“Yes,” she said, “the NSA satellite surveillance has seen columns of military trucks converging on the North Korean port of Chongjin. Two transport ships we’ve now identified as The Luzon star and the Pacific sealift have taken on a load at night. They’re now headed south for the East China Sea, after that, we think around Singapore and up the Strait of Malacca.”
“How did you find out about this theft from their fund?”
“We can’t tell you.” Simon Hobbs intervened.
“But we can say that the source has always been rock-solid.” Rock solid but self-interested he thought, but that was The Mossad for you.
There was a knock at the door, a USN Petty Officer entered and handed Admiral Kamov a note and then left.
“So,” said Bruce Nanut, “we have two ships out there that are likely to be carrying Iran’s nukes and they look to be heading for Iran. What are we waiting for?”
“We need to be careful about this, other things may come to light before they get to Iran,” said General Cooper.
“It could get political,” said Army General Sally Weingarten.
Admiral Kamov held up the note he’d been handed.
“I’ve just received notice that our most stealthy, kick ass boat has now been repaired and she’s ready for patrol. USS Stonewall Jackson is mean, lean and hungry for ass. She can shadow these ships and await our orders. Guess where she is? Off Eastern Japan, right where we want her.”
“It’s too good an opportunity to miss,” said General Cooper, “people?”
The Chiefs of staff agreed, there were nodding heads.
“Admiral. What’s the Captain called on this submarine?” asked Commandant Bruce Nanut.
“Commander Nathan Blake.”
“Go get em Blake, go get em,” smiled Nanut.
“I’ll get the order out,” said the Admiral, “These two ships now have a shark after them, it’s mean, it’s angry and it want’s some ass.”
“SIR,” SAID LIEUTENANT Commander Lemineux we have a communication.”
“Thanks, send it to my workstation.” Nathan read the communication.
PRIORITY RED
R 281655Z JUL 88 ZY10
DOD-OPS// ID D22953G22F//
TO STONEWALL JACKSON
PACFLT// ID S072RQ81//
NAVAL INTEL OPS/07
MSGID/DOD 447/7E62//
MSG BEGINS://
PROCEED SOUTH AND FOLLOW TWO TRANSPORT VESSELS. APROX POSITION 38.59N 130.74E. SPEED 15KTS. HEADING 180. SEE THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION. GOOD HUNTING, CNO N KAMOV USN.
MSG END//
After reading the background document he frowned.
“Flood forward one half. Open and trim vents fore and aft. Dive, dive, dive. Planesman, make your depth two hundred feet. Ahead two thirds.”
“Two thirds at two hundred Aye Sir.” The deck tilted down to the bow. A short while later the Planesman pulled his yoke back and the boat levelled out.
“Right rudder, steady on course two fifteen.”
“Ahead two thirds, steady on two fifteen Aye Sir.” Nathan stood.
“XO, Kaminski, Wardroom now. War committee.” The USS Stonewall Jackson was very definitely back in the groove.
THE THREE OF THEM ENTERED the Wardroom and sat, Nathan transferred the document he’d received from the DOD over to their accounts. They accessed and read it on their Tablets. It took them several minutes. Nathan left for the galley and brought back coffees.
“Initial comments?” he asked.
“First we’ve got to find them, it’s a big sea out there,” said XO Sayers. Kaminski accessed the chart on her tablet and laid it on the table.
“We know they’re coming south. This channel between South Korea and Japan is a choke point.”
“It’s a big choke point,” said Nathan.
“Yes,” she said, “but with a simple lining up of his course, as I think he’ll do. His plot would be a line that takes him east of Tsushima Island and then onward to the east of Taiwan.”
“Sounds good,” said Nathan, “intercept position?”
She zoomed the picture in.
“There’s a channel just north of Kyushu Island, but I don’t think it’s worth it. We’ll have to surface to get through, and he may make better progress south than we think. I’d lie in wait southwest of this Island to the west of Kyushu. He’ll probably come within fifteen miles.”
“XO, what do you think?”
“It sounds ok to me. The thing that troubles me is there’s little mention of any escort. The North Korean’s are unlikely to provide surface cover with their warships. They can’t stay with the cargo ships that long, and it would attract attention. The North Korean navy’s Sang-O boats have well over a thousand miles range. They could in theory operate to the south of Taiwan, but will they?” Nathan sipped his coffee and considered it.
“The Iranians can’t provide cover until they’re well into the Indian Ocean, so they’ll be without escort for a long leg through and either side of the Straits of Malacca.”
“That’s Pirate city,” said the XO.
“Yeah, but they’re bound to have a fair number of well armed troops onboard,” said Nathan.
“Our job is to follow for now, so we’ll lie in wait where Nikki said and pick them up.”
“Will we have to sink them?” asked the XO.
Nikki sat up and took back her tablet. “Not yet. They haven’t decided, otherwise they’d have told us to sink them in the East China Sea. They must be chewing it over politically. Maybe they’ll capture the two ships and publicise the contents of their cargo to the world’s press. We’re to be the pistol at their head. If the word comes, we pull the trigger.”
“I agree,” frowned Nathan, “there’s a lot we don’t know. But if the Iranian’s have nukes and the means to deliver them, I don’t see us not being given the word. At some point we’ll need to drop em.” He looked down at the table.
“The Iranians and the North Koreans, they must have a plan B. Something they can pull off, if they look like losing the ships.” He looked up at the XO and Nikki.
“It seems easy. Just sink two civilian cargo ships. Why do I just know it won’t be that easy?”
ANUPA WAS LOSING HER concentration. She was being fed and watered but questioned by Omar. She called him that as he looked vaguely like a younger Omar Sharif. He’d leave and then the Turkish wrestler would come into the room and prepare the torture hardware. It was the classic good cop, bad cop routine. Uninventive, but she had to admit it was working. She fought it, she knew it was bullshit, but it was hard to resist. The wrestler said nothing, tied her up, blindfolded her and banged nails into the table next to her, he placed them on her arms and banged the table hard. It was to frighten her she knew; it said, one day it will be your turn. They constantly woke her, she needed more sleep. Omar came into the room and questioned her. He got nowhere and left. She fell asleep, after how long? She didn’t know, the Turkish wrestler came in and blindfolded her. Then he unfastened her bindings, stood her up and started to remove her clothes. This was new. He was rough, she was soon naked. She was led out of the room and down two corridors. A metal slide was pulled aside, and she was pushed forward, she slowly walked along the floor. She had an image of falling, he could be leading her to an edge, how many more steps could she take? Then she heard them, the calls of men from either side. It echoed, the calls were jeering, random. Then she realised this may be a hospital ward. A key unlocked a door. A hospital? She was pushed forward, and the blindfold was removed. It was a cell, sat on two benches were three men staring at her. The Turkish wrestler locked the door and walked off.