Admiral Artemis Winters sighed as she sifted through intelligence reports in her office on board the USS Gerald R. Ford.
"How are two damn ships causing this much excitement?" she muttered to herself.
The maiden voyage of the Libyan Naval Ship Aristotle, and the Sirius Nuclear Merchant Ship Bach, had put nearly every NATO naval asset in the Mediterranean and Atlantic on high alert.
Even now, a week after its launch, the Aristotle and Bach were being shadowed by no less than two Polaris class submarines, and were being tracked by NATO's satellite network as they made their way towards the Eastern Seaboard of the US.
According to the reports, the Aristotle was Libya's new flagship, and it was escorting the Bach, and a flotilla of Japanese fast freighters, all carrying a shipment of computer components and electronics.
"Why does a software company need a nuclear-powered cargo ship? And why does that ship need a full warship escort?" she wondered.
With a sigh, she got up and headed to the bridge to get a status update from the captain.
---
"OK, now I get why Malkovich and Saunier were so damn spooked," chuckled Artemis, as she looked through her binoculars at the flotilla approaching them.
The Aristotle and Bach were both sleek and black, with much smaller radar cross-sections than their size would suggest.
The Bach itself was basically a twin of the Aristotle, but with its deck filled with containers.
The Japanese fast freighters were shaped like more traditional cargo ships, with large boxy hulls and superstructures.
They were also lashed to both the Bach and the Aristotle with thick black cables, and sonar reports indicated that the Aristotle and Bach were both powering the Japanese ships through these cables.
"Admiral, the Aristotle is hailing us," said the captain.
"On screen," said Artemis.
The bridge's main screen flickered to life, showing a sharply uniformed man with a thin goatee and a neatly trimmed mustache.
His naval uniform was made from sleek black leather that gleamed under the bright lights of the Aristotle's bridge.
"Admiral Winters, I am Captain Siddig of the Libyan Naval Ship Aristotle. We are escorting the Sirius Software Nuclear Merchant Ship Bach, along with the MV Akeno Maru, MV Koneko Maru, MV Mio Maru, and MV Yui Maru. We request permission to enter Boston harbor to offload our cargo," he said.
"Captain Siddig, this is Admiral Winters of the USS Gerald R. Ford. The Bach and the other ships have clearance to enter Conley Container Terminal. However, the Aristotle will need to hold position outside US waters," replied Artemis.
"Acknowledged, Admiral. We will comply," said Siddig, before the screen went dark.
"Well, that was cordial," mused Artemis.
"Tell that to Saunier and Malkovich, that thing's missile test nearly hit the Charles de Gaulle," said the captain.
"Hmph! That was hubris and overconfidence on their part. Saunier gave the clearance orders too early, and didn't even bother to track the drone," replied Artemis.
---
"Aristotle to all ships, cut power lines and switch to internal power," announced Captain Siddig over the radio.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
The power lines connecting the Bach's and Aristotle's nuclear reactors to the other ships were cast off, and the Japanese freighters powered on their diesel-electric engines.
The drone of the heavy diesel engines filled the air and water, as power cables were retracted, and the freighters moved under their own power.
"Bach, you are cleared for entry. Hold position, and prepare for boarding and inspection," ordered Siddig.
"Bach copies, holding position," replied the Bach's captain.
"Let's hope everything goes smoothly," mused Siddig, as he observed US Coast Guard and Customs boats approaching the flotilla.
---
"Bach pilot to Gerald R. Ford. I cannot pilot the Bach. It is a dual use platform, unarmed but fully armored with stealth systems, requesting confirmation to proceed," came the shaking voice of the US civilian pilot over the radio.
"Acknowledged, return to the Ford. Ford to Aristotle and Bach, maintain position outside US waters, your cargo can be offloaded to the freighters, Ford out," replied Artemis.
"Understood, Ford, Aristotle and Bach out," replied Siddig.
The Akeno and Koneko repositioned themselves to use their cranes to offload the containers from the Bach onto their decks.
"Who the hell puts armor and stealth systems on a cargo ship?" grumbled Artemis.
"Aaron Zakhrov apparently," chuckled her captain.
"Have that pilot come to the Ford. I want a debrief," ordered Artemis.
---
"All right sir, calm down," said Artemis, as the civilian pilot's hands shook violently.
The pilot was a middle-aged man with a closely cropped beard and a look of panic in his eyes.
"Admiral! That thing was nothing like any ship I've ever seen! The decks were all coated in some kind of rubber, and the ship was like a damn ghost! You could barely hear the machinery! And the bridge! It had missile launch controls, radar and sonar displays, the works! I thought I had boarded the Aristotle by mistake, but no! The Bach is a damn warship!" he said, his voice trembling.
"OK, deep breath. Did you see any weapons?" asked Artemis.
"No, the deck only had containers, and it had a big-ass cargo hold, but no cranes. The bridge had everything for a warship though," said the pilot.
"I see. So they've swapped out the missiles for cargo space," replied Artemis, deep in thought.
"They can swap whatever they want, but the sonar and infrared signatures are nearly identical. You can't tell them apart unless you look really hard for the Aristotle's higher thermal signature," said Captain Denzel, the captain of the Gerald R. Ford.
"Were we able to inspect the reactors?" asked Artemis.
"Negative, the abort call came out before the nuclear inspectors could board," replied Denzel.
"Fine, let's just get those damned Japanese freighters through and be done with this. Then we can breathe easy once those two things go back to Libya," growled Artemis.
---
"What the hell were you thinking?" demanded Michael DuPont, storming into Aaron's office.
"I'll need you to be more specific, Michael," replied Aaron, looking up from his desk.
"What the hell were you thinking trying to bring a cargo ship that's identical to a damn stealth warship into Conley friggin Terminal?" shouted Michael.
"Hey, it's a civilian registry, and I own the thing," said Aaron.
"Yeah? You know what you own? A nuclear-powered monstrosity that's indistinguishable from Libya's nuclear-powered missile monstrosity! Hell, NATO had two subs tailing the flotilla all the way, and they couldn't tell which one was the warship unless they tapped into the transponders!" shouted Michael.
"And how is that my problem?" asked Aaron, leaning back in his chair.
"Because my dear Mr. Zakhrov, your little cargo ship is now reclassified as a warship! NATO now has standing orders to treat it and the Aristotle as DEFCON-2 threats! They can't step outside of Libya's harbors without all of NATO going on high alert!" shouted Michael.
"Michael, I have it on good authority that Libya does not have any nuclear weapons, and the Bach is US flagged, and fully unarmed," replied Aaron.
"Oh yeah? Try convincing Israel of that! They're in New York right now, pushing for a total sanction and blockade against Libya, and that means your new chip fabs are stuck in limbo!" shouted Michael.
His face paled as he saw Aaron's grin.
"Precisely why the Bach has stealth systems and armor, Michael. I don't have to worry about Libya's enemies trying to disrupt my supply chains," said Aaron.
Michael sank into a chair, running a hand through his hair.
"Aaron, look. I get it, you've been subjected to the kind of stuff that would sink a company into oblivion. But this is different. The Aristotle gives Saladin a weapons platform that's just one ICBM away from being a first-strike platform, and the Bach is also based out of Libya, even if you own it. Israel is freaking out, and so is NATO. You need to tone this down," said Michael.
"That's not my job Michael. Saladin's the one who has to worry about that. The Bach has a merchant marine registry, and a civilian transponder. Plus it cannot be outfitted with missiles without modifications in dry-dock," replied Aaron.
"Oh yeah? Try convincing NATO of that!" said Michael.
"Well, I'm not giving it up, so don't bother asking," said Aaron firmly.
"Yeah, yeah. Just don't come running to me when NATO or Israel decides to sink it! I can't get you out of that one," said Michael, as he headed for the door.
