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SEA OF SHADOWS 225
The pilot stared down at the flaming remains of their ship. “SENSO,
did you get a fix on the spot where those Vipers left the water?”
In the rear of the helo, the Sensor Operator stared blankly into space,
too stunned to even answer.
The pilot keyed the mike of his inter-phone and shouted, “Goddamn it,
Perkins! Snap out of it! We don’t have time for this shit!”
The Sensor Operator jerked as though he’d been slapped. “What?
What? I’m sorry, what did you say, sir?”
“Did you get a fix on the spot where those Vipers left the water?”
The Sensor Operator scanned his console. “Um, I think so. Ah … yes,
sir. I’ve got a fix.”
“Good,” the pilot said. “Shoot me a fly-to point.”
The SENSO nodded. “Yes, sir.” He used his trackball to roll a cursor
to the screen coordinates that corresponded to the point where the missiles
had popped up on radar. He punched a button. “Fly-to point coming up
now, sir.”
“Got it,” the pilot snapped. He tweaked the cyclic and the collective,
swinging the helo around until his instruments showed that they were
pointing toward the appropriate spot in the ocean. “Start your weapons
check-off list,” he said. “Cut corners if you have to, but get that weapon
ready now! The longer we wait, the farther that sub’s going to be from the
spot where he launched those missiles. We’re only going to make one
pass. We’re going to make it low, and we’re going to shove a torpedo up
that bastard’s ass.”
“Yes, sir!”
The copilot keyed the radio. “SAU Commander, this is Samurai Seven-
Nine. I am prepping for an attack run, over.”
The pilot looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “Who’re you
talking to?”
“SAU Commander.”
The pilot jerked his head in the direction of what was left of USS
Antietam. “SAU Commander just got his ass shot off. We’re on our own,
Larry.”
“Who’s the next most senior captain?” the copilot asked. “He’s the
next in the chain of command, so he’s the SAU Commander now.”
“Fuck the chain of command,” the pilot snarled. “Our people are dead
or dying down there. We’ve got maybe sixty seconds to kill the bastards
that did it. After that, they’ll be outside the search envelope of our
torpedo.”
“Weapon is ready, sir,” said the Sensor Operator. “Standing by to
launch on your order.”