“I think I follow you. I understand the importance of secrecy, as you have urged.”
“Your own Mister Churchill said once that ‘In war-time, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.’ It is a well turned phrase, and carries the essence of what I am trying to tell you now. Yet Churchill may never utter those words. They were spoken to a man named Joseph Stalin—a man who no longer exists in this world of yours. So you see, things have changed. Our knowledge of what is to come may seem a solid thing to us, but in reality, it is becoming more and more insubstantial with each passing day. I told you that you should be in an Italian prison now, but here you stand, and your freedom, and the knowledge you now have, makes you one of the most significant men alive. Here we stand, discussing all this, like three kings on a raft at sea. Yet those waters are turbulent, and the tides of war are flowing even now as we speak. Rommel is not waiting on our decision. One day soon he will factor our potential choices into his war planning, but for the moment, he is ignorant. That will soon change, because even now he is driving east against the last few reserves General Wavell has managed to scrape up.”
“Then we’d best see about that,” said O’Connor.
“Yes, we must. It is time for Generals to confer over maps, and we have much to plan and do here. The fate of your nation, and the outcome of the war is now in our hands. General Kinlan’s brigade represents a powerful new addition to the British order of battle here, and a shocking new threat and rude surprise for General Rommel and his Afrika Korps. Yet know this… With every round your troops fire, your power diminishes. This brigade is a force that must devour itself every time it is used. Yes, some of the munitions you expend might be duplicated in this world, but most will remain beyond the capabilities of any industry here to replicate. Look there, general O’Connor. The map on that screen, and the equipment that displays it, could not be designed or duplicated by the combined knowhow and resources of your entire nation, even if we were to give you detailed blueprints of how it was made! There are materials and processes in this equipment that will not be understood or mastered for decades, just like the armor on those tanks you visited earlier. Understand? Well then you must also understand this… Take a hammer and put it through that screen, and that equipment is gone—permanently—and it is irreplaceable. So when you plan your war, realize that some of your vehicles will be lost, and worse, that men here will die, as they have already died aboard my ship. This is the nature of war, and we are but a torch in the wind here, bright, powerful, but doomed to expire one day, as all men must.”
Part IV
Torch in the Wind
“In the beginning, a flame, very pretty, often hot and fierce, but still only flickering light… Later, coals, deep burning and unquenchable.”
― Bruce Lee
Chapter 10
Admiral Cunningham had heard it all, and he had gone through the same shock and disbelief that O’Connor had, but in the end, had been treated with the same cure. After the initial briefing, if it could be called that, Admiral Tovey suggested that they all adjourn, and then take a launch over to the new ship come to meet with them here, Argos Fire. It would give Cunningham that same experience Tovey had when he first boarded Kirov, the hollow verse of T. S. Eliot rolling through his mind and the coffee-spoon normalcy of his life being stirred away forever that day. The evenings, mornings, and afternoons would never be the same for him now, nor would they ever be the same for Cunningham.
They crossed to board the sleek white destroyer, a most unusual ship, with odd angles and a superstructure that blended seamlessly into the hull. Its tall superstructure was crowned by a large white dome.
“This is a warship?”
Tovey had much the same reaction when first seeing Kirov. At least the lines of that ship had that sharp and menacing aspect, the long foredeck and the rising steel battlements behind it, that spoke of power and danger on the sea. Yet those lines had been deliberately smoothed and softened in the refit Fairchild had applied to Argos Fire. It was necessary to have Captain MacRae deploy all the guns, which were retracted below deck when not in use. Even so, Cunningham did not seem all that impressed.
“What do you people do when it comes to a fight?” he said, trying to add an edge of humor to soften his obvious deprecation. “Pardon my remark, but do you simply use harsh words? Those two deck guns of yours are good for a light destroyer, but we’ll generally give them at least four or five. Your ship would match the displacement of most of our heavy cruisers to my eye. Take our own HMS York by way of an example. She has six good 8-inch guns on a little over 10,000 long tons full load, and here you sit with no more than a two guns that looks to be a 5-incher.”
“This gun replaced your own 4.5 QF Mark V in the 1960s. It was actually a 55 caliber barrel at that time, the Mark VI version firing ordinance that had been used by a 105mm artillery gun. We call it a Third Generation Maritime Fire Support Weapon. It can fire 25 rounds per minute, out to a range of 27,000 meters with our latest munitions.”
“Yes? Well with all due respect, I’ll put my money on our HMS York if the two of you tangle.”
“Well sir, we aren’t really designed to be a ship killer, though we do have other means than our deck guns. I was told you witnessed the rocket defense the Russian ship put up when it arrived at Suez.”
“That I did, and it was quite impressive.”
“We have a similar air defense system. In fact, that is the primary role and mission of this ship. In our day, two adversaries at sea will seldom ever lay eyes on one another. You never really darken the horizon of an enemy ship. We have other missiles, rockets, that have a good long range, well over that horizon, and that big dome on the mainmast up there masks a radar system that is able to see an enemy ship out well over the horizon. So if it came down to it, Admiral, I could put missiles into your HMS York’s belly long before she ever knew I was there. You might think of us a bit like an aircraft carrier, only instead of planes we use these rockets to attack both incoming enemy aircraft and enemy surface combatants as well.”
“Interesting,” said Cunningham, cocking his head to one side. “And may I ask just how many of these rockets you carry?”
That hit on a nerve that MacRae was still soothing once he had realized what had happened to them. The power of his ship was awesome when used against the technology of this era, but it was also limited, a bright burning torch in the beginning, but deep burning coals in too short a time.
“We’ve enough to handle ourselves,” MacRae said diplomatically. “Though I take your point, sir. What power we have will be temporal. I realize that. Each missile we fire is one less under that deck there at our disposal, and I’m afraid that your own industry will not have the means to replace them, even if we put our technicians and engineers at it right alongside your very best people. A great deal has happened in the last 80 years.”
“I understand,” said Cunningham. “Fleet air defense you say?”
“Yes sir, that is our primary role. The aircraft, or other missiles fired by opposing ships, are the main threats to any warship in our day. Those and the threat from a submarine are the things we worry about.”
“I imagine you have some real demons under the sea in your day then?”
“That we do, bigger, faster, deeper diving, and much more deadly than anything from this era, as you might expect.”
“Well at least a submarine can hide when it needs to evade an enemy. That’s more than your ship could do, or even that big fellow there.” Cunningham thumbed at the distant silhouette of Kirov now. “Once you run out of those rocket weapons, things look a bit different. I hope you’ve decent armor.”
“Not much to speak of there, sir,” said MacRae.
“Then you’ll need the protection of the fleet, won’t you? Join us, and the Royal Navy is your armor, Captain. I hope you understand that.”
“Well sir… I did join you, in 1996, serving twelve years before I mustered
out and was picked up by Miss Fairchild here. In fact, I served aboard this very ship, HMS Dauntless as it was called when active with the Royal Navy. We’ve given her a makeover, but she’s still the same ornery beast underneath the white paint.”
“No doubt,” said Cunningham, though he took the matter of the limited missile inventory within, and filed it away with all the other astounding things he would see and hear in the next few hours. After touring the ship, meeting the Argonauts and the crew, and seeing the fancy whirligig aircraft in the aft hanger deck, the officers all convened again in Fairchild’s stateroom, her executive suite.
“I thought seeing the ship would help you deal with all this,” said Tovey. “I went through the same thing when I first toured the Russian ship.”
“Quite amazing,” said Cunningham. “Truly astounding, particularly the bridge. We’ve a good hammer here, and it comes at a time of most pressing need. So now all the secrecy surrounding the Russian ship makes sense. But Admiral… How long do you think we can keep our light in a basket? Crewmen on your ship are gawking from the gunwales even as we speak, and you know how rumors make the rounds aboard ship, and then how they jump from there to every bar and brothel they can find. You tell me the Prime Minister doesn’t even know about this business as yet?”
“Not at all. And for the moment we must keep things that way. The less said, the better. There will be some who must know, and your name was uppermost in my mind when I first thought on this. I should also think Admiral Fraser would be a good man to bring in, and certainly Churchill will have to know in time, but can you imagine trying to get Admiral Pound in this same bathtub?”
“I see what you mean,” said Cunningham. “Then Somerville doesn’t know any of this? And what about Holland with Home Fleet?”
“Both in the dark as you were some hours ago.”
“And as I still am, for the most part. This is…. Well it’s simply an unbelievable story, as you well know. If I wasn’t standing on this ship, and seeing the equipment and all here, I’d be a stubborn nut to crack myself. What is it they call those glassy colored screens on the bridge?”
“Computers,” said Tovey. “Don’t ask me to explain what they are and how they work.”
“Well I saw the young officers there simply poking their fingers at the glass and they could run the entire ship! Astounding.”
“I suppose so,” said Tovey. “But we haven’t time to gawk and ask questions now. Billy Wind is out there in the Italian Fleet, and he’s heading our way. We’re going out to meet him, and you will see the rockets fly soon enough, just as I did north of Iceland. Certainly you heard about that.”
“Hearing is one thing, but standing on this ship quite something else. The Russian Director put it right when he invited me to take hold of the elephant’s tale. This whole thing is double Dutch, yet here it is.”
“And here we all are,” said Tovey as Admiral Volsky came in with Kamenski and Nikolin. They had been touring the bridge with Mister Dean as host, and were now ready to rejoin the conference.
“Ladies and gentlemen.” Tovey played the role of chairman of the board again. “So we’ve all had a good stiff drink from that cup Director Kamenski referred to so artfully. Now it’s time we decide what we can do about the present military situation here in the Mediterranean. I sent the main body of the fleet south to lend a hand off Tobruk while we’re here, but we will soon rejoin them, and point our bows west for Malta. We must decide how to set our order of battle. I propose Admiral Cunningham lead the main body as planned, with his flag on Warspite. I will sail with you, Admiral Volsky, though we will remain in close supporting range in case ABC gets into more trouble than his three battleships can handle. Any thoughts on how things will play out?”
“I see this ship has helicopters,” said Volsky. “And we also have two aircraft carriers. I propose that you use any reconnaissance assets to quickly locate the enemy fleet, and then my ship, and perhaps that of Miss Fairchild here, would be well disposed to engage at very long range. This attack might even be combined by a strike mission from your carriers. What our intention should be is to strike first, and narrow down the odds.”
“From what we know,” said Tovey, “the German fleet has reached Toulon from Gibraltar. Hindenburg and two of their newer ships were there, and we believe they will sortie with the French Fleet soon. The Italians are already at sea, so we do not yet know what the enemy intends. It may be that they plan to rendezvous into one grand fleet, which would be somewhat imposing, if I dare say. The French will have the Normandie, which proved to be a very formidable ship when engaged off Dakar, and they’ll throw in two battlecruisers and plenty of supporting cruisers and destroyers.”
“It will be my intention to target the capital ships,” said Volsky. “Past experience has shown me that the shock of seeing a battleship on fire, with no clear enemy on the horizon, can be quite disconcerting to the enemy. May I ask if you know who commands the German Task Force?”
“Admiral Lütjens, a cautious, professional officer. It was he who led the attack on our Faeroe Island base very near the place we met, Admiral. He slipped away to Brest, and from there down to Gibraltar once that fell into German hands. Now the best ship in the German navy is here in the Mediterranean, a match for my own HMS Invincible, as I daresay the Normandie would be as well. As for the Italians, they have been somewhat timid at sea in the early going, but that seems to be changing. They have strong new ships that we would be wise to respect.”
“Undoubtedly,” said Cunningham. “But you say you suggest we use all our carrier borne aircraft in a strike role, Admiral Volsky. May I remind you that the enemy air presence will be thick as we approach Malta, and I’m given to understand that the Germans have a carrier with the Hindenburg. If so, how will we protect the fleet?”
“I’ll lend a hand there,” Captain MacRae spoke up, “with assistance from Kirov. We’ve a good magazine for air defense, nearly full, and I can extend a defensive umbrella out over thirty kilometers with our Sea Viper system.”
“That will be a good second line of defense,” said Volsky. “Our own S-400s have a considerably longer range, so we can provide the initial salvos against any incoming air strikes. Between the two of us, I believe we can adequately discourage an enemy air strike, depending on its size. But it will be necessary to coordinate on IFF codes. We should program each of our systems to treat all missiles as friendly.”
“A good point,” said MacRae. “I suppose we can send some people aboard your ship, or vice versa, and take care of that.”
“Good enough.”
They worked out the details, and the Russians made ready to depart with Admiral Cunningham. It was decided that they should rejoin the main British fleet and move west at their earliest opportunity.
“Admiral Tovey,” said Fairchild. “I wonder if I might have a word with you before you depart.”
Tovey gave her a knowing look, for he knew there were still things unsaid between them that had not been covered in the briefing given by Director Kamenski. After seeing Admiral Volsky off, he found himself in the relative quiet of the Fairchild executive suite, politely removing his hat and taking the seat offered.
“Well,” he began. “You have been looking at me like I was a long lost uncle ever since we met. What is it, Miss Fairchild?”
She looked at him again, eyes full of uncertainty, then took the same tack that Director Kamenski had used in his briefing and just came out with it.”
“Admiral… There was no nuclear detonation anywhere near my ship, and yet here we are, displaced to this time as Kirov was. We stated that in general terms during the briefing, but the devil is in the details. I must tell you now that the agent of our displacement is a peculiar device aboard my ship—one that I was led to by a direct order from my superiors. In fact, I did not expect to find what I did. Director Kamenski has told you how large detonations had a secondary effect of fracturing the time continuum. What he has not told you is that the Russi
ans are capable of initiating a similar effect by utilizing the nuclear reactors aboard their ship. Yet Argos Fire is not so equipped. We have a pair of two Rolls-Royce gas turbines and diesel driven generators providing what we call integrated electric propulsion—not nuclear propulsion. So you might wonder how my ship came to be here.”
“You tell me this device you mention has something to do with it,” said Tovey. “You say you were led to the discovery by your superiors?”
“Yes sir, by the G1 Watchstander at that time. His name isn’t important, but I receive my orders on a secure communications link on the other side of that bulkhead.” She pointed to her hidden office now. “I must tell you that when I heard your voice in that first communication with the Russians, I was quite relieved and surprised. Things might have gone badly otherwise, but it was more than that. You see, I am a member of the group I believe you have just begun to form here sir—a group known as the Watch by its members. The odd thing about it, was that this dated from 1942 in the history I know. This business about all this being an alternate history is quite daunting. So what was familiar and well known to you, that Russia was fragmented into three states, was a great surprise to me, and I have only just learned about it.”
Grand Alliance (Kirov Series) Page 9