Fatal Thunder

15 UNPLEASANT NEWS

It was 2:30 A.M. in New Delhi, but India’s Foreign Secretary, Gopan Jadeja, was awake and in his office when Lloyd called, still digesting the news of the failed raid at Visakhapatnam. At first he was unhappy, even angry with the news that the U.S. intended to notify the Chinese of Chakra’s departure, but finally admitted that India’s leadership was “distracted.”

“President Handa has been trying to manage the news of the disastrous raid, as well as the investigation into the conspiracy. It’s hard to know whom to trust. With the involvement of people like Vice Admiral Dankhar and Special Director Ijay Thapar, everyone in the government is now suspect. The president has acknowledged that we need to inform China, but wanted to wait. After all, it will take Chakra some time to get there.”

“And every hour of delay increases the plot’s chance of success,” Lloyd countered.

“The navy has been mobilized.” Jadeja bristled.

Lloyd was unimpressed. “It is unfortunate that there is so little they can do, in spite of their best efforts. Chakra is a very capable vessel. Because of the danger her mission puts us all in, the United States is using its naval assets to find and stop Chakra, by whatever means necessary.”

“What? Without coordinating with my government…”

“We are taking this action unilaterally,” Lloyd said firmly. “Since Chakra has gone rogue, this is not an action against the Indian government, with whom the United States wishes to have the best possible relations.”

Lloyd could hear the minister beginning to protest, but continued speaking. “In practicality, there is little the Indian Navy can do, especially once she enters the South China Sea. The only naval unit with the range to operate there is Chakra herself, and we both know her capabilities. If your P-8 aircraft can eventually be made operational, they would be welcome to join our own antisubmarine aircraft at Guam to help in the search.”

Jadeja sighed. “You are correct, Mr. Secretary.” After a short pause, he added sharply, “But, I’m afraid that’s not good enough.”

Lloyd, a little confused, replied, “The United States is willing to work with India in any way that facilitates stopping Chakra. We could rebroadcast the same message you are sending to the sub,” he suggested.

“That’s a good idea, but I had something else in mind,” Jadeja answered. “We need a representative to be present.”

Now perplexed, Secretary Lloyd said simply, “I don’t understand.”

“Most likely, someone, probably your navy, will have to sink Chakra. It is unlikely that everyone on the submarine is aware of the plot. Even as we agree that she must be stopped, we must also recognize that innocents will be killed, as well as the criminals that are carrying out the plan.”

“It is unfortunate,” Lloyd agreed.

“If this were an execution, there would be witnesses present. India requests that Captain Girish Samant be a witness to the events. As her former captain, he can provide valuable assitance, and should it become necessary to sink her, he can come back and tell us what happened.”

“You make a strong case, Minister Jadeja,” Lloyd admitted.

“I was an advocate for thirty-three years before I entered government service. Samant will have diplomatic status and plenipotentiary powers. There can be no question of his loyalty to India or his judgment.”

“All right,” Lloyd agreed. “The United States will allow Captain Girish Samant to act as India’s liaison and representative during this crisis in matters relating to Chakra. The headquarters for the search is Guam.”

“I will arrange transportation for the captain immediately, by the fastest possible means,” Jadeja replied. “India is grateful for your agreement in this extremely difficult time. Captain Samant’s presence will go far in assuaging any hard feelings that might arise between our countries.”

“In that case, we will look forward to his arrival.”

Ambassador Xi Ping didn’t waste time contacting Beijing for instructions. A late-day summons to the White House, without any warning, meant something unexpected, and probably bad news, not that he’d gotten any warning from back home.

Those turtles’ sons back in Beijing were only interested in keeping their jobs. China’s industry was in a shambles, her economy at a virtual standstill. People were hungry and dying of cold and disease, but the capital acted like the court of an ancient Chinese dynasty. Nothing but intrigue and backstabbing. They only knew what Xi told them, and if he didn’t know what this new meeting was about, the Politburo would know even less.

Xi had been more than lucky to accept the posting as China’s new ambassador to America. It was his “reward” for faithful service in the intelligence arm during the Littoral Alliance war, which to him meant that the careerists and sycophants wanted him well away from Beijing so he wouldn’t pose a threat to their positions. He now realized how fortunate he was to be clear of those toadies.

He’d reluctantly accepted, last November, and with just six months in the post, was still getting used to the job. He’d met with President Myles several times, usually on business relating to the aftermath of the war or China’s desperate trade situation. It was unsettling that the American president’s Mandarin was better than Xi’s English.

The trip from Cleveland Park through Washington usually took fifteen minutes, but they were fighting rush-hour congestion. Although there was no set time for the meeting, Xi was impatient. He wanted to find out what was important enough to summon him and the defense attaché with no notice and no explanation.

Milt Alvarez, the White House Chief of Staff, was waiting for them, and ushered the two to a conference room in the West Wing, then left to notify President Myles. Dr. Patterson, the National Security Advisor, was already there, wearing a serious expression. Americans liked to smile when they greeted each other. It was almost a reflex. The best Patterson could manage when she shook Xi’s hand was grim and tight-lipped, and Xi began to worry.

She was well known for her work in addressing the massive environmental cleanup under way in the South China Sea. China didn’t have a post equivalent to America’s national security advisor. With so many generals as members of the Politburo, there was no lack of military knowledge or experience in China’s leadership. It said something about the separation of the military and politics in America that the president needed someone like that as his personal expert.

Patterson and the Chinese were still exchanging polite greetings when President Myles walked in, followed by a U.S. Navy admiral. He was introduced to Xi as Admiral Hughes, the Chief of Naval Operations. So it was a military matter. That’s why he’d been asked to bring Major General Yeng, the defense attaché. This was not going to be good.

Dr. Patterson walked over to the podium. “Mr. Ambassador, it is our unfortunate duty to inform China that an Indian nuclear attack submarine, INS Chakra, left the port of Visakhapatnam yesterday evening at twenty-one hundred their time, or noon today here.” She was speaking carefully. Xi could tell she had rehearsed the speech. She was also speaking a little slowly, probably out of deference to his less-than-fluent English. She was watching him closely, and Xi nodded to her to continue.

She took a breath. “The Indian government, in cooperation with the United States and Russian Federation, discovered a conspiracy within the Indian military that was intent on attacking China because of its support to Pakistan. The Indian authorities tried to arrest the conspirators, but they escaped.” She paused again, and Xi looked over to Major General Yeng, who looked worried, even alarmed.

Xi leaned close to Yeng and asked, “Is this Chakra the same nuclear submarine that India sent against us last year?” He spoke softly. There was at least two other Americans in the room that spoke Mandarin.

Yeng nodded. “She is a Russian-made Akula attack submarine, a very capable vessel. She sank more than her share of tankers and warships. She could hurt us, but I don’t understand what the Indians think they could achieve with just a single submarine.”

The Chinese ambassador turned back to face Dr. Patterson. “It is just this one submarine? Do you know their plan? What is their destination?”

Patterson swallowed hard and answered the ambassador. “They intend to approach five major Chinese ports and fire torpedoes fitted with nuclear warheads into each one.”

Confused, Xi looked to Yeng again. The general’s horrified expression told Xi he had understood Patterson’s English correctly. Xi shook his head, as if to clear it, and looked at the other Americans. Myles sat grim-faced, and finally said, in Mandarin, “It is true, Mr. Ambassador.”

Dr. Patterson said, “The Chinese ambassador to New Delhi will be briefed by India’s President Handa and his top officials. That way, your nation’s leaders will receive this extraordinary news from two different sources in two different countries.”

Xi sat silently, still absorbing the news, and she continued, “The Indian plotters have fitted Russian one-hundred-and-fifty-kiloton nuclear warheads, obtained from an arms smuggler, to five torpedoes. The weapons will likely be set to go off at the same time, after all five have been fired into their target port. We have a list of potential targets that was uncovered during the investigation.”

She handed Xi a single sheet of paper. It was a photocopy, and he could see the English names for ten ports, which were also some of China’s largest cities. Hong Kong, Shanghai, Qingdao, others. His chest was tight. He found it hard to breathe. He had family in Shanghai. “And five of these ten cities will be attacked?”

“Yes, Mr. Ambassador.” She seemed so calm, he noticed.

Yeng leaned toward him. “Can this be true?” he whispered.

The thought had not occurred to Xi. But what would the Americans gain by such an outrageous lie? And the Indians are telling the same thing to our ambassador in New Delhi? He shook his head again. “It’s incredible. I don’t want to believe this, but we will accept this as true, at least until we get more information.”

Xi was starting to grasp the implications of the India plot. “Didn’t the Indians understand that my country would retaliate after an attack like this?”

“If the conspirators’ plan had remained secret, the first sign would have been the explosions. It is likely the submarine would have remained completely undetected. Nuclear forensics would show that the weapons were of Russian origin, exactly like the one that exploded in Kashmir.”

Xi felt another shock, and confusion. “Kashmir was part of this plot?” he asked.

“Only accidentally,” Patterson answered. “The schemers had acquired six weapons, but Kashmiri militants stole one, and accidentally set it off. Thanks to that accident, the conspirators could blame Islamic terrorists for the nuclear attacks, and their Russian manufacture would clear India of any responsibility.”

“How did the Indians get these bombs?”

Patterson explained what they had learned about the barge off the coast of Novaya Zemlya, showing Xi the same photographs the Russians had given them. She described her personal role, and how the analysis of the stolen warheads had allowed the U.S. to determine that the device that exploded, and by inference the others, was a Russian 150-kiloton missile warhead. “I’m sure your government sampled the debris cloud and made their own analysis.”

Xi shrugged. “It’s possible, but I would not expect to be shown such an analysis, if it existed.”

“Ours was made public,” she replied. “Hopefully comparing it with your own will help convince you that our warning is real.”

She then described, without naming Petrov or Samant, how the Indian conspiracy had been suspected, then discovered, and finally confirmed. “President Myles informed the Indian government, including President Handa, of the plot two days ago. They acted to quash the plan, but failed to stop the submarine before it left port. We then discussed the situation and decided that we had to tell you immediately.”

Xi did the math. “They knew about this for two days and they couldn’t stop the submarine from leaving port? It doesn’t sound like they were trying very hard.”

“We don’t have a complete picture of what happened between when we notified the Indian government and when Chakra sailed,” Patterson admitted.

Myles cut in. “The Indian government,” he emphasized the word, “was as horrified by the plotters’ objective as we were, as the Russians were when they learned of it, especially since their nationals were involved in smuggling the weapons out of Russia and modifying them to fit in a Russian torpedo. Several high-level officials were undoubtedly involved, including an Indian Navy vice admiral, but they operated outside of, and without the knowledge of, the Indian government.

“Mr. Ambassador,” Myles continued, “there’s been enough blood shed already. The United States, Russia, and India all are willing to do all they can to stop this plan from succeeding. It will likely take the submarine about a week to reach Chinese waters. We can use that time.”

Myles gestured toward the CNO. “Admiral Hughes is ready to work with your navy and the Indian Navy to find and stop Chakra, sinking her if need be. In a sense, the conspirators have already failed, since their attack will no longer be anonymous.”

“Do the men on the submarine know that their plan has been exposed?” Xi asked.

Myles looked over to Hughes, who answered. “We’re broadcasting messages to Chakra on frequencies the Indian Navy says they should be listening to, telling them that the Chinese government has been warned and that President Handa is ordering them to come back. We don’t know if they’re listening, and if they are, if they will obey the Indian president’s order. But we’re trying.”

Xi Ping had been an army officer before accepting the ambassador’s post, but his intelligence background, as well as the recent Littoral Alliance war, had given him a good understanding of a submarine’s strengths and weaknesses. The ocean was vast, and if a submarine didn’t want to be found, then it was simple for it to avoid searching ships and aircraft. The few hostile submarines China had sunk in the recent war had been found and attacked after revealing themselves when they sank a Chinese ship.

This submarine would be attacking five of ten cities. Could the navy protect all ten? He wasn’t sure the navy could protect five, or even one. The People’s Liberation Army Navy had suffered many losses in combat with the Littoral Alliance countries. In the aftermath of the war, operating funds had been virtually eliminated. China needed the money to rebuild her industry, pay reparations, and buy desperately needed food and fuel.

And the admirals in charge had not been able to protest. After all, the navy had failed to protect China. Why should the country buy expensive replacement warships when the ones in service had failed to protect her vital merchant ships? The navy, stripped of funds and fuel, had essentially rotted at the pier for the last six months.

Xi realized that China would need to ask the Americans, and possibly even the Littoral Alliance navies, for help in finding and stopping this submarine. Even if China’s navy was not in rags, the threat was so great that logic demanded they should ask for assistance from anyone able to help.

The Chinese ambassador turned his thoughts into carefully phrased English. “China is grateful for the American offer. I do not have the authority to answer for my government, but I believe they will accept your proposal. What type of assistance could you provide?”

“Maritime patrol aircraft searching along Chakra’s path, surface ships and submarines as well, although they will take longer to get in position,” Hughes answered.

Ambassador Xi nodded his understanding, but turned to Yeng. The attaché replied to Hughes, “Then you will need to know the locations of our ships and submarines, and we’ll need to know your units’ positions, of course.”

While Major General Yeng discussed details with Hughes, Xi tried to imagine the reaction back in Beijing. This was a much greater threat than losing the Littoral Alliance war, with the only possible help coming from enemies and rivals. There was nothing good in his message, and he could only hope his superiors wouldn’t shoot the messenger. Inside, he cried for his country, already suffering. China’s humiliation would be complete — and that was the best possible outcome, the one they would have to hope for.

There had obviously been no time for Patterson to actually travel to Manila, the new headquarters of the Littoral Alliance. The Philippine capital was centrally located for the member nations: Japan, Taiwan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea, Singapore, and India. Only six months after the end of the war, it was still very much a military headquarters, but diplomats from all the member nations were in residence.

Manila was also twelve hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, so the American request for a videoconference had reached the alliance headquarters at the start of the working day. Most of the representatives were just arriving, and were available in relatively short order. The videoconference had been set for 8:00 A.M. in Manila, or 8:00 P.M. in Washington, but it was a little after that when her deputy stood in the open door and knocked twice. “We’ve got a quorum. All the seats are filled.”

Admiral Hughes was already in the room when Patterson arrived, and had been chatting with the different representatives as they logged in. The large flat-panel display showed the nine countries’ civilian and military representatives in the main conference room. Ambassador Liao of Independent Taiwan had the rotating chairmanship, and introduced the civilian and military officers.

While her staffer transmitted photographs, diagrams, and maps that were displayed for the alliance officials, Patterson laid out the plot, the source of the bombs, and the status of the investigation in India. The last diagram was a nautical chart showing Chakra’s likely position in the Bay of Bengal, as well as arcs showing all possible positions at different speeds.

As soon as it was clear that she had finished, Ambassador Liao immediately asked, “Why are we finding out about this from the United States, instead of our own Indian representative?”

Indian ambassador Kanna was actually back in India, so his place had been taken by his deputy, who pleaded ignorance. Nobody believed he would be privy to such sensitive information. Still, this meant there was no way to corroborate Patterson’s information.

Ambassador Suzuki, one of two diplomats speaking from their homes, said, “Dr. Patterson, we accept the information you present as true, but it’s simply too much to take in all at once. Logic would demand that you wish us to assist in finding and possibly — no, probably sinking one of our own ally’s submarines, to protect a country we recently fought. Destroying China’s economy by attacking her commerce was part of our strategy,” he reminded her.

“Not with nuclear weapons,” Patterson countered. She gestured to her assistant, who displayed another image, a map of the Chinese coast. “These are the ten ports on the list we obtained.” She nodded, and the aide pressed a key. “Here are the prevailing winds for late April in that region.” Arrows appeared showing the general easterly wind patterns over Asia. She nodded again. “And here are the positions of the fallout from a one-hundred-and-fifty-kiloton surface burst at each of the ten locations.” Elongated ovals stretched across the East China Sea, the Yellow Sea, and the South China Sea to the countries that lined China’s coast.

“We can’t know which of the ten ports the conspirators have actually chosen, but the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, and even South Korea would likely be in the path of the fallout. Some of it will certainly settle in the waters surrounding China, and you can imagine the effects on the fishing grounds. More environmental cleanup, and a lot of hungry people.

“Ignoring the effects of the attack on the Chinese economy, which would likely trigger a catastrophic worldwide depression, ignoring the humanitarian disaster of millions of Chinese injured and killed, some of your own citizens will suffer and die as a direct result of the attacks.

“And if any of you are reluctant to sink an ‘allied’ Indian submarine, remember that India is doing her level best to arrest the people who planned this, and that the plotters don’t seem to be concerned about collateral damage to the other alliance members.”

She could see nodding heads, and pressed home her point. “This is the alliance’s problem as much as China’s. When something this bad happens, everyone suffers.”

Liao spoke again. “Normally, a matter like this would be discussed at length, with the senior military and civilian representative from each country speaking in turn. However, given the urgency, I will speak for the alliance without discussion and say that we will assist our Indian ally in finding, and if necessary, sinking this submarine. We welcome U.S. participation in this effort. Are there any objections?”

Each representative said “no,” in turn, even the Indians, but the military representative quickly changed his vote to “abstain,” sounding confused and unhappy. “I must believe this is actually happening, but my heart cannot let me vote yes.”

The Taiwanese ambassador nodded sympathetically. “I understand, but your help will be vital in this.”

The Indian’s expression hardened. “You will have it, I promise.”

Liao asked, “Doctor, do you have any recommendations? You have been working with this for some time now and presumably have some thoughts.”

“Our chief of naval operations will start sending your military staff what intelligence we have on Chakra, as well as any information on our own and Chinese ship, submarine, and aircraft movements. And although your countries have excellent submarines, we strongly recommend that you do not use them in the search. In fact, if you have any submarines operating in that area, you should recall them immediately. There is too much risk of a blue-on-blue incident.”

The military officers were nodding agreement. The senior military officer was a Philippine Navy captain, and he said, “We concur, and will provide location data for any of our subs in Chakra’s path until they are all clear of the area. We will also share and coordinate our plans with our American friends.” He paused, then added, “It might be best, if for the moment, that any information on Chinese movements came from you, rather than directly from Chinese sources.”

Hughes nodded, smiling. “And we will, of course, inform the Chinese of Littoral Alliance movements, to make sure there is no duplication of effort.”

Or unfriendly encounters, Patterson thought. Nerves were still raw, and this business didn’t need any more complications.

This time, Joanna Patterson waited to be announced and admitted before going into the Oval Office. Secretary Lloyd and the president were both waiting for her. “Done, Mr. President,” she announced with satisfaction. “They’re not happy at having to find out from us, but they’re even more unhappy about the problem. They’ve agreed to coordinate with us through Guam, and Admiral Hughes has gone back to the Pentagon to get it organized.”

The two men looked disappointed, and Myles, looking at Lloyd, said, “It doesn’t matter. We can reach him there.”

Puzzled, Patterson asked, “Should I have kept him with me?”

Myles gave a small shake of his head. “No, Joanna, it’s fine. He has a lot to do, and you couldn’t have anticipated this. Nobody could.”

Her heart started to sink. “What’s happened?”

Myles quickly reassured her. “Nothing bad. It’s just — unusual.”

Lloyd said, “While you were in meetings with the Chinese and then the Littoral Alliance, I was informing the other governments of what we had decided.” He paused for a moment, then declared, “The Indians want Girish Samant to take part in the hunt for Chakra, ‘as a witness,’ as they put it. They’re making arrangements to fly him to Guam.” He then reprised his conversation with the Indian foreign secretary.

By this time she’d sat down, and found herself agreeing with the Indians’ logic. “It makes sense,” she said, nodding. “If nothing else, they will be able to say it was a joint operation.”

“Then I called the Russians,” Lloyd reported, “to inform them that Chakra had sailed. They were not happy at the thought of their bootleg warheads actually being used. They want Alex Petrov there, as well.” He saw her surprised expression, but didn’t give her a chance to speak. “They also want to say they were involved in the ‘search for and destruction of’ the warheads.”

“By sinking the sub they’re carried on.” She made a face.

“The Russians were not happy that the Indians had let Chakra leave, in spite of a two-day warning. They reminded me that Petrov has the best information on Chakra’s technical characteristics, since changes were made after Samant turned over command.” Lloyd added, “I agreed, and the president has approved the request. I’ve already called the Hyderabad consulate and told them to load Petrov on the same plane as Samant. They’ll be glad to have those two off their hands. What’s left is to tell Admiral Hughes to expect two foreign observers at Guam for the duration of the operation. If nothing else, he has to find them a place to stay…”

“On the base, you mean.” She interrupted. “On Guam.” When he started to agree, she said firmly, “That won’t work. They’ll be treated as fifth wheels, and won’t be able to help. Besides their information is more tactical; putting them at the headquarters doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

Lloyd shrugged. “That’s where the operation will be run,” he said. “Where else…” He paused, then frowned and shook his head. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Put them aboard Jerry’s sub,” she insisted. “We know North Dakota is the best sub in Squadron Fifteen, and Simonis has already said he’s going to place her off of Hong Kong — the most likely first target. She has the best chance of finding and killing Chakra.”

“And I do not get a good feeling about putting an Indian and Russian aboard a sub that will probably have to fire on a Russian-built, Indian-crewed submarine.”

“That is precisely why we need them aboard. Petrov knows the boat better than anyone else, and Samant knows the new skipper.” She looked to President Myles, who was watching them both silently.

“And what if they attempt to interfere somehow?” Myles asked.

“I think there’s little chance of that,” she replied. “They’ve both showed, at considerable risk to themselves, that they aren’t driven simply by national interests.”

“One could suggest they’ve both acted in their higher national interests. Honorably,” Myles concluded. After a short pause, he added, “The Navy won’t be happy, they’re allergic to this sort of thing, but I’ll tell Simonis, through the chain, to put them aboard North Dakota. We get only one good crack at stopping Chakra before she launches a nuclear weapon. It needs to be our best shot.”