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Mandy had Bravo Team review the intelligence, but the seasoned veterans couldn't even be bothered to flip through the files.
"We really need to know what these guys do? I'd say—absolutely not." Trent lounged back in his chair, a toothpick hanging from his mouth.
"I second that," Ray muttered, disinterested.
Sonny casually flipped through a few pages, then tossed the file aside and dramatically said, "God help me—this stuff's putting me to sleep."
"Old folks do need their rest," Jason teased with a grin.
"You calling me old? I swear, when you're hobbling into a retirement home with a cane, I'll still be giving you a striptease."
Sonny, one of Bravo Team's resident clowns, stood up and performed an exaggerated shuffle with an imaginary cane.
Everyone burst out laughing.
This group of salty veterans bantered freely, their jokes drifting further and further off-topic—nowhere near the actual mission briefing.
Commander Eric, however, wasn't fazed at all. He watched them clown around, completely at ease.
The reason he didn't intervene? It was one of DEVGRU's unwritten rules.
They called it the "Five-Minute Rant."
It was an unofficial allowance: team members could take the first few minutes of any briefing to vent about the mission, complain about the timing, or crack whatever jokes were on their minds.
After all, being summoned to base in the middle of the night was bound to annoy even the most professional operator.
Let them get it all out now—then move on and dive into the meeting like the Tier One operators they were.
Of course, you didn't *have* to rant. Some preferred to keep things light and ease the tension with humor instead.
Just like what was happening now.
Psychologists had proven that a good mood improved cognitive performance and led to better outcomes in meetings.
Thanks to all these benefits, the Five-Minute Rant tradition endured.
And it was still very much in practice.
After Bravo Team had gotten their laughs in, the atmosphere around the table turned light, even cheerful. Mandy took the opportunity to transition to the core of the briefing.
"The hostage situation has been covered. Now, I'll hand things over to someone else to introduce the perpetrators."
She gestured to a man in a checkered shirt who had been sitting quietly to her right. "This is my colleague, Sam Roberts. He's a senior analyst with the Agency, specializing in Southeast Asian piracy. He's well-versed in this field."
"Wow. There are actually experts on Southeast Asian pirates?"
Jason raised an eyebrow at Sam as he walked up, noting his awkward expression. Jason chuckled. "No offense—just surprised, is all."
Southeast Asian pirates didn't have much of a reputation. They weren't even in the same league as their African counterparts. That the CIA would assign someone specifically to study them?
It was like a company CEO keeping tabs on the janitor.
It *was* surprising.
"No worries," Sam replied calmly. He stepped up to the table and smoothly took Mandy's place, speaking with confidence. "I get it. Most people focus on the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.
"But in truth, Southeast Asia is now one of the most dangerous maritime zones in the world.
"The good news is that, unlike the Horn of Africa, the surrounding waters are relatively stable. There aren't as many islands or ports where pirates can hide.
"Most experienced local pirates prefer to head for the Anambas Islands after hijacking a vessel.
"The current tracking data from the Centaurus research ship shows it's about 644 kilometers off the east coast of Vietnam, moving southwest. At this pace, it'll likely reach the Anambas Islands the day after tomorrow.
"Based on this intel, whatever's happening aboard the Centaurus, we can confirm one thing for certain: it's been hijacked.
"The Agency wants you to launch an op and find out exactly what happened."
As expected of a senior analyst on Southeast Asian piracy, Sam's briefing was concise and thorough. Just one listen and it all made sense.
"Looks like this is going to be a VBSS op," Long Zhan thought to himself, frowning slightly. "But if I remember right, this should've happened much earlier in the show. Why is it only coming up now? Has the timeline changed in this world?"
The original plotline of *SEAL Team* had clearly diverged. Would the events themselves change too? Long Zhan had no way of knowing.
The implications of that shift could be minor—or massive. He couldn't afford to treat it lightly.
While Long Zhan turned the thoughts over in his mind, the meeting continued.
Jason now understood the objective, and as a SEAL, he had full confidence in this kind of op. He turned to Eric and asked, "When do we move?"
"We're working on it. Timing's uncertain."
Eric tapped his fingers on the table. "Far as I know, there's a case of office politics brewing upstairs.
"The star-wearing generals are arguing about who gets the credit—who gets to run the op. It's gotten ugly."
"You're joking," Jason said, stunned.
"I wish I were."
Eric gave a helpless shrug. "I've done what I can. But the final call comes from those generals."
"Those assholes."
Jason was furious, frustrated—but in the end, powerless.
Under normal circumstances, they'd already be suiting up in the armory, heading to the airstrip, and prepping to launch.
But wherever there are people, there's politics.
There were a lot of hostages aboard that research ship. If one general's team could rescue a dozen American citizens, and the media ran with it?
That's a career-making moment.
Brigadier generals especially—they needed wins like this to climb higher. Who wouldn't want to sink their teeth into that kind of glory?
So what now? With the launch time up in the air, was the team just supposed to sit around and wait? Or go home and catch some sleep?
Of course not.
One thing was certain: the op *was* going to happen.
Since both Alpha and Bravo Teams would be involved, and since the operational environment was already confirmed, they could get a head start on mission prep.
Tasks that would normally be done *after* arrival could be completed *now*, while still at base.
For example: drafting a detailed operational plan.