The aviator keyed his radio transmitter "Air Boss Seven One Alpha, this is Retainer Zero One cross-decking from USS Cunningham to Task Force Flag Requesting approach and landing clearance "
"Retainer Zero One, we are involved in a fixed-wing recovery at this time Hold on station off our starboard quarter and stay alert for descending traffic You are next to land "
"Retainer Zero One Rug "
Amanda twisted around in the cockpit and scanned astern A single F/A-18
Super Hornet was in the approach path, riding the invisible beam of the Fresnell lamp down to the carrier's deck Flying dirty with undercarriage, tail hook, and flaps all fully extended, it seemed to float hesitantly out of the sky, unwilling to surrender the freedom of flight Then, as the flattop came into the field of vision, the true perspective of the landing became apparent The last few seconds of the plane's descent became a flashing blur of speed, climaxing with the puff of blue smoke that marked the impact of landing gear on antiskid
"Retainer Zero One, this is Air Boss Seven One Alpha You are cleared to complete cross decking Be advised you will be positioned on Spot Three Watch for your deck controller "
"Roger D Cunningham arriving "
As Retainer Zero One sidled across the last thousand-odd yards to the carrier, Arkady switched back to the cockpit interphone "What's the game plan, babe?" he inquired "What do you mean?"
"This is going to be your first face to-face meeting with Admiral Tall man Knowing you, you've got to have a plan "
"Nothing much beyond trying to convince him that we'll stay out of his hair if he'll stay out of ours "
"Watch yourself, though Trying to convince an admiral that you know more than he does is touchy work "
"I'm going to try it anyhow You know me, love I hate being tied down "
They found themselves taking pleasure in this use of endearments, taking advantage of this pocket of privacy to let down their guard for a brief moment
"You sure? We haven't tried it that way yet " Amanda heard the grin in Arkady's voice, and she reached forward over the cockpit divider to administer a quick poke in the shoulder
The circle-dot-lline deck symbol of a vertical landing point grew under the helicopter Bouncing lightly on her landing gear, the Sea Comanche touched down One of the Enterprise's flight-deckhands escorted her on the dash across to the base of the island A marine orderly was standing by at the hatchway, waiting for her
"Captain Garrett?" he yelled over the clamor of the flight deck
"Admiral Tall man sends his compliments and requests that I escort you to his day cabin "
"Very well," she yelled back, shedding her flight gear "Let's go "
Amanda followed him into the island structure As she passed through the hatchway, she reached out and gave the worn metal near the dogging latches a greeting pat Shore dwellers have friends, lovers, and relations Manners also have ships Amanda had put a tour in aboard the Big E a few years back It was good to say hello again
"Pardon me, Corporal Before we go topside, I need to freshen up a little Is there still a women's head on this deck?"
"Yes, ma'am Two frames aft down this passageway "
Amanda was unzipping her Nomex flight suit as she brushed past the door Underneath, she was wearing a set of summer khakis, not one of her usual wash sets, but one of her custom tailoreds, ironed out into knife-edged creases She'd considered wearing her whites but had decided that would be overkill But she had brought a new set of decoration ribbons When one went into the lion's den, one carried what ammunition one could.
Gentlemen, there is one Navy Cross in this room, and neither of you is wearing it
A few moments to check the touch of makeup she had donned and another few to comb her hair smooth from the tousling it had received from the rotor wash, and she was ready
The Enterprise's Flag Quarters were that curious mix of luxury and utility unique to such habitations. Golden oak wall panels and navy-blue carpeting challenged an overhead cluttered with cable clusters and insulated ductwork. The large combined office and sitting room was furnished with a comfortably masculine-looking couch-and-chair set done in burgundy leather. The two men occupying the cabin hastily came to their feet as she was ushered in.
"Commander Amanda Lee Garrett reporting on station, sir."
"At ease, Commander, and welcome aboard." Admiral Tall man was a solid man carrying only a little middle-aged weight. His dark hair was thinning and his rather narrow brown eyes shone with a mixture of humor and shrewd intelligence.
When he shook her hand after their exchange of salutes, there was a slight bow and touch of old Georgia courtesy to his action. There was also a faint smile on his face. He recognized the meaning behind those neat rows of gleaming ribbons over her left breast and he appeared willing to acknowledge her points on protocol.
"Commander Garrett, this is my chief of staff, Commander Nolan Walker."
Walker was essentially a colorless man, gray eyes and pale skin providing no contrast for his graying blond hair. As Amanda accepted his hand she could feel the adversarial sparks jump between them. She couldn't quite call whether it was because she was a woman or because she had a ship and he didn't. There weren't all that many command slots in the modern Navy, but there were a lot of officers like Walker, a year or two overage in grade and listening to their career clocks ticking down toward zero.
"A pleasure to meet you, Commander Walker," Amanda replied levelly.
Tall man gestured Amanda into one of the cabin's chairs, taking the couch for himself. Walker preferred to stand, leaning back against the cabin's desk.
"I'm glad we've finally got to meet face-to-face, Captain," the Admiral said. "I've heard a lot about you and the Duke."
"I hope it's been favorable, sir," Amanda replied politely.
"It has been from my intelligence people. They say the Cunningham's been coming across with some pretty good stuff. This remote sensor net you've been deploying seems to be producing as advertised."
Amanda nodded. "We've had good luck with it so far.
Mated up with our onboard Elint and Sigint systems, we seem to have a pretty good package going. I have to give the credit to Lieutenant Rendino, my intelligence officer, and her people. They're the ones who are making it work."
Tall man shrugged. "It's still your watch, Captain. The thing is, you seem to be working in pretty close. From the look of it, you were right up on the beach last night."
Amanda nodded. "That's an aspect of stealth doctrine.
You simply can't reduce the radar cross section of a vessel the size of the Cunningham to zero. There will just about always be some kind of residual return. If you loiter around in open water, you run the risk of standing out enough to be noticed, like a ball bearing on a beach. If you work in close, you can lose your RCS against the shore clutter."
"And what about land-based radar?" Walker inquired pointedly.
Amanda shrugged. "Fixed systems are easier to avoid than mobile ones.
And there's always the hope they'll mistake you for a fishing boat."
Admiral Tall man frowned and gave a brief acknowledging grunt. "About how many more times do you think you'll need to go into Chinese territorial waters?"
So that was the bite. Amanda shifted slightly in the chair.
"That's hard to say, sir. As of yesterday, the net's fully deployed.
We shouldn't have to do any more work along that line except to replace a malfunctioning or a compromised unit. On the other hand, to react to a possible collection opportunity ... We'll just have to see how the situation develops."
"We've received the post-action report on this last sensor insertion of yours, Captain," Commander Walker interjected.
"Frankly, there are certain aspects of it that concern the hell out of us. You damn near got your ship trapped in the middle of a major firefight out there."
"I agree it was tight, but we were able to successfully disengage.
That's been the only
really close call we've had so far on this deployment."
" ' far' is the operative phrase here Captain What happens next time?"
"They haven't caught me yet. Commander "
"It is a point of concern, though, Captain," Admiral Tall man said
"We're operating right on the edge of a major shooting war out here It wouldn't take a whole lot to tip us over that edge "
"I am cognizant of that point, sir," Amanda replied Like the boss mare of a band of mustangs, she was beginning to scent a trap Best to bring up a few heavy guns of her own "And I'm sure my superior officer, Admiral Macintyre, is aware of it as well '
She saw Tall man's eyes momentarily flick over to his chief of staff Ah, they were running a ' cop-bad cop' on her The loop would be coming soon, she'd better be ready to duck out from under it
"The problem is that the Cunningham isn't the only American naval vessel out here," Walker said, pushing the point, "and the Red Chinese aren't going to worry too much about American chains of command If you hit the trip wire out there, it could be one of our ships that gets targeted for retaliation "
"That is a valid point, Commander," Amanda replied cautiously "Do you have any suggestions about how we should address it?"
The "good cop" took over "We think we do, Captain," Admiral Tall man said, smoothly picking up the line of the conversation "Now, Operation Uriah is strictly NAVSPECFORCE's baby, but since we're both sharing the same MODLOC out here, I'd like to establish a set of liaison protocols Our intel people are already working together routinely and doing a good job of it We ought to be doing the same thing operationally It just makes good sense for the right hand to know what the left is doing "
There it was It was very subtly and politely worded, but the literal translation was still Hey, lady, this is my sandbox and you, by God, better start playing by my rules Amanda smiled
"That does seem reasonable, sir However, I don't think that I have the authority to amend my mission parameters to that extent I think that the best call
would be for you to contact NAVSPECFORCE directly and work up a set of protocols through them "
Literal translation Fuck off You're not my boss and we both know it Amanda awaited the follow-up Walker straightened angrily at the desk, but before he could speak, Tall man caught him with a slight shake of his head "You're right, Captain Garrett," he replied quietly
"That would be the proper way to handle this We'll look into it "
He rose to his feet and extended his hand "I expect you'll be wanting to get back to your ship here presently It was a pleasure meeting you "
Amanda stood up as well and accepted the handshake "It's the same for me, sir I appreciate the opportunity to meet the people I'm working with face-to-face "
"It does promote understanding. Captain "
After Amanda Garrett had departed, Admiral Tall man and his chief of staff worked through a well established ritual Commander Walker drew two mugs of heavy-caliber Navy coffee setting them on Tall man's desk, while the Admiral unlocked the bottom drawer and removed a contraband bottle Opening the fifth of bonded Kentucky bourbon, the senior officer poured a carefully metered ounce into each cup
Recorking the bottle, Tall man restored it to its hiding place and returned his attention to Walker
"Well, what do you think?"
"I think she's a rogue and a glory hound, and I think she's going to be a lot of trouble "
Tall man laughed briefly "Now, don't hold back on me, Nolan What's your real opinion?"
"I'm serious, sir Garrett is a loose cannon, and a loose cannon with an attitude We do not need that out here just now "
"Yeah, I might buy in on the attitude But then, that's not necessarily a bad thing " The Admiral took his first experimental sip of his laced coffee "She's a destroyer driver, and destroyer drivers are like fighter pilots They're no damn good unless they're just a little bit cocky "
"She's also a risk taker "
"That's also part of the job Just as long as they're calculated Let's face it Maybe she is nosing into our territory, but she's also coming across with some of the best tactical intelligence we're getting off the Chinese coast'
Tall man tilted his chair back. "Eddie Macintyre seems to think that she's the greatest thing since the invention of the screw propeller, and he does not impress easily Maybe we should just let it ride "
"Sir, we don't have a handle on this woman!"
"That may not necessarily be such a bad thing, either if something blows because of her, well, she's NAVSPEC FORCE's baby If we don't have any operational linkage, we can just slough it off on them If she keeps doing things right, hell, it's going to be happening in our bailiwick, and we'll catch the glow off of it "
Walker frowned and reached for his coffee mug "I still don't like it, sir "
"Maintain the even strain, son We'll just give this lady all the rope she wants She'll either hang herself with it, or she'll bring it back wrapped around something real pretty "
RIZAL PARK, MANILA 2022 HOURS ZONE TIME; AUGUST 9, 2006
Rizal Park was the place to be on a warm summer evening in Manila Young people and families enjoyed the abating of the day's heat, their laughter and the mixed musics of a myriad of radios and disc players drowning out the sounds of the traffic-crowded streets In much the same manner, the park's gardens and the freshening sea breeze held at bay the ranker aromas of a city in the tropics
With his tie tugged down a couple of comfortable inches and his suit coat slung over his shoulder, Hamson Van Lynden paced slowly along one of the paved footpaths Since the beginning of the crisis talks, he had taken advantage of the great park adjacent to the Hotel Manila, this postdinner walk becoming something of a ritual for the secretary of state Not only did it work out accumulated tension, but it also gave him the opportunity to mull over the events of the day's session and to plan his next day's strategies Absorbed in thought, he didn't notice the figure cutting across the lawn to intercept him
"A most pleasant evening, is it not, Mr. Secretary?" The voice was from out of the past, but the face was one that he had been seeing daily ' '
too bad, General Still a little warm for a man from down east, but I'm getting used to it "
General Ho Chunwa of the People's Republic wore civilian clothing dark trousers and a short-sleeved white shirt Only his soldierly bearing remained to remind one of his rank and position That, and the small cadre of alert and expressionless Chinese who were dispersing out around the area
Van Lynden was well acquainted with the phenomenon His own Secret Service team was maintaining their protective cordon, deployed discreetly beyond easy hearing range The two groups of agents were now intermingling, studiously ignoring each other and maintaining their watch over their respective charges
"I have observed you on your walks these past few evenings," General Ho continued "I, too, enjoy a breath of fresh air at this time of the day Perhaps we might walk together "
There was an intentness to Ho's expression that belied his bland words Van Lynden elected to play out the scenario
"Fine I'd enjoy the company "
"Very good Perhaps we can go this way I have discovered a vista that I think you will find most inspiring "
General Ho's vista was a pleasant enough view of Manila Bay as seen from across the sports field at the west end of the park The bay could best be observed from the base of one of the larger of the park's many fountains General Ho seated himself on the eroded concrete bench built into the rim of the fountain's pool
"There," Ho said with satisfaction "Now we may talk " "I thought that the old running water gimmick didn't work anymore," Van Lynden commented, dropping down beside the Chinese military man "They can use a computer filter to separate your voice out of the background noise "
"The secret is to keep the falling water between yourself and the microphones With the fountain behind us and open ground to our front, I believe we have a degree of privacy "
"I'll have to remembe
r that Now, General, why are we really here?"
"I need your opinions, Mr. Secretary Not the diplomatic kind but the true ones "
"About what?"
"The state of these negotiations Specifically, if there is any potential flexibility within the stands being taken by the Nationalists and the United Democratic Forces Any aspect they may not have yet revealed in open negotiations?"
"General, you can't expect me to repeat anything that may have been revealed to me in confidence by any of the other delegates I understand that, Mr. Secretary I merely ask if the potential exists '
' Well, speaking in all honesty, I suppose I can say that what you see on the table is pretty much what you've got.
All three of the involved parties--yourself, the Nationalists, and the United Democratic Forces--seem to be issuing the same mise en demeure Your collective bottom line seems to be victory or death "
"Indeed "
' The UDFC knows that they've rolled the dice and they have to take it all the way Speaking bluntly, their leadership is aware that they can expect damn little sympathy from Beijing if they fail As for the Nationalists, they have a few more options open to them However, they know that this is their one best shot at regaining influence on the mainland As for your people, I'm sure you are quite aware of what you have to lose "
"You see no possibilities, then, for a negotiated settlement?"
"There are always possibilities, General But just now, nobody seems to be giving anyone else any room to maneuver "
Van Lynden suddenly elected to attempt a maneuver of his own
"In fact," he continued, "I'm thinking about pulling out and turning leadership of the U S delegation over to our ambassador here I've got some critical work awaiting my attention back in Washington, and I can't just waste my time spinning my wheels on this '
That was a flagrant untruth Van Lynden had instigated these talks because his instincts of statesmanship had screamed that this was the single most critical crisis currently confronting the world community He had no intention of giving up on them while there was even the faintest chance that they could succeed However, the Chinese soldier's question had piqued Van Lynden's interest and he was fishing for a reaction.
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