CARRIER 4: FLAME-OUT By Keith Douglass

one. That made the choice for this phase of the operation inevitable.

“Status?”

Coyote’s reply was curt. “Unchanged.” He paused, then continued.

“Still nothing from the bad guys. Looks like they’ve pulled in their horns

and plan to defend right over their battle group.”

“Makes sense,” Magruder said. “The closer in you get, the more of a

target you make for ship-launched SAMs. As long as they’re confident of taking

out anything you throw at them from long range, they’re sitting pretty.”

“Yeah.” Grant didn’t find the words encouraging. He hesitated before

going on. “Look, Stoney … I let a lot of petty shit make me crazy. If I

don’t come back …”

“You’ll be back, Coyote,” Magruder interrupted. “You’re indestructible.”

“If I don’t come back, just know I still think you’re the best. And I

think you’re going to make a pretty good CAG someday too.”

Magruder didn’t respond for a long moment, and when he did his tone had

changed. “Tango Six-fiver just spotted a squadron heading your way from the

invasion fleet,” he said. “Time to turn out the lights out there, Coyote.

Phase Two … Execute.”

Coyote changed radio channels. “All Odins, all Odins, this is Odin

Leader. Phase Two.”

“Roger that,” Batman replied, and the rest of the diminished squadron,

four more planes, followed suit. Coyote pulled back on his joystick and

rammed his throttles forward. The Tomcats surged skyward, climbing high above

the rest of the strike force and leaving them far behind.

0009 hours Zulu (0009 hours Zone)

CIC Air Ops module, U.S.S. Thomas Jefferson

In the Norwegian Sea

“Loki Leader, this is Asgard,” Magruder said, striving for the kind of

calm Stramaglia had always been able to muster. “Phase Two commences now.

Start the symphony and launch your attack.”

He could hardly contain his nervousness, his impatience. Magruder had

never realized how hard it would be to have to sit out the fighting back in

Air Ops, surrounded by constant reminders of the situation facing the men in

the air but without the means to take direct action. It was a frustrating

experience.

Of course, he might have gone up with one of those squadrons. Stramaglia

had given in to the urge. At least he had gone out fighting.

But his new responsibilities as CAG held Magruder back. His job was now

the coordination of multiple efforts, not only each of the components of the

Alpha Strike but also of the Tomcats flying BARCAP over the battle group and

the helos conducting ASW searches. Just as a modern general couldn’t indulge

in leading infantry charges in the field anymore, so he had moved beyond the

realm where he could take part in an air battle in good conscience. It was

too easy when you were up there to lose track of everything but your own

immediate problems. Losing Gridley because of his impatience to deal with a

different crisis altogether had shown him that much.

For now, he knew, he had to be in CIC. But knowing that simple fact

didn’t make the decision to stay put any easier.

“Asgard, Loki Leader,” Bigfoot Henderson replied. “Acknowledged. We’re

going in.”

0010 hours Zulu (0010 hours Zone)

Air Ops, Soviet Aircraft Carrier Soyuz

In the Norwegian Sea

“Captain! Enemy radar jamming has just intensified. It is as if they

suddenly flipped a switch and turned up their power tenfold.” Glushko crossed

to the radar technician and peered over his shoulder at the screen, which was

fuzzy with streaks and static. “Compensate!” he growled.

“Captain, I cannot,” the technician protested. “Perhaps the feed from

the An-74 will be better, but the equipment I have here-”

“Then patch in to the AEW,” Glushko shouted. “Do it! Before they start

their attack run!” They needed effective radars to track the American attack.

He hoped the SAM batteries in the fleet wouldn’t be too seriously hampered by

this sudden change in the enemy jamming technique. If it turned out that the

surface ships would not be able to bring their firepower to bear, his decision

to let the Americans come all the way in would turn out to be a disaster.

The image on the main plotting board jumped and danced, then suddenly

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