John Schettler - Kirov II - Cauldron of Fire

“I am charged with the security of these sea lanes, sir. Surely you must understand that.”

“Well, Admiral, it has come to the eleventh hour, and fearing what might happen if we let the time slip by to midnight without reason having a seat at the table, let me make a proposal. I seek an armistice in our private little war within a war here. You are busy enough with the Germans and Italians. Yes? So I ask you to leave my ship alone now and grant us safe passage through these straits and to give us the open sea you claim to rule. You may wish to know my intentions, and I will tell you that I have no hostile aim, nor do I wish to engage in any further combat, or even contact with your navy or that of any other nation. As to the security of your convoys, I must leave that to you, but I will give you my pledge that my ship will not fire on any merchant vessel we encounter, on any side in this war. We will give them a wide berth and do no harm. This is my word to you.” He paused briefly, allowing Nikolin to catch up, and noting Tovey’s facial expressions to read his response.

“All I wish is to find a nice peaceful island somewhere out of the stream of this war and consider how I can get my men and ship home again. To put this formally, I ask you now for safe passage in exchange for a pledge of armistice and neutrality. It would be my intention to get as far away from your war as my ship can possibly take me. Yes, I know it is a world war, and that may prove difficult, but there must be some island out there where I can get some sleep and find some peace and quiet to think. And if I never see another man die at sea, particularly as a result of my commands, then I will be a happier man for it. So that is my offer. That is all I desire, Admiral.” He nodded his head. “And perhaps a nice bowl of borscht and a bottle of good vodka once in a while.” He smiled, seeing his last remark well taken by Tovey.

Then the British Admiral’s eyes hardened for a moment. Tovey clasped his hands behind his back, thinking as he gazed up at the tawny sundrenched walls of the Moorish fortifications. This Captain Nemo had said a good bit with that business about the castle, he realized. Perhaps he said more than he might have wished.

His eyes seemed to see far now, as if he were suddenly aware of distant events, a future time unseen, when this war was long over…when the British Empire itself was long gone, and when other men might walk the rocky shores of this island with no thought of conflict and war in their minds. Was that ever possible? He knew what the Admiralty would advise him here—what they would in fact order him to do. Somerville had faced it at Mers-el Kebir when he had asked the French fleet to join the Empire, and that failing, to scuttle their ships. They refused, of course, even as he himself would in the same situation. Yes, pride goeth before the fall, but pride could be as much a virtue as a vice, and he had little doubt that this Admiral before him would be found a proud and willful man if put to the test.

The man wanted to find an island, he thought, a mysterious island where he could rest and think. Well, we moved heaven and earth to put Napoleon on one. Here he is looking to make a graceful bow and drop anchor on his own St. Helena. The man’s earnest desire to avoid further conflict was both obvious and admirable. Might he consider another proposal? It was worth the offer, and he spoke his mind.

“Admiral, I am inclined to believe you when you state your wish to avoid further hostilities. You have asked me to consider the question of armistice. May I ask you if you would consider the question of alliance? Might we two become friends instead of the witless enemies we have been up until now?”

Volsky smiled, as he had thought long and hard about this possible meeting, and knew this question would inevitably arise. The matter was coming to a head, and he knew his response now would be critical. He looked Tovey squarely in the eye. “If you had lightning in a bottle, would you pour it in your friend’s glass, or your enemies?” He smiled. “I think to make either choice would end up killing them both. No, Admiral. I cannot join your war. We fought only because we had to—fought Italians ships and German planes, and you British as well. For a long time I think you believed we were a German ship. And the Italians and Germans may now think we are British. But if it is all the same to you, I think we would be most unwise to take any side in this war. We have done enough harm as it stands.”

“I see,” said Tovey, not surprised by the answer. The question was now starkly before him. There would be no alliance, but would there be war or peace with this man and his mysterious and terrible ship of war? With four battleships at hand Tovey still believed he had the means to prevail if it came to further conflict, but he was under no illusion that the task would be easy, or that he would even live to see it to a successful completion. He was going to lose ships and men if he fought now, that much was certain. Then an idea came to him. He knew it might cost his command, and even his rank and position in the Royal Navy itself, but somehow neither of those things seem to weigh in the balance.

“We faced this same dilemma with the French fleet, on more than one occasion,” he began. “Now they are sitting comfortably at Toulon, though we did have word that the Strasbourg had been heading this way.” He gave Volsky a knowing smile. “That said, might you consider sailing to a neutral country, under Royal Navy escort, and accept internment for the duration of the war?”

Again, this was not unexpected, but Volsky shook his head, smiling. “Admiral, do you think this ship would be left in peace under such circumstances? In what port, on any shore, could we drop anchor without fear that there would be men who would be very, very curious about us, men who would want to ask the same questions that remain in your mind? No. Such questions must remain unanswered, and it would be better if they were never asked. We must have freedom of movement to assure ourselves that this would be the case.”

“But surely, you’ll need fuel, water, food and supplies for your crew.”

“We carry all the fuel we will ever need, and then some.” He realized that Tovey would not comprehend that, so he manufactured a little white lie, a little vranyo to smooth the matter over. “We have a way to convert seawater to steam, so fuel is never a concern. As for food and water, these things we will find on our own, and with as little interference with others as possible.”

“Then you don’t see any further room for compromise?”

“I have compromised, Admiral. I did not have to ask for this conference, but yet I found it a wiser course than the one I was sailing at the time. I know the issue foremost in your mind now is trust. I suppose your Mister Churchill is thinking the same thing at this very moment as he sits down to dinner with Joseph Stalin in his dacha at Moscow.” He saw Tovey raise an eyebrow at that, and pressed his point home. “Perhaps that is the one thing a man really needs to act intelligently—a little trust, a little faith, and a good heart. I know that you are driven to find answers to the questions in your mind about all of this, but I must caution that you stand to lose very much more than you gain should you do so.”

Tovey breathed deeply, struck by that last remark. There was something more in the what the Admiral said just now. Something very much more. The conference in Moscow was held as a state secret and a matter of high security. Only very few knew it was taking place, even within the highest circles of the British government. For this man to know of it, and speak of it so casually…He regarded this Admiral with a knowing eye.