Chapter Twenty-Two
The German Captain was trying to convey something in his tone. Shaw was convinced of that. He lay back with his eyes closed for some minutes, letting the implications of Lindrath’s words sink in.
Lindrath leaned over him again and said in a voice as low as before, ‘Drink this. It will do you much good. It is brandy, the best.’
‘Thank you, Captain.’ Shaw opened his eyes, reached out and took the flask that Lindrath was holding out. Gratefully he drank, felt the liquid flow down his throat to send its warming fingers through his blood. He felt a great deal better after that.
A moment later Lindrath sat down by the bunk, leaned close and said quietly, ‘The sentry must not overhear. Do you understand?’
‘I think I do, Captain. Please go on.’
Lindrath nodded. ‘Very well. Commander, I repeat once again, there is so much that I do not like about this business.’ He paused, his eyes taking on a far-off look, a pensive look of nostalgia. ‘I belong, if you understand me, to an older Germany than would be properly understood by either Herr Fleck or Doctor Schillenhorst. I was a reserve officer of the Imperial Navy, the Kaiser’s Navy, during the First World War. As a young man I was at Jutland, serving aboard a battleship of our High Seas Fleet. I am a good patriot, Commander, and because he was my leader I supported the Fuehrer, if sometimes with misgivings. After the last war was over, and the Fuehrer dead, I was much saddened by what happened to my country, and by her divided state. This I wished with all my heart and soul to rectify, and thus, you see, when I met Herr Fleck, who is a persuasive man and a good talker I gave him and his associates my full support in what they proposed to bring about, to do for the Fatherland. Yes, my full support… I supported this concept of a Third Force to hold a balance, an important balance, in the world. I supported this when it went no farther than this Third Force, and I was overjoyed when the Directorate offered to employ me on their service — and back at sea, moreover, the sea which I thought I had done with years before! But then I did not understand fully, I did not know, you see, all that I know now. For instance, you must believe me when I say that until Herr Fleck arrived on board my ship during last night, I knew nothing — nothing — of the plan to harm America with nuclear explosions. I thought only that it was intended to bring the new missile down — harmlessly, into the sea! I believed Fleck meant only to spoil the test, to show his power harmlessly.’ He added passionately, his eyes fixing Shaw almost with pleading, ‘You must believe!’
Shaw said, ‘Captain Lindrath, I do believe that. My mind had been working the same way — before I spoke to Fleck. I was the same, you see. And I saw what you have just said in your face this morning, unmistakably, when Fleck traced that explosion-path on the map.’
Lindrath nodded. ‘He had told me about the plan shortly before that. I was much distressed — much distressed. The plan sickens me. Such policies, such policies of force and bloodshed, though on a much lesser scale, led our Fuehrer to his wholly predictable end—’
Shaw gave a low laugh at that. ‘Hindsight, my dear Captain! Mere hindsight. So far as you Germans are concerned, anyway.’
‘Possibly. There is no time for such an argument, however. I do not see how a more flagrant repetition of such acts can ever help my country, and it is my country that I wish to help still, it was not so much Fleck himself even before, and it is certainly not Fleck now! That is over, entirely over. Political reunification I would support — I believed, indeed, that I was in fact supporting such a plan. I do not wish to see force and devastation employed again, nor the world rent asunder. There has been too much of that.’ He hesitated, ran a hand across his cheeks. ‘There is something else also. There is the girl. It is terrible — that.’
‘Why — what’s happened to her? What’s happened?’
Lindrath put out a hand. ‘Do not be distressed, she is well. She has been… badly treated, yes, chiefly I think before she arrived on board. I see you are concerned,’ he added with compassion, ‘but I do not care to go into details. I have protested strongly about this and other things and no one has listened to me.’ He gave a humourless smile; it was almost a grimace. ‘That is new for me! I am not accustomed to be disregarded, aboard any ship that I have commanded in past years. But that of itself would not distress me… it is the plight of Miss O’Malley. She wrenches at my very heartstrings, that young girl.’ He bent closer and spoke even more quietly, his heavy shoulders hunched. ‘You know one thing, Commander?’
‘What?’
‘You have to get away from the Moehne and stop this terrible thing taking place.’
Shaw laughed hollowly. ‘You’re telling me!’
‘And you must take the girl with you.’
‘It’s easy to talk, Captain Lindrath.’
‘Yes, yes, you are right,’ the old man agreed gruffly. ‘But talk can be transmuted into action, with my help.’
‘Your help?’ Shaw looked up sharply, saw the smile in the tired old eyes. ‘You’d actually help me get away?’
Lindrath nodded vehemently. Sweat beaded his forehead. ‘I feel it my simple duty to do so.’
‘You would come with me, perhaps?’
‘No, Commander. I would not do that. I am the Captain of the Moehne, after all, for good or ill. I shall never leave my command. That is not in the tradition of the sea, to do that. You will understand, I know.’
Shaw nodded slowly. The tradition of the sea… dear God, what was that worth today? The Captain is the ship, the ship is the Captain, one and indivisible even in death, so the Captain goes down with his ship. That was the tradition of the sea all right — once in human history, and not so very long ago either. But now? Surely not now… and yet Lindrath belonged to the old order, heart and soul, by training and by tradition too. Maybe he would see things that way, simply and naturally, and wouldn’t dream of questioning his priorities. Personal honour and integrity would obviously stand very high on his list. There was something remarkably foolish about the old tradition — but also something very magnificent and moving. So, in his way, was Lindrath himself as a man…
Shaw said quietly, ‘You’re a brave man, Captain Lindrath. If I get away… what happens to you?’
The old sailor shrugged. ‘I do not know. It is in the hands of God. With his help, I can prevent suspicion falling upon myself. If He declines to help…’ He shrugged again, resignedly. ‘I do not believe He will refuse His help, but at least I am an old man, and I am but one. The others, the Americans, are many. Whatever happens, I prefer to abide by my own duty, and my own conscience.’
‘But your conscience needn’t prevent you coming with me, surely? As to your duty… are you sure your conception of that isn’t just a little too rigid?’
Lindrath said simply, ‘If so, it is my own concern. And there is, after all, only one possible conception of duty. If more people held it, the world would be a saner and a cleaner place in which to live. No — I stay with my ship.’ He sat up straight for a moment, then bent towards the bunk again. ‘Now, Commander — I must not remain in here too long or I shall become suspect. Listen now, and I shall propose to you a plan. There will be nothing for you to do until later tonight, but I shall be doing my part in certain ways…’