The display began to light up with new contacts. What looked like a group of routine fishing vessels heading to sea had just dumped dozens of active sonar buoys, creating a wall of acoustic noise. Behind the screen, two Type 093 nuclear attack subs sprinted for the gap.
“They’re herding us,” Wang realized. “Trying to force our Seekers out of position.”
“So, what do you do?” pressed Mick.
Wang’s fingers flew across his console. “Seeker-1, ignore the noise. Maintain station. Seeker-3, shallow dive, get below the thermocline. Seeker-2…” He paused, calculating. “Sprint north, then cut engines. Drift onto their flank.”
The display updated in real time. The Chinese subs, confident in their acoustic cover, maintained their sprint. They never detected Seeker-2 drifting silently into their baffles.
“Fire when ready,” Wang ordered.
Four torpedoes lanced out. The lead Type 093 managed an emergency blow, broaching like a wounded whale before the weapons found it. The second tried to dive but ran straight into Seeker-3’s firing solution.
“Splash two,” the AI reported.
But the mini-sub had slipped through during the chaos.
“You stopped the main force but missed the infiltrator,” Mick noted. “In real combat, that could be carrying special forces, mines, or worse. Tang, what’s your assessment?”
The commander stood, addressing his sailors. “We’re thinking like surface warriors, not submariners. The Seekers give us reach, but we need to think in three dimensions, multiple layers.”
“Exactly.” Mick pulled up a new display showing the full undersea battle space. “Each Seeker can deploy sixteen micro-mines from its payload bay. Create choke points. Channel the enemy where you want them.”
Outside, dawn painted Apra Harbor gold. Through the trailer’s reinforced windows, they could see the actual Seeker units in their cradles, technicians running final checks. Each one cost twenty-eight million dollars — less than a tenth of a manned submarine but with similar capability in confined waters.
“Let’s talk real-world employment,” Mick continued. “Your coastline has three major approach routes for amphibious assault. The Penghu Channel, the north approach past Keelung, and the southern route through the Luzon Strait. How many Seekers would you need for effective coverage?”
The room erupted in discussion. Some argued for concentration of force, others for dispersed operations. Tang let them debate before speaking.
“Twelve per approach, minimum. But that assumes perfect coordination.”
“Which brings us to Lattice.” Mick activated the holographic display, showing a three-dimensional network of interconnected nodes. “This isn’t just a command and control tool. It’s a hive mind for your robot fleet. Each platform shares data, learns from others’ experiences, adapts tactics in real time.”
He highlighted vulnerability points. “But it’s also your greatest weakness. The PLA’s been developing quantum computing specifically to crack AI networks. They hack their way into Lattice, they own your fleet.”
“Ouch. Countermeasures?” Tang asked.
“Compartmentalization. Firewalls between tactical and strategic layers. And this.” Mick held up a physical key. “Manual override, hardwired into each platform. It’s a Stone Age solution to a Space Age problem.”
Petty Officer Liang raised his hand. “Sir, the battery limitation. Six hours seems…”
“Inadequate? Yeah, it is.” Mick shrugged. “That’s why you rotate. Always have a third of your force charging, a third in transit, a third on station. Or…”
He pulled up another slide showing modified Taiwanese fishing vessels.
“Tender ships. Disguised as trawlers but carrying charging stations. The Seekers surface at night, quick charge, and they’re back in the fight.”
“The PLA will target them,” Tang observed.
“Of course they will. Which is why you defend them with these bad boys.” The display showed Zealot USVs, bristling with missiles and autocannons. “Surface escort for your subsurface hunters. Combined arms, autonomous style.”
The morning wore on. Scenario after scenario, each more complex than the last. The ROC operators began thinking less like traditional sailors and more like orchestra conductors, managing a symphony of autonomous systems.
During a break, Mick found himself outside with Tang, both men watching the actual Seekers being lowered into the harbor for afternoon live trials.
“Your thoughts, Commander?”
Tang was quiet for a moment. “It changes everything. For decades, we’ve planned for heroic last stands. Brave men dying to slow the invasion. This…” He gestured at the robots. “This gives us a chance to win.”
“Only if you use them right.” Mick lit a cigarette, ignoring base regulations. “The PLA’s not stupid. They’re developing countermeasures as we speak. Drone swarms to overwhelm your Seekers, EMP weapons to fry their circuits, cyberattacks on Lattice.”
“Then we adapt faster.” Tang’s jaw set. “We have to.”
