Lethal Trajectories by Michael Conley Read Free Book Online Page B

the conversation with Sato.
    “He then made a not-so-subtle threat that Japan might rethink its investments in American treasuries and other financial interests if we were not willing to fully back them as one of our oldest allies. Needless to say, that really burned me. But my official response was ‘Mr. Prime Minister, you have to do what is best for your country, just as I have to do what’s best for mine. For now, I simply can’t agree to your requests until we get more information and have had a chance to digest it.'” They all nodded in agreement as he continued.
    “I suggested we might be of greater assistance to Japan by remaining neutral, as it would give us access to China—access that Japan no longer has. I also said we would bolster the Seventh Fleet to protect American interests in the area and asked that he keep me apprised of any new developments. It was not a pleasant conversation, and my sense was that Sato knew Japan was negotiating from a weak position and was trying to bluff his way into a better deal.”
    Burkmeister paused, cleared his throat, took a large sip of water, and again felt a deep, stabbing pain in his stomach. He made a mental note to check this out with Doc Toomay right after the meeting.
    “Surprisingly, my conversation with Chairman Lin Cheng had a conciliatory and collegial tone,” Burkmeister said, recovering from his spasm.
    After briefing them on his conversation with Lin Cheng and chairing an intense hour of discussion, the president said, “All right, people, we need to wind this meeting down. Let me quickly summarize what I think we agreed upon: First, the United States will remain neutral until all facts and circumstances can be fully ascertained and verified. Second, we’ll urge both sides to cease military action and instead take their dispute to the United Nations for peaceful resolution. Third, we’ll offer our good offices and best-faith efforts as an intermediary to bring a peaceful resolution to the Chunxiao Incident. Last, we’ll reinforce the Seventh Fleet and make sure any would-be aggressors know we’ll have zero tolerance for anyone trying to take advantage of the Chunxiao situation. If that about sums it up, I’d like you, Admiral, to craft a statement I can read in the Rose Garden at eleven thirty today.”
    The president hastily adjourned the meeting and almost ran down the hallway to his private restroom around the corner. He bent over the sink with a coughing spasm that left him breathless and disgorged an enormous amount of bile. He wiped his face with a wet towel and was horrified to see blood on the towel and in the sink. He carefully rinsed out the sink and then just stood there, looking at his own haggard face and bloodshot eyes in the mirror. He wondered, What is happening to me?
    As he left the restroom, he knew his next call would be to Rear Admiral John Toomay, his resident physician.
    The Rose Garden
14 September 2017
    President Burkmeister glanced again at his notes and the statement he would read in the Rose Garden in just a few minutes. The pills that Doc Toomay had given him following a quick physical only an hour or so ago were starting to take effect, and he was feeling much better.
    He tried not to dwell on what Dr. Toomay had said, but the good doctor had forced him to realize it might be something far more serious than indigestion. He had not noticed his jaundiced skin and eyes until Doc Toomay had pointed it out to him, and the fatigue and acute stomach pains, which he had chalked up to the stresses of the job, might indeed be symptoms of something far worse.
    One of the things he had learned early in his presidency was to compartmentalize the problems and challenges he faced. He broke challenges down into easily digestible, bite-sized units to avoid being overwhelmed by the magnitude of the job. His unit of work now was to make a Rose Garden statement on the Chunxiao Incident, and in this effort he was aided by Doc Toomay’s