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Chapter Eight
RO was on her back again. It seemed that these days, in a stoic effort to assume her predecessor's command, such luxuries as sustenance were not afforded to her. As it stood, she could not go through her mini lunch break without interruption or incident. It was an important call, of course, and one she would take in her cabin. They were at a standstill at sea waiting for the Feds or further instruction from NAVCOM. That was probably Commander White on the phone.
As it turned out, it was.
"Kate, I have your new orders," she said quickly. If Kate had to guess, there was a rush of government officials at the other end wanting the same news she did. "You're to make for Denpasar, top speed. Your only stop along the way will be to rendezvous with the Feds and hand over the suspect crew, bodies and the boat. I've already given the coordinates to your R.O."
Confusion. And a little nervousness. But mostly confusion. What Maxine was asking seemed a long way out of their mandate. "Yes, ma'am," she said with due respect. "May I ask a question?"
"I'm very busy as you can imagine but go ahead."
"Why is the Hammersley going to Denpasar? I mean, after what's happened, won't a navy presence exacerbate the situation?"
"Obviously we don't want that," Maxine told her very clearly. "There could be serious repercussions from any stunt you choose to pull, but if there's going to be a boat race to find Marc Watson, I want us involved." She didn't mince her words today. There was no time for the beaurocratic dance around the truth.
"I understand, ma'am."
"You'll be coordinating on the ground with government officials and delegates," Maxine continued in the same fast pace that often left Kate behind. "Expect to spend some time off the ship, Kate, but any overt actions by your crew or your ship are discouraged. You're there as a last resort, but while you're there you might as well make yourself useful. Are you following me?"
At that pace, was anyone? But Kate got the gist of what she wanted. "You want my ship to stay put but for me to do all the work."
"In a manner of speaking." Kate was sure that she was smiling on the other end. "News hasn't broken to the locals about Marc's disappearance and I want to keep it that way. You're just another crew enjoying a stopover in a foreign port. I'm banking on the fact that we can wrap this up in a few days."
"My crew and these 'delegates'?" She used the word 'delegates' lightly, for Kate knew that was not their proper role.
"And I have sent Commander Flynn to meet you in Denpasar."
She really could've mentioned that first.
"You'll run point with him. Good luck, Kate." And she hung up before the Lieutenant Commander could get a word in.
Meanwhile, most of the crew were busying themselves with lunch in and around the galley. Sharkey was much less rigid about her most prized possession than previous Chefo's had been and even allowed 2Dads to eat on the counter.
"Burger and chips, mm," Dutchy commented as he joined the amassed audience. It seemed that nobody was moving off to eat in the sailors' mess. "Why are we all standing here?"
"Waiting for news about Lieutenant Commander Watson," Sharkey explained as she handed over the plate. "I can't imagine what it would be like for your CO to go missing like that."
"We can," Bird told her. "At least we can sympathize."
"It's Bali, mate," 2Dads shouted from the back with a mouth full of potato. "He's probably shacking up with some hot tourist at her expensive hotel room."
"No, he's definitely not doing that," Dutchy replied and directed his head towards Austere.
2Dads fell silent.
"So it's some terrorist plot then?" Sharkey inquired.
"Probably," Swain put in as he finished his meal off and passed the empty dish back to the Chefo. "The X knows more then he's letting on."
"Yeah, I got that feeling," Dutchy replied but fell short of filling them in on the whole story when he noticed the CO walking down the stairs. "Ma'am."
"Is there a club meeting going on in the hallway that I don't know about?" Kate said with a smirk. She didn't want to go on a power trip, but she had to admire the way they all stopped and stared as she went by.
"Any more news on Lieutenant Commander Watson, ma'am?" Swain asked, ignoring her jest.
"Not quite. If you give me ten minutes to finish my lunch, I will explain our new orders on the bridge."
They gave her that long to eat without interruption. Maybe she had to specify from now that her eating time was her break and only the most important could disturb that. If she's learnt anything about Raffy in the past two days, it was that his initiative and determination overruled everything. They were prepared to make way by the time she finished her lunch. Their orders were to steam through the night to make the rendezvous with the Feds and followed by a further six hours to Denpasar.
The tow was slowing them down, but a few hours later, they were making good time towards the rendezvous point. At this stage, they might be early. It was 2330h and Kate had forcibly rostered herself Officer of the Watch until midnight, where Raffy would take over. With Swain at the helm, it was starting to feel like old times.
She yawned.
"Looking forward to the end of this watch, ma'am?" he asked with a smile.
"You're not?"
A shrug was his response. "You learn not to sleep as a parent."
"How's Chloe doing at preschool?"
"Fine, I think. Sal's been a little hesitant sending her. A little over-attached, I guess."
"Mm," Kate replied with a nod. "I guess it would be hard when…" She chose not to continue.
"I'm always at sea," Swain finished with a knowing grin. "I suppose so."
"About the boarding today," Kate began with a less than subtle attempt at changing the subject, "how do you think you worked with Lieutenant Rodrigues?"
"Well, I guess, ma'am," Swain responded, a little unsure of exactly what he should be saying. "If he's inexperienced, which I gather by his age, then he doesn't show it. At all."
Kate didn't exactly have a reaction to Swain's positive feedback.
"And his actions shielded us from taking heavy fire," Swain continued. "He must've known what we were up against."
"Good shots, then," Kate conceded, but a little voice in the back of her mind made her wary. "No body shots, though."
"And to pull off a shot like the first one, far off, in a moving position and in the dark…" Swain didn't need to finish. Just like the Bananas in Pajamas that his daughter watched at home, she was thinking what he was.
Their watch finished, and 2Dads and Raffy took their places on the bridge. Kate, after making herself a cup of tea in the galley, and a mess, retired to her cabin. As her beverage sat idly by, she switched on her MacBook and scrolled through her emails. Just as expected, her predecessor, mentor and lover had sent her one earlier.
Kate,
I arrived in Bali two hours ago and, although I have been instructed to write very little in this message, I can tell you the situation here is quite grave. Lieutenant Hayes, the XO on the HMAS Uluru, has been ordered to return home. The Hammersley will take her position in this sector.
I will meet you at the port when you arrive tomorrow afternoon. I can't tell you where I'm staying, as I am not sending this email from the comfort of the Embassy, but rather, using a public network, but I can tell you that it is very nice here, once you get past our colleague's impending doom—I hadn't intended that to sound as dark as it did.
Our 'friends' from the government will be working closely with us, that's all I can say, and you'll meet them tomorrow. As it stands, D.O.D. is keeping Marc's disappearance under wraps. The news networks at home have not got wind of it yet and the same goes here. Instruct the crew that it is important it stays that way.
Sweet dreams tonight—I know they will be about me.
Love,
Mike.
She smiled at the last line. It was so very typical of his ego, for that was what seemed to write the end of his emails. He was never very good at saying how he felt aloud, but usually, he was even worse on paper. A big part of her looked forward to their reunion, and she knew that if she had to work alongside anyone on something like this, it would be him. She would benefit greatly from his guidance.
Kate felt that, this early into her command, she was not ready for this mission. It would be complex, physically, mentally and diplomatically, and would probably call on all of her skills as an officer. Maxine's orders were to stay out of the limelight, and that was what she planned to do, but it was what would transpire under the radar that gave her the greatest cause for concern. And with Raffy present in all her dealings, it was likely to become a whole lot worse.