Publisher's Synopsis
One of the civilized world's greatest scourges is on the rise again. Piracy has again cropped up in every sea and ocean, and the over-stretched navies of the world, including the United States, don't have the resources to stop it. When two United States congressmen suffer tragic losses to their family at the hands of pirates, an old solution with a unique twist is tried. The U.S. Congress, in cooperation with the President of the United States, grant constitutionally authorized licenses to kill called Letters of Marques and Reprisal to the Australian Secretary General of the United Nations to form a small, elite group of twelve specialist to enforce the Laws of the Sea Treaty established by UN. The objective: go where the US can't, find the pirates and, when possible, bring them back to the US for prosecution. And thus, Project Neptune is born. With their pick of Special Forces operators from the world's armies, they pick the best of the best selecting Brandt "Buck" Kohl, Lt., U.S. Navy SEAL, to lead Strike Force Trident. His only condition - his best friend, and roommate from the Naval Academy, Steve "Rampage" Ramage, Lt., U.S. Navy SEAL, comes in a package deal. Together Buck and Rampage forge a crack team of elite warriors from divergent countries and wed them to their "Super Mako," a one-of- kind high-speed attack boat loaded with their choice of weapons from the laboratories and inventory of the US military, as well as free rein of use of support, intelligence and transportation assets. Project Neptune's Strike Force Trident becomes the killing point of the spear, able to attack from air, land or sea. But, such actions between the US and the UN are not without controversy, and immediately forces both within the US and the UN set about sabotaging the fledgling unit's activities. As Buck and Rampage start their anti-pirating work, they also soon discover that the tragic loss of a Congressman's goddaughter may not have been the random act of pirates. Someone was paying the pirates to kill all aboard the UN vessel she had hitched a ride on. But who would pay to kill UN scientist investigating an old, controversial theory of oil manufacture within the earth's crust? Buck and Rampage, along with Dr. Lila Melrony, the scientist appointed to continue the research, try to unravel who's behind the deaths. But the closer they come to unraveling the mystery, the more they become a threat to the unseen forces, who will stop at nothing to put an end to the UN's meddling, ultimately leading to a furious water-borne, page-turning climax.
