Executive Intent

“Exercises…with live ordnance?” Dobson asked. “Doesn’t make sense.”

“So you think the whole thing was staged so China could attack Aden?” Douglass asked incredulously. “Why?”

“Maybe they wanted to invade Aden, like they did with Somalia,” Dobson said. “Then they’d have a presence on both sides of the Gulf of Aden.”

“But they didn’t invade. No one invaded.”

“No one invaded…but this morning Russia got permission from the United Nations Security Council to set up security in the harbor area,” the vice president said. “They’re going to send in five hundred marines to provide security so China can get its casualties and ship out of the harbor.”

“But that’s not an invasion, sir,” Douglass said. “It’s a prudent security move, especially for China. And Russia has history in Aden. It makes sense.”

“But it also gives China and Russia bases in the Gulf of Aden,” Dobson said.

“ China doesn’t have a base in the Gulf of Aden.”

“If they consolidated their hold in northern Somalia, they would,” Dobson pointed out.

“But they’re getting ready to leave. They’re bringing in cruise ships to take their troops out…”

“I haven’t seen any evidence of them leaving,” Dobson said, “and after this incident-real or contrived-in Yemen, I don’t think they’ll be in any big hurry to leave the region. In fact, they attacked a suspected pirate base at Butyaalo in Puntland autonomous region on the Gulf of Aden, and reportedly kept a three-hundred-man garrison there in the pirates’ walled compound.”

“So you think Russia and China want to set up bases around the Gulf of Aden, Tim?” Phoenix asked.

“Five hundred marines in Aden and three hundred in Butyaalo so far from home need a lot of support, sir,” Dobson replied. “And if there are more so-called terrorist acts, they may need a lot more marines in both places.”

“So you’re saying that China conspired with Russia to set up this phony terrorist act, using an old and broken-down ship and making sure they didn’t have too many casualties, so China could bomb Aden, which prompts the United Nations to have Russia send in marines in an overarching plot to take over the port and eventually control the Gulf of Aden?” the State Department representative asked. She shook her head. “I think you’ve been reading too many cheesy techno-thrillers, Dobson. Why would Russia conspire to do anything with China? They may not be enemies, but they’re far from being allies.”

“Okay, okay, I think we’ve gotten way off topic here,” the vice president said, holding up his hands in mock surrender, smiling broadly. “I enjoy these exchanges, and I’d like you to put your thoughts down in a memo to my national security team later on, but let’s get back to finishing the space-policy draft, shall we?” He glanced at the agenda for the meeting. “The big issue at the end of the last meeting was the question of the space policy violating or abrogating any existing treaties or alliances. What did we-” And at that moment the phone rang. The vice president rolled his eyes in mock exasperation. “I promise, we are going to finish that draft this hour. Excuse me.” He picked up the phone. “Yes, Denise?”

“Mr. Kordus for you, sir.”

“Put him on.”

“Mr. Vice President?”

“Hi, Walter.”

“Conrad got a call from Miller at the Pentagon, something about the space station,” the president’s chief of staff said. “Said it was urgent. The president’s getting ready to touch down in Arizona and asked me to ask you to find out what’s going on.”

“I’ll take care of it.” The line went dead. Phoenix hung up the phone, then pressed the intercom button. “Denise, give Mr. Carlyle a call for me, will you?”

“Mr. Carlyle is on his way to the Situation Room with Secretary Turner, sir. He should arrive in the next few minutes.”

The vice president’s eyes narrowed, and he picked up the phone. “Right now, Denise? What’s going…?” He listened for a moment, then hung up and said to his panel members before him, “I lied, guys-we won’t finish the draft today. I’ll e-mail you all to reschedule.” He got to his feet, and the others jumped up as well. As Phoenix dashed for the door, he said over his shoulder, “Mr. Dobson, you’re with me.”

The two walked quickly to a staircase, were met by a plain-clothes Secret Service agent, hurried down to the first basement floor, and then entered the tunnel connecting the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to the White House. It was a short walk upstairs to the White House Situation Room, where Phoenix found National Security Adviser Conrad Carlyle, Secretary of Defense Miller Turner, and Secretary of the Air Force Salazar Banderas. On the large computer monitor in the front of the room was an image of Brigadier General Kai Raydon and Undersecretary of the Air Force Ann Page, on a secure videoconference link. Phoenix pointed to Dobson. “Tim Dobson from CIA, helping me on the space-policy review; I asked him to come along. What’s going on, guys?”

“It’s possible the Space Defense Force weapon garages are being attacked, Mr. Vice President,” Turner said.

“What?”