Jeff Head.
Dragon"s Fury.
Dragon"s Breath.
DEDICATION.
This book is dedicated to lovers of liberty everywhere, and to the principles upon which true liberty rests: faith, morality, virtue, honor, free will, commitment, valor and eternal vigilance. Most especially, this book is dedicated to all of those Americans and their families who have served in defense of liberty and sacrificed their time, their efforts, their very lives and the lives of their loved ones for that cause, whether at home or abroad.
In particular this 2ndedition of Volume I of the Dragon"s Fury Series is dedicated to those service personnel who have served in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq who have carried out their duties so bravely and effectively in making our world safer for liberty loving people everywhere.
Unlike fiction, these real life heroes have placed everything on the line for freedom and our way of life and have provided the proper, appropriate and honorable legacy for those victims of terror and tyranny whose lives were so ruthlessly and brutally cut short on September 11, 2001. This 2ndedition is most particularly dedicated to those service personnel who gave their all, their very lives in that endeavor.
ACKNOWLEGEMENTS.
Special thanks go to my family for their faith and patience with me while producing this entire work. In particular to my wife of 25 years for her love, patience and forbearance in putting up with and helping me, and to my two sons, Jeff and Jared for their proofs and input to their "old man". Also to my father, a combat veteran of World War II and my mother whose Christian love has always inspired me.
As always, I cannot have a section on acknowledgements without personally thanking those who collaborated with me on this project.
Thanks to Christopher Durkin of Pennsylvania, for his edits, reviews and contribution throughout the series.
Thanks to Joanie Fischer of Pennsylvania, for her edits and reviews and for her undying faith in the entire series.
Thanks to Matt Bracken of California, for his reviews and for his input to the overall strategic scenario ... and for his service to our Republic.
Thanks to Matthew Riley of Connecticut, for his reviews and edits and his knowledge as a veteran regarding military logistics, combat and equipment. Thanks also to Matt for his service on behalf of our Republic.
Thanks to Arthur Hines of North Carolina for his input to many of the combat scenarios and for his support throughout the series. Thanks also to Art for his service to our nation on the point end of the sword in Vietnam.
Thanks to Bruce Elmore of Illinois, for his reviews and writing contribution regarding the Arab terrorist, Ahmed Haddad, and for his input as a non-active U.S. Marine (there are no "former" Marines) and his service in Vietnam.
Thanks to Luis Gonzalez of Florida, for his reviews, his ideas on writing in a more personal style and his sample of the same in a draft of the introduction to Jien Zenim, the Red Chinese President.
To each of these and all others, who have encouraged me and put up with my ramblings, I say again, heartfelt thanks ... and I add again a thanks to all of those who have served our nation and defended our liberty and way of life.
AUTHORS NOTE.
This second edition of Volume I of the Dragon"s Fury Series, Breath of Fire, is presentedas an update, accounting for some of the major historical events that have transpired since November of 2001 when Volume I was first published.
Princ.i.p.ally, this includes the successful military operations in Afghanistan of 2002-2003 (Operation Enduring Freedom) and those in Iraq of 2003 (Operation Iraqi Freedom). Both of those military operations figure into the overall Breath of Fire story and impact events and characters portrayed therein.
In updating the series to account for this, let me add that the overall major storyline has not changed. The issues raised in the series regarding the potential for a worldwide conflict are still in place. These include, but are not limited to, America"s offsh.o.r.e manufacturing and outsourcing policies, America"s very porous borders where floods of illegal aliens (I will not give in to the modern, politically correct, terminology of undoc.u.mented immigrants) continue to enter the nation, the continued steady buildup of Red Chinese military power and influence, Red China"s buildup of enhanced technology, the continued major emphasis of American military on downsizing and more and more reliance on pure high technology and the continued ties between many fundamental Islamic regimes, Red China, North Korea and terrorists organizations.
As a result, it is hoped that this 2ndedition of Breath of Fire will add to the reading enjoyment and the compelling storyline presented throughout the series.
Time and experience will tell.
Prologue.
November 28, 1970, 20:35 local Naval Headquarters, Research Center Hanoi, North Vietnam Lu Pham rolled back from his workbench and set his slide rule down and swiveled his stool around.
Placing his elbow on the desk and his hand under his chin, he sat reflecting.
"So", he thought, "it can be done! ... the secret is simply maintaining the wave form that keeps the cavity stable once that cavity has been achieved".
Lu had been working on this problem for over a year, spending uncounted off-duty hours creating the mathematical models, which would prove or disprove his theories. In his capacity as a naval research officer, Lu was working to reduce the noise signature of North Vietnam"s coastal craft by studying the cavitation the propellers created and finding ways to reduce it.
He was being funded in the endeavor through Soviet monies, the USSR having earlier become aware of Lu"s remarkable mathematical abilities. In the process, Lu had become obsessed by the cavitation itself.
In the environment of his official research, cavitation was a bad, dangerous thing. Cavitation of that sort meant sound, sound that the detection devices of the imperialist U.S. Navy could detect and use to either destroy the craft of his nation, or to avoid them.
But the cavitation that Lu had succeeded in predicting was a far different matter. Such stable cavitation could only be created at extremely high speeds, and only by a proper, sleek body moving at those speeds...towards the ships of the U.S. 7thfleet. Lu only had to doc.u.ment these findings and present them to his superiors. He was sure they would jump at any chance to deliver a decisive blow to their enemies...to his enemies.
In his mind"s eye, as so often occurred when he contemplated delivering a blow to the Americans, he once again saw the fertile undergrowth, the wetness and the denseness of the forest. Yes, there! he could just see the huts of the village...and as soon he saw them, he always caught the same faint, sickly, coppery odors on the wind. In his mind, as he proceeded towards the village, he came into the clearing where he could see more clearly the bodies of his father and his mother. They were in the center of the village, lying on the ground where the US Special Forces "Phoenix" Team had left them after disposing of this particular Vietcong coordinator whom their intelligence had correctly identified as an instrument sent there by the North.
December 9, 1970 15:30 local Commandant"s Office, Naval Research Center Hanoi, North Vietnam "Comrade Lu, let me understand, you have developed a mathematical model which leads you to believe that a weapon can be developed to attack the US 7thfleet off our sh.o.r.es and inflict severe damage on them, potentially even damaging or destroying their aircraft carriers?"
"That is correct", replied Lu Pham to Captain Ho Chien Thom, who was the Commandant of North Vietnam"s fledgling Naval Research effort.
"The device I contemplate would travel at 300-400 kilometers per hour and could reach the imperialist"s ships before they could respond to it. One of the key difficulties will be designing the shape of the weapon. The leading edge of the device must be precise in order to create and maintain the cavity through which the weapon moves. Another difficulty will be the propulsion system, which must be adequate to achieve and maintain the speed to create this cavity. Finally, we must find a way to deploy the device..."
The Captain cut him off.
"Lt. Lu, have you considered that these difficulties make it impossible for our nation to produce such a weapon? Have you forgotten that we rely on our comrade socialist nations for every modern article which we employ?"
Now raising his voice, Captain Ho continued, "Have you forgotten that the very slide rule you use to make these calculations was not created here?"
Seeking to quickly respond and to abate the unforeseen anger of his commander, Lu responded...and succeeded in only increasing that anger.
"No, comrade Captain, I have not forgotten these things; but, respectfully, I believe that such a weapon can be developed. I also believe that those nations a.s.sisting us in this struggle would be more than willing to provide the resources once they see the potential of what this slide rule has produced."
Unfortunately, at 23 years of age, the young lieutenant was still very naive and was not savvy, or experienced in the politics of the so-called "People"s struggle" in which he was involved. Capt. Ho, far more experienced in such realities, understood that to propose such a use of resources in the current circ.u.mstances would be damaging to his own standing, not to mention the barely adequate funding they were currently receiving.
"Lt. Lu, I need not remind you that most of your a.s.sociates are involved in this struggle in a far different manner than you. The party leadership and our friends in the Soviet Union have recognized your capabilities and have employed you in research of great import. The effort to which you must employall of your time and intellect is to reduce the sound signature of the propellers of our existing craft, while allowing them to operate more efficiently. Such improvements will not only help our small navy, they will please our socialist brothers who will use it on their ships and will be thus motivated to send more funding, and more weapons to our navy.
"Instead of considering these facts, you have spent considerable amounts of the People"s valuable time in researching an effort not related to your primary a.s.signment. Comrade, despite your considerable talents, and despite the n.o.ble sacrifice of your parents, you are failing the people.
"So, let me make it very clear to you ... if you do not want to be transferred to the forests and mountains of Cambodia, or to the rebel provinces to the south, I suggest you immediately redirect your efforts to your primary a.s.signment. Is this understood? In the mean time, leave the results of your research here and I will find a way to mention it to the party leadership. "
"Yes, comrade, I understand." Lt. Lu Pham somberly replied as he stood, saluted, handed over his doc.u.ments and then retired from his commander"s office.
After Lu Pham walked out the door, the Captain momentarily considered the calculations and doc.u.mentation he now held in his hand. Shaking his head in disgust, he quietly folded them up, and then threw them into his bamboo waste basket and gave them no further thought.
December 9, 1970, 3 hours later Commandant"s Office, Naval Research Center Hanoi, North Vietnam The old man carried out his janitorial duties as he did every evening in the Naval Research Center.
Stooped and moving slowly due to the inevitable arthritis of old age, he cleaned the floor and then emptied the garbage from each of the small bamboo wastebaskets into the trash bag on the cart which he pulled. He had been doing this - day in and day out - for years.
... and, as he had also done for years, he ensured that the waste from the Commandant"s office, which tonight included the Lt. Lu Pham"s discarded computations, was placed in a separate, cleverly concealed bag on his cart.
Later that night, the contents of the bag were en route to the old man"s true employer...the intelligence services of the People"s Republic of China.
Twenty-four Years Later March 23, 1994, 19:00 local Corporate Headquarters COs...o...b..ijing, China Chin Zhongbaio, President of one of the largest shipping companies in the world, and a member of the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, watched as the General and his aide entered and stood in front of his desk.
"General Hunbaio, please sit down. Is it true? Have your people in COSTIND (Chinese Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense) located Lu Pham and brought him here to Beijing? "
The General, who commanded his nation"s weapons research and development efforts, knew that Chin was aware not only that Pham had been found, but that he was here waiting to meet the President of COSCO as they spoke. As the General took a seat in front of Chin, he replied, "Comrade Chin, as you know, we found him teaching in Hanoi two years ago and approached him.
After developing a friendly relationship, our operative showed him a copy of his long lost research doc.u.mentation on cavitation. From there it was a simple matter to recruit him into our services as he has a long-standing desire to work against the Americans.
"All arrangements were made for him and his family. The importance and secrecy has been explained to him along with the consequences of betrayal. He has accepted and he is waiting outside in your reception area as we speak."
Chin pondered the General"s words for a moment. Then, without further conversation, he simply said, "Please, General, have your people bring him in"
The General motioned to his aide standing at attention by the door, and the aide immediately left the room. Presently he returned with a spectacled man in his late-40"s and whose face and build showed his Vietnamese heritage.
"Mr. Lu, or should I say, Captain Lu? How nice to finally meet you. I hope that your family is well"
Lu Pham, recently given a commission and a Captain"s rank in the People"s Liberation Army Navy, entered the room and walked resolutely to Chin and bowed slightly, "Thank you, sir, my family is still adjusting to being here, but we have been warmly received. I must say, I am honored to meet the man who has helped make the Chinese shipbuilding industry the third largest on the planet and the fastest growing. As you are well aware, maritime applications, particularly naval applications, have always been my singular interest."
Chin had been engineering this moment for two full years. Ever since the first meeting with General Hunbaio concerning super-cavitation, its possibilities and Lu"s amazing computations from over two decades ago, he had dreamed of developing and deploying such a weapon, with all of its capabilities, for the People"s Republic of China. Since that initial meeting, Chin had made it his personal business to be aware of every like and dislike of Lu Pham. He walked around his desk and surprised Lu with a warm embrace; and then guided him and the General over to a warm grouping of plush chairs in a corner of his office, with a magnificent view of the city. While motioning for the others to sit with him, Chin continued, "Well, Captain, we have a clear mutual interest, although your words regarding my personal contributions are too kind. More to the point, I believe we are in a position to supply the resource, manpower and overall funding to a project you first contemplated many years ago...almost 25 years ago in fact.
"Simply put, we would like you to begin work immediately with General Hunbaio"s agency and a staff of the best researchers, designers and manufacturers available, developing and producing these super-cavitating weapons for the PLAN. How does that sound?"
Lu was as absolutely thrilled at the prospect, and he wanted to let Chin know. But there was an issue nagging him he felt he had to get in the open, "It sounds almost too good to be true sir, and something I have dreamed about for many years; but, one question if I may?"
"By all means", Chin replied.
"You have had this information for years. Why do you require me?"
Chin thought for a moment, then motioned to General Hunbaio, "Well, General, why don"t you let Lu know why, after all of these years, we require the a.s.sistance of the man who came up with these remarkable mathematical models?"
General Hunbaio spoke without hesitation, "Lu Pham, sometimes there are individuals who are given great insights. All of our researchers, those who have had the clearance to look at your work...and there have been quite a few...agree that the principles are accurate, but they have not been able to bring the work forward into reality.
"Quite frankly, all of their efforts have failed. Several years ago, it became apparent that we needed to turn find and to the man who had developed the models themselves, and now here you are. It is as straightforward as that.
"Of course, I want to stress again that once this work begins, you and your family will live in the utmost security. You will be working in a facility that is very self-contained, in a town specifically built to house this facility and its workers. No breech of security can be allowed. Any deviation from areas of research or lines of work specifically a.s.sociated with your task will be viewed most severely. I know we have covered the security with you and your family, but I wanted to re-emphasize it to you this evening."
Hearing this again did not faze Lu Pham. He expected as much, and expected he would hear it over and over again in the future.
"General, I do understand. I understood 25 years ago. I kept quiet regarding this for all of those years. I can do so as I work on it now."
Six Years Later May 13, 2000, 18:30 local Tianammen Square Beijing, China As they walked out of earshot of staff, away from the press, and surrounded by a "wall" of electronic security, President Jien Zenim patted President KP Narayannen of India on the back and said, "These talks have been gratifying. I am pleased we have been able to come to an understanding between the two us, which will ultimately allow our peoples to embrace the "Three Wisdoms" we have discussed, and which will set a pattern for the peace-loving, socially-minded people of world".
Reflectively, President Narayannen paused and turned towards the President of the People"s Republic of China and replied, "Ah, it is just so Mr. President. Our understanding, rooted in the fundamental principles of the Three Wisdoms, will move our nations towards the realization of goals which will improve the lives of our people and catapult them to their rightful place on the stage of world affairs. Our current discretion and the arduous road ahead will ultimately lead to the emergence of an economic and social order that will sweep the entire earth."
After a moment of thoughtful consideration, President Jien answered, "As the leaders of the two most populous nations on earth, it is past time that our people began influencing affairs rather than being influenced by them. We shall employ the same methods that have worked so well to our benefit with the most recent undisciplined and decadent American national leadership.
"Who would have thought that we could make so many gains in such a short period of time? They have literally given us the keys to produce this vision, and at such low cost. By starting early with decadent leaders in other areas, we will guide them in like manner over the next five or six years.
"In the meantime, China will patiently delay plans for reunifying our nation with our rebellious island province. We will also wait to excise, the corrupting influence of the Americans; not only from the South China Sea, but from all of eastern Asia. While we do this, we will continue to encourage them to pour resources into the "economic development" of our own nations which they believe will bring them great profit, and which they hope will corrupt our people. But they will be sorely disappointed."
President Narayannen knew that America had been penetrated to the highest levels throughout the 1990"s. He had his own operatives working to affect similar outcomes in other regions. He was also tired of the American juggling and posturing in his own region. He had witnessed it for decades, playing off the fundamentalist, terror-supporting Pakistani government against the Iranians...and against his own India.
He knew the Chinese, who had historically been one of his own nations largest concerns, had been working to penetrate and turn many within the American government and industry. President Narayannen had recently decided that perhaps it was time to open confidential dialog with the Chinese over these very issues.
Just the same, to hear it put so bluntly...
"You are to be commended, President Jien, for both your vision and your forbearance. Now, what a beautiful spring day it is in Beijing! After further reflection, I believe I will enjoy some of that Earl Gray tea you offered."
President Jien Zenim laughed and again patted President Narayannen on the back while directing him back towards the buildings housing their "official" discussions of "improving relations" and "border disputes".
January 20, 2001, 12:08 local Capitol Building Washington, D.C.
"So help me G.o.d", declared President Bush as he finished the oath of office and officially became the 43rdPresident of the United States. In doing so, and by winning the most divisive presidential election in American history, he brought an end to the most scandal-plagued administration in its history, where the sitting President was impeached but not removed from office.
President Bush"s administration focused on trying to curtail the largest military downsizing in US history.
That downsizing saw the following retired, decommissioned, or mothballed since the 1991 Desert Storm victory: 709,000 soldiers; 293,000 reserves, Eight standing army divisions; 20 air wings with 2,000 combat aircraft, & 232 strategic bombers; 13 ballistic missile submarines w/3,114 warheads on 232 missiles; 500 ICBMs with 1,950 warheads; 4 aircraft carriers, 121 combat ships and the bases to sustain them; Plans to sc.r.a.p all heavy armor in the US armed forces by the year 2012; Severe cuts of F/A-18E/F, F-22, B-2, & Ballistic Missile Defense.
As a result of the terror attack of September 11, 2001, and the necessary military operations a.s.sociated with the War on Terror (which princ.i.p.ally included Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan directed at the Taliban and bin Laden"s Al Qaeda, and Operation Iraqi Freedom directed at Saddam Hussein and his regime), President Bush revitalized the military in several areas. These improvements included: Reinstatement of the M1A2 tank as the heavy armor for the Army; Development of the 1stsquadrons of the Comanche attack helicopters; Deployment of the USS Ronald Reagan nuclear aircraft carrier; Deployment of 12 new Arleigh Burke Block IIA cla.s.s Aegis destroyers; Reactivation and conversion to SSGN"s of 4 Ohio Cla.s.s SSBN"s; Successful testing and funding for the initial Ballistic Missile Defense; Successful deployment of the F/A-18 E/F "Super Hornet" naval fighter; Continued development of the F-22 Raptor next generation fighter; Full production funding for the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF); Deployment of the third Sea Wolf cla.s.s nuclear attack submarine; Deployment of the last two Wasp cla.s.s amphibious a.s.sault ships; Deployment of the first two San Antonio landing ship docks; In addition, the Bush administration sold and deployed significant, military hardware to The Republic of China on Taiwan, including: 4 Kidd cla.s.s guided missile destroyers (DDG"s); 8 advanced cla.s.s diesel/electric submarines; 12 P-3 ASW aircraft; MK-48 torpedoes for the foregoing; Surface, air and sub launched Harpoon missiles for the foregoing; PAC-3 Upgrade to Taiwan"s Patriot missile system.
These ROC arms purchases resulted from the April 2001 incident where a US EP-3 surveillance aircraft was damaged by a Red Chinese fighter, causing the Red Chinese fighter to crash. The American aircraft was forced to land on Chinese soil and the crew was detained for two weeks. The outgrowth of the incident resulted in the additional arms sales to the ROC to help them counter the increasing hostility of the People"s Republic.
When Usama bin Laden and his Taliban supporters were soundly defeated at the hands of US special forces in Afghanistan in 2002 in Operation Enduring Freedom, with the almost complete destruction of the Al Qaeda terror network by the end of 2003, and with the defeat of all Iraqi forces and the fall of Saddam Hussein"s regime in 2003 in Operation Iraqi Freedom, it appeared that President Bush was virtually a.s.sured a second term as U.S. President.
Then, on the eve of primary elections, the President surprised the world by announcing he would not seek that second term. A definitive reason was not given, only indications that it was a personal decision, arrived at by he and his family and that the decision was final.
Most thought this was a death knell to Republican hopes for consecutive presidencies and further gains and stronger control in both the House and Senate that would result from President Bush"s coattails.