His stomach fell as the deck leveled.
“Steady on three hundred meters,” Henri said.
“We’re below the layer,” Remy said. “I still hear the variable depth sonar from the Slava. It’s below the layer, too.”
“How strong is it?”
“Low power level. It’s still far away.”
“By the time it could find us, this will be over,” Jake said. “You can use the Slava’s variable depth sonar to help target it.”
“Communications are back,” Henri said. “Data is coming.”
Freeing his young sailors to enter the ships’ locations into the Subtics system, Jake sat, submitted the Specter’s coordinates, and invoked the icon of a deployed mine.
“Henri, deploy mine three.”
The mechanic tapped a monitor, and Jake watched the representation of a mine strapped to one of the submarine’s belts shift from a filled-in green form to a dotted outline.
“Mine three is deployed,” Henri said.
“Helicopter dipping sonar,” Remy said. “Bearing one-eight-eight. Medium signal strength, and it’s below the layer.”
“Stay cool, everyone,” Jake said. “Helicopters can get really close without actually finding us, and there’s no sense in trying to outmaneuver them. We’re staying on course.”
“We’re passing the closest point of approach to the lead ship,” a young sailor said. “It’s a Grisha eight miles off our port side.”
“Very well,” Jake said. “Julien, assign tube five to the Grisha. Assign tube six to the Buyan.”
“We’re half a mile from mine three,” Henri said.
“Very well, Henri. Deploy mine four.”
“Mine four is deployed.”
An icon on a digital belt around the Specter became a dotted outline, and Jake submitted the coordinates. He stood, turned, and surveyed the room. Remy’s young apprentice announced his latest update.
“The Buyan is in torpedo range,” Julien said.
“Helicopter dipping sonar,” Remy said. “Bearing three-four-one. Medium signal strength, but stronger than last time.”
“Can they detect us?” Jake asked.
“Less than fifty percent probability, but possible.”
“Stay calm,” Jake said.
“We’re half a mile from mine four,” Henri said.
“Very well, Henri. Deploy mine five.”
“Mine five is deployed.”
Jake tapped the ship’s coordinates into the system to flag the location of his mine.
“The Krivak is within weapons range,” Julien said.
Studying the chart, Jake saw a need to adjust his course to maximize the number of targets he could hit while making sure the huge Slava remained his primary prize.
“Henri, come right to course two-nine-five.”
“Coming right to course two-nine-five.”
“That should get you within eight miles of the Slava in two minutes if it doesn’t change course,” Remy said.
“We’re half a mile from mine five,” Henri said.
“Very well, Henri. Deploy mine six.”
“Mine six is deployed. The first mine belt is empty.”
“The southern Dergach is within torpedo range,” Julien said.
Before Jake could acknowledge the young sailor, he heard a haunting, distant whistle ringing throughout the room.
“Helicopter dipping sonar,” Remy said. “Bearing two-six-two. High signal strength. This is bad, Jake.”
“That’s what I just heard on the hull, right?”
“Yes. We’re in danger.”
Unsure if an air-dropped torpedo fell towards him, Jake assessed his options. He needed to reach the Slava to give his attack full teeth but knew that helicopters were unshakeable.
“Henri, all ahead flank, make your depth fifty meters, fast!”
The world tilted upward and rumbled.
“I’m taking us above the layer to buy time while the helicopter looks for us below the layer,” Jake said.
“But you’ve just exposed us to every ship’s bow sonar,” Remy said. “There’s at least three of them with high probabilities of detecting us.”
“I understand, Antoine. Get the sonar system loaded with the order to arm the mines, maximum transmit power.”
“I’m preparing the sonar system to arm the mines, maximum transmit power.”
“We’re in torpedo range of the Slava!” Julien said.
“We’re also a blob of bright green dots on the Slava’s sonar system,” Remy said. “We are geo-located. We are an easy target. We are found. I’m sure of it!”
“Game over,” Jake said. “Time for the final move. Henri, open the muzzle doors to all tubes. Prepare all weapons to swim out to their assigned targets.”
The Frenchman tapped a sequence of icons.
“All weapons are ready. I can launch all of them with a single command upon your order.”
“Not yet. Hold your fire. Surface the ship.”
“Passing fifty meters towards the surface,” Henri said. “Forty meters. Thirty meters.”
“Raise the radio mast and snorkel masts.”
“Raising the radio mast and snorkel masts. Passing ten meters.”
“Hold on everyone!” Jake said.
He clinched himself over the back of a seat as the deck lurched, leveled, and bobbed. Recovering his balance, he tapped an icon to raise his periscope and grab a panoramic view.
Two small ships dotted the horizon, a veering helicopter appeared frozen in flight, and the huge hull of the Slava cruiser spanned five degrees of azimuth.
“Any incoming torpedoes?”
“No, thank God,” Remy said. “I hope Pierre is watching us.”
“He is,” Jake said. “He knows what to do.”
The loudspeaker delivered the Frenchman’s voice.
“Indeed I do,” Renard said. “Stand down, Jake.”
Jake snapped his jaw towards a display and saw his mentor. Receiving a real-time feed in the midst of the Russian task force suggested the welcomed oddity of discontinued jamming.
“Pierre?”
“Stand down,” Renard said. “I repeat — stand down.”
Jake straightened his back, twisted his torso, and yelled.
“Check fire, all tubes! Check fire! Check fire! Everyone show me your hands in the air.”
As he scanned the room to verify that his team had transformed into open-palmed statues, he heard hovering helicopters’ rotor wash whipping water outside his hull.
“What’s going on, Pierre?” he asked.
“It’s over.”
“You’re sure?”
“You sought a standoff, and you found one. Well done.”
“So now what? Am I going to die here, or did you manage to pull off your magic?”
The Frenchman blew smoke and squinted.
“Your lack of faith in my skills offends me.”
Relief flooded Jake’s tense body.
“So we’re okay, then?”
“Jake,” Renard said. “Shame on you, my friend, if you thought that I would ever fail you in a negotiation of this magnitude.”
CHAPTER 23
Jake hunched over the console.
“You’re sure?” he asked.
“Yes,” Renard said. “The Russians have agreed to a ceasefire, and you’re ordered to shut your outer doors immediately.”
“Henri!” Jake said.
“Yes, I heard. I’m shutting all the outer doors.”
“Get Doctor Tan up here, too.”
“I understand your caution,” Renard said. “But I don’t think that will be necessary.”
“I don’t want to piss them off for lack of being able to talk to them.”