by M L Maki
“John Morrison, XO on the San Francisco. I was told by Halsey’s chief of staff to look into working with you for maintenance.”
The third class says, “The San Francisco went back to the States.”
Master Chief says, “We have two.” Turning to Morrison, “Doug Hatzenbeuler. Petrea is in 2 RAR right now. I’m the bull nuke. Want a cup of coffee while we talk?”
“Sure.”
“Do you pollute your coffee, sir?”
“Oh, no. Just the straight swill.”
They sit down in the chief’s office, “Not everyone knows we still have a sub. What kind of shape are you in?”
“Not terrible, but there are always things that need doing. Do you have a nuclear certified welder?”
“We have four. We can do that.”
“We have a couple of steam plant valves that really should be replaced. The seats are cut.”
“No problem. They don’t last forever. Do you have the new valves?”
Morrison, “We do, but if we could draw them from the Camden or you guys, so I can keep my inventory, I wouldn’t say no.”
“No problem. How’s morale?”
“It’s been hard.”
“Yeah, it hits everyone differently. The parents on board have it the worst.”
“They do. I think it helps to give them a meaningful mission and keep them busy. How well are you manned?”
“The department is at near one hundred percent. We lost our reactor officer to DC.”
“Yeah, he’s NAVSEA-08 now. Did you hear he’s getting a promotion?”
“I didn’t.”
Morrison, “Vice-CNO for special projects and NAVSEA-08. It probably means another star.”
“Do you know him?”
Morrison, “Yeah, we served together when I was a J.G. and he was a lieutenant.”
A black-haired female LCDR knocks and comes in, “Who’s our guest?”
The two men stand. Hatzenbeuler says, “Commander Petrea, this is John Morrison, XO of San Francisco. John, Liz Petrea, our reactor training assistant.”
They shake hands and sit. She smiles, “What can we do for the sneaky underhanded half of the service?”
“I’m lobbying for maintenance assistance and contemplating a few crew transfers.”
“I’m not swapping my cream for your crap, Commander. Not happening.”
“Not what I was thinking about. I was considering voluntary cross decking if anyone was interested. Generally, there are always a few. Also, if you have a surplus of NUBs, I wouldn’t say no”
“We have a satellite nuke school on board that is approved. We may be able to produce some students for you, eventually.”
“Thank you. How are your training resources?”
Petrea, “Pretty good. We’ve a reactor casualty simulator if you want to run your ETs through it.”
“I do. What can we do for you?”
“I would like to let our student trainees get tours of the sub so they know a bit of what that half of nuclear power is about.”
“No problem. Are your phones hooked up?”
“The office phone is.” She writes down the number. “Are you doing anything tomorrow?”
“Nothing pressing.”
Petrea smiles, “Could you show me the town?”
Morrison smiles back, “Okay. Where and when?”
“Nine, officer’s brow.”
“I’ll see you then.”
BONDI BEACH, NSW, AUSTRALIA
0830, 5 February, 1942
Mallory and the guys are walking the sidewalk along the beach in their dress whites. Gulls call and float on the thermals against the blue sky. Gustaf, “God, I’m going to burn.”
Mallory, “We might even end up with a boot line across our foreheads. It’ll be worth it.”
They see a group of girls walking toward the beach change direction and come toward them. Mallory, “Now, remember you guys, don’t be a jerk. These are nice girls. Not whores.”
A red head says, “Hey there, sailor.”
Mallory, “Hi. Are any of you ladies local? We just pulled in.”
The red-head smiles, “We all are. We work the night shift at Cockatoo Island.”
Gustaf, “What’s that? You work with birds?”
The girls laugh and the red-head says, “I’m Amy Randolph. This is Sharon Tinkler, Debby Guiles, and Mary Burns.”
Mallory, “I’m Gary Mallory and these two are Karl Gustaf and Joe Jackson.”
Amy takes Mallory’s arm and starts walking, “What do you want to know?”
“All my corny lines are failing me now. I’m just hoping we can talk. It’s been quite a while since I talked to a girl.” He notices that Debby has paired off with Gustaf and the other two are with Jackson. He smiles.
“So, your plan was to troll for girls using your uniform as bait?”
“Yeah, something like that. I reminded the guys that you are all nice girls and they were to behave.”
She giggles, “Well, we’re mostly nice. What ship are you on?”
“The San Francisco. It’s a good boat, but the skipper is an ass.”
“You married?”
“I was divorced before we went back in time. I lost my two sons.”
“Oh my God! How?”
“Time travel. Ours is one of the ships that came back in time.”
“Oh, so, they’re not born yet, and…and given the age difference, they never will be.”
“Exactly. My ex was a bitch, but I love my boys. Loved.”
“That’s hard.” They sit on a bench. “What’s the future like?”
“Wow, there’s a big question. As I understand it, we have changed history, so the history I remember is probably all wrong.”
“Do we win?”
“Yeah. It’s seriously ugly at times, but we won. I was born in 1954.”
“What did your dad do during the war?”
“He went to grade school. He’s about eight years old right now, and my grandpa is a logger in Minnesota. My uncle Gary is in the Army going through basic training.”
“Was. Um…is he a hero?”
“He is to me. He died on the invasion beach in France. I never knew him. This time, maybe he will live.”
“How did culture change?”
“Oh, wow. Another huge question. It might have been a little different in Australia. Basically, right after the war ended, a cold war with the Soviet Union began. They called it that because America and Russia never actually directly fought. Instead, they used alliances; their ally versus our ally. That kind of thing. Anyway, after the war, most of the women lost their jobs so they could be given to the men returning from the war. There was an enormous baby boom. Returning servicemen married and started making babies like crazy. In the late forties and the fifties American culture got really vanilla.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, the cultural pressure was to be white, protestant, and average. Any diversity was frowned on. Blacks, Natives, and Latino’s were massively discriminated against, as was anything society considered deviant.”
“What was deviant?”
“Oh, atheism and agnosticism were not tolerated. Men with long hair. Women with short hair. Women wearing pants. Homosexuality, lesbianism. It was a great time if you fit in and a terrible time, if you didn’t. So, the baby boom kids grew up. In the sixties and seventies there was a backlash. Things got really herbal and really wild. They called the kids flower children, and such. The kids swore to never trust anyone over thirty. This generation swore to never trust their own children.”
“What is herbal?”
“They smoked marijuana. It’s a plant that is dried and smoked like a cigarette, but it makes you high. I’m the wrong guy to ask, but it’s supposed to be something like getting drunk.”
“So, the world goes to shit?”
“Partly. It was a different time.”
“What about you? Were you a flower child?”
“No.
I grew up on a farm. My dad was a logger. We were so busy just surviving, there wasn’t much time for that shit.”
“Why didn’t you become a logger?”
“I wanted something more for my kids. My brothers were loggers. Well, one is a bit of a dead beat, an herbalist. I couldn’t afford college, so the Navy was my ticket out.” He looks at the sky. “Do you suppose the sun has crossed the yard arm?”
“What?”
Gary grins at her, “Want lunch and a beer?”
“Sure.” She leads him to a café.
Mallory, “You order. I don’t even know what I’m looking at.” She orders and the beers come fast. He asks, “What is the drinking age here?”
“Eighteen.”
He smiles.
She does too, “So, were you thinking if I’m old enough to drink, then I must be old enough to shag?”
“You caught me. Yes.”
“I might say no.”
Gary looks her in the eyes, “It isn’t important. I’m enjoying your company. I’m not expecting more. It’s just nice to know I won’t end up in jail if we do.”
“I see your point. I’m twenty-three.”
“I’m thirty-five.”
“Okay. You said you have kids?”
“Had. Two boys. Billy and Johnny. Bill is fourteen and John is twelve. Now they don’t exist.”
She touches his arm, “I’m sorry.”
USS SAN FRANCISCO
There are five letters on Morrison’s desk. One from Klindt, one from Van Zandt, and three from his family. He opens Van Zandt’s:
Good Morning,
I’ve arranged to do the briefing on the 5th. I read your letters early this morning. If you can prove he’s tampered with the mail, that’s an Article 134-32 violation. It would be grounds for his dismissal. That said, I’m glad he’s settling down some. I’ll say this, he’s a pretty aggressive commander, and Halsey likes his leaders aggressive. Hopefully, moving forward, the two of you will balance each other.
Keep me posted.
C.B. Van Zandt
He opens Admiral Klindt’s:
Dear John,
There is a lot going on in Washington right now, but I have not lost sight of your situation. Please keep me apprised. We are standing up maintenance facilities for your unit, but as you know, these things take time. Thank you for letting me know when your most recent exams were. We will schedule your next to work around your operations. That said, expect an inspection in about two months.
I will also be pulling some of your senior enlisted and junior officers into the new vessel program we are standing up. They will be replaced by less experienced men. I know that will hurt, but it can’t be helped.
I hope the Navy got through to your adoptive parents. Last I heard, the other LCDR Morrison is doing well. I’ve included the address of your birth father’s parents and your birth mother’s parents. We are doing what we can to alleviate the suffering and tragedy where we can.
Something Nimitz once said: He was the only person who could lose the war in a day. If you think about it, that is true for your unit as well. We need you out there being aggressive, but losing your unit would be a disaster. Please take care of your unit and yourself.
Your Friend,
Craig
“Okay, so be aggressive, but not too aggressive.” He sighs, “If it was easy the Air Force would do it.” He opens the letter from his grandmother.
Dear John,
We were startled to get the letter from the Navy Department announcing your existence. They included your picture. It is obviously your Academy photo. If you have a more current picture, could you please send it? As I write this, your grandfather, Henry, is out to sea.
I should be completely clear, John. You are welcome in our home and we welcome you to our family. In fact, we are all very much looking forward to meeting you.
We are putting together a package of things you might need in hopes that it catches up to you. It will have the usual stuff and will include enough to spread around to your crew. If you are anything like my husband, I expect that is what you will do. If you have any specific needs, please let us know. We know how hard it is to serve at sea and want to be a comfort to you.
There was a front-page article in the paper about the carrier group attacking Japan. I tell you; it was a morale boost. The article mentioned a heavy cruiser, but nothing about your San Francisco. I assume they have a reason and will respect that.
Please share our highest regards for your captain and crew.
Elaine Morrison
He puts the letter down and wiped his eyes, “God bless you, Grandma.” After a moment, he opens the one from his grandfather.
Hello Commander,
I hope this letter finds you well. I write this shortly after arriving home and hearing my son proudly say he is going to be a rear admiral someday. He has dedicated himself to working harder in school so he can be smart enough. We’ll see how long that lasts, though that boy has surprised me in the past.
I expect there is a fair bit of family history you could share. I trust you will only share what will be beneficial to our family. If there is an illness that could be nipped in the bud, or such. Otherwise, I would as soon not know when I will die, etc. All that is way too morbid.
I know Elaine made clear that you are welcome. I heartily agree. Mi casa is su casa.
I’m pretty certain what an anti-submarine vessel would be in 1990. That’s all I will say. Mitch is trying to sort it out. I can see good reasons to leave it as is. You are welcome to write me at my FPO. But, as I am sure was true for you in 1990, it takes forever to get mail. I made some suggestions for your care package, but Elaine already had it well in hand.
Take care of yourself,
Henry
He sits for a while, “They were always wonderful.” Then, it’s the letter from his father.
Hi John,
I hope it is okay that I don’t call you son. For me that would be too weird. Mom said it was okay to write you. I really want to meet you. I have a million questions I want to ask and I don’t want to ask them in a letter. For one, it would be way too long. I hope I wasn’t a jerk to you as a dad. I guess you are doing okay, but maybe that doesn’t mean much. I really hope you are okay. Dad, I think, knows more than he is saying, but that’s pretty much normal for him, because the Navy requires it. Your mom’s name sound Japanese. Are you part Japanese? Do you have one of those curved Jap swords? Uh, Japanese, sorry. The most important question I have is, what do I need to do now, so I can be a good father and good officer when I grow up?
Yours,
Mitchell Morrison
This letter makes him smile, “You already are the great man you need to be.” He picks up his pen and starts writing.
CHAPTER 12
QUEEN VICTORIA BUILDING, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
1635, 5 February, 1942
Karl Gustaf holds hands with Debby Guiles. She’s a pretty, brown-haired girl with a quick smile. They see an ice cream shop, “You want a cone?”
“Sure. Hey look.” They see MM2 Jackson walking, relaxed and laughing, with the other two girls. “Are you jealous of your friend because he’s with two girls?”
“No, that isn’t how the math works.”
“What do you mean?”
“When one guy is with two girls, he has to divide his attention between the two, so both the girls only get half a guy. Also, because the girls know each other, their attention is also divided. I’m sure he’s enjoying himself, but I’m having the better time.”
“So, relationships are just math?”
“Well, some of it is. Have you heard of an American mathematician named John Forbes Nash, Junior?”
“No.”
“Oh, wait a minute. He came up with his theorem in 1950. How could you. He basically invented game theory. It’s a school of math. Um, a type of math can describe human behavior, including dating. I learned about him in college.”
“You’ve
been to college?”
“Yeah, I dropped out after my sophomore year because I ran out of money.”