Doesn’t seem like Lieutenant Commander Jacob T. Grimm was going to get anything out of his latest very successful mission. Well, I think he did get a medal, but it was all done on the quiet since he’s still not accepted as a “good” Naval officer. Still, he had hoped that the superb performance of his crew under difficult circumstances would at least give him and them a reprieve from going to the scrapyard. Yet, they are still tied up to the Utopia docks and they are not going to be getting any resupplies and only minor repairs if the shipyard has the time. He’s afraid that his ship, the *Interceptor* is about to be scrapped and there’s nothing he can do about it.
He finally receives a communication to report to Admiral Villanueva. Slowly he made his way to the “USS Alexander”, the Navy Command HQ ship. He had a strong suspicion that this was going to be the end of his Naval career. The meeting turned out to be very short and he left with an unopened envelope headed back to the boat bay and his shuttle. Surprisingly he was soon met by Nadia Dagher, the ONI agent (spy), and his girlfriend. He was wondering why she was there, for comfort or to watch his humiliation. Still, he was glad she was still with him. Turns out she had a definite purpose for being right there at that time.
While enroute back to the *USS Intercepter* his pilot said they had received new orders and they were to land on the planet. They were diverted to some place in the desert which seemed a little familiar to Jacob. Jacob was very surprised upon landing when the shuttle was met by none other than Vice Admiral Wit DeBeck, Chief, ONI. He asked Nadia if she knew anything about this, but she was silent. She said just go with whatever happens. That was going to be a tough suggestion.
Vice Admiral DeBeck ground car took off once Jacob and Nadia were aboard. Jacob asked where they were going but the Admiral told him to just hold his question until later. To Jacob’s surprise they arrived at his family’s farm where his Father resided. Jacob hadn’t spoken to his Father in a long time after the Pascal event. He didn’t think his Father wanted to speak to him now. Still, the Vice Admiral went to the front door of the farm house and rang the bell. Jacob’s Father answered. He showed no reaction to who was on his porch. After the introductions, Jacob Father said he was busy and they would have to leave. This kind of surprised the Vice Admiral, but he held an envelope in his hand that he placed on the porch asking Jacob’s Father to please read it.
The Vice Admiral then told Jacob and Nadia to follow him to the barn. Once in the barn, and after his security team had deem the place entirely secure. He then told Jacob that he had a new “unofficial mission”. Jacob couldn’t believe what he was being told and what he was being asked to do. While he knew the Caliphate of Hamid had just caused a tremendous loss of life by bombing the city of Alexandria, he figured the United Systems Alliance (USA) was soon going to war even though the Caliphate had blamed the bombing on the Guild. Jacob knew that wasn’t true as did the military leadership of the USA. But now the Vice Admiral was telling him that Congress which was destroyed at Alexandria now was not sure about going to war. They were listening to Caliphate propaganda which said the Guild was the guilty party and the Senators weren’t sure what to do, so they did nothing!
This didn’t sit well with the military, but something had to be done or the Caliphate would strike again. Jacob was going to be a sacrificial lamb with “unofficial orders” that were quite extraordinary. He would be banned as a criminal and sentenced to prison even if he was successful in this dangerous mission. Nadia was going with him although he didn’t want her to be involved, but part of the mission required her expertise and since her boss was the on telling Jacob his “orders”, then she would be going.
Now is when the really interesting and exciting part of the book starts. Was this new “non-mission” even doable? Jacob thinks it might be with the crew he has aboard the *Interceptor* and, “Yes!” The *Interceptor* would be very much involved. So once again he’s off if only he can get new supplies, parts, equipment, food and ammunition to out-fit his ship. None of that is or would be authorized. So how was he to get anything done?
Ok, this book is real exciting even if really impossible. I can’t say if strings are being pulled to help Jacob, but some of the stuff he gets done would seem impossible. There will be things that weren’t anticipated and he won’t have a lot of intelligence to guide him. That lack of Intel will almost kill everyone and destroy the *USS Interceptor*.
I’m ready for book four, “A Grimm Sacrifice”, now available on Amazon.