~*~
Another three weeks passed and Mike was still on Keykan. The system had just gotten up and running—not a day too soon. It only needed a storm and fog combination to give the system a real live test. Hopefully, it will really be live, too, Mike thought. He didn’t want to hear of any losses this time, only live successes—such a storm had hit last night.
“Telephone, Mr. Maltby,” Joshua’s secretary said, sticking her head into the conference room and continuing, “Mr. Bonnard. Wants to talk with you.”
He grabbed the phone and answered, “Yeah, Dan.”
“Mike! It worked fine. Just the way we designed it. There was one loss, but not because of navigation. Other boats witnessed one boat swamped in the high seas, but they got all the sailors out of the water. That’s not something this system can do anything about. Some other boats were a little slow getting home because they were so far off course, but everyone reported good read outs on their receivers and they all knew just where to head.”
“That’s great, Dan, thanks. Are you guys wrapping up and heading home?”
“That’s another reason I called, Mike. You know this incident made me realize that some of the losses down here are not from getting lost, but from boats being capsized and sailors blown or washed off into the sea.”
“Yes, I know, but as you say, the system can’t do anything about that.”
“True, but an island-based weather station with the latest long-range radar and an uplink to a weather satellite could predict the storms and their intensity hundreds of miles out. It could allow them to make an educated guess as to whether or not the conditions were likely to produce fog. It would give them a better chance at least.”
“Sure, Dan, but these sailboats don’t have powerful radios that can receive weather reports. That’s always been their problem.”
“But they have battery-operated mini-receivers that the main station could use to warn the boats by flashing signals over the SIGS. John and Tom say it could be done by some re-programming and rewiring. What do you think? Could you tap the National Weather Service and see if they or the Defense Department would be interested in a new site for a weather station? I think the United States would like to be able to have first-hand data on the weather in this area. Not only for shipping, but to know what is coming up the South Atlantic,” Dan finished slyly.
“Why not, Dan. Just one more rabbit to pull out of the hat. I’ll get my electronic black book out and see what I can come up with. I’ll be back with you as soon as I can,” he responded, business-like again.
“What now?” Joshua asked.
“Dan wants a weather station down here to predict the storms and warn the ships using the SIGS to transmit the weather data. I’m not sure though that a United States weather station would be well received. It’s one thing to let warships make port calls here occasionally, but a fully-manned and full-time weather station might be more than you would want. My impression is that you like to be left alone as much as possible and I can’t say as I blame you. However, the idea has merit, but I think I may be able to get some private funding for you to build your own station, as long as you agree to distribute information to other islands and countries. What do you think?”
“Yes, I believe you are right. It could be done. Parliament likes your ideas. No loss of life in the first storm and only one boat lost will convince them even more that you know what you are doing.”
“How did you know about the losses? Dan just told me.”
Joshua smiled and said, “I am still president. I was awakened in the middle of the night and given the latest reports. I saw no need to disturb you. I knew Mr. Bonnard would let you know this morning.”
“Okay, Mr. President. Well then I guess my vacation is over. That plane goes out tonight and I’ll be on it.”
“Thank you for all you’ve done, Mike, we can never repay you, but you are welcome here anytime you like.”
“Well I wasn’t in it for the pay, but maybe I’ll come back some time, Joshua. I can’t say for sure. I go where the spirit moves me.”
“What spirit?”
Mike thought back to the hills of Appalachia and a young boy named Jamie Sadler who once asked him the same question, then he answered, “Can’t say as I know the answer to that one, Mr. President.”
The End
To find other titles by Robert James Allison, visit his website at:
www.robertjamesallison.com
Robert James Allison is an attorney who practiced law in Central Illinois for over 25 years. He has since retired from the private practice of law and moved to Louisville, KY. In the 1970s he served in the U.S. Army as a Military Policeman and later was a Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corp, Army National Guard. Robert draws on his life experiences in his writing and melds his experiences with his characters to give them a realism that draws the reader into their lives.
Full-length novels by Robert James Allison:
The First Suitor - a romantic suspense
Failed Succession (The First Suitor sequel) - a political thriller
Legal Nightmare - a legal thriller
Scholarly Pursuit - a romantic action adventure
Matters of Faith-a mystery
Fairway Fatality-a murder mystery
The Preacher-a murder mystery
Solitaire’s War (book one) -an espionage adventure
The Path to the Outside (book two) -an espionage adventure
In Search of Evil (book three) - an espionage adventure
Unlikely Developments – a contemporary romance
Short stories:
A Story for Eloise - inspirational
The Vern Stephens Operation - inspirational
Small Town Doctor - inspirational
Jimmy’s Zoo - inspirational
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