During the period Imperator had been prosecuting the Akula. sonar had remained in constant contact with the other submarine, following its progress until it rose to the protective camouflage of the ice. Never disappearing, it meandered through the ice, seeking a secure location to lie in wait for the American submarine.
“I’ll take back control,” Snow said, tapping his code out on the console. “Let’s see if I can do as well as a computer on this next one.” A deep insecurity weighed heavily on Snow as he retained control of the submarine for the next phase. The computer could function without error, yet it could not deny control to a human being. Its power was solely in the hands of the operators. Snow denied the little voice in the recesses of his mind that occasionally rose to remind him that he was not as capable as his machine. He was unable to suffer silently with inner voices hinting any weaknesses on his part.
As he conned Imperator in the direction of the Sierra, he realized there was little reason for a silent approach. The sounds emitted by Imperator and the Akula would have awakened Neptune himself from a drunken stupor. There would be nothing possessing a reasonable listening device within a couple hundred miles that had not heard the short, swift battle that had just taken place.
Andy Reed understood that Imperator was now bent on destroying the Sierra and he had no doubt she would. That would open two sides to the box that Danilov had established. Therefore his attention was drawn to the two submarines on the far side, still well off Imperator’s starboard quarter as she headed for the Sierra.
“What kind of chance do we have of keeping quiet if we move in on those two?” Reed inquired of Houston’s sonar officer.
“They all know we’re out here after our last kill. I really think the only way you’re going to sneak up on anyone, Admiral, is to stay silent — and there’s no way you can do that and still get within range of them.”
“What’s their range now?”
“Maybe seventy miles.” The sonar officer sketched a few short lines on a pad of paper and added, “Maybe fifty to intercept. Sometime along the way, you’re going to have to use some speed, and then maybe you can stay quiet after you’re nearby—”
Before he could finish, Reed had turned to the captain. “Let’s turn it on now, Ross, and catch up with the show. All Snow needs is one casualty and he’s just like the rest of us… with a few major exceptions.”
A shaken Captain Lozak was obediently taking in every word of Danilov’s explanation of what probably happened to Orel when Sergoff interrupted. “Pardon me, Admiral, but we’ve picked up an American submarine moving fairly rapidly toward the center of the box. It originated from the area of the earlier sinking. Sonar has just about definitely classified it as Admiral Reed’s.”
Danilov wagged a finger in Lozak’s face. “You see… you see.” His features seemed almost cherubic as a smile overspread his face, his eyes squinting out under his heavy brows. “A little silence goes a long way in our business.”
Lozak nodded his assent, his eyes fixed on the chief of staff. He sensed nothing. Captain Sergoff had seen too many young submarine captains eager to outguess Danilov. He paid little heed to their youthful transgressions, or their negative feelings toward him. Danilov enjoyed his role as a mentor tremendously and it was not Sergoff’s place to interfere.
“Well, what do you think, Captain?” Danilov inquired of Lozak. “Should we challenge this American now… or should we tarry a little longer?” The admiral was enjoying himself immensely at Lozak’s expense. The loss of the other submarines was already a thing of the past as he contemplated the opportunity to destroy his counterpart.
“I think at this point. Admiral, I should defer to your judgment. You have been correct at each stage.”
“How about you, Sergoff. You’re a wily one. What would you do?”
“The American admiral can’t have any firm idea of our position. I wouldn’t allow him the pleasure of discovering us now,” Sergoff paused, then added, “This Imperator is a formidable weapon, though, and I would hate to see us face her without more assistance. If Houston continues her present course, her objective would seem to be the other two submarines. I would let Houston pass.” Before Lozak could say a word, he concluded, “But then I would attempt to sneak up behind her.”
“That is exactly what I would do,” Danilov agreed. “That is exactly what we will do, Captain,” he indicated to Lozak. “We will remain deep enough only to avoid any ice damage. I have no intention of using any active sonar to give us away.”
Olympia had made no secret of her presence, approaching at high speed. The two submarines intent on creeping up on Imperator’s stern were left with no alternative. The Alfa, faster and deeper diving, came about. Leaving a pattern of noisemakers to distract the American, she went silent near the surface.
Olympia’s captain appreciated the Soviet strategy. He was being forced to make the first move while the Sierra turned toward Houston. As he altered course to close his range with the Alfa, he was interrupted by a call from sonar.
“Captain!” The sonar officer’s voice was pitched a shade higher than normal. “I’m getting a malfunction… some kind of a variation in power. The computer’s having trouble sorting out the incoming signal.”
“Make it simple, Peter… simple.” Lieutenant Merry was intrigued by details. He would have been a good lawyer.
“It’s just like a phone conversation, Captain, when you can only hear half of what the other guy’s saying. I’ve got his noisemakers — they’re mobile. But I can’t distinguish a pattern. And it sounds like the Alfa’s changing depth… probably going up.”
“Are you able to hold the Alfa?”
“Negative… that is, not all the time. Every time we start to get a good picture, the signal cuts out. Then we have to start all over again. And there’s a lot of movement in the ice up there. If he gets below three knots, he’ll be pretty well masked.”
“Last range?” The captain’s voice was soothing. “Between nine and ten miles…” the fire control coordinator responded.
“Speed?”
“He’s cut down to about six knots… staying behind that screen of noisemakers.”
“Are you able to hold him enough?” he asked the sonar officer.
“Hell yes, Captain. When my gear is operating right, J no problem.” Lieutenant Merry qualified everything.
“Just checking, Peter. I’m not worried yet. Just keep your technicians humping. Could he be close to firing soon?”
“Maybe, Captain. But he’s right on the edge. He wouldn’t have a great solution… but it would be better than anything fire control can give you now.”
“And there’s no way he can tell that we’ve got a sonar casualty?”
“No way…” There was a long silence, and the captain was about to speak when he heard, “Christ, that was a long one. Chief, could it be in the sonar dome, or—” He was interrupted by a voice in the background. Then he was back on the speaker again. “We lost it for almost thirty seconds on that one. The chief is sure the problem’s somewhere in this equipment, Captain.”
“Recommendations, Peter?”
He was faced with another long pause before Lieutenant Merry answered. “I… I don’t have any, Captain. All I could think would be to…” Again there was silence before he concluded hesitantly, “…to get the hell out of here. But we could be in his range now.”