The Aden Effect (45 page)

The president was paralyzed, shocked into immobility.

“You'll read this statement,” C. J. said, tossing a typewritten page on the desk before him. “It's simple and direct—like the one Eliot forced John Dunner to sign. Yes, I know about that too.

“Third, I will be your point person on Capitol Hill in getting the Senate to ratify the Hadiboh Accord. It's a good agreement, and it's going to happen.

“Oh, and fourth, you will recall this person to active duty,” she handed him a slip, “in command of a destroyer—now.”

“I can't do that, C. J., I'm . . .”

“You're the commander-in-chief, at least for now. Act like it. Finally, you and I are finished. I wish to God we'd never started. You're not the man I believed you to be. Maybe you never were.”

“C. J. . . .”

“You and Eliot Green planned to kill me, humanitarian aid workers, and the crew of the
Bennington
. I have stated four demands. Comply with them or be impeached, tried, and convicted. Understood?”

“Let me get Eliot in here. We can work all these things out, C. J. I promise. He'll be here soon. He'll handle all of this to your satisfaction.”

“Eliot Green isn't coming in today. It's time you learned to make your own decisions, Mr. President.” C. J. walked out to meet the newest member of her new protective detail, Agent Damien Golzari.

T
he captain of the newest warship DDG-125, the USS
LeFon
, was admiring her dayroom when a knock sounded on the door. “Come.” One of her new junior officers entered carrying a shoebox-size carton. “Yes . . .?” She eyed the red nametag on the summer white uniform. “Ensign Fisk, is it?”

“Yes, ma'am. I just reported aboard.”

“Please, come in. Where was your last billet?”

“USS
Bennington
, ma'am.”

“The . . .” She raised her eyebrows, then smiled warmly. “Welcome aboard, Ensign Fisk. It's a pleasure to have you on my ship.”

“Thank you, ma'am. I was ordered to give you this on reporting.” He raised the box, which had a card taped to the top. The blond commander nodded toward her right arm, which was in a sling. “Set it on the chart table, please.” The box made an interesting gurgling sound as the ensign complied. She lifted off the card and opened it.

This bottle may not be as good as your coffee, but keep it in your desk for when you really need it. You always deserved this command, Jaime. And keep an eye on young Ensign Bobby Fisk. He'll stand by a good skipper through the thick of it. I can only imagine what he'll do for a great skipper like you.
—Connor

It was drizzling again as he walked toward the pub. It always seemed to be drizzling in Ullapool. He was still clean-shaven and close-cropped from his
active-duty assignment, and men he knew well passed him without recognizing him. Connor chuckled and decided that perhaps he didn't need the beard and ponytail after all.

For the twentieth time since leaving Yemen a few weeks before, he pulled the folded fax from his pocket and focused on the only two words on it that mattered: “Honorably discharged.” Rain droplets splattered across the page as he folded it back up and slipped it into his coat pocket.

He entered the pub. Nothing had changed. His friends were predictably at the dartboard, at the table in the corner, and on the bar stools. Glasgow's team was fighting it out with another rugby team on the television. As he walked in, the lively chatter fell to a dull murmur and then complete silence as the crowd turned to him—much as they had weeks before when two naval officers had come to take him away.

He slowly approached the bar and set his large olive-green seabag on the ancient wooden floor.

“The same, Mack,” he said to the confused bartender.

At that moment, red-haired Maggie made her way out of the kitchen with an armload of plates. She alone recognized him.

This work would not have been possible without the support of family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and others. To anyone whose brain I picked to see if a character, a line, or a plot made sense, thank you for sharing your thoughts and expertise. I also drew inspiration from the U.S. Naval Academy Brigade of Midshipmen. As of this writing, I have been in the classroom with 910 students. In his musical
The King and I
, Oscar Hammerstein wrote: “If you become a teacher, by your pupils you'll be taught.” No truer statement has ever been written. Thanks to all of you, especially the Class of 2009, who were plebes on my first day teaching.

My wife, Kate, read the book as it was initially being written and offered a multitude of suggestions. I am indebted to her for her patience and perspectives.

The boys from the “Ink and Drink” read and critiqued the first draft. Temple Cone, Tim Feist, Marcus Jones, as well as Ed Naro and John Williams ripped it apart and then drank my beer.

If the “Lost Boys” come across as the unsung heroes of the book, it's because of my great respect for helicopter pilots, particularly those with whom I served: Neal Barham, Eric Bondurant, Dustin Budd, Jason Burns, Margaret Ewers, John Mikols, and Matt Somerville. Then there are the surface warfare officers and sailors, especially Wade Barnes, Brion Bennett, Matt Bucher, Dick Curtis, Rich Durham, Patrick Gatchell, Kim Himmer, Casey Mahon, Greg McIntosh, Todd McKinney, Todd Stengel, and Kevin Sullivan--and too many others to name here. No characters in the book bear any resemblance to them, but they all represent the finest Navy in the world and the commitment with which they perform their jobs every day at sea.

For the character of the nameless captain of the USS
Bennington
, I simply removed every positive character trait I observed in Capt. Daryl Hancock,
USN, one of the finest officers and individuals I've known and under whom I served twice overseas. The Bennington's captain is the antithesis of Daryl Hancock.

The publishing side would not have been possible without the extraordinary team at Naval Institute Press, from its director, Rick Russell, who took a chance, to expert editors Adam Kane, Marlena Montagna, and Mindy Conner, and the marketing team of Clair Noble, Judy Heise, and George Keating. My appreciation also goes out to my publicist, Jen Richards, and Barbara Esstman, who provided editorial advice with an early draft. In the interest of advancing the storyline, I ask the reader to suspend some disbelief. For example, it would be implausible for someone not selected for command or even in the Navy (as in the case of the character Jaime Johnson) to be given command of a warship.

Secretaries of the Navy name warships. Since I'm not a secretary of the Navy, the only way I can name ships is through this and potential future novels. The Navy cruiser Bennington is so named because Connor Stark is the fictional descendent of Revolutionary War Maj. Gen. John Stark. I spent the better part of my senior year in college writing a paper on John Stark; naming a ship after one of his battles seemed appropriate and, with some exceptions, is in line with the general naming convention of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers. The destroyer at the end of the novel is named the USS LeFon as a small tribute to the late Captain Carroll “Lex” LeFon, USN. Some knew him as a leader and mentor in the Navy. Many more of us became devotees of his wit, wisdom, and inspirational literary prowess as the milblogger Neptunus Lex.

Finally, a portion of the net proceeds of this work will go to Horses for Heroes (
www.horsesforheroes.org
) and other veterans organizations. The warriors these organizations support are the real-life heroes. Please support them. Thank you.

Claude Berube
has worked for the Office of Naval Intelligence and on Capitol Hill. An officer in the Navy Reserve, he deployed with Expeditionary Strike Group Five in 2004–2005. He is the co-author of three non-fiction books and has taught at the United States Naval Academy.

 

The Naval Institute Press
is the book-publishing arm of the U.S. Naval Institute, a private, nonprofit, membership society for sea service professionals and others who share an interest in naval and maritime affairs. Established in 1873 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where its offices remain today, the Naval Institute has members worldwide.

Members of the Naval Institute support the education programs of the society and receive the influential monthly magazine
Proceedings
or the colorful bimonthly magazine
Naval History
and discounts on fine nautical prints and on ship and aircraft photos. They also have access to the transcripts of the Institute's Oral History Program and get discounted admission to any of the Institute-sponsored seminars offered around the country.

The Naval Institute's book-publishing program, begun in 1898 with basic guides to naval practices, has broadened its scope to include books of more general interest. Now the Naval Institute Press publishes about seventy titles each year, ranging from how-to books on boating and navigation to battle histories, biographies, ship and aircraft guides, and novels. Institute members receive significant discounts on the Press's more than eight hundred books in print.

Full-time students are eligible for special half-price membership rates. Life memberships are also available.

For a free catalog describing Naval Institute Press books currently available, and for further information about joining the U.S. Naval Institute, please write to:

Member Services

U.S. Naval Institute

291 Wood Road

Annapolis, MD 21402-5034

Telephone: (800) 233-8764

Fax: (410) 571-1703

Web address:
www.usni.org