The monitor held the overhead image of what appeared to be a pier side security checkpoint. It was manned by a trio of tough-looking PLA troopers clad in steel helmets and camouflage, all carrying slung Type 56 assault rifles.
“We’ve identified them as being naval infantry,” Christine continued. “The Red Chinese Marines, the best they’ve got.”
The Intel moved on to the next screen. “This is a low angle oblique shot of some of the buildings at the shoreward end of the pier. Circled are what appear to be several military vehicles parked undercover to protect them from direct overhead observation. The vehicles, here and here, seem to be command-and-communications vans of some kind.”
“Now things get really interesting.”
Her presentation had the undivided attention of everyone in the compartment. The third repeater held a view of the quay deck, cluttered with a scattering of worn fishing gear and busy with the passage of numerous Chinese seamen.
“As you can see, in spite of the increased security, the pier is still being used for fishing operations. No doubt to help maintain cover for what they’re really up to. But take a look down here in the corner.”
The onlookers’ eyes followed Christine’s pointing finger.
Running down the edge of the pier, partially concealed by the jumbled stacks of sea stores and equipment, were a pair of thickly insulated cables, one half the diameter of the other.
“Those weren’t there two months ago. We think one of them is a telecommunications link, while the other is a power line. Both are the kind of heavily armored cable used for underwater work.
“One of these lines run all the way out to a building at the head of the quay. And from there … “
The image shifted to another oblique shot of the pier head.
The cables curved down from the deck to disappear beneath the surface of the Yangtze.
“You were wrong about one thing, Captain.” Christine chuckled. “They’re not even using their diesel. They’ve just got that sucker plugged into the world’s longest extension cord.”
“Damnation,” Admiral Tallman breathed.
“We’ve got to be sure,” Commander Walker said slowly. “I’ll admit it. This looks good. But we have got to be absolutely certain.”
“A final piece of evidence. Commander. When your Fleet Intelligence officer started to get interested in this situation, he started yelling to the National Security Agency for more data flow on this area. Given the ultimate mission priority we have, we were granted real-time access to a specialized ferret satellite they had passing over Shanghai. What you are about to see can be classified as RSS. Real secret shit.”
Christine changed the screen image again. “This is an electromagnetic emissions scan of the Waigaoqiao quay area. Please don’t ask how we can do this from near-Earth orbit. I could tell you, but then, as the saying goes, I’d have to kill you.”
It might have been a piece of modern art: clusters of intricate multicolored geometries on a black background, some of them interconnected by yet more glowing lines. Then again, it more resembled a circuitry diagram, which, in a way, it was.
“What you are seeing here,” Christine said, “is the leakage coming off every active electrical circuit within our area of interest. Let’s put in the outline of the shore and the quays next, just to give us some point of reference.”
She manipulated the screen control pad, calling up the appropriate graphics overlay.
“Next, we do some filtering. We eliminate all the stuff that we know should normally be out there. Boat and car ignition systems, the urban telephone and power lines, that kind of thing. Now, let’s see what we have left.”
What was left was a single pair of luminescent treads, running down the edge of the quay, dividing, and then extending on beyond the head of the pier into the estuary.
“The passive emission signatures on these cables verify that they are a telecommunications line and a high-tension power line. While the emissions trace is lost out in the deeper water, no cables with these specific signatures emerge from the farside of the river.”
The Intel straightened and turned to face her audience.
“Fa’ sure, those lines have got to be going somewhere.”
Amanda picked up the line of the briefing. “Definitely, the Reds know that they can’t match us out in open water. They don’t have the technology levels. By concealing their boat in the Yangtze estuary, they can not only keep it hidden, but they can keep it protected by the Shanghai city defenses. They also gain the advantage of a direct and secure landline communications link between their boomer and the PLA high command. It only makes sense, sir.”
Admiral Tallman looked silently down at the table for a long minute. Everyone in the briefing center maintained their peace as well, giving him right of first speech. Finally, he glanced over at his chief of staff. “Well, what do you think?”
There was a new and growing tone of respect in Commander Walker’s voice as he replied. “Captain Garrett makes a very strong case, sir.”
“Yeah, I’m sold too. I think we’ve got the Xia.”
Walker continued, “The question is, sir, now that we’ve got it, what are we going to do about it?”
“We stick to the basics, son. Find it. Fix it. Kill it. Let’s assume we’ve got it found. Now we have to take care of the other two aspects.”
Tallman looked back to the Cunningham’s officers. “My first thought would be a SEAL team insertion. We follow those cables out to see where they lead. Lieutenant Rendino, just how big is that deep hole you’ve been looking at?”
“A couple of square miles. And you’re looking at strong tides, heavy currents, and zero-range visibility. It’s stinkin’ water for divers, sir, and that’s even before you start looking at the river defenses.”
“There’s another point to consider as well, Admiral,” Amanda added. “If the Reds even suspect that we’ve found their missile boat, they could order an immediate launch. Any action that we take will have to be fast and certain. We will have to make a clean kill with the first shot. We probably won’t get another.”
Tallman cocked an eyebrow. “Anybody have any suggestions?”
“I do, sir.” Vince Arkady stepped forward to the table. “Covering that patch of water wouldn’t be any problem at all for a couple of LAMPS helos. I could take my Sea Comanches in there, locate the boomer with Magnetic Abnormality Detectors, and verify the target with a dunking sonar. After that, we kill it with scatterpack V-ROCs launched from outside of the estuary mine barrier. That whole end of the operation would be a piece of cake.”
“And the Reds are just going to let you waltz in there and look the place over?”
“That’s the other end of the stick, sir. Chris, what all do they have covering that section of the estuary?”
“Those three heavy AA batteries that I mentioned. They have a triangular field of fire set up with one battery here, to the west of the quays, one to the east, and one across the channel here on the island. Four radar-directed hundred millimeter mounts per battery. Their radar probably wouldn’t give you too much trouble, but they’ll probably have optical sights and searchlights.
“In addition, out on each of the pier heads, there’s a twin mount fifty-seven-millimeter porn-porn and an HN-5 tactical antiair missile launcher.”
“No way in hell a helo could get past all that,” Tallman said flatly.
“That’s right, sir,” Arkady replied. “Those gun batteries would have to be taken out before we could go in. And that doesn’t begin to address stuff like Combat Air Patrols, the coastal defenses, the other antiaircraft batteries deployed around the city, and the gunboats on the river.”
“This is building into a major operation, people.”.