by Larry Bond
She shook her head, with a worried look. “No, sir. He’s past that. Now he is talking about a Russian base in the Arctic.”
Fedorin reached the remote first, and turned on the wall screen. It only took a moment to find a channel carrying the American president’s speech. A Russian-language translation scrolled across the bottom.
“… weapon announced just a short time ago. This secret Arctic base, armed with a new nuclear weapon system capable of a covert first strike, was an immediate and direct threat to American lives and territory. On my authority, I ordered a U.S. Navy submarine to destroy the launch facility, which they did a little over three hours ago.”
Fedorin muted the sound and carefully set the remote down on the corner of his desk. He remained silent, but his expression spoke of failure and ruin.
Trusov, who had been standing since he’d entered Fedorin’s office, sat down heavily. “They knew,” he whispered. “Somehow they learned of the base … the weapon … and our plan. My God, Comrade President, they knew it all!” The silent TV showed Hardy was continuing to speak. Trusov thought the American president looked grim, almost angry.
They both sat quietly for some time. Fedorin finally said softly, “Give the orders.”
12 August 2021
0900 Eastern Daylight Time
New London Submarine Base
* * *
Jimmy Carter’s transit back home had been much quicker because she could steer a direct route and transit at a higher speed. Although they had accomplished their mission, Weiss gave the crew little rest. Too many routine tasks had been deferred during the transit north, and the captain insisted on a thorough field day of the entire boat, with an inspection the day before they reached port.
They could have arrived as early as the evening of the eleventh, but had been ordered to arrive off the sub base at 0830 the next morning, and be docked half an hour later. Carter had been ordered to dock at Pier Six, because its landward end adjoined a large parking lot, which had been taken over for the occasion.
Ensign Truitt brought the submarine in. Jerry wasn’t sure if Captain Weiss was training, testing, or punishing the young officer. There was a slack tide, and only a gentle breeze from shore, so the navigational hazards were minimal. If the ensign could ignore the distractions, like the spectators, the band, the media, and the distinguished guests, it should be a simple landing.
With some bargaining, Dr. Cavanaugh had been authorized to act as a lookout during the maneuvering watch, happily wearing a parachute harness and snapping photos every few moments as Carter smoothly approached the pier. The lookout’s perch was the only way he could be topside, since the cockpit was more than crowded with the bridge crew, Captain Weiss, and Commodore Mitchell.
Public works had set up bleachers, with reserved places in front for the family members who had flown out from Bangor. A separate box with more comfortable seating held the president’s party and the navy brass. The media had chosen the pierside corners for their cameras. Cavanaugh thought his position, precarious as it was, gave him the best view.
He heard the Navy Band serenading the crowd during their approach and the sub’s turn toward the pier. Even Tug Paul looked a little neater than usual as it gave Jimmy Carter the nudges it needed to maneuver against the river current. The bandmaster timed it so that there was only a brief pause between the last popular song and “Anchors Aweigh,” which began as the first line was wrapped around the bollard. With only the gentlest of bumps, the sub’s hull kissed the fenders and she was secured to the pier.
As arranged, the moment the gangplank was in place, the entire crew, except for the duty section, in their best whites, hurried out of the access hatches onto the pier and formed ranks in front of the distinguished visitors’ box. The band continued to play, following “Anchors Aweigh” with Sousa marches.
Jerry was the second to the last to disembark, with Captain Weiss the last to step ashore. The two senior officers walked quickly down the pier and, after Weiss received the XO’s report that the crew was “present or accounted for,” took their places in front.
President Hardy stood and approached a microphone. “Welcome back, Jimmy Carter and her valiant crew. I won’t even try to describe the service you have performed for your country, because it would take too long to do it justice. I will say that it was difficult, a little dangerous, and performed brilliantly, in the best tradition of the U.S. naval submarine service. Attention to orders!”
Carter’s crew came to attention, and the chief of naval operations assisted President Hardy with the decorations. Captain Weiss was awarded the Navy Cross, and Jerry received one as well—his fourth. After teasing Jerry about “his collection,” President Hardy ended the ceremony with “I am pleased to award USS Jimmy Carter with the Presidential Unit Citation, and also to announce, with the exception of the duty section, liberty for the crew!”
The cheer that followed almost drowned out the first notes of “Victory at Sea.” Jerry and Captain Weiss quickly disengaged from the many well-wishers, and hurried back aboard. They had a reception to host.
* * *
Everything was in readiness when the two arrived in the wardroom. This left Jerry and Weiss at loose ends, especially when word came down that the president and first lady were taking time to shake hands and pose with the crew and their families.
“Never too early to think about the next election,” Weiss commented philosophically.
“I think he’d get their votes anyway,” Jerry replied. “By the way, a word of warning. The first lady is a hugger.”
Weiss’s eyes widened a little. “Really.”
Jerry nodded sagely. “Just go with it. She was probably sweating our safe return more than the president.”
“I can do that,” Weiss answered. His hand kept going up to touch the medal Hardy had pinned to his uniform. Jerry wasn’t sure if he was worried about it being on straight, or was just checking to see if it was real.
A mess specialist suddenly popped out of the pantry; two cups of fresh, steaming coffee in his hands. “Here you go, Skipper,” he said.
“Thank you, Olson. I’ve been waiting for this.”
Jerry graciously accepted his cup and raised it … the smell was incredible, and the taste was even better. “Whoa! Lou, where did you get this coffee? This isn’t standard Navy issue, that’s for sure!”
Weiss was slow to answer; there was an awkward look on his face. No, a better word would be sheepish.
“What?” asked Jerry with concern.
“I, uh, got this from the EB engineer that runs Shippingport, Commodore … before we left.”
“You mean to tell me you had this coffee with you for the entire run north!?” Jerry’s expression was one of utter disbelief.
“Ahh, yeah … I, uh, kind of forgot I even had it, sir.”
“Forgot about it!? Coffee this good!? Mister, we need to have a serious talk about your priorities!” Both men laughed heartily.
The wardroom fell silent as they enjoyed their relaxing time together. Weiss looked down at his award again and slowly shook his head.
“Something wrong?” Jerry inquired.
“No, sir. I’ve just been looking for the right opportunity to say ‘thank you’ for not relieving me during that fight.”
Jerry shrugged. “Sometimes not shooting something is the best course. What matters is that you grasped the situation and handled the boat brilliantly. You’ll be a much better captain now because of what you’ve learned. And truth be told, Lou, that’s really the best part of my job—to help train my COs.”
Weiss nodded, appreciating his boss’s compliments. Then his expression suddenly changed and he motioned toward Jerry. “You said something during the fight about a friend of yours?”
“Oh yeah, I did, and it’s completely ironic too. You see, my friend, Alex, was the commanding officer of Severodvinsk, Kazan’s sister.”
Weiss abruptly leaned forward in the chair, his eyes wide with curios
ity. “Seriously?”
“Mm-hmm,” Jerry muttered while taking another sip. “Alex was over the top aggressive. I was on Seawolf, we were doing a northern run and he snapped us up, had us dead to rights. But he couldn’t just embarrass us and let it go. He kept getting closer and closer, scared the crap out of us. Then something went wrong and he plowed into us. Seawolf got smashed up pretty bad, tore open the sonar dome and sliced up a couple of the main ballast tanks. Severodvinsk slammed into the bottom … really, really, hard.
“We managed to help save Alex, and most of his crew, but he lost eighteen men. We lost one young sailor as well, one of my guys. Alex has been haunted by that tragedy ever since. He learned a hard lesson that day, letting your aggressive tendencies get the better of you can be costly … in more than one way.”
Carter’s commanding officer listened with rapt attention to Jerry’s story. He wanted to ask a host of questions, but a 1MC announcement cut him off before he could even start.
“UNITED STATES, ARRIVING.”
“Well, that’s our cue,” observed Jerry as he put the cup on the table, stood, and adjusted his uniform.
* * *
Hardy and a gaggle of guests in trail arrived a minute later. Photographers snapped the handshakes and greetings, and Joanna’s hugs of both COMDEVRON Five and Commanding Officer, USS Jimmy Carter.
As guests continued to enter the already-crowded wardroom, Hardy pulled Jerry into what had to serve as a quiet corner. He asked, “Jerry, you know, I’ve got some connections now. What can I do for you, besides giving you another Navy Cross?”
As Hardy asked the question, Jerry spotted Emily, with Charlotte resting on her hip, entering the wardroom. He’d spotted her in the VIP seats, but hadn’t had a chance to talk. She didn’t look happy to see him. In fact, she looked a little mad.
She hadn’t spotted her husband yet, and Jerry slid over a little so that he was hidden from her view. “If you could run interference with Emily, Skipper, I’d be eternally grateful.”
Hardy glanced over his shoulder, and saw Mrs. Mitchell acquire her target and commence an approach. He laughed, and answered, “Not a chance, sailor. She’ll chew my ass off, even if I am the president. I’ll delegate that responsibility to my national security advisor,” gesturing to Joanna, a few feet away.
Seizing on the advice, Jerry maneuvered to place Patterson between Emily and himself, and more importantly, placing the approaching threat in the first lady’s field of view …
“Emily! And Charlotte! I’m so glad you could fly out. Carly, how big you’ve gotten!”
Patterson reached out, and the child allowed “Auntie Joanna” to pick her up for a hug and compliments about her fancy dress. Emily, delayed but now unencumbered, circled Joanna to port and caught Jerry. To his surprise, there were no harsh words, just a hug almost fierce in its intensity, while she buried her face in his shoulder.
Jerry knew he had to say something, and finally confessed, “I’m sorry that I worried you.”
She pounded his shoulder with her fist, just once. “It’s no better finding out after the fact what you were doing. I don’t know how Navy wives do it.”
“But you’re a Navy wife,” he countered.
“And it’s hard work.” She punched his shoulder again, but more lightly. “Next time you go on a mission like that—if there is a next time—you have to tell me ahead of time, so I can brace myself.”
Jerry protested, “Emily, I didn’t know myself until I got to New London, and we left port the same day. Besides, it was classified.”
“That’s no excuse.”
Jerry felt a tap on his shoulder and it was Hardy. “Can I break in?” the president asked, smiling. He gave Emily a peck on the cheek, and said, “Carly looks more like you every time I see her.”
He turned to include Jerry as well. “After lunch, during the memorial service for Toledo, you’re sitting with us.”
Hardy glanced at Carly, who was interested in a brooch that Joanna was wearing.
Emily read his mind and explained, “Jerry’s sister Clarice came out from Minnesota. She’ll watch Charlotte while we’re in the chapel. She’s really being an angel,” Emily remarked, “but this afternoon is nap time,” she said firmly.
“What about the meeting tomorrow with the Toledo families?” Jerry asked.
Hardy nodded. “It’s on for 0900. I put my foot down and declassified the whole bloody thing. We’ll show them the photos, and tell them what happened—everything. We owe them that much, at least. Devil take the complications.”
The president checked his watch. “Do you think Captain Weiss would let me look around if I asked nicely?”
“It could be arranged, Skipper. I know the duty section would get a charge out of it.”
“Then let’s get going.”
GLOSSARY
ADCAP: Advanced Capability (a variant of the Mark 48 torpedo)
ADM: Admiral
ARDM: Auxiliary Repair Medium Dry Dock
ASAP: As Soon As Possible
ASW: Antisubmarine Warfare
BND: Bundesnachrichtendienst, Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service
BZ: Bravo Zulu, U.S. Navy shorthand for “Well Done”
CAPT: Captain
CDR: Commander
CIA: Central Intelligence Agency
CINC: Commander-in-Chief
CO: Commanding Officer
COB: Chief of the Boat
COMINT: Communications Intelligence
CPA: Closest Point of Approach
CSO: Chief Staff Officer (of a submarine squadron staff)
CTML: Conventional Twelve-Mile Limit (the edge of a nation’s territorial waters)
Datum: Last known location of a submarine
DCI: Director of Central Intelligence (Agency)
DEVRON: Submarine Development Squadron
DNI: Director of National Intelligence
EAB: Emergency Air Breathing system
EB: Electric Boat
EDT: Eastern Daylight Savings Time
ENS: Ensign
EPM: Emergency Propulsion Motor
ESM: Electronic Support Measures (detecting radar transmissions)
ETA: Estimated Time of Arrival
EU: European Union
Fortify: Code name for the plan to reinforce Europe
GRU: Russian Military Intelligence
HUD: Heads Up Display
HUMINT: Human Intelligence (spies)
JCS: Joint Chiefs of Staff
Ka-27M: Helix antisubmarine warfare helicopter
LCDR: Lieutenant Commander
LT: Lieutenant
LTJG: Lieutenant, junior grade
MAD: Magnetic Anomaly Detector
MGK-608M: Modernized Sever fixed acoustic array
NAE: Naval Acoustic Electromechanical (a type of acoustic countermeasure)
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NSA: National Security Advisor (position)
or
NSA: National Security Administration (organization)
NSC: National Security Council
OOD: Officer of the Deck
Overcharge: Code name for the plan to destroy the Russian launch facility
PBXN-103: A powerful high explosive
PMK-2: Russian propelled-warhead mine (MPT-1UM torpedo)
RADM: Rear Admiral
RGB: Radiogidrakustichesky buoy, Russian designation for a sonobuoy
SCI: Sensitive Compartmented Information (a special type of classified information/data)
SCIF: Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility
SIGINT: Signals Intelligence
SSAN: Nuclear-powered auxiliary submarine
SSBN: Nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine
SSN: Nuclear-powered attack submarine
SSTG: Ship’s Service Turbine Generator
SUBFOR: Submarine Forces Commander
SUBRON: Submarine Squadron
SVR: Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki, Rus
sian intelligence agency, successor to the Cold War KGB
Tensor: Code name for information related to the Russian Drakon weapon
UCC: UUV Control Center
UKSK: Universal’nyy Korabel’nyy Strel’bovoy Kompleks, Universal Shipboard Firing Complex UMGT-1: Russian 40cm electric torpedo
UUV: Unmanned Underwater Vehicle
VADM: Vice Admiral
XO: Executive Officer
FORGE BOOKS BY LARRY BOND
Dangerous Ground
Cold Choices
Exit Plan
Shattered Trident
Lash-Up
Fatal Thunder
Arctic Gambit
FORGE BOOKS BY LARRY BOND AND JIM DEFELICE
Larry Bond’s First Team
Larry Bond’s First Team: Angels of Wrath
Larry Bond’s First Team: Fires of War
Larry Bond’s First Team: Soul of the Assassin
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Shadows of War
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Edge of War
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Shock of War
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LARRY BOND is the author of Fatal Thunder, Lash-Up, and numerous New York Times bestselling thrillers, including Cold Choices, Vortex, Cauldron, and The Enemy Within. A former naval intelligence officer, warfare analyst, and antisubmarine technology expert, he makes his home in Springfield, Virginia. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Author’s Note
Dramatis Personae
Prologue
Chapter 1: Phone Call
Chapter 2: Storm Clouds
Chapter 3: Dragon’s Lair
Chapter 4: Grim News
