“You do not agree with my recent decisions, Kapitan?”
“What difference would it make,” said Adler quickly. “The Admiral clearly has plans that do not involve the sinking of British capital ships.”
“Speak your mind, Adler. Do you not understand my reasoning here? I could not afford to risk the Kaiser Wilhelm. We need that ship.”
“For what, sir? If you are unwilling to pursue a wounded carrier in a situation like this, then what good are those 15-inch guns on the Kaiser?”
Lütjens smiled. “You may think it a glamorous thing to hunt down that carrier. Yes, I could turn now with everything we have and do exactly that, but have you forgotten what you just said a moment ago? The British know we are here. They will be maneuvering this very moment to bring ships with guns of their own into this little adventure. A fleet attack on that carrier would take time, more than I am willing to spend just now. Instead I will use that time to maneuver to evade the enemy, while pursuing our primary objective—the sinking of British merchant shipping. Believe it or not, Adler, that is what will either win or lose this war for us.”
“Yet now you will leave this aircraft carrier in our wake, sir. Do not be surprised if they follow that wake. They will be able to match our speed, and shadow us with planes.”
Lütjens smiled. “So now you are not so enthusiastic about our pilots off the Goeben?”
“They will do their job, Admiral, but you and I both know that if the British persist, they will be able to maintain a good general fix on our location. So the advantage will be theirs, as they will now maneuver heavy ships to intercept us, just as you say.”
“Perhaps,” said Lütjens. “And then you fight your battle, Adler. Until then, we move west for the convoys out of Halifax. And don’t forget that we may soon be joined there by the Tirpitz battlegroup and Graf Zeppelin. Then we will truly have a fleet at sea.”
At that point a runner came onto the weather bridge, saluting as he handed Lütjens yet another message. It was a fleet intercept concerning a planned rendezvous at sea, and Lütjens stared at it for some time, not quite knowing what to make of it.
“This is from Wilhelmshaven,” he said at last. “It is signed by Admiral Raeder, but it makes no sense.”
Adler raised an eyebrow, leaning to glance at the message. “What do you mean, Admiral?”
“Apparently the British have an important shipment at sea just now—so important that they chose to utilize the hold of a battleship instead of sending it in normal convoy traffic. Look here, this message details presumed course, speed, and destination for a British man-o-war, the HMS Rodney. Raeder is ordering us to intercept! What’s gotten into that man? What could be so important that it had to be shipped on a battleship?”
“It could be that they have an important high level delegation at sea, Admiral. Perhaps even Churchill himself.”
“Yet it says nothing of the kind here in this message. If this were so, why wouldn’t Raeder advise me properly? Here we are, set to make our breakout, and now we get orders to find this battleship! This is ridiculous!”
Now it was Adler’s turn to give Lütjens an admonishing look. “A moment ago you were bemoaning your overzealous subordinates, Admiral. Now who is chafing at the bit when orders come from senior authorities?”
Lütjens did not appreciate the remark, but he said nothing more. He was considering what this cryptic message could be about. He wasn’t here to chase after high level officials. This was not like Raeder to make such a dramatic change to the operational plan in mid stream like this. Something was going on here that he could not yet fathom, and he wanted to get to the bottom of this at once.
“I will be in the wireless room,” he said to Adler. “You have the bridge, Kapitan.”
Adler watched him go, glad to look about him and realize that he was now the man in charge here. He shook his head, still inwardly bemoaning the lost opportunity here. In a few hours they would lose the light, making pursuit very difficult. They should have turned long ago, and by now they should be pounding that British carrier with the guns of Bismarck and Hindenburg. This business concerning the British battleship was very strange, and the orders to adjust course to look for it even stranger. Yet it may do one thing, he thought. Lütjens won’t be able to find a way to squirm off after the convoys this time. Those orders come directly from Admiral Raeder. If we do find that ship, then I finally get my battle.
This ship wasn’t built to chase steamers and oilers. No. It was built to face down the Royal Navy, and beat them. And that is exactly what I intend to do.
* * *
When Lütjens reached the wireless room, the news he had been dreading was waiting for him. Kaiser Wilhelm had been hit by a torpedo! He gritted his teeth, his hand stroking his chin as he took the message and read it with growing anger.
It was just as I feared, he thought. Adler had only one thing in mind, and Heinrich was too damn eager for a fight. I will have to sit the both of them down and knock their heads together! So now what? He kept looking at the message, hoping to find his answer there, but the words were stark and cold… TORPEDO HIT TO STARBOARD SIDE… The ship was still underway. Perhaps the damage was not all that serious, but Kaiser did not have the armor of the bigger ships, and he had grave misgivings about this now.
One message came after another, and he read them with growing concern. The Italians reported that a flotilla of three enemy ships were maneuvering to run the Sicilian narrows. They had launched an air strike, but encountered rocket air defense fire! That sent a chill down his spine, as it could mean only one thing. I’ll bet my grandchildren that this is HMS Invincible. Bold of them to try and move west through the Med like that, but very much like the Royal Navy I know. Desperate circumstances call for desperate acts. How do they think they will get through our defenses at Gibraltar?
Yet even as he thought that, the situation they now faced with Kaiser Wilhelm weighed heavily on him. They would have to slow and effect a rendezvous with Kaiser. Darkness was just a few hours off, but tonight they should be able to assess the damage and determine whether the ship was still able to operate effectively.
Yet this will cost me eight hours or more, he thought. I could be well out to sea in that time, and in a good position to plan my convoy actions. Now this strange order to alter course and deliberately seek battle with a British battleship! What was Raeder thinking?
Soon we will have those battlecruisers sniffing about, and I must still consider that carrier to the south. Kaiser gave this Force H a bloody nose, but not without a cost. Everything is a trade off. There is always risk in any engagement, and we must never think we are invulnerable here. Yes, we have the best ship in the fleet, but I can already feel the air thickening around us. The British are following with the best they have, and there will be threats ahead if we alter course as Raeder orders. Damn! I need more information!
“Send a message to Wilhelmshaven,” he said. “Request clarification on last order. Indicate Kaiser Wilhelm struck by torpedo, and say we are loitering on these coordinates to make a full damage assessment. Ask for an immediate reply.”
* * *
Just after midnight, in the early hours of May 5th, Kirov was in position to run the Straits of Gibraltar. They had been monitoring signals traffic, on both sides, and Nikolin had a great deal to report to Admiral Volsky. They finally had news that the Germans had engaged Force H off Cape Saint Vincent, and inflicted some harm, but not without taking a scratch themselves. The Germans had reported one of their ships had taken a torpedo hit, and some hours later, as Kirov approached Gibraltar, they learned that Kaiser Wilhelm had detached from the main body and was now heading north.
“They are probably making for Brest,” said Fedorov.
“Most likely, said Volsky. “Which means that torpedo hit was significant enough to hamper that ship’s speed, and one more thing. It also means they are well aware of our presence here. Gibraltar was much closer, yet they do not turn about for that port
, or Casablanca further south. So they are not all that confident about stopping us here after all.”
“Agreed, sir,” said Fedorov, “though we do not yet know what they are planning. This engagement with Force H left the enemy about 400 kilometers west of Lisbon. That puts us about 900 kilometers behind them now. That is sixteen hours at full speed, and twenty hours ahead two thirds.”
“Something tells me they will not be waiting for us all that time, Mister Fedorov.”
“It’s this latest enigma intercept that I’m most concerned about,” said Fedorov. “We may not have such a long chase ahead of us. Wilhelmshaven has ordered Lütjens to alter course to the northeast. I was thinking he would head due west at this point, but these orders to intercept Rodney are most alarming. I can see no reason for such an order. Why would they deliberately seek an engagement with a British heavy warship, just when they are in the perfect position to run west for the convoys?”
“The Germans obviously learned of this King’s business you told me about,” said Volsky. “So the Rodney is carrying a belly full of gold bullion, and these artifacts from the British Museum. What were they called?”
“The Elgin Marbles, sir. Parts of a carved relief taken from the Parthenon. Thomas Bruce, the 7th Earl of Elgin, excavated and transported them to England over a period of years, between 1801 and 1812. They are very valuable in and of themselves, but the fact that this key is possibly still embedded in the Selene Horse makes them priceless.”
“Could the Germans know about this key?”
“I do not see how, yet we know very little about all of this. Miss Fairchild said the Watch knew of these keys. They were very secret, but imagine my surprise to learn that Director Kamenski had such a key in his possession, and for many decades!”
“That is very strange,” said Volsky. “There is more to that man than meets the eye, Fedorov. He’s like an onion, layer after layer. At first I thought he was merely working with the Inspector General, then he produced that letter you deposited in the Naval Logistics building, and those photographs. Yes! He had photos taken by the British when we last sailed through these straits. Remember?”
“Only too well, sir. That seems like a lifetime ago now. Back then we had just made our peace with Admiral Tovey, and we were en-route to Saint Helena. Now here he is, steaming in our wake as an ally, and on a ship that was never supposed to have been built!”
“This has been a most remarkable journey,” Volsky agreed. “Yet what you say about these keys is very alarming. What are they for, Fedorov?”
“I’ve spent some time piecing it all together, sir. Both Kamenski and I now agree that it all dates back to 1908, the Tunguska Event. That impact did more than level trees in Siberia and provide fodder for the fire of many stories and legends thereafter. It also fractured the fourth dimension, time. It seems that several fissures resulted, like cracks in that mirror, as I tried to explain it before. Some were discovered, and because of the obvious danger should anyone move through them to another time, they were well secured and guarded.”
“By who?” Volsky scratched his head.
“This we do not really know, but we now believe it was done by the same people who made these keys—the same who sent those signals back through time to the ships of the Watch.”
“Then men from the future did all this?”
“I know it sounds fantastic, sir, but considering the fact that we are men from the future meddling about here makes it easier to believe.”
“How did these keys appear here, in the past? You say Director Kamenski has had one for decades?”
“They must have been brought here,” said Fedorov, “possibly by using the very same time rifts they secured. I’m not sure how long the Watch knew about them, or how they came into their possession. Kamenski didn’t say how he came by his key, though he alluded that it was probably obtained by the KGB. Who knows when?”
“The British have keys too?”
“Miss Fairchild certainly has one. She used it to activate one of the rift sites, at Delphi.”
“How many keys are there, Fedorov? Did you learn that?”
“Fairchild says they knew of at least two others. One was in the possession of another member of the Watch, though she did not name that person, and she said nothing about any time rift associated with that key. The second was in the Selene Horse, aboard Rodney.”
“What about Ilanskiy?” Volsky asked the obvious question. “Is there a key for that rift?”
“The British knew nothing of that,” said Fedorov. “In fact, I may have been the one to first discover it. Even these men in the future did not know about it, which leads me to think that our mission, the ship, my actions, are deeply implicated in all of this. We’re a wild card in the deck, sir.”
“But you say those stairs took you back to 1908, Fedorov. That means anyone could have used them. It’s a long way between 1908 and the 1940s where you stumbled upon it. We know Sergei Kirov used them, and Volkov. Look what resulted!”
“True, sir. That’s very worrisome. All the other rift zones were well guarded, but not Ilanskiy. I think this is what unhinged the key makers plan—Ilanskiy.”
“What plan do you speak of?”
“I’m not sure, sir, but I’ve been thinking about all this for some time. If men in the future discovered these time rifts and secured them, then they were obviously trying to prevent this Grand Finality Miss Fairchild told us about. But they failed—at least that is what Fairchild believes. She tells me the voices went silent. The watch stopped receiving instructions, and their last message urged them to gather and secure all the keys to the rift zones, and one thing more. It was a warning.”
“About this calamity you mention?”
“In one sense, but it was much more specific. It was about us.”
“About us? You mean the ship?”
“Yes sir. That is why Tovey founded the Watch, to keep vigil for our next possible appearance.”
“Yes, and understandably so,” said Volsky. “But this sounds a little more sinister, Fedorov. You say they were told to secure all these keys, but then they are warned about us? What do these men from the future think we are going to do?”
“I don’t know, sir…” Fedorov had a frustrated look on his face now. “When I first heard about these keys, these other rifts, I thought I could finally set down the burden I have been carrying, thinking all this was on my shoulders.”
“On our shoulders, Fedorov, the ship and every man aboard. Do not be so greedy and try to take all the blame yourself.”
“I have tried, sir, but learning about this warning leads me to suspect our part in this tale has not yet run its course. We’re going to do something. This is how I see things now. We’re going to do something that could make it impossible to prevent this calamity Fairchild talks about—this Grand Finality.”
“And it has something to do with these keys?”
“Apparently so, sir. The thing is this…. We don’t know what we may do, or fail to do. Here we are trying to help Fairchild secure this key. Our whole mission to get after the Germans has suddenly become a race to find and protect the battleship Rodney. And this latest message Nikolin decrypted indicates that the German operation has also been re-focused on that as well. It’s as if the lines of fate are setting course for some distant rendezvous point, a nexus point, and I’m not sure what is supposed to happen there. We are living all this through moment by moment, and groping like blind men.”
“You want certainty, Fedorov, but you know that is impossible. There is no way we could know this.”
“But there is, sir. We’ve seen the results of our actions. We can look ahead in time and know what we have done. These men from the future might also know. To them this would all be history, but they have gone silent. The only thing we have is that last warning. Beware a ship… beware Kirov…”
Admiral Volsky frowned. “I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
Chapter 12
&
nbsp; Aboard Kazan, Gromyko was the first element of the allied task force to open the action. The keen ears and sensitive sonar equipment on the sub had detected a pair of German U-boats creeping silently in the narrow straits. There were six stationed at the new German base, but four of them were out in the sea lanes off Casablanca lying in wait for British convoy traffic to Freetown. Aside from the two remaining, there were only a few captured trawlers, oilers and merchant ships in the harbor. The only surface assets the Germans had in the region were with Lütjens. Though the French had superb destroyer assets, they were still operating from Casablanca.
This basic lack of a sound cooperative effort had hindered the Axis fleets earlier, and it was also going to severely weaken their defense of Gibraltar. The Germans relied on these two U-boats, thinking they would be more than enough to fill the narrow channel with torpedoes against any surface group attempting to pass. Beyond that, there were six Stukas and six fighters staged at the small airport, along with a number of seaplanes and a few JU-88s.
It was clear that the Germans had yet to fully appreciate the strategic value of the prize they had taken. They had not placed anti-submarine defenses, thinking their U-Boat defense was sufficient. The mines they had sewn were largely in fields designed to protect the entrance to the harbor, and the only anti-submarine nets were there as well. As for shore batteries, the British had destroyed all their guns before the Rock fell into enemy hands, and the Germans had simply thought to rely on regular artillery. They had not yet installed radar sets, and relied on aerial reconnaissance to detect any approaching threat. Fedorov had chosen the darkness of early May 5 to make this run, conditions that would make German air attacks very chancy. The moon set at 02:53 that morning, so it was completely black, and all the ships were running dark.
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