‘Let’s clear the deck,” die Air Boss said in Tombstone’s as a yellow shirt started to direct him across the deck. **Qa the double. We have helos inbound.” Okay. ft was good to be home.
hows, 26 U&rch deck, U.S.S. Thomas Jefferson
Fitzgerald was waiting as several Corpsmen lowered Stokes from the helo and eased Admiral Vaughn to the r’s deck. The admiral found himself puzzling over an odd it above his face, until he realized that he was lying on looking up through the still-turning rotors of a Navy |Sea King helicopter. Had he been asleep?
No matter. Fitzgerald’s creased, anxious face bent low over own. “Admiral? How are you?”
278
Keith Douglass
ARMAGEDDON HODE
279
“Can’t complain,” Vaughn said, weakly. “Doesn’t do any good.”
“My people’ll get you to sick bay, Admiral. They’re good. They’ll patch you up—”
“Listen, Captain,” Vaughn interrupted. “You’ve got command of the battle group.”
“They told me half an hour ago you were wounded, sir,” he said, nodding. “As senior officer, I took command then.”
“The . . . group?”
“We took a pasting. Can’t deny that. Kremlin and Vicksburg are both hit pretty bad. But the Indian air force damn near busted a gut doing that much. We estimate they’ve lost fifty aircraft of all types. They turned tail and started running shortly after Vicksburg took that missile.”
“Good. One . . . one more order, then.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Complete … the mission.”
“Sir?”
“Carry out . . . mission.” The pain in his arm was back, growing steadily worse despite the morphine. “We’ve got to follow through. If we don’t . . . it’s all been for nothing. Nothing …”
“Admiral, it may not be possible. We’ve got fifteen F-14s flying, period. And they’re going to have to rearm and refuel. We have to guard the battle group. …”
“Use . . . Russians,” Vaughn said.
“They haven’t exactly been cooperative,” Fitzgerald pointed out. “I don’t—”
“Russians . . . have squadron up. Can’t land. Use them. Somehow …” Suddenly, it seemed terribly important to Vaughn that their losses not be in vain. A waste.
Fitzgerald grinned suddenly. “Don’t you worry, Admiral. They tell me the Jeff\\ have all four cats back on line in another hour, max. After that . . . well, like they say. Charlie Mike.” Continue mission.
“Good . . .”
The blue sky behind Fitzgerald’s head was darkening . . . darkening.
Admiral Vaughn slipped into oblivion.
|M7 hours, 26 March
ftyit deck, U.S.S. Thomas Jefferson
”Vi|L
$J: Hzgerald watched as they carried Vaughn off toward the ‘$k Stand, then moved back out of the way as a deck officer waved |ir personnel to stand clear. The Sea King’s pilot began jflfflning the helo’s rotors. The deck officer lifted his hands fl I a final all-clear. With a roar, the helo lifted from the deck, angled across the carrier’s port side and out over the
On the horizon, he could see the smoky stain where cjtsiwrg was burning.
He checked his watch, then glanced toward the carrier’s He couldn’t see the damage control parties, of course. sy were all below, working on the steam lines that had been
aged by the Exocet hit. They’d better have them ready in an hour. Fitzgerald breathed a long, slightly unsteady sigh of relief. they’d flown the admiral back aboard, he’d already the orders to continue readying the strike aircraft for the on India. Not mat it would have made a lot of difference way or the other at some later, formal board of inquiry or t-martial. It was just nice to know that he wasn’t entirely
in his decision. “The joint task force had been hit hard, but they could still out the mission. Hit the Indian supply columns. Force to end their invasion of Pakistan. Charlie Mike.
CHAPTER 26
1015 hours, 26 March
YR5 Ready Room, U.S.S. Thomas Jefferson
CAG Marusko stood behind the lectern at the front of the Vipers’ Ready Room, rocking back on his heels as be brought the squadron up to date. Tombstone sat with the others at the small metal desks with the folding wooden writing surfaces, like schoolboys being lectured by their teacher.