Curtis allowed himself a satisfied, if fleeting glance at Beanland, whose furious glare wiped any trace of satisfaction from the ensign’s face. Spruance and Black exchanged a look that revealed their doubts about this Kolhammer’s sanity, but before either could speak, he continued. As the words spilled out, Spruance’s expression turned from shock to dark, impacted rage.

“Admiral,” said Kolhammer, “we know you’re heading for Midway to intercept a Japanese fleet under the control of Admiral Yamamoto. We also know that you are ignoring as a diversion a Japanese thrust toward the Aleutians by the Second Carrier Striking Force under Rear Admiral Kakuta. We know that your Pacific Fleet Combat Intelligence Unit, under Commanders Rochefort and Safford, have broken the Japanese naval code JN-two-five, and so you have advance warning of the plan to seize Midway, including the entire Japanese order of battle. I know you won’t be happy that I’m announcing all of this over the air, but I can assure you it is irrelevant now.

“I am instructing all the ships under my command to switch on their running lights, and any abovedeck illumination, in thirty seconds.”

Kolhammer signaled to Judge, who set the order in motion throughout the Multinational Force.

“I know you’ll have trouble trusting me,” he continued, “but I can only ask for that trust. We will not fire on you again. We will reveal our positions. I would request permission to come aboard the Enterprise to explain what has happened. I can guarantee both your safety and that of Midway.”

As Kolhammer spoke, trying for the sort of reassuring tone he recalled from interminable post-trauma briefings he’d been forced to undergo as an active fighter pilot, Mike Judge passed him a handwritten note. The exec had taken the initiative and asked the acting commander of the Siranui to lower his ensign and park himself behind the Kandahar, out of the line of sight for the Enterprise. Kolhammer gave him a silent thumbs-up as he continued.

“I understand you’ve taken heavy casualties, but so have we. It was a terrible mistake. We will do everything we can to make good your losses, and we will stand down any threat to American or Allied interests in this theater, but I implore you to cease fire immediately, so we can sort out this mess.”

Lights came on all across Kolhammer’s fleet. Blazing like carnival rides, their sleek, radical lines occasioned almost as much surprise among the men of Task Forces Sixteen and Seventeen as had their initial arrival. A sailor thrust his head into the radio shack.

“Admiral Spruance, sir? I think you’d better come and see this.”