“Excellent! My brother and I look forward to meeting with you then,” said Castro. “Thank you for your courtesy.”
“It is my pleasure, Señor Presidente,” said Parente. He hung up the phone and sat back in his chair. Praise from Raul Castro meant more than anything to him. All his troubles were forgotten.
In a small office in Key West, Florida, Ted Sanchez sat back and let out a small whistle. The man was sweating profusely even though the air conditioning was keeping the room at a very comfortable 72 degrees. He looked over at the other men at the table. “You think he bought it?”
“Ted, you sound just like old Raul. Didn’t you hear the man’s voice? I think if he could have, he would have crawled through the phone line and kissed your feet,” said one of the men.
“Well, I hope that guy Hammond is right, or those people may never get home,” said Sanchez. “Now I need a beer,” he said as he got up. The other two men followed him out the door and into the heat of the day. After that performance, they needed a beer too.
Parente called Rojas back into his office and told him about the change in plans. Rojas could tell something wasn’t right. He wondered how far he could take it. “You seem troubled, Señor Presidente. What can I do to help ease your burden?” he asked.
Parente looked up from his desk. “Something not of your doing, my Colonel. It seems you are right about this Hammond. He now has a force very close to us. They say it is a joint exercise, but we both know it is something else,” he said.
Rojas nodded. “Is there any indication someone knows about what we are doing?”
Parente shook his head. “Not at present. They seem to be flexing their muscles. Everything we see tells me they do not know. If they did, their Marines would be all over the border.”
Rojas thought for a moment. “Señor Presidente, if they are flexing their muscles, why don’t we flex our own?” he asked. “We have a very formidable air force. Why not have an exercise where they can observe. Maybe the knowledge that we can hurt them will cause them to move further away.”
Parente’s face slowly spread into a smile. That was a very good suggestion. There could be problems if it wasn’t done right, but a little show of force, not actually directed at the fleet might send the right message to this Hammond. “Very good, my Colonel. You have come up with a solution that even my best generals haven’t thought of. Please call back my Air Force Chief of Staff. I think we should hold our exercises tomorrow at dawn,” he said.
As Rojas left the room, Parente started to think a little about his plans for Rojas. The man really was trying to help. But his thoughts were swept away. The plans were already set, and besides, there were always men like Rojas.
The gentle roll of the ship was something to get used to, but Ricks seemed to enjoy the slow back and forth movement. He and his team found themselves feeling right at home aboard Iowa. The crewmembers seemed to welcome them everywhere they went. Some even remembered the ceremony just three years before. Each of the team members found themselves invited to enjoy some aspect of the crew’s life aboard. Some kicked back for a movie on the messdecks, some explored down in the engineering spaces, while some went out onto the main deck and just watched the waves roll by. Everywhere people stopped and talked, eager to share their experiences with the team.
Ricks made his way up the ladders to find himself standing just outside the bridge. Looking out over the railing, we could see several ships in company with them. The navigation lights twinkled in the dim moonlight. There was practically no light to see where you were going. He had to feel his way more than see it. The wind created by the ship’s movement washed over the deck and cooled what normally would be a balmy night. Ricks noticed that the air at sea was much cleaner and more refreshing. He took several deep breaths of it and his whole body seemed to relax. That was when he noticed the stars. There were more than he had ever seen in his life. The heavens had seemingly opened up a curtain to reveal an immense universe bringing wonder and a little excitement. True, some of the astrological figures were still there, but now he could see even more, blurring some of the familiar shapes and causing him to wonder what more was there.
Ricks was taking it all in when he heard something at the open door leading to the bridge. “Impressive, isn’t it?” asked Hammond as he moved out onto the bridge wing. He had been similarly impressed his first time at sea.
“I never believed there were so many stars up there,” said Ricks.
Hammond chuckled. “It’s because when we’re on land, the light from the cities clouds our view. Out here, there’s nothing but dark night. I’ve been out here for many years and I still can’t get enough,” he said.
“If it’s this nice, you might sign me up yet,” said Ricks. Hammond couldn’t see the grin on his face.
Ricks felt a hand pat him on the shoulder. “Your guys all settled in?” Hammond asked.
“Yes sir, but most are like me, going around trying to figure this ship out. I can see why you like it,” Ricks said.
“Yes, I’ve liked being aboard every ship I served on, but this one is the best. She’s a big part of my life now. She got me back to sea. She was the reason I met you, and she was the reason I met Patricia,” Hammond said. His voice had trailed off slightly at the end and Ricks understood why.
“Well, now she’s taking me so I can get her back,” said Ricks. “And I’m going to get her back, Roger. I promise I’ll bring her back to you,” he said.
Ricks felt the hand on his shoulder tighten slightly. “That’s why I’m glad you’re in on this, Dale. This is something I can’t do myself. Besides, I’m getting too old to go dashing through the jungle like some Tarzan rescuing his mate,” he chuckled. “But when I found out you were in Special Operations, I knew there was someone there I could count on. Hope you don’t mind.”
“Roger, this is one time when my duty and friendship come together. Yea, I’m really just a snot nosed kid compared to you, but ever since that day three years ago, we have become friends. When I heard Patricia was one of the ones kidnapped, I practically ran to operations to get in on this. And with these two legs, that’s some feat,” he said. Both men laughed. “I can tell you’re worried.” Ricks concluded.
Hammond gave a sigh. “A little,” he said. “Dale, with her, I finally found someone that fit me completely. She has made me very happy. To lose her…,” he stopped short.
“I know. Same with me and Su Lynn. That’s why I won’t let you down. I’m going to get her back. Even if I have to kill everyone within a five mile radius,” Ricks said. His voice had become icy.
“Hammond sensed the change. “Dale, I can’t ask you to do that. We can’t…”
“I know,” said Ricks cutting him off. “But you need to know I’m willing. Remember all that stuff I went through in Korea? I learned a lot from my friend Paul Hufham. Sometimes we have to do things, but most times, we have to think things through. I’m like him. Just let me find the guy who made this happen. That’s the one I want on the end of my knife. My team is the best in the business and Chapman is a good leader. We’ll bring her home,” he said.
“Just don’t die trying,” said Hammond. “I would hate to lose Patricia, but I’d also hate to lose a friend.”
Ricks chuckled. “Oh, you’re not going to lose me. There’s a major back in South Carolina that called me demonic. Real demons are very hard to get rid of,” Ricks said.
Hammond slapped him on the arm. “You may be right,” he said. Now come with me. I want to show you something special.”
Hammond led Ricks back into the inner structure of the ship. They began climbing ladders which seemed to get narrower the higher they went. In a few minutes moth men exited the hatch on the O-11 level, just below Spot One. In just a few minutes a little sliver of the moon appeared from behind a cloud. With that small amount of light, from the highest point on the ship, the whole world seemed to spread before them.