Executive orders - Tom Clancy [573]
THE PROBLEM FOR the ships was positive identification. Kemper couldn't risk killing an airliner, as USS Vincennes had once done. The four F-16s had already turned toward them when the radio call went out. He didn't have anyone aboard who spoke the language well enough to catch what they'd just said.
Tally-ho, the F-16 flight leader called. Looks like F-14s. And he knew the Navy didn't have any of those around.
Anzio to STARFIGHTER, weapons free, splash 'em.
Roger that.
FLIGHT, LEAD, GO Slammer. They were too busy looking down instead of looking around. Recon flight, Starfighter Lead figured. Tough. He selected AIM-120 and fired, a fraction before the other three aircraft in his formation did the same. Fox-One, Fox-One! And the Battle of Qatar was under way.
THE UIR TOMCATS were just a little too busy for their own good. Their RADAR-warning receivers were reporting all manner of emitters at the moment, and the air-to-air RADAR on the Vipers was just one of many. The leader of the two was trying to get a count of the warships below and talking on his radio at the same time, when a pair of AMRAAM missiles exploded twenty meters in front of his aging fighter. The second pilot at least looked up in time to see death coming.
ANZIO, STARFIGHTER, SPLASH two, no 'chutes, say again, splash two.
Roger that.
What a nice way to start the day, commented a USAF major who'd just spent sixteen months playing against the Israeli air force in the Negev. Returning to station. Out.
I'M NOT SURE that's a good idea, van Damm said. The RADAR picture from John Paul Jones had been uplinked from the new ship via satellite to Washington. They were seeing things less than half a second after they really happened.
Those ships cannot be stopped, sir, Robby Jackson told the chief of staff. We can't take chances.
But they can say we shot first and-
Wrong, sir. Their missile boat shot first five hours ago, the J-3 reminded him.
But they won't say that.
Save it, Arnie, Ryan said. My order, remember. The rules of engagement are in place. What now, Robby?
Depends on whether the Iranians got the word out. That first kill was easy. The first one usually is, Jackson said, remembering the ones he'd made in his career, nothing at all like what he'd trained for at Top Gun, but there were no fair-play rules in real combat, were there?
The narrowest part of the passage was just over a hundred miles between Qatar and the Iranian town of Basatin. There was an air base there, and satellite coverage said there were fighters sitting on the ramp.
HI, JEFF.
What's happening, Andrea? Raman asked, adding, Glad you remembered that you left me up here.
It's pretty busy with all this fever stuff. We need you back here. Got a car?
I think I can steal one from the local office. In fact, he had an official car already.
Okay, she told him, come on down. I don't suppose we really need the advance work up there. Your ID will get you through the roadblocks on I-70. Quick as you can. Things are happening here.
Give me four hours.
You have a change of clothes?
Yeah, why?
You're going to need it. We've set up decontamination procedures here. Everybody has to scrub down before getting into the West Wing. You'll see when you get here, the chief of the Detail told him.
Fine with me.
ALAHAD WASN'T DOING anything. Bugs planted in his house had determined that he was watching TV, flipping channels from one cable station to another in search of a movie he hadn't seen before, and before going to bed he'd listened to CNN Headline News. After that, nothing. The lights were all out, and even the thermal-viewing