Once again, apologies for the delay – and for the shortness of the update. I have some travels ahead of me over the next couple of weeks so I thought it might be better to post this rather than delay any longer. I hope you enjoy it. And I do know how the story is going to end – eventually – I promise….

Once More Into the Fray – Chapter 9

Mike turned his gaze from the woman across the desk and saw again the Bridge of the Hammersley as he literally hijacked the Patrol Boat for his last voyage aboard her.

Robert Dixon had just announced, "Sir, Commodore Marshall wants to talk to you."

Dutchy turned and met Mike's eyes, offering his complete support in that silent communication, whilst the RO's face had also shown his concern as he had surrendered the handset to his impromptu CO.

"Sir," Mike acknowledged, bracing himself for what he knew was surely coming.

"Mike, I'm going to be reasonable and simply ask you to return immediately. I know how you feel about the Cruise woman – and I understand. But I made it very clear that I did NOT want any of our people haring off after her and putting themselves in harm's way unnecessarily until we have a clearer picture of what's happening. Bring the Hammersley back and I'll presume this was all a misunderstanding." Marshall had paused. When the silence had stretched out, he snapped.

"Are you still there Captain Flynn?"

"Yes, sir, I am."

"Are you going to obey my order, Captain?"

"Not tonight, sir. I intend putting a stop to Ms Cruise once and for all before she destroys any more innocent lives." At some remote level Mike had been surprised at how calmly he had responded. Right then, he knew his career and future were finished. Marshall had mentored him, supported him throughout the years but he would never tolerate Mike's disobeying a direct order on this scale – just as Mike himself would not have tolerated it in anyone under his own command. Kate would understand, though. Oh, she'd be quite rightly furious and there'd be a yelling match to end all yelling matches, but she'd stand by him. He knew she would.

"Captain Flynn, just so we are very clear. I am ordering you back to port. If you don't I'll charge you with disobeying a direct order and recklessly and needlessly placing the Hammersley crew in danger in wilful disobedience to my orders. Do you understand what I'm saying, Mike? Just turn the bloody boat around right now!" Marshall's use of his name rather than his rank told Mike exactly how difficult a position he had placed the older man in.

"Yes, sir. I understand. I'll return when our mission's complete. And sir, just so it's perfectly clear – this is all my doing. None of the crew is implicated." Mike had paused but before Marshall could respond he continued, "If you'll excuse me, sir, I need to focus on the job at hand," and handing the handset back to a clearly concerned Petty Officer Dixon he had smiled crookedly and turned back to the task at hand. Well, he'd done it now, he had thought. I'd better make sure I bring the little traitor down or it will have all been for nothing.

Dutchy had watched him consideringly for a little while as they cleared the immediate shipping lanes and passed Green Island. The silence was broken by the young seaman manning the EOD.

"Sir, there's a small cruiser showing up, just to the north of us on a bearing for Port Douglas – and The Pacific Queen is about 5 miles away."

"The Pacific Queen's cruising up to Moresby on a cruise around the South Pacific," commented Dixon. "She left Cairns a few hours ago carrying 1,000 passengers."

Mike had stared from Dixon to Dutchy. "Oh my god! What if that's her target and not the Hammersley!" Mike moved swiftly to look at the EOD screen. It was clear that the unknown small cruiser was on an intercept course with the larger vessel.

"Garnet!" Bring us around. I want an intercept course immediately. Put us between the cruiser and The Pacific Queen." The events of the next few hours were to remain indelibly imprinted on Mike Flynn's mind. Never had his beloved patrol boat seemed so slow as it forged through the tropic night at the top of the green as Charge seemed to physically urge his beloved engines forward. Finally they neared their quarry and Mike called for boarding stations. Turning to Garnet he had announced his intention of leading the party and placed the ship in the coxswain's hands. Any protest Dylan Mulholland may have had died on his lips as he took in the determination on Mike Flynn's face as he turned to the helmsman and gave him his final isntructions.

"Garnett, at all costs, don't let that boat get anywhere near the Pacific Queen. On my authority, blow them out of the water if they look like getting away from us. Is that clear?"

"Aye, sir," a rather startled Garnet had responded grimly.

"Request permission to join the boarding party, sir," Dixon had quietly come to stand beside Flynn as he finished briefing Bob Ruby.

"Of course, Robert," agreed Mike, acknowledging the request with a nod of approval.

The group had left the armoury, fully armed and wearing double Kevlar plates in their protective vests, and taken their place in the RHIB in grim silence. Whilst those of the crew who only knew Mike Flynn as the somewhat remote CO of FCNE and the husband of their own Commanding Officer Lt Commander Kate McGregor-Flynn were rather puzzled by the events unfolding around them, both Dutchy's and Robert Dixon's obviously unwavering support provided the confidence each one needed to follow their newly appointed CO.

As they had sped across the dark waters, the Hammersley's spotlight had snared the small mystery cruiser in its blaze and the usual warning had echoed across the waters.

"This is the Australian navy. Heave to immediately. We intend to board you."

Mike shifted his gaze from the bookshelf behind Kate's chair and looked again at the woman for whom he had once threatened to resign his commission so they could be together. At some remote corner of his mind he wondered if things would have played out differently had Maxine White not intervened on that occasion, causing that monumental breakup in his relationship with Kate; if he'd been given his shore posting; if some other crew had been assigned to work with Madeline Cruise, thus not bringing Jim Roth back into Kate's life at such a crucial time. But that was wasted speculation – a path he'd allowed his thoughts to fruitlessly pursue on far too many occasions in those first painful months following Kate's announcement that their marriage had, after all, been a mistake. With the discipline of his many years in the service, he shut that particular door yet again and finally broke the silence that was stretching out between them.

"Kate, as I said before, I can't undo what I did that night. If I'm to be brutally honest, I have no regrets about taking the action I took because it put an end to Madeline Cruise."

"So you do consider the cost to have been worth it?"

"What would you have had me do, Kate? Wait for you to drive all the way down to Cairns from Dimbulah? It's an hour and a half's drive at the best of times. It was night and you'd have been pushing yourself. I didn't want you driving on that road at that time of night and down the range under that sort of stress, not to mention the very real possibility of hitting a 'roo."

Kate drew in a breath and looked at him steadily. Whilst part of her acknowledged the reality of Mike's comments regarding the situation that night, she didn't know if she was ready to forgive just yet.

"So you're making this about me?"

"No, Kate," Mike shook his head. "I'm not. It wasn't about you – it was about doing what had to be done. We simply couldn't afford to wait for you to drive that far, and there was no one else available. Talk about an ideal time for a terrorist attack!"

Kate was quiet for a while. Then a small smile played around her lips. "No one else available? Really, Mike? Or just no one else whom you'd trust?" The smile became positively mischievous and a glimpse of the Kate whom he'd known and loved briefly emerged. "I was sure Spicy Donger was around that night."

Mike stared at her, not knowing quite how to react.

"If you mean Lt Commander Richard Curry, Captain," he responded with dignity placing slight emphasis on his old rival's name, fully appreciating the momentary lightening of the mood, "then, no, I wasn't able to call him in. He was actually on leave up in Cooktown."

They locked eyes in a moment of remembered levity, then Kate seemed to recollect herself and she looked down at the desk, fiddling with her pen.

"Marshall ordered you to turn around." She cocked her head as she continued thoughtfully. "But you didn't. That wasn't just your usual creative interpretation of orders, Mike. That was a direct order and you had absolutely no intention of obeying it."

"I'm sure you're familiar with the phrase 'the good of the many outweighs the good of the few'," Mike said without rancour. "I can only say this so many times, Kate. I did what I did and I was fully cognizant of the likely consequences. Even if you do win the day by an act wilful disobedience, the navy can't turn a blind eye completely. I knew what I was doing and I was prepared for whatever the RAN was going to throw at me." He paused for a long moment, looking across at her. "What I wasn't expecting was that you would pull the plug on our marriage. That's what did me in – not being demoted."

"You really expected me to accept what you did?" Kate's voice rose on a note of incredulity. She broke off and shoved a hand through her hair, disturbing its normally impeccable styling.

Mike held up a hand. "You asked for my side of things, Kate. I'm telling you. If you didn't want to hear me out, then why did you ask?"

As they stared across the table at one another, Kate realised Mike would not back away from this. And she saw something in his eyes, behind the calm façade, that told her something she hadn't fully appreciated before – the depth of the burden of pain and hurt he was carrying. Kate had been furious with him. She remembered the words she had hurled at him when they had finally been alone.

tbc