Author's Note
This story takes place during Season 1 since I don't think there are enough stories set in this period.
For those waiting on updates of "The Cursed Boat" I assure you they are coming. In the meantime please enjoy.
- Tony
HMAS Hammersley
The Arafura Sea, 1744hrs
Interception of fugitive vessel
"This is the Australian Navy! Stop or heave-to I intend to board you!"
The Fremantle-class HMAS Hammersley thundered towards the small pleasure craft like a predator charging in on its helpless prey ready to strike. Its growls were the voice of Lt. Kate McGregor demanding that the vessel stop, it's two occupants trying desperately to make it to the safety of international waters just two miles away to the north.
"Vessel not stopping, sir," reported Nav.
Lt. Cmdr. Mike Flynn didn't need his navigator to tell him that this was not going to be a straight forward apprehension. Looking at the face of the man at the helm of the little sixteen foot long white hulled pleasure boat through his binoculars he could see the hell-bent look in his eyes. Behind them the mind of a desperate man worked overtime giving him the belief that if he held out just a little longer he would be safe. He was fighting the inevitable.
"XO," said Mike. "Give me one round ahead of the bow."
"Roger," replied Kate who then turned to Cheffo who stood poised with a Steyr. "Gunner; action instant. One round ahead of the bow, engage!"
Cheffo took aim and squeezed the trigger sending a 5.56mm bullet whizzing through the air only to splash down just in front of the fibreglass hull of the fleeing little boat. Mike looked through the binoculars once more at the vessel's occupants. A woman was now shaking the man apparently begging him to stop but there was still no sign that he was going to give in.
Maybe if we fire again, with her pleading with him like that, then he will stop?
"Ex, give me a two second burst ahead of the bow."
"Roger. Gunner; action instant. Two second burst ahead of the bow. Engage!"
Cheffo squeezed the trigger once more and the air filled with the sound of gunfire. Bullets began splashing ahead of the small boat in a menacing fashion. Mike watched with baited breath as finally the man at the helm of the small boat threw his hands up in the air in frustration before pulling back on the throttles and the boat began to slow.
"They're giving up, slow both engines," ordered Mike. "Ex, have them make their way to the back of the boat and keep their hands where we can see them." Kate McGregor's voice boomed out from the loudspeaker once more across the waves, repeating Mike's instructions. "Alright, let's take them into custody. Ex; launch the RHIB!"
The well disciplined team of the Hammersley needed little instruction from the senior crewmembers as they went to work readying themselves and the RHIB for launch. Charge stood over his team as he watched them lower the RHIB into the water alongside Hammersley, his highly trained and experienced eyes watching for the slightest hint of trouble. The RHIB reached the water and the line lowering it down went slack.
As always it was Kate who clambered down the ladder into the RHIB first followed by Swaino. Cheffo was next in line followed by Spider, the youngest member of the Hammersley crew having only been aboard for three months. As Cheffo turned around to face Spider before climbing down the ladder he looked at the young sailor and asked, "You ready to make the evening news there, Spider?"
Cheffo didn't wait for an answer and was soon clambering down into the RHIB. Spider was suddenly excited by the prospect that he might find his face on TV and before he followed Cheffo down he asked Buffer, "Do you think he's right Buff?"
"What?" asked the stone-faced Buffer whose voice betrayed his irritation that his well oiled machine of a team was beginning to 'squeak' with talk.
"Y'know, about being on TV?"
"Well before you prepare yourself for your interview do you want to get your ass in that RHIB so we can actually apprehend these guys? Thank you."
Spider had learned Buffer's scowl quite quickly and promptly made his way into the RHIB to allow Buffer to follow. With the boarding party secured in the RHIB Charge yelled out, "Carry on the sea boat!" and Buffer disconnected the RHIB freeing the little boat from Hammersley.
Mike watched as the RHIB left Hammersley and began to speed across the short distance to the pleasure boat that was the would-be escape vehicle for the two fugitives who were aboard. The two fugitives remained at the rear of the small boat with their hands high in the air. The RHIB slowed down as it pulled alongside the little white firbeglass vessel kicking spray into the brightly coloured hull.
As the rubber of the RHIB bounced against the hull Buffer and Swaino leapt from their seats and onto the boat followed by Cheffo, Kate and finally Spider. Immediately, Buffer made his presence known to the young couple whose arms seemed to shake as they held them above their heads.
"Face down on the ground now!" he boomed as he trained his side arm on the girl while Swaino covered the young man. The two of them showed no sign of resistance as they quickly dropped face down onto the floor with their hands spread out.
Seeing that they were in complete control, Kate instructed Swaino and Spider to handcuff their prisoners while she and Buffer kept a close watch over them in case they tried anything. It was standard procedure but it was clearly unnecessary. The couple had given up any hope of escape and as Swaino placed the girl's hands behind her back he could hear the faint sound of sobbing emanating from her.
"OK, get them up," said Kate once the two of them were restrained. Spider and Swaino helped them up onto the feet to face Kate and Buffer standing at the rear of their boat.
For the first time Buffer and Kate got to look at their young faces. The young man was twenty two years old but his face was much younger-looking and his expression was pityful. Under any other circumstances there would have been overwhelming sympathy for him and his girlfriend from the crew of HMAS Hammersley. His eyes refused to look up at them instead they stared at a spot on the deck just ahead of Buffer's feet.
Standing to the right him was his girlfriend. Unlike him she looked up at her captors through tear stained eyes almost pleading with them to help her but she knew she would get no help from them. She was twenty years old and had more fear than her boyfriend for she was not only on the run from the law but in a foreign country. She was an American student who had come to study in Australia before all of this began to happen. Strands of her dark blond hair stuck to her tear soaked face which seemed to attract Kate's attention. She was very pretty, the hard criminal image Kate having built up in her mind of these two being completely smashed now that they were standing in front of her like two naughty school children standing before their headmistress.
"Are you Andrea Teal?" she asked the handcuffed young woman. The frightened girl nodded twice. Kate then turned to the young man. "I guess that makes you Connor Tolan?" The boy didn't answer. He just kept his head down. Kate knew it was him so it didn't matter that he wouldn't answer.
"Did you really think you'd make Timor in this thing?" asked Buffer looking at the small size of the vessel these two fugitives had stolen in their effort to escape the country.
Suddenly Kate's radio crackled into life with Mike's voice. "Charlie two this is x-ray two, SITREP over."
"Get them on the RHIB," she instructed her team before pushing the transmit button on her radio to reply. "Charlie two this is x-ray two, both suspects have been apprehended. They haven't offered us any resistance and we are putting them aboard the RHIB for transfer back to Hammersley, over."
"Roger that, good job. What's the condition of the boat they stole?"
"It's perfectly seaworthy but I doubt there's much fuel left. Recommend we take it under tow with us rather than assign a steaming party, over."
"Agreed," said Mike. "Return to the boat, Charlie two out."
Swaino and Cheffo stood in the RHIB to help their prisoners off their stolen boat and guided them down to sit on the floor of the RHIB rather than on the inflatable rubber ring that crews usually sat. This was a deliberate act so that they couldn't try and jump overboard during transfer to Hammerlsey to either escape or even try to kill themselves.
Desperate people do desperate things.
Once they were safely aboard the RHIB Spider couldn't help but utter quietly to Buffer, "They don't look like murderers to me."
Buffer turned to the young Spider and replied just as quietly, "Those two raped and choked a nineteen year old girl. Don't take your eyes off them for a second."
"Yes Buff," said Spider somewhat taken aback by the seriousness of what Buffer was telling him.
Despite Buffer's attempt to to talk in a hushed tone so no one else could hear him speak except Spider his voice had in fact reached the sharp ears of Kate McGregor.
"That's for a jury of their peers to decide, not the Navy," she stated as fact reminding them that their prisoners hadn't yet been found guilty of the crime they were accused of. At the moment all they were guilty of was escaping Police custody.
"Yes ma'am," said Buffer.
"Spider; we're going to take this boat under tow. Please take care of setting up a line."
"Yes ma'am," acknowledged Spider.
"Think you can handle that?" joked Buffer.
Mike allowed himself a moment of pride to consume his being as he watched the RHIB returning to Hammersley. As he had come to expect of them his crew of twenty four had performed magnificently. They had apprehended the two fugitives with the minimum of risk to themselves and maximum efficiency. He only allowed that feeling to overwhelm him for just a moment however because he knew it was not over yet. Now he had to babysit the two of them until they rendezvoused with the Australian Federal Police boat that would take them into custody and then back to the mainland to stand trial.
"How long will it take us to reach the rendezvous point?" Mike asked Nav as she leaned over her charts plotting the course south that they were going to take.
"At eighteen knots…" she began as she quickly checked her calculations, "I'd say about six hours."
"Very good, we'll get the crew fed and watered in that time." At that moment, RO appeared on the bridge from the radio room located down the staircase at the front of the ship's 'brain'. "Ah, Robert, please inform NAVCOM that we have apprehended our fugitives and we are on schedule to meet with the Federal Police."
"Yeah, about that sir, I've just had a signal in from Commander Marshall. It seems that the boat the Federal Police were using has thrown a propellor and they're limping back to port. He wants us to bring them back ourselves."
"But we're only two days into our patrol," complained Mike. "Can't they just get another boat?"
"It would appear not," said RO.
"Well I suppose with all the media coverage this thing has been getting they don't want to risk anymore slip ups. Ok, thanks RO. Nav; disregard the previous planned course and plot a new one for home please."
"Yes sir," she replied before adding, "shipping in this area is pretty heavy, sir. We're going to have to work around them. I'd say our arrival won't be until first thing in the morning."
"Well I guess It's going to make for an interesting night," joked Mike.
"We're going to be travelling with two killers onboard," added RO. "I don't think interesting is the word I'd use."