Battlecraft (2006)

sea except for bits of debris and boiling water.

'Incoming!' Veronica reported.

'Evasive action!' Bannerman ordered.

Watkins kicked the ACV up to flank speed, quickly closing in on ninety miles an hour as he made several sharp turns, alternating port and starboard directions. Meanwhile, Veronica released chaff and flares to draw off the enemy missile. It sped straight to some flares floating down toward the ocean and went through them. Then, unable to match the ACV's erratic maneuvering, the deadly rocket continued harmlessly away until it hit the waves and exploded.

'Incoming neutralized,' Veronica said.

Watkins was given a new course, and he slowed down to eighty miles an hour as Veronica chose the Number Two Attack Boat as the next target. The young skipper of the Oman boat took a couple of seconds too long to order a launch. Battlecraft's second Penguin slammed into the small ship just aft of the bridge. Both the hull and stem whipped inward as the explosion violently split the port amidships frame.

'Incoming!' Veronica reported again.

'Evasive action!' Bannerman responded.

'Incoming!' Veronica repeated.

With two missiles streaking toward the Battlecraft, Watkins first threw the ACV into a series of powerful tacking maneuvers while kicking her back up to flank speed. The first missile was drawn off by the chaff while the second, coming in from a different angle, was not affected by it or the flares. Watkins made a sharp turn to starboard, waited a couple of beats, then whipped around again in the same direction. The second projectile was unable to match the swift maneuvering and flew toward the distant horizon.

Veronica was not distracted by the violent turns. She managed to get a solid lock on Number Three Attack Boat and kicked off the third Penguin. It hit the bow of the enemy vessel at a three-quarters angle, sending the force of the warhead's explosion down the entire length of the boat. In one terrifying millisecond, bolts popped, welds split, and flesh charred in the total destruction that was blown across two square miles of ocean.

Bannerman jumped down from his chair to stand behind the female weapons officer. He noted the blips of the remaining three attack boats. 'Watkins,' he yelled out leaning toward the helmsman. 'One-quarter left rudder! Two- thirds speed.'

'One-quarter left rudder, two-thirds speed, aye, sir,' Watkins said as calmly as if he were making ready to move into the Daly's docking well.

Veronica needed no orders. She picked out two of the remaining fast attack boats, locked on, and launched. In short seconds they disappeared from the screen. She glanced up toward Bannerman, her face lit with a fierce surge of happiness.

'Fish in a barrel.'

.

FLAGSHIP HARBI-MIN-ISLAM

1155 HOURS LOCAL

COMMODORE Muhammad Mahamat's face was blanched with fear. His mighty Zauba Fast Attack Squadron was down to his flagship and a single, solitary surviving attack boat. He looked at his watch, shocked to note that in some fifteen minutes he had been roundly and solidly defeated by a cursed infidel air- cushion vehicle.

He jumped on his command frequency and raised the Number Six Attack Boat. 'What is your situation? Over.'

'I am fully armed,' the young skipper answered. He tried to put a tone of bravado in his voice, but a slight tremble was detectable. He had seen his five sister ships disappear off the radar one by one.

'Then with the blessings of Allah,' Mahamat said, speaking rapidly, 'you will make an immediate attack on the enemy vessel. Over.'

'I obey, Amid' the young skipper replied in the full realization that he and his crew were about to be martyred.

Mahamat turned toward the deck officer. 'Set a course for Taimur Naval Base. Flank speed.'

The deck officer turned away and breathed a surreptitious sigh of relief, then gave the orders to the helmsman.

.

USS DAN DALY

COMBAT DIRECTION CENTER

NOON

COMMANDER Tom Carey exchanged grins with the others in the center as Lieutenant Bill Brannigan's voice came over the commo speaker announcing the destruction of no less than six fast-attack boats.

'Well done, Lieutenant!' Carey exclaimed. 'What about the big girl? Over.'

'She didn't participate in the fight,' Bannerman replied. 'And she drew off while we were dealing with the final boat. We've expended our missiles. Request permission to pursue enemy vessel. Over.'

'Permission denied,' Carey said. 'That's a fully armed attack ship and all you've got left is a chain gun. You'd never get close enough to her to put a single round into her hull. Over.'

'Understood' Bannerman said. 'We'll go about and search for survivors. Prisoners should be useful. Over.'

'Roger. As soon as that task is done, set a course for the Dan Daly'

'Wilco. Out-

Carey put the microphone down and looked over at Paulsen and Koenig. 'I would say that operation went rather well.'

'I agree,' Paulsen said. 'It seemed they told us they were engaged and had destroyed the enemy in almost the same sentence.'

Carey checked the printout of the commo log. 'It was almost that fast. Bannerman said they were engaged at 1140 hours and reported the situation well in hand at noon. A victory in twenty minutes is sure as hell better than one in twenty hours or twenty days.'

Koenig took a sip from his cup of coffee. 'This is not the end of the incident, gentlemen.'

'Certainly not,' Paulsen agreed. 'The diplomacy boys are going to be busy for the next few weeks. I hope the Battlecraft manages to pluck some prisoners out of the water. That would make it easier all around.'

'I can tell you who's going to be working their asses off in the wake of this event,' Koenig said. 'The State Department's workday will be starting real early tomorrow morning.'

Paulsen chuckled. 'And that means our old pal Carl Joplin.'

'Well, there's no better man for the job,' Koenig opined.

.

TAIMUR NAVAL BASE, OMAN

1715 HOURS LOCAL

MIKE Assad stood on the second-floor balcony of the base officers' quarters looking out to sea. He had watched the entire Zauba Squadron sail out of the harbor the evening before, knowing they were on their way to attack a single American vessel. He wasn't familiar with air-cushion vehicles whether armed or unarmed, but the sight of the flagship and the six fast-attack boats was evidence enough that they would be a formidable task force. The impotent rage he'd felt kept him awake all that night, and he'd been unable to even enjoy brief naps as the day wore on.

Hafez Sabah stepped out of their shared room to join him. 'We will have quite a celebration when the commodore returns with his victorious squadron.' He checked his watch. 'His estimated time of return is eight o'clock tonight.'

Mike turned his face away from the Arab and only nodded at his remarks.

'Are you all right?' Sabah asked. 'You seem ill.'

Mike quickly turned to face him and smiled. 'It is nothing, brother. I think the rich food in the officers' mess has upset my stomach. I have grown quite used to the simple fare of the mujahideen off in the mountains.'