At that moment, he heard the CV-22 Pave Hammer tiltrotor aircraft lift off the deck. Thank God, he breathed, Wendy was going to be safe, as long as they were able to keep those fighters off its tail until they were safely wavehopping away.
"Taurus has three bandits, bearing two-five-zero, range nine miles," Hal Briggs shouted on the command network. "Comin' in low and smoking.'"
"Nike has contact on the bandits at two-five-zero," Chris Wohl chimed in. "Switching to Stinger. Taurus, you hang on to the Vulcan."
"How about we both take a Stinger?" Briggs suggested. "I can grab the Vulcan and knock down any stragglers after I launch."
"Rog."
"Stalkers, I have a surface contact, bearing two-twothree, range twenty-nine miles," Dave Luger announced. "He's hitting us with an India-band Plank Shave surface search radar and an India-band Hawk Screech fire-control radar. I make this a Koni-class frigate, probably Libyan. He's coming in fast, almost thirty knots. He could be within missile range at any time."
"Should've known it was the Libyans," Wohl muttered on the command net.
"Think they might be pissed at us for blowing up their nukes?" Briggs chimed in.
"Pissed enough to attack every ship close enough to have based the chopper," Patrick said. "Let's deal with the fighters first, then the frigate." He didn't have to say the obvious-they were going to have a fight on their hands, one they had very little chance of surviving.
Stinger missiles soon began rippling from the starboard deck and fantail as the Libyan fighters closed in. Only the combination of the Vulcan cannons and decoys were able to keep the Catherine from being hit. Even so, one missile came close enough to rattle the deck with bits of shrapnel, caught at the last possible moment by a last-instant blast from Hal Briggs's cannon. But their efforts finally paid off. "Stalkers, air search radar is clear," Luger announced. "Good shooting. No radar contacts. The rest RTBed."
"I got a problem over here, boys," Briggs said. "I'm real low on ammo. Maybe two or three more bursts and I'm out."
"Same here," Wohl said.
Patrick checked his magazine and found he had just a handful of rounds remaining-not enough for even a halfsecond burst. "How about your Stingers?"
"One on the fantail."
"Two starboard."
"One on the bow," Patrick said. "And there's no way we can outrun that frigate."
"I just got a call-the Egyptian Navy is dispatching two Perry-class frigates," Luger reported. "ETE sixty minutes.
They've launched patrol aircraft and helicopters, too."
That was good news, Patrick thought, but they wouldn't be on time before the Libyan warship struck.
He hesitated, but only for a moment. For the second time, he was going to lose another base ship to enemy attack. The Iranians had sunk another commando carrier, the S.S. Valley Mistress, in the Persian Gulf, killing several dozen men. That incident had brought Patrick out of his first retirement to start a campaign of revenge against the Iranian Revolutionary Guards that had captured the survivors. He was determined not to allow that loss of life again. "Abandon ship," Patrick ordered. "All crewmen to lifeboats. Right now."
"Patrick-" Dave Luger began.
"This means you, Dave," Patrick interrupted. "We'll stay up here with whatever weapons we have left and hold off that frigate as long as possible. Then we'll-"
Suddenly, Hal Briggs shouted, "Hey, Dave, is that a FlightHawk on the launcher over on the starboard side raising up to launch position?"
"A FlightHawk?" Patrick asked. "Dave, how did you get a FlightHawk ready so fast?"
"I didn't do it, Muck," Luger replied. "I just noticed it elevating too. It's already spun up its guidance system. I didn't do it from here. I don't know…" He paused, then shouted, "Missile inbound! A missile just lifted off from that frigate.. a second missile just launched. Two missiles inbound! Sea-skimmers, accelerating to point nine Mach, range twenty-five miles!"
"Get your asses on those lifeboats now!" Patrick shouted to the two MANPADS crew members with him, pushing them toward the lifeboat stations on the port side. He grabbed his last Stinger missile and dashed down the starboard side of the salvage ship. He saw the FlightHawk on the amidships launch rail, but he couldn't see what weapons, if any, it was carrying, or any other markings that would tell him which UCAV it was. Just as he reached the fantail alongside Briggs and Wohl, the FlightHawk unmanned combat air vehicle blasted off from its launcher on deck.
"Good job, Dave," Patrick said. "Now get to the lifeboats."
"I'm telling you, Muck, I didn't-"
"Contact! Here they come!" Briggs shouted. "Man, they're damned low. I don't know if the Stingers will be able to lock on them." But he raised his Stinger, aimed, and fired. Seconds later, the first antiship missile, a Russianmade SS-N-2C Styx missile, exploded in a brilliant ball of fire. Patrick's Stinger missile missed the second antiship missile, but Chris Wohl was ready with his Vulcan cannon and destroyed it seconds before it hit. This time, the starboard side of the Catherine was showered with unspent rocket fuel and fiery bits of the obliterated warhead. It was a very close call.
"Lifeboats away," they heard Dave Luger report. "One lifeboat starboard, another on the port side, ready and waiting for you guys."
"How many of those big missiles does that frigate carry?" Briggs asked.
"Koni-class frigates carry four SS-N-2s," Luger responded.
"Then I'll stay to see if they fire any more missiles," Patrick said.
"I'm staying too," Hal Briggs said.
"I'm not leaving," Chris Wohl said with pure titanium in his voice. "We've got two Stingers and some ammo leftthat should be enough for the last two SS-N-2s."
Patrick nodded. He was happy to have such good fighters and close friends on that fantail with him. He had no way to fight off two big antiship missiles by himself, but he had been ready to order both of them to the lifeboats anyway.
"Here they come, guys," Hal shouted. It seemed as if he barely had time to raise his Stinger missile before he fired. The antiaircraft missile missed, plunging into the sea without ever locking onto the target. Wohl's cannon fire hit the missile, but it still continued on, skipping across the ocean like a stick of dynamite thrown across a pond before slamming into the Catherine near the bow. Patrick's last Stinger missile shot missed as well, and the second SS-N-2 Styx missile hit just aft of the first missile's impact point. The ship shuddered, which soon progressed with terrifying speed to an earthquake-like trembling. The deck heeled upward, slammed down hard, then heeled up again. The bow was already going under.
It took every bit of strength for the three commandos to struggle to the port-side lifeboats. Luger had already lowered a boat to the water and had its engines started, and it took only seconds for the three to climb down, unfasten their lines, and motor away from the Catherine.
Through his electronic visor, Patrick could see the big Libyan frigate on the horizon. It was already turning toward them-the rapidly sinking salvage ship could no longer screen them. The lifeboat could only putter along, barely making five or six knots-the frigate would catch up to them in no time. Moments later he saw a muzzle flash, and seconds later a huge geyser of water erupted just a few dozen yards away-the Libyan frigate was already firing on them!
Wohl was twisting and pulling the lifeboat's tiller, trying to spoil their targeting. "Come and get us, sucker," he muttered. "Just hope there's nothing left of me when you catch up to me." Another geyser of water and an earsplitting BOOM! erupted, closer this time-they were getting the range. Another couple shots and..
Suddenly a fountain of fire appeared on the horizon. "Something hit the Libyan frigate!" Patrick shouted. "The FlightHawk! It must've kamikazied on the frigate! Not a moment too soon!" On the command net, he radioed, "Wendy, this is Castor. Are you in contact with the Egyptian patrol ships? They should be able to screen you against any other Libyan fighters. Are you heading toward Egypt?" No response. "Wendy, you copy?"