“This is how it will be from this moment forward,” he conceded unhappily, stopping to stare out a porthole. “We will need to throw our shoulders against the axis of history, and tip it over. But the very people we are trying to save will be the ones who most violently oppose us. I have no doubt my counterparts at Pearl Harbor are having this same discussion, perhaps even right this minute. And I fear they will seize the opportunity of this miracle—or mishap or whatever it may turn out to be—to reinforce their strategic advantages, no matter what their current tactical weaknesses may be.”

Yamamoto turned from the porthole through which he had been gazing.

“Major Brasch, what chance is there that you will receive a fair hearing in Berlin?”

“They already think I am a madman,” he confessed. “And they may be right.”

The admiral rolled on the balls of his feet, examining the carpet as though the answer lay there.

“It is not a matter of belief alone,” he mused. “They will come to believe. At some point, one of these new ships will appear in the Atlantic and sink every battle cruiser Admiral Raeder sends against it. From what Moertopo tells us, the captain may even be a woman.”

All three shook their head at that absurd notion.

“So it becomes necessary to advance the moment of their belief,” the admiral continued. “I think you will need to return to your history lesson, gentlemen. Scour the electric library and learn all you can of events set to transpire the next few weeks in the European theater. We will need to intervene decisively in some issue, making use of the bounty that has come our way.”

“Do you mean to take this ship into battle?” asked Hidaka with growing excitement.

“Perhaps Lieutenant Moertopo and his men do deserve an opportunity to prove their loyalties,” Yamamoto mused.

“But what if they are found wanting?” Hidaka asked.

“We shall not let them fail us.” Then he noticed the expression on the German’s face. “You disagree, Major?”

Brasch was lost in deep thought. He responded slowly to Yamamoto’s query.

“Oh, no. You are right of course. I was simply wondering whether it was such a good idea, to risk such a valuable resource. And one that cannot be replaced.”

Yamamoto considered the question a fair one.

“The Sutanto is a card to be played,” he said. “But there is something to what you say. The value of this ship goes beyond the guns and rockets she carries. The information in her archives is potentially more valuable.”

Hidaka leaned forward eagerly. “And not just that, sir, but a thousand little pieces of equipment we wouldn’t need on a basic mission. We should strip her down to the bones, leaving only what we require to make our point.”

He dragged out the flexipad that he now carried with him everywhere and held it up.