Chapter 2
Later that morning Lee arrived at NIMR at 0700 to start preparation for the next voyage. He usually spent the day before they sailed finishing up odds and ends in the office, going over mission parameters, and checking over manifests or other items of interest. Reaching his office ahead of his admin assistant, he started a pot of coffee and quickly plowed through his in box after having been off for the last week and a half.
As the coffee maker spit out the last drop of brew he got up from his desk, grabbed his favorite cup and headed for the pot. Just as he was finishing his pour he heard a quick rap on his door frame and looked up to see Nelson standing there, cup in hand. Lee smiled and moved towards Harri to pour him a cup.
"Good morning, sir. Have a good weekend?" Lee asked and shot Harri a quick wink.
"Very relaxing. How was your time off, lad?"
"Very productive. I got the sanding on the deck completed and the first coat of stain down. Once we get back, I'll add another couple of coats then seal it tight and she should be good for another 70 plus years. Then I'll shift inside and put things right in there."
"Excellent, I can't wait to see what she looks like when you're finished. Settled on a name yet?" Harri replied.
"Nothing springs to mind; I'm just waiting for the correct inspiration," Lee responded, then sipped on his coffee. "So all set for the mission tomorrow, sir?"
"I'm pretty well squared away. I need to go down and check out the lab to make sure everything I need has been loaded, and that all the sensors from Woods Hole have arrived and are in working order. How about you? You know, if you don't get that pile of paper in your in-box completed, the administrative staff is not going to let you go," Harri kidded.
"Don't give that a second thought. I'll get done what I can then foist the rest on Chip to finish," Lee joked. "I need to head down to the boat as well and take a look at the cargo manifests, lading, and general readiness; not that that has ever been an issue. You going to spend the night on the boat or cherish your last few moments on shore?"
"I staying on board tonight. I want to work with the sensors a bit before we set sail so if I have any questions I can call Dr. Gold and talk through things. He called me early this morning to let me know he won't be able to make it do to a family emergency, and wants me to deploy the sensors for him," Harri answered.
"That's unfortunate, I hope it's nothing too serious. You have to be disappointed, I know how much you were looking forward to working with him on this project," Lee replied, realizing Gold had probably been contacted and advised to make his apologies for being unable to go along for the ride.
"His mother is having heart problems, and he didn't think he needed to be unreachable should her condition deteriorate during the mission. He said odds are that she would be just fine, but knowing his luck he'd be trapped out on the boat with us and something critical would happen. I told him I understood completely, and we would still carry out the mission if he provided detailed instructions. Andy agreed and emailed me everything I need to place and operate the sensors," Harri elaborated.
"At times like this it's unfortunate you didn't build a helideck, that way we could fly him home if something came up. As long as you're comfortable with what needs to be done, we'll get you there and carry out the mission requirements with no problem," Lee answered as he saw confirmation of his supposition on Harri's face.
"That is never in doubt, lad. I just need to make sure I can hold up my end of the mission. Speaking of which, I best be on my way back to my office so you can get all your homework done, and can come out and play," Harri said as he tapped the overstuffed in-box on Lee's desk. "I'll see you down on the boat. Meet me at 1300 and we can go over the mission prep and have lunch."
"Don't worry about me sir, one way or the other this box will be empty. That's why we have shredders, isn't it?" Lee answered with a wink.
"Uh huh. If Tracy even hears you joking about that your hide will be tacked to the side of one of the out-buildings on the grounds. You know she has that stuff tracked to the last memo slip," Harri replied, joking about Lee's rather zealous admin assistant, as he headed for the door.
"Oh I am abundantly aware of that sir. I've been chewed out more than once for losing one of her precious bits of correspondence," Lee answered laughing. "I'll be giving her back exactly the same number of documents she's left me. She's more of a task master than Chip ever thought of being."
"I heard that!" came a feminine voice from the desk outside Crane's office.
Lee and Harri cringed and then broke out in laughter realizing the woman in question had arrived and taken up position at her desk. Lee quickly poked his head outside his office and smiled at the petite brunette sporting a smart brown suit, seated at the desk, phone securely pressed to her ear as she checked off a list of figures being provided by someone on the other end. "Morning, Tracy," Lee said quietly. He received a curt nod then was gifted with a bright smile acknowledging her boss. She held up her index finger indicating she'd be with him in just a minute.
"Well now that Captain Bligh is here I should have this finished up in an hour, and will see you down on the boat shortly," Lee said just loud enough for Tracy to hear, yet not disturb her call. She looked up and glowered at Lee then smiled and shook her head. Harri smiled, nodded as well, then headed out the door and down the hall to his office to face his own AA, and his personal mountain of paperwork.
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Although never voiced by the captain or the admiral, the crew picked up on a very definite urgency in their demeanor that all preparations be completed as quickly as possible, and Seaview be ready to sail the minute the tide turned. Everyone turned to, making sure that the equipment and cargo was stored immediately upon receipt, system diagnostics run on every station to ensure readiness, and mission checklists were checked and double checked.
Harri and Lee met in the wardroom at precisely 1300 to have lunch and to go over any last minute details. They quickly loaded their plates, moved over to their table and sat down. Just as Lee was taking the first bite of his sandwich he was paged over the intercom.
"Captain, this is Morton."
Lee sighed and put his sandwich back on the plate, then got up and walked to the intercom mic on the wall. "Crane here, what is it Chip?"
"Just wanted to let you know that all preparations are now complete. We are ready to sail on a moment's notice."
Lee's eyebrows shot up in surprise as did Nelson's as he listened to the message. "Already?! Did you break out the cat o' nine tales again, Mr. Morton?"
"Aye, sir, and I've been practicing," Chip replied with a chuckle. "Actually everyone has just really been on their game today. There is one crate left that needs to be stowed, but according to the manifest you're the one who needs to verify condition and sign for it."
"Excellent," Lee responded. "I'll be there in about 20 minutes."
"The crate's on the deck and as soon as you give the okay we'll have it loaded. See you in a few, Morton out."
Lee shipped the mic and turned to return to the table when he spotted one of the cook's assistants going over an inventory list. "Jackson," Lee called.
Jackson looked up from his list and was startled to be addressed by the skipper. "Ye…yes, sir," he stammered, afraid that he had done something wrong and was about to have himself ripped a new one. This was his first voyage on Seaview and was as tense as a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Lee smiled slightly at the man's discomfort trying to assuage his fears, he knew what it was like being addressed by your CO for the first time when new on a boat. "There's a sealed envelope in the center desk drawer in my cabin. Go on down to my cabin, collect it, and bring it to me."
Jackson nearly sighed in relief that the skipper only needed him to run an errand. "Yes sir, right away sir," he replied. He placed the clipboard he had in his hand on the storage rack, shut the door to the pantry cabinet and hurried out the door.
Lee and the admiral resumed eating their lunch and talking over mission details. After a couple of minutes Cookie emerged from the kitchen quite obviously looking for someone or something. "Missing something, Cookie?" Nelson inquired.
"Aye sir. I'm looking for my new assistant, Jackson. You haven't seen him have you, sirs?"
"I sent him down to my cabin to pick something up for me, Cookie. He should be back shortly," Lee informed the cook. "I'll have him find you once he gets back."
"Thank you, sir. I need him to help unpack the last of the stores before we leave," Cookie replied then returned to the kitchen to start his prep for the evening meal.
Just as Cookie left, Jackson returned with the envelope Lee had sent him to get. "Here sir. I hope this is the correct one."
Lee took the envelope and flipped it over looking closely at the seal and signature on the back verifying it hadn't been opened. "Yep that's the one, thank you. Oh, Cookie is looking for you."
"You're welcome sir. I'll go see what he needs. Enjoy your lunch sirs," Jackson responded and then hurried into the kitchen to find Cookie. They finished their lunch then Harri returned to his lab as Lee headed up topside to check out his crate and verify its condition.
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Having made his way topside, Lee strolled over to the small crate sitting on the deck awaiting his inspection. He did a quick once over looking for any signs of tampering, and finding none he opened the envelope and extracted a sheet of paper with a single column of numbers on it. Grabbing the first seal he compared the number to the list and found it a match. He continued on with his check until all the seal numbers were verified.
"Curly," Lee called out to the COB, who was overseeing a work detail on deck. "This crate is good to go and can be loaded on board now."
"Aye, Skipper I'll see it gets loaded right away." Jones responded then called over to the crane operator via radio to hoist the crate off the deck and lower it into the hold.
"Oh Chief, be very careful with that, there are some finely tuned instruments inside that don't need to be jostled around. Also see to it that it's stowed in a secured area," Lee added as he headed back to the sail hatch.
"Gotcha sir, I'll make sure it gets a smooth ride all the way into stowage and will put it there myself," Curly replied.
"Thanks Curly. Also pass on to everyone, well done on the voyage prep."
Jones smiled broadly, knowing how hard his crew had worked getting things ready as quickly as they had, and appreciated the skipper acknowledging all the effort. "Will do sir, and thank you."
Curly quickly turned his attention back to the crate, now suspended mid-air over the deck and ready to be lowered into the open hold below. He saw to it personally that it was gently lowered into the hold, then stowed in a locked cargo room per the skipper's orders.
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