Fatal Thunder: A Jerry Mitchell Novel (34 page)

Simonis nodded. “Very well, Captain. I guess we’ll just have to wait for Dr. Patterson to enlighten us.”

“Commodore,” called out Jacobs, interrupting the conversation. “We have
Texas
up on the secure video link.”

Jerry looked up at the two large screens. On the left was Ian Pascovich, commanding officer of USS
Texas
. On the right was the White House Situation Room. An army lieutenant colonel suddenly came into view and hit the mike button. “Squadron Fifteen, stand by, Dr. Patterson will be here shortly.”

“Everyone to your seats, but remain standing,” barked Simonis. There was a brief but chaotic shuffle as the occupants quickly moved to their respective chairs, but soon all was quiet. As the national security advisor came into view, Simonis shouted, “Attention on deck!”

Patterson bowed slightly, acknowledging the honor. Jerry thought she looked a little ragged. “Please be seated,” she said with a tired voice.

“Commodore, I must first apologize for the early wake-up,” began Patterson. “But I’m afraid it couldn’t be helped. We have a very serious situation on our hands.”

“I have all four submarine commanding officers on line, Dr. Patterson. What do you need Squadron Fifteen to do?”

Joanna smiled faintly. “Let me get straight to the point, Captain Simonis. The Indian Akula SSN,
Chakra
, has gone rogue. She left port without authorization a little over four hours ago. She’s armed with five modified torpedoes, each fitted with a one-hundred-fifty-kiloton nuclear weapon. Her mission is to fire those torpedoes into five of China’s biggest and busiest ports. The apparent goal is to cripple China economically and politically. This operation is part of a high-level military conspiracy that has been initiated without the consent of the Indian government.”

Patterson paused while the audience in Guam struggled with her message. Simonis was flabbergasted, his mouth hanging open in amazement. Everyone else, including Jerry, was just as shocked, if not more so. Not only was Samant’s plot real, but it was in motion.

“We don’t know exactly which ports are on the target list, but we do have some data that suggests no more than ten were considered. The intelligence community is currently working on a best estimate based on overall port capacity and the potential for collateral damage. We believe the desire of those running this conspiracy is to maximize both.”

“Dr. Patterson,” interrupted Simonis. “What are the Indians doing about this rogue submarine?”

Joanna shook her head. “They’re doing everything they can, which unfortunately isn’t much. The Indian government is trying to call her back, sending out radio messages over all available communication channels, but there is little hope this will do anything.
Chakra
’s too quiet and has too big a head start for the Indian fleet to do anything useful.

“Maritime patrol aircraft are being scrambled, but their best ASW squadron, the one with the P-8 aircraft, was placed in an unscheduled maintenance stand-down last week. Apparently, the Eastern Naval Commander was a key player of the conspiracy and he has severely degraded the ASW capability of his fleet. The best the Indian Navy can do is to get a couple of old Bear F patrol planes out into the Bay of Bengal in about an hour.”

“How soon do you need me to sortie my boats, ma’am?”

“The president wants as many submarines out there as you can, as fast as you can,” Joanna replied. “The one advantage we have is that you have less distance to cover, and if you can establish several patrol barriers near the most likely ports before she gets there, we have a reasonable chance of finding
Chakra
.”

“And my orders?” asked Simonis hesitantly.

“You are to sink
Chakra
, Commodore. Preferably before she fires any nuclear-armed torpedoes.”

Simonis seemed to relax a little. “I can get two subs out before the end of the day.
Texas
is currently at sea, and she’ll reverse course as soon as we’re done here.”

Jerry glanced at the left-hand screen. Pascovich was already signaling his XO to bring her about.

“Unfortunately, it will be at least three days before we can complete the repairs to
Oklahoma City
,” said Simonis.

“Then we should plan, at least initially, on only three patrol zones,” Patterson concluded.

“Will I need to coordinate operations with any Littoral Alliance submarines?” Simonis looked wary.

Patterson shook her head vigorously. “No, I will be talking to the Littoral Alliance representatives within the next few hours. We will ask for surface ship and MPA support, but no submarines. There’s too much ill will between China and the alliance and we can’t risk their submarines getting in the way.”

“That’s good. We can work out a straightforward arrangement to keep their ships and aircraft away from my boats.”

“You’ll be doing the same with the PLAN,” added Patterson.

Simonis stopped dead in his tracks. His expression was one of disbelief. He seemed unsure as to what he had heard. “Pardon me, Dr. Patterson. Did I hear you correctly; I need to coordinate operations with the Chinese Navy? Tell them where my boats are?”

“Yes, Commodore. The president already has an appointment with the Chinese ambassador and he will make a pitch for this course of action as the best way to stop
Chakra
. It’s absolutely essential that we cooperate with them in this endeavor.” Patterson’s voice had taken on a stern tone.

“With all due respect, ma’am, that is insane! The Chinese are still trigger-happy from the war!” Simonis argued. “And even if you can work out some sort of arrangement, which I doubt, their performance during the war doesn’t fill me with any confidence. They could very easily wander into one of our patrol areas, shoot any submarine contact they find first and maybe ask questions later!”

Jerry saw Joanna take a deep breath. There were deep furrows on her brow and her lips were tightly pursed.
Uh, oh,
he thought. He’d seen that look before.

“I understand your reservations, Commodore; in fact, the secretary of defense has voiced similar concerns. But the bigger picture requires us to work closely with the PLAN. If we don’t, and one or more Chinese ports gets wiped off the face of the earth, then we can look forward to
dozens
of nuclear explosions over China, India, and probably Pakistan. I don’t think I need to explain what the implications of such a scenario are for the United States, do I?”

Patterson let her last point sink in before moving on. “Therefore, the president has decided that working with the Chinese is in our nation’s best interest, and I suggest you act accordingly. Your squadron is the linchpin of our efforts to stop this insane plot. As such, your headquarters will be the primary command and control facility and you will have OPCON of any U.S. assets that may be assigned to this mission.

“Expect the intelligence estimate on the likely port targets and an analysis of
Chakra
’s probable avenue of approach within the hour. Please forward any personnel and technical support requirements up the chain of command. Rest assured you have the highest priority. Good luck, Commodore, and good hunting.”

Before Simonis could say anything, Patterson got up and left the screen. Everyone in the Guam conference room was stunned. Pascovich’s enlarged image on the left-hand screen echoed what everyone else was feeling—absolute astonishment. Silence fell on the conference room. No one at Squadron Fifteen dared to say a word.

15

UNPLEASANT NEWS

6 April 2017

1730 Local Time

The White House

Washington, D.C.

It was 2:30
A.M.
in New Delhi, but India’s Foreign Secretary, Gopan Jadeja, was awake and in his office when Lloyd called, still digesting the news of the failed raid at Visakhapatnam. At first he was unhappy, even angry with the news that the U.S. intended to notify the Chinese of
Chakra
’s departure, but finally admitted that India’s leadership was “distracted.”

“President Handa has been trying to manage the news of the disastrous raid, as well as the investigation into the conspiracy. It’s hard to know whom to trust. With the involvement of people like Vice Admiral Dankhar and Special Director Ijay Thapar, everyone in the government is now suspect. The president has acknowledged that we need to inform China, but wanted to wait. After all, it will take
Chakra
some time to get there.”

“And every hour of delay increases the plot’s chance of success,” Lloyd countered.

“The navy has been mobilized.” Jadeja bristled.

Lloyd was unimpressed. “It is unfortunate that there is so little they can do, in spite of their best efforts.
Chakra
is a very capable vessel. Because of the danger her mission puts us all in, the United States is using its naval assets to find and stop
Chakra
, by whatever means necessary.”

“What? Without coordinating with my government…”

“We are taking this action unilaterally,” Lloyd said firmly. “Since
Chakra
has gone rogue, this is not an action against the Indian government, with whom the United States wishes to have the best possible relations.”

Lloyd could hear the minister beginning to protest, but continued speaking. “In practicality, there is little the Indian Navy can do, especially once she enters the South China Sea. The only naval unit with the range to operate there is
Chakra
herself, and we both know her capabilities. If your P-8 aircraft can eventually be made operational, they would be welcome to join our own antisubmarine aircraft at Guam to help in the search.”

Jadeja sighed. “You are correct, Mr. Secretary.” After a short pause, he added sharply, “But, I’m afraid that’s not good enough.”

Lloyd, a little confused, replied, “The United States is willing to work with India in any way that facilitates stopping
Chakra
. We could rebroadcast the same message you are sending to the sub,” he suggested.

“That’s a good idea, but I had something else in mind,” Jadeja answered. “We need a representative to be present.”

Now perplexed, Secretary Lloyd said simply, “I don’t understand.”

“Most likely, someone, probably your navy, will have to sink
Chakra
. It is unlikely that everyone on the submarine is aware of the plot. Even as we agree that she must be stopped, we must also recognize that innocents will be killed, as well as the criminals that are carrying out the plan.”

“It is unfortunate,” Lloyd agreed.

“If this were an execution, there would be witnesses present. India requests that Captain Girish Samant be a witness to the events. As her former captain, he can provide valuable assitance, and should it become necessary to sink her, he can come back and tell us what happened.”

“You make a strong case, Minister Jadeja,” Lloyd admitted.

“I was an advocate for thirty-three years before I entered government service. Samant will have diplomatic status and plenipotentiary powers. There can be no question of his loyalty to India or his judgment.”

“All right,” Lloyd agreed. “The United States will allow Captain Girish Samant to act as India’s liaison and representative during this crisis in matters relating to
Chakra
. The headquarters for the search is Guam.”

“I will arrange transportation for the captain immediately, by the fastest possible means,” Jadeja replied. “India is grateful for your agreement in this extremely difficult time. Captain Samant’s presence will go far in assuaging any hard feelings that might arise between our countries.”

“In that case, we will look forward to his arrival.”

6 April 2017

1800 Local Time

The White House

Washington, D.C.

Ambassador Xi Ping didn’t waste time contacting Beijing for instructions. A late-day summons to the White House, without any warning, meant something unexpected, and probably bad news, not that he’d gotten any warning from back home.

Those turtles’ sons back in Beijing were only interested in keeping their jobs. China’s industry was in a shambles, her economy at a virtual standstill. People were hungry and dying of cold and disease, but the capital acted like the court of an ancient Chinese dynasty. Nothing but intrigue and backstabbing. They only knew what Xi told them, and if he didn’t know what this new meeting was about, the Politburo would know even less.

Xi had been more than lucky to accept the posting as China’s new ambassador to America. It was his “reward” for faithful service in the intelligence arm during the Littoral Alliance war, which to him meant that the careerists and sycophants wanted him well away from Beijing so he wouldn’t pose a threat to their positions. He now realized how fortunate he was to be clear of those toadies.

He’d reluctantly accepted, last November, and with just six months in the post, was still getting used to the job. He’d met with President Myles several times, usually on business relating to the aftermath of the war or China’s desperate trade situation. It was unsettling that the American president’s Mandarin was better than Xi’s English.

The trip from Cleveland Park through Washington usually took fifteen minutes, but they were fighting rush-hour congestion. Although there was no set time for the meeting, Xi was impatient. He wanted to find out what was important enough to summon him and the defense attaché with no notice and no explanation.

Milt Alvarez, the White House Chief of Staff, was waiting for them, and ushered the two to a conference room in the West Wing, then left to notify President Myles. Dr. Patterson, the National Security Advisor, was already there, wearing a serious expression. Americans liked to smile when they greeted each other. It was almost a reflex. The best Patterson could manage when she shook Xi’s hand was grim and tight-lipped, and Xi began to worry.

She was well known for her work in addressing the massive environmental cleanup under way in the South China Sea. China didn’t have a post equivalent to America’s national security advisor. With so many generals as members of the Politburo, there was no lack of military knowledge or experience in China’s leadership. It said something about the separation of the military and politics in America that the president needed someone like that as his personal expert.