Chapter One

Disclosure to Kimber

Captain Benton and I walked towards the center of the courtyard. Once we’d reached an area where we wouldn’t be overheard, I turned to the captain and said, “What I heard from SECNAV is something that I need you to keep a lid on.” Kimber knew that it was crucial that secrecy was kept in this case. This was a matter of the highest classification. No-one outside of my staff was to hear about this. And I was planning on handpicking my staff so that we would have a fighting chance if it came down to it. “We’ve been given TAD.” I said briefly.

”Sir?” Kimber was curious.

”Evidently we have been assigned to the land of polar bears and gravy and cheesecurds poured on french-fries.” I replied as casually as I could make it. I looked at her gauging her reaction which was utter surprise. I had a few people I needed to tap to fill out the bunker list. I knew that we needed to draw from the town of Sunset Valley when we got there to round out our forces that we would need to stay safe in case the worst happened.“What I need you to do is get a hold of Captain Rabb and Commander Burrows. And we need a weapons expert. Try to locate Captain Meg Austin.”

”Aye-aye, sir.”

”Good.” I said briefly. Kimber had been my right-hand man regardless of gender. She had been my wingman in combat operations over Bosnia where the VF-41 Black Aces, which I had commanded had flown strike missions for the very first time. It would prove to be the last time that the VF-41 Black Aces flew the F-14A Tomcat, from there, I’d handed over the reins of VF-41 to Kimber and I had become the CAG of CVW-12. After she’d finished her command tour, she reserved her commission and tried her luck on the outside world. I stayed in and headed up the ranks being promoted to RDML in June of 2004. Then I went on to become RADM and CO BATGRP8 on the USS JFK while my Black Aces deployed under the command of Commander Phil Burrows, designated as VFA-41 flying the F/A-18F Super Hornets; the squadron’s transition from the F-14 to the F/A-18F and first tour being under Commander Kimber Benton’s command. The Rhino was a whole different bird than I was used to. As a two-star though, I kept my ass planted on the flag bridge and tried not to get in the way of the ship’s captain who had deep-draft experience. The guys who got the helm of the carriers usually commanded fleet deep-draft tenders prior to their command stint on the big ones; for the experience. My captaincy was a Carrier Air Wing command where I was in command of the squadrons on board the carrier. The O-5s all reported to me, then I relayed whatever information was needed to the CV Command.

When I reached Admiral (four-stars); upon my asking her, Kimber went active duty again and became my Chief of Staff. Without question, she was the one that made the office run as smoothly as it did and kept me abreast of the situation, as she had, when she was my wingman during our flying days. My DCNO, Admiral Gerald Waters was also enamored of her efficiency.

With the preliminary screenings, we were going to have a staff of at least eight to man the bunker. But we needed some civilians to shore up things on the scientific end. If everything came to a head, we’d need people with agricultural knowledge to get things going again provided we hadn’t royally mucked things up. I looked at Kimber and she nodded soberly. We’d gone to work this morning with a world view that everything was OK...situation normal. Now things were about to get completely FUBAR.

“I’ll get right on it, sir.” Kimber said as she snapped to attention and saluted me. I returned her salute and dismissed her as she headed back into the Pentagon to take care of the itemized list that I had verbally given her.

I stood for a long moment in the courtyard trying to figure out what was going to happen. We were in a veritable shit-storm and it looked as though we were headed in an inexorable slide to the brink. And I was getting a chance to live...by being sent to the bunker at Sunset Valley on the Canadian side of the border.

I was going to have to get in contact with General Kelly; he and I had worked together in the past during coalition strikes in Operation Enduring Freedom. He was a Lieutenant Colonel then, and I was a RADM. Let’s face it. He was in Kandahar and the USS JFK was in the Persian Gulf supporting the Rhino strikes against the insurgents so we were on the wire every day and his forward observers were the lifeline that we had for our men and women flying the combat missions day in and day out. Evidently, he’d gone on to crossed swords and monkey-fists and became the second in command of the bunker at Cheyenne Mountain. The US and Canada worked hand-in-hand at NORAD HQ. The Commander was always a US 4-star and the second in command was always a Canadian general officer. That way the command structure at the bunker always consisted jointly of both countries involved in Northern Air Defence Command.

I got a phone call from Norfolk. Evidently the Allegiance had docked at Pier 6 at Norfolk Naval Station and guess who called. “FADM Nakamura!”

“Sir. Just calling to let you know that we’re back from deployment and scuttlebutt’s afoot that something bad has happened in the Pacific.”

“Yeah...just keep it on the down-low. I’m gonna need you to hop a helo and come up to DC. I’ll be in the office till 2200. It’s going to be a late night.”

“Any idea about what’s going on, sir?”

“Can’t talk over the phone...better to do it in person. Classification.” Just the one word that I said warned my friend that he hadn’t better say any more about it.

“Aye, sir.”

“See you up here...” I said. This was an order even if it wasn’t worded as such. Especially since he was an O-6 and I was an O-11. When I got off the phone, I took a look at the oak tree in the center yard of the Pentagon. I wondered just how long we had before these majestic oaks ended up ash. There were three Chinese DF-5A strategic intercontinental ballistic missiles targeted on the Pentagon alone. If they launched, there would be nothing but a three mile in circumference hole three hundred feet deep because we knew for a fact that they were set to surface detonation. The Chinese wouldn’t let a target like ours survive a nuclear war. They wanted to cripple us.

I thought about my old friend Admiral Jim Pointer, the former Chief of Naval Operations; the fact that he’d always been there for us: both Harm and me from the time he was COMBATGRP2 up until he made four-star. But now he was laying in repose in Arlington Cemetery and the bastard who made him eat a bullet was now doing hard time for the rest of his natural existence, in Leavenworth having a wonderfully fulfilling career breaking large rocks into small ones. I wondered how Scud would react to this sort of news. Harm always said that David “Rabbit” Campbell deserved to share a cell with Clark Palmer after what he did to the admiral. I agree with him.

Scud was my guru as well as Harm's and we both missed him. And that meant that we had absolutely no sympathy for David Campbell. He could rot in prison. If things went like they were projected to, Campbell would get the death penalty by immolation; an upgrade to his original life-sentence.

1607 ZULU
PENTAGON
Washington DC

After spending at least twenty minutes in the center courtyard broiling my brains under the hot DC summer sun, I decided that I should head back inside. Striding down the hallway, I noted that the hallway seemed particularly empty for an hour before lunch. When I got back to the office, Captain Benton was waiting for me, “Sir, I managed to get a hold of Captain Austin...she’s actually now a Vice-Admiral and works for Weapons R&D, sir.” I must have lost touch of how long she’d been actually in; she’d caught up and surpassed Rabb. “...and also Commander Burrows. He said that he’ll hop the same helo as Captain Rabb was taking. In fact. Captain Rabb was busy on the phone when I called.”

“Yeah, he gave me a ring to let me know that he was back in port.” I stated, “So...I told him to get over to DC...ASAP. So all three of them should be here.”

“What about Colonel Mackenzie, sir?” Captain Benton asked me. I knew that she was the Marine Liaison to the Secretary of State. Considering the way that she’d yanked Rabb’s chain for the past eleven years prior to their eventual split, I really wondered if the Colonel was going to make things more difficult if we included her in the group. But then again, Rabb had always had a weakness for Mac and it would be unforgivable to let Mackenzie fry in a nuclear griddle. If they managed to straighten up and actually talk things out, maybe things might run a little smoother.

“Message her and just give her an order to be in my office in 1400hrs.” As CNO, I had the authority to order her to the office and make sure that she was present and accounted for and to make sure that she would be ready to move out when everyone else was ready.

“Naval Reserves Commanding officer, Admiral Gracen will be our legal officer and presiding judge for the unit... and the unit Command Master Chief has been overseeing the Seabees that have been constructing the bunker. She’s now present on site and will meet us there as will Admiral Gracen.” Even though Meg was a Vice-Admiral and Admiral Liandra Gracen outranked her, I still wanted Meg as my XO. Admiral Gracen was known for being tough, but fair and would keep the rest in line, especially Commander Burrows who was known for being a little off-kilter. I needed Admiral Gracen in a Legal Officer’s capacity. And she would have the rank to overrule anyone but myself, with my five-stars being the final say on any decisions.

Kimber got straight down to work doing what I ordered and I went and worked on some of the Navy work that I had to deal with. Signing Naval policies...and dealing with other commands in a supervisory role which basically meant holding the fleet commanders collective feet to the fire. Making sure that what intelligence was streaming in was looked over and then orders sent to the fleets to make sure that they were aware of the changing situations on the field of battle. Overall, the commanders of the different units had their area of battle, however as the CNO, I had to look at the overall strategic situation. What ramifications would crop up from ordering our units to a certain section of the globe and how we would have to deal with incursions by foreign military powers on certain sectors that we had an interest in. Whereas unit commanders had to deal with the immediate view, we as strategic commanders had to deal with the long-game. How our actions would affect US policies in the immediate and distant futures. And there was always stuff coming in via SIGINT and ELINT. It was headache inducing but I guess that was why they paid me the big bucks as in $17,653/mo of which half of it was eaten up by Uncle Sam’s Income Relocation Specialists.

In any case, that kept us busy. In fact, it kept us so preoccupied that we lost track of time until I heard a knock on the door. Startled as I looked at my watch, I noticed that it was nearly 1400hrs local. “Enter!” I called out.

First to enter was Rabb. I noted, following proper rank protocol meaning the most senior officer entered a room first followed closely by Commander Philip Burrows.

“Captain Harmon Rabb Jr, and Commander Philip Burrows, reporting as ordered, sir.”

“Very well... Captain, Commander. I called you here because something very crucial to our survival is going down.” I paused for a long moment weighing my words carefully – it could go either way...panic could set in or they could react stoically – the latter was what I hoped for. I’ll get into the particulars once the other members of the party show up.”

“Other members, sir?” Harm asked.

“Yes, others will be present here as well.” I informed him briefly as I turned to look at Commander Burrows. Just then the door opened and a flag-officer dress blues clad redhead walked in to stand beside Harm.

“Vice-Admiral Meg Austin reporting as ordered, Fleet Admiral.” If Harm’s eyes opened any wider, they’d pop out of his head and run down the Pentagon hallways screaming bloody murder.

“Good to see you, Meg.” I said with a grin on my face. We passed each other all the time in the Pentagon hallways when she wasn’t going back and forth to Great Lakes. Rabb would have had his third star if he hadn’t fumbled it when he did a coin toss with Mac for all the marbles back in 2005. But fifteen years later and he was royally screwed. Meg was in a department that had given her the possibility of getting her fourth star while good ol’ Harm was stuck at permanent O-6 status until hell froze over.

“We meet again, sir...” Meg said playfully to me; she stood at regulation-attention as I grinned at her,. I could see Harm was having to heroically restrain himself from craning his head around to look at his former JAG partner who was now three ranks ahead of him instead of two behind – he was at attention and I was sadistic enough to keep him and Burrows that way. I was amused as I could clearly read in his expression, his thoughts – it didn’t take a rocket scientist. The first two words had to be how the... Yeah, Rabb, she outranks you now. Should have listened to the old adage instead of chasing after Mackenzie’s tail: if the Navy wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one with your seabag. And it put Meg completely out of Harm’s league. Admiral could date admirals...but Captains couldn’t date Admirals; not that I’m saying anything could happen between Meg and me. As CNO, I was the top of her chain of command and she answered to me in terms of military protocol so it would be against the UCMJ to date. Yes, the good ol’ Fleet Admiral was who these millenials would meme as forever alone and at this age, I’d be too tough a nut to crack in terms of liking my own independence. And there was going to be limited selection at least in the future with the potentiality of three potential nuclear superpowers lobbing megatonnage at each other.

Let the younger guys play the field and repopulate the planet. I’d heard rumors of this young again potion and that certain things were unmentionable while you were in uniform unless you wanted to be posted out on a Section 8 and locked up in a rubber room buck naked and drooling gibberish while they hopped you up on anti-psychotics. If there was such a thing as magic, it was best left unspoken about at least while you were in government service.

“We’re waiting for one other person, but frankly...I might as well give you the low-down on what’s going on.” Standing up from my desk, I walked around in front of it past the other three officers standing at attention. “I had a very enlightening conversation with SECNAV and it was brought to light that the Commander-in-Chief is putting Operation Pinnacle into effect immediately.” Meg knew exactly what those words entailed and drew in a sharp breath. Pinnacle was a government drafted plan for Continuity of Government in the case of nuclear war or some other calamity. The way things were going in the Pacific, there was a good chance that there would be missiles raining down inside of two months; maybe even less. The fear in her eyes was palpable. It mirrored how I felt. “We have been told to secure ourselves in a bunker in Sunset Valley, Canada. They’re hoping that because we are in a foreign nation taking refuge, that we will be safe from any attacks. About the only thing that is troublesome is CFB Gnome which is a prime target for missile attack as they have a launch vehicle for the Canadian Space Agency.”

“This can’t be happening...sir.” Commander Burrows piped up. “This has to be some elaborate hoax perpetrated by government.” He looked alarmed.

“I wish it was...” I said looking at him, “It isn’t. Commander.” I walked past him and looked taciturnly at the wall. Not facing them, I spoke, “We have been at a state of war for the past five years. Vice-Admiral, Captain, Commander. The pendulum of destruction has been swinging for that long...and it is only a matter of time before it throws us all over the precipice.”

I turned around and walked back towards them, “We are facing total annihilation in a nuclear furnace.” I stopped by Meg, “I’m going to need you...” Harm’s eyes widened at that melodramatic pause as I looked deep into Meg’s eyes and she stared back at me without flinching. “...as my XO...Vice-Admiral Austin. Your weapons experience will stand us all in good stead.”

“Yes, sir...” Meg replied, a small grin on her face. “I’ll do the best I can, sir.”

1435hrs
PENTAGON
WASHINGTON DC

I looked at Meg while I addressed the officers inclusively, “You’re well aware that I hate to run away from a fight...” then walked towards the bookshelf on the opposite side of the room. Looking at the brass horse on the shelf, I said, “...but a fight with nuclear weapons is a fight that we cannot win.” They were well aware of that.

Just then the door opened, “Sir. I’m sorry, I’m late, the meeting with Secretary of State ran a lot longer than I planned.”

“Just glad that you could join us, Colonel.” I replied still staring at the books on my shelf. “We will be leaving at oh-six-hundred hours from this helopad at the Pentagon, flying a direct route to Andrews, then from there, we will catch a C-17 from here to Abbotsford and then from there, we will convoy by vehicle to Sunset Valley.”

Colonel Sarah Mackenzie came to the position of attention at the right hand side of Commander Burrows. I about-faced and walked back the way I had come, past Meg, past Harm and Commander Burrows. “It’s a good thing you showed up when you did, Colonel, I would have hated leaving you on the helopad.

“Yes, sir.” she said staring straight ahead.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, we’re at the brink of nuclear war. This means that we need to consolidate our forces and move out of the target area.” I stared out the window...wondering about the verdant courtyard that I was seeing out the window of my office. It would all be ashes “The SECNAV has given us our marching orders, we may or may not like those orders, but we will follow them...to the letter.” I paused then turned around to face them; walking towards them, I spoke, “If that means we live like rats in a hole hoping that we’ll be saved by being so far away from the target area, then we will do so.”

I noticed that Captain Benton had finished up her duties at her computer and was now walking towards Colonel Mackenzie’s right hand side... “Finished setting up the travel plans, Captain?” I asked?

“Yes, sir. Checked with METARS and had the C-17 bus-drivers file flight plans ADW direct to YXX, sir. We’ll be the only ones on that flight.”

“Good. The less ears the better.” I looked over solemnly at my subordinate officers; my friends and soon-to-be bunkmates in a place that would hopefully keep us from becoming radioactive ashes strewn all over the landscape. “May God help us...all.”

And that brought us to the present day...which landed us in the bunker at Sunset Valley awaiting the apocalypse hoping that through the grace of God that we would be saved.

1632 ZULU
SUNSET VALLEY, BC
CANADA

In the words of Vice Admiral Meg Austin

What Tosh had said back in DC scared the living daylights out of me. I knew that Pinnacle existed, but had never had to give it a second thought. The threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over our heads was always the Sword of Damocles from the time that the Gadget had detonated at 5:32 in the morning at Alamagordo Bombing Range, New Mexico on July 16, 1945 and the countdown to us wiping ourselves off the face of the planet was set into motion.

I’d always put my career first over anything else...and fancy that it took the threat of nuclear annihilation to make me have second thoughts about pursuing the rest of my career. Whether annihilation came to pass or not, I was starting to think that remaining single for the rest of my life was not something I’d ever hoped to contemplate and it was starting to look more and more unpalatable.

Tosh and I had always seen each other as colleagues first and foremost. We’d first met when Harm and I were partners at JAG Headquarters and we were doing the due-diligence investigation for Tosh’s Medal of Honor. Just reading his citation was an eye-opening experience. I understood why Tosh had just said that he hated to run from a fight. He never did; but as he said Nuclear Weapons were a no-win situation and that we had to follow SECNAV’s orders. I got the feeling that he’d want to be on the flag bridge of a carrier standing stoically as a 5 MT nuclear warhead detonated decimating his fleet, defiant to the last.

Seeing Harm in the room was a surprise. And the fact that he was still an O-6 was yet another suprise. It meant that somewhere along the line, he had a misstep. I guess he elected to serve till retirement at his current rank. I knew he probably felt the same jarring cognitive dissonance that I felt at our new disparity in rank. As a Vice-Admiral, I now had greater responsibilities than he did as a senior line officer. And Tosh had asked me to be his XO so now, I wielded power in the bunker as well and that probably wouldn’t go over too well with Harm. Besides...since he was in our direct chain of command, there was no chance with him...including the fact that I outranked him by three stars to his eagle.

Jennifer Coates...Tosh’s Yeoman was now our Command Master Chief – the chief of enlisted personnel in the bunker and frankly, she wouldn’t have much to do until we started getting survivors when we were able to come out of our bunker. There really was no Navy as such as most of those assets would be vaporized however it can’t be said that the Navy won’t put up a good fight on land.

But...as far as relationships in the bunker were going to be concerned, would the UCMJ stand the fires of nuclear annihilation? Or would prehistoric urges take over – the urge to procreate and form basic relationships. Were we officers upheld to a code of conduct that wasn’t even tenable in the aftermath of such a horrific war or were we just human beings at the end of all this? Human beings that had the basic urge to be with someone else...and to form a life-bond.

I guess it all remained to be seen.