The Gotland Deception полностью

He just hoped they’d be in time to stop it.

Seventy minutes later, after a slow and stealthy intercept, the corvette finally closed in on her target.

“Visual range in thirty seconds,” Lieutenant Lindström announced.

Captain Dahl raised his binoculars as the first rays of sunlight painted the Chinese freighter’s hull rust-orange against the pewter sea. The MV Hai Qing 678 moved steadily through the calm waters at a sluggish five knots, her deck stacked with containers bearing the logos of various shipping companies. Black smoke drifted from her single funnel. She was an older vessel, and probably burning cheap bunker fuel.

“Anything unusual?” Algotsson asked, scanning with his own optics.

Dahl systematically examined the freighter from bow to stern. Nothing seemed out of place. Standard navigation lights, proper flag display, crew moving about their morning duties…

“Wait.” He fine-tuned the focus. “Port side, amidships. What’s that?”

A thin line ran down the ship’s hull, barely visible against the rust-streaked metal. As the Hai Qing rolled gently in the slight swell, the line alternately tightened and slackened, creating a subtle disturbance in the water.

“I see it,” Algotsson confirmed. “Looks like… cable?”

Lindström enhanced the corvette’s optical sensors, throwing the magnified image onto the bridge display. The line appeared to originate somewhere near the anchor housing, running down the hull at an angle before disappearing into the water. The wake it created was barely noticeable — unless you were looking for it.

“Sir,” Petty Officer Erik Nilsson spoke up from the sensor station. “I read an article a few weeks back about a similar incident. A Chinese vessel cut a fiber-optic cable between the Philippines and Taiwan. Filipino Coast Guard spotted a cable hanging from the anchor housing, creating a wake just like that. Only noticed it because they were running fast enough to make it visible.”

Dahl felt his blood run cold. “Distance to GosNet-1?”

“Eighteen kilometers on her current course. At present speed, she’ll cross it in… fifty-three minutes.”

“Not on my watch.” Dahl turned to his communications officer. “Get me a channel to that ship. International bridge-to-bridge.”

“Channel sixteen open, sir.”

Dahl grabbed the handset. “MV Hai Qing, MV Hai Qing, this is Swedish warship Lulea. You are ordered to stop immediately and prepare for inspection. Acknowledge.”

Silence.

“MV Hai Qing, this is Swedish warship Lulea. Stop your vessel immediately. This is not a request. Acknowledge.”

The radio crackled. A heavily accented voice responded in English. “Swedish warship, this is Hai Qing. We are in international waters conducting lawful passage. We have done nothing wrong. We will continue our voyage.”

Dahl’s jaw tightened. “Hai Qing, you are suspected of preparing to damage critical underwater infrastructure. You will stop immediately, or we will take necessary action to stop you.”

“Negative, Swedish warship. We are peaceful merchant vessel. Any interference is act of piracy. We continue to China.”

The transmission ended with a decisive click.

“They’re calling our bluff,” Algotsson said quietly.

“Then let’s show them we’re not bluffing.” Dahl turned to his weapons officer. “Light them up. Full targeting radar. Let them know we mean business.”

“Fire control radar active, sir. Locked on target.”

On the bridge speaker, they could hear renewed chatter from the Chinese vessel — urgent voices in Mandarin. But the freighter maintained course and speed.

“Sir,” Lindström called out. “At current rate, we have forty-eight minutes before they reach the cable.”

Dahl made his decision. “XO, launch the boarding team under standard inspection authority. If we get ROE escalation from MARCOM, we’ll shift to full combat protocols..”

Algotsson was already moving. “Aye, sir!” He grabbed the intercom. “Flight Deck, Bridge. Spin up the helicopter. Combat launch, hostile boarding. Six-man team, full tactical loadout.”

The response was immediate. “Flight Deck, aye. Spinning up now.”

Through the bridge windows, Dahl could see the hangar doors sliding open. The NH90 helicopter emerged on its handling system, rotor blades beginning to unfold. The boarding team sprinted across the deck in full combat gear — helmets, body armor, MP5 submachine guns, and tactical radios.

“Helm, increase to twenty knots,” Dahl ordered. “Put us in optimal position to support the boarding.”

“Twenty knots, aye.”

The Lulea-class corvette surged forward, her gas turbine joining the diesel engines. The distance to the Chinese freighter shrank rapidly.

“Hai Qing is accelerating,” the radar operator reported. “Now making eight knots… ten knots.”

They were running. That confirmed Dahl’s suspicions — innocent vessels didn’t flee from lawful inspection.

“Time to cable?”

“Forty-two minutes at their current speed.”