Richard Castle and the USS Santa Barbara
By
UCSBdad
Disclaimer: Except for the true parts, this is fiction. Rating: K, mostly. Time: The turn of the 20th Century.
"Um, well, the Celestial Empire, as the Chinese like to call themselves, have always considered all of Indo-China as part of their territory, a tributary state. A Chinese freebooter named Liu Yongfu raised an army, of sorts in Southern China in the 1860s called the Black Flag Army. In 1868 moved into northern Tonkin. He sold his services to the native government of Vietnam and set up his own little empire on the Red River. In 1884, the French and Chinese were at war and the Chinese hired the Black Flag Army to fight against the French. The French finally defeated him back in '89, but the remaining Black Flags still had their weapons and turned to banditry. They attack and loot towns and villages and by the time French forces arrive, they've fled."
"That doesn't sound liker something a US Navy cruiser could help with, sir. I'd never get the Santa Barbara up the Red River." Castle said, hoping to kill whatever this was in the bud.
"That's hardly necessary. Let me explain further. An American in the French Foreign Legion's Second Regiment deserted to the Black Flags. He's been recruiting more people and using the money they raise in the looting expeditions to buy guns."
"An American, sir?" Castle didn't like the sound of that.
"A Joshua "Doc" Davidson."
"Is he some sort of medical person?" Kate asked,
"He got the name as a gambler. He'd doctor the cards and dice he'd use. However, he's contacted the French, Colonel, Leclerc, commanding the Second Regiment Etranger . He's told the colonel that he did not desert, but was kidnapped by the Black Flags who have forced him to lead them. The French don't believe a word of it, and neither do I. He was a minor criminal in the US and is probably lying."
"Then why is the US involved, sir?"
"Davidson has said he'll surrender to an American officer as long as the US agrees not to hand hm over to the French and allows him to return to the US. He's said he'll get back on his own. Now, with my bad leg, or lack of a leg, I really can't go, but you'll be perfect for the job."
"How will I get up the Red River, sir. I've already said the Santa Barbara can't get much past Haiphong."
"The French are willing to lend you a river gunboat and a civilian pilot. You can crew her with your own sailors, and I'd suggest you take your Marines. There are plenty of bandits along the way who are not Black Flags."
"Sir, I really have no authority to do this, so I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"Ah, but you do have the authority. I took the liberty of telegraphing Manila. Here are your orders, Captain Castle."
Castle read them. Wright was correct.
"I'll arrange for Miss Beckett to return to the ship and choose my crew for the gunboat."
"Oh, Miss Beckett will go with you. She's your interpreter, after all."
"Miss Beckett is a civilian, sir." Castle said frostily. "You cannot order her to go on a dangerous mission like this."
"Captain Castle, I'm sure I'll be completely safe with a crew of US Navy sailors, American Marines and you. I volunteer to go."
"You are not going, Miss Beckett, and that's final."
Marine National Ship Rafale.
Red River, French Protectorate of Tonkin.
April 10, 1899.
"This is rather small, isn't it." Kate said.
"Yes, it is, Miss Beckett." Castle said very formally.
"Are you still mad at me for coming along with you?" She asked sweetly.
Castle's resolve was starting to fall apart.
"I don't think mad is the word I'd use." He said, finally.
"Good." She said with a smile. "I certainly don't want you mad at me, Rick." She just whispered his name so that the crew couldn't hear. "How big is it?"
"The Rafale is some one hundred feet in length. She can carry some sixty men…"
"And one woman." Kate teased.
"A crew of sixty, including the Marines. She has two 90mm cannons, and three Hotchkiss revolving cannon, rather like a Gatling gun in operation, but it fires a 37mm shell. We've added a Colt machine gun from the Santa Barbara."
"I suppose it'll do." Kate said.
"I've had them put a canvas tarp up for you. It'll protect your privacy if you need to…Um, that is…When…"
Kate giggled.
"That's quite all right. I understand."
"And I've assigned Orlovsky as your bodyguard."
"Good. He's rather sweet."
Castle raised an eyebrow. He was sure that dozens of survivors of bar brawls involving Orlovsky would not think of him as anything near sweet. But, he said nothing.
"Captain, I think the civilian pilot is here." That was Lieutenant Smith, who commanded the Marines. Ensign Potter was the only other officer aboard.
The pilot was a short, slender Tonkinese, dressed in a fashionable white linen suit who introduced himself, in French, as Mr. Min. He spoke for a minute with Kate, who then turned to Rick.
"Mr. Min, the pilot, says we'll go first to Hanoi, the capitol of the French protectorates and take on more coal, food and water. He says the river is well patrolled by the French and should be no problem. Once we get to a place called Viet Tri, we can expect trouble."
"I we can expect trouble, perhaps you'd agree to stay in this Hanoi?" Castle said, without much hope that Kate would agree. He was finding that she was a very stubborn woman.
"Then who would translate for you, Rick?" She said softly.
Marine National Ship Rafale
South of Viet Tri, Tonkin
April 13, 1899.
Neither Rick nor Kate had found Hanoi at all interesting. Their journey past that city had been, thankfully, boring. But that changed.
"That's artillery fire ahead, sir." Smith said.
"Miss Beckett, please ask Mr. Min what that is." Castle said, getting worried.
The two spoke in French for a moment, then Kate spoke to Rick.
"He doesn't know, but the French have several units chasing local bandits in this area."
Before Castle could say more, a volley of rifle fire erupted from the far river bank. The Marines grabbed their rifles and returned the fire. The crews of the Hotchkiss guns opened fire as well, shredding the jungle.
"See the smoke." Smith yelled. "They're using black powder for sure. They're bandits."
There was no return fire from the far bank and Castle screamed for his men to cease fire.
"Any one hurt? Any damage to the ship?"
There was some chatter back and forth before Smith reported to Castle.
"No wounded, sir. There are some dents in the hull, but that's it. Looks like they were aiming low."
"Everybody stay down." He turned to Kate. "Miss Beckett will you…"
"I'll get behind something solid, Captain. I think Orlovsky would be best, but I'll get behind the boiler." Which she did.
Coming around a bend in the river, they could see khaki clad French troops ahead of them. Artillery was firing at a stockaded village while riflemen waited in shallow trenches. Castle had the ship pull into shore.
When French officers approached Castle had to call to Kate to come out, as much as he hated to do so.
Mr. Min said something to Kate as the ship nosed onto the riverbank.
"He says those are Marsouins and Turcos. That is porpoises and Turks. That's French slang for Colonial Troops and Algerian Tirailleurs. It looks like were about to have company."
Kate, Castle and Lieutenant Smith went ashore to speak to the French officers. There was a long conversation between Kate and the French. Finally she spoke to Rick.
"I tried to explain that although this is really a French ship, it's temporarily a US Warship. They either don't understand or don't care."
"What's happening here?" Rick asked.
"A gang of local bandits has set up a "tax collection point" to extort money from traffic on the river. They have a large well-armed force and the officers, um, their commander is a Major Nicolas, believes they'll try to escape under cover of night. They'll split up and the French will never catch them then. He wants us to attack the village from the river while they attack from the land."
"Are these the same people who shot at us earlier?"
"Most likely." Kate frowned. "Nicolas said they'd give them Rosalie's breakfast, although I see no other women here, but I suppose it's some sort of military slang."
"Excuse me, Sahr and Miss Beckett." That was Orlovsky, who'd followed Kate ashore. "I had some nice wine once with some French fellows. Rosalie is nickname of bayonet. Rosalie's breakfast…You can imagine."
"Tell the major we'll do it. However, I'll attack only with our artillery. I'm keeping the rest of the crew safe. Including my translator."
They agreed that the Rafale would go up river when the French fired a flare to indicate they were ready. When the Rafale began bombarding the village, the French would charge.
They went back aboard the ship and Castle explained what he intended to do.
"I know you want to shoot at the people who shot at us, but this really isn't our fight. Everyone will stay under cover except for the gun crews and Mr. Min." he spoke to Orlovsky. "Your job is to keep Miss Beckett safe. Understand?"
"Aye, aye, sahr."
It took nearly an hour for the French to get ready, but finally the flare arched into the sky and the Rafale moved upstream. At first there was very little fire coming this way as the bandits were dug in facing the French and not the river. That changed quickly.
The 90mm guns were mounted at the bow and stern and the Hotchkiss guns were mounted in round turrets above the main deck.
"There!" Castle yelled to the crew of the forward 90mm gun. "That looks like an artillery emplacement."
He checked it with his binoculars. It was some sort of a gun dug in with sandbags all around.
"Point blank, sir." Said the gun captain. "Not more than two hundred yards. We'll get it easily."
"If they don't get us easily." Castle muttered.
The bandits' gun fired first, but missed badly. Castle could see they were swabbing out the barrel of the gun from the muzzle.
"It's a muzzle loading cannon. They'll take forever to re-load."
The bandit gun crew didn't have forever. The first 90mm shell hit in front of the gun, cutting down half the crew with shrapnel. Within seconds, one of the Hotchkiss guns was firing into the gun pit, killing or driving off the surviving crew and dismounting the gun.
"There go the French." Someone yelled.
Castle turned around. Lines of French infantry were charging, firing and yelling as they went. For a few seconds, the bandits kept firing into the French and at the Rafale. Then the only sound was the Rafale's guns and the fire from the French.
"Look at 'em run, sir." Potter yelled.
And run they did.
"Cease fire." Castle called. "There'll be civilians in the village and the French will be inside the village in seconds."
Castle moved the Rafale back down the river.
"We'll anchor here for the night. Mr. Min says we can't navigate on the river in the dark and I agree with him. I'm sure the French will be happy to have us around."
The French were. Mostly they were happy to see a beautiful American woman, but Kate made sure she stayed very close to Castle. Except for a small watch, the crew came ashore and were able to stretch their land legs. Rick and Kate and the two other American officers ate with the French officers.
Castle learned that Major Nicolas commanded one battalion of colonial troops, one battalion of Algerians and a small battalion of Tonkinese irregulars. Most of the Tonkinese had lost family to the bandits and lived for revenge.
Through Kate, the Americans and French swapped stories and had a dinner with fresh meat and vegetables. The American rations they had been living on went by the nickname of "embalmed beef" and other names not repeatable in front of a lady.
TBC