Jon Merz - Raider X

Wilkins looked at the XO. “Is she hailing us?”

The XO shook his head. “Not yet.”

Thatcher heard a boom and whipped his head around. “Incoming!”

Everyone braced but the shell went over the bow and exploded some distance away in the water, spraying an enormous amount of water skyward as it did so.

“Bring us to a stop,” said the XO.

“All engines stop, aye sir,” confirmed a crew member. The Archimedes slowed and then stopped, floating about in the water as Raider X sidled closer to her.

Thatcher watched as the gunnery crew at the lead cannon loaded another shell. He had a spasm in his gut and suddenly did not want to be on the bridge. “They’re going to take out the bridge,” he said then without realizing it.

Thatcher sprinted for the door even as he heard the cannon fire. He dove down the steps that led to the bridge and crashed into the floor of the deck below, knocking his shoulder and head against the side of the ship as the round impacted the bridge and exploded. Debris rained down on Thatcher as he desperately tried to put distance between him and the bridge. The radio antenna collapsed, crashing down across the deck as Thatcher backed away even further. The entire bridge was gone and the smoking, fiery remains blazed. Everyone who had been there was gone. Killed in the moment of the explosion.

Thatcher looked out at Raider X sitting there peacefully some distance away. Would they stop firing now that they’d rendered the Archimedes inert? She was dead in the water without the means to radio for help. And even if she could, they were still too far from the coast for any Royal Naval vessels to come and help.

The answer came quickly. Another volley of shots impacted the Archimedes both near the bow and at the stern. Thatcher could hear the screams of people as the shells impacted and the entire ship lurched from the explosions.

Raider X’s guns fell silent now and Thatcher tried to get his senses back. The concussive impact of the shelling had disoriented him but a few deep breaths helped clear his head. If what Hewitt had said was correct about Schwarzwalder — and Thatcher dearly hoped it was — then Raider X should maintain its vigilance but not fire any longer now that they rendered the Archimedes helpless.

Thatcher rose shakily, gripping the handrail for support. The air was filled with smoke and more people screamed as the flames from the explosions kept growing.

It was fairly obvious to all that the Germans had arrived and that their scheduled stop in Lisbon was probably not going to happen any longer. Thatcher pushed his way through the people on deck. He had to find Cyra.

He found her coming up the steps to the main deck and she looked worried. “Why have we stopped?”

“A German raider is out there ready to sink us.”

“Sink us?” Cyra looked terrified. “I can’t swim.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe. I promise.” He held her close in his arms and then pulled back. “What time did you leave last night?”

Cyra shrugged. “I don’t know, actually. I was quite tired after… that. Perhaps three o’clock in the morning? I’m sorry I can’t be more specific.”

Thatcher guided her to the deck where the life boats were kept. There were already crew members readying the winches to let them down. The Archimedes was starting to list to the port side slightly. The sooner they were off the ship, the better.

Thatcher heard a motorboat of some type and turned to see a smaller craft racing over from Raider X toward the Archimedes. The Germans were coming.

The motorboat zipped up to the side of the Archimedes and Thatcher could see the six German sailors with machine guns trained on the Archimedes. One officer stood near the bow with a bullhorn.

“Attention, SS Archimedes: lower your gangway and prepare to be boarded. If you refuse, you will be sunk. If you do not resist, all passengers and crew will be treated well. You have one chance to comply or we will sink you.”

Thatcher glanced at the few remaining crew members. “You’d better do as they say. I don’t think they’re going to ask twice.”

“We have to get permission first-“

Thatcher grabbed him. “Your captain is dead and the XO and everyone on the bridge is dead, too. Lower the damned gangway and let them aboard. It’s time to think about your own life, man. Get to it.”

Thatcher shook him and then let him go. The crew member blinked and then nodded. He ran toward the lower deck with another crew member and Thatcher heard them lowering the gangway. The motorboat eased up to it and then the first Germans came up the gangway with their guns brandished. Thatcher heard a second motorboat coming and this one was larger than the first, holding about twenty German sailors. He assumed this would be the raiding party that would decide if there was anything of value aboard the ship they could take. If not, they would presumably have charges to scuttle the Archimedes when they were done with her.

The goal now was to somehow get aboard Raider X and destroy her, thought Thatcher. Especially now that gaining his freedom in Lisbon no longer seemed to be a viable option. He held Cyra close and hoped that he would appear to be just another passenger. If he could stay with Cyra, all the better.

He heard footsteps as the Germans rushed up to where they all stood. One of them stepped forward, with his gun aimed at them. “Do not try to do anything foolish. We will shoot you if we have to, but my Captain wishes me to inform you that if you do not resist, you will be well-treated as our guests. You are non-combatants and will be treated accordingly.”

Thatcher glanced around at the rest of the passengers, but noted there were only about a half dozen of them left. No doubt the shell that had taken out the bridge had also killed some of the other passengers in the area nearby. Along with the few crew members he had seen, Thatcher estimated there were only about eighteen people left alive on the Archimedes. That wouldn’t be too taxing for Raider X to move aboard. And he figured that there was less chance of them being put into lifeboats and set adrift. At least he hoped that was the case.

Other Germans now boarded the Archimedes and set about going through the ship to search it for anything they wanted. As they did so, the officer who had spoken to them started directing them down toward the motorboats.

Despite the fact that they were the enemy, Thatcher had to admit the Germans were being extraordinarily considerate of the passengers’ welfare. Especially an older couple who had trouble moving as adroitly as was needed to navigate the gangway. Two of the German sailors even shouldered their weapons to help get them aboard. Thatcher chalked that up to the Captain they served under. He would not tolerate any sort of injustice toward non-combatants. Such a thing would grate on every fiber of his military bearing.

Thatcher helped Cyra into the motorboat and then stepped aboard himself. They waited until the boat was filled and then two German sailors fired up the engine and steered it back toward Raider X. As they cut through the waves, Thatcher got a good look up close at Raider X and saw that she was truly impressive. Her gun ports were all carefully constructed to blend into the sides of the ship. And there were far too many to count. While she wasn’t a naval vessel, per se, she was certainly outfitted for a full range of offensive capabilities. And if this was her practice mission for what she hoped to accomplish in the Indian Ocean, then Thatcher had a better understanding now of why Hewitt had deemed her destruction such a top priority.

More German sailors lined the decks of the commerce raider looking down at the passengers coming toward them. The goal now, thought Thatcher, was to survive long enough to destroy this ship.