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“What can you tell us?”
“Miranda has found…” the captain turned to look at her, then looked away, “…I don’t know what, sir. All I know is that we’re running at over eighty percent capacity for flight operations. We’ve managed to clear all of the dead from the Island below the PriFly and Captain’s levels. We have six missing overboard, we think. We’re patrolling the area for potential recovery operations, but it seems unlikely at this time. Four of those were our best search-and-rescue team and their helo. Our BARCAP—Carrier Combat Air Patrol—has successfully maintained the hundred-kilometer radius no-fly zone. The Chinese have made three tests of our perimeter, but none in the last four hours and none penetrated past ninety-six kilometers.”
“Well done, Captain.” Roy spoke up.
Drake took over. “We didn’t want to bother you while you were dealing with getting theRooseveltoperational, but we have been in touch with your escort submarines. They’re reporting nothing bigger than a UUV—Unmanned Undersea Vehicle—probing your area, which they deep-sixed. You’ll have two additional Australian subs around you within the next two hours. But CINCPACFLT is managing them so that you don’t have to.”
“Good to know, General. I’d sleep better, except I’m still a long way from getting any sleep.”
“Roger that. What do you have for us, Miranda?”
Miranda looked over at Susan.
“What?”
“You said I wasn’t allowed to speak to anyone about this investigation. You said you would do all of the communication. Other than the call to Jeremy that you and Captain Brightman authorized, I have not done so. I was also careful about limiting the content I discussed with Jeremy as I was unsure who was working with him.”
Susan coughed and looked to the screens.
Drake was looking at her with raised eyebrows.
Miranda checked her notebook.Surprise? Disbelief? Shock? Humorous pause before a joke’s punchline?She couldn’t be sure.
“I’m sorry, sir. It seemed an advisable instruction at the time.” Susan faced her. “Please speak freely.”
“To Drake and Roy, or to anyone?”
“For the moment to the General and the President. Ask me about others as it comes up.”
“Thank you for the specificity.”
Mike gave Miranda a thumbs-up as Holly laughed at Susan.
Andi tipped her head toward the screen where Drake and Roy were still waiting.
“Oh, yes.” Miranda had finished her soup, so she set down her spoon. “Based upon the etching of the decking and selected parts recovered from the aircraft, it was struck by an orbital laser in the three-hundred-kilowatt range, which was fired upon—”
“Can you put that in relative terms for me?” Roy asked.
“—the plane. Do you recall the damage caused by the AC-130J Ghostrider laser in—” Miranda glanced around the room and was unsure of Susan’s or Captain Brightman’s clearance in the matter, “—that incident last year?”
“All too well,” Roy groaned as if the remembered pain was still visceral.
Miranda concurred. Mike and Jeremy had almost died during that operation. It had been a very upsetting time.
“This had approximately twice the delivery power, and that’s delivery, not origin. After passing through the entire atmosphere, rather than a mere fifteen-hundred meters like before. The atmosphere is presently unusually dry for this time of year, therefore its delivery power was maximized. That is only a rough estimate. Captain Brightman has declined my request to have a section of her deck removed and sent to the lab.”
“They burned one of my ships with an orbital laser?” Roy sounded… Miranda reached for her notebook.
“Aghast,” Andi whispered.
“Oh,” Miranda nodded as the waiter served a course of chicken in lemon sauce with asparagus and fingerling potatoes. Then she shook her head. “The ship was only burned a little. I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t seen the setting sun reflecting differently off the exposed section of the landing runway.”
“Then what happened to the ship?”
“Oh, that was completely because of the pilot’s actions. I thought that was clear. I inspected his canopy, helmet, flightsuit, and seat. Then I had the medical staff rush an autopsy. I don’t think they were pleased.”
She’d had to have Susan go to the captain and order it. It was far more important than broken bones and people’s various remaining burns remaining from the firefight. All of the critical patients had already been treated.
“They’re asking what you found out, Miranda.” Andi whispered.
“Oh. He’d been cooked.”
