The Pouakai

  “You think all these satellites were deliberately shot down?” Mina asked.

  “Yes. Someone, or something, is removing our capability to find these new Pouakai, if that’s what they are. Colin, do you agree?”

  Colin stared at the ground, lost in thought.

  “Colin?”

  “Sorry. Yes, I agree. There’s an intelligence and technology involved that we aren’t aware of yet.”

  We all stood silently, lost in the enormity of what was happening.

  “We need to get back to the sub,” Colin finally said. “We have to use their communications equipment to see what else is going on. Lieutenant, can you call the sub to pick us up?”

  Hanson shook his head. “I could call, but the Captain wouldn’t send the inflatables for us. Not now, especially. I’m sure he’s thinking like I am, that it’s a foreign power’s attempt to knock us out. That means he’ll be more protective than ever with the Ohio. There’s no way he’ll surface until after dark. I’ll let him know what’s happened, and that we need retrieval as soon as possible, but he won’t answer back unless something changes. We’ll get back tonight, after dark.”

  I sat down in the sand, and pulled out a bottle of water and a granola bar. Colin looked at the Lieutenant, shrugged, and joined me on the ground for a snack. Sometimes, even in the middle of a crisis, there’s nothing you can do but wait.

  9

  “I’m sorry Brett.” I reached down and placed a photograph of my former co-pilot’s family on the mound of dirt and sand where we’d buried him. Brett’s grave was in a corner of the open area where he’d been killed. He had a view of the sky and ocean. It was beautiful and peaceful.

  “This photo is for you. They miss you. We all do. You should see Rachael. She’s growing like crazy.” In the photo, his wife, Emma, had a sad smile on her face, and daughter Rachael was reaching for the camera, a big grin on hers.

  “I wish I could have done more for you. I wish I would have seen that Pouakai coming, or pushed you away, or something. You don’t deserve to be here. Nobody does.” I took a breath, and let it out slowly. “Jennifer is gone too. It was the Pouakai, just like you. I don’t know how life is supposed to work, but this isn’t what I expected. You are both supposed to be here. We should all be flying, fishing, and eating dinner together. But we’re stuck with the Pouakai, and now we’re trying to do something about them. That’s why I’m here, with Colin and Alan again. Remember them from our flight here? I quit the airline too. What do you think about that? I was going to go to Colorado with Jennifer, but after what happened to her…”

  I knelt down next to the grave, and rearranged the small pieces of white coral that spelled his name. Time, wind, and fallen palm fronds had knocked a few of the pieces out of order.

  “We’re trying to get a handle on what’s happening out here. The Pouakai have died, or at least, a lot of them have. We haven’t seen any for over a week now, but Colin and Alan seem to think there’s something else going on. So does the Chief. I don’t know what to think, myself. A bunch of satellites have been knocked out. There’s a lot of finger pointing going on over that too. You know me; I don’t believe in coincidence that much. The satellites have all been shot at when they were over this end of the Pacific, and this is where Colin thinks the Pouakai first came from. There’s a connection there.”

  “Anyway, that’s why I’m here again, and Emma gave me this photo to give to you, in case I made it back.”

  I stopped, feeling the tears welling up again. It was odd, talking to a grave like this, but it felt good. After a deep breath, and a look up at the blue sky, I continued. “Rachael is crawling almost as fast as Emma can walk now. She’s got your energy, and your smile too.”

  I arranged a few more pieces of coral on the grave, before standing up.

  “I just wanted to talk. Without you around, I don’t have any tree-hugging liberals to argue with.” I smiled. “So I guess I’ll be going now. I’ll tell Emma you’re doing fine here.” I choked up for a moment. “She misses you Brett. We all do. God bless.”

  The sun almost touching the horizon, I walked back to the lagoon, where the rest of our team waited for the sub crew to pick us up. Fatakolonga stood there too, talking quietly with Colin and Lieutenant Hanson. The Lieutenant looked relaxed, his rifle slung over a shoulder and a banana in hand. He nodded as I walked up.

  “Captain Boonie,” Fata said. “Anything found?”

  “No, nothing out there. I was just saying goodbye to my friend.”

  “The Chief would like you to come back someday.”

  “I would like that Fata. Maybe one day when this is all over, I will come back. We can fish, and talk about how much better it will be then. Will you all be okay for now?”

  “Yes, we will survive. That is what we do.”

  “Good luck. Tell the Chief I will do whatever I can for you.”

  “Thank you, Captain Boonie.”

  We shook hands, then he walked into the jungle.

  “What do we do now?” I asked Colin. He shrugged.

  “I’ll have to find out what other news there is from my colleagues, and if there were any other satellite photos taken of this area before they were knocked out. I’ve had some sporadic contact through the sat phone, but I really need the secure comm equipment on the sub. My first choice is to head out to Anuta and track down those Pouakai signatures in the photos.”

  “I don’t know if the Captain will go for that,” the Lieutenant said. “If things have gotten as dicey as it sounds, he may want to go back to Hawaii and prep for a fight. Or he may be ordered to do that anyway.”

  “I hope not. We still need to stay focused on the Pouakai. I believe they are the underlying reason for all this trouble in the first place.”

  “But if they’re gone…”

  “I don’t think that they are. We’ve got the photos that show the objects on Anuta. That’s why we need to be out here looking.”

  “It is up to the Captain, and the commanders back in Hawaii too. They get the final word on what we do, and where we go.”

  “I hope they realize how important our mission is,” Colin said passionately.

  “So is the security of the U.S.”

  “Guys,” I said. “This won’t get us anywhere. One step at a time. Which means getting back to the sub first, and finding out what’s going on, before making an intelligent decision.”

  Hanson grinned. “How is it that you Air Guard pukes are so level-headed?”

  “Years of keeping you Navy guys safe from yourselves.”

  Twilight fell on the island, the winds gentler than usual. Just a few clouds drifted overhead, shifting from orange to red to purple. The rapid tropical night dropped like a blanket over Nanumea, and as the first stars stole into view, two inflatables skimmed into the lagoon, heading toward our beach.

  10

  “Somehow I knew you’d want to keep going,” Captain Baker said, with a shake of his head.

  “There’s no question,” Colin insisted. “We’re here to search for Pouakai. We have photographic evidence of more of them out in the Solomons. We have to find out what it means.”

  Baker glared at me. “I suppose you feel the same way, Major?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know. I can see both sides, but I don’t know which option is the right one.”

  “You’re supposed to be an airline captain, Major. A decision maker. What if you were in charge here?”

  I shrugged, and glanced around the control room of the Ohio. We were bathed in the deep red glow of night operations, so anyone heading up the fairweather to the bridge wouldn’t be night-blind.

  “You’ve reminded us many times that we’re not in command.”

  A trace of a smile curled at the Captain’s mouth. “At least you remembered that. And you are right; it’s not your decision. I’m just waiting for orders from SUBCOMPAC to head back to Hawaii.”

  “Then I’m glad I got a few messages back to my office,” Colin said
. “This is too important to ignore. We have evidence of more Pouakai, possibly unlike the ones we know about now and you want to ignore that? Don’t you see the connection between these new signatures and the loss of our satellites?”

  “It is a possibility, although a remote one. We haven’t seen any hint of technology from them, especially enough to shoot down multiple satellites, as well as the space station. Right now though, we are on the brink of a shooting war, and I don’t want to be stuck in a far corner of the ocean when we’re needed back home.”

  “You don’t think that finding the root of all this trouble is more important?”

  “I deal in realities, Professor Benoit. The reality is that we may be under attack right now. My number one duty is to protect the United States of America. That is what I get paid to do, and what I’m trained to do. That job will be better done by heading back to Hawaii than hunting Pouakai.”

  “We disagree then.”

  “We do. The final decision isn’t either of ours. We just have to wait until our orders come through.”

  Colin’s face shined beet red. He did a good job controlling his anger, managing to avoid knocking the Captain to the deck.

  “When will we hear something?” I asked.

  “Any time now, I’m sure.”

  “Then we’ll wait. Maybe get some dinner too. Let us know when the message gets here.”

  “Of course.” The Captain turned to talk to his executive officer, pointedly ignoring us, even though we were standing right next to him. Eventually I caught Colin’s eye, and cocked my head toward the rear of the sub. Dinner-time.

  He didn’t say a word as we walked the cramped corridors toward the mess. He kept quiet through the entire meal, too. Alan, Steve and Mina were already there, digging into trays piled high with steak and mashed potatoes. The rest of us made small talk, ignoring Colin, who ate slowly.

  Eventually, the others drifted away, tired after our long day on Nanumea. I stayed to keep Colin company, even though he wasn’t talking. He just stared into space, as if listening to a sound nobody else could hear. Weary, and unable to keep my eyes open after sitting for half an hour, I stood up.

  “Good night Colin. I’m heading to bed.”

  I’d taken two steps when he spoke up.

  “You didn’t support me, Boonie.”

  “What?”

  “You didn’t come to my side, when we were talking to the Captain.”

  “I didn’t say anything against you.”

  “But you didn’t support my side.”

  I sat down again, and folded my arms on the table. “Colin, I didn’t support the Captain’s side either. There are two sides to this argument, just like any other argument. Look, I’ve been in the military, so I know where their priorities lie. It’s their job to protect the country. They’re wired to think that way; so was I once. I understand them, but I’m not one of them. I understand you too, even though I’m not a scientist. You have some good points, and it’s your job to defend them.”

  He glared at me, but I continued. “In the end, it’s not my place to make a decision. If I were Captain of this sub, and unable to communicate with my commanders, I’d make a decision based on my tactical experience. However, I’m not the Captain here. You have to realize that you’re not in a position to make that final decision either. That should be left up to those actually in charge. It’s kind of like politics. Everyone has an opinion, but someone has to make the final decision. If everyone kept yelling, and insisting that it absolutely had to go their way, nothing would get accomplished. It’s what you learn when put into a position of command. If you are the decision maker, you gather your information, and make the decision. If you let those around you make the choices, something bad usually happens. We are the voices of information here, not the decision makers.”

  After remaining quiet for almost a minute, he finally looked at me, and spoke. “This is a hell of a time to start playing politics.” I caught the first hint of a smile on his face. “Asshole,” he added. “I told you not to take that Political Science class.”

  “I had to. It’s what Jennifer took that semester, and I wanted to be around her more.”

  We both leaned back in our chairs, and relaxed.

  “Science team, report to the control room,” came a voice from the speaker.

  “It’s showtime,” I said.

  We met Alan, Steve and Mina as they entered the control room from the opposite direction, all three looking like they’d just been rousted out of bed. Captain Baker stood at the back wall again, a single sheet of paper in hand. He looked at us over his half-glasses, but I couldn’t make out any emotion on his face. I still didn’t know which way we’d be going.

  “This just came in from SUBCOMPAC. We are…” he paused, and cleared his throat. “I’ll read the orders. To Baker, Riley, Captain, USS Ohio, from SUBCOMPAC. You are to proceed as directed by Professor Benoit to identify, and classify if possible, the signatures seen in the recent photographs of the Solomon Islands. Every attempt will be made to ascertain the location and origin of any and all creatures known as Rocs, or Pouakai.”

  He had an odd look on his face, his mouth drawn in a tight line. It took a few seconds for him to continue. “Until further notice, you will take all direction from Benoit, Colin, Professor of Astrophysics and Astrobiology, University of Hawaii at Manoa. He will direct your course and plan any explorations you make on Anuta, or other islands as seen fit. You will also use all means possible to avoid detection by other naval operations, and avoid contact with them. Defense is allowed only if in immediate danger. These orders come from the highest sources. End. Signed, Bianchi, Arben, Admiral, COMPACFLT.”

  The captain put the paper down, and looked over his glasses again at Colin. The two stared at each other for a few seconds. To Colin’s credit, he didn’t smile.

  “Where are we going, Professor?”

  “Anuta.”

  The Captain turned, stone faced, and pulled down a micro-phone.

  “Nav, Control.”

  “Nav aye sir.”

  “New course. Anuta Island.”

  “Stand by, sir.” The sound of typing on a keyboard came over the speaker. “Got it, sir. Eleven, thirty-six point six south, one sixty-nine, fifty-one east. That’s five hundred twenty miles west southwest. Bearing two two five point five.”

  “Plot it, Nav. Conn, prepare to dive. Course two-two-five-point-five.”

  “Two-two-five-point-five, aye sir.”

  The Captain ignored us again, so we returned to our cots, straddling the torpedoes at the front of the sub. I sat down and looked at Colin. A definite smirk crossed his face now.

  “What’s that for?”

  “What?”

  “That look you’ve got. Catch a canary lately?”

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “Then what is it?”

  He looked around and then walked over to me. He leaned in, speaking quietly.

  “That line in the message to the Captain. Remember? It said ‘These orders come from the highest sources’.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “It’s a kind of code phrase. One of the messages I sent this afternoon, I think did the job.”

  “Colin, who did you write to?”

  He grabbed a toothbrush from his duffle, and walked toward the head. He stopped in the doorway, a big grin on his face.

  “You’re not the only one who can play politics, you know.”

  “You knew all along this would happen!”

  He shrugged, and then disappeared down the corridor, a big grin still on his face.

  Part 4

  Solomon Islands

  1

  There wasn’t room for another person in the mess. Every SEAL was jammed in there, along with Colin and our team, plus most of the command crew of the Ohio.

  No more photos had been taken of Anuta, because all the satellites that could do it no longer existed. Most of the communications birds had been taken out too,
including all the geostationary satellites within view of our location. The best we could do while submerged was the very low frequency radio. But that had a data rate so slow it was useless for anything except the simplest messages. About all we got was a daily note that said, ‘continue’.

  We were on our own.

  We’d left Nanumea two days earlier, and slipped as quietly as possible toward Anuta. Now we were about to go ashore, looking for…what? I had no idea, and that scared the hell out of me. The photos weren’t detailed enough to show us anything other than the presence of altered Pouakai signatures. Beyond that, we were groping in the dark.

  We started our day at Anuta with a four a.m. briefing, local time. Colin and Lieutenant Hanson stood at a whiteboard they’d propped up on one wall. Someone had pasted an enlargement of the photograph of Anuta there, a beautiful blue and green oval, creating a vibrant splash of color against the drab steel and worn linoleum of the mess. Colin tapped a pointer on the wall, and the talking quieted.

  “Here’s what we know,” Colin said.

  “Speak up,” someone in the crowd shouted.

  “Sorry. Here’s what we know. This is the only image we received of Anuta before the satellites started getting shot at. These spots here,” Colin circled the highlighted clusters with his pointer, “are very similar in signature to those we got of the Pouakai, before most of them disappeared.”

  “How many spots are there?”

  “We don’t know for sure, the resolution wasn’t good enough. They’re all in a cluster, here in what we think is a clearing, on the northern part of the island, below the top of this hill.”

  Lieutenant Hanson stepped up to the board, and pointed.

  “The island itself is pretty small. Oval shaped, about half a mile north to south, and a third of a mile east and west. Unlike Palmyra or Nanumea, it has some elevation to it. The center hill goes up a couple of hundred feet. The targets in the photo are on the north slope of that hill. The image was taken three days ago, so on an island that small they could be anywhere by now. Or they could have flown off, and we’ll find nothing. For planning purposes however, we will proceed based on the likelihood of Pouakai being there.”