“Yes. Remind our tactical team to listen attentively for active transmissions from helicopter sonars.”
A red light pulsating on his screen caught Cahill’s attention, and an unsolicited report from the Specter rang through the bridge.
“Active transmission, bearing three-one-nine,” Remy said. “Variable-frequency dipping sonar. Probable Harbin anti-submarine warfare helicopter.”
Cahill confirmed the bearing against that of the closest helicopter.
“Very well, Specter,” he said. “Probability of detection?”
“Less than fifty percent. The sound power level is small. I heard it on my bow array sonar. I don’t have it on any conformal hull sensors or towed array.”
Cahill forgave the Goliath’s sonar team for failing to hear the sonic threat since his ship lacked a bow array sonar.
“What do you want to do, Terry?” Walker asked.
He thought about doing nothing, counting on the helicopter to pick up its dipping sonar and reposition itself farther away. But he concluded that his patience for cat and mouse games with the Chinese had worn thin.
He grabbed a microphone and raised it.
“Prepare for rapid surfacing,” he said. “Ready all weapon systems. Translator, lay to the starboard bridge.”
“Now you’re thinking like a surface warfare officer,” Walker said. “You may want to remind Doctor Tan that he’s our translator and not our guest. He may not understand that laying to the bridge means getting his ass up here.”
Cahill spoke into the microphone.
“Anyone who sees Doctor Tan, help him find his way to the bridge immediately.”
“This is what happens when you hire an academic,” Walker said.
“Do you know anyone else with sea legs who’s fluent in English, Mandarin, and Korean and supposedly conversant in Russian? We’re lucky Renard found him.”
“Good point,” Walker said. “Pierre seems to be really good at finding people.”
“Line up our communications system for high-frequency voice, maximum power.”
Walker tapped his screen.
“High-frequency voice is lined up for maximum power.”
“Very well. Make your depth twenty meters.”
The deck angled upward, and as the darkness surrounding the windows became turquoise, he heard a knock at the door.
“Come,” he said. “Enter the bridge.”
A small man with disheveled black strands atop a wide head stepped through the doorway. Large eyes stared back at him through thick glasses.
“Welcome, Doctor Tan.”
“I came as fast as I could.”
“Are you ready to speak with an authoritative voice?”
“I am always ready. This is our agreement.”
“Good. Take the microphone. You will be hailing the pilot of a nearby helicopter and warning him to fly away from us. Can you handle it?”
“Of course. I have no more desire to die than you.”
“Ready for rapid surfacing,” Walker said.
With the Goliath’s generous electric power and low-diving depths, Cahill had high-displacement, centrifugal trim and drain pumps at his command. The rapid surfacing procedure included driving upward and spitting water from the trim tanks.
“Rapid-surface the ship.”
The world titled upward, and within seconds, sunlight bathed the room as the deck rocked and bobbed with surface swells. As he looked on the expected bearing of the helicopter, he instructed Tan.
“They’re out there somewhere,” he said. “Hail the pilot.”
As Tan rattled off words in Mandarin, Cahill glanced at his cargo. Through downward facing grates, water gushing from the bottom of the Specter’s ballast tanks spilled through the rubberized mesh of its cradle.
His executive officer, binoculars pressed against his face, called out and reminded him to look for the airborne threat.
“Phased array system is already tracking the target,” Walker said. “And I see it now, too. It’s definitely a Harbin.”
“Aim both cannons to land rounds half a mile in front of the target,” Cahill said.
“Cannons are ready.”
“Any response, Doctor Tan?”
“None. I’ve hailed three times.”
“The helicopter is moving towards us,” Walker said.
“Prepare to launch one round from each cannon.”
“Ready,” Walker said.
“Fire.”
The boom from the starboard railgun preceded the supersonic crack from the port hull’s weapon. Flying at seven times the speed of sound, the rounds splashed in seconds.
The low-altitude trajectories traced hazy tubes of vapor, and the supersonic impacts reminded Cahill of cruiser-sized shells shattering the sea’s silence. Mounds of water rose from the waves, erupted, and burst forth inverted fountains of fury in front of the aircraft.
But the helicopter climbed above the shooting droplets, recovered its path, and kept coming.
“Tell them that I will blow them out of the sky if they come within five nautical miles,” Cahill said.
Tan nodded and barked out commands in Mandarin with a renewed zeal, but the helicopter continued.
“Prepare one round from each cannon to land five hundred yards in front of the helicopter.”
“Weapons are ready,” Walker said.
“Fire.”
The rounds splashed, but the second helicopter joined the first in a direct sprint towards the Goliath.
“Six miles to the nearest helicopter,” Walker said. “Twenty-one to the second helicopter.”
“Set the system to automatically shoot the nearer helicopter if its range reaches five miles exactly. No more warning shots.”
“Automatically?”
“I don’t want us nitpicking about tenths of miles and last chances.”
“The system doesn’t allow that,” Walker said. “At least not that I know of.”
As Cahill placed his finger over the weapons control screen, he made a mental note to ask Renard for a software upgrade to improve the automation of the railguns.
“Then release the cannon controls to me,” he said, “and countdown the range to the nearest helicopter in tenths of miles.”
“Five point five miles,” Walker said. “Five point four.”
“I sure hope these mongrels don’t test me.”
“Five point three. Five point two.”
“Damn them,” Cahill said.
His finger twitched.
“Nearest helicopter is changing course!” Walker said. “It’s circling us now, keeping a range of five point two miles.”
“At least their crew has shown they can listen,” Cahill said. “Train the port cannon on the closest helicopter. Train the starboard cannon on the other. Shift propulsion to the gas turbines as soon as they can bear the load.”
“Weapons are trained,” Walker said. “Head valves are opening. Gas turbines are spinning up.”
Cahill stepped back and sat in the captain’s chair.
“That’s it?” Walker asked.
“That’s it. They would have tried to attack us by now if that’s what they meant to do. Whether that was their original intent or not, I don’t care. Seeing our railguns and phased array radar system has deterred them. From here, they’ll just follow us and take video until they satisfy their curiosity or until they reach their fuel limit.”
“You’re sure you don’t want to shoot them down, just to be safe? I don’t trust the Chinese.”
“Nor should you, but they don’t have suicide wishes. As I said, I’m not shooting down helicopters today. I’m avoiding them.”
Walker pointed at the nearer aircraft.
“You call that avoiding? I feel compelled to wave at the pilot.”
“Then wave, mate. I’ll give meself full credit for avoidance if we can keep this an aggressive but nondestructive encounter.”