"Starting with the best R4D you have. It will not be available for anything else until further notice."
"Yes, Sir."
"I've told him you can install auxiliary fuel tanks in a couple of hours. Is that correct?"
"Yes, Sir. The fuel lines are already installed. All that has to be done is to reload the tanks and hook them up."
"Major Dillon has also brought with him some special equipment that will have to be installed," Holliman said.
"What kind of special equipment?"
"They're something like skis," Dillon said. "They're supposed to make it possible to land an R4D on sand."
"On sand?" Finch asked incredulously.
"Certain kinds of sand," Dillon said. "We don't know yet if our sand is the right kind; but in case it is, we want to be ready."
"I don't suppose you're going to tell me where this sand is?" Finch asked.
"You understand that all this is classified?" Dillon asked.
"I thought maybe it would be," Finch said, tempering the sarcasm with a smile.
"Just for the record, I'm telling you the classification is TOP SECRET," Jake said. "The sand is on a beach on an island called Buka."
"That's way the hell up by Rabaul!"
"Right. And there is a Japanese fighter base on Buka."
"I know," Finch said. "I've seen the maps."
"There is also a Coastwatcher station on Buka. Their equipment is about shot, and we have every reason to believe that the people are in pretty bad physical shape. What we're going to do is extract them, and replace them."
"Well, I'll be goddamned!" Finch said softly. Then he added, "I guess it's that important, isn't it?" And then he had a second thought. "Just among three Marines, how did The Corps get stuck with this mission?"
"Two of the three people to be extracted are Marines," Dillon said.
"I didn't know we had Marines with the Coast watchers, Holliman said.
"We have these people, and there are two more on the replacement team," Dillon said.
"I'll be damned," Finch said.
"Major Dillon also wants from you the name of the best R4D pilot you know who would be willing to volunteer for this mission."
"That's easy. Finch, John James, Major."
"See if you can come up with some other names, Jack," Holliman said. "I need you as squadron commander."
"Sir, I'm the best R4D pilot. I can't really think... of anyone with more experience."
"You hesitated," Dillon challenged.
"I'm the most experienced R4D pilot in MAG-25," Finch said flatly.
"Who were you thinking of, Major?" Dillon pursued.
"Tell him, Jack," Holliman ordered.
"Charley Galloway, Sir," Finch said with obvious reluctance. He looked at Dillon. "Galloway's a captain. He's commanding VMF-229 on Henderson Field on Guadalcanal."
"You said you needed a volunteer, volunteers," Holliman said. "I'm not sure Galloway would. Not because he doesn't have the balls, but because he would honestly figure he is more valuable to The Corps as a squadron commander than doing something... like this."
"Something idiotic, maybe suicidal, like this?" Dillon asked.
"Your words, Major, not mine."
"The question is, is Galloway the pilot who could most likely carry this off"
"He was my IP," Finch said. "He's as good as there is. I don't want to sound like I'm trying to sell him for the job, but Galloway was in on the acceptance tests of the R4D before the war. He even went through the Air Corps program on dropping parachutists,"
"Then in your judgment you and Captain Galloway are the two best pilots for this. Is that what you're saying?"
"Yes, that's what I'm saying."
"Colonel, would you agree with that?"
"I could lie, I suppose," Holliman said. "Maybe I should. But I won't. Yeah, they're the best."
"Well then, the next step, obviously, is to ask Captain Galloway if he'd be willing to volunteer."
"I'm going up there this morning," Finch said. "I was about to take off when I was told to come here. I'll ask him."
"If you don't mind I'll ride along with you. I'd like to see him myself. Charley's an old friend of mine." That announcement seemed to surprise both Holliman and Finch, but they didn't say anything.
"That would mean bumping a passenger already on my plane. Or two hundred pounds of cargo," Finch said.
"You can send whoever or whatever I bump up there on the R4D you're going to install the fuel tanks and skis on," Dillon replied. "I want that ready to go from Henderson as soon as possible."
Chapter Fifteen
[One]
WATER LILY COTTAGE
MANCHESTER AVENUE