“I thought I would learn all of that when I made my rendezvous with Kazan,” said Fedorov, “but I was… diverted.”
“Yes,” said Karpov. “And how frightening to think that any airship overflying the coordinates of the Tunguska Event might also be diverted. I have told my brother that the entire area is to be considered a no-fly zone. It would be very dangerous if someone inadvertently went back in time through that portal. On the other hand, it is also interesting to know I could do so if I wished.”
“You aren’t seriously contemplating anything like that, are you?”
“Of course not. I have the means of moving in Time right here aboard the ship in Rod-25, and considering that we haven’t been hopping all over the continuum, as in that first loop, this rod is very fresh, and likely very potent. So you see, now I have three ways of moving in time if I choose—the ship, Ilanskiy, and the site of the Tunguska event.” He said nothing of the fact that the Airship Tunguska itself also possessed some rather unique properties.
As for Fedorov, he said nothing of the pronouncements of Professor Paul Dorland, or the mysterious keys for the moment. There were secrets that had to be held close, even among allies.
Yet now the two men had a more immediate problem to discuss. Fedorov and Nikolin had discovered that the Japanese Navy had commissioned ships that never existed, and this would become a matter of obvious interest to Karpov.
They had discovered the Shadow Fleet.
Part VII
The Rose
Chapter 19
“Ships that never were,” said Karpov. “Very interesting. Do we have a fix on their location?”
“Not yet,” said Fedorov. “These were long range intercepts. They were on shortwave when they transmitted, and those signals can propagate a good distance.”
“It’s clear we have no further business up north for a while,” said Karpov. “What course would you recommend?”
“Due south. There’s a 1400-mile gap between the first two Japanese outposts we’ll encounter, Guam and Wake Island. We can go right through the center, and the only planes that might spot us would be very long range seaplanes—flying boats. Frankly, I doubt they even mount regular patrols in that sector.”
“Then make it so,” said Karpov.
“After that, we’ll be approaching the Marshall Islands from the north, and Ponape will be due south of us on that course. That island will probably be lightly held, but a few degrees to starboard is Truk, about 450 miles from Ponape. That is the main operating base of the Japanese Combined fleet. It will have airfields, large anchorages in a protected lagoon that will probably be well used. There will be transports, tankers, and a lot of warships come and go. The fleet headquarters is presently operating from the battleship Musashi. That is the sister ship of the vessel we encountered earlier, the Yamato.”
“A tough ship,” said Karpov. “Will it be at anchor?”
“Most likely.”
“Carriers?”
“Yes, they use that base to refuel and replenish. There might be a full carrier division there, but we won’t know until we can recon the area. That could be risky, as there will be a lot of naval air patrols originating from that base, and probably a strong fighter presence.”
“Excellent. Then we move on Truk.”
Fedorov raised an eyebrow. His warning had been received with enthusiasm. “You mean to attack that base?”
“Didn’t the Japanese take the war right to the heart of their enemy when they started this? Two can play the game.”
“Yes sir, but it will likely involve some risk. Don’t forget what the Japanese did to the aft battle bridge.”
“Forewarned is forearmed. We were running low on SAMs, if I recall. That won’t be the case for this raid. Was this base ever attacked by the Americans?”
“Not until mid-February of 1944—Operation Hailstone. They simply did not have the power to penetrate that deeply into Japanese held waters through most of 1943. The US wanted to invade Eniwetok in the Marshalls. Any reinforcements and support would have come from Truk, so they wanted to neutralize that base before the invasion. They hit it with five fleet carriers, three light carriers, seven battleships and over 40 other warships—a massive attack. The base was useless after it was over, and it was bypassed as the Americans continued north into the Marianas.”
“We’ll see what we can do now,” said Karpov, eager for battle.
“You plan on expending missile ordnance on ships anchored there?”
“Possibly. Particularly warships. I think we can get close enough for the KA-226 to sneak in and get us some camera footage. We can jam any radar they might have to spot our helo, and it is fairly nimble, and will see any enemy planes long before they could spot it. Let’s go have a look at Truk and see what they have in the cupboard. Then I can make a decision as to what ordnance we might expend. I will say one thing. If this battleship is there, I’m putting a missile on it.”
“Musashi? You know a single missile won’t sink it. Look what we threw at Yamato. It took a lucky torpedo hit aft to force it to withdraw.”
“Yes, but we’ll certainly shake up the General Headquarters staff, won’t we?” Karpov smiled.
“That will likely be like poking a beehive with a stick. They could have a lot of planes at Truk, and you can bet they’ll get them airborne as soon as we attack.”
“Fair enough. But they’ll have to find us to attack us, and I won’t let a search plane get close enough to see us. This is going to be a good deal easier than you think.”
“There’s one other consideration,” said Fedorov. “These new ships I was telling you about—we think they are already at sea. If that is the case, and they are deploying to the South Pacific, then they will likely be bound for either Truk or perhaps Rabaul. That’s the other big base they have in the Bismarck Archipelago.”
“New enemy carriers,” said Karpov with a smile. “Mister Fedorov, let’s hope they are heading for Truk. The more the merrier. It’s time we let the Japanese know they can no longer dismiss us as a fringe nuisance on their northern front. I intend to show them I can strike them anywhere, and anytime I choose. The gloves are coming off now, and it’s going to be a bare-knuckled fistfight from here on out.”
It was Nabuo Kita on a Mitsubishi F1M float plane out of Maloelap in the Marshalls who started everything. He had been out on a routine patrol to the east, about 180 nautical miles from the island, and was ready to turn for home. His plane had a radius of about 200 nautical miles, and it was always a good idea to leave some fuel in the tank for the landing cycle. He never knew if there might be storms over the island upon his return.
Yet today the weather looked good, with banks of fleecy clouds and other wise clear blue skies. So he made one of those little one man decisions that acted like a match lighting a fuse. He decided to push his plane out that last 20 miles, to the point of no return, and see if anything might be lingering out there in a place they believed was safe from prying eyes.
He was correct, for two American light carriers had been out on their maiden voyage to train off Midway. Now they were ready for combat drills, and gained authorization to approach the Marshalls and conduct routine recon patrols of their own.