by Stephen Makk
The two of them sat with two coffees. “Ok, this USS 2 is an Underwater Security System for detecting Frogmen.” He made quote marks in the air. “They copied it from the Israelis. There’s a base station and one or more mobile underwater drones, they can locate divers infiltrating a harbour. They’re not armed or weren’t. They sold some to the Iranians, we first encountered them when we did an Infil at Bandar Abbas naval base.”
“So, it’s out there hunting for divers. Not good man.”
“If you’re detected it releases a small buoy with a transmitter on it, telling them that you’re there and where you are. They used to trail a wire to a floating buoy, but passing ships...well you can imagine. We tried jamming the signal, all sorts of fancy electronic stuff. No luck.
Then one lad from down Suffolk way, an old stable lad, said.
“It’s like a racehorse, it’ll run like shit and do wonders but if it can’t see, it’s fucked.”
So we did what he suggested and put a plastic sack over it, tied it off. The bastard can’t move as its props suck water in and eject it. It can release a buoy, but it can’t reach the surface as the buoy needs to be free of the drone before a lanyard inflates it.
It’s totally fucked, all for the cost of a sack. The trick is getting the sack on before it gets to release its buoy.”
Innes frowned. “And how do you do that, you don’t know where it is?” Marr grinned.
“The racehorse lad had another idea. You’ll see.”
A RED DIFFUSE LOW LIGHT filled the control room. Commander Pike checked his monitor yet again.
“Forward two, easy now.” He raised the scope for a ninety-degree sweep and pressed go. The scope raised above the surface did a sweep and retracted.
The image and rangefinder marks told him they were just 150 yards from the outer entrance to Yalong Bay.
“Ok down vent forward one.”
“Contact sir.” Fill forward one 20%.”
“Level sir.”
“Weaps, deploy Stonefish tubes five and six.”
“Aye sir. Flooding tubes five and six. Opening outer doors. Tube five out, tube six out. Stonefish out and ready, three hours until active.”
“Right Marr, Innes. Out there and do your stuff.”
The two divers clad in their rebreathers let the water fill the chamber, above was a dim red light. The sail compartment was now full, Marr opened the hatch and swam out into the sea. Innes followed into the blackness. Helmet lights were switched on. Marr swam off around the sail and Innes followed. Marr unfastened three latches and revealed the sled. The two men pulled it free and Marr switched it on. The two divers took it forward, found the two mines and with much effort and running cables through lugs they attached the two mines to the underside of the sled. Marr gave him the OK checked his compass and pointed to 290 degrees. Innes nodded, and they set off both led on top of the sled. Their depth was around forty feet. They were now in the enemy’s main nuclear submarine base, on their way to cause mayhem. After fifteen minutes Marr turned his helmet light off and angled the sled upward towards the surface. They quietly surfaced, a few lights were visible ahead, off to the left a large building was flooded with light. Marr took a compass bearing and they descended again. The sled swam stealthily further into the harbour, another fifteen minutes and it was time for another peek and compass bearing. This time on descending Marr settled the sled on the silty bottom of the bay.
He unclipped two sacks from under the sled and passed one to Innes, he made a motion like covering something. Innes knew what was going on and he unfurled his sack, it was holed to allow him to pull it through the water. Then Marr placed a vertical tube with a weighted base on the seabed around five yards away, it was connected to the sled by a rubber tube around a half inch diameter. The SBS diver returned to the sled, reached under and opened a valve. Air from a cylinder bubbled out of the vertical tube streaming what looked like rubber or plastic strips, looking like long undulating flapping thin leaves. Innes grunted as he realised this was a decoy to lure the USS 2 drone. He lay flat to the seabed and waited with his sack.
Come on little fish, come on. The drone would be alerted by the noise and move in to locate its prey. Soon a buoy would be broadcasting “here they are” signals on the surface. If it did that he knew there’d be a launch sent out, dropping hand grenades all over us. He waited five minutes. It started quietly and got louder he heard a noise, a whirring, it was impossible to sense the direction due to the high speed of sound underwater, but it was approaching. He looked all around. There, there it was just three yards away, it would pass a couple of yards away. Innes opened his sack waited until it had just gone by and lunged. He roughly pulled the sack over it, Marr pulled the lanyard shut. The drone ran its motors to no avail, you could see the sack being sucked into the fan duct. The drone was going nowhere, any released buoy would be trapped. Innes had to laugh at it struggling behind his mouthpiece.
They set off towards their destination again, leaving the drone occasionally whirring its motors in frustration. After a few minutes Innes looked up a steep slope, this must be the cliff he figured. Marr turned the sled left and soon they were over a black chasm. Marr pushed the control column forward and they headed down into it. At 140 feet they reached the bottom. Marr pointed to the north and made an up and down flat shape with his hands, followed by an opening door. Innes nodded and started to unfasten a Stonefish. Finally, it was free then they slung under it two lifting bags, fore and aft. Marr started inflating the forward bag from his 7-litre bailout cylinder, Innes did the same with the rear bag. The two of them swam towards the steel door where they set down the mine at the left-hand side of the doors, removed the bags and returned to the sled. The other Stonefish was placed at the right-hand side. The two of them shook hands and returned to the sled and made their way back to the harbour entrance. Twenty minutes later, Innes heard a small boat approach, he paid it little heed it would be a regular harbour patrol. Then came a dull loud thud, he felt it as much as heard it. Another followed, they were getting closer. Innes’s mind raced, it must be a standard patrol. if somehow, they’d realised the drone had been disabled, how did they know the divers were in this area? More grenades exploded getting ever closer and now very loud and a chest thumping shock wave. Marr pressed on towards the entrance. Innes knew they could be right in the boats path, the grenades felt right next to him. He shook Marr and pointed to the South west and stabbed his finger repeatedly.
“Go, go, go.” Marr couldn’t hear but turned the sled south west. Innes and Marr finned to add more speed. Still the grenades exploded close by. Innes reckoned that the boat would stay in mid water away from the sea walls, they were heading right for a seawall where they could hug the wall and head toward the exit. Boom thud, boom thud, boom thud. This was a nightmare, were they leaving the grenades behind or heading into them. He wished he could see the boat above, but out there they just headed into the blackness. Innes admitted it was the first time in a long time he’d felt frightened like this, he felt his heart pounding and his temperature rising. Boom thud, boom thud, boom thud. He briefly closed his eyes.
The next grenade could be the one.
Chapter 13
Taichung City.
COMMANDER JIN LONG looked at her with affection. “We endure while the bastards in Beijing sit on their asses.” She knew now that his Father was one of those on his ass. Jin laughed.
“You know Tangia, this is the last thing my Father wants. This invasion.”
“If he’s part of the regime he is a part of it all,” May said.
“No, he’s part of it, yes. But there’s much more to it than that.” She could see that he was trying to withhold something. But he wanted to say more. She moved over to him and snuggled up to him, he stroked her hair.
“What a mess Tangia.”
“Tell me Jin, what’s wrong, apart from this cursed bridge.” She waited and pushed her hands into his jacket and felt his warm chest.
“My F
ather is a part of a large subgroup of the Politburo and other figures in the government and the Military.” He paused. “They oppose the PRC Government and the Communist party. They call themselves the 7/12 group after the day; 7th December; when Chiang Kai-shek moved the government of China to Taiwan.” He looked at May and smiled. A grenade went off several yards away, shrapnel flew by and both ducked.
“They started this war Tang. They caused the invasion of Taiwan.”
“Why? She asked puzzled.
“They know it’s doomed to fail. Taiwan backed by America is too strong. The PLA will be defeated. The nation will descend into chaos. That’s when the 7/12 group will make their move. They wish to restore the rightful government to China, the government of The Republic Of China.”
“No, what?”
“Yes Tang. The government of Taiwan will then rule the whole of China, Taiwan and the mainland.”
“But?”
“I know Tang, it’s massive and ambitious but many agree with them, and of course many don’t. There are people in the MSS who know and oppose them. Ling Shimming, head of Bureau 4 at the Ministry of State Security, is a prominent opponent. He’s aware of it but few even know of 7/12. Tang, the PLA’s defeat here will cause massive change. Its time has come, China will once again be whole, under the blue star of Taiwan.”
May instantly knew the truth. This was horrifying, it came to her in a rush, a deluge of information. Her mind had sized on the nub of the problem instantly, call it an epiphany, call it what you will. May Hsin knew.
This would be a terrible mistake, she loved her country and would do anything for it, but this? She knew the Republic Of China, Taiwan, couldn’t rule mainland China, it was too long ago the separation. So ok, some in the PRC’s leadership wanted this, but how much support would they get from the people? Some no doubt, many hated the regime. But not all. What about the military? The PLA would be split. This could only mean one thing. Civil war with Taiwan dragged into it. Some would blame Taiwan and say it was an attempt to gain power.
May could see the irony of course. Her country becoming the rightful China, now united. Peace and democracy. Here she lay, by a bridge in a PLAN uniform, knowing that disaster beckoned. Sadly, it was wishful thinking, the reality would be war, massacre and columns of starving refugees. Even nuclear war.
May looked skyward. “Ancestors. Hear me, give me strength.”
Long raised his head and looked at her. “What Tangia?” A grenade exploded a few yards behind him. She heard the splinters of metal fly by. He was hit and hit badly.
“Medic, medic.” She cut parts of his uniform and used them to stop the bleeding. Soon a medic crawled into the shed from behind.
“It’s Commander Long, Grenade, help him,” The medic gave him a look over.
“We’ll have to take him to the field station. It’s more than we can treat here.”
“Ok, do it.” The medic shouted, and a colleague appeared, they dragged him back down the hill towards their field station.
May thought hard, what to do now. This she knew, looking around her at the battle, is a small issue now. She had to get through it first. She’d muster the men, lay down heavy fire and then order a withdrawal under the reply she knew would come down on them from the Americans. Just then there was another grenade far to her right. Bullets slammed into the shed, she looked up and there stood an American soldier pointing his rifle at her.
“Stop, weapon down.” He said in bad Chinese. May did as he said, “oh, shit.”
RANGER CORPORAL BEN C Willis stood in the shed looking at the woman laid against the far wall. She was tired, dirty and wearing an odd blue camouflaged uniform, she was good looking he supposed, if she wasn’t here in this shit. He noticed her badges, an officer, she wore the red patch he’d been told about. She was the enemy, not what he’d imagined. What the hell did you do with a prisoner? They hadn’t told him that.
“Hello Willis.” He looked at her in surprise, she’d read his jacket patch.
“You are a Ranger, yes? My name is May, I surrender to you.”
“You can speak.”
“Yes, I have done for a long time Willis. Did you think I’d grunt and swing through the trees?”
“I have to take you to see my Officer mam.” May nodded. He made her lead the way up the hill, they took shelter a couple of times to escape the crossfire.
“Is there anything you need mam? Water, food?” He knew he better treat her well, she was an Officer, and this was out of his comfort zone. He’d take her straight to the Major, he’d want to interrogate her.
“Thank you I’m starving, food if you have it. Where are you from Willis?”
“Colorado Mam. Here, try this from my pack, he opened the pocket holding the cake he’d been given by the girl.
She unwrapped it and bit into it, May took several mouthfuls.
“This cake, it’s Taiwanese an old recipe. It’s good, where did you get it from?”
“After I dropped, a woman and her daughter gave it to me,” he frowned, “how do you know it’s Taiwanese?” She grinned.
“Because I’m Taiwanese.” Willis frowned, she’s talking shit. They set off again and finally got to the Major.
“Sir, I got a prisoner. She’s an Officer, Navy. I don’t know the rank. She speaks too.” The Major looked at her badges.
“That’s like a Major, I think. Thanks Willis, return to your unit.”
“Sir,”
“Major Larson. I’m May Hsin of the Taiwanese National Security Bureau the NSB. I’m here undercover wearing the uniform of a Lieutenant Commander of the PLAN. I need to contact my leader in Taipei.”
“Well, ten out of ten for that stream of horse shit.” Larson laughed.
“I’m telling the truth. At least get hold of a ROC Officer I can explain this to.”
“We got one Mam, he’s attached to us for translation.” The Lieutenant arrived wearing a 234 Mechanized infantry brigade uniform.
He stared at her open mouthed in surprise and then spoke to her in Mandarin. She replied in traditional Chinese laced with Taiwan slang. They spoke for several minutes.
Eventually he spoke to the Major. “Sir, she maybe who she says she is. I need to take her to our command post.”
“Go ahead soldier, we’ll hold your bridge.”
MAY SAT AT A BLACK smooth table in a large office with views over Taipei’s cityscape. She still wore the blue camouflaged PLAN Lieutenant Commanders uniform.
Down in central Taiwan at the busy command post, she’d been passed from pillar to post at first, but she lost her temper and swore at the Colonel. She’d threatened him with inserting a growing bamboo in a dark and private orifice and then demanded to speak to the NSB.
She backed this up with language only heard in the gutters of Taipei, and in the ROC Marines of course. They finally relented, she heard someone say, “Just get rid of the bitch.”
Sat with her was Chen Huo Director of 2nd Division NSB.
“You achieved much May Hsin. You couldn’t help that they decided to mount this invasion just when you joined the ship. Please work with our team for debriefing. Your information will be very useful.”
“Sir, whatever I give you now will be nothing compared to what I can give you. I need to go back.”
“Back? You have done what we required under the circumstance. Why do you want to go back?” She knew if she told him why, he’d have to kick the situation upstairs to the Government. That would be like handing a box of doughnuts to a cage full of Gibbons, they’d be fighting and squabbling for days. If she told him what she had in mind, he’d have locked her in an asylum.
“Sir do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
“Then I need to go back.” He started to speak, she held up her hand.
“Sir, you said you trusted me,” May looked at him with doe like eyes, “then trust me when I say I can’t tell you yet. Please send me back. Our nation is at stake.” He stared at her, she held his ga
ze. He finally sat back.
“Ok May, you can go back. I know I’m a fool but go and do what you must. God help me.”
“Thank you Sir, thank you.”
“Make whatever arrangements you have to. You have my authority behind you.”
May left and spent the day visiting several departments making preparations. When all was in place she visited Director Chen Huo again.
“Sir, could I ask you a favour?”
“Of course.”
May put on her best seductive accent and gave him a helpless puppy like gaze. “Please. Could you come outside with me for a little while?”
Chen smiled, he knew he was a sucker for pretty women.
“You remind me of my daughter,” he smiled, “you’re both bullies’. But she’s an expensive bully. Come on.” May smiled and followed him out of the office. Chen’s aide filmed them and passed May the data card.
SHE DRESSED AS A CIVILIAN but packed the uniform in her suitcase. May flew to Bangkok and then on to Beijing.
She looked out of the Thai airlines Boeing 787’s window as they approached Beijing. It was now down to her. It could be a free Taiwan, she could swim off her beaches, wander Taipei’s bustling night markets. Savour the cooking smells from the wok’s and grills. Eat among their sprinkling lights, throngs of people passing by.
May sighed, she knew she could also remain here forever in an unmarked grave.
Chapter 14
HMS Bellerophon.
INNES AND MARR CLIMBED down out of the sail onto the main companionway. Commander Pike was waiting.
“Both Stonefish are in place either side of the doors Sir.”
“Well done the pair of you. Any trouble?”
“Uncle Joe dropped a few grenades on us,” said Marr, “can’t think why we were just out for a midnight swim.”
“Don’t worry, he means well. So, Innes you get to see us in action. I’ve swapped messages with Commander Blake via Satellite. We have a strategy set out. We’ll transfer you back to your boat when we can. In the meantime, you have the run of the boat. The Chief has got you a bunk.” He turned for the control room and then looked back.