FRANK PAYNE AND THE MYSTERIOUS CAVE

-- Chapter 5 -- Military Strategy

Screams echoed from the yards of the Naval Base in the port of Apra in Guam. Rear Admiral Thomas Wolf had just met by video conference with Lieutenant General of the US Armed Forces, Sir Erik Morgan. On the express orders of Army General George Nelson, the officer was to strengthen an urgent alliance between the Department of the Navy in Guam, the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and The Marines coming from Okinawa, Japan.

Anyone looking at Thomas could not tell from his superior whether he was apprehensive about the information that had been passed on to him recently or whether he was elated to finally return to war. This was what he had enlisted for as a young man, still in California, USA.

He went through many hardships to reach the rank he had reached, but he did not regret anything, as he was present at the front of many battles on several occasions, and this adrenaline was what made him feel alive. The then-major Wolf had been transferred to Guam fourteen years ago, with the promise of becoming a naval admiral in a brief time, raising his rank very quickly.

The officer took his wife and their six-year-old son, who is literate in both languages, English and Chamorro, the official languages ​​spoken on the island. Since arriving in the Marian Islands, he started the peace mission set up by the UN, using ships and even the legendary submarine USS Frank Cable to rescue shipwrecked people, air accidents and natural disasters near Guam, such as typhoons, tsunamis, etc.

Thomas had not felt his blood boil for a good couple of years. He had some minor setbacks, like that accident with a thief who prowled the islands in the region stealing rare items and stones from the legendary caves of Guam, Rota and Saipan. This was approximately five years ago, when he had already been promoted to Rear Admiral of a one-star.

It was something he never got out of his mind, because, in a pursuit, the burglar ended up drowning in the waters of the Marianas without ever having found any trace of his body and the stolen artifacts, at least that was what he had reported to his superiors. The searches went on for a few months, incurring an excessive cost and, in turn, frustrating Thomas' patent promotion.

Since then, everything has returned to the usual doldrums, with the same missions decided by the United Nations, without any emotion dominating his body. He felt his soul wasting away little by little, being only fifty-seven years old. He needed to feel alive again, and there was no better time to take Officer Morgan's call with General Nelson's orders.

Lieutenant General Morgan had been noticeably clear and convincing at the conference, he recalled: "Rear Admiral Wolf, the Honorable General of the Army ordered you to spare no efforts in combing the area and finding the cause of the explosion, even if have to descend with the submarine USS Obstinatus to dive in those parts. The world needs this protection, and we will be the ones to save humanity once more. We won't let any terrorist's attack. If necessary, we will attack before".

"Major Preston!" shouted to the almost admiral, eager to give him orders. "Gather all command in the training room now. I have a mission that will involve everyone at the naval base."

Thomas Wolf returned to his office, demanded that they call The Marines' unit in Okinawa, Japan, to devise a task force strategy for doing the mission. Thirty minutes after the demand of the meeting with full command and the end of the call, the admiral arrived at the training room, where everyone was waiting for him.

"Gentlemen, what I must tell you is something especially important, and not the nonsense about humanitarian aid that the UN has always ordered us to do these last few years. The mission I must present will require the best-trained sailors on the island, as well as those who don't fear death like me. The General of the American Army, as well as all the members of the Security Council of the United Nations ordered us to go down to the depths of the cold and dark waters of the Mariana Trench, as an explosion of generous size was registered, and we will need to find its cause.

"We will submerge inside the USS Obstinatus to the depth we can reach. But let's be prepared, as there are signs that other nations are prowling the region and that this was possibly a terrorist act. The Marines have also been called in, and we'll set out on a military expedition in three days."

He paused and looked at the faces of the other military around him.

"Captain Ford, commander of the ship Emory S. Land, is tasked with selecting his trusted men to anchor with Task Force 75. The vessel will support the mission, responsible for providing supplies, food, water, electricity, medical help and any spare parts or equipment for the submarines.

"Captain Sanchez will follow with patrol boat WPB-1337, guarding the waters around Guam and the community of the Northern Mariana Islands.

"Captain Roberts will command the patrol boat WLB-215, which will sail alongside the Emory S. Land to assist with mission protection and safety, performing search and rescue, and supporting the protection of the marine environment.

"Major Preston will command Submarine Squadron 15, responsible for command, strategy and monitoring of the mission directly from the Guam naval base.

"Captain Pontes and his team will be aboard the submarine USS Obstinatus along with The Marines who are coming to the island, to do all the patrols below sea level to a depth of 26,240ft. I will go aboard the bathyscaphe Aequor, any other type of vessel would not be able to overcome the pressure exerted by the deep waters of the sea."

This was a mini submarine built to submerge at great depths, developed by the rear admiral and engineers approximately three years ago, after the fateful episode of the thief who sank into the sea and disappeared without a trace.

"Does anyone have any questions?" asked the First Admiral, knowing that no one would dare raise a hand. "So, let's save the planet!"

Everyone roses, applauding and cheering the words of the exciting leader and gradually emptying the auditorium of the naval base.

As soon as there was no one left in the room, Thomas walked towards the map where he had made a line in the region known as Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench, and smiled menacingly.

"This time I'll find you, bastard!" Hesaid to himself. "I'm sure this is all your fault and that stupid submarinethat saved you. This time, you won't come out unscathed, whatever the cost."