“Let me hear your ideas.”
Hammond sat back in his chair. “Well, first off, we make it an unconditional surrender, at least at first. We can soften it to fit their situations, but demand those responsible, war crimes stuff, etcetera and so on. I want to hear their perceived needs and then act accordingly. Somehow after this, I get the feeling they won’t be demanding much. I don’t recommend an occupation. That didn’t work in the last big one. I also don’t recommend we simply leave them alone. The vacuum both politically and socially, would be a disaster. I would recommend we only send in teams to help restore their power, water, food, you know, basic needs. Maybe send in some of the international teams to help get the place back to normal. The fewer military types in there the better, but we make it clear that we are just along the border and ready in case of trouble. I figure the first meeting will be a good time to hear their thoughts and then we make our plans. That way I can keep everyone informed and we can make the final decisions together,” he said.
“That’s a good start. I will get with the other leaders and try to hash out what we want the post war world to look like. Just be ready to join in when the fir starts to fly. In the meantime, get the meeting established and we will go from there,” said the President. “Are you going to meet with them personally at first?”
“Yes. At this point, I want them to feel a little more comfortable. Military to military might work a little better, especially if this Andropov is involved.” Hammond was interrupted as a piece of paper was handed to him. He read it quickly. “Interesting. Andropov wants to meet in Smolensk tomorrow. He requested a truce to begin immediately. There are more details, but that’s the main point.”
“Then go with it, Roger. Talk to the man while I sound out the other leaders. Then we can make decisions,” the President said.
Naples exploded when they heard the news. Despite the fact that no surrender had been made, the Italian government acted as if the war was over. People emptied the shops and cafes, pouring into the streets. They danced, and celebrated from midday on into the evening. The Iowa sailors were swept up into the celebration. They found themselves kissed by everyone from beautiful teens to elderly women. Bottles of wine were thrust into their hands and everyone was invited to meals with other happy citizens.
Jeffers decided to walk out into the city to enjoy the festivities. The days were warmer now but his dress blues still felt comfortable in the offshore breezes. All around him were people drinking, singing and having an amazing time. On occasion, someone would throw confetti out of an upper window and it would rain down on the people in the streets below. Several sailors passed by with young women on each arm. One tried to salute but couldn’t because the girl was holding his arm so tightly. Jeffers grinned at the young man and returned the salute anyway. After an hour of roaming the streets, he found a small restaurant and went through the front door. It was already full of people but the owner showed him to a small table to one side.
Once seated, Jeffers scanned the room. The restaurant was much quieter than the streets outside. The patrons were talking with each other and enjoying their meal. The interior was dimly lit and the walls were plastered and decorated with grape vines with an overhead trellis that allowed the artificial vines to fall down toward the tables. In some places, the vines had made a natural separation between sections of the room. The tables and chairs were older, but solid, adding to the ambiance of the room.
Seated next to Jeffers was a man who looked familiar. He couldn’t place him, but knew the face from somewhere. He was dressed in civilian clothes, but had a haircut more in line with a military member. He was looking at a menu, then glanced up and their eyes met. A look of surprise came over his face. It quickly turned to one of interest. He put down the menu.
“If I am not mistaken, we have seen each other,” the man said in English.
Jeffers smiled slightly. “Yes, but I can’t recall when,” he said.
The man suddenly smiled broadly. “You were standing on the bridge of the American ship, America. There were fires burning around you, but you asked me to be your guide,” said Captain Michael Hufnagel as he extended his hand and introduced himself.
Jeffers remembered the lone figure on the bridge wing of the German Frigate who stood by to help the stricken ship. “Rod Jeffers. It’s good to meet you, Captain,” he said.
Hufnagel invited him to join him for dinner and Jeffers moved to his table.
“You know, during that whole time I felt like you were the only one really trying to help. I really had my hands full,” Jeffers said.
“I could tell. We wanted to help, but my fire equipment wouldn’t reach that far. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to rescue your crew from a sinking ship,” Hufnagel said. “When I saw you were alone on that bridge, I felt like I had to go back aft just so you could see me.”
“I did. I also saw you motion when we made a couple of turns. I can’t tell you how much it helped,” Jeffers said.
“Glad to do it. I was relieved when I saw the repair team come up and take you and the others down. We ended up leading the ship for another twelve hours until they got some rudimentary navigation systems going. But what are you doing here? The America didn’t pull in, did she?” Hufnagel asked.
“No, I was on Admiral Hustvedt’s staff. Shortly afterward I received orders to the Iowa as a department head,” Jeffers said. “We are in getting some maintenance done.”
Hufnagle sat back and smiled. “USS Iowa,” he said wistfully. “I actually was aboard way back in 1989. I even got permission to stay with her for a short period of time. But those were my younger days. I’m sure those guys are long gone. There was this one guy named Patnaude that used to have those guys jumping.”
Jeffers grinned. “Patnaude, huh? Well, you and I are going back to the ship after dinner. I’m sure Boats would be glad to see you.”
Hufnagel got a surprised look. “He is still aboard? That can’t be!”
“Most of the crew is made up of veterans who have continued to maintain and man the ship during conflicts. They were there during the Korean War and are back again. There may be several people aboard you knew,” Jeffers said.
“Let’s eat then and go back. I’d like that,” Hufnagel said with a grin.
The meal was excellent. It consisted of several courses with various meats prepared with different sauces along with pasta. He wasn’t sure of the names, but it was delicious. Returning to the ship, they walked down to the Deck Office. As usual, Boats was there kicked back in his chair with a coffee mug in his hand, shooting the breeze with some others. When Hufnagel entered a grin came over his face. “Well I’ll be damned if it isn’t my favorite German. It’s been a long time there Huf,” he said as he stood and shook his hand. Everyone sat down and swapped sea stories for more than an hour. At one point, a few calls were made and others came in, including the Chief Engineer. Hufnagel and Dan Kimberlain had become friends while he was aboard. Even Captain Rhodes came down.
“Damn, this is getting to be old home week,” said Rhodes as he shook Hufnagel’s hand.
“You are a captain?” Hufnagel asked. “The last time I saw you, you were a petty officer.”
Rhodes laughed. “And you were just a lieutenant. Now look at us. I’m in charge here and you are getting glory for sinking the two Russian corvettes that attacked the Lincoln. Nice work Mike,” he said.
“That was you?” asked Boats. “Shit, I must have trained you right.”
The men laughed and resumed their sea stories. The session finally ended near midnight when everyone bid their farewells.
Jeffers felt better than he had in weeks. Too keyed up to go to bed, he made his way to the O-10 level, the highest deck on the ship just below spot one. From that height he could look out over almost the entire city and even across the bay. The breeze was refreshing and the view something people would die for. He caught a whiff of flowers in the air that seemed to relax him even more. If they were right, the world was at peace once again. He felt elated that he had survived the war and would go home, but it still had a hollow feeling. Although he was sleeping better, he was still bothered by the loss of his friend. But something had changed. He felt he could return the guitar and talk to his family now. Evan had always wanted him to meet his family, especially his sister. He chuckled at how Evan kept trying to push him on her. But he often talked of his family and Jeffers had wanted to meet them one day. It was too bad about the circumstances.