door.
This latest missile test would bring them even closer. It would be fired from a Chinese destroyer. The intelligence reports Chang had seen were worrisome. She supposedly carried sea-skimmer missiles that might be virtually impossible to detect before it was too late. Additionally, the cruiser in company with her carried long-range land attack missiles.
The Chinese claimed it was a test. Chang considered the exercise as preparations for war.
Without the Americans here, he had little hope of intercepting the missile with his own missiles. Even with her best efforts, the systems she was designed to fight against were decades old, and no amount of care and maintenance could make up for the technological gap between the two ships. And no one could doubt that the American sailors, for all their frequent transfers, were superbly trained.
No, the critical differences lay far deeper than that. First, Chang and his crew knew these waters, knew the tricks and traps of both the electromagnetic spectrum and the seething currents under their hull. Second, the
James Norfolk, the
Speakers lining the passageway continued the gonging for five seconds, then a voice broke in. “General quarters, general quarters. All hands man your battle stations. Reason for general quarters: ballistic missile launch from Gungzho base.”
Norfolk burst into combat and ran over to the TAO, Lieutenant Calvin Ackwurst. “What you got?”
“Ballistic missile launch from the shore site. Coming in over national assets, confirmed by Cheyenne. It’s for real, sir.” Ackwurst pointed up at the symbols on the monitor mounted just above eye level. “Trajectory still unknown.”
“We’re still inside our box, speed twelve, course one one zero,” Ackwurst said, and then continued with an abbreviated brief on the equipment status of the ship. Even as he spoke he was moving toward the hatch leading off the bridge, because Ackwurst’s own GQ station was in engineering.
The boatswain’s mate of the watch shoved Norfolk’s GQ gear into his hands, and Norfolk automatically donned the steel helmet, the flash gear, and slung the bio-chem gear along his side. Seconds later, he said, “I relieve you,” and after a brief announcement to the watch crew, Ackwurst scurried off the bridge. The whole process had taken less than a minute.
Norfolk took a deep breath and surveyed the crew in combat. Everyone was in place, alert but not panicked. That was the reason for the frequent drills, to turn it into a reflex, to reduce the confusion factor.
“Captain?” a voice came over his headset.
“XO, it’s going to pass to the north of us, but not by much. Let’s come right, put us bow on to it. I don’t think we’re a player in this, but let’s not take any chances.”
“Aye-aye.” Norfolk felt the ship turn as the XO gave the orders, knowing that it wasn’t really necessary. Turning toward the trajectory would present a smaller profile to the missile, should it turn out to be something other than what they thought. But with modern targeting systems, it wouldn’t make a whole lot of difference. The ship’s self-defense systems were equally effective at any target angle.
But even though it wasn’t tactically necessary, it gave the crew something to do, a maneuver to focus their attention on and a chance to make sure everything was working as advertised. Action calmed nerves, and the sense that they were turning to face it was beneficial as well.
“CPA, thirty miles,” Ackwurst said almost immediately. “Confirmation over intell circuits, Captain. I don’t want to stand down, though, until we figure out what’s going on.”
“Open ocean impact, sir?” Norfolk said, mentally working out the picture in his head.
“Affirmative. Unless something goes wrong.”
“I’m just letting them know now,” the TAO replied, his voice grim. “And Captain Chang ain’t liking it one little bit.”
Captain Chang beat the
No threat, that was, other than the promise of more to come. How long would they be required to tolerate these increasingly menacing test flights before a mistake was made? The Chinese were either deliberately provoking them and the Americans or they were attempting to lull them both into complacency until the moment that they eventually struck. And strike they would, of that Chang was certain.
A radioman dashed up and handed him a hastily printed-out message. Chang took it and scanned the contents. He sucked in a sharp breath, then passed the message to his watch officer.
Taiwan had had enough. His government was officially requesting that the American ship cruising with them employ her weapons to destroy the test missile. It was invading Taiwanese air space and hazarding vessels off Taiwan’s coast.
Norfolk stared at the message on the screen in front of him. Equal measures of deep concern and glee coursed through him. This was the moment every cruiser captain waited for, the time to use all the power of the ship as it was intended to be used. But another part of him dreaded what was to come. Not necessarily for him and his crew — no, they could take care of themselves. The unconscious arrogance that nothing, absolutely nothing in the world could penetrate his ship’s defenses was as much a part of a cruiser’s officers and crew as it was of any naval aviator. Inside this ship, the one they’d trained on so hard, kept up so well, they were all invulnerable.
But not everyone was so well-situated, foremost among them the Taiwanese frigate to their south. And not only the frigate — Taiwan itself was not heavily defended, not ringed with the Patriot batteries so common in the Middle East and Europe, not surrounded by flights of fighters. And while