10 DOWNING STREET

LONDON, ENGLAND

It was often quite amazing to Winston, how even when people completely agreed on something, they could not work out the details. The Americans were, technically and practically, the allies of Great Britain yet, why was it that Churchill had an easier time dealing with Von Ribbentrop than he did with Secretary Hull? Winston chalked it all up to the realities of life. The situation between friends was often far more complicated than between enemies. With an enemy you often knew exactly where you stood and most of what to expect. The same could not be said of those that you actually trusted.

Winston realized he was getting old now because of how tiring the constant bickering had become. He was actually looking forward to when Ribbetrop would get back from Berlin because then, at least, the Americans wouldn’t be acting so darn childish about everything! The sun had already gone down, they had been at it since before the sun came up, and he had gotten nowhere in his talks with the American delegation. That was why Winston called for a break and retreated to his study. He ran his personal secretary out of the room and fixed his own brandy just before one of the accursed phones on his desk rang. He had so many of them, all with a direct line to one place or the other, that it took him a minute to figure out which one was actually demanding his attention.

He was very gruff when he answered, “this is Churchill.” He was quite pleased by the time that the man, on the other end of the call, finished his report. Churchill listened and smoked his cigar and then just told the man, “why that is quite interesting. Thank you for your attention to detail in this matter. Good show.”

After that, Winston called his secretary back in and had the man fetch General Marshall and only General Marshall. The American General came in and seemed a bit confused as to why the head of his delegation was still in the other room. The American remained polite at any rate and he asked, “and to what do I owe the pleasure, Prime Minister.”

Winston offered the man some brandy but he refused. The portly leader of Great Britain then sat down in his favorite chair. He had a cigar in one and hand and a brandy in the other as he began saying, “I have just heard some rather interesting news General. One that I do believe is far more important to you, at the moment, than to the interests of the Empire.”

Marshall was now at full alert and on guard, “and you’re telling me this why, Prime Minister?”

“Because General,” Winston replied, “it has come to my attention that you know more about what is going on than Secretary Hull. I have had time to read you General. I know that if you were working for me instead of Franklin, I would make sure that you know everything as well. I also believe this bit of information needs to be relayed in a timely fashion and I know that you are the man who can do it.”

Churchill might have been a master of this game but, Marshall was no amateur either. He proved it when he asked, “and what is this information going to cost us? Prime Minister.”

That sent Churchill into a jovial laugh before he replied, “full disclosure of your activities concerning the ring you now possess.”

Churchill might of thought it amusing but, on the other side of the room, George Marshall did not. He coughed. The he tried to get out, “I’m afraid that I don…”

Churchill cut him off, “come now General. The object in question was removed from a British Protectorate. I was one of the men that negotiated it’s removal and, I must say, your government was willing to pay quite handsomely for it. One does not pay that kind of price for a museum relic.”

Marshall gave up even pretending ignorance and now claimed inferiority, “anything I give you will have to be approved by my commander in chief.”

“As I am sure that Franklin will be more than happy to do,” said Churchill. “There is every indication he will win his third term so I am sure I will be dealing with him for another four years. He and I have quite the capacity for seeing eye to eye. The only problem, the one that you have is, this information is time sensitive and you do not have the luxury of waiting for instructions from Washington.”

Marshall put his hands behind his back and rocked on his feet, “and may I know the nature of this information? I can’t blindly agree to anything without knowing at least that much.”

“No,” Winston replied politely. “I’m afraid that in revealing any part of it, to you, it will expose one of our greatest secrets that, in turn, will possibly compromise the security of Great Britain. If I am to do any such thing then I have to be able to say, to those who would think it foolish, that we received something even more valuable in return.”

Now the American General was squirming. He could not even look Churchill in the eye when he said, “the nature of what you are asking for, Mister Churchill, is most extraordinary in…”

Winston bluntly stated, “the ring is some kind of device of extra-terrestrial origin. That is the extraordinary nature that you are referring too, is it not?” Marshall’s eyes opened wide and Churchill began chuckling again as he went on, “come now General. Our scientists were on the cutting edge of archeology for the better part of a century. We found, um, how should I say it, anomalous artifacts long before you even dreamed they existed. No one said anything because, of course, we really did not know what to make of them. They were always bits and pieces of things, ruined, they never worked but, we did understand that they were more than just ceremonial trinkets. Now you have an entire device that, by all logic, tells me that it is in one piece.”

Marshall bit his bottom lip and Churchill probed with another guess, “and you now have it aboard that carrier of yours, the one you just recalled from the Pacific for no apparent reason.”

The General’s jaw dropped and that was the answer that Churchill had wanted. He now knew where the ring was. Unfortunately, that made him the third world leader to have this information. That also made his information a bit uncomfortable. Winston was playing for high stakes here and he had just bluffed big. If Marshall did not take the bait then, unfortunately, Churchill realized that he would have no choice but to order the Royal Navy into action over this matter. That very act could put him back at war with the Germans and maybe even the American’s too.

Fortunately Marshall relented, “we believe it’s called a Stargate. We now know it’s a transportation device. It is one that leads to other worlds and we are close to figuring out how it works.”

That told Winston a few things he had only guessed at up till now but, it was certainly not everything. Winston was not sure of what that everything was but, he knew there was more. He also knew that he could not press Marshall any further on that matter. There was every chance that the General might not know much more than that.

Churchill decided that now was the time to lay down his cards, “you being a military man, do understand the need for discretion in such matters. So I must trust that you understand to consider your next action carefully. At this moment, every Nazi U-Boat in the Atlantic has been ordered to search for your Carrier, the USS Enterprise. They are even putting more of them to sea from their base in Norway.”

Marshall was appropriately alarmed, “do you know their orders?”

“For the moment,” Winston replied with a shrug, “they only seem interested in observing her. I cannot guarantee, with any certainty, that this will remain the case for I am not Adolf Hitler.”

Marshall turned to leave. He was definitely anxious now. Winston halted him with one last bit of information. When Marshall heard that his fear turned to anger, “that’s an act of war!”

“Remember General,” Winston said gesturing with his brandy bowl, “discretion is required in this case. I have no idea what the object of this exercise is but, I am taking it that you do.”

Marshall was huffy but he agreed. He then asked, “is there anything else you care to upset me with on this grand evening, Prime Minister?”

“No, I think you have had enough for one day General,” Churchill replied. He added as the American walked out the door, “and give Franklin my best shall you?”

Less than a minute after the door closed, another military man came strolling in. He did so without knocking and he was only slightly less alarmed than his American counterpart had been. Churchill greeted him with no great surprise since he had fully expected to see Air Marshall Dowding at any moment. The man also asked the expected question, “I take it you confronted him. How did he respond?”

Churchill chuckled even more, “as I expected, Dowding. He confirmed what we had already suspected so, I am sorry to inform you that, you will have to prolong your retirement for a bit longer.”

Dowding was busy rubbing his chin and thinking as he replied, “I’m afraid that, right now, that is the least of my worries. In some ways I’m just simply amazed that it is all real. It also gives me great concern about our other matter. Did you tell him about that as well?”

“Good heavens no old man,” Winston replied. “We can’t have the Americans going off half cocked, as they are so prone to doing. At least, we can’t when it is not to our benefit. I must say that General Marshall’s admission sheds new light on our suspicions but, it’s best to keep that under our hat until we know more, ourselves.”

Dowding nodded and replied, “quite.”