The Gathering Clouds (Innocent No More Series, Book 1) Page 29