USS Stonewall Jackson BoxSet

by Stephen Makk

  “Rooster two. Engaging Tango two, target objective Zinc.”

  Through his night vision goggles, Slippy became aware of the long three kilometre runway to his right. His objective was a large boomerang shaped spur of reclaimed land on the north side of the reef. He knew it was all built up areas, ammunition stores, fuel dumps, radar sites and a known SAM site. The HQ-17 SAM lifted off, but the electronic fog emitted by the tail was just too much, it flew vertically upwards and off into the night.

  “Bomb doors open, selecting, 83s,” said Linda ‘Razor’ Seraisi, the Offensive Systems Officer.

  The B1-B flew along the spur at four hundred knots, dropping Ballute, balloon and parachute, retarded Mk 83 1,000 pound bombs. These flashed off into the night sky, objective Bronze was a carpet of smoke, death and destruction. Slippy flew off over the sea and entered a right turn. He lined up for another pass, sighting with his goggles.

  Linda ‘Razor’ Seraisi laid in the target line. “Roll up Joe Chinaman, get your plates at the ready, second helpings are here.” More retarded bombs blasted the northern installation.

  At the south end of the reef Rooster two powered in, blasting a path with 82s across a built up area. He turned left over the sea for a second pass.

  “No pushing, stand in line there, get your ass handed to you on a plate.”

  Fire, smoke and debris blew off, and a fuel dump went up in a cloud of smoke and flame. Rooster one lifted up off the deck, up to 1,000 feet off the south of the reef. Secondary explosions kicked off. “Razor’s” hands flew across the controls on her weapons console.

  “Selecting JSOW; sorry about your runway, boys.” JSOW C was a GPS Infra-red guided glide bomb, and would fly down the runway blasting the surface open with a BROACH two stage warhead. Two more JSOW Bs would follow, carrying six BLU-108/B sub munitions, each of which carried four explosively formed penetrator warheads. Twenty four per missile.

  “Weapons release.”

  The JSOW blasted a gaping hole in the runway.

  Next, it was the JSOW Bs turn. Linda ran a commentary.

  “Here you go boys, introducing the NBA’s finest. They’re bouncing that sucker in just for you. Let’s hear it for LeBron James. Yeah, slam dunk! Now, your very own, Kevin Durant. That’s a slammer, boys. Now it’s that man, Stephen Curry. Shit man, slam that mother home.”

  With Subi Reef a devastated ruin, both aircraft headed off west back to Phan Rang.

  FIERY CROSS REEF.

  THE CHINESE SEA FORTRESS that was Fiery Cross Reef lay to the south of a large lagoon. There were two ways in. Both where about three miles northeast of the reef proper, one east, one west.

  Nathan chose the eastern one, the most direct route.

  “That’s it, we’re here, outside and East of the Lagoon. We wait for night now. What’s for chow tonight?”

  “Mexican, sir,” said the COB.

  “Ok, good. XO, Kaminski, it’s coffee time and then the wardroom.”

  The three of them settled into the wardroom.

  “Right, detail planning of Operation Tea Leaves. So we’re north side of the channel for the cable access?” said Nathan.

  “Yes,” replied Kaminski, “all the way down the long channel.”

  “It’s going to be a long swim if we drop them outside the channel,” said Larry.

  “The cable termination is near the northwest light,” said Nikki. “They have lights northwest, southeast. Either side of the channel.” She pointed to the locations on her tablet.

  “It’s a big setup in there.” Nathan shook his head.

  “I’d say, it’s the HQ of these reefs, Nathan.” Nikki smirked at him. “Fiery Cross is the big one, it’s kinda the PLAN Pearl Harbor of the South China Sea.”

  “Ok, so we put them out on the northwest side of the channel right,” said the XO.

  “Yeah,” said Nathan, “it’s quick and direct. Exfil the same way? Sit deep on the northwest side of the channel?”

  “Yeah,” Larry agreed, “quick in, quick out.”

  They looked at the layout for a few minutes. Nathan lay back. After a while, he sat up and stared at the screen.

  “You know what? I like it but...”

  “You don’t like it, do you Nathan?” asked Nikki.

  “No, how do you know?”

  “Coz you’ll only lie back and take it for a while. You have to do something,” she smirked at him with a flirtatious glint in her eye.

  Nikki, he thought, go easy girl.

  “Backup Exfil position, we need one,” said Nathan. “Let’s go back to the future. Have them go deep across the channel then up, over the shallow reef, and off the southeast arm of the reef. We pick them up there, southeast of the southeast arm. Any thoughts?”

  “There’ll be that southeast channel light flashing all night.”

  “Yeah,” said Nikki, “but it’s a double edged sword; good for positioning, bad for its light.”

  “That’s it. We’ll go for it. Let’s get Innes and Alves in here, run it past them and get their take.”

  USS STONEWALL JACKSON inched her way down the channel towards Fiery Cross Reef. She kept to the northeast side, her right. There was plenty of room for her to turn and face outwards. Nathan raised the periscope manually until it almost broke surface... there was the western harbour light; he counted the flashes. Quick flashes three in a row, pause and then a further three. That meant hazard to the west; of course the channel wall.

  “Ok, let the divers out here, 150 yards to go.”

  Innes and Alves were helped by their assistants to don the warm undersuits and then dry suits. They set up the CIS Lunar rebreathers, checked the valve settings and the assistants helped them put them on. Everything was clipped shut. The assistants double-checked that all valves were set as they should be, and that the gauges and LCD computer displays checked out fine and clean.

  Alves and Innes climbed upwards into the sail. Shoulders pushed the bug up. Innes closed the hatch. Water filled the sail, he switched on a helmet light. He spun the wheel and lifted the hatch, Innes pulled himself out into the gloom. Alves followed, pulling the bug behind him. It wasn’t long before they encountered another devil’s cat’s cradle. They carefully negotiated it. Alves could see the channel light above the surface at times. They found the cable and laid down the bug nearby; both men did their jobs of priming and laying the cable out. The bug was covered in silt, rubble and pieces of coral. It had almost become routine, a dangerous time. The two men slowly worked their way through the 3D harpoon maze. They vented buoyancy and sank to the bottom of the channel, 140 feet deep, and made their way towards the waiting submarine.

  “THEY SHOULD BE ON THEIR way back now,” said the XO.

  “Yeah, with a bit of luck, that should be it. Tea Leaves, Skirmish and Clipper complete.” It shouldn’t be long before Innes and Alves return, he thought.

  “Sir,” said Lieutenant Kaminski, “could the war committee meet in the Wardroom?” He raised his eyebrows; she hadn’t called a war committee meeting before but it was within her unofficial rights.

  “Yes, of course, XO. You have the Conn Weaps.”

  “Aye sir, I have the Conn.”

  They gathered in the Wardroom.

  “Go ahead Nikki.”

  “Sir, what did you have in mind after we recover the divers?”

  “Retire to a safe distance and call COMSUBPAC for orders.”

  She nodded. “Nathan, we can assume that the PLAN will be mighty pissed at the air attacks.”

  “No doubt they will.”

  “It seems reasonable that they’ll flood the South China Sea with all that they’ve got. Air, surface and sub-surface units. They’ll be down here and all over the place like a rash, and they’ll be loaded for bear.”

  Nathan nodded.

  Kaminski stood and paced the room, and the XO rolled his eyes and groaned.

  “Oh, fuck.”

  She smiled. “What’s the last thing Joe Chinaman will expect us to do? Rememb
er, he knows nothing of the bugs.”

  “Compromise, apologise I suppose,” said Larry.

  “Yes,” said Nikki, “but we play to our strengths. We use our initiative. You know how it is, Joe Chinaman doesn’t. Put a sailor in a room with three steel balls. Come back an hour later: one will be missing, one will be broken, and one will be pregnant.”

  Nathan grinned, he’d not heard that one for a while. She raised one arm and brought it down.

  “We’ve one good bug left. Let’s take advantage of the chaos and bug the big one.”

  “Where?” said Larry.

  She grinned. “Fucking Hainan Island.”

  The XO tried to spit something out. “What? Hainan?! Their main nuke base?! Shit. You don’t ask much.”

  She grinned. “Come on Larry, we’ll be balls deep in ‘em before they know it.”

  Larry looked to Nathan for some sense. It wasn’t forthcoming.

  “I like it. With this air raid, they’ll be running around stupid. They won’t know whether they want a shit, shave or a shampoo.”

  The intercom sounded. “Commander to the control room.”

  Nathan walked into the control room.

  “What’s going on Weaps?”

  “It’s sonar sir.” Benson turned to him.

  “Sir, we have noise outside the lagoon, it’s more than one warship. They’re headed this way. It’s confused sir.” A few minutes passed by, and there was no sign of the divers.

  “Sonar. Breakthrough. Wait one, refining. We have two type 052C Destroyers entering the Lagoon. Wait one, wait one. Tracking, they're turning this way. Wait one.” Nathan was on the edge of his seat but he knew Benson was the best. He just had to be patient and give him time.

  “Confirm, type 54 Frigate following them. Also heading this way. They’re all heading for the channel, not sailing line astern, sir. They seem to be line abreast or something like that.”

  Shit, the channel was wide enough for a staggered line astern. They could be coming in like a flight of migrating birds, half an arrow formation. That would mean they’d fill the channel’s width. It was 980 feet wide. It meant that a Destroyer could be just feet away, or even collide with the boat, they weren’t that deep. Shit, that was it. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn’t risk a collision.

  “Rig trim to ascend fore and aft, one half. Come to depth 100. Forward six knots.”

  “Six at thirty aye sir.”

  USS Stonewall Jackson was heading into the dragon’s lair, right into Fiery Cross harbour itself. He looked over at the XO, who crossed himself. What an almighty goddamn mess they were in.

  Chapter 9

  FIVE HUNDRED MILES above Hingol National Park. Southern Pakistan.

  THE EVOLVED ENHANCED CRYSTAL reconnaissance satellite USA-181 received the command. It performed its on board calculations, then burned its motor, lowering its orbit to a perigee of 132 miles over South Eastern China. The burn occurred over the Hub River in coastal Pakistan, followed by the longer burn to correct the orbital inclination of the satellite to pass over the correct north-south position required. The exposures would be in infra-red and enhanced light conditions, they’d be taken over Yulin Naval base, Hainan Island off the South East coast.

  Each of the frighteningly expensive Bigbird satellites could resolve an image down to a couple of inches. Bigbird passed over its target at 17,000mph, shooting multiple times. The motor burned again to return it to a higher apogee. In minutes, it crossed the Pacific and was over CONUS, its onboard computer linked up with the classified NRO station area 58, a classified location, but it was likely to be Fort Belvoir, Northern Virginia.

  The processed files were transferred and stored securely by the NRO, then the results passed to COMSUMPAC Pearl Harbor. They could be picked up, but would be impossible to translate.

  Vice Admiral Sutton in Honolulu looked the reports over twenty minutes after they were taken. He composed a message and took it into his outer office.

  “Kelly, could you get this off to Nathan Blake right now please?”

  “Yes sir.”

  “Sir, we have a postcard,” said Lieutenant Commander Lemineux.

  Nathan looked up, surprised. “We’ve no comms mast up.”

  “We’re so shallow that we can pick it up.”

  He handed over the document.

  PRIORITY RED

  R 2314449Z OCT 89 ZY011

  COMSUBPAC PEARL HARBOR HAWAII//N1//

  TO STONEWALL JACKSON

  PACFLT// ID S072RQ81//

  NAVAL OPS/02

  MSGID/PACOPS 6722/COMSUBPAC ACTUAL//

  MSG BEGINS://

  THE HORNETS NEST HAS BEEN STIRRED. DEPLOYMENTS FROM JANJANG, YULIN, GUANGZHOU, HAIKOU. PLAN SOUTH SEA FLEET IS FANNING OUT INTO SOUTH CHINA SEA. EXPECT COMPANY. YOU ARE ROE FREE, ADVICE WEAPON RELEASE ONLY IF UNDER DURESS.

  MSG END//

  Nathan read it again and smirked. “I see the signal acknowledge system is down, Lieutenant Commander.”

  “Sir?”

  He tapped the side of his nose. “Maybe we can do the acknowledgement later?”

  Sooty was giving him a free reign, but Nathan would have to decide what ‘duress’ meant. It could have a wide or narrow interpretation. Sooty was playing a game.

  Nathan knew he’d be the one in the dock being questioned at any enquiry, and ‘duress’ was a vague term.

  “You sneaky bastard, Sutton.”

  He picked up the microphone.

  “All hands, all hands, we have been forced deep into enemy territory. We’re under strict silent running. Be sure that we do so, check your working and sleeping quarters for any hazards. With your help, I expect to be in the open sea soon.”

  WEST VIRGINIA.

  THE ROAD BECAME MORE track than metaled road. It was still maintained though; you didn’t need a 4x4 to get there. Paul pulled up at the cabin. He got out, knocked and entered. Zhi had the gas fire going; the cabin was snug.

  She ran to him and hugged him. “I know it’s smaller and less grand than the other house, but I prefer this place. I’ve been for a walk and it’s more rugged country around here. I’ve seen Deer, long rat-like animals in the trees, maybe polecats? And a big cat of some kind, in the distance.”

  “Be careful.”

  “I am.

  I’ve made some soup, would you like some?”

  “Love some.”

  She spooned it out, and he ate quickly.

  “That is a great soup, spicy, what do you call it?”

  “Hot and sour.”

  “Is it a recipe from where you’re from?”

  She nodded.

  “Zhi, tell me about where you’re from.”

  “Why?”

  “I want to know about you. Is that a crime?”

  “Ok. Daomeicun. Near Quanzhou city. It’s a small port, there’s shipbuilding but fishing too. You can walk by the trees by the water. Summers are kind. It is peaceful, away from the main city. So, I was raised on the coast.” She gave him a sweet smile.

  “It sounds a good place to grow up in.”

  “It was. You look tired Paul.”

  He sighed. “There’s a lot going on at the moment.”

  “Come here, let me give you a massage.” She laid him out on the bed. Zhi stood and undid her robe, letting it fall to the floor. She had a body to kill for. She pulled his clothes off one by one and threw them across the room. She was flaunting herself.

  “Lie back.” Zhi picked up a bottle of body oil, poured a hand full of it and smeared it over her lady parts. Slowly working it in and staring at him. Then she mounted him and started to rub his chest with it in a circular motion.

  “Mmmm, ohh.”

  He pulled her towards his groin.

  “Not yet, Paul. She wants you good and ready. Mmmm.”

  Later they lay on the bed.

  “You’re naughty Zhi.”

  “You didn’t complain, did you? Anyway, I’m going for a shower.” She got up, he watched h
er cute bum as she walked off into the shower.

  He puffed his cheeks out. He felt guilty but it had to be done. Any MSS documents she may have were of interest. She’d probably moved them now that she knew he was CIA. They were in a more obscure place than before, but they weren’t that hard to find. He took out his cell phone and photographed the MSS documents. Paul sent them to Langley via an encrypted line, and then deleted them.

  FIERY CROSS REEF.

  “KEEP ME UPDATED ON the movements of these Chinese ships, ok?”

  “I’ll try sir, it’s full of echo in here.”

  He checked out the reef on Kaminski’s display. It was 2,600 feet long and 900 feet wide. He headed dead centre at six knots.

  “Sir the Destroyers are heading for the far wall, as far as I can tell.” He gave it three minutes.

  “Sitrep Sonar?”

  “Same sir, dead ahead.”

  Nathan looked at the display; there were two mooring piers at the far end; they may be heading for them. “Planesman come to one two zero.” He’d keep to the left, the trick would be knowing how far away it was to the wall. Come on, when do I stop?

  “Sonar the left most Destroyer is nearly on top of us. I think he’s just to the right of us.” Nathan didn’t need sonar to hear the beating of the Destroyer’s props. The hull vibrated schumm, schumm, schumm. Would he impact, tearing away at the hull? It was a nightmare. For God’s sake. Where the hell was he?

  Slowly, the noise and vibration started to reduce; the Destroyer must have passed by.

  “All stop, all stop.” The boat came to a halt.

  “Sir, I can hear him going into reverse. Now forward. All stop, reverse. Forward. That’s it sir, he’s stopped. The far Destroyer’s doing the same. I can’t hear the Frigate.” The harbour fell silent. He breathed again, and looked at the XO.

  “I don’t like it but I’m going to risk a 360.”