Authors: Taylor Anderson
Firestorm (2 page)
PROLOGUE
ALLIED SITREP, DEC 19 1943
X
FROM: CMDR S RIGGS (ACTING CHIEF OF STAFF) LOCATION: BAALKPAN X FOR COTGA (CHAIRMAN OF THE GRAND ALLIANCE) ADAR
X
TO: ALL STATIONS SPC
XCAPTAIN M P REDDY CINCAAF (COMMANDER IN CHIEF ALL ALLIED FORCES) CINCEAST COMM FLEET 2 LOCATION: EMPIRE OF NEW BRITAIN ISLESXHER EXCELLENCY SAAN-KAKJA HIGH CHIEF FIL-PIN LANDS X COLONEL T SHINYA LOCATION: MAA-NI-LAXHIS EXCELLENCY ADMIRAL KEJE-FRIS-AR CINCWEST COMM FLEET 1XGENERAL P ALDEN X LOCATION: ANDAMAN ISLANDXHIS EXCELLENCY ADMIRAL SOR-LOMAAK COMM TF “OILCAN,” X LOCATION: EASTERN SEAXEYES ONLY DISTRIBUTE AT DISCRETIONXBAALKPAN: SALVAGED STEAMER SANTA CATALINA ARRIVED SAFELY UNDER POWER X MAJORITY CARGO OFF-LOADED X WILL ENTER DRY DOCK FOR REMAINDER CARGO REMOVAL X SEAPLANE CARRIER ARRACCA (CV-3) WILL DEPART IN COMPANY NEW BATTLE GROUP AND TROOPSHIPS X AIR WING WORKING-UP EN ROUTE ANDAMAN X ALLIED COUNCIL CONDITIONALLY ACCEPTS MEMBERSHIP RESPITE ISLAND AND EMPIRE NEW BRITAIN ISLES INTO GRAND ALLIANCE X AWAIT REPRESENTATIVES XXXMAA-NI-LA: CAPITAL FIL-PIN LANDS ESCAPED SERIOUS DAMAGE FROM TIDAL WAVE CAUSED BY ERUPTION TALAUD ISLAND X OTHER FIL-PIN LANDS HOMES SUFFERED GRAVELY X PAGA-DAAN ALMOST WIPED OUT X RESCUE EFFORT INVOLVING LAND AND NAVAL FORCES CONTINUES X WILL DELAY DEPLOYMENT SOME ELEMENTS X TF (TASK FORCE) MAKAA-KAKJA (CV-4) AND BATTLE GROUP READY TO DEPLOY X RELUCTANTLY CONCUR NECESSITY TO SEND IT EAST TO AID CAPTAIN REDDY AND IMPERIALS X COLONEL SHINYA CAN DEPLOY DIVISION IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS X WHERE SEND? X SUBMARINE S-19 PASSENGERS AND CREW—INCLUDING SEVENTY-ONE (71) EX-TAGRANESI (LAWRENCE PEOPLE) SAFE IN MAA-NI-LA X WHERE SEND? X NAVY OILER RETURNED FROM RESPITE ISLAND WITH FIRST LOAD HUMAN FEMALES X WHERE SEND? XXXEMPIRE OF NEW BRITAIN ISLES: COMPANY COLLABORATION WITH FORCES “HOLY DOMINION” QUASHED ON ALL ISLANDS EXCEPT NEW IRELAND X DOMINION/REBEL FORCES STRONGLY POSITIONED THERE X NOT KNOWN IF WORD OF HOSTILITIES HAS REACHED DOMINION PROPER BUT PRISONERS SAY HOSTILITIES LONG EXPECTED X FOUNDERS’ DAY CELEBRATION JAN 5 1944 IS DATE AFTER WHICH THINGS WILL “AUTOMATICALLY HAPPEN” X GOVERNOR-EMPEROR AND COMMODORE JENKS SUSPECT MOVE AGAINST CONTINENTAL IMPERIAL HOLDINGS AT LEAST X REPAIRS USS WALKER ALMOST COMPLETE X WALKER AND SIMMS REMAIN ONLY US NAVY ELEMENTS IN THEATER X ANTICIPATE ARRIVAL TF “OILCAN” SO CAN COMMENCE OFFENSIVE OPERATIONS X HOPE ECONOMIC ADVICE HELPFUL X NEED MORE MARINES XXXANDAMAN: PORT FACILITIES INCLUDING FLOATING DRY DOCK AND AIRSTRIP NEAR COMPLETE X TF GARRETT REMAINS ON BLOCKADE DUTY X ALL OTHER ALLIED FORCES INCLUDING I AND III AND IV CORPS—FIRST FLEET COMPOSED OF SALISSA (CV-1) AND HUMFRA-DAR (CV-2) BATTLE GROUPS AND TRANSPORTS READY TO COMMENCE OFFENSIVE OPS CEYLON IN MOST RESPECTS X THANKS FOR SENDING CMDR LETTS TO SORT OUT MESS! X HIS PLANE ARRIVED SAFELY YESTERDAY XXXMESSAGE ENDS XXX
CHAPTER 1
“Western” (Indian) Ocean
C
ommander Greg Garrett, former gunnery officer of the old Asiatic Fleet “four-stacker” destroyer USS
Walker
(DD-163), now captain of the sailing frigate USS
Donaghey
, leaned on the starboard quarterdeck rail, staring through his binoculars. The colors of the sea and sky had proclaimed their independence from each other and a yellow-red smear splashed the eastern horizon. The boisterous sea was becoming a tumultuous, toothy, pink-tinged purple. The Lemurian lookout, high in the maintop, had sighted dawn-spangled sails to the northeast with her keen eyes, but Garrett still saw nothing. As he searched, the sun darted tentative beams over the distant, hazy line of the continent.
ommander Greg Garrett, former gunnery officer of the old Asiatic Fleet “four-stacker” destroyer USS
Walker
(DD-163), now captain of the sailing frigate USS
Donaghey
, leaned on the starboard quarterdeck rail, staring through his binoculars. The colors of the sea and sky had proclaimed their independence from each other and a yellow-red smear splashed the eastern horizon. The boisterous sea was becoming a tumultuous, toothy, pink-tinged purple. The Lemurian lookout, high in the maintop, had sighted dawn-spangled sails to the northeast with her keen eyes, but Garrett still saw nothing. As he searched, the sun darted tentative beams over the distant, hazy line of the continent.
“What have we, sur?” asked Lieutenant Saaran-Gaani, joining Greg beside the rail. Saaran was
Donaghey’
s exec, her “salig maa-stir,” in the Lemurian vernacular. He’d replaced Muraak-Saanga, who’d been recently appointed to cothe new USS
Tassat
when Garrett declined the honor in favor of remaining with
Donaghey
. Saaran was a bona fide “Sky Priest,” of a southern denomination, so he filled the “sailing master” role without suffering any of the religious resentment that sometimes plagued laymen in his post. More and more Sky Priests joined the Navy these days, surely out of patriotism, but also possibly to help secure their relevance in these strange, transitional times.
Donaghey’
s exec, her “salig maa-stir,” in the Lemurian vernacular. He’d replaced Muraak-Saanga, who’d been recently appointed to cothe new USS
Tassat
when Garrett declined the honor in favor of remaining with
Donaghey
. Saaran was a bona fide “Sky Priest,” of a southern denomination, so he filled the “sailing master” role without suffering any of the religious resentment that sometimes plagued laymen in his post. More and more Sky Priests joined the Navy these days, surely out of patriotism, but also possibly to help secure their relevance in these strange, transitional times.
Garrett didn’t care about that. Saaran was a fantastic navigator, as were most of his order, but like Adar—the “highest-ranking” Sky Priest Greg knew—Saaran was a fanatic for “the cause.” Greg lowered his binoculars and looked at him. The oversize, dark amber eyes gazing back were common among Lemurians, but the fine, almost perfectly symmetrical coat of brown and white fur was unusual. Lemurians could be almost any color and were often striped, blotched, or even brindled, but not many had so much white. Greg shrugged mentally. Sky Priests were often odd in a number of ways. In Saaran’s case, it might even be his “southern” lineage. He was one of the few ’Cats from the Great South Island, the land humans remembered as Australia, who’d joined “the Grand Alliance” so far. He even talked funny. Word was, some “land Homes” of north and west “Australia,” culturally similar to Baalkpan and Maa-ni-la, were forming regiments and might apply for full membership in the Alliance. Garrett hoped they would. This war was a fight for all Lemurians to make—all
people
of whatever race or species.
people
of whatever race or species.
Regardless of where he was from, Saaran was an aggressive, eager student of naval warfare, and Garrett felt lucky to have him. He scratched the dark hair poking from under his hat with his left hand, while still holding the binoculars with his right.
“Sails,” Garrett replied. “Plural. No count yet. Lookout caught ’em in the northeast, probably sailing in column. I can’t see squat from here.”
“Ah,” Saaran said, smiling. “The predawn ‘GQ’ strikes again!”
Garrett smiled too. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d snapped up a Grik ship simply by being on their toes at that critical time of day.
“Maybe. I hope so. It’s been a little boring out here lately.”
“Boring!” Saaran huffed.
Donaghey
and her sister,
Tolson
, under the command of Russ Chapelle, as well as the newly arrived
Revenge
, were blockading the western approaches to Ceylon and India. Besides the occasional enemy ship, these waters teemed with some of the most dangerous creatures in the known world. They were
packed
with an unprecedented (in their experience) density of ridiculously large and scary predators—some more than capable of destroying ships twice as large as theirs. The Navy had developed countermeasures that worked—when there was time to deploy them—but discovering the threat in the first place was the tricky part. Dangerous submarine creatures, like submarine boats, were difficult to detect and the “blockading squadron” was operating on one of the most nerve-racking stations imaginable.
Donaghey
and her sister,
Tolson
, under the command of Russ Chapelle, as well as the newly arrived
Revenge
, were blockading the western approaches to Ceylon and India. Besides the occasional enemy ship, these waters teemed with some of the most dangerous creatures in the known world. They were
packed
with an unprecedented (in their experience) density of ridiculously large and scary predators—some more than capable of destroying ships twice as large as theirs. The Navy had developed countermeasures that worked—when there was time to deploy them—but discovering the threat in the first place was the tricky part. Dangerous submarine creatures, like submarine boats, were difficult to detect and the “blockading squadron” was operating on one of the most nerve-racking stations imaginable.
“Well, maybe not
bored
,” Greg allowed, “but there hasn’t been much ‘business’ since we clobbered that east-bound convoy a couple of weeks ago.” He shook his head. “As I said before, I think they’ve figured out that somebody out here is beating up the mailman!”
bored
,” Greg allowed, “but there hasn’t been much ‘business’ since we clobbered that east-bound convoy a couple of weeks ago.” He shook his head. “As I said before, I think they’ve figured out that somebody out here is beating up the mailman!”
Donaghey
and
Tolson
had been making things rough on the Grik “mailman” for a while now, paired continuously since
Tolson’
s return from a special mission to Tjilatjap (Chill-Chaap) where Russ helped salvagean old freighter—and her impossibly valuable cargo. The two “first new construction” frigates were the last dedicated “sailors” in the Navy besides the dozens of prize “Indiamen” that had been “razeed” into swift, lightly armed corvettes, and they were commanded by the most experienced skippers. Not only were they independent of fuel requirements and able to remain on station longer, they were the fastest ships in the Navy—with the exception of the ship that brought the destroyermen to this “other” earth in the first place: USS
Walker
herself.
and
Tolson
had been making things rough on the Grik “mailman” for a while now, paired continuously since
Tolson’
s return from a special mission to Tjilatjap (Chill-Chaap) where Russ helped salvagean old freighter—and her impossibly valuable cargo. The two “first new construction” frigates were the last dedicated “sailors” in the Navy besides the dozens of prize “Indiamen” that had been “razeed” into swift, lightly armed corvettes, and they were commanded by the most experienced skippers. Not only were they independent of fuel requirements and able to remain on station longer, they were the fastest ships in the Navy—with the exception of the ship that brought the destroyermen to this “other” earth in the first place: USS
Walker
herself.
Revenge
had just arrived in theater. She was a new construction steam frigate of an entirely new—hopefully improved—design called the “Scott” Class. Named for the first
Revenge
, a captured Grik ship whose human-Lemurian crew fought to the last against staggering odds, she was bigger, faster, and more powerful than the first allied steamers. Her auxiliary sailing rig remained, but she was supposed to be almost as fast as
Donaghey
under steam alone. She had a good skipper too. Pruit Barry had been
Walker’
s assistant gunnery officer, and he’d commanded
Tolson
during the Battle of Baalkpan. Although he’d saved his ship, he’d been so sorely wounded that he was just now returning to action. Garrett was glad to have him back.
had just arrived in theater. She was a new construction steam frigate of an entirely new—hopefully improved—design called the “Scott” Class. Named for the first
Revenge
, a captured Grik ship whose human-Lemurian crew fought to the last against staggering odds, she was bigger, faster, and more powerful than the first allied steamers. Her auxiliary sailing rig remained, but she was supposed to be almost as fast as
Donaghey
under steam alone. She had a good skipper too. Pruit Barry had been
Walker’
s assistant gunnery officer, and he’d commanded
Tolson
during the Battle of Baalkpan. Although he’d saved his ship, he’d been so sorely wounded that he was just now returning to action. Garrett was glad to have him back.
“Deck there!” came the cry from the lookout above. ’Cats—Lemurians—had strange voices, Garrett reflected again, to carry so well even over such a brisk wind. “Sur-fass Taa-git now eight sails! Eight! Taa-git bearing seero fo fi, rel-aa-tive!”
“Course?” Saaran bellowed in reply.
“West-sou-west!”
Saaran looked at Greg. “Perhaps business will pick up today!”
“Yeah. Tell Clancy to get
Tolson
and
Revenge
on the horn. Maybe we can work it so we can snatch the whole bunch! We’ll keep our distance here to windward until we sort something out.”
Tolson
and
Revenge
on the horn. Maybe we can work it so we can snatch the whole bunch! We’ll keep our distance here to windward until we sort something out.”
Over the next hour and a half, coded wireless messages clattered back and forth between
Donaghey
,
Tolson
,
Revenge
, and the distant Allied headquarters on Andaman Island. They had no proof the enemy even had receivers, but crystal sets were simple to make, and they had to assume they did. Therefore, all Allied transmissions were sent in five-letter code groups. The Japanese from the destroyed battle cruiser
Amagi
, which came through the same “Squall” as
Walker
and allied with the Grik, had been “reading their mail” from the start, and that memory still stung. Now, even before the plan of attack was finalized, Greg ordered Chapelle to bring
Tolson
north from the southernmost station, and she’d have to move quickly to reach position if they were to intercept the enemy short of the islands to the west. Not only was there a chance the Grik might scatter among the islands, allowing some to escape, but ocean denizens tended to congregate near the rich feeding grounds the islands provided.
Revenge
, with her steam power, cruised closest to shore, and Barry was told to bring her south. Before long,
Tolson
was seen flying north with a quartering wind, shouldering the sea aside. With the plan of attack taking shape as Garrett’s squadron assembled,
Donaghey
prepared to turn north herself. If everything went as Garrett hoped, it would be an exciting afternoon. Of course, Greg knew all about how fickle plans and hopes could be.
Donaghey
,
Tolson
,
Revenge
, and the distant Allied headquarters on Andaman Island. They had no proof the enemy even had receivers, but crystal sets were simple to make, and they had to assume they did. Therefore, all Allied transmissions were sent in five-letter code groups. The Japanese from the destroyed battle cruiser
Amagi
, which came through the same “Squall” as
Walker
and allied with the Grik, had been “reading their mail” from the start, and that memory still stung. Now, even before the plan of attack was finalized, Greg ordered Chapelle to bring
Tolson
north from the southernmost station, and she’d have to move quickly to reach position if they were to intercept the enemy short of the islands to the west. Not only was there a chance the Grik might scatter among the islands, allowing some to escape, but ocean denizens tended to congregate near the rich feeding grounds the islands provided.
Revenge
, with her steam power, cruised closest to shore, and Barry was told to bring her south. Before long,
Tolson
was seen flying north with a quartering wind, shouldering the sea aside. With the plan of attack taking shape as Garrett’s squadron assembled,
Donaghey
prepared to turn north herself. If everything went as Garrett hoped, it would be an exciting afternoon. Of course, Greg knew all about how fickle plans and hopes could be.
“Sur-fass Taa-git, port bow, tree hunn-red yards!” warned the lookout. Garrett and Saaran crossed the deck. “Shaark!” came several cries.
Garrett raised his glasses and stared at the fin cutting through the swells. “Jeez,” he said, “that’s not a shark! It’s a B-17 tail sticking out of the water!”
“What’s a ‘bee-seven-teen’?” Saaran asked.
“Never mind,” Greg replied flatly. He raised his voice. “Helm, make your course three, zero, zero. Mr. Saaran, please adjust the sails for speed as you see fit.” He turned and looked northeast. The Grik ships were in view now, their column in disarray. He knew they could see
Donaghey
, and probably
Tolson
, but wasn’t sure about
Revenge
. He wondered how they’d react. He wondered if they knew
how
to react. Returning to port had never seemed an option for them in the past. Just the same, he’d always tried to bushwhack them far enough out that the Allied ships could chase them down.
Donaghey
, and probably
Tolson
, but wasn’t sure about
Revenge
. He wondered how they’d react. He wondered if they knew
how
to react. Returning to port had never seemed an option for them in the past. Just the same, he’d always tried to bushwhack them far enough out that the Allied ships could chase them down.
“Making my course tree, seero, seero,” the helmsman replied.
“Very well,” said Greg, looking back at the “shark.” It wasn’t following them. “Wow,” he murmured. There were some absolutely humongous sharks around here. According to reports, there were big ones around the New Britain Isles too, where Captain Reddy and
Walker
were. Greg honestly didn’t know whether they were a genuine danger to a ship like
Donaghey
or not. They didn’t ram—at least they never had—and the few times they’d “tasted” his ship, they’d left teeth the size of hubcaps stuck in her copper-clad wooden hull. He doubted one of the damn things could sink
Donaghey
, unless it did ram, but he always worried about the ship’s rudder. A shark like the one he’d just seen could bite it clean off. He shook his head and returned his attention to the Grik.
Walker
were. Greg honestly didn’t know whether they were a genuine danger to a ship like
Donaghey
or not. They didn’t ram—at least they never had—and the few times they’d “tasted” his ship, they’d left teeth the size of hubcaps stuck in her copper-clad wooden hull. He doubted one of the damn things could sink
Donaghey
, unless it did ram, but he always worried about the ship’s rudder. A shark like the one he’d just seen could bite it clean off. He shook his head and returned his attention to the Grik.
Other books
Peter and the Sword of Mercy by Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson
The Unburied Past by Anthea Fraser
Cities of the Red Night by William S. Burroughs
I Speak for Earth by John Brunner
The Society Of Dirty Hearts by Ben Cheetham
Martha Quest by Doris Lessing
Raelia (The Medoran Chronicles Book 2) by Lynette Noni
Forever Blue by Jennifer Edlund
Sterling Squadron by Eric Nylund
The Black Echo by Michael Connelly