Armageddon

Chapter 1

It was as good a plan as any they might have devised, risky, impossible, yet the only way forward at that moment. Fedorov reached Vladivostok with a heavy heart, the grey skies and late autumn mist still folded about the hills that surrounded the city and the port of the Golden Horn Bay. It seemed a lifetime or more since he had come here on the battered battlecruiser Kirov, standing on the weather deck with Karpov as they watched the shoreline grow closer. There they had tried to make sense of the mystery that had taken them to the fire of past. Was it all a dream, a nightmare? The scars on the ship dispelled that notion with their cruel mark of war.

He had watched, dumbfounded, as the ship dueled with British carriers and battleships in the North Atlantic, and he saw the awful fire of atomic weapons unleashed on an unsuspecting foe. He had stood in awe at Admiral Volsky’s side as he greeted the famous John Tovey, Commander of the British Home Fleet. He stood astounded and shaken as the battleship Yamato burned in the dark of the Coral Sea. Now all these memories and impossible experiences piled one on another in his mind as he contemplated what they had to do.

“It’s the only way, Admiral,” he said, a sadness in his eyes. “We started this, and now we must finish it. A submarine is the only way we could get there and still have any authority. It’s already clear that Karpov will not listen to reason, at least not from me.”

The men were meeting in the deep underground bunker at Naval Headquarters Fokino, and the atmosphere there was now very tense. Fedorov had come in with Chief Dobrynin, and it was a very happy reunion until they realized the enormity of the situation before them now.

“Suppose I were to come with you,” said Volsky. “Yes, I think I must do this. I could add the weight of my own authority to the situation. A direct order to Karpov to desist and rendezvous with us may be all that is required. What do you think, Director?”

Kamenski raised an eyebrow as he spoke. “Perhaps, Admiral. I was thinking to invite you on a little vacation with me, but now it seems this will not be the wisest course. Yes. I think you should go with this bright young man here, and if you wouldn’t mind my company, I should like to come along as well. Perhaps there is something I could contribute to the situation, another mind and voice in the mix.”

“Very well, then it’s agreed, but this will be a very perilous journey, Kamenski.”

“Most likely-are there any other kind when the world is at the edge of Armageddon and it has come down to the four of us here to save it from certain oblivion? Yes, that’s a tall order for any chef I know. I must be sure to bring along my very best tea.”

Volsky smiled, feeling just a little more hopeful. Something in the manner of this ex-KGB man was most disarming. He had a quiet inner strength that might see him calmly lighting his pipe or brewing up tea as the world came tumbling down in its final, terrible crash. That thought set Volsky’s mind on the urgency of their situation, and he reached for the secure line to Moscow, knowing their time could be running out, even as he spoke.

“I think we had better see if Moscow is getting ready to burn down the house. I will put a call through to Suchkov, Chief of the Navy. He will certainly be in on any final decisions to be made on this matter.”

It took time, as the persistent electromagnetic effects in the heavily occluded atmosphere due to the Demon Volcano eruption were impeding normal radio communications. In the end he had to switch to a land line.

“That monster in the Kuriles has everything fouled up. Communications are spotty all through the region. The ash cloud is so massive that it is generating its own weather! Imagine lightning in the midst of all that. The only consolation is that the Admirals and Generals may have trouble ordering their sailors and soldiers to kill one another.”

Volsky smiled wanly as he continued to wait on the line. Eventually he was able to get through, and they all listened on speaker phone as he and Suchkov spoke of the current situation, discussing the sudden escalation that was now expected after the bold Chinese riposte in detonating a nuclear warhead over the west coast of the United States.

“Listen Suchkov. You and I have had our disagreements in the past, but there is no time for that now. Everything depends on what may happen here in the next twelve hours.”

“Events are taking their course, Admiral.” The voice of Suchkov was thin and drawn on the speakerphone. “The Chinese reprisal for those American missile bomber strikes on their satellite facilities was unexpected, and we both know the Americans will not let it go unanswered. We have brought the strategic arm of our forces to a high level of preparedness as a signal to the Americans. Perhaps they will be cautious now, or at least have second thoughts before they lob a missile at Beijing.”

“Yes, but this could also force the Americans to their DEFCON One! They will prepare all their missiles for launch as well. Then we stand on the razor’s edge, and anything could tip the balance into utter chaos. You must do whatever you can to prevent a strategic missile launch now, not start one!” Volsky’s voice was strident with his effort to persuade the Navy Chief and, as he finished, Kamenski leaned in, whispering something in his ear.

“Hold on, Suchkov,” said Volsky. “There is someone else here who wishes to speak to you.” He gestured to Kamenski, who sat down slowly, leaning forward heavily on the table.

“Greetings my old friend.”

“Pavel?…Pavel Kamenski?”

“One and the same, Suchkov. I am here with Admiral Volsky, and I must concur with everything he says. We are going to try something here, and we need time. You must do whatever you can to give us that time. Understood?”

There was silence on the line for a good long while, and they heard other voices murmuring in the background. Then Suchkov’s voice returned, more subdued now, yet edged with a tone of fatalism. “What is it you are planning? What are you going to do?”

“You must leave that to me, Suchkov, but rest assured, we have a plan. There are others in the room with you that will know something of what I speak of now, but I can say nothing more here, not even on this secure line. I have come to learn in my day that things are seldom as secure as one might believe. You must trust that Admiral Volsky and I will manage the situation. Once the missiles launch they cannot be called back. So do everything in your power to delay that final moment. Call Beijing at once.”

“But what about the Americans? What if they launch first?”

“Then you will have plenty of time to launch second. What difference will any of that make if this happens, Suchkov? You have already shown the Americans your fist. Now I advise you to stand down the missile bastions for twenty-four hours, and tell the Americans you are doing this. That will send another signal, yes? This too will give them reason for second thoughts about answering the Chinese missile attack. As for Beijing, tell them that unless they desist from any further actions of this nature they will not have our support should the Americans target their homeland. They have seen you readying your missiles, and this only emboldens them. Without us they could never hope to prevail or even deter a strategic strike from the Americans. When they see us stand down to a lower level of alert, that will give them reason for second thoughts as well. Then perhaps Admiral Volsky and I will have the time we need to see what we can do here.”

Again the murmurs in the background. Then Suchkov returned to the line. “Very well, Mister Deputy Secretary.”

“Deputy Secretary? I have not heard that old handle for a good many years, Suchkov.”

“Yet that is how we remember you, Pavel. There are a good many old grey heads in this room. Very well. We will do as you ask, but please keep us informed.”

“You have my word on it,” Kamenski smiled at Volsky now as they concluded the call. “It seems I still have a little bit of pull in Moscow,” he said softly. “Now…Let’s get on with it. We have no time to waste. What about this submarine?”

Volsky pursed his lips. “There are three diesel electric boats at Pavlovsk Bay. Everything else is at sea.”

“That’s all?” Fedorov seemed concerned. “We certainly can’t use a diesel boat. We’ll need something with nuclear propulsion.”

“We lost Omsk and Viluchinsk after that missile attack against the American 7th Fleet, though we made them pay for those kills. We think we may have a confirmed kill on Key West.”

“Key West?” Fedorov was very surprised. “But that was the submarine Karpov spared-the key trigger point for this war we’re facing.”

“Yes it was, but events have been shuffled like a bad poker hand, Mister Fedorov. Key West was snooping for signs of our missing ships and engaged by Gepard. That said, we have very little left, a couple Akula class boats and the diesel subs. Kazan is the only other missile attack boat remaining, and I pulled it off the line for replenishment two days ago. It’s in the Sea of Okhotsk with the Admiral Kuznetsov. That’s the last real fighting ship we have-that, three Uladoly class destroyers and a couple old NKVD frigates that should have been retired decades ago. I’m not even sure how they got them running again. I’ve reformed a battlegroup with those ships, but they will be little more than nice targets for the Americans if we sortie again.”

“ Kazan…That’s the new Yasen class boat,” said Fedorov. “That will do, Admiral. It has a KPM type pressurized water reactor and can make over 35 knots submerged. It’s just what we need, fast, quiet, and very deadly.”

“This young man knows more about my ships than I do, Kamenski.” The two older men smiled. “Very well, I will see what I can do about Kazan. Yes, I think this will work out well. We can put the control rods on three helicopters and fly them out to the Admiral Kuznetsov.”

“Three helicopters? Why so many?”

“So that we can be sure at least one of them gets there! The Japanese are on full alert now, though that damn volcano still has the skies over Hokkaido covered with ashfall. That said, we should not risk losing all three control rods in a single helicopter.”

“I agree,” said Kamenski. “Yes, this would be very wise.”

“Then after we reach the carrier we can transfer to a smaller boat for the rendezvous with Kazan. We must do this at night. The Americans have undoubtedly been looking for this submarine as well, and we must not allow them to find it. I would not be surprised if they already have a submarine in the Sea of Okhotsk by now. This war has not gone well for us. If not for the fact that the Chinese are making such a fuss over Taiwan, and drawing off the American carrier battlegroups, we would be out of business as a naval force in the Pacific by now.”

“Ironic,” said Fedorov. “That is the very thing Karpov thinks he is going to change in 1908.”

“Why is it we cannot simply know what has happened by now?” Volsky looked from Kamenski to Fedorov, his two resident guides where the confounding prospect of time travel was concerned.

“I understand what you mean,” said Kamenski, “but remember what I explained about that still point in time? We are all there, the four of us, but I think Karpov is there too, and with all the men aboard Kirov. He and that ship of his are not where they belong. Their very presence in 1908 is offensive to the flow of fate and time. Yes, they can act and work enormous changes in the past, as we have seen, but I think they exist and sail in the eye of the maelstrom. They are in the sea of time, yet in a protected spot, and things cannot resolve until this whole situation works itself out.”

“But everything Karpov does should be concluded by now. He should have been in his grave long ago.”

“It would seem that way from our perspective, but I do not think time works that way. She must consider every point of view. Time is not the nice straight line from point A to point B that you think it is. It is all twisted and folded about itself and, in fact, any two points on that squiggly line could meet and be joined. This is why I say we are all together now, in one place, a nexus point where the lines of fate meet and run through one another like a Gordian knot, and we sit here trying to figure out how to untangle it. Karpov is there with us, and we have set events in motion here that have a strong possibility of impacting what he does-deciding whether he does anything at all! Therefore I don’t think things have changed yet. The transformation has not yet occurred, though it might happen at any second. Can you not feel the tension in the air now?”

He looked around him as if he could see what he was describing. “It is not merely because of the looming war. I think time itself is waiting to pass judgment and read our sentence for the crimes we have committed against her. But until we resolve this business with Karpov, everything is still in play. All we can do now is work out our plan, and yet I believe our very intention to do so seems to hold time in abeyance. It must wait for us, and see what we might do.”

“I see…You mean the possibility that we might succeed in stopping Karpov exists now, and so time must wait for us?”

“You have it exactly, Admiral. Wouldn’t you agree, Mister Fedorov?”

“That theory coincides with work I have read on the subject by an American physicist, a mister Paul Dorland. He even uses that same terminology-nexus point. He would call this situation a deep nexus, and he believes it has a universal effect on all time meridians passing through this point.”

“Then my thinking has good company. In any case, I believe we need only concern ourselves with the outcome of our plan. Let us begin with the submarine. Kazan is a very good choice. Then we must decide what to do with it!”

Admiral Volsky looked at Fedorov now. “It is clear that we must try to get the submarine back to 1908. We can do nothing with it here to influence Karpov. Are you certain you can get us there, Chief Dobrynin? This situation is somewhat different, is it not?”

“Kirov used KN-3B reactors, and they are pressurized water reactors using enriched uranium-235 fuel. Rod-25 also worked successfully on the Anatoly Alexandrov, and it uses a KLT-40S reactor. Kazan uses the same basic type. Rod-25 is compatible, and the other two control rods as well.”

“Alright. Let us rely on Rod-25,” said Volsky. “If it fails us, then we can try the others. And you say you can hear the shift and control it now, Dobrynin?”

“I got us home safely, Admiral. I cannot promise you anything, but I will do my best.”

“That is all we have to go on for the moment,” said Kamenski. “Alright, gentlemen. Suppose we do get there safely. Then what?” He looked at Fedorov now, wanting to know what the young Captain had in mind.

“As I see things we have two choices,” said Fedorov. “The first is to contact Karpov and see if we can all persuade him to relent and rejoin us. This I would prefer, but the Captain may not want to cooperate.”

“In that instance, contacting him will give away the enormous advantage of surprise.”

“Correct,” said Fedorov, though his eyes seemed troubled now. “What you should know, Director, is that Captain Karpov has a kind of phobia where submarines are concerned. Approaching him in any wise with an undersea boat will be dangerous.”

“And do not forget Tasarov,” said Volsky.

“Tasarov?” Kamenski did not know the man.

“He is the sonar operator aboard Kirov, and one of the very best in the fleet. His ear for sonar is every bit as good as Dobrynin’s where these reactors are concerned. If we do take the hard road, and that would be to take action without first contacting Karpov, then Tasarov will be the main obstacle to our success.”

Volsky folded his arms. “This will not be an easy mission,” he said with obvious sadness in his voice. “These are my men-the fighting crew of Kirov. That ship has been through hell and back again, and to think of what we may now have to do is most unsettling.”

“We need not decide our final course at the moment,” said Kamenski, “but I agree, this will be a major fork in the road, and in some respects it influences a choice we must make before we get underway. I assume we have an approximate idea of Kirov’s general position in 1908, Mister Fedorov?”

“We were able to generalize their signal as coming from the Sea of Japan, and Karpov confirmed that.”

“An encouraging start, but ships move, so we must wonder where he might go.”

“He will most likely look to dominate the Japanese Imperial Navy,” said Fedorov. “This will be necessary if he is to have any real influence there. To do so he will have to engage that fleet in battle, and he will be up against a very wily Admiral Togo, perhaps one of the greatest Admirals in modern naval history. If I had to bet on it, I would guess the action would occur at a key chokepoint waterway-either the Yellow Sea, or the Straits of Tsushima.”

“Alright,” said Kamenski. “You and the Admiral can plot all this out on your navigation maps, but my question is when do we sail south-in time, that is? Do we proceed in the here and now? Or do we shift back to 1908 first and make our approach in that era?”

Volsky nodded his head gravely. “I can see how this choice relates to the other decision we must make. If we sail south now it will be very risky with the Americans and Japanese all stirred up here. That said, we might be very close to Kirov when we appear and achieve complete tactical surprise. Then again, if we make our approach south in 1908 the journey will be relatively safe and quiet, except that silence in the sea gives our mister Tasarov the best possible chance to hear us coming. We have a great deal to decide here gentlemen. But I suggest we get to the Admiral Kuznetsov first.”

Schettler, John

Kirov Saga: Armageddon (Kirov Series)