Heavy Cargo

<p>Late autumn <strong>1941</strong>. The <strong>Imperial Japanese Army Air Force</strong> is terror-bombing Chinese cities sweeping refugees by the untold thousands before their onslaught. The <strong>Imperial Japanese Army</strong> has invaded French Indochina and it is suspected they may soon attack Thailand or Burma perhaps even <strong>Singapore </strong>itself.</p><p>Captain Roy Mallinson elderly <strong>Royal Navy veteran</strong> of the Great War has been pulled from retirement to aid <strong>Britain </strong>in this new war. His old <strong>merchant navy ship</strong> the SS Dominion Empress - its only defence an obsolescent single-barrel <strong>Bofors </strong>anti-aircraft cannon - is in Singapore loading obsolete US Brewster Buffalo <strong>aeroplanes </strong>desperately needed in Finland and carrying Hindustan <strong>lead </strong>and Malaysian <strong>rubber </strong>for Britain. But Roy has come to a realization; war is for younger men than he. At the end of the present voyage it will be a quiet <strong>retirement </strong>with his wife in Stowmarket town.</p><p>However the High Commissioner of British Malaya and his friend the Dutch banker have other plans. Roy is forced into altering his route taking on a <strong>cargo </strong>destined for <strong>Australia</strong>--a <strong>disguised cargo</strong> so valuable he dare not reveal it even to his own crew.</p><p>As the old ship island-hops its way south they must put in to <strong>Java </strong>for urgently needed repairs. Here in <strong>Batavia</strong> free-spirited Rebecca McKenzie unexpectedly thrusts herself into the captain's life. She's an Australian desperately seeking passage home for herself and ten other <strong>Commonwealth</strong> <strong>nurses</strong> stranded here whilst fleeing war-torn China. How can he say no? But <strong>German </strong>auxiliary <strong>merchant raiders</strong> are rumoured to be operating in the area. Although Britain isn't at war with <strong>Japan </strong>yet--<strong>Perth </strong>is still a further 1800 nautical miles away and anything may happen!</p>