Chapter five: Blood and Iron
Service in the Navy was better than expected. Lori quickly got used to the rocking that was normal when driving. The USS Edward Teller, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was under the command of Commander Olivia Hartman. She had short blonde hair, was in her mid forties, and had some wrinkles on her face. No one knew exactly what was going on in her head. She glared at everyone, yelling at everyone regardless of whether they had done something good or bad. Now the recruits were ordered to the bow deck. Lori was there now. In uniform, and in rank and file, among other female recruits. Next to Lori was a recruit who was of Mexican descent. She had long, dark, wavy hair that she had tied back. Lori also had her hair tied back. Hartman slowly approached the recruits. She looked at everyone with a look of contempt and hatred. Then she spoke in a loud voice.
"I am Commander Hartman, your senior drill instructor. From now on you will speak only when spoken to, and the first and last words out of your filthy sewers will be "Ma'am". Do you maggots understand that?"
All recruits answered.
"Ma'am yes Ma'am!"
"Bullshit, I can't hear you. Sound off like you got a pair!"
They answered even louder.
"Ma'am yes Ma'am!"
"If you ladies leave my ship, if you survive recruit training, you will be a weapon. You will be a minister of death praying for war. But until that day, you are pukes. You are the lowest form of life on Earth. You are not even human fucking beings. You are nothing but unorganized grab-asstic pieces of amphibian shit! Because I am hard, you will not like me. But the more you hate me, the more you will learn. I am hard but I am fair. And my orders are to weed out all non-hackers who do not pack the gear to serve in my beloved Corps. Do you maggots understand that?"
A recruit next to Lori starts to say something.
"Is that you John Wayne? Is this me?"
Hartman turned in Lori's direction. Her head turned red. She ran to Lori.
"Who said that? Who the fuck said that? Who's the slimey, little communist, shit twinkle-towed cocksucker down here, who just signed his own death warrant?"
Hartman looked at Lori and the recruit.
"Nobody huh? The fairy-fucking godmother said it! I'll fucking stab you! I'll fucking BT you all until you fucking die! I'll fucking BT your asshole for sucking buttermilk. Was it you you scrounging little fuck huh?"
Hartman grabbed Lori by the collar. Lori stood still but was afraid of Hartman.
"Ma'am no Ma'am!" said Lori.
"You little piece of shit, you look like a fucking worm. I bet it was you."
"Ma'am, I said it, Ma'am!" said the recruit.
Hartman released Lori. She slowly turned to the recruit.
"Well, no shit. What have we got here? A fucking comedian, Sailor Joker. I admire your honesty. Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and fuck my Brother?"
Hartman punched the recruit in her stomach and she went down. Hartman bent over her.
"You little scumbag. I got your name, I got your ass. You will not laugh, you will not cry, you will learn by the numbers. I will teach you. Now get up, get on your feet. You had best unfuck yourself or I will unscur your head and shit down your neck."
The recruit stood up. Hartman approached Lori.
"And you! Do you want to cause problems too?"
"Ma'am no Ma'am!" said Lori.
"You are so ugly you could be a modern art masterpiece. What's your name scumbag?"
"Ma'am, Lori Loud, Ma'am!"
"Bullshit, you're sailor Kitty from now on! Do you like the name?"
"Ma'am yes Ma'am!"
"Well there is one thing that you won't like, Sailor Kitty. They do not serve fried chicken and watermelon on a daily basis in my mess hall."
Hartman once again stood in front of all the recruits.
"On your posts! I want this ship to be the best in the US Navy, even if there's a bunch of dog shit working here! Come on! Get to work!"
The recruits ran to their posts. Lori and Joker were assigned to the munitions dump together, and also in the same quarters. Lori found Joker interesting. Joker didn't talk much, but when she said something, it was either something clever or something funny. Joker's real name was Josefina. But everyone called Josefina joker, and everyone called Lori Kitty. The two's friendship helped Lori withstand Hartman's psychological terror. When Lori and Joker were alone in their quarters that night, Lori wondered why Joker wanted to mess with Hartman.
"Why did you say this?" ask Lori.
Joker shrugged.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"Some things you don't need to know." Joker said in her calm voice.
These words went through Lori's head all evening.
It was a Friday evening. Lana sat in her office in front of the computer. She was wearing a red and white checked shirt and jeans. Schematic drawings of an electric locomotive are displayed on the computer. She looks closely to spot any mistakes. No mistakes. Lana closes the file and attaches it to an email. She had been working on this project for a long time. She had received an order from the railway manufacturer Stadler Rail to draw up a concept construction plan for a universal locomotive. 16000 hp, 230 km/h fast, and can run under any traction current system. Lana had been working on this blueprint for a very long time. It was not just a locomotive to her, it was like her child. It was already 5 p.m. She closed her MacBook Pro and put it in her handbag. She left her office and walked home. The wind was pleasantly cool. Lana felt it run through her hair. She heard a voice from behind. A girl who was six years old. She wore blonde, medium-length wavy hair, a white shirt, a denim jacket, and blue jeans. She walked between two women. Luna, and Sam. She held Luna's hand.
"Aunt Lola!" said the girl, and ran to Lana.
Lana picked up the girl. Lana was very happy.
"Mia. Nice to see you. But you're confusing me with someone else." Lana said happily.
Mia considered.
"Aunt Lana?"
"Exactly." said Lana, and smiled at Mia. She put her on the sidewalk.
Luna and Sam came to the two. Luna tapped Lana's upper arm.
"Nice to see you sis." said Luna.
"Yes, it's been a while." said Lana.
"Can we go to Aunt Lana?" asked Mia.
"Not Mia today, another time." said Sam.
Mia was disappointed. They liked spending time with their aunts.
"If you're looking for someone to look after Mia in the evening, I'll be happy to do that." said Lana.
"Thanks for the offer." said Luna.
"What are you doing here?" asked Lana.
"Spending time together. We're a family." said Sam.
Luna picks Mia up.
"Exactly. And I love my daughter like my wife."
"I say the same." said Sam.
"It's nice to see you like this. I have to go. Bye." said Lana.
"Bye." said Luna, Sam and Mia at the same time.
Lana keeps walking. After five minutes she had reached her house. She entered, took off her shoes, and sat on the sofa in the living room. She turned on the TV. An old film was playing. The Rock, starring Sean Conner and Nicholas Cage. Lana was a fan of Connery. She already knew the film, but watched it again anyway. She didn't know how many times she had seen this movie, but it must have been more than ten times. But Lana never got bored with these films. In the middle of the film the phone rang. Lana took the call.
"Lana Loud."
"Hello Ms. Loud. This is Admiral Daniel Archer."
"Admiral? From the Navy?" asked Lana.
"Yes exactly. You helped develop the armor of the New Mexico class destroyer, didn't you?"
"Yes, I have! Why?"
"Well, because we are very satisfied with your work, we would like to give you a development order."
"Well, I say not no. But is this line secure?"
Lana heard a crack.
"From now on."
"What exactly is the order?"
"Well, you are to prepare a refit for the USS Iowa."
"The Iowa? Forgive me, but this submarine was laid down in 2019. A refit for such a modern submarine is simply pointless."
"Not SSN-797. I mean BB-61."
"Admiral, do you know how old this ship is?"
"Yes. And we are short on ships. I ask you to do this. You have designed the New Mexico class so well that we are entrusting this refit program to you."
Lana took a deep breath.
"Well, I'll be honest. This will be a difficult project. This ship may end up being the most powerful battleship in the world, or a disaster."
"As long as they don't create a second USS Edison, I'm content."
"Well then, I'll start tomorrow."
"Good. I knew you would agree."
"Good night, Admiral."
"Good night, Ms. Loud."
Lana considered. She had never received such a large project in her engineering career. She found that if she kept thinking about it tonight, she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. She continued to watch the film. Then she fell asleep during the movie. When Lana woke up around noon, she first went into the shower. She changed into a light gray t-shirt that said, "Trust me, I'm an engineer." She changed into her usual blue jeans and prepared to leave the house. She went to the tram stop and waited there. She drove towards the main train station and got out there. From there she walked toward Franklin Avenue. Children played in the front yards. Lana watched them for a while. She wanted to have children herself. Unfortunately, she hadn't found the right man yet. However, Lana hoped her kids won't be as messy as herself and her twin sister, Lola. When she held Lorraine in her arms for the first time, she was never happier. She went on. She reached her parents' and Lynn's house. It was easier for Lynn living with her parents. She had trouble being alone. She entered and was run over by two girls. Lorraine and Miranda. Lorraine was twelve years old. She had light brown skin, and dark brown hair that fell down her back. She wore a blue t-shirt and a short crimson skirt. Miranda was seven years old. She had light brown skin, like Lorraine, and medium-length, dark brown hair. Miranda wore a light blue t-shirt and short red pants. She was named after Uranus' moon Miranda. As always, Lana was surprised by the two.
"Hey you two. What are you doing here?" asked Lana.
"We are visiting grandma and grandpa." said Miranda.
"Oh yes. How are you?"
"Good." said Lorraine.
Rita joined the three.
"Hello Lana. What are you doing here?" asked Rita.
"I need to look for one of Lily's books." answered Lana.
"Of course you can. Lily's books are on the bookshelf in her room."
Lana went upstairs. Even though Lily lived in Brooklyn, her room was still the same. Rita and Lynn Sr. didn't have a use for that many rooms. Lana enters Lily's room. Inside was a bed, a display case with model trains, and a bookshelf. Lana searched for the book she needed.
"So here's «The Three-Body Problem». No, the wrong book. «The Dark Forest», also wrong. «Death's End», also the wrong book."
Lana reads the description of these books.
"Science fiction? I didn't know Lily read books like that."
She puts the book back. She keeps looking. Then she found the book she was looking for.
"Ships of World War II, Volume Three, Battleships. That's it."
She sits down on the bed that belonged to Lily. She opened the book and searched for the right ship. But she found many other things that were very interesting.
"IJN Yamato. Yamato-class battleship. 460 millimeters of main artillery, distributed over three triples of turrets. The Yamato was the pride of the Japanese Navy."
Lana laughed. She had indeed seen many a battleship, like the USS Texas, but none of them had such a large caliber. But such a large caliber, 460 millimeters, Lana had never seen before. She kept turning the pages. Then she found something else interesting. A kind of emergency solution, as she should now construct.
"IJN Ise and IJN Hyūga. The two ships belonged to the category of super dreadnoughts. The original variant had six twin guns, with 356 mm artillery. After the Battle of Midway in 1944, in which the Japanese lost four aircraft carriers, the Imperial Japanese Navy removed the two rearmost turrets, and built a flight deck on top. The Ise and the Hyūga became hybrid aircraft carriers."
Lana was enthusiastic about this construction. She kept turning the pages. Then she came to a page with a large picture of the German Reich flag. Below it was written: «Second chapter: Battleships of the Third Reich." Lana read on. Lana read a familiar name: Gneisenau.
"KMS Gneisenau. Battleship of the Scharnhorst class. Three triple guns, each with three 280 mm artillery. The Gnesenau was a fast battleship with thick armor. In 1941 she was badly damaged by a bomb hit. The ammunition store exploded from this hit, and gun turret A (Anton) was lifted out of the barbette."
She kept turning the pages. Then she came to the American battleships. She saw many battleships. The North Carolina. The Alabama The. West Virginia. The Arizona. And finally, the USS Iowa, BB-61.
"USS Iowa. Battleship of the Iowa class. She was put into service in 1943 and was first used in the Atlantic. She was ordered to the Pacific in 1944. She had three triple turrets, each with three 406 millimeter artillery. She had a radar system, which made her even superior to the Yamato class of the Japanese Navy. She was converted into a museum ship in 2012."
Lana found what she needed. She took the book downstairs to the living room. Nobody was there. Lana went into the kitchen. There were Lynn senior and Miranda. They baked a cake.
"Hello Lana. How are you?" asked Lynn Sr.
"I'm fine. I'm fine. What are you baking?"
"A chocolate cake. What kind of book is that?" asked Miranda.
"Oh that? That's a book about battleships. It belongs to Lily."
"I gave it to her then, on her ninth birthday." said Lynn Sr.
"I need it for work. I have to go now."
"All right. Come back soon." said Lynn Sr.
Lana left the house and went home.
Night fell over the Atlantic. The Enterprise was sent on patrol near Greenland. Since the Gneisenau was hijacked and disappeared, the mood on the Enterprise has been tense. Other aircraft carriers such as the USS Montana and the USS Rhode Island were also on patrol. Everyone hoped never to meet Gneisenau because she was very powerful. But that night was not quiet either. The weather services reported a typhoon and high waves. Therefore, supplies and cargo were tied up. Lily took command of the night shift because of the upcoming typhoon. Lily tolerated Ensign Collins. In their eyes he was a very good officer. The night shift went normally. A radio message came in at 1:56 a.m.
"Commander. A radio message." said Collins.
"Please put the message through." said Lily.
A voice came from the loudspeakers and strode into the microphone. Explosions could be heard in the background.
"USS Rhode Island is under attack. We're under fire."
"Please give your position." said Lily.
"Our position is 5906'47.6"N 2907'51.1"W. Please come quickly. We have serious damage. Our radar has failed. We have many..."
The radio message was interrupted. Lily looked at the officer at the helm.
"Set course. We must help the Rhode Island."
The officer turned the wheel. Lily turned to Collins.
"Red alert. Prepare all stations for combat."
Collins pressed a button. The light started flashing red. Collins looked at Lily.
"Shall we wake up the captain." asked Collins.
"Not until we're within range. The captain should be rested." said Lily.
The Enterprise was heading toward the Rhode Island's position. After two hours, Lily went to Lori's quarters. She knocked on the door. Lily heard footsteps. Then the door opened and Lori stood in front of Lily in her dressing gown. She looked very tired.
"Is something happened?" Lori asked quietly.
"Yes. The USS Rhode Island was attacked. We received the distress call."
"Oh shit. When?"
"Two hours ago."
"Excuse me? Two hours ago? Why didn't you wake me up?" Lori asked angrily.
"So you're rested. We're within sight range."
"I'll come straight to the bridge."
Lori closes the door. Lily goes back onto the bridge. She looks at the radar monitor. The Rhode Island was spotted. Lori comes onto the bridge, followed by Decker and Sybille.
"Fighter squadrons have taken off." said Decker.
"Did you see her already?" asked Lori.
"Only on the radar." said Lily.
"Sybille, take the wheel. We'll continue to approach Rhode Island."
Sybille got behind the wheel. Lily searched the darkness for any sign of Rhode Island with the binoculars. After ten minutes Lily saw the Rhode Island. The aircraft carrier burned. Lori also saw the flames.
"Turn on the searchlights. We need to assess the damage." Lori said.
Lily pushed the buttons on the control panel. Searchlights illuminated the Rhode Island. Now Lori and Lily recognized the damage the Rhode Island had. She had been heavily shelled and had burn marks and holes all over her side armor and flight deck. Smoke was pouring out of the bow and the bridge superstructure was on fire. She slowly began to lean. She started to sink. Sailors stood on the flight deck trying to put out the fire. Lori looked very closely at the damage. The Rhode Island was badly damaged.
"We have to evacuate the sailors." said Lori.
"We'll lose an aircraft carrier if we do this!" said Collins.
"This ship is long lost. She is beginning to sink." said Lily.
"I'll send the helicopters." said Decker.
The Black Hawk helicopters were lifted onto the flight deck. They take off and fly over to the sinking Rhode Island. The helicopters flew back and forth several times. After the last one landed, an officer came onto the bridge. He had a sling around his broken right arm. He had short dark brown hair.
"Hello. I'm Commander Michael McDuff from the USS Rhode Island." he said.
"What happened, Commander?" Lily asked.
"We came under fire. The radar went out immediately because of the damage."
"Do you know who shot at you?" asked Lori.
"No. We've lost over 3000 people. Are my people taken care of?"
"Yes. What happened to Captain Jackson?" asked Lily.
"He was killed by an explosion. This is not the way such a great man should die."
"Oh damn." said Collins.
"What is Collins?" asked Sybille.
"I was trained under Captain Jackson. This is a heavy loss."
"How do you proceed?" McDuff asked.
"Since we have evacuated all survivors, we must sink the wreck of the Rhode Island. We need to disable her." said Lily.
Lori looked at Lily, and then at McDuff. McDuff looked at Lori.
"I'll do that myself." said McDuff.
McDuff went to a control panel. Lily followed him. He looked at the buttons. Then he looked at Lily.
"I'm not familiar with the Enterprise's systems. Where do I load the torpedo launchers?" McDuff asked.
"I'll load them for you." said Lily.
Lily pushed a few buttons. After half a minute it beeped. Lily pointed to two buttons that said launcher one and launcher three. McDuff put his finger on the first button. He pressed it. A torpedo fired from the bow. It darted through the water and detonated on the Rhode Island's hull. McDuff pressed the second button. Another torpedo was fired. This second torpedo also detonated on the hull of the Rhode Island. This explosion ripped the Rhode Island in two. Lori saluted. Then also Collins, Sybille, Lily, and also the other officers.
"My god. Loud, what have we just done?" said McDuff.
"Your duty. McDuff. Your duty." said Lily.
The bow of the Rhode Island capsized. The stern began to tilt backwards. Lori stands next to Lily.
"What a cruel sight." said Lori.
"I can not judge over this." said Lily.
"If you lose a ship for the first time, you know what we both mean." said McDuff.
Lily looked at what was left of the Rhode Island. There they were. Standing on the bridge, watching a ship sink. They didn't realize that the phone was ringing. Lily answered.
"Bridge." said Lily.
"Not enough people... yes... I understand... yes I have them... yes she has them too... We'll both come right away."
Lily puts the phone down.
"Davis. He needs more people. Sybille, come with me." said Lily.
Lily and Sybille left the bridge. They went down the stairs. Sybille was confused. They didn't go to the infirmary.
"Lily, where are we going?" asked Sybille.
"Cargo hold three." said Lily.
"Why?"
"Because the infirmary is overcrowded and help is needed down there."
The two entered cargo hold three. There were sailors everywhere with Rhode Island insignia. All were injured, some seriously. One had a large wound on his forearm, which was bleeding profusely. Lily took her belt and tied off the blood supply to the sailor's arm. Sybille saw corpses in a corner of the hold. She was shocked by the sight. Lily went to her.
"Go on!" said Lily.
"Yes. Yes I will." said Sybille.
Sybille looked where she could help. Then she saw a sailor lying on the ground and twitching. She ran to him. There was blood everywhere. She did the heart massage. Sybille even tried mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. But then the twitching stopped. Sybille stared at the body in disbelief. One of the doctors came over. He took the body and dragged it over to the other bodies. Sybille was still kneeling in the same place. She couldn't believe it. She could not save the sailor. A doctor came to her.
"Help us!"
Sybille got up. She went to the nearest sailor. He had two broken legs and a broken arm. Sybille no longer knew whether she was dreaming or whether she was awake.
On the bridge, McDuff and Lori continued to watch the Rhode Island sink. The sun was slowly rising. McDuff couldn't watch this any longer.
"Excuse me captain. I can't watch this." said McDuff.
"It's okay. Go to the guests' quarters." said Lori.
McDuff left the bridge. Lori coordinated the next steps with Decker. Collins came over to them.
"Captain. The USS Edward Teller is approaching." said Collins.
"The ship I was trained on. Are we in visual contact?" asked Lori.
"Yes. But she has burn marks all over her."
Lori took out a pair of binoculars. She saw them very clearly. The USS Edward Teller. She shot across the waves like an arrow. Lori looked at Collins.
"Why didn't they radio us?"
"The radio system is probably damaged." said Decker.
The Edward Teller approached on starboard. Lori looked closely. They were almost next to the Enterprise. Lori got goosebumps. Then an alarm went off.
"Torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" shouted Lori.
Three dashes came towards the Enterprise on the water from the Edward Teller. Collins turned the helm, but it was too late. It banged three times. The whole ship shook. Lori went to the radio.
"All fighter squadrons! Attack the Edward teller!" Lori yelled into the radio.
Lori took out the binoculars and looked at the Edward plates. She started to swerve. Lori knew another toredo volley was coming. She heard the F-35 planes speeding towards the Edward Teller. But too late. Three more torpedoes came towards the Enterprise. The F-35s celebrated their missiles. The Edward Teller was badly hit. The torpedoes kept coming. Another F-35 squadron attacked the Edward Teller. The missiles rushed toward the destroyer, knocking her out. The torpedoes hit at the same moment. Lori was trying to determine the extent of the damage when a code appeared on a screen: 17-117.
In cargo hold three, the crew sensed that the Enterprise had been hit. Lily heard a bang. Then another. On the third bang she was caught by a shock wave and thrown five meters away. Lily didn't recognize anything anymore. She didn't know where she was anymore. All she saw was a boy. A boy with white hair stretching out his hand to Lily.
"L-lincoln?"
"Wake up. It's not time to go yet."
"I don't understand."
Lily felt wetness on her face. She woke up. Warm water ran down her head. Lily's head hurt. She touched her forehead. It wasn't water, it was blood. Everything was a mess in hold three. Water ran in. There were dead everywhere. Lily was thrown away by the explosion. She lay on a sailor. He was dead. She saw Sybille at the exit of the cargo hold. Lily got up. The explosion had leaked. The survivors fled.
"Evacuate this section. I will close the hatch." said Lily.
Lily looked around. Where was Sybille? She ran near the leak. The water flowed strongly. Sybille was nowhere. She kept looking around. Then she saw Sybille stooping and leaving the hold. She must be hurt, Lily thought. Sybille walked very slowly. Lily ran to her. As she approached Sybille, she saw that she was hurt. Lily took her arm and pulled her to the nearest bulkhead. Lily closed the bulkhead. She walked over to Sybille. She held her tight. A splinter of metal about forty centimeters long was lodged in her stomach. Sybille raised her right hand. Her hand was shaking and covered with blood. She placed them on Lily's cheek.
"Lily. I'm scared." said Sybille weakly.
"There's no logical reason for that." said Lily.
"Lily, I think I'm going."
"No. Davis will heal you." Lily said, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Lily. You are my best friend."
"For real?"
"Yeah. Everyone used to make fun of my red hair as a kid, or my grandpa for being an alcoholic. You never did anything like that. You were my best friend for those months."
"You are my best friend too. Please, dont go."
"I will never forget that."
Sybille's body was suddenly very relaxed. Lily looked at Sybille's body in disbelief. Lily put them down. She leaned against the bulkhead. She heard the water behind the bulkhead, gathering. The Enterprise slowly began to incline. If the bulkheads don't hold, they will sink. She looked at Sybille's corpse. Her red hair mixed with her blood. Something happened that Lily never expected. A tear ran down Lily's cheek. her eyes burned. She hadn't shed a tear in years. It burned like acid in her eyes.
"Why are you leaving? Don't let me down." said Lily.
Lily took Sybille's hand and held her. She held her hand tight.
Lori was pale. It was so far. Lori entered the code into the computer. 17-117. Then a message came up on the small monitor. 18-188. Lori entered this into an encrypted communication system. The confirmation code arrived ten seconds later. Foxtrot-Quebec-Zulu-Echo-Charlie-Charlie-Sierra-Alpha-Golf-India-Mike-Tango-Tango-Romeo-X-Ray.
Lori walked with Decker to two small safes on the bridge. Lori opened one and Decker opened the other. Collins watched them both. They both took out a red plastic sleeve and broke it open. They took out the note.
"Please confirm them Decker. Foxtrot-Quebec-Zulu-Echo-Charlie-Charlie-Sierra-Alpha-Golf-India-Mike-Tango-Tango-Romeo-X-ray." said Lori.
"I confirm. Foxtrot-Quebec-Zulu-Echo-Charlie-Charlie-Sierra-Alpha-Golf-India-Mike-Tango-Tango-Romeo-X-ray." said Decker.
"Now we need Loud's code." Lori said, pointing to a third safe.
"What are we attacking? The Russians? The Chinese? North Korea?" decker asked.
Lori slowly shook her head.
"Nuuk." said Lori.
Lori picked up the radio.
"Lily. Please come to the bridge. It's time."
"Aye." said Lily's voice.
"Captain. I cannot allow this." said Decker.
Decker pulled out a pistol and shot Collins in the stomach. Collins fell over. Then he pointed his gun at Lori.
"If you draw your gun, I will shoot you."
"Decker. What are you doing?"
"Prevent them from murdering my family and friends."
Lori looked at decker. She was betrayed.
"You asshole. You goddamn asshole. You belong to the CWP. How could you?"
"Because peace with Russia would be our downfall."
Decker took Lori's gun. He put them in his pocket. Then he pressed a button on his radio.
"Richard. Kill Loud."
"No. Please not." said Lori.
"Yes. Because these nuclear missiles won't take off."
"Why? Why don't you want peace?"
"I have my own reasons."
"Say this. What are your reasons?"
"Because you can't trust Russians."
"Sitnikov. What about Sitnikov? He was trustworthy."
"Sitnikov. More like Shitnikov. What do you think the Russians did? There must have been a GRU agent on these ships. No, the Russians don't want peace. They want to oppress us. They want to enslave us."
"You're insane."
Decker got angry.
"No, I'm not. I'm not insane. I see everything clearly. These Russians. And these Ukrainians and Belarusians. They are sub-human. Sub-human. They drink vodka all day and threaten our nation. Don't you see that?"
"We've seen how the Russians are. Friendly, nice. And we share the same blood."
"You know, I thought the same way you did. Then I saw the truth. The Enterprise is now a CWP ship. And a US captain has no place here."
"No. I have children. I have family. Please don't do that."
"Yes. Close your eyes. It goes very quickly."
Lori was shaking all over. She closed her eyes. She thought about Bobby.
"One."
Lori thought of Lorraine.
"Two."
Lori thought of Miranda.
"Three."
Lori heard a shot. She flinched. She felt no pain. Decker was right. Lori opened her eyes. Decker lay on the floor with a gunshot wound to the head. Lori looked at him. Then she looked to the right. Lily stood there. With a gun. With her emotionless facial expression. Lily held her left hand to the right side of her stomach. There was blood running down the uniform. Lily walked slowly to a radio.
"Attention. USS Enterprise badly damaged. We need help. SOS."
Then Lily spoke in a language Lori couldn't understand.
"Achtung. Die USS Enterprise wurde schwer beschädigt. Wir brauchen Hilfe. SOS."
Lori walked towards Lily.
"Lily. Are you hurt? What was that language?"
"I'm fine. And that language was German."
"Lily, Decker..."
"I know."
Lily got up. She went to a computer terminal. Lori followed her.
"The codes." said Lily.
"They won't work without Decker."
"I can bypass this code. I have a special code."
"Do we really have to do this?"
"We must. It is our command."
Lori places three fingers on three fingerprint sensors on the input field of the computer terminal.
"Computer. ICBM launch control." said Lori.
The computer spoke. But it wasn't the normal, unfriendly voice. That voice was pleasant.
"Please enter access code."
"Sierra-12-Mike-86-Zulu-66-Tango-235." said Lori.
"Identity confirmed."
"Foxtrot-581-Lima-2544-Charlie-57-Tango-17-Papa-35-Hotel-952-November-1"
"Second code required."
Then Lily put her finger on the fingerprint sensor.
"Computer. Override code. 32-X-Ray-87." said Lily.
"Please enter override code."
"1-7-3-4-6-7-3-2-1-4-7-6-Charlie-3-2-7-8-9-7-7-7-6-4-3-Tango-7-3-2-Victor-7-3-1-1-1-7-8-8-8-7-3-2-4-7-6-7-8-9-7-6-4-3-7-6. Fire."
A hatch opened on the flight deck. Alarms sound on the bridge. A rocket launched. It flew away. The flight deck was brightly lit. Lori and Lily went out. On the stairs leading to the flight deck. The two watched the ICBM. Then Lori said two words.
"We bastards."
Mia got up. She was instantly wide awake. She took off her pajamas and put on her clothes. The girl ran down the stairs and the kitchen. Luna and Sam sat at the table. Music was playing on the radio and the two drank coffee.
"Hello moms." said Mia.
"Hello Darling." said Sam.
"Hi Mia. Did you sleep well?" asked Luna.
"Very good. Is there bacon?" asked Mia.
"Yes. Bon appetit." Sam said, handing Mia a plate of bacon and scrambled eggs.
Mia took a fork and started eating. She loved bacon and scrambled eggs. She could never get enough of it.
"Today is a nice Saturday. Shall we go to the park?" asked Sam.
"Yes." said Mia happily.
"Yes, the weather is very good." said Luna.
"I can already see the nerds in the park driving around in the pond with the model ships." said Sam and grinned.
"You know Lily. She used to build model trains. Basically the same thing." said Luna.
"Speaking of Lily, didn't one of those model ship builders have a model of the Enterprise?" asked Sam.
"Yeah. It was cool, I must say."
"When do we go?" asked Mia.
"Soon." said Sam.
The music ended on the radio. The news started. A young woman's voice rang out.
"Good morning dear listeners. This is the morning edition of Info Eight, at 8:00 am, with Jane Scott. Our topics on Saturday: Gneisenau on the hunt, Nuclear bombs over Greenland and the operation of Royal Woods one and two. Good morning."
"Quiet." said Luna.
Luna got up and went to the radio.
"Chancellor Olaf Scholz gave a clear message to the CWP in a speech on Saturday afternoon. Our Germany correspondent Annegret Richter reports."
Another voice, also from a woman, spoke.
"Clear words from Olaf Scholz, the Gneisenau must be stopped."
(Olaf Scholz)
"So ist es an der zeit, die sinnlose zerstörung, im atlantik zu beenden."
(Interpreter)
"So it's time to end the senseless destruction in the Atlantic."
(Olaf Scholz)
"Der Terrorismus, muss ein Ende haben."
(Interpreter)
"Terrorism must end."
"That means the Gneisenau must be sunk. The German Ministry of Defense has prepared its entire fleet for battle. Patrols are now being carried out together with the Royal Navy."
Jane Scott's voice was heard again.
"Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and now Nuuk. The Pentagon reports that several hours ago the USS Enterprise was involved in a battle. In the course of the battle, the Enterprise was badly damaged, but won the battle. According to the Pentaon's report, an intercontinental missile was fired after the battle. The strength of the warhead is unknown, the Pentagon gave no information. The first fallout was detected in Newfoundland an hour ago. These are the plutonium fission products Strontion 94 and barium 144."
Luna couldn't believe what she heard. A nuclear weapon? A nuclear weapon from the Enterprise? Luna slapped herself on the cheek. It wasn't a dream.
"Luna, is everything alright?" asked Sam.
"Mummy?" said Mia.
Luna stared at the radio. She just stared at it.
"Luna, sit down." said Sam.
Sam led Luna to a chair. Mia was worried now. She had never seen her mother like this before.
"Mia, go to your room." said Luna softly.
"Come on Mia, let's go play upstairs." said Sam.
Sam picked Mia up and took her to her room. Sam put Mia on the floor. Sam sat down next to her. Sam picked up a stuffed animal. A cat.
"Let's play something." said Sam.
"Mom, I don't want to play. What's wrong with Mama luna?"
"Nothing. Everything is fine."
"You lie!"
Sam considered. She didn't want to tell Mia about a weapon of mass destruction.
"Lily and Lori's ship was attacked."
"Are Aunt Lily and Aunt Lori okay?"
"Yes." Sam said, although she doesn't know the truth.
Sam's cell phone rang. It was Bobby. She took the call.
"Bobby? Did you hear that on the radio?" asked Sam.
"No, I saw it on TV. Nothing else is reported." said Bobby worried.
"You haven't heard from Lori?"
"No. I'm very concerned."
"Do Lorraine and Miranda already know?"
"No. I don't want the girls to be scared."
"You have to tell them. Mia already knows."
"I can not."
"You can't withhold the truth from them." said Sam slightly angry.
Before Bobby could say anything, sam hung up. She looked at Mia.
"I think the kitten wants to chase a mouse." said Sam.
Sam gave Mia the plush kitten.
Lynn woke up too. She watched the news first thing every Saturday morning. She too was surprised by the topics. Katherine Mulligan was on the TV.
"Good morning. Our topics in the morning: Demon sunk, The end of the USS Rhode Island, Nuclear attack on Greenland and Germany's hunt for the Gneisenau. Last night the USS Rhode Island was sunk. The Demon-class aircraft carrier was found by the USS Enterprise. Due to the severe damage, the Rhode Island had to be sunk by the crew of the Enterprise itself. The Rhode Island and her sister ship Montana were involved in the Battle of Nuuk."
A Yellow Skull appears next to Mulligan, its eyes and nose forming a radiant sign. It looked fearsome.
"After more than ninety years it happened again. The military use of a nuclear weapon. The ICBM was launched from the aircraft carrier Enterprise."
Lynn was getting nervous. She ran to her parents' room. She opened the door and woke her parents.
"Mom! Dad! A nuclear bomb. A nuclear bomb from the Enterprise!" shouted Lynn.
"Lynn. What are you talking rubbish about?" asked Lynn Sr.
"It's true. I saw it on TV."
Rita woke up. She got up.
"Lynn, I'm looking at this." said Rita.
Rita and Lynn walked into the living room and Rita looked at the television. A man about eighty years old was seen. He wore a mustache that was white and a kippah. He talked.
"Well, the tremors were very weak. I estimate the explosive force at three kilotons at most."
A reporter's voice could be heard.
"What does that mean?"
"Well, that means it's a neutron warhead. But since we don't have one, I think the warhead is French."
"So you're saying, Professor Schroeder, that the warhead could come from the French?"
"Wouldn't be unusual. I mean, the Germans have missiles, bombs and planes for nuclear weapons, and we own the warheads they use. That could have been the case here. American missiles, French warheads."
"Thank you very much for the interview, Professor Schröder."
Mulligan was back on the tv.
"The number of fatalities is not yet known. The US Marines are preparing an invasion force. More than 20,000 men are said to storm the coast of Greenland again. News from the US Navy. The former battleships of the US Navy, the USS Iowa, USS Wisconsin and USS Missouri are to be reactivated and will be renewed in a refit program."
Rita turned off the tv. She sat down on the couch. She put her face in her hands. Lynn sat down next to her. The voice in Lynn's head spoke.
"What have they done? Your sisters are mass murderers now."
The sun is High. The Enterprise is on the run. She is badly damaged. The hull leaned forward and two propellers failed. Lori and Lily are on the bridge. A sailor is at the helm. Lily is sitting in the captain's chair.
"Davis said collins will survive." said Lori.
"That's good. When are the reinforcements coming?" Lily asked.
"I do not know."
"There are 17 sections flooded on three decks. And we're only going 10 knots."
"When will the reinforcements come?" asked Lori.
"I do not know." said Lily.
Lori is stressed. She could feel the ship tilting. Then she heard something metallic. Something that hit the deck. Lily got up and looked around with the binoculars.
"Gneisenau! Gneisenau!" said Lily.
More bullets hit. Lori went to a phone.
"All squadrons should take off!" screamed Lori into the phone.
Lily went to the sailor.
"Angle. We have to keep the angle to the Gneisenau flat. Set a course to the southeast. Quick!" said Lily.
The sailor turned the wheel. The enterprise slowly began to turn to port. Another volley from the Gneisenau struck. The first squadrons began to take off. They heard the squadron's radio call.
"Group One, awaiting instructions."
Then an air traffic controller spoke over the radio.
"Group one, attack the gneisenau."
Another salvo from the Gneisenau struck.
"Damn! Damage report!" shouted Lori.
"Not known. Rescue team on the way." said Lily.
An alarm sounded. The seaman began to turn to starboard.
It banged at the rear. A message arrived on the computer.
"Steering system hit. The nuclear reactor has been shut down. We are unable to manoeuvre." said Lily.
"Shit!" shouted Lori.
The squadron was heard over the radio.
"Group One, we're under attack."
A second squadron stood on the flight deck.
"Group two, we're ready for take-off."
Group two took off. There were heavy bombs on the planes. Group one arrived again. Lily looks at group one through binoculars.
"Three planes. We lost four planes." said Lily.
"Damned!" Lori cursed.
Group one landed. Another alarm went off. A wide array of torpedoes rushed toward the Enterprise. There were more explosions. Projectiles from the Gneisenau struck. A projectile hit under the bridge. The bang was deafening. Lily noticed smoke on the rear flight deck.
"Fire on the flight deck." said Lily.
The Gneisenau came closer and closer. The projectiles struck more and more precisely.
"Hangar two is destroyed." shouted Lori.
"Group two, we're under attack."
Lily looked at the binoculars. The F-35 dropped the bombs. A turret was hit. The anti-aircraft fire was enormous. squad two was shot down completely. Lily saw exactly how the Gneisenau fired. The flight deck was hit. An F-35 being loaded was hit by a projectile. The plane was shredded by the projectile. Kerosene ran out. Then there was a big explosion in the bow. A gray mushroom cloud rose. The kerosene ignited. The computers failed. The Gneisenau was now directly on the port side of them. A black and white Greenlandic flag was waving on the Gneisenau flagpole. Lily looked closely.
"They will board us. Their side thruster is active." said Lily.
"What are we doing? We don't have control over the torpedoes and we can't launch planes." said Lori panicked.
Lily considered. Then she had an idea.
"We can fire torpedoes. But that's only manual. Come with me."
The two left the bridge. They went through the stairwell and go down. Then they had to go down a long corridor. Some sailors ran to meet them.
"Captain!" said the sailor.
"What is it? Everything alright?" asked Lori.
"We were near the bow. There was an explosion. There's at least a hundred feet missing from the bow. It was basically ripped apart."
"Go to the citadel. There you are best protected." said Lily.
The sailors went on. Lily and Lori went to the nearest staircase. They reached torpedo launcher four, on the port side. There were several torpedoes in the magazine. Lily took the loading crane and hung a torpedo on it. On the torpedo stood Mark VI. Lily carefully guided the torpedo to the loading dock and Lori made sure it went in properly. Lily released the torpedo and the two pushed it into the tube. Lori peered through the manual sight.
"Seven degrees to the right." said Lori.
Lily turned a crank and the launcher turned slowly. Lori held up her hand.
"Stop!"
Lori looked at the control panel. She had to think. She had previously learned how to fire torpedoes on the Edward Teller with Joker. Then she remembered. The charged the compressed air. Then she fired. She saw through the visor how the torpedo shot away. He shot towards the Gneisenau. The Gneisenau was torn in two by the explosion. Lori ran out of the room. Lily followed her. Lori entered the flight deck. The fire was extinguished. But there were holes everywhere. Lily stood next to Lori. She went to the bow. There were at least forty dead on the flight deck. Lily stood at the end of the bow. 35 meters were missing. Lori looked up at the bridge. A grenade must have hit it. Because the bridge was gone. Several sailors looked to port. The Gneisenau sank. Lori slowly walked to the door and ran down the stairs. Some sailors started talking and others cheered. Lily looked around. Four planes approached. Two Sukhoi SU-57s, and two British F-35s. They flew in a diamond formation. The British fighters turned away. The Russian Sukhoi began circling the Enterprise. Lily looked through her binoculars. On the horizon she saw the upper parts of ships. She stared in that direction. After five minutes she could make out the ships. They were British, Russian, French and German ships. Two aircraft carriers were among them. The Russian Mikhail Gorbachev, and the British HMS Illustrious. There were three destroyers. Two Russian and one French. three cruisers. The Nikita Kruschev, and the Germans Konrad Adenauer andErich Honecker. And a battleship. Lori was able to identify the battleship as the sister ship of the Leonid Brezhnev. It was the Vladimir I. Lenin. The ships horned. The sailors of the Enterprise fired flare guns into the air. A helicopter took off from the Gorbachev. He flew towards the Enterprise. A helicopter also took off from the Illustrious.
Lori went to the bow. The passage was damaged and steel girders were falling down. Then she stood in front of a huge hole. The bow was gone. Lori sat down and leaned against the wall. She took out a ciarette. She took them between her lips and lit them. She heard ships horns. Then she saw a French destroyer. On the bow of the destroyer stood Dunkerque. Lori watched as the Dunkerque took a protective stance to protect the Enterprise. She heard the roar of helicopters. Then another ship came. A German flag waved on the flagpole of the ship. Lori watched the ships stop. Lori heard someone call her name. It was Lily.
"I'm here." said Lori.
Lily came. Behind her were two men and a woman. One man wore a British uniform. It was Captain Watson. He was fifty and had light gray hair. He wore sunglasses. The woman was standing next to him. She wore a Russian uniform and had pitch black hair. She had the rank insignia of a captain. Sitnikov was standing next to her. They looked at Lori worried.
"Captain. How are you?" Watson asked.
"As usual." said Lori, and continued smoking.
"Are you sure?" asked Sitnikov.
"I guess so." said Lori.
The woman spoke.
"Я не думаю, что у них все хорошо."
"She said she thinks you're not okay." said Sitnikov.
"Who is this woman?" asked Lori.
"Oh, sorry. This is Captain Svetlana Dyatlov. Captain of the Mikhail Gorbachev." said Sitnikov.
Lori looked at Svetlana.
"It's a pleasure to meet you." said Lori.
(Sitnikow)
"Сантьяго сказал, что рад познакомиться с вами."
"Captain, I suggest that we evacuate the Enterprise and tow it to New York." said Watson.
"Then who's on board?" asked Lori.
"I suggest Dyatlov take command." said Sitnikov.
Lori got up. She walked towards Svetlana. She put her right hand on Svetlana's shoulder.
"Treat my ship well." said Lori.
(Sitnikow)
"Относись к моему кораблю хорошо."
(Dyatow)
"Я буду."
"She will." said Sitnikov.
Lori and Lily escorted Watson, Sitnikov, and Dyatlov outside. The Germans were the first to evacuate the Enterprise. Then came the Russians and the British. Lori looked up at the Enterprise flagpole. Two flags were raised. The first was the Union Jack, and the second was the Russian flag. Lori boarded the helicopter with Lily, Sitnikov, and Dyatlov. She looked out the window. Sailors threw ropes over to the destroyers. When the helicopter landed on the Mikhail Gorbachev, Lori and Lily were greeted by several Russian sailors. They all shouted loudly.
"Добро пожаловать, американские друзья"
"What does that mean?" asked Lori.
"Welcome American friends." said Sitnikov.
Dyatlow waved at Lily and Lori, symbolizing that they should come with me. They go under the flight deck. They walked down long corridors. Then Dyatlow opened a door. It was a quarters with two beds.
(Dyatlow)
"Ты можешь спать здесь."
"Is it for us?" asked Lori, pointing at herself and Lily.
Dyatlow noddet.
"Да, это твоя квартира."
"Thanks." said Lily.
(Dyatlow)
"Спокойной ночи."
Dyatlov left the quarters and closed the door. Lori took off her shoes and lay down on the bed.
"Are you tired?" Lily asked.
"Yes and no." said Lori.
Lily also took off her shoes and lay down on the bed. It was soft, comfortable. Lily looked at Lori. Lori looked back.
"It reminds me of when we both shared a room." said Lori.
"I can not remember." said Lily.
"Lincoln was still alive then. He had this questionnaire. Ace Savvy, find your superhero helper. The room allocation afterwards was a disaster."
Lori laughed.
"When it turned out to be that questionnaire, we were all slightly angry with Lincoln. When I think about it now, I always have to laugh."
"Isn't the family reunion in two weeks?" Lily asked.
"Yes. But I don't know if we can go. I have the feeling that there is a lot of paperwork waiting for us."
End of Chapter five.