Primary Target (1999) (2 page)

Pavlinsky quietly nodded. "As it should be."

"We never had this conversation," Shumenko insisted. "You can count on me," Pavlinsky said with a sly smile. An awkward silence filled the room.

"I know I can," Shumenko finally said, despite the anxiety he felt in his chest. "I'll recommend sending our ships to the Gulf for a goodwill cruise, show the flag and all."

Pavlinsky's puffy eyes expressed his great satisfaction. "Leave everything to me."

Chapter
2

Tehran
.

Dressed in a long dark cloak and white turban, Bassani
Shakhar entered the austere chambers of his closel
y
guarded office complex in the heart of the city. The thickly bearded multimillionaire, his lips barely covering his protruding teeth, was a fierce defender of the hard-line clergy. When the power struggle between Iran's moderate president and the conservatives turned ugly, Shakhar had prodded agents from the Intelligence Ministry to assassinate over a dozen dissident writers and politicians.

Without looking directly at the Russian politician, Shakhar raised his arm and motioned for Yegor Pavlinsky to take a seat on the opposite side of the conference table. Pavlinsky quietly sat down and folded his hands on the table.

Shakhar, an intractable and humorless man with a permanently furrowed brow, stiffened ever so slightly before he sat. His pinched eyes were deep brown, and when he became irritated or excited, the right one tended to turn inward. A dangerous and unpredictable man, Shakhar's complex character reflected generous portions of aggression, grandiosity, paranoia, and narcissism. The combination of traits was accentuated by a total lack of conscience.

Muffled sounds of jeers and shouts from Shakhar's growing league of followers permeated the building. "Death to th
e
Americans!" the crowd of Islamic militants chanted while they burned a dozen U
. S
. flags. "Death to the enemies of Islam!" Acting on the orders of Shakhar, the fanatical throngs of anti-American militants were creating factional violence not seen since the revolution in 1979.

Additional devoted followers, estimated at 17,000 and rapidly growing, were venomously protesting against America in various countries, including Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Kenya, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Kosovo, Montenegro, Macedonia, Sudan, Libya, Bosnia, Yemen, Egypt, the Philippines, Chechnya, and Malaysia.

Bassam Shakhar, one of the masterminds behind a series of terrorist bombings and hero to legions of Islamic fundamentalists, was a strong advocate of using terrorism to drive the United States military out of Saudi Arabia and the entire Persian Gulf region. To expedite his ambitious plans, the murderous psychopath had developed a growing infrastructure to train and indoctrinate hard-core terrorists, including a sizable cadre of "throwaway agents" known as suicide bombers.

A powerful figure in Iran, Shakhar had openly and loudly declared that the United States was "the enemy of the Islamic Republic" and called for the Iranian leadership to reject any dialogue with Washington. He had gone on to explain that "talks or relations with the United States would have no benefit for the Iranian people." He had concluded his bitter remarks by reminding his vast audience about the 1988 shoot-down of an Iranian jetliner by a U
. S
. Navy cruiser, then blamed Washington for another incident in which fifty-two Americans were held hostage for 444 days.

Determined to bring America to its knees, Shakhar later used state-run radio and television, along with major newspapers, to declare a personal jihad against U
. S
. military personnel in the Gulf region. Three weeks after his announcement, he and members of the Iranian secret police planned and supervised a car bombing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, that killed six American advisers to the Saudi National Guard.

Emboldened by the results of the Riyadh attack, Shakhar provided financial backing to the terrorists who bombed the barracks building in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, that killed nineteen members of the U
. S
. Air Force and wounded 386 servicemen.

While the Pentagon was shifting U
. S
. air operations from Dhahran to other bases with better security, Shakhar continued to use the conservative newspaper Islamic Republic (Jomhuri Islami) to threaten U
. S
. military forces and their commander in chief. Using Islamic newspapers based in London and newspapers in Egypt, Libya, the Philippines, Italy, and Jordan, Shakhar urged Arab leaders to unite in a jihad against the "master of the world."

Undeterred by the "Great Satan's" power projection in the Gulf, Bassam Shakhar was eager to take his personal war to the shores of the United States. In an interview broadcast live by CNN, the international financier boldly promised to use his vast resources to terrorize the heartland of America if all U
. S
. military forces were not withdrawn from the Arabian peninsula. Shakhar ended the interview by calling the American president a coward and a bully. His vituperative rhetoric panicked conservative emirs, crown princes, kings, and sheiks in the Middle East.

With the CIA-based Counter Terrorism Center tracking a number of his terrorist cells, Shakhar became enraged when one of his deputies suggested that Shakhar's satellite telephone calls were being monitored by U
. S
. reconnaissance spacecraft.

Five weeks later, with the approval of his consultative council (majlis al shura) Shakhar supported another major terrorist organization in their bombings of U
. S
. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, that killed more than 250 people. On the heels of the bombing, Saddam Hussein sent word that he would back Shakhar with money and weapons to terrorize the U
. S
. military.

Less than two weeks after the tragic bombings, the United States Navy launched a barrage of cruise missiles on suspected terrorist infrastructure and related facilities in Sudan and Afghanistan.

As tensions mounted in the Gulf region, the American president reinforced his commitment to "dual containment" of the "pariah" states, Iraq and Iran. He delivered a stern warning to both countries; U
. S
. forces were going to keep them in check, and the U
. S
. military was going to maintai
n
a long-term presence in the Arabian deserts and Persian Gulf waters.

Saddam Hussein, enraged by the dressing-down from his nemesis, and determined to avenge his humiliation in the Persian Gulf War, decided to test the resolve of the United Nations and the United States. He expelled the UN arms inspectors who were attempting to investigate his biological and chemical weapons capability and threatened to shoot down U-2 reconnaissance planes.

Saddam, convinced that U
. S
. military forces were shallow in depth, overextended, and demoralized, had laid the groundwork for a new kind of terrorist game:, the cat-andmouse search for secret weapons of mass destruction. After a whirlwind of diplomatic endeavors, overt threats, and, finally, an agreement to end the standoff brokered by the United Nations secretary-general, Saddam decided to put the diabolical genie back into the bottle for the moment. However, Hussein had never conceded defeat in the Gulf War and he fully intended to continue causing headaches for the White House and the Pentagon.

As usual, Saddam proved to be a predictably unpredictable foe. He strongly condemned UN sanctions and the United States government, then invited the UN arms inspectors to leave. The dustup culminated in U
. S
.--British airstrikes on Iraq.

Shortly after the operation was canceled, Saddam demanded that the United States and Britain end their "illegal" patrols over the "no-fly" zones in northern Iraq and south of Baghdad. When the demand was ignored, Iraqi surface-to-air missile systems began "illuminating" coalition aircraft patrolling the northern zone. Saddam's game of constant torment was clearly designed to erode the will of the UN and the U
. S
. to continue sanctions against Iraq and to maintain a military presence in the region.

Listening to the muffled chants from the militants in the street, Yegor Pavlinsky kept his gaze level and his expression pleasantly gentle. Get straight to the point. "Our countries could greatly benefit if we could collectively take advantage of the opportunities in the Gulf region."

Motionless and frowning, Bassam Shakhar quietly stared at the center of Pavlinsky's forehead.

"Unfortunately," Pavlinsky went on, "the presence of the U
. S
. military is having an adverse effect on the economy of both our countries. From our previous conversations, it is my understanding that you have been working on a plan to drive the Americans out of the region."

"Is your country," Shakhar began slowly, "prepared to assist me with my assault on America?"

Pavlinsky quietly nodded, then looked straight into the dark, sunken eyes of the terrorist leader. "Yes, in any way we can--covertly, of course," he quickly added. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for.

"At the request of your government," Pavlinsky went on, "we are sending fighter tactics instructor pilots to enhance the skills of your pilots. Additional scientists and engineers will be arriving soon to help with the missile development program, and we've had a number of experts helping to train your submarine crews. If there is anything we can do to help facilitate the removal of U
. S
. forces from the region, we stand ready to provide assistance."

"What about the nuclear warheads?" Shakhar abruptly asked. "Without the warheads, everything else is useless." In silence, the two men stared at each other.

"I have made arrangements for the nuclear warheads to be delivered to you," Pavlinsky answered, suppressing an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Working together, we can drive the Americans from the region."

Shakhar's jaw clenched and the pupil of his right eye began to drift toward his nose. "It is my destiny," he said boldly as he shifted his bovine gaze to the crowds in the street, then back to Pavlinsky. "To be subservient to the infidels is to be not a man."

Shakhar remained impassive. "It is time to give President Macklin an ultimatum--a deadline for removing his military forces from the Islamic world. I will issue the deadline soon. If the president refuses to cooperate," Shakhar said in a scratchy voice, "he will become my primary target. I will have him assassinated."

Amazed at the visceral hatred in Shakhar's voice, Yegor Pavlinsky remained expressionless.

Chapter
3

Over the Gulf of Oman
.

After extending the Tomcat's refueling probe, Commander Garner Stockwell inched the throttles forward as he carefully maneuvered the sinister-looking F-14 closer to the KC-10 tanker. With his eyes riveted on the refueling hose and drogue, Stockwell concentrated on flying while his radar intercept officer, Lieutenant Alan "Skeeter" Jeffcoat, scanned the skies for other traffic.

After stabilizing the airplane behind the drogue, Stockwell eased the sleek fighter toward the basket. Adding a touch of power, the commanding officer of the VF-32 "Swordsmen" gently guided the airplane forward until the probe smoothly plugged into the refueling receptacle. Once the nozzle was mated with the drogue, Stockwell carefully maintained his position directly behind the tanker.

"You're takin' gas," the sergeant in the boom operator's station radioed in his deep whiskey voice.

"That's what we like to hear," Stockwell drawled. "Commander," an urgent voice interrupted, "this is Major 'Labrowski."

Instinctively, Stockwell and Jeffcoat tensed. Labrowski was the aircraft commander of the KC-10 Extender. "What's up, Ski?"

"Sir, the AWACS that was scheduled to rendezvous wit
h
you just had an engine problem," Labrowski said, then paused to listen to an air traffic controller who was communicating with the Boeing E-3 AWACS crew. "They're headed back to base, and the spare bird won't be up for another thirty to forty-five minutes."

Shit! Stockwell swore to himself. This mission is a White House priority--a request directly from the president. I sure as hell don't want to be the one who scrubs it. "Stand by." "Roger."

With the SR-71 Blackbird downed by a line-item veto, and the venerable U-2 "Dragon Ladies" temporarily grounded after a mysterious crash, the carrier-based F-14 Tomcat had been called on to provide war-ready strategic reconnaissance for the White House and the Pentagon.

Countering the effects of the turbulent air, Stockwell deftly worked the control stick while he quickly analyzed the situation. Although an Airborne Warning and Control aircraft wouldn't be available to provide advance notice of hostile aircraft or missiles, Stockwell remained confident about flying over the denied area.

The sleek Tomcat carried the latest technology in Electronic Counter Measures equipment. Recently released from the secretive "black world," the highly sophisticated defensive system could electronically jam enemy early-warning radars and missile sites, making it almost impossible to obtain a firing solution on the TARPS-equipped fighter. The Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance Pod System with a digital imagery (DI) camera would image the targets and transmit the information to the Joint Task Force-Southwest Asia headquarters in Saudi Arabia for positive identification and analysis. Forty minutes later, the president of the United States and his secretary of defense would have the recce photographs in their hands.