Ocean's War by Demelza Carlton

Author:Demelza Carlton
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lost Plot Press
Published: 2021-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

I woke to the rumbling of an engine. A motor car, or maybe a truck, judging by the noise. Daylight was already edging around the blockout curtains Tane had made me put up, so I dressed and headed for the kitchen.

Tane was already there, slurping a cup of coffee. "Good morning, Mrs McGregor," he said.

My response wasn't required, as knocking at the front door drew the ensign's attention away from me.

He returned soon after, alone but with a grin on his face. "Have you ever seen an American submarine, Mrs McGregor?"

When I shook my head, he beckoned me toward the veranda. "The first one just arrived. It's a beautiful sight," Tane said.

I headed outside, wanting to judge for myself. I followed his pointing finger to a small submarine with a smashed conning tower, slowly motoring into the harbour in the predawn light.

"It looks like a blue whale tried to mate with it," I remarked. "Is that why it's smaller than the Japanese subs? So it can blend in with whales? The engine's quieter, too – not as powerful."

"The Sargo was bombed on the way in. They're lucky the Lockheed Hudson didn't sink it."

Of course. Whales were not the biggest thing beneath the waves any more. But..."Aren't those your people's planes?"

The Captain last night had talked of a friendly submarine being bombed by trigger happy...oh.

"Yeah, but it's your people in them. It was an Aussie crew bombed one of ours. The Captain's ordered the bomber crew to wait for the submarine to come into port so they could apologise. They've been standing there all night." Tane grinned.

Sure enough, as the sky grew brighter, I could discern a squad of men standing to attention.

"The Quartermaster on the submarine said he wanted to punch the pilot." Tane seemed particularly eager to see this happen, but all I saw was a bunch of handshaking between the submarine crew and their attackers.

I shook my head. Bomb each other to the brink of death, then shake hands and everything was all right. Men and their alliances in times of war. If this was to be the way war went, we'd be lucky if it only took four years.

I could not go home and leave the men to it. I should have brought more sirens with me to help the war effort. But the return trip home and back here would take too much time. Time in which too many men would die.

Had my kind ever allied with humans like this before? Given I was the only one who spoke even one of their languages, I doubted it. So, I would make history.

I bowed my head and took a deep breath, then lifted my eyes to the water, where I'd dived in last night. Swimming home would have to wait.

Then my eyes focussed on something nearer, and I forgot all about water or swimming or anything else.

"What is that?" I breathed, pointing.

Tane followed my gaze and grinned. "That is a Harley Davidson WLA, standard issue army messenger motorcycle.

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