Igor seemed surprised at this.
“I didn’t know that, Konstantin. I wonder where he kept this boat, and where he stayed during his visits. You must show me this diary next time we get together.”
“I’d be glad to, Igor. I have a copy right in my own library and would love to share it with you. Our beloved Peter was quite a fellow. Even I’ve been able to learn a little more about naval tactics by reading his memoirs.
That one was years before his time.”
“And thank goodness for that,” replied Igor.
“Otherwise there’s no telling how long Russia would have kept its doors closed to Europe and the rest of the world.”
Deputy Secretary Krasino was all set to convey his opinion when Svetlana arrived with a tray of food. The bespectacled bureaucrat immediately stood to help her with this platter heaped with all sorts of appetizing delicacies.
“Why thank you, Comrade Krasino,” said Svetlana, who readily accepted her guest’s gracious assistance.
“Could you please set it down on the coffee table?”
“Of course, Comrade Doctor,” answered the bureaucrat.
Noting that she had the full attention of her husband and his visitors, she hurriedly addressed them.
“I know it’s not much, but it should serve to tide you over until dinner. There’s smoked salmon, herring with sour cream and onions, fresh tongue, black bread, and some cheese blini that I cooked myself.”
“I can personally vouch for the blini,” interceded Igor, as he hungrily eyed the platter.
“They’re as sweet and delicate as a loving wife’s heart.”
Svetlana couldn’t help but smile at this remark.
“The plates are right there, so don’t be shy. Go ahead and dig in.”
As the Admiral of the Fleet and the Deputy Secretary each reached forward to grab one of the bone china plates, Svetlana addressed a question to her husband.
“Shall I serve the tea now or with dessert?”
Igor lowered his voice and winked.
“Wait until later, dear wife. And perhaps we’ll have something to celebrate, and imbibe a beverage of a bit more substance.”
“I’ve already got the champagne on ice, husband.
Good luck to you, and don’t eat too many blini.”
With this, she left them. Igor joined his guests and loaded up a plateful of food. While the Admiral of the Fleet munched away on a blini, and the Deputy Secretary bit into a tongue sandwich, Igor went to work on a helping of herring.
“My, these blini are tasty,” said Konstantin Markov as he spooned up another helping.
Igor nodded.
“Svetlana got the recipe from her mother. She says that’s how she won my heart.”
“You’re a lucky man, Igor,” reflected Konstantin between bites of the tender sour-cream-filled pancake.
“I’ll say,” concurred Stanislav Krasino.
“Not only is the Comrade Doctor an excellent hostess, but from what I hear from my cousin, an excellent administrator as well.”
“I don’t know what I did to deserve such a woman,” Igor said with a sigh.
The Admiral of the Fleet slyly grinned.
“It’s your sparkling personality that won her, Igor. Back at naval headquarters, they say that you can charm the wallet right out of a capitalist’s pocket.”
“And their latest missile warhead right out from under their noses,” added the Deputy Secretary.
“At the Kremlin they’re still talking about your operation in the South Pacific. Even the Premier still boasts of your unprecedented success in stealing the Trident II prototype.”
Igor grunted.
“Too bad that I couldn’t have followed it up with yet another treasure, this time an AD CAP torpedo plucked from the waters off Southern California.
But such are the fortunes of war.”
The Deputy Secretary put down his sandwich and locked his gaze on his host.
“I was alongside the Premier when word of our failure reached the Kremlin.
Soon afterward, the American ambassador called. He hinted that we were to blame for the seven sailors who died when their Spruance class destroyer hit that mine.
He also mentioned that 25 others were hospitalized with serious cuts, bruises, and burns. Thank the fates that the ship didn’t sink altogether. Yet this still puts us in an awkward position, just as we were undermining the NATO coalition by gaining the trust of its members.”
“Why is that?” asked Igor.
“The imperialists still have no proof that we were the ones responsible.”
The Deputy Secretary shook his head.
“But what about the sound tapes that the American ambassador mentioned? They supposedly hold the signatures of two of our submarines that had been caught in U.S. waters just when the blast occurred.”
“These tapes don’t mean a damn thing!” exclaimed Igor.
“Admiral Starobin is correct,” added Konstantin Markov.
“Even if these tapes were released to the public, who has the ability to analyze them properly? And even then, all we have to do is firmly deny the allegations.”
The Deputy Secretary frowned.
“It doesn’t look good all the same, comrades. Merely inferring that we were involved in this tragedy will produce new doubts in the minds of the NATO ministers. What worries the Premier is that these misgivings come just as NATO is about to vote on whether or not to remove all of the American short-range nuclear weapons from European soil.”
Igor briefly caught the glance of his fellow naval compatriot before looking the bureaucrat in the eye and voicing himself.
“In your esteemed opinion, Comrade Krasino, do you feel that the Premier would be receptive to a plan that would irrevocably sway NATO opinion back to our side?”
“Most definitely. Admiral Starobin,” answered the Deputy Secretary.
“The Premier’s number one foreign policy priority remains convincing NATO that their American warheads are no longer necessary.”
Igor’s green eyes sparkled with the same intensity as the waters of the gulf behind him.
“If that’s the case, comrade, all I’m asking is that you temporarily put our little set back in the waters off California out of your mind, and that you listen to the following proposal.”
“If it will indeed help us regain the trust of our European neighbors, I’m all ears,” offered the bespectacled bureaucrat.
Igor put down his plate, stood, and initiated his discourse while pacing before the screened-in porch.
“Regardless of what recently occurred in the waters off San Clemente, one thing that is absolutely certain is that Sea
Devil has proven its effectiveness time after time. No other underwater platform in the world can equal it when it comes down to stealth, accessibility, and the broad extent of its operational capabilities.
“What I propose is to use Sea Devil to strike a blow against America’s most important strategic base in all of Europe, it’s submarine facility at Holy Loch, Scotland.
With a minimum of risk on our part, we can close this complex, that’s capable of servicing both nuclear-powered guided missile and attack submarines for all time to come. As a bonus, our efforts will effectively cause the closure of the British sub base at nearby Falsane also.
“The scenario that I’m proposing is chillingly simple.
Sea Devil will be covertly conveyed to Scottish waters in the hold of a specially designed trawler. With a crack Spetsnaz team on board, the mini-sub will be launched and then penetrate the Firth of Clyde, where it will continue on to Holy Loch. Our latest intelligence reports indicate that except for the standard security precautions such as underwater hydrophone arrays and surface ASW patrols, the American base is poorly defended. We’ve seen this same naivete when it comes to security matters in most of their naval facilities around the world, and Sea Devil will easily run this pathetic gauntlet of defenses and proceed to its goal, an American nuclear powered submarine. This unsuspecting vessel will be at anchor as we approach it with a team of divers.