The Lotus Eaters

D466 Portzmoguer, Shimmering Sea, Terra Nova

"All stop," Casabianca ordered. "Hard port rudder." He, along with every man of the crew, was nudged in the direction of the bow and to the right, as power was cut to the propeller and the ship began a turn.

"Do you really think, Captain . . . ?" Mortain asked.

"I am betting, Lieutenant, that that supercavitator, having been fired from fairly deep, will be too far down . . ."

"She's passing underneath us," sonar announced.

"The next few seconds will tell," said Casabianca.

"And she's still going," sonar amended.

The captain pointed at the weapons station.

"I am tracking, Captain. When she stops to ping . . ."

"Fire one Ulysses," Casabianca said.

On the foredeck a boxy looking device, partitioned into six section, two of them empty, rotated to the bearing of the Balboan supercavitator. The box elevated to fifteen degree, then washed the deck with fire and smoke as its rocket took off, bearing a torpedo to intercept the other.

Casabianca watched the missile cum torpedo off, then turned his direction of view over the starboard bow where a brace of helicopters were dropping self-guiding torpedoes ahead of the known location of the enemy sub.