"Yes!" A restrained yet excited response came from the channel.
Almost simultaneously with Mendoza's order, aboard India's "Lanville," Captain Amit Sharma's forehead was drenched with cold sweat.
He received a direct order from New Delhi's Navy Headquarters, with stern wording: "You must force the Mexicans to yield or retreat. Warning shots can be fired if necessary, but full-scale conflict must be avoided!" — A typical bureaucratic nonsense order: provoke, but avoid responsibility.
Sharma watched the radar screen showing the steady and frightening trajectory of three Mexican warships, and the sonar screen with a hauntingly elusive Ghost submarine signal, his heart pounding.
He had participated in several joint exercises but had never truly faced the pressure of real combat, especially against the reputedly North America-equipped Mexican Navy.
