CIRCLES OF TIME: The Great War
-by: the Yarnspinner-
the_yarnspinner@yahoo.com
http://strands-of-moonlight.my3gb.com
-or- http://strands-of-moonlight.6te.net
Rated: PG-13> Chapter 10 - Transition <
Snow was just beginning to fall as the deep-throated whistle of the immense Mallet steam locomotive warned of its imminent departure. The town of Tolland was forty-seven miles by rail from Denver, up South Boulder Canyon, and a favorite day-trip spot with picnic grounds, pavilion, and the nearby Medicine Bow Forest Reserve. Setsuna, Daniel, and Peter boarded the train, the car emblazoned with the name of the Denver and Salt Lake Railroad; it was known to the locals simply as "the Moffat road", after the company's founder. The whistle blew again, and with a gentle lurch, the train began to move.
Only a few miles later, the train began to curve to the right, starting the climb up the side of the canyon. This trip was called going over the hill, and was only supposed to have been in use for three years after construction was begun in 1904. But it was now March of 1917, and there was no sign that the long planned tunnel part way up the side of the canyon would ever be built, leaving the cash-strapped railroad to face a bleak future with high operating costs and a route that struggled over a high mountain pass on the Continental Divide where Winter's rule was uncontested from October through June. There was just one bright spot for the company. The end of its line, about one hundred eighty-four miles further on from Tolland, lay in the heart of one of the richest coal fields in North America. With President Wilson now readying the country for the possibility of war, the United States was going to need that coal.
Setsuna and her two companions were not concerned with coal as the train continued to climb. They were heading for Corona Station, on top of 11,600-foot high Rollins Pass, at what the railroad's advertisements euphemistically referred to as "the top of the world."
Daniel glanced out the window at the clouds overhead, and the steadily increasing snowfall.
"I wonder if we're even going to make all the way," he said. "Wouldn't it have been easier to just teleport?"
"No," Setsuna replied. "In winter time, there is no other way into Corona than by the railroad. There would be no way to explain our arrival."
Peter nodded. "And unfortunately, Eric wasn't able to be very specific about what he'd found. He just insisted that we had to see it for ourselves."
Soon, a sharp turn swung them around onto the second rung of the three "steps" that climbed the side of the canyon. The train's whistle blew again as they passed the tiny settlement of Ladora, once a home to the crews that built the railroad, and now a residence for loggers and the railroad's section crew. Looking out the window, a cloud of gray closed off their view down into the valley from which they had come.
Still the train climbed, maintaining a pace of slightly over thirty miles an hour. The train turned once more. Here was where the approach to the planned tunnel was to have been found, eliminating the need for an arduous climb. With no tunnel, however, the train moved onto the "temporary" section of the track, where the grade doubled to 4%, the maximum over which a conventional locomotive could haul a loaded train. There was no noticeable loss of speed, a testament to the big locomotive's tremendous power.
As the train labored still higher, they saw a broad strip extending up the hillside where the trees had been clear-cut.
"What is that?" Peter asked, shaking his head. "Such a waste."
The conductor, an experienced Moffat man, paused, having encountered this reaction many times before. "It is an eye-sore, sir," he conceded. "But it is a necessary evil to minimize the risk of fire. During the summer months, when you have six of those big engines hauling a coal train down the hill to Denver, an ember from any one of them could start a terrible forest fire." The conductor tipped his hat and walked on.
"Such a pity," Peter said softly.
"Very true," Setsuna agreed. "But he is correct about it being a necessary evil."
A mile further on, they passed Spruce Wye, a section of track built to allow trains to turn around. Here two more Mallet locomotives waited, with a rotary snow plow attached in front of them. The plow was simply a large circular disk at the front with blades radiating out from the center. The disk was attached to a steam-powered motor inside the car, which spun the disk and threw the snow out of its way. The locomotives were backing into the wooden snowshed that covered the stem of the wye, having recently come down off the hill clearing the track. In a few hours, as more snow continued to fall, they would make another run back up.
"Well, that's obviously a major part of their cost," Daniel observed. "Having to run that plow twice a day to keep the track clear can't be inexpensive."
"Definitely not," Peter agreed.
A few minutes later, they saw a lake ahead of them, which the track curved around.
"Passing Yankee Doodle Lake," the conductor announced as he passed through.
During the summer months, this was the most popular scenic spot on the railroad, but now it was frozen over. As they swung around the lake, they continued to climb.
The train began to slow, pulling off onto a siding.
"We're stopping," Daniel said. "I wonder why."
"According to the schedule, this should be Dixie Siding and Jenny Lake," Peter replied. "It's a water stop. I'm sure the locomotive has used up quite a bit of water since Tolland, and they must need to refill before climbing to the top."
"The weather's not looking any better," Daniel observed.
Peter put down the train schedule and glanced around the car. "While we're stopped here, we might as well see if we can pick up any traces of magic energies at Corona," he said quietly.
They each closed their eyes and focused their concentration. In a few minutes, the train whistle blew as the crews pulled the water pipe away.
"I'm afraid I didn't spot anything specific," Peter said.
Daniel shook his head. "Nor I."
"There is something up there," Setsuna said. "But it seems to be putting out only a very minimal amount of energy."
"Any indication that it poses a threat?" Peter asked.
Setsuna shook her head. "No. No indication one way or the other."
The train began to move once more, resuming its climb toward the top. They were soon moving up a long straight-away section cut into the slope, before entering a tunnel. Leaving the short tunnel, the track took them around a wide, gradual turn to the north, then across a pair of wooden trestles that seemed to just hang from the side of the cliff, high above Middle Boulder Creek basin.
The winds had increased as they drew ever closer to the top, and the snow drifts now towered over the train. Drifts of thirty feet or more were not uncommon here. They looked out the windows and up, feeling like they were traveling through a trench. Suddenly the light was cut off as they entered the Corona snowshed. In the gloom, they could see the walls encrusted with snow and ice, and the air thick with smoke and coal dust from the locomotive. The train pulled farther inside, where the shed widened to include a passing track and a wye. It slowed and came to a stop. Several other locomotives were parked there and idling, only adding to the smoke and dust.
"Corona Station and Hotel," the conductor announced. "All passengers are urged to move inside, please. We'll be stopped here for perhaps an hour while we wait for an east-bound freight coming up. Just please do not linger around the train, since the smoke and dust will remain quite thick for a while yet until they can escape out the ventilator shafts."
Peter, Daniel, and Setsuna were already on their feet, and headed for the door. As they stepped outside, they found the conductor had not been joking about the air quality. They each clasped a handkerchief over their mouths and noses as they climbed down from the train and followed the signs directing them to the hotel. Once in the passageway to the hotel, the air was noticeably better. At the far end, they opened the door and entered the hotel.
Opened in 1913, it was a top-rate hotel and restaurant, seeming completely out of place here on top of a high mountain pass. A glance outside through the windows showed several of the thick steel cables that were fastened to heavy concrete bases and served to keep the roof from blowing off.
Eric hurried toward them. "Peter. Daniel. Setsuna. I'm glad you could make it," he said. "Any problems?"
"No," Peter replied. "The weather seemed to be closing in as we came up, but apparently nothing the railroad wasn't already used to."
"Yes. I understand they're accustomed to bad weather," Eric said. "One of the railroad people was telling me that about six weeks ago, a storm closed the pass for nearly a week, and there've been years when they've been shut down for as long as a month."
"Not meaning to be rude," Daniel interrupted. "But I presume you brought us up here for more than just the weather."
"Indeed," Eric replied "I've taken several rooms. We'll go there first."
After they had reached Eric's room, where they were joined by Eric's two assistants, and the door was closed, Eric opened a small trunk, displaying an image of a small spherical object.
"This is what we've found," Eric said. "The real one lies out there in the snow, about a half mile north of here. It's positioned precisely on the Continental Divide and is magically anchored. Even the fiercest winds would not carry it away."
"It is an energy relay," Setsuna said.
"Yes. That's right," Eric confirmed.
"So why did you bring us up here?" Peter asked. "Surely not just to look at this projection. You could have easily brought this back to Havana."
"No. This is an energy relay, but it is a new type of relay, and uses a different transmission method," Eric said. "I know some people wouldn't believe me if I just brought back a report."
"I take it we need to go out there and have a look," Daniel said.
"I'm afraid so," Eric agreed.
"Is it safe to teleport this close to the unit?" Peter asked.
"Yes," Eric said. "It is only able to deal with energy projected to it."
"Any sensors on it, or in the area?" Daniel asked.
"No. And no sign of any wizards here at Corona to keep an eye on it," Eric replied.
They gathered together in a circle. First, spells were applied to shield them from the elements, then energy glowed around them, teleporting them away.
They appeared on a snow-covered ridge, with an intense wind whistling around them. Despite the protective spells, they still felt a distinct chill cutting through them. Eric's assistants moved forward and cleared the snow away from the relay unit. It was about three feet across. In addition to being magically anchored to the ridge, a spell cloaked it from mortal detection, ensuring that none of the summer tourist crowd would stumble across it.
Eric and Daniel both produced small scanners and began taking readings.
"Very interesting," Daniel exclaimed. "They've developed a way of masking the energy transmission within the Earth's natural magic."
"That will make it very difficult to trace," Peter said.
"Are they transmitting a significant amount of energy?" Setsuna asked.
"No," Eric said. "I think they're transmitting just enough to test their new network."
"Plant a transmitter of our own," Peter instructed. "But set it not to activate until they reach a significant energy amount."
One of Eric's assistants produced a small transmitter and adjusted the settings, then handed it to Eric, who reviewed the settings. Eric then cast a simple spell placing the transmitter in the ground, concealed within the relay unit's anchor spell.
"They shouldn't easily find that," Eric said.
"Good," said Peter. "Now, let's get back inside, if you don't mind."
They gathered together once more and energy flared around them, teleporting them back into Eric's room.
"Well, they're clearly planning something," Daniel said. "But I can't imagine what. Even if the United States did enter the war, the Order couldn't expect to collect a significant amount of energy in North America."
"I have to agree," said Peter. "And Samuel has said the Order is quite capable of transmitting energy directly from Europe to their base in Brazil, so they shouldn't have need for a relay station in North America."
Eric nodded. "And if this was intended as a relay between Europe and Brazil, they'd want it on the Atlantic coast, somewhere like Nova Scotia, Cape Cod, Long Island, or North Carolina, not in the Rocky Mountains."
"I don't think we'll find the answer to that question here," Setsuna said. "We know the Order must completely rethink their strategy for collecting energy if they are now to have any hope of success. This relay unit tells us they are developing a new plan, but we will need to search elsewhere for just what they have in mind."
"We will have to get to work on that," Peter said. "I think first we should consult with Samuel and Albert. This information may connect with something we've already picked up."
Daniel glanced at the clock. "How do we want to leave Corona?" he asked. "That freight should be up here pretty soon, if we want to continue down into the Fraser Valley."
"You could do that," Eric said. "But particularly at this time of the year, the only way back to Denver is back down on the train. Going to the west, the Moffat road just stops out in the middle of the coal country. And if you do go down the western side, there's the town of Arrow about twelve miles down, but it's mostly saloons for the lumberjacks. After that, you have to go all the way down into the valley to Fraser or Tabernash, which are both railroad and farming towns."
"So, if we go down that way, we'd just have to wait for tomorrow's train coming back," Daniel said.
"That's right," Eric said. "My advice would be to either stay here at Corona until the east-bound passenger train comes through, or just teleport."
Peter raised his hand. "We were concerned about teleporting in, and I think we should be just as cautious about teleporting out. I know you've done a thorough search, but nevertheless, I think we'll just spend the night," Peter said. "Daniel, you and I will go back to the lobby to see about rooms."- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A week later they were back at the Havana center. Samuel and Albert stood together in the center of the room, with several thick file folders on the table in front of them.
"In addition to the new relay unit atop Rollins Pass in Colorado, we've found three more across North America, and we have indications of several more around the world," Samuel said. "We're not sure what they're planning as yet, but it does seem to be almost worldwide."
Albert uncovered a large world map, showing a number of relay units. "As you can see, the relay points appear to be positioned to cover not only the theaters of combat, but also all of the world's developed nations."
"Any ideas on what they might be up to?" Peter asked.
"No, I'm afraid not," Samuel said. "Except that it seems to be something on a global scale."
Aaron stepped forward. "At the moment, I think we have a more pressing problem. The United States is perhaps only weeks away from entering the war on the Allied side."
"Very true," Albert said. "The Germans have launched a new wave of unrestricted submarine warfare in the Atlantic, determined to starve Britain into submission. This time, the Germans seem determined to ignore the American protests, even though Wilson has been preparing the American public for the possibility of intervention since late in 1916."
"But the question now is, how do we keep the Americans out of the war," Aaron said. "We have to prevent the war from spreading any farther."
"I agree," Peter said. "It is critical that we keep the Americans out."
"Is that even possible at this late date?" Daniel asked. "The American and German positions are diametrically opposed. If the Americans back down, they'd effectively be abandoning any notion of the rights of neutrals. If the Germans back down, they'd be giving up any serious hope of winning the war."
"Daniel is correct," said Albert. "Neither side can truly afford to back down this time, while the Zimmermann note to Mexico, seeking to draw Mexico into an alliance against the United States, and this new round of unlimited submarine warfare, which was announced by the German chancellor even as he was praising Wilson's peace efforts, have thoroughly soured American opinion toward Germany. The United States severed relations with Germany on February 3, just two days after the submarine campaign officially began."
"We have good reason to suspect the Order has been applying pressure to bring about these ends," Samuel added. "Clearly they want to get the Americans involved to bring in a supply of fresh blood to add to the slaughter."
"So, are you suggesting that it is too late to keep the Americans out?" Aaron asked.
"Yes. I believe so," Albert answered.
"There is nothing we can do?" Aaron persisted.
"No. Not unless you want to take on a very active and visible involvement," Samuel said.
They all fell silent, knowing that such an option was out of the question.
"The question is academic," Setsuna said quietly. "The Americans must become involved."
"Why?" Aaron challenged. "It will only aid the Order's cause."
Setsuna shook her head. "Wilson's peace proposals, though not yet definitively stated, offer the Germans a way to end the war, while the threat of three million fresh soldiers added to the Allied side spells certain defeat. The European powers are all virtually exhausted. The Americans are fresh, and they have tremendous resources available to put into the field."
"But those American soldiers will only add to the energy being collected by the Order," Aaron said.
"But American intervention will force the war to a much sooner end," Setsuna answered. "If left to themselves the European powers might continue fighting for several more years yet. An American involvement rules that out."
"So why would Germany risk an American intervention?" Eric asked.
"The German General Staff believes their submarine campaign will starve Britain and slow the arrival of American forces sufficiently that Britain will be forced out of the war before the Americans can make their presence felt," said Samuel.
"Is there any chance that the Germans are correct?" Aaron asked.
Albert shook his head. "Extremely doubtful. There is already at least some talk in both London and Washington of organizing merchant ships into convoys. Together, the American and Royal Navies have a sufficient number of escort ships to protect a system of convoys. That will make life very difficult for the U-boats."
"But convoys will just put all those ships in one place," Aaron objected. "How can that help?"
"A handful of destroyers can protect thirty ships in a group, whereas those same thirty ships are unprotected on their own," Samuel said. "And while thirty merchantmen might be a very tempting target for any U-boat skipper, he would certainly think twice about taking on the convoy's escorts."
"Even if the U-boat succeeded in sinking one or two of the ships, the escorts would either sink it or drive it off, allowing the remainder of the convoy to get through," Albert added. "The German plan depends on their current submarine campaign sinking about 600,000 tons a month for six months. A convoy system would destroy those hopes."
"In any case, the Americans must become involved," Setsuna stated with certainty.
Aaron opened his mouth to argue, but then thought better of it.
"Well, if the Americans are going to become involved, then we'll just have to resign ourselves to it," said Peter. "Right now, however, we do need to focus our attention on learning what the Order is planning."
"Our sources are already monitoring closely for any further indications," Samuel said. "Eventually, the Order will have to show some of their intentions."- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Among the German leadership some dismissed the threat of American intervention.
"They will not even come, because our submarines will sink them. Thus America from a military point of view means nothing, and again nothing and for a third time nothing," Admiral Eduard von Capelle, the Secretary of State for the Navy, had assured the German parliament on January 31, 1917.
If one looked only at the 107,000-man U.S. Army, which ranked 17th in size in the world and had seen no major operations since the end of the American Civil War, the Admiral's overconfidence might have been forgiven. But the United States also possessed a large, modern and highly effective navy, a large population of young men ready to be called to service, and tremendous industrial capacity well out of range of any other combatant.
Woodrow Wilson in 1915 had said America was "too proud to fight", and the United States had turned the other cheek to a number of diplomatic affronts. By 1917, Wilson was no longer prepared to stand by, and was merely waiting for Germany to commit an overt act. In February and March, U-boats sank American ships, and on April 2, Wilson sent a formal request for war to Congress, which gave its approval on April 6.
While the Americans began to implement conscription to raise an expeditionary force of nearly three million men, the German U-boat campaign continued with deadly effectiveness. April proved the high point of the campaign, with more than 875,000 tons sunk, over half of it British. Despair seized the Admiralty, where more traditionalist elements had long held out against the convoy idea. In the face of such horrific losses, and with the food supply threatening to fall below six weeks, Prime Minister David Lloyd George overruled the admirals and ordered implementation of convoys. The first convoy was formed on May 10, and immediately the loss rate fell. New destroyers and other escorts were being put into service, along with the depth charge and the hydrophone, to exact a serious toll against the U-boats.
Russia was fast collapsing. Tsar Nicholas II had abdicated in March in the face of the total collapse of his administration, and the armies falling back in total defeat. The Russian Duma, previously a body with only minimal authority, now formed a provisional government. At the same time, however, the Bolshevik-dominated Petrograd Soviet set itself up as a rival government. The Provisional Government announced its determination to continue the war, costing it support among many war-weary Russians.
Germany continued its efforts to get Russia out of the war, allowing Vladimir Lenin safe passage home to Russia from his exile in Switzerland. Lenin had longed denounced the war, and now called for "all power to the Soviets", the socialist and populist inspired assemblies that the Bolsheviks had organized across the country, to topple the Provisional Government and take Russia out of the war.
In Austria, the parliament met for the first time since 1914, quickly forming into national groups, calling for eventual independence. The old emperor, Franz Josef, had died in November of 1916, and his grand-nephew, Karl, now found himself on a very unsteady throne. Karl promised constitutional revisions of the empire in favor of the nationalities, but only after the war was over.
Among the Allied powers, the smaller ones were now in trouble. The Balkan states were being overwhelmed by the German and Austro-Hungarian forces freed by the ongoing Russian collapse, while the Central Powers had launched an offensive from Tyrol, throwing the Italians back in rout. A message attributed to the Italian army commander in the Dolomite mountains appeared in Rome informing the queen that if she wanted to see Trieste, the Austrian-held port on the Adriatic which Italy coveted, she should purchase a picture-postcard.
This left Britain and France to bear the burden on their own, struggling to hold on with exhausted armies, knowing that significant American help was still a year away.- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
The Caribbean was now a sea at war. Ships coming from the Panama Canal traveled in convoys. In Havana, the harbor now bustled with maritime traffic. Ships of the U.S. Navy were frequent visitors as they covered the convoys. The city itself had seen some of its business slow, as many of the regular tourists were gone for the duration.
The cool breeze still blew in off the ocean as Daniel and Setsuna walked along the beach. In the distance, both could sense the presence of blacked-out ships making their way cautiously along the shipping channels.
"Will next year finally see the end of this?" Daniel asked.
"You know I cannot answer that," Setsuna replied. "You and your fellow Paladins have access to information from the highest levels of the combatant governments. From that, you should be able to tell much."
He nodded. "I know. I'm sorry for asking."
They continued walking, eventually coming to a fallen log. She sat down. He moved up behind her, leaning down and kissing her cheek.
"Are you thinking about what happens once this is all over?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No. Not yet... None of us can afford to start thinking ahead like that. There's still too much to do."
"I know," he agreed. "I think Samuel and Albert are right that Germany won't seriously consider asking for terms until after they've launched a major offensive in the Spring of 1918."
"That will be their last chance before American numbers become overpowering," she said.
He sat down beside her and took her hand in his own. As he looked down at her hand, he struggled with his own thoughts. She turned and looked at him, but remained silent.
"I don't want to be too forward," he said quietly. "But you are very special to me, and this is a very beautiful evening..."
"Yes, it is," she said, after he had fallen quiet again.
"Well... I was thinking that... uhm, we could afford some time off," he said. "Ah, that is, just the two of us... And I know of a nicely secluded place."
She smiled at him. "Are you suggesting we spend the night together?" she asked, the calm of her voice belying her own conflicting emotions.
"Well, uhm, yes, I am," he said. "That is... if you don't object."
As she felt the gentle pressure of his hand on hers, she gazed out across the water. Already she had become more personally involved with him than with anyone else. But eventually it would have to end. There was no possibility of sharing a normal, mortal existence with him. At the same time, however, she had experienced many happy moments with him already, which she would have missed had she shut herself off as she had originally planned.
He glanced over at her, recognizing the conflict within her. Though he wanted to say something, he knew there was nothing more he could say that would help her reach her decision.
She turned her head toward him and their eyes met. A smile formed on her lips and she squeezed his hand, then leaned over and kissed him.
"I'd love to spend some quiet time with you, my love," she said.
He kissed her in return, the kiss becoming deeper and more passionate. In only a moment, he teleported them both to a small island in the Caribbean. A cottage stood on the slope, overlooking the beach below. He led her toward the door.
"You're sure of this?" he asked.
She simply nodded.
They came together for a long, wet, passionate kiss. Her dark eyes, normally so impenetrable, now sparkled with passion, displaying clearly that the "solitary one" was nevertheless still a woman with emotional needs of her own.
Moving inside, they pushed the door closed and kissed once more. Fingers began unfastening buttons, and clothes fell to the floor. Now with just undergarments remaining, they found their way into the bedroom.
"Setsuna, I love you," he whispered, turning his attention to her remaining garments.
"I love you," she said softly.< To be continued >
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Always remember, good gentles, that a yarnspinner works from and within existing legends and stories. The characters of "Sailor Moon" belong to others. In spinning my yarns, I do not seek to infringe on their rights of ownership, but merely to join with other fans to spread the legend still further. "The moonlight carries a message of love." Enjoy.-04.30.2001