To the south-east of Da Nang, 120 kilometres from the Vietnamese coast, the weather was deteriorating rapidly. The three helicopters flew in line, heading south, buffeted by the wind, the rain threatening to cascade down at any moment. The dawn light was barely discernible and the radar signal from the cargo ship was the helicopters’ main guide as to their target.
The MV Anaconda seemed oblivious to her pursuers, not that she could have done much about it anyway, the vessel easy prey for the Chinese Special Forces. With the helicopters hovering overhead, a dozen men swarmed down onto the Anaconda’s deck. There was no resistance, merely a half-hearted protest from the ship’s captain. He had already sent a Mayday call, his one hope of rescue resting with the Vietnamese Coastguard.
The ship turned north, heading at full speed towards the protection of Chinese territory. Within an hour, the Anaconda had been searched, documents seized, computer logs accessed. Valdez and his men had disembarked at Da Nang, so there were no terrorists to find, no weapons; nothing that would physically link the Anaconda to the attack on Woody Island.
Frustrated with the lack of evidence, the Chinese randomly selected two members of the crew for special attention, trusting that fists and boots would help improve the crew’s memory. The Anaconda’s captain had tried to intervene, wanting to explain that the whole crew had been rotated at Da Nang, but a rifle butt to his side had quickly ended any further argument.
The captain sat on the bridge, wrists handcuffed, back resting uncomfortably against a bulkhead. His initial resentment had long since turned to anger, and he sensed the Chinese were foolish if they thought it was going to be that easy. The Vietnamese Coastguard had worked with Holland and the United States to create a modern and effective fleet, and any of the newer patrol boats would have a good 15 knots advantage over the fifty year-old Anaconda. An aircraft would be simpler but less effective, and depending on their precise course, the Paracel Islands were still some 250 kilometres away, Hainan Island at least 400. Three, four more hours at most, and the Chinese might just have a fight on their hands.