Page 130 of Clive Cussler Ghost Soldier
And there was no question that mission was to gather invaluable data on American radar locations, wavelengths, and capabilities. Data that could be used to wipe those installations out next time.
“Hawkeye,” Wizard said, “all six tangos are assuming a heading of three hundred eighteen degrees. Advise you follow.”
“Wilco,” Joslin said. “You catch that, War Lord?”
His wingman was already making his turn.
“On it.”
“Disengaging missile lock.” Joslin punched the toggles on his touchscreen.
“Disengaged,” McGhee reported.
Joslin eased the stick up. His tango had climbed to five thousand feet, pairing up with his wingman. Joslin and McGhee matched them.
Minutes later, the four pilotless drones pulled into position with the manned Chinese aircraft.
“You seeing this?” McGhee asked.
“Yup.” Joslin wasn’t completely surprised. He’d been a test pilot for the Air Force’s “Loyal Wingman” project that also paired AF pilots to drone aircraft. The American program had stalled. Obviously, the Chinese one had not.
Drone aircraft gave incredible advantages. Cheaper, faster, more maneuverable, and expendable, they could maximize speed, turns, and payloads, and if necessary, sacrifice themselves to accomplish the mission or protect human pilots.
They chased the Chinese flight for a hundred miles at a respectful distance. Joslin was grateful the Chinese men had chosen the better part of valor. Did the Chicom pilot chicken out? Or had he broken Joslin’s encrypted comms? Either way, he knew Joslin wouldn’t back down. That was all that mattered.
“Hawkeye and War Lord, you are requested to return to base for a debrief.”
“Roger that,” Joslin said. He was happy to return to base. It had been a long morning. He felt his energy drain away along with his adrenaline surge. A cup of coffee sounded pretty good, even if he was going to get chewed out by the Old Man.
Joslin was pleased with his performance. McGhee’s, too. They had shown the Chinese forces that while America might be in decline, her pilots were not.
But those pilots had taught them a lesson, too. They had shown courage, creativity, and technological advance. The next time, their drones could be used to confuse, swarm, and overwhelm. They had ushered in a new era of aerial warfare.
In the sweep of history, Joslin and McGhee would be remembered as the first Americans to confront drone fighters in a combat situation.
Unfortunately, they were on the wrong side of the broom.
If the Chinese tangos returned tomorrow, Joslin and his flight would be waiting for them. But in forty-eight hours, so would Guam’s new air defense system.
The Chinese wouldn’t stand a chance, no matter how many drones they brought.
67
Pau Rangi Island
The Bismarck Sea
The Vendor stood in a vaulted cavern deep beneath the island, its rocky escarpments carpeted with windswept trees and verdant foliage. Water gently lapped behind him.
The sharp tang of incense muted the smell of the sea inside the cave, but that was not its purpose. The thin tendrils of smoke and its alluring aroma were an invitation for his ancestralkamito visit him.
The Vendor bowed twice, clapped his hands sharply, and bowed again before gazing up at thekami-dana—his ancestral shrine—lodged in a hand-hewn niche on the cave wall. A small saucer of freshly poured sake, a lit candle, and three talismans—a war medal from each grandfather, and his father’s circular slide rule—all stood before the head-sized mirror inside the shrine.
The mirror itself was angled downward such that when the Vendor stood at his full height and gazed into it, he saw his own face. This was not ego. The mirror reflected the presence of his ancestors. Was not his own face a reflection of the same? Yes, and in more ways than one.
The flesh on the back of his neck tingled, making their presence known.
Shigeru Hashimoto, also known as the Vendor, whispered thanks to his forefathers for his narrow escape from the Island of Sorrows and his safe return to Pau Rangi. He also begged forgiveness for hisobvious failures, and renewed his vow to finish the work they had begun: Operation Black Chrysanthemum. Designed to kill thousands of Americans, it was both a strategic weapon and an act of pure vengeance.
