“We consider this information accurate, Mister President,” said Ben Watson, the National Security Advisor. “It matches what we know and adds a lot more detail. Notice the differentiation between the tunnels in size and capacity. This one can handle aircraft going through it and is wide enough for four lanes. It’s no wonder they have been able to get equipment and supplies through so rapidly.”
“That’s true,” said the DDI, “and it presents a difficult problem. How can we close it? It’s designed to be a nuclear shelter. We can drop bombs, but they wouldn’t even dent it.”
“And I am not going to drop a nuke on that mountain. That would be just want they want me to do,” said the President.
The National Security Advisor thought for a moment. “It carries trucks doesn’t it?”
“Yes, so?”
“Then I wonder if we could get something inside?” asked General Black.
“That many explosives would be a dead giveaway,” said the DDI.
“Yes, but a small device, maybe about four kilotons, might go unnoticed. A pipe or box falling off a truck on the side of the road. And remember, the North used weapons of mass destruction against us. There might be a way,” said Black.
The President listened intently. “What would be the collateral damage?”
“I don’t know sir, but it might be worth checking out.”
“Okay, but no more than finding some answers for now. I do not want to do anything that will upset our allies or the UN. The alternative is to bomb it every day to keep it unusable. Ben, do this personally. I want all the answers before I even consider such a thing.
“Yes, Mister President.”
“Now on to something else, what about how it was sent to us? This business of going through a lesser official and keeping things so quiet; if they really wanted to help, why not start feeding things through to us directly? Are they for us or against us?” the President wondered out loud.
“It’s more complicated than that,” said the Deputy Director of Intelligence. “You see, if the party over there openly forsakes another communist nation, they lose face and a major pile of credibility. But they are also in a bind economically. In other words, they need our money. By coming to us this way, they can openly support their allies while assuring the United States they are really on our side. It’s a game they play very well,” the DDI said. “Also, by using a very low level official, it gives them some deniability. They can actually accuse the man of being a spy and have it stick. At the same time, they can simply change the messenger and continue operations. It is a well thought out system.
The President nodded. “Okay, I can accept that. Now how will it affect our operations?”
General Black spoke up. “This could actually give us a boost. Now that we know where everything is going through, we can target the roads they use. If we can get some of the remaining operational smart weapons over there, and decide what to do about the big one, we could close the operations for good. The Chinese might even be willing to help. The DMZ is still heavily mined. From the few overflights the Japanese have been able to do for us, we have seen no vehicles coming across that way. So if we can shut these before we begin our big campaign, it should seriously degrade their capabilities,” he said. “But in another area, this meeting could be made into a distinct advantage. All we need to do is send a little message,” he said. After another thirty minutes of talking, the plans were set.
General Claire Richardson ended her briefing and walked up to her stateroom aboard the M/V Morning Chorus. It was late and she had not slept much the last few nights. Finally just a few days ago the last of the vehicles and troops had been brought aboard the vessels and they got underway. The Navy was miffed that she hadn’t chosen one of the LPDs or other naval vessels to be her headquarters, but Richardson couldn’t have cared less. In all, the Navy was supplying only a third of the transport needed to get her people to the beach, so she could pick and choose as she wished. After all, the new Deputy Commander of 1st Marine Division should be able to pick and choose. Her position as Deputy Commander was one she had requested. It was a reward for all she had done in planning these landings. But what meant more was that the deputy went in with the ground forces on the initial landings. She would lead troops in battle — and that had been her dream for a long time.
To make the Morning Chorus more usable, the Marines brought in a portable command center with a communications trailer. Even now it was intercepting messages and keeping the staff up to date on what was going on. The radios would actually be used only once the soldiers were on the beach. Radio silence was the key to everything. Knowing the ship was limited in their cooking capabilities, the Marines even brought in their own mess gear and supplies. Right now the ship was home to the 1st Marine Division; one of the oldest and most distinguished commands in the world. Along with them were a division of tanks, a variety of support equipment, tanker trucks with fuel, loaded supply trucks and tons of equipment staged in the twelve huge open decks on the ship. Normally the ship could carry over 6,000 automobiles, but this load was a little heavier and more volatile. Almost 10,000 Marines were also aboard. She had been amazed at the ability to set up rows upon rows of bunked cots — enough to sleep half that number. The men rotated 12 on and 12 off. The rest of the time there was plenty of space on the open decks and on a separate deck set up just for recreation.
Sixteen of the big automobile carriers were in the group, carrying the war to Korea. In addition to the 1st Marines, the units included the 2nd Marine Division and the Army’s 1st and 3rd Infantry Divisions and 1st Cavalry Division. The ships also carried all the artillery and helicopters for the assault and enough fuel and ammunition to last three weeks. It had been a monumental task getting it all together, but with a President behind you, things could move fairly rapidly.
The plan itself turned out to be a simple one. It didn’t need Marines landing on a beach or anything else that might mean many lives lost. What it did count on was a little surprise and a great deal of support when the time came. Both of those aspects were set in place. All they needed to do was show up at the right time.
Richardson paused at the entrance to her cabin and decided to walk out on the main deck and get some air. She walked down the darkened passageway and came to a large steel door. A curtain was in front of it and she switched off the lights before going out except for some small red ones that gave just enough light to see in the passage without providing a beacon for some enemy submarine. She opened the door and stepped out into the darkness. Clouds were out and only a faint glow of the moon shown through. People were standing around, but you couldn’t see who was there, their rank or their features. Slowly she made her way to the railings she knew to be at the side of the ship on this level. Her hands touched the rails and she leaned on them and took in the salty sea air.
After a minute or so someone stumbled into her. “Sorry. It’s a little dark out here,” said a young male voice.
“Yeah, but it’s nice. Pull up a piece of rail,” Richardson said.
“Thanks. I couldn’t sleep, so I came up for a few to get a few breaths of air. Even though they have blowers down below it can get pretty thick. You been to sea before?” he asked.
“A couple of times,” she said. It was very pleasant talking to someone who just treated you like a shipmate instead of a demigod. “I’m like you, would rather be up here. If there weren’t any clouds you would see so many stars it’s hard to believe. It’s really different from being on land.”