Mike Maden - Drone Command

“What’s the purpose of the state visit, if I may ask?” Myers said.

“In exchange for deep cuts in his military spending, we’re prepared to make new security arrangements in the region. Joint naval cooperation to keep the sea-lanes open, that sort of thing. Of course, pushing through Sun’s anticorruption reforms is even more important. China’s long-term viability as a stable growing democracy is in our vital strategic interest.”

“What about Mao Island?”

“Ito says they can keep it, so long as all revenues from the drilling operations are evenly divided. He’ll be joining us in Beijing, too. We have a few surprises.” Lane leaned forward. “It would be great if the two of you could join us. None of this would’ve been possible without both of you.”

Myers glanced at Pearce. He seemed lost somewhere. Maybe a memory. Or a regret.

“Yes, of course,” Myers said. “Whatever you need.”

“Troy, how about you? I’d like you to see the fruits of your labor. We’re going to make history.”

Pearce set his empty coffee cup down. “I have some business to take care of first, and I’m not sure how long it will take. But if it’s at all possible, I’ll be there.”

“Anything I can do to help?” Lane asked.

Pearce shook his head. “I’ve got it under control, but thanks.”

“Again, congratulations to you both on a job well done. Your country owes you a debt it can’t repay.”

“Duty doesn’t incur any debts, Mr. President. We’re glad we could be of service,” Myers said.

Pearce nodded, but his mind was already on the next task at hand, sharpening an old knife deep inside of him, a ruthless blade with an endless, ragged edge.

The hearse from the funeral home pulled away as the shipping container containing Yamada’s remains was being carefully lifted into the cargo hold of the Pearce Systems jet.

Pearce’s grim face set the flight crew on edge. Myers, too. He’d been sullen since the president’s video conference at the embassy, no doubt distracted by the reality of his friend’s death and the need to transport the body back home. She was surprised when he asked her to join him at the airport. More so when he asked her to come with him to Hawaii for the interment.

“Of course.”

President Lane would no doubt want to brief them further before the trip to Beijing, but there was still plenty of time for that. Time for her friend Troy to process everything that had transpired in the last few days. For all of his tough talk about killing the enemy — and God alone knew how many of America’s enemies Pearce had sent to hell over the years — she also knew he valued life and that killing, no matter how righteous, took its psychic toll. She couldn’t fix that, but she could stand by his side and walk with him through it, no matter how long or how dark the valley set before him. He’d always been there for her. She would always be there for him.

Ito’s aide opened the door and Tanaka marched in, his stern face frozen in resentment. Ito tapped on a keyboard.

“You summoned me?”

“Yes,” Ito said, without looking up. “Please sit.”

Tanaka sat down stiffly in the chair in front of Ito’s desk, folded his arms across his chest. His clothes reeked of heavy tobacco.

Ito finally finished his e-mail and logged off. He leaned back in his executive chair, relaxed but pensive, his fingers laced. He let the silence fill the room, gathering his thoughts. Finally, he spoke.

“We nearly found ourselves trapped in a war between China and the United States. If it had not been averted, we might well have been annihilated by nuclear strikes from either China or North Korea, or both.”

“As I’ve said all along, we need nuclear weapons.”

“And as I’ve said all along, I disagree. At least, until now.”

Tanaka raised an eyebrow. “What?”

“I’ve come around to your way of thinking. We need a nuclear deterrent as much as any other country. Maybe more than any other country. And I’m making arrangements for that to happen.”

Tanaka bolted upright in his chair, a smile plastered across his face. “Hai!”

Ito allowed himself a small grin. “I thought you would be pleased. I wanted you to hear it from me first.”

Tanaka frowned. “But the Americans will never agree to this.”

“They already have. With conditions.”

Now Tanaka was really confused. “Why would the Americans suddenly agree to our having nuclear weapons?”

“President Lane and his team are reimagining American national security policy. Like us, he was both surprised and alarmed at how quickly the Mao Island affair spun out of control. He confided in me that several people in his government argued against going to war to honor their treaty obligations to us. Fortunately, President Lane is a man of honor. But he’s also a wise man and is determined to do what’s best for his country in the future. He understands that America will always have to come to our defense if we can’t defend ourselves, including nuclear defense. He said he never wants to be put in a position again where America’s nuclear shield forces him to trade Los Angeles for Shanghai to save Osaka. By giving us nuclear weapons, we can defend ourselves and free up the Americans from an unnecessary obligation.”

“They will give us nuclear weapons?”

Ito nodded. “Yes. We both agreed that we must have them in our possession immediately and then make the announcement to the world. Unlike the West, which refuses to strike preemptively against nuclear proliferators like North Korea and Iran, our enemies would not hesitate to strike us a death blow if we announced we were just beginning to develop a nuclear arsenal.”

Tanaka nodded. “Agreed.” He thought further. “The Chinese will be livid. This will only worsen our relations with them.”

“Perhaps not. President Sun is as eager as President Lane to rethink his security posture in the region. The PLA has become far too strong and too dangerous to his government. Thanks to the Mao Island fiasco, he now has the power to rein them in and start slashing military spending. But his security concerns are valid. In some ways, our vulnerability to North Korea’s nuclear arsenal puts China at some risk, since North Korea is seen as China’s proxy, which is only partly true. If we are allowed to have a nuclear arsenal, North Korea becomes an American and Japanese problem, no longer just a Chinese one.”

“The Chinese people won’t stand for it.”

“The Chinese government has engaged in anti-Japanese propaganda for decades to bolster their own legitimacy. President Sun will not only end that policy, he is also prepared to enter into a new and mutually beneficial relationship with us. He and President Lane believe that these new reforms and the resulting prosperity will better legitimize his regime.”

Tanaka fell back in his chair, thinking. “It’s hard to believe that so much has transpired in just two days.”

“Yes, isn’t it?”

Tanaka bolted back up, pointing his finger at Ito. “There’s something else going on, isn’t there?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’ve been planning this all along, haven’t you?”

“What do you mean?”

Ito watched the wheels spinning in Tanaka’s fevered eyes.

“This whole affair with the Wu-14 and the Liaoning . The Americans are the ones who sank the carrier, and you knew all about it!”