CHAPTER 16
SEPTEMBER 15TH –DAY 166; BRIGHT MOON DAY 55
Dressed in navy blue, gold on his cap and captain’s bars on his shoulders, Matthew stood on deck, and waited for Captain Roland to board the Bright Moon. Also in dress blue uniform with chief’s insignia, Ron stood beside him.
They both wore the medals that had been included with their uniforms, as well as the medal they had received from the crew of the Bright Moon. Of all of the medals they had won, this one was the most treasured.
The orders that came with the uniforms had specified: “Effective immediately, you are commanded, by orders of Admiral Jacob Roebuck, acting commander, Joint Chiefs of Staff, to report for active duty.”
Nice and neat. The USN had muzzled the two who could do the most damage to its image were muzzled. Matthew was to retain command of the Bright Moon, and Ron would be his next in command.
Matthew pulled on his tight collar. If it hadn’t been for orders, he would never have put the uniform on.
Su Li smoothed the collar, brushed at his shirt. And polished his medals with the sleeve of her blouse. “Women like men in uniform. Very manly.”
His crew whistled and howled when he came in for breakfast. “Hey, Captain!” shouted Jeff. “Looks great! You should dress like that all the time.”
That’ll be the day.
Although Matthew and Ron were given command of the Bright Moon, Captain Roland had offered to substitute his own people to bring the ship in. Matthew’s crew had adamantly refused. They had found the ship; they had learned to operate her; they had survived on her. They would sail her into port. No one would take that right from them.
The captain’s yacht from the Bright Moon was used to ferry the men of the USS Sarasota back and forth to the submarine. The boat neared the ship. The sea was a little rough and that would make securing it difficult.
Damage to the engine room of the Bright Moon wasn’t extensive, but it would be a few days before they could start back up. Even then, Matthew wasn’t sure they would be able maneuver the ship. While he waited, his mind played back the events of the last day and a half.
Roland had detonated the last torpedo less than one hundred yards from the Bright Moon. The explosion reverberated through the ship. Stunned silence pervaded the bridge as they realized they were still alive. Doris had moved first, and flipped the communications switch to audio. A radio message broke the deathly silence.
“This is USS Sarasota, Captain Thomas Roland commanding, to Captain Matthew Carlsen of Bright Moon. You are ordered to shut down all engines and prepare to be boarded. All crew and passengers are to assemble on deck at once. Please acknowledge. Over.”
Matthew took the microphone in his hand. “This is Captain Matthew Carlsen. We are shutting down engines. All personnel will be assembling on deck, as ordered. Over.”
“Be advised, Bright Moon, in the event you show any hostility, the next torpedo will sink your ship.”
“Acknowledged, Sarasota. We are complying with your orders. Bright Moon, out.” Matthew signed off and looked at the crew. “You heard what he said. Shut her down.” Ron relayed the message to the machine room., and the ship’s engines were shut down.
Matthew flipped the PA switch. “This is the captain speaking. All personnel assemble on deck. Repeat: All personnel assemble on deck immediately. Captain, out.” After a short pause, he spoke almost in a whisper, to his crew. “Let’s go, folks.” Those on the bridge shuffled quietly through the door to the main deck while he remained in the captain’s chair. Su Li waited for him.
They hadn’t been on the Bright Moon for two months; yet the ship had become their home, their security. Wistful, Matthew looked around the bridge, which was devoid of activity. They had survived. His orders hadn’t killed any more people.
He took a deep breath. He would miss the ship, and he would miss the people who had become his close friends, his family. His gaze rested on Su Li.
“It’s over.” His eyes brimmed with tears. “It’s finally over. We can go home. So, why do I feel like crying?” Su Li smiled, blinking back her own tears. She took his hand, and, together, they made their way to the main deck to wait for the boarding party.
The boat was secured, and Roland climbed the ladder to the main deck with a small package under his arm. He saluted, first the United States flag, which flew at the stern of the Bright Moon, then Matthew. “Permission to come aboard, Captain?”
“Permission granted,” acknowledged Matthew, saluting back. He extended his hand to Roland. “Welcome aboard, Captain. Dinner is ready in my quarters.”
While Ron stayed behind to take care of the boat, Matthew and Roland made their way toward the captain’s cabin. Once inside, Roland opened his small package and produced a bottle and two small glasses. “Hope you like good Scotch.”
“Isn’t that against regulations?”
“Not on a civilian ship, at least not good Scotch.” He poured a glass and handed it to Matthew who savored its bouquet before sipping it. A couple of days ago, Roland had fired three torpedoes at the Bright Moon. Now, here he was, getting ready to enjoy a meal in her captain’s quarters.
“How much trouble are you going to get into because of this?” Matthew asked.
“What? For drinking good Scotch?”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
Roland savored his drink before he answered. “None, I hope.” He smiled. “You never know. Maybe they’ll give me a medal.”
“For disobeying orders? Come on. You know as well as I do that we’re ordered to do things we don’t understand.”
“I didn’t say what my orders were.”
“You didn’t have to. You fired on us twice, even though we told you who we were, and you kept radio silence the whole time. It was obvious. Someone back home didn’t want this ship coming into port.” He paused and looked at Roland. “Why did you detonate that last torpedo? It was clear that your orders were to sink us, no questions asked.”
“That’s exactly what made me do it. The orders to keep radio silence bothered me right from the beginning. I knew there was something wrong. When we finally were in a position to disable your ship, I had to find out what it was.” He sipped his Scotch, and smiled ruefully. “You gave us a hard time, Captain. I would’ve never believed you commanded a crew of civilians.”
Matthew smiled with pride. “They’re a good crew. I’d put them up against the best.”
“You have.” Roland paused, then said: “Tell me. How did you get my name and the name of my boat?”
Matthew gave a sly smile. “I have a few contacts.”
Roland gave a hearty laugh. “I don’t doubt it. I’ve read some of the details in your records. You’ve got some friends in high places. Admiral Roebuck has contacted me personally. You’re to be extended every courtesy as captain of the Bright Moon and will retain command with your crew until we reach port.”
“The Bright Moon?”
Roland returned his grin. “Yeah. You know they’re gonna do everything they can to cover this up. There’s already a ship on the way with officials to de-brief you and your crew –probably mine too. The ship will take you in tow if Chief Jefferson can’t repair the damage to the control room and engine room. My boat will escort you to port. There seems to be some concern that there are others looking for you.”
“I’m not surprised. What do you think they’ll do to the ship?”
“For the record, the Bright Moon will be escorted into port, and the United States Navy will confiscate her because she has been involved in terrorist activities.”
“And off the record?”
Roland grinned. “They’ll probably try to bribe you and your crew to keep you from talking, and sink the ship so that no one ever finds out.”
Matthew laughed. “If you want to get technical about it. She’s ours. She was abandoned on the high seas. We found her and commandeered her.”
“Wrong. As captain in the US Navy, you commandeered her for the Unit
ed States of America, with the full knowledge that she was a military ship. You won’t be able to touch her. Besides, she’s full of illegal contraband.”
Matthew smiled “Well, you said yourself –I’m in command, and I didn’t see any contraband. If we threw it overboard before we got back, that argument would fall by the wayside. As I said, I do have a few contacts.”
Roland laughed heartily at this. “Wouldn’t that be something? That would get their goat.” His look became serious. “You wouldn’t do it?”
“It’s tempting.” Matthew shook his head. “But no; that would only help Admiral Williams.”
SEPTEMBER 19TH –DAY 169; BRIGHT MOON DAY 60
That evening after dinner, Matthew and Su Li took a stroll on deck of the Bright Moon. The USS Sarasota escorted them some thousand yards back.
The towboat had been unnecessary. For the last three days, the crew had been working feverishly to fix the damage to the machine room, repair the bridge to control room communications. The Bright Moon was sailing under her own power. The towboat had provided the only other thing they needed –fuel.
Jeff was in command of the bridge, his crew manned their stations, just as they had done for the last two months. A full crew manned the bridge, though the ship could have been operated with fewer. They were giving the de-briefing team a hard time. It was a matter of pride. The Bright Moon was still their ship, even if it wouldn’t be for long.
Matthew and Su Li stopped at the bow. It was late. The ocean was calm, and the moon was low on the horizon. The sky’s dark-blue mantle glittered with stars.
“It seems so long ago when we met on another ship, and I looked into your eyes for the first time,” he told her. “I remember it as though it happened yesterday. It was only a fraction of a second, but I couldn’t get you out of my mind after that.”
“I remember.”
“Do you remember that morning, when we talked on the stern?” She nodded and her soft lips broke into that half smile that made his heart beat a little faster. “I wanted to invite you to breakfast. But I didn’t have the nerve.”
“Too bad. I would have accepted. I was hoping you would invite me, but you were a little slow.”
“The story of my life.”
“That was the day you rejected Helen at the pool. You were very polite when you told her to jump into the water. I almost laughed out loud when you said that.”
“So you were watching!”
“Um, and I was happy when you got up and walked away. After that, I knew I wanted you, but I wasn’t sure if you wanted me. Then the ship sank and we ended up on the island and had that horrible misunderstanding. I thought I lost you.”
“No chance of that.” His fingers traced a gentle trail down the side of her face. “I have a woman that most men only dream about; and I am very much in love with her.”
She lifted her face, her lips beckoning. He took her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes. They sparkled and reflected the light from the stars. Her smile made him tipsy.
“I remember something else from that day,” he said in a husky voice, “I remember looking –staring into your eyes. I had to tear myself away from them. I concentrated on your lips while you were talking and had an awful urge to kiss you right then and there. I really had to fight it.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. She spoke in a whisper. “You do not have to fight it now.”
He didn’t.
Other Titles by Andrew Alix
Through the Portal series
Book One: The Land
Book Two: The People of the Weir - Expected release late 2016
Book Three: The Egru – tentative title release in 2017
Beware the Bright Moon
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Special thanks to my mother, mentor, and editor Loris Yvonne Alix, without whom this book would not exist. Thanks to Cindy Alix Foley for separating the chaff from the wheat and for helping me to dig a few (lots) wells. And, thank you to all my friends and relatives who have read this novel and encouraged me over the years to hone my craft and write more.
Mostly, I want to thank my wife Ruth, for patiently listening to me talk about this story for years and for putting up with the many hours I took to revise and edit it.
Thank you for reading books on BookFrom.Net Share this book with friends