***
The big transport ship eased into orbit with the help of several tugs. Her name emblazoned on her flanks proclaimed her to be NECFA Reliant and she had hardly come to rest when she signalled through the voice comms that she was carrying a full cargo of Strike Craft, Fighters and Interceptors for the Vanguard.
Receiving the call, the duty Commander, Commander Richard Grenville, Executive Commander and second in command, grinned as he responded, "Welcome Reliant, that couldn't have been better timed if you'd tried."
"Thanks," the voice of Reliant's Captain sounded amused. "I must say that you certainly look impressive – even more impressive than you do on all the news channels at the moment."
"We certainly aim to please." The Executive Commander made a face. The last few days had been trying. The ship had been almost overwhelmed by the number of news media people trying to get a better story than anyone else. "Thankfully we have been able to send them all ashore while we ship the squadrons. If I have to answer once more the question from one of these idiots 'why do we need such a powerful warship when we haven't encountered any hostile aliens out there', I shall personally introduce them to some hostility, alien or otherwise."
***
The embarkation of the strike squadrons was a lengthy process and was by no means a signal that the ship was ready to be commissioned, merely that she was approaching readiness to commence the lengthy and involved working up process which would see the crew and all the many specialist rates finding their feet, fixing the many small problems and 'teething troubles' such a complex new ship could produce. For many months yet at least a part of her complement of officers and men would include dockyard specialists and other personnel sent along to fine tune or to carry out alterations while she underwent extensive trials. Being the 'lead ship' of her class Vanguard would, inevitably, have some installations or systems that did not perform as they were supposed to. These had all to be tracked down and corrected – and the lessons learned would transfer to her sisters still in build.
Commander Gray surveyed the huge hangar deck, even larger in appearance with all its interlocked blast and pressure doors withdrawn at present as the various squadrons interceptors, attack craft and patrol craft were sorted into their storage and maintenance bays. "Impressive," he remarked to his number two, Lieutenant Commander Karl Pedersen, "Probably won't see it like this too often though. In transit we'll be keeping the doors closed and if there is a need to transfer anything it will be on a door open; door closed basis."
Karl Pedersen nodded, "Of course. But you have to admit there can't be many spaces as big as this in any other ship." From their vantage point in the Maintenance Control, a glass sided box located at the midpoint and three quarters of the height of the bulkhead from the deck on which the various interceptor craft were being arrayed, they could look the full width of the ship and into the launch ready holding areas in the upper decks of the two lateral fins. With the transfer of the interceptor squadrons in progress the lower landing docks located in the trailing edges of the vast fins were separated from the rest of the ship by means of their pressure doors which could not be opened while the outer doors remained open and the landing docks without atmosphere.
"Yes," Nick Gray agreed. "It actually makes me nervous to see the doors all open like this. One slip and we've got real problems." He looked down at the lower deck and said, "This cross-over space is going to be useful as our major maintenance workspace. But I like having the main workshop areas outside of it. After all, we don't want to risk compromising the ship if there is a problem during repair of one of ours."
"Too right, Boss," the Lieutenant Commander replied. "I'll have a word with the Master Warrant and see what we can come up with, though I think Two-two-three Alpha Oscar Charlie is going to be our main service area, like it or not."
Nick Gray nodded, his attention on a crew manhandling a large 'Ship's Barge' into a parking bay. "Everything about this ship seems to be bigger than everything else we have. Look at that barge – it's bigger than some of the patrol craft we have in commission."
Karl Pederesen laughed. "True, still, they're the Exec Commander's headache, not ours thank the Lord."
"Don't count on it – they'll land in our laps soon enough. Especially if there's any fancy stuff to be done."
Nick Gray looked at the rapidly filling hangars and said, "There isn't going to be much room to play with here." He checked his tablet. "It's looking pretty crowded already and there are still another fifty to come. Still, it will keep our Rates on their toes.
-
Chapter 21 — An expedition of exploration.
"Mister Heron, Mister Bowles." Lieutenant Rae called the two midshipmen to him. "Check your boats have everything secured and all our stores for this expedition are aboard. Once we set sail we have at least a day's sailing north to reach the estuary we are to survey. We cannot afford to discover we have left anything behind."
"Aye, aye, sir," Tom Bowles responded for them both. Tom was the second senior in the Gunroom and Harry the youngest, a fact not lost on the several midshipmen not selected for this mission. Lieutenant Rae had swiftly quelled any debate simply pointing out that Harry had shown himself to be the best artist and map drawer among them – and when they could do it as well he would consider their services for the next expedition. As usual this had drawn the fire of Midshipman Barclay and his cronies down on Harry so it was with some relief that he went down into the boat to join the Master's Mate accompanying him.
"Have we everything stowed, Smales?" Harry asked, pulling the list of stores and equipment from his pocket. "I'd like to check against the list if you please."
Smales grinned. He had come to respect the young Mid. He might be less than fourteen, but he'd certainly proved himself more than capable. "Aye, aye, sir. Where do yer want t' start?"
"With the food please." Harry checked his list. "We should have salt beef, four firkins of water, two of lime juice." The list was extensive and Harry checked everything meticulously. Satisfied that the stores they should have were present and securely lashed to the thwarts he went over the boat's rig and sails with the Master's Mate. Having confirmed that everything was in order, Harry clambered up to the deck again and reported to the Lieutenant.
"Excellent, Harry," the lieutenant said, "Very well, gather your people and get them into the boat. As soon as Mister Bowles is ready we will set off."
Half an hour later Harry took his place in the sternsheets and said to the Master's Mate, "Get us underway if you please, Smales. We're to follow Mister Bowles and Mister Rae."
"Aye, aye, sir," Joshua Smales responded. "Jump to it lads, fend off forward there, Jakes. Haul away on them halliards – handsomely now."
The foresail was sheeted home as the boat, Spartan's second cutter, cleared the side. The gaff mainsail reached its peak as the Master's Mate swung the tiller over to follow in the wake of the first cutter and the barge. As the mainsail was sheeted home the boat heeled slightly and gathered way. All the animosity of the Gunroom dropped away as they cleared the ship and Harry felt the thrill of command for the first time. The cutter might be only a twenty-eight foot open boat packed with nineteen souls, but she was his command for this expedition. He grinned broadly as he said to the Master's Mate, "She handles well, Smales, and has a good turn of speed even with this wind. We shall have to take care not to overhaul Mister Rae."
-
The passage to the great estuary north of Port Jackson was accomplished easily in the fresh breeze and slight swell, the boats arriving together in the late afternoon. Slipping through the entrance they found themselves in a wide estuary, with long leads running to the North and the South. A small islet rose sheer sided a short distance inside the entrance, but proved unsuitable for a landing or a base.
The task of surveying the harbour was no small undertaking as the lieutenant and his midshipmen quickly realised. There was little shelter near the entrance for the boats so they pressed deeper into wh
at they hoped was the river and discovered a second lower island some miles from the sea as the sun began to set.
"This will be a good base," Lieutenant Rae told the midshipmen. "There is no risk of assault from the natives and more than enough wood for cooking. We can land the stores and work the boats with smaller crews, changing the men as there is a need."
"Very well, sir," Tom Bowles replied. "Should we ensure that there is always a shore party guarding our camp and perhaps acting as cooks?"
"Indeed," the Lieutenant said. "That is my intention, Tom. See to it."
It was quickly decided that the first part of the survey would be taken from just inside the entrance and travelling upstream along what appeared to be the main channel. With that done the bays opening off this could undertaken.
"We'll carry out the survey in two parts. The two cutters will do the initial Plane Table work with the boats anchored a cable apart. You, Mister Heron, will translate the results into a rough chart. Have you the means to make sketches of the shore from each of the Base Points? Good," Lieutenant Rae said as Harry affirmed his readiness. "We'll have to work quickly as we do not have an indefinite amount of time. The most important part is the entrance and the main channel. I will use the barge to take soundings once you have produced the working charts for us, Harry."
"Aye, aye, sir," Harry acknowledged. The work interested and excited his creative abilities. And the expedition had the added pleasure of being among people he liked and respected and away from the constant harassment of the Gunroom bully. It was a very thin line he trod daily aboard between incurring punishment for defying the discipline and refusing to be cowed into supine submission and despair. This expedition at least gave him an 'independent' command and a task he knew he excelled at.
***
The survey work proceeded slowly, the pair of launches having to sail to the selected position and then anchor by the bow and the stern. With the boats a cable apart this gave them a 'Baseline' of six hundred feet and their bearings on each feature of the shore could be recorded carefully on the paper stretched over the surface of a Plane Table set up exactly amidships. Then, once the bearings had all been done, the boats moved to the next pair of designated anchorages and the work began again. Each evening it fell to Harry to marry up the information from each such sheet and form one chart. One map covering the whole area. Here his sketches helped immensely since he could now plot their exact position and fill in a vast amount of detail.
Each morning the barge set off with several leadlines and returned in the evening with Lieutenant Rae's neatly pencilled notation of the depths to be found in the area covered by the chart taken that day. The estuary proved even more extensive than they had first thought. A number of deep water channels branched off to the North, South and even to the west as the main channel snaked inland, first turning south, then twisting north to where their base had been made on the island. Just west of this, the channel divided again into three large leads. These had to be individually explored before it became evident that they were not the main channel. Beyond this it twisted northward again before sweeping sharply to the south and branching into three separate channels. The steep sided banks were covered in trees and scree which made climbing difficult and dangerous. But this had to be attempted in order to obtain further bearings and for Harry to make sketches of landmarks and headlands.
There was much merriment when one of these expeditions encountered a small bear-like creature living in the trees.
"Cor," exclaimed a seaman known as Jacko to his mates. Look at them fings – there up yon tree."
"Them? Ain't they whut folks 'ere calls Koolie or Kola bears or sumfing?" asked another. "Geordie reckoned they could be et."
"Bet they'm easy to ketch like," said Jacko eyeing the smooth surface of the eucalypt the bears occupied and full of the confidence of a topman.
"Go to it then," said the Master's Mate as he looked across to where Harry and Tom sat atop a promontory fifty yards away busily measuring angles with a sextant. "T' Mids is busy wit' their measurin'."
With a grin, Jacko lost no time in scrambling up the tree, a rather young member of the stand. At first the 'bears' showed no signs of concern. But, as he scrambled upward, those lower down began to seek to get higher up or to edge out along branches toward other trees. Jacko reached up and seized a branch directly beneath one of the larger animals – which immediately emptied its bladder over the startled sailor. With an oath he slipped downward and frantically scrabbled for a grip with hands now slick with foul smelling liquid.
""e got you there mate," called another of the men.
"You goin' ter let 'im get away wif that?" called another.
The laughter of his mates spurred him on and he renewed his assault on the tree, aided by the fact that the 'bear' which had marked him had now evacuated its roost and moved upwards. The young tree stood straight and tall. Handholds were few, but Jacko was an expert at climbing. Several of the 'bears' had now removed themselves to the outer ends of branches now bending alarmingly under their weight. Added to this, the combined weight of Jacko and the remaining animals was starting to make the tree bend as the thinning trunk began to sway violently under the strain. Jacko reached the bears, the combined 'family' used their natural defence on this interloper. Fortunately for him, most missed, showering those below as the tree, now seriously overstressed, began to bend toward the ground. With a loud crack it gave way. The watching seamen scattered as "bears' Jacko and tree crashed to the ground. Several of the furry animals landed on the winded and bruised seaman and added to his discomfort before scrambling away. Only one, perhaps stunned by the fall, succumbed to a quick-witted sailor who clubbed it with a stout branch.
Harry and Tom, now finished with their own task, were just in time to see the climax of this impromptu 'hunt' and joined the general laughter as the chastened Jacko tried, unsuccessfully, to rid himself of the pungent odour clinging to his person.
***
Poacher Tom, as one of the men was known, expertly skinned the animal and then roasted it slowly over the fire. The meat proved to have a strange taste not at all to the sailors' liking.
"Cor," one of the men complained, "This fing is tender enough – but tastes of lamp oil or summat!"
"Yeah, Nobby," one of his mates replied, "But don' tell Jacko there – he's still tryin' ter get the smell o' the little bugger offen 'im."
The flavour, unfortunately, did not reward the effort or the bruised ego of its pursuer.
Kangaroo meat and fish on the other hand, proved plentiful and popular, so much so that very little of the salt beef brought with them was, in the end, consumed. But, as is always the case in such situations, they found themselves with more to achieve than they had time in which to achieve it and the Lieutenant reluctantly had to call a halt.
***
For the full two weeks the weather had been kind. It was hot and humid by day, but thankfully cooler by night. They had soon found it expedient to sleep in the boats under an awning rigged over the booms, since, at sundown, the mosquito swarms descended on every living creature, man and animal. Harry had found it in his heart to pity the poor wretches sent here as convicts. Their lot was indeed a miserable one as he had had occasion to observe. It had hurt him deeply too, to know that so many were fellow countrymen. Transported, most of them, for seemingly trivial offences, although some were rebels taken in open rebellion – an endemic feature of Ireland.
"Very good, Mister Bowles, Mister Heron," Lieutenant Rae declared. "We have done as much as we can possibly achieve in the time available to us." He looked at their sunburned faces and at the seamen clustered about their breakfast fire on the shore and smiled. "I think our lads have done well and seem to have enjoyed the hunting and fishing at least. But it is time to return to Port Jackson. I propose to set out as soon as we have refilled our firkins from the spring. Make sure yours are properly filled and the water clean gentlemen; remember we will be sailing with the current, but a
gainst the prevailing winds this time, it may take a little longer to return."
"Aye, aye, sir," the pair of Midshipmen echoed. Tom Bowles suggested, "Perhaps we could take on some fruit."
"Not much fruit hereabouts," said Harry, grinning. "I think our men have gorged themselves on whatever they could find – some have certainly over indulged," he added with a chuckle.
"Let us hope they have learned the lesson," observed the Lieutenant seriously. "The flux can be most debilitating and we sail from Port Jackson in a matter of weeks to make our way northward and to the Indies. That will take us through some of the island chains with fruit and women to tempt a saint." He laughed. "I for one will not be sorry to see some more hospitable places. This one is well enough, but arid away from the coast as far as I am able to judge. Come, gentlemen, let us prepare to depart."
The sun was well up by the time the three boats nosed their way out into the open sea beyond the great sand fringed finger of land that guards the southern side of the estuary entrance. A light breeze from the south and east enabled them to settle on a tack to take them southwards. Harry, seated next to the coxswain, busy with his rough chart and sketch pad, noted that there was a high haze in the sky and the light had a hard edge to it. The sun seemed to focus itself in the boat and he was grateful for the wide brimmed straw hat he had bought in the market near the quaintly named Rocks in Port Jackson. Around him the men made shift for themselves to find a little shade and protect themselves from the sun as the boats made slow progress in the light airs which seemed to be becoming even more fitful.
Their Lordships Request: A Harry Heron Adventure Page 18