Smith - Deadly Apparition

I must acknowledge my editor, my inspiration and my companion in lifes journey, Mary Beth Smith. Thank you for all your help and encouragement, dear.

I would also like to give credit to Amy Siders, Jen Dunsmore and Robert Reid at 52Novels for doing the chapter graphics and layouts.

Thanks to commercial artist Shaunna Heth for the cover art.

Thanks for insights from Ex-Navy torpedoman, Jeff Smith, my brother.

Thanks to actor Jack Nolan who with his expert knowledge of accents and dialects did a great narration for the audiobook. He also helped me with Spanish phrases and inaccuracies in the text.

And thanks to my daughter, Mona Guerrero, for doing a fine job of managing the G. Ernest Smith Facebook site.

Commander Donald Castillo is the commander of the Virginia class fast attack nuclear submarine Kansas. It is the latest and best that the U.S. Navy has to offer. He is asked to test a new ground-breaking countermeasure that will revolutionize naval warfare. Its code name is Apparition and he will be working with a civilian test team headed by Dr. Susan Lambert. This is game changing technology born of the Hadron Collider and the Navy brass are hungry for it. But something goes wrong during testing and the Kansas and her crew disappear off the western coast of Scotland. The American and British navies perform an exhaustive search, but find not a trace of Kansas.

Meanwhile, Castillo and the rest of the Kansas crew can not understand where everyone has gone. They cant get a response from anyone, nor can they see anything on sonar, nor can they get a GPS fix. Whats going on? They see what looks like a replica of an old Spanish galleon sailing ship. Castillo decides to surface and approach the ship and ask if they know where everyone has gone. Instead of getting answers, they are fired upon and Castillo is captured. The Kansass executive officer gets Castillo back, but not before they discover that the Spanish crew thinks it is the year 1588. How can that be?

Castillo decides to return to base only to discover its not there! He and Susan Lambert are beginning to suspect what has happened, but no one wants to give voice to it. Its too unthinkable! Depression sets in as the crew reluctantly faces the truth. They are stranded in the wrong century, and there is no way back. They are faced with the enormous task of making a life in a preindustrial world with few survival skills or resources. Castillo realizes that at least they can watch a watershed event of history, the defeat of the famous Spanish Armada by Sir Francis Drake and Lord Howard. They will have front row seats. But something is wrong. Events as described by the history books are not happening correctly, and the Armada is much bigger than it should be. The English are losing the fight. They are heavily outnumbered and outgunned. Castillo is in a quandary. He and his ship have the power to affect the outcome. Should they act?

G od smiles on us, Francisco! exclaimed Gaspar De Sosa. He gives us a beautiful morning for victory and a good wind.

Yes, and he keeps Drake and his English dogs locked up in their pen. There is nothing to stop us now, sir.

It is a magnificent sight, is it not? De Sosa swept his arm at the view. Ships as far as the eye could see with taut sunlit sails pitching up and down as they plowed through sequined green waves. He breathed in the cool salt air. We are Gods fleet carrying on Gods mission, Francisco. He pointed at the great galleon 200 yards to the north. It rolled more slowly because of its great size. Look at the San Leandro, Francisco. Look at the size of it. The power! How could one doubt it came from God? It must have dropped directly from heaven, for how else could you explain its perfect lines. The perfect way the deck sweeps in such a pure artful manner. Its a force of nature, is it not? De Sosa laughed a hearty laugh that made his great belly tremble and his black beard quiver.

Francisco laughed too. His thin shoulders shook, and he showed his gap toothed smile, and nervously pulled at his shirt. I think after we make our landing, we should make every Englishman line up and kiss his Holinesss ring. What say you, De Sosa?

A good idea, Francisco, but the Pope is a busy man. He doesnt have time for English scum.

Maybe they could kiss Admiral Sidonias ass then. Same thing!

Both men roared with laughter. De Sosa scanned the horizon ahead and saw nothing but the empty sea and cottony white clouds. There was no sound except the snap of banners in the wind, the rattle of block and tackle and the creak of hull planking as the ship plunged through the waves. Both men gripped the rail tightly to keep their feet as the deck heaved under them.

Sail! called the lookout from above. One point on the bow. He pointed.

Every deck hand turned to where the lookout was pointing.

Thats not a sail, said Francisco.

What is it? asked De Sosa.

It was like a tentacle from a Portuguese man of war. One fibrous tentacle extending upward from the sea. It pointed to the skyup and up. Then it curved down.

It looks like its coming toward us, said De Sosa with concern. He extended his spy glass and looked at it.

I know what it is! cried Francisco, his brown eyes alive with excitement. It is a message from God. I have read it many times in the Bible. Heavenly messengers always come from the sky or the sea. It is an angel come to give us a joyful message. God is pleased with us, De Sosa!

De Sosas eyes were troubled. He wasnt so sure this was a good thing. It was streaking across the water toward them very fast now. Faster than a racing falcon. He had never seen anything so fast! It was coming straight at themnoit was coming toward the San Leandro. The men on the San Leandro saw it too. They were at the rails, pointing. There was a sound building like the roar of a lion. It was almost on them. It was

BOOM!

There was a bright flash and the gunnel beneath De Sosas arm exploded into fragments and a great invisible hand slapped at him, knocking him end over end. He tumbled from one side of the deck to the other. He grabbed at Francisco and tried to stop him from going over the rail but he failed. He saw the frozen open-mouthed look of horror on Franciscos face as he went over. The Florencia rolled hard over away from the blast. He waited long seconds for the ship to right itself, and when it finally did, he staggered to his feet. There was a sharp pain in his side and when he looked there, he saw a large shard of wood sticking out from between his ribs. Fighting against the pain, he struggled to the rail. The San Leandro was gone! There was nothing but jagged smoking pieces of wood and broken charred planks floating in the water. He also saw bodies floating in the wreckage and heard the cries and entreaties to God of dying men. What could have done such a thing?

De Sosa looked up and saw most of Florencias sails had been shredded and the mizzen mast had been snapped like a twig. There were only two top gallants still intact. He quickly looked around at the surrounding ships. The Antonio De Palmas sails were fluttering free, having been ripped free of their moorings. Most of the sails of the San Juan De Portugal were shredded like Florencias. La Trinidad also had shredded sails.