Sakira

by Robert blanton

  “No, Carolina, thank you for taking care of us,” the minister said. “Please everyone, enjoy your coffee before we get back to business.”

  After everyone had eaten their pastry, and the minister had poured everyone a second cup of coffee, Senhor Bosco leaned forward.

  “Senhor McCormack, I think the government could work with two-point-six-billion U.S. dollars. I fear that is the most I can offer.”

  “I think we can accept that,” Marc said.

  “How would you like to proceed?”

  “We want the money placed in a Swiss escrow account,” Marc said. “The escrow account is to be for a term of two years. It is to have an automatic payout to MacKenzie Discoveries two days after the bank receives verification that we have delivered Las Cinque Chagas to you.”

  “I can arrange that. But why two years? I was led to believe you would be able to deliver her much sooner.”

  “We believe so also, but we don’t want to be overconfident,” Marc said.

  “What else?” Minster Sampalo asked.

  “We want an escort provided by the Portuguese Navy. We’ll transmit coordinates and a time to you for the rendezvous.”

  “A prudent precaution.”

  “Also, an agreement by your government that they will not interfere with our attempts to raise the ship.”

  “Of course,” the minister said. “May I ask that you provide some documentation of your efforts to raise the ship?”

  “We will provide video documentation, but we will retain the rights to the video.”

  “Could we not share the rights?” Senhor Bosco asked.

  “I will agree with that; however, the video is not to be released until we say or until six months after delivery.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Then all that’s left is for you two to create the proper contract,” Minster Sampalo said. “Please continue to use my office. I have another matter to attend to.”

  “Thank you, Minister,” Senhor Bosco said.

  Catie gave her father a look. “Catie, why don’t you and Liz go back to the hotel?” Marc said. “I’m sure you have something you would rather do than sit through a bunch of contract talks.”

  “Definitely,” Catie said.

  After Catie and Liz left the room, Liz gave Catie a hug, “Thanks, girlfriend. I don’t think I could have survived a few hours of legal contract talk.”

  “Me neither,” Catie said. “Can you believe two-point-six-billion dollars?”

  “Pretty awesome negotiator, your dad.”

  “Yeah, I really liked Daddy’s opening move, getting up to leave.”

  “That was priceless. Did you see the look on Minister Sampalo’s face?”

  “Yeah, he looked like he was going to have kittens. Daddy does a good job when he acts like a hard ass.”

  “That’s acting?” Liz said. “I thought he was a hard ass.”

  “Not really,” Catie said. “Sometimes he just forgets to have fun.”

  Chapter 13

  How to Raise Her

  Everyone was gathered on the sundeck. Marc, Liz, Catie, and Fred had arrived that morning after a quick flight from Lisbon. “So, we’re ready to start the next phase of this operation,” Marc said.

  “How are we sure the Portuguese government will pay up once we give away the Chagas’ location?” Kal asked.

  “First, we’re not planning to give her location away, more on that later,” Marc said. “Second, they have put the money in the escrow account, so they can’t back out.”

  “That’s great,” Liz said. “Now we can finally get down to some real work.

  “Just remember you said that,” Marc said. “It’s going to be a lot of work to raise the Chagas.”

  Fred’s eyes bulged out. “You’re going to raise a shipwreck?”

  “Not only a shipwreck but one of the richest ones that are out there,” Blake said.

  “Hey, now he’s going to want a raise,” Marc chided.

  “No, I’m good with the hazard pay,” Fred said. “But if you feel compelled to, I won’t refuse.”

  “Smooth,” Liz said.

  “Ahem,” Marc coughed. “We’ll headquarter at Vila Franco Do Campo since that’s the closest Marina to the east of the Azores.”

  “Will we have a ground base?”

  “Yes, I’ve had ADI book rooms at the Vinha D'areia Beach Hotel. It’s the closest to the marina, although I think we’ll be on the Mea Huli most of the time.”

  “It’s always nice to be able to take a bath, or visit a spa,” Liz said.

  “I agree.” Marc turned to Catie. “Now young lady, it is time for you to tell us your mysterious plan. Why did you have ADI send the LX9 out here?”

  “Well ….” Catie paused for dramatic effect. “Since we now have pirates to worry about, it’s even a better plan. We should stage the work from the LX9 instead of the Mea Huli.”

  “What is this LX9?” Kal asked.

  “Um...” Marc hesitated.

  “It’s a submarine,” Catie said. “Very top secret. But we can put the material for the foam base on board it, and it has the ability to extract nitrogen from the seawater. Then we just pump it all through the mixer and into the ship. We’ll be right at the same depth, so we can take breaks in the LX9 and not have to worry about pressure changes.”

  “That’s a good idea, at least I think it is,” Marc said. “What made you think about using it? And how do you know it will work?”

  “You know I’ve been spending a lot of time learning how to fly her, I mean drive her. So, I’ve studied up on all her capabilities. It just popped into my head when Uncle Blake was complaining about having to move all those canisters down from the Mea Huli. Then I worked it all out with ADI.”

  “You couldn’t have mentioned this before we did all that practice with the canisters,” Kal complained. “My arms still ache from wrestling with those things.”

  “Well,” Catie hemmed, “I wasn’t sure it would work then.”

  Catie texted ADI on her HUD. “#3 please.” She had created a short list of private explanations she might need and given it to ADI.

  “Captain and Cer Blake, Cer Catie asked me to give you this additional information,” ADI told Marc on a private channel. “The LX9 can stay submerged when you board from the Mea Huli. That will limit its exposure to others in the crew and minimize the view by Liz and Kal. As you know, it is very stealthy, Cer Catie’s word.”

  Marc gave Catie a nod to go ahead. “What we do, is extract nitrogen from the ocean water using the LX9’s systems. Then we pump it and the foam base out to the Chagas where it’s mixed and, voilà, foam.”

  “How do we get the hose through the LX9’s hull?”

  “It has a couple of small ports for that. Since we’re at the same pressure, there’s no risk of decompression or anything,” Catie said.

  “Okay, how much foam base can she carry?”

  “Lots, at least half of what we’ll need. We can pump it from the Mea Huli whenever we need more. We should be able to use the same container that Uncle Blake got for the Mea Huli, we’ll just use them two at a time instead of all four.”

  “It will help that the Mea Huli isn’t hanging around the same spot all the time,” Blake added encouragingly.

  “Even better,” Catie jumped back in. “She doesn’t even need to get close to the spot. We can have her stay miles away. We just jump out, board the LX9, and the Mea Huli can sail off somewhere else while I drive the LX9 to the Chagas.”

  “While you drive her?” Marc asked skeptically.

  “Sure, I’m the only one who’s qualified, just ask ADI.”

  “I can see why you like this plan,” Blake said.

  “And we can use the pumps to pump water and clear the silt from around the Chagas.”

  “I see you’ve thought of everything,” Marc said.

  Catie just beamed at her father.

  “Okay, so it does make sense to use this to avoid having anyone know where the Chag
as is,” Marc said. “We just need to hide the fact that five of us are gone for hours at a time.”

  “Yeah,” Kal said. “If we can rest on the LX9, we could put in two shifts before we have to come back up, we could even stay out for a few days at a time. I’d say we go for two six-hour shifts with a two-hour rest period. That’s a fourteen-hour day. No sweat. An hour for dinner, an hour for personal time and eight hours of sleep, we’d be golden.”

  “Hey, fourteen-hour days doesn’t sound very golden to me,” Liz objected.

  “Hey, Marine, have you lost your edge?” Kal barked.

  “Oh, screw you,” Liz said. “I can run you into the ground.”

  “Well duh,” Kal said as he pointed to his legs.

  “Bite me!”

  “Then fourteen-hour days it is.”

  “I’m not so sure about my daughter working fourteen-hour days,” Marc said.

  “Hey, she can rest all she needs in the LX9,” Blake said. “Once we’re in place, and the process is primed, there’s not much to do on that end.”

  “Hey, I can help out in the water, too,” Catie said, clearly miffed at being treated like a kid.

  “Of course, you can,” Marc said. “But someone has to be in the LX9 to keep contact with ADI. We don’t have any comms underwater, remember.”

  “Oh yeah,” Catie said. “But I can still help if someone needs extra rest, I can spell them.”

  “That sounds okay,” Marc said. “But I think we’ll be better doing one-four-one-four for shifts. It’s hard to stay mentally alert for that long, and when you’re over four hundred meters down, you need to stay sharp.”

  “And now we’re not going to have to drop canisters four hundred meters,” Liz said. “Easy peasy.”

  “We’ll load up tomorrow with the material and containers,” Marc said. “We’ll do a short day to get a feel for things. Everyone, think about what time we should start out each day.”

  “Right!”

  “Right!”

  “Gotcha.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  The other four divers followed Catie on their Seabobs. They could just see the LX9 that was sitting at ten meters of depth, waiting for them. Catie zipped toward the rear of the spacecraft and drove her Seabob right into the cargo bay. The other four cautiously followed.

  They all followed Catie’s example and secured their Seabobs to the opposite bulkhead. Then they followed her to the airlock. Catie cycled herself through the airlock and then helped each of the others do the same. Inside the main cabin, Catie had removed her rebreather, so everyone followed suit.

  “Wow, nice sub,” Kal said. “It looks more like a G6 than a sub.” There were eight rows of seats, one on each side, a galley with a head across from it, then another head at the back with a small table against the bulkhead across from it.

  Marc, Liz, and Kal spent some time looking around the main cabin. Catie had the door to the cockpit sealed since Marc really didn’t want Liz and Kal to realize that the LX9 was actually a spacecraft.

  “As we descend, the nitrogen will get replaced with hydrogen, so no risk of nitrogen narcosis as we go down. When we ascend, we’ll pull out the hydrogen and replace it with nitrogen so we can get back to normal depths. We can change the pressure quickly in the cabin independent of the external pressure so we can do down faster. There’s also a cargo hold below the deck here, that’s where the nitrogen extractor and pumps go. We’ll have to put the containers with the foam base into the rear hold. There’s just enough room for them and the Seabobs.”

  “Do these seats recline?” Kal asked.

  “Yep, all the way,” Catie said.

  “Great, then with that galley up front and the two heads, this will be a perfect base to work from. We even have a worktable to do planning.”

  “Didn’t you notice the shower?” Catie said. “I told you it would be perfect.”

  “A shower, oh thank god,” Liz said. “I was having visions of having to take a sponge bath three times a day.”

  Blake headed to the front. He tried to open the cockpit door but found it locked. “Hey, what’s up with this?”

  “I’m the captain of this boat,” Catie said. “So, I’m the only one allowed up there.”

  “I think you’re taking too much liberty there,” Blake said, looking at Marc.

  “Her plan, her rules,” Marc said. He gave Blake a hard look to ensure there would be no further argument.

  “I’m gonna owe you one,” Blake gave Catie a mean look.

  “Alright, now that we have the lay of the land, so to speak,” Marc said, “Catie, you pilot; the rest of us will go back and get the container for the foam. We should be able to get it pumped on board in a couple of hours. We’ll bring the other equipment aboard and set it up. Liz can bring in food and other comfort items. Blake, Kal, and I will set up the equipment. We’ll pump the foam while we do that. Then we’ll go back to the marina for our last day on shore for a while.”

  It took them three hours to get everything transferred to the LX9. Marc wasn’t worried about anyone noticing their position since they were south of the Azores, well away from the Chagas.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Aboard the Mea Huli, they regrouped on the sundeck. Catie had some mango juice, while all the adults had grabbed a beer. “Everyone, let’s talk through logistics.”

  “Daddy!”

  “Hey, we’ve got three hours before we make port,” Marc said. “Better now than over dinner. Besides, we need the privacy.”

  Catie pouted but turned in her seat to face the others.

  “With the distances involved, we’re going to need to stay aboard the LX9 for days at a time. I’m suggesting we do a five-day workweek, with two days ashore, to keep us sane.”

  “That’s not too bad, the LX9 looks pretty comfortable. We can scrape together pretty decent meals in the galley,” Kal said.

  “We could. But let’s plan on having the Mea Huli come out and give us a good meal twice. That means we get a good meal, then long drive to the Chagas. We work two days, then meet the Mea Huli somewhere close to the Azores,” Marc continued. “We get five hours of travel time, so that’s one hundred eighty miles.”

  “Nuh-uh,” Catie said. “You have to subtract the time we’re on board the Mea Huli unless we’re just going to wave at each other.”

  “Oops,” Marc said, glancing at a very smug looking Catie. “Okay, so only one hundred forty-four miles. I’m worried that it won’t take long before someone can map out the general area we’re interested in. Are you happy now?”

  “Better,” Catie laughed.

  “But one hundred forty-four miles, if you assume a circle, that’s over sixty thousand square miles of ocean,” Blake said.

  “But they’ll guess we’re meeting on the periphery once they realize we’ve got a second vessel involved.”

  “Then take a short day on the days we have a meal,” Catie said. “That lets you add to the radius.”

  “Alright, if we take four hours off, that gives us another two hours of travel,” Marc said. “Then we’ve got one hundred eighty miles. It feels a little better, but we’re going to be at this for three or four weeks.”

  “Yeah, that’s a lot of meets,” Kal said. “Drop off, pick up, and two meals.”

  “You only have to do the meals,” Catie said. “The drop-offs and pick-ups can be close to the marina. Since we’re traveling, we might as well do it on the LX9. It’s got a good autopilot, so we’ll be sleeping anyway.”

  “You’re right,” Kal said. “So that’s only six data points.”

  “Feels right,” Marc said. “Okay.”

  “How is Fred going to make it look like we’re all aboard?” Liz asked.

  “Yeah,” Fred said. “I’m going to have a hard time looking like Liz or Catie. I’ve got great legs, but I still don’t fill out a bikini very well.” He got a laugh from everybody.

  “I’ve been thinking about that,” Blake said. “I think we should have Walter and
Fatima on board as well. I’ll sleep in one of the crew bunks so they can use my cabin. Looks like I won’t be using it anyway.”

  “I can bunk there too,” Kal said.

  “Good, that gives us the two extra suites we need for them,” Blake said. “Then, with three of them, they should be able to make out like they’re having a good time playing as they cruise around the Azores.”

  “You’ll generally need to stay out to sea when we’re not aboard,” Marc said

  “Hey, not a problem,” Fred said. “This baby’s way better than most hotels we’re used to staying in.”

  “Do you think Walter and Fatima will go for it?”

  “I’m pretty sure they will,” Fred said. “I’ll definitely be happy to have some company up here. This is a great toy, but a week all by myself doesn’t really float my boat.”

  “Okay, everyone, relax,” Marc said. “We’ve got an hour and a half before we make port.”

  “Anyone up for a game of poker?” Fred asked.

  “I am,” Catie said as she popped up.

  “Forget it,” Kal said.

  Blake and Liz seconded him and headed down to the main deck.

  “Do you want to play gin?” Catie asked Fred.

  Chapter 14

  Working Deep

  “Wow, she is big,” Blake said as they looked at Las Cinque Chagas. It was lying on its side and covered in a deep layer of silt. It had obviously had a lot of silt deposited on top of it since the last survey.

  “I wonder what caused so much extra silt to fall on her,” Marc questioned.

  “Captain, there were several efforts on the Azores to clear out their harbors. They dropped the debris in the ocean, and this is downstream of one of their dumpsites,” ADI explained.

  “That explains it,” Marc said.

  “We need to wash as much of the silt off of the top of her and from around her as we can,” Blake said. “ADI, which way does the current flow?”