Admiral Arthur Louis Manning IV was a career Navy man, and he was damn good at it. A warrior at heart, he had made no secret about where his priorities lay. It was his job to protect and serve. It was their mother’s job to raise their three gifted children. There would be time to spend with his wife and family after he retired. Or so they all had thought. Mrs. Manning had spent the last years of her life caring for her only grandchild, David’s first daughter. Mrs. Manning died unexpectedly a little less than a year ago. Heart disease.
Admiral Manning said, “So, I know that you can’t talk about it, but how are you liking your new line of work?”
Chase smiled. “At the State Department?”
His father tilted his head. “Come, now. I won’t ask for details. But I knew Elliot when he first entered the CIA out of the Navy. And I know my son.”
Chase nodded. “It’s an adjustment. Different than the Teams. But I like it. It’s… it’s like I’m playing a different sport. It still requires certain skills. I just need to develop a different set of them than I was using with the SEALs.”
“That’s a good analogy. I’ve always found that when the Navy moved me to different assignments, it would take the first few months to really get acclimated to the new role.” He paused, a bit of sausage on his fork, halfway to his mouth. “I’m proud of you, Chase.”
Now Chase was really worried. His father never spoke like that. Chase said, “Dad, can you at least tell me what happened?”
His father looked like he was pondering it. Then he looked at the wall, as if he was seeing it play out in his memory.
“I’m not supposed to — but my guess is that your clearance is at least as high as mine. I got a report of a submarine and an Iranian PC boat right next to each other off of Abu Musa. I sat next to the battle watch captain during the entire event. It boggles the mind to think that so much of our command and control is via typed instant messages back and forth between our units. Yet that’s the way it happens nowadays when the shit hits the fan. I swear it was easier in the Cold War. People still used radios back then. And they are supposed to still, but it’s redundant and slower to do so. Now we just watch events unfold in real time in little bits of text. If we’re lucky, there is a video feed, but so often there is not. A surfaced sub. That’s what the initial report was.”
“I heard that. But I thought that signals intelligence confirmed all Iranian subs were in port.”
The Admiral nodded. “They did. More than just SIGINT. We actually have satellite pictures of each and every Iranian submarine. So the Pentagon has concluded that there was no submarine off Abu Musa. CENTCOM believes that the lookout on the Porter was seeing things. But the good General has never served aboard a ship.”
“I take it that you disagree.”
“I’ve made my case to Fifth Fleet and CENTCOM. But I had no video evidence, no pictures, to back up the sailor’s sighting. Iran says we fired first at one of their innocent patrol boats, destroying it unprovoked. The men and women on that destroyer will tell you a different story. But they’re being told to keep their mouths shut while the investigation is going on.”
“That’s crazy. Why?”
“Because when you play the game at this level, it’s about more than just the simple truth. It’s about the infinite political ramifications. The politicians feel that it’s in our best interests to take it on the chin here. There is a lot of pressure to improve the US-Iran relationship. A lot of pressure.”
Chase shook his head. “I can’t believe that. I mean… I can’t believe that our own leadership would go with Iran’s story over what our own sailors saw.”
“Perhaps if there was more compelling video evidence. But there is not… so this little incident is going to be swept under the rug, and we’re going to let the Iranian military harass us just a little bit more in the Arabian Gulf. Courageous Restraint. That’s what we’re calling it now. It’s in our doctrine. Hell. I support the decisions of those men that pulled the trigger. They knew what they saw. Whether there was a sub or not, it doesn’t matter. If they were being shot at, they had every right to fire back. You can’t second-guess the men on the ground, especially if you weren’t there.”
“I hear you.”
The Admiral looked at his son and said, “Sometimes I think that I was meant for a different time. No officer worth his salt ever really wants to be at war. But sometimes I think that I would have been better suited to the days of real sea combat. Not this institutional hogwash that I have to deal with today. I am not meant for the diplomatic side of the Navy. And that is the type of man that becomes a four-star today.”
Chase said, “I’m sorry, Dad.” He didn’t know what else to say.
“It’s alright. I appreciate you coming to see me. I’ll be flying back to the States tomorrow, tail between my legs. I’m relieved, effective immediately. They aren’t calling it that. Not with me. They’re letting me save a little face. I’ll be replaced with a two-star that has experience with Fifth Fleet Carrier ops. Good guy. He’ll do well.”
“Where are they sending you?”
“Norfolk. They’re going to put me in charge of the Ford until I retire.”
“The Ford? Isn’t she almost operational?”
“Not quite yet. She’s still in sea trials. I’ll be a figurehead. I’ll be like the Queen of England for America’s newest state-of-the-art supercarrier. With no enemy in sight. They’re putting me out to pasture. I’m not sure why they’re giving it to me, but I’ll take it.”
Chase suspected that his father still had good friends in high places, and that the Ford was their way of throwing him a bone. His father had never been the same since his mother died. A part of him had gone with her. The other admirals knew that. And whether his father admitted it, he was a part of that good old boy network. He was just an unwilling participant in it.
They finished their breakfast and made more small talk over coffee.
Chase said, “Dad, do you mind if I ask you something?”
“Of course. Go ahead.”
“Have you ever had a situation where one of your good friends was suspected of wrongdoing, but you thought he was innocent? And you had the power to influence the outcome?”
He gave him a funny look. “I’m sure something like that has happened. But you know where I stand. It doesn’t matter if they’re a friend. If they did something wrong, they should answer for it.”
“What if you weren’t sure if they really did anything wrong, but turning them in would ruin their career?”
“What are we talking about here?”
“Just a hypothetical. I need to play a little catch-ball.”
“I’m not going to be telling you anything you don’t know already. Go to your friend and find out the truth.”
Chase hesitated. “What if it were a close friend? Even family?”
He looked alarmed. “Chase… what are you talking about?” The Admiral crossed his arms and looked at him out of the side of his eye. “You know where I stand on family too. Family always comes first. Everything else is a game. Now will you tell me what’s going on? Who are we talking about?”
“Just a problem a friend has. I just wanted to get a smart old man to give me some sage advice.”
The Admiral laughed, but he looked like he didn’t buy it. He did let it go, though, for which Chase was grateful. He looked at his watch again and asked his father if he would have any free time in Dubai before he left. Perhaps they could meet up in the city? His father politely declined. They walked out to the pier and bid each other goodbye.
Walking down the pier toward the white government duty van that would take him back to Dubai, Chase’s phone vibrated.