W.E.B. Griffin - The Corps VII - Behind the Lines

"What kinda message?"

"Use the Emergency Code," Chief Dugan said. "Whoever sent this didn't have a valid SOI."

"What's this all about?"

"When I find out, I'll tell you. But in the meantime, just do it, and keep it under your hat, OK?"

"What the hell, why not?"

"Thanks, Piedwell."

Two hours later, Radioman Third Miller was back from the Presidio with a blank, sealed, business-size envelope. When Chief Dugan opened it, he found a single sheet of typewriter paper inside:

WE HAVE THE HOT POOP FROM THE HOT YANKS IN THE PHILS FERTIG BRIG GEN

Dugan handed it to Radioman Third Miller.

"What's this mean?" Miller asked.

"It could mean the Japs found a Model 94 and are fucking with us," Chief Dugan said. "And it could mean it's for real."

He refolded the sheet of paper and put it back in the envelope.

"The next time these people come on the air, send them 'Stand by at 0600 your time,' " Chief Dugan said, and stood up. "I'll be back as soon as I get back," he said.

"Where are you going, in case somebody asks?"

"I'm going to tell the Admiral how to run the war," Chief Dugan said.

"I mean, really."

"Chief petty officers never lie, son. Write that on the palm of your hand so you never forget it," Chief Dugan said, put on his jacket and hat, and left the radio room.

"Long time no see, Dugan," Rear Admiral F. Winston Bloomer, USN, said. "You can spell that either 'sss eee eee' or 'sss eee aaa.' Coffee?"

"Thank you, Sir," Dugan said.

The Admiral and the Chief went back a long way, to when the Admiral had been a lieutenant (j.g.) commo officer on an old four-stacker tin-can and the Chief had been a radioman striker.

Dugan handed Admiral Bloomer the envelope, then helped himself to a cup of coffee from the Admiral's thermos. "OK. What is it?" the Admiral asked.

"Somebody's transmitting that on the twenty-meter band for a couple of minutes every hour on the hour. It was encoded on a Model 94, no SOI."

"A Model 94? They haven't used those for years. Japanese playing with us? They captured one somewhere? Wake Island, maybe? Or in the Philip-pines?"

"It may be the real thing."

"What do you want to do, Dugan?"

"I want to find out if there is a brigadier general named Fertig."

"In other words, you want me to go to Naval Intelligence for you?"

"I've got a pal who can find out for me in a hurry."

"Why does that make me uncomfortable?" Admiral Bloomer asked, add-ing, "Faster than ONI?"-The Office of Naval Intelligence-"Who does your pal work for, the President?"

"The Secretary of the Navy has an administrative assistant. The adminis-trative assistant has a Chief who works for him."

"And you know where he buried the body, right, Dugan?"

"Bodies, Admiral."

"I don't want to know about this, Dugan. But if you get in trouble, you have my phone number."

"Thank you," Dugan said. "What if I find out something?"

"Yes, please, Dugan. Keep me posted. I hope this is genuine."

"Thank you, Sir."

Radioman Third Miller walked up to Chief Dugan's desk and handed him a sheet of paper.

"This what you've been waiting for, Chief?"

URGENT

FROM SECNAV

FOR OFFICER COMMANDING

US NAVY BASE MARE ISLAND

ATTN: CPO EDWARD B DUGAN, USN

THERE IS NO GENERAL FERTIG IN US ARMY OR USMC

LTCOL WENDELL W. FERTIG CORPS OF ENGINEERS, USARMY RESERVE REPORTED MISSING AND PRESUMED JAPANESE POW ON BATAAN.

LTCOL FERTIGS NEXT OF KIN WIFE MRS MARY HAMPTON FERTIG, GOLDEN, COLORADO DOB 11MAY1905

BY DIRECTION SECNAV

HAUGHTON CAPT USN ADMIN OFF TO SECNAV

BY HANSEN CPO USN

Dugan read the teletype message.

"What time is it here when it's 0600 in the Philippines?" he asked.

"I don't know, Chief."

"You don't know? My God, Miller, you're a radioman third, you're sup-posed to know that kind of thing. Find out, and be here when it is."

"You know what time it will be here, right?"

"Of course. I'm a chief."

Dugan stood up and put on his cap and jacket.

"I'll be back when I'm back," he said.

"You're going to tell the Admiral how to run the war again, right?"

"Actually, I'm going over to the Presidio to talk the Army into loaning me their Model 94."

Radioman Third Miller put his fingers to his radiotelegraph key:

KFS TO MFS

KFS TO MFS

BY

The reply came immediately. Chief Dugan looked over Miller's shoulder as the words appeared on his typewriter.

MFS T OKFS

STANDING BY

"Send it," Chief Dugan ordered.

Miller took his right hand from the typewriter keys and put it onto the ra-diotelegraph key.

KFS TO MFS

SEND ENCRYPTED MAIDEN NAME FERTIGS NEXT OF KIN AND DATE OF BIRTH

STANDING BY

There was no reply for several minutes.

"They're either encoding it, or we're talking to the Japs, and they're won-dering what the hell to do now," Chief Dugan said. And then there was a reply:

MFS TO KFS

JIOQT LPITZ SHDQW JFIUO GMCIT

PSATY SDERJ HQWKM JEWRP AITCD

ITDFS EWNOR HSQIT SDRTP CFENG

JIOQT LPITZ SHDQW JFIUO GMCIT

PSATY SDERJ HQWKM JEWRP AITCD

ITDFS EWNOR HSQIT SDRTP CFENG

MFS BY

Chief Dugan ripped the sheet of paper from Miller's typewriter, walked quickly back to his desk, and operated the Model 94 Cryptographic Device he had borrowed from the Army at God only knew what cost in future favors to be repaid.

"Miller," he called, and paused a moment as if he was trying to regain control of his voice. "Send 'We are ready for your traffic' "

"No shit? It's for real?"

"Belay that. Send 'Welcome to the net. We are ready for your traffic' "

Chief Dugan reached for his telephone.

"Operator, Chief Dugan. Long Distance Priority Code Sixteen-B. Get me Mrs. Mary Fertig in Golden, Colorado."

Radioman Third Miller, without stopping his tapping on his key, called over his shoulder:

"Chief, you think you should do that without asking somebody?" "If I ask somebody, they'd likely tell me not to," Chief Dugan said. Mrs. Mary Fertig came on the line two minutes later. "Mrs. Fertig, this is Chief Dugan, Mare Island Navy Base."

"Yes?"

"Ma'am, I think we have just heard from your husband. General Fertig?"

"You must be mistaken. My husband is Major Fertig. And he's in the

Philippines."

Radioman Miller handed Chief Dugan another sheet of paper, and then

hurried back to his typewriter.

"Ma'am," Chief Dugan said, "let me read you something. 'For Mrs. Fer-tig. Quote. Pineapples for breakfast. Love. End quote.' Does that mean any-thing to you?"

There was a long pause.

"Yes, that means something. It means my husband is on the island of Min-danao. We used to go there often, to play golf on the Dole Plantation. We al-ways had pineapples for breakfast."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Is there any way I can get a message to my husband?"

"Yes, Ma'am. A short one. What would you like to say?"

There was another pause.

"Please tell him all is well. And send love."

"Yes, Ma'am. I'll try to get that to him right away. Ma'am, I'm sure some people will be in touch with you. Maybe, when they come to see you, it would be better if you didn't tell them I called you."

"I understand. Thank you so very much, Mr. Dugan."

"That's Chief Dugan, Ma'am. Good-bye, Ma'am."

[ONE]

Office of the Military Governor of Mindanao

Cagayan de Oro, Misamis-Oriental Province

Mindanao, Commonwealth of the Philippines

0900 Hours 13 October 1942

"My General," Lieutenant Colonel Tange Kisho said to Brigadier General Kurokawa Kenzo, "Captain Saikaku has been handling the matter of the clan-destine radio station and related matters. With your permission, Sir, I will ask him to brief the General."