Read At the Narrow Passage Online
Authors: Richard Meredith
At the Narrow Passage (4 page)
Obediently we drank our wine and waited for Kar-hinter to get around
to telling us why we were here. Kriths don't hurry very often, though
they certainly expect it of humans when it's necessary. Well, that's
what they paid us for. And I rather liked the pay. I could never have
made that kind of money back in my Homeline.
"Now," Kar-hinter finally said after he had Pall refill our glasses,
"let me tell you about it. Or, rather, I shall let Sir Gerald begin.
Sir Gerald, please."
"Yes, certainly," the British general said awkwardly, reaching for the
map that lay on the table and then pushing it back, apparently deciding
that it wasn't time for it yet. "To get straight to the point, gentlemen,
Royal Intelligence has reason to believe that the Imperial Germans are
working on something called an atom bomb. Kar-hinter assures me that you
fellows know of such weapons, Outtime, that is.
"Yes, we do," I replied.
"Our scientists seem to have suspected that such a weapon is possible,
but they are a very long way from developing it. Kar-hinter tells me
that it is basically quite a simple thing."
Right then I was hardly listening to Sir Gerald's words. I was too
stunned by what he had said. The Imperials building atomic weapons!
It was fantastic. They were still three or four or even five decades from
that
. Hell, the locals hadn't even developed a really decent radio yet.
"Nevertheless," Sir Gerald was saying, "the Germans seem to have gotten
somewhere with the idea. Seems they have a rather bright group of young
scientists working for them, developing the theories of some fellow
named Eisenstein or something. He has been dead for years, I'm told,
but he left some rather impressive theories that weren't published until
a few years ago, and then only in the Holy Roman Empire. The book fell
into our hands only a few months ago. And then we began getting reports
that the Imperials were actually trying to build such a bomb."
Kar-hinter waved Sir Gerald to silence with a careless, unconscious
gesture of one accustomed to command.
"It is not necessary to tell you," Kar-hinter said, facing the three of
us, "what atomic weapons in the hands of the Holy Roman Empire would do
to our efforts here. They could, of course, if produced in sufficient
quantities, put the Imperial Germans in command of this entire Line,
even with their primitive delivery systems -- and we certainly cannot
afford that." He paused. "Please go on, Sir Gerald."
"Yes, of course," the British general said. "Well, as soon as we learned
of the German efforts, we sent intelligence teams in to gather more
detailed information." Sir Gerald paused reflectively for a moment,
then continued. "The first two teams failed to report back. The third
team did come back, rather badly mauled, I must say, but with some
information." Sir Gerald paused again.
"Yes?" I asked.
"The Imperial Germans have a plant on the Baltic, near Königsberg,
actually on the Gulf of Danzig," Sir Gerald went on slowly. "It's very
well hidden and extremely well guarded. We are not exactly sure what
they're doing there, but it is in some way connected with the atom bomb
project. That is all we know." The British general looked at Kar-hinter.
"Thank you, Sir Gerald," Kar-hinter said. "As you might suspect, His
Majesty, King George, ordered that this information be turned over to
us. When we learned of the Imperial efforts to build nuclear weapons,
we gave His Majesty a simplified explanation of just what they are.
His own physicists were able to confirm this to his satisfaction.
"Sir Gerald was then put in charge of the British operation to prevent
the construction of the bomb, with our technical advice. We
do not
wish nuclear weapons in this Timeline at this stage." The Krith looked
at Sir Gerald. "As much as we admire and respect the British Empire, we
are in no position to give them nuclear weapons, nor will we assist in
their local production. Considering the world conditions on this Line,
we cannot tolerate nuclear weapons. I hope you understand, Sir Gerald."
"Of course," Sir Gerald said without conviction. "It has been explained
to me several times."
"Very good," Kar-hinter said, imitating a human smile without much success.
"Will you proceed, please, Sir Gerald?"
"There is very little more to tell," the British general said. "We have
made three attempts to gain entry into the Baltic plant. All have failed
miserably. Considering its location within the Empire, it is, of course,
impossible for us to get a large force near it, even by sea. Nor, I doubt,
would it do us much good. As I said, the plant is well guarded: there are
several regiments of infantry stationed within a few miles of the plant,
and the Third Imperial Fleet is presently situated at Gdansk. The emperor
is taking no chances of our getting anywhere near it. And, of course,
we have now put him on guard."
"Then I assume you're planning a cross-Line attack?" I asked Kar-hinter.
"Ah!" Kar-hinter exclaimed, then made another of those expressions
that were supposed to be smiles. He motioned to Pall to refill our
wineglasses, scratched himself thoughtfully in an intimate place, and
finally spoke. "It has been considered." He looked at Sir Gerald. "What
Eric is asking, Sir Gerald, is whether we will establish a force in an
alternate Timeline where the area is uninhabited and then skud the force
into the plant and destroy it."
"Well, I was thinking of simply skudding a bomb across," I said.
"As I said, such things have been considered," Kar-hinter said, "though
if we were to do so we would probably skud a spy in first to see exactly
what they are doing there. But, ah, no. To answer your question, we will
not do that. We are already interfering with this Line a bit more than is
wise, or so the
Tromas
in the Homeline tell us. They will allow a
cross-Line venture only after we have tried all other avenues. If all else
fails, then we will be allowed to cross-Line at the Baltic plant. As I
said before, this Line is not to be allowed nuclear weapons under
any
circumstances." He glanced at Sir Gerald.
"I'm sure you know best, Kar-hinter," Sir Gerald said, though he didn't
seem to really mean it.
"Then what?" I asked.
"Now it seems," Kar-hinter said, belching politely and raising his
wineglass, "a very fortunate set of circumstances has arisen that may
allow us to gain all the information we need without ever approaching the
Baltic plant." Kar-hinter, like a second-rate actor, paused dramatically.
"And what's that?" I asked on cue.
"The Imperial Germans have placed Count Albert von Heinen in charge of
the atomic project. As well as being a distant cousin of the emperor,
he is a highly trained engineer -- for this Line -- and has made himself
an impressive record as a military field commander. Quite a young man,
as well, I understand."
"Now it seems that Count von Heinen is presently visiting Beaugency.
I am not sure why, but as I said, he is a man of many talents. Just why
he is in Beaugency is of no great moment. The fact that he is here is of
great importance to us. We shall kidnap him."
Kar-hinter paused again, finished his glass of wine, placed the empty
glass on the table with a flourish. As he continued to speak, he paced
back and forth at the head of the table, his short tail whipping in
the air.
"Von Heinen will be spending the night in a villa just north of Beaugency.
His American wife is with him, I understand, so we shall take her when we
kidnap him. It may be that she can give us some additional information."
"I don't follow you," I said.
"The wife?" Kar-hinter asked. "An American, I said. Doesn't that mean
anything to you, Eric? Ah, well, let me tell you. The Countess von Heinen,
née Sally Beall, is the daughter of the late Archer Beall. What
does that mean to you?"
"The ARA leader?" Tracy asked, speaking for the first time since the
conversation began.
"Exactly, my dear Hillary," Kar-hinter said. "The late Mr. Beall, killed
recently in the New York riots, was one of the major leaders of the
American Republican Army, as well as president of the Mad Anthony Wayne
Society. A very, very important man in American revolutionary circles."
Sir Gerald's red face showed obvious anger at the mention of the Bealls.
As a loyal British officer -- though he was, I believe, born in the
American colonies -- he was properly outraged at the rebels in America
who were causing so much trouble during the war, siding with the Imperial
Germans by their very presence, draining desperately needed troops from
the European war.
"Beall's daughter married Von Heinen for purely political reaons, I am
told," Kar-hinter said. "To cement German and American rebel relations,
so to speak. But her capture will be merely a by-product of the main
effort -- an in-depth interrogation of Count von Heinen."
In-depth interrogation
, Kar-hinter had just said. Mind probe! Now
just how in hell were they going to pull that off, I wondered.
"Let me outline the plan, gentlemen," Kar-hinter said, scratching his
more intimate parts again. "We will go into greater detail later. But
for now, the high points. You, Eric" -- Kar-hinter pointed a finger at
me -- "assuming that you wish to take out a new contract, will lead the
kidnapping party. At approximately midnight you will take four boats
into the Loire, row upstream across the German lines and into Beaugency."
"How do we get across the German lines?" I asked. "You make it sound
awfully simple."
"For you, it shall be," the Krith said. "Just after dark the British
right flank will launch an attack against the German positions east
of Beaugency and sweep toward the city. By midnight the whole British
right will be entangled with the Germans. Then, just before you start up
the river, a squadron of airships, laden with fire bombs, will proceed
across the British right toward Beaugency. It is a suicide mission,
I will admit" -- Sir Gerald bit his lower lip but did not comment --
"but it should do well in putting the city, or a good portion of it,
to flames." Kar-hinter paused, smiled, belched. "Then, Eric, with all
this going on to your right, with the Imperials so preoccupied with
the battle, you should be able to pass up the river in the darkness and
confusion with little difficulty."
Finally Sir Gerald could contain himself no longer.
"I must protest, sir!" he exclaimed.
"You have protested before, Sir Gerald," Kar-hinter said calmly.
"You have protested straight to Buckingham Palace."
"I bloody well have!" Sir Gerald almost yelled. "And mucking little
good it's done. But, sir" -- he addressed the naked, alien Krith as
a superior officer -- "I just cannot condone sacrificing hundreds or
thousands of British lives, not to mention a whole squadron of airships,
just to allow a handful of men to -- to . . ."
"Sir Gerald," Kar-hinter said firmly, his tail lashing sharply behind him,
"please restrain yourself. You have registered your complaints."
Sir Gerald muttered something else under his breath and then was silent.
"When you reach the villa," Kar-hinter went on as if Sir Gerald had
never spoken, "you will kidnap the count and his wife."
"And then what do we do with them?" I asked.
"There will be a skudder waiting for you," Kar-hinter said slowly.
"Now wait a minute," I said. "You told us that cross-Line movement had
been forbidden."
"Yes," the Krith said, "for the Baltic plant. But this action will not be
direct
interference, so to speak. You will take Von Heinen and his wife
cross-Lines to a designated place where there will be an interrogation
squad waiting for them. They will probe the count and his wife, and then
you will return them to this Line and release them. They will be conditioned
to believe that they escaped from you -- and no one will be the wiser
for it."
"I don't understand it," Tracy said. "Cross-Lining in the Baltic is
forbidden, but it isn't here. Why?"
Tracy should have known better than to even ask.
"Because it
is
," Kar-hinter said firmly. "You will do as you are told
within your contracted terms."
"Why the bloody hell can't you just skud them or whatever it is you do
right into the villa?" Sir Gerald asked angrily.
"It
must
be done as I have outlined it, Sir Gerald. This is the only way
it may be allowed. There are reasons that I would find impossible to
explain to you."
I could well understand Sir Gerald's mystification. Countless times in
the past I had run up against the same sort of thing from the Kriths.
I don't suppose we can ever understand their reasons for doing things the
way they do them. They just don't think the same way we do.
Kar-hinter looked at Tracy and then at me, scratching himself thoughtfully.
"There is one final matter to settle, gentlemen," he said. "Your present
contracts are about to expire, and they certainly do not cover an operation
of this nature. I have new contracts which I beg you to consider. You are
the best men available for this job, and I would consider it a personal
honor should you accept."
With this he pulled two sheets of paper from a folder lying on the table
and handed one to Tracy and the other to me.
I read over my copy quickly and smiled to myself when I came to the
part about the pay and the benefits offered for this job. All things
considered, it was one of the best contracts the Kriths had ever
offered me.
When I looked up, I saw that Tracy was smiling too.
"I take it that you accept?" Kar-hinter asked.
Without replying I signed my name on the bottom of the contract,
thumbprinted it, and handed it back to Kar-hinter. Tracy did the same.
"Thank you," Kar-hinter said with a nonhuman smile-thing on his face.
"That will be all for the time being. Food will be brought to you shortly.
I suggest that you rest now. There are bunks ready for you in the back
room. At nightfall the remainder of your party will arrive, and we will
go into the plans in more detail. Do you have any further questions now?"
"I have one," Kearns said, speaking for the first time.
"Yes, Ronald?" Kar-hinter asked.
"When do I leave?"
"When Eric, Hillary, and Sir Gerald leave," Kar-hinter answered slowly.
"You shall accompany them to Beaugency. You are to be their skudder pilot."
to telling us why we were here. Kriths don't hurry very often, though
they certainly expect it of humans when it's necessary. Well, that's
what they paid us for. And I rather liked the pay. I could never have
made that kind of money back in my Homeline.
"Now," Kar-hinter finally said after he had Pall refill our glasses,
"let me tell you about it. Or, rather, I shall let Sir Gerald begin.
Sir Gerald, please."
"Yes, certainly," the British general said awkwardly, reaching for the
map that lay on the table and then pushing it back, apparently deciding
that it wasn't time for it yet. "To get straight to the point, gentlemen,
Royal Intelligence has reason to believe that the Imperial Germans are
working on something called an atom bomb. Kar-hinter assures me that you
fellows know of such weapons, Outtime, that is.
"Yes, we do," I replied.
"Our scientists seem to have suspected that such a weapon is possible,
but they are a very long way from developing it. Kar-hinter tells me
that it is basically quite a simple thing."
Right then I was hardly listening to Sir Gerald's words. I was too
stunned by what he had said. The Imperials building atomic weapons!
It was fantastic. They were still three or four or even five decades from
that
. Hell, the locals hadn't even developed a really decent radio yet.
"Nevertheless," Sir Gerald was saying, "the Germans seem to have gotten
somewhere with the idea. Seems they have a rather bright group of young
scientists working for them, developing the theories of some fellow
named Eisenstein or something. He has been dead for years, I'm told,
but he left some rather impressive theories that weren't published until
a few years ago, and then only in the Holy Roman Empire. The book fell
into our hands only a few months ago. And then we began getting reports
that the Imperials were actually trying to build such a bomb."
Kar-hinter waved Sir Gerald to silence with a careless, unconscious
gesture of one accustomed to command.
"It is not necessary to tell you," Kar-hinter said, facing the three of
us, "what atomic weapons in the hands of the Holy Roman Empire would do
to our efforts here. They could, of course, if produced in sufficient
quantities, put the Imperial Germans in command of this entire Line,
even with their primitive delivery systems -- and we certainly cannot
afford that." He paused. "Please go on, Sir Gerald."
"Yes, of course," the British general said. "Well, as soon as we learned
of the German efforts, we sent intelligence teams in to gather more
detailed information." Sir Gerald paused reflectively for a moment,
then continued. "The first two teams failed to report back. The third
team did come back, rather badly mauled, I must say, but with some
information." Sir Gerald paused again.
"Yes?" I asked.
"The Imperial Germans have a plant on the Baltic, near Königsberg,
actually on the Gulf of Danzig," Sir Gerald went on slowly. "It's very
well hidden and extremely well guarded. We are not exactly sure what
they're doing there, but it is in some way connected with the atom bomb
project. That is all we know." The British general looked at Kar-hinter.
"Thank you, Sir Gerald," Kar-hinter said. "As you might suspect, His
Majesty, King George, ordered that this information be turned over to
us. When we learned of the Imperial efforts to build nuclear weapons,
we gave His Majesty a simplified explanation of just what they are.
His own physicists were able to confirm this to his satisfaction.
"Sir Gerald was then put in charge of the British operation to prevent
the construction of the bomb, with our technical advice. We
do not
wish nuclear weapons in this Timeline at this stage." The Krith looked
at Sir Gerald. "As much as we admire and respect the British Empire, we
are in no position to give them nuclear weapons, nor will we assist in
their local production. Considering the world conditions on this Line,
we cannot tolerate nuclear weapons. I hope you understand, Sir Gerald."
"Of course," Sir Gerald said without conviction. "It has been explained
to me several times."
"Very good," Kar-hinter said, imitating a human smile without much success.
"Will you proceed, please, Sir Gerald?"
"There is very little more to tell," the British general said. "We have
made three attempts to gain entry into the Baltic plant. All have failed
miserably. Considering its location within the Empire, it is, of course,
impossible for us to get a large force near it, even by sea. Nor, I doubt,
would it do us much good. As I said, the plant is well guarded: there are
several regiments of infantry stationed within a few miles of the plant,
and the Third Imperial Fleet is presently situated at Gdansk. The emperor
is taking no chances of our getting anywhere near it. And, of course,
we have now put him on guard."
"Then I assume you're planning a cross-Line attack?" I asked Kar-hinter.
"Ah!" Kar-hinter exclaimed, then made another of those expressions
that were supposed to be smiles. He motioned to Pall to refill our
wineglasses, scratched himself thoughtfully in an intimate place, and
finally spoke. "It has been considered." He looked at Sir Gerald. "What
Eric is asking, Sir Gerald, is whether we will establish a force in an
alternate Timeline where the area is uninhabited and then skud the force
into the plant and destroy it."
"Well, I was thinking of simply skudding a bomb across," I said.
"As I said, such things have been considered," Kar-hinter said, "though
if we were to do so we would probably skud a spy in first to see exactly
what they are doing there. But, ah, no. To answer your question, we will
not do that. We are already interfering with this Line a bit more than is
wise, or so the
Tromas
in the Homeline tell us. They will allow a
cross-Line venture only after we have tried all other avenues. If all else
fails, then we will be allowed to cross-Line at the Baltic plant. As I
said before, this Line is not to be allowed nuclear weapons under
any
circumstances." He glanced at Sir Gerald.
"I'm sure you know best, Kar-hinter," Sir Gerald said, though he didn't
seem to really mean it.
"Then what?" I asked.
"Now it seems," Kar-hinter said, belching politely and raising his
wineglass, "a very fortunate set of circumstances has arisen that may
allow us to gain all the information we need without ever approaching the
Baltic plant." Kar-hinter, like a second-rate actor, paused dramatically.
"And what's that?" I asked on cue.
"The Imperial Germans have placed Count Albert von Heinen in charge of
the atomic project. As well as being a distant cousin of the emperor,
he is a highly trained engineer -- for this Line -- and has made himself
an impressive record as a military field commander. Quite a young man,
as well, I understand."
"Now it seems that Count von Heinen is presently visiting Beaugency.
I am not sure why, but as I said, he is a man of many talents. Just why
he is in Beaugency is of no great moment. The fact that he is here is of
great importance to us. We shall kidnap him."
Kar-hinter paused again, finished his glass of wine, placed the empty
glass on the table with a flourish. As he continued to speak, he paced
back and forth at the head of the table, his short tail whipping in
the air.
"Von Heinen will be spending the night in a villa just north of Beaugency.
His American wife is with him, I understand, so we shall take her when we
kidnap him. It may be that she can give us some additional information."
"I don't follow you," I said.
"The wife?" Kar-hinter asked. "An American, I said. Doesn't that mean
anything to you, Eric? Ah, well, let me tell you. The Countess von Heinen,
née Sally Beall, is the daughter of the late Archer Beall. What
does that mean to you?"
"The ARA leader?" Tracy asked, speaking for the first time since the
conversation began.
"Exactly, my dear Hillary," Kar-hinter said. "The late Mr. Beall, killed
recently in the New York riots, was one of the major leaders of the
American Republican Army, as well as president of the Mad Anthony Wayne
Society. A very, very important man in American revolutionary circles."
Sir Gerald's red face showed obvious anger at the mention of the Bealls.
As a loyal British officer -- though he was, I believe, born in the
American colonies -- he was properly outraged at the rebels in America
who were causing so much trouble during the war, siding with the Imperial
Germans by their very presence, draining desperately needed troops from
the European war.
"Beall's daughter married Von Heinen for purely political reaons, I am
told," Kar-hinter said. "To cement German and American rebel relations,
so to speak. But her capture will be merely a by-product of the main
effort -- an in-depth interrogation of Count von Heinen."
In-depth interrogation
, Kar-hinter had just said. Mind probe! Now
just how in hell were they going to pull that off, I wondered.
"Let me outline the plan, gentlemen," Kar-hinter said, scratching his
more intimate parts again. "We will go into greater detail later. But
for now, the high points. You, Eric" -- Kar-hinter pointed a finger at
me -- "assuming that you wish to take out a new contract, will lead the
kidnapping party. At approximately midnight you will take four boats
into the Loire, row upstream across the German lines and into Beaugency."
"How do we get across the German lines?" I asked. "You make it sound
awfully simple."
"For you, it shall be," the Krith said. "Just after dark the British
right flank will launch an attack against the German positions east
of Beaugency and sweep toward the city. By midnight the whole British
right will be entangled with the Germans. Then, just before you start up
the river, a squadron of airships, laden with fire bombs, will proceed
across the British right toward Beaugency. It is a suicide mission,
I will admit" -- Sir Gerald bit his lower lip but did not comment --
"but it should do well in putting the city, or a good portion of it,
to flames." Kar-hinter paused, smiled, belched. "Then, Eric, with all
this going on to your right, with the Imperials so preoccupied with
the battle, you should be able to pass up the river in the darkness and
confusion with little difficulty."
Finally Sir Gerald could contain himself no longer.
"I must protest, sir!" he exclaimed.
"You have protested before, Sir Gerald," Kar-hinter said calmly.
"You have protested straight to Buckingham Palace."
"I bloody well have!" Sir Gerald almost yelled. "And mucking little
good it's done. But, sir" -- he addressed the naked, alien Krith as
a superior officer -- "I just cannot condone sacrificing hundreds or
thousands of British lives, not to mention a whole squadron of airships,
just to allow a handful of men to -- to . . ."
"Sir Gerald," Kar-hinter said firmly, his tail lashing sharply behind him,
"please restrain yourself. You have registered your complaints."
Sir Gerald muttered something else under his breath and then was silent.
"When you reach the villa," Kar-hinter went on as if Sir Gerald had
never spoken, "you will kidnap the count and his wife."
"And then what do we do with them?" I asked.
"There will be a skudder waiting for you," Kar-hinter said slowly.
"Now wait a minute," I said. "You told us that cross-Line movement had
been forbidden."
"Yes," the Krith said, "for the Baltic plant. But this action will not be
direct
interference, so to speak. You will take Von Heinen and his wife
cross-Lines to a designated place where there will be an interrogation
squad waiting for them. They will probe the count and his wife, and then
you will return them to this Line and release them. They will be conditioned
to believe that they escaped from you -- and no one will be the wiser
for it."
"I don't understand it," Tracy said. "Cross-Lining in the Baltic is
forbidden, but it isn't here. Why?"
Tracy should have known better than to even ask.
"Because it
is
," Kar-hinter said firmly. "You will do as you are told
within your contracted terms."
"Why the bloody hell can't you just skud them or whatever it is you do
right into the villa?" Sir Gerald asked angrily.
"It
must
be done as I have outlined it, Sir Gerald. This is the only way
it may be allowed. There are reasons that I would find impossible to
explain to you."
I could well understand Sir Gerald's mystification. Countless times in
the past I had run up against the same sort of thing from the Kriths.
I don't suppose we can ever understand their reasons for doing things the
way they do them. They just don't think the same way we do.
Kar-hinter looked at Tracy and then at me, scratching himself thoughtfully.
"There is one final matter to settle, gentlemen," he said. "Your present
contracts are about to expire, and they certainly do not cover an operation
of this nature. I have new contracts which I beg you to consider. You are
the best men available for this job, and I would consider it a personal
honor should you accept."
With this he pulled two sheets of paper from a folder lying on the table
and handed one to Tracy and the other to me.
I read over my copy quickly and smiled to myself when I came to the
part about the pay and the benefits offered for this job. All things
considered, it was one of the best contracts the Kriths had ever
offered me.
When I looked up, I saw that Tracy was smiling too.
"I take it that you accept?" Kar-hinter asked.
Without replying I signed my name on the bottom of the contract,
thumbprinted it, and handed it back to Kar-hinter. Tracy did the same.
"Thank you," Kar-hinter said with a nonhuman smile-thing on his face.
"That will be all for the time being. Food will be brought to you shortly.
I suggest that you rest now. There are bunks ready for you in the back
room. At nightfall the remainder of your party will arrive, and we will
go into the plans in more detail. Do you have any further questions now?"
"I have one," Kearns said, speaking for the first time.
"Yes, Ronald?" Kar-hinter asked.
"When do I leave?"
"When Eric, Hillary, and Sir Gerald leave," Kar-hinter answered slowly.
"You shall accompany them to Beaugency. You are to be their skudder pilot."
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