An awareness of an incongruity crept up Jake’s spine. His brother’s warning about needless violence bothered him.
“How long until our torpedo seeker goes active?”
“Twelve seconds,” Remy said.
“Shift it to passive mode,” Jake said. “I don’t want it making any noise.”
“Shifting to passive mode,” Remy said. “Our torpedo is in passive mode.”
“Henri, Jin,” Jake said, “join me at the chart.”
Jake watched the men walk to him beside the table in the room’s center. Beside Jin, Henri’s tone had shifted from defiant to erudite.
“Passive mode?” he asked. “To minimize the Romeo’s chance of hearing it and evading?”
“No,” Jake said. “Although that’s true tactically, that’s not why I did it. I just wanted to buy time to make a decision without them knowing we shot at them.”
“What decision?” Henri asked.
“To let them live.”
“You called us here to ask our opinions?” Jin asked.
“Yes. We’ve just heard four submarines get pummeled, and part of me is just tired of needless killing.”
“I see,” Jin said. “But I am aware of your history. You have caused the death of many adversaries. You are not one for showing mercy without justification.”
“Mercy is its own justification,” Jake said. “But I see your point. You mean that I need a good reason.”
Jin nodded.
“Review the facts,” Jake said. “Taiwan and America want that submarine sunk. China wants it sunk, too. So, since everybody wants that thing sunk, the right answer is to sink it, right?”
“That’s the obvious answer,” Jin said. “But I see that you question it. If you consider that adversaries desire the same outcome, then one of them may be drawing the wrong conclusion.”
“Right,” Jake said. “And I just figured it out. We have drawn the wrong conclusion. China is the side that wants that submarine dead. Not us.”
“But why?” Henri asked.
“Survivors,” Jake said. “That’s the biggest risk. A cracked North Korean submarine hull at the bottom of deep water coupled with North Korean torpedoes blowing up underneath the Reagan makes you wonder if the Koreans actually pulled this off by themselves.”
“I see,” Henri said. “But if men on the Romeo survive and tell stories of deception, then you’ve eroded most of your plausible denial about China’s participation.”
“Right. And I mean to track that thing to its end. We’re quieter, faster, better, and with a ton more endurance with our MESMA system. And they can’t drive home because we’ve got that hydrophone defense line. They’re stuck in open water for a long time, at our mercy. We just need to get a message off to friendly forces to let them know our plan.”
“I will draft that message immediately,” Jin said.
Jake verified that the closest hostile torpedo passed far north of his ship before looking up to Remy.
“Antoine,” he said.
“Yes, Jake?”
“Shut down our weapon.”
“What’s going on out there, Gao?” Chan asked. “Are any friendly torpedoes finding their mark?”
Gao stood from his stooped perch behind a sonar technician. He appeared fierce, his sharp, angular features casting shadows on his face.
“Weapons are either circling the Reagan or vectoring to oblivion. This is impossible. It’s as if the carrier is somehow invisible to torpedo seekers.”
“Our salvo of weapons is faring no better against an unknown enemy that may not exist — the wide sector of water we attacked?”
“Correct, sir. Not so much as an active sonar return from a single weapon. But if there were a submarine out there, I believe you’ve distracted it enough to let us drive away, hopefully unnoticed.”
“And no sign of Kilo three-six-six?”
“No, sir. It’s as if they no longer exist.”
“Given the results of this so-called attack on the Reagan,” Chan said, “they’re just as well off elsewhere, whether dead or alive.”
As Gao moved to his side, Chan smelled pungent body odor.
“The Americans must have known about our attack,” Gao said. “Their anti-submarine defenses aren’t this strong, even in waters they know to be hostile.”
“But somehow, we have survived,” Chan said. “We, the least capable vessel in this exchange and the vessel with the most subterfuge surrounding its agenda.”
“Our fate is beyond reckoning,” Gao said. “We should already be dead.”
“But we are alive and will remain that way. And we seem to be succeeding in evading the only way we can — slowly, optimizing our silence, and praying that none of the carrier strike force assets stumble across us.”
“We are on the correct course for giving ourselves that chance,” Gao said.
“Let’s continue this evasion before we discuss subsequent actions. But once I’m convinced we’re free of this mess, I’ll want to create a plan for getting our feet back on dry land.”
Over the next hour, the fusion of heightened emotions drained from Chan’s frame. His fingers tingled, and he wondered if fatigue and numbness would consume him. He accepted that the failed trapping of the Reagan had been a reverse ambush, and he stuffed the frustration deep inside himself for future processing.
He watched Gao stand from beside a seated sailor. His executive officer yawned and stretched. Their eyes met, and Chan waved him to the table.
“We’re done with this cursed engagement,” Chan said. “It’s time to plot our escape.”
“There’s no rescue ship,” Gao said. “You’ve looked for signs of it in the message traffic. You’re not hoping to reach snorkel depth and learn that the East Sea Fleet has decided to send us a rescue ship?”
“Hoping — yes, Gao. Expecting — no. That would be folly. However, I mean to complete my mission.”
“Sir? The Reagan survived, our comrades were defeated, and it’s likely that our homeland attempted to sacrifice us in betrayal. What mission would you define?”
“Given that we are alive, I am uncertain of the betrayal. I will give the fleet the benefit of the doubt.”
“It hardly seems to matter now.”
“It matters only that I refuse to head home.”
Gao scrunched his face in thought.
“I admit I hadn’t considered it,” he said. “We could avoid the Taiwanese hydrophone line and get home by driving north around Japan, but you bring up a good point in seeing possible danger in returning home at all.”
“We could attempt docking at a remote port far from the influence of whoever may have betrayed us,” Chan said, “but the power of the party is vast and quick. I will not risk it.”
“Then where will we go?”
“Taiwan,” Chan said. “We will complete the charade that this is a North Korean submarine by scattering the bodies within it and turning it into an inferno before commandeering a passing vessel.”
“Have you considered just driving this submarine into Taiwan?” Gao asked. “It’s far simpler.”
“But it would be treason,” Chan said. “We must straddle the line between assumed betrayal and loyalty to our cause.”
“Then we must find a vessel willing to rescue us as we burn and abandon this one.”
Chan straightened his back.
“A willing vessel,” he said, “or a vessel we can take by force. We have torpedoes to slow it and small arms to raid it. Then we can redirect the vessel to Taiwan and earn time to think and react to the publicity surrounding this failed attack on the Reagan. We could possibly reach Taiwan and blend in, find our way to a friendly outpost.”