“Yes, sir.”
“Mr Alzira. Forward torpedoes?”
“Forward torpedoes ready, sir.”
“Give me a 30 count, if you please.”
“Yes, sir. T-minus-30. 29… 28…”
The bridge was suddenly very quiet. I could see everyone was hanging on my every word while focusing their eyes on the screens. Alzira continued the count.
“22… 21…”
“What do you see, Mr Dalto?” I asked.
“Not sure, sir. I think they’re starting to spread wide.”
I thought for a second, then looked at Ojoe.
“What do you say, Ned?”
“They’re approaching fast, sir. It’s probably best to fire a pair.”
“Agreed.”
“11… 10…”
I looked at Mira. She looked at me. She was so fragile. Thin. Scared. But she looked proud as well. Proud of me. I suddenly felt like a super-hero. I breathed deeply, easily. A friend of mine would tell me one day that there are moments in life when we feel like we’re skiing the slopes of destiny. That’s what it felt like at that moment.
*
«I want to live.»
*
“2… 1… Zero, sir.”
“Thank you, Mr Alzira. Last report, Mr Dalto.”
“Five contacts, sir. Spreading around A-axis. 2-and-2, 3-and-2, 12-and-12, 10-and-8, 10-and-9.
“You have solutions, Mr Alzira? Left and right?”
“Locked and loaded, sir.”
“Very well, fire 1.”
“Torpedo 1, fire. Yes, sir.”
A torpedo tail came out of our bow and went into the void, curving slightly towards the left.
“A 10-count, Mr Alzira.”
“Yes, sir. T-minus-10. 9…”
“They’re lighting up again, sir.” Said Junior.
I could imagine the crews of the Silent communicating between them completely surprised we had torpedoes and puzzled on what we were doing. Actually, I was using their own tactics. Our torpedo didn’t have a chance in hell of hitting any target, but I was manipulating the group’s movement. And distracting them so they wouldn’t use their torpedoes too soon.
“They’re crowding to starboard, sir.” Said Dalto.
I smiled. They were fleeing to the right, as expected.
“Distance?”
“Level 4 and dropping, sir.”
“Good.”
“1… Zero.”
“Fire 2, Mr Alzira.”
“Fire torpedo 2. Yes, sir.”
The second torpedo went to the right.
“Give me another 30, Mr Alzira.”
“Yes, sir. T-minus-30.”
We waited a bit for the reactions. We didn’t wait long.
“They’re going to the centre, sir. They’re crowding the centre.”
“We’re spooking them. Give me distance, Mr Dalto.”
“Multiple Red Flags, sir. Level 3 and dropping.”
“14… 13…”
“I need solutions for PTL30’s, Mr Alzira.”
“Yes, sir. Coming out. 11… 10…”
I looked at speed.
“Engines, Mr Jilton?”
“Holding at 125, sir. No trouble here.”
“Good. Are you ready, Mr Steen?”
And Steen responded with uncharacteristic enthusiasm:
“Let’s rock-and-roll, sir!”
Surprised, I let slip a mad smile.
“Fuck, yeah.”
My calm expression echoed in the silence of the bridge. No one moved, everyone is tensed as a bowstring.
“1… Zero.”
“Fire probes, Mr Alzira.”
“Fire probes, yes sir!”
The flash probes jumped into Space.
“Mimic off.” Ordered Ojoe, to spare us from the explosions of light.
“Mimic off, yes sir.” Responded Dalto. And the next second everything was black around us except the lights in our screens. Mira squeezed my hand.
Then the mimic went on again, and we could see our surroundings.
“CONTACT! LEVEL 1! MULTIPLE!”
“I see them.”
I knew Dalto simply didn´t have the time to call them all. They were all around us. In front of us. We couldn’t see them yet, but the enhanced signals of red circles showed them in the mimic, and the screens almost screamed at us. They were all there!
“SOLUTION PORT! SOLUTION STARBOARD!” Shouted Alzira.
“Fuck!” Said Hekk.
“Fire odd! Fire even!”
There were two sharks in front of us. We had one on one side, and one on the other side, and another coming in from above in a second. I could see they were not ready for this. They were trying to get out of this position. But it was too late.
“FIRE ODD! FIRE EVEN! YES, SIR!”
Both our broadsides launched dozens of white trails as the missiles went after their targets.
“Give us an S, Mr Steen.” I said.
One of the Silent was able to launch a few missiles. The first of our explosions started on the starboard side. The shark was hit by almost all of the missiles. We could see the orange balls surging at our right. And then the one on the left. Our first punch hit them hard. The Arrabat made a hard right turn.
“Countermeasures!” Ordered Ojoe, as the enemy’s missiles came in close.
Countermeasures went into space and exploded behind us. The sharks moved around us, turning swiftly to get us in SAF, we still could see them for a moment. We were hit by a few missiles on the port side.
“Roll to flank!” I could see another shark above us, but when we turned, she wasn’t there anymore. “Fuck! Mr Alzira! Fire at will!”
We were too close for me to be able to call a full broadside. The batteries would have to decide for themselves.
“Fire at will! Yes, sir!”
Where were they now? This was happening too quickly for the Libra! We had to act fast!
“Rollback! Complete the S!” But Steen was already on it, rolling and turning.
“CONTACT!” Shouted Dalto. “Level 1, 8-and-10!”
Behind us! Fuck!
“Keep turning, Mr Steen!!”
“CONTACT! LEVEL 0! 2-and-1.” Shouted Jilton, surprisingly, seeing the shark with his own eyes on the mimic.
“MISSILES!” Shouted Alzira.
“COUNTERMEASURES!” Shouted Ojoe.
We all could see the missiles coming at us.
“Hold on!” I said. And we were hit. This time we felt it, shaking the ship all over. But we didn’t have time to feel it, really.
“ROLL TO STARBOARD!” I shouted.
We changed course and rolled, but the contact was already lost, and we didn’t know where the shark was again.
“TORPEDO!”
It was a hail-Mary torpedo, not hoping to hit anything, but it came towards us and flew by.
“Fuck!!” Said someone.
“PTL’s, Mr Alzira!! We need PTL’s!” I said.
“CONTACT! Level 1! 10-and-10!” Dalto said.
“We have missiles!” Ojoe said. “Countermeasures!”
Another shark at our bow was firing. We saw the missiles coming straight at us. Steen was already turning to the left. And we got hit. Right on H2. Those batteries, to give them credit, managed to hit the Silent with a few missiles before being hit.
“Sir! The engines! They’re not gonna hold!” Said Jilton.
“We’re too fast anyway. Bring them down, Mr Jilton.”
“Yes, s…”
“Contact! 6-and-8!”
“Roll!”
“Missiles! Countermeasures!”
“Hold on!!”
We got hit again. We had to be better than this.
“People! We have to be better than this!” I said. “Mr Dalto! Look at the Libra! Where are they!? Mr Alzira, PTL’s! Now!!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Mr Steen! You need to steer faster! Don’t wait for my orders!”
/>
“Yes, sir!”
“Mr Dalto!?”
“They’re close sir! Pinpointing!”
I looked at the screen as Dalto’s estimations were coming in. They showed all five Silent pretty much around us. Pretty close. I looked around, trying to spot them in the mimic. We had to act fast. They were staying close, going on the attack, maybe we could use that.
“Ok, Mr Steen. Give me a vertical-8. Now!”
The Arrabat started climbing almost immediately.
“Missiles!” Said Alzira.
“Countermeasures!” Said Ojoe.
And we got hit again.
“Breach in H4!” Said Jilton.
“Shut it down.” Said Ojoe, before I could say anything. Good man.
“PTL’s at my command, Mr Alzira.” I said.
“Yes, sir.” Alzira said.
We did the first loop and dived for the second, rolling as we did it, hopefully confusing the enemy.
“Contact! 3-and-4!” Said Dalto.
H6 fired its batteries as we passed the enemy.
“Torpedo!” Said Alzira.
“Leave it be, Mr Steen!” I said. The torpedo hit us in the stern without exploding and bounced into the void. It hadn’t had the time to arm. “Mr Alzira! Full batteries after the climb!”
“Yes, sir!”
And Steen rolled the ship again and started climbing.
“PTL’s in 5!” I said. “4… 3… 2…”
“Contact! 5-and-10!”
We were finishing our vertical-8 manoeuvre and the five Silents were communicating desperately, trying to figure out how to deal with our crazy moves. The Libra showed them close to us, all around us, moving to hit us as we turned and turned. They should be very close, now.
“MISSILES!”
“COUNTERMEASURES!”
“ZERO! Fire probes!”
“Fire probes, yes-sir!”
“HOLD ON!” Ojoe shouted.
“CLOSE YOUR EYES!” I shouted.
It all went down very quickly. The probes jumped to the void; missiles hit us, the probes flashed. Most of us closed our eyes in time, and the flashes of the probes didn’t hurt us. When I opened my eyes, I saw that Erbay, Mira and the marines had theirs closed, hurt by the flash, but all my team had opened theirs again. And then Dalto started calling.
“CONTACTS! MULTIPLES!”
I could see them. One on each side, one in front, another up and to the right. I couldn’t waste a second looking for the fifth one.
“FIRE ODDS! FIRE EVEN!” I shouted.
“FIRE ODDS! FIRE EVEN! YES, SIR!” Confirmed Alzira. “MISSILES!”
Four ships fired at the same time.
“COUNTERMEASURES!”
“HOLD ON!”
There was smoke all around us. All around the ship. We fired almost all batteries in one go, and both enemies on each side fired as well. The ship in front, tilted, had us in SAF and fired as well. We got hit pretty badly. The Arrabat felt like a punching bag or a cocktail shaker. We could feel our internal organs being thrown against each other in chaos. The metal and ceramics all around us screamed in pain. A fire broke out behind me, somewhere in the wall. Mira grabbed my arm with both hands, leaning against me. Xavier’s seat got loose, and he was sent hard against Wilard, and then the wall. We heard the commando’s scream as bones were crushed.
But the enemy was hit as well. The ship on our starboard side had suffered fatal blows. The explosions spread through her hulls like a mad chorus supporting each other. She was lost. And the ship on our left wasn’t much better, most of her engines shutting down and her exposed flank had basically vanished, destroyed by our missiles.
“Roll to flank, Mr Steen!!” I shouted. “All the way!!”
We still had several enemies to face. And there was one right in front of us, trying to move away. Steen didn’t need my push; he was steering skillfully already. Mira left my arm alone, and I saw her releasing her seat belt and immediately running towards Captain Xavier, who was in pain. That’s my girl! I thought, even before I was afraid for her safety.
“Your marble-gun!”
I looked the other way and saw Erbay looking at me, shaking my shoulder when I didn’t respond.
“Give me your marble-gun! Quickly!”
Marble-guns were crude anti-fire devices used by the Navy in those days. They were small pistols each of the crew had in a small compartment under their seats. They fired marble-like white spheres that were shot at fires, exploding in white powder and containing the flames. Very effective even in 0G’s. I leaned over, took mine from under my seat and passed it on to Erbay.
“H5 breached, sir!” Said Jilton. “Gravity out in 4 and 2!”
I couldn’t care less; my priority was the enemy.
“H4 is closed. Get emergency teams from H6 to H5.” Said Ojoe. “Get the crew out of there!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Weapons, Mr Alzira!!” I called.
“Yes, sir!!”
I heard Erbay shooting marbles at the fire, behind me. I followed the next enemy on my screen, just before the signal disappeared.
“Increase speed, Mr Steen! After her!!”
“Yes, sir!”
Steen accelerated to 125%, and it took us a couple of seconds for the Level 0 visual enhancement to show the shark in the mimic display. A red circle. Trying to flee on our starboard side, her bottom completely exposed to us.
“SAF, Mr Steen!”
“Yes, sir!”
Steen steered to the left, so our flank was directly pointing at the enemy.
“SOLUTIONS!” I shouted.
“Solutions! YES, SIR!” Responded Alzira.
“FIRE EVEN!!”
“FIRE EVEN, YES, SIR!!”
We were very close, and we fired and hit the shark right in the belly.
“We got her!” Said Dalto.
But I knew that already. The orange explosions were now covering the slender shape in the dark. She was dead. Three down, two to go!
“Torpedo! 7-and-8!”
Shit. This one was right on target – good distance, good heading. We were in trouble.
“Evasive manoeuvres, Mr Steen!”
“Yes, sir!”
“We don’t have the engines, sir!” Warned Jilton. “H6 and H5 are both in trouble. We need to decelerate, or the engines are done!”
Shit. I didn’t say anything. Steen started the evasive manoeuvres. There were two sharks to go. We had to risk losing the engines; there was no other way.
“Sir!”
“I heard you, Mr Jilton. Just do what you can!”
“Torpedo closing in!” Said Dalto. But I was following it on my screen. I looked back. The enhanced image of the mimic display showed the purple dot coming in. Steen’s manoeuvres weren’t working.
“There!”
I looked at Mira. She was pointing at something out there in the void. I looked. There was a red circle. It was the other shark. She was visible. I immediately understood Mira’s idea.
“90-degrees port, Mr Steen! Now!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Can you see her?”
“Yes, sir!”
“I need a count on that torpedo, Mr Dalto!”
“Yes, sir! It’ll hit us in 18… 17… 16…”
“Countermeasures, Mr Alzira?” Asked Ojoe.
“Ready, sir.” Replied Alzira. But we all knew they were useless. Torpedoes don’t really get confused by countermeasures. And if that load exploded anywhere near us, it would be enough. We were done. All we had was the manoeuvring. So for a second, I thought Ojoe was just posturing. But then I got it.
We were approaching the shark, and we could finally see why she was visible. She had fire spreading inside her. She was injured. She was flying slowly. But she was still dangerous. For a moment, we were in her SAF, and she immediately grabbed the chance. We saw the missiles coming in.
“Fire countermeasures!!”
“YES, SIR!”
The counter
measures exploded around us; a few missiles went astray.
“HOLD ON!”
The enemy fire got us right on the bow, and it was brutal. The ship shook all over. Mira, Hekk and a bleeding nose Wilard had to hold Xavier to the floor while grabbing the walls. This time it was Erbay who slipped and came crashing into me, but I was able to take it and grabbed him, so he didn’t fly off. We lost gravity, for a few seconds.
“Keep going, Mr Steen!”
“YES, SIR!”
Steen had nerves of steel. He hadn’t even flinched.
I looked back. The torpedo was still on our tail.
“7… 6…” Dalto was still counting, his voice was getting louder and more nervous.
The shark on our bow was approaching rapidly. She wouldn’t have the chance to fire the batteries again.
“Here we go!” I said.
For a moment, a little moment, I thought we wouldn’t make it. I thought we would buy it. Right there and then. As the torpedo came near us. Zeroing in. Just for a moment. I thought we were dead. And I looked at Mirany. My Mirany. And she looked at me. For an eternal moment. Our hearts, both very still at that moment.
“4… 3…”
And we went under the wounded shark at maximum speed.
“Up.” I said. And the Arrabat went up steeply. “Loop it, Mr Steen!!”
And Steen rolled the ship and dived. And it worked. I couldn’t believe it! It worked! The torpedo went straight into the flank of the wounded shark and exploded. It obliterated the ship completely, in a reminder of what it could have done to the Arrabat. The explosion was so large and so close that we got debris banging into us right after, shaking us like crazy.
One shark left. Then there was a strange movement, and we suddenly shifted course. Jilton explained it.
“We’ve just lost an engine, sir. We’re down to 90% speed. And if we don’t get it down, we won’t have it for long.”
Fuck. We had just lost our major advantage.
“Get the speed down, Mr Steen.”
“Yes, sir.”
I looked around the mimic display. Black all around us. We seemed alone in the dark. But we knew that wasn’t true. There was another shark in the void. Silent. Dangerous.
“Mr Dalto?” I said, worried. “Where’s that last one?”
“No signals, sir.”
“The Libra?”
“Nothing, sir. There’s no one left for them to talk to.”
So that was it. We were back to a traditional shark fight. We were alone in the dark with a Silent Boat. Now it all depended on seeing her in time. Before she could take position. But she was far enough to elude the PTL30’s, and the Libra was useless. What could we do?
Shark-Killer (The Dark Sea War Chronicles Book 3) Page 6
