The Event: The Beginning (23 page)

              “Thank you Chief, I appreciate it. Let’s see what we’ve got here. I’ve got some wonderful cooks, and I have someone in mind to lead the kitchen, if that is not already set. I will get them with you tomorrow.” I said, opening the folder.

              “As you can see, medical supplies are not really in short supply. We really haven’t had cause to use any, and we raided the other carrier as well. Food on the other hand, is an issue. We raided the other carrier for food supplies as well, along with the smaller ships. We gathered enough to fill our freezers and pantry at first, and we have rationed it, but without being able to refill our stock, we are starting to run low.” she told me as I reviewed the list. There still seemed to be plenty of canned goods left, but meat was low, as she said. I would definitely have to work on getting a hunting party out soon, and probably often. While I was still reviewing the food list, Lt. J.G. Daniel walked in. He introduced himself, handed me his list and sat down, talking to Lt. Levine. I scanned the list of weapons and ammo he provided me, impressed with the selection we would have here.

              “I knew there would be an impressive list of weapons onboard, but I didn’t know it would be this good. Was this already here or have you guys raided the other ships for weapons and ammo as well?” I asked.

              “We raided the Jefferson, the Princeton, and the Vicksburg. All the ships were raided for food and medical supplies, but we only stripped the first two cruisers of ammo. As you can see, we have plenty so it was deemed an unnecessary risk to go for more.” Lt. J.G. Daniel reported.

              “Not a bad call, especially with the list you have here. We have a few sniper rifles, hunting rifles, and handguns, but only things civilians or law enforcement can get their hands on. Several bows, crossbows and arrows as well. I carry swords, as well as a few others, and several of us are very proficient with them. I would be more than happy to teach anyone that wants to learn how to use a sword. Roger here is also very good with a sword, and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind teaching a class as well.” I said, pointing him out to the two that hadn’t met him yet.

              “I have the weapon qualifications of everyone listed on the crew list, so you will be able to see who is good with a gun and not. So what is the next step in this plan of yours?” Lt. Levine asked.

              “Well, first, once the group gets here, we get everyone onboard, get the supplies and vehicles onboard, then just take a night to relax. Shower, eat, play some games, things like that. I want to find bunks for everyone for tonight, and I will have my cousin Valerie get with you tomorrow, Ensign, so we can arrange permanent bunk assignments for everyone. We have been on the road for a week solid now, and quite a few of the group have been having a hard time dealing with the trip, and the situation. Tomorrow I will organize a hunting party, get some hunters out to get fresh meat in here for us. I also want to get some raiding parties out to find things such as fishing poles and such, camping gear, things like that. I will review these lists tonight while my people rest, then tomorrow we all start working. Sound alright?” I replied.

              “Aye, sir” Lt. Levine responded with a chuckle. I sighed, realizing that the whole ‘captain’ thing that one sailor started earlier was going to stick. I would have to think about whether or not to let it stick for good, or try to squash it. If I decided to run with it, I would have to find some kind of hat, or shirt with insignia on it to show me as captain, to make it official.

              “Alright, Lieutenant, dismissed. Let’s meet tomorrow at 0900, here. I want all of you, plus department heads, or whatever you call it now. I will have the ones I planned on putting in charge of certain things, and we will get things meshed out” I said with a laugh. Everyone stood, shook my hand, and left, presumably to go about whatever business they had left to do today. Roger hung back and watched them leave.

              “Captain Friend, huh? Has a nice ring to it.” he laughed. I punched him on the arm playfully, then led him out of the ready room. I started walking forward down the passageway, wanting to check something out. I had the folders with me with all of the crew and inventory lists, meaning to review them later, once I got everyone onboard and safe.

              We went up the stairwell to the bridge, intending to find out if the group had radioed in yet. It had only been a little over an hour since the left, and I knew that meant they were probably only just getting back to the base. I left instructions with the radioman to page me as soon as they made contact. Stepping back into the main part of the bridge, I saw there were three men on watch. All three had binoculars, and it appeared they were simply watching the pier, what we could see of the base, and the bay itself, looking for boats. A first class petty officer was the highest rank here.

              “Captain on the bridge.” the second class petty officer who spotted me first said. That made all three turn to look at me.

              “Well, I see word gets around on ship just as fast as it did while I was in. As you were gentlemen, I’m not going to be that formal.” I replied.

              “OS1 Allen Trainor, sir.” the first class introduced himself, reaching out his hand. I knew the OS was his rate, or job, and the ‘one’ behind it meant he was a first class petty officer. OS was Operations Specialist, if I recalled correctly, and they actually performed a similar job function as I did being a STG, or Sonar Technician, Surface.

              “OS, huh. I was an STG myself, I loved it.” I responded to him.

              “SH2 Bobby Crowe, sir.” said the one who called me out. I also shook his hand, then turned and looked at the third man, only a Seaman, or E-3, according to his badge.

              “MCSN Ryan Quill, sir.” he said, shaking my hand as well.

              “Enough with the ‘sir’ guys. I was only an E-2 before I got out, so you would all three outrank me right now.” I tried to tell them.

              “Maybe so, sir, but you are in charge now, according to Lt. Levine. That makes you the captain in our eyes, and I can tell you the rest of the crew will be the same way. I hate to break it to you like this sir, but you’re going to have to get used to it.” Mr. Crowe told me, chuckling. I just sighed and shook my head, leaving that fight for another day.

              “Fine. One quick question though, is anyone using the XO’s quarters?” I asked.

              “No sir, nor the captain’s cabin for that matter.” Mr. Trainor informed me.

              “Thank you gentlemen. I asked the radioman to page me as soon as my group makes contact. If they don’t make radio contact first, page me as soon as they are seen.” I ordered them. If I was going to be ‘captain’, I needed to start acting the part.

              “Aye, sir.” they all three said, then turned back to their watches as I led Roger out of the bridge and back down the stairwell.

              “Well, that was interesting.” Roger said as we made it to the bottom of the stairs.

              “Welcome to Navy life. That will happen every time I step onto the bridge, or into a meeting room.” I replied, leading him around the corner to a room I was looking for. I stepped up to the door, took a quick breath, then opened it and stepped in.

              “Wow, dude. Why is there an apartment onboard the ship?” Roger exclaimed with a whistle.

              “Welcome to the captain’s cabin. You see the kitchen here, bar area, living area over there, complete with couches and TV. That small hallway there has a bedroom and full bathroom, with shower, off of it. Between yeoman bringing him messages, and usually a personal chef as well, there was actually little need for the captain to come out of his cabin most days. If they are going to insist on calling me captain, this is where I’ll be staying. I doubt they would let me pick another cabin anyways.” I told him, giving him a short tour of the area, setting the files down on the bar. Even choosing to take these quarters, I knew I would not be spending a lot of time in them. Making my people do all the work while I kicked back and relaxed was not how I planned on leading,

              Waving Roger out, I told him to go find a sailor to help him find his own cabin to claim, and maybe take advantage of the time before the group showed up to shower and relax for a few minutes. He headed off to hopefully not get lost, and I headed back to the flight deck. Stepping out of the tower hatch, I turned right and went forward on the ship. The wind tugged at my shirt some, but it wasn’t too strong right now. I stopped near the edge, but not close enough to worry about falling over. The view from up here was not as much as I had hoped, but it was still pretty impressive.

              The bay ran out to our left, and I knew it opened to the ocean just around the bend to the right, where the bridge/tunnel was that connected Norfolk to the Hampton Roads area, where I was stationed just north of here in Newport News. The pier ran out to the right, stretching out as far as I could see. The two carriers here were not lined up when they were docked. The Nimitz was pulled almost all the way forward, while the Jefferson was left back some, which meant any guards posted in the forward smoke pit or starboard anchor room would have a beautiful vantage point to see anyone or anything coming, well before we were spotted. The other escort ships, some cruisers, a couple of frigates and destroyers, plus the two submarines stretched out along the pier, all resting quietly to themselves.

              Looking forward, I could see the base laid out in front of me. I couldn’t see as much as I would have liked to, but what I could see looked secure, no sign of infected anywhere. I made a mental note to myself to ask Lt. Levine if they had a map of the base, and/or the surrounding area.

It was almost peaceful, just standing there with nothing but the sound of the wind, the smell of salt from the ocean, the slap of the water on the hull, and I swear you could smell the metal of the ship. It was a mix of burnt rubber, jet fuel, and hot steel, all melded together in an undertone that you barely registered, and eventually tuned out. For just a few minutes, I could pretend there was nothing wrong with the world, and I was just on a wonderful vacation, enjoying a tour with an old friend.

              After what seemed like a long time, but was probably only fifteen or so minutes in reality, I started back aft towards the tower. I ended up passing the tower, and walking all the way to the aft end of the flight deck, where the ramp was. The ramp was designed at the edge of the flight deck to give the planes something to hit that wasn’t a sharp, flat edge if they came in just a hair too low, or early. It sloped down pretty sharply, and wasn’t very long. One could easily fall of the ship there if you weren’t careful. I stood near the corner of the deck, near where the LSO’s platform would be. The LSO was the officer in charge of landing the planes. He, or she, talked to the pilots, calmed them if necessary, and informed them if they were centered on the bubble or not, which was a set of lights used to determine the angle of approach the plane was making. A center bubble was as near to perfect as you could get. A low bubble meant you were going to strike the ramp in the back, and a high bubble meant you were probably not going to catch a wire. The arresting wires were what stopped the planes, and had to be hooked by the pilots. If they were too high they wouldn’t get down low enough to hit one, or hit the deck too hard and possibly break a strut or blow a tire. The platform they stood on was just under the lip of the flight deck, where only their heads would be visible above the deck, for safety reasons.

              I looked out over the water, and I could see the rest of Norfolk over the river behind us, and possibly the bridge the group would be coming over. The bay stretched out flat to my right, as I faced the back of the ship. I turned that direction to see several boats that had been cast adrift just floating out there in the middle of the water. I made a mental note to try to gather those boats at the pier if there was room. If my plan worked, and we could secure the entire base, a marina would prove useful for docking fishing ships in. Fish would probably be a big part of our food intake for quite a while. The water was mostly still, and calm. I knew just a short distance away was the ocean.

              “Sir, Petty Officer Trainor is asking for you on the bridge.” I heard a voice behind me say. It was MCSN Quill, who I had just met.

              “Thank you Seaman Quill, please tell him I will be right there.” I replied, nodding my head at him. Since we were on the flight deck, it constituted outside, so he saluted, turned, and left. I sighed, knowing that it would be a long battle to get them to stop saluting and saying ‘sir’.

              I glanced back over the water and just listened to the sound of the wind and the water. I knew that as hard as it was keeping everyone together on the road, that was the easy part. The hard part was what was coming next, and no one else really knew it or understood it like I did. That was mostly because I hadn’t really fully explained it all to anyone else yet. I still wasn’t sure how most of them would take it. After just a minute or two more I turned and headed for the bridge. My hope was that the radio message had come in about the group hitting the base. It had been about four hours now and the sun would be setting soon.

              “Captain on…” Mr. Crowe started to say until I raised my hand. He nodded and had the decency to at least look embarrassed. I looked at Petty Officer Trainor expectantly and raised my chin in question.