Chase said, “It should, yes.”
“This supposes that we don’t have to fight off the submarine on our way there. If that happens—”
The phone rang, and the person closest to the phone answered it. He looked up at Victoria. “Air Boss, it’s for you.”
She walked over and picked it up. “Manning.” She looked up at the group. “OPS, please come with me. The rest of you stay here and keep working on the details of a plan. I’ll be back shortly.”
“What is it?” Chase asked.
She looked him directly in the eye. “The USS Ford is contacting us. They’re driving up the western coast of South America.”
Chase smiled. “I was wondering when they’d show up.”
Victoria walked into the CIC with OPS in tow. The communications officer stood over the central chart table. “Good evening, Air Boss.”
“Good evening. Sounds like you’ve been busy. What have you got?”
“Ma’am, about an hour ago we started getting a datalink connection request. We went through all the procedures, and everything checked out good. Long story short, it was an E-2D Hawkeye, launched from the USS Ford.”
“Understood. Now, how is that possible?”
“The USS Ford Strike Group is several thousand miles to the south of us. But they’ve launched their airborne early-warning aircraft. We’re now sharing our tracks over datalink via the E-2.”
Victoria looked at OPS. OPS said, “When will they be here? It’s going to be several days at least. Call it a week.”
“We just started chatting with them now, sir. We don’t have voice up yet — it’s all on chat.” Chat was the term for the encrypted instant messenger system the military used to communicate on.
“So? What are you waiting for? Ask them,” OPS said.
“Sir, uh… Ford CSG Actual is on chat. He wants to speak with Farragut Actual. I… I assume that is the air boss? Is that right, ma’am? I wasn’t sure what to say.”
Victoria nodded. “That’s fine. Show me where to type.” They walked over to one of the computer monitors.
FARRAGUT TAO: This is Farragut Actual. Status: Air Boss had to take over as Farragut Actual after CO and XO were KIA in missile strike. Farragut casualties were 14 Dead, 10 wounded. Four ships in company were sunk. 32 personnel from ships in company have been rescued and are on board. All Farragut systems have been restored and are operational. We have taken on 10 personnel from a MARSOC unit, including high-priority cargo. Are you familiar, over?
FORD CSG BWC: FARRAGUT Actual, this is FORD CSG Actual. Sorry to hear about your KIA. Am familiar with MARSOC mission and cargo. Understand priority and destination. State intentions, over.
FARRAGUT TAO: Intend to proceed to Panama City at best transit speed and launch cargo with one member of MARSOC unit as soon as we reach helicopter range.
FORD CSG BWC: Roger, stand by.
Victoria took a deep breath. This was a surreal experience. She looked around the dark, high-tech room. She was commanding a US Navy warship, and sending messages to her father, who was commanding an aircraft carrier strike group.
“What ships are with the Ford? I mean, what type of ships? Do you have that up on the board?”
“Yes, ma’am. Looks like they have the DDG-1002, the USS Michael Monsoor, riding shotgun. They also have the USS Mason, the USNS Henry J. Kaiser, and the USS Detroit, a littoral combat ship. It’s like a Navy recruiting commercial — they’ve got one of everything.”
Victoria just nodded, too tired to smile. While she waited, she wrote down a list of questions that she had for when FORD started talking again. The chat window became active a few moments later.
FORD CSG BWC: FARRAGUT, until further notice, FORD CSG takes tactical control of your unit.
FARRAGUT TAO: Roger, understand FORD CSG has TACON of FARRAGUT.
FORD CSG BWC: FARRAGUT, be advised, Chinese surface action group headed your way from the west. Additionally, Chinese Shang-class attack submarine believed to be in your vicinity. BOTH surface action group and sub have orders to sink your unit.
Victoria looked at the screen, whispering, “Well, no shit, there’s a Chinese sub. Thanks.”
OPS said, “Do they have a location or number of Chinese surface ships?”
Victoria typed.
FARRAGUT TAO: Interrogative position of hostile units?
FORD CSG BWC: Unknown. Working with reconnaissance assets to search the area. Will pass updated track information to you when able.
FARRAGUT TAO: Roger.
FORD CSG BWC: FARRAGUT, your orders are to stay at current location until FORD CSG gets to your position.
Victoria looked at the screen in disbelief. What was her father thinking? Didn’t they know that the crypto key had to get to Panama City as soon as possible? Plus, if there were ships and submarines out here trying to find her, the last thing she wanted to do was sit around. She needed to plow through and head to Panama.
FARRAGUT TAO: FORD CSG, respectfully — this will not allow us to complete our mission. VIP and Cargo needs to get to Panama ASAP. Waiting at current position not an option. This will also expose us to submarine attack.
FORD CSG BWC: Understood. Was not aware of cargo transfer requirement. Stand by.
Admiral Manning sat in a chair on an elevated platform in the rear of a room the size and shape of a movie theater. Yet instead of normal seats, the room was set up similar to NASA mission control. Rows of highly trained Navy personnel worked on computers, gathering information from sensors and eyeballs around the fleet. This room was where the admiral’s watch team ran the carrier strike group. It was the brain. The central command center for billions of dollars of high-tech warfighting equipment and thousands of personnel.
A Navy commander was the head watch stander, the battle watch captain. He stood behind the admiral while the admiral typed from the battle watch captain’s chair.
The battle watch captain’s assistant came up to him, whispering, “Sir, we just got voice communications good uplink and downlink. The admiral can call and speak to Farragut on voice, if he prefers.”
The admiral, his ears used to trying to listen in to the whispers of underlings, turned and said, “Yes. I want voice. Which one is it?”
The commander handed him the black plastic phone. “You just press this button here, sir. They should be the only ones on that channel.”
“Thank you.”
He paused, realizing who he was about to be speaking with. “Gentlemen, could you give me a moment?”
The watch standers and his aide stepped out of earshot. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Farragut, this is Ford CSG Actual, over.”
“Ford CSG Actual, this is Farragut Actual, over.”
It was her voice. He wasn’t sure how many people would be listening to the conversation, but he didn’t care. This was the first time he’d spoken to his daughter since his wife’s funeral.
“It’s good to hear your voice, Victoria, over.”
A pause.
“Ford, this is Farragut, Thank you, sir. You too, over.”
That was the most affection either of their proper etiquette-based personalities would allow.
“Farragut, this is Ford. I understand that you disagree with the decision to remain on station until Ford CSG arrives, over?”