“On your feet, and shake out your arms,” he called. “We need a little double-time drill, and maybe some timed fifty-yard runs. First we’ll play follow the leader, and please, don’t anybody jump off the ship. They won’t go back for you.”
“But sir,” someone said. “We’re not moving.”
“Shithead,” Jaybird chirped. “The fucking current is moving at least five knots.”
The double time ate up twenty minutes, and had the SEALS, in their cammies, sweating again and sagging to the deck. “Any orders yet, Commander?” Jaybird asked.
“None. I checked with communications this morning. I did get an E-mail from Master Chief Mackenzie. He’s jealous and wishes he was with us.”
Murdock called the men around him and told them about the Enhanced Acoustic Rifles, the EARS.
“Will they work?” Lampedusa asked.
“Stroh said they will. Thanks for volunteering, Joe. We’ll use you as our target when they arrive and you can tell us how effective they are.”
“They work,” Lam said quickly. “Commander, I know they work, no sense wasting a shot testing one.” Everyone laughed.
Then came the fifty-yard wind sprints down the flight deck and back.
That afternoon, the SEALs checked their equipment in the assembly room. They inflated the IBSs to be sure they had no leaks. Then they deflated them and put in the extra inflation canisters.
“Why we checking our weapons if we can’t use them?” Jack Mahanani asked.
“If we go in with the non-lethal directive, we’ll still take our weapons,” Murdock told them. “It could turn into a shooting war in the flick of a trigger finger. Anytime a SEAL is fired at, he has weapons free to return fire. So get them puppies bright, shining, and well oiled. I have a feeling we’ll be going in, and that it won’t stay non-lethal for long.”
“What’s the Ruskies doing all this time?” Les Quinley asked.
“Damned if I know,” Murdock said. “They send planes over to check.
From what I heard in the mess, the Russian Naval force with their carrier is about twenty klicks up the coast waiting and watching. They were the ones who gave the little general seven days to get off the island. Now they’re stuck with it.”
“The Ruskies gonna blow hell out of that Jap general?” Al Adams asked.
“Who knows,” Murdock said. “Got a feeling they won’t. Be damn bad international press for them. Giant squashes small Japanese beetle with overkill. Not good press at all. They could send in a limited landing force and deal with the general’s men one on one.”
“If we go, it should be before the seven days are up and before the Ruskies can get a landing force on site,” Jaybird said.
“That’s what I’m hoping for,” Murdock said. “I’m going to check with the brass upstairs. Keep things moving down here. Remember, we could be out of this five-star hotel on an hour’s notice.”
Upstairs in the Tactical Flag Command Center, the mood was watchful waiting. Several communications had been monitored, and translated, that went from the Russian carrier to the little general. Murdock read the transcriptions. The two seemed to be sparring, feeling each other out in the first round.
Admiral Kenner came in, and everyone snapped to attention.
“As you were.” He looked at the Watch Officer. “Anything new?”
“Not much, sir. The Japanese Diet has refused to pass any kind of a motion that would show a position one way or the other on the invasion. The strength of support for return of the Kurils seems to have surprised the lawmakers. The only word we have from the Japanese government is to reiterate its position that any move by us must be non-lethal. We’re right back in the hole.”
“That Russian carrier, the Ataman, does she usually carry any Russian Marines?”
The Watch Officer held up a finger, and turned to a manual he had open on one of the shelves around the room.
“Yes, sir. The book on it says there can be up to five hundred Russian Marines on board.”
“They wouldn’t need five hundred. A hundred with autoweapons could whack out those Japanese Self Defense Forces. None of them have ever been shot at before.” The admiral rubbed his face with one hand, then frowned. “When would the Russian Marines land?” the admiral asked. The men in the room shook their heads. The admiral looked at Murdock.
“Commander, you’ve done land-operation fighting. When would the Russian Marines go in?”
“Two days before the end of the cease-fire, sir. Give them an element of surprise.”
“How many men would they take in?”
“Fifty at night should be enough to take down the command post.
Then the rest of the job would be simply mopping up. Once the general is taken, most of the rest of the troops probably will drop their arms in a heartbeat.”
The admiral nodded. “Commander, if you are to take your SEALs in there, when would you go in?”
“Tomorrow night, three days before the deadline. Surprise, beat the Russians by a day, and get it wrapped up before dawn.”
Admiral Kenner smiled, rubbed his jaw, and turned back to Murdock.
“Commander, I’ve heard something about EAR. Can you fill me in on this? I know you’re working directly with the CIA, and your clearance is undoubtedly twice as high as mine, but I’d like to know what this EAR is about?”
“Need to know, sir?”
“Absolutely. Down this way to my cabin.” He turned to the rest of the room. “Carry on here.”
They went along a companionway, turned left, and into the admiral’s quarters. It was the largest Navy seagoing living area Murdock had ever seen. There were three rooms. The admiral popped a can of soft drink and tossed one to Murdock.
“We’ve got a top-secret flight coming in this afternoon. A jet rush-rush job. I don’t know where they put the cargo, but a Stealth bomber flew the goods into Tokyo this morning at dawn, and a COD is bringing them up here as we speak. What’s so damned important it can rate a Stealth bomber?”
“Sir, EAR stands for Enhanced Acoustic Rifle. It’s a still-experimental weapon under study. It’s non-lethal, which would satisfy the Japanese requirement. We might get three or twenty, I don’t know which. They have an effective range of five hundred yards, and can put a victim down and out for up to six hours and not injure him in any way.
“Shoot one into a room, and the acoustic burst ricochets around the room disabling everyone inside. Line of sight and only ten shots per weapon before they need to be recharged for four hours. That’s all I know.”
“Interesting. Sounds like it would fill the bill for the Japanese.
You still want to go in tomorrow night?”
“Yes, sir. If we can get in before the Russians, there should be fewer Japanese dead bodies.”
“I’ll make that recommendation to the CNO and to the ambassador to Japan. I had a signal from the Chief of Naval Operations. He says he knows you, and that I should give you every consideration. You have friends in high places.”
“All in the line of duty, sir.”
“Anything you need, let me know.”
“One thing, sir. If these EARs come and work, and if we do go in tomorrow night, we will be taking along our regular weapons and full loads of ammunition. I won’t go in naked, and have them start throwing hot lead at my men with no way to respond.”
“That’s no problem. Only thing is, we don’t have to tell our Oriental friends that end of the equation.”
“No, sir. Thank you. I better get back with my men. Will the EARs be delivered to our operations room when they arrive?”
“Within five minutes of hitting the deck, they’ll be in your hands.”
“Thank you, sir.” Murdock snapped to attention, did a perfect about-face, and walked to the door.