Vengeance 10

‘Then you will please furnish me with a complete set of your plans and a list of your needs, ranked in order of priority. All costs should be fully detailed, special suppliers designated, and the reason for their selection stated. I will then undertake to see that your needs are met at the earliest opportunity.’ Heydrich paused and chuckled. ‘Even though we will never make public my interest in your project, I think I can assure you that there will be no interference from other, shall we say, interested quarters.’

He paused and tapped the table to rivet their attention. ‘As you are no doubt aware, the generals do not stand high in the Führer’s favour at the moment. The army is now approaching Moscow after having delayed and complained for weeks. Already the weather has worsened. The rains have come early and will soon turn to snow and ice. When that happens, the advantage must inevitably shift to the defenders. In the spring the army may be able to complete its task, but for now the Führer’s disaffection will grow. I am not one who thinks the war will end quickly. If we were to beat Russia, we should have done so by now. The war will be long, and you must give some consideration to your own positions.’

The delicate allusion hung in the air between them, and it was von Braun who broke the silence with a nervous laugh.

‘Are you suggesting we join the SD?’ he asked.

‘It is certainly worth considering. There are a great many advantages. But enough of that.’ Heydrich smiled suddenly. ‘The uranium bomb project is well along. I tell you this in the utmost confidence. Now that Norway is fully occupied, shipments of heavy water, a vital ingredient in its development, have begun. The total quantity of heavy water to be produced in 1942 has been raised to 4500 kilograms. My staff forecasts that it will be ready by late 1944 or early 1945. No matter the outcome in Russia, our greatest enemy will by that time be the United States. Only a blind man could fail to see that. By then we may also have to deal harshly with England, particularly if we do not gain a quick victory in Russia.’

‘You seem quite pessimistic on that score,’ Bethwig commented, searching for safer ground. ‘The predictions are that the war will be won by the end of next summer and that England will be ready to negotiate an armistice.’

‘I admit it. And with what I think is good reason. The Soviet Union has massive reserves of men and resources. They are a strange and insular people who have always contested bitterly any incursion on to their territory. They show a positive genius for defeating invaders, and they have always been willing to make an alliance with anyone who will aid them. That is why I am not surprised that Stalin has concluded a treaty with Churchill.’

‘But perhaps that may work to our advantage,’ Bethwig suggested. ‘Eventually they must fall out. The English fear communism as much as we do.’

Heydrich dismissed the subject with a wave. ‘Perhaps. However, our concern at the moment has to do with the lunar project. I take it we are agreed upon the terms of our partnership, gentlemen?’

Bethwig learned at that moment that Heydrich could and would expound his own theories by the hour but was completely uninterested in those put forward by anyone else. The ultimate ego, he thought, and therefore most treacherous. Nothing and no one but himself would ever matter to Reinhard Heydrich.

‘I think Franz and I would like to discuss it a bit first,’ von Braun ventured.

‘Of course!’ Heydrich waved his cigar jovially in the direction of his aide, who sprang to the table. ‘But I return to Prague tomorrow morning at seven. We do seem agreed on what needs to be done, so why not assume your decision will be favourable? Heh?’ He stood up, carelessly stubbing out his cigar on the tablecloth. ‘I am certain you will enjoy the advantages of working with the SD. Good night, gentlemen.’

* * *

‘Finding the moon will be relatively simple,’ von Braun went on. ‘The basic tools one uses are radio, radio direction finding, and the stars, which in effect become signposts that do not vary in the slightest — at least for our purposes. If one calculates the angular distance between the moon’s centre and a certain star before starting, it is possible to measure any deviation in the spacecraft’s flight path or orbit as one approaches one’s target simply by observing the angular distance.’

‘Orbit? I thought only planets travelled in orbits.’

Von Braun chuckled with an expert’s superiority. ‘They do, but any object travelling in space describes a curved trajectory. You see, the gravitational effect of the Earth, the moon, the sun, and even such major planets as Jupiter and Saturn, all affect the object, causing it to be pulled this way and that. If each of these gravitational tugs is balanced perfectly, the effect is really a curved line.’

‘I see.’ Heydrich nodded. ‘I assumed that once a craft reached airless space it merely coasted under the effect of the target planet’s gravity field.’