"Lee Edgar - Princess 04 - Checkmate for a Princess" - читать интересную книгу автора (Edgar Lee)

which was offered to her and they all sat down around the table as another
officer walked in.
'Ah, Captain.' The Admiral turned to the now-seated group. 'This is Henry
Whittaker, Captain of the Columbia. He is also grateful to you for saving his
hide, not to mention his precious boat.'
The Captain glanced briefly around the group and smiled. 'It is a rare
occurrence to have ladies aboard, especially such beautiful ones.'
Suzette smiled, Gillian scowled and Marianne didn't understand a word.
Introductions were completed again and drinks served to relax the atmosphere.
It seemed that no-one wanted to ask the questions which desperately needed to
be asked. How had the war started? Why had the superpowers reacted in the way
they had? Was it just France that had been almost completely devastated by
multiple nuclear warheads? Or were other European countries in the same state?
Where had the destruction finished? Who was left alive?
'We are having a party aboard ship in your honour tonight,' said the Captain.
'We would be very pleased if you would attend.'
'A party?' queried Gillian. 'After all that has happened? Are you out of your
mind?'
'Miss Green,' interrupted the Admiral. 'Captain Whittaker means no offence,
I'm sure. It is simply that the war is now over. The Consortium which planned
it has been defeated and it is now time to unwind a little, just for one
evening. There is plenty of work to be done tomorrow.'
'Have all the members of the Consortium been dealth with?' asked Philippe
quickly to take the heat out of the moment.
'We believe so. The missile dump they had taken over at Aix is now totally
obliterated as well as their headquarters at Mandagout.'
'What about their base at Geneva?' asked Roger.
'No rebels were found at Geneva.' said the Admiral, looking at the plush red
carpet under the polished table.
'But that is where Louis and Corrine were headed when we banished them from
Rouen, wasn't it?' asked Jim.
'It certainly was,' agreed Philippe. 'But we don't know whether they ever made
it.'
'I suppose you're right,' conceded Jim.
'Who are these people, Louis and Corrine?' asked the puzzled Commander.
'They were in the Consortium and it was they who tricked Suzette into coming
to France to operate the equipment for them. At the time, we were convinced
they were working for NATO.'
'What happened to them, precisely?'
'We found out they were in the Consortium and then let them go.'
'You didn't kill them?'
'Of course not,' said Suzette. 'That would have made us as bad as them.'
'So, they could be somewhere out there now, planning revenge?'
'Unlikely. They were alone in their Fourtrack when the fallout rate was still
high. They most probably died on the way.'
'We will know more when the pictures are developed,' said Commander Jakes.
'Pictures?' queried Roger.
'The aircraft we sent north had cameras mounted beneath them in the hopes they
might spot something on the ground.'
'What if they are under the ground?' asked Suzette.