Third instalment up now. I hope that everybody is starting to like Raffy even if he gives you the heeber jeebers. I had to do some calculations in this chapter that I'm not sure of - not trained in maritime navigation. I hope they turned out right, or even close.

Enjoy and please review.

Chapter Three

Kate's chance to ask Mike his thoughts on her new XO was soon lost when RO hurtled into her cabin, at least taking the time to knock first.

"Ma'am, Coastwatch has spotted The Water Demon twelve nautical miles southeast of our current position," RO said quickly.

Nodding, she closed her laptop and followed him up to the bridge. "Right, let's get there. What's their position?" Her eyes scanned the room fast. Dutchy was at the helm, Charge was by his computers and their new Chefo, Evelyn Ward, also known as Sharkey, was on the EOD.

"18 degrees, 3.16 south; 148 degrees, 49.34 east," RO read out as Raffy entered the coordinates.

"Bearing?" Kate asked.

"Two-two-zero," he answered speedily and looked up. "I've got them on radar."

"I have them on the EOD, ma'am," Sharkey piped up.

"Have you ever wondered what EOD stood for?" Bird pondered aloud from behind her.

"Electro-Optical Detector," Raffy answered with a smug smile.

Sharkey was focused, ignoring the conversation behind her. "That's the boat alright."

Kate walked over and compared the print-out from NAVCOM to the screen. "Yes, it is."

"Approximately 8 minutes to intercept, ma'am," her XO added.

She returned to the CO's chair. "Have you done many boardings, X?"

"Yes, ma'am. I've had my fair share."

That didn't exactly put Kate's mind at ease but she would trust him on this. Regardless of the fact that he had given her cause for concern, he had already shown enthusiasm, inventiveness and skills beyond what she expected of a Lieutenant.

"I have a visual, ma'am," Charge alerted. "Range: 4 nautical miles; moving at a constant speed of approximately 8 knots."

"RO, let them know that intend to board them," Kate spoke below the view of her binoculars.

"Aye, ma'am," the radio operator replied dutifully. "Vessel on my port bow, this is Australian Warship Hammersley. Stop or heave to. I intend to board you."

"She's not slowing," Charge observed.

"No response, ma'am," RO informed her.

Dutchy, swapping positions at the helm in preparation for the imminent boarding, added, "It's picking up speed."

"It won't be a problem," Raffy put in determinedly.

"Alright. Hands to boarding stations, X," Kate said finally.

Raffy picked up the PA microphone and spoke into it with a smile. "Hands to boarding stations. Hands to boarding stations. Hands to boarding stations."

He was the first to leave the bridge, soon followed by Swain, Sharkey and, lastly, Dutchy.

"Dutchy, before you go," Kate said as soon as Raffy was out of earshot. "You watch his back closely."

"Yes, ma'am." He left with a slight nod.

Raffy donned his Kevlar vest and boarding jacket faster than any of the sailors on his boarding party. Dutchy might have said that he was nervous or excited, but the young Lieutenant wasn't giving away any emotion, and, the way he strapped the vest to his chest and holstered his Browning, the buffer could have sworn that he'd done this all a million times before.

"Let's go," Raffy soon announced.

Kate watched from the bridge as the RHIB was lowered into the water and raced toward the white cruise. She observed that Raffy wasn't seated beside the driver. In fact, Raffy wasn't seated at all—he was standing on the RHIB's port side with just a hand grasping a metal railing, ready to go. It only took a few moments for them to arrive at their destination.

Raffy was the first to move. He leapt from the front of the RHIB on to boat's back deck and drew his weapon faster than anyone Kate had ever met before. Dutchy was forced to move more rapidly than usual. Normally, he would be the first one on to a suspect vessel and never succeeded the XO. Swain and Sharkey leapt on to the deck next and 2Dads brought up the rear with Charge's assistant, Able Seaman Tolomeo.

"Go away. I gave no permission!" A smaller, rounder man was shouting at them, and yelling at his friends in a language indistinguishable to Dutchy.

"Get your hands in the air!" the buffer yelled, pushing two men against the wall. "Get down on the deck!"

"Get down on the deck," 2Dads repeated. Raffy stood a little way off and observed as his team gathered the four crew members together on the boat deck.

"Captain, XO here," he spoke into his radio. "Deck's secure. Minimal resistance."

"Good work," Kate replied into her end of the radio.

"Dutchy, 2Dads, wheelhouse," Raffy ordered. "Swain, Sharkey, check below."

"Aye, sir," they replied dutifully, leaving Raffy topside with Able Seaman Tolomeo, nicknamed 'Tiger.'

"Are you the master of this vessel, sir?" the XO requested of the small, loud man in a harsh tone.

"You must leave!"

"Are you the master of this vessel?"

"Sir," Dutchy called out from above. "Everything appears to be in order, but this boat belongs to a James Rothman."

Raffy nodded to his buffer and looked back at the small man in front of him. "Where is Mr Rothman?"

"He lend me the boat. He is in Bali."

"Then what is your name?"

"Fulān," he answered with a smirk.

Dutchy, who had raced back down the stairs to follow the CO's orders and watch his XO's back, was standing beside Raffy. He retrieved a notebook from his pocket and began to write.

"Don't bother writing that down, Dutchy," Raffy advised. "It's Bahasa Indonesia for John Doe."

"Are you refusing to give us your name, sir?" Dutchy demanded of the man, feeling a little sheepish for his mistake.

"I would say so," Raffy put in.

"Sir!" The Swain was yelling from below decks.

"Tiger, 2Dads, keep these men here," Raffy ordered. "Dutchy, with me."

Raffy wanted to take the stairs two at a time to reach Swain fast, but he held on to his curiosity. The timber framework of the ships' interior was a dark tint and felt ever so darker by the extreme lack of light. Raffy went for a light switch, wondering why the Swain hadn't already attempted it, but when it didn't work, he removed his flashlight, twisted his left hand and held it in place under his handgun. To Dutchy, his new XO had the skills of a Fed... or worse.

"What is it, Swain?" Raffy asked as he approached the sailor in the lowest-most cabin of the boat.

"This, sir," Swain answered, pointing to an air-tight black container with reinforced sides locked securely on top. Without waiting for instruction, the medic moved to discard the lid from its firm attachment.

"Wait! Stop!" Raffy yelled.

Swain stepped away immediately. "Why?"

The young XO looked grave and it was the first time that any of them had seen him show any real emotion. "Because I'm willing to bet that the explosion would blow even the Hammersley out of the water."