A Modern Nemo 21

Maximilian entered his father's office and beheld his brothers standing nervously next to the desk. Their father was sitting, not at the desk, but on it -and cross-legged; he was smoking a newly-lighted cigarette.

Upon seeing Maximilian, Eric threw the barely-used cigarette into the ashtray and dropped to the floor. "Alright," he said, "your brothers told me everything. What I want to know now is why you sent Petrov and his crew to gather intel on Konstantiniadis at this point. It's too early. It could even backfire."

"You did tell me once that it's important to think two steps ahead of the competition."

Eric approached his eldest son. "You're hiding something," he said. "What is it that you're not telling me?"

"If I told you, would you believe me?" asked the younger Ong.

Eric leaned forward. "Try me," he said.

Maximilian took a cigar from his pocket and lighted it. "The recent seizure of pirate vessels off the Horn of Africa yielded more than just the usual caches of guns and ammunition. Among the weapons that were gathered from these ships were the parts of a Phalanx CIWS as well as Slick-32 and and Spook nine fire-control radars."

Eric straightened up. "Go on," he said with a nod.

"The interrogation of many of the pirates pointed out that this equipment was destined for a 'shipbuilder in China' and the containers of this equipment bore markings of Green Oceans."

Eric nodded and raised a finger. "You are going to follow up with this mission. I don't want any screw-ups."

"Understood."