Chapter 99: Attacking Under

Beneath the cold green water, the two Mark 54 torpedoes began their run.

They leveled out at exactly fifteen feet below the surface. They sliced through the seawater at forty knots, moving in a straight line toward the harbor mouth. Their front sonar clicked silently, sending out acoustic pulses to track the center of the deep underwater channel.

Back inside the underground bunker, the operations room was dead silent.

On the main tactical screen, two bright blue icons appeared, moving steadily toward the harbor entrance on the depth map.

"We have telemetry via the sonobuoy relay," the sonar officer reported. "Torpedoes one and two have started their motors. Heading zero-eight-five. Speed forty knots. Range to the breakwater: two thousand yards."

John watched the screen without blinking.

"Operations, keep a close eye on that boundary line," John instructed.

The naval analyst zoomed in on the harbor mouth. "The dome above is fully intact, but as predicted, sensor feeds show no energy signature cutting into the seabed trench. The channel floor is completely clear of magical interference."

On the tactical map, the two blue icons closed in on the entrance of the port.

"Distance to barrier boundary: five hundred yards," the technician called out. "Four hundred... three hundred... two hundred..."

Every officer and technician in the room held their breath.

This was the critical moment. If the magic dome went all the way down into the seabed like a solid wall, the torpedoes would detonate against the ward outside and fail just like the cruise missiles had.

"One hundred yards..."

"Crossing the boundary line now!"

On the screen, the two blue icons passed directly underneath the glowing golden arc of the Aegis.

There was no bright flash of light.

There was no ripple across the golden dome.

There was no explosion.

The two Mark 54 torpedoes slipped smoothly through the underwater gap between the breakwater rocks, running fifteen feet deep straight into the inner bay.

"They are through!" the sonar tech yelled, slamming his hand onto the desk. "Subsurface penetration confirmed! Both weapons are inside the inner harbor! Sonar seekers are acquiring targets!"

A collective sigh of relief swept through the room, but John remained completely still. His face was cold and focused.

"Target lock?" John asked.

"Seekers have acquired targets," the tech answered, reading the incoming sonar data. "Torpedo one locked onto the largest wooden hull at Pier Two. Matches the imperial flagship galleon. Torpedo two locked onto another large warship tied along the main stone dock. Impact in ten seconds... nine... eight..."

At Port Solis, high up on the stone balcony of the garrison tower, Captain Daniel stood looking out over the water.

His ribs were wrapped tightly in white bandages, throbbing with pain every time he took a breath. Beside him stood Lord Justin, the local garrison commander, wearing shiny gold-trimmed plate armor.

"You worry too much, Daniel," Justin said with a loud, confident laugh, taking a sip of red wine from a silver goblet. "You spent too much time listening to those western savages. What did I tell you? Their flying iron sticks hit the Aegis and turned into smoke! The blessing of Her Divinity cannot be broken by mortals!"

"We don’t know how they defeated the expeditionary fleet Justin," Daniel said, his voice trembling. "They might attack again with a different method."

"Let them try!" Justin sneered, waving his cup toward the crowded harbor below. "Our armada is gathering. Five hundred galleons are coming from every province. In three days, we will sail across the sea and burn their base to the ground!"

Justin suddenly stopped talking.

Down in the clear green water of the harbor, strange white lines were cutting across the surface.

Two trails of white foam and bubbles were moving fast past the stone breakwater. They moved straight, with unnatural, mechanical speed, heading directly toward the rows of wooden galleons tied to the stone piers.

"What is that?" Justin muttered, squinting his eyes. "Are those... sea serpents?"

Daniel looked down. The moment he saw the straight, white foam trails, all the color drained from his face.

"I have no idea..." Daniel whispered, his voice cracking in absolute terror.

Before Justin could yell an order, the first Mark 54 torpedo completed its run.

The acoustic computer inside the nose calculated the exact position of the flagship galleon, Radiant Sun. The torpedo did not strike the wooden planks on the side. Instead, it dove down slightly and passed directly underneath the heavy wooden keel.

The magnetic proximity fuse triggered instantly.

BOOM!

A massive underwater explosion tore through the calm waters of the harbor.

The high-explosive warhead detonated directly under the middle of the ship. A massive bubble of high-pressure gas expanded in an instant, throwing the three-thousand-ton wooden galleon four feet straight up into the air.

The ship’s thick oak keel snapped in half with a deafening crack that sounded like a collapsing mountain.

A split second later, the gas bubble collapsed. A giant geyser of white foam, black mud, and splintered wood shot fifty feet into the air. The galleon slammed back down into the void, its broken spine folding inward under its own weight.

Seawater rushed into the broken hull with violent force.

Men, supply crates, and heavy bronze cannons were thrown across the deck like pebbles. Imperial sailors screamed in agony as their ship folded in half and sank straight to the muddy bottom in less than fifteen seconds.

Before the soldiers on the docks could even move, the second torpedo struck.

It hit the third warship in line, detonating directly under its forward gunpowder room.

KER-BLAM!

A blinding orange fireball blew the entire front half of the galleon to pieces. Wooden masts, sails, iron cannons, and burning planks rained down across the harbor. The shockwave knocked dockworkers off the stone piers and shattered the windows of the garrison warehouses. Fire jumped immediately to two smaller caravels nearby, their dry ropes and sails catching fire in seconds.

Thick, black smoke rose fast into the morning air, trapped completely beneath the ceiling of the golden dome.

Up on the tower terrace, Lord Justin dropped his silver goblet. It clattered against the stone floor, spilling red wine across his boots. He stared down at the burning, sinking ships, his mouth hanging open, his face completely pale.

"By the Goddess..." Justin stammered, his knees shaking inside his heavy armor. "How... how did they hit us through the holy barrier?!"

Beside him, Daniel gripped the stone railing until his fingers turned white. He looked down at the burning water, then looked up at the useless golden light in the sky.

"They didn’t hit through it," Daniel said, his voice completely hollow. "They went under it."

Inside the underground bunker, the operations room stayed quiet.

On the main screen, the satellite camera zoomed in on the harbor. Two large heat signatures burned bright inside the bay. One galleon was completely submerged, with only the broken tops of its wooden masts sticking out above the water. Another ship was burning out of control, sending thick black smoke up into the air, while men ran across the stone docks in total panic.

"Hits confirmed on both targets," the sonar officer said, taking off his headset. "Target one is destroyed. Keel snapped; the vessel sank in twelve seconds. Target two suffered secondary internal detonations; the vessel is fully engulfed and sinking. Nearby ships are catching fire."

"Good, we have a fighting chance."