Part 12: Session Twelve: Gotta make you understand
Session Twelve: Gotta make you understandNo sleep as usual, but this time, I'm still amped up about how little my crew knows about this... or anything.
I spring out of bed, grab the phone and immediately rant everything I can think of into the phone as quickly as I can. The time warp. The Kilo. The Homer. The Akula. Everything.
Nothing. I try and tell anyone I can, anyone who will listen.
Nothing.
The elevating buzz fades. All my anguish is in vain. I am completely alone on a tiny tin can filled with 155 men. My brain is mush. I can't do this any longer.
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CO: Take evasive maneuvers, deploy countermeasures.
XO: Aye sir. Sir, if we evade, we will lose wire-guide capability on the torpedo.
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Skipping this choice to expedite the process.
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CO: XO, bring us about. Let's get a real good look at this guy.
XO: Helmsman, reverse course with a left hard rudder.
Foster: Conn, Sonar. Sierra-25 lost contact. Uh, new contact, same bearing. (to himself) This is impossible.
Yeah, forgive me. I'm not thinking so good. What are you saying?
Foster: (Aloud) Contact is making 17 knots on one ten-bladed propeller. Evaluated to be a Los Angeles class submarine.
Okay, I must be hallucinating.
XO: Sonar, check your systems!
Well, it's nice to have XO second guess someone else for a change.
Foster: We did sir. Same bearing, same range as Sierra-25. Contact Seirra-25 now reads as a Los Angeles class submarine.
No, this cannot be real. My sleep deprived mind is just filling in gaps with what I want to hear. There is no Kilo sub. XO yelling at someone who's not me. Coffee prevents prostate cancer. Life Goes On is still on the air. Whatever they're saying is just my paranoia encroaching upon the fragile shelter my weary mind has created. Maybe, I don't know. Maybe I just don't know.
Foster: Oh, my God. Sir, MK-48 has gone active, it's on final homing. (to Manyon) Are you seeing what I'm seeing?
Master Chief: Did we fire on a friendly?
No, it's all good. It's almost certainly, probably a Libyan sub. Or a Russian sub. Or French.
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VOTING RESULT: 3
CO: Contact the LA boat on the underwater phone.
Master Chief: Gertrude activated.
XO: American submarine. American submarine. This is Three-Whiskey-Gulf, USS Idaho. Cease fire. Cease fire.
Ahem. Sorry. I'm just a little afraid of awkward telephone silence.
XO: American sumbarine. This is USS Idaho. Be advised you have Mk-48 ADCAP torpedo headed your way. American submarine, acknowledge.
Whoa, acknowledge has the same root word as knowledge. Trippy.
XO: Nothing, Captain.
Don't sweat it, bud. It will all work out in the end. Maybe the Tooth Fairy will show up, and take the enemy sub back to her lair.
Foster: SET-65 continues to close. Bearing 120. Range 4300 yards.
Oh... we're still probably going to die, huh?
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VOTING RESULT: 1
CO: Break off contact. It's time to call in the cavalry.
Foster: Hostile weapons continues inbound. Range 4500 yards. 150 seconds to impact.
Foster: Conn, Sonar. Mk48 ADCAP detonation bearing 135. Range 8500 yards.
Foster: SET-65 continues inbound. Bearing 180. Range 3500 yards. Speed unchanged.
Foster: Hostile weapon continues to close. Torpedo continues to close. Range 1000. Torpedo bearing opening.
Foster: 1150 yards. (quieter) Come on, turn, turn, turn... 1200.
Foster: (normal voice) SET-65 has deflected course, Sir. Uh... new heading: 180. It's a clean miss.
At least something good will happen today. I can survive a few more hours to get killed elsewhere.
XO: Sonar, Conn. State your contacts.
Foster: Torpedo continues to open. Range 4500 yards. SET-65 is no longer a factor, Sir. Contact Seirra-25 Kilo class submarine has broken contact. Contact Sierra-29 Los Angeles Attack boat signature coincides with that of the USS Biloxi is no longer held as a contact. Sonar holds no, say again, no contacts at this time.
What happened back there? I thought maybe I'd lost my grip, but now I'm not even sure of that. Has our sonar been sabotaged? Foster was the one reporting the noise. Is it a random technical glitch? I just don't know.
XO: Waiting on your orders, Captain.
Oh, yeah, I have to be in charge and stuff.
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VOTING RESULT: 3
CO: The first thing I want to do is get a message off to the battle group.
XO: Do you want to use the SATCOM, Captain, or a burst transmission?
Oh, for goodness sake, you know I don't know. Why are you even asking?
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VOTING RESULT: 3
CO: I've got a lot to say to that Admrial. Put me on the SATCOM.
XO: Sonar, do you hold any contacts at this time.
Foster: Sonar holds no contacts at this time.
XO: Officer of the deck, come to periscope depth. Deploy the SATCOM mast for the PRC1000
OOD: Come to periscope depth. Deploy the SATCOM mast for the PRC 1000. Aye aye.
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woooOOOOoosshhh. Then Allovasudden 12 torpedoes come out of nowhere! Oh no! FwoooOOOshh Evasive maneuvers! pew pew.
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Willie: Three Whiskey Gulf, Sir.
Plaskett: I have some information you might find useful, Captain. Just a moment.
Plaskett: Willie, please connect Miss Matthews to the USS Idaho.
Willie: Yes, Sir.
Matthews: Admiral Plaskett?
Ack! A girl! That's why I joined the Navy in the first place; I was promised I wouldn't have to talk to girls! Oh, geez, what am I going to do?
How's my hair? Suck in that gut! Is my breath okay?
XO: Wow.
Master Chief: Who is that?
Hey, at least I'm not alone feeling this way.
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VOTING RESULT: 1
CO: This is the commanding officer of the USS Idaho and who might you be?
Matthews: Captain, I'm Sharon Matthews. Deputy direct of Russian Strategic Analysis, CIA Langley.
Boy, that was a lot of words. I got the CIA part, at least.
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VOTING RESULT: 1
CO: What are you doing on my radio, Ms. Matthews?
Matthews: That's a good question. I was supposed tbe in a private conversation with Admiral Plaskett.
Hey, I didn't do anything. Don't blame me.
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VOTING RESULT: 3
CO: Tell me why a Kilo submarine is determined to sink me.
Matthews: This Kilo sub got underway from Benghazi 72 hours ago.
I know that already. Get on with it.
Matthews: There was a Libyan per-commisioning crew aboard, but the officers and senior enlisted were all Russian. The Russians seized the sub, submerged and headed for the Straits of Gibraltar.
Okay, so it's Russians trying to sink me instead of Libyans? What does that have to do with the price of tea in China?
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VOTING RESULT: 2
CO: How did a Kilo boat pass the med.
Matthews: The Kilo boat is a Russian export model. It's highly modified. A hydrophone and speaker system has been installed. The Kilo boat switches to electric power, which is nearly silent, then broadcasts recorded submarine sounds from the hydrophones placed on its hull.
Wait, I wasn't hallucinating? That Kilo really did change it's profile? How come I've never heard of this kind of thing before?
...okay, I know why I've never heard of this, since I'm willfully alliterate, but if we knew this was possible, XO would have probably mentioned it.
Matthews: This Kilo passed the monitoring stations at Rota, Spain by pretending to be the attack submarine USS Biloxi. We didn't find out until eight hours later, when the real Biloxi passed Rota.
Wait, if you knew subs could do this, then why haven't you developed some means of counter acting this? And why didn't you let us know the first time?
Matthews: I'm going to have to review your clearance information before we continue with this brief. CIA out.
Look, a rare sight; XO disgusted by someone who's not me. Cherish it while you can, children.
Master Chief: This stuff must be pretty exciting when you're in a safe, dry situation room.
I'm with you, brother.
---
Ensign Foster discovers the Akula. They don't have anything new to say.
I also discover that everything I wrote down two time-flips ago was lost. Seems obvious now. How am I supposed to keep all this in my head?
These two jokers don't have anything new to say either. No matter what, I can't get them to understand what's really going on...
Man, I really need some coffee.
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Master Chief: Skipper, I just got an idea about flushing out that Kilo. It's weird, but it might work.
For you, Chief, I'll try and act surprised.
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VOTING RESULT: 3
CO: You got about 20 seconds to get me interested, Master Chief. Start talking.
Master Chief: Well, it's kinda illegal, Sir. Maybe you ought to meet me in the Conn.
XO: Might as well see what he's up to.
Yeah, things might get a little... hairy. *snort*
MEANWHILE
ELSEWHERE
Commander: How's our hyperactive friend doing?
Danny: Akula's making 30 knots. He's moved into the surface layer, but he's still hauling ass.
Commander: Why doesn't he care who hears him?
Danny: He must have heard you talking, Skipper. The Akula's slowing down. Changing course. Coming out steady on 190. Target's gone to all stop.
Commander: Sens his position to the Battle Group.
Danny: Already bursted it to them, Sir.
Commander: What's this guy up to?
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Master Chief:You know, back in the Evil Empire days, we used to torture Ivan in the Med. We'd broadcast car crashes, cows mooing over the hydrophones. You know, we'd give him some culture.
XO: This store have a point, Chief?
Hey, XO, it's rude to... cut him of. *snort*
Master Chief: Yes, it does. Because I think that kilo is still out there. He's just so quiet we can't pick him up. But I think I can get a rise out of him. Can I have that underwater phone, please?
Hey, man, what's the plan? The conn is... buzzing with anticipation. *snort*
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zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Master Chief: Sounds exactly like a Mk-48 torpedo. If he's out there, we'll know about it.
Hey, this might be a close... shave. *snort*
Foster: Conn, sonar. Hydrophone effect. Contact Seirra-25, evaluated to be Kilo class submarine, making 17 knots on one 7-bladed propeller. Range 10000 yards, bearing 160, running like a rabbit.
Hey... uh... that rabbit needs a shave? No... he'll have to be raz-ed from the bottom... no... darn it, Foster. You ruin everything.
Ooh, I got it! How about that new 7 bladed elec-
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(Also, I decided to include the Ice Cream sequence again just to make sure everyone knew what is actually happening this time. It's not crucial, but it is information you would have while playing, and this is starting to get confusing.)
VOTING RESULT: 2
CO: Get me a firing solution.
XO: Firing point procedure, Sierra-25. Tube 1. Single fire ADCAP.
Weps: Conn, torpedo reports tube 1 ready, Sir.
XO: Orders, Captain?
Why do you keep asking me that? You're making me nervous.
---
(Just a reminder: I said I was going to skip some of the repeats, and I still intend to, but to avoid telegraphing all the moves and to allow you guys to make your own mistakes, I will leave choices in if either there is a crucial choice to be made or if I randomly determine to leave it in if I could skip it. I won't tell you which is which, but I can say that just because we are here does not mean that the choice we did last time was incorrect. It also doesn't mean it is correct, either.)
(I hope that's clear.)
VOTING RESULT: 3
CO: Standy...
Updating firing solution.
No need to keep polishing the cannonballs, sir.
We have cannonballs? I thought we used torpedos. Man, I loved Treasure Island. Arr, me hearties.
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Foster: Conn, Sonar. Hydrophone effect. Bearing 350.
Yar, these cheating Libyans be scurvy dogs.
XO: Battle stations.
OOD: Battle stations.
XO: SET-65 continues to close.
Avast! Uh... full on rudder! Make for port and let out the sails? Something.
Master Chief: That fish has still got us, Captain.
Yar, cursed Libyan privateers, they be.
Foster: Incoming torpedo has acquired. Torpedo is active.
Yar, the devil's cannonballs, these be.
Foster: Torpedo continuing to close.
XO: Sound collision alarm!
Master Chief: All hands, collision alarm!
Foster: ...200.
Uhh... plunder...
Foster: Impact in 3... 2...
Yar! I spilled me coffee! You'll pay for that!
XO: Damage control, report! Emergency blow, all back full.
Yar, belay that, First Mate. That ain't going to work.
Master Chief: It ain't gonna work, XO. This one's terminal.
See? I told ye.
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No one is willing to look at men while I'm making that voice. It's clear my men think I've snapped. Maybe I have. At least I can pretend to be brave and go down with the ship. Not like I have much of a choice...