“Confirm, type 54 Frigate following them. Also heading this way. They’re all heading for the channel, not sailing line astern, sir. They seem to be line abreast or something like that.”
Shit, the channel was wide enough for a staggered line astern. They could be coming in like a flight of migrating birds, half an arrow formation. That would mean they’d fill the channel’s width. It was 980 feet wide. It meant that a Destroyer could be just feet away, or even collide with the boat, they weren’t that deep. Shit, that was it. It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he couldn’t risk a collision.
“Rig trim to ascend fore and aft, one half. Come to depth 100. Forward six knots.”
“Six at thirty aye sir.”
USS Stonewall Jackson was heading into the dragon’s lair, right into Fiery Cross harbour itself. He looked over at the XO, who crossed himself. What an almighty goddamn mess they were in.
Chapter 9
THE EVOLVED ENHANCED CRYSTAL reconnaissance satellite USA-181 received the command. It performed its on board calculations, then burned its motor, lowering its orbit to a perigee of 132 miles over South Eastern China. The burn occurred over the Hub River in coastal Pakistan, followed by the longer burn to correct the orbital inclination of the satellite to pass over the correct north-south position required. The exposures would be in infra-red and enhanced light conditions, they’d be taken over Yulin Naval base, Hainan Island off the South East coast.
Each of the frighteningly expensive Bigbird satellites could resolve an image down to a couple of inches. Bigbird passed over its target at 17,000mph, shooting multiple times. The motor burned again to return it to a higher apogee. In minutes, it crossed the Pacific and was over CONUS, its onboard computer linked up with the classified NRO station area 58, a classified location, but it was likely to be Fort Belvoir, Northern Virginia.
The processed files were transferred and stored securely by the NRO, then the results passed to COMSUMPAC Pearl Harbor. They could be picked up, but would be impossible to translate.
Vice Admiral Sutton in Honolulu looked the reports over twenty minutes after they were taken. He composed a message and took it into his outer office.
“Kelly, could you get this off to Nathan Blake right now please?”
“Yes sir.”
“Sir, we have a postcard,” said Lieutenant Commander Lemineux.
Nathan looked up, surprised. “We’ve no comms mast up.”
“We’re so shallow that we can pick it up.”
He handed over the document.
PRIORITY RED
R 2314449Z OCT 89 ZY011
COMSUBPAC PEARL HARBOR HAWAII//N1//
TO STONEWALL JACKSON
PACFLT// ID S072RQ81//
NAVAL OPS/02
MSGID/PACOPS 6722/COMSUBPAC ACTUAL//
MSG BEGINS://
THE HORNETS NEST HAS BEEN STIRRED. DEPLOYMENTS FROM JANJANG, YULIN, GUANGZHOU, HAIKOU. PLAN SOUTH SEA FLEET IS FANNING OUT INTO SOUTH CHINA SEA. EXPECT COMPANY. YOU ARE ROE FREE, ADVICE WEAPON RELEASE ONLY IF UNDER DURESS.
MSG END//
Nathan read it again and smirked. “I see the signal acknowledge system is down, Lieutenant Commander.”
“Sir?”
He tapped the side of his nose. “Maybe we can do the acknowledgement later?”
Sooty was giving him a free reign, but Nathan would have to decide what ‘duress’ meant. It could have a wide or narrow interpretation. Sooty was playing a game.
Nathan knew he’d be the one in the dock being questioned at any enquiry, and ‘duress’ was a vague term.
“You sneaky bastard, Sutton.”
He picked up the microphone.
“All hands, all hands, we have been forced deep into enemy territory. We’re under strict silent running. Be sure that we do so, check your working and sleeping quarters for any hazards. With your help, I expect to be in the open sea soon.”
THE ROAD BECAME MORE track than metaled road. It was still maintained though; you didn’t need a 4x4 to get there. Paul pulled up at the cabin. He got out, knocked and entered. Zhi had the gas fire going; the cabin was snug.
She ran to him and hugged him. “I know it’s smaller and less grand than the other house, but I prefer this place. I’ve been for a walk and it’s more rugged country around here. I’ve seen Deer, long rat-like animals in the trees, maybe polecats? And a big cat of some kind, in the distance.”
“Be careful.”
“I am.
I’ve made some soup, would you like some?”
“Love some.”
She spooned it out, and he ate quickly.
“That is a great soup, spicy, what do you call it?”
“Hot and sour.”
“Is it a recipe from where you’re from?”
She nodded.
“Zhi, tell me about where you’re from.”
“Why?”
“I want to know about you. Is that a crime?”
“Ok. Daomeicun. Near Quanzhou city. It’s a small port, there’s shipbuilding but fishing too. You can walk by the trees by the water. Summers are kind. It is peaceful, away from the main city. So, I was raised on the coast.” She gave him a sweet smile.
“It sounds a good place to grow up in.”
“It was. You look tired Paul.”
He sighed. “There’s a lot going on at the moment.”
“Come here, let me give you a massage.” She laid him out on the bed. Zhi stood and undid her robe, letting it fall to the floor. She had a body to kill for. She pulled his clothes off one by one and threw them across the room. She was flaunting herself.
“Lie back.” Zhi picked up a bottle of body oil, poured a hand full of it and smeared it over her lady parts. Slowly working it in and staring at him. Then she mounted him and started to rub his chest with it in a circular motion.
“Mmmm, ohh.”
He pulled her towards his groin.
“Not yet, Paul. She wants you good and ready. Mmmm.”
Later they lay on the bed.
“You’re naughty Zhi.”
“You didn’t complain, did you? Anyway, I’m going for a shower.” She got up, he watched her cute bum as she walked off into the shower.
He puffed his cheeks out. He felt guilty but it had to be done. Any MSS documents she may have were of interest. She’d probably moved them now that she knew he was CIA. They were in a more obscure place than before, but they weren’t that hard to find. He took out his cell phone and photographed the MSS documents. Paul sent them to Langley via an encrypted line, and then deleted them.
“KEEP ME UPDATED ON the movements of these Chinese ships, ok?”
“I’ll try sir, it’s full of echo in here.”
He checked out the reef on Kaminski’s display. It was 2,600 feet long and 900 feet wide. He headed dead centre at six knots.
“Sir the Destroyers are heading for the far wall, as far as I can tell.” He gave it three minutes.
“Sitrep Sonar?”
“Same sir, dead ahead.”
Nathan looked at the display; there were two mooring piers at the far end; they may be heading for them. “Planesman come to one two zero.” He’d keep to the left, the trick would be knowing how far away it was to the wall. Come on, when do I stop?
“Sonar the left most Destroyer is nearly on top of us. I think he’s just to the right of us.” Nathan didn’t need sonar to hear the beating of the Destroyer’s props. The hull vibrated schumm, schumm, schumm. Would he impact, tearing away at the hull? It was a nightmare. For God’s sake. Where the hell was he?
Slowly, the noise and vibration started to reduce; the Destroyer must have passed by.
“All stop, all stop.” The boat came to a halt.