The constraints of submarines to the south of Terry narrowed and accelerated his thoughts. He conjured up one idea he found risky and desperate, and he hoped he could get it to Cahill in time to act upon it — or reject it for a better option.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve got a recommendation for you to type into that buoy. It’s ugly, but if Terry or Pierre can’t think of anything better, it’s all we’ve got.”
CHAPTER 22
After inspecting the space for structural integrity, Cahill had relocated his command to the Goliath’s bridge. A glance above him confirmed the distant daylight, which he welcomed.
As he approached his target, he groped for optimism and lofted encouraging words to his executive officer in hopes that an uplifting response might raise his spirits.
“This can work, Liam.”
“I thought it was crazy when you first said it,” Walker said.
Feeling no positive energy, he tried again to coax a spark of enthusiasm.
“Pierre’s data feed said Jake recommended the same plan. That’s two smart blokes thinking of it independently, if you’ll humor me on calling meself smart.”
“You’re smart enough, alright. But I’ve never accused you of being sane. Given the two blokes who managed to concoct the idea, independently or not, now I’m certain it’s crazy.”
“Any better ideas?”
Walker offered a blank stare.
“None. But it doesn’t mean I have to like yours.”
“We can’t just sit here and hope that four submarines happen to miss us while they scour waters the size of a postage stamp.”
“I’d like to think that we can, actually. Things that are hidden have tendencies to stay hidden if they don’t do drastic things to make themselves discoverable.”
Cahill glared.
“You’re thinking like a surface warfare officer again.”
“Just telling you how I see it, and I don’t like it.”
“We’ve done this before. Why do you think it’s so crazy?”
“Because we’ve never done anything like this before.”
“The Krasnodar, mate,” Cahill said. “What’s wrong with your memory? That was only three months ago.”
“Oh, that Krasnodar,” Walker said. “Silly me. I completely missed the parallels between a stranded and crippled Russian submarine and a fully healthy MEKO-200 frigate that’s already used its weapons and helicopters to blow twenty percent of our ship off.”
Cahill clenched his jaw and vented his frustrations through gritted teeth.
“Again, mate. Do you have any better ideas?”
“None. Should I shut up now and start following orders?”
“I’m always open to your ideas, but if you’re out of them, you’re out of them.”
“I guess I just needed to bitch about it.”
“Very well, then. Now would be a good time to shut up and follow orders.”
“Let me get into character then.”
Cahill scoffed.
“You need to act to be me executive officer?”
“Rarely. Sometimes. Okay, more often than I care to admit. If I didn’t detach me mind from me body with all the shit you make me do, I’d soil me britches every other day.”
“I’m doing the same thing now, mate. I’m getting me head around this insanity before I share it with the gang. Here goes.”
He tapped an icon and aimed his nose at a microphone.
“Listen up, lads. If you’re not scared, you’re either braindead or lying. So keep your mind focused on your job, do it right, and trust your shipmate to do the same. We’re the best crew money can buy, and we’re the best combat-tested band of mates on the high seas. We’re going to sneak up on the Hydra, surface beside it, and cripple it. Once that’s done, I’ll deliver me terms to the Greek task force commander and have you all drinking beer in Toulon by tomorrow night. That’s all.”
“Sounds great,” Walker said. “Now how do you propose to do it?”
Cahill reflected upon the defenses that opposed him. The Hydra had sacrificed its helicopter in a failed hunt, and the submarines remained to his south. His railguns had silenced the hostile bow sonar, leaving a variable-depth sonar pinging for him below the surface channel in which he hid.
The frigate relied on speed as its primary advantage, but Renard’s updates simplified the tracking. To survive, Cahill needed to predict his target’s future location and maneuver to it.
Facing a nineteen-knot speed disadvantage, he feared the impossibility of his task except for one fact — the Greek task force commander mistook the hunter for the hunted and the predator for the prey.
“We need only help Captain Floros achieve his intent,” Cahill said. “He’s looking for us, and he will find us.”
“His intent is to find us with a cannon round or a torpedo,” Walker said. “You’ll have to be a bit more specific on how you intend to throw a wrinkle into his plans.”
Cahill tested his second-in-command.
“What do you fear the most about that ship?” he asked.
“The cannon.”
“Why the cannon?”
“Even if there were any Harpoons left, we could dive below them. But you can’t dive below cannon rounds because they penetrate the water far enough to hit us if we submerge too slow or too shallow.”
“What about the torpedoes?”
“They have half the range of the cannon.”
“But with our damage, we’re slowed if we need to evade.”
“That’s only relevant if we get close enough for torpedoes to matter.”
Cahill raised his eyebrow at Walker.
“And?”
“Shit, Terry. You want to get within six miles of that thing?”
“No, mate. I want to get within six inches.”
Though alone with him on the bridge, Walker stepped to Cahill and lowered his voice.
“Have you really thought this through, or are you making this up as you go along?”
“I have a plan, and I’m trying to explain it to you.”
“I thought you were quizzing my knowledge of the MEKO-200-class to prove how insane you are. I’m changing me answer to torpedoes, by the way, since you plan on getting so close.”
“And therein lies me point,” Cahill said. “We’ll be too close for torpedoes due to anti-circular run safeguards. You were right the first time. The cannons are the concern.”
Walker’s eyes narrowed.
“Until we’re within six miles. Then we’re torpedo fodder.”
“Unless we’re within half a mile when we surface. That’s too close for a Mark 46 torpedo to launch and acquire us.”
“It’s actually a bit farther out than that, if you’re feeling like a superhero. May as well test the limits with our lives.”
“Pierre was right,” Cahill said. “Cynicism doesn’t become you.”
“That was sarcasm, mate, but my point still stands. I thought your idea was crazy when you suggested it. Now that you’re spitting out the details, I’m convinced you’re trying to kill us.”
“But if I can get us that close to the Hydra, the only concern would be the cannons, don’t you agree?”
“Well, yeah. But how do you propose to sneak up on something doing anti-submarine zigzag legs at twenty-eight knots when we’re limited to nine?”
Cahill pointed to the screen.
“It stopped doing zigzag legs five minutes ago. It’s on a predictable track, and our last turn placed us on an intercept course.”
“Perhaps for the time being. What if it veers?”
“If it veers, I’ll send a torpedo on either side of it to entice it to come back to the middle.”
“It’s too deaf to hear us launch torpedoes.”
“But its friendly submarines aren’t. I’d turn on our torpedoes’ seekers early to make tracking them easy, and the subs would provide the warning.”