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.
Marine National Ship Rafale
The Red River, Tonkin
Dusk, April 16, 1899.
"Mr. Min says this is the best place to anchor for the night, Captain Castle." Kate reported.
Castle looked at the spot. The river had narrowed down, and the jungle grew right to the water's edge. He thought that the river would only get narrower as they went further up it.
"Okay. We'll anchor here. As good a place as any. I don't like it, but I'm used to having nothing but sea from horizon to horizon."
They anchored and ate, with the usual complaints about the food. Miss Beckett went behind her screen to prepare for bed. All that entailed was taking off her shoes, however.
By the time the night watches were set, and everyone was as comfortable as they were likely to get, it was dark. It was very dark.
"When's moonrise?" Castle asked Potter.
"0318, sir, and it'll be a new moon, sir. We won't get much light if any."
Castle wrapped himself in a blanket and went to sleep. Years of practice allowed him to sleep very lightly.
He awoke when someone said, "Sir…"
That was immediately followed by a female scream and the sound of a gunshot.
"Be careful." Castle yelled. "Don't shoot into each other. Kate, are you all right?"
"There's another one. Damn you." There was another shot.
Castle could just make out a dark form staggering out from behind Miss Beckett's screen. The form collapsed.
"Kate! Are you all right? Where are you?"
Castle pushed his way to the fallen form, shoving his men out of the way.
"it's a man, sir." Someone said.
"I'm behind my screen. I'm dressed. You can come in."
Castle found Kate with the body of a naked man on top of her.
"Can you get this thing off of me?" She said.
Castle and a sailor grabbed the body and threw it overboard.
"What happened?"
"I woke up with a man's hand over my mouth. There were two of them. I shot the closest one and then the other."
Castle looked around.
"Where's your rifle?"
Kate held up a snub-nosed pistol.
"You're not the only one who decided to buy a pistol in Hong Kong. It's a British Bull Dog revolver in .44 caliber."
"Where did you keep it?"
Rick could not see Kate blush.
"You shouldn't ask that question to a lady."
That brought some chuckles from the crew.
"They must have seen Miss Beckett and sent some swimmers to capture her." Lieutenant Smith said.
"Yes, but who is they?" Castle asked.
No one had an idea.
"We'll have to post more guards from now on." Castle said.
Everyone settled back down and tried to go back to sleep, but everyone was nervous.
Marine National Ship Rafale
The Red River, Tonkin
Dusk, April 20, 1899.
They had reached a part of the river that Mr. Min knew only by reputation. They had run aground on sandbars and gone into some dead ends. It had taken them four days to cover only fifty miles.
Coming around a bend in the river they had seen something that horrified them.
"Miss Beckett, don't look at the river banks." Castle ordered.
Naturally, Kate looked.
"Oh, my God! Those are…"
"Mostly human heads." Said a Marine. "And a few other parts. Someone wants us to know what's ahead."
Kate had put her head down and refused to look at anything until Castle told her that it was safe to look.
Around another bend, they ran into more human heads on bamboo poles.
"Movement along the river banks, sir." The bow lookout called out.
In seconds a dozen or more small sampans, all filled with armed men, shot out onto the river, surrounding the Rafale.
One sampan came closer to them. A Black man stood up in the bow.
"You the bloody Yanks?" He demanded, surprisingly in an English accent.
"Lieutenant Richard Castle, USN. Are you from Mr. Davidson?"
"We're from bloody General Davidson, Yank. Follow us."
They followed the sampans for less than a mile, and around a bend in the river, they came to a small village with a rickety pier sticking out into the river. They tied up at the pier. At the far end of the pier a man sat on a large, rattan chair, surrounded by armed men.
"Please, come ashore." He called. "We're quite peaceful, as long as you aren't French."
"He doesn't look much like a captive, but we'll have to go see him." Castle said. "Miss Beckett, stay with the ship."
"Not a chance." Kate shot back.
"Mr. Potter, leave the gunners at their posts with you, the rest will come with me."
They moved along the dock towards Davidson and as they did, the young village women came out of the village and surrounded everyone.
"My God!" Smith gasped. "The women aren't wearing anything above their waists. You can see their…"
"Yes, you can." Kate said.
The whole procession stopped in front of Davidson.
"You're Lieutenant Castle, the American officer come to take me away from all of this?" Davidson said.
Castle looked over Davidson. He was a bit taller than Castle was and a few pounds heavier. The weight looked like solid muscle to Castle.
Davidson held out his hand.
"You can't imagine how glad I am to see you, Lieutenant."
As Castle took his hand, Davidson pulled him forward, pulled a pistol from behind his back and shoved it into Castle's stomach. As he did that, the young women also pulled pistols from their skirts and aimed them at the startled Marines and sailors.
"Now, Lieutenant Castle, order your men to surrender their rifles and side arms. Then order the men on the boat not to open fire. If you don't think I'll kill each and every of you, you don't know me at all."
Davidson's eyes lit on Castle's pistol.
"Including that fascinating sidearm of yours, Lieutenant."
Castle knew he had little choice.
"Men, surrender your weapons."
There was a considerable amount of grumbling, but they did as Castle ordered.
"Lieutenant Castle, what's happening?" Called Ensign Potter.
"You'd better tell him. And make sure he does nothing stupid. I have riflemen all around covering them."
"Mr. Potter, do nothing. I'm afraid this is a trap. But stay alert."
"Very good." Davidson said with a smile. "And of course, he'll stay alert."
"You never had any intention of going back to the US, did you?"
Davidson laughed.
"Of course not, Lieutenant Castle. I call myself General Davidson, but I'm more like a king here. This is my kingdom. Do you think I'd give this up to go back to the States and be a small-time gambler? Assuming the French didn't change their minds and shoot me for desertion."
"What do you plan to do now? If I may ask."
"Oh, you certainly may ask, and I'll tell you, since you'll be here for it. One, I've provided myself with sixty or so brand new, modern rifles, and ammunition. You have no idea how hard it is to supply a force like mine here. If I can get Lebel rifles, I can get no Lebel ammunition. If I can get Spanish 7mm Mauser ammunition, I can get no Mauser rifles. And the cost." Davidson shook his head sadly. "The local gunrunners are nothing but thieves. Thieves, I tell you."
"You're breaking my heart." Castle said sarcastically.
Davidson laughed.
"I rather like you, Castle. I know I can't trust you, but I do like you. But, you want to know what's going to happen to your men, and the lady, don't you?"
Castle just nodded.
"I'm going to let your men go back on the ship. The Rafale, isn't it?"
"You're just going to let us go?" Castle couldn't keep the disbelief out of his voice.
"Not you and the lady. Certainly not. I'm holding you two for ransom."
"There's no need to keep Miss Beckett. I'm all you really need."
Davidson shook his head.
"I know how the military mind works, Castle. They probably think you'd be happy to die gloriously as the French attacked me and my army. But with a lady…No such thoughts. No, she stays."
"You're really going to let a gunboat like the Rafale go?"
"I really hate to do it, but I have no option. The French will come after me once the ransom is paid. They'll have for more ships than the Rafale, and more powerful ones as well. She'd be sunk in no time. And, I have to think of how to get my ransom demands back to the French. If I sent sixty unarmed whites back down river, none of them would make it. There is no shortage of other bandits along the Red River."
Davidson pulled some paper from his pocket.
"I have my demands here. I want two hundred Lebel rifles and four hundred thousand rounds of Lebel ammunition. And a hundred thousand gold francs. I hope you don't feel I've undervalued you and Miss Beckett?"
Davidson handed the note to Lieutenant Smith.
"Now, you go back down river and deliver my demands. And please don't think of trying anything. Even with your artillery, I have far more men than you do and far more firepower. And if you did try anything, your captain and the lady would be the first to die." He turned to Castle. "I'd feel better if you'd give your lieutenant here orders to that effect, Castle."
"Smith, you are to go back down river and deliver the ransom demands. You are not to do anything else. That's an order."
Smith saluted and led the man back to the Rafale. They could see a short discussion between Smith and Potter, but the Rafale soon left.
Davidson took out an expensive pocket watch.
"It's about dinner time. Will you kindly join me for dinner?"
They were led to the center of the village where tables and chairs had been set up, Davidson, Rick and Kate ate at a small table by themselves.
Large plates were put in front of them. It appeared to be a meal of a bed of rice, then all manner of vegetables and meats on top. Rick and Kate just stared at the food.
"Oh, please." Davidson said with a smile. "It's not like I'd poison you. Besides, you'll both be here for a while and I'm sure you'll want to give the French as much information as you can about me and my army. You can't do that if you starve yourselves. Please, eat."
Castle shrugged and began to eat. Seeing he had no ill effects; Kate then ate as well.
During the meal, Davidson asked Castle about his exploits in the Philippines and in the South China Sea. He seemed genuinely interested.
"I fear my exploits haven't been nearly as fascinating as yours. Robbing villagers and river traders is a fine job and one that pays well, but it's not something to get the blood flowing. However, one day I hope to have a real army. What might I do then?"
At the end of the meal, Davidson took out a long skinny pipe with a very small jade bowl. He took out a small pellet of some sort and put it in the pipe, then began lighting it.
"Would you care for some?" Davidson asked.
"That's opium, isn't it?" Castle asked.
"Of course. The very thing for relaxing at the end of a hard day."
"No thank you." Castle said sharply.
Davidson shrugged and turned to Kate.
"You should have some. You're a woman who needs to relax a bit. You're too high strung."
"No thank you."
Davidson laughed and blew opium smoke in Kate's face. She coughed and spluttered. Davidson laughed.
Before Davidson could stop her, she grabbed a heavy metal spoon and hit Davidson with it as hard as she could.
TBC