HMAS Hammersley having just completed a two and a half week patrol of the Coral Sea slid effortlessly into her berth at the Cairns Naval Base. It was mid-afternoon on Tuesday, 2 June.

Her crew, dressed in their civvies were jubilantly exiting the ship anticipating a week of shore leave. Several of the guys were clowning around as they were getting ready to leave the ship.

"Woo! ET heads up!" Buffer called out as he tossed the footy to Josh.

After a perfect catch, ET sends the ball back.

"Coming to the park for some footy?" Buffer asks.

" Nah, sorry Buff, got something to do."

"Come on!" Spider jumps in. " It'll be fun, good exercise after being stuck on the ship for two weeks."

"What are you getting up to?" Swain asked him.

"I'm going to do a spot of diving, up Palm Cove way. Been looking forward to it."

"That sounds like a good time," Spider says.

"It should be, I'll see ya all in a couple of days."

At that moment, "Nav", LT Nikki Caetano, came down the stairs from the officer's deck. Josh stopped and let her pass in front of him. She was wearing his favourite jumper dress; he couldn't help but smile.

"Thanks, ET."

"Hope you have a nice shore leave, Ma'am."

"You too."

After leaving the ship, Josh headed the Naval Housing Complex, and to the house he shared with two other sailors. He dropped off his seabag in his room, took a shower then changed into slacks, and one of his signature floral Hawaiian style shirts then got in his car. He had a few stops to make before heading to Nikki's for their 7:00 dinner date.

While putting the finishing touches on their dinner, Nikki heard Josh entering the townhouse and went over to the railing and looked down. "ET, what are you doing here?" she teased.

"Oh, did I get the wrong night? Maybe you were expecting someone else?"

"Well, Yeah, as a matter of fact, I was, my boyfriend is coming over," she couldn't help but smile.

" Maybe I should go then...wouldn't want to get in the way of anything," all the while he has been slowly advancing up the stairs while carrying a large box wrapped in Valentine paper and a giant red bow.

Reaching the top of the stairs, Nikki pulls him in for a kiss.

"What have you got here?" she asks, looking at the large box. " Here, put it here, looks heavy," indicating the dining room table.

"Well, it's for you. Open it up."

Lifting the top off of the box, she looks inside and then over at Josh with a raised brow. "Josh...what is it?"

Going to the box, he lifts out a small fish tank and sets it on the table, and then moves the box out of the way. " It's a clownfish. I caught him on one of my dives while I was thinking of you. His name is Lancelot. He's for you."

Nikki's smile is beaming, but she's also confused.

"Josh, who will take care of him when we're at sea?"

"I will."

"You? How?"

Taking Nikki's hands, he guides her into a chair. "Okay, Josh, what's going on..."

Kneeling in front of her he takes both of her hands in his. " Nikki," he starts, " at the end of this rotation, I'm leaving the Navy, out for good."

"What? When did you decide this?"

" I've been doing a lot of thinking for a while now. Then after that whole 'Bird Boat' incident and then the mutilated fisherman, add in that crazy 'Hantu' guy… I've had enough."

Nikki had taken one of her hands and was caressing his shoulder as he talked. She knew that he had had quite a harrowing rotation so far with one life-threatening situation after another. You could go months on the ship and have nothing untoward happen and then at other times… She caressed his cheek.

"What will you do?"

"Well, first and most important, we can be together. No more hiding, sneaking around. I love you, Nikki, and I want to be able to show it whenever I want too.

I've been doing some casual diving for this dive company that supplies pet aquariums with fish and coral and some larger pieces for collectors and large aquariums. They've offered me a permanent place on their team.

Now, what else do you see in there besides Lancelot?"

"A diver... is that you?"

"Ah huh, whenever you look into the tank you'll think of me," he says, kissing her hand. "What else?"

"A treasure chest."

"What do you usually find in a treasure chest?"

"Umm, let's see, a trick question... treasure?"

"Why don't you see…"

Nikki stood, reached into the tank and lifted the lid on the little treasure chest. Not knowing what to expect, she gasps, then looks at Josh wide-eyed as she lifts the most beautiful diamond ring she's ever seen from the water.

Josh went back to kneeling, " Please say you'll marry me and make me the happiest guy in the history of ever."

"YES! OH MY GOD! YES! YES!"

Standing Josh slipped the ring on her finger and pulled her to him, kissing her deeply...dinner now long forgotten.

Later, lying in bed, Nikki couldn't stop looking at her ring. "Josh, it's so beautiful!"

" I'm so glad that you like it. Happy?"

"More than," leaning in for yet another kiss.

Nikki got up, put on her robe and padded into the kitchen returning with two glasses of the wine that they were going to have with dinner. " Let's take this out to the balcony and enjoy the stars. You must be hungry."

"For you," he answers with a Cheshire grin. " Yeah, I'm a bit hungry."

" I'll get us some cheese and crisps?"

"Sounds perfect."

They sat talking, enjoying their snack and the night air. " Nikki, I'm so sorry."

"What on earth for?"

"I made plans to go on a dive for that marine supply company that I told you about before I decided that I couldn't wait any longer to give you the ring. I have to be on the boat for 7:00, and I should be back by dinner-time. I really would rather spend the day with you, but I made the commitment and if I want a permanent job..."

"It's fine, Josh, we'll have plenty of days together."

"That we will...bed?"

Smiling, " Yeah, bed," she reached for him, and when he stood, she gathered him for yet another kiss. "Hmmm, I just can't seem to get enough."

"I can't see that as a problem," grinning as he captures her mouth with his.

Josh wakes at 5:30, pads to the loo then returns to bed. Lying on his side, propped up on his elbow, he watches Nikki thinking about how very lucky he was and how very much he loves her.

Later, Nikki wakes, reaching for Josh, finding his side of the bed then remembers that he was leaving early. She found the note that he had left for her on his pillow.

Dear Sleeping Beauty,

You look so beautiful and peaceful. I couldn't wake you.

I can't wait to be with you again.

I'll see you soon.

Love you,

Your husband in waiting. Xo

Nikki read the note three times and couldn't stop grinning like a lunatic.

It was 11:00 when she received a text from Kate, the ship's XO, * Crash Sailed...Departure at 1200*

"Shit!" Nikki exclaims aloud. I have no idea where Josh is… damn! Nikki tried calling him and texting him. She didn't even know what dive company he was with. With all that was going on, she forgot to ask. He still wasn't answering. He's going to be in some hot water with the boss for this one.

Nikki got her seabag ready, changed into her DPNUs. She admired her ring then slipped it onto her dog tags and slipped them under her blouse. Then she called Buffer for a ride; she would need help with Lancelot.

Buffer was carrying Lancelot as they approached the ship. Nikki tried Josh again. Still no answer. Being that he was working for a sizable company, she thought and hoped that they would have digital communication capabilities. She was getting worried.

It was time to board and check-in. Buffer carried Lancelot's tank to the cabin that she shared with Kate, her XO and best friend.

When Nikki arrived on the bridge, she saw that Kate was there with the roster.

"X, has everyone checked-in?" Captain Mike Flynn asked.

"All except for ET. We haven't heard from him."

"That's not like him…" then calling out to those who were on the bridge... " Has anyone heard from ET or seen him?"

Swain spoke up, " When we were leaving the ship, he said that he was going diving, up in Palm Cove."

"Okay, well, we can't wait. RO, call NAVCOM, report that our Electro Tech is missing and that we'll be sailing on time and without him."

"Yes, Sir."

"Sir? Shouldn't we wait a bit more? Maybe he was late getting the text," Nikki suggests hopefully. Now she was becoming extremely anxious.

"No, Nav, we have a missing dive boat. The company lost contact over an hour ago. We have to get going."

Nikki went pale as her heart started to pound, and she felt faint. It can't be Josh's boat… there are tons of dive boats on the reef. Then she said a silent prayer.

Hammersley left as scheduled and steamed at top speed to the last known coordinates of the boat.

"Hey, Mate, when do you think that we will be heading in?" Josh asked the divemaster.

"Hot date Holiday?"

"Yeah, as a matter of fact."

" We should finish up in a few hours or so. Should be back in by 5:00. Does that fit in with your plans, Romeo?"

Josh chuckled, " Yeah, yeah, it does."

Josh and seven other divers, five men and two women, dropped into the water to begin the deepwater collections of several different corals. The dive boat uses a 'hose' diving system with a regulated dive gas mix supplied by a main pump. The boats dive tender monitors the equipment making sure that the air supply is consistent.

It was about an hour into the dive when Josh began to feel that something wasn't right. He checked his airflow, and that seemed to be fine, but still… Signalling to the others, Josh dropped his dive belt and started his ascent. Looking over to the other divers, he could tell that some of them were showing signs of distress.

By the time that he reached the surface, he was barely conscious. He ripped off his mask and rolled to float on his back while trying to take some deep breaths. He was just starting to process the fact that the other divers had come up too before he lost consciousness.

They had been diving within sight of the shore of an unnamed island. The tide was coming in, and the waves washed the distressed divers toward the shore.

An hour and a half after leaving port, Hammersley had reached the last known coordinates of Marine Pearson One, the reported missing dive boat, one of five dive boats owned by Pearson Marine Aquarium Supply, Co. The dive boat wasn't there. Mike ordered spotters to be positioned around the deck of the ship.

Nikki's stomach was in knots, pacing, she felt like she was about to be sick when Buffer called out.

"Birds! Birds circling over the beach!"

" Charge! EOD!" Mike called out.

"Sir!" as he quickly made his way to the console. " I can see what appears to be divers on the beach. They aren't moving, Sir," he finished with concern.

" X, shore party!"

" Shore party, Swain, Buffer, Spider…"

"Please…" Nikki said, looking to Kate.

"Nav."

Mike, Kate, and Bomber went out on the fly-deck to watch the launching of the RHIB.

"Away the sea-boat!" Mike shouted.

Able Seaman Marsh beached the RHIB. As soon as the RHIB hit the beach, the shore party jumped out and hit the beach on the run. The divers were strewn across the beach like the beached whales. They ran from one to the next checking them for signs of life. Every diver they came upon was dead.

Nikki noticed that one diver was still in the water and she ran into the sea to check on him. She screamed. Nikki's scream was heard over the com on the ship, and Mike went immediately to the EOD. Nikki had found Josh.

"My God…" he says with Kate looking over his shoulder. "Bomber! Prepare the wardroom!" Mike orders.

Buffer was the closest to her and charged into the water. Shocked at seeing ET, he grabbed him under his arms and pulled him to the shore. By that time Swain and Spider had arrived.

Swain immediately checked for a pulse. It was there, thready, but there. His respirations were so shallow to be barely noticeable.

"Buffer! Begin chest compressions! Thirty compressions, two breaths, GO!"

" 1-2-3-4-5-..." Buffer counts out loudly as he performs the chest compressions. Reaching thirty in his count, he stopped with his hands still in position on Josh's chest while Swain gave two breaths.

"GO AGAIN!" Swain shouted, and they began another round.

Nikki is sobbing and sitting by Josh's side, holding his hand. " He's so cold…" she says out loud, "so cold."

Spider is standing close by, stunned seeing his fellow crewmate and friend lying there on the beach.

After three rounds of CPR, Swain checks his vital signs once again and is satisfied that they can transport him to the ship.

" Shore Party to Pappa,"

"Go, Swain."

"Sir, please tell Bomber to prepare the wardroom for possible drowning and hypothermia. Tell her to raise the temp in the room to 35° ( 95 F) We're on our way. It's Josh, Sir."

" We saw...Ok, Swain, we'll be waiting. Are there any other survivors?"

"Sadly, no, Sir."

"Alright, I'll send out the second RHIB to gather up the bodies."

"Roger that, out."

Buffer and Spider ran back to the RHIB to get the portable stretcher that is always there.

"Marsh! Be ready to move as soon as we get back!"

"Yes, Buffer. Is it ET?"

"Yeah…" and he took off running back to Swain.

Buffer and Swain moved the still unconscious Josh to the stretcher then Buffer grabbed the head, and Spider the foot and they headed to the RHIB as quickly as possible, while Swain, with his arm around Nikki, followed.

"Spider, stay behind and wait for the second RHIB," Buffer ordered.

"Yes, Buffer."

As Nikki sat with Josh in the RHIB she was thinking back to the " bird boat" incident and how Josh kept saying, "please don't let me drown, I don't want to drown." She began to cry once more.

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