Executive Intent

“Generals make lousy politicians unless they’ve just helped win a world war,” Kordus said.

“I think the American Holocaust qualifies,” Gardner said worriedly. He looked at Kordus. “Start checking on him, Walter. You can’t run for county dogcatcher without campaign cash, and if McLanahan has got access to any, I want to know from whom and how much.”

PORT OF MA’ALLA, ADEN, REPUBLIC OF YEMEN

THE NEXT DAY

The Jianghu-2-class frigate Wuxi of the People’s Liberation Army Navy, one of seven escort ships of the aircraft carrier Zhenyuan, was the first of the Chinese flotilla to enter the Port of Ma’alla, a modern and bustling port on the west side of the volcanic peninsula on which the city of Aden was located. The Wuxi, first built in the late 1970s and on its very first voyage away from Chinese home waters, was accompanied by two Yemeni tugboats, which would assist the aging single-screw frigate in berthing at its assigned refueling dolphin. It would refuel and take on water and a few supplies, then depart and go back to escort duty while another warship entered the bay and visited the port.

Because of security concerns, they would refuel only during the day, and the flotilla would remain a few miles offshore in the Gulf of Aden; the Zhenyuan itself would not come in for refueling, but would take on fuel and supplies from its two replenishment ships, practicing underway refueling. Resupply helicopters made a steady stream of trips out to the Zhenyuan and other ships that had helicopter decks with food, spare parts, munitions, and mail slung underneath, and returned to Aden International Airport and other supply bases in the port city with garbage, unrepairable equipment, and outgoing mail. Shuttle vessels sailed back and forth between the flotilla and the port, carrying more supplies and equipment as well as a few sailors allowed to visit the city and a few visitors allowed to go out to the ships for meetings.

The Wuxi was almost complete with refueling when a Yemeni patrol boat with the words NAVY PORT PATROL painted on the sides in English and Arabic left a berth on the north side of the harbor and sailed toward the Wuxi at a moderate speed. “Watch, this is Watch Four,” the starboard stern lookout on the Wuxi, accompanying a gunner manning a 12.7-millimeter twin-barreled machine gun, radioed. “Visual contact, Yemeni patrol boat heading south toward us, speed approximately twenty kilometers per minute, range four hundred meters.”

The watch commander stepped out of the bridge to the starboard overhanging deck and got a visual contact on the approaching patrol boat himself through his binoculars. “Acknowledged,” he radioed back. “Report to briefed location.” He made sure the watch stander and machine gunner left their station, then went back into the bridge and said so all could hear, “Officer of the Deck, this is the watch, approaching Yemeni patrol vessel on the starboard stern, four hundred meters, closing at approximately twenty kilometers per hour.”

“I acknowledge, Watch,” the officer of the deck responded. He picked up the VHF radio assigned to the Yemeni navy’s harbor patrol frequency. “Port Patrol, Port Patrol, Port Patrol, this is the Wuxi on channel one-nine,” he said in English, “requesting information on approaching patrol vessel, say your intentions, over.”

There was a rather uncomfortable delay in the response; then: “ Wuxi, Wuxi, Wuxi, this is the Yemeni Navy Port Patrol on channel one-nine, say again, over.”

“I say again, Port Patrol, you have a patrol vessel approaching the Wuxi. Say intentions, over.” The officer of the deck then said, “Watch, where is that patrol boat now?”

The watch officer went back outside and spotted the Yemeni patrol boat again. “Still closing, perhaps two hundred meters away, one-five-zero-degree bearing.”

“Acknowledged,” the officer of the deck responded. He turned to the boatswain’s mate a few paces from him on the bridge. “Boats, verify that the aft decks are ready.”

“Yes, sir.” The boatswain’s mate made two telephone calls, then reported, “Stern decks are ready as briefed, sir.”

“Very well.”

At that moment he heard, “ Wuxi, this is Port Patrol Boat Three, I am inbound with the pilot for your departure. Many apologies for not contacting you sooner, sir. May we approach? Over.”

“Patrol Boat Three, this is the Wuxi,” the officer of the deck radioed, finally reciting his well-rehearsed speech, “please do not approach, I will request verification. Stand by, please.” The captain was observing the refueling and resupply and was not on the bridge, so he picked up another radio: “Captain, this is the officer of the deck.”

“Go ahead,” came the captain’s reply from his portable radio.

“The patrol boat is inbound to the ship.”

“Acknowledged,” the captain said. “Is everything else in place?”

“Affirmative.”

“Very well,” the captain said. “Continue. Let’s hope the old sow stays afloat long enough to get the rest of the crew off.”