Sword of Shiva - Страница 36

The voice of early morning news anchor, Ted Norrow, cut in — providing background narration for the animatic.

“This is low earth orbit, where approximately thirty-eight-hundred manmade satellites are circling the world at any given time, providing telephone communications, television broadcasts, GPS navigation signals, weather tracking, internet access, and many other services that are indispensible to modern civilization.”

The view cut to a close-up of Ted Norrow’s handsome face, staring into the camera with a charmingly somber expression. After two beats, the camera pulled back to a medium shot of the Fox News studio desk, with the satellite animatic reduced to a cameo window over Norrow’s left shoulder.

A teaser bar at the bottom of the screen flared with the Fox logo and a wireframe graphic of a satellite bracketed by an artist’s conception of targeting crosshairs. The words ‘Breaking News’ appeared in simulated chrome lettering below the graphics.

“Approximately seventy percent of the satellites in low earth orbit are commercially owned and operated,” the news anchor said. “The other thirty percent belong to the militaries and intelligence services of the United States, and other countries.”

The animatic changed to a close-up of a satellite hanging in the blackness of space.

“According to unconfirmed reports,” Norrow said, “approximately five hours ago, a U.S. Navy warship engaged and destroyed a Chinese military surveillance satellite in orbit over the Bay of Bengal.”

“Again,” Norrow said, “I have to emphasize that these reports have not yet been confirmed. We’re expecting a statement from the Department of Defense shortly, but for the moment, we do not have corroboration from a reliable source.”

The scene cut to a moving helicopter shot of the Pentagon. Ted Norrow continued in voiceover. “In view of the escalating hostilities between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China, the downing of a Chinese satellite could have serious international repercussions.”

Another cut revealed a pair of side-by-side video windows, each containing a head-and-shoulders shot of a man in a suit. The man on the left was middle aged, with an immaculately tailored charcoal jacket and a maroon necktie bearing the Harvard crest. His political opposite in the window on the right was younger and more casually dressed, in a rumpled tweed sport coat and an open necked shirt.

The news caster’s voiceover continued. “From our Fox affiliate studios in Arlington, Virginia and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we have Dr. Martin Crane from the National Institute for Strategic Analysis, and Jason Walsh from the Center for Global Progress. Gentlemen, thank you both for joining us at this early hour.”

The older man nodded. “It’s a pleasure to be here, Ted.”

The younger man smiled and nodded as well. “Thanks for inviting me.”

“Dr. Crane, let’s start with you,” Norrow said. “If this report is true, and the U.S. Navy has — in fact — downed a Chinese military satellite, what are the most likely implications for the current conflict? And, perhaps more importantly, could this be the beginning of an escalating cycle of satellite warfare?”

The man in the left hand window straightened his necktie. “First, let me say that it’s a little early to be jumping to conclusions. We don’t have any reliable information about the engagement, if — indeed — it even took place. Second, if we assume — for the sake of discussion — that the U.S. Navy has destroyed a Communist spy satellite, then we can’t judge the wisdom or the implications of that action until we understand the circumstances in which it was supposedly carried out.”

The screen cut to a three-shot, with Ted Norrow shown in profile at the anchor desk, facing the video windows containing his interview subjects.

The anchor man nodded. “Can you expound on that?”

Before Dr. Crane could respond, the other interviewee laughed. “That’s a silly question, Ted. You should know by now that our learned doctor can expound on anything, whether he understands it or not.”

Crane ignored the barb. “We have to look at the situation in the Bay of Bengal,” he said, “beginning with China’s unprovoked attack on two U.S. Navy aircraft, and the death of an American pilot in the hours leading up to the satellite incident. And even before that, when the Chinese crippled the Indian aircraft carrier, INS Vikrant. What Mr. Walsh doesn’t seem to understand—”

The other interviewee cut him off. “I’ll tell you what I don’t understand, Dr. Crane. I don’t understand why we’re getting involved in yet another military confrontation that doesn’t concern us. I don’t understand why we’re still trying to play policeman to the entire world. Didn’t we learn anything at all from Iraq and Afghanistan?”

Ted Norrow raised a hand. “Just a second… Are you suggesting that the stability of Asia is not a legitimate concern of the United States?”

Walsh shook his head. “I’m not saying that at all. But why do we keep assuming that military intervention is an effective tool for regional stabilization? When has that ever been the case?”

“What about World War Two?” Dr. Crane asked. “Do you honestly believe that Hirohito would have relinquished his stranglehold on the Pacific if we had sent him a letter of complaint? And how about Adolf Hitler? If the Allies hadn’t thrown their combined strength at the Third Reich, most of Europe and Africa — if not the entire world — would be living under the iron boot heels of the Nazis at this very moment. Except for the Jews, of course, because they’d be completely exterminated by now.”

Walsh rolled his eyes. “Oh, here we go with Hitler again. Whenever you need a boogieman to justify your military expansionist theories, you always trot out the Nazis. I hate to break it to you, doctor, but that was nearly three-quarters of a century ago. How is any of that relevant to the current political situation in Asia?”

“We’re wandering off the topic here,” the news anchor said.

“No,” said Dr. Crane. “We’re not off topic. Because, apart from Mr. Walsh’s inability to learn from history, there’s a strong correlation between World War Two and the present conflict with China.”

Ted Norrow lifted his right hand in a gesture of invitation. “Can I ask you to explain that?”

“Yes, please,” Walsh said. “Enlighten us. Dispel our ignorance.”

“I can sum it up in a single word,” Dr. Crane said. “Isolationism.”

He punctuated this one-word proclamation with a sardonic smile. “In the late nineteen-thirties and early nineteen-forties, the isolationist movement in America was powerful enough to keep our troops at home,” he said. “We sat on our hands while Germany and Japan were carving up the rest of the earth, and massacring millions of people. Back then, the isolationists were singing the same tune that Mr. Walsh and his buddies are singing today. Stay out of foreign problems. It’s not our business. We’re not the policemen of the entire planet. But where would the world be right now, if the isolationists had gotten the final word?”

Walsh snorted. “Once again, Dr. Crane is oversimplifying my position. I didn’t say that U.S. military intervention is never necessary. Of course it’s necessary in some situations. I’ll go a step farther, and say that — in certain cases — American military action is not just the best answer, it’s the only answer. But does that make it the solution to every foreign conflict that occurs? Are our options always so limited that we have to reach for our guns every time there’s a crisis somewhere in the world?”

Crane opened his mouth to respond, but Ted Norrow raised a hand to forestall further comment.

“I’m going to have to interrupt,” the newscaster said. “My producer informs me that Fox News has just received a statement from the Pentagon, confirming that the USS Towers did indeed shoot down a Chinese surveillance satellite over the Bay of Bengal. We’re expecting additional details in the next few minutes, but for now, we can confirm that the initial reports were accurate.”

“So much for our supposed role as impartial peacekeepers,” Walsh said in a sarcastic tone. “Just remember, whatever happens next, we brought it on ourselves.”

CHAPTER 41

USS TOWERS (DDG-103)

BAY OF BENGAL

MONDAY; 01 DECEMBER

1721 hours (5:21 PM)

TIME ZONE +6 ‘FOXTROT’

Captain Bowie was alone in the wardroom when Commander Silva arrived. An American Forces Network news broadcast was playing on the television, but Bowie had the sound muted while he jotted down a few changes that he wanted to make to the ship’s night orders.

He looked up when Silva walked in. “How’s it going, Kat?”

She headed straight for the coffee maker. “Pretty good,” she said. “But I’d wrestle a medium-sized alligator for a cup of Starbucks right now.”

She peered into the interior of the pot, bent to sniff the aroma, and decided that it was fresh enough to drink. She poured herself a cup, and then looked up at Bowie. “You want one while I’m pouring?”

“Sounds good,” Bowie said. “I’ll have my usual… a Grande Caramel Macchiato and a blueberry scone.”

“Coming right up,” Silva said. She poured him a cup of the plain black Navy coffee. “Will that be credit, or debit?”