Chapter 79
Arctic
Kasey and the others were silent after witnessing the distant mauling. She wondered if it was the same beast she and Sharpe had already encountered twice. The one she’d wounded in the shoulder. It didn’t matter. Nature had taken its course and had done so with cold indifference.
When Drake finalized his connection to JSOC headquarters, he said, “I’m going to put this on speaker. I want everyone to have the big picture.”
A general on the other end introduced himself and confirmed that the CIA’s deputy director of operations was also on the call. He then got straight down to business.
“We’re trying to come up with an alternate extraction plan, but there are serious constraints.
The second wave of Chinese troops is inbound on three Y-20 transports.
We believe they will airdrop elements of the 134th Airborne Brigade in roughly half an hour.
This is a much larger force than what you just faced.
They’ll have more equipment and heavier weapons, and the sheer numbers alone will make repelling them by force almost impossible. ”
“Which leaves us where?” asked Drake.
“The only ideas we’ve come up with are extreme.
As you know, a flight of four F-35s is approaching your area.
The original intent was for them to provide close air support during your initial engagement, protecting a window in which you could evacuate on the Hercules.
With that off the table, we’re exploring other ways to utilize these fighters.
In particular, we are weighing an air-to-air intervention. ”
“Air-to-air?” Drake repeated. “You’re saying you want to shoot down three Chinese Air Force transports?”
“We have presented that option to the president. It would require his authority, and honestly, as I think you can understand, he didn’t sound very receptive.
He, the DNI, and other national security staff are debating the issue as we speak.
The obvious concern is to avoid escalating this confrontation into a broader shooting war.
We expect an answer within minutes, and if we get a thumbs-down, as I expect, we’ll need to come up with other alternatives. ”
DDO Flynn broke in, “Kasey, are you there?”
“Yes, sir, I am.”
“Good to hear. Fine work until now, and I don’t want it to go to waste.”
“Nor do I.”
“General,” Flynn continued, “is there any chance of beating back this incoming force after they get on the ground using close air support from the F-35s?”
Before the JSOC general could answer, Drake broke in.
“If this airborne force is as large as you project, there’s not a chance in hell of us coming out on top.
Four F-35s would bring some pain on the enemy, but they wouldn’t have enough ordnance to change the eventual outcome.
On top of that, my guys are already beat up, and we’ve got injured civilians.
What we could really use is some method of transport to reach the Cheyenne.
If we had a half dozen snowmobiles, I could make it all work.
But there’s no way we can cover almost thirty miles on foot in our present condition. ”
A spirited debate ran, yet Kasey found herself tuning it out.
Something had clicked in her head when Drake mentioned reaching the Cheyenne.
The seed of an idea. She challenged the concept to the limits of her expertise and saw no reason why it wouldn’t work.
But there could be fatal flaws she hadn’t thought of.
The JSOC commander was saying something about splitting the team when Kasey interrupted. “I think we can do it,” she said excitedly.
The general paused at her interruption, and finally said, “Do what?”
“Use the F-35s.”
Flynn interjected, “We just received word that the president doesn’t want to shoot down any Chinese aircraft.”
“No, we don’t have to,” Kasey insisted. “And no close air support either. We tell the Cheyenne to hightail over to our present position, then use the bombs from the F-35s to blow a hole in the ice big enough for her to surface.”
A silence descended as everyone digested her idea.
The first to speak was Flynn. “Could that work?”
“Stand by,” the general said. “I’ve got an Air Force pilot in the room who’s a weapons expert.”
In the subsequent pause, Kasey felt everyone’s eyes on her. She chose to look at Sharpe. He said, “That’s not an out-of-the-box idea, Kasey. That’s an out-of-this-friggin’-universe idea. Having flown fighters and dropped a few bombs… I think it could actually work.”
“It sacrifices our other options,” she said. “But it also gives us a chance to get out of here without starting a war.”
The general came back online. “Our resident expert says it might work, although nobody’s ever tried something like that.
I’m going to run it up the chain to the president.
It would be an all-or-nothing option, but I suspect the possibility of getting out of Dodge with no more casualties on either side is going to win him over. ”
Flynn said, “The timing is going to be extremely close. We’d need to get the Cheyenne headed in your direction immediately to have any hope of pulling this off.”
The general concurred. “I’m sending the order now. Regardless of whether this gets approved, she’s not doing any good where she is.”
The general elected to end the call, with an expected update in five minutes. Drake cut the connection.
Sharpe caught Kasey’s eye. “Great idea. I’m sure they’re going to run with it.”
She nodded. “Most likely.”
“Which means in half an hour we’ll either be on our way home or waving a white flag.”
Kasey grinned humorlessly. “Actually… I don’t think I’m wearing anything white that would work.”
“Yeah, come to think of it… me neither.”