It was early evening at the Admiral Arleigh A. Burke Officer’s Club in Yokosuka. Yuri sat at a table in a quiet corner of the dining room with Lieutenant Commander Brent Andrews and Jeff Chang. They had just ordered their meals; all three sipped chilled beers.
Yuri would have preferred to return to his quarters and sleep. But he couldn’t turn down Andrews’s invite.
“I think the team took a liking to you today,” Andrews said, addressing Yuri.
“They’re probably more curious about me than anything else.”
“I think they were a little awestruck. It’s not very often they get to team up with a former adversary, especially one that has been involved in a major op in their own backyard.”
Back at the meeting room during the afternoon, Jeff Chang authorized Yuri to fill in the four CPOs regarding Yuri’s Pearl Harbor mission; Andrews had been briefed earlier. Astonished was an understatement of the SEALs’ reaction. Chang’s purpose in revealing details of the operation was twofold. First, demonstrate Yuri’s technical skills. Second, provide a convincing reason why Yuri defected to the U.S.
Yuri took a swig from his beer, sensing it was the right time to ask a few questions about Andrews and his men. “Would you mind filling me in on how the team functions. Its overall organization, chain of command…those kinds of things.”
Andrews took a quick look around the room. The nearest occupied table was about ten feet away. The two uniformed officers, both O-5s, were busy chatting and appeared to have no interest in their neighbors. Turning back to Yuri, he said, “We’re part of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group. DEVGRU for short.”
“SEAL Team Six?” Yuri asked.
“Used to be called that but we go by DEVGRU now.”
“Got it.”
“DEVGRU consists of Tier One special operators. Top performing individuals from other SEAL units compete for a space in DEVGRU. As you can imagine, it’s extremely competitive.”
“Best of the best,” Yuri said.
“Correct. It’s a screening process. DEVGRU is broken down into squadrons, varying from assault to recon and training. The individual squadrons are color coded. Our group is part of Black Squadron.”
“Let me guess, you’re in a recon squadron.”
“That’s right. Our specialty is reconnaissance, surveillance and general intelligence gathering.” Andrews grinned. “Kind of like what your unit must have been like.”
Yuri chuckled. “Sounds familiar all right.”
“Black Squadron consists of three troops. I have command of one of the troops, which is further divided into three recon teams. The team with me here is the best in the entire Black Squadron. Their handle is Ghost Riders.” Andrews took a swallow of beer. “This particular team is unique…cross-trained to operate underwater craft without the need for a dedicated SDV unit to transport them ashore. They’re also well experienced in high-risk surveillance operations.”
“Thanks. That helps.” Yuri intertwined his fingers. “Will both of you be going on the mission?”
Andrews turned toward Jeff Chang and winked.
Yuri caught the signal and immediately stiffened his posture.
Jeff Chang said, “Yes, Brent and I will be accompanying the Ghost Riders. And we’d like you to come along with us, too.”
Govnó!
* * * *
Yuri returned to his room at the base guest quarters. It was 10:05 P.M. After showering, he lay on the bed with his spine propped against the bed board. He wore a pair of boxers and a T-shirt. The television on the opposite wall was tuned to an English-speaking channel. An attractive young Japanese female recited the day’s news.
Yuri soon lost interest in the broadcast and switched off the TV. He yawned, fatigue finally settling in. He reached for his cell phone on the nightstand, about to call Laura when he reconsidered. Yuri was sixteen time zones ahead; it was still early in Washington State. He returned the phone to the table, deciding to make the call in the morning when he woke up.
After turning out the light, he settled into the bed, expecting instant sleep. Not so. Yuri reeled from the dinner conversation with Chang and Andrews.
They want me to go on the Shendao mission—that’s not what I agreed to do in Hawaii!
During Yuri’s previous meeting at Pearl Harbor with Chang and the U.S. Navy, reviewing the USS Tucson incident, Yuri’s role was described as a ‘technical advisor.’ There was no discussion regarding actual mission participation. But over dinner this evening, CIA officer Chang made his case, backed up by the SEAL team commander.
Yuri was the ideal candidate for the mission. He had in-water and on-land knowledge of the target area, something no other U.S. military officer or NCO could claim. He was also an expert diver with training that far exceeded SEAL qualifications. And most important of all, Yuri was an expert in underwater robotic systems. Whatever innovations the Chinese had created with their new and deadly autonomous antisubmarine weapon, Yuri was the most qualified of anyone on the team to identify what was important and what was not.
This must have been their goal from the very beginning.
While the trio had munched on their seafood platters, Yuri launched a vigorous rebuttal to Chang and Andrew’s proposal. He tried in vain to talk himself off the mission but got nowhere.
They should bring in someone else from their own weapons research program—they don’t need me!
Yuri had argued that plenty of other U.S. Navy and/or DoD personnel could identify the key components of the PLAN weapon system. Chang countered that none of the other potential candidates were trained to take on such a mission. It might take weeks of physical training and dive certification before a candidate was capable of carrying out the mission. Time was of the essence and Yuri was the only one primed to go.
I can’t believe they’re going to let me go aboard one of their new subs.
Yuri was flabbergasted when Andrews reported that he had been cleared by the Secretary of Defense to accompany the Ghost Riders aboard a U.S. Navy nuclear powered submarine. The Virginia class boat would transport the SEALs and their SEAL Delivery Vehicle to within a few miles of Hainan Island. Yuri could not imagine such an event occurring in the Russian Navy—allowing a former spy access to one of the nation’s most valued and secret weapons.
This whole mission is crazy. The risk is way beyond what we did at Yulin.
Yuri knew his fate had been predetermined. To preserve his dream of living a normal life with Laura and Maddy, he had no choice but to join the mission.
Just before yielding to fatigue, Yuri’s last thought centered on what was coming. I might not make it out of this one.