Chapter 19: Lexa

Ash and I go to the helm to meet with Captain Miguel. When we arrive, I begin to ask questions about how the ship runs, how many people it takes, etc. I then ask him if he would be willing to be a live-in crew member since I will be using this as my residence. There is no telling when I might want to go somewhere without the entire crew. I inform him that the only time I will probably use the whole crew is for parties or if I decide to take friends out overnight.

Captain Miguel informed me that he did not want to be a live-in crew member because he has a family. He says that Mickey never used the boat much, so that was perfect for him. He went on to say that he could stay on until I found someone else, and he could recommend a few candidates. I asked, "Is running this ship something that Reed or Jose can handle?"

Captain says, "Neither of them has any real experience navigating or steering without supervision, but both of them are squared away so, I feel pretty comfortable saying that I can teach them what they need to know. If that's what you want, I can stay on for a month or so and teach them everything they need to know. What about the rest of the crew? What are your plans for them?"

"I plan on keeping everyone in some capacity or another if they want to stay on. That's why I want to have the meeting. I want to let everyone know that I don't plan to get rid of anyone unless they don't want to accommodate what I need. So now, where are we meeting?"

He tells us to follow him from the bow of the boat to the helipad. As we approach the helipad, I notice a helicopter approaching. I turn to the captain, "What is that?"

He replies, "That is an Airbus C175 flown by Morrigan, the newest member of the crew. Mickey just hired her; we haven't even met her. The bus was in the shop for maintenance, but everything checked out, and Morrigan wanted to be here for the crew meeting."

I look at Ash, and she shrugs her shoulders. I say, "So…the chopper comes with the ship?"

Captain Miguel says, "Yes, didn't Mickey tell you anything about the yacht?"

"All he told me was he took it in the divorce to piss off his ex-wife. He never uses it and that you would answer all of my questions."

He just shakes his head and laughs, "Ok then, if you want Reed and/or Jose to become Captain, I suggest Reed as Captain and Jose as Junior Captain. Reed has a better understanding of everything, and honestly, I think Jose is too quiet to be a leader. So I will stay on for a while and make sure they know everything. As for the rest of the crew, I suggest explaining to them how you are planning on using the ship and the crew. Then let them decide what they feel is best for them. Okay, are you ready? I'm going to introduce you again and then let you take it from there."

I look at Ash, and she smiles; I just nod yes to the captain. He introduces me to the crew once again, telling them that I have some announcements about how I want to proceed in running the day-to-day activities of the yacht. As he finishes, I suddenly become extremely nervous. I'm not used to speaking to people, especially in large groups, well, except when I've had a few drinks. So I just stand there looking at all the people while I think about the fact that I am now in charge of all of them. My brain begins spinning out of control with thoughts of how inexperienced I am at everything. How am I supposed to manage all these people? The ideas just keep coming so fast that I can't think straight. Then I feel a hand on my lower back my nerves calm instantly. I know just from the touch that it is Ash. She always knows what I need.

I clear my throat, noticing everyone looking expectantly at me. I say, "First, I would like to say hello to everyone while putting you at ease by saying that I have no intentions of letting anyone go. As you can see, I'm young and have never owned a yacht before. That being said, I will need lots of help to figure out the best way for all of us to work together, so please don't hesitate to ask questions or give suggestions."

I look at Ash and introduce her, "This is Commander Ashley Fletcher, also known as Ash. She is a good friend of mine and will be around a lot, so everyone should get to know her as well. I know everyone is waiting on me to tell you what I want, so here it is. I will be using the yacht, which I have named, The Untouchable Stryker, as a home. I foresee occasionally taking her on longer trips, but mostly I will use her as a home that will either be docked at the slip or anchored here. Therefore, I will not require a full crew at all times, which I assume is the same as Mickey. Let me tell you what I'm thinking, then you can ask me any questions you have. In talking with the captain and a few crew members, I have what I think is a good list of staff that I would like to be live-in or full-time staff. If you are one of these members and prefer not to live aboard, please let me know so that I can fill this position with someone willing to live aboard. I realize that everyone isn't able to stay aboard 24-7 because of families and whatnot, but I'm sure out of all of you, there is at least one person from each of these job duties that can do so."

I take a quick look around to make sure everyone is still listening before I continue. "Now Captain Miguel has said that he can't continue as Captain because I prefer to have my Captain living aboard the ship in case I decide to go somewhere on the spur of the moment. We've talked deciding he will stay aboard long enough to make sure that your new Captain, Reed, can handle everything sufficiently. With the help of Junior Captain/Purser Jose, I feel confident that Reed will be able to handle anything. For those of you that don't know, Reed, Jose, Ash, and I all served together in Afghanistan, so I trust those three with my life."

I look over at Reed and Jose and see a look of surprise on both their faces. I guess maybe I should have warned them first, but oh well. "I know from talking to Petronia earlier that there are four others besides Reed and Jose that already liveaboard. As I understand it, Petronia is one, and she serves as Chef Stewardess/Caretaker, Stefania, a message therapist. Logan is the trainer/dive instructor, and Lora is the Medic. I would very much like you all to stay on in the same capacity. In addition, I would like a Chief Mate, Head of Maintenance, two Deckhands, a Chief Engineer, and an Electronics engineer that can also stay aboard as live-in positions. Other than those positions, the rest will continue in the same capacity as in the past with Mickey, except for the hospitality crew. I expect the hospitality crew to be aboard on Fridays no later than three o'clock and expect to stay until Sunday at noon. As for everyone else, Reed…I mean, Captain Reed will let you know in advance when you are needed. I will keep everyone's pay the same as it has been for now. Thank you, everyone, for everything, and I hope to get to know everyone soon. If those of you who live aboard will stay along with those in the position's I listed that I want to live aboard also. Are there any questions?"

One person raised her hand, so I pointed and said, "Yes, what is your question, and what is your name and position aboard the boat?"

She replies, "My name is Morrigan Gallow. I am the new chopper pilot. I was wondering if it would be possible to live aboard while I find a place to stay. I am new to this area and just flew in today."

"It is nice to meet you, Morrigan. Is it okay for me to call you Morrigan? Any way just hang around, and we can talk. Now, are there any other questions?" No one else raised their hand, so I say, "Alright, then everyone is free to go. If you think of anything, please get in touch with either Reed or me. I will get everyone's phone number from Reed and send out a group text containing my number, so everyone has my contact info. We will be returning to the slip shortly for everyone to disembark before we return to this location to anchor for the foreseeable future. So again, thank you, and I look forward to getting to know everyone."

A few people stayed behind to shake my hand, introducing themselves to me. Once I was finished with that, I was left with those who already live aboard. Which were Morrigan and those in the positions I would need to live aboard. I looked at everyone, "Why don't we all move to the outdoor dining area so that we can talk."

As we walked, I say, "Ash, I am really sorry about all of this. I really wanted to just spend the day with you, but I needed to get this taken care of, and I wanted you here for support. So I will make it up to you tomorrow if you are free. We can get up early, go shopping and then if we have time you can teach me how to drive the speed boat and jet ski. How does that sound?"

She replies, "Lexa, it's okay, I understand. As far as tomorrow, that sounds good. Now let's get this over with, so we can enjoy the ride to the docks for the crew to disembark. Then, we can sit downstairs by the fire pit and have a few drinks and just relax and catch up."

I nod as we sit at the table with the group of crew members. Then, I look around and say, "Ok, how about we go around the table stating your name and your position. Then let me know if you can stay on or not?"

Everyone nods yes in agreement. I point to an older gentleman sitting directly to my right and ask if he will start. He says, "My name is Vahagn Boghossian, and I am the Chief Engineer. I have no problem moving onboard." Next was a young woman with freckles, "My name is Molly Potts, and I am an Engineer/Electronics Engineer, and I will gladly move aboard."

I continued to go around the table until everyone had agreed to come live aboard. I look around the table and think that it seems like these are good people, but I should probably get to know them better and ask them about their rooms. "Now, let's talk accommodations; I know that from what I have seen, the crew quarters are fairly small. If you all are going to be living aboard full time, you should be comfortable. I'm going to make a few changes to my quarters, so I was thinking that I would have the designer look at the crew quarters and make yours larger. I will also have them talk to each of you about what you want or need in your area. That being said, are there any other concerns that you have about moving aboard?"

Logan speaks up, "Um…ma'am…would it be possible for Lo and me to share quarters?"

"First, I need everyone to call me Lexa, not ma'am or Ms. Second, yes, that will be fine with me as long as your relationship doesn't interfere with your jobs. I don't want any drama if it can be avoided. Thirdly, how about we schedule a get-together so we can all get to know one another better. I'll provide lunch and drinks. It will be a small party for us and a couple of my friends that will be aboard frequently. Any other questions?"

Morrigan says, "I guess you know that I am new, so I have a few questions about my job duties. Should I ask you or the captain about those?"

"It would probably be best to ask the captain because I am new to the boat like you. I look forward to working with all of you. I hope that since we'll all be living together, we'll eventually feel more like a family than anything else. So, if you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Now, if there aren't any more questions, you are free to go. As I said earlier, we will head back to the dock in about twenty minutes to unload those not living aboard. I understand that those moving aboard will need some time to get their things in order, so take your time. The Untouchable will be docked in the slip for a while. So feel free to come and go as you please with your stuff."

After everyone gets up and leaves, I look over at Ash and say, "Would you stay the night? You can have one of the suites or take my bed, and I will stay on the couch. I just want to spend some time with you. I had to take care of all of this and…I would just really like it if you would stay. We can get an early start tomorrow on shopping and…."

She interrupts my rambling, "Lexa, I would love to stay. If it were up to me, I would spend every night with you. Unfortunately, things are complicated, but yes, I will stay tonight. Why don't we go get your things, and I will grab an overnight bag before the ship heads to the dock."

"That sounds amazing! I will get Jose to take us to shore on one of the tenders."

"Lexa, I can drive any of the tenders or the chopper. Remember, Navy Seal. I can drive and fly most things."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Let's go then. I will just let Reed know not to leave without us."