When Spinner recovered consciousness, he looked around him at the luxury of his private suite and knew at once he must be in Dux. ‘Where am I?’ he asked, panicking. ‘What have you done?’
‘It’s okay,’ Annalie said soothingly. ‘You’re safe. We’re all safe.’
‘But—the Admiralty—’
‘There’s something you need to see,’ Will said.
Annalie passed him her shell and let him read.
Admiralty ‘attacks’ Sundia, sparks international crisis
An Admiralty warship was discovered in Sundian territorial waters yesterday in what the Sundians are calling an act of war.
The Admiralty warship Raptor was discovered off the remote west coast of Sundia by the Sundian coast guard, breaching Sundia’s strict no-travel policy.
The official Sundian news agency reports that there was an exchange of fire between the Raptor and the Sundian vessel before the Raptor stood down and agreed to be boarded. The crew of the Raptor have been arrested, and the vessel impounded.
The Sundians are calling the presence of the Raptor an ‘invasion’ and ‘an act of war’. Prominent Sundian government figures have called for the crew to be charged with spying and acts of war, which carry penalties of life imprisonment and even death.
While there is no official explanation yet about what the Raptor was doing in Sundia, the Admiralty have issued this statement: ‘The Admiralty respects the laws of Sundia and their right to defend their borders. We hope to resolve this unfortunate incident quickly and satisfactorily.’
Unofficial sources say the Raptor may have been carrying out covert operations in Sundia. If true, this could make it very difficult for the Admiralty to get their crew back, as well as severely embarrassing the Admiralty on the international stage.
‘Rogue agent’ responsible for Raptor Incident
In sensational new evidence today, the Admiralty has revealed that the Raptor was ordered into Sundian waters by a rogue agent, Commander Avery Beckett.
‘Commander Beckett has been a leading agent in the fight against international piracy for many years,’ the Admiralty said in a statement released today. ‘His team, which was stationed aboard the Raptor, was conducting a special investigation, which remains classified. Unfortunately, it appears Commander Beckett chose to ignore the very clear directives for action set down by the Admiralty and pursued his investigation in unauthorised and unacceptable ways. Commander Beckett overrode the orders of theRaptor’s commanding officer, Captain Grey, to avoid crossing into Sundian waters. It was Commander Beckett who forced the crew of the Raptor to violate Sundia’s borders, and who also subsequently fired on the Sundian coastguard in an effort to escape capture. Captain Grey was then able to regain control of the ship and begin negotiations with the Sundian authorities.’
Jail for rogue agent
Rogue agent Commander Avery Beckett is to remain in a Sundian jail, along with four of his key officers, but the rest of the crew of the Raptor are coming home, in a deal announced this morning.
The Sundian People’s Court have found Commander Beckett guilty of a range of offences and sentenced him to 20 years jail.
The court accepted that the remaining crew were acting under duress when they entered Sundian waters, and have ordered the release of the crew and the Raptor. They will be embarking on the return journey to Dux ‘within the week’.
Will gave Spinner an evil grin. ‘The Admiralty threw Beckett to the wolves,’ he said.
‘Twenty years in a Sundian jail,’ Spinner said. ‘That’s rough.’
‘He would have done worse to you,’ Will said.
‘Don’t you see what this means?’ Annalie said excitedly. ‘We’re free!’
‘The Admiralty doesn’t like to leave loose ends,’ Spinner said. ‘In their eyes, I’m still a traitor.’
Annalie and Will exchanged a look. ‘Actually, Essie and her dad have been working on that.’
While Everest’s people had been trying to find Essie, his energetic team of lawyers had been hard at work looking for ways to extricate his daughter and her friends from their complicated situation. Their investigations into Beckett had turned up a rich seam of potential bad news stories. Then came the Raptor Incident. Suddenly, the lawyers had everything they needed.
Hearing that Spinner had finally regained consciousness, Everest Wan soon arrived to share the good news with all of them: Spinner, Will and Annalie, Essie, Pod, Blossom and Graham.
‘You children are no longer kidnappers,’ he said. ‘We’ve spoken to the police. There were never any charges laid against Will and Annalie. The whole thing was just a fake story that Beckett’s people planted in the newsfeeds.’
‘But the story’s still out there,’ Annalie said. ‘Any time someone looks up our names, it comes up.’
‘We’ve done something about that,’ Everest said. He gave Essie his shell and she began to read aloud.
‘Kidnap’ girl found alive and well
Alleged kidnap victim Essie Wan has returned to her family today safe and well. She has revealed that the kidnap story was a hoax planted by notorious ‘rogue agent’ Commander Avery Beckett, now serving a 20-year sentence in a Sundian jail.
The sensational story claimed that Miss Wan had been kidnapped from elite Admiralty school Triumph College by her schoolmate, Annalie Wallace, and her brother, Will Wallace, and held prisoner aboard the Wallace family yacht, the Sunfish.
The truth, Miss Wan has revealed, is far stranger. Essie Wan was forced to flee Triumph College after Annalie Wallace, Miss Wan’s best friend, was targeted by Commander Beckett. He incorrectly believed Miss Wallace had information he wanted, and he threatened to harm her and her friends and family if she would not give it to him, even after she made it clear she did not have the information he sought. Believing their lives were in danger, Miss Wallace and Miss Wan fled to join Miss Wallace’s brother, and the three of them escaped aboard their family’s boat, the Sunfish. The Wallace children’s father was away on business and uncontactable at this time.
Commander
