Against the Tide Imperial: The Struggle for Ceylon (The Usurper's War: An Alternative World War II B by James Young (story reading txt) 📕

Badcocke’s case of misidentification would have grievous consequences.

…With A Striking Castle

“When we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.”

Sun Tzu

Morton Residence

2236 Local (0436 Eastern)

Hawaii

8 August (9 August)

“I swear by all that’s holy, someone is going to die,” Patricia drawled as the knocking on their kitchen door continued. She had just finished brushing her teeth and slipping into her night robe for a last bit of reading before bed. Now someone, undoubtedly either confused, drunk, or both was quietly, but insistently, tapping.

“Violently,” Jo agreed as Patricia stepped into the hallway. Patricia stopped stock still, bringing her hand up to her mouth in shock, as she regarded her diminutive roommate.

“Where in the hell did you get a shotgun?” Patricia asked, her voice rising in concern.

“How about you don’t announce to the whole world we’re armed?” Jo snapped. She stopped, eyes narrowing as she turned towards the kitchen.

“What is…”

“Shush for a second,” Jo said, clearly concentrating. “That sounds like Morse code.”

Listening for a few more knocks, Jo’s eyes flew wide, then she rushed towards the kitchen door making joyful noises. Stopping in her head long rush, Jo leaned the pump shotgun up against the wall before entering the kitchen.

What in the hell? Patricia asked, following along behind at a much more sedate pace. Before she was halfway through the house, she heard Jo give a whooping scream and throw the door open.

“Sam!” Jo shouted, jumping through the door and into the open arms of one Samuel Cobb.

Oh my God! Patricia thought, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes as David stepped past his brother and into her kitchen. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around him and embracing him.

“Does she realize she’s only wearing a night shirt?” David whispered as he squeezed his sister.

“Shush you!” Patricia sobbed into his shoulder. “You know they’ve always had a weird friendship.”

“Who has always had a weird friendship?” Jo asked, wiping tears away from her eyes as she led Sam by the hand inside.

If by weird you mean just this side of presentable, perhaps the woman holding the wrong brother’s hand as she leads him into the house.

“I need to get changed, Sam,” Jo said. You don’t go anywhere.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” David asked in faux indignation.

“I’ll give you your hug when I get decent,” Jo tossed over her shoulder.

Both Sam and David turned to watch her go.

That’s it, I’m giving you both a piece of my mind, Patricia bristled. Yes, Eric did not depart here on the best of terms and neither of us have heard from him or Charles in weeks, but there is no excuse for Sam to be flirting with Jo.

Patricia glared at both her brothers, rattling her fingers on the table until they belatedly turned to look at her. Both men took a simultaneous, clearly involuntary step backwards just as she opened her mouth. The movement stopped her for a second, eyes narrowing.

“Yes, I know, I look like Mom,” she almost hissed.

“It’s uncanny, Toots,” Sam said, his voice somewhat shaken.

“Maybe you should consider why I look like her,” Patricia replied. “Could it be that you’re looking at my roommate like she’s a mutton chop and you’re a wolf?”

David smirked at that comment, causing Patricia to whirl towards him.

“Is there something amusing, David? I know Sam and you have always been thick as thieves, but I didn’t think you’d literally help him steal your other brother’s girl.”

“Point of order,” Jo said coolly from the kitchen doorway. “I’m no one’s ‘girl.’ Not that it’s any of your business.”

Patricia’s cheeks felt positively ablaze as she looked towards Jo. The shorter woman’s face was calm, almost serene, as she stepped into the room and gave David a huge hug.

“God I missed you both,” Jo said. Patricia could hear the tears almost ready to flow again in her roommate’s voice. Fighting down her own emotions, she turned to Sam.

“Did you both forget how to write? We haven’t heard from either of you in weeks.”

Both Sam and David looked at one another, then at the two women with mutually wide eyes.

“I wrote every day before we came out here,” Sam said. “Hell, I’ve got letters for you both back at the squadron.”

“You’re the first people Sadie and I wrote with the news,” David said.

“What news?” Patricia asked, looking at them both.

Sam started laughing.

“Sadie and I are pregnant,” David said. “You’re going to be an aunt, Patricia.”

Patricia looked at her brother.

An aunt? I’m too young to be an…wait, really?

Her face broke into a slight smile, then a broad grin as David looked goofily back at her.

“Sorry Jo, you’ll just have to be an ‘aunt,’” Sam stated, making air quotations that led to a dirty look from both Patricia and Jo.

“Has it ever crossed your mind that I might enjoy just being the person who buys this child random gifts during the year?” Jo replied, voice dripping in sarcasm. “Aunt sounds so stuffy, so formal.”

Patricia rolled her eyes as she sat down at the table.

“Don’t rain on my parade, Josephine Morton,” she chided happily. “So are you guys going to actually sit down or just look in our kitchen?”

Sam and David looked at each other.

“Actually we’ll stand,” they both said in unison.

“Stop it,” Jo said, her smile belying any indication that she may be actually annoyed. “You know I hate it when you two do that.”

Both men smiled mischievously.

“Anyway, why are you even here?” Patricia asked. “I thought you were both being forced to convince people to pay for the war?”

“We were,” Sam said, making the face of someone who had just been reminded of an unpleasant chore.

“Then someone here asked a random officer to get us assigned to his squadron,” David said. “Three guesses as to who would do something like that.”

Jo looked at Sam with worry on her face.

“You mean, you had a chance to spend a few weeks not getting shot at