Island Refuge…

"First of all, I want to thank you for saving me from the sea. When I found out about the attack on your ship, I tried my best to stop the torpedoes from firing by trying to jam the torpedo hatches" Gufran Salmon said from the sickbay bed.

"I'm glad you are alright" Akeno replied. "We heard messages from the rescue ships that everybody has been saved, though some are in a serious condition"

"May I contact my school and let them know I am alright?"

"No... I'm sorry, but we're working under a radio silence because nearly everybody believes we mutinied. It is important to know how this virus was spread"

"I think it was the rats"

"Rats?"

"Shortly before we left the islands you were supposed to be doing your training, this guy came onboard and injected all of the crew with what he claimed were inoculations. He tried to inject me as well, but I refused on supposed religious grounds. After a couple of days, we kept finding these rats and crew members kept going insane who had touched them"

"Rats are known as a major disease carrier" Minami mused quietly, "So it is entirely possible they are the reason some ships are infected. I would need to examine one of these rats closely and take it apart"

"I'll... I'll put out an announcement to the crew to look out for them" Akeno shuddered. "We are having a cabin sorted for you and your clothes cleaned as well. In a day or so, you will be able to leave and get around the ship, but you will have to help work"

"I could work in the engine room" Gufran said. "I could study manuals and work under your Chief Engineer"

"I am sure that Maron would appreciate the help" Mashiro said.

"We'll have to question you fully later with a camera so we can document all this" Akeno said as she moved towards the door, "But I have one final question"

"Shoot"

"Are you a practicing Muslim? If you are, I am afraid that our kitchen isn't all that good for you"

"Oh, that's okay - I'm not religious at all" the boy chuckled. "I could murder a steak with chips"

"I will speak to the galley and see what they can do" Akeno promised.

# # # # #

"Captain, we're picking up some strange radio signals close by – almost as if they are coming from inside the ship" Tsugu said.

"Maybe we have a spy" Kouko said.

"I thought you ordered there to be no radio messages sent?" Mashiro remarked.

"I did" Akeno replied. "What equipment would be giving out radio signals?"

"Our tracking beacon, but we turned that off as you ordered" Mashiro said. "We better find out what it is in case the school and the fleet are tracking us"

"Mmm" Akeno set down her clipboard. "Search each deck room by room. Have Maron send up an engineer to help you" she added. "When you have checked each set of quarters, lock the crew in from the outside"

"Captain?"

"Just in case Kouko could be right after all" Akeno looked at her Deputy Captain who finally nodded in understanding. "Bridge to Engine Room"

"Engine Room"

"Maron, can you send an engineer to the upper deck to meet with the Deputy Captain? When they have left, lock your compartment and don't let anybody in until you get the okay"

"Whats going on?" Maron asked from down below.

"We might have a spy onboard"

"Understood" and, at that moment, Mashiro shrieked and jumped as a ginger and white cat dropped a dead rat at her feet.

"Bridge, that signal just stopped"

"Somebody get a box and take the rat to sickbay" Akeno ordered quickly.

"Captain?"

"Remember what that boy said…? I know Minami is a human doctor, but a body is a body when you look at it"

"I'll do it myself. Captain, there is something else – according to our stores, we are losing fresh water at an unreasonable rate. When we get to this island, I'd like to have the engineering girls take the system offline and checked over"

"I agree" Akeno said. "Radar, Bridge"

"Radar"

"I want a five second sweep of the area and then secure… We're running blind as it is and doing it at night is difficult enough"

"Aye… Sweeping… Nothing on Radar"

Thank you" and Akeno turned to Mashiro. "Do you get a bad feeling?"

"About what?"

"I don't know" Akeno shook her head, "But I'm worried something is going to happen soon. Anyway, let's get to these islands and we can hide and plan our next move. At least there is a makeshift dock there so we can do repairs"

"That will be a good thing – Maron sent me a list of things that urgently need repairing and cleaning up"

"I saw it too… We took on as many spare parts as we could, but a lot of that list needs to be done in a drydock. Let's hope the crew that left us can clear our names. For now, get the rat down to Sickbay to be examined and maintain silent running status. Deputy Captain, the Bridge is yours"

"Aye, Captain. Helm, what course are we on?"

"272 at 17 knots" replied a girl.

"What time are we expected at the islands?"

"0830"

"Very good" Mashiro checked the compass herself and made a few quick calculations in her mind. "Engine Room, Bridge"

"Here"

"Ask the Chief Engineer if it is possible to increase speed somehow"

"Chief Engineer has gone to bed, Ma'am, but I think we're doing the best we can already"

"Understood… Bridge out" and the Deputy Captain sighed sadly.

"Permission to come on the Bridge?" and Mashiro turned to see Mina standing by the outside of the Bridge.

"Granted… What can I do for you?" she asked.

"Not much… I can't sleep"

"Are you ill?"

"No – I'm just used to the Spee's engines by now"

"I see – well you can stay up here for a while if you'd like" Mashiro offered. Normally she would not have allowed it, but the girl knew Akeno would have allowed it without a second thought. "What do you think to the Harekaze?"

"She is small, a little under-gunned but she seems to have a good crew manning her"

"This is only our first cruise together"

"WHAT?"

"Yes"

"My god…" Mina shook her head, "I'm going to die" and Mashiro smiled slightly.

"In years to come… Listen, how good do you know these islands?"

"Not much" Mina replied, going back to seriousness once more. "I know it is marked on the maps and apart from some of our supplies being put there for training reasons, I am afraid I can not help you, Let us hope that the Spee has not got there first and is waiting. Despite being under some kind of mind control, the infected seem to have the ability to know what they are doing"

"So your report said"

"With that knowledge, the ship could be an even greater threat"

"Bridge, Radio Room"

"Bridge"

"Ma'am, I'm picking up a message from the Musashi… Their Captain reports they have been cornered on the Bridge by crew that has mutinied – message just repeats"

"Any idea the location?"

"No, but its strong so it must be fairly close"

"I'm so unlucky" Mashiro muttered. "Helm, increase speed to maximum and maintain course"

"Lookout"

"Go"

"I can see a ship on the horizon – looks like a cargo ship of sorts, but can not tell if it is a naval or civilian ship"

"Very good… Keep watch on it. Captain?"

"What is it?"

"Look out reports ship on the horizon but it doesn't seem to be following us"

"Make a note of it in the log – I'll be up later"

"Aye"

"I don't think that should have been there" said Mina.

"Not according to the updated orders list Mamiya gave us" Mashiro shook her head. "Lets just hope that we looked like a black spot in the dark with all of our lights running"

"Radar – I have that contact on my screen… She's turning towards us and I can pick up her search radar"

"Engine Room, get that second engine back up and running – increase speed to maximum revolutions" Mashiro ordered. "General Quarters, all hands to Battle Stations – Captain to the Bridge. Helm, keep the ship as steady as possible. Aft gun, prepare to open fire with warning shots only"

"Won't we be out of sight in a few minutes?" asked Mina.

"Helm, hard to starboard… Steer 167 degrees"

"Hard to starboard… Steering 167 degrees"

"What if that ship radioed in our position?" Mina asked as the main Bridge crew came in and took over positions"

"That's why I ordered the turn" Mashiro said. "Captain, we've been spotted by a cargo ship which has sent a radio message off. I ordered the engines full ahead and then a turn in case they were tracking us via radar which they might have been"

"Right…" Akeno sighed. "I don't want to fire on anybody if I need to, but we might have to in order to defend ourselves"

"Bridge, Engine Room. Starboard shaft is overheating badly – can we slow down?" Maron called from down below.

"I'm sorry, but not really" Akeno apologised. "We are being chased at least one ship and we need the speed to get away"

"Understood – I can give you ten minutes on the shaft before it overheats and starts to melt" Maron replied.

#

"... shaft before it overheats and starts to melt" the girl's voice filtered through the voice pipe left open by Minami. The discussion ran through Gufran's head as he tried to think of ways to stop it overheating and a half forgotten memory pushed its way to the front and sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"May I ask where you are going?" Minami looked up from investigations she was doing on the body of the rat.

"I know of a way to cool down the starboard shaft" the boy said as he stood. Minami watched him for a moment before throwing him a small backpack.

"I have to go" the boy said

"You might want these" replied Minami, "Unless it is the custom in Saudi Arabia to walk around in backless hospital gowns. According to the stores, this was the best they could come up with for you. Your uniform is in your cabin" and the Doctor stepped outside so Gufran could change. Once he was done, and promising to come back and finish with the Doctor, he hurried down and aft – startling crewmembers who just looked at him running by. Finding a door marked 'ENGINE ROOM', he pushed the handle and opened it.

#

"Who the hell are you?" Maron said as Gufran entered her domain.

"The boy you rescued from the submarine… I heard what you were saying on the voice pipe and I have an idea to cool the shaft down"

"Okay, lets hear it" Maron instantly went back to being a Chief Engineer.

"We get as much ice from the galley and dump it into the shaft housings… Won't last, but it will cool down the thing enough for us to get out of here"

"How do you know this?"

"Happened on a ship I was on last year – Chief Engineer did it during an exercise"

"Well its as good an idea as anything" Maron shrugged and turned to a taller girl. "You are in charge until I get back… Phone the galley and have them get as much ice cubes and ice as possible into whatever they can find"

"Maron…?" the girl replied, but Maron was already running after the boy. "Does anybody have the tempreture readings for the starboard shaft?" she asked.

"Not at the moment…" somebody called, "But I think the dials are broken"

"Okay… Bridge, Engine Room. Chief Engineer has gone to try a way to cool down the starboard shaft before it melts on us completely. We can't get any readings on the dials, so be prepared to go to one shaft only"

"Bridge, Aye" came the simple reply back.

"Are we running okay on the rev counters?"

"Starboard one is running higher than the port, but that's not unexpected"

"Engine Room, this is Maron… We've got the ice cubes and are going to toss them into the shaft housing – can you tell us when the readings change?"

"Maron, the dials are either broken or the temp is higher than they read right now"

"Do you have an air sensor?" asked Gufran.

"I think so, why?"

"It should work just as well. Also, get somebody to run down with a high pressure pump connected to the fresh water tanks"

"You want to cool them down that way too?"

"Its all we have left to try" Maron replied.

"Aye, Aye"

#

"I wonder why that cargo vessel is still chasing us" Akeno mused.

"Keeping as big an eye on us as possible and radioing our position?" Mashiro suggested.

"Can we jam it?" asked Akeno.

"Yes, but we'll not be able to do it for very long. Once we are out of range, they will be free to do so"

"Could we knock out their radio?"

"Not unless we send over a boarding party" and Akeno looked back aft where the cargo ship was still following behind.

"Helm, all back full. I want us in a dead stop but ready to go full ahead both the moment I give the order. Gunnery Officer, reload the aft gun with training rounds" Akeno issued the orders in a rapid fire way.

"Captain?"

"I do not want to hurt people if I can help it, Shiro… We use training rounds to disable or destroy their radio and radar masts"

"But what about their engines?"

"That's why I ordered a full stop… They come in quickly, we spin round fast and fire a couple of torpedoes into their stern to disable the rudder and engines" Akeno explained.

"Aft gun ready to fire" Tama reported.

"Target radio and radar masts only" Akeno ordered firmly.

"Captain, they are inside our torpedo range" Matchi shouted from up above. "And it is a school cargo boat too!"

"Hmm…"

"Captain?" Mashiro blinked several times at the younger girl.

"Mashiro, how quickly round it take you to form a boarding party?"

"A couple of minutes… You want to board them?" Mashiro's jaw dropped.

"Yes… Maybe they have supplies we can use. I know it is sort of stealing, Shiro, but if we are captured, then nobody will know about this possible virus"

"Do we have deck plans?"

"Yes" Kouko said from the back of the Bridge.

"Then we'll disable them, board the ship and take what we need before sailing off and out of sight" Akeno said. "Aft gun, open fire"

"I am picking up noises in the water – submarines closing fast"

"How on earth did they get so close?" Akeno demanded.

"They used the cargo vessel as cover"

"All ahead flank speed" Akeno ordered. "Rin, I want you to spin the ship in a complete circle before resuming this course. Mei, prepare to launch a spread of training torpedoes – aim for the stern and disable the engines"

"Aye"

"I will not miss"

"Engine Room, pass the message that I need everything from the starboard shaft – even if it melts"

"Engine Room, Aye, Aye"

"Coming round" Mei said.

"Fire!" and the torpedoes dived into the water and slammed into the cargo ship – knocking out its engines and bringing it to a halt. "Tama, set the aft gun to fire shells that will detonate on the surface of the ocean. Rin, after the fifth round is fired, put us back on course for the island"

"But the submarines will hear us" Mashiro said.

"Not if we confuse them… I saw it in a movie once" but Mashiro was not convinced even when it worked and the Harekaze made its escape.

#

"Finally" Mashiro said. "Captain?"

"Yeah, Shiro?"

"Islands bearing right ahead"

"I'm on my way"

"Lookout, Bridge"

"Lookout" Matchi replied through the speaking tube. "See anything?"

"Nothing of note apart from some old wrecks and breakers" the girl replied after a slight pause.

"Radio Room here... Nothing that I can hear" Tsugu chimed in. Sonar and Radar, with no power to their equipment, didn't report.

"Thank you for doing a good job, Deputy Captain" Akeno said a few minutes later as she stepped onto the Bridge.

"Thank you" Mashiro replied - unsure as to why she was being thanked for doing her duty.

"Tell Maron she can shut down the starboard engine completely and she can do a full check on it and start repairs" Akeno looked back at Rin. "Slow ahead port engine"

"Port engine slow ahead" Rin replied

"I want somebody right up at the bow" Akeno said. "The rest of the crew that isn't doing anything important is to report to the Engine Room to make repairs. Those assigned as lookouts must come to the Bridge"

"Captain?" Mashiro blinked.

"They can either help with the repairs or they can form groups to look round the base" and Akeno sighed. Having to defend herself against her own Instructor and be accused of mutiny and worse because of it was not the way she aimed to become a Blue Mermaid.

#

Hours later, Akeno gathered her Officers, Mina and Gufran to the mess Hall which also served as a training and briefing room.

"The Base appears to be abandoned"

"Is the dry dock in good shape?" asked Maron

"It looks like it, Maron, but we'll double check beforehand. Sorry to say, though, that you will only have 24 hours to complete all of the repairs to the shafts and the lower hull because I want us to be ready to go at a moment's notice. I'm also placing lookouts at the tops of the hills nearby so we have an idea if any ship comes near us"

"Communications are wrecked here though" Tsugu said. "I might be able to get something sorted in a few hours though"

"There must have been boys and men here – we found some male clothing which we've sent to Gufran's cabin for him to try later" and Gufran thanked the girl for her thoughtfulness.

"The question is, however, where do we go after we make good the damage?" Mina asked as she sat on the top of a table.

"I don't know" said Akeno quietly. "The Deputy Captain and the Navigation department have been working on a few things to get us other places to hide, but its not going to be easy because we can't use any of the navigational equipment on the Harekaze" she went on.

"Captain, is it possible to use those Skippers of yours?" asked Gufran.

"Even stripped down and given full tanks, everything is well outside its range" Akeno replied. "We have a ship, ammunition, food, drinking supplies, spare parts – but no fuel"

"I thought they left stuff here for the Spee?" Mina raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"That is true, but the fuel is not compatible with our engines" Maron explained. "I could mix some of it up with our own fuel to use in an emergency, but the stuff is so heavy that I would only be able to get about twenty barrels out of it"

"You could get more" Gufran said after a moment's thought.

"How?"

"I know it is dangerous, but the fuel drums are about the same size as the depth charges… You could get another ten barrels of this mixed stuff and just simple drop them off the stern if we get fired on"

"Maron?" prompted Akeno.

"I hadn't thought about that" the Chief Engineer admitted.

"Work on it" Akeno said firmly. "Now, before we start work, I am going to allow the rest of the day off for people taking a swim or relaxing on that beach nearby – I think we all need it after three days of high speed running at battlestations"

"Actually, I suggest making it today and tomorrow" Minami said with the firmness of her medical training.

"Alright, today and tomorrow – keeping a look out for ships of course" Akeno agreed.

"I had a look at the communications equipment, but most of it was disabled before the last people left. What was left running on automatic stopped working a few years ago" Tsugu said.

"That was part of our mission – repair the automatic equipment for use in weather reports" Mina spoke up. "Depending on what the state of this is like, I could help the communications officer to help repair the receiver so we can listen in to communications from your Blue Mermaids and your Navy"

"Assuming they haven't changed the codes" Mashiro noted. "Captain, I'd like to check the kitchen of the base with the galley staff and see if we can get it working again – we'd all be able to eat at the same time then and not in shifts and cramped together"

"Good thinking, Shiro" Akeno smiled.

"If it is all the same, Captain, I would like to get a start in helping the Chief Engineer with the repairs" Gufran said.

"No, everybody is to get some rest before doing anything" Akeno shook her head. "That is an order" and Gufran, though not technically under Akeno's command, respected her position as the Commanding Officer of the Harekaze.

"Aye, Aye, Ma'am" he replied.

"Now, I want the Deputy Captain, the Doctor and the chief Galley member to stay behind – the rest of you can go and relax" and Akeno waited until they all had left before locking the door. "I didn't want to bother the rest of the crew, but supplies are shorter than what we expected and there isn't as much food as we hoped stored as rations. When repairs are started, anybody that is left over is going to start going round the island and finding as much fruit and things as possible. Doctor, what is the minimum to survive?"

"2,200 to 2,400 calories each day" Minami replied. "Our male friend will require a little more than that, but we'll be able to work on it"

"Do you want me to start rationing the food now?" asked Mikan – the girl fiddled with the apron she wore.

"I would advise against that, Captain" Minami said. "The crew will need feeding well if they are to start repairs"

"Wait until we have all rested and then do it… I'll make an announcement in the morning about it" Akeno decided. "As of tomorrow, though, no snacks will be made until we can get more supplies… Wherever they might come from" she added darkly.

"Some of the crew brought their own small supplies onboard – do you want these added to the common pot?" asked Mashiro.

"I would rather not do that, Shiro – the crew should have something to look forward to at the end of the working day. Doctor, is there anything else we should do?"

"Some of the fruit should be made into fruit juices if possible" Minami replied. "I took the chance of looking up information on this place and there are mangos, carambola and papaya growing here. At least both the flesh and the juice will help keep us going. One other thing, I suggest that we leave the external hatches and a lot of the internal doors open to get the air flowing"

"Okay… I guess we had better get started then" Akeno said and the group broke up.

#

"Captain!" Rin nearly jumped out of her skin as Akeno walked onto the Bridge.

"I am sorry for startling you" Akeno sheepishly said. "Why are you on the Bridge? I gave orders you should all relax"

"Somebody has to be on the Bridge at all times" Rin replied, "And… It is nice and quiet here"

"Oh?"

"I've always been frightened and scared, but when I went to the harbour and looked at to sea, I was really calm. It's one of the reasons I wanted to be a Blue Mermaid"

"I wanted to be one because they saved me when I was on a boat that sank. They didn't save my parents, but I want to be a Blue Mermaid to pay back what they did for me"

"Do you think we'll be believed?" asked Rin as she looked out of the Bridge windows at the island beyond.

"I'm sure of it" Akeno replied, first bright but then she looked worried. "Still, you think that the ones that left us would have been able to report by now"

"Maybe the school is doing a lot of investigating" shrugged Rin and looked back at the Captain who gave the other girl as good as a smile as possible. Rin, she decided, was far too sweet and innocent to frighten.

"That's most likely the case" she lied. "If you want to go to your cabin, I'll take over"

"If it is all the same" Rin replied timidly, "I'd like to remain on watch… I kept the log up to date" she added with a slightly proud expression.

"I'd better check it" Akeno said.

"I don't think I made any mistakes"

"Oh it isn't that" Akeno loudly whispered, "But what would the Deputy Captain think if we didn't do things right?" and Rin giggled and showed Akeno the entries she had made every half an hour as the school required in their standing orders.

"Bridge, Engine Room" Maron called up from deep down.

"Bridge, Captain speaking"

"Is the telegraph set to STOP?" Maron asked and Akeno looked at it for a moment.

"Yes – is there a problem?"

"Not really… Ours is showing fifth battle speed. I'll take it apart and fix it" and there was a click as her end of the pipe was closed.

"She must be busy" Rin said softly.

"Yeah" Akeno looked at the ship's wheel that Rin had used expertly to steer the Harekaze out of most of the danger she had been involved with so far. One of the phones on the bulkhead started to buzz and Rin picked it up.

"Anybody on the Bridge?" it was Tsugu in the Radio Room.

"Yes, Rin and the Captain"

"Tell the Captain I picked up a faint transmission from the Musashi – something about firing on a civilian vessel and then about a mutiny before it ended abruptly" and Rin told the Captain who went a deathly shade of white before swallowing and whispered an acknowledgement. The girl knew that with more ships seemingly having undertaken mutinies, the safety of the crew was now in a greater peril. There was a small part of her very being that wanted to go rescue Moeka, but there was an even bigger part that demanded she look after her crew first and keep them safe.

The problem for Akeno was that both parts of her were both right…

A/N:

First of all, let me address an issue with the Musashi in the anime. After they have gathered supplies and a few bits of equipment, Moeka and the three unaffected crewmembers have a radio powered by batteries which Moeka immediately uses to send a distress call that the Harekaze hears but yet Moeka can't hear the reply back. Assuming they took the batteries out right away to save them for a later time, why did they not put them back in when the ships from the boy's high school came to check them out? Or, for that matter, the first attempt at a boarding by the Harekaze later on? Or the second? It makes no sense at all for there to be a radio which is only used once and nothing is said about it later. Therefore, I have solved this by having Moeka use it to send a more detailed message perhaps when other ships were in range to hear them – but with a twist at the end.

Second, it is not made clear what the order of command is on the Harekaze when Akeno and Mashiro are not around – therefore I have decided that the order is Akeno, Mashiro, Kouko to fit in with what we see in episode 11 when Akeno panics and breaks down.

The ice cube idea comes from the second season of the series "The Last Ship" where they do it to cool down the sonar. I have also heard of it being done in real life to get a ship home, so the idea is sound.

In the previous chapter I referred to the Akashi as the food ship when it was the Mamiya – it was the Akashi which was the engineering support ship.

And, before anybody says anything, the Harekaze was supposed to arrive at the islands the morning after they encountered the cargo ship and possible submarine. However, Akeno ordered a course away from the islands until they escaped before turning back towards them and going at full speed – hence the three days of high speed running at battlestations…

Well, reviews in the normal manner please

Robert