Ch 87
The next morning, Kate walked down to the kitchen to see a hungover Chefo sorting out breakfast. He looked at Kate who shook her head as she dished her breakfast and walked into the dining room.
"Chefo looks hung over," Kate said seating beside Mike.
"Yeah, I noticed. Any idea of at what time they arrived?"
"After one, this morning. Nav was drunk when she came into our cabin."
"Great! Over half of the crew is hung over, not a good way to start the day."
"I know," they talked until they finished breakfast.
"Kate?" He asked when she noticed Kate thinking. "What are you thinking?"
"You'll see" Kate stood up and walk out of the dining room. Mike finished his coffee in one swig and stood up.
"Wakey, wakey! Rise and shine!" Kate's voice came over the PA system, and soon a song started.
Mike recognized 'I'm walking on sunshine' and laughed. He shook his head and grabbed the tray and placed it on the bench and saw Chefo trying to block the music. He walked towards the bridge and walked to find Swain looking a bit hungover.
"Good morning, Swain!"
"Morning, sir. It looks like we are going to have another fine day."
"Yes, we are. Enjoyed your night?"
"Yes, sir! I've already had five people searching for Panadol this morning."
"How come you aren't suffering like the others?"
"Someone had to make sure they all returned in one piece, sir." Mike grinned
"You were the designated sober then," they both chuckled. "Any troubles last night?"
"None, sir." Kate walked onto the bridge smiling at Mike then turned to Swain.
"Morning, Swain."
"Morning, X."
"X, you can give the orders to take her out, I'll sit here and watch," Kate and Swain grinned
"Yes, sir."
Kate grinned and picked the mic, pressing the button she gave the orders. Mike observed her from afar until they were out at sea. Soon, they were on patrol, and Mike took control again.
"Morning, sir. X." Nav greeted as she walked into the bridge, looking quite hungover.
"Morning, Nav," Mike said as she moved towards the health cabinet.
"Swain? Where's the Panadol?" He chuckled and searched his pocket and pulled out a twin packet giving it to Nav.
"Thanks, Swain."
"No worries," she turned around and walked off the bridge. Kate was checking the radar and checking the map when Buffer entered the bridge.
"Morning, sir, X, Swain."
"Morning, Buffer," both Kate and Mike said
"Morning, Buffer. Let me guess you are searching for Panadol."
"Please!" Swain chuckled and gave him a couple of pills.
"Thanks," Buffer said walking off the bridge.
"X, you should've warned them."
"Yeah, I should have. Especially after the last time, they had an overnight shore leave. But they should've known better by now," Mike smiled.
"You are right."
Four hours into patrol, Kate picked two dots on the radar.
"Sir, we got two contacts on the radar, one two zero," Mike turned to look on the radar
"How long X?"
"Thirty minutes before we reach them, sir."
"Alright, let me know if any of them move."
"Yes, sir." Kate watched the screen. "Sir, they are on the move, they are splitting up."
"Point us to the closest one."
"Yes, sir. Swain, one five zero revolutions two two zero."
"One five zero Revolutions two two zero," Swain repeated.
"ETA fifteen minutes, sir."
Kate hailed the boat, but they didn't reply. After the third time, she picked the microphone.
"Hands to boarding stations! Hands to boarding stations! Hands to boarding stations!" Kate said placing the microphone back; she turned towards Mike grinning.
"X..."
"I know, double plate."
"Yes," Kate smiled walking off the bridge, just as Nav walked over to the radar.
"She beat you again, sir?" Mike grinned
"Yes, she did."
A few minutes later, Mike watched as the HRIB headed to the boat. Two men appeared on the back of the boat with guns, and they started firing at them. Kate gave the orders, and smoke appeared on the boat. Within a minute Kate, Buffer, and others were on the boat.
"Charlie eight two, this is x-ray eight two," Kate said.
"This is Charlie eight two, go ahead, X."
"Sir, we have five people. Copy over."
"Copy that, X." Mike watched as two of his crew walked from below the decks and talked to Kate.
"Sir, Spider and ET found drugs and weapons below deck."
"How much are we looking at, X?"
"About thirty kilos and three hundred handguns with extra clips, sir."
"Good work, X! Have ET, Spider and Jaffa stay with the boat and return it to Darwin."
"Yes, sir." Mike keep watching the crew until the HRIB was back on the Hammersley. Mike spoke to ET before they left and after that, he contacted Commander Ross at Darwin NAVCOM.
Two hours later, they managed to catch up with the other boat thanks to a ghost net. After the net was removed, they had no choice but to tow the boat back to port. It helped that they found weapons and drugs on board. On Darwin, federal police officers were waiting to take the men and the boat away. As soon as Spider, ET, and Jaffa were back on board, they left to continue the patrol.
Over the next two weeks, the Hammersley was busy with mayday calls, FFV and number of drug busts. They returned to Cairns four times to leave men and busted boats. When they finally returned to port, they were ready to take their leave. Mike came down on time to see the Captain of the Kingston waiting for him.
"James"
"Mike"
"How was your month patrol?"
"Busy, your?"
"Same, so," James and Mike got their notepads out and looked at them.
"James, your turn."
"Fifteen FFV, nine maydays and four drug busts...one hundred kilos of coke, you?" Mike grinned
"In three weeks, twenty-three FFV, eight maydays, three drug busts. One hundred and fifty kilos of coke, fifty kilos of methamphetamine, plus two firearms bust and..." Mike looked up at James, "an ice boat."
"You got to be bloody joking!" James said in shock
"Nope," they pulled out folded the paper and unfolded it, then they wrote down what've been done so far.
"Mike, we are still ahead of you." Mike looked at his list
"Hang on, have you got your last patrol busts?"
"Yeah"
Kate watched what was happening on the docks. She saw Mike laugh and the Captain of the Kingston look shocked. When they finish talking, Mike returned on the Hammersley to the waiting crew and Kate
"Well, sir. By the looks, we are ahead."
"In some we are"
"Damn, but what we saw."
"We are closing the gap. We got a bonus."
"The ice boat, sir," Spider said
"Yes, and the weapons and methamphetamine but we are ahead with the drugs by thirty kilos," everyone cheered
"How close are we, sir?" Charge asked
"As total between the Kingston and us...we are ten kilos of coke behind. Up on weapons and methamphetamine," they grinned
"Ten FFV and three maydays behind and tie with the ice boat."
"Sir, do you think we can beat them?" ET asked.
"Yes, we will. So, let's relax for a few days, and I'll see you all at the baby shower!" They cheered and talked as they walked off the Hammersley.
An hour and a half later, everyone showed up for the baby shower. Sally was sitting down while talking to Hannah. Kids were playing games on the lawn while the adults talked. Chefo was manning the barbeque with his girlfriend help. Everyone was having a great time. After dinner, Mike stopped the music.
"Can I have your attention, please?"
"Swain, Sally, we know you are going through a rough patch at the moment. So, my wife here came up with the idea for baby shower and with the help of my mum, Hannah and your family. Swain, Sally, the Hammersley crew put money together, and we got you guys some gifts. Hammersley crew, except you Swain, follow me" Mike said.
They walked into the house, while the others were wondering what was going on. Minute later, the crew walked outside with different items. Sally and Swain were shocked by what they saw. Two walnut Hollie sleigh cots with mattresses. Two steel craft cozy sleep 4 in 1 portable and two bassinets.
Along with two walnut changing tables, two high chairs, child care walnut timber glider rocker and ottoman. They also got them twin stroller, two car seats, two infant carriers, baby clothes, cotton diapers, baby bottles, baby bags, basically everything they could need for the twins. Then Mike walked up carrying up a wrapped gift.
"Sir, this is incredible." Mike grinned.
"Here, this is for you to unwrap. From what Hannah told me, this will tell us what you two are having"
Sally smiled as she unwrapped hers and picked a blue baby tug carebear. Swain opened his and showed them a pink baby hugs bear.
"Chris, Sally! Open the boxes!" Hannah said. They opened the top of the boxes and found a couple of gift cards. "There are four hundred dollars on both cards, for any items that you'll need for the twins," Chris and Sally hugged each other since Sally was standing up
"Thank you all of you for the wonderful gifts. This means a lot to Sally and me. Sir, thank you for having the baby shower here."
"It was Kate idea."
"X, thank you for everything. Michele, Hannah, thank you for all the trouble you must have gone through. Crew, thank you for everything. I'm going to miss you all while out on patrol next few weeks, so... please, ET, no practical jokes on my temporary replacement."
"Damn! There goes my plan," ET muttered making the crew laugh.
"As Chris said," Sally started. "Thank you all; this means so much to us."
Everyone clapped and then Charge yelled out: "Guava mojo!" Making the crew cheer.
Swain and Sally walked over to the gifts to check them out while talking to the others. Late at night, everyone left the house after placing the gifts back in the room they were hidden first. At one in the morning, Kate and Mike dragged themselves to bed.
The next morning, after a mini truck showed up pick the things and send them to Chris and Sally's place. After that, the crew and families showed up in the center for dawn parade and then, to the R.S.L for breakfast. It was after twelve by the time Kate, Mike and his family got back home.
Hannah and Michele sorted out lunch, while Mike and Kate went to get change. After joining the family downstairs, they had a nice lunch and spent the day playing with the kids and relaxing. They turned to bed early, because they needed to get enough sleep to be ready to be at the wharf by six am for a six-week patrol.
At 5:59 the whole crew was there ready, and they all met Swain's temporary replacement; a coxswain named James "Jazz" Zimmerman. The first three weeks, they attended to some maydays and some FFV. They stopped close to an island where the crew went down for some R and R, and a night anchor to take a break. Early the morning they carried on with the patrol.
On the way back to Cairns, the crew was exhausted. The last weeks they had answered one mayday after another; added to a good number of boarding on FFVs. Sadly, most of the boats weren't seaworthy, so they took the men aboard the Hammersley and sunk them all.
"Sir, you will want to take a look at this," Nav said, on their way back to Cairns. Mike turned to the radar, and Kate walked over to check.
"The Pacific mariner," Kate whispered.
"How close are we to Bright island, Nav?"
"Twenty miles, sir." Mike and Kate looked at each other.
"Alright, mark time and location, Nav."
"Yes, sir."
They continued their trip back to Cairns, and when they were barely two hours away from the port, the sat phone rung.
"Hammersley. Lieutenant Flynn is speaking."
"Mike," Steve said on the line. "I got a call from Petty Officer Coxswain Blake."
"Everything alright with Swain, sir?" All the people in the bridge turned around towards Mike.
"Yes, he only asked to give you a message. Sally, his wife, has given birth two hours ago," Mike grinned
"Thanks for the news, Steve! I'm sure the crew will be happy with it."
"I'm sure they are."
"Steve, we picked up the Pacific mariner on the radar on our way back."
"Are you sure, Mike?"
"Yes, it was twenty miles off Bright island."
"Alright. We will talk about it when you return. Fair winds." He said before they hung up.
"Sir?" Kate asked.
"Sally gave birth a couple of hours ago."
"Those are very good news, sir." Nav grinned as Mike picked the microphone and turned the PA.
"This is the Captain speaking, I've received word from Commander Marshall. Swain's wife gave birth two hours ago. That's all." The crew cheered loudly.
"X, want to order the close-up?" Kate smiled
"Yes, sir." He gave her the microphone so she could start giving the orders.