Echelon: Ascendancy

By Mitchell Schofield

When religious artifacts are stolen from the Vatican Museums by C.O.B.A.L. to be sold to an arms dealer for weaponry and cash, Forest Jacoby and his team of operators are tasked to intercept the meeting, capture the arms dealer, and secure the artifacts. On the surface the mission seems easy but things aren’t what they seem.

Supported by Echelon’s vast resources, these operators are sent around the world to assist in keeping order and dispatching evil doers. They answer to no government nor cower to political nonsense. Their skill is honed, their aim steady.

Echelon: Ascendancy is the first book of the Echelon Series. It will give you a glimpse of the action packed missions Forest Jacoby and his team accomplish at great cost. With their talents being formerly of the U.S. Army, FBI, and CIA, there’s not too much they haven’t seen or done.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mitchell Schofield
• Release date: May 14, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301528509

Book preview

Echelon: Ascendancy

by Mitchell Schofield

Published By Mitchell Schofield

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2012 Mitchell Schofield. All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Warning: This story is intended for mature audiences due to violence and/or language.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Cafe Durant

Echelon

Operation Argentum

Avignon, France

Stack Up

Tango Down

Bang Out

Alert One

Back to Top

Prologue

Forest Jacoby watched the gate while trying to suppress his anxiety of the pending ambush. He looked up into the church tower to see Orrin Solt aiming his L118A sniper rifle towards the gate. Tyce Tooley low crawled through the bush row to lay prone next to Forest. Tyce upholstered his G18 pistol and put it front of him for easy access. Tyce then turned to see Forest breathing into the ACOG mounted on his M4A1 and cleaning it with his Nomex glove.

Forest repositioned his throat mic and then started to perform his commo check. Outlaws! This is Outlaw One! Commo check, over. He whispered. While receiving the appropriate responses he noticed movement at the gate. One. This is Three. I’ve got movement at the gate. Do you want me to move forward? Forest heard Vidal Fleet transmit. Negative, Three. Four. Do you have eyes on? Forest whispered to Orrin Solt. Forest averted his eyes from the gate to look at Orrin’s position and saw that Orrin seemed to be following the movement with his scope. Roger, One. I’m on him. I don’t see a weapon or any telling behavior. It may be a scout sent by C.O.B.A.L. or LaBlonde. Do you want me to neutralize him? Orrin quizzed. Negative. Forest returned.

Cafe Durant

Yes, Sir! I’d like a 16 ounce Columbian blend, black, please. Forest Jacoby said to the counter clerk. That’ll be $4.75. The clerk said as he watched Jacoby search his billfold for the dollar bills he needed. He paid the clerk and then moved aside to let the next person in line order. After several minutes passed, he received his hot drink and went to choose a suitable table for which to sit. He deliberately chose a table with four seats towards the rear of the room closest to the back door of Cafe Durant. He had surveyed the layout of the cafe so he could be prepared for any impending situation going awry. As he checked his watch, he noticed that it was 14:07. It’s not like Tyce to ever be late for anything. He thought to himself. First Lieutenant Tyce Tooley served with Captain Forest Jacoby in the first Gulf War. The lieutenant was a trusted operator assigned to Jacoby’s Special Forces unit. He quickly earned Jacoby’s trust and became a friend, confidant, and comrade in arms.

While looking to