FROM DOVER TO PLYMOUTH, AND BACK
Chapter 14
By Kiddo
In Loving Memory Of Jonathan Brandis =="Don't fix a broken heart. Who really wants to forget?" (Joseph Fiennes)
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"I always will remember you by real good moments." ("Real Good Moments" by Christian Wunderlich)
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"But in dreams - I still hear your name - And in Dreams - We will meet again." ("In Dreams"-Lord of the Rings)
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"And there is never a day that passes by – I don't think of you." ("The Perfect Fan" by BSB)
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Disclaimer:
I don't have any rights to "seaQuest DSV" or "seaQuest 2032" and I am not making any money with this story.
A big Thank You goes to my wonderfull beta-reader Jackie and Kas, Refur, dolphinology and Joxer for their Reviews. I have a little bit more about Ben in this chapter, hope you will like it....
To Refur: A car chase on a ship? I don't know where you are coming from (okay, this is not true, I know it now because of jonathanbrandis.org and the wood sounas at the lake gave me also a little hint), but in germany there aren't any car chases on ships ;-). This part of this story plays 1620, there weren't any cars!!! (don't take me to seriously)
To dolphinologie and Joxer: Thanks!
Feedback and reviews are still the only thing I get for writing. So please review.
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Only five days later the seaQuest crew was successful. They had brought enough distance between themselves and Stark that the Delta 4 couldn't reach them to attack. They were too far away.
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Seven days later, the majority of the crew was scrubbing the deck. The only ones who weren't helping with this were Captain Bridger and Commander Ford. Nathan Bridger was sitting in his cabin, writing things in the log book and other administrative things. Ford, on the other hand, was standing at the kolderstock, piloting the seaQuest.
Normally scrubbing the deck would have only been Lucas' task. This was a task for a ship's boy. But the others hadn't the heart to let the teenager scrub alone because on the one side, this was very strenuous and laborious work, and on the other side it made it more fun to do it together.
The crew didn't tell the boy that scrubbing the deck was usually the task of the ship's boy or the lowest ranking member of the crew. They didn't want to make Lucas feel bad for accepting their help.
After some time, Manilow Crocker started to sing a song. It didn't take long and the others joined him:
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What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
What shall we do with the drunken sailor early in the morning?
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises early in the morning!
Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him!
Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him!
Put him in the scuppers with the hose pipe on him early in the morning!
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises early in the morning!
Hoist him aboard with a running bowline.
Hoist him aboard with a running bowline.
Hoist him aboard with a running bowline early in the morning.
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises early in the morning!
Put him in the brig until he's sober.
Put him in the brig until he's sober.
Put him in the brig until he's sober early in the morning.
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises early in the morning!
Make him turn to the shining bright work.
Make him turn to the shining bright work.
Make him turn to the shining bright work early in the morning.
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises
Hoo-ray and up she rises early in the morning!
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Captain Bridger was able to hear the singing in his cabin. He smiled; yes this was his crew. It didn't take long and he was also humming the song in his cabin.
When the song was finished, Crocker started a new one. But in contrast to the song before, Lucas didn't know this one. Therefore the boy just listened to it while he was scrubbing the deck.
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Up a loft, amid the rigging
Swiftly blows the fav'ring gale,
Strong as spring-time in it's blossom,
Filling out each bending sail,
And the waves we leave behind us
Seem to murmur as they rise:
We have taried here to bear you
To the land you dearly prize.
Rolling home, rolling home,
Rolling home across the sea,
Rolling home to dear old England,
Rolling home, dear land, to thee.
Now, it takes all hands to man the capston,
Mister, see your cables clear!
Soon you'll be sailing homeward bound, sir,
And for the channel you will steer.
See your sheets and crewlines free, sir,
All your buntlines overhauled;
Are the sheerpoles and gear all ready?
Soon for New England we will steer.
Rolling home, rolling home,
Rolling home across the sea,
Rolling home to dear old England,
Rolling home, dear land, to thee.
Full ten thousands miles behind us,
And a thousand miles before,
Ancient ocean waves to waft us
To the wellremembered shore.
Newborn breezes swell to send us
To our childhood welcomes skies,
To the glow of friendly faces
And the glance of loving eyes.
Rolling home, rolling home,
Rolling home across the sea,
Rolling home to dear old England,
Rolling home, dear land, to thee.
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Lucas had listened to the words with close attention and had observed the others while they sang. He could see in the faces of the crew and had heard it in their voices that they looked forward to the end of the tour. When the seaQuest was back in Dover, everybody had a few days free to visit with his or her family and friends. After that, they would ship out again and start on the next tour.
But when Lucas thought of Dover, he felt differently. The boy was afraid of the day when they reached the harbour at Dover.
The sailors in the song had also looked forward to their trip home to England. They had sailed many miles and now were coming back home to the shore where their happiest memories lived. But those sailors knew that they would get warm and friendly greetings at their homes.
The blond teenager wouldn't get that. The boy shook his head; he wanted to those thoughts. At the moment, England's shore wasn't so near; it would take some time until they reached it. Lucas tried to distract himself with enthusiastic deck scrubbing.
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Benjamin Krieg had a small smile on his lips. He had an excellent idea. He took the cloth he was using to scrub the deck with and dipped it in the water bucket that sat next to him. Then, he took a second cloth and did the same with that one.
Krieg smiled a secretive smile again. He took both cloths and glanced at Lucas. The boy was totally lost in his thoughts and his efforts at scrubbing the deck. The cook couldn't keep the smile from his face. Ben took the cloths and threw both at Lucas.
One cloth hit the teenager directly in the face. But, to Krieg's sorrow, the other cloth missed his planned victim and hit Katherine Hitchcock instead. While Lucas looked kind of stunned, Katie looked completely irate.
The others had seen everything and were now looking intensely interested at the cook and the black-haired woman. Everyone was very aware of the fact that Ben had often asked Katherine if she would go places with him. But she had always said no.
Hitchcock looked furiously at the cook. "Benjamin Krieg, if you think that I will ever go anywhere with you, you are completely wrong. Forget it!" Still angry, she stood up.
Ben tried to apologise. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you!" But this didn't help anything.
Hitchcock took a full water bucket that was standing next to her. Before the cook could react, Katie splashed the entire contents of the bucket at him.
Katherine smiled sweetly at Ben. "Oh I'm sorry, have I gotten you wet?"
Only a few seconds later, all the deck scrubbers were in the middle of a big water fight, which only ended when Miguel, Tim and Katie threw Benjamin over the rail and into the water. But they also threw a life ring after him and pulled him back on board. After all, they didn't want to really hurt Ben.
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To Be Continued... in two more chapters.
Written 2003 / Translated April 2004
I think you can't write a good ship story without one singing part ;-) I took a songtext ("The Drunken Sailor") that is a bit similar to the original one from seaQuest. If anybody has the real text that Crocker sang in "Bad Water", than PLEASE send it to me. I would be so thrilled about this.
I fell like I have kind of disapointed you all with this chipter. Sorry that there wasn't a big ship fight between the seaQuest and the Delta4 or somethink like that. I really tried but couldn't bring myself to write it.