J.R. cleared his throat as he stood up. “So, what is the game plan?”
A map of the world’s continents appeared on the screen. Neil explained, “The focus is the continent of South America and Brazil. The container ship and supertanker are nestled here in the Bay of Vitória. If that blast goes off, it would create a harbor tsunami that would wipe out Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paolo, and Paraguay. The nuclear rain could reach Bolivia and Peru. So we decided to let them leave, head for America.”
Colonel Werner quickly stood up. “Head for America? That’s easy for you to say, son. You are sitting on your pretty ass somewhere between the Celtic and the North Sea.”
J.R. thought, oh my God, they have really excited the colonel. This Brit was about to experience some good old southern hospitality.
The conference room screens suddenly switched to the director of the Intelligence. She captured everyone’s attention when she said, “Neil, I know that I speak with the full confidence of all intelligence agencies in the United States when I say thank you to the British government and to you for partnering with us regarding this global threat. Please stay with us as we lay out the United States’ strategy at this point.”
Suddenly there was a new face and voice. “Hello there.” A fully uniformed and decorated figure appeared on the screen. Colonel Werner, Captain Parrish, and J.R. seemed to all rise at the same time. They saluted in perfect unison. “Good morning, sir.”
The rear admiral, United States Navy 2nd Fleet returned the greeting. “Please take your seats. I am now breaking protocol by acknowledging the young man that is with you today. I am humbled by his help, his honesty, and his courage in sharing everything that has happened to him. He has the courage to rise above his circumstances and say, ‘I am better than this because I am an American.’ I hope that you stick with us, son. Help us quell this threat, this nightmare. I know we have differences. But that's what America is about. We use our might to make things right. I hope I can convince you that the homeland loves you. God loves you. But make no mistake, I will find those ships and ask those vessels to come to a full stop or I will order them destroyed. We have accepted the possibility that we may kill innocents and have collateral damage. Our goal is to minimize this and we ask God for all of his mercy if we commit such an act, but this is war.”
The conference screens all converted to a multiple screen view with images of the world’s oceans and a global map as the admiral continued. “Neil is correct. We will let them travel far away from the coast of Brazil. The ships will travel north in the South Atlantic Sea approximately four thousand miles. The normal route would keep them close to Brazil, but we want to pull them out to the deep ocean. As they pass Venezuela to their left, the ships’ communication centers will pick up broadcasts that the United States Navy is performing war games and combat exercises and that they should move further into the deep ocean as they travel towards Puerto Rico.”
The admiral pointed to the map with the United States on the left side, Africa on the right, and deep blue ocean in between. “The ships that appear on their radar will be a part of our carrier strike group. We feel they will want to avoid our presence and will be more than happy to move that way.”
Daniel whispered to J.R. as they both viewed the global map. “I didn't realize that you could travel in a straight line from Georgia to Morocco with your eyes closed.”
J.R. responded, “Looks like it, doesn’t it?”
Annoyed, Jeff said, “Would you two quit whispering? That is so rude.”
Captain Parrish quietly laughed. As she refocused on the admiral talking, she thought, maybe, just maybe, Jeff was making it back.
The admiral continued, “We want to maneuver the container ship and the supertanker into a midpoint here.” The Admiral pointed to a point between the coasts of Savannah, South Carolina and the west coast of Morocco. “There are about 6,400 miles between the African coast and the United States coast. The midway point will give us a blast radius of about 3,000 miles on either side if the Hellburners are detonated. This will minimize the tsunami effect and nuclear rain.”
The admiral’s commanding voice could be heard across the world’s oceans when he said, “We are weapons hot on this mission. I have given clear orders that this is a seek and destroy mission. We will give them a chance to bring the vessels to a dead stop. If they do so, we will allow them to surrender. We will then await orders and advisement from the National Security Council and the President on the threat of detonation and disarmament capabilities. Under extreme prejudice, we will destroy any vessel that refuses to follow our orders.”
Jeff looked dumbfounded as he muttered, “Genesis made a fatal mistake. Americans are not afraid to meet death in the fight to protect innocents and their freedoms. The event may not go well. Genesis may smell the breath of the dragon before the Americans smell the breath of the Hellburners.”
J.R. overheard Jeff and he bent over and whispered to Daniel, “I think your prayers are being answered.”
Jeff yelled, “I can hear you. Will you two stop whispering?”
J.R. said, “Whatever, dude.”
The strategy room monitors went dark. It was quiet. Very quiet.
Jeff spoke softly. “I feel as if I am right smack in the middle of a war.”
J.R. looked at him and said, “Believe me, little brother, you are.”
There was a knock on the door. Two MPs was buzzed in. One had a note in his hand for Colonel Werner.
Again, the tension was building and the room dead quiet as Colonel Werner read the note. He stood and started pacing the floor. “I have one more update that is highly classified so I need to ask the MPs to take Jeff back to his quarters while I brief you.”
The MPs quickly left with Jeff. Colonel Werner read the update to Daniel, Captain Parris, and J.R.
“Navy Fleet Command has deployed the newest carriers in the fleet to lead the hunt for Genesis on the high seas. The USS George W. Bush and the USS William J. Clinton are the newest carriers in the fleet and they have been outfitted with enhanced NASA and NRO surveillance capability. They will command their carrier strike groups. The other carrier strike groups will guard the perimeters on all our coasts. The USS George W. Bush and USS William J. Clinton carrier strike groups will head out into open seas. If Genesis’ Hellburners are out there, our carriers have orders to bring them to a dead stop or destroy them.”
Everyone clapped and applauded the decision. J.R. looked at Colonel Werner and asked, “Sir, is that all that's on that paper?” Colonel Werner proudly said, “J.R., son, by orders of Rear Admiral Brice Cooper of the 2nd Fleet, you are to report to Norfolk to lead one of the F-18 Hornet Strike Squadrons. Now get going. Get in the air, son. Your jet just arrived at Hunter Airforce Base.”
J.R. was on his feet. He saluted the Colonel. “I will let your dad and Alexis know as much as I can if I need to. Take God with you, son.” He saluted J.R.
J.R. shook Captain Parrish's hand. He said goodbye.
“It was my honor and pleasure serving with you J.R.”
J.R. stood tall and bowed with deep respect. “No, the pleasure was all mine.”
J.R. turned to Daniel and noticed that he had tears in his eyes. They hugged each other good-bye and Daniel whispered to him, “Has it begun?”
J.R., in a comforting way, replied, “Yes, it has begun, but I shall see you soon, my brother.”
Daniel smiled and with tears running down his face, said, “My dear friend, yes.”
J.R. smiled and nodded goodbye. He left the conference room hurriedly and headed to the car that waited to take him to a helicopter that would fly him to Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah.
Chapter Twenty — Get the Armada Out to Sea
Hunter Army airfield supported the deployment needs of any aircraft, including the C-17 Globe Master III cargo plane and the KC-46A air refueling tanker. Hunter Army Airfield also had the unique distinction of being identified as an alternate landing site for NASA’s space shuttles
. But now, it served as one of the starting points in the hunt for the Hellburners. J.R.’s F-18 Squadron waited for him there. It was flown by the squadron commander to Savannah from the Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, home of the Marine Corps’ Atlantic coast fixed-wing, fighter-attack aircraft assets. J.R. jumped out of the escort vehicle in his flight suit. He yelled above the aircraft noise, “Don’t get used to it.”
He winked at the squadron commander, who was also a captain. The commander saluted J.R. and turned command of the squadron and the Super Hornet over to him. J.R. placed his high-tech flight helmet on. He heard the flight tower.
“Be advised, Squad Leader, that traffic holding in position will continue to be used to advise other aircraft that your squadron has priority and has been authorized to line up and wait on the active runway. You are number one for takeoff.”
One by one they took off. People in Savannah on Abercorn Street, Bull Street, DeRenne Avenue, and White Bluff Road could look up on any day and see planes take off from Hunter Airfield, but that day was special. It was like watching the Blue Angels take off. All heads were looking to the sky whether driving, biking, or walking.
As the other F-18s climbed in delta formation, they roared north to Norfolk, Virginia, to join the USS George W. Bush, which was ported at Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world. Naval Station Norfolk was home-port to a large chunk of the US Navy fleet, including cruisers, destroyers, large amphibious ships, submarines, supply ships, airplanes, helicopters, and aircraft carriers.
“Okay, commanders, as you can tell from your flight plan, we have headed to Norfolk to join the USS George W. Bush carrier strike group for deployment of Operation Oglethorpe on the high seas. We will be briefed when we get there. Stay tight.”
Rear Admiral Brice Cooper stood on the aircraft command flight deck, which was located on the island of the USS George W. Bush. This was the command center for flight-deck operations as well as the ship as a whole. The island rose about fifteen stories high above the flight deck. The primary flight control level was at the top of the island where the air officer or air boss controlled the airspace around a naval carrier for a radius of five miles. Commercial or private aircraft could not violate this airspace. If they did, they were subject to the lethal force of the United States Navy.
“This is Naval Station Norfolk tower. You have permission to fly over and head towards the entryway to the Chesapeake Bay where the carrier strike groups are steaming towards the deep blue Atlantic Ocean.”
“There they are,” yelled J.R. as they picked up visuals of the carrier group.
“Marines, this is the air boss. The pri-fly have you on the radar. Begin landing sequence.” The air boss notified Admiral Cooper that the Fightertown Hornet squadron from Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort was approaching the five-mile buffer.
The admiral gave the order, “Let them through.”
The command flight deck was down below the primary flight control level. The Admiral watched and listened to the radio communications as the landing signals officers helped guide the F-18s in. And as they landed on the flight deck, he thought, I remember what it's like to fly one of those babies.
The captain of the USS George W. Bush was not on the flight deck. He was one level below, preparing his crew for deployment. Captain Steve Anderson was on the command bridge, which was the ship’s command center. Admiral Steve Anderson’s parents raised him in Seattle. The Andersons had migrated from Gavle, Sweden. His grandfather was a proud Swede and made sure that the Anderson kids remembered their Nordic heritage while standing as proud Americans. When you meet Captain Anderson, he strikes you as the heroic type with brown hair and green eyes, over six feet tall, and quite handsome. Looks could be deceiving; he never played sports and he hated hunting. He was an avid swimmer and loved playing golf. He had a Master’s Degree in Communication and Signal Processing and a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He joined the United States Navy out of a commitment and loyalty to his family’s tradition as sailors. His father was an officer in the United States Navy and his grandfather served as a sailing master in the Swedish navy. His grandfather ’s rank would be equal to that of a Senior Warrant Officer in the U.S. Navy. Steve never married. His naval career and intense academic studies limited his personal life.
Steve Anderson was very close to his family. He spoke with his mom and dad as often as possible. He had a passion for collecting lighthouses from around the world. He was also a kung fu fighter, a Wing Chung level five master.
Steve conducted classes for the Master at Arms and the police force that was responsible for law enforcement and police force protection on the USS George W. Bush. He enjoyed conducting these matches to sharpen the seamen's skills in close-quarter combat.
“Keep the defense tight and use quick punches to overcome opponents,” he would say during his training classes and matches. He often told his soldiers that there would be times when you might see a large object coming at your face and it was not a drone. It was a fist moving at 100 miles an hour. That was when you needed quick footwork to redirect your opponent’s energy, to control defense and offense simultaneously.
Captain Anderson was in a meeting with the officer of the deck, who was in charge of ship operations, which included the helmsman, who actually steered the carrier, the lee helmsman, who directed the engine room to control the speed of the ship, the quartermaster of the watch, who monitored and controlled navigation, and the chief petty officer, who headed ship security.
Captain Anderson shouted the command, “Put in transmitted coordinates and communicate to all ships in our carrier strike group. I am up on the flight deck with the Admiral.”
“Aye, Captain.”
“Officer of the Deck, you are in charge.”
Captain Anderson joined the other captains as they watched the squadron come in one by one. The captains then went below with the admiral, to the flag bridge on a lower deck. This was the command center for the admiral. He maintained operational control of his carrier strike group from here. The admiral spoke to his leadership team and the aviation community captain, who commanded the carrier air wing, which consisted of three squadrons including the Charleston squadron. There were also seven surface community captains who command the two guided missile destroyers, two amphibious assault ships that hosted the Knighthawk helicopter squadrons, and a supply ship with state-of-the-art bomb detection and disarmament equipment. All captains helicoptered over to the USS George W. Bush for this briefing. The two attack submarine captains were getting ready to dive so they attended on secured ship-to-ship closed-circuit television. J.R. walked in and took his seat just as Admiral Cooper was about to begin.
The admiral stood and cleared his voice. “Under the orders of the commander of the United States 2nd Fleet, we have deployed in support of Operation Oglethorpe. When I look at our navy, I'm very proud of the racial, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic diversity of our navy and our armed forces. It will take everyone and their skills and dedication as Americans to quell the threat ahead. Here is what we know…”
The admiral briefed the strike force captains on the threat, the mission, and the risk. He ended the briefing with a reminder. “The Secretary of Defense of the United States, as the principle defense policy advisor to the president, is being updated on our operational and defensive activities as events develop. The defense department will keep all South American and African countries that could be impacted by this menace updated with as much information as we can release. This is important, as we could cross into the sovereign space of a particular nation as we handle this threat. Our strike groups and allies will attempt to stay in international waters and international airspace. So far, we have had overwhelming diplomatic and military support.”
The admiral swiped his touchscreen monitor and on the screen, real-time images of the USS William J. Clinton carrier strike group appeared. “The USS William J. Clinton carrier strike group, under the command of Rear Admiral
Nathan Barksdale is nestled in Port Oranjestad, which is the largest port in Aruba. Admiral Barksdale has dispatched the USS North Carolina and the USS New Hampshire. These submarines will seek out and destroy hostile surface ships and submarines that might be protecting those vessels. These subs’ unique stealth capabilities and ability to operate in the world’s shallow shoreline regions and deep waters have enabled us to position ourselves for maximum surveillance and reconnaissance. This will also maximize our ability to deal with any underwater threats that our intelligence may not have picked up. I now turn the briefing over to Captain Anderson.”
“Good day, commanders. This adversary may bring us a new threat. We have it on good authority that sonar may have been weaponized. Naval intelligence has confirmed information that Genesis has the capacity to use sonar blasts to kill humans, whales, and other marine life.”
The captains listened attentively as the Admiral said, “As you are aware, the U.S. Navy estimated that over 150,000 marine mammals could be harmed in regular naval sonar training and testing exercises. It has even been suggested that sonar training and testing might have unintentionally harmed marine mammals 2.8 million times a year over five years. The Navy is doing everything in its power to minimize or eliminate this accidental threat. On the other hand, Genesis seems to have weaponized sonar when they discovered how to minimize sonar scattering.”
A submarine captain asked, “Can our sonar operators help? Can they provide early detection?”
Captain Anderson said, “Well, all sonar operators know that when active sonar is used, scattering occurs from small objects in the sea as well as from the bottom and surface. This acoustic scattering is similar to the scattering of the light from a car’s headlights in fog. This broad-beam headlight emits light in unwanted directions, much of which is scattered back to the eye of the observer. This can be a major source of interference. Genesis scientists designed a high-intensity sonar beam that allows active sonar to travel in a narrowly focused beam, to minimize scattering. The problem is that it kills everything organic in its path if it's dialed up enough.”
Accelerant- Sixth Extinction Page 20