“Bora Bora is almost the perfect island, just one hundred and forty miles northwest of Papeete, Tahiti. Tahiti and Bora Bora are part of the Society Islands of French Polynesia. Bora Bora is distinguished by a cobalt blue lagoon surrounded by atoll-like islands and reef systems with mountains rising from the central island, which at times appear to touch the white clouds and bring rain in abundance.”
Geoffrey raised his hand. “How high are the mountains?”
“The main peaks are Mount Pahia and Otemanu, which are over two thousand feet above sea level.”
“Is there any good snorkeling?” Mason asked.
“There are several atoll-like structures around the high island. These are further ringed by the most vibrant and productive coral reefs, unlike the Marquesas, which has little coral.”
“Looks like really cool place,” Mark said.
Each child wanted to know something different and Jennifer was glad that they seemed to enjoy what she was teaching them.
After she’d gone over some history and geography, Jennifer asked the kids to write postcards to their mother and her partner. She handed out the postcards, one for each child.
“Please tell them what activities you have done and which of these you liked best or anything else you want to say,” Jennifer suggested. “Maybe we can send them pictures when we snorkel. I have a camera that works underwater and I can teach you to use it.”
Amanda said, “That sounds cool, count me in.”
Jennifer had been confused about what people were using the word “cool” for when she first arrived. They were in a mostly humid and hot climate and it had never seemed to get remotely “cool.” She laughed at herself now that she gleaned what the kids meant by the word.
“Next we will have an opportunity to rent sailboats. Since you have qualified and are experienced sailors, I think the three older kids could have one catamaran and I will take the Mason and Allison with me on the first day,” Jennifer said.
“What is special about Bora Bora?” Amanda asked.
“It has a huge atoll and outer reef with a deep, cobalt blue, protected lagoon, which contains several small uninhabited islands for us to explore. The central island has rivers and plenty of fresh water for human consumption and lots of fruit trees. It is a beautiful garden surround by protected lagoons for fishing. It is an ideal place to survive.”
“Where do you think is the most interesting?” Mason asked.
“I do not know which is most interesting but I think the lagoon is unique. Do you want to explore the jungle on the first day and the ocean the next?”
“I want to explore the lagoon first,” Geoffrey said.
Mike announced, “We’re descending to Bora Bora Airport. You’ll be able to view the island in about ten minutes and take pictures from the right side of the aircraft.”
“I want to sail a catamaran in the lagoon and explore the small islands!” Mark shouted.
“Me too!” Amanda said.
“Okay, it is settled,” Jennifer said. “Tomorrow we will rent two catamarans. I will take Allison and Mason with me. Amanda will take Mark and Geoffrey. I will loan you my survival kit, Amanda.”
“Take your pictures now,” Marty told them. “We’ll be descending in five minutes to land and you’ll need to sit with your seatbelts fastened.”
The children took turns snapping photo images of Bora Bora. Jennifer was glad they were excited to explore.
After they unloaded their baggage, Alice bade the family farewell.
“Mike and I will take a commercial flight back,” Alice said. “We’ll start training a few pilots and engineers for water rescues. Marty will certify them when we see you again.”
“Aloha, Mike! Aloha, Alice,” Jennifer said. “Please give Erita a kiss for me when you get back.”
Mike and Alice left after hugging everyone and headed to security.
* * *
The Zitonick party headed for their hotel. Once they arrived, the children and adults were given their room keys.
“Take your time and get settled,” Marty told his children. “We’ll meet at the restaurant for the Polynesian dinner show at seven.”
“Can we hit the pool for a few minutes?” Geoffrey asked.
“Yes, but don’t be late for dinner if you want to go sailing tomorrow.”
After unpacking, Marty took off his flight suit and went into the shower. Jennifer followed and washed his back. They made love, drying each other off after.
The next morning, Jennifer woke up and smiled at the sun beaming down on their bed. The refreshing scent of the sea was in the air. She loved these islands, so remote and unpolluted.
They ordered room service and ate in bed so they could have privacy before meeting up with the children.
“We are renting two large catamarans,” Jennifer said. “Should we let Amanda go with Mark and Geoffrey and we take the small kids?”
“That sounds like a good idea. Amanda has shown that she can handle more responsibility.”
“She is going to love being a captain!”
They met the kids downstairs and went to where the boats were docked. Amanda looked nervous and excited.
“Amanda, this is your first command,” Jennifer said. “Please take care of your brothers. It’s your job to keep them safe.”
“I’ll do my best!”
Marty circled the catamarans, checking that they were safe. He shook his head after peering closely at them. “These catamarans have not been maintained thoroughly, but they probably wouldn’t rent them out if they were falling apart. I don’t want you taking yours out into the ocean, but you can sail in the channel. Do you understand, Captain Amanda?” Marty asked.
“Roger that, Dad,” Amanda replied.
“Jennifer and I will be out with Allison and Mason,” Marty continued. “We’ll explore one of the small islands. You’re welcome to come along or go your own way. You have no radio so we must rely on your judgment. The winds can whip up a fury in the afternoon coming around the mountains. So don’t try to heel too far over, because there is no keel to reverse that force.”
“I got it, Dad,” Amanda assured him. “I won’t push the limits of the boat. I’ll sail to Viatape and out the channel to the center buoy then return to explore the island where you and Jennifer plan to have lunch. That’s my sailing plan, do you approve?”
“Yes, Captain!” Marty replied, with a salute.
Amanda giggled and kissed Marty on the chin. She hugged Jennifer tightly.
“I’ll take my responsibility seriously,” she said. Amanda turned and headed to the pier and set off with her brothers.
“Marty, let’s follow her for a while,” Jennifer said. “I know she’s a good sailor but it won’t hurt to watch over her in the beginning.”
“Good idea,” Marty agreed. “I won’t worry as much if we see her off and she might find comfort in our presence.”
“I will take the helm,” Jennifer said, as the boat started across the waves.
“Can I have a turn?” Mason asked.
“Yes, there’ll be plenty of time for each of you to sail, but right now we’re racing to catch Amanda.”
They tried, but Amanda had too much of a head start.
“Amanda is sailing directly for Viatape on a beam reach, according to her plan,” Jennifer observed. “Her boat is clearly much faster than ours. I see just a speck on the horizon.”
Marty said, “Even though she’s a competent sailor and the boys are experienced, I worry.”
“I understand. Marty, you take the helm now. Maybe you can catch up faster than I can.”
“Roger that!” Marty replied, as he grabbed the tiller. Marty could not gain on Amanda but he continued to do his best. “I need a motor to catch that girl.”
They sailed on for several minutes. “I’m going to broaden the reach and head for the channel,” he said, after unsuccessfully trying to get closer to Amanda’s boat. “Amanda might run into some waves if she goes out
to the harbor buoy and the winds are blowing twenty knots already.” The tone of his voice betrayed his worry. Jennifer put a hand on his back as he sailed.
Allison and Mason were watching the oceans for sea creatures and taking pictures with the camera Jennifer had loaned them.
“Mason, can I use my camera?” Jennifer asked. She took a few photos of the dolphins that were surfacing between their catamaran’s hulls.
“I want to touch the dolphins!” Allison yelled. She reached down, almost toppling into the water. Jennifer grabbed her ankle, pulling her back.
Marty barked at her, “Allison, don’t ever do that again! You almost went overboard, honey, and you could have been hurt.”
“Dolphins won’t hurt me, Daddy.”
“But the rudder of the boat and the hull could hit you. You know better. Sit still.”
“We are almost at the channel,” Jennifer said, watching the horizon.
“We’ve traveled about nine miles in two hours. That means we’re making only about four knots. The bottom of this boat must be very dirty, which might explain how Amanda got so far ahead of us.”
“The harbor is deep and the ocean is dark blue with white caps,” Allison said.
“Yes, you are right,” Jennifer said.
“Amanda should be headed back by now,” Marty said, his mouth tense. “I can’t see her boat anywhere. Something must have happened. Amanda wouldn’t deviate from her sail plan unless she had a serious emergency.”
Relying on her command experience as she had with Kyoko, Jennifer used calm logic to stem his growing panic. “We can go out after her or we can get in the Albatross and find her, but we cannot do both. What do you think is best?”
Marty paused, running his hands through his hair. “We better get to the Albatross. We don’t know what direction she went. The quickest way from here is to sail into Viatape Harbor, and then rent a speedboat to the airport. That could take an hour.”
“I think that is best,” Jennifer said.
Marty used his cell to call the local harbor official to report that the kids might be in trouble. He called Jules and Mike and Alice, who advised him to call the Coast Guard.
“Commander Hoani is going to allow some of his pilots to help us with the search,” Marty said.
While he spoke to the local Tahitian Cost Guard, Jennifer’s phone rang.
Jules said, “I have a fast speed boat waiting for you at the main pier. Just leave the catamaran there and the hotel will pick it up tomorrow. Tell Marty that Mike and Alice, accompanied by six French trainees, will be in the air momentarily in a Tahitian Coast Guard plane.”
“Roger that,” Jennifer replied.
Jennifer relayed the messages to Marty as they docked at the mighty pier designed for cruise ships and freighters. The speedboat Jules mentioned was waiting, with a tall slender dark-skinned man named Zack Haokaka at the helm.
Allison and Mason boarded the speedboat with Jennifer while Marty continued to speak on his cell phone while pacing on the dock.
Marty climbed on board and sat. “They have one plane aloft who is already searching.”
His hands shook and he kept clearing his throat as he spoke.
“I shouldn’t have let them go out on their own so soon.”
“You could not know that they would have trouble,” Jennifer said, sitting beside him and linking her hand in his. “Do not fear for the worst. Let us hope for the best.”
“Zulu four-four-four, please come in,” Mike’s voice echoed through the speedboat’s radio.
“Marty here, Mike, we’re in route to the airport with an arrival time about thirty minutes. You’ll be in the area before we can get into the air. Please follow the pattern given by Bora Bora Tower. Over.”
“Roger that,” Mike replied. “We’ll start out at the Bora Bora main harbor central buoy and head north along the coast looking for a twenty-foot catamaran. Contact me on the Coast Guard channel as soon as you’re airborne. Over.”
After reaching the airport Marty ran to the plane while Jennifer and the kids climbed aboard. Marty sped through his preflight checks. Jennifer helped him, hoping that she’d learned enough to function as a co-pilot. Allison and Mason were in the back with their seatbelts on. Jennifer knew they were scared but didn’t have time to comfort them.
They were about to take off when Marty spoke.
“Release the parking brake.”
“Where is it?”
Marty pointed and she released the lever. He said with stirring emotions in his voice, “Zulu four-four-four for emergency mission, permission to taxi to the active and take off immediately.”
“Tower Control here. Permission granted; taxi to the active and take off immediately.”
After a few minutes, the plane rumbled down the long runway. Marty pulled the yoke back and the plane leapt into the air at full power. After takeoff, Marty trimmed the flaps and pulled up the landing gear.
“Tower Control calling Zulu four-four-four with vectors to your target,” a voice spoke through the radio.
“Roger that, Zulu four-four-four, has Mike spotted the kids?” Marty asked.
“Roger that, Zulu four-four-four, we have a target identified as a catamaran with three kids nearby on the beach of a small islet. The kids appear okay from the air.”
Jennifer blew out a breath of air. She could hear the children cheering from their seats. They flew to the coordinates and saw Mike flying tight circles above a small uninhabited motu. She saw smoke and two fires.
“Tower, Zulu four-four-four, I have the target in sight and will land to recover them,” Marty said. “Can you contact Mike and thank him?” The relief in Marty’s voice was palpable. Jennifer placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Zulu four-four-four, I will ask Mike to monitor and report on one twenty-six point five and you can hear what he reports,” Tower Control responded. “Yankee nine-six-six please report so Zulu four-four-four can be informed.”
“Yankee nine-six-six radio contact with Captain Amanda confirming all three children are safe and unharmed,” Mike reported. “The one stay disabled when the pin failed at center buoy and Amanda could not come about.”
“Roger that, Zulu four-four-four, thank you Mike,” Marty replied.
Mike continued. “Amanda reported all okay, otherwise the boat is fine and can be towed or sailed with new pins.”
“Thank you, Tahitian Coast Guard Yankee nine-six-six,” Marty said. “This is Zulu four-four-four in the pattern for landing in the lagoon about one point five kilometers northwest of Tevairoa.”
He flew down to land on the lagoon.
“Jennifer, open the door and ready the small Zodiac!”
Jennifer moved rapidly to open the door and inflate the Zodiac now in the water.
“Kids, you stay in the plane. Jennifer and I will go get Amanda and your brothers.”
Jennifer and Marty got into the boat and raced to where Geoffrey and Mark were at the water’s edge. They helped Marty pull up the Zodiac and Marty gave each of them a huge hug. Amanda stood back with her hands at her sides.
They all looked dirty and wild-eyed but not hurt.
“I’m sorry to disappoint you on my first command,” Amanda said.
“Amanda, you did not disappoint me!” Marty responded. “You did everything right—even more than I could have expected. You kept your head and made a perilous situation manageable.” He picked her up and held her close.
“Thank you, Daddy, but I feel so bad I ruined the day. The stay pin failed and I couldn’t think of anything else to do.”
“No, Amanda, you made my day by passing one of life’s toughest tests, the unexpected failure of equipment,” Marty assured her. “You were very brave and I’m proud of you.”
“You kept everyone safe,” Jennifer said. “Nothing more can be asked of a captain.” She swallowed and clenched her jaw. Kylie and the team flashed through her mind, traversing the unknown without her.
They went back to the plane,
reuniting with Allison and Mason, who were crying but happy to see their brothers and sister.
Marty flew the plane back to the airport where the speedboat was still waiting for them. He thanked Zack, the driver, who said he was happy to help.
They went back to the hotel.
“We should let Allison and Mason sleep with us tonight,” Jennifer suggested. “It has been a trying day.”
Marty agreed and they all piled onto the bed, falling asleep quickly. Jennifer was so thankful they’d found the children alive and unharmed. She thought back to her time on the island and wouldn’t wish that experience on any human or Syndo.
* * *
Marty, Alice, Jennifer and the kids flew to the Marquesas while Mike remained in Papeete. Alice had flown in that morning from Tahiti to act as a co-pilot on the long flight. The children were excited at first but they were quite used to flying, and soon the younger children were sleeping while the older children read or played games.
Jennifer sat next to Amanda. “What are you reading?”
“Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne.”
“I love Jules Verne. He had such imagination,” Jennifer said, smiling. She wondered what the author would think of her time. She imagined how this new family might adapt to a past world. She was trying her best to adapt to the twenty-first century, which she had studied for many years, but in her heart, she felt the pain of losing her mother and father and their love. They always taught her to do her best at everything she tried. Captain Hero failed her team...Jennifer set her seat back and fell asleep to the sound of Amanda turning the pages of her book.
Jennifer was haunted by another dream. She was holding Kylie’s hand over a cliff and she let go. She saw Kylie’s face as she fell to a certain death.
Amanda shook her gently on the arm as the plane began its descent.
“We’re here!” she said.
“I must have been exhausted.” Jennifer yawned. She had slept a few hours the night before but kept waking up as Allison kicked her in the bed. She loved the kids but was happy they didn’t share a bed each night.
30th Century: Escape (30th Century Trilogy Book 1) Page 26