Human Nav vs. Satnav
Rating: K
Disclaimer: Sea Patrol's not mine.
A/N: For my 10th fanfic, I thought I'd return to the place where I published my very first story, 'Sleepless on Hammersley': Sea Patrol fandom. This 10th fic is set in early Season 1, meaning Spider has only recently joined Hammersley's crew and we're slowly getting suspicious that Nav and ET might get a little, uhm, closer in the future ;-)
Nav's apartment
"John, I'm perfectly able to find the way to the harbour on my own," Lieutenant Nikki 'Nav' Caetano told her brother for the umpteenth time that morning.
"But I've just downloaded this new navigation app onto my phone," John protested, shoving the device under his sister's nose. "See? It can show you the shortest way to the harbour, or the fastest one, which isn't necessarily the same, or..."
"Yeah, yeah, got it. Now stop discussing or we won't even make it out of this apartment, which means no tour of Hammersley for you."
John crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Fine. I'll put our destination into my navigation app, but you don't have to follow its directions."
"Oh trust me, I won't." Nikki grabbed her car keys and left the apartment.
En route to the harbour
The first few minutes of their drive, everything went fine. Until-
"Take the next turn left," John's phone announced. Nikki, though, acted like she hadn't heard it and kept driving straight on.
"Hey, it said turn left!" John complained.
"And I said I wouldn't listen to it," Nikki retorted, her eyes fixed on the road. John huffed, leant back in the passenger's seat and stared out of the side window.
"Take the next turn left," the phone broke the silence. This time, Nikki obeyed, which seemed to cheer her brother up a bit. But then-
"Take the next turn right."
"Nikki! It said turn right!"
"Stop yelling, my ears are working just fine."
"But..." John let out a puff of air, finally admitting defeat. Nikki glanced at him from the corner of her eye and had to bite back a laugh: Her brother was sitting there with his arms crossed in front of his chest and a pout on his face that would have been suitable for a two-year old, but looked downright ridiculous on a man in his early thirties.
The rest of their drive passed in silence. John didn't talk again until Nikki had parked the car in the basement garage of NAVCOM headquarters, he'd grabbed his phone and frowned at the touchscreen for almost a minute.
"What the... You were speeding!" he accused his sister.
"No I wasn't."
"But... By taking the fastest route, as suggested by my navigation app, we'd have been at the harbour in 15 minutes."
"So?"
"It only took us 13 minutes to get here, which means my app doesn't really know the fastest route." He resumed his frowning at the phone.
"Well, what did you except? I'm a navigator after all..."
"Yeah, but you navigate ships. Isn't that a bit different from driving a car?"
Nikki playfully punched John's upper arm. "Hey, I've been living here in Cairns for quite some time and know my way around town."
"So... If you came to visit me in Sydney, you'd need my navigation app to orient yourself?"
"Or a simple street-map of the city... That is, if you own something as old-fashioned as that."
John grinned. "Believe it or not, sis, I do. Now let's get out of this car and show me that ship you navigate around the seas."
HMAS Hammersley, junior sailors' mess, a few hours later
"Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda, you come a-waltzing Matilda with me..."
"Spider! Shut up!"
Seaman Billy 'Spider' Webb slumped into his chair a little. "Sorry. I know I can't sing, I was just tryin' to lighten the mood."
"Exactly my thoughts, Spider. What happened in here, someone's grandma died?" Able Seaman Toby 'Chefo' Jones didn't even wait for a reply before fully stepping into the room and holding up some plastic drinking straws. "Let's draw straws. Loser gets to ask Nav about the good-looking guy she showed around Hammersley earlier today."
"No way!" Spider protested. "She'll rip your head of if you ask her that! Or make you scrub every single toilet aboard..." He sounded like he couldn't decide which of this punishments he considered worse.
"Nah, ripping people's heads off isn't Nav's style," Leading Seaman Josh 'ET' Holiday played cool. "I'm in for the game. Worst thing she can do is tell me that it's none of my business and to get back to work."
A very reluctant Spider and three other sailors decided to join the game as well. Spider was the first to draw a straw and let out a sigh of relief when it was a long one. Phew.
The next player was ET and, sure enough, he drew the short straw. "Alright guys, wish me luck," he remarked while getting up and leaving the room.
"Hurry up and tell us what she said!" Chefo called after his fellow sailor.
ET wandered the ship for a few minutes before he found Nav at the bottom end of the stairs that led up to the bridge. "Uh... Nav? Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Okay, uhm..." I like that ponytail on her, but I wonder what she looks like with her hair all messed up from a few rounds in the bedroom. Preferably with me, of course.
"ET?"
"Yeah, sorry. Uh, I don't wanna be rude, but who was the guy you showed around Hammersley this morning?"
"My brother, John. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I-" wanted to know if I have to be jealous of him- "was just wondering. Uh, have a good watch." He left as quickly as he could without looking too suspicious, all the while scolding himself: Damnit Josh, you've met tons of pretty girls, there's no reason to turn into a nervous twelve-year-old schoolboy at the sight of this particular woman! Besides, it wouldn't work out anyway 'cause she's your divisional officer and there's that anti-fraternisation rule. So, forget it.
"Hey ET, what did she say?" a voice interrupted ET's thoughts. He'd arrived at the junior sailors' mess again without even noticing it.
"What?... Uh, the guy was her brother."
"Awww." Chefo frowned. "Well, I'm gonna head back to my galley and prepare dinner." He left.
Meanwhile, on the bridge
I think I've got a crush on someone, Nav mused while searching the horizon through her binoculars. And I'm pretty sure this person feels the same. Problem is we happen to work on the same ship and I'm even his divisional officer. I guess at some point I'll have to choose between my Navy career and my love life, and that decision won't be an easy one...
THE END
A/N: Sorry if anything seems out of character, I haven't watched Sea Patrol in a while. Feel free to review :)