Chapter 2

When I arrived at the saloon, only Dimitri was there, filling a cup from a coffee pot. He waved it at me, and I nodded, so he filled another. I thanked him and wished him good morning, as I looked out to see empty ocean.

“I know that look Mikhail, it’s the look of a career sailor. I spent my early years in the Russian Navy, and I, too, appreciate the vista of empty oceans. The problem is that there could be submarines out there, just as there are hidden dangers on land.”

“You tell the truth there, Dimitri. Why does everyone call me Mikhail now?”

“Because we’re Russian, and this is a Russian ship, crewed by Russians and populated by Russians. Well, mostly Russians. Katiya is from one of the ‘stans, but we forgive her. She is a remarkable submersible driver. Yuri told me that you have dived for live munitions?”

“Well, rusty ones from the German navy in Scarpa Flow. They weren’t so picky back then in what they sent to the bottom. We did find the odd shell still in the breeches.”

“A live shell, in the breech of a gun in a turret that’s upside down and eighty years under water? That’s more than odd, Mikhail. That makes me want to go diving with you all the more. Skills like yours are hard to find.”

We picked up plates and explored the Bain Marie. The others started to join us as we were eating. Natasha sat down and the table was completed with Svetlana, who gave me a peck on the cheek before she sat.

“Good morning, Mikhail, I see that you have made yourself at home. I hope Dimitri hasn’t been boring you with his navy stories.”

“Good morning to you too, lovely ladies. We have agreed that our sea shanties are not for public singing. Like most sea shanties, they would be unintelligible to mere land lubbers.”

Dimitri burst out laughing.

“Well said. I must remember that one the next time I go to a reunion.”

Natasha put her hand on his arm and smiled.

“Don’t you remember the last reunion you went to, darling? You got drunk, along with your shipmates, and someone accused you of being a traitor to the navy, by marrying me and working for Yuri. I seem to remember that I had to get our driver to help me get you into the car. At least it wasn’t an ambulance, like your accuser.”

“I remember nothing, my love. Everything I did was through training. It was the drink that made me unable to hold back. It’s difficult when you are trained to kill, what say you, Mikhail?”

“I believe so. What they instil into you is the desire to stay alive, no matter what. I’ve never had to use my training in earnest, but it would get messy if I was drunk.”

“I’m right! I could see it in you. You walk with the easy confidence of a trained man. We must have a work-out together, one day. Talking of needing a workout, here comes that barrel of lard, Gregor. He thinks that he’s god’s gift to mankind. He’ll start to challenge you now that we’re at sea and out of any jurisdiction.”

I mused on the obvious contempt of his brother-in-law as we ate. When we had finished, Svetlana said that she would show me the ship. Dimitri insisted that I should see his ‘toybox’ first. The three of us went to the lift, and Dimitri pushed the button for the lowest floor.

When the door opened, I just had to look, in awe, at the chamber we had arrived at. It was quite long, some of it looking like a swimming pool, with a mini submarine suspended on rails over it, and several submersibles stored on the sides. I could see powered sleds, as well as remote controlled ones with lights and grippers.

“You have an opening keel?”

“Yes, there are two openings. One to the pool, and another under the far section, which we can pump out. The crane above that can lift four tonnes, and we can slide supports under whatever we bring up. We have found some wonderful artifacts which have been donated to museums in Russia.”

“This is more than a treasure hunter set-up, Dimitri. I think that seeing this has put me into a difficult position. Do I get three guesses?”

“All right.”

“You need me for something. While I was passed out, someone looked through my papers and saw my diving certificates. That’s why I was invited on board.”

“Three out of three Mikhail. Care to try another set?”

“Yuri, with the rest of you, is dependent on the good will of the President to keep operating. Anything that upsets that will mean a recall to the Mother Country, or even a visit from the storm troopers. You are all walking a fine line. You may even be working against the President, supporting someone else but under the radar.”

“You have a very fine mind, Mikhail. We do need you, and your skills. There are a number of collections we have to make, all from underwater. One is in a warship, on the bottom of the sea. Care to go three from three?”

“If you knew who I was in the medical room, there must have been things put into place to make sure nobody is looking for me. That means that if I say no, Svetlana will shoot me with that pistol that she just took the safety off. I didn’t see my bumbag this morning. Did it join my backpack as we left port?”

I could sense Dimitri tensing for any move I might make. I could hear Svetlana breathing several steps behind me.

“Would you really shoot me, Svetlana?”

“If I have to, I will, Mikhail. There is a part of me that will miss your companionship, and a part of me that won’t miss when I pull the trigger.”

“What’s in it for me, Dimitri, other than my life?”

“Hard work, very interesting dives, money, good living. Plus, Svetlana if I’ve been reading the signals correctly.”

“Has the ferry crew been bribed, and Michael Brown declared as the passenger who fell overboard?”

“Correct. The man who was lifted out of the motorboat was one of the crew who fell out of the boat trying to lift something out of the water. All the passengers were checked when leaving, except our party, who left with a crewman. As far as the Palma Police are concerned, their job is to notify the British Consulate in Madrid of the unfortunate accident. If you agree to work with us, there will be a Russian passport in the name of Mikhail Korichnevey with the same date of birth.”

“What about the lads that Gregor was larking about with?”

“Ah! That is somewhere I’m not prepared to go at the moment. It may come to a head in a few days. I will tell you that their families are strong supporters of the President. Yuri has business dealings with them.”

“What about Gregor?”

“He will try and test you in a way that he only knows. Maybe endurance, maybe strength, maybe shooting. He thinks that he is very skilful. With your training, you should be able to beat him every time. That will stress him to the point where he may let his guard down. Yuri has been worried about him for a few weeks as his drinking has worsened.”

“You say that the dives will be interesting?”

“Oh, yes! We will be doing one off the coast of Sardinia, while Yuri is off to see someone in the helicopter. It’s a sad fact, in my country, that everyone believes that nothing happens when the boss is away. Any satellite looking at us will follow the helicopter, as we will make a big show of seeing Yuri off. Although we will be under water, they could focus in on the air bubbles.”

“If the rest of the world thinks I’m dead, I might as well join you. I’m too young and have a lot of years to look forward to.”

I put my hand out to Dimitri.

“My word is my bond, Dimitri. As a military man, I hope that you are the same.”

“My word, and the word of Yuri, is our bond as well. Welcome to the merry band. Svetlana, you can put that gun down.”

I turned as she put it into her bag, then she came up to me and put her arms around my neck and kissed me. Now, I knew why she had been coy, even after we had talked long enough to gauge each other.

We spent an hour in that wonderful ‘toybox’. I looked at top-of-the-range diving suits and scuba equipment. They even had rebreathers which didn’t give off bubbles but were no use in long or deep dives. We went up one level and into a gym, with all the machines and weights you could want. Gregor was there, lifting weights. He looked at me as we walked in.

“There you are! Would you like to join me in a jog. We have three machines so you can join us, Dimitri. You’ve always excused yourself, before, probably because you know I can outrun you.”

Dimitri smiled and put his hand on my shoulder.

“There’s kit in the next room. Why don’t us old salts show this landlubber a thing or two. We can sing sea shanties to pass the time.”

He led me to the next room which had a range of shorts, tee shirts, socks and shoes, plus lockers to take what you were wearing and a shower area at one end. He and I changed into running outfits.

“Before we go back, act as if it’s a walk in the park, no matter how hard you’re hurting, although I don’t think it will get that far. Gregor is all upper body; he would have a hard time doing a hundred metres with a pack on. He’ll start easy and then dial it up. Just keep up and we’ll see him burst a boiler.”

We went to two of the running machines and Gregor stood at the third. I could see Svetlana sitting behind us with her phone out. We all stood on the belt at the same time and Gregor called out a number and an incline, which we all set and started jogging. At the ten-minute mark, he called a faster pace and steeper angle, so the two of us followed suit.

Dimitri and I were taking it easy, long strides and a minimum of body movement. I started to hear Gregor breathing heavily. Dimitri called out a faster pace and we followed his lead, with Gregor being thrown of the back of the machine ten minutes later. Dimitri asked him if he was all right and the two of us kept on jogging. Gregor didn’t give up, he had some water, took a few breaths, and jumped back on the machine at a run. Ten minutes later we heard him go off the back again, followed by the sound of him retching all over the floor.

Svetlana pressed a button, and a couple of crew members came in and dragged him into the showers. One went out and came back with a mop and bucket. The two of us just kept on running. After the two crew members had helped Gregor out of the gym, Svetlana started laughing and Dimitri said that we can wind down.

We eased off the pace and the incline and continued for another fifteen minutes to cool down. When we got off the machines, I was caught in a bearhug from Dimitri and a nicer hug from Svetlana.

“I called father before you started and streamed it to his computer. He is quite happy that his son was shown up like that.”

We showered and I saw several scars that Dimitri had, plus a couple that looked like bullet wounds. I said nothing and we redressed. It was time for lunch, so we went up to the saloon, where we were greeted by Yuri, who gave Dimitri a bearhug before nearly crushing the life out of me. I suppose that coming out of the diving chamber was all that was needed to show my acceptance of the situation. Gregor didn’t show for lunch, and nothing was said about this morning.

In the afternoon, Svetlana showed me the rest of the yacht, from the helicopter hanger to the workshops, engine room, and crew galleys, and finally up to the top level to meet the skipper on the bridge. It was more like a nerve centre of the yacht, rather than just a bridge. This yacht had more tech than the best warships I had sailed on. There was several types of radar, sonar, side-scan sonar, satellite links and much of the control was done by computer. There was a masters chair, with a joystick and various sliders to control the screws.

I found that we had four, retractable, propellors with three-sixty swivel, for use in a harbour, or for holding the yacht in place. It was explained that we could lower anchors until they were out of sight, but the yacht could be kept in place to within a couple of metres, using the GPS and these propellors, all computer controlled. It allowed us to move away from the spot in less than half a minute, with the course being preset and the bow pointed in the right direction before the main screws were engaged.

It was a sailors wet dream of a ship, and I made all the right noises with each new gadget. I didn’t think that there would be anything to top the bridge, but Svetlana then took me to a level below the original one that we had driven into the garage on. This one was totally different from the rest of the yacht.

It was more like a navy ship, all business, if your business was war. It was set out in six compartments a side, all able to be dogged off. Each compartment contained a gun. Two on each side were three-inch quick-firing seventeen pounder guns, mounted on swivelling bases. These had often been used with armour piercing shells and had been seen in many guises, even on tanks. It may be an eighty-year-old design, but was simple to use, easy to maintain and exceedingly lethal.

There were two multi-barrelled pom-pom guns, on platforms that could be extended out so that they could be used for anti-aircraft work. The other two stations each had a pair of belt-fed heavy fifty-calibre machine guns, mounted on stands.

“These have never been needed, but we sometimes test the drop-down outer panels on dark nights. I doubt that any pirates can get within range before the radars and heat sensors pick them up, but it’s nice to know that if a submarine surfaces beside us, meaning business, we can give as good as we get. I’ve been trained on the heavy machine guns. The three-inchers can be depressed to minus fifteen degrees.”

“You never cease to amaze me, Svetlana. I just hope that I live up to your expectations.”

“We’ll find that out, tonight. I’ve had some of my things transferred to your room. I hope you don’t mind.”

I answered that by giving her a kiss, while leaning against the artillery piece. Fitting, I thought.

We moved further forward to a full-sized firing range, with a large supply of different weapons, including a couple that I had fired in the navy, under the impression that we were the only ones that had them.

“Dimitri said something about Gregor challenging me to a shooting contest, Is this where it will happen?”

“No, he doesn’t even know this exists. Father has never trusted him enough to show him down here. You may have noticed that I had to input a code in the lift. Without that, the lift won’t stop at this level, and it’s only trusted crew who have access. In an emergency, the skipper can drop the doors and over-ride the code so anyone can come down. All the crew have had weapons training in the Russian fleet.”

Before we left the shooting range, she picked up an assault rifle, told me to put a target out to a hundred metres, and we took turns in firing from a standing stance. After twenty shots each, we called it a draw. She put a tag on the gun after I had cleared the breech and put it in a rack for someone else to strip and clean. There was another door forward of the range, but we went back to the lift. Perhaps that was another level of secrets that I wasn’t ready for.

In the main saloon, it was set for lunch, with a salad bar and hot food in the Baine Maries. Dimitri was already eating, along with Natasha. He swallowed, then smiled.

“What do you think of our warship, Mikhail?”

“Impressive. Old school, maybe, but adequate if you want to deter pirates.”

“And our firing range?”

Svetlana answered for us both.

“It was good for both of us. We called it a draw.”

“That’s good. It means that you have a very good chance at beating Gregor again. He does love his target shooting.”

This intrigued me, as Gregor didn’t have access to the range. I wondered where he shot. I didn’t have long to wait, as the man, himself, came in and shovelled a copious amount of food onto a plate, then sat away from us and devoured it, like a hog from a trough. When we had finished, he looked up from his plate.

“You. The glorified navy boy. We shoot this afternoon on the foredeck. Prepare to be beaten!”

I just looked at him and smiled, nicely. Svetlana took my hand, and we left the saloon, going down to the level which led out to the foredeck. We strolled along the port side to the bow, where we looked out over the water.

“Gregor has crossed the line with father. I don’t know what he did, but I do know that father is not happy. Natasha told me, when we went off to powder our noses, that it has come to a head.”

“Is the shooting contest likely to be the defining event?”

“I don’t know, but father is prone to big statements to ram home his commitment to the rest of us.”

I heard noises behind us, and we turned to see some of the crew come out on the deck, carrying drones and pulling a compressor.

“What, on earth is going on?”

“This is Gregor’s idea of fun shooting. Each drone tows a long string line, with ten balloons attached. They fly slightly faster than the ship, and you have to burst the balloons. You each get two drones, so twenty balloons. You shoot a Kalashnikov AK-108, with the 5.45mm rounds. They’re supposed to be accurate out to a thousand metres. You get one thirty-round magazine per pass. The first pass is at five hundred metres, then we have a few drinks, with the next at around the thousand metres. Unless there is a clear winner on the first pass.”

As the crew inflated the balloons and attached them to the line, others came out with a table and chairs for the spectators, along with a good supply of drinks and glasses. Dimitri and Natasha appeared, walking over to us.

“Mikhail. Gregor likes this because it makes him look powerful in front of his father. I spoke to Yuri this afternoon, and he looked very serious. I’m sure that something has happened which Gregor is responsible for, but I don’t know what it is.”

Eventually, the four drones were ready to fly, and Gregor appeared. He swaggered out and called to me.

“Come and find out who’s the real warrior on this ship, navy boy!”

I was given a gun, checked it over, and then a magazine. Gregor had the same. Yuri tossed a coin to see who went first. Gregor called before I had a chance to open my mouth and won. The first pair of drones were sent aloft, dropped behind us and then came forward into view. I was happy to be going second, because it allowed me to gauge the system. Gregor, if he had been at all canny, would have tried to get me going first.

As the balloons came abreast, he started firing, missing the first three and then hitting a balloon. The drone was moving away, so he flicked to fully auto and fired off a short burst, shredding another six balloons. When the second set came into range, he just left it on auto and emptied the magazine, bursting another nine balloons. So, sixteen out of twenty.

I stepped up to the firing position. I guessed that the bullet may drop an inch or two over that range, so aimed at the top of the first balloon. On singles shot, one by one I burst all ten balloons on the first drone, followed by all ten of the second. I had won!

Of course, Gregor would have none of this.

“Lucky first timer, navy boy! We will see how you go with the longer range before I call it over.”

We had a couple of drinks as the crew brought all four drones back on deck and started adding the second set of balloons. Gregor stood off on one side, on his own, looking as if he was about to throw up. Dimitri stood close to me.

“The angry young man has only delayed the inevitable, and I think that he has just realised it.”

I asked if I could have the rounds that I hadn’t used to get my range, and Yuri nodded his head. I stepped up to the firing point and used up the ten rounds that had been left over, missing with the first three before I got the elevation right, then popping seven balloons. I ejected the magazine onto the deck and replaced it with the one offered by a smiling crewman. I then burst the other ten balloons using fifteen shots.

Gregor was looking decidedly pasty as he walked to the firing point. As I walked back to the group, Yuri put his hand out and took the rifle from me. Gregor was shaking as he fired, only bursting sixteen balloons in total. When he turned around, I saw tears in his eyes. That’s when I realised that it had been a lot more serious than I had thought. Maybe, it was a test, a duel to the death. Maybe, on previous occasions, he had been the victor over someone who had raised the ire and was about to be eliminated.

Juri stepped forward and raised his voice.

“Gregor, your drunken boasts have brought danger to us all. You told your friends when you were in Barcelona where you would meet up with them at other ports. You revealed our future movements. I have had one of their fathers requesting an appointment at a place I would have rather he didn’t know that I would be at. I have also received an email from the Kremlin asking if I could drop in if we moor in the Black Sea port. You should know what that could lead to, a holiday in Siberia would be the least unpleasant outcome. I’m sorry that it has come to this, but I can only say, sadly, goodbye, son.”

He brought up the rifle that I had given him and fired an auto burst, emptying the remaining fifteen bullets into his son. He then gave it to a crewman, turned to us with a sad face, and picked up his glass.

Marianne Gregory © 2024