the wheel spun in her captain’s hands and the bow began to turn. To Balto, all changed to slow motion. As he frantically tried to avoid the disaster that loomed in front of them, he cried out for the radioman to direct the other two ships to turn immediately. Just then, he heard an old familiar tune and the words echoed hauntingly in hi mind.

There’s a moment, we all come to, in our own time and our own space,

Where all that we’ve done, we can undo, if our heart’s in the right place…A scream of terror brought him back to the real world. He looked to the left and saw the helmsman clinging to the speed telegraph as if it were his last refuge, eyes wide with horror as he watched the treacherous rocks growing larger and larger in front of them. Then, clear sea began to creep across the bridge’s massive front windows. Now it looked as though they had a chance.

“Oh God, I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die, I don’t wanna die!” The helmsman closed his eyes and prayed with all his might that they would make it, and his Lord heard, but the man never finished his desperate plea. For in stepped reality.

All at once, the air was filled with the sound of rending metal as the Northern Lights grinded against the rocks. Balto was thrown against the windows and slumped to the floor. After what seemed like hours, but was only a few seconds, his vision cleared and he stood, only to find the floor was tilting beneath his feet. Looking out the bridge windows, he saw that the Northern Lights was listing badly to the right and taking water fast.

“Sir! What do we do?” The helmsman’s panicked voice made him turn. Grabbing the ship radio, he said,

“This is the captain. Abandon ship! Abandon ship!” The startled crew didn’t need to be told twice. Men leapt overboard and clung to the few small rafts that were tossed in with them. Lieutenant Talbot stood on the slanted deck, directing dazed marines to jump. Finally, no more seemed to be left below decks. Balto stumbled down from the bridge with a flare pistol in one hand and the helmsman in the other. Talbot asked what he was doing.

“The radio’s done for, but the Nikki and Bill are still coming this way. I’m got to try and signal them with this; get them away from the rocks. You two go. I’ll follow in a minute.”

“Sir?”

“That’s an order, Talbot!”

“Yes sir.” The young officer turned reluctantly and jumped over the railing into the swirling ocean. The helmsman followed. Suddenly, from below decks, he heard a desperate voice calling out.

“For God’s sake, help! Somebody! We’re trapped!” Balto immediately dashed down the stairs as the ship continued to tilt. Grabbing a fire extinguisher, he sloshed through deepening water down a dimly lit hallway. He threw open a door only to be met by a wall of flames. Jumping back as the inferno surged past him, searching for more air, Balto yelled out,

“Where are you?”

“In here, sir, in here!” Flames licked out of a room at the end of the hallway that the water had not yet reached, where his men were trapped. Balto sprayed the foam at the fire and dashed into the smoke-filled room. One man was crouching near a fallen sailor, and he looked up at his captain as though he were a god.

“Oh man, am I glad to see you sir! James ain’t moving!” Balto bent down and put two fingers to the man’s throat.

“He’s still alive, c’mon!” He lifted the unconscious sailor onto his back and gave the other the fire extinguisher. “We’re going down fast, move it!” The two sloshed back through the hall and somehow clambered up the stairs, which were now tilting sharply to one side. On deck, Balto tied two life vests around the unconscious sailor and gave one to the other. “Swim away as fast as you can! The suction is very powerful.”

“What about you, sir?” the man shouted above the storm.

“I’ve got to signal the Charles and the Beacon away from here first. You go. I’ll follow in a minute.” The sailor nodded and threw his unconscious buddy overboard, jumping in after him. Balto watched them go and then pointed his flare launcher skyward. Before he could pull the trigger, a wave crashed over the shattered destroyer and knocked him down. When the wall of water had passed, he found that he had lost the flare pistol. Cursing himself, he climbed the metal stairs back up into the bridge and reached for the whistle cord.

Suddenly, he was knocked to the floor as the bridge blew in on him in a whirl of metal and fire. Only then did the warning shriek of shells reach his ears. When the dust had settled and rain began to fall on Balto’s upturned face through the now open roof, he made to get up but found his arm was lodged tight under a pile of twisted steel. For a minute or so, he tried desperately to free his trapped arm, but succeeded only in increasing the razor-sharp pain that ran the length of his body. Then, seawater began to flow through the torn wall. He felt it lap against his side and a chill ran through his body, not of cold, but of fear. Turning his eyes upward, Balto reached blindly for the whistle cord and when his fingers twisted round it, he pulled down with all his might.

Aboard the St. Charles, Nikki turned in surprise at what he was hearing. Over the open water floated the sound of a steam whistle, deep and long, but it didn’t stop, blasting over the wrath of the storm to make itself heard. Normally this sound was cause for celebration, meaning the ships had safely returned home again; sailors were all used to the friendly toot-toot of a passing ship, but now came this long bellowing that could only mean one thing: terrible, horrible danger. Then, as if on cue, an orange fireball illuminated the broken hull of the Northern Lights as an explosion sent metal debris flying in every direction. Nikki watched in horror as the ship slid slowly beneath the churning Artic waters. He turned to the helmsman and said,

“Hard to port!” The man obediently spun the wheel as the big destroyer slowed to stop amidst the crashing waves.

Suddenly, lightning flashed and a dark shape was illuminated out on the ocean, a ship flying the Japanese flag. Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished with the lightning…

…and was suddenly light up again, in an orange fireball. Guns smoking, the Beacon of Hope came to a stop close to the St. Charles and her captain lowered his binoculars.

“The one that escaped!” Bill whispered, “It must have followed us, looking for revenge…” He cast his eyes at where the Northern Lights had been and said, “…and they got it.” Even as he spoke, soaked marines and sailors were being hauled onto the deck of both remaining destroyers. When the last man was pulled from the freezing waters, role call began. Miraculously, not a man had been lost, or so it seemed. Just then, one marine made his way toward Captain Nikki and held up an orange cloth, asking who it belonged to. A hush fell over the soaked, freezing crew of the Northern Lights as one by one they recognized the bandana they’d seen only on the day they left Nome. They’d all seen it worn proudly by their captain, Balto Wolf. It was wet, not with water, but blood.

Nikki took it from the bewildered marine and read the blurred name on the back, reconfirming his own worst fears. All on deck bowed their heads and the confused marine finally realized what had happened. Captain Nikki blinked back tears, and whispered,

“Oh God, Balto, not you…” The tears came again but he ignored them and said to his lieutenant,

“Make for Nome Harbor. Full speed.”

“Aye, sir,” the officer replied, running up the stairs to the bridge to relay the order. Soon, the two remaining destroyers were steaming away from the treacherous rocks as the lighthouse’s beacon guided them home.

Chapter Three

As dawn broke over Nome, two battered US destroyers steamed into port, awaited by a jubilant crowd. Teary-eyed soldiers embraced their friends and loved ones as they set foot on American soil once again. Weaving among the mix of sailors, marines, and civilians, an officer in a blue captain’s suit made his way to the Navy office and walked up to the telegraph desk, where a young messenger was filling his pack with the latest dispatches for delivery. Tapping the boy on the shoulder, Nikki held out the orange bandana and asked that he bring it to Jenna. Star looked back at him in confusion until Nikki handed him a letter with the Navy’s seal.

“Balto…won’t be coming home,” Nikki said solemnly, turning away. Star’s eyes widened and he dashed back in front of the captain.

“Sir, I can’t give her this,” he pleaded, “It’ll break her heart, sir.” Another captain close by overheard and saw the bandana and letter Star clutched in his hand.

“Here son,” Kaltag said, extending an open hand, “I’ll do it.” Star gratefully placed the items in the captain’s palm and left quickly for his morning telegram route.

Meanwhile, Jenna sat calmly eating breakfast at her table, when someone caught her eye out the kitchen window. Turning, she recognized Kaltag, dressed in his captain uniform. Immediately, Jenna sensed something was out of the