A subsequent story appearing the next day in the Philadelphia Inquirer disclosed it was the USS Louisiana that had gone missing from the tightly guarded Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. The reporters speculated wildly as to what may have happened. Guesses ranged from terrorist paratroopers who had unexpectedly dropped in; to terrorist frogmen who swam undetected up the entire length of the Kings Bay entrance channel and overpowered the skeleton crew onboard; to a renegade crew who stole the submarine with the intent of seeking retribution against the Muslim world for the attack on Washington DC. There was even speculation that the disappearance had been secretly planned and orchestrated by the U.S. government as a way to strike back against the Muslim world without having to take responsibility.
The entire international community, NATO, and the UN became actively involved in the search for the missing submarine. All commercial and military ships were alerted and directed to notify their commanders immediately if a nuclear submarine was sighted. All available U.S., NATO, Russian, and Chinese attack submarines were deployed to find and, if necessary, destroy the USS Louisiana.
Chapter 22
“XO, establish the first watch,” the captain ordered. “I want a meeting of the officers in the wardroom in ten minutes.”
“Aye-aye, sir.”
In the wardroom, the mood was lighthearted. There was a great sense of relief at having successfully made the run from Kings Bay to the open Atlantic. They had all known it would not be easy, but they had not anticipated just how close they would come to being destroyed.
The XO called the meeting to order. “Captain, we’re all here with the exception of engineering. With this downsized crew, we’re a little short-handed in M-Division.”
“I understand. I’ll talk to ‘Scotty’ later.”
They all laughed at the Star Trek reference. Captain Adams was always amazed at the extent to which technical people were followers of Star Trek, even this many years since the show had last aired. Most of these crewmembers weren’t even born when the Enterprise’s Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Scotty said their farewells.
The captain picked up a microphone connected to the ship’s intercom system, so the entire crew could hear his remarks. “Crewmembers of the USS Louisiana, we have now crossed the line. There’s no going back. We have begun a new chapter of our lives and, God willing, a new chapter of peace on Earth.”
Within the wardroom, each man’s head dropped forward as the somber reality of their position hit them once again.
“Congratulations to all for a great run to the Atlantic! Super job by everyone onboard. The run out of Kings Bay is difficult even in daylight with a full crew. You should hold your heads up high for having accomplished it at night and in record time. I think you all know if we had been just a few minutes slower, it could have spelled disaster for the mission… and us. As it is, we had one crewman take a bullet in the arm. Seaman Hayes is recovering nicely in sick bay. Drop by and see him in your spare time.”
They all chuckled, knowing “spare time” was not a luxury any of them would have. Reading between the lines, the captain was saying, “Make time to visit Seaman Hayes.”
With an upbeat mood reset, the captain continued. “I want to congratulate all of you for making a very brave decision. Throughout history, there have been those who whined and wished for change, and there have been those who sacrificed to make it happen. You are the type of people who have been responsible for great events. In the days, months, and years ahead, there will no doubt be those who criticize us. Well, let them criticize. For our part, let us remember the good we are doing and the lives we are saving.”
A few of the junior officers looked around and jokingly pointed at their friends as if to say, “You? A hero? Fat chance!”
“We have a small crew, which means we are going to have to rely on each other to a much greater extent than ever before. Teamwork is key to making this mission a success. Each one of you has been hand-selected and is an essential member of the team. Each one of you must remember we cannot do it without you. Don’t let us down.”
The captain paused and then added, “I have asked Chaplain Lewis to say a prayer for this crew.”
Chaplain Lewis took the microphone and began, “Let us pray. Lord, we ask this day that you watch over us and give us strength: strength to carry out our plan, strength to start over and begin new lives, strength to remain vigilant for many years from those who will surely try to defeat us. We ask that you use the power of the Holy Spirit to enter the minds and hearts of terrorist leaders and the leaders of Islamic nations around the world to move them to heed our warning and stop these terrible murderous acts. In the end, if the terrorists ignore our warning, we pray that you give us the strength to carry out the ultimate retribution. We pray for this crew, for their safety, and for the USS Louisiana. May we become an instrument of peace in your hands. Amen.”
“Amen!”
“Thank you, Chaplain. Crew of the Louisiana—carry on!”
The captain turned off the intercom and addressed the officers in the wardroom. “Gentlemen, each of us have been selected to be a part of history. There is no doubt after today that we will be remembered — one way or another!”
A nervous laugh arose from the gathered officers.
“We may be vilified at first, but if we’re successful, we can put a stop to the killing and carnage perpetrated on the human race by a few power-mad individuals. For the rest of our lives, we’ll live in hiding, under aliases, not able to tell anybody who we really are. We have talked about this at length during your recruitment interviews. I called this meeting to discuss in more detail the purpose of the mission and its importance.”
“Thank you, Captain. We appreciate that,” said the XO.
“Now, I want this meeting to be a free flowing exchange of ideas. So speak freely. If there is anyone with doubts about our mission or his part in it, let’s get it out on the table and discuss it. To begin, I believe Lieutenant Johnson, our legal officer, has prepared some material for our review.”
Lieutenant Johnson opened his briefcase, pulled out two maps of the world, and laid them on the table.
“That’s right, Captain. I do have a few items I think will generate some discussion. The first is a world map showing the extent of Islam in 1750. I chose this point in time, because it predates both the American and the French revolutions, which brought the concepts of freedom and democracy to the Western world.”
“Lieutenant?” asked the ops officer.
“Yes, sir?”
“Why are you showing us maps nearly three hundred years old?”
“I’m getting to that, sir, if you will permit me… the second is a map showing the extent of Islam today, with shading indicating the percent Muslim population in all countries. A major difference between the two maps is that before 1750 Muslims expanded their influence primarily through military conquest. Therefore the first map represents what I would call core Muslim nations together with conquered territories. After the establishment of Western democracies and open societies, Muslims were free to immigrate to most areas of the world. Therefore, the second map shows the degree to which Muslims have peacefully infiltrated other countries around the world. So the darker a country is shaded, the greater the Muslim percentage of the total population.”