With the social amenities concluded, the president dismissed the steward and manipulated his Link. The Oval Office doors locked, and the windows went opaque.
“Commander Culp,” the president continued, “the CNO and Admiral Sterling have already been briefed, but I requested their presence during your briefing so that we all are absolutely on the same page.” He turned to Kimberly. “Would you please bring the commander up to speed?”
“Now you know what we are up against,” the president said to Culp. “I understand that you speak Russian and Chinese?”
“Actually,” Vice-Admiral Sterling interjected, “Commander Culp is fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, Mandarin, and Cantonese.”
Culp looked mildly embarrassed. “Languages come easy to me,” he said.
“You may need all of them before this is over,” Kim
