“I thought of this already,” he said. “You make a good point, but there is a flaw in your rebuttal. Did you look at the intelligence photographs of Thitu closely?”
“Of course.”
“I know what you saw,” Wong said. “But what did you not see?”
Shoulders shrugged, and eyes met across the cabin, seeking insight but instead confirming a shared ignorance.
“What?” the junior commander asked.
“You didn’t see any offensive weapons added to the island. Not one cannon. Not one anti-ship missile. Not one rifle. Everything we saw was either construction equipment or air defenses.”
“Deploying those weapons is still an act of aggression,” the junior commander said.
“Of course, it is” Wong said. “But to what end? Did Manila expect us to ignore their build up? I think not. They knew we would respond. And what does a lack of offensive firepower tell you?”
“Either they underestimated our resolve to respond,” the commander said, “or they have a dangerous surprise for us.”
“Correct,” Wong said. “Even if I didn’t suspect the presence of the Razak working in conjunction with the Philippines, I would draw the latter conclusion that we are walking into a trap.”
“But we are walking into it, like it or not,” the commander said. “I agree that we must implement anti-submarine warfare tactics, but whether or not there are new offensive weapons on Thitu, there is a military force present on the island to resist our landing teams. We must acknowledge our obligation to provide the gunfire support.”
“I do,” Wong said. “I acknowledge it just as I acknowledge the situation we saw at Mariveles Reef. There was a military force present there, but they simply surrendered.”
“And you expect the same at Thitu?”
“Not necessarily a surrendering, but a trap,” Wong said. “There is no other explanation for the increased activity at Thitu. I suspect the Razak as the concealed danger awaiting us, but its presence may not comprise the entirety of the ruse. There may be more to it. However, since the Philippine forces were smart enough to expect us to use naval gunfire support, I expect that such bombardment will fail to counter whatever surprise awaits us.”
Heads nodded their agreement.
“Therefore,” Wong said, “we must search for the Razak at Thitu, and we must remain on high alert for other surprises. Gunfire support is all but irrelevant.”
“Logical,” the commander said.
“Do I have your support?” Wong asked.
“I support you,” the commander said.
“As do I,” a lieutenant commander said.
“As do I,” another lieutenant commander said.
“I support you as well,” the last officer said.
“Good,” Wong said. “When you return to your ships, look to your tactical systems for further instructions, which I will transmit personally. I will avoid the main circuits for establishing our anti-submarine warfare search plan around Thitu. I don’t want Zhang to overhear that we are united in overcoming his stupidity.”
CHAPTER 12
Jake glared at Lieutenant Commander Flores.
“Approach the conn,” he said.
The Philippine officer stepped below him, and Jake leaned over the polished rail to hold a private conversation.
“Yes, Jake?”
“You look seasick. Being shallow on a submarine is difficult when the swells rock us. Don’t worry, though. We’ll go deep soon.”
“No, I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
“It’s not seasickness.”
Jake studied him.
“I see,” he said. “You’re afraid. You’ve never been in real combat.”
Jake realized the banality of his observation. Flores’ nation barely had a navy.
“It’s okay to be afraid your first time.”
“I was hoping it wasn’t obvious.”
“Nobody here wants to die,” Jake said. “We’ll be okay, and everyone expects to come home alive.”
“I do, too.”
“Then you need to start looking like it. Your men will feed off your confidence or your fear, depending which dominates you.”
“I understand.”
“Remember that we have the tactical advantages of surprise and superior positioning. Heck, if all goes well, we’ll be just an insurance policy. This could all be one big training exercise.”
“I know, Jake. Forgive me for doubting. I know of your history and experience. If anyone can lead a submarine into a successful battle, you can.”
“I appreciate the vote of confidence. Everyone I’ve ever taken to sea on a submarine has come back alive. Well, unless you count people killed by firearms inside one of them. Or, I guess you have to count the collision I had with an ice wall that killed one guy from impact and another from the fire that broke out after it. But other than that, I have a clean record for ten years.”
A shadow crept over the Philippine officer’s face.
“I wasn’t aware that people under your care had died.”
“Technically, only two were mine. The rest turned against me and had it coming.”
“Only two men? Then every submarine you’ve taken to sea has returned safely?”
“Yes. Sort of. There was the one I abandoned because, well, because I had to. I tried to scuttle it, but then it got hit by a torpedo. Then there was the one I used to absorb a torpedo to save an American destroyer. So I guess I’ve actually lost two submarines to torpedoes.”
Flores stared at him.
“But there was nobody aboard when they got hit,” Jake said. “I managed to get everyone off them.”
“So other than two casualties from a collision, everyone else has been safe under your command? You’ve lost two ships, but everyone survived those loses?”
“Right. Oh, wait. I had to abandon ship one other time, but I ended up evading that torpedo and keeping that ship. It’s called the Specter now, and I know you’ve heard guys telling stories about it. I got really lucky, though. I should have died, along with half the French guys on this ship.”
Flores appeared more spooked.
“May I return to my station?” he asked.
“Sure. I hope our little chat has helped.”
“I think I have a better sense about my odds of survival.”
Flores fled for a seat in front of a Subtics monitor. Moments later, Henri came to Jake.
“I don’t know what you said to him, but he looks worse than he did before your conversation.”
“I was trying to boost his confidence,” Jake said.
“How so?”
“I just told him a bit about our history and how we’ve managed to survive.”
“That explains much of his dismay.”
“I didn’t want him playing twenty questions with me like he did before I attacked that corvette.”
“I see,” Henri said. “You may have succeeded in deterring him from asking you questions, but I fear that you’ve incapacitated him with worry.”
“He’ll be fine when the action starts.”
“I’m unsure if I agree with you, but I concede that there’s nothing to be done about it.”
“I have faith in him because I have no choice at the moment. Sometimes he’s annoying, and he looks scared now. I always encourage you to call me out when you think I’m missing something. Do you see a red flag here?”
“Perhaps. It’s difficult to tell in these situations, and I don’t quite see any cause for alarm,” Henri said. “I am merely asking you to watch him closely.”
“If he does lose his cool, there are enough of us with combat experience to keep him in line.”
Jake moved around the railing and stepped down from the conning platform. He bellied up to the navigation table in the center of the Wraith’s control room. Beside him, Henri tapped the horizontal screen, pulling tactical information from the Subtics system onto the chart before them.