The Knight´s Legacy

The U-Boot

The U-Boot was submerged during the daytime navigation as it usually did since they sailed. Heinz and Dieter rested in their bunk beds in one of the few cabins of the ship that both men shared. While Dieter was dozing Horstmann read absentmindedly.  Suddenly it began to sound a strong buzz ate the same time that  yellow lights located on each bunk started to turn on. Dieter woke up  startled and almost fell out of the bed. Both men rose up and went out into the narrow hallway which the occupants of the other two cabins were also looming. A sailor went smoothly through the alley and Horstmann asked him.

“What happens?”

“There are hostile ships in the surface. This is a general warning.” Replied the young seaman.

Although they were still in peace – an armed peace in truth- Britain and its allies widely dominated the seas. Heinz realized that the maneuver of the submarine was a combat practice learned for times of war and the friends had the opportunity to witness the effective actions of the captain and his men from the bridge. The sound had stopped but emergency lights still glittered.

“I would not want to be in this  sardines tin in a real combat.” Noted Dieter. Horstmann, ultimately a man of solid ground could  only approve this observation.

A while later the lights turned off, adrenaline ceased to flow and men could relax. The ship had moved away and the danger-whatever its nature was- had ceased. The pace of the crew returned to be the previous alarm, but Dieter and Horst were still nervous. Horstmann approached Commander Fischer and asked him the reasons so many precautions in times of peace.

“The Reich does not want that the movements of its U-Boots be known, and this is particularly true for this trip because of their secret nature.

The response was fully consistent with all the actions of the involved characters since they had informed the mission to Antarctica and their involvement in it.

Horstmann met his friend and told him about the answer given by the Commander.

“I am astonished by the degree of paranoia surrounding this trip.” Said Dieter. “At times I find all this absurd.”

Knopf had said this in the belief that they were alone. However as he suddenly turned around, Horstmann distinguished in the dim light of  the corridor behind them a shadow which quickly fused with the general darkness.

“I repeatedly told you to keep your comments to yourself.” He rudely reproached Knopf.  “We are unnecessarily exposed to unknown risks.

For the first time he moved his friend who thought before that Heinz was only infected by the neurotic atmosphere that he had criticized so far. . He could not obviously have anticipated the obsessive actions that that trip would produce for a long time.