Michael Wenberg - The Last Eagle

Ritter nodded with satisfaction, mentally gauging the speed of the freighter and the Eagle , the distance each had to go before reaching the harbor opening. Of course, in a fair race, the German freighter was no match for the Eagle . Fortunately for Ritter, this race was anything but fair. The freighter, slow as it was, had enough of a head start and less distance to travel. In just a few minutes she would be in position to block the harbor opening. The Eagle wouldn’t be able to go beneath her. Too shallow.

Just a temporary setback, soon enough set right. He had made his call just in time—barely—and the ambassador had done what he had requested. Once he had regained control of the Eagle , he wouldn’t bother trying to humor the Estonians. He would personally make sure his men were placed on board. If the Poles resisted in any way, he would have them shot on the spot and dumped into the harbor, beginning with their big, bearded executive officer, Stefan.

“Mind if I join you boys?”

Kate stepped up onto the deck of the conning tower bridge. She pulled her coat tightly around her as she joined the two men, Stefan and Talli. The bruise on her forehead was beginning to leak out from beneath her make-up. The wind roughed her hair. Stefan noticed she had pulled on a pair of trousers beneath her skirt. Too bad for the men in the control room who had watched her climb up the ladder.

Stefan gave her a distracted glance, frowned and shook his head.

“I know, I know…” she said. “You don’t need to remind me. I should stay below. Dangerous up here. But I needed some fresh air. And if we aren’t going to make it, I wanted to be up here, not down there.” Kate turned around, leaned against the edge of the conning tower, and stared back at the city of Tallinn. “Lovely place,” she mused, “I wish I could have spent more time here.” She noticed a figure standing on the quay. “Wonder who that is?”

The words struck at Stefan like a dagger. Despite the danger of the moment, he couldn’t totally ignore feelings of failure at leaving Chief K behind, and the worry that McBride had been unable to find him. He wheeled around, brought the binoculars to his eyes, fully expecting to see Chief K standing there by himself. “That’s not the chief,” Stefan said tonelessly, his lips parting into a decent impression of a wolf showing his fangs. “You again. And look at that uniform. Kriegsmarine . Who the hell are you and why did you want my ship?”

Talli squinted back at the pier. Despite the darkness, there was enough light from the fire to see Ritter’s blond hair even without binoculars. “Fencing scar on his face?” he asked

Stefan nodded, lowered his binoculars. “Know him?”

“His name is von Ritter. Peter. I met him yesterday. He is a Fregattenkapitän in the Kriegsmarine . How do you know him?”

Stefan shook his head. “I am a fool,” he muttered angrily.

“He was aboard the Eagle with two others,” Kate interjected. “Posing as Dutch engineers, weren’t they?”

Stefan nodded.

“Saved me from some trouble,” she said, touching her forehead, her eyes losing focus for just a moment. “Wonder why they bothered?”

Talli nodded knowingly. “Ahh, they were after your vessel all along.” It was a statement, not a question.

“So it seems,” Stefan said through teeth clenched so tightly his jaw was beginning to hurt. He was half tempted by a wild thought: to leap off Eagle , swim back to the pier, and then proceed to kill with his bare hands the man who had murdered Jerzy.

“What is your plan now, Captain?” Talli asked dryly. The question brought Stefan back to the moment. He tore his gaze away from Ritter. “Oh, I don’t know,” he croaked harshly, gesturing futilely at the freighter that was moving to block their way out, “I was kind of hoping you might suggest something.”

Talli shook his head and smiled.

“I was afraid of that.”

“What about that?” Kate pointed at the deck gun.

Stefan shook his head. “I’m afraid it would do about as much good as spitting watermelon seeds at an elephant.”

“Uh-oh,” Kate said, gesturing at a distant motorboat, light bow wave spilling high in the air, racing toward the submarine from the other side of the harbor. “What do you think they want? Don’t look friendly either.”

“One of yours?” Stefan asked Talli.

Talli squinted at the distant boat, visible in the tapestry of shadows and reflected city lights that winked and dazzled across the harbor’s surface. “Private,” he said, frowning. “Some rich man’s yacht, I think.”

The motorboat closed quickly, banked at the last minute and came abreast of the submarine’s bridge, and then cut its speed to match pace with the submarine. The figure piloting the boat from the flying bridge high above the cabin, turned his face toward the trio in the conning tower, and grinned.

“Hey?” Kate said. “ Isn’t that…”

“Captain Sieinski,” Stefan finished for her. “Yes.”

“What is he doing?” Talli said.

Sieinski stared at Stefan for a moment. He pointed to the freighter.

Stefan spread his arms wide, palms upward, acknowledging the futility of it all. The freighter would block the way, and then it would be over. There was nothing he could do.

Sieinski looked again at the freighter, then back to Stefan, staring intently at his second in command for another moment. And then saluted.

“Why did he do that?” Kate said.

Talli and Stefan said nothing. Sieinski gave a final nod, turned away and shoved the throttles forward. The bow of the powerful yacht leapt into the air like a dog let out of kennel, and then veered away from the submarine, straight toward the stern of the freighter.

“What can he do?” Kate said with growing alarm. “That little boat is no match for that, that monstrosity…”

Talli interrupted Kate’s rant by gripping her arm tightly. “Time to pray,” he breathed.

Hope and horror. Stefan couldn’t ignore the sudden appearance of either emotion as he realized what Sieinski was going to attempt.

“He’s not going to do what I think he’s going to do, is he?” Kate said. “It would be suicide.”

“Don’t call it that….” Stefan said sharply

They watched silently as the yacht raced up quickly behind the lumbering freighter. Lights began to wink along the freighter’s back railing.

“They’re shooting at him,” Kate said with surprise. Talli and Stefan remained mute.

The shots had no effect. The dark water and the night making the bouncing yacht a difficult target for even the most expert marksman. And Sieinski didn’t flinch from his goal. At the last moment, the yacht seemed to accelerate into the freighter’s stern. It disappeared in a sudden flash followed by the dull thump of an explosion. A ball of flame mushroomed into the air, lighting up the entire harbor. And then, just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone. The freighter continued on course, seemingly no more bothered by the yacht’s assault than a cow is bothered by one fly.

“What a waste,” Kate said, turning on Stefan like it was his fault.

Stefan kept the Eagle on course, cutting through the dark water at top speed. He would have to decide their fate in another moment. Perhaps ramming the freighter was the only course left to them.

“Look,” Talli said.

Slowly, imperceptibly, the big freighter began turn away from the harbor opening.

“I don’t understand.” Kate said.

When Stefan made no move to respond to her question. Talli did it for him. “His sacrifice was not in vain. He has damaged her rudder.”

“He knew what he was doing then….,” Kate murmured.