12.49, Costa de Oro Naval Base, Baltusia
The hangar was mostly in shadow, the venetian blinds almost completely closed, the air conditioner blown cold air at full power, and the main source of light was the screen of one of the laptops occupying a long table against one of the walls.
Outside, there was the noise of a moving aircraft on the track not far away, while the only sound inside was Filini's breath, asleep on an old couch placed at the bottom of the hangar and acting as a separator for the relax area.
But as he began to feel the engine of an approaching car, the man lazily opened one of his eyes and waved his ear.
The car, maybe a jeep to hear the engine's engine capacity, stood in front of the hangar, the engine was switched off and a couple of doors opened.
Two men chatted in a jolly tone, Filini recognized them and relaxed, turning on the couch and shrugging to the big doors beyond the helicopter that shortly afterwards were opened.
The two newly arrived men were discussing about the evening's league match of the day before, even beyond the hangar doors the voice of one of the two was clearly audible.
The doors opened and closed and then the two men appeared from behind the helicopter: they had big bags and one of them had an ocher folder under his arm with a big red label, he was the loudest one.
"If we sell him next year we make a lot of money, I tell you!"
"Anyone could hear you from the other end of the base, Morelli!" Filini muttered without turning.
"Thank you, goodbye to you too!" Morelli answered ironically, throwing the bags right at the foot of the couch, as loud as possible.
Filini finally turned, but unexpectedly she found the folder with the red label on his chest.
"What?" he asked opening it reading several printed sheets.
"A news that I think you'll like it!" answered sarcastic the third man, Tarricone, the bigger one of the three, the muscles that were well visible under the summer jacket of the Air Force he wore.
"You started packing too soon! I told you!" said Morelli.
"Do not we go back?"
"No. Vorona play around on hostages," Tarricone explained, "they sent back us to the Siracosa, it is still close to the territorial waters of Vorona along with the other five units, the President is waiting for the release of the hostages, one of the frigates could be sent to retrieve them"
"If they send us back on the Siracosa, however, they are not sure of the release, right?"
"What do you think? Vorona wants to negotiate" replied Morelli.
"What's to negotiate?"
"Everyone's in Romula thinking it, then get up and let's unpack the helicopter"
"Have you warned the others?"
"They are with the Commander in armory, we have 30 minutes to pack everything and load it"
"Okay, but first ... I have to make a phone call, my wife will not be happy ..." he sighed as he rose from the couch, heading toward the exit.
When he returned he joined the other two who were already filling some black boxes with much of the hangar equipment and first of all he closed the laptop on the table and brought him close to some of the ergonomic cases for the computer equipement.
"But at least, did the Jelbanian tell us something?"
"He confirmed that they divided them into all the three internment camps, but he will take some time to give us more information," said Tarricone.
"And it will take time for it! Any operation will have to wait for the negotiations, orders from above, but it will be long! I'll tell you!" Morelli added.
"Any operation would be complicated anyway" Tarricone continued "three camps! So three cargoes with at least two fighter each and then two helicopters each camps, not just some aircraft that can go unnoticed"
"Were not you the one who hoped for a beautiful Saridan style action?" said Morelli laughing.
"Before we knew they had split them up!"
"But Romula doesn't rule out an intervention, if not they would not send us back on the Siracuse" Filini objected after closing the second box he filled.
"As an extreme solution"
"We make too many big deal on it, I tell you!" Morelli exclaimed as he opened a bottle of water taken from the fridge "Do you call 'fighters' the ones which has Vorona? Few Yingdalana stuff that has seen too many decades! We put some electronic countermeasures and bam! They would notice us when we will be already in the process for Baltusia!"
"Even if late, the Vanukuans too will know!" answered Tarricone.
"Fuck the Vanukuan! Do you want to play with the fire? Well, let's play, let's see who burns more!"
"Tell the President!"
"I reevaluated her you know... I thought she was one that shit-her-pants, and instead... she was already with the helmet in the war bunker! Not like those bangs in Parliament! Let me see what they want to invent if after a bombardment some jackals went to rob houses and shops! People who had been comfortable between the doll for too long! I tell you, I even hoped that those Vanukuan dickheads would shoot the first shot!"
"It is clear that you are not married" said Filini irritated.
"I'm not so crazy to create my own fucking nut-twisting! Not like you! How many children do you have? Three and one on the way?"
"Two and one on the way!" answered Filini still irritated.
"I already see you in a year! Shirt, tie, kiss to the kids in the morning before going out, office, home again, shower, dinner, kiss goodnight for the kids and restarts! For heaven's sake! It's not for me, and certainly I do not want to always stand on the phone to hear my wife barking"
"She is alone at home, pregnant and with two children to watch: you would too... and then... I also want to be at home with them"
"I give you six months of office work and then you'll pay for getting back on the field!"
"To see your bad face again? No thanks!" Philini replied, shaking them together with Tarricone, while two other jeeps flicked out of the hangar, charged with the other members of the Reserved Operations Division who stopped in front of the other two adjacent hangars carrying inside other crates and equipment.