"A good point. We'll include that in our agreement memo. You're dismissed."
Pahk stood. "Admiral." He departed.
After helping the Chinese Navy accomplish their long-term goals in the South China Sea, his rice bowl would eternally overflow. His mother and sister were set now in China.
As long as everything proceeded smoothly with the lease signing ceremony. He'd ensure Omar understood that.
* * *
Major Larrikowal admired his new insignia in the Ports Authority 4x4's giant side mirror. He hadn't expected promotion for at least two more years.
His driver pulled over to the side of the gravel road in front of Tilik Seaport's wide concrete pier.
Not much, but sufficient to dock a Chinese destroyer. All of Tilik only held about twelve-hundred homes and businesses. Barely managed a handful of solar streetlights near the dock.
The big city, it was not.
Still, they had a nice protected waterway, which made their proposal to Hu plausible enough.
The Chinese had been invited for an early morning ceremony. Dawn of a new day in relations between the Philippines and their sometime antagonists.
So this afternoon, Larrikowal had a lot of work to get done to prepare for the meeting.
Or rather, his men and the locals did. He'd supervise.
First, he needed the SAF present, but not visible. The closest cross-street from the pier held businesses with corrugated aluminum walls.
Sergeant Maria directed the locals to install giant hinges on those walls. Stack sandbag forts behind them. They looked normal and impassable, but on signal, would lift quickly to create an urban firing position.
Schnier's rangers were used to being less intrusive. They posted sniper hides on balconies and multi-story rooftops. Whatever high ground they found. Encouraged building occupants to relocate for the day.
The rangers would rain death on the Chinese forces if the meeting went south.
Larrikowal was most worried about the press and Dorenza. The Secretary of National Defense decided he'd personally greet Admiral Hu live on the morning news.
Dorenza would arrive shortly in an official helicopter so the Chinese would track his flight. According to internal government communications, it was the President and a media contingent.
They'd stay overnight in the five-story hotel adjacent to the concrete pier. Tallest building in town.
If everything proceeded as planned, then great, they'd expose both the Chinese and the President's Party.
But Larrikowal remembered the most recent televised political event he'd provided security for. His partner from that event remained in the hospital.
He stationed the town's thirty-year-old military surplus ambulance nearby.
At least Dorenza wasn't tying his hands. Quite the opposite, he'd given an unusual level of freedom to the SAF and the Americans.
The other wild card. Their motives may not completely line up with the Filipinos. He'd have to keep a close eye on the Americans. Make sure they didn't do something to jeopardize the SAF's objective.
Humiliate the Chinese and ensure they never returned to the West Philippine Sea in force.
* * *
I chatted with Michelle on the radio while setting up my equipment.
Schnier's Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) tech and one of my analysts who had scuba experience worked with me. We stacked command-detonated limpet mines under a flipped over boat on the beach north of Tilik.
The mines were shaped like an Apollo space capsule, except about the size of a lobster pot.
Internally, the base contained magnets strong enough to hold each mine to a ship's hull at any reasonable speed. The rest was split between electronics and explosives.
Water resistance outside the mine turned each into a shaped charge, capable of blowing twenty foot ring out of a battleship. Without the ability to lock down discrete compartments to prevent flooding, even one hit could sink a normal ship.
The boat wasn't to distribute them. It was to hide them. Couldn't have the PLAN ships get suspicious as they entered the bay.
Any I missed as they traversed the narrow northern opening, I'd need to tag closer to the pier.
We set the meet for early morning in the hopes they'd arrive overnight. Give me an opportunity to approach the hull underwater without easy detection from above.
So far, so good. Scheduled to arrive any time now.
Michelle spoke into my ear. "I'm worried about Schnier. He's always been a hothead, but he's under more stress than usual lately, with our break-up and this independent command."
"Not sure he'll listen to me, if it comes to that, but I'll keep an eye out. Try to talk him off any ledges."
"You're the best, Sam."
I grunted agreement as I stacked a mine on one of my two eSurfboard prototypes. "Tell me that again once this is all over and we've succeeded."
"Nope, one per customer per year. Sorry."
"Typical. ETA?"
She mumbled something about estimates to the sailors in the background of the ship's wardroom. Waited for a response. "Half an hour until the lead missile boat enters."
The LCS Johnbee's surface radar tracked the Chinese task force for us. One missile boat led the destroyer, then their replenishment ship, with the second missile boat covering the rear of the formation.
At least Michelle would be safely out of harm's way. Unless, of course, we started a full-on war with the Chinese.
"I'd better get these mines strapped down to my backup board and then get my underwater gear on. I'll let you know once I'm in position to get a final update."
"Good luck, surfer."
Dude, I needed that luck.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Island Confrontation
My first attempt went poorly.
I loaded a pair of mines on my secondary eSurfboard. Slaved its controls to follow mine and keep a standard five meter follow distance.
Apparently two strapped on limpet mines are heavier than one surfer dude.
I left my two helpers, dressed as tourists, behind. I wore a shorty wetsuit complete with a rebreather for air and a mask.
Sped off to an intercept location in the bay's entrance. The second board gradually fell behind.
Way behind.
Good news, it also sank a bit. Floated under water, with only occasional peeks above the two-foot swells.
Once I stopped, it caught up to my lead board, but that wouldn't work when we needed to pace a moving target like a missile boat.
Reluctantly, I dropped one of the mines off here in the shallow water. We could retrieve it or deactivate it remotely at a later time. It wouldn't move on its own or anything like that.
No, limpet mines needed to be hand attached to a ship's hull.
Usually, that happened while the ship stood still, but the PLAN would surely have an anchor watch. In this clear water, during daylight hours, there's no way bored Chinese sailors wouldn't notice someone approaching, even under water.
Nothing to help it. One attempt per customer for the enemy fast movers.
Michelle interrupted my recriminations and re-planning. "Surfer, first missile boat is in the slot."
"Roger that."
I plugged my mouth with a mouthpiece and turned the connected air valve. That'd keep me underwater.
Lay on my belly. Wrapped a strap around my waist, similar to the ones holding now just a single limpet mine to the secondary board.
Programmed the underwater wing's angle to pull me under the water until the board's buoyancy counter-acted it to keep us only a couple of feet down.
Accelerated. Glanced back at the other board. It followed.
Sunk under the waves. A dark shape beneath the sea, without sunlight overhead.
Water rushed past my face-mask. Pounded on my shoulders. But we stayed below the surface.
It worked!
The approaching ship was obvious. Two great disturbance in the water ahead, corresponding to its pair of und
ersea pontoons, each followed by a jet of water.
I banked and turned in a curve to the right. Sped up to match its speed. Almost too fast for me, but they'd slowed in the shallower water.
I lined up directly in front. Let the boat overtake me while I brought my secondary board closer and angled both deeper.
As long as I hit near the center, even above the water, the PLAN Houbei class has several feet of clearance.
If a pontoon smacked me in the back at high speed, that'd be a different story. So no sharp turns, please.
Just before the ship arrived, I unstrapped the limpet mine. Grabbed it with both hands. Lay on my back. Held on with my feet tucked under my board.
Activated the magnets.
As the ship passed over me, I thrust my arms out. Tagged the hull.
Clang!
Hoped no one heard that, or if they did, mistook it for a random piece of flotsam.
The mine attached itself. The boat yanked it out of my hands.
One set.
I flipped over on my belly. Strapped myself back in.
Once the rear of the boat passed over me, I got the wash of the twin pumped turbojets. The edges of two giant fountains propelling the missile boat forward.
Spun me sideways. High-speed impact against hard water as my prop and foil faced the wrong direction.
The worst kind of wipe out. Tumbled. Slammed into waves. A sudden stop on my face.
I stopped. Surfaced. Couldn't help it. My board was dead in the water.
My secondary eSurfboard dutifully crashed into the back of the one I was clinging to. By flipping sideways, I'd stopped faster than just killing the electric motor could halt me.
So there we sat on top of the waves. Fully exposed.
I guess the missile boat's rooster tails were tall enough to hide both boards from view. Or else no one on board bothered to look back, not when their destination was coming into view.
Got lucky.
Sometimes better to be lucky, then good.
I checked my rebreather status. Turned my board. Tightened my strap.
Pushed the accelerator and sunk once more. Headed for the beach for replenishment.
They'd need to be NASCAR fast to prepare for the destroyer next.
* * *
As an indicator of his higher status, Pahk rode in the cabin with the boat driver bitch.
The six midnight-blue uniformed PLAN Sea Dragon assault team members didn't fit. They rode outside on the deck. The cabin protected them from wind, but not always from waves, especially at the high speeds the missile boat achieved with a lunatic at the wheel.
Admiral Hu sent them ahead with Pahk, the only one on board who'd landed on this island before, to scout the dock and setup a security perimeter.
That marked them as expendable. Or at least, easier to risk than the Admiral's own hide.
The Sea Dragons were the PLAN Marine's answer to the imperialist Navy SEALs. Dragons eat seals, right?
The rising sun in the east highlighted the beaches and buildings of Tilik on the west side of the harbor. Gave Pahk an excellent view. Put the sun in the eyes of anyone watching them from shore.
Clang! Something impacted the bottom of the boat. He looked over at the pilot, but she just ignored him. Minor hull impacts must happen all the time, especially close to shore like this.
He wasn't about to worry about sinking if she wasn't.
Mostly local Filipinos watched their entrance, dressed in their usual jeans and cheap branded shirts.
Could almost be a parade.
A pair of tall, white, military-age men sat on an overturned outrigger canoe and stared.
Tourists? Military?
If so, there was nothing they could do to the Chinese task force without weapons larger than hidden side arms.
Still, suspicious.
Pahk scanned the rest of the seaside village as their boat driver brought them alongside a wide concrete pier. Their boat slid sideways into a group of old tires hung from the edge to buffer impact.
A crew member jumped ashore. Another tossed him a line, which he made fast to the pier.
They'd arrived.
Pahk left the cabin. Motioned to the Sea Dragon Squad Leader. "Follow me."
They trailed him off the boat and on to the pier. A pair of port authority flunkies stood in bursting powder blue uniforms and saluted as they arrived.
The locals grew fat, even here in the rural boondocks. Perhaps after Hu took the place over, Pahk could bring his mother and sister here. Get them good jobs at the new port facilities while he liaised with Omar and the other locals.
Something to daydream about later.
The Sea Dragons behind him ignored the local officials. They weren't here to meet and greet, but to protect the Admiral.
The special forces soldiers split into two groups. In order to not escalate the situation, they allowed their rifles and pistols to dangle from their plate carrier harnesses.
Three swept left. Took position along a railing with a boathouse to protect them from the land. The remaining three spread out more to the right. Took over the base of the pier. Watched the nearby hotel and other buildings suspiciously.
Still, nothing out of place in the open, so both teams gave Pahk a thumbs up.
He stepped up to the local bureaucrats. "I'm in charge of Admiral Hu's advance security detail. Where will the meeting take place?"
If they were offended by his dismissal of them as inferiors, they didn't show it. One even bowed before speaking. "Sir, we will have the formal diplomatic exchange in the open space at the end of the pier. Afterward, if the Admiral consents, we'll move inside to our delegation's hotel for refreshments."
Pahk wasn't sure he'd have allowed enemy special forces within range of his President if he were in charge of Filipino Security, but clearly they didn't consider the Chinese a serious threat to his health with this setup.
"Good. I'll report back. These men will stay and monitor the area for the Admiral."
The Filipinos nodded, so Pahk turned on his heels and returned to the missile boat.
He ignored the driver and picked up the radio. "Pass word to the Admiral. All clear on the pier. We await his arrival."
After confirmation of his report, he turned to the boat bitch. "You can patrol the bay, now. Make room here for the destroyer to tie up. I'll wait on the dock."
She frowned, but nodded. What did she call him in her mind?
Perhaps he'd see if whatever rotgut liquor the locals provided loosened her up at the celebration later.
He hopped back onto the pier. A crew member released the missile boat.
Pahk waved to the driver as the boat sped off in a double-curl of water spray to scope out the rest of the bay.
Closest thing he had to a female friend out here right now, anyway.
* * *
My rapid replenishment went well. I pulled up to the beach with both boards on top of the water and together they carried another mine down from the stockpile we'd created under the overturned boat.
"This'll do. One mine at a time now."
The two ranger tourists adapted to the change in plans and returned to pretend they were beach bums.
In turn, I sped back out into the bay with my belly on my lead eSurfboard, with the secondary set to automatically follow closely.
Unlike the missile boats, I really needed to get two mines on to Hu's destroyer. I also wanted to avoid placing an explosive right next to wherever they held Raven aboard.
Complicated.
Along with my platoon's analysts, I'd examined 3D plans of the type of destroyer we faced. The center of the ship held the populated areas. The kind of spaces people would inhabit.
Machinery filled the bow. Both sensors, and to rotate and reload the deck gun. Just behind that, their vertical launch missile tubes.
But no storage space for humans, so my first target became as close to the ship's front as I could plant it.
A hit there would also ki
ll any ability for the destroyer to move forward without more water pressure.
The ship's tail held a single helicopter landing pad, with storage and mechanical space underneath. The propeller and rudder flowed beneath the sea there as well.
So the tail was my ideal location for a second mine. Anything which wrecked the ability of the ship to move or steer would be a mission-kill type of blow.
The tail was most dangerous, though. Getting clipped while the propeller pushed the ship through the water would be lethal.
"Destroyer inbound."
"Roger, ball-breaker."
Given the deeper draft of the destroyer, I pushed the depth of my devices. Moved slower, but deeper.
Circled around underwater to intercept at an angle. Dude, no need to risk getting run over!
Just below the waterline, the destroyer transitioned from gray to red paint.
I slid in next to the front of the target.
The rush of water across my face and back shifted as the bow wave from the destroyer tried to push me off target.
I adjusted my prop's steering to counter-balance the sideways water pressure.
The interaction between them bounced me in and out. Toward and away from the hull. The bow wave just wasn't consistent enough to hold in one place without adjustments.
I'd have to risk a minor collision. No other way; I was running out of real estate.
I unstrapped the mine. Pulled it off the secondary board.
The additional drag immediately slowed me down. Allowed the destroyer's nose to pull ahead. It also caught more of the bow wave, pushing me away.
I leaned toward the ship. Tilted my board just enough to catch an angle and redirect the water pressure.
Which, of course, flung me out of control toward the hull.
I hit the activation on the mine. Slammed it onto the hull just before I made contact myself.
The magnets locked on. I released it.
The push off from hitting the hull with a mine slowed my approach. Like flexing your knees to absorb a drop.
Covert Commando: A Sam Harper Military Thriller Page 22