Tiger's Claw: A Novel

these helicopters are over Taiwanese waters.” The message floater was a buoy with a satellite transmitter and antenna aboard that would send a coded message to fleet headquarters, wait for message confirmation, then sink itself so it did not reveal the position of the sub that launched it.

“Floater ready, sir.”

“Release it,” Yao ordered. He waited until the message was sent and the floater sunk.

“Con, Sonar, helicopter noises on the surface, bearing two-zero-zero.”

“He might have spotted the floater before it sunk itself,” Chein said in a low voice.

“Helicopter sounds increasing, sir, bearing two-zero-zero,” the sonar operator said. “He is coming closer.”

“It is time to stop being the hunted,” Yao said. “Helm, take us to periscope depth, nice and slow.”

It took careful balancing of the ballast tanks to approach the surface without using forward propulsion and without broaching, but several minutes later they were stabilized at sixty feet below the surface. After a careful sonar scan, Yao raised the periscope and quickly did a 360-degree scan of the horizon, then turned to the approaching helicopter’s bearing. “Target, aircraft,” he announced. He tapped the laser rangefinder button. “Range eight kilometers. Weapons, ready IDAS in tube three, stand by to engage. Flood tube three.”

“Con, Weapons, IDAS ready.”

“Tube three flooded.”

“Open outer door on tube three,” Yao ordered. He magnified the image of the Communist helicopter, then locked it in. “IDAS, aircraft, tube three, shoot one.”

“IDAS, tube three, shoot one.”

The IDAS missile shot out and ahead of the Avenger on a blast of compressed air from the torpedo tube, and it steered itself to the target bearing. Once it was about fifty yards ahead of the sub, a booster motor on the rear of the missile fired, propelling the missile upward at over one hundred miles an hour and pushing it above the surface. As soon as it cleared the surface the spent booster motor ejected and the main rocket motor ignited, pushing the missile to almost twice the speed of sound. Seconds later, the missile impacted the Chinese Z-9 helicopter on its rotor mast just above the cockpit. The missile’s fifty-pound high-explosive warhead separated the mast from the helicopter, and the stricken helicopter crashed into the sea.

“Direct hit!” Yao shouted. “That helicopter will make enough noise to mask our damage sounds. Down periscope. Secure tube three, then reload IDAS. Helm, make your depth two hundred meters. Make turns for fifteen knots. Steer zero-five-zero.” Yao allowed himself to think they might actually get away from the area alive.

PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY HEADQUARTERS, BEIJING

THAT SAME TIME

General Zu picked up the telephone, knowing exactly what the call was about. He never should have doubted that Admiral Zhen would unleash Kepa debo if authorized. “What is it, Admiral?” he spoke after the secure link was established.

“The Taiwanese submarine has been detected, sir,” South Sea Fleet commander Admiral Zhen Peng said. “It is apparently damaged but under way. It used a new missile that has shot down and destroyed an antisubmarine patrol helicopter while submerged.”

“How did the traitor submarine get damaged, Admiral?” Zu asked.

“It was attacked by torpedoes from one of our carrier attack planes, sir,” Zhen said.

“If it got away from a torpedo, Zhen, what makes you think your forces can destroy it with Kepa debo?”

“It is damaged, sir, so it cannot evade the torpedo as before, and we have a solid position on it with sonobuoys,” Zhen replied. “I am confident we can kill it now.”

Zu hesitated. This was going to be an extreme escalation, and he was going to be responsible for it—not Zhou, not Gao, no one but himself.

“Sir?” Zhen asked. “Am I authorized to proceed?”

“Stand by, damn you, Zhen.”

“Sir, we must act before the traitor submarine gets away,” Zhen said. “If it challenges your restrictions and escapes, the world will think we do not have the technology or the will to enforce our own territorial waters.”

“I said shut up, Zhen,” Zu said. The deputy chief of the general staff, Major General Sun, entered Zu’s office, heard his superior’s angry retort, and narrowed his eyes with a silent question. Sun was right, Zu thought: no one, not even the Americans, were powerful enough in the region to take on China. This would leave every nation on Earth fearful of taking on China.

“Authorized, Zhen,” Zu said. “Make sure it is killed.” He slammed the receiver down onto its cradle. “Get Gao on the line immediately!”

A few moments later: “Yes, General?” Gao Xudong responded.

“There is a Taiwanese submarine preparing to attack our aircraft carrier Zheng He,” General Zu said. “I have ordered our aircraft and ships to attack. They are authorized to use ‘Terrible Wave’ to destroy the submarine. Do you understand?” And then Zu explained what the weapon was . . .

. . . and Gao gasped aloud. “Yi! By the stars, General!” he exclaimed. “That would be insanity!”

“Perhaps that would be the best deterrent—if everyone thought China was insane,” Zu said, a touch of dark humor in his voice. “It worked with Iran and North Korea for years.”

“And half the world was poised to destroy both countries if the threat even appeared in the slightest bit to be real,” Gao said. “Rescind that order, General!”

“No one is going to retaliate, Gao,” Zu said. “America has been attacked many times in the past several years and has never mounted a strategic response.”

“Tell that to President Gryzlov of Russia!” Gao exclaimed. “He is still buried under millions of tons of the rubble from his underground command center after the American bombers got done with him— after they destroyed most of their land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles!”

“And the Americans threw away what bombers they had left to get Gryzlov, and they still have not rebuilt their bomber force,” Zu said. “America is too weak to respond to anything except an attack against their homeland—they will not dare risk a general war for something that happens half a world away.”

“But if you are wrong, General, China will suffer,” Gao said.

“The plan is already in place, Gao,” Zu said. “I will give you a statement that you will issue afterward. Study it—it should appear to be your words, not mine.”

“I have a better idea, General,” Gao said. “After you employ the weapon, the Americans will certainly call Ambassador Li Peiyan in for consultation, or call me directly. As soon as that meeting has concluded, I will call President Phoenix and gauge his reaction. I should be able to convince him that all these attacks were cooked up by Zhou and that China will pull all our forces back and disengage in the South Sea.”

“Disengage? Why would I wish that? The whole objective is to occupy and defend the first island chain, not disengage!”

“General, if you don’t allow me to talk President Phoenix down, he could very well retaliate,” Gao said. “I don’t think he will, but he might, especially if we don’t open up a dialogue right away. Now if I can’t convince you to stop this lunacy, at least allow me to contact Phoenix shortly afterward, listen to him, and try to convince him that China will back off.”

“Back off? China will never back off!”

“Then China is doomed to destruction,” Gao said earnestly. “If Phoenix is assured that China only wants peace, we buy more time to build our forces in the South Sea. If we say nothing, or if Phoenix is not convinced, he could be forced to retaliate.”

Zu did not feel convinced in the least, but finally he said, “Very well, talk with him. But do not reveal a thing.”

“That’s the wrong tack, General,” Gao insisted. “We should admit everything.”