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By Root 1715 0

with a total of 250 SM2-MR missiles. Ordinarily, they were tasked to guard a carrier from air attack, but their carrier was in Pearl Harbor having her engines replaced. Port Royal and The Sullivans-named for a family of sailors wiped out on the same ship in 1942-were both Aegis ships with powerful SPY RADARs, which were now surveilling air activity while the submarines were handling the rest. Chandler had a special ELINT team aboard to keep track of voice radio transmissions. Like a cop on the beat, they were not so much there to interfere with anyone's exercises as to let people know that The Law was around, in a friendly sort of way, and as long as they were, things would not get out of hand. At least that was the idea. And if anyone objected to the presence of the American ships, their country would note that the seas were free for the innocent passage of all, and they weren't in anyone's way, were they? That they were actually part of someone else's plan was not immediately apparent to anyone. What happened next confused nearly everyone.

It was dawn in the air, if not yet on the surface, when a flight of four PRC fighters came off the mainland, heading east, followed five minutes later by four more. These were duly tracked by the American ships at the extreme range of their billboard RADARs. Routine track numbers were assigned, and the computer system followed their progress to the satisfaction of the officers and men in the CIC of Port Royal. Until they didn't turn. Then a lieutenant lifted a phone and pushed a button.

Yes? a groggy voice answered.

Captain, Combat, we have a flight of PRC aircraft, probably fighters, about to cross the line, bearing two-one-zero, altitude fifteen thousand, course zero-niner-zero, speed five hundred. There's a flight of four more a few minutes behind.

On the way. The captain, partially dressed, arrived in the combat information center two minutes later, not in time to see the PRC fighters break the rules, but in time to hear a petty officer report something:

New track, four or more fighters coming west.

For the purposes of convenience, the computer had been told to assign enemy designator-graphics to the mainland fighters and friendly symbols to the Taiwanese. (There were also a few American aircraft around from time to time, but these were electronic-intelligence gatherers and well out of harm's way.) At this point, there were two immediately converging flights of four each, about thirty miles apart, but with a closure speed of over a thousand miles per hour. The RADAR was also tracking six commercial airliners, all on the east side of the line, minding their own business as they skirted the agreed-upon exercise areas.

Raid Six is turning, a sailor reported next. This was the first outbound flight off the mainland, and as the captain watched, the velocity vector turned southward, while the outbound flight off Taiwan bored in on them.

Illuminators coming on, the chief at the ESM console said. The ROCs are lighting up Raid Six. Their RADARs seem to be in tracking mode.

Maybe that's why they turned, the captain thought.

Maybe they got lost? the CIC officer wondered.

Still dark out. Maybe they just went too far. They didn't know what sort of navigation gear the ChiCom fighters might have had, and driving a single-seat aircraft over the sea at night was not a precise business.

More airborne RADARs coming on, easterly direction, probably Raid Seven, the ESM chief said. This was the second flight off the mainland.

Any electronic activity from Raid Six? the CIC officer asked.

Negative, sir. These fighters continued their turn and were now heading west, back for the line, with the ROC F-16s in pursuit. It was at this point that things changed.

Raid Seven is turning, course now zero-nine-seven.

That puts them on the 16s and they're illuminating the lieutenant observed, with the first hint of worry in his voice. Raid Seven is lighting up the F-16's, RADARs in tracking mode.

The Republic of China F-16s then turned also. They'd been getting a lot of work. The newer, American-made