CHAPTER 11
AUGUST 21ST –DAY 141
The President threw the morning newspaper on the desk. He leaned back in his chair, and thought of the coming meeting with Admiral Williams to discuss the problem of the Bright Moon. Williams wanted to involve others. After reading the paper, it appeared that the admiral hadn’t told him everything.
He wondered how he would answer. It irritated him that the admiral had made it public before informing him. If the President didn’t go along, it might look like he didn’t support his Joint Chiefs of Staff, no doubt, exactly what the admiral was after.
His secretary rang and informed him that Chin Lee Tong was on the phone.
Tong? Tong had come to the United States, after becoming a target of the Communist Chinese government while he was Secretary of Defense. He had worked in close association with Tong on many occasions.
He had no idea how many Chinese refugees Tong had brought out of China. Tong had continued that work in the United States and had become a key person during the cold war between China and the States. Now he played a vital role in the peace process between the two countries. Because of his contributions, some very important people, both Chinese and American, held him in high esteem.
“This is the President speaking.”
“Good morning, Mr. President,” said the ever polite Tong. “I’m sorry to inconvenience you so early.”
The President raised his eyebrows. No you aren’t. He matched Tong’s manner. “That’s quite all right, Mr. Tong. What can I do for you?”
“What do you think of the recent events, Mr. President?”
“Quite extraordinary, Mr. Tong.” Tong never got involved in internal matters. Why was he calling? “Admiral Williams will be coming in later this morning to discuss the situation with me, but of course you already know that. It was in the newspapers.”
“Yes. Have you decided what you are going to do?”
“No. Admiral Williams wants me to ask for help from other nations. I think it should remain an internal matter since Aswadán hasn’t formally asked for our help. The Bright Moon hasn’t attacked any other foreign vessels, but I must admit that I’m not sure what to do in this case.”
“I would advise caution. You must not allow yourself to be pushed to act in haste.”
The President was surprised. Normally very discreet; hinting instead of advising, Tong had never given such direct advice before.
“I see. What would you recommend?”
“I would suggest giving the situation a little time. Up to now, only the Aswadán ship was fired upon and we know the situation with them, do we not, Mr. President?”
“Yes, Mr. Tong; only too well. The admiral wishes to appease them with monetary and military aid. I’m against it, but what the admiral can’t get with persuasion, he tries to get with manipulation.”
“I agree, Mr. President, and some of the facts have been –shall we say –adjusted to make it look like Aswadán is becoming a very nice country, don’t you think?”
“Sure does seem so. Do you have another theory, Mr. Tong?”
“Yes, Mr. President, and very confidential at the moment. I only ask for your patience for a little while.”
“But what if someone else gets hurt?”
“Someone else?” For Tong, that was almost a retort. “Mr. President, no one has been hurt except for the man on the Bright Moon. Someone is talking as though there has, but, if you remember, Mr. President, even the Aswadán ship suffered only minor damage. Does it sound logical to you that a crippled ship could fight off an armed vessel that can travel at over thirty-five knots?”
“No, it doesn’t. But why didn’t she do more damage if she could have?”
“That is why I need your discretion, Mr. President. I need time to find out. If the Bright Moon proves to be a terrorist ship, she will be no problem for your Navy to handle.”
“Quite correct, Mr. Tong. Thank you for the advice.”
“My pleasure, Mr. President. Give my regards to the first lady.”
“I’ll do that, Mr. Tong. Same to Mrs. Tong. Good-bye.”
The President hung up. So, Chin Lee Tong was interested in the Bright Moon. Why? The President hadn’t even considered pressing for an answer. He wouldn’t have received one anyway.
“Why do I get the feeling that Admiral Williams has something to do with this?” He said out loud to his empty office and then answered his own question. “Probably because he does.”
When Admiral Williams arrived a few hours later, the President was ready for him.
“Admiral. It was nice of you to forewarn me of this visit. If it weren’t for the newspapers, I might never know what we were going to talk about on your visits.”
Admiral Williams had made a tactical error. The President might be a blowhard, but he could be difficult if not handled right. Perhaps, it was time to eat a little crow.
“I’m very sorry, sir. I’ve been very stressed with this affair. I wanted to assure Mr. Brandt that we have the situation under control, and I inadvertently let it slip when I was talking to him.”
The President recognized a con when he heard it. He might not know a whole lot about the military, but he knew politics. Admiral Williams would never let anything slip. The admiral was into something up to his ears, and he was trying to butter his bread on both sides. Well, he wasn’t going to make it easy for him.
“We’ll let it slide -- this time, Admiral.” He looked closely at the man. The admiral had a good poker face, but the President was satisfied when he caught the reaction in his eyes at the rebuke. He continued . “What do you suggest we do with the situation? I imagine that’s why you’ve asked for this meeting.”
“I suggest we get some outside help, Mr. President. We need to ask other countries to help us put this ship out of commission before more people get hurt.” There was the propaganda.
“As far as I know, Admiral, no one has been hurt, yet.” He paused and watched the admiral as he added, “Unless there’s something you didn’t include in your report.” The Admiral fidgeted slightly in his seat. There it was again. He was hiding something.
“Only because Aswadán and the captain of the Sea Princess were able to fight them off.”
“The captain of the Sea Princess said that his crew was the only ones who fired weapons. In fact, he said he warned the captain of the Bright Moon that he would be notifying the authorities and that he would have an armed security team waiting when they reached the Sea Princess, and they still decided to come. Why would they do that if they knew their target was prepared? That doesn’t sound like a terrorist attack, Admiral.”
The President smiled and delivered the coup de grace. “I called the captain of the Sea Princess and talked with him.”
The admiral recovered quickly. “Did he tell you that the security officer said he thought he saw a weapon before he fired.”
“Oh? The captain told me that he was removed from his post for firing his weapon without giving proper warning.”
“That’s true, sir. But he is appealing the captain’s actions, and, frankly, I think he’s right sir. His actions probably saved the ship.”
“I see.”
“That is why I think you should appeal to other countries for help.”
“Admiral. Are you telling me that the United States Navy can’t catch one little ship?”
“Of course not, sir. But, it would be expedient politically to involve other nations in solving a problem on the high seas.”
“Like you involved Aswadán by helping them find the ship?”
“Sir, they were already involved. The Bright Moon attacked one of their vessels. We just gave them the chance to even the score.”
“I’ll give the matter some thought. I’d like to see what some of the other advisors have to say before I jump into this. I’m not in a hurry to involve others in a problem that we should take care of ourselves.”
“Mr. President, there may not be enough time for that. I think you should do
something now.”
“Is that right, Admiral? If I remember correctly, I am still Commander in Chief of the armed forces.”
The admiral looked a little sick. “I was only suggesting that time is of the utmost importance, sir.”
“I’ll take that under advisement, Admiral. For the time being, you can have the ship I promised you yesterday. You may go.” The admiral stood, put on his cap, and saluted the President and left the room.
The President smiled as he watched him go. Williams was slick, he’d enjoyed putting the arrogant bastard in his place. He hoped Tong knew what he was doing.
AUGUST 22ND –DAY 142
Captain Tom Roland of the USS Sarasota was just finishing his coffee.
“Enter,” he said, at the knock. Bob Chapel, his Executive Officer, entered.
“What’s up, Bob?”
“Message from Mama, Tom.” The XO handed him a piece of paper. He scanned it.
“Did you verify this?”
“Sure did. Came right from the top.”
“Wow. This guy must be dangerous. Shoot on sight?” He shook his head. “First, we gotta find him. Any idea where he is?”
“He was last sighted about three hundred miles southeast of the Florida peninsula heading on course one-one-five.”
“That’s only about five hundred miles from us. The chicken is headin’ right for the fox’s den.”
“Right you are. That’s probably why we got the call.”
AUGUST 23RD –DAY 143
Worrel answered the door to two gentlemen, one dressed in an admiral’s uniform, the other in a black suit.
“Mr. Worrel?” said the admiral. “I’m Admiral Johnson. Mr. Blasely and I represent the team that is looking for the Bright Moon. We would like to ask you a few questions, if we may.”
Worrel invited them in.
“Can you give us a description of the men who manned the boat that came from the Bright Moon?” asked Johnson.
“No. It was dark and everything happened so fast that I didn’t get a good look at either one of them.”
“I understand that the captain ordered you to shoot at them. Is that true?”
“The captain said he didn’t, but I thought he did,” Worrel was angry that he had been fired. He had probably saved the ship, and the captain had canned him for it.
Johnson nodded. “You probably did save the ship. We’ve been investigating the situation, Mr. Worrel, and we feel you acted in the best interests of the ship. It’s a shame that others don’t have the courage to take the same stand.”
Worrel smiled. Finally, someone who understood. “There’s no telling what these terrorist bastards can do. We should take care of them all. The world would be a better place.”
“Exactly, Mr. Worrel, and that’s why we have decided to help you. We’re going to provide a lawyer to represent you in your case.”
“My case?” Worrel didn’t have any case.
“Yes, Mr. Worrel. You should appeal this decision by the captain of the Sea Princess.”
“But how? There were witnesses against me.”
“It was very dark, Mr. Worrel. We have spoken to the others. Several have admitted that they may have been mistaken. One even claims that he might have seen one of the men with a gun.”
“Yes! I thought I did too, but it was so dark that it was hard to tell. I was afraid to take a chance.”
“It was well that you didn’t,” said Blasely. “You might have been dead today.”
“We realize,” Johnson continued, “that it might be difficult for you to make a defense, so the United States of America feels that you should receive support until your appeal is heard. We have opened an account in your name to cover your expenses until such time that you are reinstated. Here are the necessary papers. You will receive a call from your lawyer tomorrow, so don’t go out until he speaks with you.”
“I won’t go anywhere.”
“Good. I think that’s about it, Mr. Worrel. Thank you for your time.”
AUGUST 25TH –DAY 145
Brandt was baffled. He and his wife tried to find out where the destroyer-like Bright Moon might have been built, but they were coming up empty. And someone was always one step ahead of them. Whoever they talked to had already talked to someone who had asked the same questions.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t figure out who it was. His colleague in the New York Times claimed he had talked to Admiral Williams just one time when he interviewed him. Other than that, he knew nothing. He was on another assignment anyway.
“I don’t understand it, Leila. What are they looking for?”
“Maybe it’s not what, but who.”
“All right. Who are they looking for?”
“Maybe we should talk to our contacts again and see if a name comes up.”
“It’ll have to wait until I talk to the freighter captain. I’ve decided to talk to him personally. In the meantime, we should check the passenger list of the Evening Star again. Maybe we’ve missed something.”
AUGUST 26TH –DAY 146
Brandt met with the captain of the freighter Light Truck when she put into port.
“What can you tell me about your confrontation with the Bright Moon, Captain?”
“I don’t think I would call it a confrontation, Mr. Brandt. More like a distant encounter. We never got closer than ten thousand yards.”
So, Admiral William’s description of an attack had been a trifle overstated. “Did they attempt to attack?”
“Not at all. They were going in the opposite direction. We didn’t take any chances. We radioed the authorities immediately.”
“What did they say?”
“My radioman was the one that talked with them. Maybe you should talk to him. He talked to Admiral Williams. If you’ll wait a moment, I’ll get him up here.”
Brandt considered that last statement while the captain called the radioman. Why was the admiral getting involved? He was talking to too many people. That’s what he had grunts for.
The young radioman entered and the captain introduced him. “Radioman Daniels, this is Timothy Brandt from the Washington Post. He’d like to ask you some questions.”
Daniels nodded. He seemed nervous. Brandt wondered if Admiral Williams had pressed him.
“I appreciate your time, Mr. Daniels. I understand you spoke with the Bright Moon. Did you speak with the captain?”
“I don’t think so, sir. Unless the captain was a woman.”
“A woman? Could you tell me what she said?”
“She wanted to know if we’d seen the Bright Moon, sir.”
“So, you didn’t ask for her identity?”
“We were sailing in the opposite direction, so I figured it was only natural that she would be concerned, sir. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. They didn’t follow usual protocol and it made me forget.”
“What is the usual protocol?”
“Normal protocol for ship to ship communications is identification at first contact. The woman on the radio asked me about the Bright Moon. That confused me. It didn’t even occur to me that she might be on the Bright Moon. Why would she ask about the Bright Moon if she was on the Bright Moon, sir?” It was a flimsy excuse.
Brandt helped him out. “Logical. What else did she say?”
“She asked what they were supposed to do if they met up with her. I told her the authorities recommended we report any deviation from the norm to the US Coast Guard and that we should always demand identification when contacting any ship.”
“And that’s when you remembered you hadn’t asked for the ship’s identification?”
“Yes, sir. I asked them to identify themselves and they did, sir and then signed off.” The young man was sweating now, his eyes shifting from Brandt to the captain.
“So, she told you she was the Bright Moon and just signed off?”
“Yes, sir.”
“She didn’t say anything else?”
“N – No, sir.” The ki
d was a lousy liar.
“Is this what you told Admiral Williams?”
“Yes, sir.” The man looked like he wanted to go.
Brandt studied him for a minute. “When did you talk to Admiral Williams?”
“We radioed that we had made contact with the terrorist ship, and Admiral Williams contacted us the same evening. Then, I talked with him again today, before you came.”
“Do you wish to tell me anything else, Mr. Daniels?”
“No, sir. That’s all, sir.” But Brandt could see in his face that it wasn’t. Again, the young man looked at the captain, obviously ill at ease.
“Thank you, Mr. Daniels.” Brandt handed the radioman his card. “If you think of something, please contact me. Anytime, day or night.”
“You may report back to your station, Mr. Daniels,” the captain said.
“Thank you, sir.” The young man breathed a heavy sigh.
“He’s holding back,” said Brandt later to his wife. “Admiral Williams got to him. Whatever he knows must be pretty heavy.”
“Maybe I can find out.”
“Oh? And how do you propose to do that when I couldn’t?” Brandt was teasing, but she probably could do it.
“You said he’s a nice young man. Maybe a damsel in distress can get to him.”
“How about a mother in distress. You’ve got him by at least fifteen years.”
“I’m not over forty yet, like someone else I know. And some men consider me very attractive.”
“Just don’t let it go to your head.”
“Right.” She grinned and left the office.
Jonathan Daniels left the Light Truck at eighteen hundred hours. This was his last night in Washington. He wanted to have at least one good evening before the ship left. The interview with the admiral and the reporter had stolen a whole day from him, but he would make up for that tonight.
He walked to the bus stop and checked the schedule. The bus wouldn’t be here for at least another hour. If he wanted to get to town sooner, he had to walk or call a taxi. A taxi cost too much; so walk it was. Maybe he could hitch a ride. He had turned away from the bus stop toward the city when a car stopped beside him. A woman rolled down the window.
“Excuse me. Could you tell me how to get into the city from here?”
“Sure. I’m going in that direction. If you give me a lift, I can get you there.”
“Okay. Hop in; then I’ll be sure not to get lost.”
“Great.” Saved. What she was doing out here on the docks? He walked around to the passenger side and got in.
“My name’s Leila. What’s yours?”
“Jonathan.”
“That’s what everyone calls you?”
“No, they call me John.”
“Pleased to meet you, John.”
“You must be wondering what I’m doing out here. I’m doing research for a book. It’s about seamen’s lives on the docks and out at sea. I interview seamen on the boats that come in. A lot of them are rough characters. They’ve been at sea a long time.”
He couldn’t exactly say he was a rough character, or that he’d been at sea a long time, but he’d been doing it since he was eighteen. Four years was a long time to him.
She sighed. “It must be exciting being out at sea.”
“Aw, it ain’t so fantastic. You get used to it. Sometimes it’s downright boring. Take a left here.”
“I couldn’t ever imagine that it gets boring.” She turned the wheel. “Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Nah, well maybe in a bad storm. Most the time we just eat, sleep and work between ports. There ain’t much else to do on a ship, with only twenty people, but it’s great when we put into port. Then I get to see the cities and lots of things.”
“I’ve read that piracy on the high seas still exists. Is that true?”
“Nah, that’s a bunch of baloney TV people cook up so people watch their shows. Turn right at the next light.”
“But, I read in the papers about that terrorist ship. Just think if you met up with them at sea. What would you do if they attacked?”
“Actually, we did meet up with her.”
“You did? That’s so exciting. You must have been on the freighter I read about in the newspaper today. They said you were attacked.”
“It wasn’t that serious. They never got close.” He wished he could say something to impress her. It irritated him that he couldn’t spin a tail like his buddies. The light turned red and she stopped the car.
“Did you see the ship?” She looked at him, excitement in her eyes.
“No. But I’m the radioman. I talked with them.”
“Wow! That’s even better than seeing them! You must have been real nervous.” The light changed and she turned right. “What did they say?”
He told her what he had told Brandt, up to the part where the ship identified herself as the Bright Moon.
“That’s all they said?” Leila sounded like a disappointed teenager.
“Well, no.” He was a quiet for a moment. “Are you going to put this in your book?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t sound very exciting.”
“When will your book be finished?”
“In about a year.” Leila was writing a book, just not about sailing. She was adept in the art of communication. Wait and listen. He was dying to tell his story, but if she pressed him, he would tell it to someone else.
“They’ll probably catch her by then.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
“It was kinda weird. When I told them that the Bright Moon was a terrorist ship masquerading as a group of survivors, they said maybe they really were survivors. So I said, no way, and asked how they could get a hold of a ship. They said that maybe the ship was abandoned and they commandeered her.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Once more, Leila was suitably impressed. “But you didn’t believe that.”
“No. I told them that the Bright Moon had attacked two ships already. They asked what the authorities recommended, and I told them we should always demand identification and report any deviations to the Coast Guard. That’s when it dawned on me that I hadn’t asked for identification.” He paused. “I felt like a real idiot.”
“Did you ask them?”
“I had to. Too many others heard me say it.” He paused again. This time she couldn’t wait for him.
“And that’s when she identified herself as the Bright Moon?”
“No, she didn’t.”
“Oh.” He could see she was disappointed. “Then you’re not sure if she was the Bright Moon?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure. Turn here.”
Leila made the turn, then looked at him, puzzled. “How could you be so sure if you didn’t see the ship and they didn’t identify themselves?”
“They did identify herself, and that’s what put me on to it.” He spoke in a softer voice, as though afraid someone might be listening.
Leila answered him in the same soft voice. “How’d you figure it out?” She waited and stole a glance at him while he wrestled with himself. He reached a decision.
“Look. I’m not supposed to tell this to anyone. But the person I talked with on the ship was a woman. When she signed off, she said, ‘This is the USS Washington. Over and out.’”
She still didn’t understand. “How did that tell you it was the Bright Moon?”
He replied in triumph. “Because the USS in front of the name means it’s a US military ship. The whole United States Navy is after her. If she was a military ship, her crew would have known everything about the Bright Moon, and they wouldn’t have had to ask us what to do if we saw her.”
“Why bill themselves as the USS Washington?” Tim asked Leila later that evening. “Are you sure the kid heard right?”
“Positive. And he wasn’t supposed to tell anyone. The admiral apparently got to him and told him to keep still about it.”
“Hmm… The admiral is going out of his way to make us think that this s
hip is very dangerous. Maybe she’s dangerous to him. He seems to want to get rid of her real bad. If we go public now, he may step up his efforts and we’ll never find out. We’d better keep this under wraps for the time being.”
AUGUST 27TH –DAY 147
Rear Admiral Roebuck was re-reading the report from Captain Birkestad of the Sea Princess. He was already overworked with the ongoing investigation of the collision and sinking of the USS Washington and Seaview almost four months ago. He doubted anyone would ever find out what happened. What they were able to recover from the two ships was barely enough to identify them as sailing vessels. It could just as well have been scrap metal lying on the floor of the ocean. Scrap metal might have been easier to identify.
The additional load of investigating the Bright Moon made it difficult for him to do justice to either job. The Aswadán captain, Birkestad, and the freighter captain had made their reports directly to Admiral Williams who had forwarded the reports to him.
Roebuck wondered why the admiral had gotten personally involved. He never would have talked to the Aswadán terrorists if he could avoid it, and Admiral Williams could avoid it. He had lackeys to do the dirty work.
That’s all Roebuck was: Admiral William’s lackey. He sorted through the witness depositions from the attacks by the Bright Moon, but everything went to the admiral for verification. Then the admiral sent it to the President. Roebuck wondered what the President got by the time Admiral Williams was through with it.
Admiral Williams and the President were at odds when it came to Aswadán. Admiral Williams favored ‘making friends with them,’ as he called it. The President called it bribery. Give a crook what he wants, and he’ll keep knocking on your door, looking for the opportunity to rob your house.
Roebuck agreed with the President, and wondered if Admiral Williams was involved in something again. He was amazed at the man’s resilience. He had thought the Contra affair would finish the admiral; yet he’d covered it up and come out of it without so much as a mark.
Roebuck didn’t like getting involved in such things, but he had hoped that Admiral Williams would get nailed this time. The man was an abomination;, more corrupt than all the Mafia bosses put together.
If only Roebuck could get the goods on him. Oh, he had some, but nothing solid enough to put Williams away. He wondered if his own motives were to get a position on the Joint Chiefs of Staff –No, that wasn’t it. That post would never be his, no matter what happened to Admiral Williams. There were too many men ahead of him; better men, but one could dream, couldn’t one?
He was in the middle of that thought when his telephone rang. Very few people knew his direct number. All others had to go through his secretary.
“Roebuck.”
“Good morning, Jacob.”
Roebuck recognized Chin Lee Tong’s pleasant accent. Tong was one of the few who used his first name. Most didn’t even know it. He knew they called him Sears & Roebuck behind his back.
“Good morning, Mr. Tong. It’s been a long time. What can I do for you?”
“I know you are very busy, Jacob and I do not wish to take too much of your time. I would like to ask a few questions if I may.”
“Quite all right, Mr. Tong. I always have time for you.”
“I have been thinking about that ship that has been in the news. What do you think of her, Jacob?”
Roebuck raised his eyebrows. Tong never got involved in US internal affairs. Why now?
“I don’t know. It’s difficult to pinpoint her. We have conflicting reports. A number of ships claim to have sighted her all over the ocean.”
“I understand her captain claimed to have survivors from the Evening Star aboard. Could that be possible?”
“I hadn’t given it much thought, Mr. Tong.” Roebuck had been swamped with other things, but he would give it his attention now. If Tong was interested, so was he.
“The statement her captain made to the Sea Princess was also very interesting.”
“Which statement was that?”
“Why, he gave his name, rank, and serial number. But perhaps it is nothing.” Tong paused.
Roebuck didn’t believe it was nothing. Tong wouldn’t have mentioned it otherwise.
“Do you agree with the assessment that the Bright Moon is a freighter, Jacob?”
“Not at all. She’s a military vessel of some sort. The captain of the Sea Princess described her. Judging by her speed and maneuverability, we can rule out any kind of freighter.”
“What kind of ship could attain those speeds?”
“From her size and description, I would guess a small destroyer. The navy built quite a few. In fact, we took one out of mothballs a couple of years ago and upgraded her. Unfortunately, she collided with another ship and they both sank about six months ago. I’m heading the investigation of that incident.”
“I remember that. It occurred after the Evening Star sank off the coast of Africa if I my memory serves me.”
“Yes, sir, that’s correct.”
“Was that the USS Washington, Jacob?”
“Yes, sir, it was.” Was there some kind of connection between the USS Washington and the Evening Star.
“Are there other vessels like her?”
“No, at least none that are on the active commissioned list. They’re all in mothballs. We take them out every now and then for military exercises.”
“How do you do that if they are not commissioned? Do you re-commission them and use them in your exercises?”
“No, sir, not at all. We tow them out to sea and use them for target practice and training. They get sunk.”
“I see. Has that been done recently, Jacob?”
“Not for quite a while, Mr. Tong. The last one was about six months before the USS Washington sank. After that the US Navy didn’t want to destroy any more of them until they decided whether to rebuild others, like we did the USS Washington.”
“Would it be possible for you to get me the name of that ship, Jacob? Or is it classified.”
“No, it isn’t classified. I can give you the name right now. I remember it because I authorized it. The USS Maryland.”
“Thank you, Jacob. You have been most helpful.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Tong. Good-bye.” Roebuck pushed the com button next.
“Yes, sir?”
“Lieutenant, is the captain of the Sea Princess still available for questioning?”
“Yes, sir, he will be in town one more week. Shall I contact him, sir?”
“Please do, Lieutenant.”