John Schettler - Kirov

“It’s rather confounding, sir. I can’t say as we’ve heard anything much about it. Bletchley Park seems to have missed something.”

“That they have,” said Churchill. “Well now… Let me put it this way. How many of these rockets can this ship have? If we press her she’s bound to run out, and then we’ll run up on her, take her by the throat, and throttle the life out of her.” He clenched his fist to make the point.

“I’m afraid the Americans suffered rather badly.”

“Yes, but as tragic as this attack was from the American standpoint, it was just the sort of dastardly deed that will enrage them. If Roosevelt allows this to stand, he’s not the man I think he is. This changes everything, gentlemen. I’m convinced the Americans will join us now after this. In this grave hour we’ll stand shoulder to shoulder and let the sinking of this new German ship be the first shot we fire as allies in this war. It was bound to happen sooner or later. The sooner the better, as far as England is concerned. The sooner the better.”

“Right, sir,” said General Dill. “We would welcome full support from the Americans. In fact, the Admiral here tells me that they’ve a considerable naval presence in and around Newfoundland at the moment. Jerry’s picked the wrong time to take a sucker punch at the U.S. Navy. Frankly, I can’t imagine what went through their minds, attacking a neutral country in such a blatant and grievous manner. You’re quite correct, sir. The Americans won’t let this stand. We’ve got word that Roosevelt is pressing on to Newfoundland.”

“Then we won’t be late either,” said Churchill. “I’ll want to get a cypher off to Parliament soon as well. If Roosevelt decides to declare war against Germany, then it’s very likely Japan will throw in on the other side. In that event, I want to be fully prepared to make an immediate declaration of war on Japan. In fact, I think our plan to send Prince of Wales and Repulse on to the Pacific after the conference is right on track.”

“ Repulse will need some patching up first,” said Pound. “She’s still seaworthy, and there’s nothing wrong with her guns, but the Germans poked a couple of holes in her side armor that will have to be mended.”

“Yes, and they poked a few into, Furious as well.”

“ King George V brushed them off, sir. We’ve nothing to worry about on that account.”

“That’s a comforting thought, Admiral. Because I fully intend to catch and sink this German ship. And if I can fish her captain out of the sea after we’re done with it, I’ll see that he hangs.”

Fedorov slipped out of his quarters and made his way to the sick bay as fast as he could. Thankfully, there was no line outside the doctor’s office, and no chance Orlov would see him as he edged through the door, relieved to see Zolkin sitting at his desk.

“Yes, Mister Fedorov, how may I help you?”

“How is the Admiral, doctor?”

“Everyone wants to know how the Admiral is. Did you bring flowers? He is doing much better, but I have him sleeping in the next room.”

The navigator shifted uncomfortably, as if hesitating over what he wanted to say. Zolkin gave him a long look, seeing more there than met the eye. Yet he also noticed Fedorov had a bruise mark on his upper cheek, and stood up, walking around to the examination table.

“Over here,” he slapped the table with the palm of his hand, and Fedorov eased himself to a sitting position on the table.

“Where did you get this?” Zolkin nudged his chin to one side, reaching for some antiseptic and a gauze as he did so.

“It was nothing,” Fedorov said quietly.

“Oh, I think it was something more,” said the doctor. “I think it was Chief Orlov’s bad temper, yes?”

Fedorov sighed, nodding a quick affirmative. “You know what’s been happening since the Admiral fell ill,” he said. “The Captain…”

Zolkin gave him a long look, then dabbed the antiseptic on his cheek. “Karpov has been somewhat aggressive, it seems.”

“He’s made a terrible mistake,” said Fedorov, and he told the doctor what had happened on the bridge, how the American planes had simply been flying a transit mission, unarmed. “I tried to warn him-reason with him, but he had me relieved. Then he engaged the American task force as well. I fear there were very many casualties…”

At this Zolkin took pause, his manner more solemn, concern evident on his face. “It looks like the Captain didn’t like his cigar thrown out the window, and threw out the dog after it,” said Zolkin. He was referring to an old Russian tale, from Dostoevsky’s The Idiot, when the character of General Ivolgin claimed he had been berthed with a woman on a long train ride who complained about his cigar and threw it out the window. Ivolgin told his listener that he was so put off that he threw the woman’s dog out after the cigar in reprisal! The story was entirely fabricated, a perfect example of Russian vranyo, and the listener in Dostoevsky’s tale claimed he had read about a similar incident in a Belgian newspaper just days ago. In doing so he broke the time honored forms of vranyo by contradicting the liar, instead of quietly listening, straight faced and concerned.

Doctor Zolkin did not know how much was true and how much was manufactured in Fedorov’s tale, but he stayed in the role of the believing listener, then asked. “What ships did he fire on? Was it serious?”

“An aircraft carrier and several smaller escorts were leading the next convoy out to Iceland. They were not even aware of our presence, sir! He fired a full battery of Moskit-IIs. Didn’t you hear them when they launched?”

“I wouldn’t know a Moskit from a mosquito, Mister Fedorov. Everything this ship fires off sounds the same to me, and it’s all for killing one thing or another, so I pay no attention to it.”

“It’s not an exercise any more, Doctor. We’re not on maneuvers. Men died out there this morning, a great many I fear.”

Zolkin nodded, quiet for a moment before he said: “That’s the business of a warship. We spend billions of rubles to build them, pack them with men, missiles, guns and torpedoes, then put on these nice pressed uniforms and hats to make us feel better about the dirty business we’re up to. In the end, we are a shark, nothing more. This ship is a great white shark, and she has very sharp teeth. Do not be surprised, then, if it ends up doing exactly what a shark would do when the men commanding this ship become sharks themselves.”

Fedorov looked down, still upset. “Does the Admiral know?”

“He should never have stood that last night watch,” said Zolkin. “I suspect that, even when he was in his cabin, he was too busy reading your book to find time to sleep. The man was exhausted, and at his age he will not have the stamina to function as he should without sleep. At least I was able to see that he stayed here all day and got some much needed rest.”

“What happened to him?” Fedorov’s eyes were searching, worried.

“BPV. Benign Positional Vertigo. It will not be serious, and it will pass. Particles in the fluid of his inner ear went one way, the ship went the other. Throw in fatigue and stress and he had a case of sudden vertigo. It is not serious. Another day and I will have him back on his feet-but I want him to rest.” He held up a finger.

“I understand, sir…But doctor.”

“Yes, I knew there would be a ‘but doctor’… what is it Mister Fedorov?”

“The engagement today…The men are saying we have sunk an American carrier! They laugh and joke about it, as if we were on maneuvers. But this attack could have consequences we cannot even imagine now. It will enrage the Americans, just as the Japanese attack on them at Pearl Harbor roused them to anger, and look what happened? They built thirty aircraft carriers, another hundred smaller escort carriers, ten battleships, seventy cruisers, over 800 destroyers and escorts and 200 submarines, not to mention over 400,000 planes!