"Hold, please, for the president."
And then the voice of President Harper came over the headset as clearly as if they were sitting next to one another.
"What is it, Robert? It must be important."
"Have you seen the latest satellite photographs over Israel?"
"I was in a meeting with the Joint Chiefs of Staff examining them when I was told you needed to speak to me."
"I still have 20 minutes of flight time before I reach Israel, plus the time it takes to drive to the prime minister's office. I'm afraid the Israelis are going to move before I speak to the prime minister."
The telephone was silent as the president thought.
"I have no choice but to call the prime minister myself," Harper said.
"I hope it will go as smoothly for you with Israel as it did for me with Saudi Arabia, Mr. President," Lakeland said.
"Have Air Force One bypass Israel and set a course for home," the president said.
"Even if we can avert this war in the Middle East, we still have China to contend with, and I'll need you here for that."
It took the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine Montana signaling its presence in the Mediterranean Sea, a flyover of air force fighters from Turkey, and a stern threat from the president to forestall the Israeli attack. Finally, fearing retaliation from the United States, the prime minister and the defense minister agreed to hold off any hostile actions until they met with the Secretary of State, who would arrive in seventy-two hours. It was an uneasy truce. The distrust between the Arabs and the Jews remained, a legacy far olden than the Chinese attempt to inflame the anger to action; but the threat of an immediate conflagration was defused. Both sides began to slowly withdraw their offensive troops from the borders. Three days later, after the Secretary of State met with the Israeli leaders, the situation was stabilized enough to begin the withdrawal of American forces from the region.
On the eve of September 28, the American naval battle groups in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea were ordered to begin steaming toward the Taiwan Strait at flank speed. Even cruising at full speed, only a few of the United States Navy's faster ships could reach the area by the October 1st deadline. Luckily, the United States' nuclear submarines, the thoroughbreds of the sea, would prove to be a different story.
CHAPTER 46
"The Americans have discovered our intentions in the Middle East," Sun Tao said while slowly drawing on a cigarette.
"How can you be so sure," the Chinese prime minister asked, "that they discovered China is involved?"
"The latest from our intelligence sources suggests their naval battle groups have begun to leave the Middle East and are steaming through the Indian Ocean."
"They could simply be returning to their bases in Okinawa and the Philippines," the prime minister said as he sipped from a glass of Coca-Cola. "The English-speaking news organizations report a truce has been obtained in the Middle East."
"Don't you find it odd there is no mention in the news media about the terms of the truce or the cause of the unrest?"
"There was some attention given to that topic today," the prime minister said. "The Western media reported on both the Islamic Sword and the Front for Jewish Recognition. News reports today mention the police in both countries will be trying to find the ringleaders of both groups. That leads me to believe our cover story is still holding."
The room was silent as both men thought.
"You may be right, sir," Tao said. "But whatever the case may be, the distance the United States Navy needs to travel to provide any measurable help to Taiwan is great. Our experts estimate they cannot reach Taiwan until the 2nd or 3rd of October even if they continue to run at flank speed."
"And the Einstein papers, the key to our future power — are they safely in our grasp?" the prime minister asked.
"The Carondelet, the ship transporting the papers, finally left the Chesapeake Bay yesterday. All efforts to contact the ship by radio have been for naught. We believe the ship simply has communications problems. If their radios are out, the only way to reach them would be to air-drop them a new radio."
"Is the Carondelet headed south toward Cuba as planned?"
"Yes, they appear to be on a direct course. In addition the Carondelet is following the original plan precisely. We have had Chinese agents positioned in a fishing trawler offshore of Norfolk. They reported that when the Carondelet passed their trawler it was flying the Chinese flag."
"That was our signal the mission was a success, was it not?" the prime minister said loudly.
"Yes. Still, the lack of radio contact bothers me," Tao said. "I would think the electricians or the radio technicians on the Carondelet would have the skills to repair at least one radio by now."
"The problem could be one of a hundred things, from an electrical glitch to a shipboard fire," the prime minister said confidently. "If the Americans had recovered the papers, we would have heard something about it by now. We have spies everywhere."
"Then it is your wish for us to proceed with the attack on Taiwan?"
"When is the Carondelet due to reach Cuba?" the prime minister asked, temporarily deflecting the question.
"The morning of October 1st," Tao answered.
"That means if we fly the papers here by fast jet we would have them in our hands by the second day of the battle for the liberation of Taiwan."
"If all goes according to plan, yes," Tao agreed.
"Then we proceed with the attack on Taiwan as planned. The U.S. Navy was the one element that could have stopped the attack cold. It appears they will not be able to reach Taiwan in time to stop us. Later, if they decide to interfere with our plans after the initial day of battle, we will explain to their president that we have the Einstein papers and have built a weapon based on its formula."
"As a threat?" Tao asked.
"A threat with some teeth in it. Particularly once we explain the powers the formula can unleash."
"But we still aren't sure what the formula can be used for," Tao said logically.
"Neither are the Americans," the prime minister said quietly. "Neither are the Americans."
Tao sipped from a cup of green tea. "Then everything is falling perfectly into place."
"Yes," the prime minister said, smiling. "Once again we have outwitted the capitalists. To the rise of a new dynasty. One that will last ten thousand years." Tao touched his tea cup to the prime ministers glass of cola and smiled. Twelve miles off Cape Hatteras in the Atlantic Ocean an early fall storm was blackening the sky. Commander Oakes turned to Chief Petty Officer Chutetski.
"Have all the Chinese electronics been safely jettisoned?"
"Packed in watertight crates with locaters attached."
"Another SEAL team will retrieve them from the ocean floor within the hour. Once they are taken to the intelligence experts and analyzed, they should provide a treasure trove of information," Oakes noted.
"What will the intelligence boys be looking for?" Chutetski asked.
"Codes, how their scramblers work, communications frequencies, stuff like that," Oakes explained.
"The rest of our team seems to be handling the ship without problem. What do you want me to do?" Chutetski said.
"Start rigging the fuel lines for a fire. Once the Carondelet is within fifty miles of Cuba our orders are to torch it."