I can think of a few right here on the Chesapeake, and if we could get her round the Horn, there’s a million little atolls we could use, and they all belong to us.” “So, except for the crew, we’d keep her…” You can take those reasons in any order you want.” That’s one difference between us and them. Besides that, this simply is not the sort of thing you do in peacetime. Murder a hundred men? Even if we wanted to, there’s no way we could conceal it in this day and age. “The thought has occurred to me,” Tyler said. Next you’ll ask me if we might arrange for the crew to disappear.” “A shitload and a half.” Tyler hadn’t known that Greer was a mustang and could swear like a real sailor. “You know, sir, that whoever does want to go back will be in a whole shitload of trouble-excuse me, sir.” Okay, how will they know we have her? Those crew members who don’t want to defect will ask to go home. So if they find out we have her, they’ll ask for her back, and we’ll have to give her back. And legally, the president says, it’s their property. The boat is worth a billion dollars, more if you throw in the missiles and warheads. “This is not like holding onto a stray fighter plane. If somebody landed a MiG-25 here we wouldn’t give it back.” “I suppose that does make sense-but why give her back? This isn’t Japan. “Smart money is that it’s only the officers, maybe not all of them, and that they’re trying to get over here without the crew’s knowing what they’re up to.” “Commander, just how likely do you think this scenario is? Do you think the whole crew of a submarine has decided to come over to us all at once?” Greer shook his head. It took Skip a moment to grasp what he’d just been told. But there’s a lot of things that could happen to prevent our ever seeing her.” After we’ve had a chance to look her over, of course. What are we going to do with her?” Tyler smiled to himself, thinking that as a senior consultant to Sea Systems Command, he’d sure as hell get a chance to look at a for-real Russian submarine. Commander, if you tell that to anyone, I’ll have your other leg mounted overtop that fireplace. The Russkies have never recalled all of their boomers at once. “The whole picture dropped into place an hour ago. “Then where did you get this other information?” Greer snapped. “Sir, I haven’t spoken with Jack since Monday. If the admiral had had more sleep he might have bluffed it out. “Red October’s going to defect, isn’t she?” Tyler persisted.
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