Maneuvers was inspired by Down Periscope, as one of the earlier reviewers so nicely remarked. I missed putting the disclaimer here before. It was also inspired by Operation: Petticoat.
If that's a crime, I'm guilty. I wrote it simply for enjoyment.
Maneuvers
by Birgit Staebler
seaQuest DSV
somewhere in the North Pacific Ocean, near the Gulf of Alaska
The large, dark submarine made its way through the cool and quiet waters of the Pacific ocean. Its strangely patterned skin gave the boat the look of a giant, prehistorical whale. Small probes whirled constantly around it, their search lights the only bright spots in the murky darkness of the deep sea. Life had settled into a routine since nothing significant had happened following their last supply run for one of a research stations up in Alaska. It had been a break for everyone, but now, after this quiet supply run with its collection of materials for dumping and the required medical check-up of the base personnel, routine threatened once more. Even the scientists were growing restless with the continuing, uneventful journey. Of course, the seaQuest was a research vessel, built for scientific exploration and there weren't always dangers waiting after the next trench, but right now they didn't even have some serious research to do.
Captain Nathan Bridger sat in his cabin, going through his mail, most of it electronic. Suddenly his viacom beeped. He punched the right buttons to open a line and was greeted by the face of Admiral William Noyce, his superior and a very good friend. Noyce looked relaxed and was smiling, so it couldn't be some emergency.
"Hello, Nathan," he said pleasantly. "Enjoying the quiet?"
Bridger knew immediately that his friend was up to something. "As to now, yes," he answered warily.
Noyce still smiled. "Well, your quiet days are over, Captain. You have a new assignment, even if it just a training exercise."
"Training exercise? Oh, please, Will....!" Bridger sighed, shaking his head.
But Noyce continued, "This isn't a normal training, Nathan. This one will be different. Your command crew will be split, with Commander Ford as the captain of his own sub," Bridger didn't like the expression in the Admiral's eyes just then. "He will go up against our finest ship: the seaQuest."
"What?" Bridger nearly shouted.
Admiral Noyce raised an eyebrow. "We're only testing your sub's systems, so to speak."
"You're using this sub for military purposes!" Bridger accused. "We're a research vessel, not a .... military target!"
"I know, I know, but this isn't about military targets and such, Nathan. It's about command qualities. You know the routine. And Commander Ford is a very promising career officer, we both know it. But if he's ever
to take command of another vessel beside seaQuest then he's got to earn himself some points as a military sub commander."
Nathan Bridger sighed theatrically. "Only the brains at the UEO can come up with such reasoning. All right, all right, we'll take part. I don't have any other choice, right? When does this whole operation start?"
"Two weeks after Ford has taken command of his boat."
"Why that long?" Bridger asked suspiciously.
Noyce smiled. "Let's say ... there are reasons."
Bridger knew he wouldn't get anything out of Noyce, not yet anyway. "I hope they are good one," he only muttered.
*
UEO Headquarters
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
The moment Admiral Noyce terminated the link he turned to his visitor, who had been sitting out of the camera's range. He was a whip-cord lean, muscular man with a sun-tanned skin telling of all the hours spent outside. Crinkles lines his mouth and the grey eyes. He wore an Admiral's khaki uniform.
"Well, Hank, everything's set. You still want that bet to go?" Noyce asked amiably.
Admiral Hank Peters smiled. "Of course." He leaned back in his chair. "You will see, they won't make it."
Noyce chuckled. "We'll see."
* * *
UEO Base
Santa Barbara, California
The power boat rocked slightly in the waves inside the harbor of Santa Barbara. It was mostly used to get people from and to the battle ships and subs laying in the harbor, and right now it was not only carrying an UEO Admiral, but also Commander Jonathan Ford. Ford looked at the colossal, grey battle ships towed around them. They were an impressive sight, lined up and ready for battle. Very impressive. Jonathan had left the seaQuest, which was lying outside the harbor, and come in on one of the shuttles. Admiral Hank Peters had greeted Ford, explaining to him that he was part of the War Committee, the committee Bridger called the Players. They were those highly decorated men and women who had nothing else to do, in Bridger's opinion, than to come up with strategies and plans on how to annoy operating ships and boats.
Ford had been briefed about the project a few hours ago and he had been very enthusiastic about it. He knew that this was his chance to prove himself, to show that he was well worthy of someday getting his own command, though his aim was for the seaQuest, not some other boat. Nothing could compare to her. Even when he had heard that his opponent was the seaQuest it had done nothing to lessen his positive thinking. If the Admirals wanted him to prove himself as a battle sub commander, going up against a fine boat like the seaQuest, then so be it. He'd show them he knew how to kick butt!
"All right, Commander Ford, here's your boat," Peters announced and Ford turned.
He looked around, but saw nothing but a bunch of more destroyers, battle ships and ..... his eyes went wide.
"Uh, Sir, I think there has been a mistake," he said.
Peters smiled. "No, Commander, there has been no mistake. This is your boat, the SeaDragon."
Ford had no words for the sub, except maybe one: disastrous. The SeaDragon was an old sub, at least 50 years old and one of the last of her series. Ford had learned about the Sea Tiger class in school, about their sturdy built, their superior speed .... and the fact that they were outdated.
"It's a Diesel sub..... uh, Sir. We don't have Diesel subs anymore!"
Peters grinned widely. "Oh, we do. At least we had. This is one of the last Diesel subs still in operation, though she hasn't been taken out for anything more serious than a parade."
"I can see that," Ford muttered, shaking his head in disbelief.
The SeaDragon consisted of more rust colored places than grey skin and she looked like she'd sink the very moment somebody kicked her too hard!
"And you want me to go up against a sub like seaQuest with that thing?" he tried to clarify things.
"Yes, those are your orders, Commander. You have two weeks to get this sub in shape for the maneuvers."
Two weeks.... Now it made sense. Ford felt his heart sink. Where was he to get all the necessary parts for an antique like that in mere two weeks? He knew that he'd get the essentials from UEO, but he'd need more than just essentials. Much more.
* * *
seaQuest DSV
Nathan Bridger looked up from the list of requested personnel, eyeing his second-in-command. "Are you serious, Commander?" he asked.
"Yes, Sir."
Bridger looked at the list again. Ford had been told he could choose two crew members of the seaQuest, the other crew would be picked by the UEO. He had presented his choices to Bridger a mere minute ago. "Lt. Krieg and Lucas? We are talking about Ben Krieg here, right? May I inquire why?"
Ford sighed. "Do you know the ship I'm taking into this battle game?"
"Yes, the SeaDragon." Bridger looked puzzled.
"Do you know the state the ship is in?" Ford asked, trying not to sound desperate.
Bridger frowned, then shrugged. "I suppose it's not as sophisticated as the seaQuest," he then said, "but surely it's...."
"It's a bucket of rust!" Ford blurted, interrupting Bridger. "It's the last Diesel sub ever built, and if it so much as sees the open sea, it'll sink, Sir!"
Bridger was silent for some time, then said, "Oh. Now I understand your request." He continued to study the list to avoid his exec's angry face. Obviously Jonathan thought he was in on the choice of the SeaDragon. Ford surely thought Bridger had known about that, which he hadn't. "All right, you can have the requested personnel."
That produced a genuine smile on Ford's otherwise dark face.
"Crocker will get a shuttle ready to take you back into the harbor."
Ford nodded and then left the cabin. Bridger turned to his vidscreen and made a call. He was put on hold for several minutes, then had the office of Admiral Noyce. The Admiral smiled down at him.
"Hello, Nathan. I hear Commander Ford has accepted his command."
Nathan gave a false-friendly smile. "Yes, and I wonder what the aim of this game is. The SeaDragon is neither a seaworthy sub, nor is she an opponent to take seriously, Will."
Noyce gave him a strange look. "Well, that is something still to be decided. We'll talk about this is when the war game is over. You'll get your orders in two weeks time, it's exactly the time Commander Ford receives his. Noyce out."
The screen went dark and Bridger snorted. "Yeah, right."
* * *
SeaDragon berth
Santa Barbara, California
If Jonathan Ford had thought that the boat would be the nastiest surprise of this war game maneuver, then he had been wrong. There was always the crew .... And right now Ford wasn't sure whether this was really his crew or just a bad joke on the side of the UEO. But since UEO wasn't known for bad or silly jokes he had to assume that this rag-tag assembly really was the crew for the SeaDragon.
"All right," he muttered and turned to his Executive Officer, a man who at least looked like he belonged into the UEO. "Mr. Martins, let's check them in."
Lieutenant Commander Adam Martins nodded, looking at his list. "O'Connor, Walter. Sonar. Nick name Zap."
A thin, tall man in slacks and a loosely fitting shirt walked forward. He looked like he had just fallen out of bed and his hair stuck out in odd angles, as if he had had a close encounter with electricity. Ford nodded at him as he gave a lax salute and handed his papers to Martins.
"Uh, Sir," Zap said, his voice a bit thick as if he couldn't move his tongue quite well. "That's the boat?"
Ford nodded. "That's the boat."
"Uh, right." He walked up the metal stairway to the entrance hole, then he stopped again. "And they want us to go up against seaQuest with it?"
Ford nodded again.
"Uh." O'Connor scratched his head and then entered the sub.
As Martins saw Ford's dubious expression he explained, "Zap is the best of his class, ears like a lynx. Don't be fooled by his exterior."
"If he's so good, why's he in this crew?" Jonathan wanted to know.
Martins grimaced. "Well, he's not exactly crew material. Got some problems with boat protocol."
"Oh." The Commander sighed and nodded at Martins to continue.
"Longman, Patrick. Radar."
Longman was a muscular man in his early twenties, his bare arms tattooed with naval motifs, wearing a shirt where the arms had been torn out. He had very short cropped hair and hadn't shaved for at least two days.
"Yo," he said and chewed on a toothpick.
Ford merely nodded, trying not to despair.
"Warson, Anna. Lieutenant," Martins announced. "Helm."
A slight red-head stepped forward, dressed in a black turtle neck and black jeans. Ford wondered what she had done to get appointed to this crew. Her eyes were wide with what Ford recognized as wonder.
"Isn't she neat!" she called enthusiastically. "A Sea Tiger class! Length 190 feet, beam 25, draft 17,5. Surface displacement 869, submerged 1043. Maximum speed 20 knots submerged, ten 550 mm torpedo tubes with ten weapons, Diesel-electric drive with two four-bladed screws......"
Warson rattled down facts about the SeaDragon. It made Ford dizzy just to try and keep track of the words without trying to make sense of them. He stared at her as she walked onto the sub.
"Hendersson, Albert. Chief Engineer. And...." Martins looked at the sheet, then said slowly, as if doubting his own eyes, "Scrapper? Assistant chief engineer."
Ford shot him an inquiring look, then his eyes were drawn to the figure of his chief engineer and his assistant, whose name had apparently been lost in the bureaucratic paperworks of the UEO. He groaned inwardly. They were just as rag-tag as the rest.
The procedure of getting to know his men dragged for about half an hour, then everyone was aboard, except for two. Lt. Ben Krieg and Lucas Wolenczak. They had stood behind Ford throughout the check-in and had watched the crewmen pass by. While Martins took care of settling the crew in, Krieg joined Ford as he stared at the boat.
"Excuse me for saying so, Commander, but that's not a boat, that's a bucket of rust!"
He looked at the brownish colored SeaDragon with barely concealed disgust.
Ford had to agree silently, but aloud he said, "Show some respect, Lieutenant!"
"I am, Commander, I am. That's about the respect I have for that ... that ...." Krieg shrugged, unable to come up with a fitting description for the sub.
Ford smiled and walked onto the rusty sub, fearing that every step would be his last. He didn't trust the hull to be still as stable as it had been the day the sub had been released into the fleet of UEO vessels.
Lucas eyed the sub with a bit more enthusiasm, but not very much. "And the UEO wants you to run up against the seaQuest with that?" he asked.
"Us, Lucas, they want us to run against the seaQuest with that," Commander Ford corrected with a grin. "And it's also up to us to get that sub seaworthy." He opened a door and peered into the dark corridor.
"Seaworthy?" Krieg asked sarcastically, following his temporary captain into the narrow tunnel called a corridor. You could get claustrophobic in here! The seaQuest was much, much more roomy.
Jonathan turned to him, still smiling. "Yes, seaworthy, Lieutenant. And you will be the pointman of this operation."
Krieg mouthed 'me?' and pointed at himself.
"Yes, you. And Lucas."
Lucas looked likewise baffled. "Huh?"
"I want the two of you to get me the parts this ship needs to get battle ready. The UEO gives us everything to get it seatight and moving again, but I've had a look at the lists.... we need more than that." Ford got out a list and handed it to Krieg. "That's what we need. Get it."
"Ehm, Commander...." Krieg said after reading quickly over the list, "most of these things aren't exactly what originally belongs onto that sub and if we have to order this via the official channels it'll take weeks!"
Ford's smile suddenly turned slightly crooked. He was a man who usually went by the book, and he frowned upon men and women like Ben Krieg, who didn't do much of anything by the book, but this was a situation where he had shed the mantle of By The Book Officer. This situation called for initiative.
"I know."
The crooked smile was suddenly mirrored in Krieg's face as he got the idea. "Yes, Sir!"
Jonathan smiled and stepped onto the bridge of the SeaDragon. It was just as dark here, only the emergency bulbs shedding some light. Everything looked dusty, rusted and ready to fall apart. He turned to their youngest crew member.
"Lucas, your job will be get this sub updated in technology. Do what you want, but I want her to meet my requirements."
"And those are?" the youth asked warily, looking at the ancient instruments.
Ford grinned. "Beat seaQuest."
"Uhm."
* * *
Ben Krieg always prided himself with the fact that he could get just about everything there was. He was the seaQuest's supply and morale officer, but getting supplies was always easier than keeping the morale of the crew up. Krieg had a lot of contacts in a lot of places, even in a navy base like Santa Barbara, and right now he was about to pull in every favor he was owed to get what they needed. And if the necessary parts couldn't be found, he improvised; something he was also good at.
"Okay, leshee," he muttered, a pen light between his teeth, going over the list again. "Oil tank, filter, pistons.... pistons? Gee! Batteries...." It was quite a long list, but considering that Ford wanted him to reconstruct a whole Diesel engine it was relatively short. The UEO had equipped them with the necessary parts to get both engines up and running, but the back-ups were down and without them they had no real chance. UEO had said that, for the training exercise, two working engines were enough. Not so in Ford's opinion. There were even more dysfunctional parts all over the SeaDragon and Lucas was doing wonders with the things Krieg could ... steal ...eh...organize.
He took the pen light from between his teeth, looking at his team. "Pat, Scrapper, Mirco," Krieg addressed the three crewmen he had chosen to accompany him on his latest 'shopping stroll', "here's the list. Let's go shopping."
The three men smiled crookedly, having accompanied Krieg on several shopping strolls already. Ben knew some things about Mirco, who was a professional gambler and had been thrown off more subs than even Krieg could count. Through this he knew a lot of people himself, people not unlike Krieg or Mirco himself, who could help out with a few things here and there, like for instance access cards. Pat was someone who hated the Navy life as such, but was always ready for a good scam and Krieg had immediately recruited him for his purposes. The guy had a way to smooth talk to people that impressed even Krieg. Scrapper was supposedly the assistant engineer and Ben had to confess that the guy knew a whole lot about Diesel engines. He was only suppassed by Hendersson, their chief engineer, who was as scraggy looking as they came. Scrapper was vital to get the right parts on their shopping trips.
"Yer can add a few bottles o' Whiskey to the shoppin' list," a rough voice said from behind and Ben turned with a smile on his face.
Hendersson stood behind him, dressed in the shaggiest looking overall the Lieutenant had ever seen. There wasn't a place that wasn't either drenched in machine oil, Diesel fuel or something else. The chief engineer hadn't shaved for weeks and his salt-and-pepper beard, combined with his mussed hair, gave him the impression of a pirate. As always he had a cold cigar stump between his lips.
The chief had been invaluable with getting the right substitute parts written down for the engines. Not everything that was on the list Ford had given him was available.... not even through unofficial channels. Hendersson and Krieg had sat down for two hours and racked their brains as to what else they could use and get, and after two hours Ben had left engineering with a list full of strange stuff no one would ever think of ordering for a sub.
"You know I can get into the deepest pits of hell if Ford finds out about it," Krieg said.
"Pah. The skipper doesn't have t'know. An' it's not for me, it's for the engines."
Krieg raised an eyebrow and Hendersson gave him a toothy grin. "Anything else?" he asked.
"Well, we need a new propeller an' ya don' wanna know about the forward hydroplane, lad." Hendersson chewed on the cigar. "If ya run by a shop sellin' the stuff, get me some."
"Will do."
Krieg turned to his team. All of them were dressed in black, their faces darkened by black paint. Disguise, as Krieg had called it.
"Let's get going. It's a good night for shopping."
They disappeared into the night.
* * *
UEO Headquarters
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Admiral Hank Peters was fuming when he stepped into Admiral Noyce's office.
"Will, we have to talk!" he said without preamble.
Noyce looked up, a bit surprised. "Yes?"
"This is getting out of hand!" Peters exploded, waving papers. "I could overlook a few minor .... unexplained disappearances, but this is going too far! Do you know what they did to the EagleEye??"
Noyce frowned a bit. The EagleEye was a ship currently in dry-dock and in bad need of repair. She was rumored to get scrapped soon and Noyce knew that this was most likely the fate she'd face in the end. "What about her? She's already out of commission."
"Now she's out of a lot of parts as well!" Peters ground out. "Commander Ford's ..... organizatorial staff is going too far!"
Noyce grinned. He knew exactly who that organizatorial staff was, at least who the boss was. "Didn't we set up the good Commander with such a wreck to see just how good he can ....well, organize missing parts, Hank?" he asked amiably. "We gave him no alternatives and now he's proving already that he knows the right people to get what he needs."
The other Admiral grimaced. "By taking everything apart? They aren't even stopping at car parts or things out of the kitchens!"
Noyce had to chuckle at the thought of a sub being held together by spoons, tires and cans. "Three more days," he said. "And then we're rid of them."
"Not a minute too late," Peters muttered, glowering at the list.
* * *
SeaDragon berth
Santa Barbara, California
Ben Krieg stood beside a truck, chewing a gum. He smiled broadly at the approaching figure of Commander Ford, who was not, as usual, dressed up in his blue uniform overall. Like everyone he was busy with repairs. He lived by the saying of being exemplary to the crew. Right now Ford wore a frown that was a mixture of surprise and some worry.
"Lieutenant?"
Krieg beamed at him. "Yes, Commander?"
Ford looked over to the truck, which was being unloaded by half of the small crew of the SeaDragon. The first thing he wondered about was the fact that this was a truck of the Army, not the Navy. Where had Krieg 'organized' it? He saw a lot of stuff pass by which he recognized as cans of rather non-standard food, a soft drink dispenser and several computer parts that weren't exactly standard issue either.
"It was a good night to go shopping," Krieg grinned at Ford's scowl, when the Commander didn't say a thing.
"I can see that," Ford said slowly. "We're in big trouble if they ever find out what's going on."
Krieg didn't stop grinning. "I think they already have."
Ford gave his Lieutenant a dark look. "Then I wonder why the MP hasn't shown up yet.... to arrest you."
Krieg raised an innocent eyebrow. "Why me, Commander? I'm only executing your orders."
"Don't push it, Ben," Ford warned him.
"You told me to get the parts, here they are. With spares in case something blows. What else do you want?" Krieg asked reasonably.
Yes, what else did he want? The SeaDragon was getting a repair job that was as unusual as it was good, and they would be a fighting sub by the end of the time given them to make the SeaDragon seaworthy.
"Continue," he simply said, watching two crew members carry something looking suspiciously like a fridge. He looked at Krieg, who shrugged.
"As I said...."
".....it was a good night for shopping," Ford finished the sentence, then grinned as well.
He turned and walked back to the sub. On his way into the engine room, where Hendersson and Scrapper had rigged up an impressive propulsion system, consisting of two UEO type Diesel engines and two not so UEO type back-ups, he passed by the bridge, where Lucas and crewman Warson were busy doing their own piece of rigging together something workable.
"Hi, Commander," Lucas greeted him cheerily, sitting what looked like an intangible mess of cables.
"How's it going?" Ford asked.
"Pretty good, Sir," Warson answered. "We received the ordered XD-IV transmitter chips, the Tenatron diodes and the Erson screens, and I'm positive that the control system is up and running perfectly in the next 48 hours." She smiled and went into a lengthy explanation as to what parts had gone where and what Ford would be able to do when the sub was up and running. Jonathan felt his head beginning to swim. He had a pretty good idea as to why Lieutenant Anna Warson had been transferred on this sub. She just couldn't shut up if someone got her started on technical explanations. She was a walking encyclopedia of facts!
"Sonar is already operative," she finally pointed at the small sonar station, where Zap was busy testing everything.
"We also got radar, and Tactical is nearly done," Lucas reported, his eyes shining. He was clearly enjoying the challenge.
"Not to forget the periscope," Warson added, pointing at the pedestal. "It's brand new, Commander."
Ford didn't even dare to ask where Krieg had organized a brand new periscope. He knew he'd regret it. He simply nodded and continued his walk to the engine room.
"Whussat?"
Ford poked his head into the engine room, which was an even greater mess than the bridge. Chief Hendersson stood in the middle of an array of what Ford would judge as junk and looked at a piece of paper, turning it around and back again as if he wasn't sure he was looking at it the right way.
"Scrapper! Whussat thing here?" He pointed at the paper. "Never seen one like it before."
Scrapper, looking like he had just bathed in oil and Diesel fuel, peered at the paper. "Dunno, chief. My best guess, it's the old recoil cylinder.... or what's supposed to be one."
Hendersson scratched his beard. "What a piece of junk!" Then he saw Ford. "Skipper, welcome to the engine room." He grinned. "Though it doesn't look like much now."
"How are the repairs coming?" Jonathan asked.
"Couldn't be better. The back-ups will be like new in no time."
Ford had no doubt about that, especially since Lieutenant Krieg had 'organized' the replacement parts. He nodded at his chief and went back outside.
* * *
seaQuest
"You can't be serious!"
Nathan winced and looked at his chief medical officer, who was staring at him in cold accusation. "Believe me, that's exactly what I told Noyce."
"A war game? Shooting at each other with torpedoes? Nathan, this is a research vessel! Don't tell me UEO expects us to go at war with any other sub out there!"
Bridger sighed. "Those torpedoes aren't real, they're filled with bright colors. We've been involved in fighting before, Kristin," he said patiently. "seaQuest is armed, for that fact, and it could happen."
Dr. Kristin Westphalen snorted. "Men and toys! This is just a game, which will lead to nothing!"
"It's an opportunity for Hitchcock and Ford," Nathan reminded her. "And it will be over in no time."
"Which is just another point to prove the stupidity of the military!" Westphalen said and poked at his chest with her finger. "They give Jonathan an old, rusty bucket and expect him to beat a modern ship..."
"Boat," Bridger corrected gently.
"Whatever! They expect him to go up against us, even though he hasn't got the sliver of a chance!"
Nathan shrugged. "I wouldn't write him off that quickly."
Dr. Westphalen sighed deeply and shook her head. "Let's just hope this is over soon," she muttered and then turned back to her experiments.
* * *
SeaDragon berth
Santa Barbara, California
Two weeks after getting command of the SeaDragon Commander Ford, now Captain pro forma, stood proudly at the dock where the Diesel sub was towed to. The SeaDragon was an impressive sight, much more impressive than two weeks ago. The hull had been thoroughly cleaned of all rust patches and sealed. The skin had been painted grey, though it wasn't an even grey since the dark grey color had run out. Krieg had organized some more color, but this was more blue than anything else. So now the SeaDragon looked remarkably like a tiger, striped in steel gray and steel blue. The crew had designed a logo for their 'bucket of rust', a green dragon curling around a sub, snarling at the one looking at him.
On the inside the sub was also as good as new, thanks to the ceaseless 'organizations' of Krieg and his team. The mess area was even completely new, as were most of the controls on the bridge. To everyone's relief and Ford's immense surprise Krieg hadn't been arrested, like everyone else had feared. Jonathan could only shake his head. His crew had been more worried about Krieg and the supply team getting caught than anything else.
He looked at the assembled men and woman, smiling proudly. They had proven to be quite a team in the last two weeks and he knew that Krieg's supply runs, his thefts, so to speak, had done a lot to wake the adventurous streak inside the men and women. Not all of them were prime crewmen material, Ford knew, which was something the UEO had apparently planned for. They wanted him to make a team of them. Well, they had had a good start, he thought as he walked aboard his boat and down to the bridge where everything was lit and looking much better than two mere weeks ago.
His bridge crew was taking their seats, awaiting his orders. Lucas manned something he had called 'main control', a computer screen with cables from all stations running to it. It wasn't anything like the computer system aboard seaQuest, but it would do its magic.
"Okay, men," he said. "Let's take her on a test run!" Ford said.
A cheer went up and Martins relayed the orders to get the engines started. A low rumble passed through the hull of the SeaDragon and Ford felt the old sub move slightly. He nodded at Martins to go on while he climbed the conning tower.
Outside he watched the SeaDragon move slowly away from the dock and pick up speed as they passed through the harbor and onto the open sea. Wind whipped through his hair and he zipped his jacket shut.
"Well, we're moving," Krieg's voice suddenly said from behind.
Ford turned and discovered his supply officer standing on the conning tower as well. Krieg had yet to get a function on the operational sub.
"And we haven't even taken on water," Krieg added cheerily.
Ford smiled a bit. "Let's see if she holds when we make our first dive."
Krieg's face lost a bit of its cheeriness. "Request permission to get reassigned to seaQuest immediately, Sir!"
Ford gave him a cheery smile of his own. "Request denied, Lieutenant. You're stuck here."
"Uh-huh."
* * *
seaQuest DSV
Captain Nathan Bridger looked at the orders he had just received and raised both eyebrows. "That's a joke, right?"
Admiral Noyce shook his head. "No, Nathan, those are your orders."
Bridger read over the few lines again. The SeaDragon, now an enemy ship, was supposed to get into the Captain Cook harbor on Hawaii and destroy a fake ship. The seaQuest's orders were to stop the SeaDragon. Nothing more was said, except for the coordinates of the square where the chase was supposed to take place. And that not Captain Bridger would be commandeering the seaQuest, but Lieutenant Commander Hitchcock. Just like Commander Ford she was tested for command abilities of a whole ship under pressure.
"That's hardly a fair game, Will."
"I never said it would be. Commander Ford has received his orders as well and is already on his way." Noyce smiled. "It's up to you to find and stop him and his boat."
The screen went blank and Bridger leaned back. After a few more seconds he sighed, rising from his chair. He took the MAGLEV to the bridge, where he was already expected by Lieutenant Commander Katy Hitchcock. He looked at her expectant face, then at the faces of the other bridge crew members. He inhaled deeply and then relayed his orders to his crew.
"As to now we're part of a war game conducted by the UEO. The seaQuest's orders are to stop a renegade sub, under command of Commander Ford. The sub we are hunting is the SeaDragon, an old Diesel engine boat." He noted Hitchcock's suprised expression. "Ford's orders are to infiltrate Captain Cook naval base and hit a ship stationed there. How he gets there is his choice alone. From now on the seaQuest is under command of Lt. Commander Hitchcock, acting Captain. I am merely here as an observer, so don't come to me for guidance or questions." Bridger smiled at Hitchcock, who merely nodded."
She turned to the diving officer and nodded. "Get us out of Santa Barbara, heading six-zero-two."
"Aye," the diving officer answered. "Heading six-zero-two. Helm, adjust rudders to new heading, Maneuvering give me two knots."
The two crewmen acknowledged the order and the seaQuest moved out.
"Sir, can I talk to you?" Commander Hitchcock said softly as they passed into the open sea and the boat took on speed.
"What can I do for you, Commander?" Bridger asked.
"Sir, this isn't exactly a fair maneuver," Hitchcock told him. "Jonathan has only an antique while we have the best. What's the point in this?"
Bridger smiled. "I guess you just gave yourself the answer already, Commander. Don't underestimate the enemy. Never. Commander Ford seems to have a disadvantage, but he also has cunning and a mission."
Katy nodded, but wasn't convinced. To her this wasn't a maneuver, it was child's play.
* * *
SeaDragon
20 miles off Santa Barbara
The SeaDragon cut through the waters like a knife through butter. Jonathan Ford felt mighty proud, though they still hadn't had the dive experience yet. Now it was time to try it.
"All hands, prepare for dive!" he ordered and his Exec echoed the order.
The crewmen scrambled to their stations, all looking very apprehensive. The hull of the sub was watertight, but would it be able to sustain the pressure of deep sea diving?
"We're ready, Captain," Martins said and looked at Ford.
The Captain nodded at Ben Krieg. "Mr. Krieg, it's all yours. Take us down," he simply said. "200 feet."
Ben Krieg, appointed acting diving officer by Ford since they didn't have much use for a supply officer now, but needed a diving officer, nodded and gave the orders. Helm and Maneuvering complied, though they looked uneasy. The needle of the depth mark went slowly down to 200 feet. The hull groaned. Ford listened intently to every sound of the hull. He didn't like the way it creaked and groaned, but they needed to know their limits.
"Keep diving," Ford told his crew men and Martins stared at him, but he didn't object.
The needle climbed to 250, 260, 270.... and it passed 300.
"Pressure is getting a bit high, Commander," Lucas said slowly. "The hull's beginning to get unstable." Lucas could read the strain on the ship's skin on his screen, as well as do some things Ford thought might come in handy in their upcoming battle. He knew why he had asked for the teenager.
"Keep diving," he simply said.
"Sir," Martins whispered, stepping to him. "This ship wasn't built for that kind of dive depth. We only got HY-100 steel for the hull."
"I know. But we did a remarkable job of getting it rebuilt and I want to know just how much better she is than her original manufacture." Ford walked over to the depth gauge, tapping on the red markings. "We're already deeper than the SeaDragon should be able to get. Get her a hundred feet deeper, Mr. Martins."
Martins nodded and the sub continued diving. Suddenly the groaning and creaking became a cracking of support beams. Ford listened and said,
"Stop dive, adjust trimming."
Maneuvering complied and they stopped at 420 feet.
"Lucas?"
"Hull's strained, but holding," the youth reported, grinning widely. "SeaDragon is deeper than she should be. Much deeper."
Ford reflected the grin for a split second. "All right, Mr. Martin, take us up to 30 feet and head for Captain Cook. Silent running. We have a ship to sink."
"Yes, Sir!" Martins replied.
* * *
seaQuest DSV
Commander Hitchcock, acting captain of the seaQuest, looked at the chart on her plotting table. Captain Cook was a naval base of the UEO, one of the major bases in the South Pacific. As such it was well protected by destroyers, air squadrons and ground personnel. It was also a trading port and had some heavy traffic flowing in and out. She had taken the seaQuest on a direct route to Captain Cook and had checked out the situation. Captain Cook command told her they were ready for any intruder, even though they didn't believe that anyone could even get close. Hitchcock had to agree. How could Jonathan take a Diesel sub into a closely monitored military harbor? It would be a miracle.
She had then taken the seaQuest away from Captain Cook again, ordering a search pattern in the designated area of the war games. She knew that Ford wouldn't go against the set rules and would stay in the rough square of operations.
"Anything, Mr. Ortiz?" she asked.
Miguel Ortiz shook his head. "No, Captain. Nothing at all. WSKRs are not picking up anything."
"Begin next search pattern," she ordered and sat down in the captain's chair. Sooner or later they would get a blip and then she'd have him.
* * *
SeaDragon
Somewhere in the middle of the North Pacific
Commander Ford looked at the map on the plotting table and smiled. They were making good way and hadn't detected so much as a blip from the seaQuest. They were most likely doing a search pattern and if he was correct they'd be on their next round right now.
"Time to danger zone?" he asked.
"Two hours, five minutes," his Exec answered.
"Good. I....."
"Sir, I got a blip bearing two-two-oh!" Zap suddenly exclaimed, one hand on his headphone and pressing it against the left ear. He wasn't so much as looking at the sonar screen, but listening to the echoes he heard. "It's the seaQuest! Three WSKRs are out, circling her."
Ford was surprised. seaQuest? How ...? No time to think about that, he thought. They had to get out of her way. "What's her depth?" he asked briskly.
"50 feet."
"Mr. Krieg, take us down!" Ford ordered.
The Lieutenant nodded. "Flood front ballast tanks," he relayed the Commander's orders into terms for the crewmen. "Take us down to one hundred feet!"
Ford knew that they could never dive deep enough for the seaQuest not to follow, but if he was correct, then diving deeper than they thought the SeaDragon was able to go would confuse them.
"Aye!"
The SeaDragon began to dive.
"Captain, WSKRs have contact at two-two-one!" Ortiz called out.
"On screen!" Hitchcock ordered.
A sea chart appeared on the screen and Katy discovered a faint blip. It was several miles away.
"Identification?"
"Unable to identify it yet, Captain. Could be either a whale or a ship. We have to get closer," Ortiz answered.
"Change course to new heading," Hitchcock answered. "Full speed ahead."
The diving officer acknowledged and the seaQuest changed course to intercept the object.
"seaQuest is gaining," Zap reported, sounding nervous. "She's picked up speed and has adjusted her course to intercept us."
"Mr. Krieg, crash dive to 400 feet," Ford ordered calmly. "Get her settled on the ground."
Krieg's eyes met his for a split second and he nodded, turning back to Maneuvering and Helm. "Flood all ballast," he ordered. "Downward inclination on all planes. Takes us down fast!"
There was a nervous exchange of glances between Warson and Mirco, but they followed the order. SeaDragon went down like a stone.
Krieg watched the numbers rush by, gnawing his lower lip. This was his first assignment as diving officer and though he had studied everything necessary for his promotion, he had never really thought of getting assigned to anything like this. His field of abilities was more in organization than command. He had doubted for a second that he really could go through with being diving officer, but most of what he had learned came back to him.
"Trim sub!" he commanded, his eyes pinned on the depth gauge. "How much further to ground?"
"Twenty feet, Sir."
"seaQuest is still gaining, but has slowed down," Zap reported.
Krieg guided the SeaDragon carefully down onto the ground and the heavy Diesel sub settled with just a minimum of vibrations. But down in the depths of an ocean a minor vibration was like an earthquake to open ears. Ben looked apologizingly over to Ford.
"seaQuest has slowed down and is beginning search pattern," Zap said into the silence after the touch down.
"Mr. Martins, inform all men, I want complete silence. And tell engineering to stop all engines. Lucas, your turn."
While the Exec picked up the mike and made a brief announcement for silence, Lucas began hacking away at his keyboard, which was a touch sensitive one, so it didn't make any noises. The engines died down immediately and except for the breathing of the men nothing could be heard in the all-encompassing silence. Then they heard the muffled engine sounds of the seaQuest. Krieg nearly flinched at the sound. The seaQuest was a highly sophisticated sub with highly sophisticated machinery. Their computer would find them in no time. What were the chances that she would overlook a motionless bulk of metal below her? Way below zero, he thought darkly. Very far below zero.
"Confirm position," Ortiz said and listened intently to his headphones, through which the WSKRs relayed their information. "No movements."
"Last reported position of the contact?" Hitchcock wanted to know.
"Mark seven-two-three. Heading toward ground."
She looked at the depth gauge. "Four hundred ten feet. The SeaDragon can't dive that far." She frowned. "Just in case they tried it, Mr. Ortiz, sweep the ground."
Miguel nodded and began a search for anything unusual. The WSKRs fanned out and .... encountered Lucas cyber space signal. They whirred over the SeaDragon like flies, but didn't' report a thing. When Ortiz activated the cameras he didn't get a picture of the motionless sub just below them. All he saw was a small mountain on the ground of the ocean, looking like every other mound. He started the active sonar of the WSKRs.
Captain Bridger stood back and watched his Lt. Commander act. Then he looked at the read-out screen, showing him what was being conducted by Ortiz and which readings were presented. Even if he would notice something he couldn't tell. And he detected something ....
"Heads up, here she comes," Zap whispered and ducked down a bit as the engine noises got louder.
seaQuest came slowly closer, clearly still searching for them. Then they heard the high whirring of the WSKRs, followed by the noise of active sonar, which related through high 'pings'. Ford frowned. He knew the boat and her systems. Lucas might be able to fool the cameras into believing there was nothing down here by overriding some easy circuits, but he couldn't give the WSKRs false sonar readings. Not with Miguel Ortiz watching and O'Neill listening to everything coming through their sensors. They would see such tampering immediately. seaQuest should be able to detect them now. Why weren't they being fired upon?
"The paint!" Krieg suddenly whispered, looking excited. "It's working!"
Ford looked at him. "What about it?" he whispered back, just loud enough that his new diving officer could hear him.
"We couldn't get normal paint in the warehouses, so we took the next best thing. SRAM paint."
Ford's eyes went as wide as saucers. "SRAM paint?"
SRAM, or Sonar and Radar Absorbing Material, paint was a new, experimental paint of the UEO. It wasn't anything coming close to the organic layer of self-repairing skin of the seaQuest, but it was something very special. It absorbed every kind of radar, reflecting it back from the hull. To the other ship's radar and sonar the SeaDragon would appear like just another lump of rock. Ford made a mental note to ask Krieg just where he had 'found' the SRAM paint.
"seaQuest has stopped," Zap whispered. "So far she hasn't really noticed us yet."
Everyone held his or her breath.
"Hold position," Hitchcock said and all engines stopped. She looked at Ortiz, who shrugged.
"Nothing," he said. "Whatever it was we picked up, it's gone. Maybe it was a whale."
Katy frowned. "Yes. If it was the SeaDragon we should at least pick up traces. Let's wait some more time in case they have found a way to hide. Then get back to our search."
The air inside the SeaDragon was getting stuffy. Ford had ordered everything to be shut down, even life support. Every little sound could tell the seaQuest's ears where they were. And if O'Neill and Ortiz were looking for them, then they had to be as silent as possible. He looked around, noticing the sweat stained faces of his crew as they breathed slowly, carefully, watching, waiting.
Katy looked at her watch. They had been holding this position for over twenty minutes now with nothing happening. O'Neill heard nothing but natural sounds and Ortiz had given her a negative report on any foreign presence on the ocean's floor.
"Take us out of here," she told her diving officer and he nodded.
The seaQuest moved slowly away.
Bridger smiled and switched off the screen. "Very good, Jonathan," he muttered just loud enough that no one could hear him. "And I daren't even ask where you got the SRAM paint from."
"She's moving!" Zap whispered excitedly. "She didn't see us!"
Everyone grinned madly, but didn't dare to cheer as long as the other boat was still so close. Ford smiled. Score one.
After several minutes and the confirmation that the seaQuest was really gone he gave the order to continue their way. The SeaDragon rose to an easy cruising depth of 40 feet and went back on course for Captain Cook.
* * *
SeaDragon
Somewhere in the Pacific
Night had fallen, but inside the SeaDragon there was no change in light. Half the crew was asleep in their quarters while others where on duty. Martins was asleep and Commander Ford stood on the bridge, mulling over a tactic as to how to get into the harbor of Captain Cook.
"Sir?" Zap called and drew Ford's attention to the small sonar station.
"What is it?"
"I'm picking up propeller echoes. It's coming toward us."
"seaQuest?" he asked.
"Not the seaQuest," Zap answered. "Sea Wolf class." He listened intently. "Must be the Gorch Fock II. Yes, it is her!"
"The Gorch Fock II?" Jonathan recognized the name.
Anna Warson seemed to take his question as a sign of not knowing who he was facing because she immediately supplied the data.
"SSN Gorch Fock II. Sea Wolf class, also known as Project 500. Built five years ago, best battle sub the UEO has right now in the fighting cadre of UEO. Armament consists of twenty-four SS-N-25 Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missiles, known as SLBM's, 650 mm and 533 mm torpedo tubes with 35 weapons," she said with a smile. "Maximum speed submerged 35 knots. She's driven by two nuclear steam powered turbines with two shrouded 7-bladed screws. Shaft horse power is 120,000."
Ford blinked at her. "Uh-huh," was all he managed.
He looked at the depth gauge. No, this time they wouldn't be able to play dead. The ground was over one thousand feet down.
He sounded the alarm. "Battle stations, all hands, battle stations," he called into the mike and seconds later the bridge crew had scrambled to their seats.
A slightly ruffled Ben Krieg stepped beside his commanding officer.
"Periscope depth," Ford ordered.
The SeaDragon rose and Ford extended the periscope, looking around. Weather was bad, with a lot of mist rising above the wavy surface. Clouds hid the stars and the moon and visibility was nil.
"Mr. Krieg, get us up."
"Sir?"
"You understood the order, Lieutenant. Surface."
"Aye, Captain. Blow ballast, get her to the surface, guys!"
"Lucas, the moment we break the surface, switch on the running lights. And I need one of those halogen lamps, pronto."
Lucas didn't even ask what Ford was planning, He merely nodded and dug out a battery powered lamp from somewhere.
The SeaDragon broke the surface.
"Mr. Longman, you're with me. Let's get going."
Pat Longman didn't question the order, he went after his Captain. Outside rain was hitting them the second they emerged from the safety of the hatch. Ford looked up the extended Periscope and pointed to the top.
"Get the lamp up there, on the top. Then switch it on!" he yelled over the wind and rain.
Longman began a quick climb up the rungs to position the lamp on top of the periscope. It was dangerous work because the rungs were slippery and wet, but Longman had the agility of an ape and he was up and down again in no time. The lamp flared brightly into the night.
"Good work, Pat!" Ford called. "Now let's get down and pray they fall for it!"
He went quickly down the ladder and closed the hatch. Zap was listening intently to the sonar.
"Gorch Fock is now in range. She's rising to periscope depth."
Krieg's face suddenly lit with a smile. "Neat idea, Commander," he laughed.
Ford grinned. "Let's hope they fall for the 'I'm-a-trawler'-trick."
Krieg's smile turned mischievous. "What would a trawler be without a drunken crew?" he asked and Ford got the hint.
"I hope Chief Crocker taught us some good songs," he said and then ordered, "Everyone, start singing. Whatever you do, act only as if you're drunk sailors!"
The crew members looked at each other, then some realized what this was leading to. And when Krieg an Ford began to sing, they joined in.
*
Gorch Fock II
Commander Amanda Perry, Captain of the Gorch Fock II, sat in her command chair, listening to the report of her sonar officer. She had been told of the war game by Admiral Hank Peters and her orders were to help looking for the SeaDragon. She didn't see the point in chasing an old Diesel sub. This was child's play!
The sonar officer had reported movement some time ago and they had followed the sounds for quite a while. Now they were in range to tell whether this was the SeaDragon or not. If it was the 'enemy' sub then she'd be dead in a matter of minutes.
"We got a confirmed bogey, Captain. It's not moving."
"Periscope depth," she ordered and walked over to the periscope as it moved up.
"Anything else, Mr. Brent?" she asked her sonar man.
Brent was listening intently. "Uhm, I pick up something ...."
"Yes?" She turned the periscope and came to see several position lights.
"Sounds like.... Sir, you should listen to this." Brent switched on the loudspeakers.
Loud, unmelodious singing echoed through the bridge of the Gorch Fock II and Perry winced as one of the singers missed another key. She looked at the position lights again, just barely visible in the bad weather zone.
"A trawler," she muttered. She stepped away from the periscope and gestured at her sonar officer to cut the transmission. The terrible singing stopped. "It's just a trawler full of drunken fishermen." She sounded disgusted. "Mr. Thomas, get us down to 50 feet and head five-oh-one. Speed six knots."
"Aye!"
The Gorch Fock II moved away.
*
SeaDragon
"They're moving off!" Zap called and a cheer went through the whole crew.
Martins looked at his commanding officer. "Good idea, Captain. Very ... initiative."
Ford chuckled. "In this game you have to be." He turned to his slap-happy crew. "Okay, men, party's over. Everyone not on duty back to your quarters! Everyone else, man your stations!"
"Yes Sir!" everyone called.
Ford leaned against the periscope pedestal and watched everything return to normal.
"Orders?" Martins asked.
"I thought I said everyone back to quarters, Mr. Martins."
His Exec smiled. "It's only two more hours and then my shift starts. I thought I'd make some overtime." He grinned.
Ford grinned as well, then said, "Flank speed, Mr. Martins. The night gives us some cover and radar will tell us if we get too close to any other vessel."
Martins nodded. "Aye, Sir. Flank speed!"
The SeaDragon shot across the surface.
* * *
Ben Krieg looked at the chart and then at his Captain. "Pretty tight security," he commented.
Martins nodded his agreement to the statement. "Any plan on how you want to get in?" he asked.
Jonathan Ford thoughtfully rubbed his chin. Captain Cook was situated in a naturally formed harbor at the East coast of Hawaii. Three quarters of the harbor were surrounded by reefs and the water wasn't very deep, though deep enough for a sub to enter submerged. Seen logically there was no way a sub would get into the harbor undetected.
"Any ideas?" he asked.
The two other men looked as thoughtful as the Commander. Ford turned to his sonar man. "What about the enemy vessels?" he asked.
"We have five destroyers out of the harbor, one search plane and ...," he listened to his headphones again, "some commercial traffic. As far as I can make it out that's the Vermilion up there."
"Isn't she a super freighter?" Martins asked.
Ford nodded. "Take us to periscope depth," he ordered. "I want to have a look around."
SeaDragon rose several feet and then extended the periscope. What Ford saw didn't give him much hope. As Zap had told him there were five destroyers up there, all Omega class. They sat in the water in a pattern that gave him an idea what they were up to.
"They've put up a net," he told his crew. "Wherever we try to enter, we'll get caught immediately. There's also a SeaHawk up there, searching for us as well." He swiveled the periscope and discovered the immense form of the Vermilion lumbering slowly toward Captain Cook.
"Sir, we got contact!" Zap suddenly shouted. "It's the seaQuest!"
"Position?"
"Two-oh-seven, coming closer."
"Dive to thirty-five feet, battle stations!"
The periscope was hauled back in again and the SeaDragon made a dive for deeper waters. They were still outside the destroyers' search net, but if they kept on sitting here, they'd be caught by the seaQuest. Ford's mind worked furiously, but whatever plan he made, they all came up with the SeaDragon caught in the end.
"Got them, Captain!" Ortiz called, his face shining with glee.
"On screen," Hitchcock ordered and then grinned as well as she saw the greenish blip on the screen. On the bottom of the screen came the ID marks of the SeaDragon.
"She's not moving, Captain," Ortiz said. "There's a whole bunch of destroyers up there and wherever he moves, he'll be easy bait."
Hitchcock nodded, already feeling sorry for Jonathan that he would loose the games. But then, had there ever been any other outcome possible? seaQuest was superior to the little Diesel sub in all the ways.
"Helm, Maneuvering, set course for the SeaDragon. Mr. Philips, home in on the target. Tell me when you have a lock on." Katy knew that the games were over when they had a lock on the target and Ford acknowledged the theoretic hit.
"Yes, Sir!"
"seaQuest is moving on intercept course," Zap reported.
Ford glanced at the screen. "One-third ahead," he ordered. "Get us out of her range."
The SeaDragon picked up speed.
"They'll get us sooner or later," Martins muttered darkly.
"I prefer it to be later," Ford commented. He turned to Krieg, who had been silently staring at the array of ships above them, aligned in a way that they had to run a zigzag course, but would still get caught. "Any sudden ideas, Lieutenant?" he asked.
"Have you ever heard of the Trojan Horse?" Krieg asked in return, not looking up from the display.
Ford stepped beside him, looking down onto the display as well. SeaDragon was moving dangerously close to the first destroyer. Soon they'd get caught in its sonar calls.
"What do you have in mind, Ben?" he wanted to know, not quite sure he knew the way Krieg's thoughts were running.
Krieg pointed at the slowly moving Vermilion, a large plot on the screen. "That's what I'm thinking. The freighter could be our ticket in."
Jonathan stared at the moving point, then realization hit him. "That's crazy, Ben," he blurted.
"We'd never make it," Martins agreed."
"Not if we don't try," Krieg agreed. "It's either that or give up now."
"seaQuest now five minutes from locking on," Zap reported.
Ford looked at his acting diving officer. "Do you think you can do it?"
"No," Krieg answered honestly. "But if we throw our skills together I guess we can come up with a way to do it."
Ford looked at the display again, then he turned to the navigational control crewmen. "Mr. Mirco, Ms. Warson, change course to new heading. Flank speed!"
"Aye, Sir," the two chorused and the SeaDragon shot toward the freighter.
Ford sighed. "I hope this crazy plan works."
"SeaDragon has started moving," Ortiz reported. "She's picking up a lot of speed!"
"She's moving out of firing range," the weapons officer added.
Hitchcock turned to the display, surprise written on her face. What was Jonathan thinking he would gain from this maneuver? If seaQuest didn't get them, then it would be the destroyers.
"Follow them. Be ready to transmit lock on when ready," she ordered.
Bridger, standing aside, watching in his role as observer, frowned at the display. Whatever Commander Ford thought he would gain with this strange maneuver, it had to be a good plan.
"Three minutes till danger zone," Zap reported, sounding nervous.
Ford nodded, feeling the SeaDragon shake and rumble below him.
"We're right behind the freighter," Martins said unnecessarily. "The propellers of the ship will shred us if we get too close, Sir."
"I know, Mr. Martins, and I hope to avoid that fate."
Jonathan glanced over to Ben, who was concentrating on Helm and Maneuvering. The normally so flippant and cheerful Lieutenant's face was puckered in deep concentration as he constantly gave orders to adjust the subs trim. It was strange, Ford mused, how completely Krieg could change, from a careless person to a responsible officer. He had mainly asked for the Lieutenant because of his famous organizatorial skill and he hadn't thought how Krieg would be able to help when they were on their mission. Of course, Krieg had taken several courses and passed a lot of tests when taking his exams, and he had been a serious and responsible acting person when the seaQuest had been kidnapped while on a test run. Krieg had been ready to lay down his life to safe the others.
People change, his father had always said. Not on the outside, but inside. Look below the mask someone wears, don't be fooled by what they try to make you believe. Well, he had learned not to look at the mask Krieg wore so often.
SeaDragon rocked wildly in the backdraft of the gigantic propellers of the Vermilion.
"Couldn't we just dive below her and then rise until we are directly under the belly?" Lucas asked, gripping onto his station.
"Wouldn't work," Martins answered. "By passing through the propeller waves they will lose us for several seconds and then we're under the belly and the Vermilion's size will hide us."
"Oh."
"If we can get through the two propellers," Zap muttered unhappily, clutching his chair for support.
SeaDragon was now shaking like a dog trying to get rid of its fleas. Ford was nearly thrown against Helm, but he caught himself. Krieg had grabbed Maneuvering's chair and his face was covered in sweat. Martins was hanging on to the periscope pedestal.
"One minute," Zap called over the thunderous noises coming from the propellers.
The sound echoed through the SeaDragon and Ford thought that this must be how someone inside a drum must be feeling. The sub groaned and creaked.
Down in engineering, Hendersson and Scrapper were busy tending to the engines without getting bumped around more than necessary. Suddenly one of the water pipes burst.
"Aw, damn!" Hendersson cursed and grabbed for a clamp to close the leak as best as he could.
Another pipe burst, the force of the water gushing out slamming him against one of the Diesel engines. Scrapper jumped forward, getting the clamp out of Hendersson's limp hands. He could tend to the unconscious man later. Right now he had a leak to close.
"We got water down in engineering!" Lucas called, slightly panicked.
Krieg looked up from his position and then over to Ford. The Commander cursed lowly and then grabbed for the mike. "Hendersson! Scrapper! This is Commander Ford. How bad is it?"
There was a short silence, then came the slightly dazed sounding voice of Hendersson. "All secured," he said slowly. "Three leaks, all clamped. Engines runnin' fine."
"Are you all right?"
"Just a bump on the head, skipper. Nothin' serious."
Ford relaxed a bit. SeaDragon began to shake more wildly and Zap cried, "We're in!"
Two giant propeller moved slowly beside the small sub, rattling her thoroughly. For twenty seconds everything that wasn't nailed down flew through the rooms and fell down. And then, everything quieted down. For about two seconds the crew remained in stunned silence, then a cheer echoed through the sub, shaking it just as wildly as the Vermilion had.
"We are now directly under the Vermilion," Zap reported with a broad smile.
"Good work," Ford breathed and straightened.
"We lost them!"
Katy whirled to Ortiz. "What?"
The sonar officer shrugged helplessly. "For a second she was there, then the SeaDragon simply vanished. I can't explain it."
"Active sweep!" Hitchcock ordered. "And tell the destroyers that the SeaDragon has entered the red zone, but has gone into hiding!"
"Yes, Sir."
Nathan Bridger rubbed his nose and stared at the display. Whatever Ford had just done, it was ingenious. Bridger himself couldn't explain where the smaller sub could have vanished to. He began to call up the last recorded movements of the SeaDragon and suddenly it struck him. He had to hold on to himself not to laugh out aloud. Jonathan, I don't know how you came up with that plan, but it's a first!
*
"Uh, Sir?"
Ford walked over to Zap. "What is it?" He felt relatively relaxed for the first time since the orders of the war games had come in. If luck stayed on their side they'd get into the harbor and nobody would ever see them.
"The Vermilion is changing course, Sir."
So much for continuing luck.
"I think she's going for Napoopoo, not Captain Cook," Martins muttered unhappily.
Ford came to a decision. "Engineering, this is Ford. How fast can you get those engines going?"
"How fast ya wanna have 'em go, skipper?" Hendersson asked cheerfully.
"Give me all you have on my command! Stand by!" Ford turned to his crew. "Warson, Mirco, get ready to break away from the Vermilion. We're making a run for it."
The two nodded.
"Lucas, activate weapons control. I want two torpedoes ready to fire on my order."
"Gotcha!" Lucas began working on the weapons control.
"We're breaking away," Martins reported. "We should now be back on their radar screens."
"Got them again, thirty miles outside the harbor!" Ortiz called, his voice tinged with shocked surprise.
Katy was speechless for just split second. How could they have gotten there? "Intercept course!" she ordered. "Weapons lock-on ready!"
"We are ready, Captain," Philips said.
On the screen a red triangle began to move toward the green blip that symbolized the SeaDragon.
"They're homing in!" Zap called.
"Mr. Hendersson, give me all you got!" Ford ordered.
Down in engineering Hendersson grinned and set the Diesels on full speed. Scrapper walked over to the back-ups and activated them as well. Four powerful engines began to push the SeaDragon forward toward their intended aim: Captain Cook harbor.
"They are picking up speed!" Ortiz called in surprise.
"Follow them," Katy said and the seaQuest picked up speed as well, the red triangle of a confirmed weapons lock-on moving ever closer to the SeaDragon.
"They are locking on!" Zap nearly screamed.
Ford turned to Lucas. "Activate torpedoes. Lock on target and fire!"
Lucas nodded and then punched the button to fire the color filled torpedoes. The two small missiles shot away from the sub and homed in on their designated target, a scrap yard ready destroyer just inside the Captain Cook harbor, far away from any commercial traffic and the military base.
"We have lock on!" Ortiz said triumphantly and the red triangle overlapped the green point, flashing victoriously.
"Mr. O'Neill, get me the Commander on line," Hitchcock ordered.
O'Neill nodded and seconds later they could hear the voice of Commander Ford. "Congratulations, seaQuest," he said, but he didn't sound as beaten as Katy would have thought.
"Well, you put up a good fight, Commander," she said. "Sorry to tell you, but you lost."
"I don't think so," Ford said smugly. "Just before you achieved lock-on we fired two torpedoes, which are now on their way to the target."
Hitchcock's eyes went wide. Ortiz scanned the waters for torpedo activity and O'Neill nodded sagely when he picked up the sound of the torpedo propellers.
"Torpedo in water," he confirmed.
"I don't believe it!" Katy whispered.
A minute later both torpedoes hit home and splattered bright green paint over the broadside of the old battle ship.
"Looks like Commander Ford won, even though he's dead," Bridger said with a smile. "Good work, Commander."
"Thank you, Sir." Ford sounded immensely pleased. "I'll relay your compliments to the crew." With that he switched off.
Hitchcock turned to Bridger. "How did he do that?" she asked, baffled.
"Well, Commander, I think it wasn't only Jonathan's doing. You helped him as well."
"Me, Captain?"
Bridger chuckled. "Yes, you. You underestimated them. That was as good as helping them. Now, let's get to Captain Cook for debriefing."
"Yes, Sir!"
The seaQuest surfaced and moved slowly into the harbor.
* * *
UEO Headquarters
Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
Noyce grinned at his friend. "You lost, Hank."
Admiral Peters shook his head in disbelief. "That's impossible!"
"You got proven otherwise."
"But seaQuest killed them!" Peters protested.
"Not before they got off two shots at the target -- and hit it." Noyce was pleased.
Peters sighed. "Okay," he conceded. "You win." He dug out his wallet. "That was one hell of a maneuver and I want to be present at the debriefing. I want to know just how they did it!"
Noyce only chuckled.
* * *
SeaDragon Berth
Santa Barbara, California
The SeaDragon lay towed to the Harbor of Captain Cook naval base, looking a bit battered. The damage report said that the hull was ready to break in some places and that the Diesels were pretty used up. The last sprint had damaged the pistons and several other parts. There were several small leaks, which had gone by undetected as well. But all in all she was still a good sub. Ford smiled proudly.
"Well, we did it!" Lucas said triumphantly.
"Yeah, but we got sunk," Krieg reminded him.
"Survival wasn't the aim of the game," Ford reminded them.
"Well, I would feel better alive than dead," Krieg grimaced. "Death is such a final thing."
Ford smiled. "Victory is also a final thing."
"And it was a very .... ingenious victory," Nathan Bridger said as he joined his men.
"Thank you, Captain," Ford nodded at him, "but it wasn't all my idea. A lot of it was only possible because of the crew."
Bridger nodded. "Well, that was part of the training exercise, Commander. A Captain can't know everything; listen to the ideas of your crew."
Ford glanced at Krieg, reminding himself that the Trojan Horse had been Ben's idea. He nodded slowly. "Yes, this was truly a crew effort."
"Especially the .... organizatorial part," Bridger chuckled.
Krieg shrugged self-consciously under the Captain's mildly disapproving look. "Well, hidden talents...."
"Oh, I don't think you ever hid them, Lieutenant." The Captain of the seaQuest turned to his second-in-command. "Let's get going. Admiral Noyce is awaiting us. He wants a debriefing."
The three officers walked toward the waiting shuttle, where they were already expected by Lt. Commanders Martins and Hitchcock. As the shuttle drove away, the slap-happy, though theoretically dead, crew of the SeaDragon made themselves at home in Captain Cook base, already thinking on how to get repair material for their victorious sub.....