Colonel Lin checked the controls through his shield. What he could see looked normal.
Then the flash of light dimmed, and he jerked up the shield and saw that all instruments were in the usual ranges.
“Good work, crew, our job is done, we’re heading home,” Colonel Lin said.
“I have more than forty blips on my radar of incoming planes,” the navigator said. “They are still more than a hundred miles off but closing fast.”
“Crew, we have just started a war. We have bombed Biratnagar, in southeastern Nepal. The cargo planes coming are filled with paratroopers, who will drop in on every large city in Nepal. Our leaders think this Nepal war will last no more than two days.”
“Why are we going to war with Nepal?” the navigator asked. “What does that little mountainous country possibly have that China could want?”
“That they didn’t tell me,” Colonel Lin said. “Now our job is to get back home. Navigator, check our course and speed.”
7
The carrier’s wardroom was crowded with officers watching the large-screen TV that picked up CNN off a satellite. It was not yet noon on board and no one knew what time zone Nepal was in.
“Whatever time it is over there, they are in one shit pot full of trouble,” an ensign said. “China will walk all over them in three days and there won’t be anything left of that little country but a few high mountains.”
Murdock and DeWitt had just finished coffee when the reports came through on CNN.
“I can’t believe that China would waste a bomb on Nepal,” DeWitt said. “Hell, she could walk across the border there anytime she wanted to without turning a hundred thousand people into crispy critters.”
“CNN said this town they hit with the bomb used to have a population of a hundred and thirty-five thousand,” Murdock said. “Most of them must be gone by now. Of course maybe China wanted to prove she had a tactical nuclear weapon. India would return tit for tat with a nuke, so Nepal would be safer.”
Somebody turned up the volume on the TV.
So far that’s all the information we have. We have no correspondents in Nepal. As most of you know it’s a small country, only fifty-four thousand square miles, that’s a little smaller than the state of Kentucky. Nepal has just over twenty-four million people and Kentucky has only four million.
The military experts say that Nepal has a standing army of only 47,000 men. China has almost three million men under arms. Nepal is a kingdom with the highest mountains in the world. That is where Mount Everest climbs up to twenty-nine thousand twenty-eight feet. The Himalayan Mountain Range bisects the length of Nepal and has twelve more peaks that are over 25,000 feet. By contrast, Mount McKinley in Alaska, the tallest spot in North America, is only 20,320 feet.
Worldwide condemnation of China and Pakistan is pouring into the news media. We have statements from half the nations that are awake at this hour naming China and Pakistan as monsters, bullies, warmongers, outlaw nations, the devil’s spawn, and those are just a few of the nicer names that world governments are calling China and Pakistan that we’re allowed to tell you about.
Which brings us to the question of why. Why would a huge country with a billion and a quarter population, team up with a smaller nation and assault and devastate a tiny country with only twenty-four million residents? We’ve asked some outstanding experts on China, including a U.S. Senator who was rescued from South China less than a week ago. He has some interesting comments. First let’s go to the man who has made his reputation predicting what China will do, retired Army General—
Murdock felt somebody poke him in the shoulder and looked around to see Don Stroh in a garish blue, red, purple, and brilliant yellow Hawaiian print shirt showing tropical flowers, and matching pants. The vision slid into a chair next to Murdock.
“It’s really hit the fan, just like your favorite senator predicted.”
“Thought you had flown back stateside,” DeWitt said.
“Convinced my boss that your senator wasn’t as crazy as State said he was and wrangled another two weeks over here. Looks like it paid off.”
“Hey, Stroh, we’re not in this tussle,” Murdock said. “None of our people were nuked.”
“Haven’t you heard of the Joint Southeast Asian Defense Alliance?” Stroh asked.
“Not a whisper,” DeWitt said.
“Neither have I,” Stroh said, “but there’s something like that out there that damn well could commit us to take up the defense if one of the signatories is attacked. Could be something like that here. If we signed a treaty like that with Nepal, we’re committed to defend that little ridge of mountains.”
“Not another Vietnam,” DeWitt said.
“Whatever you call it, I’d say there is a high and big fucking chance that you boys will be busy here quickly, often, and up to your gonads in Chinese and Pakistanis.”
“But it still has to go through channels, right?” Murdock said.
Stroh gave a big sigh. “Oh, yeah. That little admiral who runs the SEALs is still in a bodacious snit. Wants another stripe on his sleeve. But if things get hot, we can go right with the CNO. The man himself told me so.”
“Stroh, you putting on weight?” Murdock asked. “You look a little pudgy around the waist again and those jowls are barfing out like crazy. You been working out at all?”
“None of your damn business.”
One of the mess stewards came up and stared at Stroh. The CIA man noticed and turned. “So?”
“Are you Mr. Stroh?”
“He is,” Murdock said.
“Sir, the ship’s captain requests your presence with Commander Murdock and Lieutenant (jg) DeWitt in his cabin at once. There is a guide outside to take you there.”
“Duty calls,” Murdock said.
Stroh didn’t move. He hadn’t touched the cup of coffee he brought with him when he sat down. “Be damned. This captain is getting touchy. He ordered me, that’s as in ordered me, to put on some fancy officer khaki uniform. I told him I never made it past corporal in the big war, so I couldn’t wear officer khaki; and he snorted, and said didn’t matter. Guess I’ll get a real ass chewing.”
“Not likely, Stroh. You’ve still got connections, and the captain is always looking for one more wide gold stripe on his arm. Let’s go see what he wants.”
Ten minutes later they were shown into the outer room in the captain’s cabin. It looked like a small living room with a sofa, two large upholstered chairs, a floor lamp and a small table. On one wall was a six-foot-wide map opened to large-scale views of northern India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
“This is gonna be business,” Stroh said.
“Relived?” DeWitt asked.
“Damn right. I’ve got a boss, too, you know.”
They turned as a large man came into the compartment. He was nearly six feet six, with gray streaks in heavy black hair at his temples, and a face that looked like it had been assembled by committee. His nose was too large for his round face. His cheeks held a perpetual pinkness. Steel blue eyes surveyed the three men in front of him as he moved with an easy grace many tall men don’t have, and pushed behind his desk. He eased into the tall leather chair.
“Seated,” he said. An order.
“I’m Captain Robertson and this is my ship. I usually take orders through channels, and I’m not comfortable having the CNO of the whole damn Navy calling me on the radio.” He paused. “Which doesn’t mean a thing to you men. SEALs and a CIA officer. My lucky day. I don’t mind you taking board and room on my ship, but the CNO said you may have some work to do. He wasn’t specific, but said it had something to do with the nuke bombing this morning and the attack by China and Pakistan.” The captain paused and looked at the men with a steady gaze.