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US NAVY LIEUTENANT Commander Cornelius Johnson is getting a cup of coffee in the small galley adjacent to the Pit when a scared-looking, young male ensign bursts in and says, “Sir, you need to come back, right away.”
Cornelius leaves his coffee mug on the counter and follows the ensign up the slight ramp that goes up to the balcony level that holds his desk and others, and that overlooks the large video display screens and computer monitors.
He gets two steps into the darkened room before he freezes, looking at the displays, at the blinking and rapidly moving indicators, trying to keep it all in, trying to absorb what he’s seeing.
His deputy, Marine Lieutenant Juanita Lopez, steps up to him, brown eyes worried. He says to her, “Lieutenant, please tell me that there’s been a mistake, that we’re watching a simulation, or a training exercise.”
“No, sir,” she says. “We’ve checked it twice. This is real time, this is happening.”
Breathe,he thinks, looking at the flashing indicators marking the military forces of the People’s Republic of China.
“Latest?” he asks.
“The PLA Navy is heading for open waters,” she says. “Not a drillor exercise. Surface and submarine elements of the North Sea Fleet in Qingdao, the East Sea Fleet in Ningbo, and the South Sea Fleet in Zhanjiang are all heading out, at flank speed. Their naval air forces are also taking off.”
“Taiwan?”
“Being ignored at the moment, it seems.”
“What else?”
“Their strategic air force units are scrambling and are also departing their air bases.”
“Their nuclear forces?”
“Still running that down.”
His Marine deputy looks to his desk. “You might get additional information from your liaisons, sir.”
“You’re right,” he says, going to his desk.
At his desk he picks up the phone linking him to the Pentagon’s National Military Command Center, the command and communications center for the Department of Defense and the National Command Authority, i.e., President Keegan Barrett.
The phone rings once. A woman’s voice states, “Major Juarez, NMCC Duty Officer.”
“This is Lieutenant Commander Johnson, Joint Intelligence Center Pacific.”
“Acknowledged.”
“I have a Flash message. Ready?”
Her voice remains cool and steady. “Roger that.”
“Our surveillance assets are reporting a major deployment of Chinese naval and air forces. The air forces seem to be dispersing to alternate landing fields. The naval forces are leaving port, heading to the open sea.”
Cornelius looks up at the colored moving indicators up there, spreading out like a flower blossoming, each deadly petal heading for safety. Even in their most challenging test drills, he’s never seen a deployment like this.
“Copy that,” she says.
“We’ll have a detailed report on numbers of air force and naval assets being deployed within a half hour.”
“Copy that,” the major says, voice still cool and composed, and Cornelius feels a bit of anger.No wonder you’re so cool, Major,he thinks,you’re way over on the other side of the globe, far away from the Chinese strategic weapons force. Here, on the other hand, we’re at ground zero for an upcoming second Pearl Harbor.
“That’s all for now,” Cornelius says. “Signing off.”
He hangs up the phone, feels like he’s missing something, and he remembers that cup of coffee back in the kitchen area.
Screw that,he thinks.With everything that’s going on, I’m not about to send a junior officer back there, and I’m not about to move.