A Thousand Shadows

By Dan McClure

China thirsts for more energy resources, the prize of the New Great Game going on across the globe involving adventurers, analysts, sailors and spies. In the eye of the storm, Lieutenant Paul Bennett of the US Office of Naval Intelligence must navigate the hidden dangers on his mission to uncover the truth before sparks ignite and turn this unseen conflict into a naval war on the edge of Asia.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dan McClure
• Release date: Jul 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465790620

Dan McClure

Writing, working and living in beautiful, historic Arlington, MA.

Book preview

Foreword

The oldest intelligence organization in the United States, the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) was formed in 1882, 65 years before the CIA was created in 1947. Though George Washington and Benjamin Franklin had employed intelligence operations during the revolutionary years, it was the ONI that became the first permanent intelligence organization in the United States. Started as a select group of highly educated naval officers, ONI operatives were dispatched to spy on the other naval powers and to provide critical information to the US Navy and the US government via the security of the diplomatic pouch. Duty was hazardous and arduous. The results sparked the growth of the US Navy as a global power and established a code of conduct within ONI’s ranks: silent professionals willing and able to undertake the most dangerous missions.

From its start, ONI has been a steward for the growth of the US Navy. In the late 1800’s, the US Navy was emerging as a powerful arm of US power. The ships, and men who sailed them, began to take on a more global mission as the United States broadened its territory across the continent and across the oceans. With ONI’s inception, these US Navy professionals served as spies in foreign ports evaluating the capabilities of potential adversaries. At the beginning of the 20th century, ONI, using that intelligence, enabled the US Navy to win its first major conflict of the new era, the Spanish-American War. Commodore (later Admiral) George Dewey’s defeat of the Spanish Fleet on May 1, 1898 at Manila Bay and his famous call to Damn the Torpedoes, full steam ahead has been a refrain for perseverance in the face of danger ever since. That war turned the US Navy and the United States into a global power that must be reckoned with by the other major nations. Fifty years after this war, the United States and its Navy stood alone. The wake of World War II left only one sea power and thus one national power in control. The mighty sea engagements by the US Navy determined the course of the war ONI was the harbinger of many of these naval victories. In the post-World War II period, the US Navy has been the backbone of US national power. ONI continues to excel as the intelligence arm of the US Navy and the US Government. A silent profession, the men and women of ONI continue to achieve victories that go unreported and unheralded. This novel provides an insider view of these professionals as they work day-by-day to achieve advantage for the Navy and the country in a dangerous world.

1800 21NOV PHILIPPINES

Paul had never had a gun pointed at his face. He had been shot at before and he had even shot at a few guys in the not so distant past, but he never had a gun pointed at his face. It was less than three feet away. He could almost reach it if he raised his arm. With a glint from the evening sunset, the black metal of the barrel appeared bluish in the hazing light. He could not see down the barrel which was dark, but he assumed a bullet was in the chamber. The gun was cocked and the owner had his finger on the trigger. A slight squeeze and the hammer would fall, a crack would be heard and fire would surge out of the barrel with the lead projectile spinning clockwise as it emerged from the weapon. The bullet would slam into Paul’s face and kill him, probably before he could wince. Paul always tried to prevent himself from wincing when he got shots at the doctor’s office. It did not seem manly and he never saw his father wince. If he was shot here with a bullet, he would not wince so his father would not have to see his son wincing at the last moment. Paul thought this was good.

But where would the bullet hit him? If it hit his nose, it would probably hurt a lot. Paul broke his nose when he was in Little League, almost two decades ago, because another player swung the bat and hit him smack in the face. The pain was terrible. The nose tends to be a tender spot which his father told him once the blood started to slow down. Ever since that June day, Paul has tried to avoid getting punched in the face during the odd fist fights normal men get into as they grow older. But if a bullet hit his nose, he assumed the pain would be much worse than the bat incident even if he died a split second afterward. Then again, the bullet could also hit him in the eye he conjectured. If so, the wound in the front would be very clean. When the bullet exited his skull out the back, Paul imagined his brains would shoot out too. And because he was standing close to the rail, Paul imagined his brains would fall into the sea below the deck. In some respects, he would have a burial at sea for his cerebral cortex, something every sailor wishes for after spending long nights on watch gazing at the dark ocean waters moving along the line of the hull. And with his brains falling into the water, Paul imagined his body would go limp and he would fall straight down as his knees buckled. His head probably would not hit the floor too badly and his nose would be spared from more damage. So if the bullet went through his eyeball, Paul imagined they probably could give him an open casket. The hole in the back of his head could be fixed up; at least well enough to hide the carnage from the mourners. His eyes would be closed anyway. Paul thought it would be good to have an open casket for his mother. He had not seen her in about a year because of his job and location, but they were close when he was growing up and Paul guessed that the open casket would be good for closure. But his father was standing next to him and for someone to watch their son die in front of them would be quite difficult to view. Paul didn’t want to have his father witness his death. And because Paul and his father were on a covert mission for the US Government, his dad probably couldn’t tell his mom how he really died. Paul thought his dad might not even be able to tell his mom that he was with him at the end. This seemed like too great a burden for any dad to carry. Paul hoped that the bullet wouldn’t exit the barrel in a clockwise rotation spinning toward his nose, his eye or his face in general. But the owner of the gun just kept ranting and pointing the weapon menacingly. Paul blinked to wick the sweat from his eyelashes and he let out a deep breath which comforted him a bit; gave him composure. And as he exhaled, the sweet sting of salt in his eyes reminded him that ten days ago he felt this sensation before in a place miles away physically and figuratively from where he was standing now. It would be nice to live to see that place again.

0730 10NOV HONOLULU

In the middle of the Pacific, the dawn arrived on the beach in Hawaii and the morning waves were crashing on the shore. Out of those waves emerged a young man who trekked up the beach carrying a surfboard. He wore shorts and a rash guard shirt, his hair was bleached from the sun and salt water and his skin was bronze and weathered from the same. He jogged up the sand to the parking lot at the edge, sliding his board into the back of a jeep and fishing a towel out from the gear on the floor. After wiping off the morning sea water from his body, he slid on a khaki shirt and pants with less than a modicum of modesty. On the collar of the shirt was a double silver bar emblem that identified the wearer as a US Navy Lieutenant. The ribbons over the left breast pocket meant the wearer of the uniform had done his duty in the past. The name tag on the right breast pocket said Bennett. With all the buttons done, fly zippered, and buckle fastened, the complete package identified this morning surfer as Lieutenant Paul Bennett, a US Navy officer with experience.

Paul threw the towel back onto the floor behind the seat and jumped in and drove the vehicle out of the parking lot. He turned into morning traffic of Honolulu heading in the direction of Pearl Harbor, the major US Navy base in the Pacific and home of his employer, the Office of Naval Intelligence. ONI at Pearl Harbor supports all US military units stretching from the shores of the US West Coast to the border of India and Pakistan: a zone of half of the world’s people and half of the world’s surface area. Monitoring this vast territory and the multiple countries was the small elite crew of naval officers and sailors charged with providing intelligence to Pacific Command’s leadership. Paul was a key member of the team, and despite his surfing attitude, he enjoyed and relished the challenge.

After Paul navigated the morning traffic and passed through the security gate, he negotiated the myriad of roads on the base until he entered a small compound off on its own in a secluded spot with a building, a building with only a few windows. He parked his jeep in last open spot in the parking lot and started walking to the front door. On the steps of the building, Paul saw his boss, Commander Mulligan, waiving his hand with urgency. Commander Mulligan had an identical Navy uniform of khaki pants and shirt, but his uniform had silver oak leaves on his collar to identify his rank as superior to Paul’s and his rows of ribbons were much longer detailing his more extensive warfighting resume than his protégés. But in addition, Commander Mulligan’s uniform was much more sharply creased and fit more precisely on his physique. That the Commander carried a greater amount of the military discipline and ethos than Paul was evident from his uniform. While Paul had the stereotypical blonde hair of a surfer, the Commander was bald, but his head was also highly tanned and his body fit from the daily runs he would take on the beaches in Hawaii.

Commander Mulligan waved to Paul with one hand and held a coffee cup in the other. Paul thought that if the Commander had been waiting there at least long enough to have a cup of coffee, this meant the topic was urgent. Paul picked up his pace and bounded up the steps to the office front door. Commander Mulligan could not hide his annoyance with Paul’s arrival time by his glare and his tone.

So Paul, how are we feeling today, said Commander Mulligan.

Great sir, and you, said Paul, trying to express some enthusiasm to break the ice.

I’m fine, thank you, replied the Commander.

The Commander peered more closely at Paul’s face and asked Did you shave today.

Not yet sir, said Paul. I will when I shower and change in the locker room.

Make it quick, we have a meeting with the Admiral, said the Commander.

Paul responded, Is something going on? Did a war start?

No, not yet, the Commander responded. Clean yourself up and meet me in my office in 20 minutes. I want at least ten minutes to go over with you what I know before we see the Admiral.

Aye, aye sir, said Paul, I will be in your office in twenty minutes.

The Commander left Paul to head for the showers and departed back to his office on the upper deck. In the Commander’s experience, Paul was always on time which was the mark of a good naval officer. But more importantly for the Commander was that Paul was very good at intelligence work. For Commander Mulligan, that was everything. The Commander did not suffer fools, the very reason Paul was the man he wanted for the assignment. Intelligence was not cookie-cutter and the work demanded a vibrant, inquisitive mind that could master ideas and dissect issues clearly. Paul was definitely one of those rare individuals. The Commander valued Paul as a member of his team.

Paul made it to Commander Mulligan’s office in the time he estimated and knocked on the door. A crisp enter was heard from inside and Paul turned the handle and did as the voice commanded. Commander Mulligan was sitting at his desk, reading a stack of papers which he put down when Paul appeared, and gestured for Paul to come in.

You made it, said the Commander. Good. Come in and sit down."

Paul took the chair in front of the desk and sat down. His face was clean shaven and he did not reek of salt water, but he had the obvious smell of shampoo emanating from his hair.

Admiral Sullivan has asked me to identify someone from my staff, who can assist him in a special assignment that has come his way, said the Commander. He asked me to name someone who was very good at intelligence analysis, could travel to Asia very quickly and had some background in economics or industry. To be specific, he asked for anyone who knew anything about the oil industry. I got this request from him late last night in a phone call, and I immediately thought of you. Now do you have any issues that we need to discuss before we go in to see the Admiral, or are you onboard?

Despite the directness of the Commander’s intent to enlist Paul in some task for the Admiral, Paul naturally did not want to jump into dark water without knowing the depth of the pool. He said Sir, what do I have to do on this assignment?

I don’t know, said the Commander, but the Admiral is looking for someone, and I am sure he did not call me at 1AM last night, because he could not sleep. Do you have any issues? the Commander repeated.

No, Sir Paul replied. He emphasized the response so Commander Mulligan would hear him loud and clear, but Paul was not enthusiastic about taking on an undefined mission. His analytical talents meant he scrutinized details before he made decisions. However, Paul liked and respected the Commander and he would do his bidding.

Ok, then let’s go see the Admiral, the Commander said.

Only a few doors down the hall were Admiral Sullivan’s office. It actually was a suite with a lobby, some potted plants and a couch for visitors, not that ONI received many visitors. And the Admiral’s office also had windows which was unusual in ONI and across the intelligence community. When Paul and the Commander reached the Admiral’s office suite, a Marine guard stood in the lobby and Sheila Warden, the Admiral’s assistant, sat at her desk.

The Commander said to Sheila, Is the Admiral ready to see us, Sheila?

Yes, said Sheila, go in. Sheila never looked up from her computer screen.

The Admiral was sitting at his desk, hunched over a couple of binders. He was large man, and Paul could not tell if he had a neck sometimes. Hunched over Paul thought he looked like an ogre from a picture book that Paul bought for his nephew for his birthday. The Admiral raised his head when the men entered the office, but did not smile. Paul could not remember if he ever saw the Admiral smile.

Admiral Sullivan said, Good morning gentlemen, please sit down.

Thank you sir, said Commander Mulligan.

Paul did not respond as he wisely thought it was best to have the Commander do most of the talking. Both men sat down in chairs in front of the Admiral’s desk. The Admiral waited for both men to settle in and then he began to speak about the matter that he called the Commander about very late last night.

The Admiral directed his gaze at Paul and said, Paul I want you to know that Commander Mulligan thinks very highly of you, and thinks you are perfect for a special assignment I need you to undertake. The Admiral continued, I was in DC last week and I was cornered by some congressional staffers from Senator Jackson’s office and questioned about the growing Chinese threat in the region. I, of course, continued my standard line that it would be some decades before the Chinese have built up the military capability to threaten us in the Pacific. Nevertheless, the economics of China is another issue, and one that most military analysts can’t get their head around; present company included. One of the hot button issues is the whole energy area, and I need someone to focus on this topic and be able to give me sound analysis.

Paul noticed that he stressed the word sound. Paul was well aware that most analysts at ONI-Pearl Harbor usually got chewed out by the Admiral over what he would consider unsound analysis.

The Admiral continued, I am not sure if you read the Wall Street Journal, but recently a Chinese oil company tried to buy a US oil company. In addition to this, they outbid another US oil company in the process. As you can probably guess, these US oil companies have a lot of clout on the Hill and the entire issue has been front page news on the mainland. Now I am all for free trade, but people in Washington and on main street America don’t like it when a Chinese company can buy a US oil company and suddenly we have more imported oil. That is the issue in a nutshell, and ONI needs an opinion on this. I would rather have my analysts work on military issues, but the economy of China is not going away, and the Chinese need to procure more and more energy assets will only follow. Consequently, I need to understand this issue completely, and Commander Mulligan suggested that you would be the right officer to take point.

Paul listened to the Admiral’s comments and directions calmly, but the words take point resonated with him the most. In basic military movements, taking point was never the envied position.

Thank you for your confidence, Admiral, said Paul, I assume you would like me to investigate the topic and get back to you by the end of the day.

No Paul, I would like you to investigate the topic and by the end of the day, be on a flight to Beijing, Admiral Sullivan countered. I can read the paper here and probably learn enough about the topic to be conversant. However, I need to know what the Chinese are up to in the oil business and you can’t learn that from sitting in this building.

Sir, most of my career has been in political-military analysis, and I really do not have a background in economics, replied Paul.

The Admiral interjected, Commander Mulligan said that you have a bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering from UT Austin, and that your family is in the oil business.

Paul replied, Sir, with all due respect when you have an engineering degree from University of Texas, it really can only be in Petroleum Science. And my maternal grandfather was a wildcatter in the 50s and 60s, but I personally do not have much experience in the oil industry.

Nevertheless, the Admiral responded, I need someone and you have most of the skill sets that are required. Pack your sea bag!

Aye, aye, sir, responded Paul.

Good, said the Admiral. Sheila will arrange your travel plans. Provide daily reports to Commander Mulligan who will keep me informed of your progress. If you run into trouble, contact Commander Mulligan and he will get to me. Thank you for your time gentlemen, dismissed, said the Admiral.

After Commander Mulligan and Paul left the office and got out of ear shot of the Admiral and Sheila, the Commander asked, Paul was that enough guidance from the Admiral.

Paul responded, Sir other than finding out what the Chinese are up to, in the oil business, should I be drafting some kind of report?

The Commander responded, My feeling is that the Admiral is not looking for some report. He wants someone to figure out what is going on and be his eyes and ears out there.

Out where, Commander? asked Paul.

Wherever the trail takes you, said the Commander. Just remember to get receipts for your travel voucher.

Can you give me anymore guidance than that sir? asked Paul.

The Admiral wants you to go to Beijing to start your investigation. I will send a cable to the embassy letting them know that you are in-route and that you are on a special assignment for Admiral Sullivan. I think it is best that you keep the overall nature of your assignment to a need-to-know basis. The US/China relationship is a very delicate subject today. I will let the embassy know that you are on an analyst orientation trip and that you are specifically trying to get a grasp of the economic situation in China. Once you are on the ground, try covertly to discover specifics about the energy area and not draw too much attention.

Paul responded, Sir my mission is to gain intelligence without letting my own government know that I am doing it which sounds difficult and possibly illegal.

This is not illegal so don’t worry, said the Commander, Just do your best.

OK, said Paul. When should I come back?

When the job is done, said the Commander.

Sir the whole scenario sounds very open ended, said Paul. Are you sure this is the Admiral’s intent?

I know the Admiral and he needs help on this issue Your mission is open-ended because your topic as you can guess is very open-ended, said the Commander.

The Commander then added, I am going to make a call to a guy I know who is at the station in Beijing.

Paul realized what the Commander was offering him a CIA