Commander Kate Roth

Chapter 1 Pulling ranks

The Hammersley was wrestling through a rough storm in the Arafuga Sea. Waves of salt water, foam and rain splashed against the windscreen. The ship pitched and rolled like mad.

The captain sat firmly squeezed in her chair.

Another hour and the worst is over.

Her XO, Jack Hogan, nickname Dundee, had proposed to get them a brew and she hoped that there would still something in the mug when he would come back at the bridge.

She couldn't help herself, but smiled when she thought about him, a handsome guy.

He had a normal size and a tanned skin after spending his days in the sun.

She heard someone stumble over and a muffled curse whereby she turned her head to look.

"Boss, here you go. Unfortunately you can follow my trail from the galley to here," he said when he came back on the bridge. Holding himself he offered her the mug.

She made a face when she saw the little coffee in the bottom of the mug.

"Thanks X for risking your life to get us a brew", she said with a smile.

"We shall drink a full one when we shall have gone out of this storm. Where's the time when I was trying to manage mugs in a storm like this to the bridge. "

When I finally arrived at the bridge with burned fingers, coffee on my suit, a bad temper, there was always the grateful smile of Mike Flynn. 'Thanks a lot Nikki or Nav'. That made me to forget all the preceding hiccups. I want to do that for my people also.

He looked at his captain and saw that she was continuing the conversation in herself. He smiled.

Lieutenant-commander Nikki Caetano is a good captain. There are worse. Take that bitch of a captain on the HMAS Darwin for example. My mate at ADFA who's now the artillery officer on board there told me by several occasions that nobody can do something good in her eyes. That makes people below deck grumpy and it is extremely difficult for the officers who are choosing the side of the crew, to find the appropriate balance.

Nikki had put her foot firmly against the windscreen while holding the mug with her both hands and she braced herself when she saw how the ship dived into another wave trough.

Shit, I'm hoping that that bit of coffee stays in the mug and that it's not going to explore my trousers!

The Hammersley raised again.

Pfew, no spots. Nicole drink it out, now!

She took a gulp.

That was good! It may stop now! That bloody storm lasts already for two hours! It's the worst since I'm commander. Commander. Almost 10 months now. It seems yesterday when I received my shoulder boards with two and a half band. It went smoothly. A third of the crew is still the same and Jack, my XO was already XO here for 3 months before I came on board. It's pleasant to work with him and I'm getting the impression that he likes me too. That was the first step! The next one was to build a team from this ship and I think that I'm on the right track. Ok, there are mistakes and misunderstandings, but that's learning.

Another swell.

All of a sudden they heard a scream and a smack followed by moaning. They looked at each other frowning.

"X, go and check what happened!", Nikki said to Jack.

"Aye".

A little later he was back on the bridge and grabbed the microphone.

"Medic to the main staircase. Medic to the main staircase."

Nikki frowned and threw a questioning glance at him.

He looked at her. "It's the Chef, he lost his balance on the highest step and slipped down. He has a broken leg."

She made a face. "Damn, bad luck for him! And for us as well ! He's our cook."

"As I don't know that!", he mumbled rolling his eyes.

She looked at him. "Don't make such an unhappy face. Organise a good alternative and I said a good. Last time when he was sick and Bird was on training we almost had a mutiny on board."

"Bird perhaps?" .

"That's an alternative, but she's the Swain's assistant ."

"You?" He said with a grin.

"Yeah, I know, you all appreciated my cooking results since the last day off on that tropical island, but it's not really a good one. "

"Although, your scampi were damn good."

"Flatterer. Not this time. Give it another try," she answered with a smirk.

"Shit!", she exclaimed as the coffee gushed over the edge and made brown spots on her trousers.

"Blame the storm", he deadpanned whereby he received her annoyed glance

"Where was I? Ah, the cook, well, next try?"

"Hmm", he said and he rubbed the back of his head.

Damn, who else? Anyhow I'll ask Bird. We will arrange something.

"X, you have the ship. I'll see Bird. And you'll have the time to find a cook" Nikki said and left her chair to work herself down to the ward.

After bouncing from one wall to the other she entered the ward and saw how Bird was splinting the Chef's leg. Higgins, their buffer held the chef on the bunk while a second held Bird to avoid that she saw every corner of the ward as well. She had put the poor cook an anaesthetic.

"How is it here?", she asked while she held the doorway.

"A fracture. He needs a surgery. I keep him under narcosis, but I can't keep on doing that. Can we reach a home port?", Bird answered to the point.

"It's too far, but I think one of the frigates is in the neighbourhood. I'll contact Navcom."

Nikki stumbled back.

At the bridge she looked at RO who was fiddling with his radio.

Apart from his promotion to petty officer he never changes. I think they put him at the inventory of the ship as well.

"RO, can you contact Navcom to ask for a medivac!."

"Aye ma'am."

A bit later a message from Navcom came in.

"Boss, Navcom says that there's no chopper available, but the HMAS Darwin is the closest and they've given the coordinates", RO said.

"No chopper? It sounds like we are in a developing country! But ok, the Darwin. That's at least something", she muttered.

"Ok, then. RO, send a message to the Darwin that we have someone with a broken leg who needs surgery and Jack, prepare a course to the HMAS Darwin. Tell me when we will meet each other."

"Aye boss", they answered her.

"The Darwin, that's the old Captain Lindsey, not?", she said to no one in special.

"That was a few months ago ma'am, he retired."

"Oh, and who is it now?", she wondered turning to her XO.

"Commander Roth, boss," he answered and he almost spat out the word Roth.

"Roth?", she asked while she was thinking if she knew that person.

"Kate Roth, ma'am. She's recently, a couple of months ago, promoted and appointed on the Darwin."

"Ah! Kate! Yes of course! I can't get used to her last name. Wonderful. She has finally made it. Big ships were always her dream", Nikki said enthusiastically.

"Uh, you seem to know her?", he sounded suspiciously.

"Yeah, she was the XO here on board. We are friends. Although, it's a long time ago we've met each other again, which is a pity because I could get along very good with her."

Nikki shrugged, "Her marriage, my marriage, our jobs on different bases, it made it impossible to keep in touch".

"Friends? With her?", he asked surprised.

Nikki frowned.

"Anything wrong with it? You don't seem to be set up with her?"

"Sorry ma'am, maybe I may not say this. But there are quite some negative rumours about her."

"Come on X, if you say A, then you have to say B as well."

"They say she's acting very negative towards her crew."

"Strange, I don't know her like that. Anyhow, when we transfer the Chef, then I go to her. I want to see her again."

"You're sure? Do you really want to do that?" Jack sounded concerned.

"Jack, it's strange that you doubt a decision of me. But especially now, I must see what's going on on the Darwin!" she said fiercely.

"Ok, boss. Good luck."

She gave him a glare, "You little rascal. Have you already found a cook? Or shall I kidnap one from the Darwin?", she responded .

In response he lifted one eyebrow to look at her.

Meanwhile he has calculated the course.

"We will meet the Darwin at 1500 Hr."

"Fine."

At 3.00 pm they had met the Darwin. The storm was over and the sea was calming down again with a slow, but large swell. The Chef with his broken leg was being transferred to the Darwin without problems and Nikki accompanied them. The XO of the Darwin, Lieutenant-Commander Mark Thompson, was supervising the transfer and was a bit surprised to see the commander of the Hammersley coming on board.

"Lieutenant-Commander, welcome on board. I didn't know otherwise I had arranged a guard" He said ill-at-ease while saluting.

Nikki saluted back and recognized him.

"Mark ! That's long ago ! How are you?"

"Nikki ! That's what you call a big surprise. I didn't know you were the commander of a patrol boat." He said relieved with a smile while they shook hands.

"This is a bit unusual. When the captain hears there was no guard to welcome another commander, then…", he said waggling heavily with his hand.

"Hey Mark, chill! That's two times within two minutes that you telling me the same! I'm not an admiral you know and you can't hardly say that this is an aircraft carrier!", she said pointing with thumb over her shoulder to the Hammersley."

"What brings you here? ", he asked still ill-at-ease.

"I'm coming for Kate", Nikki said disarmingly.

"Uh? The captain? You're sure?" He asked surprised and concerned.

Nikki stopped and looked at the unhappy face of the XO. "Mark, what's going on here? My XO acted also that strange about Kate and you too. You look like you've to appear at a court martial. Kate and I are friends you know." Nikki answered scowling.

"Friends? She? Goddamn, then you must be extreme special. I think that that word is not in her dictionary. Anyhow, be careful Nikki."

Nikki threw a questioning glance at Mark and continued her walk to the bridge while Mark was following her.

When she arrived at the bridge she saw that Kate stood in the middle of it, her hands at the back, looking straight at her.

Ouch, she looks at me like I'm from another planet. Damn, she looks tired, older!

"Hi Kate, how are you? It's a long time ago, isn't it?" Nikki said while she offered her hand to shake hands.

"Lieutenant-Commander."

Kate paused a few seconds. Her words lingered in the air, just like Nikki's hand.

"What's the subject of your visit?", she asked coolly and she did no effort to accept Nikki's hand.

Nikki pulled her hand back and shivering ran down her spine, "Uh, Kate, I just wanted to meet you again. It's quite some time ago, you see."

"That's all? Well, as you can see, I'm fine", she answered coolly.

Well goddamn she doesn't seem to recognize me.

"Well, ok, great, I just thought you would have liked it too?", Nikki answered confused, not really knowing what to say.

"If that was all, thank you. You can return and I have a mission to accomplish", Kate replied bluntly.

At the moment that Nikki wanted to turn, Kate added icily, "Oh and by the way, check the hierarchy of the navy grades, will you."

Nikki opened her mouth to snap some air and blushed.

"Uh, yes, … Commander!", She said, expressing the last word while glaring at Kate. She returned angry from the bridge.

"X! Why wasn't I at the current of the visit of another commander? And see to it that the commander can leave following the book!", she snapped.

"Aye aye ma'am", Mark said and he snapped against a sub-lieutenant, "Arrange a guard, now! At the rush!"

"Yes sir!", the man answered and hurried away.

He hurried after her and tried to hold her by her sleeve.

"I'm sorry Nikki, I tried to warn you. She's always like that." Mark said walking next to her.

"Mark, I don't know her like that. What happened here for God's sake?", Nikki asked irritated.

He grabbed her arm a bit more decisively, "Nikki please, wait! If you leave before the guard had greeted you officially with whistles, then I'm getting a thunderstorm over me!".

She stopped and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"She came onboard like this. We don't know another Kate Roth. She falls over the littlest detail. She even doesn't accept a small chat or laughter at the bridge. Even the Chief isn't safe anymore in his engine room. She dares to pop up there too. " Everything must be perfect, otherwise she kills you.

"Hmm, Princess Perfect', she mumbled.

"What did you say?", he asked.

"Oh, nothing", she deadpanned.

He looked at his watch, "By now, there will be a guard. Let's go."

Nikki had to prepare a poker face to avoid that she roared with laughter when she saw how she received an official whistle while she wanted to leave the ship.

All of a sudden the speakers on board announced a message, "Executive officer at the bridge, at the rush!", Kate's voice sounded awfully.

Nikki looked at her former colleague of her first posting.

"Sorry Nik, it's always like that here. Fair winds."

"You too", she said before climbing down.

Nikki sat gloomy in the rhib when they rushed back to their own ship.

Without saying a word she climbed on board and padded directly to the bridge. There, she plopped down in her chair and stared out of the window.

"Boss, my observations tell me that you didn't have a cheerful meeting, isn't it?" Jack pushed off.

"Yes X, you're right. She became a bitch. Do you know, she has just ridiculed me at the bridge about ranks, where everyone was around. I could have killed her", Nikki answered angrily.

"Sorry for you boss, but can we leave?", he asked.

She glared at him, "Of course, what did you expect?"

She noticed how he looked surprised, and corrected herself, "Sorry Jack, I may not say that. It's not your fault that it was messed up there. I feel so stupid at this moment", she added whispering.

"Never mind. Just, forget her boss", he answered.

"Anyhow, I'll see her on shore in private and I must know what's going on." She said fiercely with a firm tap at the armrest.

"Good luck boss", he said lifting his eyebrows in disbelief.

Nikki caught his eye movement from the corner of her eyes, "You sound like you don't believe me uh? Well Jack, then you don't know me yet! I can be even more stubborn than that blond creature there!", she said with a nod in the direction of the Darwin.