A STATE OF REVENGE

An original short story for my paid subscribers

“Captain Frohman, come in and be seated. You of course know Minister Churchill.”

“Of course, Sir Samuel,” Frohman replied, nodding to the seated Winston Churchill. “A pleasure, sir.”

“You may not keep that sentiment once you know why you are here, Captain,” Churchill replied.

“Sir?”

“Yes, well then, Captain,” First Lord of the Admiralty Samuel Hoare cleared his throat lightly and picked up a file from his desk. “We’ve asked you here because we have a mission for you. One you cannot share with anyone outside of this room.

“Read this,” he continued, handing the file over to the officer. “When you’re finished I’m certain that you’ll have questions. We’ll answer them, starting with what your mission will be.”

Churchill fired up a cigar while Frohman read the file, his face flushing redder by the second as he read. Churchill and Hoare exchanged glances. They’d expected just this reaction.

“My god,” Frohman exclaimed, closing the file and handing it back to Hoare. “Sirs, this must mean immediate war with Germany! The Titanic and the Lusitania? Both sunk purposely by the Germans!”

“War with Germany is already on the horizon, my boy,” Churchill said. “We don’t have enough evidence to convince our leaders, or our people, to go to war right now. But what has been done demands a response.”