Counter Poised

by John Spikenard

  “So are you saying Mohammed, the revered Prophet of Islam, was a fraud?” asked Lieutenant Johnson.

  “No! Absolutely not! For a person to be a fraud, they have to intentionally mislead someone. I have no doubt Mohammed, like all of God’s messengers, truly believed he was properly interpreting God’s symbolic spiritual messages.”

  “Yet the end result is that all his warped interpretations have been studied by dozens of generations of Muslims as God’s final and greatest message to mankind. Right?” asked Lieutenant Johnson.

  “That’s right, but don’t think Mohammed was alone in his misinterpretations of God’s messages. Remember, I said all of God’s messengers screw it up. There’s no religion that’s perfect—not even Christianity! In many ways, the Bible is a lot like the Qur’an. They both describe a reward-and-punishment type of religion that’s not very consistent with an all-loving god.”

  “Why are you picking on Christians?” Pappy asked. “We’re not against Christians on this mission.”

  “I’m not trying to pick on Christians, XO. I’m just trying to point out that Muslims are not alone in not having a perfect holy book. We’re not pointing fingers at the Muslims and saying, “My religion is right, and yours is wrong.” That’s been done since the beginning of time, and it has never furthered the progress of peace. We’re trying to be objective and recognize that every holy book has been flawed by its human interpreters.”

  “So what are you getting at, Chaplain?” Pappy pressed.

  “What I’m trying to establish here is an understanding amongst us that this mission is not a holy crusade.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” the XO agreed, “and we all need to understand that.”

  “But we also need to understand what motivates radical Islamists to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people,” said Lieutenant Johnson. “Apparently, they don’t believe they’re going to be punished for that—they believe they’re going to be rewarded! That’s a very different value system than what Christianity teaches.”

  “That’s true,” agreed the Chaplain. “The radicals believe that if they die in a martyrdom operation, they go straight to heaven where Allah supplies them with seventy-two virgins for their sexual pleasure! That’s pretty primitive thinking, actually. Something you’d expect cavemen to think of…”

  Lieutenant Johnson responded, “It may be primitive, Chaplain, but it’s a pretty effective motivational tool. Every Muslim suicide bomber they have captured because his bomb malfunctioned has said he was really looking forward to those seventy-two virgins, made by Allah, especially for him!”

  Pappy interrupted. “Okay, okay. Let’s get back to the issue at hand. Since Western democracies allow anybody to come in, and allow anybody to worship any religion, then we have a problem when huge numbers of Muslims immigrate, and when large numbers of people convert to Islam. Eventually, when the Muslims become a majority, it’s bye-bye religious freedom. Maybe even bye-bye democracy as we know it.”

  At this point, the captain interrupted and said, “All right, this is all interesting conversation, but let’s get back to the real issue. You may find this hard to believe, but I don’t have a problem with Muslims immigrating to the U.S. or people converting to Islam. I don’t blame Muslims for believing what their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents believed in. Most of us in this room consider ourselves to be Christians, and the reason we’re Christians is because that’s what our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents were.”

  “But what about the threat to democracy and freedom of religion, Captain?” asked Pappy.

  “As long as things happen peacefully, and in accordance with democratic principles, so be it. That’s what government by the people is all about. If the will of the people changes, then the country should change with it. Like Lieutenant Johnson said, our nation today bears very little resemblance to early America. But none of us thinks it’s all that bad. If Muslims become the majority in America and vote to establish an Islamic nation, democracy will most likely go down in rewritten history as a failed heretical attempt at society.”

  The men around the table looked at each other to see if anyone had a response for the captain. No one did.

  The captain turned to the chaplain. “I want to thank you, Chaplain, and congratulate you, too, on a job well done. Perhaps in your new life you can be an actor.”

  The chaplain smiled sheepishly and glanced around the table at the perplexed officers sitting there.

  “What’s this about, Captain?” asked the XO.

  “Well, the opinions the Chaplain just expressed about the Bible and the Christian Church were mine, not his. I asked him to express them because I felt they would have more impact coming from him than from me. Most people immediately discount any criticism of their own religion unless it comes from a credentialed source. I wanted you to actually think about what he was saying. The point being, all religions are flawed. So this mission is not a Christian versus Muslim crusade.”

  Glancing around the table, the captain noted everyone was listening intently.

  “We hope and pray we never have to kill a single Muslim. Our enemies are not people who have chosen or were born to worship God through Islam; our enemies are terrorists who use selected texts from the Qur’an to justify mass murder. Unfortunately for most of the world’s Muslims, it is Islam the religion, the terrorists hold most sacred, not God’s underlying teaching of universal love. Therefore, it is Islam itself we must hold hostage in order to force the terrorists to stop their murderous ways.”

  The room was silent. Each man met the captain’s gaze with agreement. As usual, the captain’s logic was infuriatingly…logical!

  “Like I said, I don’t have a problem with peaceful change. Nothing is permanent. What I have a problem with are murderers who kill hundreds of thousands of innocent people in order to further their twisted and perverted version of theology. That, my friends is what we’re about. We’re not against peaceful change; we’re against murderers. And there is only one thing they understand: greater force.”

  The room remained silent.

  “Does everyone understand that?” asked the captain.

  The captain looked around the room and met the eyes of each man. Each nodded in assent as he did so.

  “Questions?”

  There was a unanimous and simultaneous, “No, sir!”

  “Then let’s get busy. You all know what to do.” “Aye-aye, sir!” and the room cleared out.

  Chapter 23

  Those in the Islamic world assumed the Louisiana would be maneuvering into a position from which it could launch its longrange ballistic missiles against Muslim nations. However, even if George’s plan had been one of retribution, he had always known that use of the Louisiana to launch missiles was not a viable option. The launch of a single missile would be immediately detected, and their position would be pinpointed. After that, it was highly unlikely they could evade U.S. and allied forces long enough to make another strike. It was even more ridiculous to contemplate using the Louisiana’s missiles as a deterrent against future terrorist attacks. The Louisiana would have to remain undetected for an extended period—years, in fact. A totally absurd proposition! Therefore, George’s plan was quite different. But before the plan could be implemented, they had to evade all of the world’s antisubmarine warfare (ASW) forces while operating with one-third of the submarine’s normal complement of officers and crew.

  “It’s a simple matter of using Leona Harris’s daily position reports to evade the ASW forces while giving them bits of information that lead them in the wrong direction,” the captain explained to the XO. “We hope to make them think we’re headed for the Indian Ocean via the Cape of Good Hope. So we’re heading for the southwest coast of Africa, off Angola, where we’re going to give them a decoy transmission.”

  “Captain, we’re actually going to make a radio transmission?” asked the XO incredulously. “Isn’t that a bit risky?”

&nbs
p; “Everything is risky, Pappy.”

  “Yes, I know, but—”

  “If we keep the transmission short, they won’t be able to pinpoint our location. They’ll only know generally where it came from—which is what we want them to know.”

  “That’s only true, Captain, as long as they don’t have any ASW forces in the immediate area. What if the U.S. has a P-3 or the Brits have a Nimrod flying in the area and we poke the antenna up and make a transmission? They’ll be on us like a duck on a June bug!”

  “We’ll have to take that chance, XO. We need the diversion to buy us time. However, I’ve picked the location for the transmission because of its distance from any airfield to which the Americans or the Brits could gain access. It’s well outside of any of the ASW patrol areas that Petty Officer Harris has reported. They’re concentrating their efforts further south where they have the geographic advantage of the chokepoint going around the Cape. According to her reports, it’s crawling with them down there!”

  “But how do we know her reports are accurate or complete?”

  “Look, she’s the SUBLANT Ops officer’s assistant. If he’s doing his job right, he’s coordinating everything with Intel and with all the forces allied in their efforts to find us. And under these circumstances, I’m sure Rowdy Yates is making sure he’s doing his job right!”

  “Yeah, the admiral’s not going to let this new guy screw up for a while as a learning experience!” the XO agreed.

  “And that means Leona’s sitting in on every briefing and every brainstorming session. So she not only knows everything they’re currently doing to find us, she knows everything they’re even thinking about doing. Her reports are coming in regularly, and as far as her accuracy, I would trust her with my life.”

  Recognizing that the captain had made his decision, the XO shook his head in resignation. “I hope you’re right, Captain—all our lives depend on it!”

  Although the Louisiana was submerged, she trailed a floating wire antenna that enabled her to receive radio communications and news of world events. Everyone onboard was aware of the fear and panic that was gripping the U.S. because of the speculation the Louisiana had been hijacked by terrorists.

  The next day, as the captain studied the navigation charts in the control room, the XO approached and said, “Captain, some of the men have been discussing the decoy radio transmission we plan to make off the coast of Angola. We have a suggestion for the message content.”

  “What would that be?”

  “‘NO FEAR,’ Captain.”

  “It’s okay, go ahead and tell me.”

  The XO laughed. “No, that’s the message: NO FEAR. It accomplishes several things. First, it’s short, so as we discussed, it doesn’t give triangulation systems a chance to pinpoint our location. They’ll know generally that we were off the western coast of southern Africa, but that’s about the best they’ll be able to do. Second, intelligence analysts will recognize immediately that this is American slang, not a term used by Islamic terrorists. It will give a clear message to the people of the U.S. that they are not our target. They need that message right now. Hundreds of people have been killed, and the economy is at a complete standstill.”

  “That’s good thinking, XO. I like it.”

  “There is one other good thing it does for us, Captain—a very important thing.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Any intelligence analyst worth his salt would look suspiciously at a boomer popping up and making a radio transmission—especially one that’s being hunted by the entire world. They’d conclude for sure that the transmission was a deception—a decoy. However, given the situation in the U.S., and knowing we would be aware of it, they might deduce we took the risk of making the transmission in order to save American lives. They would be more likely to conclude that the transmission accurately reflects our projected track.”

  The captain thought pensively for a few seconds and then looked at the XO and said, “You’re right. When we reach the transmission point, we’ll tell the world: NO FEAR.”

  Chapter 24

  Commander Lannis Wayne was coordinating all intelligence activities associated with the search for the Louisiana. On the morning of August 25, Lannis stood in an auditorium-style briefing room before Admiral Yates, the Joint Chiefs, and their combined staffs to present a hurriedly prepared briefing. He couldn’t remember ever seeing so many stars in one room! The entire top echelon of the U.S. military was there: General Daramus, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Admiral Byers, the chief of naval operations; General Stevenson, the army chief of staff; General Metcalf, the air force chief of staff; General Naeger, the commandant of the Marine Corps; and Admiral Bostich, the commandant of the Coast Guard. Each had ten to fifteen staff members with them, so there were close to a hundred high-ranking officers, eagerly awaiting Lannis’s findings. Lannis stood at a podium directly in front of the Joint Chiefs and tried in vain to stop his left knee from jerking nervously. He began…

  “Good morning. I am Commander Lannis Wayne, intelligence officer on the staff of the Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic Fleet. I am here this morning to present the findings of the special investigative team appointed by Admiral Yates on August eighteenth to investigate the disappearance of the USS Louisiana on the night of August seventeenth. Our team consisted of myself, navy intelligence specialists, and agents from…”

  General Daramus, the chairman, interrupted. “Commander, we know who you are, we know the team members, and we all know why we’re here. Let’s skip the formalities and move on to your findings.”

  “Aye-aye, sir. As you all know, the USS Louisiana disappeared from her berth at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base on the night of August seventeenth—apparently hijacked. There was no sign of any struggle at the site of the hijacking, and no evidence of forced entry on the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base that evening. Fifty crew members and two marine guards disappeared when the Louisiana was hijacked. Our investigation has revealed that none of them were married and none had any children. This seemed to be a peculiar coincidence at first, until we questioned the submarine detailer at BuPers. We discovered that Captain Adams specifically requested that a large number of such crew members be assigned to his submarine when he took over as the commanding officer of the Louisiana.”

  A murmur arose throughout the room. Bodies shifted and chairs squeaked.

  “What are you suggesting, Commander?” asked General Daramus.

  “Nothing yet, sir. Just presenting the facts.”

  The general nodded for Lannis to proceed.

  “The night of the hijacking, the crew of the Louisiana held a ship’s party at the Chief Petty Officers’ Club on the Naval Submarine Base at Kings Bay, Georgia. Except for a small watch section that remained onboard, the entire crew and their spouses were present at the party. Shortly after dinner, Captain Adams, the XO, and several other key crew members left the party unannounced. All who left are among the missing. Additionally, the ship’s senior watch officer, who is not among the missing, has revealed that he did not assign the watch section that remained onboard that evening. That task was taken over and handled personally by the XO.”

  Another murmur spread throughout the room.

  “We know the Louisiana is capable of monitoring worldwide news broadcasts while she is deployed. In the days following the Louisiana’s disappearance, fear and panic were causing a great many deaths here in the U.S. One week after the disappearance of the Louisiana, we received a brief message from her containing simply the two words, NO FEAR. We do not believe that either the content or the timing of this message was accidental. The content is Western slang, and it is highly improbable that Islamic terrorists would be familiar with it. This leads us to believe that Westerners are in control of the submarine. In addition, the timing indicates they were concerned that their actions were causing the loss of U.S. lives, and they wanted the citizens of the U.S. to know that the U.S. was not the submarine’s target. This conce
rn leads us to believe that the Westerners are Americans.”

  This time, it was more than a murmur that spread throughout the room. Everyone started talking excitedly at the same time! General Daramus and Admiral Byers, the CNO, exchanged irritated glances. General Daramus rose from his seat in the front, ran his fingers through his silver hair, and turned to the gathered staff members. “Everyone, hold your comments until the commander has finished,” he ordered. The room quickly grew silent, and after glaring a few stragglers into silence, the general turned and resumed his seat. “Please continue, Commander.”

  “Thank you, sir. We have concluded that the hijacking was premeditated and carefully planned for months in advance. Captain Adams specifically requested BuPers to assign crew members matching the profile of those who are missing. They were assigned to stay onboard the Louisiana the night of the ship’s party by the XO. The ship’s party, although a commonly held event, was likely scheduled for that particular evening as a diversion to get other crew members off the submarine and to occupy them for the entire evening. Since there was no sign of any struggle or forced entry, there is only one logical conclusion: We have concluded it was not terrorists who hijacked the Louisiana, but Captain Adams and forty-nine other crew members.”

  A hush fell over the room as the assembled officers turned and stared at each other in shock and disbelief.

  “The marine guards have not been found, and we suspect they were kidnapped and are onboard.” Lannis paused, before quietly adding, “We do not know the crew’s motive.”

  Admiral Byers, the CNO, shook his head in disbelief. Darn intel officers. They don’t know a thing about operations or the mentality of real warriors. In the silent room, Admiral Byers slowly rose to his feet. A submariner, Admiral Byers had so many rows of military ribbons on his uniform that his dolphins were practically pinned to his shoulder! He turned and accusingly pointed a shaking finger at Lannis and said, “You better recheck your facts, Commander, because your conclusion just isn’t possible! Only our nation’s most trusted individuals are assigned to positions where they control nuclear weapons. They go through years of rigorous training and are subject to extensive background checks and psychological testing. Our Personnel Reliability Program makes sure this sort of thing can’t happen!”