It has been a couple of days since then and everything seems to have gone back to normal. Well as normal as it can get when there is a terrorist threat looming over our now we are getting ready to board a vessel suspected of being used for human trafficking. As soon as I have the bulletproof vest and the life jacket on I throw my medical bag over my shoulder.
"Are you ready?" Dutchy asks as we make our way to the RHIBs.
"Of course," I reply. The thing is I know that looking after the victims will be hard as there is a strong possibility that there will be a language barrier. After a couple of minutes, we move to intercept the vessel. As soon as we set foot on the vessel shots ring out\
"AUSTRALIAN NAVY PUT YOUR WEAPONS DOWN!" We all shout as we return fire. It is tense but the small crew is quickly overwhelmed. Once everything is clear I get to work on checking over the victims however it is proving to be interesting.
"I'm a doctor. Look. Doctor," I say as I gesture to the medical insignia on my sleeve. I am hoping that the red cross on a white background is a universal sign.
"Tôi nghĩ cô ấy đang cố gắng giúp chúng ta (I think she is trying to help us)," I catch one of the victims whisper.
"họ có thể là những kẻ xấu (they might be bad guys)," Another one of the victims counters.
"You help us right?" A third victim speaks up.
"Yes. My crew and I will do everything we can to make you comfortable," I reply. After some gentle coaxing, the victims allow me to check over them. To my surprise, they are in good physical condition.
"How are the victims doing?" Kate asks as she joins us.
"They are good physically but they are terrified," I give my report. After some back and forth Kate and I agree that the best course of action is to take the victims aboard the Hammersley and leave the crew with a steaming party. Thankfully the transfer doesn't take long. After making sure they are settled I turn my attention to Swain.
"Get me if you need any help. I will be on the bridge for my watch," I excuse myself. I am about to leave when I feel something or rather someone tugging at my arm.
"Forgive my Daughter. She is scared," The woman who spoke up earlier apologises for some reason.
"Don't worry about it. With what you guys have been through I can't blame her. Look I will be back in a few hours to make sure you are safe," I respond. A part of me wonders if the crew are part of the IPSR. It would explain why the victims are scared. After getting some reassurance from her mother the girl finally lets go. To be honest I wish there was something that I could do for them as there is a reason that they fled Vietnam.
It has been a few minutes since then and to my surprise the radio waves are relatively silent. I put it down to the fact that there is not much in the way of activity. I soon catch my thoughts drifting back to the girl and the circumstances surrounding her arrival on the Hammersley.
"What's on your mind Hoppo?" Mike turns his attention to me.
"Nothing important…Well not yet," I respond.
"Ok. Let me know when it becomes important," Mike responds.
"Of course Boss," I say as I turn my attention back to the radio. To be honest there is not much I can do without evidence. After a few minutes, some chatter catches my attention.
"Vixen to Doe the Nord is out of commission," Someone announces. I quickly get to work on transcribing what they are saying as the Nord is the name of the vessel that we intercepted. The radio transmission may be the evidence that I need.
"Doe to Vixen what do you want us to do with the cargo?" Someone from the other vessel replies.
"Try to salvage the cargo if possible," The radio operator of the Vixen responds. Well, I now have the evidence I need. After scribing the rest of the messages I turn my attention to Mike.
"Boss, something has come up. I intercepted the following transmission between two vessels," I announce as I offer the piece of paper with the transcript of what was said. Mike quickly reads it.
"Ok. I need everyone to be extra vigilant on their watches in case it is a viable threat. Thank you Hoppo," Mike responds. It has been a few hours since then and I am moving my blanket and pillows to Austere. I decided that it would be better for someone to stay in Austere with the victims so I volunteered since I am already helping them. Of course, having my arms full of bedding is making navigating the ship harder. As if on cue I feel the force of someone walking into me.
"Watch out," It's Robert.
"You try and navigate the ship with your hands full of bedding," I respond as I try my best to clear a path for Robert.
"Would you like some help?" Robert remarks.
"Can you take the pillows please?" I respond. With a few swift movements Robert has the pillows in his hands and I have the blankets under control.
"Who's idea was this anyway?" He asks as we begin the walk to Austere.
"Mine. I thought it would be better to stay with the refugees until we can guarantee their safety. You're welcome to join me until your next watch or till you fall asleep. Whichever comes first," I explain. The truth is I don't even know if the crew of the Doe or Vixen will follow through with their plan once they realise that they are dealing with an Australian Navy warship. Well, an Australian Navy Patrol boat. Still, the point is once they realise the Navy is involved they may back off.
"I'll stay for a little bit," Robert responds. After a couple of minutes of carefully navigating we finally made it to Austere. With a few swift movements, my bunk is set up.
"Doctor you seem a little worried," The woman from before speaks up.
"It's nothing for you to worry about," I reply as I sit down. A game soon breaks out between some of the refugees. After a couple of minutes of watching, I turn my attention to Robert.
"So why did you join me?" I ask
"What do you mean?" Robert responds.
"You are the last person I would expect to help me look after refugees. So why are you helping me?" I explain what I mean as Robert goes for the invisible itch on the nape of his neck. I find myself giggling at the display of embarrassment.
"Well, I wasn't on watch…so I thought I would make myself useful. You do need two people to keep watch," Robert fumbles his explanation. He is not wrong however I get the impression that he is not telling med the full truth. After some back and forth Robert and I both agree that there is more to Robert being here. After a couple of hours, Robert excuses himself.
"Ok. Let the others who are on watch with you to wake me up in case the Doe or Vixen attack," I respond.
"I will even though I don't think anything is going to happen," Robert says before leaving. I hope he is right. After making sure everyone is settled I head to my bunk. With a few swift movements, I get myself comfortable. I soon drift off to sleep.
The next thing I know I am being awoken by Swain. Realising what is going on I snap into action. \
"The radio message you intercepted turned out to be credible," Swain explains as he passes me a gun. It is a little odd that the Hammersley has come under attack. That must mean one of the refugees is particularly valuable. The thought makes my stomach drop. After making sure my gun is ready I join Swain outside the door to Austere. I am hoping that the pirates won't get this far.
"Have they made it onto the Hammersley yet?" I tentatively ask.
"Yes. The others have slowed them down but they are determined to get their cargo," Swain confirms. It makes me sick to think that there are people out there who treat people like they are simple cargo. After a minute my attention is grabbed by the sound of gunshots. I find my grip tightening on the handle of my gun. A part of me wonders how they managed to sneak on board. My attention is soon grabbed the sound of skin hitting metal. I glance down the corridor at the source of the sound. Dutchy is desperately trying to wrestle a man away from Austere. I notice the gun in one of his hands however it looks like it's been emptied.
"I'll help Dutchy. You focus on the refugees," Swain orders.
"Copy that," I responded. I return back to Austere where the refugees are starting to stir.
"Mẹ ơi, có chuyện gì thế (Mum what's going on)?" The little girl asks as her mum wakes up. She must have woken up due to the gunshots.
"Tôi không biết. Doctor, can you tell us what is happening? My daughter is scared," The girl's mother asks. Before I have the chance to respond a loud thud sounds as Swain manages to wrestle the last guy to the ground. I quickly draw my weapon on the pair.
"Ok fine. You win. You can keep the refugee filth we have our money anyway," The man sneers as he goes limp. After making sure he is secured Swain drags him away. After double-checking that the refugees are ok, I head back to sleep.
It is the day after and I am watching on as the refugees leave. I am thinking about the fact that the crews of the Doe and the Vixen were dumb enough to try and attack a warship. It turns out they used a technique that is common among pirates. The thing is it works because the pirates attack pleasure vessels, not warships.
"Are you alright?" Robert asks pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Yeah. I was thinking about the refugees and the fact that they are most likely to be deported. Which is kinda sad because they had their reasons for leaving," I respond. I realise that they entered Australian waters illegally but they are victims of a larger crime.
"Unfortunately there is nothing that you can do. Anyway, I was thinking…maybe…you and I…,
"I'm going to stop you right there," I know exactly what Robert is going to ask and I know for a fact that as nice as it would be to get to know him better the fraternisation rules would prevent it as I am an officer and he is an enlisted man. It was at that moment that I noticed Robert's body language change.
"I'm sorry but rules are rules," I realise that my apology is only making things worse. The thing is I already have an idea in mind to make it better but I don't want to say anything until we leave the shipyard. Scuttlebutt tends to travel fast in small crews.
It has been a couple of hours since then and I am doing something that could end in disaster if I am not careful. I take a deep breath as I knock on the door.
"What are you doing here Hoppo?" Robert asks.
"I came to accept your offer. I didn't want to agree to it while we were at the base because scuttlebutt travels," I say as I offer him a bottle of wine. He quickly accepts the offering as he shows me in.
"So…I was thinking we could get takeaway instead of going out," I remark. The events of the past couple of days have left me tired.
"Sure," Robert responds After fifteen minutes we finally have the food. For some reason, we agreed to have Chinese takeaway. After setting the table Robert and I get to work on eating. Between mouthfuls, we manage to socialise. As the night draws on I find it refreshing that we are able to sit down and not worry about the others. I hope that Robert and I can find a way to deal with the possibility of a relationship that won't jeopardise our careers.