It has been a couple of days since then, and a lot has happened in regards to the events on Bright Island. For starters, the Australian Federal Police have taken an interest in the island. Right now, I am relaxing on the bridge with Kate and Nikki. The reason why I say I am relaxing rather than being on watch is the fact that it is relatively quiet for once. The thing is, I don't know how long the relaxation is going to last. A part of me is hoping that it will at least last to the end of the current watch. I am soon interrupted by Mike, who has joined us.
"Nemo." He quickly acknowledges me.
"Sir," I respond in kind. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Kate vacate the Captain's chair.
"Are you enjoying yourself, X?" Mike makes short work of the small talk.
"Driving a patrol boat is different to a frigate," Kate responds.
"It's like driving a limo V8 vs a school bus," Nikki adds. Well, I would take a patrol boat over a frigate any day. I put it down to the fact that I feel more at home on smaller boats.
"It's more direct...,"
"More direct and more intuitive. The more you do it, the more you'll enjoy it," Mike confirms.
"Anyway, Sir, do you know why we are inserting two police officers onto Bright Island?" I ask. I only ask as the police presence confirms that Lisa was deliberately poisoned.
"I've asked the question, but they are refusing to answer," Mike responds.
"Naturally," I say. The thing is, if Lisa was deliberately poisoned, it could have negative implications. After pointing out a minor navigational error and adjusting course to compensate for it, a scraping sound rings through the hull.
"What the hell was that?" Kate asks as we all jump to attention. So much for relaxing.
"Captain has the ship. Full astern both engines," Mike is quick to take charge.
"Full astern both engines," I acknowledge as I press the corresponding button. After a tense few seconds, the ship finally responds.
"Both engines are full astern, boss," I confirm.
"Ok. Check depth Nav," Mike calls out. After a few seconds, she looks up from one of two screens on the bridge.
"The depth according to the echosounder is fifteen meters. That ties in with the charted depth.
"Anything on RADAR?"
"Nothing, sir," Nikki remarks as she glances at the RADAR.
"It's as if we stumbled on the invisible man. Nemo, stop both engines," He orders.
"Stop both engines," I confirm as I again press the corresponding button. After a couple of seconds, I confirm that the engines have stopped.
"X get ET. Let him know we need him to retrieve the object that we've hit," Mike orders. After a couple of minutes, I find myself on the top deck so I can see what's going on whilst remaining in control of the ship. I am not the only one who has come for a look. In fact, this is the most cramped I've felt on a ship since joining the Navy.
"The gunner is there because?" The female police officer asks as Kate tries to squeeze in.
"Sharks," I say.
"I wouldn't concern yourself with that, Ma'am. No self-respecting shark would eat him," Pete counters, getting a slight giggle from me.
"Maybe it would snack on him a little at least. It might do the women of the world a favour," Nikki adds. She is not wrong. I wince at the thought of the first time that I met Josh. He didn't even have the kind of subtlety that I like in men. After a few seconds, an orange thing that I recognise as some kind of transponder device bobs up to the surface, closely followed by Josh. The transponder looks rather high-tech for something that has been left on the ocean.
"Bridge, Comms sent, we have a high-frequency tracking signal nearby. It wasn't there a moment ago. Now it's booming in," Robert radios in confirming what I thought.
"Take the conn, Nav. X, you're with me," Mike remarks before moving to get a closer look. Once Josh gives Mike and Kate his report, we all go back to what we were doing before. I quickly head back to the bridge. Luckily for us, it doesn't take Mike long to get a plan of action from NAVCOM.
"Nav, mark the buoy's position,' Mike orders as he turns his attention to Nikki.
"Already done, sir," Nikki acknowledges.
"For once, I would like to get ahead of you," Mike counters, getting a polite giggle from her. Honestly, Nikki is one of the best navigators that I have seen. After some back and forth, Mike has us set a course for Bright Island. Hopefully, we can get back in time to catch whoever owns the transponder. I am soon pulled out of my thoughts by one of the new people.
"Ma'am, your watch is over."
"Thanks, Jaff, and you don't need to call me Ma'am. We are not on a big boat," I respond. To be honest, the formalities are my least favourite thing about being in the Navy. We soon trade places. I soon make it to the galley to see if Toby needs any help. To no one's surprise, Toby has an audience.
"So why are we dropping the feds off at Bright Island?" Tboy asks the million-dollar question.
"It's got to do with the marine biologist," Pete shares his theory. Well, he is right. There is more to the story than what we are actually getting.
"So you think it was murder?" Charge says as he approaches the galley table.
"Well, something caused her to suffer an allergic reaction, and some kind of nerve toxin would explain the paralysis. It is all speculation at this point, though," I weigh in. To be honest, I wish the topic of conversation would be about anything but what happened on Bright Island.
"I didn't say murder, though," Pete says.
"Neither did I. There are fish species that can deliver a nerve toxin that would trigger similar symptoms," I add. After some comments about the mystery surrounding Bright Island, the conversation turns towards what happened.
"It's the new X, running into something on the high seas," Pete says.
"Hey, it could have been me for all you know. I was at the helm," I jumped to her defence. Even though Pete is somewhat right in that Kate gave me the orders, it still does not give them the right to make fun of Kate behind her back.
"Either way, a woman driver was involved," Charge responds. I soon noticed Kate standing behind him. After a moment of awkwardness, I excuse myself. As I make my way back to the senior enlisted, Kate puts the call out to launch the tinnie. With that, I joined the small boarding party on the boat deck. After a minute, the tinnie is finally on the water. After a few minutes and some careful maneuvering, we made it to the shore. As the tinnie comes to a stop, I notice a newcomer. Hopefully, she is smart enough to be here with someone. I quickly help offload the police officers' stuff as Mike talks to the newcomer.
"May I ask you what you are doing here, Doctor Morell?" Mike asks as he joins the newcomer.
"Please call me Ursula. I am here to continue my colleague's research. Anyway, what are you doing here, Commander Flynn?" She asks.
"I'm giving these guys a lift," Mike responds as he gestures towards the police officers. After making sure Ursula and the police officers are safe, we finally leave. As we reach the Hammersley, I let go of a massive sigh. There is something about Bright Island that creeps me out. I put it down to the fact that there is something going on.
It has been thirty minutes since then, and I am trying to relax. Now that we have dropped the police officers off I want to forget what happened to Lisa. Despite my best efforts, I simply cannot relax. There is too much going on in my mind. For starters, it turns out that the buoy we crashed into belongs to potential drug smugglers. For some reason, I find myself in the wardroom with Billy and John. We are currently locked into an interesting discussion about that fact.
"So what you are saying is the buoy is left as a position marker, but why?" John asks.
"The mothership is probably rendezvousing with an Australian-flagged vessel to make it easier to slip through customs. It is a lot harder for Lieutenant Commander Flynn to justify why he made the decision to board an Australian vessel over a foreign vessel," I explain. To be fair, I can't blame the pair for having some questions. At least they are talking to someone who has both the Naval and the civilian knowledge of maritime law.
"But why not smuggle it on an Australian vessel to begin with?" Billy counters.
"I cannot answer that, but what I can tell you is the fact that it will be difficult to catch them in the act," I responded. After a few minutes of conversation, I am summoned to the boat deck. After donning a life jacket, I get comfortable on the RHIB. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for the RHIB to hit the water. Once Chris, Josh and Kate are comfortable, I begin the process of getting to the transponder. With some careful positioning, I get the RHIB as close as I feel comfortable.
"Divers standing by," Josh announces as he and Chris make their final preparations for the dive.
"Are you all set?" Kate asks as I bring the RHIB to a complete stop.
"You're cleared to dive," I give them the all clear. With a loud splash, Josh and Chris enter the water. After a moment of quiet, Kate speaks up.
"What drew you to patrol boats, Nemo?"
"Well, the smaller crew reminded me of home…I spent a year on the Arunta. Whilst she was a good ship, I just didn't fit in. So when I found out the Hammersley needed another crew member, I requested a transfer," I explained as Kate gives me an understanding nod. After a brief moment of connection, I notice bubbles on the surface. As if reading my mind, Kate gets up to have a closer look. Well, as close as she can get without getting in the water.
"Something's wrong," Kate says, reading my mind. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for Chris and Josh to surface. Chris is the first to make it to the RHIB. As we get Chris into the RHIB, he gives us a report that we don't want to hear.
"It's booby trapped. Could be a bomb," Chris pants as Kate moves to grab Josh's arm.
"Get us out of here," Kate orders as she and Chris make sure they have a good grip on Josh. I slam the throttle to full power. Just in time as well. A loud explosion sends a gush of water flying. As we head back to the Hammersley, Kate and Chris manage to pull Josh back onto the RHIB. Since we were going at full speed, the trip back to the Hammersley was relatively quick. Once we are all aboard, Mike gives me the order to get Josh to his bunk. After a moment of fussing, I am finally able to force him to go.
"I promise you, Nemo, I am fine," He protests.
"I will be the judge of that, ET. Now sit down and let me do my job," I say as we reach his bunk. Josh reluctantly sits down as I get to work on checking him over. After a couple of minutes, I come to the conclusion that Josh is indeed fine, considering the fact that he almost got blown up.
"See, I am fine," Josh remarks.
"You can't blame me for worrying. You were lucky that you were halfway on the RHIB when the bomb went off," I say. Before Josh has a chance to say anything further, I leave.
It has been a few hours since then, and I am on watch again. Not that I mind, as it keeps my mind off the fact that we have stumbled onto a rather sophisticated drug trafficking network. Well,for the most part, we are currently tracking one of the vessels suspected of carrying drugs.
"I've got some food for you, Nemo," Billy remarks as he offers me a plate.
"Thanks, Spider," I responded as I took it from him.
"Umm…are you ok?" Billy asks.
"Not really. There is a lot going on compared to past patrols," I say as I stretch. I am honestly overthinking, but a number of things have happened in the past week that have proven that a lot can go wrong in a short span of time.
"Well, I'm sure that whatever is happening, it will sort itself out," Billy says in a much-needed bout of optimism.
"I hope you're right, Spider," I responded. A slight smile creeps up on my face. There is something to his optimism that is contagious. There is one problem. I doubt it is going to last.
It is the morning after, and I am pulled out of my sleep by the morning wake-up call. After getting ready, I am about to grab something to eat from the galley when the call to boarding stations comes in. With that, I turn my attention to getting my gear. Once we have everything, the boarding party heads to the wardroom. Mike wanted to say a few things before we boarded the boat. The serious mood snakes its way through the small crowd.
"Ok, team, there is no one visible on deck, so we will be taking them by surprise. They have shown that they are willing to kill people, so if anyone gets hurt out there, make sure it isn't us," Mike says. Before he has the chance to say anything else, Josh joins us.
"I would like to join the boarding party, sir," He announces.
"You and me both, ET, but this has to be done by the book. The book doesn't allow COs or a potentially concussed officer to indulge themselves. Stand down. Stay sharp, team," Mike dismisses us. I can't blame Josh for his desire to join us. After a few minutes, we pull alongside the boat. As we do, we all leap aboard. It doesn't take long for us to gain the attention of whoever is in charge of the boat. Pete soon gives them the order to sit down so we can get the required information.
"Is there anyone else on board?" Pete asks.
"Nah," The man who I assume to be in charge responds. He is not particularly happy about the situation. With that, Kate takes over. As she explains what is going o,n John and I begin our search. To my surprise, it didn't take long for us to find at least some of their stash.
"I'll let the X know," I whisper as John passes me the bags of what I assume to be drugs.
"Ok," John replies as I leave the wheelhouse.
"Hey, X Jaff and I found something of interest," I say as I show the bags to Kate. She is quick to examine them.
"Friends of ours borrowed the boat. It must be theirs,"
"Either way, the recreational diving has come to an end," Kate announces to the dismay of the two sailors. After some protesting from the two sailors, Kate quickly radios in her report. As she does, one of the sailors makes a lunge for the radio. Both Pete and I get to work on trying to restrain him. Thankfully, with our efforts, He is unable to get a message to what I assume to be the mother ship. Kate quickly joins us.
"X-ray 82 negative. I repeat, negative. The captain of the vessel just tried to use his radio," Kate is quick to update her report as she moves a little closer.
"What was that about?" Kate adds.
"I have to contact my brother, Stuart. He is on his way to make another pickup." He seems desperate, which can only mean one thing. He is telling us the truth. I hope so. After a couple of minutes, Kate orders most of the boarding party back to the Hammersley. I find myself on the bridge with Mike, Nikki, Chris and Josh.
"The target vessel has now closed on the buoy," Nikki announces.
"What's our ETA?" Mike asks.
"Twenty-five minutes. The target vessel is now stationary," Nikki responds. Mike begins to pace in what little room we have on the bridge. He must be forming a plan.
"We know the buoy was booby trapped. It was remotely activated."
"Yes. It had to have been," Chris confirms.
"If it wasn't Julian who activated it, that means there is someone else. They must have picked us up on their Radar and then pressed the button," Mike concludes.
"That would be my guess, sir," Chris again confirms.
"So we could potentially catch whoever is responsible if they are in the area," I voice my opinion.
"Exactly-," Before Mike can continue, he is interrupted by Nikki.
"Sir, we have a stationary contact seven nautical miles south of the buoy. The same thing happened at the last buoy, which I took to be a fishing boat." Nikki seems both a little confused and annoyed. I put it down to the fact that she missed something. In her defence, when we were at the last buoy, we didn't know the full story.
"It could be the drug bosses who detonated the booby trap. Mark that position and let me know if they move," Mike responds before turning his attention to the plan at hand. After a few tense minutes, we finally made it to the location of the other buoy. Unfortunately, it is not good news. After double-checking that there are no survivors, we turn our attention to capturing the mothership. Thankfully, it doesn't take long for us to catch up to the mothership.
"Hands to boarding stations. Hands to boarding stations," Nikki calls out via the ship's PA system. With that, I head to the armoury. Once I have all of my gear, I join the boarding party on the RHIB. To no one's surprise, the boarding is quite quick. After a tense standoff, the two men give in.
"Buff, Jaff and I will lead the steaming party. Make sure these two get to the Hammersley without any drama," I announce.
"Of course," ET responds as he handcuffs one of the guys.
It has been five long hours since then, and I am glad to be back in Cairns. After making sure the feds have everything they need, I turn my attention to John. Before I can say anything, he speaks up.
"Ma…Nemo, do you think I could have the night off?" John timidly asks..
"Do you have to do any of the night watches?" I counter.
"No…," John responds.
"Then you can have the night off. I suggest you use it to relax," I say as we leave.
"Of course," John confirms. Thankfully, it didn't take long for me to reach the Hammersley. At least this time, nothing should go wrong as we won't be leaving port until tomorrow. Knowing our luck, that is when everything will go wrong.