just a few months time, but one thing I have noted is that things are happening sooner than they did historically. There has been a subtle shift in the course of events. Perhaps we could confuse British intelligence if Nikolin were to broadcast that we were a renegade French ship. They would have to overfly Toulon to verify that, and it might buy us some time.”
“You think we could pose as a French vessel as we approach Gibraltar?”
“It’s worth a try sir, though we have no real idea what the British may know about us now, and they may see through the ruse in time. Even if they do believe us, they will still send out ships to escort us, and then, well, the bear is out of his cave.”
“We must assume as much,” said Karpov. “They are not going to simply let us sail on through with the tip of a hat. What we need to know now is how they would plan to
“Our experience in the Bonifacio Strait will be your guide in that, Captain.” Fedorov rubbed his brow, very weary. “Only it will be a much stronger defense. There’s a hundred ton gun installation at Gibraltar, at Magdala battery over looking Rosia Bay. It’s an old gun, but can still fire an 18 inch, two thousand pound shell to a range of five or six kilometers. It’s not very accurate, but it we would be wise to sail south of that range line as a precaution. There may also be submarines, minefields, and the British will have planes at Gibraltar as well. Many more than we have encountered so far. We can avoid their coastal guns, but not the Royal Navy. We must assume that we’ll be facing at least two battleships, three cruisers and many destroyers. If the history repeats itself, their best carrier,
Karpov shook his head sullenly. “I tried to sink them earlier, but no one would listen to me. Now we may have to finish the job.”
“Anything more that we might face?” Volsky had a gloomy expression on his face already, clearly not happy with their situation.
“Well, sir,” said Fedorov, “I doubt they could bring reinforcements down from Home Fleet. Those ships would have to be underway now to reach Gibraltar in time. I think we can safely say that Force Z, probably Force H again after it arrives at Gibraltar, will be our principle foe.”
Volsky seemed to be weighing something in his mind. Then he spoke, suggesting another alternative. “Mister Fedorov, Captain Karpov… Might the British be receptive to negotiations concerning our safe passage of these waters?”
Karpov’s brows raised with surprise. “Negotiations? I hardly think so. What would we tell them, that we were out on a pleasure cruise when suddenly one of their fighter planes attacked us and we were only defending ourselves?”
Fedorov’s eyes brightened a bit at the prospect of negotiations, yet he knew that even this was a double edged sword. “I understand your point, Captain, but it still might be preferable to battle. If we fight, a great many men are going to die. We have already ripped a hole in the history of these events, and every ship and plane we destroy, every man that dies when our missiles strike, will be something that time will find missing from her balance sheets that day. There will be consequences—this we have seen.”
“I don’t think we could possibly make things any worse than the nightmare world we have just come from,” said Volsky.
“And we might even change things for the better, Fedorov,” Karpov put in. “Yes, I know my decisions and actions may have caused the Americans to enter the war early. So perhaps I am responsible, Vladimir Karpov, the man who destroyed the world. Don’t you think I’ve carried that in my gut ever since? So consider this—might we have a chance to correct this now?”
“How?” Volsky looked at him with a blank expression, yet open to his suggestion.
“Well… considering that our initial aim was to bring about post war conditions more favorable to Russia, my thought was to strike a decisive blow against the Allies.”
“Yes,” said Zolkin. “And if you had finished your dirty business you would have probably dropped another nuclear warhead on Roosevelt and Churchill!”
Karpov frowned, a flash of resentment in his eyes. “I’ll admit that thought did cross my mind, Doctor. Such action may seem insane to you from the quiet of your infirmary here, but from the bridge of a fighting ship under attack things look a little different. That said, such drastic measures may not be necessary now. The mere
The Admiral rubbed the stubble on his chin, thinking. He could see that Fedorov seemed somewhat anxious now, and restless. “Something more, Mister Fedorov?”
The young man spoke, a tentative edge to his voice, as if he were still feeling his way through his argument. “I favor the idea of negotiation,” he began, “but even that course is not without risk. I might point out that there are over 40 kilometers of tunnels under the rock at Gibraltar, a complete military city. That aside, if we communicate with these men, of this era and time, they will want to know who and what we are. Can we tell them? Remember that any information we divulge can also have an impact on the future course of events. Information was, in fact, one of the principle weapons of this war. We know a very great deal, and that is also power—real power, Captain— to change the future that may unfold from this encounter.”
Volsky smiled inwardly. He had walked this same corridor in his own mind as he considered the prospect of negotiating with Churchill and Roosevelt earlier. In the end he realized that any such contact was fraught with as much peril as opportunity. “I don’t think we can pass for a French battleship for very long,” he said at last. “That ruse might buy us a little time, but the British will see through in due course. Then any negotiation we have with them must be tightly controlled. Perhaps we could simply ask for safe passage through the Strait in exchange for our pledge of neutrality for the duration of the war. We could tell them we will sail to the southern hemisphere, and stay as far as possible from forces on any side in this conflict.”
“And when they demand to know who we are,” said Karpov, a little too sharply. “Then what?”
“I don’t know yet, Mister Karpov, but give me time and I will consider it—along with everything else we have discussed here. It may be that we will have no safe option.”
“Particularly if the British are not so keen on negotiating. Remember they have a considerable score to settle, and I would not be surprised to find them intent on nothing other than our destruction.”
“Everything we do involves risk, Captain. But tell me…Given the forces Fedorov has described, can we push through this last gate of hell and get back into the Atlantic?”
“Leave that to me, sir. Yes. We can get through.”
“But at what cost?” asked Fedorov.
Karpov knew he was talking about British lives now, and he said as much. “If the enemy wishes to stand against us in battle, then they must carry the burden of the losses they sustain. Ours is to look to the safety of this ship and crew.”
“That I understand,” Volsky agreed with him. “It is all this talk about power and decisive blows aimed at changing the future that I do not yet grasp. We can never know what our actions here may lead to.” He paused, tired again and wanting to sleep without interruption by 15 inch gun salvos. “Very well, gentlemen,” he continued. “I order the two of you to get some sleep, which is what I plan to do. Hopefully no one will shoot at us for the next five hours.”
Fedorov thanked the admiral and slipped out of the hatch, longing for a few more hours in his bunk. Karpov stood with a grunt and started for the door.
“Mister Karpov,” said Zolkin. “You seem to be favoring that ribcage. Is there something I can help you with?”
“It’s nothing, Doctor.” He rubbed his side where Orlov has buried his fist in their brief encounter. “I slipped on a wet deck and stumbled into a ladder. It’s nothing. Just a bruise.”
“Carry on then,” said Volsky. “And Karpov… Thank you for what you have done to support that young man. He’ll make a fine officer. Help him, yes?”
