Shattered Trident (29 page)

An ominous silence fell upon the group. The arguments had been made; there was nothing further to say. Several sharp wooden raps shattered the silence. Tadashi lowered the gavel onto the sound block. “If there is nothing more to discuss, I recommend that we put the motion of declaring the Littoral Alliance’s existence to a vote.”

Komamura watched in silence as the vote was three to one in favor of revealing the alliance to the world. Only South Korea voted against, concerned that the PRC would turn the North’s army, effectively a mercenary force, south. Foreign Minister Tadashi assigned one of his adjutants to arrange the press conference for the next morning.

It was early in the morning when Komamura finally returned to his Tokyo apartment. He collapsed into the recliner, loosened his tie, and took a long drink of sake, emptying the cup. He refilled it, and without thinking picked up the TV remote. The flat screen flashed to life and immediately showed news coverage of the train wreck. Komamura gasped as the screen was filled with dozens of first responders carrying body bags toward a line of waiting military trucks. The camera zoomed in on one of the trucks, showing the thick black bags stacked up inside the bed like cordwood. Shaking, the elderly professor quickly turned the TV off, and drank in the dark.

*   *   *

“Good morning. The purpose of this press conference is to inform the world about the secret war our four nations have been fighting with the People’s Republic of China, and alert them to the threat our enemy poses to all of us.” Foreign Minister Tadashi’s introduction wrenched Komamura from his drowsiness. Sitting up straight in his chair, he leaned forward as Japan’s leading diplomat continued with his formal announcement.

“I know many are asking, ‘Why would they do such a thing?’ The short answer is that we had exhausted all other options, other than surrender. China has grown more assertive over the preceding two decades, as their economy and technology base expanded at a fantastic rate, but within the last few years that assertiveness has taken a militaristic path.

“The People’s Republic of China has
demanded
we cede to them some of our territory, they’ve interfered with the exploitation of the natural resources in those territories, arrested our fishermen for fishing in our waters, and threatened our nations with dire consequences if we did not comply. They’ve used extortion on one of our members; pay or we’ll no longer be able to hold our allies to the north in check. They’ve provided weapons to terrorist groups around the world, furthering the pain and anguish of the indigenous population for political and/or economic gain. Our countries have made diplomatic attempts to try and resolve the issues peacefully. But the answer was always the same, accept their demands and then there would be peace. The world has heard this story before.”

Tadashi paused as he let his carefully tuned emotional appeal sink in. He had to reach the people of the Littoral Alliance countries, and, hopefully, the world.

“Recently, we discovered the Chinese planned to resolve the issue of sovereignty of disputed territories in the South China Sea through military conquest. What were we to do? Acquiesce and reward the Communist bully? Encourage him to become even bolder? This aggressive move is but the beginning of a carefully crafted campaign designed to also seize even more territory in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.

“Should we cower in fear and let China take what is not theirs to secure a short-lived peace? Or do we stand up for our democratic principles, our heritage, and our people? Given the choice, we
collectively
chose to stand against the bully, to defend our countries, to defend our people.”

Komamura was impressed with Tadashi’s oratory. He was pushing all the right ethnic, cultural, and political buttons designed to raise the righteous indignation of the Japanese people. His words would probably have a similar effect on the other alliance populations, and perhaps Western Europe. And while Tadashi’s message would resonate with some in the United States and Russia, it wouldn’t be sufficient for their governments to be convinced they needed to become directly involved.

Japan’s foreign minister then expounded on the alliance’s knowledge of the Chinese threat, explaining the chain of events in vague terms and linking them to the current amphibious operations in the South China Sea. This was in deference to Vietnam’s request to not provide too much information that could jeopardize their spy’s safety. Still, it was enough to show that the People’s Republic of China had been planning a major military operation in September to seize control of most of the Spratly Islands. Tadashi wrapped up his portion of the press conference by reiterating that their only choices were a preemptive attack or surrender—and the alliance had chosen the former.

The Vietnamese and South Korean foreign ministers both spoke briefly, essentially adding their country’s stamp of approval to Tadashi’s statement. But it was the Indian ambassador, standing in for the foreign secretary, who dropped the final bombshell.

“Since the Littoral Alliance is at war with the People’s Republic of China, we must, regretfully, declare that all shipping lanes in the South China Sea, the East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea are war zones. Any merchant ship sailing through those waters will be at risk. Any ship heading to a Chinese port will be attacked and sunk without warning. We will no longer confine our attacks only to tankers.

“Lastly, the Indian Navy will begin a total blockade of the Strait of Malacca and Lombok Strait effective immediately. Any ship attempting to pass through either strait will be boarded, their registry and cargo manifest examined.
Any
cargo bound for the People’s Republic of China will be confiscated; vessels bound for other Far East destinations will have to take the long way around. If a ship refuses to heave to and be boarded, they will receive but one warning before shells are fired at the bridge.”

4 September 2016

1950 Eastern Daylight Time

CNN Headline News

The transition from the press conference in Japan back to the New York studio took the anchorwoman by surprise. She hesitated for a moment, as she struggled to comprehend what the entire world had just heard, but recovered quickly as her producer waved feverishly behind the camera.

“That … that was astounding! We are witnessing history in the making! That was the representatives from the new Littoral Alliance formally declaring that a state of war exists between them and the People’s Republic of China. This brings out into the open the hidden conflict that has been raging under the sea for nearly a week. And yet, our own Christine Laird has been able to keep on top of developments through the use of an unusual blog site. She joins us now to talk about this interesting Web site. Good evening, Christine.”

“Good evening, Jackie.”

“Christine, tell our viewers about this phenomenal Web site you’ve been using.”

“Certainly, Jackie. The blog has undergone a number of name changes over the last two weeks and it is currently listed as ‘The Great Pacific War of 2016.’ I first came upon it when the blog’s administrator, Mr. Hector McMurtrie, a noted expert in maritime affairs, wrote an interesting entry on the loss of the Vietnamese merchant ship
Vinaship Sea
. In hindsight, this ship was probably the first casualty of the war. I contacted Mr. McMurtrie shortly thereafter, and he has provided a steady stream of incredibly accurate information and insight, long before our usual sources. I’ve asked Mr. McMurtrie to join us on Skype to talk about the situation in the South China Sea. Good evening, Hector, thank you for joining us.”

“Good evening, Christine,” Mac replied. He looked up at the TV behind his desk and he saw his face. This was all very strange. His initial thought was the tie he was wearing was the wrong color; it made his face look pink. But he didn’t have a whole lot of choices. Mac hadn’t worn a tie in years, and the popular colors back then tended toward the louder hues.

“Hector, the Indian ambassador to Japan just announced the blockade of the Strait of Malacca and Lombok Strait. What is the significance of these two waterways?”

“They are two of China’s main lifelines. The Strait of Malacca is one of the busiest ocean highways in the world, with twenty-five to thirty percent of all oceangoing traffic passing through it each year. A lot of China’s inbound and outbound trade uses this strait. But as important as Malacca is, it’s rather shallow, only about twenty-five meters deep, which prevents the passage of oil tankers. They use the much deeper Lombok Strait.”

“So if India can block both straits, China is largely cut off from Middle East oil?”

“It’s much worse, Christine. This cuts China’s access to oil and other natural resources from both the Middle East and Africa. Ships carrying these vital raw materials will have to sail around the Philippines and approach Mainland China via the East China Sea—an approach that is effectively under Japanese military surveillance.”

“Hector, if the Littoral Alliance is successful in bottling up China’s merchant fleet, what are the implications for the rest of the world’s economies?”

“At the very least, raw materials and imported goods will cost considerably more, which will be an unpleasant shock to everyone. Rising insurance rates and fuel costs are already having a significant impact, and it will only get worse the longer this war goes on. People need to realize, Christine, that nearly ninety percent of the world’s trade is moved by ship.

“And it only gets worse. China is the world’s largest exporter of finished goods and the second largest importer of crude oil. Her merchant fleet carries the lifeblood of her industrial engine. If the Littoral Alliance successfully strangles China’s trade, her economy could implode. The shock waves from such an event would ripple across the globe with frightening speed and effects. A worldwide depression is not out of the question.”

“That’s not an encouraging picture you’re painting, Hector. What do you think that China could—”

“Excuse me, Christine,” interrupted the anchorwoman. “We’ve just been told that President Myles will be addressing the nation at 9:00
P.M.
eastern daylight time, undoubtedly to inform the American people on the actions his administration is taking. If you don’t mind, Christine, I’d like to ask Mr. McMurtrie a question.”

“Not at all, Jackie.”

“Mr. McMurtrie, given the negative economic implications you’ve described, what impact do you think this will have on President Myles’s reelection bid?”

Hector chuckled; the question was a minefield that he had no intention of entering.

“Jackie, I’m Canadian, and my personal opinions on the elections of my neighboring country are irrelevant, as I don’t have a say in the matter. What I think is about as useful as a used lottery ticket.”

Laird grinned at Mac’s response; it was a good answer to a difficult question. Behind the camera she could see her producer making a slashing motion with his hand across his throat. She needed to wrap the interview up.

“Well, that’s all the time we have for tonight. Thank you, again, Mr. Hector McMurtrie, for sharing your insights with us.”

“You’re welcome.”

“And now back to you, Jackie.”

*   *   *

Mac saw his face vanish from the TV screen and immediately he yanked off the wretched tie. He took a deep breath, relieved that the interview was over. He hadn’t felt such pressure in a long time, and he wasn’t certain he wanted to again. Suddenly, Christine Laird’s face popped onto his computer screen. “That was awesome, Mac! My producer is thrilled!”

Mac jumped in his seat. The abrupt appearance of the CNN reporter startled him. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he wagged a finger at her and scolded, “Christine, I’m not a particularly young man and jolts like that have been known to cause heart attacks. So, if you want me to be alive for the next interview, please, don’t do that again.” He smiled at the end, to let her know he wasn’t angry.

Laird looked appalled. The thought of her killing off her star “talking head” was horrifying. “I’m sorry, Mac! I was just so excited by how well the interview went, that’s all.”

“So I see,” he replied wryly. He was about to suggest that she might want to consider drinking decaffeinated coffee when she hit him with another shock.

“My producer wants to do more focused interviews. How soon can you get to New York?”

“What?” asked Mac, dumbfounded.

“He wants us to put together a number of features on the Chinese merchant fleet, the tankers that have been sunk, and the strategy of the Littoral Alliance. And we want you close by in case there are other fast-moving stories. The best way to do that is for you to come to New York.”

“Absolutely not!” answered Mac sternly.

Now it was Laird’s turn to be surprised. “Why not, Mac? We’ll put you up in one of the finest hotels in Manhattan, close to our studios in the Time Warner Center.”

“Christine, I don’t like going into downtown Halifax, let alone a city with a population over ten times that of my entire province! I’m not a fan of concrete!”

“I promise, you won’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll make sure you’re taken care of,” Laird protested.

“And who will keep my blogs updated?”

“You can do that here just as well as from your home. We’ll give you an office with all the IT support you could possibly need,” argued Laird.

Mac took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He was very tired, and could feel himself getting curmudgeonly. “Young lady, not all of my references are electronic. In fact, I often use hard-copy articles, and these quaint oddities that are called ‘books.’” He emphasized his point by lifting a large volume of
Jane’s Merchant Ships
.

“We’ll move whatever you need.” Laird was now pleading.

“Hardly,” Mac snickered.

“Mac, please—”

McMurtrie quickly raised his hand, stopping her in mid-sentence.

“Ms. Laird, I’m going to stay here and keep my group’s blogs up to date. It’s what I like to do, and it’s my responsibility. I’m afraid you and your producer will just have to learn to deal with that.”