Disclaimer: I don't own Sea Patrol. The only characters I own are the characters you do not recognise…
AN: Hi all I'm back with a new update. YAY. I want to say thank you to everyone who has favourited and alerted this story it means a lot that you all take the time to read it. Mariem201 again thank for be an amazing Beta.
On to the reviews:-
ALIMOO1971- Thank you for the review. Hammersley home port is Cairns, but they were all in Sydney for the awards. I hope you like this chapter. X
Sally()- You are more than welcome for the mention. My reviewers are one of the reasons that I keep on writing. And here's the new chapter enjoy. X
Mariem201- Thanks again. And naughty Nikki and Josh we will be seeing more of them moments in a few chapters time. Carly has quick appearance as well here. X
Jane()- Thank you for the review… Here's an update. Lol. X
Nihal94- Thanks for the review. Everyone needs just a little bit of Fluff every now and then. There is reason for that very fluffy last chapter… enjoy. X
Preciouslove09- Thank you for the review. On the show I always thought that they made the Mike/Kate relationship more Kate still in love with Mike until Kate got back with Jim. X
PlathFan96- Thank you for the review. Please don't die Lol. I hope you enjoy. X
xSuperNovax- Thanks for the review. Its updated Lol. And yea I suck at grammar so I sometimes go overboard with it… I have chilled it this chapter with the help of my Beta Reader. I hope you enjoy. x
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Chapter 21
Something Fishy
Nikki stood in Josh's bedroom, in his apartment. She sighed as she looked out the window overlooking the ocean. She kept thinking about later today when she would have to leave Josh and Aiden again.
"Hey," Josh whispered, as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. He kissed her shoulder tenderly before resting his head on it. "What are you thinking about?" Josh smiled, as he looked at Nikki from the corner of his eye.
"Just thinking about later this morning," Nikki smiled sadly, turning in Josh's arms so she was facing him. "How long is it going to be before we see each other again?" Nikki sighed, looking into Josh's eyes.
"I don't know," Josh sighed. "But I can promise you I will come to see you every chance I get. And, if my transfer doesn't happen, I mean it, Nikki, I will quit!" Josh smiled, leaning forward to quickly kiss Nikki.
"But won't you resent me one day if you give up your job because of me?" Nikki asked, frowning at Josh.
"Babe, I could never resent you," Josh laughed, kissing her soundly. "Besides, remember what Carly said yesterday? Love is all you need to survive." Josh smiled, making Nikki giggle.
"Yes, I thought for a moment she was going to burst into song, like the Glee cast does," Nikki laughed, making Josh smile sadly.
"Nikki, all I know is that I love you and that's never going to change," Josh smiled. "That's all the reassurance I need that this is going to work out," he said, bringing Nikki into his arms and hugging her tight. Just then, Nikki's mobile went off.
Nikki reached over and grabbed it. She saw a text message from Kate.
1hr to roll call
"That was Kate. We have to get ready because I have to report for roll call in an hour," Nikki smiled, quickly kissing Josh. "I will have a shower later on the ship. If we leave earlier, we can spend more time with Aiden, Carly and my parents," Nikki smiled, as she pulled out some pants and a T-shirt, before turning to Josh and kissing him. "Can you get Aiden dressed?" Nikki asked, as Josh laughed and kissed her passionately.
"You bet, babe," Josh laughed, as he left the room and walked down the hall. Nikki got dressed slowly, somehow hoping this would delay the inevitable goodbyes.
Nikki was just tying her hair up in a ponytail when Aiden came running into the bedroom, with Josh laughing behind him.
"Morning, mommy," Aiden smiled, as he hugged Nik.
"Hi, baby," Nikki laughed, looking Aiden over. "Wow, you got him dressed quickly," Nikki smiled, as Josh just smirked at her.
"Yes, that's because I'm just that good!" Josh laughed. He grabbed some clothes and walked into the bathroom, after blowing Nikki a kiss. Nikki laughed.
"Come on, let's get some breakfast into you," Nikki smiled, guiding Aiden to the kitchen, before grabbing three beakers and pouring some orange juice for Aiden, Josh and herself. She then grabbed three bowls and poured herself and Aiden some cereal with milk, before sitting down at the breakfast table. She and Aiden started eating, as they waited for Josh to join them.
Josh stood leaning on the doorframe, watching Nikki and Aiden laugh as they ate. Watching them made him realize how much he missed them when they weren't here with him.
"Hey, where's mine?" Josh asked, trying not to let Aiden and Nikki see his emotions.
"In the box, daddy," Aiden replied, smiling sweetly up at him. Nikki laughed, as Josh glared good-naturedly at his son and poured his own bowl of cereal.
"No one is ever going to question that you are his father!" Nikki laughed, as she stood up and placed her dish in the dishwasher.
"Yes," Josh laughed, ruffling Aiden's head. "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree," he laughed again, as he ate his cereal. Aiden giggled, and Nikki nodded, as she watched Josh and their son.
"You don't need to tell me!" Nikki laughed, as she sat down next to Josh. She smiled sadly at him, remembering the pained expression he had worn as he entered the room. "I know," Nikki whispered, so only Josh could hear her. He smiled tenderly, as he leaned forward and kissed her sweetly.
"Ewww… mommy, daddy, stop!" Aiden yelled out, making them both laugh. Josh pulled away and got up to put his bowl away.
"You finished, you cheeky bugger," Josh smiled, as Aiden nodded and held his bowl out to his dad so he could place it in the washer. "Ok, let's get all our bits together and head off to the dock," Josh smiled, as he started the washer, before walking over and kissing Aiden's head. Nikki stood up and nodded.
"Yes, the sooner we get there, the quicker I can check in with Kate and the CO. It will give me more time with you guys," Nikki smiled at Josh, who smiled back. Aiden jumped up.
"I'm going to grab my bag," Nikki smiled, as Josh picked up Aiden's jacket and helped him put it on. She walked back to his room and grabbed her bag, before going back and joining her boys.
"Ok, are we all ready?" Josh asked. Nikki nodded, smiling sadly, as Aiden rushed out of the door and left Josh and her alone in the room.
"As ready as I'll ever be," Nikki whispered, as she kissed Josh, before they both headed down to the front door of the apartment block where Aiden was waiting for them.
"Let's go!" Josh laughed, as he led them out to the car, laughing.
Naval Dock
Kate stood on the dock, looking up at the ship, as she waited for the crew to turn up. Aiden squealed, as he saw Kate standing by the ship.
"Auntie Kate!" Aiden screamed, running straight into Kate's open arms.
"Hey, squirt, where are your mommy and daddy?" Kate smiled, as she swung Aiden around, making him laugh.
"Kissing!" Aiden sighed exasperatedly, shaking his head before giggling.
"Are they now?" Kate laughed, as Mike walked down the gangplank to see Kate holding Aiden. "Do you want me to tell them off?" Kate smiled as Aiden shook his head.
"Hey, where are your parents?" Mike asked, as he came to stand next to Kate.
"They're coming," Aiden smiled, saluting Mike. Mike smiled as he saluted him back. Nikki and Josh walked in just in time to see their son saluting Mike. Nikki laughed, as she walked up to her CO and her best friend.
"Hi, sir," Nikki smiled, saluting Mike, who saluted her back.
"Good morning, Nav," Mike smiled. "If you want, you can go put your things in your cabin. Since you have checked in, you won't have to be present for the roll call," Mike smiled.
"Ok, sir," Nikki smiled, as she saluted Mike again. She then ruffled Aiden's hair before walking towards the ship and stepping on to the gangway. Josh watched her until she disappeared, then nodded to Mike and hugged Kate.
"Are you looking forward to heading home or are you heading straight out?" Josh smiled, looking at Mike and Kate.
"Straight back to Cairns, unless something comes up," Mike smiled, before nodding over to the Ramsgate. "What about your crew: how long until you guys are back out?" Mike asked.
"We are going back to the Samaru Island tomorrow to do border patrol," Josh smiled sadly, as Mike looked at him with empathy. "If we hear or find anything about all those fishing boats, we will alert you guys," Josh told Mike, who nodded in agreement.
"That would be highly appreciated, that last boat shook us…" Mike sighed, as Kate shook her head sadly.
"I don't blame you. It's scary knowing that there are people out there able to avoid all of our technology!" Josh sighed.
"Yes, that's why, on the way back, I'm thinking of maybe having a rotating visual look-out on the deck at all times, just to be careful," Mike sighed, as Kate and Josh nodded.
"Yes, I don't blame you, better safe than sorry," Josh sighed, as Aiden held his hands out to Josh. Just at that moment, Nikki came back on to the dock, dressed in her uniform.
"What are you guys talking about?" Nikki asked, as she came and stood next to Josh. She kissed him quickly. Mike and Kate couldn't help smiling as they watched them and thought of what a cute couple they made.
"Oh, Mike was just saying that, on the journey back, we should put a rotating visual look-out on the deck at all times, as the radar isn't registering these Samaruans," Kate sighed, as Nikki nodded.
"Yes, that's a good idea," Nikki replied with a smile on her face. "Josh and I were talking about this last night, and I meant to phone you," Nikki told Mike. "What would you think about using sonar?" she asked, as Josh watched her with a smile, and Kate and Mike looked at her questioningly. "You know instead of under, send it across the ocean surface."
"It would bounce back any obstructions, even the ones the radar wouldn't show," Josh finished, proud of the idea he and Nikki had come up with last night.
"Would that work?" Mike asked dubiously, as Kate wore a thoughtful expression on her face.
"If you had the right equipment on board, yes, it would. Your engineer should be able to build one," Josh nodded, as a few members of Nikki's crew turned up and saluted their high-ranking officers, before proceeding on board to change.
"Alright, I'm going to go run this by NAVCOM and see what they say," Mike smiled, before shaking Josh's hand. "Thanks for the help, and I will say goodbye now as I probably won't see you again before we disembark," Mike smiled, as Josh gripped his hand and shook it.
"Yeah, goodbye. I hope NAVCOM goes for it," Josh sighed, as Mike nodded in agreement. Kate looked at the two and smiled. "What?" Josh asked when he noticed Kate smiling at them.
"You two are amazing! I would never have thought of using sonar," she replied, smiling, as Josh took Nikki by the waist and hugged her tightly.
"We were talking, and it just came to us," Nikki smiled modestly, as she gave a quick kiss to Josh.
"Hi, X," a voice called, making everyone turn to see who had spoken.
"Buffer," Kate nodded, watching as a scared Aiden clung to Josh. "Why don't you proceed to the ship? Nav and I can make sure everyone's on board, and you can organize the crew on the deck for roll call," Kate smiled to Buffer, as she tried to get rid of him.
"Yes, sure, X. Nav," Buffer nodded, looking at Nikki and completely ignoring Josh and Aiden, as he walked up the gangway.
"I'm so going to punch that guy one day!" Josh muttered, making Kate and Nikki laugh.
"Ignore him, babe," Nikki sighed, resting her head on Josh's shoulder.
"Aww, it's the love birds!" a voice called. They turned around to see Charge grinning as he walked up to them, followed by an amused Swain and a bemused Sally.
"Oh, leave the two of them alone!" Sally admonished, raising her eyebrow at Charge.
"But where is the fun in that?" Charge laughed, making Aiden giggle. "See, the little man agrees with me," Charge laughed, high-fiving a grinning Aiden.
"Chloe!" Aiden smiled, as Chloe waved at him from Swain's arms. "Daddy, put me down!" Aiden smiled, as Josh placed him on the deck. Chloe asked Swain to put her down as well, and both kids ran off to play, to the amusement of the adults present.
"Stay where we can see you!" Nikki and Sally called out at the same time, making them both laugh.
"And stay away from the edge of the dock!" Josh added, making everyone look at him. "What? Moms are not the only ones that can be overprotective," Josh laughed, as Swain nodded.
"So true," Swain sighed, keeping an eye on both the kids from the corner of his eye.
"Where's the CO?" Charge asked, looking at Kate and Nikki.
"He went to speak to NAVCOM, to see if Marshall is going to approve of Nav and ET's plan," Kate smiled, as Charge and Swain looked at the two with a questioning expression. "They think they have figured out a way to see the Samaruans that are trying to play hide and seek," Kate smiled, as she shared with them Nikki and Josh's idea.
"Nice thinking," Charge nodded, impressed, as Swain smiled. "Well, we better head up and change, and get in position for the speech," Charge sighed, rolling his eyes and making Kate and Nikki laugh. Swain smiled sadly.
"Chloe," Swain called, holding his arms out to his daughter, as she ran back over to him, with Aiden following and running straight to Josh. "Daddy will see you when he gets home, ok?" Swain smiled, as Chloe nodded.
"Ok, daddy. Come home soon!" Chloe said earnestly, making all the adults smile.
"I will, angel cakes," Swain smiled, kissing Chloe, before hugging and kissing Sally. "See you soon," Swain whispered, as Sally nodded. He released her before turning to Josh. "I will most likely see you soon also, mate," Swain smiled, holding his hand out to Josh, as Charge was saying his goodbyes to Sally and Chloe.
"Yes, seen you soon mate, have a good trip," Josh smiled, grasping Swain's hand with his free one.
"Bye, kiddo, look after Chloe for me?" Swain asked Aiden with a smile, ruffling his hair, as Aiden nodded seriously. "Nav, X, I will see you two on board," Swain said. When they both nodded, Swain smiled back at Sally and made his way up the gangway.
"So this plan of yours is going to require some building?" Charge asked, looking at Josh, who nodded. Charge grimaced.
"If you need help, just buzz the Ramsgate. I'm going to be on board," Josh smiled, as Charge nodded.
"Ok, I will see you all later," Charge smiled, nodding at everyone. He walked halfway up the gangplank, then stopped suddenly and turned to look at Josh. "I will be talking to you later," Charge stated, making Nikki and Kate laugh, as he went on board the ship.
"I don't get it!" Josh asked with a confused expression, as Nikki and Kate carried on laughing.
"I think Charge just realized our idea is going to require electrical engineering, and he hates doing electrical engineering," Kate laughed. "That's why he's going to be calling you."
"Oh right, I get it now," Josh laughed, as Aiden started bouncing in his arms.
"Carly!" Aiden squealed. Nikki and Josh turned around and saw Josh's sister walking over to them.
"What are you doing here?" Nikki asked, smiling, before hugging the young girl.
"Well, I have a free period. I knew you were leaving this morning, so I thought I would come see you off," Carly smiled. "Oh, and I got word all my teachers agreed on my project," Carly squealed happily. "Will you still model?" Carly asked, as Nikki nodded, rolling her eyes. "I just need a couple more models," Carly sighed.
"Models for what?" Kate asked, looking at Josh's younger sister.
"My fashion project for college. I need two more people to model wedding dresses," Carly smiled, looking at Kate, before grinning. "Will you do it?" Carly asked, looking at Kate, then Sally.
"Model, are you joking?" Sally asked, shaking her head. "I don't have the body of a model!" Sally sighed.
"Says who?" Carly asked, raising her eyebrow. Josh and Nikki started to laugh, as they knew Carly wasn't going to stop until they agreed. "Those stick people are not models in my eyes. They do not represent real women, just a small minority of us. I want women to be able to relate to my models!" Carly sighed, shaking her head. "Size zero is not something to strive for… People wonder why there are a growing number of children with anorexia. What do they expect when, in all the magazines, they are shoving size two models down our throats? The people they pick as role models are smashing people's self-esteem. I don't agree with any of it or with airbrushing. People should not have to feel like they are not pretty because they don't look like the models in magazines. It's what's causing most of society's problems with eating disorders!" Carly ranted. Nikki covered her mouth to hide her amusement, as Sally and Kate looked shell-shocked. "So will you please model with Nikki?" Carly asked. She squealed when Kate and Sally nodded mutely. "Ok, thank you!" Carly smiled, as she hugged them both, before hugging Nikki, then Josh and then Aiden. "Well, I have to go. My class starts in half an hour. I love you guys, see you soon!" Carly smiled, as she ran off, blowing kisses behind her at Josh, Nikki and Aiden.
"Wow, how do your parents cope with that bundle of energy?" Sally asked still looking in shock, which made Nikki and Josh laugh.
"They both have grey hair that they dye!" Josh laughed.
"No, you can't blame Carly for their grey hair, most of that came from you!" Nikki smiled, pointing her finger at Josh.
"Don't know what you are talking about!" Josh replied, feigning innocence.
"Yes, that face doesn't work on me," Nikki laughed, making Josh pout. A few more members of the crew walked by and saluted X and Nav.
"Well, that's the last of the crew," Kate smiled, as Nikki took a deep breath and looked at Josh. "Give Auntie Kate a hug, squirt," Kate smiled, holding her arms out to Aiden, so Josh and Nikki could say goodbye in private.
As soon as Aiden was in Kate's arms, Josh pulled Nikki into him and hugged her tightly. "I love you," Josh whispered, kissing her neck. Nikki nodded, trying to keep her tears at bay.
"I love you too," Nikki whispered. "I will see you soon," she said smiling, pulling back slightly so she could kiss him.
"Wild horses couldn't keep me away," Josh smiled, kissing Nikki again quickly, before she pulled back and hugged Sally, who was holding Chloe.
"I will see you two back in Cairns," Nikki smiled, as Sally nodded.
"Yes, see you soon," Sally smiled, as Chloe waved.
"Ok, mister, where is mommy's hug?" Nikki asked, as Kate passed him over to Nikki. "I love you, and I will see you when I get home, ok?" Nikki asked, as Aiden nodded, hugging Nikki.
"I love you mommy," Aiden smiled, kissing Nikki's cheek, before Nikki handed him back to Josh.
"See you soon, babe," Josh smiled, giving Nikki one more kiss.
"Tell my parents I love them," Nikki smiled, not seeing her parents anywhere.
"Yes, of course I will!" Josh smiled, as he let Nikki go. Kate gave him a quick hug. "Goodbye Kate, keep an eye on her for me," Josh whispered, so only Kate could hear him.
"Always," Kate promised, as she pulled away and both she and Nikki made their way up the gangway.
As they got to the top, Kate and Nikki pulled the gangway up with the help of Charge. Nikki blew one more kiss at Josh and Aiden, before she made her way over to Mike, who was standing ready to address the crew.
"I just wanted to thank you all for the way you acted at the awards. Not one of you embarrassed the crew in the slightest. I also want to congratulate Swain and Nikki again for the recognitions they received. They were well deserved. We are heading back to Cairns where we will receive our next orders but, during the journey, we have work to do. NAVCOM has authorized Lieutenant Caetano and Petty Officer Holiday's plan to build a sonar to try and detect any Samaruan ship. So I expect everyone to work their hardest on this because it has been brought to my attention that, with the Samaruans being able to avoid our radar, we are nothing more than sitting ducks. We disembark in ten minutes. Say one last goodbye to your families," Mike smiled, before he turned and walked on to the bridge. Nikki and Kate walked over to the rail and saw that Bomber, Spider, Maria and Mark had now joined Josh, Aiden, Sally and Chloe.
"Bye, mommy!" Aiden yelled, waving to a smiling Nikki, as she blew him a kiss that was returned by Josh.
"I love you, but I have to go. Mommy will see you when you get home," Nikki smiled, waving at Aiden one last time. Kate waved to all of them, before she and Nikki made their way onto the bridge where Charge was already sitting at the E.O.D. "Nav on the bridge," Nikki smiled, as Mike pointed to her seat.
"X on the bridge," Kate smiled, as she came to stand next to Mike.
"So how are we going to build this sonar?" Charge asked.
"We are going to use the salvage sonar we use to find sunken ships," Nikki smiled, as Charge looked at her aghast. "We just have to change the trajectory of the sonar so it skims the ocean surface instead of going down," Nikki smiled, as Charge shook his head.
"I'm going to need her other half on the COM while doing it, as you all know I hate technology!" Charge muttered, making Nikki laugh.
"We know!" Kate and Nikki laughed again, as Swain joined them on the bridge.
"Swain, take the helm," Mike smiled, as Swain sat down.
"Swain on the helm," Swain replied.
"Marshall, sir," RO said, as he sat down and looked at the bridge crew. Mike picked up the COM.
"Ok sir, thank you," Mike smiled as he looked at the crew. "We have the green light. Swain, start us up," Mike told Swain, who looked over at Nikki.
"Where to, Nav?" Swain asked, laughing, as Nav rolled her eyes at him.
"Well, out of the dock would be a good idea!" Nav replied sarcastically, making everyone laugh.
"Able Seaman Foster to the bridge," Mike spoke through the COM. "Buffer, I want you at the front of the ship on the gun, and I want Foster at the back of the ship. We will rotate shifts until the sonar is up and running," Mike nodded, as Buffer stood up and Foster walked on to the bridge, saluting Mike.
"You called, sir?" Foster asked, looking at his CO.
"Yes, I want you on deck with Buffer. I want you to cover the back of the ship until the sonar is up and running. If you spot anything suspicious, radio us immediately," Mike instructed Foster, who nodded.
"Yes sir, I won't let you down!" Foster nodded, following Buffer off the bridge.
"Ok, Charge, what do you need to start?" Mike asked, looking at Charge.
"Her other half!" Charge replied quickly, making them all laugh, as Nikki handed the coordinates to Swain.
"Well, then let's see if we can do anything about that," Mike laughed, as he picked up the COM.
Back At Sydney Dock
Josh sighed, as the Hammersley left his sight and all the family members started to disperse.
"Daddy's got to work as well," Josh sighed, as he sat Aiden down so he could look at him. "But if you need me or your mommy, we are just a phone call away, ok?" Josh asked, as Aiden nodded, pouting. "I love you, kiddo, and I promise you will see me soon," Josh smiled, kissing Aiden, before hugging him tightly.
"I'll miss you!" Aiden whispered.
"Daddy's going to miss you too, mate," Josh sighed, hugging Aiden tighter.
"We promise to look after daddy for you," Bomber smiled, ruffling Aiden's hair. Aiden smiled at her, as Spider nodded his head.
"Bye kiddo, see you soon," Spider smiled, as he waved to Aiden, who was still clinging to Josh. Spider and Bomber made their way to the Ramsgate.
"It was nice meeting you again," Sally smiled, holding her hand out to Josh.
"Yes, it was. When I move to Cairns permanently, we will all have to go out with the kids. I think they would love it," Josh smiled.
"Yes, I believe they would," Sally laughed, as Aiden and Chloe waved goodbye to each other. "See you soon," Sally smiled as she said goodbye to everyone and headed back to the car. Mark and Maria walked over to the Ramsgate with Josh.
"You ready to come with Grandma?" Maria asked Aiden, as they reached the gangway for the Ramsgate.
"Love you daddy," Aiden whispered.
"Love you too, kiddo," Josh whispered, as he passed Aiden to Maria.
"You be careful, you hear me?" Maria smiled sadly, looking at Josh.
"Always am, mom!" Josh smiled, as he kissed Maria's cheek before hugging Mark.
"Behave!" Mark laughed, as Josh backed up the gangway.
"Always, I'm a saint!" Josh laughed. He looked back at Aiden, as he made it to the top. "I love you, kiddo," Josh smiled sadly, as Craig joined him and helped raise the gangway.
"Bye, daddy," Aiden called, waving to Josh.
"Bye, kiddo," Josh sighed, waving to Maria and Mark. As they started to head off the dock, Josh sighed.
"Your transfer will come through, mate," Spider smiled, as he patted Josh's back to comfort him.
"Thanks mate," Josh smiled. "Can you help me with the sonar recovery system? I have overhauled it," he asked Spider, who nodded, as James walked over to them. "Sir," Josh said, as he and Spider saluted.
"Can you get started on the sonar?" James asked.
"Just were I was heading, sir," Josh smiled, as James nodded.
"Good!" James replied with a smile, as he walked back to the bridge.
30 Minutes Later
"Ok, I have all the equipment," Charge sighed, as he put all the stuff in the corner of the bridge. "Now, that's all I can do without help!" Charge smiled, as Mike laughed, turning to RO.
"RO, can you contact the Ramsgate?" Mike asked laughing, as RO got to work.
"Will that do, Charge?"
"Yes, sir," Charge answered, as he started to sort through all the bits and pieces he had.
"The Ramsgate is on the COM, sir," RO stated, looking at Charge and shaking his head.
"Hi James, it's Mike," Mike laughed.
"What can the Ramsgate do for the Hammersley?" James asked.
"Is ET available? Our chief engineer needs some help with the sonar," Mike laughed, as James chuckled.
"Yes, I will just pass the COM over to him as he's on the bridge. ET, the Hammersley needs some tech help," James informed Josh.
"Yo, this is ET," Josh said.
"Hi, ET. It's Mike. I'm going to pass you over to Charge. He's the one that needs help," Mike laughed, handing the COM to Charge.
"I told you I would be speaking to you soon, mate," Charge laughed. "I have all the equipment. Now, what do I do with it?"
"Well, first you have to reset the main sonar's trajectory panel," Josh stated, talking Charge through everything, "Ok, now plug in the monitor."
"Crap, sir, we have company," Buffer's voice flooded through the speaker.
"Nav?" Mike asked, looking at Nikki
"There's nothing on radar, sir," Nav replied.
"Buffer, keep an eye on them. They are not on radar, which means they could be hostiles," Mike replied, as he reached for the other COM, just as the radio came back to life.
"Shit, everyone hit the deck!" Buffer yelled, as an explosion erupted in the corridor just by the bridge. The blast made everyone get thrown from their positions, before the ship stopped.
Mike opened his eyes and moaned. He got up and grabbed the radio, lifting it to his lips.
1 Minute Before Back On The Ramsgate
James laughed, as he watched Josh roll his eyes while speaking to the Hammersley's engineer. The laughter died on his lips when he saw Josh pull the COM away and look at it weirdly.
"Sir, the COM just went dead?" Josh frowned, looking at James.
"Damien, reconnect us to the Hammersley," James said, as Damien turned to look at them with a worried look on his face.
"I would, sir, but I can't find their signal," Damien whispered. Josh stood up as the radio started to crackle and Mike's anxious voice was overheard.
"Mayday, Mayday, Mayday. This is the HMAS Hammersley. We are under fire and need urgent assistance… quickly… most of my crew is down!"
James grabbed the COM and called NAVCOM. "Commander Marshall, I take it you have heard about the Hammersley," James asked, as Josh took the helm.
"Yes, I have just dispatched two ships. Why?" Marshall asked.
"They only left 30 minutes ago, sir. We are the closest ship, so we are heading to assist," James replied.
"Did I order that, lieutenant-commander?" Marshall asked.
"No sir, I'm just doing my job. We have friends on that crew, sir," James answered.
"Fine, not that you care, but you have NAVCOM's permission. We have been trying to raise the ship on the emergency COM, but we are getting no answer. You have permission to push the engines," Marshall stated. "Bring our crew home!"
After Marshall hung up, James turned to Damien. "Issue a ship-wide announcement," James instructed Damien, who nodded at him. "This is Captain Marshall, HMAS Hammersley is in trouble. It is under some kind of fire and is no longer answering calls on the radio. We are heading in to help with at least two other ships, so hands to all stations," James finished, placing the COM down. "Josh, increase the revolutions. Marshall said we could push the engines," Josh nodded and did what he was asked, not looking at anyone. He didn't want them seeing the tears streaming down his face.
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Please don't kill me…
Let me know what you think? xKatyx