Fatal Thunder: A Jerry Mitchell Novel (44 page)

“What!?” exclaimed Zhang. “What bureaucratic fool made that decision!?”

“The Central Military Commission,” Tian replied grimly. “Read the last paragraph of the message.”

Zhang paused, and finished reading the message. He then looked up slowly and faced the general. Zhang couldn’t believe his eyes. “We’re not going to alert the civilian population? Do they not realize that if we fail, millions will die?”

“The CMC won’t tolerate the political chaos that an evacuation announcement would create,” explained Tian. “They’re afraid that certain sections of the population would use this crisis to advance their political views.”

“Do the commission members actually believe these people would stay in Hong Kong and hold demonstrations against the Communist Party rather than escape?” asked an astonished Zhang. “They aren’t that stupid. They’d try to flee along with everyone else.”

“No, Captain, the Central Military Commission isn’t afraid they’ll stay. The commission members are concerned they’ll leave, and then hold their demonstrations in the shadow of a destroyed Hong Kong. It would be impossible for the Communist Party to refute that they had failed the people of China, once again.

“The CMC is aware of the risks, but they don’t want photos and videos of massive traffic jams and panicking people appearing on the Internet or other social media, followed by a mushroom cloud climbing high into the sky. The CMC would appear to be totally helpless. They can’t afford that,” finished Tian. Sitting back down, he reached for the message. Zhang gave it back to him.

“Only high-level party members and their families are to be evacuated, and in total secrecy. The rest of the citizens of Hong Kong will have to unknowingly rely on your mine hunters’ skills,” said Tian.

Disheartened, Zhang nodded his head gently; he had his orders. “I’ll do what I can, sir. But I make no promises.”

“I understand, Captain.”

Zhang turned to leave, took a couple of steps, stopped, and turned back around. “One request, General.”

“Yes, Captain.”

“When you provide your status report to the CMC, I would greatly appreciate it if you would be bluntly honest. If they want me to find this damn torpedo, they need to close the ports. Mine hunting is a difficult enough task to do without having to worry about being run over by a massive container ship. If they don’t close the ports, the search will take longer and it will not be as accurate as it could be.”

“I will include your exact concerns in my report, Captain, I assure you. Is there anything else I should ask for?”

“Yes, General. Help. We need more ships to scan the bottom, preferably with high-resolution imaging sonars. And frankly, I don’t care where they find them.”

15 April 2017

0900 EST

White House Situation Room

Washington, D.C.

An irritated Joanna Patterson strode into the room; she was still tired from the late night and had just started her second cup of coffee before being dragged down by an urgent message from one of the watchstanders. A Chinese vice chairman of the CMC demanded to speak with her on the video teleconferencing system. She really didn’t want to have another conversation with General Shi; the last one had been painful enough with his constant posturing and threats. Braced for a rude greeting, Patterson was surprised to see a People’s Liberation Army Navy admiral on the screen. As she sat down within view of the camera, the Chinese admiral welcomed her.

“Dr. Patterson, good morning. I am Admiral Jing Fei, Commander of the People’s Liberation Army Navy and a member of the Central Military Commission.”

“Good evening, Admiral Jing,” Patterson responded carefully. “I don’t mean to be impolite, Admiral, but I was under the impression that General Shi was my liaison with the CMC.”

“Unfortunately, General Shi is occupied with other duties this evening,” explained Jing. Joanna didn’t detect any change in the admiral’s facial features as he spoke; his expression remained neutral—a perfect poker face. “And since the reason for the call deals with a naval issue, it was thought that I would be a more appropriate representative.”

“I see,” replied Patterson.
Shi got canned,
she thought.
They must want something from us.
“So, Admiral, what can I do for you this evening?”

“Per our agreement, I’m to report that our investigation of the explosions this afternoon in Dangan Shuido were caused by torpedoes. We also agree with the analysis by your Squadron Fifteen commodore, that
Chakra
was likely leaving the Hong Kong area. The Indian submarine torpedoed and sank one of our Project 636M Kilo submarines.”

Patterson took a sharp breath, suddenly worried about the Chinese crew. “Were there any survivors?”

“That is unknown at the moment. None of the crew has escaped the stricken boat thus far. And even though the Kilo is in shallow water, she is lying on her port side and this may be complicating the situation.”

“What can we do to help with the rescue effort?”

“While I appreciate your offer, Dr. Patterson, we have more important matters to discuss. We are in urgent need of assistance to help locate the torpedo, or torpedoes, that
Chakra
has undoubtedly fired into our ports. Anything the United States can provide to aid our search will be greatly welcomed.”

Finally,
thought Patterson. The Chinese government had at last come to their senses and was now asking for help. She was certain the decision was unpopular, and had caused more than a few bruised egos, but better that than a radioactive hole in Hong Kong. While she rejoiced on the inside, her outside voice remained businesslike.

“I’m not sure what resources we have nearby, but I’ll find out and will send the information to Commodore Simonis at Guam,” she promised. “Please have your staff work directly with him to get the equipment to Hong Kong.”

“Thank you, Doctor. I’ll have the commander of the Hong Kong Garrison establish communications with Squadron Fifteen.” Jing looked like he was getting ready to leave when Patterson pressed him.

“Admiral, I again offer our assistance with rescuing your crew.” She leaned forward, emphasizing her point. “Don’t abandon them.”

The admiral’s face finally cracked a little; a flash of regret briefly appeared. He then let out a deep sigh. “Doctor, I’m not confident there is anyone alive to rescue. Divers went down and rapped on the hull, there was no response. We will try again in the morning, but the odds are not particularly good.”

“You’re a submariner, aren’t you?” queried Patterson.

Jing looked a little surprised, then slowly smiled. “Yes, Doctor, I am.”

Grinning, Patterson answered his unasked question. “It shows. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with our CNO and get things moving. Your people in Hong Kong will hear from Commodore Simonis shortly.”

*   *   *

Patterson walked as fast as she could back to her office and telephoned Admiral Hughes. After a brief conversation, she took off for the Oval Office and for the umpteenth time resolved to start wearing flats to work. The president was with Milt Alvarez going over the afternoon’s schedule when he saw his grim-faced national security advisor stride into the office.

“You’ve got that look, Joanna. What disaster has befallen us this time?”

“I just spoke with the PLAN commander, Admiral Jing, they’ve basically confirmed what we thought;
Chakra
has almost certainly mined Hong Kong harbor. And she sank a Chinese submarine on her way out.”

Myles closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead; disappointment and frustration filled his face. “I had high hopes that Commander Mitchell would have caught
Chakra
before she could have launched any of the torpedoes. This unfortunate turn of events makes the situation considerably worse.”

“No one is more disappointed than Jerry, Mr. President. And if I know him, he’s already trying to pick up the trail, which leads me to what I need to discuss with you.”

The president looked perplexed. “What do you mean?”

“Sir, the Chinese have formally asked for our help in searching the two port facilities in Hong Kong. They need high-resolution, imaging-sonar-equipped platforms, and they need them now. I just talked to Admiral Hughes; the best he said we can do is to fly out side-scan sonar teams to Hong Kong, but this will take about twenty-four hours. And even after the teams arrive, it will take another six to twelve hours to get their gear rigged for operations aboard a Chinese ship.

“Thirty-six hours is too damn long, Mr. President. Once all the preps are completed, it’s still going to take days to properly scour both harbors. They aren’t small and the bottoms are undoubtedly strewn with all sorts of junk. We need to move faster,” stressed Patterson.

“What’s this got to do with Mitchell, Joanna? He certainly can’t rummage around looking for the torpedo with his submarine,” protested Myles.

“No, he can’t. But his UUVs can.”

Myles’s expression changed instantly to one of curiosity. Joanna had his attention.

“Jerry is carrying underwater remotes equipped with imaging side-scan sonars specifically designed for mine hunting. The resolution on those sonars is incredible, down to a couple of inches. They’ll have little problem identifying a torpedo, even if it’s buried in the mud. If we send him to Hong Kong, he can deploy his UUVs and monitor the search remotely from outside Chinese territorial waters.”

The president caught the implication immediately. “But that means pulling Mitchell off the hunt for
Chakra
.”

Patterson gave a resigned shrug; she wasn’t thrilled about the idea either. “Yes, Mr. President, but
North Dakota
is the only asset we have that can begin looking for the torpedo, or torpedoes, within hours instead of days.”

Myles leaned back in his chair, carefully considering Joanna’s recommendation. After a brief moment, he took a deep breath and shook his head slightly; there was a weary grin on his face. “He won’t be happy.”

“No, sir, I expect Jerry will be thoroughly pissed off. No submariner worth his salt is going to like being pulled off a hot pursuit, but that doesn’t change the fact that doing so is in the best interests of the United States. Jerry’s a smart guy, and a professional, he’ll recognize the right answer when told.”

“All right, Joanna, issue the order for
North Dakota
to return to Hong Kong and begin searching the port facilities for any sign of a torpedo. You’d better send it via the chain of command. Captain Mitchell doesn’t have to know this was your idea.”

Patterson shook her head ruefully. “I’m afraid that will be unavoidable, Mr. President.”

15 April 2017

2145 Local Time

USS
North Dakota

25 NM South of Dangan Island

South China Sea

“Excuse me, sir, they want me to do
what
!?” Jerry couldn’t believe what his commodore had just told him.

Simonis was completely sympathetic with Mitchell’s disbelief. He’d had to have the order repeated to him twice as well. “You’re to disengage from pursuing
Chakra
and proceed to Hong Kong at best possible speed. Once in position you’ll deploy your UUVs and commence surveying the bottoms of the port facilities at Shenzhen and Victoria Harbor. Since the concentration of false targets is expected to be very high, direct human monitoring is required to expedite the search for the nuclear-armed torpedoes.”

“Commodore, does SUBPAC realize I’m just a few hours behind
Chakra
? We’re in a position to overtake her within the next six hours. We can stop her from launching any more torpedoes.”

“Can you guarantee that, Captain?” demanded Simonis.

Jerry paused to let himself calm down; he knew he couldn’t. “No, sir, I can’t. But the odds are in our favor. We know where
Chakra
was about six hours ago and we know she’s not moving at high speed. This gives us a much better chance of catching her.”

“I completely agree, Captain, flaming datums have a habit of doing that. But the president is far more concerned with the threat of nuclear torpedoes being lodged in the mud inside two of China’s busiest ports. The Chinese government has formally asked for assistance in locating the torpedoes and your UUVs are the best and quickest way for us to help.”

Simonis’s tone was sympathetic. “I don’t like it either, Captain, but it’s his call to make and it does make sense. We’ll just have to let
North Carolina
deal with
Chakra
.”

“Sir, no disrespect to Scott Nevens and
North Carolina
, but he has a lot more area to cover and he doesn’t have anything other than her organic sensors—and her towed arrays aren’t as good as mine!” Jerry pleaded.

Simonis took a deep sigh; he was experiencing a bad case of déjà vu. Mitchell’s argument was essentially the exact same one he’d used with SUBPAC. But Admiral Burroughs was adamant; the UUVs had to get to Hong Kong as fast as possible. “You’re preaching to the choir, Captain,” replied Simonis. “The bottom line is we have our orders and we are expected to carry them out. Besides, you and I both know where this plan came from, don’t we?”

The smug look on the commodore’s face confirmed what Jerry had suspected. “Yes, sir, I’m sure this was Dr. Patterson’s idea. It sounds like something she’d come up with.”

“Then there’s nothing left to discuss then, is there? You’re to get the UUVs to Hong Kong ASAP and conduct a thorough search of both harbors. The Chinese are going to provide detailed hydrographic information, as well as any previous bottom surveys to assist you in planning your surveys. I’ll have the data sent to you as soon as we get it.” Simonis saw Jerry nod his acknowledgment. His face was crestfallen. Deep inside, the commodore felt bad for the young captain; he could sense Mitchell’s disappointment. The commodore decided a short pep talk was in order.

“If it’s any consolation, Jerry, you and your crew have the best chance of finding these nukes before they cause untold damage and millions of casualties. That’s not exactly a weak FITREP bullet, Captain.”