Once back at their home base, Clark made sure to switch on the CIA electronic infiltrator blocker before logging onto his untraceable email and sending it to the dead drop site. Dolan gave Clark the encryption code for the email and the report was sent quickly.
TO: .IN
ENCRYPTION FEED: ******
DECRYPTION FEED: ****
PLI network has been traced to European Federation defense ministry with the motive of aiding fights against Israel in turn for Arabic countries to aid the Federation in the fight against Russia. LOCATION OF TWO STAGE NUCLEAR SILOS IN IRAN HAVE BEEN GIVEN TO PLI FORCES ALONG WITH LAUNCH CODES AND KEYS. SILOS LOCATED MAP GRID SIERRA TWO TWO SEVEN ZERO BY ECHO FOUR TWO SEVENTEEN.
We have been unable to confirm any repeat any intelligence on the defense of the site, whether the rockets are servicible, if there are personnel trained to shoot such weapons or if there are any defenses around. It is in Israel's best interest of self preservation that these silos be LOCATED AND DESTROYED AT ALL COSTS.
Avi Ben Jakob hadn't slept all night, the war in Tel Aviv had reached a fever pitch with cut off Egyptian infantry and tanks fighting standing battles against the IDF, the flashes of gunfire out at sea as Naval ships played their deadly games in the dark and fighters screeched overhead. As director of Mossad intelligence and Special forces he'd unleashed his men into the streets of Tel Aviv where they were raising all nine hells against the invading force.
His cellphone beeped at him with the arrival of an email. Avi Ben Jakob checked the secure link before opening the file, noting that whoever had contacted him via that exclusive dead drop site would have something important to say. Jakob scanned the message and accessed some very secure files on his laptop. So PLI terrorists had finally gotten access to nuclear missiles? Jakob scanned the file on an operation called COVENANT.
COVENANT was laid down in 2010 when Israel had been worried about Iran's nuclear capabilities and called for first strikes against strategic nuclear targets. It called for a massive air raid into Iranian airspace in which Israeli strike planes would eliminate nuclear power plants and silos with GBU-12 bunkerbusters, the American type. COVENANT was never put into effect and Iran had wiped out most of Saudi Arabia because of it.
Things were different now, Saudi Arabia had agreed to grant Israeli planes limited access to their airfields for that operation (A flight span of 2000 kilometers required an extra tank up.) but with Saudi wiped off the map save for the small tribes in the southwestern region, that plan was nil. There also was a problem of not having the GBU-12 bombs, seeing as how so many were used to strike targets in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon. It would have to be a special forces raid. Jakob decided and contacted his comrade GENIAF for consultance.
Avi Ben Jakob, as director of Mossad had wide discretionary powers that could actually be put into effect in certain cases without Parliamentary approval. He would have to put COVENANT into effect immediately. He didn't want to give the PLI time to learn how to shoot those missiles, if there were any.
"It'll be difficult, but it can be done." GENIAF admitted after a moment of thought.
"I was concerned with C-130 tanker capability, our strike planes might not have the range to enter Iranian airspace." Jakob said.
"We can call the Jordanians and see what air assets they have so they might aid us. But our fighters have practiced with the US Navy "Buddy tank" system for some time now, allowing fighters to carry the fuel to keep other fighters in the air. If we had enough planes up, we should be able to reach into Iranian airspace."
"How many planes?"
"At least four hundred fighter planes." GENIAF said with no amount of relish. No general would want to waste his resources like that but it couldn't be helped.
"Four hundred? The original plans called for only seventy; surely it would be closer to a hundred and forty fighters?"
"No, we are in the middle of a war my friend." GENIAF shook his head severely. "Lebanon and Syria will surely launch fighters to intercept. If I saw my enemy sending huge amounts of air assets off in a direction I don't know, I will at least launch assets to hit them on the return leg. That means having other fighters running interference and keeping the flight lanes clear."
"Do we have the resources to spare?"
"We'll be at a strategic low on fuel, we might have to tap into the ground reserves and synthesize them if we want future air coverage but if the threat you say is true, then we won't have much choice." GENIAF said coldly. "Iran's remaining assets in that area are small, they have three airfields with eight fighters each closer to the Pakistani border. They shouldn't give you too much problems. How do you expect to deploy your troops?"
"Paradrop if I can manage it. And helicopters on the return leg, preferably Jordanian because the distance is shorter."
"How many of your men will be commited?"
"Enough of them . We don't have much choice."
"Incoming bogeys at zero nine zero, two helicopters; targets in range-"
"Shoot for effect!" the XO snapped and the portside flak of INC Hamas unleashed its fury at the distant Egyptian seahawks. The war for Israel's coast had reached a fever pitch, fighter planes furballed overhead while the Israeli navy scattered and engaged its Egyptian counterpart in what resembled more of a bar brawl than a battle of disciplined navies.
"When will we be in range of Tango one?" Gregorich mopped more sweat off his brow. He'd been directing his ship in a series of sprints and turns as he tried to close with the Egyptian MAU carrier, harassed all the way by helicopters and other ships. The air force had dealt with most of them thank God.
"Should be seven kilometers out now sir, take a look." The RIO said. Gregorich snapped his binoculars out the fore viewports and let the XO direct the ship a little longer. He managed to spot a grey block floating out in the ocean. That'd be it.
"Helm all ahead flank, make your heading two one zero, right full rudder."
"Make my heading two one zero aye sir!"
"Officers take note, my intention is to close to five kilometers and torpedo range with contact Tango one and destroy it with Mk48 ADCAP torpedoes."
"Captain we still have SSMs." The XO reminded him. Damn Gregorich was becoming slow. He shouldn't have been forgetting this.
"You're right. Set firing solutions for our surface skimmers."
"PWO set the shot one by one." The XO barked.
"One by one aye sir! Fire sequence one through eight set."
"Incoming!" the RIO shouted from his station, "brace brace brace!"
The shrieking rounds overhead told Gregorich that the carrier had at least one five inch gun pointed at them. Of course the enemy would have a weapon Gregorich couldn't deflect. He ordered a rapid change in course, which unfortunately through off the firing solution but he had no choice, he had to evade those missiles. The PWO worked rapidly and finally had them.
"Shoot on generated bearings!" Gregorich snapped.
"Firing one by one sir!" the PWO shouted over the roar of Hamas's missiles rapidly leaving the launcher. "Readying torpedos!" a cloud of grey smoke billowed over the viewports obscuring anything from view, but another shriek followed a splash, spray flecked onto the viewports letting Gregorich realize those rounds were falling damn close.
"Vampire vampire!" the RIO shouted with alarm. "Incoming missiles on axis one eight zero-"
"Belay vampire, that's counter missile!" the PWO shouted angrily. Gregorich took two quick strides over to the radar station where his own missiles were traced with blue. Three had already been blotted out, and even as he looked another one was destroyed by a countermissile. Four missiles left. Then three closed after the guidance package of one malfunctioned and tumbled into the sea. At a range of eight hundred meters the point defense gatling system engaged its targets exploding two missile in quick succession but not stopping the third. The sea skimmer missile plowed right into the hull, penetrating through the toughened carrier hide and exploding inside the compartments.
"hit!" the PWO slammed his fist onto the computer.
"but not a kill." The XO nodded. "Firing solution on the torpedoes?"
"Ten seconds." PWO promised. All Gregorich could do now was wait while his crew worked. The shrieking sound of 5 inch rounds continued to fall around him, but finally the ship shook as there was a massive rent and screech of metal followed by an explosion. Gregorich fell, banging his head against the wheel of the ship before hitting the ground.
The XO was up on his feet first, scrambling toward the intercom to listen to the frantic reports of the Engineering chief. The XO pressed a button and a bell rang throughout the ship before he lifted the phone to his mouth.
"Fire in the engine room, fire in the engine room." He shut the phone back to its place and turned to Gregorich who was just rising. "zero maneuverability sir. They've slashed our engines."
"Firing solution!" the PWO shouted and raised his thumb to depress the button but Gregorich for some reason couldn't stop thinking about how his ship was on fire. How could he let that happen? Those were his boys down there dying and here he was…
"Sir!" the XO shouted as the bell continued to ring. Gregorich held his head in his hands. XO Jama knew he had to take command right then and there.
"Shut down the engines! PWO, give them a spread! Shoot on generated bearings!"
The PWO shouted his response as he ran his thumb across the six switches that were connected to the rocket fired torpedo tubes that had been aimed to starboard. Six rocket boosted ADCAPs were jettisoned into the water where they initiated a straight search pattern until reaching a preprogrammed destination of 5 kilometers. Upon hitting that destination they switched to active and homed onto the massive ping return signal of the MAU. Two torpedoes homing signatures became confused and began to circle aimlessly, three struck the ship toward the fore end, unable to turn quickly enough to strike for maximum damage. Those three detonated under the water, the shaped explosive charge sending the shockwave upward to break the "spine" of the ship and the fore end crumpled under the impact.
The final torpedo detonated amidships, dead center. The force of the shockwave sent a tremor throughout the flat top and ruptured the supposedly secure 500 pound welded bolts and let water into the vital compartments. Fire control parties raced to the area to try to stem the flooding. Enough water got in however, to enter the engine rooms. By logic, water did not mix well with diesel electric plants and the plants that turned the turbines which turned the propellers suddenly malfunctioned and shut down.
"She's dead in the water!" The RIO shouted.
"But so are we…" Jama whispered, looking to his captain for help. Gregorich held his head in his hands and had sat down on the seat a petty officer had thoughtfully vacated. It didn't' happen often but the INF trained enough for the eventuality. Two rounds landing close by making Gregorich cringe.
"Friendly air incoming…" the RIO yelled but was drowned out by the streaking sound of two fighters passing low overhead. The bridge shook as the two F-15 strike planes tumbled to the left after loosing a pair of missiles that struck the carrier low amidships allowing more water to slip in. The resulting fireball let loose a strangled cheer from the crew.
"that had to cook off an ammunition magazine." Jama smiled and patted the PWO on his back. "good shooting son!"
Captain Jared Gregorich continued to stare blankly into the palms of his hands that were pressed flat against his eyes.