"Hey, Dad, are you sure you tied the boat correctly?" I ask as I get to work on checking my dad's knot work. I am making sure that everything is ok before I leave for work. The reason why I am checking is due to the fact that I am worried that my Dad is nearing the age where things become a little difficult.
"I should have. I've been sailing for longer than you've been alive," My Dad responds. Thankfully, he has tied them properly.
"Well, forgive me for being overprotective of this boat. If anything major happens to it, you are gonna have to start working again, as my salary is not going to cover the repairs. Anyway, I will be going soon. I will see you in a few days." I say as I grab a few things.
"Well, I might see you sooner," My dad counters, which gets a giggle from me.
"Well, I will keep an eye out on channel sixteen," I reassure him. I hope he decides to sail with someone else. After a somewhat drawn-out goodbye, I finally leave. After a ten-minute walk, I made it to HMAS Cairns, where the Hammersley is based. Anyway, I should introduce myself before I go any further. My name is Morgan Riggs. I am a medic and coxswain for the Royal Australian Navy. When I am not on patrol, I can be found helping my dad on his fishing boat. Not that we have been out much, as I have been busy with my duties on the Hammersley. To be honest, I can't complain as I am where I am meant to be.
"How's the old man Nemo?" I am pulled out of my thoughts by the Hammersley's boatswain, Pete Tomaszewski. In case you are wondering, I earned the nickname Nemo when I first joined the Hammersley's crew. I'm not sure exactly what gave them the idea, but for some reason it stuck.
"Yeah, he's been better, Buffer. I have the feeling that he is going to retire soon." I respond as we board the Hammersley. After some back and forth, we part ways. After changing into my overalls, I head to the bridge.
"Morning, Sir. Morning Ma'am. Are we expecting the new X today?" I ask as I take my position up at the ship's helm.
"Yes, we are. Not only that, but we are expecting some crew members fresh from basic," The commanding officer, Mike Flynn, responds.
"That can't be good, Sir," The ship's Navigator Nikki Caetano says, barely looking up from her charts. I can't blame her for making a comment like that, as the fresh blood isn't always the best. The thing is, we just have to give them a chance.
"It should be fine. Anyway, Nemo, I need you to show the new crew members around," Mike says.
"Aye, sir," I acknowledge. After a few minutes of waiting, I moved to intercept the new crew members. As with any new people, they seem a little lost.
"Can I help you two?" I ask, causing them to flinch.
"Yeah, we were told to report to Lieutenant Commander Flynn. My name is Billy, and this is John," The braver of the pair makes the introductions.
"Nemo," I return the greeting. The use of my nickname seems to confuse the pair. To be honest, the only time my first name is ever used is for formal occasions, and even then, it is rare that I am involved in those kinds of events. As for my life outside the Navy, it depends. Since the Fremantle-class patrol boat is relatively small, I make short work of guiding the pair to the bridge. As we cram into the small space, I take note of the names on their name tags.
"Boss Seaman Webb and Seaman Jaffah are here as ordered," I remark. After some back and forth, Mike finally dismisses the pair. After making sure they know where the junior enlisted quarters are, I retake my position at the helm. Luckily for us, the new executive officer arrives soon after. She is quick to introduce herself as Lieutenant Kate McGregor. Now that everyone is here, Mike gives us the order to set sail.
It has been a few hours since then, and I am watching a small fishing vessel off the port side of the ship. Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the crew on the top deck, the boat is not stopping. After a burst of fire, the vessel finally comes to a stop. With that, Mike calls hands to the boarding stations. After a couple of minutes, we are finally ready. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the rigid inflatable hulled boat to be launched. As we approach the vessel, I notice a foul smell.
"What is that foul smell?" Kate asked as her nose scrunched up.
"Trochus shells, Ma'am. They leave the fish to rot so they can get to the shells," I respond. I guess I am lucky that I grew up on trawlers. To be honest, a part of me thought I was going to get away from all of this when I joined the Navy, but I was wrong. At least when my dad and I catch Trochous, it is legal. With some careful guidance, we are able to board the ship. It doesn't take long for disaster to strike. I notice Kate leaning over the rails. The smell must be overwhelming her.
"Buff, I'll make sure the X is ok," I say. Pete nods as he gestures for the crew to get back.
"Ma'am, you ok?" I ask as she regains her composure.
"I'm fine." With that, Kate turns her attention to completing the mission. She is quick to deliver her orders. After acknowledging them, I turn my attention to finding the paperwork that should be on this vessel. To be honest, I am not sure why she is making me look when I can guarantee her that the required paperwork is not on board. Still, orders are orders. After a good, hard look, I return to the others.
"Ma'am, there is no paperwork to indicate that they are permitted to fish here," I announce my lack of findings.
"Ok. Charlie 82, this is X-ray 82 over?" Kate gets to work on radioing in a situation report.
"This is Charlie 82, go ahead." Mike acknowledges.
"The master of the vessel denies knowing they are in our eez. They have a full load of Trochus on board. I recommend apprehension and a tow back to base over," Kate makes the typical recommendation for a situation like this. After confirming what we are going to do, Kate is quick to assign roles. Luckily for me, I have avoided the steaming party. Don't get me wrong, I don't normally mind being a part of the steaming party, but Trochus are the worst. It has been a few hours since then, and I am helping our resident chef prepare dinner.
"I'm just saying the new blood, as good as they are, will take time to adjust," I respond to one of Toby's many complaints.
"Still...I think someone like Spider should be on bigger boats. Less chance of throwing up," Toby counters.
"Not really. Anyway, we need to focus on the scran. It isn't going to cook itself," I say, redirecting his attention. After a few minutes, the food is finally finished. After helping myself, I head to the wardroom.
It is the morning after, and I am making sure we are on course to HMAS Carins. Thankfully, nothing happened overnight, but I have the nasty feeling that something will happen this morning. I am currently watching Toby talking to Billy. My attention was soon caught by Robert, the Hammersley's radio operator. There is one of two reasons why he is here.
"Let me guess a mayday?" I ask as he closes the door to the bridge behind him.
"No, not quiet. Ma'am, would you mind getting the Captain to the bridge?" Robert asks as he turns his attention to Nikki.
"Of course," Nikki says as she brings the microphone belonging to the PA system to her mouth.
"Commanding officer to the bridge," Her voice rings through the ship. After a couple of minutes of waiting, Mike finally joins us.
"Sir, signal from NAVCOM. There is a medical emergency on Bright Island," Robert announces.
"Bright Island is currently seventy miles away," Nikki confirms. After getting the information from Robert and a minor delay, we are finally underway towards Bright Island. It has been twenty minutes since then, and whilst we are underway to Bright Island, Toby whipped up some lunch for us. As we dish up, the attention is on me.
"So, Nemo, what do you know about Bright Island?" The ship's Electrical Technician asks as he dumps a whole load of food onto his plate.
"Well, the locals around the area like to think it is haunted due to a few deaths that happened on the Island. I reckon the deaths there were all accidents," I respond. The truth is, the only things that I have heard about Bright Island are purely speculative. It is due to the fact that a couple of times I went there with my dad, the fishing didn't yield anything good, so we didn't stay there. After taunting, Billy Charge turns his attention to getting somewhere where he can eat. Before I can say anything to reassure Billy Buffer speaks up.
"You're average Jack Tar is a very superstitious animal. Make sure you don't listen to him, Spider," Pete says.
"Umm...my name is Billy...Billy Webb," Billy timidly corrects Buffer.
"Yeah, that's right. Spider Webb," Toby explains.
"Nah...I had that all through school. In fact, I joined the Navy to get away from it," Billy protests.
"At least the origin of your nickname makes sense," I counter. Billy is about to protest yet again, however, he is cut off by the chime of the PA system.
"Hear there, the following personnel are nominated for the shore party and muster at the armoury for issue of equipment. XO, Buffer, Swain, Nemo and Seaman Webb. That's all," Nikki announces to my annoyance. I would have preferred to have something to eat before heading to Bright Island.
"Make sure you keep the food warm for me, Chefo," I remark as I leave. After what feels like an eternity, we finally have all of our gear. As Buffer gets to work on checking our gear, Kate joins us.
"Ok, listen up, we are looking for a civilian marine biologist. Her name is Doctor Lisa Holmes. She was working on Bright Island alone when her communications cut out." Kate briefs us on what is going on. Given the words in her briefing, it is going to end in disaster. One thing you learn when you travel on the water is never do anything alone, even if you think you can handle it.
After a couple of minutes, we've made landfall. After splitting us into two teams, we get to work on searching. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for us to find the first piece of evidence. As time goes by, more evidence of Lisa's camp shows itself. Our radios soon crackle to life. Unfortunately, the report from Kate is barely audible.
"Mike 82 to X-ray 82, please say again?"
"Mike 82, we found Lisa. Over," Kate responds. Thankfully, this time the message is clear enough to make out.
"Buff, Spider, I'm going to join the X. You two need to find higher ground so that we can communicate clearly." It feels wrong ordering the others, especially Pete, given that he is the rank above me, but I have a feeling that Kate and Chris are going to need my help. After retracing our steps, I made it to where we started. After a few seconds, I find Kate and Chris. They are hunched over Lisa's body. The first thing that I notice is how pale her skin looks.
"Swain, I think she's struggling to breathe due to anaphylaxis," I remark as I join them.
"What makes you say that?" Kate asks.
"Well, there is mild swelling on her face, and she is struggling to breathe," I say, getting a funny look from both Kate and Chris.
"The question you should be asking is what is causing the reaction." I add.
"She is paralysed, which means we can't move her," Kate explains why we haven't got her back to the Hammersley. That complicates matters. With that out of the way, I explain what I am doing here anyway.
"Good thinking, Nemo." After complimenting me, Pete finally makes contact. After a long back and forth between the doctor, the Hammersley, and us, we are finally ready to transport her; however, I notice something that could derail the rescue attempt.
"X, she is not breathing. I can perform a tracheotomy, but I will need the doctor to walk me through. It has been a while since I did one. X I'm going to need your gun and a knife," I order. The thing is, the last time I did it was on my dad's fishing trawler when I was sixteen. After stripping Kate's gun to the barrel, I take a deep breath.
"Are you sure you can do this?" Chris asks.
"We've got no choice, do we?" I snap. As much as I don't want to do the tracheotomy, we have no choice if Lisa is to live. After confirming the plan, Pete starts relaying the doctor's instructions to me. After a tense couple of minutes, I am finally done. Now for the moment of truth. A slight hissing sound can be heard coming from the pipe. I catch myself sighing, as that means it has worked.
It has been a couple of minutes since we boarded the Hammersley with Lisa and I have left Chris to look after Lisa as the weight of what I have done has hit me. The idea of having to cut a complete stranger's throat doesn't sit right with me, even though there is a chance that it could save them. There is also something else that doesn't add up. She may have been having a reaction to something, but paralysis is not a symptom of anaphylaxis. My attention is grabbed by a knock on the door. It's Mike.
"How are you doing?" He asks as I gesture for him to join me.
"Honestly, I'm a little overwhelmed. I was a little out of my depth...," I trail off.
"Well, if you were a fully qualified doctor, you wouldn't be on a patrol boat," Mike counters. He is right.
"Well, if it means anything, the X believes you did a first-rate job," Mike adds.
"It's just the idea of cutting a stranger's neck open. Sure, I have done it before, but I am no paramedic." I counter. Besides, the last time I did it, we had a medevac helicopter pick up the victim. Something tells me that despite his best efforts, Mike couldn't arrange such luxuries.
"Anyway, how's the old man?" Mike turns the conversation to something a little lighthearted.
"He's fine. I'm trying to convince him to retire from commercial fishing and let my brother take charge, but he's been stubborn," I explain, getting a slight giggle from Mike. I guess, as a career Navy man, he will understand how my dad feels. It doesn't take long for us to be distracted by Nikki.
"Sir, we can't make contact with our guys on the fishing boat." She announces to Mike's annoyance. After a couple of minutes of calming down, I rejoin Chris.
"How's she doing, Swain?" I ask as I take a seat next to him.
"Lisa is stable for now, thanks to you," Chris confirms. The thing is, the ordeal isn't over yet. We need to get her to a hospital. A knock soon rings through the wardroom.
"Swain, Nemo, I've been in touch with her firm. Her boss is one Doctor Ursula Morrell. She says Doctor Holmes was running tests on the water around Bright Island," Kate informs us.
"So what does that mean for us?" Chris asks.
"It's speculation at this point, we are looking at a seaborn toxin or, as you said, Nemo, an allergic reaction," Kate responds. She is not happy about the situation. Neither am I, as it was an allergic reaction caused by something. If it is a reaction caused by something sea-based, we could have a catastrophe on our hands.
"Well, that is not very specific," I complain.
"Is there anything that we could give her?" I add as Chris checks her breathing.
"No. Doctor Poulos said to keep doing what you are doing. In other words, keep treating her symptoms and monitor her breathing. He also said to get her back to base ASAP." Kate replies. So that means we are doing everything that we can. After some reassurance from Kate, she leaves. As soon as she is out of sight, disaster strikes. Thankfully, Chris is quick to get her to relax.
After a couple of minutes of waiting, I check Lisa's pulse.
"Swain, there's no pulse. I'm going to have to start CPR. Give her two breaths and I'll do thirty compressions," I announce as I move into position. As time ticks by, both Chris and I grow desperate; however, deep down, I know our attempts are in vain.
"Swain, has she got a pulse?" I ask in the vain hope that a miracle has happened. The look on his face says it all. Chris leaves as I try to catch my breath. I find myself uttering a few words as a condolence. Once I said what I wanted to say, I left. There is not much that I can do now. As I head to the galley, I use the palm of my hand to wipe away the tears. On top of that, I realise that I am not actually hungry. I just want company who isn't called Swain.
"You ok, Nemo?" Robert asks in a rare fit of kindness.
"She didn't make it...Swain and I did everything, but it wasn't enough," I admit.
"Look, you did your best and that is all you can do," Robert responds. After a minute in silence, we made it to the galley. Robert is quick to dismiss himself. He is right. After a moment of hesitation, those who are not on watch are summoned to the bow of the boat. After makings sure everyone is gathered, Mike gets to work on saying what he wants to say.
"I want to congratulate you on the professionalism that you showed over the past couple of days. We've had a death on board that was sadly unavoidable. At least we know that we did our best." Those words feel pointed directly at Chris and me. I feel a slightly reassuring pat from Toby.
"When we reach port, there will be a critical incident stress support team available for those who need it. Nac set course for home," Mike ends the announcement with the order that we have all been wanting to hear. It has been a couple of minutes since the announcement was made, and I am standing at the very front of the bow. I am watching the waves go by as I sort through my thoughts.
"Are you alright, Morgan?" I am pulled out of my thoughts by Mike.
"No...Not really. I may have lost a crew member before, but it still doesn't soften the blow. She was breathing the one minute, then gone the next...I know I can't blame myself-,"
"Morgan, I meant what I said. You and Swain did everything you could given the circumstances," Mike says. It doesn't feel like it. Anyway, I can't dwell on what has already happened. I just need to move on. As harsh as it sounds, Lisa was a stranger. After Mike leaves, I check my watch. At least I have my duties to hopefully distract me from the events of the past few days.