Dale Brown
Arctic Storm Rising
In Memoriam
Once again, this novel is dedicated to my son, Hunter Dale Brown. My fondest memories of him are when I gave him his first bath in my kitchen sink when he was about a week old, with his mom looking on in terror; his high school graduation party on the shores of Lake Tahoe; his Eagle Scout court of honor; and collaborating on my novel Strike Force when he was just nine years old, tossing ideas back and forth as I drove him home from school.
Like his old man, Hunter was quiet, a little shy, and fiercely loyal to those who got to know him. He was a hard worker, the go-to IT guy, a great teacher, and the best son Diane and I could have ever wished for.
Life is nothing but the soul’s never-ending journey through time and space, and I’m happy that Hunter’s came into our lives. We love and miss you, big guy. Enjoy the rest of your journey.
Epigraph
We had discovered an accursed country. We had found the Home of the Blizzard.
I will find a way out or make one.
Cast of Characters
CAPTAIN NICHOLAS “NICK” FLYNN, U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, assigned undercover to Wizard One-One, an HH-60W “Jolly Green II” combat search-and-rescue helicopter
CAPTAIN SCOTT “FX” DYKSTRA, U.S. Air Force, command pilot, Wizard One-One
TECHNICAL SERGEANT CARL “ZEE” ZALEWSKI, U.S. Air Force, pararescue jumper assigned to Wizard One-One
CAPTAIN KATE “GHOST” KASPER, U.S. Air Force, copilot, Wizard One-One
STAFF SERGEANT BILL WADE, U.S. Air Force, flight engineer and gunner, Wizard One-One
TECHNICAL SERGEANT MIKE CAMARILLO, U.S. Air Force, pararescue jumper assigned to Wizard One-One
“ANDERSON WHITE,” head of an OGA “Other Government Agency” (CIA) black ops team
SERGEANT FIRST CLASS ANDY TAKIRAK, Alaska Army National Guard, senior noncommissioned officer assigned to Captain Nick Flynn’s Joint Force security team
PETE JOHANSSON, civilian maintenance supervisor, Barter Island Long Range Radar Site, Kaktovik, Alaska
SMITTY WALZ, civilian electronics technician, Barter Island Long Range Radar Site
MARTA MCINTYRE, civilian cook and “gofer,” Barter Island Long Range Radar Site
SENIOR AIRMAN MARK “M-SQUARED” MITCHELL, U.S. Air Force, communications specialist assigned to Flynn’s Joint Force security team
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS COLE HYNES, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team
TRIG JENSEN, hermit trapper working the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska
MIRANDA REYNOLDS, head of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations
JONAS MURPHY, U.S. Director of National Intelligence
BILL TAYLOR, U.S. Secretary of Defense
REAR ADMIRAL KRISTIN CHAO, U.S. Navy, head of the Pentagon’s operations directorate
GENERAL FRANK NEARY, U.S. Air Force, Chief of Staff
STAFF SERGEANT PEGGY BAKER, 176th Air Defense Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, radar specialist, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska
LIEUTENANT COLONEL CARMEN REYES, 176th Air Defense Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, operations center supervisor, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
SPECIALIST RAFAEL SANCHEZ, U.S. Army, Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless rifle gunner attached to Flynn’s Joint Force security team
PRIVATE WADE VUCOVICH, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team
MAJOR JACK “RIPPER” INGALLS, 211th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, HC-130J Super Hercules pilot
CAPTAIN LAURA “SKATER” VAN HORN, 211th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, HC-130J copilot
GENERAL KEITH MAKOWSKI, U.S. Air Force, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)
CAPTAIN AMANDA JAFFE, U.S. Air Force, Information Integration Officer, RC-135V Rivet Joint ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft
TECHNICAL SERGEANT PHILIP KIJAC, cryptologic language analyst, RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft
COLONEL LEONARD HUBER, U.S. Air Force, commander, Third Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
CAPTAIN CONNOR “DOC” MCFADDEN, U.S. Air Force, F-22 Raptor fighter pilot
LIEUTENANT ALLISON “CAT” PARILLA, U.S. Air Force, F-22 Raptor fighter pilot
MAJOR KING, 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, liaison officer to Third Wing
LIEUTENANT GENERAL DAVID ROSENTHAL, U.S. Air Force, commander, Alaskan Command (ALCOM), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
PRIVATE FIRST CLASS TORVALD PEDERSEN, U.S. Army, designated rifle marksman for Flynn’s Joint Force security team
AIRMAN PETER KIM, U.S. Air Force, assigned to Joint Force security team
STAFF SERGEANT TIM WAHL, Alaska Air National Guard, HC-130J Super Hercules loadmaster
PRIVATE NOAH BOYD, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team
PRIVATE MIKE SIMS, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team
PRIVATE FLOYD LEFFERT, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team
PRIVATE GENE SANTARELLI, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team
COLONEL ALEXEI PETROV, Russian Air Force test pilot in charge of the PAK-DA prototype stealth bomber flight test program
MIKHAIL IVANIN, CEO of the Tupolev aerospace and defense company
GEORGY REMIZOV, Tupolev corporate test pilot
DMITRI GRISHIN, oligarch and CEO of Severnaya Zvezda Stolitsa (North Star Capital), one of Russia’s largest industrial and financial conglomerates
DR. VIKTOR OBOLENSKY, neurologist employed at the Bekhterev Private Clinic in Moscow
MAJOR OLEG BUNIN, Russian Air Force test copilot for the PAK-DA stealth bomber flight test program
PAVEL VORONIN, confidential assistant and troubleshooter for Grishin
SERGEI BONDAROVICH, ex-Spetsnaz major now working for Voronin
PIOTR ZHDANOV, president of the Russian Federation
MAJOR GENERAL VASILY MAVRICHEV, Russian Air Force, commander of the Long-Range Aviation Force
LIEUTENANT GENERAL YVGENY ROGOZIN, commander, Russian Air Force
MAJOR VALENTIN YAKUNIN, Su-30 fighter pilot
CAPTAIN IVAN SALTIKOV, Su-30 fighter weapons officer
KONSTANTIN YUMASHEV, head of the Federal Security Service, the FSB
GENNADIY KOKORIN, Minister of Defense
ADMIRAL NIKOLAI GOLITSYN, commander, Russian Navy
SERGEI VESELOVSKY, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR
ALEKSANDR IVASHIN, head of the General Staff’s military intelligence agency, the GRU
MAJOR VADIM KURYOKHIN, Russian Air Force, Su-35S fighter pilot
CAPTAIN ILYA TROITSKY, Russian Air Force, Su-35S fighter pilot
COLONEL IOSIF ZINCHUK, Russian Air Force, commander, Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft
CAPTAIN SUKACHOV, Russian Air Force, Tu-142 defense systems operator
LIEUTENANT GORSHENIOV, Russian Air Force, Tu-142 second navigator
CAPTAIN YURI BASHALACHEV, Russian Air Force, Tu-142 bombardier-navigator
CAPTAIN ARKADY TIMONOV, Russian Spetsnaz special forces, commander, reconnaissance-attack team outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
LIEUTENANT LEONID BRYKIN, Russian Spetsnaz special forces team outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson
CAPTAIN FIRST RANK MIKHAIL NAKHIMOV, Russian Navy, commander, SSBN BS-64 Podmoskovye
SENIOR LIEUTENANT ANATOLY YALINSKY, Russian Navy, diving officer, SSBN BS-64 Podmoskovye
MAJOR GENNADY KORENEV, Russian Spetsnaz special forces, commander, Raven assault force