Red Tide, стр. 29
“Then we force them to tie up subs that they would rather use elsewhere,” Atworthy replied easily. “Plus, it would set them up for our attack subs.”
“I like it,” Ryson said admiringly.
“It was Admiral Nathan’s idea,” Atworthy replied.
Nathan suddenly went up a notch in Ryson’s estimation. Never mind the political aspirations the man might, or might not have, Nathan was a real honest-to-God admiral. And that was a good thing.
Ryson’s train of thought was interrupted by a voice on the intercom. “We have four targets to the northwest,” an electronics technician announced. “They were traveling west single file. One of them is turning our way and increasing speed.”
“That’s typical,” Atworthy said. “Three heavily laden fishing boats and a Chinese escort. Sound general quarters. It looks like they want a fight.”
A klaxon sounded. But that was little more than a formality, since most crew members were at their stations already. Atworthy turned to the helmsman. “Steer to intercept.”
“From what I can see,” the ET said, “and the speed with which we’re closing with them, the enemy vessel is a Chinese C 14 missile boat.”
Having done his homework Ryson knew that C 14 missile boats had catamaran style hulls, which were originally designed for use in the Middle East. And, as any sailor knows, catamarans are faster than monohulls, in this case much faster. According to what Ryson had read a C 14 could do about 52 knots per hour, while Atworthy’s Armindale would max out at 26. And that disparity might have something to do with the Chinese skipper’s eagerness to engage.
There was another difference too … C 14s were typically armed with short-range guided missiles, or a pair of torpedo tubes, the latter being something of an anachronism. Which were they about to face? The Eucia was armed with a remotely operated 25mm Bushmaster autocannon and crew-served-weapons that could be brought up from below.
That was a concern. Not just where the impending battle was concerned, but regarding the Armindales generally, and their usefulness. Should Ryson try to up-gun them? Or, limit how the boats were employed? It was an important choice.
The distance between the boats had closed by then and Ryson waited to see what Atworthy would do. Surely the Australian knew what a C 14 was capable of and had a plan in mind. What looked like sparks appeared as missiles took to the air. What would happen next? Ryson waited to learn his fate.
***
Aboard the semisubmersible cruiser Sea Dragon, at the Yulin Navy Base, China
Chief Engineer Bohai Hong was scared. And for good reason. After opening the envelope with “Shi Quan” written on it, and opening the thumb drive, Hong’s worst fears were realized. Not only was he under surveillance by an MSS agent, President Enlai was preparing to move against his brother-in-law Premier Li Lau, and there was an urgent need to warn him.
As for the person who had intercepted and decrypted the email chain, there were only so many people on the ship who had the necessary skills, and Hong knew who they were. It hardly mattered which officer it was though, since he was clearly an ally rather than a threat.
Thanks to Hong’s rank, and the fact that the ship was in port, he could come and go as he pleased, so long as his number two was on board, and ready to run the engineering department in an emergency. So, Hong left Sea Dragon, and took public transportation into Sanya, where he spent the better part of an hour pretending to shop—while checking for any sign that he was being monitored in an unusual way.
That was made more difficult by the fact that all of Sanya’s citizens were monitored. Thousands of computer-linked cameras were watching the city’s residents go about their daily lives and facial recognition software was being used to surveil certain individuals.
But the need for private communications between Hong and his brother-in-law had been anticipated. And the best way to commit the crime was to do it in plain sight.
Hong chose a table in an open-air restaurant, ordered tea, and eyed his cell phone. At least half the people seated around him were doing the same thing. The first step was to select a fictious name from his contact list and send a one-word instant message: “Jinji.” (Urgent.)
Lau was a busy man so Hong knew there would be a wait. He spent his time drinking tea and reading the nonsense on CGTN’s (China Global Television Network’s) website. The victory over the American Battle Group had faded from the news by then. But still, according to the functionaries who wrote for CGTN, the Axis was winning every battle it fought.
Hong’s phone chirped. As he thumbed it on Hong knew the conversation would be scrambled both ways. “Hello, Admiral,” Premier Lau said. “What’s up?”
Hong wasn’t an admiral. But Lau had referred to him as such when he was still a lieutenant.
“Nothing good,” Hong replied. “Here’s the situation.” That was followed by a concise description of the envelope he’d received, and the nature of its contents, including the message that ordered Ang to “neutralize” Hong on the eve of “the consolidation.”
“I see,” the Premier said. “It sounds like they are preparing to take action against me. You’re sure this information is genuine? What if it’s a trick? An attempt to provoke us?”
“No,” Hong said. “I’m not sure of anything. So, I’m going to send you an attachment that includes both the encrypted and decrypted messages. Surely you have technicians who can determine whether the material is authentic.”
“I do,” Lau said. “Send the attachment.”
“What if your technicians decide that the messages are genuine. What then?”
“Then,” Lau said, “some changes will have to be made.”
***
Aboard the HMAS Eucia in the Celebes Sea, north of Manado, Indonesia
“There are two bogeys, probably missiles, in from the north,”