The battle on the dock suddenly stopped as the soldiers on the pier started dodging falling debris. Flaming pieces of debris started small fires on both the dock and the ship. Several of the soldiers left their firing positions and ran to the corner of the building where they stood looking into the western sky at the billowing smoke and flames. Finally, an officer marshaled troops to man the fire control equipment and began fighting the small fires all over the pier. Those he didn’t order to fight the fires, refocused on the ship and returned to their posts.
The terrorists were as confused as the soldiers. They peered through the portholes on the main deck at the spectacle of the explosion. The leader of the terrorists joked that the Cubans shouldn’t have tried to defuse the package in the living room and got what they deserved for trying to cheat them.
While the soldiers were busy gaping at the explosion and fighting the subsequent fires, the nine surviving crewmen were herded forward to begin cutting away the manila lines that moored the ship to the pier. For several minutes, the soldiers stood watching out of apparent curiosity as the crewmen used axes to hack away at the thick manila lines. An officer finally noticed the men attacking the ropes and immediately realized what they were attempting to do. He quickly directed his men to fire upon anyone who might be attempting to cut the mooring lines.
Three of the ship’s crewmen were killed in the first volley of gunfire, causing the remaining crewmen to drop to the deck. They continued to hack away at the ropes from their prone positions safe from the fire below, but under the threat of imminent death from the terrorist who had taken up watch from a nearby hatch in the forecastle.
While the drama on the pier and the ship played out, the navy cruiser that had passed the Honolulu Sunrise while they were under tow had stationed itself sideways in the only channel in or out of the harbor. By doing so they effectively blocked the channel and cut off any possible exit. Even if The People’s Glory was able to escape the pier, she was no match for the cruiser.
Several more fast attack boats slipped into the harbor and took up positions in the outer harbor as the men continued to hack away at the mooring lines on the ship. Finally, one line mid-ship snapped off, but the other four held the ship tight.
A short time later, a rumbling was felt through the deck as the huge twin diesels that powered The People’s Glory were started and revved up. The huge propellers began churning the water into froth at the ship’s stern, and slowly, the ship began to pull at the mooring lines. The crewmen managed to sever a second line and the ship lunged forward a few yards, accompanied by a loud shriek as the three-inch metal bolts that run three feet into the concrete on the backside of the bollard stretched and snapped off under the strain.
Additionally, the tension snapped off the bollard off at the rear of the ship as well, freeing a third line. The bollard at the rear of the ship was flung through the air, clanging off the side of the ship with a thunderous bong. Its impact caved in a large section of hull plating before dropping into the harbor, still attached by the mooring lines. When it hit the water, it blasted a huge plume of water into the air. The last two mooring lines held tight though, and the ship rocked backwards, still bound to the pier.
Seeing the ship struggling to shear its moorings, the Cubans decided they would have their fast attack boats fire torpedoes at the rudder in an effort to damage it, rendering the ship unsteerable in preparation for the final assault. Two of the fast attack boats lined up for what appeared to be simple straight shots at the rudder, using their high explosive Russian torpedoes.
When the first fast attack boat fired, the torpedo leapt into the water and quickly covered the three hundred yards separating the two ships. It missed by the narrowest of margins and impacted the pier instead. The explosion of the torpedo’s twelve hundred pounds of high explosives dug a channel through the concrete and earth for twenty five yards, knocking over a gantry crane and setting two buildings on fire but failing to damage the ship’s rudder. Concrete shrapnel sprayed across the pier, killing several soldiers and a dozen dock workers and damaging a couple of dozen cargo containers but also failed to damage the rudder.
After seeing the results of the first torpedo, the second fast attack boat took a different angle than the first. It lined up for a stern shot rather than a broadside shot, like the first boat. The results were different as desired, but not in a good way. The torpedo struck the ship just to the port side of the rudder—right on top of one of the satchel charges that Captain Conners had set during the evening. The rear of the ship was lifted up and out of the water on impact. The blast sent huge amounts of mud and rocks flying into the air, and then the real explosion took place.
The Honolulu Sunrise’s drone was an instant casualty as there was a bright white flash on the monitor and then the shockwave splashed it into the harbor. The view from the Honolulu Sunrise’s crane cameras showed a blinding white flash a millisecond after the torpedo exploded and then another, followed by a deafening thump, thump as dueling mushroom-shaped clouds exploded into the air, instantly overshadowing the harbor and the city itself.
Seconds later, a tremendous shockwave struck the ship, keeling it over forty degrees to starboard. The sudden shifting of the vessel tossed the crew and equipment about the ship. Several small electrical fires burst from the backs of electrical equipment and along the conduit lines running across the underside of the balcony floor of the second level of the command center.
It took the ship several seconds to right itself, teetering back and forth for more than a minute before settling to an even keel, finding its center of gravity once again. With the video monitors out, Captain Conners, Hanchell, David and his team along with Miller, the ship’s Chief Engineer, and several other crew members raced on deck to survey the damage to their ship and to the harbor. At first glance, the ship’s damage appeared light, but the harbor and the city were another story.
The scene before them was one of utter devastation. The cruiser that had been blocking the harbor’s entrance was down at the bow taking on water with her superstructure a twisted mass of metal. Flames shot skyward from it and through gaping holes in the deck. No one could clearly discern the bridge or any part of the superstructure through their night vision binoculars. They could, however, discern the numerous bodies floating in the waters surrounding the ship.
The water in the harbor itself was on fire due to massive fuel and oil spills from the tank farm at the far end of the harbor and the fuel bunkers of the ships that had been in the harbor when the explosions occurred. The dozen or so fast attack boats that had appeared to be swarming about like bees just moments before the explosion, were now nowhere to be seen. The few ships that had remained in the port after the mêlée began were either sunk or sinking, with massive fires consuming them as they settled to the harbor’s bottom.
The town itself was devastated. Where there had been buildings and homes, there was now rubble. There didn’t appear to be a tree or utility pole for more than five miles in any direction. At the edge of the circle of destruction, debris had been stacked against the hills and forest giving the area the appearance of having been swept to the side.
“Where’s The People’s Glory?” Hanchell asked as he peered through his NV goggles. Quickly, everyone scanned the harbor but the ship wasn’t there. Nothing! No ship, no pier, no buildings beyond, no gantry cranes and no cargo containers for hundreds of yards. The ship, though it may not have been vaporized, had vanished. Miller, the ship’s Chief Engineer, speculated that it was probably blown to bits by the explosion and shoved into the muddy floor of the harbor.
From their vantage point, there didn’t appear to be any survivors in the pier area or in most of the town. Only the naval base at the very outer edge of the harbor appeared to have been spared most of the horror. The fires there were already being addressed by naval personnel and there appeared to be rescue barges being launched. Hanchell asked if they should head back to the harbor to lend what help they could, but the
captain said no. Instead, he ordered Hanchell to set a course for Jacksonville at flank speed. He had no intension of being associated with this disaster.
“Well, that job’s done. Where to next?” Mitchell quipped, a big grin on his face.
“You’re an idiot!” Montoya snapped as he turned away from the carnage and stepped into the superstructure. The others ignored the comment.
“What?” Mitchell questioned as he followed the group inside.
It took the somber crew of the Honolulu Sunrise just over an hour to check all of the ship’s major systems and get underway; the ship had sustained damage, but nothing too severe—a few broken portals and some jammed doors. The major damage occurred to the deck cranes and the electronics inside them. In fact, it was the electronics throughout the ship which had suffered the brunt of the damage. The electricians and the computer guys were already making repairs from ship’s stores and ordering the parts that weren’t stocked on board so they would be waiting in Jacksonville the day after tomorrow. The crew suffered a couple of broken arms and one broken leg, along with numerous minor cuts and bruises and concussion, but no life-threatening injuries.
In Jacksonville, the ship would be dropping off a few containers and picking up a few replacements for a trip to some Baltic port in Poland for Kilauea Corp. David doubted his team would make the trip, since the Middle East is where the terrorists were and that’s where he needed to be. No, it was more than ‘needed to be.’ He had to be there! He had to find the sons of bitches that orchestrated the deaths of his family, and the Middle East was where he needed to start looking. What happened here was only the beginning, and he wouldn’t rest until he had found and killed the men who had ordered the attacks that killed his family. Anyone with any intelligence knew that the only way to prevent terrorism was to pull it out by its roots and kill it. That was exactly what David Clarett was going to do.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
“So, we weren’t responsible for the explosion in Cuba?” Steven asked bluntly as soon as Chip answered the phone.
“What? No, hi, how’s it going?” Chip replied.
“Don’t get cute! I need to know!” Steven pressed uncharacteristically. “There were an estimated twenty-five thousand people killed and another twelve thousand injured.”
“Well, you can sleep well. We didn’t do it. The Cubans fired on their own ship which happened to have been highjacked by our friends, the terrorists, and whatever was in it went off as a result.”
“What do you mean ‘whatever was in it?’ It looks like it was a nuke, for Christ’s sake!” Steven complained.
“Steven, calm down! It wasn’t a nuke. There’s no radiation. If I had to guess, I’d guess it was a couple of fuel air bombs. The type the Russians make. They come fully armed and ready to use. No safety switch. They can obliterate a square mile no problem, with heavy damage out to as far as ten miles. Reports state there was a double fireball and mushroom cloud, so it was probably two of them. The U.S. has them, too, but we don’t use them much because of collateral damage. Maybe the Russians, through the Cubans, were going to sell some to the terrorists and something went wrong with the deal. We’ve got an intercepted communication that says as much. Which by the way, I’ve already forwarded to Bryson City,” Chip tried to explain the situation to his friend.
“I hear there was some damage to the ship,” Steven changed the subject, sounding more than a bit relieved.
“It was minor. The biggest problems were the video cameras and crane masts. We got banged around pretty good by the shockwave. We’re picking up new ones in Jacksonville today, and the crew will replace them while at sea. That includes all the camera gear and antennas. What’s the latest from the land of fruits and nuts?” Chip asked, referring to Washington, DC.
“What about the crew? How many were hurt?” Steven inquired about the crew. The crew’s well-being was important to Steven.
“The crew came through it just fine. Lots of bruises, a couple of broken bones and one concussion. One of the engine room techs hit his head on a pipe and was knocked out cold. All in all, we were pretty lucky.” Chip rattled off the injury report. “What about Washington? Chip asked again.
“It’s the same old, same old. Every member of Congress is clamoring for the president to do something to right the economy, but as usual no one is offering any solutions. They just go on TV and complain. Hell, the guy is one of their own, a Democrat, and they’re still doing it! Of course, the president’s only idea is to raise taxes, which happens to have the opposite effect to building the economy.
“Just last year, they tried to triple the tax paid by the oil companies due to their record profits. Luckily, that failed. But yesterday, some idiot congressman from Vermont offered an amendment to the emergency funding bill for Houston, giving them a tax break that amounts to no taxes for the next twenty-five years, plus a trillion dollar bailout. These politicians are totally nuts and yet they keep getting reelected time and time again. What’s that say about our country?” Steven asked, not expecting an answer.
“Then some other idiot in the Senate is trying to call for congressional hearings over the lack of response from the oil companies in regard to Houston. He wants to know why they haven’t offered to provide emergency services or at least money to help the government provide them. Another one is directly blaming the attack on the oil companies, themselves. He says they failed to provide adequate security at their refineries. The same guy goes on national TV this morning, saying they know that the average Muslim hates the oil companies because of their long history of stealing their natural resources and that an attack of this nature was bound to happen. Hell, this clown wants to hold hearings about it, as well. He claims we should prosecute the company executives for failing to have enough security and putting profit ahead of safety and security.” Steven stopped speaking and waited for Chip’s reaction. When he remained silent, Steven began again.
“Congress once again is acting like they have nothing to do with our country’s security situation. They completely ignore the fact that they failed to act when it came to closing the border or doing away with the loopholes that make it impossible to enforce our laws regarding immigration and human smuggling. What a bunch of horse shit!” Steven practically bellowed.
“Now you sound like me,” Chip finally remarked.
“We need to take these worthless Washington twits out and tar and feather them all. Run them out of Washington on a rail and impound all of their assets for failing to protect the citizens of this great nation,” Steven bemoaned to his friend.
“Yeah, it’s good to know my leaving didn’t cause anything to change. Have you heard anything more about the cash being funneled from overseas to Starks and his administration? You mentioned it back before the holidays and I’ve wondered about it ever since,” Chip asked.
“Did I mention something like that?” Steven replied.
“Well, yeah. You said that several high ranking officials had received money from foreign sources which you needed to check out. Have you had anyone check it out?”
“Say, did you know that the new Secretary for Peace, the cabinet position, has been tabled for now?” Steve evaded Chip’s question.
“No, I hadn’t heard. What stopped them?” Chip asked, giving Steven a little breathing room before he pounced on him.
“It seems there are no less than six, and maybe as many as eight, senators and congressmen who want the job, and they’re screaming bloody murder, trying to get the nod before they agree to vote for it. I understand Starks is about to lose his mind over the back biting and infighting going on.
“Gee, that’s too bad. So what about the foreign campaign funds?” Chip blurted out without pretense.
“It was just some rumor I heard. I wouldn’t put it past any of them, but how would I know if they were taking bribes? If I did know it and could prove it, I’d do my best to go public right away,” Steven answered.
“Yeah, you’re a regular chicken l
ittle,” Chip quipped sarcastically, wondering why Steven was dancing around the question. “Steven, you wouldn’t have mentioned the Cuba thing if you thought anyone was listening, so why the game about the overseas money?”
“What game? It was just a rumor. Figuring out if the rumor is true or not is a job for the FBI or the CIA, maybe. I’ve got enough things on my plate. I can’t go checking out every rumor I hear. I can’t be everywhere at all times. Someone else will have to check out the rumors,” Steven stated.
“I’ve been meaning to talk with you about something along those lines,” Chip casually mentioned now that Steven had given him an opening.
“Talk to me about what?” Steven blurted out as if he was distracted by something and wasn’t really listening.
“I’d like to bring in an intelligence team,” Chip stated.
“What? Why?” Steven retorted, sounding a little hurt by the statement. “You don’t think I’m giving you good intelligence?”
“It’s not that at all, Steven. It’s the fact that I need full-time, around the clock information. I need my own CIA-type team to quickly ferret out the jewels and toss the meaningless. I need someone who knows the real players in the intelligence world, not just how to access the computer intelligence. I want feet on the ground asking questions, not reading some computer nerd’s theory about what was said and why. Now, don’t get me wrong, Steven. I still need your computer network, but I also need guys with real world experience. I need guys who have had their hands dirty and know who the real bad guys are.” Chip did his best to sell Steven on the idea.
“So, who would you get?” Steven asked.
“I have two guys in mind. They both have real world experience and they know the players inside and out. I’d like to get Robert Westlyn and William Richland. They both think like we do and they both have become pretty outspoken about the current administration’s policies and behaviors. It really frosted both of them when Starks met with Venezuela and Mexico to beg for gas, instead of making it easy for the oil companies to fix the refineries or build new ones here,” Chip explained.
Reprisal!- The Eagle Rises Page 29