Chapter 11

Mike stood at the head of the table in the wardroom whilst the senior staff members sat around the table along with Kate and Tex. He didn't boot Tex or Kate out as he felt it would save him some time if they were told what was going on a long with the others. Thus he briefed the room on the current situation of the engine issues and water restrictions, he wanted the members in the room to keep an eye on their departments and keep them posted on the condition of the crew. It was supposed to be a quick briefing.

"These water restrictions are-" Mike stopped mid sentence as he noticed that Lt Green talking in a low tone and a couple of other lieutenants were looking rather amused than paying attention to him and what he was saying. It was already uncomfortably warm in the room as the air conditioning was linked to the engines. With the engines barely running, the ship was getting hotter. So he'd rather get the briefing over with as soon as possible as he was already sweating in his BDUS and he wasn't the only one in the room going by the lovely aroma settling unsavourily in the air.

"Lieutenant Green you want to share whatever you said that was so entertaining to the others?" Mike asked.

"Sir-" Lieutenant Green looked slightly reticent to say whatever it was out loud.

"Don't be shy, since you seemed to think whatever it is, is more important than this briefing. Why don't you share with class so we can all have a good laugh" Mike said in a patronising manner.

"I was just saying how this will be an eye opening experience for Lassiter and Dr Scott. They will learn what it's like to be more than weekend warriors" Lt Green said with a shrug, his tone was clear that he felt like Dr Scott and Kate had pampered lives. He clearly proud of his ignorant and blatantly disrespectful comment as he gave a closed lip smile that was smug as he probably assumed Mike would give a glib reply of agreement.

But he was wrong as Mike was in a bad mood. He was already pissed off that he wouldn't be able to have another coffee until more water was found. Sure he was rude and disrespectful to Kate and Dr Scott but he now realised that his behaviour was setting a tone he didn't like being mimicked in the lower ranks.

"I can assure you Lieutenant, that I have survived more dire situations than our current one" Kate assured Green with a patronising smile. Tex smothered a laugh as he looked down at the table obviously the man knew Kate's history which why he was try not to laugh.

"I can only imagine" Lt Green said in an equally patronising tone. Sweat rolled down the back of Mike's neck.

"With over a decade of dedicated military service, I would think dealing with this situation is right in Lassiter's wheelhouse. Now, are you finished Lt Green or do you have more to add? because I would like to continue with the briefing so we can all get back to our duties" Mike told him, he didn't wait for a reply before he opened the file he had brought and read out the water restrictions about to be set in place.

"What was that?" Tex asked Kate after the briefing had finished and a severely chastised looking Lieutenant Green left the room with his head down. Mike hadn't exactly given the man a smack down but it had definitely shown that Lieutenant Green had successfully put his foot in his mouth and Mike would not tolerate anyone questioning Kate's abilities. Frankly, she expected Mike to let it slide instead he practically gave her a glowing review and placed her on a pedestal. Something she hadn't expected and she was kind of pissed that he did it because now people were going to wondered how Mike knew that about her. No one would think 'Hey, he read her personnel file'. No, they'd think something else, that there was history there and then it had to be bad history because they weren't exactly best friends either.

"It was a briefing, honestly Tex. You've been out of the corps for only a decade but I'm sure you can remember what they were like" Kate said teasingly as she picked up her water bottle with her name written on it, that had been filled with water for her.

"No, I mean Commander Slattery just jumping to your defence and calling you a hero. I thought he hated you" Tex said as he took a sip of what would be his last coffee for a while. Kate turned around and leaned a hip on the bench as she looked to him.

"He didn't say I was a hero and Lt Green was being disrespectful" Kate said, wishing they could change the topic.

"You didn't reprimand Burk and you've kept quiet about your past" Tex said, he sounded suspicious and a little disappointed.

"I've kept a low profile. You know military are usually pissed off when civilian contractors come in" Kate said with a shrug.

"Bullshit" he said with a smile.

"Let it go Tex" she told him.

"We're in an extreme situation, you have valuable exp-"

"I'm flying the Helo, it's all they need me to do" she said cutting him off.

"You're a brilliant tactician-" he started to argue but she cut him off once again.

"But I know nothing about naval warfare and no one is going to listen to someone who was the equivalent of a lieutenant. You know, I would have been a Major if I hadn't been such an underachiever" Kate told him with a wry smile, she felt maybe if she had reached that rank before resigning then she could have at least something more than her piloting skills to offer.

"I thought it was that you crashed too many Helos" Tex said with a chuckle before he grew serious "Though I have to ask what about helping them out with assistance from Lassiter Industries?" he asked.

"It's complicated" Kate said uncomfortably.

"You mean besides the fact we'd have to break radio silence?" Tex said, Kate nodded.

"Yeah, I don't exactly have full access to the company systems and I would need to talk to Evan to find out what is left or more like what is operational and where in position to where we are now" Kate said uncomfortably, when she had spoken to Evan he had mentioned that it would be wise for her to have full access to Lassiter's satellite system but then Kate would have to explain how morally and ethically ambiguous Evan ran the company and she wasn't ready to get shouted at nor did she think there was anything in Lassiter Industries that could possibly help the ship.

"I'm sure the Captain would be interested" Tex said sitting back in his chair. The man didn't really know much about the entirety of what Lassiter Industries did or what projects it was involved in but he wasn't stupid.

"There are legal grey areas-"

"The world has gone to shit, I doubt they're going to make you walk the plank" Tex said incredulously. Kate scrubbed a hand down her face and gave an aggravated sigh.

"It's not that easy, these people are straight laced. They follow rules and laws set down by a government that no longer exists. Anyway, there is no way in hell we are going to break radio silence for anything. So this argument is moot" Kate told him.

"Alright, but I think you should tell them" He told her.

"I'll keep it in mind, when I think it's pertinent. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't say anything" Kate said making a compromise, Tex nodded.

"Ok, well I think we should head outside where it's cooler" Tex told her as he rose from his chair.

"Go ahead, I need to change into some lighter clothing" Kate told him.

"I don't think anyone would mind if you striped down to your underwear" he said with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear that" Kate replied in a dry tone.

Hours later,

Night had fallen and it was hot like an oven inside and only a few degrees cooler outside the ship. Too hot to sleep and the constant stopping and starting of the engines was starting to grate on Kate's nerves. She understood they were limping to Serrana bank, there was no better or closer option for fresh water but her temper was short fuse because of heat and caffeine withdrawal. Yes, she was precious like that which was why she trying to stay as cool as possible which was she spent most of her day staying out of sun.

Even dressed in black ¾ yoga tights, her sneakers and dark steel blue oversized ¾ sleeve dolman top with a scoop neckline wasn't enough to abate the heat. Underneath she wore the white racerback crop top she did her yoga so she fan herself with the top and not indecently flash anyone when she did so.

Not that she worried about that at the moment as she stood alone on an upper level balcony that ran along the side of the ship. It was in the shade and for some reason unoccupied but Kate didn't mind as she wanted to be alone. She leaned on the rail and held her bottle of water in her hands, she still had from the morning briefing. Severe water rationing had been enforced immediately after Captain had been briefed by the ship's engineer who was standing if for the chief and the navigators gave the bad news that they were 6 days away from fresh water. She had overheard someone say they only had enough water for 4 days travel, so the last two were going to be rough.

"Ma'am, you're in a restricted area" Kate heard Master Chief shout as he walked toward her. The man was decked out in BDUs and boots. She didn't envy him the slightest as he had to be soaked in sweat but as he got closer he didn't look like he was suffering too badly. She wished she could say the same as she was wearing less than him and she could feel the sweat trickling down her back. If she were working out, she'd be satisfied with a good sweat out but sweating like this was not fun especially since she wouldn't be showering for another 6 days.

"Sorry, Master Chief. I was just chasing the shade and solitude" Kate told him with a friendly smile.

"I have no issue with that as long it's not on up here. Last thing we need is you passing out and hurting yourself" he said as he stood next to her. She kind of expected him to escort her out of the area but instead he looked out at the ocean.

"I'm pretty sure a lot of people would like that." Kate half joked as she turned her gaze to the same view. What she wouldn't give for a cool breeze right now but it was just stagnate warm air.

"I can't speak for anyone but myself but I'd prefer if you didn't" he said in a kind manner, Kate was sure the man was more worried about the paperwork as he'd probably be the one to find her since he was here now.

"It would cause quite a hassle considering the situation. Expenditure of unnecessary energy and all that. Tell me how are you?" Kate asked him, she turned her back to the view and looked at him sideways as she leaned back against the railing.

"Me?" he asked surprised she even asked.

"Yes" Kate said with a smile.

"I'm ok" he told her.

"And the crew?" She asked out of curiosity.

"They are doing alright" he told her, though the way he said made it seem like he was trying to be cryptic about it. They lapsed into silence for a few moments before Kate spoke.

"I assume you've been through something like this before" Kate said.

"Severe water rationing?" he clarified.

"Yes" Kate said.

"Once or twice. You?" he asked.

"Once but I was in the desert, for some reason being surrounded by water and knowing I can't drink it makes me feel a little crazy" Kate said half serious, his lips quirked in amusement.

"Well, you could drink it but you'd die a lot sooner from dehydration. Tell me how are you coping?" he asked it was funny how his question sounded like a loaded one to her instead of a casual enquiry about her health.

"I'm alright" she answered.

"You're alright?" he asked her, his tone was sceptical and she realised he was looking for a more deeper evaluation of her state of mind.

"You don't believe me?" she asked sardonically.

"You're in a unique situation, you're holding yourself together quite well but I've noticed you've been avoiding interaction with the crew except when necessary" he said assessing her in a manner that made her uncomfortable.

"Are you a counsellor?" she asked him.

"Sometimes I am but it's not my main function on this ship" he told her. He gave her the kind of look she remembered her father giving her when he wanted to know the truth and was patient enough to wait for the answer instead of pretty lies. She gave a sigh of resignation.

"I'm not a member of the Navy which makes my position precarious. So when I'm not flying or looking after the Helo there isn't much left for me to do. I asked for some extra duties but-"

"It's a tightly run ship" He said empathising with her.

"Yes, so I've tried to be as unobtrusive as possible" Kate said with a shrug.

"Yet you cleaned the wardroom" he said with an amused smile.

"Well someone neglected to clean the coffee maker for a few years" Kate said glibly. He chuckled at her.

"Coffee maker is a low priority item" he told her.

"Only until it stops making coffee, then its top priority" Kate scoffed.

"That what the Military taught you?" he remarked, Kate ducked her head as she figured that tidbit of information would make the rounds. There was a difference between rumour and fact and when Mike declared her past military experience of course it would be shared. Just proved how small the ship was.

"That and duct tape will fix just about anything" Kate quipped. She wanted keep things light because she knew from experience that it was a slippery slope of a conversation that went from people asking her what she did to wanting to hear war stories. Something she hated talking about because people liked to glorify it all and make it into a huge deal while she was more of a low key and pragmatic person.

"I knew you had a military background though I thought perhaps you were dishonourably discharged considering how the XO doesn't seem to like you but I was wrong about the reasons. It's something else" He remarked.

"Australia thrashed America in the Rugby League World Cup last year" Kate offered with a smile. She was beginning to wonder how many stupid excuses she could come up with as to why Mike was an asshole to her. The Master Chief narrowed his eyes at her, he had a gift at making her feel like he could see right past her as she could tell he didn't believe her for a second but luckily he was not game enough to push it.

"XO does like his sports" he said accepting her answer but she knew she wasn't going to fool him about anything.

"Who doesn't? So I was wondering where would be the best places to escape the sun and the heat for the next few days?" Kate asked him changing the topic as she started to feel an uncomfortable need to leave,

"Helo Bay 2 would be the ideal location, they'll be moving the Helo out tomorrow morning" he told her. Kate nodded acknowledging what he was saying.

"Ok, well I should head back into an unrestricted area. Thanks for coming out here and warning me about the restricted zone. I'll remember next time" Kate said, he gave a nod and Kate took her leave and started to walk away.

"Lassiter" He called out, Kate stopped and turned to face him.

"Yes?" she replied.

"You're going the wrong direction" he informed her. Kate gave an embarrassed smile as he gestured to the direction she should be walking in.

"Right, thank you" Kate said.

2 days later,

The ship had been sitting still for the better part of the night and day as the electrical system in the makeshift lab in Helo bay One was completely fried. So they had to stop the ship and sink the virus strain samples to the bottom of the ocean to keep them cool. Water restrictions had been revised and become more severe due to the fact that they were now delayed by an indeterminate time. The information about what was happening was sketchy at best but from what Kate understood was that they were waiting for the wind of all things to get them going again.

"I've never seen a day this windless" Lieutenant Green said. He held the pose of a male model in a Kathmandu catalogue as he peered out to the water. So far the wind that had been predicted had yet to show up.

"Well, I'm a gambling man myself. Captain's put all his chips in the middle of the table" Tex said as he sat on the deck leaning back on his hands with his legs stretched out before him. "Sure hope he has an ace up his sleeve" he added.

"It'll be fine" Kate said as she sat in the same position as Tex, she was so glad for her aviator sun glasses as the glare off the water was killer. She was still wearing the same clothes as the day before, she was already starting to feel grungy from the lack of showering and constant sweating.

"I thought you were a realist" Tex said looking to Kate.

"I am, apparently there's a low front coming in from the east. So we should be fine" Kate said, looking to the positive side of things because she was not going to be a Debby Downer.

"Well, it's great weather for golf" Tex said making conversation.

"The way you play it definitely" Kate said with a smile.

"I'm not that bad, unlike you" He said. Kate gave him an incredulous look over her aviator sunglasses at him.

"I'm sorry, why give me a huge bag? if not to fill it with beer?" Kate asked him.

"Golf isn't a drinking game" Tex told her, it was an old argument of theirs. Kate felt the only way golf was tolerable was when you were drunk.

"It should be" Kate said before she took a small sip of her water bottle. It only a quarter of a cup, her 'ration' for the day. It was barely worth carrying around but she did it anyway taking a sip every couple of hours. They still had four days to go, that was if they got the wind to carry them there. Looking around Kate had a feeling many of them weren't going to make it 3 days considering many of the crew were starting to get sluggish in their movements.

She looked over at Rachel who was sitting by the rigging they had used to drop the virus samples into the ocean to keep the chilled. She just stared at the screen making sure the readings never changed or maybe she believed if she looked away for a moment the container might disappear into the ocean. Kate brought her water and food to her figuring it was easier than trying to pry her away from it as she offered to take a turn watching the screen but the woman would not budge.

"Well for starters in golf you swing the club with both hands" Tex told her.

"But how am I supposed to hold my beer if both hands are on the club?" Kate asked him mockingly.

"See what I have to put up with?" Tex asked Lieutenant Green. The Lieutenant gave Tex a look that said that he was the one suffering the most from being around them as if he had to chaperone them. Kate didn't really get why he was hanging around them if he found her and Tex's inane conversations so insufferable but the man stuck it out.

"You could break up with me" Kate told Tex.

"I'm limited on my options of female friends I can utilise as a wingman" Tex informed her. Kate laughed.

"Well, anyone you got your eyes on?" Kate asked Tex, not surprised that he had already scoped out the talent on the ship.

"I'm told there is a no fraternisation policy on the ship" Tex said making a face.

"For the crew, sure. Did you enlist into the Navy?" Kate asked.

"No, not that I remember" Tex said, Kate was about to argue that any interested female was game as long as it didn't interfere with her duties and they kept it discreet when Green spoke first.

"There is no fraternisation for anyone. Civilian or Military" Lieutenant Green informed them in a stern tone. Tex threw a hand up in Green's direction as if to say 'see what I mean'. Kate looked at him with a bemused expression.

"And who are you the Abstinence enforcer of the ship?" Kate asked trying to keep a straight face.

"Could you imagine that, probably run around with a flash light and a ruler" Tex added with a wide smile.

"Well it would be his mission to keep this ship from becoming a den of iniquity. Am I right Lieutenant?" she asked Lieutenant Green looked immensely displeased at her and Tex as they both started to laugh.

"Just let it all out but I'm serious" Green told them in a dark tone.

"Yeah and the one who tries to enforce the rules is usually the one breaking them" Kate said, she noticed that she hit a raw nerve as Lieutenant Green had yet to come up with a witty retort. She slowly rose to her feet."Well guys, it's been fun but I need to get in the shade" she told them.