John Schettler - Fallen Angels - 9 Days Falling, Volume II

“And that is just what we will do, sir. There’s no trouble out there we can’t handle,” Troyak said confidently.

“I suppose you are correct, but if we were to just go with the helo, how would you operate with the Mi-26, Troyak? Could it be protected?” That was the key factor now. They could not afford to have the helicopter damaged or lost, and the fuel issue remained another problem.

“We would just land on the tip of this sharp isthmus here,” said Troyak pointing at the map. Then we take the company in for a lightning fast assault, leaving one squad with the helo. It should be safe there.” The Sergeant could see that Fedorov was very worried about the helicopter.

“Which plan is best, to go in with force or try the lightning swift rescue with the helicopter?”

“You can never have too much combat power at hand for any mission,” said Troyak. If the Germans do come in force, we will want our assets ashore and ready to oppose them. If we go with the helo, we can take up to 90 men, only half the force, and no APCs. In that case we’ll need to rely on speed. I would suggest an amphibious assault with the entire force. We cave tanks and APCs that will be very useful.”

“Yes, but we can’t leave anything behind here, Troyak. All the equipment must be safely withdrawn—and all our men. If any man falls, he must he brought out safely. We can leave no man behind.”

“Sir, we never leave a man behind. Rest assured.”

“Very well…prepare your mission. I want the option to use those hovercraft and the heavy assets they can carry. We must be in a position to attack in a matter of hours. I’ll square things with Bukin on the command change.”

“It won’t bother him, sir. He still thinks I’m his Gunnery Sergeant.”

TheMi-26 was soon squatting on the deck of Anatoly Alexandrov again, the Marines finishing up the loading of their equipment as evening folded he land with gray. Dobrynin had scoured the ship for any further reserve they could find, and the big helo had her tanks topped off for the long haul. He thought they would want to leave for the Pacific coast immediately, but Fedorov had pulled him aside earlier to tell him of the sudden change of plans.

“You’re taking the Mi-26 south again?”

“Not if I can avoid it, but I want the helo available in case we run into any problems. It can’t be helped, Chief.” Fedorov explained.

“But the Admiral said this mission east was very urgent, Fedorov. It’s a very long way. Why delay?”

“You act like the mission is running late, but remember, it’s 1942 here, and we have nearly three years before we need to be on the Pacific coast.”

“Mister Fedorov, we have two Kalmar assault class hovercraft here, each one carrying a PT-76 amphibious tank, and a contingent of 60 Marines. And over there we have an even bigger “Aist” Class hovercraft, with three more APCs and more Marines. You will have an assault contingent of 180 men! Why can’t they get the job done? Why do you still need the helicopter?”

Fedorov could see Dobrynin was worried about everything, and the stress of planning the mission lay heavily on him. “I want the helo in reserve until the outcome here is decided. I know you are worried about Bukin’s mission, but we’ll get it all done—this mission and the job out east,” he reassured him. “I’ll also have to leave some force with you here to protect the Anatoly Alexandrov . We cannot afford to lose this ship and its reactors. Otherwise none of the control rods will be worth anything at all. Leave things to me.”

He did not confide his remaining concerns—a deep inner worry over those two control rods. He had no idea whether they would even work, and he had been thinking about the situation for some time.

Suppose we conclude this mission safely, he thought. Suppose we then use Rod-25 here and all goes as we expect. We end up in the year 2021, and then what? Then we will know whether that helicopter out there ever really makes it to the Pacific coast and manages to contact Kirov . It will all be history by the time we get home. And what if I learn the mission failed—for lack of fuel because I had to stubbornly insist on using the Mi-26 to find Orlov. Keeping it here is just going to tempt me to use it again. The mobility it provides is very desirable…But if I’m the reason it fails to reach Karpov, what then? What does Karpov do here, marooned in the past with three of the most powerful ships in the world?

He struggled with that, wondering what would happen if push came to shove and another battle started in the Pacific with the Americans. The situation will be too tempting for Karpov, and he has the power to change everything now. Even if we do reach him, and supposing these two new rods work as we hope, where will it send Kirov and the other ships this time? The Admiral just assumes that they will all be brought home to the year 2021, but that is by no means certain. They could go anywhere, even further back into the past!

He ran into that same dead end in his thinking again. There was just no way to know. All they could do was stumble about like blind men in the dark. They had no comprehension of the forces they were playing with now, and no way to really control these time displacements.

Then there was that incident on the back stairs of Ilanskiy. What really happened there, he wondered? Was there a rift in time that I walked through, or was it something about me that caused that displacement? Troyak went down those stairs and nothing happened to him. But Mironov came up them and moved from 1908 to 1942! It was maddening.

If it was a rift, a tear in the fabric of time caused by the Tunguska event, then it clearly allowed displacement between those two points on the continuum. June 30, 1908 was hotwired and linked to August of 1942. It was a gap of thirty-four years. What if I went back up those stairs from this point in time? Would it take me forward, perhaps by another interval of time equal to thirty-four years? Would I end up in 1976? Again, there was no way to know, so this was all useless speculation. The only thing he could control for the moment was this mission, and so he shook himself from his reverie as Troyak came up, saluting.

“Sir, the men are ready.”

“Very well, Sergeant. Let’s get moving.”

Troyak looked over the gunwale of the main deck to the pilot in the hovercraft below and rotated his hand overhead to signal engine startup. There was a high pitch whine, then a lower growl as the big engines started. With tremendous noise.

Fedorov had briefed the men, telling them what was at stake. “I know that we may be opposed, but do not harm the Russians if it can be avoided. If it is possible to take prisoners and hold them while we find Orlov, all the better. But the mission must not fail. No man can be left behind. Not one piece of equipment either.” He left that out there, and each man considered what he might have to do now, facing their own countrymen in a potential conflict here, as well as the Germans.

“I just hope my Great Grandfather isn’t here,” Corporal Subakin jibed, and the other men laughed.

They were on their way.

Orlovheard the footsteps in the hall, and smiled inwardly. At last, he thought. The Commissar was finally here. Once inside the prison they had taken his overcoat, cap and service jacket, just as he expected, and they were hanging on the coat rack in the corner, objects of curiosity or evidence to be fodder for the interrogation that was coming next. Orlov was suddenly reminded of that first session with Loban under the Rock of Gibraltar. He wondered if this Molla would get curious and meet Svetlana the way Loban had?