Chapter 9 Summary

Chapter nine opens the evening of Moore's arrival in Australia. Once Pickering has set Moore up at the local hotel, he returns to his estate and meets with Major Banning and Pluto Hon. The men review Moore's service record and decide although Moore is valuable, he will not be suitable as a Coastwatcher. Pluto however, sees that Moore would be better used on his team, translating and understanding the messages intercepted by the Japanese forces at Headquarters. Pluto calls Moore on the phone and does a quick assessment of his abilities, then asks Pickering if Moore can be transferred to work with him in crypto. Pickering agrees.

After deciding Moore's assignment, the men begun discussing the situation with Guadalcanal. It is easy to see from the maps and by analyzing the information they have from spies and intercepted messages that a Japanese airfield...