Two Peasants and a President (56 page)

When the president and his chief of staff had left the room, Larimer looked over at the Secretary of the Navy and Benedict and smiled.

“Well, gentlemen, looks likes it’s Plan B.”

******

Sounding like a multi-car pile up with guitar accompaniment, the din can be heard clearly a block away.  From the front door issues a steady stream of young people adorned with a broad array of facial jewelry and haircuts resembling everything from a coal tar volcano to the helmet plume of a Roman Centurion.  The aroma from the hair gel alone very nearly smothers the diesel fumes from the buses and trucks on the street.  But unless someone in the neighborhood is willing to pay a larger bribe to the police than this very popular music store does, the assault on the senses will likely continue u
n
abated.

Aside from seeing and being seen, the principal attraction here is the selection of CD’s, DVD’s and video games.  It is enormous, with virtually every popular Western artist as well as Chinese, Thai an
d Malaysian groups represented –
virtually all knock-off‘s.  Obtaining most of their inventory from back rooms across the nation’s capitol and in other large cities, where young Chinese men and women sit loading blank DVD’s into high-volume duplicating machines, these pirate factories turn out millions of DVD’s that quickly find their way into thousands of stores.

Over the past thirty-six hours, however, there has been a subtle change with many of the most popular discs being replaced with an altered version.  The altered DVD’s are being disseminated not only through store sales, but
also as
giveaw
ays.  Thousands upon thousands we
re being handed out on street corners
across China to anyone who would
take one.  Copies are being left on doorsteps for people to find, tucked under windshield wipers on cars and between seats and gas tanks on motorcycles.  The advertised music is still there, but something has been added
–
something undetectable by anyone who plays the disk in the next six hours. 

In precisely six hours and seven minutes, he who happens to have one of these disks in his machine or has uploaded it will see a hidden video file
that was not made by his favorite group.  This file has no title, nor is there any music but its sound will resonate across China. 

******

Three hundred feet beneath the surface, a dark shape trailed the convoy at a distance of twenty miles.  Though it could easily make twenty-two knots submerged, it needed only twenty to keep up with the slow moving container ship.  Like a shark, it would keep its distance until its prey was attacked or wounded by another foe.  Then it would move in for the kill.  But it was unaware that it was not alone.

Two ‘improved’ Kilo class submarines recently delivered to Vietnam by Russia were silently following the Song class sub.  With anechoic tiles fitted on the casings and fins to absorb active sonar sound waves to dampen interior noise, the ‘improved’ Kilo is one of the quietest submarines in the world.  And because the Chinese submarine’s speed impacted its ability to listen to its surroundings, it could not hear the Vietnamese subs that trailed it.

As China has increasingly produced indigenous designs for its own aircraft, ships and submarines, Russia has turned to Vietnam, one of its bi
g
gest consumers of advanced weapons.  Vietnam has responded with an i
n
satiable demand and billions in cold, hard currency, the result of a vibrant export economy, one that now was being threatened by China. 

As anyone knows, there are few more compe
titive fields than arms design –
and few more lucrative.  With billions at stake as well as the critical geo-political goal of preventing China from becoming too powerful, Russia was not only providing Vietnam with its superior weapons but also availing Hanoi of certain intelligence such as satellite observations to give it an edge.  If Chinese weapons were shown to be superior to Russia’s, billions would be lost.  If, on the other hand, Russian-made weapons systems were able to defeat China’s best, billions could be made.  The fact that neither Russia nor China has ever been choosy about their weapons customers conveniently disposed of any ethical issues.  

Russian satellite imagery showing the Chinese destroyers and frigates leaving port had been provided to Vietnam, and its generals and admirals were at this moment updating their strategy to deal with the threat.  Unbeknownst to China, the Russians had also rushed certain timely improvements into place.  While China was largely motivated by the enormous ego of its current president, Vietnam was motivated by economic survival; it could not allow China to control the sea lanes.  Thus, Vietnam was only too happy to pay for what they believed would tip the scales in their favor. 

Staring out over the vast expanse of ocean before him,
Admiral
Wu
Aiying
felt the vibration of the powerful ship under him as it surged forward like his destiny.  On the bridge of the destroyer Lanzhou, he was leading a taskforce that he had no doubt would sink the Vietnamese frigates as well as the container ship they were escorting.  His destroyers alone could easily deal with the enemy frigates, but accompanied by two of China’s own frigates and two Song class submarines as well as another shadowing the convoy, he felt his force capable of dealing a powerful blow
even
to
the American 7
th
Fleet, should it be so incautious as to challenge him.  He did not believe that they would risk losing one of their precious carriers, however; their president was merely attempting to portray himself as courageous, which clearly he was not. 

Looking at the latest Chinese satellite images, the American fleet would not be in position to affect the outcome even if it wanted to.  It was still east of Taiwan and could not possibly reach the convoy before his own force annihilated it.  On its present course, it would be lucky to arrive in time to pick up survivors.  And if it dared to send its aircraft, Wu had literally dozens of advanced missiles waiting for them, not to mention many of his own fighters on shore.  He found himself almost wishing for the opportunity to defeat one of the Americans’ vaunted carriers. 

The convoy was presently just east of the Paracel Islands moving a 20 knots.  At a speed of 30 knots, his taskforce would intersect it at a point roughly three hundred kilometers west of the northernmost tip of Luzon, the Philippines largest island.  The 7
th
Fleet would likely still be more than four hundred kilometers away, along the east coast of Taiwan.  He failed to u
n
derstand why they would even put themselves at risk over a battle whose outcome they could not hope to influence. 

******

Nuan’s
parents were not to be denied the opportunity of participating in what was being planned and no amount of pleading on
Nuan’s
part could dissuade them.  Riding inconspicuously in the back of a taxi, the two elderly revolutionaries of another age had between them on the floor of the taxi a box containing what was hoped would be an unexpected surprise for the author
i
ties.  They and others like them were busy delivering their packages to other dissidents in key locations across the city.   Two and one half hours remained before the hidden video file would be activated on thousands of tablets, la
p
tops and video consoles across the city and elsewhere. 

Everything must be in place before then.

******

When he heard the steel door at the end of the hall being opened, he hoped it meant something to eat.  The night and early morning had passed with nothing but the faint footsteps of someone switching on the light from outside, which he took to mean it was morning.  This time he heard a key being inserted in the lock.  The door swung open without revealing anyone.  Then a head peered warily around the door frame before two police officers, side arms drawn entered, aiming their guns at the American.  He was ordered to turn around and face the wall while a third man cuffed his hands behind him. 

These guys are a little nervous
, thought Brett. 
I hope they don’t plan on me eating breakfast with my hands behind my back.  Then again, maybe they don’t plan on me eating breakfast
at all
.

The now familiar sound of the steel door at the end of the hall a
n
nounced the arrival of someone else.  An officious looking man clad in a lab coat festooned with a stethoscope and carrying a clipboard appeared in the doorway, pausing to stare at the American before entering.  Of slender build, he wore his hair short, as might a military man, but his bearing did not suggest a background in the army, rather an air of intellect.  His almost perfect En
g
lish did not detract from that.  

“Good morning, Mr. Walker,” he said.  “I am doctor Wong and I am here to do a routine screening.  You will not be injured in any way unless, of course, you attempt to resist, in which case your examination will be pe
r
formed with you on your back and unconscious.”

“Whatever would make you think I’d resist?” quipped Brett. 

“Actually, I am assuming you won’t because in addition to being drugged, you would also be deprived of the food that awaits you after your examination,” replied the doctor.

“As long as it’s steak and eggs, examine away,” said Brett.  “Oh, did I tell you, I like my steak rare?”

“A thoroughly American sense of humor, I see,” the doctor replied. 

******

Admiral Wu’s stern expression did not betray his excitement; it never did.  Dour perhaps best described the perpetual look he wore, at least in front of his subordinates.  Even the hair on his broad head appeared to be standing at attention, as if in fear of an insubordinate act.  As his taskforce neared the
convoy, he could see a nervous mix of anticipation and dread on the faces of his bridge officers.  From time to time a smile would flicker across one of their faces, draining away for a moment the tension that all men feel b
efore battle.  Their first
naval engagement would commence in less than one-half hour.

Had the admiral been a sentimental man, he might have felt sorry for the Vietnamese officers aboard their frigates.  Their countermeasures had proven useless against the YJ-82 anti-ship missile and they would soon find themselves helpless against another onslaught
,
which they could neither jam electronically nor shoot down with their point defense weapons.   Unlike previous attacks, which had been launched from a hidden submarine, his d
e
stroyers would be the first to fire in a bold proclamation of their awesome power.  

President Li
Guo
Peng
no longer cared to leave any doubt as to the identity of the attackers.  On the contrary, he wanted the world to know what his magnificent navy could do to anyone who challenged it.  Admiral Wu would first sink the
Vietnamese
frigates and when their carcasses had slipped beneath the waves, he would approach to within point blank range of the container ship and sink her with his deck guns.  Why waste an expensive missile?  She would make excellent target practice.  He did not envy its crew, deprived of their escorts and watching helplessly as the instrument of their death drew near.  When he had watched with satisfaction as the co
n
tainer ship burned then sank, he would turn and parade before the US 7
th
Fleet to mock their impotence.

All systems had been checked and rechecked.  Electronics aboard the ant
i
-ship missiles had been tested.  The deck gun had been test fired.  D
e
fensive systems and fire-control systems were in perfect working order and the destroyers twin gas turbine engines rated at 48,600 hp were driving her forward at more than 30 knots.  In thirty minutes he would broadcast an order for the convoy to turn back.  When they ignored the order, he would repeat it one more time before sinking them.  The bridge was almost silent, its crew focused intently on their tasks as the clock ticked down. 

The admiral did not notice the flashing light on the communications console and was startled when his first officer approached him and saluted.

“Yes, what is it?” the admiral snapped.

“Priority one flash message,” replied the first officer.

“Read it to me!”

“To Admiral Wu
Aiying
, commander Destroyer Lanzhou.  From A
d
miral Chen Lei, commander PLA Navy.  American carrier battle group has
changed course and is entering the Taiwan Strait.  Your destroyers are o
r
dered to detach from taskforce and come about.  Make full speed to intercept American 7
th
Fleet.  Frigates accompanying you are to complete the mission, along with supporting submarines.  End.”