“Since last week the United States’ aircraft carrier battle group headed up by the Nimitz-class carrier Reagan has been on the way to the northwest Pacific. The day of the bombing of Greater Manchuria the Reagan task force turned westward to a course that is on the great circle route directly toward Japan. Since then they have steamed five hundred kilometers closer. Presently they are within a thousand kilometers of the Home Islands, close enough for their fighter planes to attack our fighters and submarine piers. And Tokyo. The Reagan task force, in effect, is in our front yard. Since then our Galaxy satellites have detected heat blooms aboard every warship in Pearl Harbor, with some ships starting to get underway. Even the foreign visiting ships are starting up their engine rooms.” Toshumi’s face showed only disgust. “Father, I told you we should station a Destiny III outside the northwest side of Hawaii. You rejected my advice. You relied on dumb satellites for your information. We could have intercepted unguarded communications and known the Westerners’ intentions by now.”
“That still is not necessary. We have intercepted cellular telephone calls from Pearl Harbor and the vicinity. The fleets are getting underway. We believe that they intend to encircle Japan. The United Nations has voted sanctions that would choke us if they were enforced.
Fortunately Russia will be supplying us through this crisis. However, the American ambassador to Japan held a conference with Prime Minister Kurita this morning. He threatened to construct a blockade around Japan.”
“What were the terms?”
“The ambassador called for UN troops on Japanese soil to supervise the disassembly of all radioactive weapons. In addition the Maritime Self Defense Force would be relieved of its submarines, the SDF would have its Firestar fighters removed, and Japan would never again have an offensive military.”
“What did Kurita say?”
“He stalled for time and sent the ambassador on his way.”
“And we have orders?”
“Yes. All submarines are to put to sea. If you stay in port, you could come under air attack. The Firestar squadrons will be scrambled to civilian airports scattered throughout the countryside.
That will take away our immediate vulnerability to air attack.”
“What about the incoming fleets?”
“This flotilla will take station off the Home Islands to wait for the arrival of the first battle group. The other will penetrate the deep Pacific and set their courses to intercept the battle groups coming from Hawaii.”
“You are sending the machines to intercept the surface groups? Won’t they get lost? And even if they make it, how will they fight?”
“Toshumi, the same men who trained you to fight a submarine programmed the Destiny III vessels. It is true that the manned vessels are considered more reliable, which is all the more reason to keep them here, the eventual destination of the deep Pacific aircraft carrier fleets. If the Destiny III flotilla fails, there still remain the manned vessels.”
“Do we have orders to attack?”
“No. Kurita will be kept informed, and he will issue any such order to me directly.
I will then relay it to you.”
“Dammit, father, the first thing the West will do is knock out our Galaxy satellites. Then how will you communicate? This is so typical of the thinking of the men who never had to go into combat with—”
“Commander!” He got Toshumi’s attention, but his son’s face was a locked door. “We have contingency plans should that occur. We have a new Galaxy satellite ready for launch in the Guayanas.
To back that up we have patrol aircraft with transmission gear loaded aboard. After that we have the third contingency, and that is the commanders of the Destiny II submarines. In the absence of orders, should the blockade be confirmed to stop the Russian traffic, you as senior commander will have the authority to order the other submarines to attack the surface forces.”
“What about the American submarine force? They will come too. It will complicate the operation if we have to deal with threats from the surface and subsurface simultaneously.”
“What do you want?”
“Advance permission to sink any hostile submarine contact.”
“No. Such orders will come from Kurita at the same time he orders commencement of hostilities against the Western surface forces.”
“Typical.”
“Commander, I find your attitude most irritating.”
“And I find your obsequiousness to those in power most irritating.”
“I can have you relieved of command.”
“When you find a better submarine commander to run this ship, you won’t have to relieve me, I’ll leave.”
It was times like these that Akagi missed Orou the most.
“Son, there was something I wanted to tell you, but after our words, it seems silly and sentimental.”
“What is it?”
“It seems that once again, three generations later, we are headed for destruction. Once again, we Japanese have picked the wrong enemy.”
“The Americans?”
“No. Ourselves.”
