15:27 (California Time)
Wednesday, March 17, 1993 ‘C’
Main assembly plant, Hiller Helicopters Corporation
Firebaugh, Fresno County, California
U.S.A.
Ingrid was discussing with Stanley Hiller how her second test flight of the Hiller SUPERCAR had gone when two surprise visitors showed up in the engineering office of the Hiller main assembly plant. Ingrid tensed up at once on seeing the grim looks of the two U.S. Navy senior officers who entered the office.
‘’Rear Admiral Smith? Commander Skinner? To what do we owe your visit today?’’
‘’We came to see if you could help us face a grave national security situation, General Dows.’’ replied Smith, who then looked at Stanley Hiller while presenting his right hand to him. ‘’Rear Admiral Raymond Smith, commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command. This is Commander Randolph Skinner, commander of S.E.A.L. Team One.’’
‘’Stanley Hiller, owner and founder of the Hiller Helicopters Corporation. Have you come to see our latest prototype, Admiral?’’ replied Hiller while shaking the hands of both Navy men. Smith shook his head in response.
‘’No! We came to see if it would be ready to be used in an operational mission, Mister Hiller.’’
‘’An operational mission? But our prototype has flown only twice and dived underwater for the first time only today. What would be so pressing that would force you to ask to use our Supercar at such an early stage?’’
‘’I unfortunately can’t answer you on that, Mister Hiller: you do not hold the necessary security classification for that. However, General still does have a Top-Secret clearance level. Do you mind if we discuss with her in private?’’
‘’Uh, no, not at all, Admiral. You can use the office of my chief engineer, which is presently unoccupied.’’
‘’Thank you, Mister Hiller.’’
‘’I will show you to that office, Admiral.’’ cut in Ingrid. As she was leading Smith and Skinner towards the said office, which was adjacent to the engineering design office, Ingrid twisted her head to ask a question to the Navy men.
‘’Did you come by helicopter, Admiral?’’
‘’Not exactly, General Dows: we came in one of the two Hiller AIR BIKEs my command acquired recently. Commander Skinner happens to be a qualified helicopter pilot.’’
‘’I see!’’
The trio soon entered a medium-sized office cluttered with blueprints and technical documents, with Ingrid closing the door behind them before looking at Rear Admiral Smith.
‘’I am listening, Admiral. What is this national security problem that is concerning you?’’
‘’Basically, we need to go rescue the crew of one of our strategic reconnaissance planes which just crashed inside Soviet territory, near Rostov-on-Don. That plane, a RF-83D, apparently suffered a major engine failure while on a reconnaissance of a Soviet mobile ICBM{18} base near Volgograd. Its crew of two then tried to turn back South to exit Soviet airspace, but their plane caught fire, forcing the pilot and radar officer to eject over the area of Rostov, near the Gulf of Tangarog, at the northeast tip of the Sea of Azov. They barely had time to send a distress call before they ejected. The last time we had a contact with them was when they briefly activated their emergency locator beacon unit to signal their point of landing. Unfortunately, they had to cut that signal off after only twenty minutes, as the local forces were starting to react to the crash. That was some ten hours ago. In response, the Pentagon has just asked my command to be prepared to send a S.EA.L. team to rescue our two downed aviators. The problem is that my only options right now are a near-suicidal parachute drop over the Rostov area…and your Supercar. So, could we possibly use your Supercar to effect this rescue mission, General?’’
Ingrid sat on the edge of the work desk set inside the office as she thought furiously about the problem presented to her. She finally spoke up some fifteen seconds later while looking at Smith.
‘’Admiral, please understand that there are a few problems of concern for me here. First off, our prototype is still largely untested and none of its systems have been certified yet. Second, none of your people have had a chance to see our prototype, much less get qualified to operate it. Third, if it breaks down during transit to the Rostov area, we will have next to no spare parts available to repair it. May I ask why a RF-83D was sent on such a risky mission over Soviet territory, rather than use a spaceplane to take pictures of that area?’’
Smith made a grimace before answering her.
‘’I agree with you that a spaceplane would have been a much safer mean to collect strategic data, General, but the mission given to our Air Force RF-83D was very specific: to collect radiation signatures from low altitude. We suspect that some of the mobile ICBM launchers which had belonged to the Soviet Union are now in the hands of a breakaway territory of the old U.S.S.R., which calls itself the Caucasus Independent Republic. That new republic is formed by the old oblasts of Krasnodar, Stavropol, Rostov, Maikop, Astrakhan, Dagestan, Chechnya and Cherkassy, plus the old Kalmuck Republic, thus forming a strategic mass bordering directly on the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The bad news is that this Caucasus Independent Republic is controlled by an autocratic and militaristic regime with links to Islamic extremists in Chechnya. That such a regime could control a number of mobile ICBM systems is worrying a lot of people in Washington.’’
‘’And rightly so, Admiral.’’ replied Ingrid, thoughtful. ‘’Even with our Supercar, this rescue mission would be both difficult and extremely risky. Added to that is the fact that our two downed pilots may have moved from their last know location, or may even have been captured since then, in which case they can only expect the worst in terms of treatment at the hands of the local regime.’’
‘’I agree with you a hundred percent, General. The problem is that our aviators hold some vital information which cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of the Caucasian authorities. Our pilots were told to commit suicide rather than let themselves be captured alive.’’
That instantly brought an angry look to Ingrid’s eyes.
‘’How convenient for some commander stuck safely behind a desk at the Pentagon to say that! In my opinion, that plane should never have been sent and a spaceplane should have flown that mission instead. The President did authorize such a risky mission over old Soviet territory, I suppose?’’
Her question made Smith visibly uncomfortable.
‘’Uh, no! President Perot was not informed about this mission, which was decided at the level of the Chiefs of Staffs.’’
That made Ingrid instantly angry.
‘’THE FUCKING IDIOTS! Such risky strategic missions should always be done with presidential consent, or at least presidential knowledge. The geo-political consequences of such a mission failing are simply too great. Why was President Perot not informed, Admiral?’’
‘’Because the Pentagon leaders expected him to nix that mission. In truth, the generals and admirals at the Pentagon do not trust President Perot, who doesn’t belong to a political party and governs as an independent.’’
‘’And that gives them the right to hide such an important decision from the President of the United States? President Perot was elected by the American people, while none of those generals and admirals were voted in. They are supposed to serve the nation, not run it according to their personal whims, dammit!’’
Still furious, Ingrid paused for a moment before speaking further while staring into Smith’s eyes.
‘’Despite what I just said, I am ready to help you get back those two aviators, Admiral. However, I will want to have the prior approval of Mister Hiller on this, as the prototype belongs to his corporation and not to the Navy. Also, I must pilot our Supercar for that mission: you have anyway nobody else qualified to operate it. Finally, while your S.E.A.L. personnel will do the fighting part, I want to be able to plan and direct that mission. I believe that my past record in operational mission planning would amply qualify me for such a role.’’
‘’I certainly agree with your last statement, General. I personally have no qualms about letting you plan and direct this rescue mission.’’
‘’Then, let me go talk to Mister Hiller, to see if he authorizes the Navy to use his prototype for this mission. It shouldn’t be long.’’
Ingrid then walked out of the office, leaving Smith and Skinner alone for a few minutes. Randolph Skinner looked sideways at Smith, some reserve visible in his expression.
‘’The Joint Chiefs hid that strategic reconnaissance mission from the President, sir? Who told you that?’’
‘’The CNO{19}, who is one of those who don’t trust the President and who asked me to prepare a rescue mission. But keep that to yourself, Commander: the CNO would relieve me of command if he learned that I informed others of this, particularly concerning General Dows, who is a retired officer.’’
‘’Admiral, with all due respect to the CNO, he is an ass! General Dows repeatedly saved our nation from military disasters in the past and is the best strategist and field commander we ever had. With her being the sole qualified operator for the Hiller SUPERCAR, Dows HAD to be told about this.’’
Smith, instead of chastising his subordinate, sighed while lowering his head.
‘’You are right, Commander, but politics now controls the Pentagon as much as anything else.’’
‘’Yeah, and maybe it would be time to change that, sir.’’ fired back Skinner, saying what he was thinking. Smith kept silent afterwards, until Ingrid returned inside the office and closed the door behind her.
‘’So, what did Mister Hiller say?’’
‘’He agrees to the Navy using his prototype on this rescue mission, at the condition that the Navy would compensate his corporation if it is ever damaged or lost during that mission.’’
‘’I believe that the Navy should easily agree to that, General.’’
‘’It better do, because this mission will be a no go if the Navy refuses to abide by this condition.’’
‘’I will call the CNO as soon as I am back in San Diego, General Dows. When could you launch onto this mission?’’
‘’As soon as I can pack my things here and fly to San Diego. I would counsel you and Commander Skinner to fly back at once to your base, in order to contact the CNO and to alert your S.E.A.L. team to prepare their equipment. By the way, I will need 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to be readied, so that the two gatling machine guns of our Supercar could be provisioned before departure. I would also like you to have a C-152 cargo plane made ready to transport our Supercar and your team to Turkey, so that we could get close to the operational area. If a Navy ship with a helicopter platform is already within the Black Sea, then I will want to be able to land our Supercar on it, so that we could get as close as possible to the Sea of Azov before launching on the tactical leg of the mission.’’
‘’I will check on that as well, General.’’
‘’Good! You better fly out now, Admiral: those two aviators are definitely in dire need of a quick rescue.’’
Smith and Skinner didn’t object to that and quickly walked out of the office to return to their air bike. On her part, Ingrid also went out of the office to talk with Stanley Hiller.
‘’Stanley, I am going to pack my things upstairs, then will fly to San Diego in our prototype. Could you please have it filled with fuel and also put inside the few spare parts we have for it?’’
‘’I will go take care of that right away, Ingrid.’’
As Stanley walked away to get his mechanics moving, Ingrid went up to the small lounge she had turned into a temporary bedroom and quickly packed her single suitcase, adding inside a copy of the Supercar’s draft technical manual, which she had written. Next, she called her home in Virginia and left a brief message for Nancy on her answering machine, telling her that she was leaving for a few days on a military mission. Once that was done, she went back down to the ground floor level and walked into the prototype’s hangar, where she found five mechanics and technicians busy completing a quick checkup and filling of the Supercar. She also found a number of small to medium-sized boxes containing the few spare parts for the Supercar that they had, loaded on the equipment racks of the vehicle. Adding her suitcase to the lot, Ingrid then went to Stanley Hiller and shook his hand.
‘’Well, hopefully this mission will go well, in which case the Navy should decide to buy our Supercar. If not, then we will at least have tried our best to save two of our aviators.’’
Stanley Hiller felt a lump in his throat as he shook hands with her and couldn’t help hug her as well.
‘’Ingrid, you are the bravest girl I ever met. Please be careful.’’
‘’I will…as much as the mission will permit, Stanley. Goodbye!’’
‘’Goodbye, Ingrid!’’
Stanley then watched Ingrid take place inside the Supercar and, once the technicians backed off it, start the engine and roll outside on the paved tarmac of the facility. One minute later, the Supercar was airborne and speeding towards the Southwest, followed by the eyes of Stanley and his technicians.
Flying low but fast in order to avoid the commercial air traffic around the Los Angeles area, Ingrid took only fifty minutes to cover the some 500 kilometers between Firebaugh and San Diego, landing her Supercar in the parking lot next to the building housing S.E.A.L. Team One. One S.E.A.L. team member, Petty Officer 2 Tony Grimaldi, ran out at once from an opening large garage door and came to her, shouting above the noise of her propellers.
‘’GENERAL, YOU MAY ROLL INSIDE VIA THAT GARAGE DOOR.’’
‘’THANK YOU!’’
Switching her Supercar to ground rolling mode, Ingrid drove her vehicle inside a large hangar which contained among other things one SDV Mark 8. Stopping her vehicle and switching off its engine, Ingrid then stepped out of it and gave an order to PO2 Grimaldi.
‘’Petty Officer Grimaldi, I will need a dry suit that will fit me, plus a complete set of diving equipment and a weapon. I will also need an underwater helmet with integrated night goggles.’’
‘’Then, follow me, General.’’
Grabbing first her personal suitcase, Ingrid followed Grimaldi to a locker room adjacent to the team’s quartermaster’s section, where a Navy technician started selecting and giving her pieces of combat and diving equipment. The technician however hesitated when the time came to give her a diver’s dry suit of the right size.
‘’Well, what’s the hold, Petty Officer?’’
‘’Uh, we don’t have a separate changing room for you to try this dry suit, General. The men simply use this locker room to change in and out of their diving suits.’’
That attracted a frustrated growl from Ingrid, who grabbed the dry suit presented by the Navy man.
‘’Give me that suit! I am not some kind of offended virgin.’’
Grabbing the large equipment bag now filled with equipment and going to one empty locker, she put the bag next to it, then started to unceremoniously undress, watched with bulging eyes by the quartermaster man and Grimaldi. She was down to her bras and panty when the men of S.E.A.L. Team One entered the locker room with the intent to collect their combat and diving gear. They all froze at once, prompting a sarcastic question from Ingrid.
‘’WHAT? YOU NEVER SAW A NAKED GENERAL BEFORE? GET YOUR STUFF AND GET READY TO LEAVE!’’
Somehow, the Navy commandos managed not to reply with some sexist remark and went to their individual lockers. P.O.1 Robert Tomkins’ locker was however next to that used by Ingrid and he had to force himself not to look directly at her but couldn’t help give her a few sideways glances to admire her young, sexy body and firm breasts. Once his own kit was assembled in a large carrying bag, he went to report to Commander Skinner, who was also packing his gear near another locker some distance away.
‘’I am ready to go, sir. What’s next?’’
‘’You go load your things inside the Supercar, P.O.: General Dows will pilot it.’’
‘’Yes sir!’’ replied Tomkins before whispering a few more words. ‘’That’s the nicest looking naked general I ever saw, sir, no disrespect intended.’’
Skinner glanced quickly at Ingrid, then sighed.
‘’I’ll second that opinion, P.O.’’
The five S.E.A.L. members and Ingrid soon had their equipment piled inside the Supercar and returned to the quartermaster’s counter to collect their air and oxygen bottles. Ingrid also took the time then to get quickly fitted with a set of camouflage field uniform, complete with boots, cold weather coat and combat web gear, receiving a combat knife, a pistol and five full magazines as her personal armament. They were about to sit inside the Supercar when Rear Admiral Smith entered the hangar, a leather briefcase in his hand, and went to speak with Ingrid and Commander Skinner.
‘’A C-152 is waiting for you at the nearby North Island Naval Air Station. Here are detailed maps of the area around Rostov-on-Don, along with reconnaissance photo-maps of the same area and general maps covering the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea areas. You will also find a briefing file on our crashed reconnaissance plane’s route and pictures of the two missing aviators. You will be flying west towards the Philippines, where your cargo plane will refuel before continuing westward to our base of Incirlik, in Turkey. General, I have good news for you: the destroyer U.S.S. SPRUANCE is presently navigating inside the Black Sea and will be able to function as your forward base of operation. The SPRUANCE is also equipped with satellite communications gear which will allow it to stay in direct contact with Washington during your mission. If we get any updated info about our missing aviators, then you will be able to get that on the way.’’
‘’Excellent! We are ready to leave, Admiral.’’
‘’Then, good luck to all of you.’’ said Smith before coming to attention and saluting Ingrid, who saluted back before stepping inside the Supercar and buckling her pilot’s seat harness. Switching on the 1,300-horsepower lightweight diesel engine of her Supercar, she made it roll in reverse, taking it out of the garage, then deployed her four ducted propellers and lifted off for the short trip to the nearby North Island Navy airfield. After watching the vehicle go, Smith then walked back to the building’s secure command center and, after a short hesitation, composed a number on a secure encrypted telephone. This call could very well cost him personally, but the remonstrance Ingrid Dows had served him in Firebaugh had hit him hard and had decided him to finally disobey a directive that he had always felt to be questionable at best.
21:52 (Washington Time) / 18:52 (California Time)
Presidential Apartments, The White House
Washington, D.C.
Ross Perot was about to relax from the day’s work by starting to read a book in the presidential lounge when his vice-president, retired Vice Admiral James Stockdale, entered the lounge after knocking on the door. Perot, still sitting and holding his book, looked up at the man he considered as much as a friend as a partner in politics.
‘’Yes, James?’’
‘’Ross, I am afraid that we have a problem…a big problem. One Navy officer whom I know personally just called me to alert me about something truly alarming. Basically, he told me that the Joint Chiefs ordered a high-risk strategic reconnaissance flight over the Caucasus area of the old Soviet Union while conscientiously deciding not to inform you or seek your permission before launching that flight.’’
‘’WHAT?!’’ shouted Perot, instantly angry. Stockdale then went on.
‘’Things got even worse some twelve hours ago, Ross: that reconnaissance aircraft crashed inside old Soviet territory following an engine fire. The two crewmembers were able to eject safely but they are now stranded inside hostile territory, far from any friendly state and with local military forces probably hunting them down. If they get captured, then they can only expect the worst.’’
‘’Can we extract them without causing a major international crisis, James?’’
‘’Normally, I would qualify any attempted rescue mission as near-suicidal and next to hopeless but the Joint Chiefs still ordered our Naval Special Warfare Group to prepare to send a Navy SEAL team on a rescue mission to the Caucasus. The commander of our Naval Special Warfare Group then made what I would qualify as an inspired move: he enlisted the help of retired General Ingrid Dows, who was developing for the Navy a new model of SEAL delivery vehicle, or SDV, at the Hiller Helicopters Corporation. SEAL Team One and General Dows are presently flying to Turkey with the prototype of the SDV Mark 10.’’
‘’But General Dows retired from the service seven years ago and is now a civilian. Why did the Navy take her on this rescue mission?’’
‘’Uh, the Navy brass doesn’t know yet that she is part of the mission, Ross. She volunteered for it because she designed our new vehicle and is the only person qualified to pilot and operate the prototype of the SDV Mark 10. Rear Admiral Raymond Smith, who commands our NSWG, accepted her offer of help but has not yet informed the CNO that she left with our SEAL team. By the way, Dows still retains the status of inactive reserve officer and has kept her various flight certifications valid by periodically effecting training flights in military aircraft. She has even flown a few flights to orbit in spaceplanes of our Space Corps and is still a fully qualified astronaut, on top of being still qualified as a fighter pilot. And I won’t even talk about her celebrated superpowers. Overall, Rear Admiral Smith took an excellent decision by accepting to include her in this rescue mission, as Dows’ participation has greatly boosted its chances of success.’’
‘’Dows…’’ Perot said in a dreamy tone. ‘’She is probably the most fantastic person to have ever served this nation. I wish that I could have her in my cabinet.’’
The President then shook himself back to the present moment and looked again at Stockdale.
‘’How long before our rescue team arrives near the operational area?’’
‘’The cargo aircraft carrying our SEAL team and the SDV prototype left San Diego a bit over one hour ago, flying towards our base of Incirlik, in Turkey. With the need for that cargo aircraft to stop and refuel in the Philippines, I would say that our rescue team will arrive in Turkey in another twenty hours or so. Once there, out team will fly in the prototype to one of our destroyers presently sailing in the Black Sea, which will become their forward base of operation. Overall, I would say that our rescue team could enter Soviet territory in a bit over 24 hours from now.’’
‘’Then, I will want to follow its progress as it flies off our destroyer to head into Soviet airspace. I want the Situation Room to be ready in 24 hours to follow the situation in real time.’’
‘’What about the Joint Chiefs? Do you want them to be present in the Situation Room?’’
Ross Perot was strongly tempted to say ‘no’ to that but thought better of it.
‘’Well, they still are supposed to be my military experts, so I can’t in good conscience lock them out of this. If the mission fails, the geopolitical consequences could be severe and we will have to manage them at once. By the way, what was the goal of that strategic reconnaissance flight, James?’’
Stockdale made a bitter smirk at that question, as he suspected that Perot was not going to like his answer.
‘’It was sent to take air samples and radiation readings from low altitude over the Volgograd and Rostov areas, to try to confirm if a number of ex-Soviet mobile ICBM launchers and missiles are now controlled by the new Caucasus Independent Republic. If that turns out to be true, then it will mean that a bunch of tinpot dictators with links to Islamic extremists now control a number of operational ICBM systems.’’
While Perot reddened with anger on hearing that, he managed, barely, not to shout out in frustration.
‘’And the Joint Chiefs didn’t want me to know about that reconnaissance mission? What were they thinking?’’
‘’Uh, Rear Admiral Smith told me that the CNO confided to him that the Joint Chiefs don’t trust you, Ross.’’
‘’I see! Remind me after this rescue mission to do some vacuum cleaning among the Joint Chiefs. I was elected in office, not them!’’
02:16 (Turkey Time) / 19:16 (Washington Time)
Friday, March 19 (Turkey) / Thursday, March 18 (Washington)
Helicopter landing pad of destroyer U.S.S. SPRUANCE (DD-963)
110 kilometers north of Sinope, Black Sea
Commander James Little, Captain of the destroyer U.S.S. SPRUANCE, was standing against the railing atop the helicopter hangar of his 8,000-ton ship when the announced special warfare aircraft landed in the dark on the ship’s helicopter platform. Little was struck at once by the strange aspect of that aircraft, which reminded him of the now popular Hiller AIRCAR VTOL commuter machine. With the freshly arrived aircraft shutting down its engine(s), Little quickly ran down the steep ladders leading down to the landing platform, arriving there in time to see six dark silhouettes stepping out of the craft and starting to take out a collection of bags and boxes of various sizes. Because the ship was sailing in a tactical setting, the platform was not lit and he had only the light from a half moon to see what was happening. Still, he gave an order to six of his sailors who were standing at the ready inside the hangar.
‘’GO HELP THEM UNLOAD THEIR EQUIPMENT, MEN!’’
As his sailors ran on the platform, Little walked quickly to the men who had come out of the unusual craft and announced himself to the first dark silhouette he encountered.
‘’Ahoy! I’m Commander James Little, Captain of the U.S.S. SPRUANCE. Welcome aboard!’’
The man facing him then saluted him while speaking up.
‘’And I’m Commander Randolph Skinner, in command of SEAL Team One. I am afraid that we won’t be able to stay for very long before flying off towards the Kerch Strait, Commander Little: we have to pass through the strait while it is still dark. We will only take the time to unload our spare parts, refuel our vehicle and change into our dry suits. However, we will certainly use your hospitality on our return. You do have reserves of diesel fuel aboard, I hope?’’
‘’Certainly! Our ship is equipped with a number of auxiliary diesel generators. How much diesel fuel will you need?’’
‘’About eighty gallons of diesel fuel. My pilot will show your technicians how to refuel our Supercar.’’
‘’A ‘Supercar’?’’
‘’Yes, that’s the nickname we use to designate our prototype special warfare craft. It was built by Hiller but this is actually the only copy of it existing right now. We are on what you could call a ‘Hail Mary mission’.’’
‘’I can believe that, in view of how short a time our warning order came. What are those boxes you just unloaded from your Supercar?’’
‘’They are the only spare parts that Hiller had at the time for its prototype. Believe me: this is truly a case of ‘do or die’.’’
‘’Well, my ship will do everything possible to support your team in your mission. Come with your team inside the helicopter hangar: we will be better able to speak once inside.’’
‘’Okay! TEAM ONE, GRAB YOUR BAGS AND FOLLOW ME INSIDE THE HELICOPTER HANGAR!’’
Little then led the SEAL team leader towards the access hatch to the starboard side helicopter hangar of his destroyer. That hangar was still in red light mode when they entered it, in order not to have any visible light spill out and reveal the presence of the ship to outsiders. While dim, that red light was sufficient to reveal to a shocked Little the fact that one of the SEAL team members was a woman, and a very young one at that.
‘’What the… Commander Skinner, how come you have a teenage girl as part of your team?’’
‘’She is our pilot and is the only person presently qualified to fly and operate this Hiller SUPERCAR, Mister Little. She also happens to have designed it. You are presently looking at retired four-star General Ingrid Dows, ex-Commander of the United States Space Corps, who is presently 67 years-old.’’
Little was left speechless for a moment, then shook himself back to reality and faced Skinner.
‘’Uh, I’m sorry if I showed a lack of re