De Bont took a deep breath and said:
– I prefer immersion. It’s hard to understand. And it’s even more difficult to explain. And so, as a result, now I am steering the yacht of a moneybag.
Stephen Frost wiped the sweat between his nose and upper lip, then spoke in a slightly different tone:
– Well, I won’t beat around the bush so as not to delay you too much. Let’s get down to business. Our company wants to offer you a job. The case concerns the operation of a submarine designed for civilian purposes.
– Someone created a submarine for a civilian?
– I agree, it sounds a little strange.
– And what is this submarine?
– Unfortunately, I do not have the authority to disclose such information. I can name only a few parameters. Length – thirty-five, displacement – two thousand and… basically, that’s all.
– Where are you planning to swim?
– Well, this detail will still be clarified. At the moment, all that is known is that it will be the Atlantic.
– Deadlines? – Luther de Bont asked in a somewhat doubtful voice.
– Launching is planned in approximately eight to twelve months.
– That is, the boat is already at the assembly stage.
– At the moment we have seventy percent of the assembly. As you understand, given the specifics of our company’s activities, this submarine is much more advanced than those in service with any military superpower. But I repeat, the ship is intended for civilian purposes, and more precisely, for scientific purposes.
Captain De Bont looked thoughtfully at the port waters and asked:
– How long is the voyage planned for?
– From sixty to eighty days. But if the swim turns out to be successful and the vessel performs well, then we will be ready to offer you cooperation on an ongoing basis. I’m not rushing you to make the decision. You still have more than enough time. And then, I understand perfectly well that you will want to look at the submarine with your own eyes before giving an answer.
– Sorry, but there’s no way without this.
– No, no. No hard feelings. This is understandable. Therefore, our company invites you to conduct practical tests of the vessel during launching. Of course, for a certain fee.
The captain ran his fingers over his chin and asked:
– Why did you contact me? Or is there a queue in which I am far from the first?
Frost carefully took off his glasses, after which he smiled again and answered:
– No, Mr. De Bont. There is no queue. At the very least, it depends on you whether it will appear at all. Since we often carry out government orders for the Ministry of Defense, our representatives have extensive connections in the department. So we requested information about officers who had the opportunity to command on submarines, but, due to reasons beyond their control, are not currently in His Majesty’s military service. In addition to you, recommendations have been received for nine more captains. But all of them are either near retirement age or do not have impressive achievements or valuable skills in their track records. And judging by what is indicated in your personal file, you have mastered the art of underwater maneuvering extremely well, enjoyed impressive authority among the personnel, over your entire career, ninety-eight percent of the shells fired hit the target; moreover, each new crew that came at your disposal demonstrated dramatic progress and organization in their work. As for the results of psychological tests, you didn’t disappoint either. You have been described as an organized and pragmatic commander, with no tendency to make impulsive decisions, cool-headed and able to sensibly set priorities when emergency situations arise. There is also emotional stability, which is maintained during a long voyage. But most of all I liked what was indicated in the «flaws» column – a strong addiction to smoking.
Frost said his last words not without laughing.
– My bosses almost fought with me over this. I constantly heard that a person who organizes an entire crew is not able to show his own organization.
– Stop it. Our company is not an army. With us you can smoke as much as your heart desires.
Captain De Bont rubbed the lollipop in his mouth more carefully with his tongue when Frost mentioned cigarettes.
Frost stopped and, after rummaging a little in the inside pocket of his jacket, said:
– I’ll leave you my number. As soon as you decide on your decision regarding practical testing of the submarine…
– I agree – the captain interrupted. He wanted to quickly inflate and explode a gum ball, but suddenly he remembered that he had a lollipop in his mouth, not gum.
Frost extended his hand.
– Glad to hear that. – Shaking the captain’s hand, he added: – But I’ll still leave the number for you in case any questions suddenly arise. I will be available to you twenty-four hours a day.
– Oh, really. Very rare even for hotlines.
Frost again burst out with his snow-white smile, which all dark-skinned people have. Suddenly he remembered:
– Oh yes, and one more thing. Mr. De Bont, do you have a smart chief mate in mind?
– Sure. He and I have been serving together for eleven years – we step on a board together, we leave it together.
– And can we count on him?
– Of course.
– Then great.
After a short pause Luther said with some doubt:
– Mister… Frost?
– Yes.
– Of course, I haven’t seen this submarine yet, but with such parameters I don’t think that two people will be enough to control it.
– You’re right. There will also be an engineer. But don’t worry about that. We will provide the engineer.
– And as far as I understand, this conversation did not happen?
– Now I have no doubt that this is a military man in front of me. You understand everything correctly. More questions?
Captain De Bont gave a negative answer.
Frost shook his hand again and slowly walked away. On the way back he took his phone out of his pocket, dialed a number and put it to his ear.
At this time, Captain De Bont looked at his boss’s yacht for the thousandth time. Suddenly the boat disgusted him more than usual. At the mere thought that today he would once again have to steer a toy-sized surface ship, Luther wanted to return to this ship even less. But it didn’t
