Tiger's Claw: A Novel

“I know, Ann, but it’s a start—we’re less likely to start a war on the high seas if all the warships stay away from each other,” Phoenix said. “Herbert?”

“I am extremely relieved and optimistic to hear from Gao Xudong, and grateful to him for his very complete explanation and for formulating a plan of action so quickly. It certainly eases my concerns.”

“I’m still not convinced, Herbert,” Ann said. “Just a few days after Tang and Zu announce strict rules about movement in the South China Sea, Gao completely reverses them?”

“It makes sense if what Gao said about Zhou is true,” Phoenix said. “If Zhou was calling all the shots without getting permission, he and Zu could have easily brought China to the brink all by themselves.”

“I don’t know Gao that well, sir,” Kevich said. “But he is Western educated, highly intelligent, and well respected all around the world. He appears to me a very capable vice president and will probably make a good president.”

“But does he have the stones to stand up to General Zu?” Ann asked.

“That I do not know, Miss Vice President,” Kevich said, his forehead wrinkling at the vice president’s salty language. “But he would not be allowed to reveal all he did without cooperation from the general staff. His admissions and presenting that plan were extraordinary, and he would never have been authorized to do it if the military wasn’t on board.” Ann Page still looked doubtful but said nothing.

“Bill?” the president asked.

“I’m with the vice president on this one, sir—this stinks to high heaven,” National Security Adviser Glenbrook said. “I think we should press ahead with everything you wanted to do before we got that call from Gao: beef up defenses in the western Pacific, send as many bombers and fighters as possible out there, and get ready for a fight.”

“That would not send a very cooperative signal, General Glenbrook,” Kevich said.

“The Chinese admitted they set off a nuke in the South China Sea—that doesn’t sound very cooperative either, Mr. Secretary,” Glenbrook said acidly. “We can still comply with everything Gao suggested: aerial patrols, transiting the South China Sea, exercises, port calls, and keep two hundred miles from port—except we build up our presence and defenses in the western Pacific, and do it quickly. Maybe China won’t be so ready to set off a nuke if we have a few fighter and bomber wings and a couple aircraft carrier battle groups nearby.”

“I still think that would be overly provocative, sir, given the admissions and conciliatory tone of President Gao’s call,” Kevich said.

President Phoenix thought about it for a few moments, then said, “I agree, Bill. Continue on with arming the western Pacific, but we’ll limit the patrols to unarmed aerial patrols and announce when we sail ships through the South China Sea. We can still look cooperative and continue beefing up our footprint out there.” To the vice president: “When that dispatch from Gao comes in, Ann, read it over and brief me on the high and low points. You can tell the press that we’re in direct contact with the highest levels of the Chinese government on a resolution to this incident.” Phoenix shook his head ruefully. “When the word of that nuclear depth charge attack gets out, I don’t know what’s going to happen. I just hope there’s not a massive international panic.”

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, BEIJING, CHINA

THAT SAME TIME

“Do you think he believed me, General?” Gao asked. He was in General Zu’s office on the computer that served as the videoconference hotline terminal to several capitals around the world. “He did not seem angry or confrontational at all.”

“I told you, Gao, the Americans do not want a fight in Asia,” Zu said, lighting a cigarette. “Since World War Two, the Americans have failed to win an Asian war, even with a powerful army and nuclear weapons and against vastly inferior forces.” He nodded his head to Gao. “But I have to admit: you were right, Gao,” he said. “Talking with the Americans and even admitting attacking their aircraft seems to have mollified them—you even had that spineless drone Phoenix speaking Mandarin! I thought he would take an hour cursing and swearing at us, and instead he was speaking Mandarin—awful Mandarin, but still Mandarin!”

Zu thought for a moment. “This should give us an opportunity to build our naval forces without fear of an American mobilization and blockade,” he said. “We should be completing the purchase of the French aircraft carrier Clemenceau shortly, and we can begin assembling its battle group and air wing. Then we will have three aircraft carrier battle groups within the first island chain, and the Americans will be lucky to sail just one. Our domination will be complete!”

THE WHITE HOUSE SITUATION ROOM

A FEW HOURS LATER

The Situation Room exploded in a storm of shouts and exclamations of disbelief and absolute shock from the civilian attendees; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Joseph Collingsworth, shot to his feet. “China did what, Mr. President?” he cried. Along with the president, vice president, the secretaries of defense and state, the national security adviser, and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, there were a group of senior congressional leaders of both political parties and the chairpersons and ranking members of the congressional military committees in attendance.

“All indications point to precisely that,” President Ken Phoenix said. “A Taiwanese attack submarine wanted to challenge China’s restrictions in the South China Sea; it approached one of China’s aircraft carrier battle groups; it was discovered and was attacked and destroyed with a nuclear depth charge. The yield was less than one kiloton—about one-twentieth the size of the bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima, and far smaller than the ones launched against our air and ICBM bases in the American Holocaust.”

“This is outrageous!” Diane M. Jamieson, majority leader of the U.S. Senate, exclaimed. Jamieson was the long-serving senator from Nevada who had served on several military committees in both the House and Senate and had as much knowledge of defense matters as almost anyone else in the room. “I don’t care what the yield was, Mr. President—the Chinese are again using nuclear weapons! What have we done in response? What is the DEFCON?”

“Right after we had confirmation that it was a nuclear depth charge, I ordered our forces to DEFCON Three,” Phoenix replied. “Since then we were able to place two more Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines out to sea last night, one in the Pacific and the other in the Atlantic Ocean.” A slide changed on the large electronic monitor at the head of the conference table, showing a map of the world marked with icons for submarines and aircraft. “That makes a total of three ballistic missile subs and one cruise missile sub in the Atlantic, and four ballistic missile subs and one cruise missile sub in the Pacific. In addition, we have three B-2A Spirit stealth bombers and three B-52H Stratofortress bombers, dispersed to various air bases in the continental United States, being loaded now with nuclear gravity and standoff weapons to be placed on around-the-clock alert. The bombers already deployed to Guam only have conventional weapons, but we’re considering arming them with nuclear weapons as well. The aircraft carriers already at sea won’t be loaded with nuclear weapons, but the three that are in port getting ready for deployment can be armed.”

“That’s it?” Jamieson remarked, her blue eyes wide with disbelief. “That’s our nuclear strike force? I know most of our bombers and land-based ballistic missiles were destroyed in the American Holocaust, but where are all the submarines?”

“Normal patrols these days are usually six or seven subs total, split between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, Senator Jamieson,” Secretary of Defense Fredrick Hayes said. “We’re lucky to be able to deploy the other two. The remaining subs are either undergoing maintenance, coming back from patrol, or getting ready to go out on patrol. The ones getting ready for patrol can be accelerated to get them out faster, perhaps in a day or two. Others may take as long as a month.”

“A month?” Joseph Collingsworth blurted out. Although a member of the House of