Zubenelgenubi (BALZ)

[Brag]

It was a fisherman's evening. The sun had settled under blankets of red alto stratus cloud, painting them brilliant red with a few fringes of gold. Yes, a fisherman's evening, indeed, thought Balz. The English had a saying, Red skies at night sailor's delight-

The only annoyance was the noise of the diesels, the diesels of a U-boat going to war. The light house also blinked in a friendly way. Soon it would be the lights of the stars that showed him the way.

But war was not only unpleasant, it was man's greatest folly. How could men justify murder by one stupid word? How could he, the commander of an armed ship justify sinking ships without first looting them?

Balz smiled remembering his pirate days in the Dutch East Indies with Sandokan and later, his own looting of British shipping in the Persian Gulf .before the war started. That was honest , pirating under the black flag .without the interference of politicians, diplomats and bankers who at the end of the war stole and kept all the loot .

No sooner they had cleared the lighthouse, woosh , the bow rose to the first ocean swell lifted the bow. It was one of Balz's favorite moments. Glad he was wearing his dinosaur tea cozy he patted hismelf on the shoulder, "Hello Ocean," He said.
"Yes, Herr Kaleun? Lt. Werner Schnitzel asked.
"Is your name Ocean?"
"Nein, Herr Kaleun, my name is lieutenant WernerSchnitzel of the Kriegsmarine.
"I am glad to hear you are not of the Royal Navy."

"Can I get you a sandwich, a cup of coffee, an aspirin, Herr Kaleun? "
"Why would I want any of those things? Why didn't you ask if I wanted a Bavarian Strudel from Yodelburg?

" I didn't know the Kriegsmarine supplied U-boats with Bavarian Strudels."
"They don't."

"So why did you ask for one, Herr Kaleun?."
"I didn't ask. for one nor two."
"I know, you didn't ask for three so I will not ask if you wanted three."
"Three what?"
"Three Bavarian Strudels, Herr Kaleun."
Balz was glad he had the foresight to wear the dinosaur tea cozy. The burden of commanding a U-boat was easier when the brain cells were close to something saurian.
"And where would you get three Bavarian Strudels when there aren't any the full length of this submersible diving machine."
Lt. Werner Schnitzel stretched himself, clicked his heels and said, "I will check breath of this submersible, Both dived and surfaced."

Balz was about to groan, when he had a brilliant idea." Lt. Schnitzel. You will urgently plot the sidereal angle and declination of Zubenelgenubi.


Next episode,¿, mystery of Zubenelgenubi unveiled.