CH 21
The next day Hammersley left for its patrol. A month later the crew stopped off at an island for some R and R. While there they came across skin crocodiles and eggs missing. So they went to the nearest town where some of the crew had shore leave.
Kate was on the dock when she called Mike when she noticed Steve was leaving the ship, so she followed him since he told her that he was going to bed after he told her about the cop. She followed him to see where he was going when she and Steve heard a fight happening in a bar.
Kate followed Steve into the bar but stopped at the exit when she saw Steve and two dads fighting four men and then taking the crocodile as they escaped. Kate ran out and around to the back of the building when she saw what happened to the crocodile and them running away.
She hid when she saw the men run after them but stopped where the crocodile was. She moves away and works her way back to the ship. When she returned a few minutes later she went to bed thinking about what happened.
The next day when Hammersley was ordered back to Cairns, Kate was typing up her report about what happened. When dock Steve and Kate went to see Maxine in her office about the bar owner contacting fleet command who contacted Maxine about the damage done to his bar and the death of his crocodile.
When they walk into Maxine's office Mike was there also. After they talk about it and learn that Mike is going to be talking to the ones who are on shore leave. When Steve and Kate were leaving Maxine's office.
"Kate a word"
"I'll wait for you in the car X"
"Yes sir" Steve turned and walked away.
Kate turned to Mike. "Kate, I noticed how quiet you were in Maxine's office the look you gave Steve when he wanted to do the interview. Is there something you want to tell me" Kate turned to make sure Steve wasn't there watching them then turned to Mike.
She opened her folder and got a file out and passed it to him. "you and Maxine will want to read this"
"what is it"
"My report about what I witnessed." Mike looked at Kate.
"You were there"
"Yes but two dads and the captain didn't know that I was there. read it and you would understand"
"I will talk to you in an hour."
"Ok see you then" she turns and walks towards the exit while Mike walks into Maxine's office.
"Mike"
"It Kate report, she knows who the other sailor is" he sat down and opened the file and read out loud so Maxine could hear what the report said.
Maxine and Mike were shocked when Kate mentioned not only two dads but Steve Coburn as well. the bar fight, take the croc, everything. When Mike finished readling out Kate's report he closed the file.
"We are going to need more if the lieutenant commander is the second person," Maxine said.
"What are you saying Maxine. are you saying that Kate is making all of this up" he waves the file in front of him
"Yes"
"Think about it Maxine, the guy who owns the pub said it was two male sailors that caused the damage to his bar plus taking the croc and finding it dead after being run over. and yet Kate has mentioned all of that in her report. She wouldn't have written this up if she wasn't there but she was there, she is a witness to what happened and you are dealting what she said"
"You believe her because she is your wife Mike," she said in an angry tone.
"I believe her because she is an officer in the R.A.N. not because she is my wife Maxine. when it comes back with other proof that the two names she mentioned in her report are the ones responsible you owe not just me but Kate an apology for doubting her report about what happen"
Mike stood up and walked out of Maxine's office and into his own where he made some calls before leaving to head to Hammersley. Mike talks to each of the crew who were on shore leave. when he spoke to the two dads, he told Mike about what happened.
"Two dads who were the other crew members"
"It wasn't a crew member sir"
"so a stranger who got involved with the fight called you two dads. Explain that"
"Perhaps he heard one of the others call me that"
"Or perhaps it was a crew member. your carrier is on the line here. Who is the other crew member" Two dads look down at the table while Mike waits for an answer.
"Who is it. because whoever you are covering for is no shipmate or a friend if she or he doesn't want you to say their name. they want you to take the fall and conquinsise while they get away" Two dads look up to Mike when there was a knock on the door.
"think about it… come in" the door open
"Mike"
"Steve" Mike notices the look on two dads face then turns to Steve. "what can i do for you"
"Are you finished here"
"no, I'm not finished. I'll let you know when I am"
"ok" Mike noticed Steve was looking at two dads before he turned and walked out the door, closing it.
Mike looked at two dads. "Two dads why did you give Steve a guilty look when he walked in here?"
"I thought it was the X sir"
"Nice try two dads, to be honest with me two dads, who is it?" Two dads shook his head as he looked down at the table.
Mike stopped the video recording then he opened his briefcase and put it in with pen and pad. Then he picked up a mini video recorder and put it on the table and slid it to two dads.
"sounds like you were told to keep quiet from whomever it is two dads. You can talk to the crew member and get that person to confess on tape. I'll give you two hours. It is the only way to help take down the other crew member without mentioning his name" Two dads pick up the recorder.
"I'll try sir"
"You're a good sailor two dads, don't let whoever it is get away with it cause whoever it is most probably done it before. You can go"
"Yes sir" two dads stood up and saluted Mike, which he did in return before walking out of the dining room. Mike sat back in his seat when Kate walked in
"door Kate" she closed the door just as Mike stood up, closing and locking his briefcase.
"Mike what happened"
"You are right about Steve but two dads didn't say his name"
"Why didn't he say it"
"I think Steve got something on two dads, bring two dads in with you in a couple of hours"
"Sure Mike can you tell me what you are thinking about?" Mike smiled and stepped forward and kissed her.
"all in good time. So tonight, chinese and an early night" he said smiling.
"I like that idea" she kisses him back. "See you in a couple of hours"
"Ok" he kissed her once more before they walked out of the dining room together.
Two hours later, Mike, Kate and two dads were in Maxine's office. Maxine was having a go at two dads for what he had done. "Leader, who is the other sailor?" Maxine asked.
"You wouldn't believe me ma'am"
"Two dads, who is it?" Kate asked. He looks at Kate then at Mike. He remembered what Mike said to him a couple hours ago.
"I thought about what you said to me sir… it was the captain, lieutenant commander Coburn"
"Did the lieutenant put you up to this leader?" Maxine said, which shocked the three of them.
"Maxine your out of line with that comment." Mike said then turned to two dads. "Have you got any evidence, two dads?" Mike asked.
Two dads pulled out the mini recorder and he pressed play. They heard a knock on the door "come in." They recognized Steve voice
"Sir, can I have a word with you" two dads asked.
"sure" then they heard the door close.
"how did it go with commander Flynn"
"Not to good sir that is what i want to talk to you about… ah… he wants me to come clean sir or i'll be kicked out of the navy"
"We had an agreement son"
"A drunken promise, they're going to discharge me sir"
"do you know how many lead seamen are in the royal australian navy"
"no sir"
"two thousand one hundred and ninety eight. do you know how many lieutenant commanders CO there are…. forty one… over two thousand or fourty one which one would be more difficult to replace?"
"the CO sir"
"that exactly that is why you are going to do the best for the navy and take the full blame yourself"
"That means the end of my career," Steve laughs.
"Mate, I have seen your file, you're a serious trouble maker Kyso myers. you would be in serious trouble if you were mouthing off about me, No one would believe you… you can go"
"Sir you wanted me not to tell commander Flynn that you were the other sailor at the bar"
"You got the message, as i said no one would believe you like it says in your record about you"
"If commander Flynn asks you if you are the other sailor"
"I wasn't there, i was on board all night, like i said to you, to keep your mouth shut and i was on Hammersley, i wasn't at bar causing any fights or stealing any baby crocodiles. you can go leader" they heard the door open, footsteps and close again the recording stop.
"Well leader you are lieutenant flynn are telling the truth after all" Maxine said. Two dads look confused at Maxine, Mike and Kate notice the look.
"Two dads, Kate witness what happened at the bar that night, she given Maxine and i her report about what happen and with what you said and what we all just heard proves that lieutenant commander coburn is the second sailor who responsible for the fight in the bar and kidnaping and killing the pet crocodile"
"Thank you sir, but he will find a way out of it" Kate thought about it.
"Two dads the crocodile that you and captain pick up how big do you think it was"
"Not that big and it wasn't that heavy. I guess it would be about a year, eighteen months old. I blame RO for that ma'am when he looks up the size of the crocodile" Mike smiles knowing what RO is like.
"So in other words a baby croc," Mike asked.
"Yes sir, it was about a meter and half long"
"you can return back to Hammersley, leader, lieutenant until you hear from commander Flynn"
"Yes ma'am" Two dads and Kate walk out of Maxine's office leaving them to talk about the video recording.
"Mike this is going to be a nightmare"
"Yes I know, I'll go and make some phone calls"
"I'll let fleet command know" Mike walked out of Maxine's office and into his to make some calls.
The next morning Hammersley was heading back to the town since Coburn got the lead on the poachers. Two dads, and some of the crew were in a room talking about who the second sailor is.
"Come on, two dads who are second sailors," Swain asked. Two dads look at him
"It the CO" then Steve walks in
"Two dads you really need to come up with something better than that, i'm disappointed" then he walks out chuckling. Others gave two dads a hard time.
Two dads walk out and started walking up the stairs when he saw Steve looking down at him not knowing that swain and charge was not far behind him stop at the corner when he heard them talking.
"Leader, I try to explain things nicely to you and give you the opportunity to do the right thing but you don't seem to understand"
"I'm sorry sir for speaking the truth but as you said no one believes me"
"Is there a communication problem here, understand this if you make an enemy of me, your life isn't worth living in or out of the navy got it" then was heard over the PA system
"CO to the bridge." Steve turned and walked away. then two dads climb the steps and down the corridor.
Swain looked around the corner then looked at the charge who was shocked as well with what they just heard. "Bloody hell mate, it seems that two dads were telling the truth" , the charge said.
"Yeah, we need to get proof that the CO is the second sailor and somehow clear two dads," Swain said.
"I agree, plus we better let others know what we just heard and we owe two dads an apology for what we said to him believing CO over him"
"We do alright, I'll head to the bridge, if I see the X i'll tell her what we just heard"
"same here" then they went their separate ways.
Charge returns to where the others are. "You guys are not going to believe this but two dads are telling the truth"
"what charge just a few minutes ago…" dutchy said but was cut off
"dutchy, listen swain and i overheard two dads and the captain talking, two dads told the captain that he apologized for telling the truth" they laugh "This is not funny guys, the CO told two dads that he made an enemy out of him and his life, two dads life isn't worth living in or out of the navy" they look at charge and laugh "you think it funny, you go and ask swain he was with me at the time"
"Swain heard every thing" bomber asked.
"Yes, now he believes two dads are telling the truth and the way the captain threatens two dads. he is going to get away with it and two dads are going to get kicked out. we need to get evidence to prove that two dads are telling the truth"
"But how?" dutchy asked.
"the bar where the fight happened we could take a photo of the captain and show it to the bar owner" RO suggested
"that a great idea" bomber said
An Hour later the boarding team arrested a number of men who were the poachers. "X that man in the green shit, he the owner of the bar" Two dads said quietly to her.
"Are you sure"
"Yeah and two men on his right are the ones who beat me up and fort the captain"
"Ok, we will talk later" They all return back to Hammersley when Steve walks out on the back of the ship
"Great work crew" Steve said.
"Sir, I got a surprise for you," two dads said.
"What's surprise!" Two dads step aside when dutchty walks a man up onto the ship. Steve's face paled when he recognized the guy. When they saw Steve he stepped forward.
"You, you wreck my bar, you stole and killed my croc"
"X i'll be in my cabin, you have the ship" Steve turned and walked back the way he came. Kate gives out the orders which the crew obey.
When they returned back to Cairns, Mike was on the wharf with two other officers when Steve walked off the ship and over to where they were. "Steve you should be ashamed of yourself for what you have done and the threats you made to two dads"
"what threats, do you believe what two dads said"
"it wasn't two dads, it was swain and charge. They heard everything on the staircase between you and two dads, you threatened to make the two dads life hell if he was in the navy or not. You won't be threatening him or any other sailor any more. Lieutenants, take him to NAVCOM, commander white is waiting for him"
"Yes sir" Steve went to walk past Mike when Mike said. "Our friendship is over also Steve after what you have said and done. I don't want friends who did what you did." Steve walks over and gets into the car while Mike walks onto Hammersley where Kate is waiting for him.
"Mike"
"I've read Swain and Charge and you report Kate, I just can't believe what Steve has said and done"
"It's over now"
"Yeah but the question is two dads, because of this he still might get kicked out of the navy"
"All we can do is wait"
"True."