Devil's Garden

Chapter 20

Rodenko paid a visit to Doctor Zolkin on his relief shift. There he discussed their situation, and the Doctor was still struggling with the amazing notion that the ship had continued its regression in time.

“We seem to be on a long slide to oblivion,” he said. “1908? Why this year, I wonder?”

“No one knows. With Dobrynin and Fedorov gone we seem to have no real idea what is happening. The control rod was removed from the ship, but we still move in time whenever we are close to some massive detonation. First it was that damn volcano, and then that last warhead the Captain fired must have been a little too close.”

“Perhaps the Captain might refrain from flinging nuclear weapons about,” Zolkin dried his hands with a white towel as if washing the trouble away. “That, clearly has something to do with it. What’s been going on in the night sky? Has Karpov been testing more weapons?”

“The night sky? You mean the strange glow after dark. Yes, we have all wondered about it. At first we thought it was an after effect of our latest time displacement, but it should not last this long, and it appears to be coming from well over the horizon to the northwest, up in Siberia. But it has nothing to do with nuclear weapons, that I can assure you. Thankfully the Captain has ordered the warheads put in magazine storage. He thinks our conventional weapons are sufficient now.”

“Well, what does he intend to do, Rodenko? You aren’t here for a headache or cut finger.”

Rodenko smiled. “You are very observant, Doctor, and of late I have been closely observing the Captain as well. He has been under a great deal of stress since we left Vladivostok to confront the Americans in 2021. At times he appears to lapse into remorse and depression. Then he is suddenly energized with his old, willful ambition. I’m afraid the farther back in time we slip the more aggressive he may become. That little theater he staged at Vladivostok is a perfect example. He actually announced himself as the new Viceroy of the East!”

Zolkin laughed. “My, my. That man’s ego knows no bounds. Viceroy of the East? The Captain has been spoiling for a fight with someone he could push around for a good long while now. His only difficulty has been the fact that his enemies push back. We were a squadron of eight ships when we left Vladivostok, and now here we are alone on the sea again. The navy can do without commanders like this, in my opinion.”

“Well, doctor, now that we are here I believe the Captain intends to do considerably more. He says he wants to make Kirov the new flagship of Russia’s Pacific Fleet here.”

“What’s left of it. As I recall the history there wasn’t much left but a few old armored cruisers in Vladivostok.”

“But he intends to use Kirov to try and redress that.”

“In what way?”

“I believe he thinks he can confront the Japanese and recover the ground and prestige Russia lost to them in the war.”

Zolkin was very quiet now. “Looking for another war to fight, is he? Hasn’t he seen enough? We’ve fought the British, Italians, Japanese, and then the Americans in two different eras, and now he wants to take on the Imperial Japanese Navy again? It has been said that there is nothing more dangerous than an admiral with a compass and a map. Men like Karpov are at the heart of that truism.”

Rodenko lowered his head, thinking before he asked his next question, an edge of uncertainty in his voice now. “Doctor…What if the Captain persists with this? He will be trying to reverse the course of history itself, and restore Russia as a Pacific Power, yet with only this single ship. Certainly we are powerful. We can impose our will at sea and outfight anything we encounter here. But Japan has an army too, and they beat the Russian army of this era convincingly. I think the Captain has again bitten off more than he can chew.”

“Yes, and if he keeps doing that he will choke one day and that will be the end of it.”

“But the men, Doctor. Can we keep asking the men to fight like this? They hardly had a week ashore after we got home, and then we were out to sea again to fight the Americans.”

“I agree, it’s been difficult for them all. That Russian Inspector General didn’t help matters either. Yet I see quite a few in here for one thing or another. The men still seem rather buoyant to me. Their morale has not flagged.”

“That’s the problem,” said Rodenko. “They’ve seen Karpov fight, and fight hard. Yes, he’s a good tactical officer, but he makes grave strategic errors in my opinion. He puts the ship at risk in situations where it could easily be avoided. We could have steamed due east into the Pacific long before we ran into the Americans in 1945. I was in favor of our intervention to assist the Soviet landing in the Kuriles, but Karpov didn’t have to pick a fight with those old American destroyers and cruisers when we found them patrolling there. It was as if he really wanted to provoke them, and anyone could see what they would do in return. Firing on those first planes they sent to have a look at us was an accident, or so I have heard. What came after was something more intentional.”

“You believe Karpov was deliberately trying to provoke the Americans? That sounds very much like the man I know.”

“Of course! He knew that if they came in force he could then use the real power of this ship to try and convince them they were overmatched.”

“Yes, I saw his little demonstration when he fired that first missile into the sea. The strange thing was the reaction of the crew. They seemed ebullient. A couple even came by to tell me what Karpov had done, and they were literally shaking a fist in approval.”

“And look what happened to the Admiral Golovko.”

“That was a hard thing to see. I can only wonder what happened to Orel as well. We felt time’s cold hand on our neck again and escaped a hard fate there. I wonder if Orel moved in time as well? It may have gone somewhere else-to another year. I hope Yeltsin keeps his head if that was the case.”

“It isn’t Yeltsin I’m worried about now, Doctor.” Rodenko got round to the point of his discussion with Zolkin again.

Zolkin nodded. “Let’s get to the heart of this, Rodenko. You came to me to sound me out regarding Karpov’s state of mind. Yes, he’s been under stress, as we all have. Yes, his moods have shifted considerably, but is he incompetent? This is what you are getting at here, yes? At the moment I think it would be difficult to make such a case against him. He may seem to be making irrational decisions, yet who do we take the matter to? When Volsky was here there was always some superior authority aboard, but that is not the case now. If you want my advice, you must do what you have been doing up until now. Observe, and report any unstable behavior to me. Otherwise do your duty for the ship and crew. Should the time come when things take a darker turn, I think you may rely on me to use my professional judgment. This is what you came here to learn, yes? So now you have heard it.”

“Thank you, Doctor.”

“Do not thank me yet, Rodenko. If anything happens to Karpov, then this whole mess is yours. I hope you understand that and make yourself ready should you ever find yourself in that Captain’s chair.”

Rodenko thought about that, but then the sound of a deck cannon cracked and he found himself looking out the porthole to see what was happening. He could see a pair of steamers, commercial traffic, and Kirov was running parallel to them about five kilometers off their port side. There was just enough sunlight to catch the small plume of seawater as the first round fell in front of the lead steamer.

“Here we go again,” he shrugged. “The Captain has fired what looks to be a warning shot on a steamer.”

“A trade ship? What could he be doing now? Why bother with that?”

“I think he means to do the same thing he did in 1945 when he attacked those American destroyers in the Kuriles. He’ll sink a steamer; the Japanese will send a warship to investigate. He’ll attack that ship and on we go-another war.”

“Perhaps you had better get to the bridge and see what is going on first hand, Rodenko. Remember what I said. You must do your duty, but yet you are still Starpom, and second in command here now. Your voice counts, so if you have anything further to say about the matter, you must say it to the Captain’s face.”

The sound of the deck gun firing was enough to get Rodenko moving, and his heart beat faster with the anxiety of anticipation as he went.

“Thank you, Doctor.”

He was through the hatch and gone.