Friday, May 12th, 2017

Somewhere in the Gulf of Thailand

The Gulf of Thailand is an offshoot of the South China Sea and the body of water is bordered by three countries: Thailand, Cambodia, and the southwestern edge of Vietnam.

At its widest, the body of water is 350 miles across and 450 miles in length. The Gulf of Thailand is relatively shallow, having a mean depth of only 190 feet and with the maximum being only 279 feet. It was not, therefore, the best environment for any form of submarine, let alone 4,800-tonnes of Trafalgar Class submarine whose 280-foot length was longer than the gulf was deep. Still, the nuclear-powered submarine was there, silent as it moved through the limited depths. In all reality the submarine was arguably the most advanced and heavily armed naval vessel for two thousand miles. The thirty weapons carried in the submarine's torpedo room, a mix of Spearfish heavyweight torpedoes and Tomahawk cruise missiles, could be fired through the vessel's five torpedo tubes and strike targets over 900 nautical miles distant.

As the black hunter-killer moved almost silently through the shallow waters, in the captain's cabin of Her Majesty's Submarine TALENT, Commander Trevor Mayhew was figuring out his options. Where the submarine went, and what it did when it got there, was ultimately his decision – within the scope of his orders, of course – and he was at liberty to interpret his orders as he saw fit to satisfy those orders while protecting the 129 men under his command. Just days earlier, he had stared through his attack periscope and observed six people being attacked and manhandled off a fishing boat. Then, just hours later, he had received a curt order to be on the look out for six people escaping from Cambodia. He had not been happy at the revelation that he could have rescued those six people from what had to be a fate worse than death. As well as the thirty weapons in the torpedo room, he also carried eight members of the super-secretive and super-elite Special Boat Service. Arguably, they were deadlier than any of the high-explosive weapons he currently had under his command.

In his hand, he had a signal from COMOPS, back in Northwood. The signal advised him that the Russians were after those same six people and that they had been held against their will in Cambodia from where they had recently escaped. He was instructed to seek out the six and attempt a rescue. There was the usual caveat about not endangering his command – and another about not starting a fight with the Russians . . . 'minimal force' was the phrase. The commander stood up from his chair and he stepped out of his cabin, turning right before appearing in the control room six paces later. He made directly for the chart table and examined the digital chart displayed. He ran his fingers across the chart.

"Okay, if I had escaped Cambodia and I wanted to head south towards Singapore, I would hug the east coast of Thailand and keep as far away from Cambodia as I could," he mused to himself. "Yes – they might be heading around here . . . Pilot!"

"Sir!"

"Set a course for Ko Samui Island – eight knots."

"Ko Samui Island, sir, eight knots," the navigator replied.

14:30 GMT+7 (07:30 GMT May 12th)

10°40.69'N, 99°39.79'E
Gulf of Thailand
70nm NNW of Ko Samui Island

Ten hours and they were still heading south.

Ariana and Freya were awake, and they had been replaced on the bed by Chloe and Jennifer. Joshua was teaching Ariana how to steer the boat and how to keep them on course. Freya was with Mindy, attempting to produce a meal for everybody. Dave was stretched out on the bow, dozing. Dave was very tired, and he so needed the sleep he was finally getting. He had refused to get any rest until he was satisfied they were in safe waters. However, his sleep was interrupted by shouting coming from down below. Dave reluctantly rose up onto his elbows and he focused on the voice.

"Get out – I'll do the cooking!" the dulcet tones of fourteen-year-old Freya called out and a chastened Mindy appeared from below.

"What did you do?" Craig asked from the settee.

"She fumbled the damn tin opener, lost her temper, and resorted to using a fucking knife!" Freya yelled up angrily. "Numbnuts almost took my damn hand off!"

Mindy scowled as Joshua burst out laughing and she went to lie down with Dave. Mindy was even more annoyed to find Dave chuckling.

"I need a hug," Mindy pouted as she laid down beside her husband.

Dave pulled his wife close and they both fell asleep.

15:00 GMT+7 (08:00 GMT May 12th)

HMS ALBION

Gulf of Thailand

"Understand, lieutenant," Commander Green cautioned. "We are taking him into custody and he will be tried for his perceived crimes. We are charging him under Part One, Section One of the Armed Forces Act 2006 – Assisting an enemy."

"I understand, sir," Sarah replied dutifully.

As they approached the communications centre, they saw someone emerge from the hatch and look in their direction. CIS Specialist Mason took one glance at the armed officers and, unsurprisingly, he bolted.

"Mason – stop!" Commander Green yelled out as Sarah ran after the sailor.

"Gangway!" Sarah bellowed as she ran and any sailors or marines she encountered flattened themselves against the bulkheads to allow her to pass.

Seeing a female officer racing down gangways with an assault rifle at the ready was not a common sight, nor was it common to see the XO also running with a pistol in his hand. A siren squawked over the bulkhead-mounted speakers followed by the duty yeoman's voice.

"Secure all watertight doors, set condition Zulu. Secure all watertight doors, set condition Zulu."

Sarah smiled. The order had been piped to restrict the options of the fleeing seaman. Under condition Zulu, every watertight hatch aboard would be closed and secured. Sarah could hear the clanging as holdback clips were released and hatches were slammed shut and clipped. It would take Mason precious seconds to open a hatch and pass through, allowing Sarah to close on him. A seaman quickly grasped the situation and he made to apprehend Mason, but the man received an elbow in the face for his trouble, breaking his nose.

"Mason, stop or I shoot!" Sarah yelled, but Mason ignored her, heading further aft.

Sarah did not open fire – there were too many potential innocents in the way and she had no desire to damage the ship's systems either. Where the man thought he was going, Sarah had no idea – they were at sea, out of sight of land, and there was not exactly a water taxi nearby. He raced up a ladder, unclipping and squirming through a 'kidney' hatch set into the main hatch before slamming it back down and clipping it in place. Sarah had to do the same but with her G36K being pushed through ahead of her. Mason was waiting for her and she saw the boot coming towards her head, but she dived out of the hatch and onto the deck. The boot missed her head by a whisker, but it was a very close shave and Mason moved in, punching Sarah in the face, but then he bolted as he saw the XO appear through the same hatch a pistol coming down. There were two loud echoing cracks as the XO fired off two rounds at Mason who was just vanishing through a pair of watertight hatches which led out onto the portside deck.

Sarah followed. The double hatches were arranged to form an airlock for use in a nuclear, chemical, or biological defence scenario. The double hatch slowed her and the XO up and when they emerged onto the portside deck, they caught sight of Mason about to pass onto the flight deck. The man turned and to Sarah's surprise, he brought up a small pistol and fired off three rounds, all of which missed, before he vanished. With the XO covering her, Sarah ran aft, the G36K at her shoulder and aimed ahead of her. At the entrance to the flight deck, Sarah went down onto one knee and she peered onto the large open space. She could see Mason running across the 95-foot wide flight deck.

"Mason!" Sarah yelled. "Stop and drop the weapon!"

The man stopped, and Sarah kept him in her sights, her finger tightening on the trigger. Mason stopped just as he reached the far corner of the flight deck, just above the starboard side of the dock. He turned slowly, the pistol still in his right hand, but not aimed at anybody.

"Why?" Sarah demanded.

Mason simply shook his head as he brought the pistol up and he snapped off two rounds at Sarah and the XO. Sarah responded in kind and she shredded his body with a pair of three-round bursts. The XO put two of his own rounds into the man. Mason's body dropped to the deck, toppling into the horizontal flight deck safety nettings. Sarah and the XO moved closer. The XO picked up the small Taurus PT111 compact pistol and he gazed down at the dead body.

Sarah smiled at the justice of the event.

Saturday, May 13th

06:40 GMT+7 (23:40 GMT May 12th)

9°15.52'N, 100°28.180640Z'E
Gulf of Thailand
30nm ESE of Ko Samui Island

They had covered about 270 nautical miles since leaving Rayong.

The last hundred or so had been undertaken at a relatively slower speed during the nighttime hours as the weather had deteriorated, and they had been buffeted by the wind and waves. It had been a very uncomfortable time and the two girls, Ariana and Freya, had been violently sick again. However, daylight had seen them moving through azure blue seas within sight of Ko Samui Island. They had passed between Ko Samui and Ko Phangan about three hours previously and they had longed to go ashore, but they had to get to somewhere safe before they could expose themselves on land.

"Are we nearly to Singapore?" Ariana asked dejectedly.

"Not a chance," Dave replied. "We're barely a third of the way there."

"I hate this," Ariana grimaced.

"At least you're out of the camp," Chloe pointed out.

"There is that," Ariana responded with a slight smile.

Freya laughed at Ariana who just scowled back at her friend. Mindy and Chloe had both commented that the two girls were never apart and that they tended to lean on each other for mutual support. That was good, Mindy had figured, as the girls were still somewhat of an enigma and Mindy was concerned about Freya – something was not right about the girl.

"Dave!"

All eyes turned towards the urgent call. Craig was staring off the port bow with a pair of binoculars. Dave grabbed up a second set of binoculars and he began to look in the same direction as Craig.

"Shit!" Dave breathed. "What do think?"

"Not good and they will be up to us in maybe minutes," Craig replied.

"What is it?" Mindy asked, her tone barely concealing her concern.

"Something is heading directly for us," Dave explained as he handed over the binoculars.

Mindy steadied the image and she saw a craft of some sort – maybe a RHIB – with white foam at its bow. Yes, it was headed directly for them.

"Can we outrun it?" Mindy asked.

"Doubt it," Craig admitted. "We don't have the fuel for a long chase either."

"So, it begins again?" Jennifer asked her expression a mask of fear.

Nobody replied – they did not have to.

06:48 GMT+7 (23:48 GMT May 12th)

It was certain, the inbound vessel was making directly for them, and it did not look like a peaceful encounter.

There had been a mad scramble for the weapons which none of them had ever wanted to use again, but there was no choice, and there was no way that they were going back to that damn camp. Craig was at the helm, and he made several attempts at altering course, but the inbound craft did likewise, maintaining an intercept course. As it closed further, Dave recognised the very same RHIB which had attacked and seized them a few days earlier aboard the fishing boat. There was no escape that Dave could see, and he knew that they would have to fight to the death.

Mindy and Dave exchanged a glance; both were committed to finishing it – one way or another.

07:02 GMT+7 (00:02 GMT May 13th)

The unequal battle was joined.

Gunfire reached out from each vessel as the opposing vessel jinked and turned to avoid the incoming bullets. The heavy calibre machine gun mounted in the bow of the RHIB was taking a serious toll on the small boat in which Fusion One were travelling. Unsurprisingly, the small craft was not fitted out for a naval battle and the lightweight fibreglass construction was taking quite a beating. Down below, the scene was one from a horror movie. Chloe and Ariana were both down with wounds inflicted by flying fibreglass splinters and Jennifer was busy treating them. Freya was up on deck, an assault rifle to her shoulder, sending carefully aimed shots towards the RHIB. She had already killed at least one man and she was determined to up her score. Craig was at the helm, altering course randomly to throw off the incoming gunfire. Dave, Joshua, and Mindy were with Freya whittling down the dwindling ammunition they had with them.

For a moment, Mindy considered that there would be no escape as she inserted her very last magazine. Not again. There was no way that they would be going back for more torture. Mindy was certain that there would be death to follow. As she brought her weapon back up, her eyes were drawn to a disturbance in the water beyond the RHIB. She struggled to control her astonishment as first one and then two poles poked out of the water about six feet. The two poles continued to move through the water as they came around the RHIB and then they both rose again as something very black began to thrust itself out of the water. The gunfire stopped as everybody stood where they were, stunned by what they were witnessing. It was obviously a submarine surfacing and the behemoth continued to rise out of the water until a large amount of the hull had emerged.

All eyes on the small boat then turned back to the RHIB where a scuffle had broken out onboard as men in black wetsuits swept over the sides, all armed. The submarine's surfacing had been a distraction for the special forces who were now rapidly taking control of the RHIB.

"It's British!" Joshua exclaimed with a huge grin.

That meant that the black-clad men were SBS – Special Boat Service. The 280-foot submarine glistened as tonnes of water ran off the slick hull and the behemoth towered over both vessels. The fighting on the RHIB had lasted mere minutes as the Russians were rapidly subdued by the vastly superior forces arrayed around them. As Mindy watched, the surviving Russians were made to kneel on the deck of the RHIB, their hands on the backs of their heads. Mindy felt her knees go weak and she sank to the deck, relief spilling over her as she knew that they might just survive. Two weeks of sheer hell had finally come to an end and not a moment too soon. As she looked around her, she could see ropes soaring through the air. They were caught by Dave and Joshua then secured to the boat which was then hauled securely alongside the submarine. Uniformed men began to jump aboard, and Mindy recognised medical personnel, their packs marked with a red cross, heading below. She saw Chloe and Ariana being brought up on deck followed by Jennifer. Mindy could see blood and bandages in evidence, but everybody was smiling which was always a good sign. Ariana and Chloe were helped aboard the submarine first.

Then, it was Mindy's turn as Jennifer helped her to her feet.

07:45 GMT+7 (00:45 GMT May 13th)

HMS ALBION

Gulf of Thailand

"May I join you, Sam?" Sarah asked Sub-Lieutenant Sam Graeme.

"As long as you're not about to shoot me," Sam chuckled to her friend and cabinmate.

"No – I'm cutting down," Sarah replied sarcastically. "Just the one kill a week."

Sam laughed.

"I can't believe we had a spy on board," she said.

"Breakfast, ma'am?" a steward asked.

"Full, please."

"Yes, ma'am."

"You and the XO a team, now?" Sam teased.

"No!"

"I never saw you go to bed."

"They kept me busy with reports – you would not believe how many forms have to be filled in when you kill somebody."

"Lieutenant?"

Sarah looked up to see the XO and Sam tried to look invisible – sub-lieutenants did not enjoy being close to senior officers, let alone their own executive officer. Commander Green ignored Sam – junior officers, and sub-lieutenants in particular, were invisible to senior officers – as he grinned at Sarah.

"Your friends have been found – they were picked up by HMS Talent, half an hour ago, after a brief firefight. We are reversing course at 0800. We will rendezvous at around midnight, tonight, to transfer them aboard. Then we have a twenty-one-hour transit to Singapore. I will expect you to be ready to receive your friends at midnight – ensure that their cabin is ready . . . on that subject, they are three heavy, so you may need to get another cabin ready; they have two fourteen-year-old girls with them, it seems, as well as the original subject of the operation."

"Aye, aye, sir. Thank you, sir."

Commander Green grinned before he turned to the other officer.

"Oh, sub-lieutenant?"

Sam groaned, having hoped that she would just be ignored.

"Yes, sir."

"Considering you are available, you shall assist Lieutenant Perrin."

"Aye, aye, sir."

09:30 GMT+7 (02:30 GMT May 13th)

HMS TALENT

Gulf of Thailand

Mindy awoke to find herself lying in a soft bunk with a duvet covering her.

It was the first soft bedding she had felt in weeks. She looked to her left and found herself staring at a curved piece of metal. Then she turned to her right and she found Chloe lying in a similar bunk beside her.

"We're in the torpedo room," Chloe explained. "That is a Spearfish torpedo you're sleeping beside."

"How long have I been out?" Mindy asked.

"You've been asleep for well over an hour," Chloe replied. "I was about to wake you – it's our turn for a shower."

Mindy and Chloe were led aft by a sailor and directed into the officers' head.

..._...

The two girls were much relieved to finally be clean.

It was also an intense relief to be wearing clean clothing. As they both stood in the bathroom, brushing their hair for the first time in weeks, they both grinned a little sheepishly at one another. It wasn't until Mindy had taken a hot shower and washed herself thoroughly that she had felt even slightly human. Chloe had felt the very same. They had found a selection of clothing neatly folded on the sinks. After drying off, Mindy pulled on a pair of men's underwear, a pair of blue trousers, a white T-shirt, and finally a white shirt. For her feet, she wore a pair of white plimsolls.

Chloe was dressed in a similarly haphazard fashion which almost matched Mindy's clothing.

..._...

As Chloe and Mindy exited the officer's head, a sailor came smartly to attention before addressing them both.

"Captain requests your presence in the wardroom when you are ready, ma'ams."

"We're ready," Mindy decided after a brief look at Chloe.

The two girls were led forward to where a smartly dressed steward directed them into the officer's wardroom. It was small, cramped, and had a sloped ceiling, reminding the two girls that they were indeed aboard a submarine. An officer was seated at the far end of the long table. The officer bore the three stripes and curl of a Royal Navy commander on his shoulder boards. Along each side of the table, were their friends: Dave, Joshua, Jennifer, Craig, Ariana, and Freya. Dave appeared to be wearing a proper set of uniform – probably easier as he was the right size for what the submarine carried. Joshua was also reasonably well dressed, as was Jennifer. Craig was wearing a borrowed white shirt which bore his commander rank. As for the two fourteen-year-olds, they looked slightly ridiculous in oversized shirts and trousers.

"Please take a seat, ladies," the officer said with a wave of his hand. "I am Commander Mayhew, commanding officer of HMS Talent."

"Thank you for picking us up, sir," Mindy replied.

"No problem," the Captain smiled. "Now, all your friends are hungry, but Commander Lawrence insisted on waiting on the pair of you, I would suggest you get something to eat. Simmonds!"

The steward – Petty Officer Chef Simmonds appeared directly.

"Yes, sir!"

The Captain waved at the eight visitors.

"If we have it, and I can cook it, then you'll get it," the Petty Officer Chef challenged.

"Give me a mega fry-up, please," Mindy suggested and there was general agreement from around the table.

"Eight mega fry-ups!" Simmonds noted. "Tea or coffee?"

There were calls for tea and calls for coffee which Simmonds noted down.

"Coming right up, ladies and gentlemen!" Simmonds announced as he vanished into the galley.

Within minutes there was the satisfying sound of sizzling coming out of the galley. The petty officer chef reappeared with a tray on which a large teapot and a coffee pot rested.

"Captain?"

"Ladies first," the Captain chuckled.

Steaming mugs of tea and coffee were poured out for all at the table and each added their own milk and sugar. The chef vanished back into the galley before he reappeared several minutes later with two enormous plates loaded with food. The smell was amazing, and as the two plates were placed before Mindy and Chloe, both girls could feel their stomach's growling. They both dug into the pile of hot food with barely concealed gusto as further similar plates appeared for the others. Chloe could feel her stomach cramping slightly as it had had nothing much in it in over a week, and even then, it had only been bland rice. For almost an hour, everybody ate and drank until they could take no more. Every plate was clear, and all had drunk at least three mugs of tea or coffee each and most were feeling slightly bloated. As the plates were cleared away, a seaman appeared with a signal for the captain. The man signed for the signal before reading the signal through briefly.

"Reply in the affirmative, please," the Captain ordered the seaman.

"Reply in the affirmative, aye aye, sir."

Once the seaman had vanished, the captain spoke for the first time since the food had arrived.

"We're taking you out of here. We have been ordered to rendezvous with HMS Albion – that will be around midnight. Albion will take you all onto Singapore. From there, you will be flown to London for a debriefing before onward travel to wherever you wish."

"Sounds good," Chloe replied.

"Until then, finish off your breakfast and then you can all go get prodded by the sawbones."

18:30 GMT+7 (11:30 GMT May 13th)

HMS TALENT

Gulf of Thailand

There was a surprise that evening at dinner.

Being a Saturday, it was steak, and the smell of seared meat was amazing to those who had not had much meat to eat for a long time. The wardroom was extra cramped, thanks to eight visitors, but everybody squeezed in. The plates were all warm and piled high with thick cuts of meat and stacks of thick-cut chips. Bottles of Ketchup, vinegar, and HP Sauce whizzed up and down the mahogany table top to be liberally applied to the chips. Cans of Coke and Pepsi joined the meal and there was loud conversation between the eight officers present (the other four officers, including the Captain, were on duty) and the visiting Brits and Yanks. The Yanks were something different for the officers to talk to, and it was obvious that after many weeks at sea, they were very happy to partake in some fresh conversation.

At the end of the meal, Petty Officer Chef Simmonds sprang his surprise. He nodded at Joshua who began to talk with Dave and Mindy, drawing their attention away from the galley hatch. When Mindy did look back down the long table, she grinned and nudged Dave. Dave turned, and he was very surprised to see an enormous cake being placed on the table, it was square in shape, and looked to be double-layered. The icing was chocolate coloured and, on the top in blue icing, was the number '24'.

"Sorry, no candles," the Weapons Engineering Officer commented.

"No sweat," Dave replied.

"Who?" Mindy asked as she looked up at the chef.

The chef simply pointed at a grinning Joshua.

"I had completely forgotten," Mindy replied. "Sorry, Dave."

"You weren't the only one," Dave responded as he hugged his wife.

A resounding chorus of 'Happy Birthday' rang out followed by three cheers for Dave.

Sunday, May 14th

00:15 GMT+7 (17:15 GMT May 13th)

HMS ALBION

Gulf of Thailand

Lieutenant Sarah Perrin had been released from her navigation duties at the end of the Last Dog Watch and after confirming the cabins were ready, she had returned to her own cabin where she had managed two hours of sleep before she had been roused by her cabinmate, Sam, and the two of them had grabbed a coffee from the wardroom before heading topside to watch for the rendezvous.

As expected, it was dark, but through the night glasses, Sarah was able to watch the surface of the water around them.

"Attention to starboard, radar contact!" the speaker squawked. "Submarine surfacing!"

Sarah focussed her glasses to starboard and she saw a white feather on the water – a periscope feather indicating a submarine. Then the white feather grew into something much larger as the conning tower of HMS TALENT broke through the surface of the water and continued to rise into the humid air until first the top of the rudder appeared, and then the rest of the hull. HMS TALENT was on a parallel course with HMS ALBION, about two hundred yards apart. Twenty minutes later, both vessels were stopped in the water, maintaining two hundred yards of separation. A Royal Marines ORC sped across the gap before slowing and then pushing its bow against the nuclear-powered submarine, the coxswain holding the ORC in place with engine power. Sarah could see people on deck and her heart skipped a beat as she recognised Mindy, Chloe, Dave, Joshua, and Jennifer. There were three others with them; a man and two girls. Each was assisted into the ORC which then pulled away from the submarine and turned back towards the stern of HMS ALBION. As for HMS TALENT, once her decks were clear and her hatches sealed, the submarine began to sink beneath the waves, back to her natural habitat.

By the time Sarah and Sam had reached the dock, the stern gate was closing, and the ORC was being secured alongside.

00:40 GMT+7 (17:40 GMT May 13th)

HMS ALBION

Gulf of Thailand

Sarah was grinning fit to burst as she reached down to assist Mindy out of the ORC.

"Well, hello, Lieutenant Perrin," Mindy grinned. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Enjoyed your stroll in the jungle, Mrs Lizewski?"

"It was something different," Mindy admitted with a somewhat pained expression. "But it's not something I would recommend, Sarah."

"It's good to see you back," Sarah replied as she hugged her friend.

"Do I get a hug from a beautiful young lieutenant, too?" Dave asked.

Sarah blushed slightly as she gave Dave a hug. Once everyone was satisfied with the welcomes, Sarah introduced her cabin mate.

"This is my cabin mate, Sub-Lieutenant Samantha Graeme."

"Call me Sam," Sam said as she shook hands all around. "We have two cabins arranged for you all, up forward."

The group headed forward and up two decks before stopping outside two cabins.

"Males in there and females in there," Sam directed.

"Dave, Mindy, Chloe, Joshua, and Jennifer," Sarah said. "Your original kit is in your respective cabins. Commander, I will forgo the safety brief, but as for you two girls, remain in your cabin, please, and no wandering off . . . understand?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ariana and Freya responded.

"Sleep tight, guys," Sarah said with a wave.

13:15 GMT-6 (19:15 GMT May 13th)

Glenview
Chicago, USA

Paige was in the kitchen, preparing a late lunch when the call came through.

The house was busy with people, all concerned for their loved ones. Rodney Staite was there with his daughters, desperate to find out about his wife, Jennifer. For the most part, he had been getting on Paige's nerves, but she was tolerating him, if only for the kids. Stephanie and Megan were doing their utmost to keep the kids occupied and their minds off the missing. The phone rang, and Paige moved to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Paige?"

"Mindy!"

"We're safe – all of us," Mindy said quickly. "I can't say where we are, but we are on our way home . . . are the kids okay?"

"They're fine – all of them," Paige replied, tears of relief flooding down her cheeks. "Stephanie and Megan are keeping everybody sane – sort of."

"Give them our love – I have to go."

"Stay safe, Mindy."

"Always."

Paige lowered the phone and she looked through into the living room. Stephanie was with Becky and both were laughing about something – Paige was about to make them very happy, she knew, not to mention all the others who were waiting for information.

"Stephanie! Megan!" Paige called. "Get your sorry butts in here!"

07:40 GMT+7 (00:40 GMT May 14th)

HMS ALBION

Gulf of Thailand

Sarah woke everybody to ensure that they got breakfast.

After only a few hours of sleep, everybody was still tired, but they were pleased to be alive and safe. Mindy raised an eyebrow as they headed for the wardroom due to the ordinary seamen and marines who appeared to jump out of Sarah's way and brace up to attention as the junior officer passed by – not the usual amount of respect afforded a junior officer, Mindy considered. Sam had also noticed that Sarah's street cred had risen substantially, especially amongst the 18-24 demographic aboard, not to mention with the Royal Marines. Those who had witnessed Sarah's gunning down of the spy with apparently zero emotion were likening her to Trinity from The Matrix.

At breakfast, there was a mixture of emotions. It was the second time that they had been able to eat a proper breakfast in as many days. Some, Mindy and Chloe included, had awoken unable to open their eyes in case it had all been some horrible dream and that they would find themselves back in some concrete or jungle hellhole. As Sarah and Sam got everybody sat down and their food ordered, Commander Green appeared. Sam and Sarah sat to attention as the XO sat down.

"At ease, you two," the man grinned before he turned to the group as a whole. "Good morning, to you all, and welcome aboard HMS Albion, I am Commander Green, the Executive Officer, and the bane of these young officers' lives."

Sarah and Sam both grimaced as the XO glanced in their direction with an evil grin.

"I never got the opportunity to meet any of you before you went into Cambodia, and I am very sorry for what happened to you all ashore. I deeply wish that we could have extracted you earlier. Indeed, young Sarah, here, went to task for all of you, and I have had several instances of borderline insubordination reported to me concerning her, however, under the circumstances, I will let all that slide. I know her father, and she is a chip off the old block, so to speak."

Sarah slunk down in her chair, her face turning a deep shade of red.

"Commander," the XO said, directing his words to Craig. "You have an amazing team here who have put everything on the line for you; you're one lucky guy! I also see we have two stowaways."

It was the turn of Ariana and Freya to try to look invisible.

"The two girls have been lost in the jungle for a few months, it seems," Jennifer commented. "They were instrumental in our escape."

"Welcome aboard girls," the XO responded with a friendly smile. "The two young officers, here, are at your disposal until we are alongside in Singapore which will be about thirteen hours or so. Any problems, you let me know, and I will have them flogged."

With that, Commander Green stood up and he left the wardroom, chuckling as he went.

..._...

The food arrived fairly quickly, as did the tea and coffee.

They were all ravenous and very thirsty. Between mouthfuls, they chatted happily.

"First time I've ever slept with a torpedo," Mindy quipped.

"Would you believe that Mindy asked if the Captain might turn a blind eye to her taking one?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, I think I would," Sarah grinned.

Sam ate her bacon and eggs, slowly, examining the nine people around her. She knew Sarah and had done for a few years. They had been at Dartmouth, together, although a year apart. She knew that Sarah had to have done something special, as out of the blue, the previous year, she been promoted to lieutenant and received the Queen's Gallantry Medal. On top of that, she had then landed a plum assignment with the US Navy, from which she was taking a short break as the navigator for HMS ALBION. Sam was not the sort to get envious of someone, but somehow, Sarah had gone from being a rebel with little chance of early promotion to a young officer going places. Sarah's friends were a strange mix – they were very young, for one, a fact which had surprised Sam. Four of them had been American and the fifth had been British. They had all suffered, and so had Sarah. Sam had been there to console her friend who had been distraught at the idea that her friends might have been lost.

Sam was loyal, if nothing else, and she would stand by her friend.

That night
21:20 GMT+7 (14:20 GMT May 14th)

HMS ALBION

Singapore

There was barely concealed relief as HMS ALBION came alongside the dock.

Mindy hugged Dave and she found tears flowing completely unbidden. As the mooring lines were passed over to the dock, they were secured, and Mindy felt more secure with each line as it was secured in place. Chloe was doing the same with Joshua. For the two sixteen-year-olds, being safe had been a dream which had existed down the end of a long dark tunnel. Each day, that tunnel had grown longer and longer with the far end almost vanishing from sight. The horrors they had endured flashed through their minds and they were still scared that it could all go wrong again. For Jennifer, she was glad it was over. It was not the first time she had returned from combat and, she figured, not the last. One thing all five had in common was the extreme desire to see their families again. All five had kids awaiting their arrival back home.

Back home, Jennifer knew, there would be psychological horrors to succeed the physical horrors. All were traumatised, and it would be her job to get her people medically fit, at least form a physical point of view. Jennifer was not qualified to assist with the mental factor, and she would call in external assistance for that. There were the two young girls to consider, too – what would happen to them? Craig had no immediate family, so he would be going home to an empty house, but the navy would look after him with their own psychologists.

It took a while for the gangways to be lowered into place, and in that time, everybody gathered their gear and they prepared to leave the ship for the final time. There was a tearful farewell as they all said goodbye to Sarah, thanking her for everything. There were also two bewildered youngsters descending the gangway, unsure of what future lay before them. They had placed their future into the hands of Dave and Mindy – they really had no choice.

At the base of the gangway, Lieutenant Montgomery was waiting beside his Land Rover.

End of PART I