General Yen’s jaw tightened. Listening to the calls for help and not being able to do anything about it was killing him inside. He wanted to scream but knew it wouldn’t change anything. Every second this situation went unchecked meant lives at risk.
“To hell with it,” he muttered to himself. The legal justification was clear.
“Get me Shark One,” Yen ordered.
“Sir, Shark One is online,” Captain Hsu confirmed seconds later.
“Shark One, Fortress Actual. How copy?”
“Fortress Actual. Good copy. Go for traffic,” came the cool, professional response from Mick. While Jodi remained in Taipei, Michael Matsin had stayed on Penghu to assist Commander Tang and his sailors in manning the various autonomous vessels deployed around the Penghu Islands.
“Shark One, what’s the status on your unmanned systems? Do you have something in play near the civilian ship in distress?” General Yen asked.
Mick’s gravelly voice came through clearly. “Affirmative, Fortress. We have six Seeker XLUUVs deployed and loitering on station. We have another twelve Zealot USVs holding at launch point Huay-Two. Just say the word, and we’ll engage.”
The autonomous systems were their hidden edge against the PLA Navy. Months of secret training with TSG were about to pay off. But once revealed… their surprise would be gone.
“General.” Mack’s voice carried urgency. “Sir, we have confirmed submerged contacts entering the battlespace. Two Type 039C diesel-electrics, based on acoustic signatures. They’re positioning to cut off our surface units from Penghu.”
General Yen was about to respond when his air liaison officer called out a new threat.
“New air contacts!” Major Ke called out. “Dragon-Eye is reporting those J-10s accelerating and being vectored toward Penghu. Time to merge with our combat air patrol — six minutes.”
“What alert fighters do we have on deck?” Yen asked.
“We’re launching four Vipers from Penghu Airport. Another six IDF fighters are launching from Tainan.” Ke’s hands flew over his console as he continued to call out the status of the fighters on strip alert. “But, General, those ghost returns of possible J-20s — we’re starting to get some better returns on them. Nothing we can lock up, yet, but there’s definitely something stealthy out there.”
“Sir, should I alert Admiral Han and General Tseng?” interrupted Captain Hsu.
“Yes. Immediately. I want full command staff to the JOC now!” General Yen ordered as he watched the converging forces on the display. “And set Readiness Condition Two across all commands and facilities.”
The radio crackled again. Commander Qiu looked up sharply. “Sir, our frigate the Chen De — they’re reporting the sight of PLA helicopters launching from the PLA frigates. It looks like a pair of Z-9s in assault configuration.”
“Weapons status on all forces?” asked General Yen.
“Currently weapons hold, per standing orders,” Commander Qiu replied.
Yen felt the weight of this moment. Being the first to fire meant bearing responsibility for starting the war. But in their own waters, with a civilian vessel under threat…
“Maintain weapons hold,” he ordered. “But all units, prepare for defensive action. The moment they—”
“Vampire, Vampire, Vampire!” Commander Qiu’s voice cut him off. “We have missile launch from PLA corvette Tongling! It’s a C-803 heading for Wan Chiang!”
The JOC erupted. On the main display, a red line streaked from one of the Type 056As toward the approaching ROC corvette.
“Wan Chiang attempting evasive maneuvers,” Qiu reported. “Deploying countermeasures—”
The red line merged with the blue triangle representing Wan Chiang.
“Direct hit!” Qiu’s voice cracked. “Wan Chiang is hit amidships. She’s reporting heavy damage, fires onboard.”
Yen’s decision crystallized in an instant. “All units, weapons free! Repeat, weapons free! Engage all PLA forces in our territorial waters!”
The tactical display exploded into chaos. Blue lines — Hsiung Feng III missiles — erupted from Chen De and Fu Chiang, racing toward the PLA formation. The Type 052D destroyers responded with their own volleys, HHQ-9 interceptors rising to meet the incoming threats.
“Shark One, execute Piranha Protocol,” Yen commanded. “All autonomous systems, prosecute submerged contacts.”
“Copy, Fortress. Seekers going active. Zealots launching now.”
On the display, six new blue dots appeared beneath the surface as the XLUUVs abandoned their silent runs and went to attack speed. Twelve more streaked from Penghu’s hidden coves — the Zealot USVs racing toward the PLA surface formation at sixty knots.
“Sir, GPS interference increasing,” Captain Liao Renjie reported from the EW station. “BeiDou constellation is attempting to override civilian signals.”
“Execute jamming protocols. Deny them satellite navigation.”
“Dragon-Eye is defensive!” Major Ke shouted. “J-10s attempting missile lock. Our CAP is engaging.”
The main door burst open. Admiral Han Ji-cheng strode in, still buttoning his uniform jacket, with General Tseng Zhaoming right behind him. Their eyes took in the tactical display — a maelstrom of missiles, countermeasures, and maneuvering forces.
“Who fired first?” Han demanded.
“PLA corvette Tongling launched on Wan Chiang,” Yen reported. “Direct hit. We are now weapons free in defense of our waters.”
On the screen, one of the red diamonds suddenly flashed and disappeared.
“Splash one!” Commander Qiu announced. “Qinzhou is hit. Multiple Hsiung Feng impacts. She’s breaking up.”
But the PLA response was swift and overwhelming. More missiles filled the air, and the ghost contacts Major Ke had worried about suddenly materialized.
“J-20s dropping stealth!” Ke warned. “Four bandits, they’re on our CAP flights!”
The calm before the storm was over. In the space of ninety seconds, the Taiwan Strait had become a killing field.
The tactical display erupted in crimson as the first C-803 antiship missile streaked across the screen. Mick Matsin gripped the edge of the console, watching the inevitable unfold in real time.
“Impact in five seconds,” Commander Tang announced, his voice steady despite the sweat beading on his forehead. The secure operations center beneath Magong Naval Base hummed with controlled chaos — operators called out targets, electronic warfare officers jammed frequencies, and the constant ping of sonar returns from their deployed assets rounded out the cacophony.
The red line merged with Tajiang’s icon.
“Direct hit,” Tang confirmed. “She’s taking water. Damage control teams responding.”
Vice Admiral Lo Hua stood rigid behind them, eyes locked on the master display. “Return fire. All units, weapons free.”
Mick’s fingers danced across his control interface, managing six Seeker-class XLUUVs prowling beneath the churning waters. Each autonomous submarine carried three Copperhead-500 AI torpedoes, their neural networks trained on PLA acoustic signatures. “Shark One confirms Piranha Protocol active. My girls are hunting.”
“Dragon-Eye is taking fire!” The air defense coordinator’s voice crackled through the speakers. “Multiple Fox Threes inbound!”
On the display, six J-10s bore down on the lumbering P-3 Orion. Four F-16s broke formation, afterburners blazing as they moved to intercept.