“Where is he?”
“He never came in,” Mace said. “I heard him talking on the radio in Russian while we were getting away — I don’t speak Russian, but it sounded like an electronic suicide note to me.”
“Damn him,” Furness muttered. “He didn’t have to do that. He was a hero — he had no reason to kill himself.”
“Hard to tell what a guy thinks about after launching a nuclear weapon,” Mace said. “But he was doing it to defend his home and his people. That changes things a lot. I’m going to miss him.”
Their cockpit alert duty did not last long. Eight hours and two power carts later, Lieutenant General Tyler Layton arrived at the aircraft shelters with several Lithuanian officers and senior NATO commanders. Rebecca and Daren got out of the aircraft when Layton waved them down.
“General Palcikas, I’d like to present Major Rebecca Furness and Lieutenant Colonel Daren Mace,” Layton said. “Rebecca, Daren, General Dominikas Palcikas, Minister of Defense of the Lithuanian Republic.”
“A great pleasure,” Palcikas said, nearly crushing even Mace’s strong grip with a huge bearlike hand, then tenderly kissing Rebecca’s hand with a slight bow. Everyone had heard of Dominikas Palcikas, even Furness. He was one of the biggest heroes to come out of the post-Soviet Union states. He was a fifty-five-year-old combat veteran who had trained and risen up through the ranks of the old Soviet Army. But upon the independence of Lithuania in mid-1991, Palcikas became General and Commander in Chief of the Lithuanian Forces of Self-Defense. He named his initial cadre of officers and enlisted volunteers the Iron Wolf Brigade, invoking not only the spirit of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, but the unit of the same name that had been led by his father in World War II, a unit that once saved Lithuania. Then, in 1992, when an ambitious general from neighboring Byelorussia made a play to take over Lithuania, it was Palcikas (with a little help from the U.S. Marines) who crushed the uprising and kept Lithuania independent once again, earning Palcikas not only worldwide fame but a place in history as well.
“We bring good news,” announced Palcikas. “The war is over. Russia has laid down its weapons and is withdrawing from Ukrayina even now.”
“That’s wonderful!” Furness said, giving everyone there, including Palcikas, a big hug. The big Lithuanian minister didn’t seem to mind one bit.
“The Congress of People’s Deputies of Russia has appointed Valentin Sen’kov as acting president, pending new elections,” Layton said. “He ordered the military withdrawal from Ukrayina, and so far it appears that the Russian Army is responding.”
“How badly was Moscow hit?” Daren Mace asked.
“Bad,” Palcikas responded, “but not as badly as the Russians did to Ukrayina and Turkey. Much damage to southern Moscow and cities of Podolsk, Zhukovsky, and Ramenskoye. Perhaps twenty thousand dead at Domodedovo, another twenty thousand other places. Russia very lucky the Ukrayinans good bombers. Direct hit on Domodedovo Airport, little destruction elsewhere.”
“We’re tracking the fallout, and we could see another twenty to fifty thousand casualties from that in time — perhaps some in China and even North America,” Layton added. “Radiation could get into the food chain in Asia. It’s bad, but like General Palcikas said, it could have been worse, especially if the Russians had retaliated with an all-out attack. I think the world just got a wake-up call, my friends. I just hope we hear the alarm and take action, and don’t just hit the snooze button.
“Anyway, you two are off alert. You can turn your classified documents over to the communications detail, and you can run your decocking and stand-down checklists. Once maintenance signs for the plane and the weapons, you two are on your own for a few days. General Palcikas has kindly offered the hospitality of the capital city and his staff.”
“Lithuania is cold and blustery place in winter,” Dominikas Palcikas said, “but we have many fine ways of keeping our guests warm. You are most welcome. But first show me your beautiful aircraft here. I understand Turkey wants to buy Vampire bombers, and perhaps Lithuania will buy some too. Would you like to come to Lithuania to teach my crews how to fly these beautiful planes?”
“It might just happen,” General Layton said. “Negotiations are underway, and the Pentagon will most likely deactivate the Vampire wing at Plattsburgh. Vilnius even looks like Plattsburgh, in an Old World way. You two will certainly be at the top of the list for the initial training cadre — an experienced instructor pilot, a maintenance wizard, and an experienced weapons officer. Think about it, you two.”
“Lithuania would be honored to have you,” Palcikas added. “You come. We have lots of fun.” He looked at the two flyers, noticing how they were looking at each other, then winked at Tyler Layton. “I see the thought of you two being together in foreign land is very disturbing. I welcome you to Lithuania.” Layton took Palcikas over to the RF-111G and began explaining its features.
Mace turned to Rebecca and smiled warmly, saying, “Hey, all I got left at Plattsburgh waiting for me is some busted taps at a biker bar in downtown Plattsburgh. You have a business to run, a bunch of new planes, maybe a future.”
Rebecca thought about her options — for about two seconds. “You know, I think I’ll tell Ed Caldwell to take his Cessna Caravans and stick them up his oversexed ass. Pardon my language. I want to fly the F-111s, period. If I can’t fly them in New York, I’ll fly them in Vilnius, or Ankara. As long … as long as you’re there with me.”
“Deal, lady,” Daren Mace replied, taking both her hands in his. “It’s a deal.”
Rebecca gave him a tight hug, pulled back a bit, then met his lips with her own.
“Zah vashe zdarov’yeh. Congratulations, Valentin … er, I should say, Mr. President,” the First Lady said on the satellite telephone call to St. Petersburg. An emergency Russian government had been transferred there until a full assessment of the destruction and fallout from Domodedovo could be completed. “We’re very happy for you.”
“Thank you very much, Mrs. President,” Valentin Sen’kov, the acting president of the Russian Federation, replied. “I am not sure if congratulations are in order, considering the circumstances, but I thank you for your kind thoughts.”
“All America is very concerned about the devastation at Domodedovo and throughout Russia,” the President said. His feet were propped up on the Kennedy desk, the phone resting on one ear, while he chewed on a chicken leg with his free hand. He had ordered out this evening, over the protests of the First Lady who was on a nearby extension, and a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken rested on his desk, along with a huge Coke and a basket of biscuits. He loved the Colonel’s original recipe. “Our blessings are with you. And on behalf of the NATO alliance, I want to thank you for agreeing to pull your forces out of the Ukraine and your warships in the Black Sea away from Turkey. A major disaster has been averted, thanks to you.”
“I hope what has transpired over the past few days only serves to bring our people closer together in this hour of need,” Sen’kov said.
“We share your hopes, Valentin,” the President said, wiping his mouth. He saw his chief of staff giving him a signal and pointing at his watch, reminding him that the next news conference was about to start. “We have to go, Valentin. If there’s anything you require, you know how to reach us.”