The Sum of All Fears.pdf - Delta Force

active, what's to stop him from launching a torpedo against us? If he does that,
we can fire back – and hope to survive, ourselves. Our weapon might even hit
him, but then again it might not. If he does not shoot as soon as he hears our
active sonar . . . maybe we can close enough that we can intimidate him, force
him down. We'll lose him again when he goes under the layer . . . but if we can
force him down . . . and then stay atop the layer, blasting away with our active
sonar . . . perhaps we can keep him from going to missile-firing depth.' Dubinin
frowned mightily. 'Not an especially brilliant plan, is it? If one of them
suggested it – ' he waved to the junior officers conning the ship ' – I'd tear a
strip off their young backs. But I don't see anything better. Do you?'
'Captain, that makes us exceedingly vulnerable to attack.' The idea was more
accurately described as suicidal, the Starpom thought, though he was sure
Dubinin knew that.
'Yes, it does, but if that is what is required to prevent this bastard from
getting to firing depth, it is exactly what I propose to do. I see no
alternative.'
***
PRESIDENT NARMONOV:
PLEASE UNDERSTAND THE POSITION WE ARE IN. THE WEAPON WHICH DESTROYED
DENVER WAS
OF SUCH A SIZE AND TYPE AS TO MAKE IT VERY UNLIKELY THAT THIS CRIME WAS
COMMITTED BY TERRORISTS, YET WE HAVE TAKEN NO ACTION WHATEVER TO
RETALIATE
AGAINST ANYONE. WERE YOUR COUNTRY ATTACKED, YOU TOO WOULD ALERT YOUR
STRATEGIC
FORCES. WE HAVE SIMILARLY ALERTED OURS, ALONG WITH OUR CONVENTIONAL
FORCES. FOR
TECHNICAL REASONS IT WAS NECESSARY TO INITIATE A GLOBAL ALERT INSTEAD OF
A MORE
SELECTIVE ONE. BUT AT NO TIME HAVE I ISSUED ANY INSTRUCTIONS TO COMMENCE
OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS. OUR ACTIONS TO THIS POINT HAVE BEEN DEFENSIVE ONLY,
AND
HAVE SHOWN CONSIDERABLE RESTRAINT.
WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT YOUR COUNTRY HAS INITIATED ACTION
AGAINST
OUR HOMELAND, BUT WE HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT YOUR TROOPS IN BERLIN
HAVE ATTACKED
OURS, AND HAVE ALSO ATTACKED AIRCRAFT ATTEMPTING TO INSPECT THE AREA. WE
ARE
SIMILARLY INFORMED THAT SOVIET AIRCRAFT HAVE APPROACHED AN AMERICAN
CARRIER
GROUP IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.
PRESIDENT NARMONOV, I URGE YOU TO RESTRAIN YOUR FORCES. IF WE CAN END THE
PROVOCATIONS, WE CAN END THIS CRISIS, BUT I CANNOT TELL MY PEOPLE NOT TO
DEFEND
THEMSELVES.
***