Arctic Storm Rising, Dale Brown [free e books to read txt] 📗

In Memoriam

Once again, this novel is dedicated to my son, Hunter Dale Brown. My fondest memories of him are when I gave him his firstbath in my kitchen sink when he was about a week old, with his mom looking on in terror; his high school graduation partyon the shores of Lake Tahoe; his Eagle Scout court of honor; and collaborating on my novel Strike Force when he was just nine years old, tossing ideas back and forth as I drove him home from school.

Like his old man, Hunter was quiet, a little shy, and fiercely loyal to those who got to know him. He was a hard worker, thego-to IT guy, a great teacher, and the best son Diane and I could have ever wished for.

Life is nothing but the soul’s never-ending journey through time and space, and I’m happy that Hunter’s came into our lives.We love and miss you, big guy. Enjoy the rest of your journey.

Epigraph

We had discovered an accursed country. We had found the Home of the Blizzard.

—Sir Douglas Mawson, polar explorer

I will find a way out or make one.

—Attributed to Robert Peary, Arctic explorer

Contents

Cover

Title Page

In Memoriam

Epigraph

Cast of Characters

Prologue

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Twenty-Four

Twenty-Five

Twenty-Six

Twenty-Seven

Twenty-Eight

Twenty-Nine

Thirty

Thirty-One

Thirty-Two

Thirty-Three

Thirty-Four

Thirty-Five

Thirty-Six

Thirty-Seven

Thirty-Eight

Thirty-Nine

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

Weapons and Acronyms

About the Author

Also by Dale Brown

Copyright

About the Publisher

Cast of Characters

Americans

captain nicholas “nick” flynn, U.S. Air Force intelligence officer, assigned undercover to Wizard One-One, an HH-60W “Jolly Green II” combat search-and-rescue helicopter

captain scott “fx” dykstra, U.S. Air Force, command pilot, Wizard One-One

technical sergeant carl “zee” zalewski, U.S. Air Force, pararescue jumper assigned to Wizard One-One

captain kate “ghost” kasper, U.S. Air Force, copilot, Wizard One-One

staff sergeant bill wade, U.S. Air Force, flight engineer and gunner, Wizard One-One

technical sergeant mike camarillo, U.S. Air Force, pararescue jumper assigned to Wizard One-One

“anderson white,” head of an OGA “Other Government Agency” (CIA) black ops team

sergeant first class andy takirak, Alaska Army National Guard, senior noncommissioned officer assigned to Captain Nick Flynn’s Joint Force security team

pete johansson, civilian maintenance supervisor, Barter Island Long Range Radar Site, Kaktovik, Alaska

smitty walz, civilian electronics technician, Barter Island Long Range Radar Site

marta mcintyre, civilian cook and “gofer,” Barter Island Long Range Radar Site

senior airman mark “m-squared” mitchell, U.S. Air Force, communications specialist assigned to Flynn’s Joint Force security team

private first class cole hynes, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team

trig jensen, hermit trapper working the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska

miranda reynolds, head of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations

jonas murphy, U.S. Director of National Intelligence

bill taylor, U.S. Secretary of Defense

rear admiral kristin chao, U.S. Navy, head of the Pentagon’s operations directorate

general frank neary, U.S. Air Force, Chief of Staff

staff sergeant peggy baker, 176th Air Defense Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, radar specialist, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska

lieutenant colonel carmen reyes, 176th Air Defense Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, operations center supervisor, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

specialist rafael sanchez, U.S. Army, Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless rifle gunner attached to Flynn’s Joint Force security team

private wade vucovich, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team

major jack “ripper” ingalls, 211th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, HC-130J Super Hercules pilot

captain laura “skater” van horn, 211th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, HC-130J copilot

general keith makowski, U.S. Air Force, commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)

captain amanda jaffe, U.S. Air Force, Information Integration Officer, RC-135V Rivet Joint ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) aircraft

technical sergeant philip kijac, cryptologic language analyst, RC-135V Rivet Joint aircraft

colonel leonard huber, U.S. Air Force, commander, Third Wing, Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

captain connor “doc” mcfadden, U.S. Air Force, F-22 Raptor fighter pilot

lieutenant allison “cat” parilla, U.S. Air Force, F-22 Raptor fighter pilot

major king, 176th Wing, Alaska Air National Guard, liaison officer to Third Wing

lieutenant general david rosenthal, U.S. Air Force, commander, Alaskan Command (ALCOM), Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

private first class torvald pedersen, U.S. Army, designated rifle marksman for Flynn’s Joint Force security team

airman peter kim, U.S. Air Force, assigned to Joint Force security team

staff sergeant tim wahl, Alaska Air National Guard, HC-130J Super Hercules loadmaster

private noah boyd, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team

private mike sims, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team

private floyd leffert, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team

private gene santarelli, U.S. Army, assigned to Joint Force security team

Russians

colonel alexei petrov, Russian Air Force test pilot in charge of the PAK-DA prototype stealth bomber flight test program

mikhail ivanin, CEO of the Tupolev aerospace and defense company

georgy remizov, Tupolev corporate test pilot

dmitri grishin, oligarch and CEO of Severnaya Zvezda Stolitsa (North Star Capital), one of Russia’s largest industrial and financial conglomerates

dr. viktor obolensky, neurologist employed at the Bekhterev Private Clinic in Moscow

major oleg bunin, Russian Air Force test copilot for the PAK-DA stealth bomber flight test program

pavel voronin, confidential assistant and troubleshooter for Grishin

sergei bondarovich, ex-Spetsnaz major now working for Voronin

piotr zhdanov, president of the Russian Federation

major general vasily mavrichev, Russian Air Force, commander of the Long-Range Aviation Force

lieutenant general yvgeny rogozin, commander, Russian Air Force

major valentin yakunin, Su-30 fighter pilot

captain ivan saltikov, Su-30 fighter weapons officer

konstantin yumashev, head of the Federal Security Service, the FSB

gennadiy kokorin, Minister of Defense

admiral nikolai golitsyn, commander, Russian Navy

sergei veselovsky, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, the SVR

aleksandr ivashin, head of the General Staff’s military intelligence agency, the GRU

major vadim kuryokhin, Russian Air Force, Su-35S fighter pilot

captain ilya troitsky, Russian Air Force, Su-35S fighter pilot

colonel iosif zinchuk, Russian Air Force, commander, Tu-142 maritime reconnaissance aircraft

captain sukachov, Russian Air Force, Tu-142 defense systems operator

lieutenant gorsheniov, Russian Air Force, Tu-142 second navigator

captain yuri bashalachev, Russian Air Force, Tu-142 bombardier-navigator

captain arkady timonov, Russian Spetsnaz special forces, commander, reconnaissance-attack team outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

lieutenant leonid brykin, Russian Spetsnaz special forces team outside Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson

captain first rank mikhail nakhimov, Russian Navy, commander, SSBN BS-64 Podmoskovye

senior lieutenant anatoly yalinsky, Russian Navy, diving officer, SSBN BS-64 Podmoskovye

major gennady korenev, Russian Spetsnaz special forces, commander, Raven assault force

captain primakov, Russian Spetsnaz special forces, second-in-command, Raven assault force

colonel general anatoly gruzdev, commander, Russian Strategic Rocket Forces

Canadian

peter gowan, Royal