The change around Washington was electric. Military vehicles were now everywhere. There was double security around the military facilities, including the Washington Navy Yard, where Jeffers had his BOQ room. After driving for ten hours with only a stop for food, Jeffers was dog tired. Several times he was slowed down on the interstate for accidents and once where the Highway Patrol was checking IDs. As a result, it was well after six in the evening when he got back to his room. He threw his luggage on the bed and went straight back out to go into the office.
Driving down I-695, he crossed the Potomac and quickly changed his mind. The entrances and exits to the Pentagon were snarled with traffic. Opening his cell phone, he called in, only to be told to come in first thing in the morning. Resigning his fate, Jeffers turned the Rolls off the main road and circled back. Exiting on South Capitol Street, he pulled into a fast food place and settled for a quick meal. The drive through was relatively quick and soon he was back in his BOQ room. Jeffers sat down at the small table in his kitchenette and turned on the television.
The situation had gotten worse. The Russians were now deep into Poland and both the Poles and the Germans were having a very difficult time. Much of the coverage centered around the usual military analysts and pundits who had an opinion on everything, and were usually wrong. Much time was spent going into detail of the Navy losses. It soon became obvious that the Navy had lost much of its carrier force. The dead numbered in the thousands. The only good piece of news was a story about a German commander who had a running sea battle with two Russian ships that had damaged one of the carriers. Jeffers chuckled at the thought of what he had done, and wished he could have been there to see it.
The news didn’t make his meal taste any better. Finishing it off, Jeffers suddenly felt extremely tired. But before he called it a night, he dialed Hammond’s number to see what he needed to be ready for in the morning. He was surprised when the phone went to voicemail. Then he thought about the card he had with a telephone number few had. No, he would not bother the man now. He knew the President would be extremely busy. Instead, he removed his clothing and lay back on his bed. Within a minute he was deep asleep.
The next morning Jeffers woke early. Returning to his regular schedule, he was out and in his office by 5 am. He was busy preparing things for the morning when he found out that Admiral Hammond was no longer there. Captain Clarity explained what had happened and told him just to sit tight at his desk until they figured out how to get him to Europe.
Two hours later, Rear Admiral Chris Hustvedt went in to see the CNO. Jeffers was startled, when he was then summoned to join them. Straightening his uniform, Jeffers entered the CNO’s inner office.
“Come in, Lieutenant Jeffers,” said the Admiral Johnson. “I believe you already know Admiral Hustvedt.”
“Yes, sir,” said Jeffers shaking his hand.
“Have a seat.” The three men sat down and the CNO led off. “Rod, I am going to reassign you to be on Admiral Hustvedt’s staff. I’m sure you are aware that Admiral Hammond is now in Europe. We talked it over and decided this would be the best thing for you,” the CNO said.
Jeffers got a disappointed look on his face. He had obviously wanted to remain with Hammond. “I understand, sir. May I ask why the change?”
The CNO smiled and reached behind his desk. He produced a thick three ring binder, filled with paper, with additional sheets stuck in various places throughout the document. Jeffers instantly recognized it as his plan. The CNO placed it on his desk.
“There’s actually a very good reason,” said Hustvedt. “The man who authored the invasion of Russia should be there to see his work implemented,” he said.
Jeffers’ eyes widened. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn’t. His eyes darted between the two men in the room. “Yes, Rod, Admiral Hammond showed us your work. Quite frankly, I have never seen such a plan in all my years in service. We have shared it around Washington and with the military leaders in Europe. These additional pages you see are their notes and suggestions. I hope you noticed that there aren’t that many. Of all the plans available from years of thoughts and ideas for such an event, yours was the one which stood out. And that’s why Roger wanted you to go with Admiral Hustvedt. He will be in command of the Black Sea invasion. You are going to be with him, kind of like a ringside seat,” the CNO said warmly.
“Our job is to take this plan and flesh it out a bit. Go over it in fine detail and gather the resources you said we might need to get the job done,” said Hustvedt from the seat beside him. “We have just one month to smooth this thing out, promulgate it and gather the people and materials we need to make it happen. You ready to take this on with me?” he asked.
Jeffers still looked stunned, but he nodded and said, “Yes sir, I’d be glad to.”
Hustvedt slapped him on the arm. “Good. Now gather your things from your desk and move them down the hall. I have a team standing by to get started. The first meeting is at ten,” he said as he stood. Looking at the CNO, he said, “Thanks Perry.” Then left the room.
The CNO turned to Jeffers. “Rod, I know you wanted to stay with Roger, but he said he had promised to make sure he did nothing to harm your career. This will be considered combat duty. It’s a big job and quite frankly, having seen how you work, I can’t think of anyone better to do it. I’m relying on you and Admiral Hustvedt to get the job done. If this fails, a lot more of us may need to take Russian lessons from you,” he said. He extended his hand. “Good luck.”
Jeffers left the office and quickly gathered the few things he had in his desk, including notes and several flash drives he had in a safe. Saying goodbye to Clarity, he left the office and walked back to the “C” Ring where Hustvedt’s office was. There, he found that not only did he have a desk, but a small office as well. Placing his items on the desk he looked around and took a deep breath. Might as well get started, he thought.
It had been a monumental effort. Moving a thousand men and all their gear several hundred miles and getting it set up within a little over a day had exhausted everyone. But as Master Sergeant Dale Ricks looked around, it appeared to be ready. Because of the fighting, a school had been made available. Now, inside a large gym, was a large electronic command post. Tables were lined up parallel to each other along the gym floor with what looked like gaming consoles side by side along the length of the rows. Wires had been strung along each table to connect the consoles to a master unit and to provide communications via headset for each operator. On several large screens was a digital display of the battle area outlining where units were, both enemy and friendly. Ricks was one of the few who knew that the information was coming from a KH-14 satellite thousands of miles away. It was rude and crude, but he hoped everything would work as planned.
A set of doors opened and the first of the operators began entering the darkened room. Letters and numbers posted at various positions in the room indicated where each unit would be. The men and women began working their way across the rows and gathering in their area. Most looked a little nervous.
Ricks glanced at his watch. It was 0330. It wouldn’t be long now and they would see if this would work. Colonel Sanders walked up next to him.
“I see you didn’t get any beauty sleep,” he joked.
Ricks chuckled. “Hadn’t had any of that for years. Besides, I need to have my scary face on before going into battle,” he said.