ordnance on target and time on top. You’ll see, the first time you’re sitting
in this chair instead of behind a desk.”
“Understood, Admiral,” Batman said formally.
“As the commander has explained, we lose face if we can’t play by the
rules of this game. So what we need to do is turn this situation to our own
advantage, without getting our people killed and without forcing the issues.
That about it, Commander?”
“Yes, Admiral, I’d say that’s an accurate summation.”
“How?” Tombstone said simply.
Lab Rat smiled a little. “I was hoping you might ask that.”
1800 local (Zulu -7)
TFCC
“This better work,” COS said grimly. He stared at the TFCC big-screen
display, watching the small symbol representing the Aegis track to the west.
“Otherwise, we’re in serious trouble if China decides to launch an alpha
strike against us.”
“Vincennes is fifteen miles off the coast of Vietnam, sir,” the TAO
reported. “Sufficient to be outside of territorial waters.”
“She was supposed to move further north,” Tombstone said, eyeballing the
distances. “He can probably surveil the northern approach from where he is,
but I’d like to give her the additional sensitivity that being closer will
give her. I need those famous Aegis eyes and spies giving me more warning.
Flankers coming off the coast of Vietnam aren’t the only threat we have to
worry about out here–not if Commander Busby’s intelligence estimate is
correct.”
“I suggested that, Admiral, but her CO mentioned that he’d prefer the
additional reaction time to the additional coverage,” the TAO answered.
Tombstone sighed. “Get him on the horn for me. Private circuit,
encrypted–and piped to my cabin alone.”
“Aye, aye, Admiral,” the TAO said, suppressing a grin. He picked up the
carrier telephone line to call the communications officer and arrange the
patch-through. For just a second, he was tempted to ask for the circuit to be
patched to his dialer as well, and then he thought better of it. Aegis had
been a pain in the ass all day, ever since the new OP-ORD had gone into
effect. Judging from the admiral’s expression, a full two-way duplex circuit
wasn’t going to be necessary. This was one conversation that looked like it
was going to be strictly one-way.
Within five minutes, the private circuit was patched through to
Tombstone’s cabin. The Communications Officer, or COMMO, had gotten quite
adept at arranging that particular configuration, since Tombstone found reason
to have to speak privately with the Aegis CO on a regular basis.
Tombstone held the receiver to his ear and listened to the hum of
encrypted static as he waited for the Aegis TAO to locate his commanding
officer. A few moments later, he heard Captain Killington’s distinctive
voice.
“You got a problem with your orders, Captain?” Tombstone said frostily.
“No problem, Admiral. Just a couple of questions about our position that
I was discussing with your TAO. I wasn’t sure how familiar he was with the
nuances of Aegis anti-air capabilities. Moving up north is going to decrease
our-”
“I’m aware of everything I need to know about an element of my battle
group, Captain. There are reasons for your orders–they were not invented out
of thin air simply to make your life more difficult.”
“I wonder if the Admiral is free to share some of those reasons with me,”
the Aegis CO said. Even over the encrypted net, the stiff, formally polite
tone of his voice was evident. Tombstone could almost understand it. From
Vincennes point of view, there were too many submarines in the vicinity of the
carrier. Additionally, since the size of battle groups had declined
drastically in the last several years, Vincennes was the only truly capable
anti-air platform around, doing double duty filling a role that previously
would have been supported by at least two cruisers. The only questionable air
contacts they’d seen in the last month had come from the coast of Vietnam.
Additionally, given the Chinese’s questionable air refueling capabilities, any
strike would most likely not come from China’s mainland, but from a detachment
deployed to Vietnam.
The sensible AAW coordinating position was off the coast of Vietnam, and
quite definitely not so close to land. From the position Tombstone had