Chapter 28

The 06:00 reveilles awakened Egan. It would be a busy day for E-Team, planning and rehearsing for their imminent rendezvous with the Russian cruiser Rapunzel. He ate a hardy breakfast; he was surprised he had an appetite at all. At 09:00 hours, he joined the team for their final planning session.

Everyone appeared to be in good spirits. The team members’ adrenaline began to flow in earnest. The atmosphere was a mixture of excitement and reverence. Peter “Kimo” Wu was smiling, as usual. Philip “Dah Vee” De Vinsone was putting on his game face—the one-thousand-yard stare was back. Andrew “Timmy” Lawrence was talking a mile a minute. The two Russian operators, Irina Sergeevna and Viktor Pavlodar, were not talking. The Russians were very calm, relaxed—professional—as they prepared for the mission. It seemed as if the Russians did this sort of thing every day; it was likely they did. It went without saying every team member felt the same anxiety Egan Fletcher felt at that moment.

The team would travel light. Egan took an inventory. He would carry a Colt .45-caliber automatic, with a small flashlight attached to the underside of the weapon’s muzzle. His Kevlar vest was jampacked with ammunition. He also had a Ka-Bar knife. The team members would communicate via the AN/PRC-126, a lightweight, short-distance radio with attached Rascal headset. Since this was a night strike, each team member had a set of night-vision goggles. Each member would wear a black flight suit and a black ski mask.

Irina and Viktor’s gear was essentially the same as Egan’s, except for the weapons. The two Russians preferred the polymer-framed GSh-18 pistol. Philip, Peter, Valentine, Simon, Andrew, and James carried the Heckler & Koch HK416 assault rifle, along with a supply of flash grenades. At night, the grenades would be effective for causing confusion and temporarily blinding anyone who happened to be nearby. Rayzon would also operate the SATCOM system. With the satellite link, the team could communicate with the U.S.S. Nalon Vet, the U.S.S. David Ray, or the two Russian ships, Rapunzel and Sister Golden Hair. By combining James’s ability to speak Russian with Irina’s knowledge of the Russian communication codes, they would tap into Rapunzel’s communication network.

All equipment was checked and then rechecked. Any malfunction would prove fatal. As each team member reported to team leader Rayzon they were satisfied with their equipment, he checked it one more time. It proved to be a very tedious and time-consuming process.

Egan reviewed the overall plan, going over what precisely each team member’s responsibility would be. Operation Caspar’s goal was for the team to approach Rapunzel unnoticed, scale the moving ship’s side, seize the ship, and sail it to the rendezvous. Next, they would grab the counterfeit U.S. currency before returning Rapunzel and her cargo of missiles to the Russians. Then they would deliver the greenbacks to the Treasury Department and return to Bon Homme Richard, leaving Irina and Viktor in command of Admiral Moskva, code-named Rapunzel.

“James,” Fletcher explained, “will act as our interpreter and as the mission director. Once aboard Rapunzel, I will assume command of the ship. I’ll be responsible for all decisions relating to the operation of the ship, much like I would aboard an American ship. Irina’s assignment is to secure Rapunzel’s communication center. Her knowledge of the Russian communication codes will ensure a well-meaning warning message is not transmitted, either to the North Koreans or Rapunzel’s escort ship, Sister Golden Hair.”

Viktor Pavlodar said, “My job will be to rally the crew and solidify them as soon as E-Team relieves rogue officers of their commands.”

He did not admit it, but Egan knew Viktor was a military hero in the eyes of the Russian people. The Russian crew would follow him.

“David Ray,” James explained, “will act as our Q-ship, the decoy. As we near Rapunzel, the Ray will close on Rapunzel’s position, forcing Sister Golden Hair to intercept the Ray. With Sister Golden Hair distracted, we will be able to slip close enough to Rapunzel for us to board her.”

Egan said, “We assume Rapunzel will slow while she waits for Sister Golden Hair to intercept our David Ray, thus allowing us to overtake Rapunzel with our Bat Boats. I don’t know how all of you feel about scaling the side of a moving ship, but with Rapunzel slowed, it will be easier for an old geezer like me to climb her hull.”

Egan’s declaration coaxed a chuckle from Simon Linn. “Yeah…right, Hurricane!”

“Once we’re aboard, the Ray will stand down and leave the area. Any questions?” James asked.

No one responded.

“When the Ray leaves the area,” Egan said, “it will appear to the Russians the U.S. Navy has little interest in their activities. If we pull this off, Sister Golden Hair won’t know we are in command of Rapunzel. If Sister Golden Hair were to discover the plan, she would alert the North Koreans, and our mission would end in a disaster. We believe Sister Golden Hair will probably not make an aggressive move. However, the North Koreans would be frightened away.”

Viktor said, “Because the mission will take place after twenty-three hundred hours, most of Rapunzel’s crew will be in their bunks. The skeleton crew will be easier for us to deal with.”

Everyone had one common concern—who could they trust? The Americans did not trust the Russians. The Russians did not trust the North Koreans, the Americans, or themselves, for that matter.

James had assured the American team Irina would perform, since the Russian Spetsnaz had sent someone to watch her daughter. That thought alone would keep her locked onto her mission goals without fault. It was James’s duty to keep his eye on Viktor. His fluent Russian and AN/PRC-126 weapon would ensure Viktor responded appropriately.

The team reviewed the strike one final time.

Peter slipped a small packet into one of his pockets.

Andrew pointed at the packet and asked, “Kimo, what is it, man?”

“Caffeine, actually a caffeine pill,” he replied. Peter reached back into his pocket, drew out the packet, emptied a small white caplet into the palm of his hand, and flicked it to Andrew. “Every caplet contains the equivalent of a double shot of a high energy booster. I take one just before an op—my body goes berserk. It’s kick-ass stuff. One of these babies and I guarantee you I’ll be up the side of the ship before any of you can say, ‘Where did he go?’”

Peter must have done an excellent job selling the stuff to the others, as every team member wanted him to share his pills.

Egan stood next to James, both looking down at the tiny pills in the palm of their open hands. “If one of us,” he said, “makes it back alive, they should tell Faydra about these.”

James said, “I think the Caffeine Queen played a major role in the FDA’s testing of this.”

****

Brandon May hovered near one of the many computer consoles located in the Bon Homme Richard’s massive Tactical Logistics Center (TACLOG). There, he would observe Operation Caspar as it unfolded.

“They’re away,” Admiral May said to Marine Colonel Higgins, the TACLOG officer.

“The Vet’s captain, Captain Moore, is waiting for a communications check from team leader Rayzon,” Higgins said. “When Rayzon confirms the satellite linking codes with Moore, Moore will forward them to me.”

By 23:05 hours, Admiral May could hear James Rayzon’s voice loud and clear over the TACLOG intercom system. A shiver raced up his back as he listened to James conduct a series of test messages. May headed for a nearby coffeemaker. He could not remember ever feeling so anxious about anything in his life. He could only imagine how Hurricane Fletcher must feel at the moment.

****

The Pacific was relatively calm. The night sky was partially cloudy, allowing for some starlight, but there was no moon—the less light, the better. Having night vision goggles would only be an advantage if there was not much ambient light. The powerful twin engines of the two bat boats moved the small crafts across the ocean’s surface with ease. E-Team would encounter the Russian Rapunzel in less than fifty minutes.

James radioed the Vet. The Vet’s radar confirmed Sister Golden Hair was moving to intercept the David Ray. The Vet’s crew advised him they had spotted a small fishing boat or cargo ship in the area. It was common at this time of year for fishing boats to populate the area. The TACLOG aboard the Bon Homme Richard was curious why there was not more activity than was indicated on the Plan Position Indicators.

Unfortunately, Rapunzel had not slowed as anticipated. The team had counted on her slowing while Sister Golden Hair intercepted David Ray. Only twenty minutes into the op, and something had already gone wrong.

Phillip pointed out he had not been on a strike where everything had gone as planned.

“Rapunzel’s failure to reduce her speed poses a problem for us,” Egan advised the team. “It will not only take longer for our boats to reach Rapunzel but climbing up the side of the fast-moving ship will be difficult at best.”

****

“They have a problem,” May said. “Rapunzel didn’t cut her speed as we expected her to do. E-Team has to run her down. That’ll take more time.”

“Is there anything they can do?” Colonel Higgins asked.

“This is a lot like a chess match. A strategy move would help them right now.”

“It sounds like you have an idea.”

“I do. A seasoned ship’s captain like Fletcher will have a plan B as well. I’m sure he has an idea, as does the David Ray captain. Rayzon back on,” May stated. The two officers listened to team leader Rayzon communicate with the David Ray.

Fletcher did have a plan. He reasoned if the Ray were to challenge Sister Golden Hair, Rapunzel would feel obliged to cover her sister ship in a show of support.

James asked for the Ray to press Sister Golden Hair, like a matador testing a bull with his cape.

May smiled. “Fletcher is a smart man,” he said. “He’s a bit of a riverboat gambler as well. If David Ray presses too hard, Sister Golden Hair will open fire.”

Minutes later, the Ray changed course, as indicated on May’s monitor. Positioning her bow toward Sister Golden Hair, David Ray came to flank speed and charged.

All held their collective breath as Sister Golden Hair’s captain presumably assessed his situation in terms of probability and outcome. No response came from James Rayzon.

Then May heard the David Ray’s captain’s voice on the TACLOG’s speaker. “Sister Golden Hair has turned broadside to David Ray,” Captain Miles informed them.

May said, “Sister Golden Hair is defensive-posturing, indicating she is preparing her deck guns or anti-ship missiles for an attack.”

The captain of David Ray thought it best to back down. “Hold your course for another minute, Mike,” May told Captain Miles.

David Ray held her course. Then came the report from Captain Miles: “Rapunzel new course, heading zero-niner-zero.”

“Rapunzel has turned toward David Ray,” May said to Higgins. “More importantly, Rapunzel has reduced her speed by half. Fletcher’s plan worked.”

Colonel Higgins took a handkerchief from his shirt pocket and dabbed at the perspiration that had formed on his forehead.

“The second bit of luck has developed,” Admiral May said. “Not only did Rapunzel slow, but when she changed course, our objective turned toward our pursuing strike boats. The strike team’s travel time will shorten if Rapunzel stays on the course. The small fishing vessel changed course as well.”

David Ray backed down. May and Higgins could hear the communication between the David Ray and the Nalon Vet. Captain Adrian Moore on the Nalon Vet asked Captain Mike Miles on the David Ray, “What’s your take on the fishing boat, Mike?”

“We can’t figure them out, Adrian. Our radar sweep is showing you as a small vessel as well, not completely invisible as we had hoped. David Ray is doing strange things to our radar. We think the second vessel could be an echo or radar shadow from Nalon Vet,” the other captain replied.

Shortly afterward, the David Ray’s captain reported, “The fishing vessel has disappeared from our radar screen.”

The strike craft continued to close in on their objective: Rapunzel. The report was received that Rapunzel had almost slowed to a stop.

As May and Higgins huddled around the ops tracking station, they could hear James Rayzon speaking with the Nalon Vet. He assured the David Ray that the team was well and had spotted Rapunzel.