General Claire Richardson stood and went to the podium. “Admiral Hustvedt gave you the general outline, however I hope to fill in some of the blanks. We will not be going in alone. The 101st and 82nd Airborne will be dropped in the plains about here,” she said pointing to a place on the map. “At the same time we land, Turkish forces will begin their own incursion into Georgia. They will push forward with six divisions to link up with the Airborne and Marine units and drive on. Our objective is to move north along the Caspian and secure their oil fields. The Turks will then make sure the mountain passes are not available for the Russians to come south. This will bottle them up and make it easier for us to move. We will drive north as far as we can. It is hoped that this and a second landing will draw Russian troops from the west to coincide with the major effort by General Dortmund. The Marine assets will include…”
After her portion of the brief, Admiral McKennon and General Bryant got up. Their portion was a second landing on Sakhalin Island, crossing to the mainland, then driving toward Vladivostok. At the end, Hammond rose again.
“There you have it. Operation Arctic Wind. As someone said to me earlier, this combined effort should draw the Russian forces in three directions, taking pressure off their westward movement and then allowing us the chance to push them out of Poland and back into Russia. It will be up to your leadership to determine how far we eventually go. Now are there any questions?” he asked.
There was silence for a moment which was broken by the King of England. “Admiral Hammond, there is no doubt this is a bold and well thought out move, but I must ask of the cost. We all know the figures of what Russia has against us. I worry of the losses to our young men and women,” he said.
“Your Majesty, I too share that concern. From the beginning I have urged the use of our technological advancements to blunt that tide and so far, this has been successful. Yet every day we must send letters home to a worried family in Great Britain, France, Germany or the States. This is not what these young men and women had hoped when they thought of someday going to Europe. But they know what is at stake. We must end this evil that has befallen us and restore the democracy each of us in Europe and the United States has worked so hard to achieve. Because if we do not win, the outcome will spread. Even the United States and the countries of South America will eventually have to face it. So we take up arms and we do what we must to get the job done now, in this place. Of course, with God’s help, we will do our utmost to make sure our men and women are not wasted. We will use the tools we have to make the difference, so that when this is over, they and their families can live in the freedom they so richly deserve.”
There were nods around the room, then someone began to clap. It was taken up by the rest and lasted several minutes until the briefing ended.
King William came to Hammond and shook his hand. “I would not want your job,” he said. “But I can think of none other to get that job done.”
“Thank you for the confidence, Your Majesty.”
“Quite frankly, I haven’t seen such a complicated strategy before. I take it you are simply stretching their forces to the limits,” the King commented.
“That is correct, Your Majesty. Right now the Russians have a vast superiority in personnel and equipment. But considering the landmass they must protect, our forces have the advantage of making pinpoint strikes and causing a lot of damage and upheaval without fear of meeting those overwhelming odds. If we can pull their forces in three different directions, the odds against us are greatly reduced. This is where our technological superiority can make a huge difference,” Hammond said.
“That makes a lot of sense. How long did it take your staff to come up with this plan?” the King asked.
Hammond chuckled. It wasn’t the first time someone asked the question. “Your Majesty, it was essentially written over a two week period by a single officer. The staffs went through it and made suggestions to flesh it out a bit, but it is basically the same as when I received it.”
“One person did all of this? You must be joking.”
Hammond shook his head. He saw Jeffers putting his laptop away and motioned for him to join them. “Your Majesty, I think you should meet this young man.” Jeffers walked up from behind the King. He nearly had a heart attack when everyone turned to see him. “Your Majesty, I have the honor to present Lieutenant Commander Rod Jeffers, the author of Operation Arctic Wind.”
The King extended his hand. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Commander Jeffers. Your work here is extraordinary,” the King said.
Shaking the King’s hand, Jeffers quickly got control of his feelings. “Thank you, Your Majesty. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. I never dreamed I might meet you in my lifetime. I hope I can be of service,” he said.
“You already have, Commander. I am impressed with the depth of your planning and organization. Are you on Admiral Hammond’s staff?”
“No, Your Majesty, I am currently on Admiral Hustvedt’s staff. I actually wrote this before hostilities began,” Jeffers said.
The King’s eves opened wider. “Before the hostilities began? It appears you are somewhat clairvoyant as well,” the King said with a grin.
“As someone who was in the service, you can understand I am trying to make sure his career path is a favorable one, so I asked if he could join Admiral Hustvedt and see his plan through at sea. I understand his service has been exemplary,” Hammond said. Jeffers’ face turned a bright red.
The King placed a hand on Jeffers’ shoulder. “Yes, I know what it was like as a junior officer. Prince George in now fifteen and has told me he one day wishes to be a part of the naval service. I look forward to that. Just keep doing your job. I expect you will do well in almost anything you try. I also expect you will one day be visiting Buckingham Palace. When you do, you can sit down with the Prince and tell him of some of your experiences. I look forward to that as well,” he said. He took Jeffers’ hand again.
“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Jeffers said softly.
“And you, Supreme Commander. If time permits, and you find you need time away from all this, please let us know and we will arrange some time at Balmoral,” the King said to Hammond while taking his hand.
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I appreciate that,” said Hammond.
With a wink, the King turned and moved to some of the others in the room. Hammond turned to Jeffers. “You are stepping up in the world, Rod. You realize he wasn’t kidding when he said to come to the palace.”
“Admiral, you keep surprising me like that and I may not survive long enough to make it there,” Jeffers said with a long breath.
Hammond let out a laugh and slapped Jeffers on the shoulder. “You’re just getting started,” Hammond said as he led Jeffers toward the German Chancellor.
Patriarch Gregory was almost shaking. It had been a week since he had met with the Pope for their frank discussion on the war. He had been surprised at the compassion the Pope had expressed on the subject, and especially how he hoped the Russian Orthodox Church would not follow the direction the Catholic Church had gone with Germany during the Second World War. In the end, Gregory had promised to pray about it — something he always said when he wanted to put off a decision. Most times, things were forgotten or just put off indefinitely, but this time it was different. The question stayed with him, haunting his every moment. Even his dreams were about what the Pope had said.