Verbal Orders

U.S. Navy helicopter pilot Johnny Jack McGirt has always been a wildcard, but his superiors and fellow officers are stunned when he turns down Rear Admiral's stars to announce his retirement from active duty. After a career built around bold exploits in the cockpit and covert operations with U.S. intelligence agencies, he's become far too accustomed to following his gut and making his own rules. The thought of sitting behind a desk holds no attraction for him, no matter rank the position carries. So he's more than ready when his long-time friend and former squadronmate, Bud Lammers, calls for assistance. Lammers, who left the Navy for the CIA, is trying to track down an American oil heiress who's being held hostage in the volatile, Muslim-dominated southern Philippines. It's supposed to be a straightforward mission to negotiate the woman's release, but things take a deadly turn as McGirt and Lammers collide with an extremist rebel group known as , Bearer of the Sword.