returning from holiday bond boards hms "invincible" and is tasked with security for the "stewards' meeting", all while a massive war game is being carried out among the american, british, and soviet navies, known as "landsea '89". before long bond is at the centre of a murder investigation of an american naval intelligence officer, and he leaves to report the incident, bast executes its plans to capture the ship and hold the world's three most powerful leaders for a $600 billion ransom.