Beyond the Shield

by Nachman Kataczinsky

  “Mr. Maisky, or shall I call you Mr. Lachowiecki? I could, if you wish, provide you with the full genealogy of your family but I’m sure you will agree that it’s not important to the way the world sees you. Mr. Chamberlain referred to you in private as ‘the little Jew’ and Mr. Stalin and the others are saying similar things. A Jew is always a Jew.

  “I’m saying all this just to establish a common ground. We are thankful for what you did, at the request of the chief rabbi of Palestine, for the Jewish students from Poland that were trapped in Lithuania. Getting them Soviet travel permits was a life saver and delivered them to safety in Palestine. We also appreciate your communications with Professor Weizmann and the encouragement and help you gave him.”

  Maisky leaned forward. “I was just showing a human interest in those poor students. My communications with Professor Weitzman were in the interests of the Soviet Union. If they seem friendly and supportive that’s because they were.”

  Mizrahi smiled. “I was just saying that one can be our friend and a loyal Soviet citizen. We appreciate our friends and help them when they’re in need.

  “Let’s go to the other issue,” Mizrahi continued. “What we want for the information we’re giving you is cheap: We want the Soviet Union to give its Jews the freedom to emigrate to Palestine. This will entail the release of those in concentration camps, the repatriation of Western Jews who escaped from the Germans, and the release of Soviet Jews that choose to move. This is somewhat similar to the agreement you signed with Sikorski for the release of Polish citizens in July of 1941.”

  Maisky nodded, “This may be doable, but I will need agreement of the British government and also some kind of assurance that we are dealing with a legitimate sovereign entity.

  “I have a question though. It will be asked by my government, so I may as well be open and get an answer from you instead of guessing: What will happen if my government refuses?”

  “If your government refuses to cooperate on such a small and insignificant issue, our stance will change from allies to neutrals, at best. Obviously all cooperation will cease.”

  The Soviet ambassador looked skeptical. “You will help the Nazis if we refuse your request?”

  Mizrahi looked at him for a moment. “No, we will not help you, which is not the same.”

  “What if the Nazis win?”

  “We’ve already come to an arrangement with them to let all the Jews under their control leave. More importantly, the Soviet Union losing doesn’t necessarily mean the Nazis winning.

  “On the other hand, I see no real need to discuss this possibility unless you think there is a real danger of your government refusing our request.”

  Maisky nodded, “I agree.”

  ***

  Amos Nir gestured for quiet. He was presiding over yet another cabinet meeting. “First, several updates: British forces are trickling into Brindisi. They will probably be at full count by the end of June. Our joint operations should start soon thereafter, subject to the events in Italy going as planned. The British troop numbers will be larger than what they initially told us but we can deal with that. At least for the short time they will stay in Brindisi. Foreign Minister?”

  “After his conversation with our representative in Italy, who hopefully soon will become a fully accredited ambassador, Count Ciano met twice with King Victor Emanuel. Ciano called for a meeting of the Supreme Fascist Council next week. We foresee no difficulties. Apparently he’s so sure of his position that he already instructed the Italian Ministry of Defense to recall their troops. Of course, the recall from Germany will need his personal touch. My estimate is that the Italians will be ready to move by the end of July.”

  “Good.” Amos looked around the table. “Questions?”

  “What if the Germans refuse to let the Italian troops go?”

  The Foreign Minister responded, “This is unlikely since their opinion of the Italian’s fighting ability is low. Whether it’s justified is another question. The Italians pose a logistical burden on the German army with, as far as they’re concerned, little to show for it. The only reason they didn’t dismiss them already is that Hitler was reluctant to offend Mussolini. If the Italian Prime Minister asks…” The Minister shrugged. “There may be a problem if the Germans dawdle, not letting them go immediately but not refusing straight out. We, and the Italians, will cross this bridge if we get to it.”

  Amos Nir waited for a moment to allow for more questions. “The next update is from the Brits. They will have five commando teams in Germany by mid-July. As you know, we will have three of our own there at about the same time. This, in addition to our drones and air force, should be enough to execute Operation Earthquake.”

  No one had any questions about that.

  Amos continued, “The next item is the Palestinian Authority. Mazen informed me that they decided to leave and have picked a target time. We transported a sensor package there and its recordings show conditions that are slightly cooler and rainier than here and now. Generally a good place for crops and for building a civilization. It will take us several months to set up the transport system and to gather supplies for them.

  The Justice Minister stirred. She was a proponent of continuing “peace” talks with the Palestinians and derived not insignificant political benefits from supporting the Palestinians.

  “I’m still not certain that transporting them into the past is legal, but my question is simple: would there be a possibility of them returning?”

  The Prime Minister looked pained and a bit angry. “If you think it’s illegal to transport them into the past please cite the law. Otherwise, I’m sure this gathering doesn’t want to hear about it.

  “To answer your question: they will have no equipment to affect a return. If they succeed in building it, they will be able to move around in time but are not likely to return since they won’t have the exact coordinates they’re leaving from. We could bring them back at any time if we want but I don’t anticipate doing so.”

  “If they are in trouble and likely to perish, it is our responsibility to rescue them,” said the Justice Minister.

  The Defense Minister looked surprised. “Why are we responsible for them?”

  “If we exile them we are responsible,” the Justice Minister responded.

  Amos Nir looked amused: “Minister, please feel free to bring it up for discussion before the full government and even the Knesset. As far as I’m concerned we have no responsibilities towards people who want to murder us and tried for more than a century. Besides, this is their choice. Would you suggest that if we exile some of the Nazis instead of executing them we would also be responsible for their well-being?”

  “Well, not the Nazis.”

  “And what exactly is the difference?” asked the Finance Minister. “The same ideology and the same goal, just a difference in name.

  “This discussion gives me an idea. Do we really have to remain here? I mean, after we collect all the Jews that want to come to us, why don’t we leave into the past as well? That would solve a number of problems. For us it would be a world without anti-Semitism, except the self-haters, who I hope will choose to stay here. For the rest of the world, it will be a fulfillment of a dream: a world without Israel or Jews.”

  Nitzan Liebler, the Defense Minister, responded, “A world without Jews would give the final victory to Hitler, but I see no real need to keep suffering if we have a solution that will allow us to live in peace.”

  The Prime Minister said, “This is an interesting idea. I suggest that we devote a full meeting to it. There are many factors to consider. We also need time to collect the rest of our people.

  “In any case, we need to discuss it in more detail.”

  ***

  The leadership of the PLO and the other terrorist organizations were meeting, at the Chairman’s request, in the basement of his presidential palace in Ramallah. There were no windows and all electronics were carefully removed. They could be reasonably certain th
at there would be no eavesdropping.

  Ahmed Mazen called the meeting to order. “I notified the Israelis that we are ready to go into the past just as they wanted.”

  “A brilliant move,” Mohammad al-Husseini, the head of Hamas in Jenin and a nephew of the Jerusalem Mufti, pronounced. “Now we can strike a death blow to the Zionist entity.”

  “This is our last chance to destroy them,” Mazen agreed. “We need to breach the border with Jordan and send enough people across to be able to give the Mufti, and his friends the Germans, information on how to make an atom bomb. We failed in our previous attempt because the few agents we sent had to cross the Israeli border. This time we will not fail.

  “If enough of our fighters manage to get through we have a good chance to take control of Jordan.”

  “Wouldn’t the Arab Legion and the British defend King Abdullah?” asked the representative of the Islamic Jihad.

  Mazen smiled. “It’s a good thing I’m a historian. In 1942 the Arab Legion only had about 1600 soldiers and those are dispersed between Syria, Jordan and Palestine. Of course those in Palestine were lost. This leaves only several hundred actually defending the Hashemite emir.

  “The British have only service and headquarters troops in Amman. The rest of their forces are fighting in Africa and suppressing uprisings in Iraq and elsewhere.” He looked triumphantly at his colleagues. “We have a real chance to have our own state and defeat Israel when the Germans win and help us.”

  The head of the Islamic Jihad had another question: “What will happen to the population we leave behind? Won’t the Israelis send them to the past?”

  “No, they won’t,” the head of Hamas said. “As soon as fighting starts, and especially after our people cross the border, the Israelis will do what they normally do: try to negotiate some more.”

  Mazen nodded his agreement. “We need to make plans for a military assault. Our Security Force will lead. We have tens of thousands of American-trained soldiers. We always called them ‘Police’ but we all know what they are – soldiers of jihad.”

  The commander of the Presidential Security Force pointed to a map hanging on the wall. “We will attack along the whole front from the northern edge of the Dead Sea to the Bardala area at the intersection of the old Israeli and Jordanian border. That’s about 10 miles south of Bet Shean. This will not bring our forces into contact with the Israelis until the last moment and will afford us the greatest surprise.

  “I also recommend that we attack at night. The best timing would be the night before they want to transport us. We will surprise them completely.

  “We will use about twenty thousand troops for the initial assault and five thousand to exploit any breaches.”

  “What kind of defenses do the Israelis have along the Jordan river?” asked the head of the Palestinian Liberation front.

  The commander pointed to the map. “When coming from Jordan there are minefields close to the border, but there are large openings in them where the terrain is rugged. Then there is a sensor fence and beyond that observation towers and bunkers. The area is normally patrolled by less than a regiment of second-tier infantry. It should be easy to cross in many places.”

  “What if they discover our forces moving into assault positions?”

  “We will concentrate in the large Arab villages along the highway in the Jordan valley. This should not be noticeable. From these villages it’s less than a mile in some places to the border proper. There won’t be enough time for the Israelis to call up reinforcements even if they figure out what’s going on.”

  “Why not attack across the road from the Dead Sea to Eilat?” asked another participant. “The terrain there is basically flat and we won’t have to cross the river.”

  “The terrain is indeed much better there but we would have to cross areas inhabited by Jews and they would be alerted well ahead of the time of the attack,” responded the commander.

  The leadership agreed on the plan and dispersed.

  Chapter 5

  June 1942

  Normally the Israeli weather in June was mild and pleasant but today was one of the hot, dusty, dry days when winds from the Sahara blow across the Mediterranean and reach the shores.

  Captain Noam Shaviv finished inspecting his company’s proposed deployment area. His company would be responsible for about half a mile of the Jordanian border near the Arab village of Zubaydat, between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee. The infantry company was reinforced with two armored platoons - tanks and their supporting infantry - attached for this mission.

  A combat engineer major drove up. “We’re here to construct a defensive line. So tell me what you want and where.”

  Noam shrugged. “I see that headquarters takes the rumors of a Palestinian attack seriously.”

  The two officers explored the terrain and hashed out a plan.

  Noam brought up his misgiving at the battalion staff meeting. The battalion commander smiled. “Let me first address the ‘rumor’ issue. We have firm intelligence that the PA Security Forces are setting up supply points and scouting out the terrain. The current intelligence estimate is that they will attack soon.

  “The terrain in this area will make it difficult for an attacking force to maneuver - too many ridges. To get to the river the attackers will have to either get through wadis that lead directly to the river or climb steep ridges. This will be made difficult by the artillery support you all have available. There are a couple of helicopter gunships and an air force wing to support you.

  “I have to warn everybody here. This is a serious threat – The attack may include up to forty thousand Arab troops, all American trained and armed.

  “The main problem is that we have no idea when they will attack. All we have are rumors. My bet is it will happen at night, probably close to the departure date.”

  ***

  “I would like to know how our energy project is going,” Ze’ev Hirshson asked.

  He was in his old college roommate’s office at the Technion. The owner of said office, now a full Professor, was present as well as his former doctoral student, Dr. Arye Kidron, the man who invented the quantum shield that deposited them all in the past. Dr. Lisa Meisner, a Nobel Prize candidate in physics who had been rescued from Nazi Germany only months before, was with them as well. Lisa was an employee of Ze’ev’s company. Consolidated Industries was footing the bill for their research.

  Arye fidgeted in his seat. “We have an excellent design for an impenetrable security fence.”

  Ze’ev visibly calmed himself before speaking. “I know that none of you are stupid, so why are you researching security fences when you were supposed to spend my money on ‘Zero Point’ energy?” He pointed at Arye. “That was your idea.”

  The Professor smiled calmly, “Ze’ev, you were always a hothead. Please let Arye finish.”

  Arye Kidron nodded at Lisa: “While we were trying to figure out the Casimir effect and how to draw energy from it, we came to a better understanding of how our quantum boxes work. We developed a fairly simple algorithm to predict how far into the past you can go for a particular expenditure of energy.”

  “Wait,” Ze’ev interrupted. “I thought you were dubious about this event having been time travel. Yitzhak,” he pointed at Professor Wisotzky, “was missing an aunt that he distinctly remembered from his youth. I can’t see how I exist since my father is not likely to meet my mother or have a child with her. How can this be time travel?”

  Professor Wisotzky responded, “The quantum boxes don’t make the volume between them travel in time. They do something more basic: they change the probabilities of quantum events. When the probability of us being in 1941 became high enough we found ourselves here.

  “If you look at everything as a collection of probabilities it becomes clear that events that we see as not happening, like your parents surviving the Holocaust, were low probability to begin with. Such events happen, but are less likely than high probability events, like
the Moon still being around.”

  “So how come I’m here even if I won’t be born?” Ze’ev looked puzzled.

  “Simple,” replied Arye. “You were born already and so the probability of that is 100% - adjusted for the chance of travelling back in time. This didn’t change in your reality so you’re still here, as are we all.

  “Lisa asked a really interesting question: ‘What will happen if we feed our algorithm negative values of probability.’ The answer was that it would open a gateway into a different universe. The properties of that universe depend on the magnitude of the negative numbers and a couple of other parameters.”

  Lisa intervened. “It wasn’t as simple as that. We had also to redesign the quantum boxes. The new ones can move us in time but they can also move between universes.

  “In fact, we explored two possibilities. The first was a relatively high probability universe, similar to ours but where humans never developed. The other one was a more improbable combination: an earth with an atmosphere where nitrogen was replaced by argon. Since it has oxygen it apparently has some sort of life but the existence of such an earth is highly improbable. We didn’t explore what we call ‘near universes’ – ones that are almost like ours with a few small differences.”

  Ze’ev looked from Lisa to Arye. “But no infinite compact energy source? We need to discuss this. I see how a fence where the space between two layers would be in a different universe would be one application. Sending intruders into a different universe is a bit drastic but will work.

  “Under our contract all patentable inventions belong to Consolidated, with each of you receiving a share. Physics discoveries can’t be patented but the algorithm and the boxes probably can. My lawyers, both the contract and patent guys, will be here tomorrow to figure out the details.

  “Arye, if Yitzhak will let you go, I have an employment proposition for you. You can run our new physics lab together with Lisa. Think about it. The budget will be much more than you have here and you will be compensated better. Besides, you will always be able to keep talking to Yitzhak Wisotzky.”