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himself onto a dugout boat lashed to two barrels. His black wetsuit blending with the shadows, Vanel began low-crawling over the uneven terrain. His goal was the first row of rough buildings, about fifteen meters away. There he would clear the area and provide cover for the rest of his team as they advanced.
    Halfway over, a door made from a corrugated tin sheet burst open and a half-dressed man and woman staggered out. Whooping and shouting, the pair headed for the main dock, their feet thumping on the wooden planks.
    Vanel slid into the water, ducking behind a nearby barrel. The triangular space was barely large enough, but he managed. “Inara Four to Leader.”
    “Go, Four.”
    “One tango and a female are on the dock five meters away.” Vanel peeked up just enough to see the two sharing a bottle of something as the man began groping the half-naked woman. “Cannot reach target without possibility of detection. What are your orders?”
    There was a slight pause. Vanel waited patiently, figuring Yosif might be kicking this up the chain of command. They tried not to harm innocents whenever possible, but Vanel doubted the Kildar would allow the presence of one whore to compromise the entire mission.
    “Can you terminate tango and subdue the woman without detection, Four?”
    “Yes.” Vanel had been figuring out exactly how to do this while waiting for an answer.
    “Roger, you are go.”
    “Roger, Four out.” Taking a deep breath, Vanel ducked under the water’s surface and began pushing himself toward a narrow, open space by the dock. Forty-five seconds later, he broke the water again just enough to grab the side of the crude dock. Above, he heard soft grunts and a rhythmic motion that made the boards creak. Drawing his pistol, Vanel cleared the barrel and action. Gripping the edge of the dock with one hand, he hoisted himself up, supporting his body with his left arm while extending his pistol toward his target.
    The two were huddled together, the woman sitting on the man’s lap while he rocked back and forth. Her head lolled on her shoulders in what was mostly likely a drug-induced stupor as the pirate thrust into her. Vanel took in the sight even as he drew a bead on the man’s temple and squeezed the trigger.
    The bullet made a neat entry hole just above the pirate’s eye. It took a fist-sized chunk of bone and brains with as it blew out the other side of his skull. The man flopped to the deck while the woman stared at her suddenly limp john. Before she could react, Vanel was kneeling beside her. He brought the butt of his pistol down on the back of her neck, knocking her out. After rolling the dead pirate’s body over the side, he secured the unconscious woman’s hands and feet with zipties and improvised a gag from a strip of her threadbare mini-skirt.
    “Tango is down and woman is secured. Continuing insertion.”
    “Roger.”
    Holstering his pistol, Vanel readied his carbine and crept to the narrow path leading to the first row of shanties. Other than the two romantics, all of the activity seemed to be coming from higher up. Regardless, they were going to sweep and clear as they went, to prevent any nasty surprises from appearing in their sixes.
    Reaching the first hut, Vanel gave his night vision a chance to readjust after the brightness outside before peeking into the interior. Seeing no one, he signaled the rest of the team to sweep forward and ducked inside, clearing the room from left to right.
    The floor of the stinking hovel was covered in sleeping mats, filthy clothes, empty beer bottles, and the remains of crude meals. Vanel held his position until the rest of his team had rejoined him.
    “Team Jayne is in position and ready to begin their sweep,” Yosif informed his squad. “Let’s move out.”

CHAPTER THREE

    “The boy is good.”
    Having watched Vanel take out the pirate and subdue the woman on the dock, Mike nodded at Adams’ remark. He kept his field glasses trained on both teams