Secret Warriors (Men at War 2)

"Eric, if you are going to be an officer and a gentleman, you will have to lear in to treat your superior officers with much greater respect."

The man glared at him but said nothing. "Is Captain Whittaker with you?" Canidy asked. "Yes, Sir," Martin said. "He went to say hello to Miss Chenowith."

"I don't think saying hello is exactly what he had in mind," Canidy said.

"Oh, excuse me, Colonel. These gentlemen are Lieutenant Martin and about-to-be-Lieutenant Fulmar. They jump out of airplanes." The announcement was not entirely necessary. As part of his briefing, Stevens had read both officers' dossiers. But now, he thought, he could put faces with names." My name is Stevens," he said." I'm very pleased to meet you. Captain Doug lass, Captain Whittaker, and Miss Cynthia Chenowith came into the library together a few minutes later, trailed almost immediately by Charity Hoc he pushing a butler's tray loaded with hors d'oeuvres. They also serve, Canidy thought, who pass the

"I thought a small celebration was in order," Doug lass said, "to mark this momentous occasion."

"What momentous occasion?" Canidy asked. "The swearing in of Eric Fulmar as a commissioned officer," Doug lass said.

"I thought that I would ask Colonel Stevens, as the senior Army officer present, to do the honors."

"I'd be honored," Colonel Stevens said.

And Fulmar put his hand on the Bible, took the oath, and stood silently as Stevens and Doug lass pinned the gold bars of a second lieutenant to the epaulets of Fulmar's tunic.

Then everyone solemnly shook Eric's hand and congratulated him, 230 M during which time Canidy had a premonition that Fulmar was somehow once again getting the shaft-even if he couldn't figure out how. Charity Hoc he, meanwhile, gave Fulmar an unusually intimate kiss, and Canidy supposed that if she was half as casual with her favors as Ann claimed she was, the kiss was only a sample of what Eric would get in the way of a present later tonight. That didn't surprise him. What did was that when they went in to dinner, a place at the table had been set for her. Doug lass began the business part of the dinner by offering a flattering resume of Lieutenant Colonel Stevens's military and civilian experience. He followed that with an announcement: On their arrival in London Stevens would assume the duty of deputy chief of station. "On whose arrival in London?" Canidy asked. "Yours," Doug lass said. He inclined his head slightly toward Charity Hoc he. Now she really surprised Canidy, "The aircraft arrived at Anacostia at 1530," she said.

"The crew was sent over to ONI. They will be here in about an hour."

"What aircraft?" Canidy asked.

"I guess I'm not too bright, but I don't understand what she's talking a

bout."

"We have borrowed a C-46 from the Navy," Charity Hoc he went on, completely in charge of the situation.

"They were about to put it in service as sort of a V.I.P transport, flying Navy brass hats between the West Coast and Hawaii, but we had a higher priority, of course. They're more than a little miffed, Dick.

It may be necessary for you to smooth their feathers a little. "Why have we borrowed a C-46?" Canidy asked. "To take Admiral de Verbey and his staff to En land," Captain Doug lass said, "in a manner fitting a very senior French naval officer. And for other purposes, which you and I will get into a little later. Canidy knew what the "other purposes" were. It was obvious that the Navy C-46 was the backup aircraft for the African flight. But he did not understand the business of moving Admiral de Verbey to England. "Barring objections from you, Dick," Charity went on, "you're scheduled to depart Anacostia at 0845 hours tomorrow. The admiral and his staff will be waiting for you at Lakehurst from 0915.

That should put you into Newark by 1030, with departure for England sometime tomorrow afternoon. That means you will have to leave here no later than 0800 tomorrow. It will take two cars to carry all of you and your luggage. I'll drive the station wagon and Chief Ellis the Buick. I checked just a few minutes THE SECRET WARRIORS M Z31 ago, and there will be no problem with the weather, either here or in New Jersey," "Got all that so far, Dick?" Captain Doug lass asked. "Any questions so far?" When Canidy looked at him, Doug lass's eyes were smiling. He was enjoying Charity Hoc he's briefing-and Canidy's reaction to it. "No questions so far," Canidy said. "London has been alerted to your arrival, and I'll reconfirm, of course," Charity went on, "once we have your departure time from Newark. You'll be met at Croydon and taken to the Dorchester, where you'll be put up for at least two days before going on to Whitby House."

"Whitby House?" Canidy asked. "The Dorchester?" Stevens asked simultaneously, obviously surprised. Canidy made a gesture, deferring to Colonel Stevens. "Colonel Donovan thought you would like that, Colonel," Captain Doug lass said. "What's the Dorchester?" Canidy asked. "It's arguably the best hotel in London," Stevens said.

"What's behind this touching interest in our physical comfort?" Canidy asked. "We want to make sure that Admiral de Verbey is comfortable," Dound that his arrival in England is not missed by certain glass said, "a people."

"And what's Whitby House?" Canidy asked. "for us to set up a "It's been considered necessary," Doug lass said, close working relationship with what the British call the Special Operations Executive, SOE being much like the OSS-except, as Colonel Donovan points out, they know what they're doing. search and Development Station "They operate what they call SOE Re IX on a requisitioned estate near London. it's sort of a combination of Summer Place and the estate; it houses their agent-training facilities and serves as a hotel or billet. It is our intention to set up a similar facility as soon as possible. Another estate-they call them country houses-has been made available to us.

It's called Whitby House. It is the ancestral home of the dukes of Stan field."

"And you're going to move the admiral there?" Can idy asked. "You're going to move him there, Dick," Doug lass said.

"He remains a3a a W.R.B. antivirin your responsibility. You will report to Colonel Stevens. You know what is needed in the way of security and communications, and Colonel Stevens will arrange for you to get what you need, While you and Captain Whittaker are doing that, Lieutenants Martin and Fulmar win go through the SOE agent school at Station IX. SOE has also agreed to make available some of their staff to help us set up and operate our own training cour seat least for the time being."

"Charity,' Doug lass said after dinner was over, "do you think you could amuse Captain Whittaker and Lieutenants Fulmar and Martin while Cynthia and I go over some details with Colonel Stevens and Major Canidy?" When they had gone, Doug lass said, "There are some things the others don't have the need to know."

"No kidding?" Canidy asked in sarcastic innocence, Cynthia gave him a dirty look. Doug lass shook his head in resignation, but Stevens smiled.

Canidy saw it and smiled conspiratorially at him. =mg "Are we going to let the admiral try to steal the Jean Bart?" Canidy asked.

"There has been no decision about that," Doug lass said, taking Canidy's question at face value.

"What we're up to is a little political blackmail. General de Gaulle is giving General Eisenhower fits, More than fits. Eisenhower believes that de Gaulle can cause enormous mischief during Operation Torch. If he gets away with that, Ike is certain he'll raise even more trouble when we are ready to invade the European landmass. And if we decide to make the landing in France... Jesus! Eisenhower, therefore, wants very badly to get de Gaulle off his back. He has recommended that we withdraw our support from him entirely. The British rather strongly object."

"May I ask why? What do they recommend? Do they side with de Gaulle?"