Mischief Island

by Robert Lance

  “You’re talking around the subject. Possession of those nukes gives the president a huge hammer. You said that saving face and perception means everything to the Chinese psyche. They’re willing to cross wooden swords with us. They are experts in denial and speaking six messages to the same people. We’ve talked about this. If we steal the nukes, we avoid a broader escalation. China will default to a passive position. They lose, we win. Nobody knows. That’s the Alamo plan.”

  “Darling, I’m going to have to give you a direct order to go in harm’s way. I’ve seen you there many times but it was never my words that sent you there. I will send others there as well. Men I love, and men who trust me. I’m a coward. I have a great sense of foreboding. Watching is not the same as commanding. I have an incredible desire to take the easy way out, but it would be a dereliction of duty to do so.”

  “Heather, you were pinned a SEAL. Dereliction of duty is not an option. There isn’t a man here that wouldn’t call you out if you weren’t making sound decisions. That may happen. You have an obligation to us. Send us into war as if you were leading the charge.”

  “I just want you to know this is my first, and hopefully last combat command. If I get past this, I’m leaving the Navy.”

  “If you get past this, a thousand SEALs will force you to stay.”

  “I want to take something else up with you. If we have to amend our plan I’m afraid that we’ll appear that we’re not solid with the premise and we’re adjusting. I’m afraid that the SECDEF will have a pause when we amend the plan. He thinks I’m Alamo.”

  “Are you thinking about not forwarding the amendments?”

  “I am”

  “Ill advised. Alamo Jones was a warlord, with a letter of marque. Change the narrative. We serve at the behest of the president. Let’s see what the reverse simulation comes up with.”

  “Hold me Ted. Let me escape my madness, and dream a future with you without chaos. I see us living so far off the urban track that it will take Jeremiah Johnson to find us.”

  “Funny you mention it. I own some acreage outside of Coeur D’Alene Idaho.

  “Yes…I know. You rent out your lodge, and I vacationed there. Last Year.”

  Ted took a sideways glance at her. “You’re creeping me out. You did not.”

  She smiled broadly. It’s the Ninth Wonder of the World, but the yellow wall paper in the bathroom has to go.”

  “Wow, you did go there. This is like ‘Goldie Locks and the Three Bears.’”

  “Guess who was sleeping in papa bear’s bed having wet dreams?”

  Ted rattled his head. “You’re really a weird chic. It’s scary how much you know about me.”

  “Am I scaring you away?”

  “A little bit. I don’t like to be manipulated, and I can’t stand control freaks.”

  Her voice was from another place when she said, “Believe me, I know what you’re talking about. We better be getting back. You’re taking the Ghost out for a night dive, and I need to pitch in and help with the simulations.”

  “See you for breakfast?”

  “It’s gonna have to be early because I have a full training schedule, and I have to write amendments to our plan.”

  “I want to be there when you do.”

  “Of course. I want everyone there. I’m not Alamo.”

  Ted and Heather walked from their place holding hands. Ted mumbled, “I can’t believe you rented my lodge in the woods. Don’t you think it could use a woman’s touch?”

  She giggled and said, “Honey, I wouldn’t touch a damned thing except the wall paper.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Heather was like a mother hen with a fox in the chicken house. She set one technician to work figuring how long it would take to scuttle a Taizhou barge and how long to unseat it from the ocean floor. She tasked another tech to get the operating manuals for the feed pumps converted to English and to teach four SEALs how to operate it. She had SEALs waiting in empty rooms converted into class rooms to study the propulsion system, the power plant, and the steering mechanism of the barges. The plotting room was occupied by four techs transferring data back and forth to build a solid series of sequences into the plan. Then she checked on Carole and Domino’s team doing the reverse simulations.

  It wasn’t even time for breakfast when Carole and Domino finished their work. Heather said, “It’s raining outside. Let’s get some pastries and coffee and go to my room.”

  Carole said, “We’ve got a report, but the support data is scattered all over the place. It’s a fucking mess.”

  “I’ll sort it all out while you two get some sleep.”

  “Honey, you look like you could use some too,” said Domino.

  I’ll get a break later.”

  Ramon had moved breakfast to the Snake Pit and put coffee and pastries in the reception hall. He was bubbly as usual, harping about this or that to his nieces. He caught the women out of the corner of his eye and greeted them. “Ah, the three amigas. How was your sleep? Oh, you look like maybe not. Breakfast not yet come, but for you I always have something special.”

  Heather said, “Thanks Ramon, I’ll take coffee and pastry in the communal hall.”

  Domino said, “Damn, is it too early for your special omelets?”

  “Right away, Miss Domino. But first you sit and have coffee. Ramon has something to speak with Miss… LT.”

  Ramon let Heather get her coffee and pastry, then led her into the Snake Pit to sit at an empty table. He took his big hat off and set it by a chair. The hat was almost as tall as the chair. He sat down and began mumbling. “There is news from Manila. Our president is livid with rumors of atomic weapons in our islands. He is threatening to send a flotilla out to find them. He is listening to no one, not even Admiral Salinas. He is only making noise right now, but Admiral Salinas thinks he will send airplanes to search Mischief Reef. What shall I tell Admiral Salinas?”

  Heather said, “The planes will not even get close before they are shot down. Your president seems fickle. If war breaks out, we’ll never get a chance to find those missiles. Tell him we know where they are, but we need time to remove them.”

  “How long?”

  “A week. Maybe only days.”

  “There is one other thing, Miss.” Ramon coughed. “The president is telling our people that all American’s are going away even if he has to use the army. He says China will remove the atomic bombs when you are gone. There is talk in our military that our president needs to go.”

  “What does that have to do with us on Palawan?”

  “Admiral Salinas intends to become our next president. He can do that easily if you take the atomic bombs away. If you don’t, it will be hard for him.”

  “Tell the future president I wish him well. We will remove the bombs.”

  “I will now go to cook Domino a fabulous egg dish.”

  Heather went back to her companions and snagged another pastry. “Anyone want one?”

  Carole quipped, “I’m on a diet, and I hate you both. Domino eats a truck load of groceries a day and stays skinny.” She paused. “Hey, I’ve lost fifteen pounds since I got here. I might buy a bikini and get some sexy tan lines. My old man will go bonkers when I get home.”

  “What’s up with Ramon? Are he and Roberto not getting along?”

  “Nothing like that, but he asked me not to talk about it.” Heather changed the subject. “Summarize where we’re at?”

  Carole took the lead. “We were able to cut through what they could do, and what they have to do. They can’t lift a fully loaded launcher because the crane height on the barge won’t permit it. We’ve eliminated there being launch pads because the draft of the barges is too deep to allow docking on the reef perimeters. They’d need seawalls and we would have picked them up on radar. There aren’t any. We’ve trashed through a dozen scenarios and there’s only one that fits. The data is all there…scattered all over the place.”

  “I’ll sort it. Anything else?” />
  Domino began eating, and Carole snarked at her. Carole said, “We have a good idea where they might take the barges. There’s a hot spot about six miles from the main island. I’ve forwarded the geological data, and I haven’t heard back. Domino went ahead and did a time study on it anyway. Here’s the good part. Those damn barges, fully loaded, have a service speed of less than eight knots. From the time the barn door opens it will take them one hour and eleven minutes to be on site. That gives us plenty of time to project their track. I’ll let Domino tell you about the tugs. She discovered the Achilles heel.”

  “What about the tugs?”

  Domino was rounding a fork in front of her face, choking down food. It was like watching a snake swallow an entire pig whole. She gasped, and said, “We’ve determined the barge will have to shut down all its main engines, and the power thrusters or they’ll contaminate the cradle beneath the barge. They need the tugs to keep the barge from drifting while they’re scuttling the barge. We’ve calculated the barge will sink three feet every twenty minutes. That really slows down the entire operation because they have only two tugs and their top speed is 5 knots. Here’s the really good part. They can only sink one barge at a time. There’s a couple of ways to play with it.” Domino went back to shoveling.

  Heather said a few words of praise before trooping off. She walked through the Snake Pit and shouted to Ramon. “When you see Mr. Perrotte tell him to come see me after breakfast. It’s important.”

  She went to work and found herself staring at a flow chart, neatly done. It was easy to follow each scenario to its dead end. It was Carole’s handwriting and her logic flow. She began reading the notes and found the evidence that stood behind her conclusion. Domino’s flow chart wasn’t easy to read, but the conclusions of her work were the same. She had drawn a picture at the bottom showing a projected disposition of how the Chinese would bring the maximum assets to hide and defend a battery of nuclear missiles. The picture blew away the fog. She saw red ex.’s on the tugs. The Chinese couldn’t sink their barges properly without the tugs.

  Ted sauntered into the room with a big plate of food. “Brought you breakfast. What’s up Mata Hari.”

  She looked up from her work. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment. Did you know she was actually a very incompetent amateur spy? What made her the toast of Paris was her exotic and mysterious looks. She was quite tall, 5’10”.”

  “Her legend says she was never caught spying. You’re more beautiful though. You look excited…and tired.”

  Heather stifled a yawn and said, “I’m both. I want you to see these flow charts. Pay particular interest in Domino’s drawings.”

  She summarized the charts and their implications. When she finished she said, “I have other news.” She passed on the information she received from Ramon. “We’re playing against events beyond our control. Time is not on our side.”

  “What’s the status on our second ship?”

  “I forgot to tell you. It’s reached Andersen Air base on Guam and should be here late tomorrow night.” She patted his hand lightly. “I need to get a nap in. A couple of hours at most. Would you mind convening a think session while I sleep? I have to get an amended plan off to Fort Meade as quickly as possible.”

  Heather felt a light hand touching her back. A small voice scared her from her sleep. “Mrs. Alamo, it’s time to wakie.”

  No matter how many times she told Tami to stop calling her Mrs. Alamo, Tami never got it. Heather was about to fly into her, but she saw the time on the clock. It was just after three P.M. She hopped out of bed and quickly pulled shorts on. She fumbled with the buttons on her blouse and was frustrated with her inability to move any faster. She ran a quick brush through her hair and tied it back. She slipped on a pair of flip-flops and was out the door.

  She arrived at the planning room to find all the key personnel waiting on her. It pleased her to see smiling faces. “Sorry, I overslept. Any news?”

  Ted spoke. “Actually, quite a lot. We cut down the original plan by almost half by cutting out theoretical scenarios that won’t fly. We simplified the plan of action. Take a look at the plotting table.” They moved from the planning room to the plotting room. In front of her was a map of the waters around Mischief Island. It showed the disposition of Chinese assets known to them. It looked formidable…daunting.

  Ted said, “This is the worst case scenario. What’s unique is the further from Mischief Island the barges move, the worse it gets for them. Our entire approach remains the same, and the plan is transportable. With a certain degree of certainty, this is what we can expect.”

  She studied the layout with a keen eye. She spotted what she thought was a flaw. Why do you have the two Ghosts dispersing teams so far from the barges?”

  Ted said, “Expedience. The Ghosts, submerged, travels at three knots at most. Our SEALs flip at just over one knot per hour. We’ll save time if all four teams are dispatched at the same time, rather than ferry them separately. We’ll play that by ear.”

  She spent time going over every detail. At the end she gasped at something she didn’t expect. Why is Domino going with you? I mean… is she a part of the boarding party?”

  “She asked for a slot. We need someone who can speak and read Chinese. The Chinese have a red line. Those coordinates are loaded into the missile guidance system prior to launch. Once the missiles are in flight, minor adjusts of their flight path can be made while in flight. We need to know where their red line is and send it back to fleet. Domino can do that.”

  “Oh my god, Ted…is this necessary?”

  “There’s going to be a running fight, and the closer the fleet is, the shorter the fight.”

  Heather countered, “The combat range of our fleet is eleven hundred miles. Surely the Chinese won’t attack beyond that?”

  “We don’t know that. It’s a precaution just in case we fail.”

  She understood. The thought of failure wounded her, but that possibility had to be accounted for. She nodded. “I need to amend the plan, get it encrypted, and sent to Fort Meade.”

  She heard a voice from the back. “Already encrypted and ready to send. We’re just waiting on the word.”

  She was surprised. Her crew had really stepped it up. How could she show appreciation and instinctively knew. She said, “Send it.” The room exploded with cheers.

  Three hours later the Snake Pit was unusually buzzing. Heather walked out of the Pentagon, satisfied with her work. She walked into the Snake Pit, and the noise trickled to a halt as she stood facing the detachment. “It’s a green light.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  The D/DIA, Peter Bolin, was shown into the Oval Office shortly after four in the morning. The President was on the phone, and he waved him to a chair. He could hear the president speaking. “Admiral Sinclair, I’ve got Bolin here, Fremd is on his way, Holcomb doesn’t need to know about this, so do you mind if I put you on speaker phone.” The president hit the button and Admiral Sinclair’s voice filled the office.

  “I don’t mind at all Mr. President. We received the op plan and have moved the fleet as instructed.”

  “Tell me what you think, Admiral. Don’t confuse me with a lot of tumble weed military plaudits.”

  “To be honest sir, I didn’t know we had anything in the inventory to do the job. I’ve met with Alamo Jones, and to be frank, he’s the right man for the job. As to the plan of action, there are a lot of moving parts.”

  “I’ll say, I have your whole fleet moving. I hear reservation in your voice.”

  “Sir, the entire op plan is time driven to the Chinese reactions. We drop a single link and the entire fence comes down. We could end up with the entire fleet at risk if the Chinese get a single missile launch ready. The Palawan task force can’t misstep or we’ll loose them too. There’s just too much risk depending on chance events, and that could put us at the brink of war with China.”

  The president paused to collect his thoughts. We’re running a bluf
f. At the very least, we’ll learn where those nukes are, stealing them is a field decision and I expect you to have Commander Jones’ back. Is that clear?”

  “Yes sir.”

  The president’s voice was stern.

  “I want to reiterate something to you Admiral. You’re the right man to have Commander Jones’ back, or I wouldn’t have given you a fleet. We’re going to win this, and I need an admiral who is willing to fight. Where are you right now?”

  “The fleet is in the South China Sea, just inside the Nine Dash Line and out of range of Chinese missiles.”

  “That’s not what I meant. Are you in your quarters?”

  “No sir, I’m on the Captain’s bridge conferring with my staff.”

  “Get some shut eye. It’s going to be a long time before you get another opportunity. In a few hours we’re going to surprise those little men and trust me, we’re going to do dental surgery and remove the teeth of a saber tooth tiger. Bye the way, did you vote for me?”

  The Admiral chuckled, “I’m not allowed to say. Can I say something off the record?”

  “Why not? Everything we’re doing is off the record.”

  “If this doesn’t work, China will be the future super power in the Far East, and we can’t stop them.”

  “You have a grasp on what’s at stake. Get some sleep.”

  At the same time the conversation with Admiral Sinclair terminated, Derek Fremd slipped into the room. The president summarized his conversation with the Admiral and Derek fumed. “Mr. President, do not micromanage this operation.”

  “I’m not micro-managing. I’m the Commander In Chief, and I’m putting ten thousand sailors in harm’s way. I do not want my field commanders to have any reservations, whatsoever. What’s the problem with our link to Commander Jones? I want to speak to him.”

  The president continued to chatter while the link to Palawan connected. Domino was the duty officer and was notified the President of the United States was waiting to speak with Commander Jones. She almost fell out of her chair. She had to think fast. She told the duty officer at the other end of the line that the op order was classified and specific about maintaining OPSEC and COMSEC. “The president is not listed in the special access directive.” She said.