“Weapons officer. Spin up missile tubes one to twelve.” The Weapons officer looked at Yitian.
“Aye sir.” Deputy Long of the Politburo watched the control room activities from a position behind the Chief of the boat. He’d hung on for dear life at times, he wasn’t used to the hard violent manoeuvres that the submarine made. But all was going well now. His contacts at the PLAN naval staff would have done the right thing.
“Weapons Officer, open your release cabinet.” The Weapons Officer looked briefly across then used the key around his neck to open the cabinet. Yitian did the same on his side.
“We will both open the active code cabinet.” The two of them put their keys in, opened the cabinet and Yitian took out the paper slip.
“Open your keycodes.” He did and Yitian did the same.
“Sir, we are at periscope depth,” said Planes.
“Level the boat.”
“Comms float the buoy. Get a position fix.”
“Aye sir.”
“Weapons Officer. Open missile tubes one through twelve.”
“Aye sir,” there was a pause, “tubes open.”
“Weapons Officer. Read out your authorisation code.”
“Sir T 0 6 8 U 9 X 6 2.”
It was sometimes the same, sometimes different.
“My code is, T 0 6 8 U 9 X 6 2.” Yitian read it out. He showed his codes to the Weapons Officer, who did the same.
“The codes are the same, do you concur?”
“Yes sir, I concur.”
“Chief?” The Chief of the boat looked at the codes.
“I concur sir, the three codes are identical.” Yitian passed the active code to the Chief of the boat.
“Read the code Chief.”
“Sir code is T 0 6 8 U 9 X 6 2.” Yitian swallowed.
“Weapons Officer, Chief. Look at all three codes.”
“All identical sir,” said the Weapons Officer with incredulity.
“I concur,” said the Chief, his eyes flicked to the two officers briefly. It was now doubly confirmed.
“I confirm we have three matching codes.” Captain Yitian looked down at the deck for a few seconds, gulped and looked back up.
“Gentlemen we have a release order. Weapons Officer, arm the JL-2 missiles.”
“Sir.” He armed the missiles quickly; the targets were predefined.
“Our Lat and long confirm sir. We are on the launch track line sir, in position. Target group G1 in range.” said the Communication officer.
“Read out the G1 targets Weapons officer, I’ll follow and check.”
“Sir, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Pittsburgh, Washington DC. Three MIRV warheads each.”
“I concur. Chief?” The Chief checked the list carefully.
“I concur.”
“Weapons Officer, get all tubes ready for launch.”
“Sir.”
Politburo Deputy Long smiled, his men at the code PLAN code centre had done well.
Yitian shook his head, they were going to launch. They were going to launch at the US. He clenched his fists until they were white. Do they know what this means? Do they realise what the response would be?” Yitian could barely believe it. He had to do it, it was his duty. But shit, do they know? China’s great cities would be smoking death pits in hours. Thank God his family were with friends in Yunnan province.
“All tubes ready sir.” The Weapons Officer looked at him his face drawn.
“SIR, TANGO ONE IS AT periscope depth. Sir, all missile tubes are open and spun up.” Benson swallowed. Nathan raised the periscope, and looked at his monitor, there was the Jin’s periscope.
“Weaps, flood tubes two and three, open outer doors.”
Surely the Chinese are running some kind of drill? Nathan thought.
“Move into three hundred yards.”
“Tubes two and three ready in all respects sir.” Nathan glimpsed the XO and then Nikki. Both their faces dripped with tension.
“Sir,” shouted Benson, “I have rocket motor ignition on tube 12, now 11.”
Fuck. “Launch tubes one and two. Go, go.”
“Fish running sir.”
“Ignition tube 10.” The missiles filled the sea with billowing gas as they rose for the surface and flight.
“Pinging, pinging. Impact. Hot datum, Tango one.” The shock could be felt in the boat as the two Mk 48 blew up amidships. The Jin’s back was broken in two places after being briefly lifted from the sea. The explosion caused the gimbals on the JL-2 missiles to fully rotate to one side. The missiles briefly left the sea but flew quickly back into it.
Great Wall II sank in three separate parts down into the Pacific depths.
NATHAN FELT RELIEF at the sinking but a feeling of sorrow too. Why did all this have to happen? It should have been elation, but it wasn’t. He unhooked the intercom. “All hands, all hands. We have just scored a Hot Datum on the Jin SSBN. She’s gone.” A cheer went up from the crew.
“All hands. Let us not forget her crew, they were fellow submariners. Please join with me in the naval hymn.
“Our brethren shield in danger's hour;
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them whereso'er they go,
Thus evermore shall rise to thee
Glad praise from air and land and sea.” He paused.
“Her crew now wander the depths forever. God rest ye bastards.” The crew with heads hung low replied.
“God rest ye bastards.”
NATHAN DROVE UP TO the main gate and lowered his car window.
“Hi, Commander Blake and Lieutenant Commander Sayers.”
They both handed over their passes.
“Yes sir. You’re both listed, go on through, keep left stop at parking lot two.”
“Here we are Larry, the yard where they’re made, some anyway.”
“Yeah, not been here before.”
They got out of the car and walked towards the large build shed. Nathan carried a briefcase.
“Yeah well, it’s back to San Diego to bring Jackson in for a service and upgrade. I want to talk to the Chief Engineer for the rework before she gets here.”
“Let’s take a look into here first.” They walked into a huge space, before them a Virginia class boat was almost ready. Her upper deck was near flush with the level they were stood on. She was being built in a huge 100 feet deep dry dock. When she was ready this could be flooded for her first time afloat.
“She looks a monster out of the water,” said Larry, “not seen one like this on dryland.”
“Yeah looks like she’s not long away from flooding now.” They walked on. Another Virginia boat nowhere near as advanced in construction was being built. Next was a smaller hull, still a monster but smaller. She was being built up from the stern. Two more hull sections were in place down the spine, like giant tubes to be rolled up to the rear and welded in place. Nathan descended the steps to the base and walked towards the boat hulls.
“This is next in the Stonewall Jackson class,” said Nathan proudly. They walked towards the ship in construction.
“Hey Blake, you no-good fool. Who let you in?”
It was a woman with a white coat, glasses and a hard hat.
“Hi, how are you Alice?”
“This is Dr Alice Bronze, she’s head of build. She was for Jackson too.”
“My XO Larry Sayers. How’s it going Alice?”
“Early, as you can see, but it’s coming to.” She gave him a look with her head to one side.
“I hear Jackson’s coming in for a bit of work. Fixing the shit, you’ve done to her. Poor girl.”
“Yeah look after her.”
“Will do. More than you will, you cruel bastard.” Nathan laughed. The two of them climbed the rear stern section steel construction ramp. The new boat’s mid deck was already in place. Arc lights were stood around. She was empty, the construction crew were at lunch. Nathan placed the briefcase on a workbench, and opened it up. Nathan took out a brown paper envelope and handed it to Larry.