“That’s an excellent idea,” Torres said. “But I am running out of helicopters.”
“Will you allow me a telephone call, then?” Renard asked.
He climbed stairs to the observation room and called Olivia McDonald. Her groggy, throaty voice overlaying the whining tones of jet engines suggested that he had awoken her while in flight.
“Don’t tell me you slept through that,” he said.
“Not a wink, but I passed out immediately after the Alcatraz exploded. I was impressed by that move, but I suppose I should have expected it from you.”
“You didn’t want to wait to hear that Jake was safe?”
“He’s a great swimmer, and I would put money on him versus any shark that would mess with him.”
“He is indeed fine. I haven’t spoken with him yet, but every man is accounted for from my ship.”
“Congratulations, Pierre. You must be on top of the world.”
Somehow, he suspected she was ready to bring him down.
“For the moment.”
“What can I do for you?”
“Can you dedicate a satellite to capturing the Philippine rescue effort of the Chinese surface combatants?”
“It’s already happening. Navarro made a good call extending the olive branch.”
“I might have known. Will you be willing to share the video for his management of international sentiment?”
“Of course, Pierre. I wouldn’t dream of keeping such exquisite footage to myself. May I go back to sleep now?”
“Accept my apologies for having doubted your support.”
“Accepted. Oh, and one more thing, Pierre.”
“Yes?”
“In three days, I want you and Jake in my office for a debriefing of this entire affair. We need to discuss your future.”
The line went dead, and he returned to the Philippine leaders.
“You are assured of video footage from the United States. Of course, I recommend that you gather your own footage as well, when possible.”
“I have seen to it,” Navarro said. “I am allocating air force assets to assist.”
“Excellent.”
“Now, as I remember your plan for the post-deployment phase of the railgun module,” Navarro said, “you suggested retaking Mischief Reef next. Does the absence of one railgun or the loss of our frigates and half our gun boats alter that plan?”
“Not at all,” Renard said. “In fact, your defeat of the Chinese task force simplifies it. The challenge is learning how to appear gracious in the international spotlight while forcefully retaking that which was and is rightfully yours.”
“I have an update,” Torres said. “The fires on the Pilar are under control. The ship is seaworthy, and its main gun is functional. It’s available for assisting with taking Mischief Reef.”
“Are the marines still aboard?” Renard asked. “I mean — are they capable of their duties.”
“Yes, the entire platoon survived.”
Renard looked at Navarro.
“Then I recommend sending the Pilar to Mischief Reef and having a boarding party standing by while the president’s staff instructs the Chinese ambassador to arrange for a peaceful transfer of the reef’s personnel back to proper Chinese soil. Continue to send your transport ship of marines to the reef as a backup landing force.”
“Such success and position of strength is new ground for us,” Navarro said. “Literally and figuratively.”
“Your immediate goal is to simply occupy the reef. Once that is done, you shall reposition your Patriot missiles from Nanshang Island to Mischief Reef for better protection of the railgun module. Once you’ve repaired the second gun and replenished the module’s magazine, your zone of protection from the Second Thomas Shoal to Thitu will be formidable.”
“Mischief Reef is an obvious and immediate next step. But can I expand my fishing areas? With the Chinese showing their willingness to deploy a submarine into the area, is my fishing fleet at risk if I send it in?”
“Within the protective radius, your risk is minimal for the fishing fleet,” Renard said. “I don’t expect that Chinese submarines would harass them, and the railguns and Patriot missiles will deter surface ships and aircraft. I recommend announcing this morning that your fishing fleet has new havens at their immediate disposal.”
The nation’s de facto leader appeared as tired as the Frenchman felt in his aging bones, but his enthusiasm inspired his continued probing.
“Turning back a Chinese task force, controlling fishing areas, retaking Mischief Reef, and creating a protective zone are enough reasons for me to declare this undertaking a success,” Navarro said. “But I seek the greatest economic benefit. Now that we’re here, on the other side of the confrontation, tell me what stands between me and the oil?”
“Submarines,” Renard said. “Your adversary has shown a willingness to deploy its finest undersea assets to oppose you. They obviously see the value in the sea space that you just wrested from them, and they will come again to challenge your oil platform.”
“The test data shows that the platform can withstand a torpedo. Based upon its design, my experts agree, but that’s just a single torpedo. How it tolerates multiple torpedoes is a matter of speculation I wish to keep untested.”
“And so you shall. I believe you’ll be best served by a two-part protection plan, beginning with a submarine and followed by helicopter support, when they become available.”
The small man’s eyes gleamed under his bald scalp.
“What’s the timeframe? I would obviously like to deploy the platform as soon as possible, but the helicopters have yet to arrive.”
“Your anti-submarine helicopters should arrive in six weeks,” Renard said. “I’ve hired operators to fly them and train your aviators. You will soon have your own detachment stationed on the oil platform, able to constantly search the waters around it for hostile submarines. This, of course, supported by merchant shipping with sonar systems surrounding the platform.”
“Deterrence is a powerful force.”
“Indeed it is. A man would be crazy to test a submarine’s torpedoes against the platform while exposing himself to an immediate response by helicopter.”
“And what to do until the helicopters arrive? You mentioned a two-part plan.”
“I have a submarine I will dedicate to the cause — free of charge. I owe you for the delay of the helicopters, and it’s the least I can do. Production issues with my suppliers may be out of my control, but I still hold myself responsible to provide you the protection I promised.”
“Immediately? The platform is making no money while it floats next to my shoreline.”
Renard lit up a fresh cigarette.
“Sorry. No. I may be magnanimous, but I am no saint. I will need four days to deploy your protection.”
“Four? The Wraith is already on station. Why the delay?”
“Because I won’t be using the Wraith. I’ll be using the Specter. It will be arriving aboard its transport ship in two days. Then I’ll allow half a day for transferring weapons from the Wraith to the Specter, and then the Specter will deploy to protect your drilling platform.
“Compared to a six-week delay, I can hardly complain about four days. But why the Specter instead of the Wraith?”
“Once the Specter is offloaded, I’m going to load the Wraith onto the transport ship and take it to the Specter’s construction yard in Taiwan. The Wraith lacks a MESMA air-independent propulsion system, and I intend to fix that.”
“MESMA?”