“Penghu specialty. We grow it near the old Dutch fortifications.” Liang’s English carried only a trace accent. “Fifteen years I’ve been drinking this mud. Helps with the night shifts.”
Mick sipped the coffee, admiring the kick of caffeine he felt almost immediately. The stuff was strong enough to wake the dead, with an undertone of something floral. He moved toward the autonomous systems console where Jodi Mack hunched over the displays, tracking their underwater sentries.
“Welcome back to the Bat Cave,” she said without looking up. “Your Seekers are being good little robot sharks tonight. One of our Hammer Shark one-way UUVs is maintaining a perfect acoustic shadow on that
“That’s good. It means everything is working the way it’s supposed to,” Mick replied.
He turned to look at the rest of the operations center stretched before them. Three tiers of workstations descending toward a massive digital display. The main screen showed real-time shipping traffic, each vessel tagged with registration data. Two dozen contacts moved through the strait’s shipping lanes, their paths traced in phosphorescent lines.
“Busy night tonight,” Mick observed.
“Always is.” Master Chief Liang Zihao gestured at the display. “That container ship, the
A side door opened. Admiral Han Junjie entered, followed by his staff. The operations center snapped to attention.
“As you were,” Han commanded in Mandarin, then switched to English. “Mr. Matsin. Ready to turn our archipelago into a fortress?”
“That’s the plan, Admiral.”
Han approached the tactical display. Despite his sixty years, the admiral moved with a swimmer’s grace. “Master Chief, bring up the defensive overlay.”
The screen transformed. Penghu’s ninety islands appeared in topographic detail, military installations glowing amber. Missile batteries dotted the landscape — Hsiung Feng III sites marked in blue triangles, Sky Bow III positions in blue squares.
“Gentlemen, be seated.” Han waited as officers filled the briefing area. Mick recognized some faces from previous training sessions. Commander Tang Muyang from mine warfare. Lieutenant Colonel Wu from the 503rd Armored Brigade. Fresh-faced Ensign Huang clutching a tablet like a life preserver.
“For those of you joining us today, sorry about the early hour. Some things are best done under the cover of darkness, when the fewest people are able to see what we are doing,” Han began. “I would like to introduce you to Mr. Matsin — he is from the company TSG and responsible for training our people on how to properly use and employ the equipment they have brought. His team is also helping us establish a training and maintenance program that will ensure this becomes an enduring program,” explained Admiral Han, a smile spreading as he continued. “This equipment his company is providing is going to change how we look at naval warfare. In fact, these expensive gifts can swim and think for themselves.”
A few nervous chuckles rippled through the room. They were David, standing before the proverbial Goliath.
Han’s expression hardened. “Make no mistake, people. Penghu stands between the mainland and Taiwan. We are the cork in the bottle. For seventy years, we’ve prepared for the day they might come. Now, with our American friends’ help, we add new teeth to our defenses should they try.”
He nodded to Commander Tang. “Commander, brief them on our underwater situation.”
Tang stood, laser pointer in hand. “Yes, sir. What you are looking at is the Penghu Channel. It runs seventy meters deep at its center. The Penghu Waterway” — his laser traced the southern passage — “reaches a depth of one hundred twenty meters. Deep enough for submarines running silent to pass through.”
The display zoomed, showing underwater topography. “These trenches between our islands are like highways for enemy subs. Our diesel boats patrol when they can, but…” He shrugged. “Two submarines cannot be everywhere.”
“Exactly. That’s where we come in,” Mick said, joining the conversation as he stood. “Jodi, why don’t you talk about the Seeker?”
Jodi Mack nodded from her workstation, a new image appearing on the monitor. “Good morning, gentlemen. Let me introduce to you Seeker — your new underwater sentry.”
The display shifted, revealing a sleek, torpedo-shaped vehicle rotating in 3D. “This is the US Navy Seeker-class XLUUV. It’s thirty-nine feet or twelve meters in length and three meters in diameter. Basically, it’s a robotic mini submarine designed to hunt other submarines with either a trio of Copperhead-500s or six Copperhead-100 AI-torpedoes.”
Ensign Huang raised a tentative hand. “You said it’s robotic. Does that mean it’s autonomous, and if so, how autonomous is it, ma’am?”
