CARRIER 3: ARMAGEDDON MODE

“Russians!” Magruder exploded. “Son of a bitch!”

“Do you have a problem with that, Admiral?”

Magruder was embarrassed. “Uh, no, sir. No problem. I’m just . . . surprised.”

The President grinned. “It surprised the hell out of me, I’ll tell you.” He glanced at Hall, who was frowning. “I’ve been told that the Russians are more interested in reestablishing their global reach than in stopping that war.”

“It’s possible, sir. They’ve lost a lot of prestige worldwide lately.”

‘ ‘You’re right. And I agree. This is probably the best chance Moscow has had since the Persian Gulf War to let the world know that the Commonwealth can be a world-class superpower.”

“I also happen to believe they’d like to avoid a nuclear war that close to home,” the President continued. He leaned forward, his hands clasping in front of him. “You know, Tom, if this thing spreads, if it turns nuclear, South Asia could just fall apart. Never mind whether the war spreads to other countries or directly threatens our interests in the region. We’ll have vast areas of devastation from Afghanistan to central India. We’ll have people starving to death by the hundreds of millions! And hundreds of millions more will be on the move . . . looking for food, for clean water, for a place to escape the horror. Can you grasp numbers like that? I sure as hell can’t!

“My feeling is that the Russians have enough trouble inside

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their own borders right now without having to deal with starving refugees by the millions … or Islamic warlords stepping into the power vacuum and calling for some damned religious crusade … or clouds of fallout drifting north across the border. Did you know Uzbekistan grows most of the Commonwealth’s cotton? That some of their best wheat and livestock-raising lands are in Kazakhstan? My God, a nuclear war just a few hundred miles from their border could be a catastrophe for the whole damned country! They’re having enough economic problems without nuclear devastation to add to it.”

“And if things get worse in the Commonwealth . . .” Magruder began.

“They’ll get bad for us too. We’re looking at a situation as dangerous as anything in the Cold War days. Maybe worse!”

Admiral Magruder leaned forward in his chair. “I’m still not sure what a carrier task force could do out there, Mr. President. Even with two carriers on station …”

“That’s why I called you in here, Tom. Maybe you can give us some thoughts on the situation. The one hard idea that’s surfaced in the NSC meetings so far calls for air strikes against Indian supply routes. The Indians have got to be gambling on a fast end to their war. If we could delay them, maybe things would bog down and we could get them talking to each other instead of shooting. Certainly, if the Indian advance stalls, the Pakistanis will feel less inclined to start tossing nukes around.”

“Mr. President,” Hall said. “This is an incredibly dangerous move. It could also be a political disaster for—”

“Fuck politics, George!” The President stood suddenly behind his desk. “We’re talking about trying to disarm two tough street kids before they burn down the block!”

Hall looked stunned. “Yes, sir.”

“Wait outside. I’ll buzz if I need you.”

“Yes, Mr. President.” Hall left the room.

“At the risk of getting kicked out on my tail, Mr. President,” Magruder said, “Mr. Hall’s right. If we step in, with or without the Russians, it could touch a match to the powder keg. And if the Indians already think we’re allied with Pakistan,

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what are they going to think when we send a couple of A-6s in to bomb their troop convoys?”

“I know, Admiral. If you have a better idea, I’m certainly willing to listen.”

‘ ‘Do you really think the Indians and the Pakistanis will back down if you threaten them with a couple of aircraft carriers, sir?”

“Pakistan will,” the President said. “I’ve been talking with their ambassador too. All they want is for the Indians to return to the borders. They insist they won’t do anything, ah, irrevocable, not until they’re up against the wall. After that . . .”He shrugged. “We have that long, anyway, to try. Right now, the big question mark is with our own people.” The President paused, then looked Magruder in the eye. “What do you think they’ll say on the Jefferson if I order them to join forces with the Russkies?”

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