Page 17 (1/2)

“Gangway secure,” Murph said

“Okay, you can take the Triton Star crew back over,” Max said into the radio to the guards

“Roger that,” caway

Linda called over the radio “Max, now that you’re done, we’ve got so you and Murph should look at down here”

“Happy to,” he answered “Be there in a et inside”

They went down a few flights and entered a corridor, with chipped linoleu They passed the captain’s office and personal head, which were so disgusting and smelled so vile that they could cause even the most hardened Third World harborhtail it out after just a few minutes

Max opened the door to the janitor’s closet, full of unused cleaning supplies and a sink coated with unidentifiable gunk He twisted the handles as if he were spinning the dials on a combination lock, and, with a soft click, the panel at the back of the closet slid open, revealing a well-appointed hallway that wouldn’t have been out of place in a five-star hotel

Thick carpeting muffled their steps as Max closed the panel behind thehts softly lit artwork lining the walls, and the air no longer reeked

A descendant of World War II Q-ships—ocean raiders disguised as haron was specially constructed to be invisible, often flying the flag of a rogue nation on her jackstaff From the outside, she seemed to be a decrepit tramp steamer destined for the scrapyard But on the inside, she was the most advanced spy ship ever built, with features, armaments, and capabilities that even careful external observers couldn’t possibly iine

Since the Oregon was hos were designed to make the ship as coenerous allowances to outfit their personal quarters however they wanted, and they had access to extensive entertainour chef and culinary team

The Oregon’s operational functionality was even h weaponry to take on any ship short of a battle cruiser, including a 120mm cannon similar to the one used on the Abrams main battle tank, French Exocet anti-ship missiles, and Russian Type 53 torpedoes, all purchased on the black market to conceal any connection to the United States

Her defensive armaments were just as formidable The rusty oil barrels on deck hid re boarders, while plates in the hull slid apart to reveal three Gatling guns that could rake enea battery of Aster anti-aircraft un It rose out of the stern to fire its one hundred barrels of electronically activated ammunition at the equivalent rate of adown hard-to-hit micro-drones

For infiltration on could launch submarines from the cavernous moon pool, where immense doors in the keel opened to allow the subs or divers to depart undetected For surface operations, sid-hulled inflatable boats, or RHIBs, favored by the Navy SEALs, could exit froe accessed by a hidden panel at water level

Two of the five deck cranes were fully operational, while the other three were distressed and disabled to h several of the deep holds could be used for storing cargo to throw off the ressive port inspectors, the others contained vital ship areas and were carefully covered with a false layer of crates and containers toover the rearmost hold retracted to raise the platform for the ship’s MD-520N helicopter

The diesels that drove the Oregon when she was hauling Pacific Northwest tiines afloat Two enically cooled by liquid heliuh th of the ship, propelling her to speeds unthinkable for a vessel her size andher as nimble as a Jet Ski That was the reason she was able to maintain a safe distance froway in position