Chapter 1

Carter had trained many months for this. But it was still somewhat nerve racking to be submerged 15 miles off an enemy's coast in water so shallow she barely had enough room beneath her to go wading in. This job was a first for the newly commissioned submarine. She had been in the service for just over 2 years and in that time she had steamed more miles than submarines twice her age. Since Parche's retirement, Carter was the only submarine in the fleet with the spy gear that could match her predecessors' sneakiness. Her skills were needed desperately. Carter did not approve of the billet she was given. She was too young, too inexperienced. But needs of the navy trumps all. So Carter found herself in these unfamiliar and hostile waters spying on North Koreans while simultaneously preparing to botch a missile launch scheduled for this afternoon. She'd already sent the SEAL team ashore. Pushing aside her almost motherly concern for the boys, she recalled advice Parche had given her. "Never fear for a SEAL. They'll only disappoint you. Those boys are crazy enough to do riddle contests with the Devil and clever enough to win them." She now waited with growing impatience for 'her boys' to return. Once they did she could leave these waters behind and seek safety in the depths while the North Koreans dealt with the fallout of the failed launch of their latest attempt at an ICBM.

Her team returned right on schedule, Carter exposing her periscope just long enough to help guide them to her position while at the same time, keeping a lookout for anybody that might fire at them from shore. Nothing happened as the SEALS casually sabotaged their inflatables and dove down to enter their submarine. As soon as they were aboard, Carter backed away from shore and raced away as fast as she dared go in these shallow waters. A more experienced submarine would've taken their time, knowing the hours they had before the launch was plenty of time to reach the safety of deep water where they could simply hide and avoid anhy fallout from the botched launch. Carter learned the hard way what a rookie mistake she had made in rushing things when she heard a pair of destroyers waiting for her as she left the narrow confines of the river delta.

She thought about going silent but it was too late for that. Judging by their pings they knew she was here and they were closing in to kill. Carter could not, would not fight back. Her best hope was to run. So run she did. Silence no longer a priority, he relished in the surge of power her S6W provided her, shaft pulsating as it took up the strain of pushing her 12000 ton bulk through the water at 40 knots. The destroyers couldn't hope to keep up but that didn't stop them from firing a few rounds after her. And from the sound of the splashes they weren't blanks either. And that's when she realized something. These guys were out to kill her! If she wasn't running she would've stopped, turned and fired a few Mark 48s to ensure they didn't follow. But she was running and that's all she could do. Her Rules of Engagement were clear. Despite a very luckily placed ASROC that rattled her teeth and she could feel, breached one of her ballast tanks she continued on into the safety of deep water. The destroyers broke off leaving Carter to deal with the pain of her injuries. Protocol demanded she surface but she'd be damned before she did that right now. She had to put some distance between herself and her very angry pursuers. Keeping the throttle jammed she managed to do just that. Her hull suffered however and by the time she was able to surface outside Korean waters blood coated her side. "Damn those bastards." She panted, twisting around to lick her wound clean. It wouldn't do to leave a blood trail. She was fortunate the explosion hadn't breached her pressure hull. And the sound of those space rockets on the ICBM failing, sending the whole thing falling into the sea was very satisfying. Carter held her head high as she set course for Pearl. "Mercy's gonna kill me." She thought.