“Slow us to three knots,” Jake said.
“Three?” Henri asked. “We’ll be overrun by the Hydra-Goliath tandem in an hour at that speed.”
“I don’t think we’ll stay slow that long. I just want to let Antoine get a better sense of what’s out there.”
He heard the French mechanic stand and cringed as he felt him move beside him.
“Why do you have this nasty habit of getting close to me when I don’t want to hear from you?” Jake asked.
“Because I know when you don’t want to hear from me,” Henri said. “Can’t you tell I know when you’re hiding something?”
“It’s like you’re my living conscience. It’s spooky. Yes, I’m hiding something.”
“Well?”
“If that torpedo hits Terry, I am shooting a heavyweight at the submarine that launched it.”
“I think that’s what Pierre would want. That’s not really a secret you need to guard.”
Jake waited for the Frenchman to walk away, but he lingered.
“Okay, I’m also planning on sending Mikhail and Andrei to lay explosive charges on it, and I’m not waiting to hear if the weapon gets shut down or not. That’s the real reason I slowed. It’s so I could stay in contact with them and bring them home when they’re done.”
“I see,” Henri said. “A sort of retaliatory spanking for violating our ceasefire.”
“Yeah, call it what you want. But that crew deserves a good scare for giving us a good scare.”
“I can’t say that I disagree.
Jake stood up straight.
“Seriously? You wouldn’t think of me as a spoiled brat or an angry child if I sent them in now?”
“I think it’s a fine punishment for shooting a torpedo at Terry, assuming they do indeed reconsider and shut it down.”
“Thanks, Henri. Antoine, order one dolphin, and just one, to lay an explosive charge on target thirteen.”
“That’s a thirty-two-minute swim,” Remy said. “I suggest you first make them approach the target and have them prepare to lay explosive charges, or just one charge if that’s what you really want, when they get there.”
“Fine. Send them on an approach to target thirteen.”
Chirps and whistles signified the order and the obeying.
“Is the hostile torpedo still running?” Jake asked.
“Yes. Six minutes to impact,” Remy said.
“Shit. How the heck do they expect to hit the Goliath without damaging the Hydra?”
“I’m seeing a possible answer here,” Henri said. “Pierre’s feed says he talked to Terry, and there are spotters on the back of the Hydra looking at the water to the west, probably for the torpedo’s surface hump. It’s likely they were going to talk it in to the Goliath with last-second steering orders.”
“That’s ballsy,” Jake said. “And desperate.”
“And at this point, highly risky,” Henri said. “We can provide intelligence on the torpedo that Terry can merge with his organic systems, and he’ll have a good idea of its location. He can break the tow line and slip beside the Hydra at the last second. That would make the ultimate target a coin toss.”
Jake looked to the data feed on the tactical chart.
“Pierre wants me to come shallow,” he said. “Take us to periscope depth, Henri.”
As the deck angled upwards, Jake heard Remy’s enthusiastic voice.
“The hostile torpedo has shut down.”
The ship bounced with the surface swells, and Jake watched his boss’ face appear on a display.
“The submarine admiral who ordered the last attack is now on his way to the brig,” Renard said. “Prime Minister Daskalakis has taken care of the matter and sends his apologies.”
“He’s the official prime minister now?” Jake asked.
“Interim, but I’m sure he’ll hold the position.”
“I heard the torpedo shut down. He must have some real power already.”
“He does. Take a look at the scenario as I send you updates. You’ll start to see new surfaced contacts.”
“No shit. You made the submarines surface.”
“Surface and head home. These warships are staffed by men who have been wronged, but they’re rightfully shifting their anger from you to the men who used greed and corruption to drive their country to economic ruin. They want to head home and be part of the new regime’s punishment of the old more than they want to sink a foreign ship they’ll never have to see again.”
“Then it’s over.”
“Indeed, it is.”
“Antoine, call Andrei and Mikhail back,” Jake said. “We’re really going home.”
CHAPTER 24
Cahill watched the sun set over the remnants of his port hull.
“You’re sure we’re completely safe now?” he asked.
“Yes,” Renard said. “That last torpedo was the bitter bite of an old admiral who thought he’d earn an extra star with vigilante heroism. It rightfully instead earned him a trip to the brig, a demotion, and a forced retirement, in that order.”
“Good to hear an update about the justice. I haven’t heard much from this supposed task force commander, Captain Floros.”
“That’s because the task force is disbanded, and Floros flew off the Hydra with the last transport helicopter.”
A combination of nostalgia and respect tickled Cahill’s heart as he watched torn and ugly metal generate an oversized bow wave.
“He fought well. He nearly won.”
“His admiralty agrees with you, and he’ll be rewarded,” Renard said. “He could have destroyed you and declared victory at the loss of hundreds of lives and over a billion dollars’ worth of hardware, but he chose the proper course of sparing lives within his task force and our fleet.”
“Yeah, he did.”
“I must also commend you on keeping the Goliath in fighting shape. That was a bit of excellent combat leadership. I’m not sure that even the great Jake Slate could have done as well.”
On a monitor above the Frenchman’s face, Cahill saw Jake’s smile turn into an indignant frown.
“I would’ve figured out in time that I needed to use the bow to protect the rest of the ship, too,” Jake said. “At least I’m pretty sure I would have.”
“Not to worry, Jake,” Cahill said. “I’ve forgotten how to command a true submarine now that I’m accustomed to this beauty. You command the same ship long enough, and you think of it as part of yourself. That’s one advantage we have over the supposed ‘real’ navies of the world. Too many officers in the pipeline are looking for command jobs, and you need to rotate through them so quickly. But I get to command the Goliath as long as Pierre lets me, and I wouldn’t change this job for the world.”
“Then you need to stop getting its port bow, or should I say your left hand, blown off. That’s twice now per my count.”
“Right, mate. It beats being dead, though.”
Beside Cahill, Walker lowered his optics.
“I see the Italian frigate on the horizon. Bergamini-class, based upon the Selex radar dome atop the forward mast.”
“You surface warfare officers have great eyes. It looks like a speck of dust to me.”
“It would help if you ever put one of these magnifying contraptions to your face. They’re called ‘binoculars’.”
“Why bother when I can trust your younger and better-trained eyes? Anyway, that’s our escort into international waters. If our friends on the Hydra have any intention of reneging on the ceasefire like their renegade submarine, they’re running out of time to do it.”
“Indeed,” Renard said. “I’m quite proud that I was able to garner support from the Italians. That frigate, which is specifically the Alpino, mind you, will escort you through international waters, into Italian waters, and all the way to French waters to dissuade any of the remaining Greek submarines on distant patrols from attempting independent hostilities.”