“Thanks, Jer. I know all this — I just need reminding, when the pressure’s on,” the President said. “All right. I want a shot-up, stripped- down Megafortress on Guam to show the senator — and I want all the rest of them off the island and into hiding or chopped up into confetti as soon as possible. Get on it.”
“Under ordinary circumstances, Admiral Sun Ji Guoming, I would be most inclined to offer you congratulations for a job well done,” Chinese president Jiang Zemin said coldly. Standing beside him was chief of staff of the People’s Liberation Army, General Chin Po Zihong. “But I cannot do so. Admiral, you told me that you could bring down the entire proWestern alliance, enabling us to merely walk onto the Nationalist-held islands without resistance. I have not seen this happen yet. What I have seen is dozens of deaths of our comrades near Hong Kong and our new carrier severely damaged by our own hands, nearly a hundred deaths from the ferry attack near Quemoy, nearly a dozen of our fighters shot down by the Nationalists without one loss of their own — and, worst of all, our ambassador in Washington apologizing to the President of the United States and to the world on the floor of the United Nations for our actions! ”
“You must have patience, Comrade President,” Admiral Sun replied. “Allow me to summarize our recent achievements.” Jiang nodded, and Sun went on: “The United States has removed two of its four warships from the Formosa Strait, and its submarines have been pulled back even farther from our ships and bases. The stealth bombers that the Americans sent to spy on us and assist the rebels to attack us have been discredited, exposed as aggressors, and soon will be completely removed from the region. The President of the United States has been exposed and labeled an aggressor, almost on a par with Saddam Hussein or Mo- hammar Quaddafi. He is being investigated for ordering the stealth bombers to attack Iran, and now he will be investigated for his secret undeclared warlike actions against us in the Formosa Strait, using the formerly secret modified B-52 bombers. His own people fear and distrust him — soon, his allies all over the world will fear and distrust him as well.
“More importantly, now the United States and the Nationalists have been isolated by the world community — the world sees them both as warmongers, willing to do anything to further their own aims,” Sun went on. “President Martindale will find considerable difficulty in getting support from his congress for his plans to support the Nationalists’ drive for independence. If we maintain the pressure and continue to open up in front of the world media, the momentum will swing to our side. Then Martindale may be forced to support our idea for reunification with Taiwan by 2005. With Taiwan once again isolated, even from the United States, it will be ready for annexation at any time.”
“That all sounds fine, Admiral,” General Chin said. “But we must still deal with the military realities here. The United States is withdrawing two frigates, but with two frigates and four submarines still in the area, they are still a very strong military force in the Strait — and we lost a good percentage of our fighters and bombers in that engagement.”
“It is as I have said, General,” Admiral Sun said. “Our J-series fighters must not engage Nationalist F-16 fighters unless they have full radar coverage and enjoy at least a six-to-one numerical advantage. In that fight, we had a three-to-one advantage and fared poorly. We also did not count on the American stealth bombers launching air-to-air missiles. The H-6 bombers would have had better success if they had only flown against the frigates’ surface-to-air missiles or if the Nationalists had been forced to divide their fighters to chase after our bombers.”
“Nonetheless, our losses were severe and swift,” General Chin said. “I find it impossible to imagine that this plan of yours can still be accomplished when we lose forces to the Americans like this.”
“In fact, this proves the truth of my plan, General,” Sun argued. “Again we have shown that the Americans are difficult to defeat in a direct naval engagement, whether by air or sea. But the unorthodox attack on the Americans proved successful — we claimed two American Navy frigates, and we leave the Nationalists and the Americans confused and reluctant fighters in the Strait. The tide is beginning to turn for us, Comrade General.”
“You claimed that you could draw the American carriers into the Strait, where they would be vulnerable — yet the closest American carrier, the Independence, is apparently ready to depart Japan, possibly to rendezvous with two other carriers somewhere near Formosa, possibly in the Strait itself,” Chin observed. “They can still strike our coastal bases from their carriers, and still enjoy air protection from the rebel air forces on Taiwan.”
“The Independence will never depart Japan, comrade,” Admiral Sun said grimly. “Its death is already being planned — and with it, the death of the pro-Western Asian alliance as well.”
“I think it is about time you informed us of what you intend to do, Admiral Sun,” Chin said angrily. “It is obvious that the level of aggression has greatly escalated. If you intend on throwing China into general war with the West, be so kind as to let me know so I can alert our regular military forces and defend the motherland.”
“It will not be necessary to mobilize the army, Comrade General,” Sun said with a smile. “The biggest naval disaster since the Great War will occur, by our hands — and the world will be rushing to China’s aid, to protect us against the great satan, the United States of America.”
“Do you realize what’s happening?” Admiral George Balboa exploded. “Do you have any idea what you’ve done?” The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff was seated at the conference table in the Joint Chiefs Conference Center at the Pentagon, but his voice was as sharp and as clear as if he were right there in the base command post’s battle staff room on Guam. “Have you seen the news? That plane of yours is being shown on TV all over the damned world, along with pictures of your attack on that passenger ferry.”
“We’ve seen it, Admiral,” Patrick McLanahan said. He, Brad Elliott, and the rest of the crew of the EB-52 Megafortress involved in the recent skirmish in the Formosa Strait near Quemoy Island were participating in the secure videoconference between the Pentagon and Andersen Air Force Base on Guam. The base command post’s battle staff room had been sealed and curtained off, with guards posted outside. To Patrick McLanahan, it was a little like closing the barn door after all the horses had run away. The world now knew of the EB-52 Megafortress— why all the security now? “The pictures of us were obviously taken by the MiG-25 Foxbats that intercepted us.”
“What possible explanation can you offer the President for what you’ve done?” Balboa asked.
“The Chinese set us up,” McLanahan said confidently. “We’ve compared notes with the crew aboard the James Daniel, and we agree — that ferry was altered to make it look like a warship.”
“How in hell could they do that?”