The Vigilant Spy
Page 18
Halgren folded his arms across his chest. “What circumstances, sir?”
Andrews took a couple of seconds to compose his response. “This will be a tough mission. And you all deserve to know what’s at stake.” He scanned the others sitting around the table. “The Chinese have developed a radical new weapon that is designed to takeout our subs. One of our Los Angeles class boats was attacked a couple of weeks ago in the South China Sea. It came within a whisker of sinking.”
Several expletives were muttered. Andrews resumed, “Gentlemen, our goal is to obtain as much intel as we can on how the system works so that our people can come up with countermeasures. Right now, we have nothing, which means our entire game plan for dealing with the PLA Navy in Southeast Asia is in jeopardy.”
Jeff Chang continued the briefing. A blowup of a spy satellite photograph of Shendao filled the screen. It depicted the offshore waters of the Chinese naval facility. “As you can see, the offshore breakwater system protecting the carrier pier has two openings. The gaps allow vessel ingress and egress to the harbor area.”
“What’s the water depth at those entrance channels?” asked Halgren.
Chang said, “Around fifteen meters, which should allow covert access for an SDV, especially when running at night.”
The muscular blond with a bushy beard piped up next. “What kind of bottom sensors can we expect?” CPO Ryan Murphy, aka Malibu Murph, was the team’s tech-head. One of his specialties was defeating underwater intruder detection systems. Having spent much of his early privileged life surfing, skin diving and lifeguarding, Murphy was also right at home with in-water SEAL operations. He was adept at operating the U.S. Navy underwater craft used to transport the Ghost Riders—the SDV aka SEAL Delivery Vehicle. Also comfortable underwater, Runner and Driller shared Murphy’s skillsets. Wild Bill, on the other hand, a true landlubber, stomached wet ops, leaving driving of the SDV to the other team members.
Chang responded to Murphy’s inquiry. “We don’t have any specifics on bottom sensors but suspect sonar based anti-diver systems are in place.” The CIA officer looked Yuri’s way. “John, perhaps you’d like to jump in here.” Chang addressed the team. “Our guest has actual knowledge of the Sanya area.”
Yuri cleared his throat. He gazed at the team members sitting around the table. “Gentlemen, you can expect that this facility will have the best underwater detection system that money can buy. Your submersible vehicles are well designed and stealthy but I do not recommend trying to penetrate this harbor through the channel openings in the seawall system. Your vehicle will likely be detected and attacked by a swarm of unmanned patrol boats—drones. It’s highly doubtful that your minisub would survive such an attack. And your mission, of course, would fail before it started.”
“With all due respect, sir,” Halgren said, “what do you know about our equipment and capabilities? And just how do you know what the Chicoms have at this place?”
Yuri turned toward Chang for direction. Jeff nodded. Yuri looked back at Halgren. “About a month ago, I ran an op at the Yulin Naval Base, just down the coast from Shendao. We came in underwater in a mini, deployed from an attack sub…a Russian boat named the Novosibirsk out of Vladivostok.”
“Holy shit,” muttered Master Chief Halgren. “Who the hell are you?”
Chapter 37
Yuri made eye contact with Master Chief Halgren. “Until just recently I was an intelligence officer with the Russian Navy. My specialty was underwater reconnaissance.”
“You’re shitting me, right?” Halgren said, thunderstruck.
Jeff Chang took over, addressing the entire team. “John here is the real thing. He was a Captain Lieutenant in the Russian Navy—a two and a half striper. He has extensive experience aboard subs and he’s run a number of covert underwater ops.”
Runner said, “You were a Russian spook but you now work for us?”
“I was offered political asylum. Assisting your navy is part of that process.”
Murph rejoined the interrogation, “Did you spy on us—in the States?”
Yuri started to respond when Lieutenant Commander Andrews intervened. “Our friend is not at liberty to divulge that type of intel at this time. What he can talk about is his experience in penetrating the Yulin Naval Base, which is just a hop, skip and jump away from our objective. His knowledge is golden, gentlemen, and he’s here for our benefit so let’s make use of the opportunity.”
Jeff Chang, still standing beside the table, clicked to a new slide—a high resolution photograph of the Yulin base. “John’s going to take over now. He’ll brief you on his Yulin op, which I believe all of you will find invaluable for the mission at Shendao.”
* * * *
It took Yuri forty minutes to retrace the Yulin mission. It was a true eye-opener for the SEALs. Jeff Chang already knew everything. Andrews had been provided a brief summary of the mission back at Pearl but was not provided any details—the real red meat. It was the meat that the SEALs pounced on.
“I didn’t realize the Chicoms have ASV’s that worked that well,” CPO Murphy said, addressing Yuri. He referenced the autonomous surface vessels—robotic sentries—that guarded the Yulin base. The drones hunted together, using their AI brains to swarm intruders.
“They’re formidable and you can expect that they will be in use, especially if they move the aircraft carriers from Yulin to Shendao.”
That prompted a question from Chief Dillon. “Are both carriers still dead in the water?”
Chang answered. “Yes. We believe they’re trying to repair each carrier’s power plant so they can maneuver on their own. However, based on intercepts of PLAN comms, it appears they may be planning to tow at least one of the carriers to Shendao to expedite repairs. The pier and support facilities at Shendao are serviceable unlike Yulin.”
Senior Chief Baker joined the Q&A. “Just how big was that e-bomb you guys set off?”
“Man portable,” Yuri said. “The two man team carried the device and balloon in one trip.”
“That’s impressive,” Baker noted. “A modest package like that inflicting such enormous damage…and without loss of life. Just incredible.”
Yuri fielded additional questions on the e-bomb element of the Yulin mission, careful not to claim credit for that portion of the op. The FSB OSNAZ Delfin operators, impersonating naval Spetsnaz, had lied to Yuri about the true nature of their work.
Dillon spoke up next. “Could you show us that video of the underground sub base again?”
“Sure.” Yuri clicked on the remote, reversing the slides. The requested slide materialized. It contained an embedded video, which started automatically. The clip was a minute long; it consisted of a 360-degree view of the interior of a huge grotto carved out of solid rock. The mini drone that captured the video hovered over one of the three PLAN ballistic missile submarines that were moored inside the mountain.
“That’s just fricking amazing,” Dillon said. “Sneaking that drone into the base with a fake crab…what did you call it?”
“Crawlerbot.”
“Yeah, crawlerbot.” Chief Dillon grinned. “I’m wondering if we can do something like that at Shendao. My dad was a mining engineer and when I was a kid, he took me to some of the mines he was working on in Georgia and other places in the South. Coal and copper. Anyway, one of the things I remember him telling me was that whenever they carved out a large underground cavern, they usually drilled extra ventilation shafts from above for air circulation, venting smoke if there’s a fire, and in some cases, using the shafts as emergency exits.” Driller smiled again. “So, I’m wondering if the Chinese did the same for their ASW control center.”
Yuri caught on. “Clever, Chief. Send a mini aerial drone down a shaft for a remote recon.”
“That’s it!”
Jeff Chang rejoined the conversation. “How big would these shafts be?”
“Maybe you guys can slither down something like that,” offered the CIA officer.
That comment generated an instant group response—all negative.
As the SEALs bantered, insulting each other as to who’s butt was too big to fit down a pipe, Yuri clicked through the slides until he found the close-up aerial of the objective. He turned to Dillon. “Do you see anything in this photo that might be a vent?” Yuri pointed to the hillside behind the Shendao Fleet Logistics and Support Center building. Thick green vegetation covered the slope.
Chief Dillon scrutinized the screen image. “I don’t see anything obvious. But since this is a highly secure facility, the vents, if they exist, would be camouflaged—like what we’d do.”
“What about temperature differences?” Murphy asked. “If the underground base has some type of ventilation system, there’s probably a difference in temperature at the discharge vent compared to the surrounding air.”
Jeff Chang responded. “Great idea. I’ll check with Langley to see if we can get one of our recon birds to run a thermal scan of the base.”
* * * *
After a fifteen minute break, Yuri, Jeff Chang and the SEALs gathered by the scale model set up in a corner of the meeting room. The model was the size of two ping pong tables connected lengthwise. Chang arranged for construction of the segmented model back at Langley. It arrived at Yokosuka the day before via military air transport.
The model depicted in three dimensions the rugged coastline of Hainan Island and the adjacent uplands from Sanya Bay to Yalong Bay. The Shendao Naval Base was positioned at the model’s center, which included replicas of the aircraft carrier pier and the harbor breakwaters. In addition to displaying a duplication of the Fleet Logistics and Support Center building and adjacent hillside, the model provided offshore bathymetry. The underwater topography was especially important to the SEALs.
The current discussion focused on Yuri’s mission at the Yulin Naval Base in Yalong Bay, which the model reproduced on the right side of the table.
“Where did those drones swarm the mini?” asked Master Chief Halgren.
Yuri pointed with a finger. “Right here.”
“That’s a shallow area. You were lucky to have escaped.”
“We were; it was close—too close.”
Baker commented next. “I can see why you avoided bringing the mini into the harbor. All they would have to do is station one drone at each of the two entrance channels and they’d have you trapped. The rest of those damn things would be able to hunt you down at will.”
“That’s right, Senior Chief,” Yuri said. The African-American’s observation provided Yuri the opportunity to refocus on his prior recommendation. He gestured at the center of the model. “A similar issue applies to Shendao Harbor. If you sneak in through one of the entrances with your SEAL delivery vehicle, you could be trapped the same way.”
“What about exiting the SDV here and swimming underwater to the shore in this area?” asked Andrews. The officer pointed to the shoreline adjacent to the landward connection of the southern breakwater.
“That’s certainly possible, Commander. However, in light of what occurred at Yulin and Qingdao, I expect the PLAN is ultra-paranoid about diver intrusions at any of their facilities. That means you can expect extra underwater sensors and increased drone patrol boat activity coupled with equivalent upland security measures including troops patrolling the shoreline.”
Jeff Chang rejoined the discussion. “He’s right. Our onsite sources have verified a significant uptick in security measures at both Yulin and Shendao.”
Several of the SEALs uttered groans at Chang’s comment.
Andrews said, “We’re open to any recommendations about accessing the objective.”
Yuri flashed a friendly smile. “I do have a suggestion.” He took a step to the right. “I’d avoid Shendao Harbor and its offshore waters entirely.” He pointed to a pocket beach in a bay east of Shendao. “I strongly suggest that you come ashore in this area here and hike overland to the objective.” During the break period, Yuri had studied the model.
“What’s around the beach?” asked Murphy.
“It’s quite isolated. Apparently, the resort developers have not yet been granted government access to the property.” Yuri pointed to a cluster of buildings east of the subject beach located on the opposite side of a rocky peninsula. “A couple of resorts border Yalong Bay here. As I recall one of ’em is a Hyatt. It’s about two miles from the beach over this hill.”
“I like this beach,” Lieutenant Commander Andrews said. “Looks like it’s not used much.”
“Right,” Yuri replied. “There’s only one obvious structure.” He pointed to the uplands located near the center of the beach. “Appears to be a house, possibly abandoned. You’d want to keep your distance from it regardless.”
Andrews nodded his agreement. “How far is the beach from Shendao?”
Yuri had previously calculated the distance. “It’s a little over a mile. Elevation change is around 450 feet. From my experience at Yulin, I expect the biggest obstacle would be dealing with brush. It’s likely to be dense, hard to penetrate.”
Andrews chortled. “No problemo…right boys?”
The SEALs echoed their leader’s comment with gusto.
Chapter 38
It was early evening at the Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Officer’s Club in Yokosuka. Yuri sat at a table in a quiet corner of the dining room with Lieutenant Commander Brent Andrews and Jeff Chang. They had just ordered their meals; all three sipped chilled beers.
Yuri would have preferred to return to his quarters and sleep. But he couldn’t turn down Andrews’s invite.
“I think the team took a liking to you today,” Andrews said, addressing Yuri.
“They’re probably more curious about me than anything else.”
“I think they were a little awestruck. It’s not very often they get to team up with a former adversary, especially one that has been involved in a major op in their own backyard.”
Back at the meeting room during the afternoon, Jeff Chang authorized Yuri to fill in the four CPOs regarding Yuri’s Pearl Harbor mission; Andrews had been briefed earlier. Astonished was an understatement of the SEALs’ reaction. Chang’s purpose in revealing details of the operation was twofold. First, demonstrate Yuri’s technical skills. Second, provide a convincing reason why Yuri defected to the U.S.
Yuri took a swig from his beer, sensing it was the right time to ask a few questions about Andrews and his men. “Would you mind filling me in on how the team functions. Its overall organization, chain of command…those kinds of things.”
Andrews took a quick look around the room. The nearest occupied table was about ten feet away. The two uniformed officers, both O-5s, were busy chatting and appeared to have no interest in their neighbors. Turning back to Yuri, he said, “We’re part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. DEVGRU for short.”
“SEAL Team Six?” Yuri asked.
“Used to be called that but we go by DEVGRU now.”
“Got it.”
“DEVGRU consists of Tier One special operators. Top performing individuals from other SEAL units compete for a space in DEVGRU. As you can imagine, it’s extremely competitive.”
“Best of the best,” Yuri said.
“Correct. It’s a screening process. DEVGRU is broken down into squadrons, varying from assault to recon and training. The individual squadrons are color coded. Our group is part of Black Squadron.”
“Let me guess, you’re in a recon squadron.”
“That’s right. Our specialty is reconnaissance, surveillance and general intelligence gathering.” Andrews grinned. “Kind of like what your unit must have been like.”
Yuri
chuckled. “Sounds familiar all right.”
“Black Squadron consists of three troops. I have command of one of the troops, which is further divided into three recon teams. The team with me here is the best in the entire Black Squadron. Their handle is Ghost Riders.” Andrews took a swallow of beer. “This particular team is unique…cross-trained to operate underwater craft without the need for a dedicated SDV unit to transport them ashore. They’re also well experienced in high-risk surveillance operations.”
“Thanks. That helps.” Yuri intertwined his fingers. “Will both of you be going on the mission?”
Andrews turned toward Jeff Chang and winked.
Yuri caught the signal and immediately stiffened his posture.
Jeff Chang said, “Yes, Brent and I will be accompanying the Ghost Riders. And we’d like you to come along with us, too.”
Govnó!
* * * *
Yuri returned to his room at the base guest quarters. It was 10:05 P.M. After showering, he lay on the bed with his spine propped against the bed board. He wore a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. The television on the opposite wall was tuned to an English-speaking channel. An attractive young Japanese female recited the day’s news.
Yuri soon lost interest in the broadcast and switched off the TV. He yawned, fatigue finally settling in. He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand, about to call Laura when he reconsidered. Yuri was sixteen time zones ahead; it was still early in Washington State. He returned the phone to the table, deciding to make the call in the morning when he woke up.
After turning out the light, he settled into the bed, expecting instant sleep. Not so. Yuri reeled from the dinner conversation with Chang and Andrews.
They want me to go on the Shendao mission—that’s not what I agreed to do in Hawaii!
During Yuri’s previous meeting at Pearl Harbor with Chang and the U.S. Navy, reviewing the USS Tucson incident, Yuri’s role was described as a ‘technical advisor.’ There was no discussion regarding actual mission participation. But over dinner this evening, CIA officer Chang made his case, backed up by the SEAL team commander.