Free World War IV: A Broken Union by James Hunt Page B

regroups, he’s going to try and hammer you by bringing his forces from Perth in the west and surround you by land. You need to take every New Zealand soldier that arrives and meet Delun’s men before they reach Sydney. Priority one is getting rid of the threat at home. Then, we’ll worry about clearing out the islands.”
    “We?” Danny’s voice gave off a glint of hope and longing as he lifted his head and raised his eyebrow. “What about your brother? And the Russians?”
    “I’m hoping I can get back before the fighting begins, but I know Dean will have left someone in charge capable of handling preparations until I do. Once we turn the Russians back, we’ll focus on the Chinese. It’ll take some time, but by then you’ll have made some headway and we can concentrate our efforts.”
    “Christ.” Danny thumped his heavy arms on the table, a surge of energy returning to him. “How the hell did this happen?”
    “Brazil pulled the wool over our eyes. We gave them too much trust.” With the tantalizing trade agreements that Ruiz offered Jason and Danny, it was easy to not think twice. He knew Ruiz was shady but didn’t realize how much until now. Lance was betting that his youngest brother had relied more on his idealism than his wits. Jason’s empathetic nature had cost him this time.
    “You’re leaving today?” Danny asked.
    “Less than an hour. The engineers crack the Chinese code yet?” Despite the rousing speech Lance had mustered earlier, the fruits of that effort didn’t appear to be ripening. “It’d make our lives a lot easier if we knew their battle plans.”
    Danny let out a sigh and nearly broke the back of his chair as he leaned with all of his weight. “No. But the good news is the boys think they can recreate it.”
    “They can make us radios?” The prospect of having that type of tech would help give them an edge, but with radios came towers, wires—all materials they would normally have traded with Brazil. And Lance didn’t think Ruiz was in a bargaining mood at the moment.
    “They’ve already started reverse engineering a few models. Some of them don’t have a range worth shit, but it’s a start.”
    With the Chinese regrouping and half of the country still in disarray, Danny was going to have an uphill battle. Lance held out his hand, and Danny wrapped his big paw around it, the two firmly shaking hands. “We’re still in this fight.”
    Danny offered a smile and nodded, but the gesture felt hollow. They’d barely escaped the siege with their lives and half their men. If the Australian Navy had shown up a day later, they would have been invading a foreign country instead of saving what was left of their home. “I’ll keep you posted on the situation with the radio.”
    “Remember,” Lance said, stopping at the door, “ride out and meet Delun’s men before they have a chance to unite. They won’t expect you to be so bold after nearly losing the entire country.”
    By the time Lance made it back to the ship, Canice had rounded up the last of the crew. While all of them understood the dangers ahead, none of them had the slightest inkling to linger behind. Canice followed Lance up to the wheelhouse, the boilers already rumbling under the deck. “Everyone accounted for, Captain.”
    “No stragglers?” Lance pulled down the maps from the top of the cabin and started sifting through the large rolls of parchment.
    “Hardly anyone left the ship in the first place,” Canice answered. “Apparently their stay in Sydney wasn’t up to their standards.”
    “Well, the weather was a little off.”
    “Who knew it could rain lead?” Canice glanced down at the maps Lance studied, watching him trace his finger over the massive blue waters that would lead them home. “Are we taking the scenic route?”
    “The Chinese will most likely have gunner ships a few miles out past the Aussies’ ships.” Lance knew Delun was smart. “I’d like to avoid any more confrontations