Neither man had budged on his position until Anton announced he intended to reopen the torpedo room. Sealing it off did not necessarily make it watertight, and a submarine not watertight was soon a tomb on the bottom. He guessed he could have been a little more tactful.
Zotkin had thrown himself into his desk chair and ordered Anton to obey his decision as if Anton were some junior officer right out of the Academy.
Navy captains are not known for “Aye, aye, sir” acceptance of ignorant orders. But seldom did they confront those senior to them, as Anton did now. What was he thinking? They usually saluted, and then departed to do the right things, ensuring smarter people in the chain of command were aware. This time maybe it was fatigue, stress, or an unusual desire to step to the front of the formation and disagree. But disagree he did. It had worked once.
“I am still responsible for my boat and the crew, Doctor Zotkin. I do not want a confrontation with you. Maybe we should raise the issue to Admiral Katshora and others,” Anton said, bluffing. Did Zotkin have the connections? Had Zotkin discovered that Anton had few if any? But coming from the Kremlin was many times all others needed to know to create a climate of deference.
Several awkward moments of silence grew between the two men.
Zotkin sighed. “Captain, I think we can resolve this between us. We both want the same thing. I am as concerned as you for the welfare of your crew.” Zotkin touched his chest. “I am, even if it seems I may be putting the project ahead of this humanity. If so, you are probably right because the importance of K-2 to the Soviet Union — the party — is so vital to our national security. That is why I push myself and I push all of you. It is for our nation.” He stood, pointing at Anton, then poking himself in the chest. “You, I, and they are all expendable for the good of the Soviet Union.” He leaned forward, his hands spread on the desk. “You love this great country of ours as much as I do. Forces of evil surround us who would love nothing more than to destroy us. They recognize that communism is inevitable. So they watch, wait, and will pounce when they believe they are powerful enough to destroy us. That is why we are racing every day to achieve parity and eventually military supremacy. For one reason only: to ensure our survival.”
“I understand that, Doctor Zotkin,” Anton said with a deep breath. He reached over, pulled a straight-back chair up, and sat down. He took off his gloves. He nearly grinned because he saw in Zotkin’s expression that the good doctor thought the conversation was over.
“That is why I must do whatever is necessary to ensure K-2 is a success,” Zotkin finished, the last words trailing off.
“Doctor Zotkin, I am your loyal servant, but I am also the captain of the K-2. It is my responsibility to ensure that when the K-2 goes out—”
“In one week.”
“—that it is shipshape and capable of finishing the test. Failure to have a successful demonstration of your atomic engine—”
“Reactor.”
“—reactor would be catastrophic for you, for me, and for the Soviet Union.”
“The reactor will be a success,” Zotkin protested.
“The reactor can be a success and no one will know if the Whale is on the bottom because the aft torpedo room was improperly prepared,” Anton said in a cautious voice, hoping to resolve the argument to where he could reopen the aft torpedo room. “If the valves and switches within the room are improperly closed, then the Whale—”
“K-2, if you don’t mind, Captain.”
“—then the K-2 could find itself in the muddy bottom of the Barents beneath thousands of tons of seawater.” He was the captain, and he alone was responsible for the safety of the boat. Not someone who was going to be on a destroyer on the surface while the Whale was deep beneath the ocean.
Zotkin leaned back, shaking his head. “You are exasperating me, Comrade Captain. What would you have me do? Let you reopen the rear torpedo room? Then what?”
Anton crossed his arms. “I would reopen it to ensure we have sealed the valves, the switches, and the aft torpedo tubes so it is truly watertight. Then I will have my men close the watertight hatch so it is sealed off. But we need to put a watch in there — a sailor — to make sure we don’t spring a leak. That way we’d be able to take actions to ensure the test is a success and the K-2 doesn’t run the risk of taking on water without us knowing it immediately.”
“I don’t understand. All I have done is take care of a problem that both of us faced. I have asked the machinists to weld the hatch shut.”
“You also have told them to weld the aft escape hatch shut. That means if we have to evacuate the boat, we have only the main hatch above the conning tower and the hatch above the forward torpedo room.”
Zotkin shook his head. “There is no danger, Captain. The K-2 is the most expensive project in the Soviet Navy! We are sparing no expense to ensure its safety. We have the best minds in our nation working on this project. And you want to bring it to a stop because of a small fire on board caused by a careless sailor with a cigarette.”
Anton uncrossed his arms. “I am not saying we stop the project, Doctor Zotkin. I am saying your way endangers the safety of the crew and might even cause the test to fail. I think neither of us wants that.
“If you would, call off the machinists. I will personally doublecheck the aft torpedo room myself. Then I will declare it inoperative and will station a watch inside it while we are under way.” He touched his chest and nodded toward Zotkin. “This way both of us can achieve a successful test, which is what we both want.”
“The test will be successful! There can be no doubt!”
Anton leaned back. “You are right, Doctor Zotkin. I agree.”
Half an hour later, Anton was climbing down the ladder into the conning tower. Gesny, Lebedev, and Tomich stood at the base of it. All three looked questioningly at him. Gesny looked as if he were surprised Anton had returned. Anton thought he detected a slight smile about to break out across his XO’s face.
“And?” Lebedev asked, unable to wait for Anton to step off the ladder.
Anton let out a deep breath and smiled. “Get the machinists off my boat. Tell the quarterdeck watch not to allow anyone else on board who is lugging welding gear. XO, reopen the aft torpedo room.” He looked at Lebedev. “Operations Officer, once the compartment is reopened, you are to strip it of everything not vital for its watertight integrity. Then you are to ensure the compartment is ready for submerged operations. I want to inspect it personally when you are ready.” He pulled off his gloves and jammed them into his pocket. “We are going to take the Whale, as scheduled, on the sea trials.
“I want the Whale ready for operations; therefore I want to ensure the fire has not done anything that will cause a danger to the boat. You are to tell me immediately if you discover something.” He glanced at the zampolit. “Doctor Zotkin and I are committed to having this be an historic success of the Soviet Navy moving into the atomic age. Lieutenant Tomich, may I suggest a party-political discussion on how the glory of technology is furthering communism?”
The smile left the zampolit’s face as the young officer pondered for a second Anton’s recommendation. Then a broad smile spread across his face. “I could use Doctor Zotkin as an example,” he said, his enthusiasm growing. “We could talk about Soviet science and its importance to the party; to the Soviet Union; and to spreading the equality of the people under communism.”