Here's chapter 21. The chapters seem to be running away from me!
One month and a half later...
"I can't believe this is my last day!" sighed Nikki as she sat at the navigation console on the bridge of the HMAS Hammersley. At 3 and a half months, Nikki was moving to a shore posting at Navcom.
"So you're moving to a desk job?" asked Spider, speaking from his place at the helm. Nikki nodded.
"You're going to have fun," said RO sarcastically, joining in the conversation. Nikki rolled her eyes when RO continue talking. "Why would anyone give up their career for children? It's just crazy." Nikki couldn't help laughing.
"You'll understand it all one day RO." All she got in response was a sarcastic 'Mmm.'
"Have the feds found out anymore about your mother or the money going missing?" asked Mike from his spot at the captain's chair. The case about money going missing from the company accounts had been handed over to the feds after Lucia's suspicious death. Nikki groaned.
"Not really. We had to shut the whole company system down and then had to get a new security system but by the time we managed to get it all locked up again, we had lost $50, 000 and the feds couldn't trace it."
"Fifty grand?" said Mike, shocked. Nikki nodded.
"Because we had to shut down everything to sort it out, it took a few days to get it all back in order and money kept getting removed and transferred to an untraceable account." Mike raised his eyebrows and turned to look out the front windows.
"Sir, Navcom," said RO a few minutes later, holding a corded phone out. Mike turned around and stepped towards RO to take it, speaking for a few minutes.
"That was about your replacement," Mike told Nikki as he went to take his seat again a few moments later. Nikki slightly cringed at the word "replacement." She still wasn't used to the fact she was moving to a desk job. While the most action she saw now was through the EOD or out on the deck, it was the fact that she was leaving the Hammersley, her second home and family, which made her upset.
"So they finally have a replacement?" asked Nikki. Mike nodded. Nikki knew that while they didn't have to have a navigator to sail, they needed someone to take over her divisions as an officer.
"He'll be joining us when we get back to port." Nikki sighed. Whilst she was wondering how she was going to get used to the fact that she wasn't on the Hammersley anymore, the Hammersley was able to continue on without her.
1130 hours, HMAS Hammersley bridge
Nikki was on the bridge during the relatively quiet morning. The radar beeped and she glanced down to see the small dots.
"Sir, I've got two radar contacts. Both appear stationary," said Nikki, glancing between the radar and her boss.
"Do you want to try radio them Sir?" asked Kate from the helm.
"Two vessels out here? No X. Nav, plot us a course that keeps us below the horizon and we'll keep an eye on them," responded Mike. Nikki immediately got to setting the course and instructing Kate on the course changes. She was looking at the radar screen when she saw one vessel start moving off in a north-easterly direction.
"Sir!" she called out and Mike looked over towards the radar and instantly knew what she was meaning.
"X! Organise a snatch party! Take RO with you," he called out. "Nav, take us in closer and call gunner of the watch." RO groaned as he was forced off the bridge by the X. A few minutes later, the RHIB's were being lowered into the water with Kate, ET and Spider in one whilst the other held Buffer, Swain and RO. Bomber was standing by the 50 cal, waiting for the order to engage if necessary.
"Sir, the first vessel is still stationary, the other is still moving off in a north-easterly direction," updated Nikki.
"Alright. Nav with me!" he called, heading out of the bridge to the upper deck, grabbing a pair of headphones as he left. Nikki grabbed a pair too and followed him out.
"Vessel on my port bow, this is Australian Warship Hammersley. Stop or heave to, I intend to board you!" called out Nikki through the loud hailer. "Sir, they're not stopping." Mike nodded, his eyes still fixed on the vessel.
"Alright they're not going to stop. Order warning fire."
"Gunner action! One short burst, ahead of the bow. Engage!" called out Nikki through her headset to Bomber. Bomber fired the 50 cal into the water towards the front of the vessel. "Vessels not stopping Sir."
"Carry on the sea boat!" called Mike, watching as his crew took off on RHIB's. They powered over the water in the direction of the small vessel which was now not too far away from the Hammersley.
"Heave to!" called Kate, signalling with her hands to stop. The four people on board the vessel took one look at the Hammersley and approaching inflatables and began firing their rifles at the Hammersley.
"Get down!" yelled Mike as he, Nikki and Bomber all ducked from the bullets hitting the Hammersley. Over on the RHIB's, the boarding party had ducked but a large percentage of the bullets were aimed at the Hammersley. They began firing at the vessel until Spider took a bullet.
"Spider's been hit!" called out ET, bending over to the fallen sailor.
"We've got one down! Spider took a bullet!" Kate yelled into the radio. Mike looked up slightly, as did Nikki but ducked back down again as more bullets were aimed for the Hammersley.
"Boarding party stand down!" he called, glancing slightly over.
"Abort! Abort!" called out Kate. ET was still tending to Spider as Kate bent over slightly.
"Is Spider okay?" Mike's voice came through the radio. ET was the one to respond.
"He's alright! Need Swain to take a look at him though!" Mike sighed with relief and turned to see his female sailors still on the ground.
"You two alright?"
"Sir!" called out Nav, pulling herself up slightly and crawling to where Bomber was still on the ground, her arm bleeding. Mike crawled over to join them. Although the vessel had stopped firing, they weren't taking any chances. Mike put his hand on Nikki's shoulder to steady himself while Nikki put her own hand over Bomber's, attempting to stop the blood. Bomber looked extremely pale.
"We need Swain back here, now!" ordered Mike into the headset. Back on the RHIB's, ET and Spider looked up at X, who turned back quickly to face the Hammersley. They knew that the Hammersley would need Swain back if someone was injured.
"Is everything alright Sir?" asked Kate, dread building in her stomach, the thought of one of her fellow crew mates being injured making her sick.
"Bomber's been hit, she's still conscious though," replied Mike, glancing back at the young sailor that Nikki was tending to. Back on the RHIB, Spider seemed to have forgotten about being shot himself at this news and sat up, yelping in pain.
"Whoa!" said ET, pushing him back down.
"Swain! You need to get back to the Hammersley with Spider; Bomber's been hit too!" called out Kate as the RHIB's drew closer together. The faces on the other RHIB were grim and Buffer turned to look back at the vessel that had caused all the damage. Kate noticed. "There's nothing we can do now Buff." He nodded and Swain jumped aboard the other RHIB whilst Kate and ET jumped into the other. Swain and Spider's RHIB began motoring towards the Hammersley whilst the other RHIB headed for the yacht.
"You alright Bomber?" asked Mike back on the Hammersley. She looked incredibly pale.
"Never better boss," said Bomber through gritted teeth as Nikki pressed harder onto her arm.
"Charge!" called out Mike over his shoulder. A few seconds later, Charge appeared from the bridge. "What condition is the boat in?"
"Everything's still up and running Sir."
"Good, I need you to help Nav get Bomber to the wardroom," replied Mike, standing up and catching a glimpse of one of the RHIB's headed for the Hammersley.
"Alright, on three. One, two, three!" counted Nikki as she and Charge helped Bomber to her feet, holding her up as they headed for the wardroom. Bomber again gritted her teeth, trying to resist the urge to yelp in pain as Nikki's grip around her wound again tightened.
Meanwhile, the other RHIB arrived alongside the yacht.
"Australian Navy!" called Buffer as he and ET boarded the boat, followed closely by RO and Kate.
"Australian Navy!" ET next called out. Again, there was no response.
"ET, RO, that way," said Buffer, pointing to his left. Buffer and Kate went to the right but after seeing no one, headed below deck where they found a couple cowering in the corner.
"We're the Australian Navy," said Kate as she entered the small room, taking in the mess surrounding them and the couples' terrified faces.
"ET, we've got them," said Buffer quietly into the radio.
"Can you tell us what happened?" asked Kate, moving closer to them slowly.
"5 men in a boat came on board and were searching for something," said the man, the woman next to him shaking.
"You're both safe now," Kate told her, bending down in front of the woman. Buffer looked up at the door above him, waiting for RO and ET. But then he thought back to what the man had just said. Five men? We only saw four! Buffer suddenly thought.
"X." He nodded back and Kate stood up and moved towards him. "They said there was five. I only saw four on that boat." A look of realisation crossed her face.
"This is X-Ray82. We cannot account for one of the men on the other vessel," she said quietly into her radio. Back on the Hammersley, Mike listened to his XO and then responded, not quite sure what she meant.
"What do you mean X?"
"Sir, we only saw four on the other boat. The couple on this yacht said there was five," she said, her voice shaking slightly. Both ends were silent for a moment before ET's voice came over the radio.
"We just found him."
****
Well, that chapter is done. Arrived in Brisbane early this morning and had an "interesting" flight. The flight got delayed; they stuffed up my friends' ticket so she was in the same seat as someone else and nearly missed the flight fixing their stuff up. Then the pilot got put on the wrong runway and we had to circle for 15 minutes, we had a choice of fish in white sauce and beans for dinner
or funny coloured looking chicken stir fry. The food is not normally that bad! And then after finally arriving in Brisbane, they then lost my luggage so I had to wait at the airport for an extra two hours before they found my suitcase. Finally, arriving at our hotel this morning, I was exhausted and fell straight asleep. I went out for lunch and then got back and decided to write this is so if there's anything wrong with it, read about my last day and forgive me! Lol. Sorry for ranting so much too!
Please read and comment. Thanks to those few who have been. You are the best.