“Roger, surface and sprint to twelve miles separation from shooting submarine. Over.”
“Will find you on radio after evasion. Over.”
“God willing, if we’re still alive. Over,” Cahill said.
“We’ll make it. Out.”
Henri leveled the deck.
“On depth, three hundred meters,” he said.
“Very well. Slow us down. Make turns for ten knots.”
“Making turns for ten knots.”
“Come right to course three-two-zero.”
“The weapon has passed through our countermeasures,” Remy said. “I must inform you that course three-two-zero is too broad to the weapon to be an evasion course.”
“I know. Ten knots is also a shitty speed for evading the torpedo, but I’m not evading it. I’m slowing and drifting off the line between it and the Goliath. I assume the weapon will follow the Goliath, and I want to slip quietly out of its way.”
“Time and bearings will tell,” Remy said.
“Comms check. Over,” Cahill said.
“Comms check, satisfactory. Out,” Jake said.
He stowed the microphone.
“Are you seeing bearing rate on that torpedo yet?” he asked.
“Perhaps a half a degree per minute,” Remy said. “It’s too soon to tell.”
Jake glared at his tactical display, wishing the direction of the incoming torpedo’s sounds to drift behind the Specter.
“Comms check. Over,” Cahill said.
“Comms check, satisfactory. Out,” Jake said.
He kept the handset in his palm, knowing he’d need it again.
“The torpedo is showing a bearing rate of three quarters of a degree per minute to the right,” Remy said. “It’s drawing aft of us and maintaining its track towards the Goliath.”
“Good. That’s what needed to happen.”
“You’re going to have to set Terry free soon,” Remy said. “He can’t outrun the torpedo if it gets too close.”
“I will as soon as I’m convinced the torpedo is locked on him and not us. Are you sure yet?”
“No. It’s probable, but it’s not yet certain.”
“Comms check. Over,” Cahill said.
Jake lifted his microphone.
“Comms check, satisfactory. Out,” he said.
“Loud explosion on the bearing of Master Four,” Remy said. “You’ve taken out the submarine that shot at us.”
“Very well. Bearing rate to the torpedo?”
“Just over one degree per minute. It’s moving into our baffles. It’s locked onto the Goliath.”
“You’d bet your life on that?”
The toad-head nodded.
“Comms check. Over,” Cahill said.
Jake hesitated.
“Comms check. Over,” Cahill said.
“Surface and sprint,” Jake said. “Surface and sprint. Over.”
“Roger, surface and sprint. Out.”
“What do you hear, Antoine?”
“The Goliath sounds like what you’d expect — two submarines surfacing with more broadband flow noise than a tornado and the loud spinning up of gas turbines.”
“What about the torpedo?”
“Drifting into our baffles and crossing to our port quarter.”
“Let’s recover from this mess, then. Henri, come left to course two-eight-one. Make your depth one hundred meters.”
The deck rolled and rose.
“Julien, can you get the drones back into a triangular pattern?” Jake asked.
“Yes. We got lucky. You drove towards them during the evasion, and you didn’t snap the control lines. They’re fine.”
“Send the drones on course two-eight-one at ten knots.”
As Julien acknowledged, Remy turned his head.
“Loud explosion. We just hit Master Three.”
“Very well,” Jake said. “Master Three is gone.”
He walked to his sonar expert and stooped beside him.
“You are tracking the Goliath at thirty-plus knots, right?”
“It’s a difficult geometry for me to estimate his speed, but I’m rather confident that Terry will be okay. You did it again. You got us out of another hostile encounter.”
“I hope so,” Jake said. “The problem is, I can only wonder what sort of welcome Terry’s finding up there. God knows how many surface combatants are rushing into the area now. I can only pray that I didn’t just order him to his death.”
CHAPTER 19
Cahill digested the onslaught of information. Long-range South Korean radar systems fed the Goliath’s starving tactical system, and the transport ship’s organic phased array radar detected ships nearby.
“Let’s identify the closest threats,” he said. “As long as we’re pinned up here running from that damned torpedo, we may as well rid ourselves of some unwanted company.”
“Shall I make ready the railguns?” Walker asked.
“Yes. The highest priority targets will be any airborne combatants I can find.”
“It’s less cluttered up here than I had feared. The activity still seems concentrated around the Gwansun.”
“But the armada is heading our way,” Cahill said. “Look at the speed leaders on these icons. Half the damned ships are pointing right at us. They’ll reach us before we can reach the Kim.”
“And from the looks of it, some of them might overrun the Kim. I fear that our latest skirmishes have made our mission more challenging.”
“But not impossible.”
Pierre Renard’s voice filled the space.
“Gentlemen, please inform me of your status.”
“Surfaced and still sprinting from a torpedo.”
“Is everyone alright?”
“Yes,” Cahill said. “Jake sank four submarines already, but one of them got off a good shot in our direction.”
“You’re surfaced in enemy territory during the day,” Renard said. “I hold you twenty-two miles from the nearest enemy warship, but I have no insight into the submarine situation.”
“I will have safely outrun the torpedo in another three miles. At that point, I’ll slow and submerge and listen for submerged contacts.”
“I dislike this. You’re at best at parity on your own against submerged adversaries. You’ll be limited to slow speed to avoid placing yourself at an acoustic disadvantage.”
“I’m aware that this predicament sucks without Jake’s escort, but nonetheless, here I am. Can we at least get some cannon fire into any aircraft that might be a threat to me or into the engine rooms of any surface combatants headed in me direction?”
“Right. Allow me a moment.”
For a fleeting instant, Cahill pondered turning back to South Korea. Saving strangers from a distant country seemed unworthy of him risking his life. Then he recalled his commitment to adventure and to facing danger to right wrongs.
“Bogeys Five and Six are maritime patrol aircraft,” Renard said. “They’ve been flying in sonobuoy deployment patterns around the Gwansun, and now they’re headed for you. I recommend four splintering rounds into each and then assessing damage. GPS guidance is available to you if needed.”
“I’m ready to fire now,” Cahill said.
“Go ahead.”
“Liam, prepare four splintering railgun rounds to intercept Bogey Five and four rounds to intercept Bogey Six.”
“Four splintering railgun rounds each are ready for Bogey Five and Bogey Six,” Walker said.
“Fire the cannons.”
The boom from the starboard railgun preceded the port hull’s weapon, and the rounds entered ballistic flight.
“What about surface combatants?” Cahill asked. “I’m more concerned about the Kim than meself.”