“Agreed.”
Bristol made a show out of folding the paper, and tucking it into a pocket. “Is there anything else?”
“Yes,” Ko said. “We want a tour of the engine room.”
Bristol smiled. “Of course, you do. I’ll send for Chief Abidi. He will show you around.”
***
Aboard the semi-submersible cruiser Sea-Dragon in the South China Sea
It was dark and the Sea Dragon was steaming north with the island of Taiwan to the west. Most of the cruiser’s hull was submerged leaving nothing more than her twin conning towers exposed. In keeping with his new rank Lieutenant Jev Jing was standing watch in Tower 1, along with the cruiser’s third officer, and two ratings.
The ship was traveling at a steady 22 knots and pushing swells away from its rounded bow. The lights of Taipei twinkled off the port bow, where they served to symbolize Taiwan’s precarious neutrality.
China had, as was the case with Vietnam, chosen to leave the heavily armed country alone for the moment, rather than spend the resources required to conquer it. But later, during what the president referred to as the Weida de tongzhi (The Great Dominion) there would be plenty of time in which to “train the dogs.”
Lieutenant Commander Yu’s thoughts were on Taiwan as well. “Look at those lights, Jev,” Yu said. “Some of them are bars. And do you know what’s in those bars? Booze. But more importantly, women. Some of whom are bound to pretty, and willing to make a sailor happy for the right price. I wish we could go there.”
“Yes, sir,” Jing said obediently. “That would be nice.”
“Attention on deck,” a rating said as Captain Ko appeared.
“As you were,” Ko said, before anyone could snap to attention. “We should be coming up on the Java Dawn at any moment … Keep your eyes peeled.”
Jing stared into the darkness, hoping to be the first to spot the container ship, but a sharp-eyed rating beat him to it. “There she is, Captain … Off our port bow.”
Jing saw the white glow of a stern light, followed by a green running light, and the checkerboard glow of lights associated with the ship’s superstructure. The Sea Dragon by contrast was blacked out.
Ko was wearing a wireless headset, and giving orders to those on duty in the CIC. “Warn the freighter that we’re coming alongside. Match her speed. Tell the Dawn to engage their autopilot if they are steering manually. And ask them to provide advance warning if they disengage it.
“Bring the Dragon to a point one hundred feet off the Java Dawn’s starboard side and engage our autopilot. Monitor our position constantly to ensure that we remain in position.”
Everyone, Jing included, knew what the captain was up to, and had complete faith in his ability to pull it off. And why wouldn’t they? After the victory over the USS Concord, and the successful attack on Singapore, Ko could no wrong. So, if he thought the Sea Dragon could sneak up on Okinawa, and attack it with impunity, they were happy to be part of what promised to be a third thrilling victory.
Jing went off duty a half hour later. He was thankful for the tiny cabin that he shared with another lieutenant, because two platoons of marines were crammed into the cruiser’s various nooks and crannies. That meant the air was even more fetid than usual, the already cramped conditions felt more oppressive, and Jing had to stand in line to use a urinal.
But Jing knew the marines were going to play an important part in completing the mission. Their job was to go ashore on Tonaki Island and prevent the locals from using phones or radios to warn authorities about the impending attack.
And, much to his satisfaction, Jing had been selected to go with them to supervise communications. The prospect was not only exciting, but the sort of outing that could produce a favorable mention, or even some sort of award.
It was important to be rested, or so it seemed to Jing, who was determined to take a two-hour nap prior to joining the shore party. He found it impossible to sleep however, and kept looking at his watch, until it was time to roll off the bunk and get dressed.
The Java Dawn and the Sea Dragon had been traveling in company for four hours by then. And as far as Jing knew, they had done so without difficulty. It felt strange to wear marine camos and the holstered Type 67 suppressed pistol. Jing hadn’t fired a handgun or a rifle since officer training school, but had no reason to worry, since the marines would handle that sort of thing.
A lieutenant named Ma was in charge of the marine detachment and Jing didn’t like him. There were a number of reasons for that, starting with Ma’s tendency to shout everything, the officer’s overbearing manner, and his coarse sense of humor. Fortunately, Jing wouldn’t have to deal with Ma for very long, and took comfort from that.
***
Captain Ko felt a tremendous sense of relief as the Java Dawn and the Sea Dragon parted company. The subterfuge had been successful. He knew that because he was still alive. Had the Allies been able to spot the cruiser, long range missiles would have fallen on it in a matter of minutes.
But Sea Dragon wasn’t safe yet. Not by a long shot. The next step was to close with the island of Tonaki, enter its harbor, and discharge Lieutenant Ma’s marines. The rest would depend on stealth. The plan was to send teams to disable cell service, regular phone service, and the radio transmitter the islanders used for emergencies. Lieutenant Jing would see to that.
Once that was accomplished the locals were to be rounded up and held in a warehouse until the attack was over. Perhaps they would survive. Or, if the Japanese government decided to sacrifice them, the residents of Tonaki would be killed by the Americans. Such were the vagaries of
