or for how long. Direct, tight-beam satellite feeds are hard to trace or
jam, but there are some ugly customers hereabouts who might like to
try.”
“Roger that.”
“Any ideas about getting us out of here?”
“We’re working on it, Stoney. Air superiority is a problem right now.”
“Understood.”
“So is Washington. We’ve not had any clear direction as to what we’re
supposed to do. I can tell you right now that if it was up to the people
here on the Jeff, they’d declare war on Russia right this minute, for
knocking out the bridge, stranding you guys, taking a shot at one of our
planes, wounding the admiral. .. and probably for conduct unbecoming, as
well. But the five-sided squirrel cage is being slow just now.”
“What’s happening with the chain of command?”
“Okay. Captain Brandt, as Tarrant’s flag captain, just got a brevet
promotion to admiral. Confirmed through Naples about fifteen minutes
ago. He’s taking over the entire battle group, but he’ll be under the
command of Admiral Collins, who’s senior.”
“Right.” Rear Admiral Frederick Collins was the commanding officer of
MEU-25, together with Marine Colonel Winston Howell, who commanded the
MEU’s ground troops. From what he’d heard, Howell was a firebrand who’d
won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Vietnam, while Collins was a
more cautious, conservative type.
“Commander Hadley’s got the ship, though he’s pretty junior, too. I’ve
been confirmed as CAG. Sorry, Stoney, but you’re out of a job. At least
until we work out a way to get you guys out of there.”
“No problem, Coyote. I think I’ll have my hands full here.”
“Right. We’re on full alert, of course, and flying full coverage
patrols. Lots of intercepts, too. The Russkis are testing us. .. or
maybe trying to use up our JP-5. We’ll keep flying as long as we can,
though.”
“We’re going to need to work on getting the shore party back to the
ship,” Tombstone told him. “The admiral needs medical help, better
medical help than they can give him here, and we have some other wounded
as well. We also have a large number of civilians. They might be allowed
to leave from the Simferopol Airport, but I’m not holding my breath.”
“I wouldn’t, Stoney. Last we heard here, monitoring Russian radio, the
military was shutting down all commercial flights, ‘for the duration of
the present emergency.'”
“Did they say what the emergency was?”
“No. They’re managing to say it’s Ukrainians and foreign mercenaries
both, without releasing anything definite. Oh, and Boychenko has been
branded a traitor. Our old friend Dmitriev is in charge of the Black Sea
Fleet, and he’s declared himself the legitimate military governor. No
response yet from Krasilnikov’s people. At least, none we’ve heard.”
“Okay. I think we’re going to have to assume that we’re stuck here for a
while, though I want you to keep working on a way of getting the wounded
off. Maybe at night, by submarine.”
“We’ll look into it.”
The crump and rumble of heavy gunfire–field artillery,
possibly–sounded closer and louder, lending a new sense of urgency to
the conversation.
“Okay, Coyote. I don’t have much time. The way I see it, either
Washington comes to our rescue, or we’re going to be left on our own out
here while they argue about it.”
“Is this a multiple-choice test? How many guesses do I get?”
“We have to start planning for what happens if they hang us out to dry.”
“Agreed.”
“Okay, here are some possibilities.
Together, they began discussing options.
1630 hours (Zulu +3)
Flag Plot, U.S.S. Thomas Jefferson “Attention on deck!”
Coyote and the other staff officers standing around the large chart
table snapped to attention at the call of the sailor standing guard
outside the compartment door. Captain–no, Coyote reminded
himself–Admiral Brandt walked in, followed by several of his staff
aides, looking grim.
The assembly had been called earlier that afternoon and included not
only Jefferson’s department heads, but the skippers and senior staff of
several of the other ships in the squadron, including those of MEU-25.
Steve Marusko was there, as skipper of the Guadalcanal, as was Colonel
Winston Howell, the commanding officer of MEU-25’s Marine detachment.