Chapter 2:
After the raider incident, the yacht spent the next week on open water. Omar and Jabir kept a strict regimented training schedule. Security duty was rotated between the crew, but the yacht did not see signs of another ship until one afternoon when something appeared off in the distance.
“What is that coming toward us?” Connor asked.
“I think it look like a Tunisian ship…not make sense to me Connor.” Omar said.
Connor pushed the alarm button triggering the signal for everyone to report to the helm. Andre and Jabir arrived less than a minute later.
“Vhut is going on Connor?” Andre asked.
Connor looked at Andre's hands covered in oil grease. “We have a ship approaching us at a pretty rapid pace…Omar thinks it’s a Tunisian ship.”
“Vee have been at sea for seveen days and zhere is no vay anyone knows vhere vee are.” Andre said.
“Yesterday Omar showed me the triangulation signal. Anyone with the yacht’s signal code can easily determine where we are even if we are running an interference signal." Connor paused a moment until something else clicked in his mind. "Omar told me that only the Prime Minister had the code. Is that true Omar?”
Omar let out a glimmer of a smile. “Is true Connor…this ship is Prime Minister fleet...we should wait for them.”
Connor looked at Omar and then at Andre. He thought about Omar’s suggestion to take the yacht out to sea after the raider attack. He remembered the attack by the raiders occurring when no one else woke up. Connor felt suspicious of what might happen if he heeded the advice of Omar. He knew that the bank notes on board were worth more than what Omar and Jabir had probably ever seen in their life, but also knew that if they really wanted the money they could have taken it while Connor was asleep. He only had a few seconds to make his decision and then he thought about Maria. He had tried to forget about her the last week or so, but her memory continued to discomfort Connor’s mind. He didn’t know if she was alive, if she was in Tunisia, or if she had managed to escape from the coliseum. It was easier not to think of her, but this might be the opening he had secretly been hoping for to find out if his friend was alright.
“Let them approach.” Connor said.
Andre scowled. “I do not like zis Connor…it does not feel right.”
“Our friends have taught us everything we need to know about this ship…" Connor reassuringly put his hand on Andre's shoulder. "They have proven their trust Andre, and it is time to send them back to their homeland.”
Omar and Jabir smiled at Connor and Connor smiled back. He knew he had made the right decision. Even though it had only been fifteen days of total training, Connor knew there wasn’t much more to learn. His feelings of suspicion were suppressed when he recognized a code on his navigation screen that identified the verification of the triangulation signal working. Any transmitted signal from the yacht would have been identifiable. The only question now was how much information the other ship would have about Maria.
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