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

"Very interesting," Kurokawa said after examining it. "But we don't have the forces available to patrol all these beaches."

"I am aware of that, Sir," Saikaku said. "I suggested to Colonel Tange that we patrol these marked areas on a random basis, using aircraft and small- three- or four-man-patrols on the beaches themselves."

"That's the best you can do?" Kurokawa asked, almost sadly.

"Our best hope, General, is the interception and rapid decryption of the message Australia will send to Fertig, telling him when and where to expect the submarine."

"Unless, of course, the Americans don't send such a message, and simply put their people ashore to find Fertig by themselves."

"We must accept that as a possibility, General," Tange said. "But still, it is my respectful recommendation that we increase our shore-patrol efforts on the eastern shore."

General Kurokawa considered that for a moment.

"See my Operations officer, Tange, and work out a plan with him. Bring it to me for my approval."

"Yes, Sir."

"And you, Saikaku, make sure that if there is a message from Australia announcing the arrival of a submarine, we intercept it."

"Yes, Sir."

[ONE]

Water Lily Cottage

Brisbane, Australia

2105 Hours 9 December 1942

Major Hon Son Do, Signal Corps, USA, muttered an obscene and vulgar word not ordinarily in his vocabulary, rose from the paper-cluttered dining-room table, went to the sideboard, picked up a bottle of Famous Grouse, poured an inch and a half into a water glass, and drank it straight down.

Sitting at the table were Captains Robert B. Macklin and Edward Sessions, USMC; Lieutenant Chambers D. Lewis, USN; Lieutenants K. R. McCoy and John Marston Moore, USMCR; and Sergeant Stephen Koffler, USMC. Hon turned to them, met McCoy's eyes, and announced, in his thick Boston accent, "Just between thee and me, Kenneth my lad, when I was recruited to apply the ancient and noble art of cipher to the detriment of our enemy, this was not what I thought they had in mind."

"Why don't we just give up? We've been at this for hours. And all we've come up with is that bullshit," McCoy said, pointing at the typewriter on the table in front of Koffler. "And hand me that bottle when you're through with it."

"The Boss said come up with a way to communicate with Fertig-" Lieu-tenant John Marston Moore began, to be interrupted by Captain Macklin's bark:

"General officer on the deck!"

Both McCoy and Sessions flashed Macklin a look of mingled disbelief and contempt-this was Water Lily Cottage, not Headquarters, Parris Island. But their response, and that of the others, was Pavlovian: There was the sound of chair legs scraping on the floor as everyone started to rise to their feet and come to attention.

"As you were, gentlemen," Brigadier General Fleming Pickering said as he and Colonel Jack (NMI) Stecker walked into the room. "Keep your seats."

Pickering and Stecker found seats at the table.

"Pass him the bottle, Pluto," Pickering ordered. "And when he's had what I'm sure is a well-deserved taste, he can explain exactly what bullshit it is you've come up with."

"Sorry, Sir, I didn't expect you back so early," McCoy said.

"Obviously," Pickering said. "Colonel Stecker and I just took eleven dol-lars of El and Madame El Supremo's money at bridge. If you have the bad manners to do that, you are not invited for postgame drinks."

Pluto chuckled, then walked to where Koffler was sitting before a type-writer, jerked a sheet of paper from the platen, added several other sheets to it, and laid them before Pickering and Stecker.

"I'm embarrassed to show you this, Sir," he said. "Koffler just made a clean copy. Most of it's Moore's idea."

"Thanks a lot, Pluto," Moore said.

"I didn't mean that the way it sounded, Johnny, sorry. None of us had any better ideas, Sir. And this just may work."

McCoy snorted.

Pickering read the top sheet of paper, and then handed it to Stecker.

Message One

Hour 0000

U S E W H USEWH

02 20 19 04 10

A T N A V ATNAV

17 09 18 14 21

E E W I L EEWIL

19 38 04 08 23

L F I N D LFIND

24 09 11 18 03

I N H E A INHEA

22 18 10 19 08

V E N A S VENAS

12 19 18 08 20

S I M S U SIMSU

20 08 04 20 02

B C 0 D E BC0DE

09 13 14 03 28

"OK, John," Pickering said. "Explain this to me. Start at the beginning, and explain everything carefully. Colonel Stecker and I are old men, and we don't absorb things as quickly as you bright young fellows."

"We were about halfway through this, General," Lieutenant John Marston Moore said, "when Pluto brought up that we have to presume the Japa-nese (a) are listening to our traffic, and (b) by now have broken the Ludmilla Zhivkov Zanesville simple substitution code, and thus (c) we need another one."

"OK," Pickering said. "So tell me what will the Navy find in heaven?"

" 'If the Army and the Navy ever look on heaven's scene,' " Captain Ed Sessions said, " 'They will find the streets are guarded by United States Ma-rines," " he continued. "From the Marine Hymn."

"Jesus H. Christ!" Colonel Stecker said, in mingled disbelief and disgust. "That's the best you so-called experts can come up with?"

"Yes, Sir, Colonel Sir," McCoy agreed. "My thoughts exactly."

"With respect, Sir," Pluto said. "Moore said we needed something that any Marine would know and that would not be immediately familiar to the Japanese. This meets that criteria. We tested it on nine of the Marines in Townsville, Joe Howard in the hospital in Melbourne, and Colonel Mitchell at SWPOA."

"Since you obviously couldn't tell them why you were asking, those must have been interesting conversations," Pickering said with a chuckle.

"They were, Sir. But all but one Marine knew-almost immediately- what was meant."

"Who didn't?"

"Colonel Mitchell, Sir," Moore said. "He asked me if I had been drink-ing, and said that he intended to bring the conversation to your attention."

"It sounds as if you were," Stecker said, pointing to the quart of Famous Grouse in front of McCoy. "How many bottles of that stuff have you people been into?"

"Take it easy, Jack," Pickering said. "If it works, don't laugh at it. OK. We now have a fresh simple substitution code. What's 'Hour 0000' mean?"

"The Sunfish will surface thirty minutes after nightfall the day before the landing is attempted, Sir," Pluto said. "And transmit Message One. The clock will start to run-Hour 0000-when receipt of Message One is acknowledged. If you'll look at the second sheet, Message Two?"

"Message One will be transmitted from the Sunfish? Is that what you're saying?" Pickering asked, as he read the second sheet of paper.

Message Two Hour 0200

THEYWILLFINDTHESTREETSAREGUARDEDBYUNITEDSTATESMARINES

12345678901234567890123456789012346678901234567890123

1 2 3 4 5

K I L L E KILLE

06 07 06 08 03

R A N D E RANDE

18 23 36 40 45

R N Y W I RNYWI

49 51 04 05 06

L L E A T LLEAT

07 08 15 23 38

B E A N S BEANS

33 39 43 51 53

T H I R T THIRT

01 O2 06 18 21

Y M I L E YMILE

34 47 50 07 15

S S U U T SSUUT

22 46 27 27 38

H I S M 0 HISMO

O2 06 53 47 27

R N I N G RNING

49 51 06 11 26

"Lieutenant Lewis suggested, Sir, and we're agreed it's a good idea, that Message One will first be transmitted from the Sunfish, and then, when the radio stations here and at Pearl hear it (they will be alerted to listen for it), it will be repeated by them. The greater strength of their signals will more or less guarantee reception by Fertig."

"If Fertig happens to be listening," McCoy said.

"The possibility of course exists, Ken, that they will not be listening," Pluto said. "But I think they will be."