“Tell the general we respect his military moves, but it’s time now to surrender.”
Ching said it, but there was no comment from the general.
Murdock told Ching to speak to the general again. Ching said the same words, but the general did not turn.
Murdock rushed ahead just as the general toppled over to the side.
When they got there it was too late. General Raiden Nishikawa lay on his side with a ceremonial samurai short sword in his stomach. He had thrust it in, turned it sideways, and sliced through his bowels.
He had died in the few minutes it took the SEALs to approach his position.
Murdock crouched on the ground in front of the general. The man had had a mission and had been willing to die for his cause. At least now he would be with his ancestors. The world would have a martyr for the cause of giving the Kuril chain back to Japan.
Murdock had an idea that he let ferment and grow and expand as he thought about it. Why not? What would be better for this small Japanese man than to be left here on Kunashir with his ancestors?
How? They had no entrenching tools, no shovels, nothing to use to dig a grave. Murdock called Jaybird over and put the problem to him.
“Easy, Skipper. We do like the Indians used to. We find a low place in the land, scoop it out with sticks, lay him in it, then cover him with rocks out of the stream. Then we pile brush on top of that so no animals can get to him. Makes a fine grave.”
Captain Radiwitch came up frowning. “Why didn’t you use your sleep guns on the Japanese?”
Murdock smiled. “Hey, if we had, then we would have had to carry them out to the coast. This way, they walk.” The Russian laughed and went to talk with his men.
“We get him and his Ruskies out of here, then we bury the general,” Murdock said. “We’ll make up a story that the general killed himself and fell into the river and we couldn’t find his body.”
Ten minutes later, Murdock had convinced Captain Radiwitch that he should lead the way downstream to the coast, then contact the Russian hovercraft to come get them. He still had his walkie-talkie, but he couldn’t use it here in the mountains. He also took the Japanese prisoners, who were now willing captives.
When they were gone, the SEALs made a grave for General Raiden Nishikawa, much as Jaybird had suggested. They finished it with a stack of dead limbs and brush that no animal could get through.
Then they marched off downstream toward the coast.
Holt fired up the SATCOM on TAC Two. The planes did not respond.
He tried TAC One, but reception was not possible through the mountains.
“We get to the coast we’ll try it again,” Holt said. “It should work out there.”
Murdock had grilled the seven SEALs on the death of the general.
They had to have the same story. The general had committed hara-kiri with his samurai sword, then toppled into the surging river, and they hadn’t been able to find him.
It took them another two hours to hike down the stream to the coast. Then the Tac One channel worked and Murdock talked to the admiral.
He explained their chase and the final capture and what had happened to General Nishikawa. The admiral said he would report it to the embassy and to Washington.
“Well done, Commander. You need transport?”
“First we have to find the other half of our platoon and about thirty Russians.”
“That would be Lieutenant Dewitt and the Second Squad. When you assaulted the mountain, he pulled back his squad with the Russians and worked back to the coast. One of our choppers picked him up about an hour ago. The Russians commandos with Dewitt are on their air-cushion craft. They radioed to us to come and get the SEALS.”
“Wondered about that. You might tell the Russian floater to move about four klicks north to find their captain and his eight men.”
“Will do, Commander. We’ll see you soon.”
Murdock sat down with his back against a tree ten yards from the beach and watched the waves roll in. The seven SEALs were close by.
“I’d kill for an MRE,” Ronson said.
“Hey, didn’t you bring one?” Jaybird asked. “I thought everyone did. Hell, no, I’m not sharing.”
The six SEALs rushed him, rolled him on the ground, and made certain he didn’t have an MRE in his pack.
“Doc, how about a casualty report,” Murdock said.
“Nothing I know about. Some nicks and scrapes, and Jaybird is getting strangled. That’s about all. We left Washington back at the village with that broken ankle.”
“Yeah, we still have all of our EARS? Count them, Jaybird.”
A minute later he reported. “All present, Commander.”
“Good. Stroh would skin, roast, and feed us to alligators if we lost one of them. We should have a bird here soon. Sack out if anybody wants to.” Murdock grinned. Even before he said it he heard two of the SEALs snoring. Yeah, great idea. His chin dropped to his chest and he slept.
26
Murdock awoke to feel snowflakes hitting him in the face. It was a light fall of cold, dry flakes. He licked off a couple, then checked his watch. Almost 0830. Somewhere in the background he heard the Russians on a radio. He dozed again, then came alert. Chopper.
No doubt about it, the sound came again, the whup, whup, whup of the big rotors. He looked over where the Russians had been. They were gone. Captain Radiwitch had talked with Murdock and knew a chopper was coming. The Russian hovercraft must have come well before the helicopter. Murdock had shaken hands and said good-bye to the Russian captain. The Russians had brought out their one dead and four wounded.
Murdock checked seaward. The chopper sound persisted. He looked in his combat vest and found a red flare.
Two minutes later he could see an outline of the chopper through the light snow. He popped the flare and threw it down on the beach sand. At once the chopper changed directions, did a low fly-over, then circled around and came in for a landing just inside the dry sand.
The chopper hatch slid open and a crewman jumped out. “Up and at them,” Murdock barked. “Your limousine is here.”
Jaybird made sure everyone was awake; then they moved through the light snow flurries toward the twin-rotored Sea Knight, and climbed in the forward hatch.
“Glad you guys showed up,” Murdock told the crewman. He went to the cockpit and tapped one of the pilots on the shoulder. The aviator turned and nodded.
“Hey, can you contact Home Base and ask them if Lieutenant Dewitt picked up Washington, or if he’s still down there with the Russians in Golovnino.”
The pilot asked him to repeat the message, then got on his radio.
A minute later the pilot looked over at Murdock.
“Home Base reports that your man Washington was brought out and is on board the carrier now.”
Murdock thanked him and went back with the other SEALS. Five of his men had sat down and promptly gone back to sleep.
“Been a long day,” Jaybird said. “When did we get any sleep last?”
“A week ago Thursday,” Ken Ching said. He dropped his combat vest and slumped against it. “Don’t wake me up until Christmas,” he said.
Murdock walked among the bodies counting. They still had their six EAR weapons. Good. It would take them about twenty minutes to fly back to the carrier, get in the flight pattern, and come in to land, a crewman told Murdock.
Murdock waved. “Hey, take your time. I’m in no hurry. Not now.”
As soon as they hit the carrier deck, Murdock told Jaybird to get the men below and into the ready room. He’d be along shortly. He found a white shirt and followed him off the deck, and then a seaman took him to sick bay.