“So, I have a full crew.”
“Indeed, you do,” Henri said. “The challenge is to define our mission.”
“Let’s start with staying alive,” Jake said. “We don’t know if anyone is coming for us, but in this mess, I expect both sides to shoot first and ask questions later. Let’s review potential threats, starting with the Ambush.”
“I don’t think it will come for us, Jake,” Henri said. “It has more interesting targets. It has to stop the Argentine submarines, the troop ships, and even possibly the Dragon. We should be of no concern to it.”
“Good points,” Jake said. “But I’m not entirely convinced. We pissed it off and showed that we are a nuisance. The Royal Navy may order it to kill us for spite. But we at least have until morning to worry about it since it’s going to need at least until midmorning to pry off the limpets and get back to our general area. For that reason alone, the Ambush is not yet a factor.”
“What of other British submarines?” Henri asked.
“I’m sure they’re sprinting here, but it will take them days, if we trust the intelligence reports.”
“Intelligence reports on submarines always include conjecture,” Henri said.
“I know, but it makes sense that the Ambush was the only one in the area. By itself, it’s all the Royal Navy needs to control the local waters. I’m actually concerned about other submarines.”
“Other South American navies?” Henri asked.
“No. They’re smart enough to stay out of this. It’s the Americans that worry me. There’s probably an American nuke out here watching everything. But there’s nothing we can do about it, and it will be content to watch. In fact, if there really is an American boat out here, I’m sure it has orders to not get involved.”
“So what, then, Jake?” Henri asked. “Do we make an approach on the Dragon? Do we give the British a fighting chance to control their airspace again?”
Jake considered the possibility of using the Specter’s missiles to cripple the destroyer and spare the British the full loss of its investment.
“No,” he said. “If an attack on the Dragon can help the British cause, I’ll leave that to the Ambush.”
“Do we instead position ourselves to the west to interdict Argentine troop transport ships?” Henri asked. “They are sure to be coming if they are not already en route.”
“No. There will be plenty time to do that after waiting to hear from Renard in the morning. Plus, I’m not ready to get trigger happy and send thousands of men to watery graves — at least not until I have a better idea of what’s going on.”
“Then that leaves the Argentine submarines,” Henri said. “We’re tracking the Santa Cruz, but the San Juan is beyond our hearing. We can’t track them both unless they move closer to each other.”
“I would agree with you if it weren’t for our limpet torpedoes,” Jake said. “Now that I think of it, that’s our next move. We’ll put limpets on the Santa Cruz and then we’ll search for the San Juan. We’ll be able to hear the Santa Cruz across the world with those limpets on it.”
Henri lifted a cup to his mouth and sipped as he stared into space. After a moment, he frowned.
“The limpet idea is flawed,” he said. “The Santa Cruz needs to only surface and send divers over the side to pry them off, just as we expect the Ambush to do now that it’s no longer being pursued. Then we would have all but wasted a weapon.”
“I don’t think so,” Jake said. “I’ve got a trick up my sleeve if they try that.”
Henri stared at him.
“I think I know what you mean, Jake. If it’s what I’m thinking, I’m unsure that I agree.”
“Let’s put limpets on the Santa Cruz and then let Commander Martinez figure out his next move. Trust me that we’ll have the proper response to anything he would try.”
From his perch on the elevated conning platform, Jake surveyed the Specter’s control room. His blended Franco-Taiwanese crew displayed a routine of competent teamwork in preparing a firing solution to the Santa Cruz.
As he prepared to launch a limpet torpedo, he watched Remy curl forward in intense listening. Jake delayed his order to launch the weapon and watched his sonar expert’s toad-shaped head twist in his direction.
“The Santa Cruz is accelerating,” Remy said.
“Get me blade rate,” Jake said. “Get me its new speed.”
“From the initial sound of it, not very fast. My initial estimate of blade rate says eight knots.”
“Very well,” Jake said. “Update the solution to the Santa Cruz from four knots to eight knots.”
“Done,” Remy said. “That reduces our torpedo’s spare fuel from forty percent to twenty-three percent.”
“Any sign of changing course?”
“If there’s a change in course, it’s only slight. No more than thirty degrees. I need a minute to analyze that.”
“You’ve got Doppler on a discrete tone, don’t you?”
“Yes. The strongest is the fifty-hertz electric bus.”
“Assume a new speed of eight knots and analyze the Doppler shift you’re hearing on the fifty-hertz tone. That will tell you how much they’ve turned. The bearing rate will nail it as being a turn to the left or right. Take your time. There’s no hurry.”
“You mean I have two minutes instead of one?” Remy asked.
“Don’t push for more because I know you don’t need it. When that submarine has finished turning, I’ll show you a little patience in wanting to know its new course.”
While Remy analyzed his data, Henri stood from his control station and walked to Jake.
“Do you wish to reconsider shooting?” Henri asked.
“Why?” Jake asked
“Because a target that was moving at a speed to hold its position without being heard has just accelerated to its optimum cruising speed. It could be going somewhere interesting and worth following in secret.”
“Where could it possibly be going other than to rendezvous with the San Juan?”
“My point precisely. Why not see if you can trail the Santa Cruz to the San Juan?”
“Good point,” Jake said. “But let’s stick with the plan. The San Juan is loud enough that we can find it any time it tries to move. The only time it stands a chance against us is if we’re moving and it’s not. I’d rather just remove the Santa Cruz from the equation and take my chances one-on-one with the San Juan.”
“You’ll be announcing to Commander Gutierrez of the San Juan that you’re remaining in theater with an agenda working against him.”
Jake ran his hand through his hair and thought about it.
“Good,” he said. “Let Gutierrez sweat. If he knows we’re out here and working against him, it may throw a monkey wrench into his plans. Let’s see how he deals with fear. Let’s see if it forces a mistake.”
“These decisions are why you’re in charge.”
Henri returned to his station.
“Do you have a solution yet, Remy?” Jake asked.
“Yes. The turn was twenty-five degrees to the starboard.”
Jake studied his screen and verified that the new direction of the Santa Cruz held no special significance. It cruised to nowhere in particular, meaning that Henri was probably right about it repositioning itself closer to the San Juan for delousing, underwater communications, or other benefits of collocation.