When he looked over at the San Pedro, it lie on its side, mortally wounded also. He could only see half of its massive hull protruding from the sea. Many of its hull planks were damaged, stoved in as if a fist had hit it. He heard men’s shouts and agonizing calls to God, and he wondered how many other ships were damaged this way.
The last thing Sidonia saw before the bow wreckage rolled over on top of him was the dreaded black beast on the horizon…waiting.
• • •
The Kansas control room crew watched the result of their first torpedo strike on the big screen. “We didn’t hit Sierra 1 directly,” said Anderson, “but we got pretty close.”
“Yes, Sierra 1 is done for,” said Tanaka. “Some of the surrounding ships as well.”
“Let’s pick out another target toward the front of the formation,” said Castillo. “Reload tube one.”
“Aye, sir,” replied Anderson. “Reloading tube one.”
“How about this one, hauling a barge,” said Tanaka. The galleon was pulling a long rectangular raft with structures like long tents that ran the length of it. It was flat with a deck as wide as three galleon decks.
“That barge is full of horses and men,” said Castillo. “Let’s find another one.”
Tanaka found another large galleon. Castillo deemed it suitable. “Designate the target Sierra 2.”
“Aye, sir,” responded Anderson. “Sierra 2.”
“Distance to Sierra 2, 1.96 miles, bearing 265 relative,” said Unger.
“Got it,” said Anderson. And a few seconds later, “Tube one loaded, sir…a-a-a-and programmed.”
“Fire one!”
“Firing one!”
Another slight thump and a weapons watchstander intoned, “One away.”
On the view screen they saw another torpedo wake streak away from the ship’s bow.
This time they scored a direct hit. Their target ship, Sierra 2, was lifted out of the water by a large swell of furious water. When it collapsed, the ship fell into several pieces. The bow held together, but the back of the ship separated from it and then split as if by a giant machette. When the angry swirling stopped, there was only rubble in the water. Castillo zoomed in and saw many bodies floating amid the sections of planking and masts. Two other nearby ships began tilting, then slowly went over on their sides.
“See those flags, sir?” asked Tanaka. “White with a black ‘X’ on it? I think that means the ship has taken heavy damage and is out of the fight. They’re all veering off.”
“There are a lot of those,” said Castillo.
“I’m guessing thirty, thirty-five,” said Tanaka. “They’re either damaged or the crews are scared shitless of an unseen enemy. I know I would be!”
“I wonder how many men we’ve killed so far,” reflected Castillo. He looked at Lambert through haunted eyes.
“I don’t know,” said Lambert, “but haven’t we saved lives by stopping them?”
“So we’re taking lives to save lives. I understand the concept, but it just sounds wrong no matter how you say it.”
When he looked into Lambert’s eyes, they looked dull not their usual liveliness. “When’s the last time you slept, Susan?”
“I don’t know. How about you?”
“It’s been a while.” Castillo squeezed his eyes shut tightly, rubbed them and expelled breath. “Saving the free world is exhausting work.” He stared at the screen for a few seconds, then, “I want to communicate with these guys.”
“Communicate?” asked Lambert. “With the Spanish? How’re you going to do that?
“I don’t know. Do we have a bullhorn or something like that? Does anybody know?”
“I don’t think so, sir,” said Unger. “I mean, I’ve never seen one.”
“I don’t think a bullhorn would reach them anyway, sir,” said Tanaka.
“You’re probably right.” Castillo watched the destruction unfolding on screen. Ships were heeling over. Small lifeboats were bobbing like corks across the water. Some boats were pulling wet bedraggled survivors out of the sea. Abruptly, Castillo turned to Bud Unger and asked, “How many RF buoys do we have on board, Bud?”
“Six, I think, sir.”
“Do we have any speakers?”
“I think we have a few spares for the overhead address system, sir”
“Okay, here’s what I need.” Castillo began to sketch on a screen next to him. “This will at least give me the ability to talk to them. And I need it in an hour!”
Tanaka and Unger turned to each other with surprise. Tanaka silently mouthed, “An hour?”
In a little more than an hour, they had six RF buoys rigged with radios and speakers. They tied bright red strips of cloth on each antenna so it would be easier to see the gray buoys in the water. After some testing, they set them adrift in the path of the Armada spacing them out about 100 yards apart.
The first crescent formation of ships had been decimated. Out of the 150 ships that had started out there were only half that number now. Castillo noticed they had reformed into a smaller crescent and they were slowing down to allow the second crescent formation to come up and reinforce them. If they combined formations, they would have more than 200 ships.
Castillo waited until he judged the leading ships were close enough to hear the speaker buoys. He zoomed in on a buoy, then he zoomed on the ship next to the buoy. He began speaking into his receiver in his best Spanish. He told them to stop and go no further. They must turn back.
He saw men on the deck of the ship stop, go to the gunnels and look down at the buoy. It’s obvious they had heard it.
“I’ll be damned,” said Taylor. “It worked!”
Castillo got inspired. He told them the black beast in the water was not sent by Satan, but by God. It was sent to stop them and it has great power. The eyes of the Spanish sailors turned to Kansas.
“I see fear there,” said Castillo. “But there’s defiance too. Some of them are hard men. Afraid of very little.”
“Maybe they need convincing, sir,” said Tanaka.
“Yes, I suppose so. Mr. Anderson, load tube one. I want a dummy.”
“A dummy, sir?”
“Yes, this demonstration is going to require some finesse.”
“Aye, sir. Loading tube one with a dummy load.”
Castillo spoke again to the Spanish. He told them that if they didn’t turn back at once, the sea beast would sink the ship in the front row with the red and yellow trim on the bow.
“Do you see the one in the front row, Mr. Anderson? It has red and yellow trim on both sides of the bow. They kind of look like shark’s teeth.”
“Yes, sir, I’ve got it.”
“Designate that one Sierra 3 and target it. You’re going to have to run shallow or the fish could pass under him. These ships don’t have much of a draft.”
“Yes, sir. Targeting Sierra 3. This is going to take some precision and with no sonar return.”
“I’ll line up the bow of Kansas with the target. You should be able to steer it visually if the fish is running on the surface.”
“Okay, sir. Let’s give it a try.”
Castillo turned Kansas so its bow was pointing at Sierra 3. He picked up his receiver and spoke again to the Spanish fleet. He told them that this was their last warning. They must turn back. God has ordered it. If they do not, God has ordered the sea beast to sink the ship with the red and yellow bow in the front row.
The crewmen on Sierra 3 were hurrying to load their bow guns. They were ramming charges into the mouths of the cannon and hefting cannon shot. So were crews on several other ships.
“There’s your answer,” said Taylor. “They’re getting ready to fire on us.”
“Tube one is loaded with a dummy fish, sir,” announced Anderson.
“Fire one.”
“Firing one!”
“One away!” said a weapons watchstander.
They watched the Mark 48 leave the bow tube and begin accelerating to the target. Th
ey could easily see it running along the surface. Once it shot between two waves and was briefly out of the water. When it began drifting slightly to the left, Anderson gave it course correction to bring it back on target. It kept building speed until when it finally slammed into the Spanish ship, it was traveling at close to 60 miles per hour.
They knew when the 3000 pound projectile had hit the Spanish ship because they saw the sails and masts shudder slightly. At first nothing happened. Then the ship seemed to settle lower in the water and crewmen became very agitated, running actively across the decks. They lowered boats into the water and the big ship listed away from the strike. Slightly at first, then more and more until it rolled onto its side. Spumes of spray jetted from the ship as inner compartments collapsed and filled with water. They could see half the dark green body of the torpedo protruding from its side.
By now the current had carried the speaker buoys throughout the formation of Spanish ships. Castillo picked up his receiver and told them that they must turn back at once. God demands it. If they do not, God has ordered the black sea beast to kill them all. They can not stop it. No one will be spared.
They waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
“How long should we wait?” asked Lambert.
“I don’t know,” replied Castillo. He had grown accustomed to having Lambert sitting in the observer seat to his right in the weapons area. She had become a fixture in the control room, and he enjoyed her company.
“Let’s load a warshot,” sighed Castillo. “They need more convincing.”
“Wait, look!” said Lambert, pointing. Some ships began to turn. “They’re raising those flags!”
It was true. Most of the ships were raising white flags with the black ‘X’. They were taking themselves out of the action and turning toward the French coast.
“Oh no,” said Castillo. “Two ships hauling barges have cut them loose.”
“They’re making a run for it,” said Taylor, “and those barges were dead weight. Screw Parma’s army!”
“How many hundreds of men are on those barges do you suppose?” asked Castillo.
“And horses,” said Lambert.
“The wind and current is going to take them into the rocks on the English coast,” said Tanaka.
“Well, Shit!” shouted Castillo in frustration.
Chapter 16
“Admiral Drake, are you there?” asked Castillo.
“Yes, commander,” Drake responded from the overhead speakers.
“We’ve broken up the first two formations of the Armada. Most of the ships are turning toward the French coast.”
“Excellent! Good work, commander.” Castillo could hear the smile in Drake’s voice.
“But we have a problem. Two barges full of soldiers are going to make landfall on the English coast in that area you call Ramsgate.”
“I’ll alert Colonel Pierce. He’ll have his troops there to greet them.”
“Good idea, admiral. Good luck.”
“Good luck, commander.”
“We have to make sure those barges don’t hit the rocks, guys,” said Castillo. “Kansas is going to become a tug. We have to pull those barges away from the rocks and to a beach where the soldiers and horses can be safely unloaded.” Castillo turned to Taylor. “When we get close to those barges, someone may try to take a shot at us. We’re going to need cover fire. Can you and Crystal get up in the sail with your guns again?”
“Absolutely,” said Taylor. He looked at Crystal McConnell who was sitting across the control room next to Lambert. “What do you say, girl? Are you up for another mission?”
“Sure,” she said, beaming at Taylor.
Once again Kansas’s crew hauled the big 50 caliber gun to the top of the sail with its ammo cases and Crystal McConnell climbed up the access ladder with the SEAL sniper rifle slung over her shoulder. When Taylor and McConnell were in position and ready, they gave Castillo the go ahead. Kansas slowly approached the first barge as Castillo watched the big screen.
It was apparent the soldiers were aware of their situation. At least two hundred men were standing on deck. Some had hands on hips and some had arms crossed. It was obvious they were drifting toward a rocky shore and had no idea what to do. As Kansas approached, some of them took note and ducked behind splash walls. One soldier picked up a musket, but the man next to him put a hand on the barrel, forcing it down and shook his head.
Kansas launched an inflatable with two volunteers in it. They quickly retrieved the towing line from the barge and tried attaching it to one of Kansas’s deck cleats, but the line was too big in diameter, so they had to tie it securely to a narrower braided nylon line, then secure it to Kansas.
Castillo gradually took out the slack in the towing line and then Kansas began to pull. “Watch the heat exchangers, Mr. Tanaka. We don’t want anything overheating.”
“Yes, sir,” responded Tanaka, watching the reactor screens before him.
When they were before a large flat beach, Castillo slackened the tow line and had the crewmen cast it off and allow the barge to drift in to shore and beach itself. When they went to retrieve the second barge, it was almost on the rocks. They began to apply pressure to the tow line and pull with scant feet between the barge and the rocky shoals. Kansas towed the second barge until it was at the same flat beach as the first then they cast it off. The second barge nudged the first barge.
The first barge had lowered its ramps and was starting to unload men and horses. No sooner had the first men stepped onto the beach than hundreds of soldiers on horseback came thundering up the beach. They were flying the Tudor crest high on standards and armed with pikes and long bows. It was Colonel Pierce with the mounted unit of the 3rd battalion of the English Army. The Spanish soldiers quickly threw down their arms and knelt down in surrender.
There were smiles and high fives all around in the control room.
“We have about 2 hours of daylight left,” said Castillo. “We need to go see what the third crescent formation of the Armada is doing.”
When they got to where the third crescent formation should be, it was not there. Castillo swept the sea in all directions, and finally caught sight of them heading for the French coast.
“They must have figured it out,” said Tanaka.
“Or maybe someone got word to them. Break off the attack,” said Castillo. “I’m not sure how they communicate with each other at sea. They must have a way.”
“I’d like to be at that debriefing tonight,” said Tanaka.
“That would be something!” laughed Castillo. “They’re going to compare notes and try to agree on exactly what actually happened today.”
“I’d hate to be the one to have to explain it to King Phillip,” said Lambert.
Castillo chuckled, “Yes!”
Taylor and McConnell stowed their guns away, glad that they weren’t needed, Kansas’s sail was buttoned up and Kansas submerged. Once again Kansas took up station on the French coast in sight of the Armada remnants. They watched the Spanish fleet secure from their failed invasion, unloading the soldiers, horses and supplies. It went on all night, but Castillo didn’t watch it. He was dead on his feet, having not slept for over 48 hours. He was hungry too, but the bed won out. It was calling his name.
Castillo had no trouble sleeping that night.
• • •
Lord Admiral Charles Howard removed his black cloak and flung it across the table on top of his sword, then flung his rangy frame into his padded chair, exhausted. He’d had a long night interrogating Spanish soldiers. He adjusted his leather doublet and stared long and hard at his war council sitting across the large oak table from him.
“Does anyone know what happened?”
This was met with silence and empty faces.
“All I know,” bellowed Howard, “is the Spanish invasion fleet was on its way, and we were powerless to stop it. And now it is not!” Howard pulled on his long nose. “And Colonel Pierce has captured ov
er a thousand Spanish soldiers who landed on the beach at Ramsgate. And they are all babbling about being rescued by a sea monster!”
“A sea monster?” scoffed Lord Williams. “The Spanish have always been given to tall tales and imaginative stories.”
This earned Howard’s intense glare. Williams was a slight man and did not endure Howard’s hard glare easily. He suddenly found something of interest on his left hand.
“Drake! What say you?” Howard shifted his concentration to Admiral Drake.
“Why ask me?” responded Drake, locking eyes with Howard.
Howard bored into Drake. “You know something of this, Drake. You disappeared two nights ago. And when reappeared, your manner was different.”
Drake said nothing. The silence in the room was deafening. Finally, Drake shifted in his seat and said, “Different?”
“Yes, I’m not the only one to notice.” Howard leaned forward. “You acted less concerned about the Spanish, less anxious, and you told Admiral Hawkins here that God was going to intervene in England’s behalf. You seemed to take comfort in it.”
Drake raised an eyebrow and directed a glance at Admiral Hawkins, who looked away. Hawkins had betrayed a confidence.
Drake had to make a decision. A voice in his head told him to be cautious. Say nothing. His story would never be believed, and he would look ridiculous. He had to think of his career. But… what if he captured this magnificent ship and became its master! What a thing that would be! He would be the most powerful man in the world with such a ship. More powerful than any monarch. It made his head spin. He might be able to do it with Howard’s help.
Deadly Apparition Page 21
