A Red Typhoon.

By Nicholas Gill

A PAGASA Typhoon warning Gives Chico Lassiter an Idea.
Concerned at the increasing levels of activity detrimental to fisher folk dependent on the resources of the South China Sea, he is looking for a way to remove the threat of the massive fishing fleet that China has deployed inside waters designated as the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone. More than two hundred Chinese fishing vessels are seen to be moored off Juan Philipe Reef in defiance of an International Court ruling.
Maybe the coming Typhoon needs a little assistance? Chico and his team at PPS look into the matter. Can a way be found? And will it provide a permanent solution?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Nicholas Gill
• Release date: Jun 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005189112

Nicholas Gill

Author Profile – Nicholas Gill.As a young man the author served in the Royal Marines Commandos seeing active service in Malaya, Borneo, Brunei, Sarawak and Aden. In between active service postings, specialist courses and training included arctic warfare training three hundred miles inside the Arctic Circle in northern Norway, and desert warfare exercises in Libya and Western Australia. On leaving the Royal Marines he went back to his roots in engineering and worked in the power industries on refinery and power station construction projects. This led to involvement in the onshore construction of jacket and modular units for the emerging North Sea oil industry. A natural follow on from this was to work offshore on the hook-up and commissioning of major production platform installations.Planning for retirement involved the purchase and renovation of a derelict farm in Wales and ultimately the purchase of twenty-seven thousand acres of the Black Mountain. This proved expensive and returning to the offshore oil industry the author spent a further twelve years on the development of a major North Sea Field for a large American Oil company.On the termination of his contract the author found that he had passed his sell by date and no one wanted or needed his years of experience. Having spent many years writing engineering procedures and specifications it occurred to him that he was perfectly suited to becoming a best selling author! "Retribution" is the first fruit of that idea, and is the first part of a planned trilogy; it is available FREE from Smashwords. The second part, "Sedition", is now published with Smashwords, and the third part, "Attrition", is complete and was published with Smashwords in the last quarter of 2013. Six more novels are planned in detail and will use many of the same characters in further adventures.Read and enjoy,Nicholas Gill.

Book preview

A Red Typhoon.

A novella by Nicholas Gill.

Copyright 2019 © Nicholas John Vickers.

All rights reserved.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead is entirely coincidental.

Reproduction in any manner, except as authorized by the Copyright Act, is prohibited.

If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy at Amazon.com, where they can discover other works by this author. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents.

Prologue.

Chapter One.

Chapter Two.

Chapter Three.

Chapter Four.

Chapter Five.

Chapter Six.

Chapter Seven.

Chapter Eight.

Chapter Nine.

Chapter Ten.

Chapter Eleven.

Epilogue.

PROLOGUE.

Newsflash, 24 Oras, ABS-CBN late night news.

The Television sets across the Philippine Islands began to flash a brief warning of an incoming story.

Breaking News.

A massive fleet of Chinese fishing vessels is reportedly moored at Juan Philipe Reef, also called Whitsunday Reef, a part of Union Bank in the Spratly Islands. It is understood that a report from the Philippine Coast Guard confirms this.

The number of vessels is over two hundred; 220 is the number reported, and they are all registered as being manned by Chinese Maritime Militia personnel.

A Chinese official spokesman claimed they are moored there to shelter from bad weather, but PAGASA states there is no bad weather threat in the area as yet this season. This fleet, for such it is, is being patrolled by vessels of the Chinese Coast Guard, who are driving away any legitimate fishermen from other nations, especially Philippines fishermen from the nearby island of Palawan, who have fished there for centuries.

Environmental groups are already claiming that such a concentration of commercial vessels will be causing damage to the reef, from the discharging of sewage waste alone into the surrounding waters.

No comment has yet been received from the Government of the Philippines, or from Malacañang Palace.

It is expected that this issue will be brought up at the next meeting of ASEAN nations by at least one senator demanding that the matter be brought before the UN. We will continue to report on developments on this and other related stories.

*

Jojo Medrana snorted in disgust and pressed the remote, cutting short the following program. He wandered into his kitchen and switched on his kettle to make a bedtime drink. Whilst he made his hot chocolate, he decided he would discuss this issue at breakfast with his friends from work. They all used the same little food outlet near to the company offices, it had a good reputation for quality, gave decent portions and was reasonably priced.

An additional attraction was provided in the form of some smart and pretty waitresses, who never failed to enliven the day of the paying customers.

At breakfast the following morning one of them, a very attractive and shapely girl with long shining black hair seemed to have taken a particular liking to Jojo Medrana. Anyway, she kept giving him sideways glances, a fact that Ari had immediately picked up on.

Hey Jojo, that girl, the one called Mari, she seems to like you a lot!

Jojo looked up. He turned to look and caught her eye. She blushed slightly and hurried behind the counter to hide her confusion.

Humm! You may be right! Jojo had a speculative look.

Ari pushed the point. You could be in there, he whispered, you should ask her out!

Nah, she wouldn’t be interested!

Wanna bet?

Nah…

I’ll ask her next time she comes over to our table.

Don’t you bloody well dare!

Oh ho! A dare is it… we’ll soon see…"

CHAPTER ONE.

A Food stall in Makati.

Bong Cardino was already seated at the counter when Jojo arrived for breakfast. He had the pages of the Manila Bulletin spread out on the counter in front of him.

"Magandang Omaga, Bong!"

Humph! Did you see this? Instead of replying to the greeting, Bong slammed his palm flat on the paper.

Jojo looked at the picture. It showed long lines of large fishing vessels anchored side by side.

More than two hundred of the bastards! Bong fumed. I used to fish that reef with my Dad. We’d go out overnight fish, the next day, and come back the next night with enough fish to feed the whole damn village! Not anymore though.

Jojo looked at him. Of course, you’re from Palawan. I’d forgot that.

Last time I was home, people there were eating Portuguese sardines with their rice! Damned canned sardines! In olive oil!

Jojo shook his head regretfully, he was in complete agreement. I saw something on GMA last night, a news flash…

It’s bloody disgraceful…

What is? What’s bloody disgraceful? Chico Lassiter stepped in off the street looking for breakfast.

These bloody Chinese ships anchored off Juan Philipe Reef, they hoover-up every damn thing, leave nothing for anyone else! The ocean is being emptied, it’s being turned into a damned desert! They even take the tiny fish, the ones that should be left to grow bigger, to breed more fish."

Chico looked surprised. Why would they do that? They’re no good for eating!

They grind them up for fishmeal.

Fishmeal? What’s fishmeal? What do they want with fishmeal?

They sort them from the big fish and grind them up for poultry food and fertilizer.

That’s a bit stupid innit? I mean, even I can see it’s counterproductive; so soon there’ll be nothing for anyone, not even for them? Chico said.

Not to mention the pollution, all the damn shit and waste they’re pouring into the sea where they’re anchored… Bong was ranting.

Ray Lerona and Ari Oapa came in together. What’s up? Ray asked.

Bong’s going off on a rant, Jojo informed them.

Oh yeah? What about? Ari wanted to know.

This. Bong slammed his fist on the paper again. Ari glanced at it.

Oh yeah, I read about that. It’s a damned disgrace, our boats are being chased off by bloody Chinese Coastguard Cutters, and in our own territorial waters, too! he said.

Not just our ‘territorial waters, this is being allowed to happen inside our ‘Exclusive Economic Zone’ as designated by international treaties! Chico said. It shouldn’t be allowed.

So what are our politicians doing about it? Ari asked.

Nothing! Bong snarled, You ask me, they’ve all been bought!

Heads at the breakfast bar all nodded in agreement. The subject of corruption was a common subject of