incidents–you are sure?”
“We have our sources,” T’ing snapped. “As you well should know. And
should you be the least bit confused about this, let me remind you of the
landing rights we assert within your own country. Do you really wish to enter
into this political discourse? Oh, yes, we’re aware that normalization of
relations is the watchword in your country now. But remember who you will
have to live with when the Americans are gone!”
“And you believe that they will leave this theater of operations? Still,
with all the increases in trade and travel?” Ngyugen pressed.
“I have no doubt about it! And it will be sooner than you ever dreamed!”
T’ing turned and stalked away. It was one thing to tolerate the arrogance of
the American ambassador. While that might be required in the short term, it
would eventually come to an end. Impudence from Vietnamese politicians was
another matter entirely.
1520 local (Zulu -7)
CVIC
USS Jefferson
Lab Rat swore silently and shivered as a particularly cold gust from the
overhead air conditioning vent blasted down his neck. Only when the carrier
was deployed to the brutally hot Persian Gulf did the temperature in CVIC ever
approach habitable. In the South China Sea, the temperature in the room
packed with electronics gear hovered between fifty and sixty degrees. No
amount of pleading with the ship’s engineers could get it stabilized at an
almost livable sixty-five degrees. It was an article of faith with every
engineer he’d ever met that electrons worked better when frozen.
He looked up from the debriefing form and stared at the pilot and RIO
across the table. To them, just coming off the hot flight deck, the
temperature must seem refreshing. In a few minutes, when the sweat dried and
their damp flight suits chilled, they’d change their minds. Lab Rat hoped he
could keep them from dashing back to their staterooms for flight jackets or
warmer clothes. Once they were out of CVIC, the details of their flight,
along with their willingness to cooperate in the debrief, would evaporate just
as quickly as the sweat.
He tried again. “It just blew up? That’s all? No I&W indications and
warnings? What about those four contacts you were tracking?” he asked.
“Sir, you saw the same picture we did. We were up in the LINK the entire
time, except when we got too low and lost the signal. According to the Aegis,
those contacts were ghosts. Something strange about the atmospheric
conditions, maybe. You know how it is out there. I wish I could give you a
better answer, but I just don’t know whether there was one Flanker or four,”
Tomboy replied wearily.
“What about when you were down on the deck and dropped out of the LINK?
Anything then?” Lab Rat pressed.
“She said she didn’t see anything, Commander,” Batman said sharply.
Lab Rat leaned back in his chair and stared thoughtfully at the aviator
captain. It was a good thing, he decided, that he’d taken on debriefing the
flight crew himself. While mission debriefs were normally done by lieutenants
or more junior officers, the rank and importance of this particular crew
seemed to warrant his personal attention, even apart from the strange events
that had occurred.
Captain Wayne, he reflected, was just as impressively intimidating as
he’d been led to believe. At the same time, he was certain that Batman
understood the reason for the repeated questions, the cross-examination that
he and his RIO were undergoing. It wasn’t that anyone doubted their account,
but lives were at stake. The simplest detail overlooked in the initial
debrief that surfaced in more intensive sessions might save another aviator’s
life. And the captain’s protective attitude toward his RIO was hindering that
investigation.
“I understand what she said, Captain,” Lab Rat said politely, but firmly.
“Sometimes new details surface when we go over something several times.”
“There are no details to surface! Look, we’ve spent the last six hours
in these flight suits, and I for one could use food and coffee. I don’t know
what the hell made that island explode, and neither does she,” Batman said,
pointing at his RIO. “We can’t come up with explanations for everything.