Grigori Ivanoff looked away from the adviser across the table from him, and toward the television. His father was giving an impromptu press interview on the front steps of the capitol, where reporters had cornered him.
“Little is known and the situation is still breaking, but we believe there to be no threat at the present,” said the Grand General to one of the reporters. The news reporter threw back to the anchormen at the studio desk. “I think we should all just hope that there was no spill. If the tanker collided with shore without a spill, then the clean up will be fairly easy. Much easier than the alternative anyway.”
“Sure Brett, but the cleanup isn’t what sounds so strange. What happened to the crew? The initial reports were that strange transmissions were made from a tanker off shore in the middle of the storm last night. The Navy’s radar tracked the ship as it sailed straight into our shore dozens of miles north of Point Pleasant. And hours later, after the storm, when the military and civilian responders were able to reach the remote location, there was a ship, but no crew to be found. These reports have been walked back, and as you just heard Rurik Ivanoff himself say, those initial reports are now disputed. But the whole story sounds strange to me. What do you think, Brett?”
Grigori turned the television off. “Well other than a some serial killer, I can’t imagine where the crew would have gone.”
“Unless they don’t want us to know where they went,” the adviser said, shaking his head. “I remember stuff like this at the academy. A ship just so happened to crash in one of the most remote coastal locations on our island, and it just so happens not to have spilled any contents so the media and maybe even the government will look somewhere else soon. This sounds like a very well orchestrated military insertion to me. I’ve seen better, but I’ve seen many worse also. And the Grand General agreed with me.”
“Oh… My. That is an interesting theory. So what has my father decided to do?” The eldest Ivanoff son knew his father was very likely already planning a full war with an enemy that was probably not even there.
“Your father agreed with me. He dispatched a unit to the scene. If there was any enemy movement, I’m confident these men can detect some sign. We have quietly alerted the armed forces, all air, ground, and naval bases on at the ready. If something is coming, we will respond.”