As if realizing their peril, J-31’s were still bravely trying to take off to gain the safety of the open sky, rather than facing an ignominious end in the sea. They leapt off the ship, one by one, like dark birds from a tree limb. As the first trains of LRASM’s began to vector in, FFG Jingzhou fired off her HQ-16 SAM’s in defense. The American missiles were stealthy, and only ships at certain angles to their advance seemed to be able to get any radar illumination on them.
Karpov nodded his head, smiling.
“Now, Samsonov. Fire the second salvo, the same as the first.”
“Aye sir! Missiles away!” the excitement of the moment was catching. Fedorov came over to watch on the radars with Rodenko, and Nikolin was leaning to try and get a peek. Only Tasarov sat, unmoved beneath his headset, his mind and thoughts in another world, deep beneath the sea.
Brave Jingzhou was able to take down one train of four Vampires, which had even befuddled DDG Chilong, the Red Dragon. From that ship’s angle, they could just not resolve a firing solution on the American missiles. Now the J-31’s began to swoop lower, like the falcon hawks they were named after. They were adding their PL-15’s to the defense, and getting hits from above.
In the heat of that action, four lances came in from the west at a terrible speed, and DDG Xining was the only ship that had a firing solution. It sent eight HQ-9’s out after them. They killed three of the four, the last forging on through after Shandong. It was guns and jammers that saved the carrier from a second hit, but three more LRASM’s had weathered the gauntlet of fire, and now they were bearing down on the target.
Even at a range of just eight miles, the destroyers Xiamen could not get a target lock. Frigate Wenzhou, was equally frustrated, but two others, Weifang and Wuzhi, were inside three miles from the carrier, and had a better angle for their HQ-16’s, but they were not getting hits. Then Shandong fired its secret weapon.
The Chinese had installed them on all their high value ships, lasers, and a light sword flashed at the missiles, getting a hit on the leading Vampire. The turrets hummed and fired again, knocking down the second missile. Weifang fired two more missiles, but they would not get the last before the lasers found it and knocked it down. Those turrets had saved the carrier from what looked like certain destruction, a light speed close in defense weapon that had weighed heavily in the balance. The SAM missiles seemed like slow dogs by comparison.
“Did you see that?” Karpov looked at Fedorov. “That white line there indicates a laser burst. The Chinese have raised the stakes.”
“Didn’t stop our first Zircon,” said Fedorov.
“I think it took them completely by surprise. The LRASM’s were slower, and the lasers had to come on line, apparently just in time to get those last three American missiles. But look how close they came. Even the J-31’s were unable to get at many of them. Tomahawks would have never gotten through that defense. There were ten escorts around that carrier! Look, it’s turning to head north. I think we mission killed the damn thing with that first hit.”
“Amazing,” said Fedorov. “This indicates that 32 missiles were fired in this engagement, and only our Zircon got through in that first salvo, but you may be right. The carrier is turning.”
“They’ll be angry,” said Karpov. “Expect a counterattack, and soon. I’d fire again, but look how they are surrounding the carrier with all these frigates. They are literally forming a wall of steel around that ship.”
“Message from the Americans, sir,” said Nikolin. “It’s their E-3 Sentry aircraft.”
Karpov inclined his head, somewhat puzzled to be contacted by the orbiting Sentry. Then Nikolin conveyed the message.
“Congratulations, Cyber One. Sentry confirms Gator down. Repeat, the Gator is going down.”
“Acknowledge that,” said Karpov smiling. Then he turned to the CIC station. “Comrade Samsonov, you have just sunk another aircraft carrier!”
Everyone on the bridge gave a cheer.
Part XII
Malacca Dilemma
“Never expect a yield of milk from a bull…”
Chapter 34
Fedorov remembered a time when Karpov would have hovered over Samsonov at the CIC, even insisting on toggling the switch to fire the missiles, wanting to make sure it was his hand sending out the fire and steel. Yet now he seemed a changed man. With every hit, he had turned to Samsonov, praising him, handing him the laurels. In truth, he thought, neither man killed that ship. It was Kirov. The great battlecruiser had received the targetign information from the American Sentry, and Samsonov had merely seen that it was correctly transferred to the fire control system. Yet he had programmed in the three turns required to move the missiles where Karpov wanted them. After that, it was all Kirov, the mindless ship that had carried them so far, into so many battles, and without ever suffering defeat.
I wonder, thought Fedorov. Was Kirov just an extension of our will? After all, it did nothing unless the officers and crew told it to. Then again, were we merely the means the ship used to impose its steely will on the sea? You could look at it that way, he thought. Now we must brace for the inevitable counterattack, never an easy time on the bridge when the missiles come for us. Let’s hope we can pull through, as we always have. Karpov has always kept us safe.
Has he? Again, wasn’t it Kirov that has kept us safe? The ship has radar eyes that see things none of us know. All we do is give the command to fire. From that moment forward, our lives and fate are solely in the hands of this ship. It seems a living thing, with a computer mind of its own. Yes, a great Sea Dragon, Mizuchi, and we are just riding its scaly back, watching it breathe fire in battle, and hoping we live to find calm and safe water yet again….
Aboard the carrier Taifeng, Admiral Wu was mortified. Shandong was gone…. He knew that ship and crew, having moved his flag there after Zhendong was torpedoed. Now he was on the finest carrier in the navy, Taifeng. Pass like thunder and lightning, he thought. Move like wind. We open the battle by striking at Singapore, and within minutes, Shandong is gone….
How can I live down the shame? This is the third time I have been ordered to command the waters off Singapore, and while I have driven off the Royal Navy, two precious aircraft carriers that were under my command have suffered hard fates. Without them, we cannot sail far from our shores, no matter how many destroyers we build.
That thought sat on his shoulder like a dark and noisome crow. This war is not going well for us. It may seem so in a strategic sense. Yes, we have closed Suez, and still dominate the Arabian Sea, but when Sun Wei came north, our watch ended on the sea lanes between the Cape and Diego Garcia. Yes, the plan to seize Saudi Arabia is well underway, but there is a limit to what the Iraqi Army can do. With the Siberian front still dangerous, can we afford to send military aid there? Yes, we have the Ryukyus, but the Americans have backed Japan, and that issue is not resolved. Yes, I have driven the British from Singapore, but something tells me the Americans and Siberians will not leave so quickly.