to maintain his calm. “Request you send the other squadron back to support
us. They outnumber my surviving planes and are fresh.”
“Nyet, nyet,” Glushko replied harshly. “This is only a feint. They want
to draw off our defense so they can strike the carrier. Those planes will not
be armed for air-to-air. Break off your current engagement and attack them!”
“That isn’t the plan!” he shot back. “We have these Americans in our
sights!”
“That is a direct order, Captain Terekhov,” Glushko told him. “Are you
disobeying me?”
“Negative, Cossack,” he said hastily. “We will begin a disengagement
here and attack the new wave … but if they are armed as interceptors we will
have to receive support or withdraw. We cannot fight another extended battle
without rearming.”
“Just do it!” Glushko said.
Terekhov swung his MiG back toward the continuing air battle. The three
surviving Americans were weaving in and out of a larger mass of seven or eight
Russian planes, barely avoiding the overwhelming numbers. If they could
finish off these three quickly, Glushko couldn’t protest too loudly. Wiping
out a full American Tomcat squadron would give Terekhov too much credit for
the air wing commander to quibble.
He had one missile left. If the second American wave really was fitted
out for a strike mission he could fight them with guns alone … and if they
weren’t, if they were carrying full air-to-air loads, one missile more or less
wouldn’t make any difference.
Terekhov picked out the lucky Tomcat by the slapdash flying style of its
pilot and turned to line up on him. One last attack, and the trap would be
complete.
0948 hours Zulu (0948 hours Zone)
Viking 704
Northwest of the Faeroe Islands
“Viking Seven-oh-four, this is Camelot.” Magruder recognized the
voice–Owens, the junior air wing officer. He sounded worried.
“Seven-oh-four, what’s your status out there?”
At Harrison’s nod Magruder took the radio mike. “Seven-oh-four, still
hunting,” he said. “We scratched one sub, but we may be on the trail of
another one. What can we do for you, Camelot?”
Owens was slow to reply. “Commander, CAG’s been hit,” he said at last.
“Coyote just reported it. No survivors.”
“Goddamn!” Though he’d been infuriated by Stramaglia’s attitude toward
him, angry at the restrictions he’d placed on Magruder’s employment, Tombstone
had admired CAG. He couldn’t believe the Old Man had bought it out there.
Then it hit him. With Stramaglia dead, Jefferson had a new CAG.
Commander Matthew Magruder.
“What’s the situation, Camelot?” he asked, forcing aside his emotion and
trying to sound brisk and businesslike.
“Not good,” Owens responded. “Coyote’s flight ran into heavy opposition.
Most of the Vipers are gone. The Javelins will be in the thick of it in a
couple more minutes, and we’re still launching the Fighting Hornets, but it’s
pretty grim. And all hell’s breaking loose in Iceland. Keflavik’s been hit
pretty hard, and the planes that got off before the base went won’t be able to
make it to an American base. Iceland’s refusing permission to let any Of our
boys land … I guess they’re afraid the Russians’ll hit civilian fields
next.”
Magruder didn’t like the sound of the younger man’s voice. Owens was
clearly out of his depth, floundering, and Jefferson couldn’t afford an
indecisive CAG in Air Ops now.
“All right, Camelot, I’m getting the picture. I’ll head back ASAP.
Meantime tell the Javelins to get into that fight if they have to get out and
push … and get in touch with those stranded Air Force boys and get an update
on their status.”
Owens sounded better when he replied. “Aye, aye … CAG.”
“Seven-oh-four, clear.” Magruder replaced the mike and turned to
Harrison. “Break off the hunt, Commander, and take us back to the Jeff.”
Harrison looked unhappy. “But what if this contact’s another sub?”
“Look, Commander, we don’t even know for sure that it was a separate
contact. I’ve got to get back to the carrier and try to salvage something
from this mess.” His thoughts turned to Batman and Malibu, who might already
be dead. And Coyote too, who’d reported CAG’s death but could still go down
before the Hornet squadron arrived on the scene. Despite their clash, he