Stabenow, Dana - Blindfold Game (v1

by Blindfold Game(lit)

  “Gosh, hes real excited, isnt he, Chief Edelen said to Sara in a low voice.

  Sara nodded. Shed been wondering what the Terra Dawns skipper had been smoking herself. The handheld crackled into life. “Boarding team ready to launch, Captain.

  “Thank you, XO. Lets give them a lee, Chief.

  “Aye aye, Captain. Helm, come to course heading one-eight-zero.

  “One-eight-zero, aye.

  The cutter took the change of course with attitude, rolling heavily into the trough of a swell, heeling to starboard, and then rolling to port down the opposite side. She nosed through the wind and steadied.

  “XO? Even over the handheld Ryans voice betrayed his youth and excitement. Sara couldnt blame him, she could only envy him.

  “Ensign, your orders are to disarm and detain the captain and remain on board the Lee Side until we return. Understood?

  “Understood, XO, Ryan said.

  “What arms are you carrying?

  “Sidearms and shotguns, XO.

  “Good. Dont shoot if you dont have to, but dont get shot, either.

  “Understood, XO, Ryan repeated, much more soberly this time.

  Sara looked at the captain. He got out of his chair and walked to the hatch leading onto the port wing and stepped into the wind. “Launch when ready, Sara said into the mike.

  “Aye aye, XO, launching, Ryan said, and Sara followed the captain out onto the wing. They stood in silence because to speak would have necessitated screaming above the wind, and they held on like grim death to the railing because otherwise the Sojourner Truth would have tossed them into the inflatable casting off below. The coxswain hit the throttleall coxswains were speed demons; Sara thought it must be in the job descriptionand the small boat powered up and in spite of the heavy seas fell smoothly off the side of the ship and into a curving course toward the Lee Side.

  “Whos the coxswain? the captain said.

  “PO Mathis, sir, Sara said.

  The captain watched the small boat maneuver up a swell and down its backside and tackle the next without hesitation. The wind paused long enough for them to hear the sound of the engine throttling up and back and up again. “Nicely done, the captain said.

  “Yes, sir, Sara said in complete agreement. The Sojourner Truth was lucky in its boat handlers. Coxswain Duane Mathis was as good as the chief in that respect. She watched the small boat labor up another wave. That was one hell of a boat ride she was missing out on.

  The captain returned to the bridge, Sara following. “Resume course and speed, Chief.

  “Helm, resume course and speed, Chief Edelen said.

  “Resuming course and speed, aye.

  Inside, every available pair of binoculars was focused on the small boat as it approached the Lee Side, once more retreating astern. Everyone swayed shoulder to shoulder with the heave and fall of the deck. Sara, straining her eyes like everyone else, saw the orange blur against the dark hull start to move off. The radio blared into life. “Sojourner Truth, this is the boarding team. Boarding accomplished safely, all members on board.

  “Understood, boarding team. Sara resisted the urge to ask questions, like where was the captain of the Lee Side and had he shot any of her BTMs yet.

  The VHF chose this moment to erupt. “U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Coast Guard, this is the fishing vessel Chugiak Rose, come in, Coast Guard, Coast Guard, come in.

  This skipper sounded considerably more excited than had the skipper of the Terra Dawn, and Ops replied in his most soothing voice, “Chugiak Rose, cutter Sojourner Truth, reading you five-by, go up to two-two.

  The skipper either didnt hear Ops request or ignored him. “Coast Guard, Chugiak Rose, Ive got an injured crewman who needs an immediate emergency medevac, I say again, Ive got an injured crewman who needs an immediate emergency medevac.

  The aviators, standing in glum silence at the captains right hand, brightened.

  “I dont fucking believe this, someone said.

  “Belay that! the captain barked.

  The aviators looked at him, mute with longing.

  “Chugiak Rose, cutter Sojourner Truth, what is the nature of the injury, I say again, what is the nature of the injury?

  “His right arm is hanging by a one-inch strip of skin.

  “Oh Christ, someone said, and this time the captain let it slide.

  “Ive got a tourniquet around his upper arm but hes lost a lot of blood. Hes unconscious and I think hes in shock. Can you help us?

  “Chugiak Rose, Coast Guard, give us your lat and long, Ops said. He had to ask for them again when the skippers voice stumbled so badly over the numbers the first time no one could understand what he was saying.

  “Find them for us, Tommy, Sara said.

  “Aye aye, XO, Tommy said, and bent over the radar screen. As usual, Tommy was so calm Sara had to quell the impulse to take her pulse to see if she was still breathing.

  “Here they are, Tommy said, straightening up so everyone crowded around could see the screen. Everyone moved when the captain came to take a look. The Chugiak Rose was three boats away in the opposite direction.

  Sara looked at the captain. “Flight ops, Captain?

  He pressed his lips together, looked out the windows at the seas, and gave a reluctant nod. The aviators faces lit up like it was Christmas, and they vacated the bridge at speed. The captain nodded at Ops.

  “Chugiak Rose, Coast Guard cutter Sojourner Truth, we are preparing to launch our helicopter to come to your aid. We will lower a basket for you to load your crewman into. Do you understand?

  “I understand, Sojourner, you are sending your helicopter to hoist off my crewman. Please get here as quick as you can.

  “Understood, Chugiak Rose. Tell me about your ship, length, masts, wires.

  Ensign Bob Ostlund at Helo Control piped flight ops over the loudspeaker and everyones hats came off.

  “Boarding team to Sojourner Truth.

  “Go ahead, boarding team, Sara said into the handheld.

  “Yeah, XO, weve got the situation here contained.

  “Good to know. Everybody okay?

  “Yeah, pretty much. Ryan sounded very casual, almost too much so, like hed been smoking the same stuff the skipper of the Terra Dawn had. Sara looked at the captain and raised an eyebrow. He shook his head once, very slightly.

  “Roger that, boarding team, we just got a SAR case off the third vessel northeast of you, personnel injury. How do you want to handle things there?

  “Sojourner Truth, boarding team, yeah, we noticed the change of course. The mate here is capable of taking the vessel back to Dutch. They say theyll take the captain with them, under restraint.

  “Roger that, boarding team, stand by one. Sara clicked off the mike and looked at the captain.

  “Well launch the helo first, then pick up the boarding team, Lowe said.

  “Aye aye, sir, Sara said, and relayed this information to Ryan.

  “Aye aye, XO, standing by.

  “Stay sharp, well be operating on the fly. A boat went down on the south side of St. George and their crew is in the water in life rafts.

  A burst of static was the answer. Sara thought it was probably just as well. She looked up at the video monitor and saw that the hangar had been rolled back and the deck crew was in the process of a heavy weather traverse. It was too rough to just roll it out. Every deck officers nightmare was that theyd lose the helo over the side, so theyd move the helo a foot, detach the forward two tie-downs, move it out another foot, reattach the forward tie-downs, detach the aft tie-downs, move it, reattach the aft tie-downs, and start the process all over again.

  They were also taking spray over the starboard side. “Can you nose her a little more into the wind, Chief?

  “Can do, XO, Mark said. “Helm, bring her around to one-two-five.

  “One-two-five, aye.

  The Sojourner Truth, great ride that she was, responded instantly to the new course, water from both propellers hitting the rudder full force
, bow pulling to port, slicing neatly through the heavy seas. With the bow taking the brunt of the southeast gale, the deck immediately aft of the hangar had a little more shelter. It helped, but it was still going to take another thirty minutes to get the helo ready for launch.

  There was another potential problem, Sara thought, watching the salt spray hit the foredeck. She turned her head to look at the status board, where Tommy was marking their new course and speed. Barometric pressure was 99.2 and falling. She looked out on deck.

  The chief followed her gaze. “We making ice?

  “Not yet, Sara said.

  A half hour later the aviators were buttoned into the helo, the captain gave the go, and they were up and off a few minutes later. The Sojourner Truth resumed her former course, all ahead full for the south shore of St. George. “How long before we get there, Tommy? Sara said.

  Toms eyes went out of focus as she calculated. “Its about a hundred miles to the location of the sinking, were doingshe glanced up at the Transas screen“fifteen knots. She looked at Sara. “A little under six hours, XO.

  “Thanks, Sara said, and went to stand next to the captains chair, feet spread to ride out the plunging motion of the ship. No one was taking a step without holding on to or leaning up against something.

  He looked at her. “All assholes and elbows today, eh, XO?

  She was slightly shocked at the use of profanity, but recovered enough to say reproachfully, “I thought that was an aviators expression, sir, unbecoming a sailor.

  The corners of his mouth quirked. She saw it, and dared to smile. “I just hope we dont get something else thrown at us today, XO.

  Ostlund touched his headset, listened, and spoke into the mike around his neck. “Captain, the helo has their man and is on its way to the St. Paul clinic.

  Everyone raised binoculars. The hull of the Chugiak Rose was by now the barest line appearing and reappearing on a violent green horizon, but the bright orange of the helicopter showed briefly as it sped toward the island, which also kept appearing and reappearing in the mist and the sleet. It was getting dark, too.

  “Lieutenant Sams says the guys in a bad way. Hes lost a lot of blood.

  “Best speed for the clinic, the captain said, “all theyve got.

  “Aye aye, sir. Lieutenant Sams wants to know if they should refuel when they get to the island and then go look for the Terra Dawns crew.

  The captain looked again at the southeastern horizon. It looked not just dark, Sara thought, but black with ill-tempered weather. “Tell them yes. Tell them to take a run right after they deliver the injured man to the clinic, see if they can get some idea of what direction the rafts are drifting.

  Probably onshore, Sara thought, as the wind was blowing from the southeast. It would depend on how far to the west off the coast of St. George they had foundered, though.

  “After which they are to return to base, refuel again, and stand by. Well recover them when the weather eases up.

  “Aye aye, sir.

  They came abeam of the Lee Side, the inflatable bobbing between them, and pulled the bow around enough to give the small boat as much shelter as could be found in seas like these. Shortly afterward Hank Ryan was on the bridge, making his report to the captain. The ensign was not pleased. “They could have handled it themselves, sir. There were five of them and one of him.

  “He had a weapon, they said.

  “Yes, sir, but not a nine-millimeter automatic.

  “What was it, then?

  “A twenty-two pistol that hadnt been cleaned in twenty years. If hed tried to fire, it would have blown up in his hand. Always assuming hed thought to load it first.

  “I thought that they said he was firing at them.

  Ryan shook his head. “They were mistaken, sir.

  “We sent ten men and a small boat in twelve-foot seas to go to the rescue of a ships crew held hostage at the point of an old, unloaded twenty-two pistol?

  “Yes, sir.

  There was a long, thoughtful silence on the bridge, which lasted through a complete swing of the pendulum, all the way to port, all the way to starboard.

  “Maybe we could bill them, Sara said.

  Nobody laughed, but then Sara hadnt been joking.

  The door to the bridge opened and closed, and a seaman brought a slip of paper to Ops. He read it, and read it again. Sara, watching him, caught his eye. He held out the slip of paper. She read it. She, too, read it twice. She returned it to Ops and took an unobtrusive step back, she hoped far enough out of range.

  Ops gave her a look of burning reproach, waited for the tilt of the deck to be right, and then stepped up to take Saras place next to the captains chair. “Captain, weve just received a message from District.

  The captain swiveled to give Ops a quizzical look. “Do not tell me what I dont want to hear, Ops.

  “Sorry, sir. District says a Here on the last patrol found a fishing vessel over the line. They want us back up there.

  Captain Lowe was not a man given to public invective, but Sara, standing a little behind him, did notice his ears begin to redden. He slid to the deck and said curtly, “Ill be in my cabin.

  “Aye aye, sir, she said smartly.

  The door closed behind him.

  “Capn below, Tommy said.

  Ops looked at Sara. “Think he can talk them out of it?

  “Whoever talked District out of anything? If Sara hated anything about the Coast Guard, it was that operational decisions were made on shore. The job was difficult enough without someone looking over your shoulder from Juneau.

  It didnt help to know that the fishing vessel in question would be long gone by the time they got there. It wasnt like they wouldnt have seen the Here and known what that meant.

  Ops said tentatively, “He could always just say no.

  “He could, Sara said, and left it at that.

  Lowe wouldnt, and they both knew it. “Get me a weather report for the Maritime Boundary Line, she told Ops, and followed the captain below.

  JANUARY

  MARITIME BOUNDARY LINE

  B

  Y A MIRACLE THEY had picked up every single crew member of the Terra Dawn, close enough to St. George that the small boats were able to ferry them in and drop them off in St. Georges harbor. “It was one hell of a ride in, though, Ryan told Sara.

  It was the first time in the twelve months hed been assigned to the Sojourner Truth that Sara had seen the young ensign look tired. “Hit the sack, she told him. “You can write your report tomorrow. Were underway for the line. Holiday routine until we get there.

  “Aye aye, XO. He gave her a tired smile and stumbled below.

  They plowed northwestward for the rest of the night. No aids-to-navigation malfunctions were reported, no fishermen fell overboard, and no skippers went apeshit, which marginally mollified the tone of the e-mails coming at them from District, and, more important, let the crew catch up on their sleep. FSO Kyla Aman worked a heroic fourteen-hour shift in the galley, producing, among other various and succulent things, peanut butter chocolate chip cookies, Rice Krispy treats frosted with a melted mixture of chocolate and butterscotch chips, and strawberry shortcake, dedicating mess cooks to carry trays of said bounty up to the bridge, the wardroom, and the engine room as well as putting out loaded trays in the crews mess. It was amazing how the aroma of baked goods lightened the crews mood.

  They were coming up fast on the line, the seas having smoothed out between the last outgoing storm and the next one incoming, which, Ops had assured her with far too much insouciance, was breathing right down their necks. She made the mistake of asking him what the next storm looked like, and he replied, one eye on the door, “Well, XO, the last one they called a hurricane.

  “And this one?

  “Well, actually, this one theyre calling a hurricane, too.

  “Get away from me, Ops.

  “Getting away from you immediately, maam.

  But for now the seas had smoothed out to a moderate six
feet and the Sojourner Truth was taking the swells easily. The horizon was lightening, and if Sara was not delirious, she thought she might even have seen a patch of blue, high up and far away, true, but there nevertheless.

  They arrived on station after lunch. “Captain on the bridge, Tommy said.

  “XO, Lowe said, climbing into his chair. “Whats our status?

  “Were on the MBL at fifty-nine lat, almost dead on a hundred eighty degrees long, sir. We have traffic on the radar, fifteen processors, cruising the Russian side. None on our side, and none on visual.

  “Sir? Tommy said from the radar screen.

  “Go ahead, Tommy, the captain said.

  “Weve got someone over the line.

  The captain swiveled around in his chair. “Say again?

  “Weve got a ship over the line, and I mean way over the line, sir. She manipulated the cursor ball and read down the column of numbers on the lower-left-hand side of the screen. “About two and a half miles over, sir, and not looking like shes going to turn around anytime soon.

  Lowe looked at Sara. “They have to know were here.

  She shook her head. “Just our turn in the barrel, sir, I guess.

  “XO? Tommy said.

  “What?

  “Theres another ship out there, too. Its closing on the first one.

  Saras eyes met the captains for a pregnant moment.

  “Plot us a course to intercept, Lowe said, the words barked. “Give me an ETA. Ops, get on the sat phone to District.

  Ops took the sat phone and retired to the deck aft of the wheelhouse in good order.

  “XO, when we come up on them, I want you on the conn.

  “Aye aye, Captain, Sara replied very correctly.

  Ops came back into the bridge and presented himself to the captain, very nearly going into a brace. “Im sorry, Captain, the sat phone is not connecting today.

  The captain vaulted out of his chair and said curtly, “Ill try to raise District on e-mail.

  “Aye aye, sir. She waited for the door to close behind him. “Captains below. She pretended not to hear when someone gave a low whistle.

  She walked over to stand behind Tommy at the radar. “Where are they, Tommy? Tommy pointed. Sara looked up to the horizon. They were headed south by southwest, and they and the blips on the screen were now both well and truly inside the Doughnut Hole.