“And what is the American plane doing while we do nothing?” Truznyev asked, surprise in his voice.

“They fly around, take photographs and radar images, try to record any electromagnetic emissions,” Darzov said. “It is what the Americans call a ‘photo opportunity.’ The plane will probably make a showy pass near the carrier, wag its wings, and be gone. It is all for show, sir.”

“I do not understand any of this,” Truznyev said. Then, after a short pause: “And I do not allow it. Keep that bomber away from the task force, General.”

“But, sir…this has all been agreed in advance,” Darzov said. “Our air attaché in Washington coordinates all this with their Pentagon. One plane, air-traffic control codes, a simple flyby, no overflight, no visible weapons, no open bomb doors, no supersonic flight, no electronic jamming-it is all very routine-”

“I do not care, General,” Truznyev said. “I do not like pretending we accept or allow the Americans to fly attack aircraft near our fleet. If it is confirmed as an attack plane, I want it kept away from the task force…by any means necessary.”

“Including deadly force, sir?” Darzov asked incredulously.

“Including deadly force, General,” Truznyev insisted. “What is the range of an American air-launched antiship cruise missile?”

“Uh…uh…” Darzov had to struggle to recall the information: “The American Harpoon antiship missile has a range of about one hundred kilometers when launched from low altitude-”

“Fine. If the bomber comes within two hundred kilometers, use any means necessary to chase it away.”

“But, sir, free navigation of the skies and seas never prohibits an aircraft from flying that close unless-”

“Two hundred kilometers away if it is an attack aircraft, General,” Truznyev said finally. “No nation flies near our task force with impunity. The Americans believe they can fly their spacecraft and bombers anywhere they wish and it is all just a ‘photo opportunity’? I will teach them differently.”

Just as the captain finished his logbook entries and turned to head topside, the Red Phone beeped. He snatched it up immediately. “Yes, Admiral?”

“Change in procedures, Captain,” the admiral said. “Keep weapons tight, but full tactical engagement procedures, air and surface. Repeat, full tactical engagement, weapons tight. If it is a bomber, keep it two hundred kilometers away from the task force. Advise me as soon as visual identification is made.”

“Excuse me, sir, but you want to radiate with what is probably an American bomber coming at us?” the captain asked. “If it’s a bomber, they can probably analyze our signals.”

“Orders direct from Moscow,” the admiral said. “They say they anticipated a patrol plane such as a Global Hawk. The bomber is a serious provocation, and they want to hit them with everything. Acknowledge my orders.”

“Understood, sir,” the captain said after a moment of shock. “Weapons tight, full tactical engagement air and surface, keep bomber aircraft away two hundred kilometers from the task force.” The admiral rang off, and the captain hung up. “TAO, weapons tight, full tactical engagement procedures, air and surface.”

The tactical action officer turned to the captain in complete surprise. “Sir?”

“You heard me, Commander,” the captain said. “Acknowledge and report by all stations that weapons are tight. If it is a bomber, it is to be kept at least two hundred kilometers away from the outer ships of the task force.”

The TAO swallowed, then said, “Weapons tight, full tactical engagement, air and surface, two hundred kilometers if it is a bomber,” he repeated. “All stations, all stations, this is the TAO, check weapons status and report.”

After Truznyev hung up the phone with Darzov, he dialed another number himself. When the private secure line was answered, he said without preamble or greeting, “I have just decided to twist the tiger’s tail in the Gulf of Aden, Premier Zhou. Alert your task force that there is about to be some activity out there.”

ABOARD THE EB-1C VAMPIRE BOMBER

THAT SAME TIME

A yellow triangle appeared on the nose of the Su-33’s icon on the display. “Bandit’s radiating,” Frodo said. “He’ll be locked on in three minutes.”

“American patrol aircraft, we are tracking you on radar at this time,” the Russian pilot said a few minutes later. “Be advised, you are approaching a Russian military naval task force at your twelve o’clock position. Unidentified aircraft are not permitted to fly near Russian warships. You must alter course at least thirty degrees immediately or you may be fired upon. Acknowledge.”

“Russian patrol aircraft, this is a routine patrol mission,” Boxer said, shaking her head in confusion. “We intend to do a visual inspection of your ships in international waters. We’re complying with your communications requirements.”

“Fracture, Armstrong,” Gonzo reported from Armstrong Space Station, “bandits are speeding up, five hundred…six hundred…seven hundred knots…going supersonic. Intercept in about three minutes.”

“They’re going supersonic?” Frodo asked nervously. “What’s going on?”

“It’s all for show,” Boxer said. “At that speed, they’ll have us in sight for about two seconds, they’ll waste fifty miles turning around to chase us, and they’ll be burning gas like crazy.”

“But…but that must mean that-”

“Fracture, Armstrong, we’ve got two more lifting off from the carrier,” Gonzo reported.

“-that they’ll have to launch more planes after us,” Frodo said, finishing his thought with a slight crack in his voice. At that moment a separate window opened up on Frodo’s large supercockpit display, and it showed two more Sukhoi-33 fighters taxiing onto the aircraft carrier Vladimir Putin’s forward catapults, with two more behind the blast deflectors, getting ready to hook up to the catapults as well. It was the data being passed down from the space station. “Is that happening right now?”

“Now it’s starting to get interesting,” Boxer said, and suddenly she didn’t feel like cracking jokes anymore. “We’re getting your imagery, Armstrong,” she radioed.

“We’ll have that satellite feed for only about sixty seconds, Fracture, and after that our sensor coverage will be spotty for the next thirty minutes,” Gonzo said. “You really stirred them up. You might want to think about getting out of there. Your tanker is at your five o’clock, three hundred ninety miles in the refueling anchor.”

“Not quite yet, Armstrong,” Boxer said. “I think we somehow hurt their feelings-I want to see what they’re going to do about it.”

“X-band radar in high-PRF lock-on,” Frodo reported as he watched the intercept on his passive electromagnetic threat detector. The high-PRF, or pulse-rate frequency, meant that the Sukhoi-33’s radar was solidly locked onto the Vampire. “Passing off to the left. Why are they locking us up, Boxer?”

“Fracture, first formation will be passing below and to your left…now.” Boxer didn’t see anything. The threat detectors depicted the two Russian carrier jets streak past them, and moments later they felt two sharp burbles as the twin supersonic shock waves passed.

“Christ, that was close,” Frodo breathed.

“Fracture, second formation is closing at six hundred knots, two hundred miles,” Gonzo reported. “Third formation is on the catapults. We’re losing full-time coverage.”

“Copy, Armstrong,” Boxer said. “Frodo, let’s set the LADAR to intermittent.”

“LADAR radiating,” Frodo said, trying to keep his voice steady. In “Intermittent” mode, the Vampire’s laser radar would broadcast for a second or two every ten to fifteen seconds to get a better picture of the intercept, but avoid being tracked by the Russians in case they had laser detectors. The supercockpit display clearly showed all the players now, even tracking the fighters behind the Vampire and identifying the aircraft on the Putin’s deck getting ready to launch and the rescue helicopters hovering beside the carrier in case of an emergency.