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  Ireland’s Chief Scientist cut quite a dash in a tailored Magee blazer, Saville Row tie, ironed chino trousers and black Barker shoes. He was talking in an animated manner to a government minister. He wasn’t aware that his plans for the evening were about to be rudely interrupted.

  Van Os summoned one of his staff. ‘Please ask Professor Gilmore to join me.’

  Shortly after, he saw his officer discreetly tap the Chief Scientist on the shoulder and whisper into his ear. The professor looked suitably surprised. He hesitated before he excused himself from the company and walked towards the main building.

  Minutes later Professor Gerard Gilmore, or ‘Gerdy’ to his friends, was greeted by van Os.

  ‘Sorry to disturb your evening Professor. My name is Billy van Os. I’m the Defence Attaché at the Embassy. Please take a seat.’

  ‘Yes, I know who you are. The question is why am I here?’

  Gilmore was used to asking, not answering questions.

  ‘We need to talk about a matter of mutual interest that demands a certain degree of sensitivity.’

  ‘Tell me more,’ said Gilmore, with a hint of impatience. He had no idea what van Os was alluding to. He didn’t like intrigue or innuendo. He preferred open and direct communications.

  ‘Please let me explain,’ said van Os. ‘Last week Skynet Six, the UK’s most recently launched military communications satellite, recorded readings of seismic activity from seabed sensors that are usually used to track and monitor Russian submarines in the Atlantic Ocean. The location of the seismic activity is along a 150-kilometre line abutting the western edge of the Rockall Plateau at the limits of the Irish Continental Shelf in the area of the Eriador Seamount.’

  Gilmore knew this area, located north-west of Ireland, quite well as he had supervised several seabed mapping surveys of this region. The Eriador Seamount rose some 1,500 metres from the sea floor at the very edge of the Irish Continental Shelf. However, to date, this feature hadn’t been comprehensively mapped.

  ‘But there has been no recent history of seismic activity at this location to my knowledge. Has something changed?’ Gilmore stated what he thought was the obvious. He was puzzled as to why British Intelligence wanted to share this information with him.

  Van Os continued, ‘There appears to be a pattern of recent sea floor volcanic activity stretching in a wide arc from Iceland to the Canaries. Isolated low-level seismic readings have been detected in areas where there was no known record of such activity. A British navy destroyer, HMS Barnes, and a government research vessel are on their way to investigate the northern end of the line. As Ireland has jurisdiction over the part of the continental shelf around Rockall, we want to propose a joint investigation effort. Hence my approach to you, as you’re responsible for the deployment of resources in that neck of the woods, so to speak.’

  He knows more than I do thought Gilmore. As it happened, the Irish Government’s marine research vessel, the RV Celtic Explorer, was preparing for a scheduled four-week research programme. It would be ready to set sail in the general direction of Rockall within days.

  Van Os, who had earlier briefed his senior contact in the Irish navy, was aware of this.

  ‘What’s your request?’ said Gilmore.

  ‘I understand you’re planning a short scientific voyage to test the salinity levels of the columns of sub-sea water that power the Gulf Stream.’

  ‘Yes,’ said Gilmore. He found it hard to lie to anyone. He does know a lot thought Gilmore. Be careful he told himself. This guy is as slippery as an eel.

  Van Os leaned forward in his chair.

  ‘Best you continue with that research. No reason why both activities can’t proceed simultaneously.’

  ‘Both?’

  ‘Here’s the nub of it,’ said van Os. ‘We want you to take a three-person manned submersible and supporting technicians and sail to the locations where recent seismic activity has been recorded. I’m told that the RV Celtic Explorer has the capacity to house both a remotely operated vehicle and a manned submersible. Correct?’

  ‘Well, yes, but it will be a bit of a squeeze.’

  ‘We’ve borrowed a manned submersible that’s designed to do the work required from our American friends. It lands in Shannon Airport the day after tomorrow. It will be quayside at the RV Celtic Explorer in Galway Harbour by the end of the week.’

  ‘That’s impressive. What’s the rush?’ said Gilmore in a surprised tone.

  Van Os touched his goatee beard as he eyed a clearly engaged Chief Scientist.

  ‘Professor, we’ve grave concerns, on the basis of the initial evidence to hand, that a partial collapse of the eastern side of the Irish Continental Shelf resulting from increasing volcanic activity could cause tsunamis that would hit the western coast of Ireland within sixty minutes and the whole of the British Isles within ninety minutes. A risk of this significance makes it a matter of national security. I need not tell you what would happen if a calamity of that magnitude occurred. Hence, all the cloak and dagger stuff. We need to find evidence as to whether the current levels of volcanic activity are likely to stabilise or increase in intensity. Either way we need eyes on the ground – or in this case, the seabed – and that’s where you and your colleagues on the RV Celtic Explorer come in.’

  Gilmore was quite taken aback. No wonder the British wanted the matter kept under wraps.

  ‘I should add that you will be accompanied by an Irish naval vessel. I’ve already spoken to the Chief of the Defence Forces who has approved the mission. That means we’ll be able to use secure communication lines to our geological-monitoring satellite assets and deploy additional resources if so required.’

  ‘That seems to make sense,’ conceded Gilmore.

  ‘Once on location, we’ll provide you and the manned submersible team with live encrypted feed from the Skynet Six satellite. Let me show you.’

  Van Os opened his laptop and typed in his password code sequence. The screen lit up.

  Gilmore could see in 3D format small but readable measurements of seismic activity indicated by a red mark tracer over a long longitudinal area, just as van Os had described. On another screen, the powerful infrared features of the satellite revealed outline features of the sea floor as if it were daylight. He could see sea-floor valleys and the steep slopes to the west of the Porcupine Bank, the area around the Rockall Plateau and the Rockall Bank and out as far as the Eriador Seamount. Gilmore wasn’t aware that technology had advanced so far as to facilitate a real time view of the topography of the sea floor. He tried to hide his amazement.

  ‘Can you zoom in to the Eriador Seamount, please?’

  As van Os moved the cursor, the key features of the Eriador Seamount began to appear in more detail. What was initially a vague shape emerged from the depths as the satellite’s lens focused. The sloped plains to the west of the Eriador Seamount were clearly visible as were the broad outlines of the rocky crags that formed the easterly part of this ancient volcanic structure that was some one hundred kilometres long in a north-south direction.

  ‘It’s like Google maps but with more definition,’ said Gilmore. He was genuinely astonished at the level of detail provided.

  Van Os smiled. He had landed his fish with the bait of the latest in infrared technology.

  ‘Is there anything else I should know?’ asked Gilmore.

  ‘A few more points of detail. I will be assigning Jonathan Drew, a colleague from London HQ and an Irish citizen to be our Liaison Officer. Johnny, as he likes to be called, will be based on the Irish navy corvette that’s being assigned to the project. If you need to contact me do so through Johnny. He is my eyes and ears on the mission and is acting on my direct authority. You might also let your people know that the Prime Minister will call your Taoiseach tomorrow afternoon to talk to him about our operational requirements and how best the two teams might collaborate and
share whatever results emerge. Your own minister is being briefed as we speak. And finally, under no circumstances are you to let the captain, the crew of the RV Celtic Explorer and the Irish researchers on board know the true purpose of the voyage until you are ready to set sail. As they say: be economical with truth.’

  ‘As you can appreciate, I will not be taking instructions from you Mr van Os. But it seems you have set up this operation in anticipation that we’ll cooperate,’ said Gilmore firmly.

  ‘Exactly. And by the way we’re calling this operation Project Eriador.’

  ‘So be it. You will excuse me then.’

  They shook hands politely as professionals do.

  Gilmore got over the shock of such a direct and arguably aggressive approach quite quickly. He knew he had a job of great importance to attend to. He left the embassy by a side door and sat in his car to gather his thoughts. His first decision was that he had no option but to sail with the RV Celtic Explorer. His plans to take a few days off with his wife would have to be cancelled.

  From his encrypted car phone he contacted his minister to express his concerns only to be instructed in polite but in no uncertain terms to do everything possible to facilitate Project Eriador. The minister told him that the project had the strong personal backing of the British Prime Minister and the Irish Government. Van Os knew how to pull the levers of access. Gilmore was reluctantly impressed.

  The short drive to his office gave him a bit of time to think through the calls he had to make given the unambiguous instructions from his Minister. The first was to Julie Motherway, the Chief Executive of the Marine Institute, as she was directly responsible for the crew of the RV Celtic Explorer and the setting of the project briefs for all the ship’s research voyages. She accepted that this unusual request would have to be accommodated, admitting that the minister’s office had already been in contact to mark her card. She undertook to call the ship’s captain but not to go into too much detail as Gilmore would brief him when he arrived aboard.

  His second phone call was to Barry Carew, a close personal friend and fellow alumni of Trinity College’s Science Department. They had known each other for the best part of forty years as their careers developed. Carew was head of the research team at the Office for Weather in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, based in Washington DC. NOAA specialised in predicting and analysing high impact weather events. Under Carew’s careful supervision, NOAA controlled a series of low orbit GOES-17 Series geo-stationary satellites that generated real-time 3D images of severe weather patterns anywhere on the planet.

  ‘I was expecting the call, Gerdy. I was told a few hours ago that the British were in a bit of bother about recent sea floor seismic readings along your side of the Irish Continental Shelf. They need access to our assets. We never say “No” to anyone we’ve a “special relationship” with.’

  ‘Do you intend to travel?’ asked Gilmore.

  ‘I’ve already bought my ticket and expect to be in Shannon tomorrow evening.’

  ‘That’s quick off the blocks!’

  ‘I would never refuse an official invitation to visit Ireland. Or in this case offshore Ireland,’ said Carew.

  Gilmore probed his friend. ‘What are you hearing? Are the Brits over-reacting?’

  ‘On the contrary. Our satellites have picked up remote instances of low-level seafloor seismic activity for several months. That’s quite normal as you know. However, last week we got more than we bargained for. As a Russian nuclear submarine passed one of the seabed sonar detectors on the Maury Channel, to the west of the Eriador Seamount, a 2.8 Richter scale event was recorded. This was followed within days by severe aftershocks. The Brits, and indeed you guys, need to check out what is happening. The only way to do that’s to dive to the locations where there has been seismic activity to check out the extent of the problem.’

  ‘Hmm. I was worried you’d say something like that. What’s the story with the manned submersible?’ asked Gilmore.

  ‘Luckily, we’ve just completed a complete re-fit of one of our state-of-the-art manned submersibles. It came out of the navy dockyard at Pensacola last week. I was about to assign it to support research off the Hawaii islands when I was alerted to the situation at the Irish Continental Shelf. So, instead of packaging and flying it to Honolulu, it is being prepared for a military airlift to Shannon Airport along with its operator and support technicians.’

  ‘Who will crew it at such short notice?’

  ‘I don’t know exactly, but phone calls are being made to one of your universities to source an oceanographer and a specialist in volcanology. I’ll know more in the morning. What is more important is a GOES-17 Series satellite has been assigned to me for the duration of Project Eriador. It has the capacity to produce colour enhanced infrared images as well as water vapour images. I wouldn’t have gotten the green light on this if the powers that be in NOAA didn’t believe the Brits.’

  Gilmore was glad his lifelong friend was going to join him. They had a strong bond since their college days. They had shared beers, banter, books and even the occasional girlfriend. Carew was more than a good friend. He trusted him. And as Carew was taking personal responsibility for the deployment of his assets who was he to question the bona fides of the planned mission.

  ‘The good news is that we can share a whiskey or two over the coming weeks. I’ll stock up at the duty free.’

  ‘Yes, a bottle or two of Bushmills Black Bush would be nice. Bon Voyage.’

  CHAPTER 2

  Faro de Fuencaliente

  Hikers of all skill levels were attracted to the pear-shaped island of La Palma because the mountain trails were clearly sign-posted, well-worn and attractive to tourists who wanted to walk during the summer months at an altitude that meant the temperatures were more comfortable for hiking. The island’s tourism office advertised a series of interlinked walking routes that criss-crossed the interior of the small island that was just twenty-eight kilometres across. Hardcore hikers of all nationalities and ages had multiple trails that tested their stamina and footing.

  The Hotel Taburiente, located a few kilometres south of the island’s capital Santa Cruz de la Palma, was abuzz with activity. Over a hundred people packed the reception area. The buffet breakfast of Spanish omelettes, freshly squeezed oranges, cheese, frittatas and fried meats of dubious origin was long forgotten. Meeting their guides and getting on the road (and up the mountains) was everyone’s priority.

  This was Damian’s third day with this walking group. To avoid the rush, and so that he could be heard amidst the loud chatter, he had assembled them around a tourist desk away from the main entrance. He started his briefing.

  ‘Our coach will take us from the hotel to the starting point at the Visitors’ Centre of the Volcán San Antonio, near the village of Los Canarios.’

  ‘Are we doing the volcano walk today?’ Judith, one of the walking group, asked the obvious question.

  She was tall and strong, evidence of her athletic lifestyle, and holder of many medals for orienteering in her native county of Wiltshire. She was the unofficial leader of the group from the Malmesbury Hiking Club, judging by the respect her friends gave her. They clearly valued her opinions.

  ‘Yes, we are,’ said Damian. ‘We call this trail the Ruta de los Volcanes. This is the famous seven volcanoes walk and probably the best the island has to offer. While most hikers start in the north at the Caldera de Taburiente and walk thirty kilometres south, I’ve decided to do something a bit different as it will better test your skills and stamina. En route you’ll see huge craters, lava tongues, volcanic desert conditions and banana plantations along the coast. It’s a walk that rivals Tenerife’s Las Cañadas or Lanzarote’s Timanfaya. This should be the highlight of your holiday. Let me show you what to expect.’

  The group of fourteen gathered around in a wide circle to see the map and the display of pho
tos that were numbered and annotated with key signposts. Damian’s 1:80,000 map of the island that was spread out over the desk was his bible. Over the years he had added his own notes and notations about local conditions. Photography was his passion. He had images of all the mountain paths and used these to show his clients what to expect before they began their treks.

  A founding member of the La Palma Ramblers’ Association, he knew the importance of not just knowing the lie of the land but how to navigate along the mountain ridges, forest tracks, volcanic craters and cones as weather conditions changed – as they did all too frequently. He also had to be acutely aware of the different skills levels of those in his charge.

  ‘This will be a trek in every sense of the word. It is downhill from the starting point. We’ve a four hour walk ahead of us. I intend to do it in three slow, easy stages.’

  Pointing to the coloured photo on the left he said: ‘Here is the view of the crater of the Volcán San Antonio. During stage one, we’ll visit the observation deck high on the top of the volcano. In parts, the path is very narrow, no more than two metres wide. A railing will help you with your balance. Once we descend further along, we’ll pass by Volcán Teneguia; that’s to the right of the trail. It is a riot of colour with its rim a blaze of mauve, cream and orange gravel. It erupted in 1971 – and has been inactive since I should add. Walking conditions will deteriorate in this area as the surface is loose stones and fine ash gravel for the most part. The good news is that the decline is very manageable all the way to the exit of the volcano field, three kilometres above Faro de Fuencaliente. All going well, we’ll have a late lunch there before the coach collects us in the mid-afternoon.’

  Some of the more eager members of the group started to move off.

  ‘Just double check that you’ve all your kit as we’ll be over four hours on the mountain,’ said Damian. ‘It will be a clear day until the early afternoon but very windy, so come prepared. And Judith, there is no need to fret about lunch. I took the precaution and asked the hotel last night to provide everyone with sandwiches, fruit and water.’