Van Eyck arched a single eyebrow at the mercenary's comments. "You are mistaken, Mr. Walters. It is not Marius. It is Lieutenant Colonel van Eyck. As for naval assets, how do you propose we bring them inland to this lake? Disassemble them and bring them in by truck? Try to float them down shallow, dammed rivers? Unfortunately, there is little we can do in this area. Our hosts operate a few fast attack craft and police launches on the lake, that is as much as we can manage. I have taken care to request that our air wing brings along sonar buoys to drop, as well as some antisubmarine weaponry. We will have to compensate for our weaknesses as best as we can."

He nodded to Cade as well. "Thank you, Lieutenant Cade. We have very little hard information on our adversary- there are no known photographs or witnesses of this secretive creature. We have no real idea of the general size, though some biologists have suggested it weighs at least sixty tons, given the damage it has wrought and the amount it seems to eat in one day. I have faith in both your abilities and the .50 cartridge, however, I trust if there is a way to harm it you will find it."

Miller also addressed questions to him, her worries echoing many of his own. "We will be working closely with the Kenyan Navy and the coast guards of Uganda and Tanzania. What little we know seems to suggest this creature is amphibious- keep in mind several of these attacks occurred on land. Accordingly, General Laprasse and I feel that any decisive battle will likely occur when this creature comes ashore. As for refueling aircraft, the Ethiopians are bringing one. Slow and outdated, yes, but it will have to do. Otherwise you'll have to keep flying back to Entebbe Airport."