“I’m certainly capable of safeguarding classified information!”
“I’m sure there were times in your career you were privy to classified info your superiors didn’t have access to. And now you are on the other end, and it is not wrong. Sir, I recommend you call Miami and tell them what happened and how you are dealing with it.”
Just then a staff officer entered. “Excuse me sir, but we’ve done the radar and data link forensics. Track 1724 is a yacht.”
“Very well,” Meyerkopf responded. “What do we have tracking it and how far away?”
“An E-2 sir, and a Fire Scout from Norman Kleiss. It’s 110 miles south of us, and we are closing it at 15 knots. We expect it to be in Colombian territorial waters in two hours.”
“Very well, please keep us updated.”
“Yes, sir!”
Once the officer left, Meyerkopf turned to Browne. “We are steaming at flank speed to catch this guy? Isn’t Sanders paying attention to his reactors?”
Exasperated, Browne answered him. “Sir, the reactors are fine. The shafts are fine, and the dosimeter readings are fine. We are in combat mode now, sir, and your people are briefing to deal with a proven blinding laser threat they will face in an hour. My recommendation, sir, is that you call the Combatant Commander and tell him Coral Sea has a plan and is ready for any and all tasking.”
Still sulking, Meyerkopf shot Browne a look before he turned on his heels for CDC. Browne wasn’t sure how his admiral was going to handle the next two hours, but Coral Sea’s aviators had work to do, and minutes counted.
(Ready Room 5, USS Coral Sea)
With only thirty minutes to start engines, Wilson had no time for an elaborate strike brief. His Firebird division would consist of Dusty, Ripper, and Olive, with Coach as spare. Billy Martin was there with four of his Hunter pilots flying the FA-18E Super Hornet, and two crews from the Rustlers, the MH-60S squadron, were also present. A lieutenant from the SEAL detachment aboard stood next to him with a small notebook.
In minutes, Wilson and Billy had devised a plan: All the aircraft would launch and buster south as fast as they could, wasting no time for a rendezvous or a launch sequence plan; if the carrier aircraft could join up en route, that was good, but it was not required.
The Fire Scout drone aboard the destroyer Norman Kleiss would put a Hellfire missile into the fantail of the yacht — at the waterline if possible. The plan was to disable the yacht’s screws and/or rudder. With the vessel drifting, SEALS from the two Sierras would board the yacht, capture the crew, and gather what intelligence they could. With the vessel secure,