CHAPTER TWELVE
They left San Diego at six in the morning and landed in Lime Peru at nine then made the one hour ride to the Lima sea port. Their ship was waiting for them and their noon departure. The ship was a converted transport that had staterooms added and could hold five hundred passengers, but for this trip the only passengers would be Ryan and Maria. They had chartered the Tango and her crew led by Captain William Rocco. The would be staying in the owners cabin for the trip to Antarctica and back. When the SUV pulled up to the gangway the officer on deck contacted the Captain to let him know that their guests had arrived. A second pickup pulled up and they unloaded several crated of cargo that belonged to Ryan and Maria.
The Captain came down from the bridge and had his deck hands bring aboard the crates and the luggage for Ryan and Maria. Ryan and Maria walked up the gangway and they were welcomed aboard but the deck officer and the Captain.
“Welcome to the Tango, I am Captain William Rocco.”
“Thank you Captain, I am Ryan Simpson and this is my collogue and fiancée Maria Johnson.”
“A pleasure to meet you both. Mr. Jenkins please show our guests to their quarters.”
“Yes Sir”
The deck officer showed Ryan and Maria to the quarters and told them he would have the luggage brought right up.
They settled in to the cabin and it was just a matter of minutes and their luggage was delivered to them. They unpacked their luggage and put their belongings away. They walked back onto the main deck and watched the crew as they made all the preparations to get the ship underway. Ryan looked up at the ships stacks and saw that the ships engines were running by heat waves and puffs of white smoke coming from the stacks.
Maria and Ryan watched as the ship’s crew started bringing in the mooring lines that held the ship against the pier. Once the last line was undone from the pier the ship blew it whistle five times telling all the ship’s around them that they were underway.
As soon as the whistle quit it was announced “Would Mr. Simpson and Miss Johnson please join the Captain in the dining room.”
“Guess the Captain wants to see us,” Ryan said.”
Maria and Ryan made their way to the dining room and found the Captain seated at a table with coffee and Ice tea and snacks. He rose when Maria and Ryan approached.
“Please have a seat and join me.”
“Thank you sir.” Maria said.
“My understanding is we are going to be docking in Casey.”
“Yes sir that is correct.”
“A bit odd two American’s and we are docking at an Australian outpost.”
“I wish I could tell you more Captain but our job here is classified.”
“I understand that sir, I must admit I was surprised when the owners called and said we had been chartered by you folks. When we charter it is normally two or three hundred people not two.”
“Your owners gave us the best bang for our buck.”
“That’s good otherwise we would have been just sitting in port for the next ten weeks.”
“Glad we could keep you working Captain.”
“Feel free to use all of the ship’s amenities we are sailing as though we have a full load.”
“Thank you Captain maybe when we get to Casey you can entertain the station a couple of times, I’m sure they would enjoy it.”
“I’ll see what we can do.”
“Thank you Captain I think we are going to stroll around the deck and turn in early tonight.”
“Have a good evening sir breakfast is served from seven to nine.”
“Again sir thank you.”
Ryan and Maria went up on deck and walked the ship several times. “It sure is peaceful out here.” Maria said
“It sure is that’s one reason I joined the Navy, I loved how peaceful the nights at sea were.”
“You never talk much about your time in the Navy.”
“Not really a lot to say about it, in my job we did some things that one is not really proud of but we followed orders.”
“What did you do in the Navy?”
“Well I was a SEAL, the Navy’s special forces, I was a sniper.”
“No wonder your such a great shot.”
“You’re not going to say much more about it are you?”
“I would rather not.”
“I can accept that, but know this if you do ever want to talk about it I’m here.”
“I know that babe.”
Ryan pulled Maria close and gave her a deep soft kiss and said “I love you Maria.”
“And I love you too Ryan Simpson.”
The Seven Princess and The Gates of Hell Page 22