“All right, ladies and gentlemen,” MacIntyre began, “let’s use the short form. The National Command Authority has handed off this Indonesian piracy problem to NAVSPECFORCE. In turn I’ve passed the baby on to the Sea Fighters. You’ve been given the word on what we’re facing and you’ve had a couple of days to work the problem. What are your intentions and what else are you going to need get the job done?”
Amanda exchanged glances with her two junior officers. “Well, there’s one thing we’re certain of already: Absolutely nothing conventional is going to work.”
MacIntyre grimaced and took a sip of coffee. “I was afraid of that.”
“That’s just how it cuts, Admiral,” Quillain added. “The Indonesian archipelago’s the goddamnedest littoral combat environment on the planet. Even if we had the whole combined 7th Fleet and 1st Marine Expeditionary Force committed to this job, we could be working it for the next ten years.”
MacIntyre nodded. “I’m quite willing to cede the point. What I want to know is what we can accomplish with the time and the assets we have available.”
“We do have some ideas,” Amanda resumed. “For a starter, we’re going to have to get clearance to work from inside of Indonesian territorial waters. How are our diplomatic relations with them currently?”
MacIntyre scowled. “Sore. State’s been pushing them hard over this INDASAT matter, and Jakarta’s getting muley on the whole subject. They’re not doing much about this entire piracy matter and they don’t like having it pointed out to them.”
“It’s not PC to say it,” Christine commented, “but face still matters a great deal out there.”
“And that can work very much in our favor,” Amanda added. “Admiral, you still have influence with the secretary of state, don’t you?”
“Harry Van Lynden and I still swap fishing lies and lures, if that’s what you mean.”
“Could you get him to do us a favor?”
MacIntyre shrugged. “It depends on what it is.”
“Get him to back off. Overtly get him to drop the INDASAT Starcatcher question and Indonesian piracy as a whole. In fact, he could even slip an under-the-table apology to the Indonesian ambassador for our overreaction to the matter.”
The admiral cocked a gray-frosted eyebrow. “State’s catching hell from certain factions in Congress over this. I’d have to give the secretary an awfully good justification.”
Amanda smiled. “Because it would give the United States a reason to conduct a goodwill visit to an Indonesian port as a fence-mending gesture of friendship and solidarity with the Jakarta government.”
Maclntyre’s grin grew to match Amanda’s. “And this will give us our excuse to move into their waters.”
“Exactly, sir. We’ll lollygag around on our way in and out, collecting intelligence on pirate operations as we go. As Christine has pointed out, the piracy cartel has likely infiltrated both the Indonesian government and their defense forces — or at least they have contacts on the inside. Anything we hope to accomplish must be done independently and covertly. When we zero the location of the INDASAT and the pirate leadership, we make our move and take them out.”
MacIntyre dubiously scratched the back of his neck. “And what does the Indonesian government do when we declare a private war on some of their own citizens on their own territory?”
“We give them a choice, Admiral, sir,” Christine answered. “They can either be exposed as a bunch of corrupt and ineffectual bumblers who had to have their mess cleaned up by somebody from the outside. Or they can be our heroic allies in defeating a major threat to the world maritime community.” She propped her chin up on a slim hand. “As Captain Garrett said, face has its uses.”
MacIntyre stared down into his cup, considering. “This all hinges, of course, on our recovering enough hard intel to find where the INDASAT is hidden.”
“Very true,” Amanda acknowledged. “Intelligence gathering is going to be the keystone for this operation. Because of that, I’m going to need more collection assets placed directly under my command.”
“Say the word and you’ll have them.”
“I am. I want a half-squadron of Global Hawks for the duration of this operation and an advanced base for them in Australia.”
MacIntyre winced. “It couldn’t be something simple like a few H-bombs or an aircraft carrier, could it? I could pick those up in-house. For Global Hawks, I’ll have to go to the Air Force.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but that’s an asset I’m going to need if I’m going to pull this off real-time regional recon, on call, twenty-four hours a day. That means G-Hawks directly attached to the task force. We have a functional control node setup here aboard the Carlson, and we can fly the systems operators out from Diego Garcia while we’re in transit.”
“I’ll get them for you somehow,” MacIntyre growled. “I just have to worry about what the bandits in blue are going to want in return one of these days.”
Amanda smiled over her coffee cup. “I’m pleased to say that’s your problem, sir. I just have to deal with the day-to-day of tracking our pirate king to his lair.”
MacIntyre chuckled deep in his chest. “I rather like the sound of that. There’s damn little swashbuckling left in This Man’s Navy. If you don’t mind the company on your flag bridge, Amanda, I think I’ll ride along on this one. It’s still your show all the way, but I want to get the feel of how this new Sea Fighter task structure is going to work.”
“All I can say is: Excellent and welcome aboard, sir. I suspect that there’s going to be some politicking and diplomacy required on this run, and a vice admiral’s stars pack a lot more weight than a captain’s birds. Beyond that, we’ll be operating in an Islamic cultural environment where having a male senior officer aboard could make things a little less complicated.”
MacIntyre nodded. “Just leave the assorted pooh-bahs, potentates, and powers that be to me. It can’t be any worse than dealing with Congress. Anything else you’re going to need?”
“Some additional air logistics. The covert kind. We might have to support a microforce at any point within the archipelago. Can you get me a Combat Talon while you’re picking up those Global Hawks?”
“Done. What else do we need to consider?”
“Tactical security,” Stone Quillain said. “Operating inside of an Indonesian port and in their coastal waters can work good for us, but it can work for the bad guys too. They can get at us with their available assets. We’re going to have a lot of ship and personnel vulnerability to sabotage and terrorist action.”
“Very true, Stone,” Amanda agreed. “And not just from the piracy cartel. This whole operational area is volatile. The Jakarta government is bucking a number of rebellious factions within the islands, and the usual knee-jerk anti-Americanism can also be expected. We’re going to push our shipboard security and anti-boarding drills all the way across the Indian Ocean. How are your boys doing with our crew combat training.”
“Pretty fair. All hands should have completed the advanced cycle by the time we hit the operating theater. We could do with some spare crew served weapons and a bigger ship’s ammo reserve, though.”
Amanda nodded. “I’ll see they’ll be on the beach waiting for us in Singapore.” She glanced back at MacIntyre. “One of the programs we’ve instituted within the task force is augmented weapons training. We’re carrying enough small arms, body armor, and units of fire in our arsenals to load out all hands. Stone’s Marines have also been giving us an advanced indoctrination in shipboard and ground combat. If we’re pushed, not only can we protect our ships but we can back up the Raiders with shore assault parties.”