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SEA OF SHADOWS 101
conference table, a large projection screen scrolled down from a recess in
the ceiling.
The admiral’s summer-white uniform fairly glowed in the semidarkened
room. The contrast between the immaculate twill fabric and his
tanned, weather-beaten face made his skin seem the color of old leather.
He pressed another button and an image filled the screen. It appeared
to be an aerial view of a large industrial seaport. A good deal of the
picture was obscured by cloud cover, but—judging from the clarity of the
image—the shot appeared to have been taken from low altitude with a very
good camera.
“This photograph was taken on the seventh of this month by a U.S. Air
Force Oracle III series surveillance satellite, during a covert mediumaltitude
orbital pass over Western Europe. The area under surveillance, in
this case, was the Deutsche Marine Naval Arsenal in Kiel, Germany.”
The admiral pressed a button on the remote, and the image was
replaced by an enlargement of a section of the photo. The picture was
somewhat grainier than the first image had been, but the clarity was still
very good. Several dark cylindrical shapes could be seen in the waters
adjacent to a series of parallel docks, each attended by a large yellow
crane. Workmen were clearly visible on the docks and on and around the
dark cylinders.
“These are satellite photos?” asked Undersecretary of State Mitchell.
“From the quality, I would’ve thought they were shot from an airplane.”
Admiral Casey smiled briefly. “Yes, sir, they’re satellite shots. I have
to give those Zoomies credit; their equipment is top-notch.”
“It certainly is,” Mitchell said in a nearly reverent tone.
The admiral pressed a button. Four bright red ovals appeared on the
screen, each of them enclosing one of the dark cylindrical shapes. “These
are German Type 212B diesel submarines. The Office of Naval
Intelligence believes that they are hull numbers U-304 through U-307.
Barring the new German Type 214s, which are not operational yet, these
are the most sophisticated and deadly diesel submarines on planet Earth.
Intelligence analysts at ONI and the Central Intelligence Agency have
examined these photographs in detail and are confident that we are
witnessing a complete missile and torpedo load-out for all four
submarines.”
The admiral looked around the room. “Under ordinary circumstances,
we wouldn’t be even slightly concerned by this. Our allied nations are
entitled to arm their submarines, and we wouldn’t expect them to do
otherwise. But we believe that these particular submarines have been
earmarked for delivery to the government of Siraj.”