“True, but have a look at that battleship they towed in. The British lost their Queen Elizabeth, and this one, Malaya, was badly damaged. Battered. I doubt if it will ever be serviceable again. Yes, we hurt the enemy far worse. The Italians lost at least three battleships-our Vodopad torpedoes performed very well this time-and the French lost the Strausbourg. Yet all things considered, and after tallying the roster of missing souls at sea again, the balance of power has not really changed. The two German ships were damaged, but I think they will sail again. So the Italians still have battleships, and the French have the Normandie and Dunkerque — not to mention the ships they still have at Casablanca. Theoretically they could still amass a fleet that could overpower anything Tovey has left here. Without us he has only Warspite with his own ship, and those two carriers. So something tells me we may have to fight another major engagement soon. Yet we have bought the British time, and that counts for something.”
“What about Gromyko, sir?”
“He’s out there,” Volsky pointed. “I have him on a defensive patrol to keep watch over the Warspite until it reaches port safely. He will join us soon.”
Then we still have three kings here in the Mediterranean,” said Fedorov, “ Kirov, Kazan, and this Argos Fire.”
“ Three kings with dwindling missile magazines,” said Volsky. “We took inventory after the battle. Not counting the close in Kashtan system, we have 76 medium and long range SAMs left and 28 ship killers. Throw in the last four Vodopad torpedoes and that makes 32. Argos Fire has 106 SAMs left, but only 10 ship killers. As for Kazan, Gromyko said he used a salvo of eight missiles, and he put two torpedoes into the Strausbourg later. That leaves him ten more Onyx missiles and his remaining torpedo inventory, perhaps 30 fish. Given its stealth, his boat is perhaps the most powerful in the world now, but after those missiles and torpedoes are gone, he’s no more threatening than a ride at an amusement park. On paper it sounds like a lot of firepower, perhaps it is more than enough to win the next battle we find ourselves in. But between the three of us 115 SAMs and 21 ship killers and torpedoes were used in this recent engagement. Yes, we have another good fight or two left in the magazines, but after that the numbers will get serious.”
“Then we have to make our difference now,” said Fedorov. “We are as strong now as we will ever be again.”
“Yes, just as I am as old now as I have ever been, and younger than I’ll ever be again!” Volsky smiled. “I am not so much worried about our ability to control the sea against their navy,” he said. “It is their air force that plagues me. The strength of their air power was underestimated. We should have had you along to clue us in, Fedorov. They hit us with three waves, and thankfully, the third wave failed to find us in the storm.”
“Understood, sir. And as for Kazan. I think Gromyko’s boat might be able to use torpedoes from this era. The engineers could modify the torpedo tubes.”
“Possibly… This was a very long war, as you well know.” At that moment Chief Dobrynin arrived, just a little breathless from his five deck climb. He saluted, greeting the men Volsky gestured for him to take a seat.
“You wanted to see me, Admiral?”
“Have we had any reactor problems today, Chief?”
“Now that you mention it, there was one small glitch. You were there, Fedorov. Sorry to be so short with you, Captain, but when that flux alarm goes off it really gets my attention. It turned out to be a small event. The system settled down just after you left.”
“I see,” said Volsky. “Then the reactors are fine?”
“There was one other incident, just before the KA-40 mission was launched. It was the same thing, a flux alarm that got me all worked up, but before I could determine what was wrong, things settled down again.”
“Could this have anything to do with those control rods?”
“They aren’t in the system now, sir. I’ve retracted both to radiation safe containers, and I’m using an old spare in the number 25 spot now. Thankfully it doesn’t send us on a marathon through time when I perform routine maintenance.”
“Chief… Orlov found something that we’d like you to take a look at.” The Admiral gestured to the Devil’s Teardrop, still sitting on the briefing table near Kamenski. Dobrynin had noticed it, wondering what it was, but now he gave it a closer examination.
“Very strange,” he said. “It’s almost glassy smooth, and very reflective. Looks like it was machined, and then deformed to this shape by high temperatures. Yet there’s no heat damage visible. You say Orlov found this?”
“In Siberia,” said Fedorov. “Along the Stony Tunguska.”
“Why is it that name raises my hackles?”
“Orlov says it acts funny,” Fedorov explained. “It changes temperatures. In fact, it got very hot-too hot to touch-right when that incident happened in the desert, Admiral.”
