Russian Amerika (47 page)

"My God," Commander Gorin said. "It was like 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' in reverse!"

"And just as stupid," Captain Llerena said in a tone of disgust. "I almost wanted to give them another chance after the fifth ship went down. Did we lose anyone?"

"The
Hemme
took three hits but is still moving under her own power, and the
Mitchell
is dead in the water. The Los
Angeles
is preparing a tow for her. Between the two ships we lost about ninety men, including the skipper of the
Hemme
."

"Gary Cole was a good sailor and a fine skipper," Captain Llerena said.

"Those ninety men gave their lives for a great victory. The Russians can't even protect their own coast now."

"Captain, do you think we just won the war?"

"Perhaps, Mr. Gorin, perhaps."

92

Fort Chena, Dená Republik

Grisha carefully formed each letter as he wrote out his report. The War Council had asked he record everything about the Chena campaign while it was still fresh in his mind. He had been at it for the past two days.

Wing sat at a small desk near the door, working on troop allocations and placement. After only three days in hospital, Grisha already yearned to be in open air and talking to his troops.

"Colonel?" a soldier said from the doorway.

Wing and Grisha both said, "Yes?" They also laughed at the same time.

"Sorry," Grisha said, "this 'general' stuff will take some getting used to."

"What is it, Sergeant?" Wing asked.

"Sorry to bother you, ma'am, but Captain Lauesen is here to see you, says it's urgent."

"Who?" Grisha asked with a frown.

"U.S. Army, good man, real smart," Wing said. "Please show him in, Sergeant."

"Yes, ma'am."

"He's an intelligence officer, has more facts in his head than most schoolbooks," Wing explained in a soft voice that made Grisha think about actions other than military. "We're lucky to have him on our side."

Captain Lauesen walked in accompanied by a second man. He stopped and came to attention, saluted.

"General Grigorievich, it is an honor to meet you, sir. Colonel, I am very happy to see you again, too. You both are truly awesome."

"It was urgent that you tell us this?" Grisha asked, feeling uncomfortable.

"No, General." He turned to the man with him. "It seems we have a new ally."

The man looked familiar to Grisha. As tall as the captain, the man possessed broad shoulders, an athletic body, and dark, penetrating eyes. He wore military dungarees and a clean bandage on the left side of his forehead.

"You are Grigoriy Grigorievich, son of Anna from Akku, of the Killer Whale kwan, Raven phraety."

Grisha stared at the man as his mind rushed back through the years to childhood. He grinned.

"You finally cut your hair, Pietr, or is it Paul? It's been so many years." Grisha extended his right arm. Pietr stepped forward and they grasped forearms.

"You have brought great honor to our kwan."

"Thank you, my cousin. Allow me to introduce you to my wife, Wing."

"My cousin has an excellent eye." He glanced at her collar tabs. "And a woman of rank, in addition," he said approvingly.

"Pleased to meet you, Pietr," Wing said. "I'm Athabascan, so please forgive me if I don't know what 'kwan' means."

"Clan," Pietr and Grisha said at the same time.

"Grisha and I used to play together at our grandfather's house in the old village when we were boys. The last time I saw him he was a lieutenant in the Troika Guard. We thought we had lost him forever."

"I didn't know it mattered," Grisha said as old memories swept over him.

"It did, and does. But I have not come to refresh old pain."

"I don't recognize your uniform," Grisha said, happy to change the subject.

"The uniform was a gift from an ally."

" 'Ally' of what, or who?"

"This thing seems to run in the family." Pietr smiled; Grisha thought it genuine. "I am a captain in the Tlingit Nation Army. We have received a good deal of material aid from the Empire of Japan."

"Japan!" Grisha and Captain Lauesen said simultaneously.

"According to the Honolulu Treaty of 1950 the Empire of Japan is barred from becoming politically involved in any North American nation," Lauesen said.

"Unless invited," Pietr said.

"What is happening at home?" Grisha asked softly. "Why, exactly, are you here?"

"The Council of Toions realizes there is little time before what the Dená have done here will be finished. The Czar's government will relinquish this land and hold tighter to what remains. What remains are the Eskimos and us.

"We know we can ask the Japanese for military aid, even intervention. But if we do that we are forever part of their empire. That's a future war we know we cannot win."

Grisha glanced at Captain Lauesen and back to his cousin. "You want to join us?"

Pietr smiled again, somewhat sheepishly, Grisha thought.

"The Dená War took us unawares. We had no idea such unrest existed in these cold lands, nor were we aware of your alliances with other North American countries. It has occurred to us that were we to join forces we all might eventually create a united republic in Alaska."

The room stilled and Grisha let his mind run with the thought. It seemed perfect, both geographically and politically. He wondered if his wish to see Akku once again shaded his perspective.

"Captain Chernikoff," Captain Lauesen said, "what do you need immediately?"

"Wait!" Grisha snapped. "Wing, please ask Colonel Jackson to attend us immediately. Captain Lauesen, I think both of my allies should have a representative present from the very beginning of anything larger than the Dená Republik."

"Point taken, General," Lauesen said with a wry grin.

"Has a treaty been signed between you and the Czar?" Pietr asked.

"Far from it. We are still at war. The Russians have at least one major ground force somewhere between here and Tetlin as well as a large force in retreat from the Battle of Chena."

Grisha realized he was trying to get out of bed again and forced himself to relax. "Forgive me, cousin, I keep forgetting I have temporary physical limitations."

Pietr laughed. "You were always on the move, and usually getting into mischief if memory serves."

"And I remember that you were always right there with me."

"May I apologize for the pain I and my brothers caused you?" Pietr asked.

"Children are cruel, youth are callow, that's part of nature. Thank you for the thought, but there is nothing to forgive."

"A party!" Benny Jackson said, walking into the room. "What's the occasion, Grisha? Did they make you president now?"

"Benny, it's good to see you!" Wing said, hugging him.

"Good to see you, too, Wing. I'm still willing to try women if you'll be the test case."

"Sorry, Colonel," Grisha said. "She's snagged herself a general."

"May I offer my heartfelt congratulations?" He shook Grisha's hand. "I am continually amazed at how perceptive the Dená are when it comes to choosing their leaders."

"Okay, Benny, put on your Special Forces Liaison hat, firmly."

"Sure, Grisha, uh, General Grigorievich. What's up?" He looked the two captains over with a professional eye.

"This is Captain Lauesen, U.S. Army, who is our intelligence liaison. And this is my cousin, Captain Pietr Chernikoff, of the Tlingit Nation Army. Pietr, tell him what you told us."

"We need help, too. Without a navy we will never get the Russians out of our land and the rest of Alaska."

"How far south does the Tlingit Nation extend?" Benny asked.

"To what you call Dixon Entrance, that's where our Kaigani Clans live."

"All the way to British Canada." Benny grinned and with a glance at Captain Lauesen said, "Well, we just happen to have a fleet in that ocean."

A corporal edged up next to Captain Lauesen and pressed a sheet of paper into his hand before nodding and backing away.

"Bigger than the Russian Navy?" Pietr said with a scowl.

"I don't know how big a fleet they have-"

"Don't worry," said Captain Lauesen. "You do now."

"I do now what?" Benny snapped.

"Have a bigger fleet." He waved at Pietr. "This all may be solved as we speak."

"What's your message say, Captain?" Grisha asked.

"British Canada has sued for peace and all their forces are standing down. It seems they lost over half their Atlantic Fleet to the U.S.A. in a battle off Newfoundland." Lauesen grinned at them. "That's water as cold as you have up here and the weather's just as mean."

"But we were talking about the Russian fleet, not the British," Pietr said.

"I wasn't finished, Captain. Just hours ago the entire Russian Pacific Fleet was defeated off Vancouver Island. The Republic of California lost one ship, a destroyer. Twenty minutes ago, the Russian Empire asked for peace terms."

The room went dead still again. Grisha stared dumbly at the others who stared just as dumbly back.

Wing started sobbing. "Oh, I wish Slayer-of-Men could be here now."

Grisha opened his arms and she bent into his embrace. He kissed her on the side of her head, and whispered in her ear, "He is, where else would he be?"

"If you'll excuse me, General Grigoriy Pietrovich Grigorievich," Benny said with a smile and a salute, "I think my job just got a lot more complicated."

He left the room at a brisk walk.

"Captain Chernikoff," Captain Lauesen said. "My country will give you all the aid you need, I guarantee it, just wanted you to know. General, Colonel, I think I need to be somewhere else just now." He tossed them a salute and hurried through the door.

“So what does this mean, Grisha?" Pietr asked.

"I don't know, cousin, but it has to be better than what we had before. Doesn't it?"

THE END