Phoenix Sub Zero

Daminski waved at Betts and moved up the stairs, taking the second flight to the upper level, turning the corner and heading aft to the control room, amazed at how much better he felt, Myra’s letter almost forgotten. Almost.

Officer of the deck Lt. Kevin Skinnard stood on the raised periscope stand, a slim man in his late twenties with traces of acne on his cheeks below his deep-set eyes. His face looked haunted by lack of sleep as he held out a metal clipboard to Daminski, the radio messages printed out from their trip to periscope depth.

Daminski opened the clipboard cover and read the message.

261157ZDEC

FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH FLASH PLASH FLASH

FM CINCNAVFORCEMED

TO USS AUGUSTA SSN763

SUBJ RETASKING

SCI/TOP SECRET — EARLY RETIREMENT PERSONAL FOR COMMANDING OFFICER/PERSONAL FOR COMMANDING OFFICER

//BT//

1. MISSION RETASKING FOLLOWS EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.

2. USS AUGUSTA ORDERED TO INTERCEPT AND SINK UNITED ISLAMIC FRONT DESTINY CLASS TYPE TWO NUCLEAR SUBMARINE UNIT ONE AT FIRST DETECTION.

3. SUBJECT UIF SUBMARINE UNIT SURFACED BRIEFLY AT 0635 LOCAL AT LATITUDE NOVEMBER THREE FIVE LONGITUDE ECHO ZERO THREE ZERO. UNIT PICKED UP DOWNED PILOTS, PROCEEDED EAST AND SUBMERGED.

4. INTENT OF UIF SUBMARINE UNKNOWN. DESTINATION/ MISSION ALSO INDETERMINATE. HOWEVER, ANALYSTS BELIEVE GENERAL SIHOUD MAY BE ABOARD AS A RIDER.

5. P-3 PATROL AIRCRAFT FROM SIGONELLA WILL BE PATROLLING IN SEARCH OF UIF SUBMARINE. ANY DETECTION WILL BE PUT ON COMMSAT TRAFFIC WITH ELF CALL TO PERISCOPE DEPTH.

6. USS AUGUSTA ORDERED TO TRANSMIT SITREP TO CINCNAVPORCEMED IMMEDIATELY ON CONFIRMED DETECTION OF UIF SUBMARINE. AFTER SITREP TRANSMISSION AUGUSTA AUTHORIZED WEAPON RELEASE FOR SINKING OF UIP UNIT.

7. AFTER UIF SUBMARINE CONFIRMED SUNK USS AUGUSTA ORDERED TO PROCEED TO NAPLES ITALY FOR PATROL REPORT DEBRIEFING TO COMMEDPLEET.

8. GOOD LUCK TO YOU AND YOUR CREW, RON. GOOD HUNTING.

9. ADMIRAL J. TRAEPS SENDS.

//BT//

Daminski smiled, signed the message, glanced at the chronometer and jotted down the time. He handed the message board to O.O.D Skinnard and moved down to the chart table, shuffled down in the locker portion for a new chart of the Mediterranean and marked the spot of the Destiny-class’s surfacing with a blue pencil dot. He grabbed a time-distance circular slide rule and spun the wheel several times, then drew a circle in the sea with the compass center on the blue dot. Skinnard checked his calculation and nodded. Daminski pointed to the chart.

“Course two eight five at flank until we’re here, then slow to ten knots and do a large sector search. Notify the ops boss to do his homework on the Destiny-class and tell him we’ll be briefing the officers at 1400.”

“Dive, make your depth eight five four feet. Helm, all ahead flank, right two degrees rudder, steady course two eight five,” Skinnard ordered.

Daminski frowned at Skinnard for a moment. The youth was the sonar officer, and Daminski was about to see how good he was.

“Skinnard, you got a sonar-search plan for the Destiny-class?”

The lieutenant didn’t blink. “I reviewed it myself two days ago. Captain. It’s current. My sonarmen will have it loaded in five minutes. If that sucker’s out there, we’ll snap him up.”

Daminski’s frown didn’t ease but inside he was smiling. The kid had given the right answer, and it was because he was trained right — Daminski-trained.

“I know you will,” Daminski said, his face close to Skinnard’s. He turned and walked to his stateroom, whistling tunelessly. A lousy day had turned out pretty fine, after all.