Pacific Siege

21

By 1530, the SEALs had lashed one of the bulky, inflated IBS boats to each of the river patrol craft. Murdock didn’t recognize the craft.

The ones they had were the Mark II series, the older variety. They were thirty-two feet long, displaced 8.9 tons fully loaded, and had two GM V-6 diesels to produce 420 horsepower to run two Jacuzzi water jets.

They had a top speed of twenty-four knots, and were set up to haul ten combat troops. They had four 12.7mm machine guns and two Mark 19 grenade launchers. Murdock talked to the coxswain. “We need to get from here to a mile off Golovnino, and arrive just at full dark. We want you to come into a mile off as quietly as possible. We don’t care if you throttle down to five knots, just so nobody onshore knows we’re out there.”

“Understand,” the coxswain said. “I’ll be the lead boat. We’ve got enough speed to get up there and then move in the last mile or two on low power. Keep your guys inside the boat. We don’t want to have to go back and pick anybody up.”

“You ever worked with SEALs before, Chief?”

“No, sir.”

“I didn’t think so.”

The Navy crew lowered the patrol boats into the water out the hatch that was three feet off the waves. Both the IBSs were lashed down securely.

At 1550, Murdock had Ed Dewitt load in his seven men. Five minutes later the Second Squad was on board the patrol boat, and Murdock put his squad in the other one.

It had been a while since Murdock had been on a thirty-five-foot boat in the open sea. They left the carrier slowly, then picked up speed. At twenty knots the spray coming over the bow soaked all of the SEALS, and the February weather was not balmy.

“Next time let’s take a nice dry chopper,” Jaybird said. The rest of them were too cold to shout back at him. At 1645, the coxswain tapped Murdock on the shoulder. “We’re offshore of the town and about five miles out. Not much of a glow, but you can see some lights.”

Murdock saw them. It was almost dusk. “How long to move in to a mile off?” Murdock asked.

“We can do it in ten minutes, or twenty, or anywhere in between.

Your choice.”

“Let’s make it twenty.”

Fifteen minutes later the small patrol boats came to a stop, and two SEALs on each craft unlashed the IBSs and got them in the water.

The SEALs loaded carefully. The engines had been tested just before they left.

They had their Motorolas on, and Murdock called for a net check.

All fifteen men sounded off in his earpiece.

By that time it was fully dark. They tied the two boats together with a twenty-foot buddy line.

“Ed, take the lead,” Murdock said in his mike. They watched the two river patrol boats back away and ease out to sea on low throttle.

“Let’s do it,” Murdock said. The IBSs’ motors coughed softly, then purred, and the craft began their hushed approach to the lights the SEALs could now see plainly on shore.

Dewitt powered the small craft along at five miles an hour so the boats wouldn’t produce a wake, and so the softly hushed motor could not be heard from the shore. He and Murdock had agreed that they would go in where there were no houses or buildings, maybe a half mile from the village itself. The lead craft’s motor coughed once and quit.

Joe Douglas, on the tiller, grabbed the starting rope and pulled twice on the starter; then it coughed once more and purred into a steady rhythm.

Ten minutes later the first boat scraped on the gently sloping sandy beach; then the second IBS came in right beside it, and the SEALs jumped out and ran into some small hardwood tree growth just beyond the beach. They took everything they brought with them. The IBSs were expendable.

The twelve men with the EAR weapons led the squads as they worked along the beach a hundred yards. Joe Lampedusa was the lead scout. He had tied his Colt carbine over his back, and carried the EAR in both hands. The glow of the ready light on the weapon showed, and all he had to do was pull the trigger. He went down to one knee, and tried to see through the darkness.

He flipped down his Night Vision Goggles and checked again. He could see no people. They were still a short ways from the village.

Now he could see plainly which way to go.

They came to the edge of town, a street with a dozen houses on it.

He saw few people and no military.

When he was about to move ahead, a uniformed soldier stepped out of the shadows of a house and walked across the street. Murdock had given Lam the freedom to shoot. He lifted the EAR, sighted in, and pulled the trigger.

The soft whooshing sound came, and a moment later the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force soldier slumped down, his rifle clattering on the hard-packed earth.

Murdock ran up beside Lam, who pointed to the EAR and to the man ahead in the street. “A sweetheart of a weapon,” he said. Together, they ran forward, cinched plastic riot cuffs around the man’s wrists and ankles, and carried him behind a house.

The rest of the SEALs moved up, and word whispered down the ranks that the EARs worked fine.

Half-a-dozen civilians hurried cautiously from one building to another. When they had left the street, Murdock moved his men forward into a vacant lot. Ahead they saw more buildings, some with lights on.

Before they could decide which direction to go to find the military headquarters, a small Russian-style jeep growled around the corner. The headlights brushed over two SEALs who had just stood up.

There was no outcry from the jeep. Murdock and two men he designated fired at the jeep while it was half a block away. The three men in it slumped over, and the rig nosed into a building with a small crash and the motor died.

Three civilians ran out of the building and looked at the unconscious men. They chattered for a moment, then went back inside without offering to help the men.

Ching slid in beside Murdock. “I didn’t get it all, but the Russian civilians said these stupid Japanese must be drunk again.

Another one said all they wanted was the Russian vodka and their women.”

Murdock sent Mahanani up to put riot cuffs on the three; then they moved on forward.

Another sentry walking a post came around a corner and saw them.

He reached into his pocket for something. Before he could get it out, Washington had dropped him with a blast from his EAR. The sentry slumped to the ground without a sound. Washington ran to him, cuffed hands and ankles, and rolled him into the shadows.

Murdock studied the street ahead. It led down to the small bay.

No good that way. He looked the other way on the street. There were more lights that direction. He thought he could see a two-or-three-story building, but he wasn’t sure.

Lam came back from a quick scouting mission.

“Best way is to stay a block this side of that main drag. Lots of people out there moving around. Also, I saw another jeep patrol and looks like a sentry on every other block. We can work toward the center of town and hope the military headquarters is down this way.”

Murdock nodded, and the two diamond formations moved down the street, with Murdock’s squad in front. Lam found another sentry and put him down with the EAR, but not before the man let out a shrill cry.

No one came to help him. The SEALs moved forward.

Murdock heard some music coming from one house they passed. He figured it was a balalaika. At the next intersection they spotted a half-ton truck with a heavy machine gun mounted in back and a gunner on it. He had aimed the weapon down the main street.

Ron Holt and Murdock took the shots. Murdock’s went inside the cab. Ron Holt nailed the gunner. The man slumped down, fell off the seat, and into the body of the truck. Murdock heard nothing from inside the cab. He and Holt raced forward. Murdock found two men unconscious in the cab. He put plastic cuffs on them, and Holt said his man was secure. They moved on another block; then they could see a two-story concrete-block building to the left. It was half a block off the main street, and had a series of floodlights around it.

In front Murdock saw three jeep-like rigs, a six-by truck, and two smaller vehicles. This evidently was the motor pool as well. Murdock called Dewitt and Jaybird up for a conference. His men were against buildings, in moon shadows, off the street so the civilians wouldn’t be alarmed.

“That it?” Dewitt asked, looking at the two-story building.

“My guess,” Murdock said. “How we going to do it? I see one door on this side, small windows up high like a fortress. Lam, come up here,” Murdock said on the radio.

Lam ran up and flattened out beside the others.

“Take a quick look around that building. Don’t let anyone spot you. What we need is another door or some man-level windows we can use to shoot through. Take a check.”

Lam nodded, and left sprinting across the street and past some buildings. Then he cut through the block and vanished.

“if we can find three openings to shoot through, we should get enough bounce around inside there to do in anybody who’s home,” Jaybird said.

“Agreed, but we need the openings,” Murdock said.

“Are there drivers in those vehicles?” Dewitt asked.

“Can’t tell from here,” Jaybird said. “I’ll go up and check.”

“Wait until we get ready to do the headquarters,” Murdock said.

“Then we’ll do them all at once.”

Two soldiers left the one door they could see in the headquarters.

Both had rifles. They talked, and laughed, and headed directly at the SEALS.

“I’ve got them,” Murdock whispered into his lip mike. He pointed at Jaybird and Dewitt. Both sighted in on the soldiers and fired. The whooshing sound of the EARs came again like a heavy sigh, and the two Japanese Self Defense soldiers crumpled like rag dolls without uttering a sound.

“Leave them,” Murdock said in his mike.

They looked for Lam. It was almost five minutes later when he came around the side of the house next to the one where they lay hidden. At the same time, three more soldiers came out of the headquarters. They saw the two men down in the street and ran to them. Murdock nodded and he, Dewitt, and Jaybird all fired. The three soldiers joined their unconscious comrades out cold on the ground. Lam slid in beside Murdock.

“Don’t look good, Skipper. Just one door on the other side. No back door, no windows worth shouting about.”

“One squad on each side?” Murdock suggested.

“Yeah, but only one unit to enter the place; otherwise we might be blowing each other away — or knocking us out.”

Murdock made up his mind quickly. “Ed, take your squad to the far door. Lam, you show them the safe way. Take out any guards or soldiers you find on the way, but don’t touch any civilians. Go.”

Murdock brought his squad up front. They were still forty yards away from the headquarters.

Commander Murdock surveyed the target again. He used his lip mike.

“When we’re ready, we move up to that house about thirty yards from the door. We wait for someone to go in or come out and open the door. Then we put five shots inside and let them rattle around. If no one comes out, we check the trucks for drivers; then we’ll storm the headquarters with our live-ammo weapons ready. Dewitt will be firing in the door on the other side but he won’t go in. Questions?” There were none.

Murdock hit the lip mike. “Ed, how is it going? How long yet?”

“Just got into position thirty yards from the door. Can we fire through the door, or wait for it to open? One window we can use on the second floor. Three rounds in each one?”

“Roger that, Ed. We’re waiting for an open door here. I’d say the sound won’t go through the door. Has to be open. Yes, there it is for us. Everyone in First Squad fire except Jaybird, me, and Lam. Fire.”

Two men had just come through the door. It swung open wide as the last one came out. The first shot hit both men, and they went down.

One of them blocked the door so it stayed open.

The other four rounds went inside.

Murdock waited.

No one came boiling out of the building.

“Any action back there, Ed?” Murdock asked.

“Nothing. We got three rounds inside when somebody came out just after you hit the front. Nothing is moving.”

“We wait two more minutes,” Murdock said. “Then First Squad checks the trucks, then hits the door on this side. Inside, we can’t use the EARS. Any ricochet would get us too. Have your regular weapons ready, and the EAR on your back. Put them there now.”

Murdock strapped the long stun gun on his back, and brought around the MP-5 blaster.

He checked his watch again. “Twenty seconds, First Squad.

Bradford, you’re closest to the trucks. Check them for drivers. Then get to the door and hold it open wide and stay back. I’ll be the first one inside, then formation order with Ching as rear guard. Now, let’s do it.”

The First Squad came out of the dark shadows on the run. Bradford checked the trucks, then got to the door and jerked it open. Murdock rushed inside.

Lights were on in the building. First he found a long anteroom, then the open door to an office with rooms off a long hallway to the left. Two officers sat in chairs behind a big desk. Both had slumped over the desk. The SEALs found six more soldiers inside, all unconscious. They quickly put on riot cuffs.

“Ronson and Ellsworth, cuff those five outside and drag them around to the side, then get back in here. Anybody see stairs to the second floor?”

“No second floor, Cap,” Jaybird said. “Damn high ceiling, though, and some windows up there.”

Murdock looked at the two Japanese officers. Neither of them had stars or shoulder boards. One was a lieutenant, the other a captain.

Where were the big brass?

They found only one man not unconscious. He was in the bathroom.

They cuffed him and left him there.

“Clear in here, Ed, come on in,” Murdock radioed.

They collected in the big room with a lookout on each of the doors.

They still had to find the general.

“Those outposts,” Jaybird said. “Maybe the general went on an inspection tour.”

“Company,” the earpieces reported. Lam told them from the front door.

“How many?” Dewitt asked.

“Looks like six from a half-ton truck. All have rifles.”

“Let them come in, then we surprise them. No shooting,” Murdock said. “Out of sight, everybody.”

They moved into offices. Murdock hid behind the two officers’ big desk.

A few moments later, the six men came in chattering in Japanese.

They moved toward the center of the big room. Then one of them noticed the two officers slumped over the desk.

One shouted.

“Now,” Murdock said, and the SEALs rose up and ran into the room all with weapons pointing at the six.

“Surrender and you’ll live,” Ching barked at them in Japanese.

“Try to fire your weapons and you all die quickly,” he continued.

One Japanese bent and put his rifle on the floor. The other five let their weapons fall and held up their hands.

“Joto ichi ban,” Ching said. SEALs rushed up, took the weapons, and quickly tied all with plastic riot cuffs on both hands and feet.

One of the men was a captain.

“Ask the captain where General Nishikawa is,” Murdock told Ching.

Ching did so, squatting in front of the captain, who now sat on the floor.

An answer came at once. “The captain says the general could be at the grave site of his ancestors, or he might be inspecting the outposts.

He drove away in a jeep about an hour ago.”

Murdock frowned. “Ask him how many men work out of this building and where the rest of them are.”

Ching asked the captain, but he shook his head, refusing to answer.

Ching asked the other prisoners, but they shook their heads.

Murdock walked up to the group, picked out the smallest, and cut his ankle cuffs off. He grabbed him by the cuffed wrists and started to lead him toward one of the doors.

“Tell the captain if he doesn’t tell us what we want to know, we will kill one of his men each time he refuses. Jaybird. Take this one into that room. Leave the door open. If the captain here refuses to answer again, shoot one round into something solid so it won’t ricochet.

But don’t kill the guy.”

Jaybird grabbed the Japanese man and pushed him toward the door.

“Tell him, Ching.”

Ching told the captain what would happen if he refused to answer the questions. Ching asked him again how many men worked out of this building, and where the rest of them were.

The captain looked at the open door, took a long breath, then shook his head. “Now,” Murdock said into his lip mike.

The shot sounded like a cannon inside the concrete-block building.

The captain collapsed on the floor.

Ching moved beside him, lifted his head, and asked the question again. This time the answer came quickly.

Twenty men worked out of this building. The rest were at the outposts. The general had just started a new outpost at the bay where he expected the invasion to come. Twenty men were out there.

The captain said he did not know where the general was. The next question was about how many men were in the invasion force. The captain said they had 180 men.

“Now, Ching, find out where the jail is where the Russian military is kept locked up.” Again the answer came quickly.

Murdock had the headquarters searched. They found Russian handheld radios like walkie-talkies.

“Bring one with us, we might be able to use it later,” Murdock said. “Right now, let’s get over to that jail and free the Russians.

They can take over control of the headquarters here, and maybe lead us to some of the outposts.”

Ed Dewitt and two of his men remained behind to keep control of the headquarters, and to capture any more returning men. Murdock moved out with the Japanese captain to show them the way to the jail.

They found it five minutes later. It was a large warehouse that had been used to hold crab meat. Murdock saw three guards patrolling outside. Ching asked how many guards were inside, and the captain said none. Murdock gave the word, and the three guards were shot with the EARs and collapsed.

Murdock and his men ran forward, found the locked doors, and opened them. Ching went to the door and talked with the ranking Russian officer, a major, and quickly the men in the jail were released.

However, Ching told them they would soon be able to go back to the military headquarters building, but they could not use deadly weapons against the Japanese.

“Why not?” the major asked Ching. “They killed four of my men.”

Ching translated for Murdock. Murdock spoke strongly, and the Russian heard the translation.

“We are here to free you, but restrict your activity until the last of the Japanese are gone. That’s our job. Your job is to hold the central headquarters and capture any Japanese who report there. Do so bloodlessly. Understood?”

At last the Russian grinned. He looked at the unconscious Japanese guards and asked how they’d done it. Ching explained it to him, and the Russian major was amazed.

“Now, that bay outpost,” Murdock said. “Time we move down there and see if we can bag General Nishikawa.”

As he said it they heard rifle shots, then some automatic weapons.

“Sounds like it’s coming from the military headquarters building,” Lam said.

“Let’s move it,” Murdock said. “Ed Dewitt and his men must be in trouble.”