New Homeport Island (21 page)

any water ready” Athena checked the vase and tasted the water
 and replied, “Ya, it’s almost full” Michael got up and drank
 some water then jointed me at net making. Jennifer slowly got
 up and ran behind a tree which startled everyone. They were just
 headed to their tasks, but in a hushed silence the sound of water
 splattering in the dirt was heard and everyone realized she had to
 pee and went back to their tasks. Jennifer came out from behind
 a tree and looked at Athena and asked, “They didn’t watch did
 they?” Athena responded causally, “No, but you heard linda, so
 what color was it?” Jennifer blushed and laughed a little and
 said, “Same slightly yellow color it always is..” Athena replied,
“okay”  
 Jennifer joined Michael and I at the net, she looked at me
 and said, “Lyon you should probably help Mitch find those logs
 you need and I didn’t leave any back there it was just
 pee…sorry.”  I laughed and said, “Okay” and headed out to look
 for trees that had already fallen and weren’t rotted out.
At the landing Brosuers in crowd was starting revile.
Atrisia would put her face right in a sleeping survivors and face
 and start yelling like it was the second day of bootcamp, more
 than once the responses she got was being shoved down and
 told, “Shut up bitch!” Brosuer looked at her with disappointment
 and said, “How about just waking them up.” The next group she
 went to wake she kicked sand in their faces, Smity and Casley
 walked over to her as that group started to get up dismayed as to
 why they deserved that and they shoved her down. Smity said,
“Just wake them up, get your damn panties out of your ass and
 quit being such a bitch.” Atrisia yelled back, “I don’t have any
 panties. Jeff Hubbal sat up and said, “Because you couldn’t get
 the birdy cartoon character out?” Atrisia replied, “They were a

gift and my family hadn’t considered that those may be the
 panties I die in!”  
Artimus was in his lean-to waiting for the yelling to stop,
 he had to pretend to be unaware or he be expected to react, if he
 didn’t then it would be seen as condoning the behavior.  Artimus
 stepped out of the pentagon as soon as the yelling subsided for a
 minute or two and made himself appear to be distant and in deep
 contemplation. He glanced over at Chief Casius and said, “Have
 them form up.” Casius said, “Okay...get in ranks!!” Em3 Villa
 said, “Chief some of them we can’t wake up, they might be
 sick.” Casius replied, “Just form up.” The captain stood chin up
 as casius looked over to see if he had heard it, seeing no sign of
 recognition she said, “Sir, some…”Artimus interjected, “…‘Just
 form up’ will be fine chief.” As they formed ranks the captain
 glanced over and gestured as he said, “Tighten it up on the left.”
 and he checked to see that the ranks had formed to his
 satisfaction. Then he clapped his hands and rubbed them
 together and announced, “Okay, we have some work to do
 today. We need to get these walls up and get some sentry
 positions going…some watches…” and with a big
 congratulatory smile he continued, “to watch for our rescuers.”
He began to walk the ranks first row pacing back and forth as he
 said, “Our rescuers will need the reassurance that we have
 maintained ourselves as a military unit and that their heroism is
 matched only by our ability to survive these adverse
 circumstances.” Artimus glanced out at the ranks hoping to see
 bold smiles in response to his assertion that rescue was
 absolutely on its way. Instead it was blank stares and shock, He
 continued, “I have been through the ranks to reach the position
 of captain, I you can be sure I know a little something about
 navy operations, the delay in our rescue is indicative of ongoing

operations that implicate this region. I expect you to be vigilant
 for rescue or hostiles. Given the recent political climate the
 possibility that our ships loss was due to an adversary it far from
 impossible though it does trend in the direction of drug cartels
 operating in the waters of southern California and northern
Mexico. I would not expect an assault team to find us, but rescue
 is eminent.”
Chief Brosuer stepped up and said, “Aye sir.” Captain
Artimus strolled over to the surf and starred out at the water as
 the chiefs continued morning muster. The Junior officers had
 been standing in the ranks but recognized their cue and went to
 join Artimus at the surf.  Ensign Clarkson stood there with her
 khaki shirt of and a white tee-shirt, her khaki pants were stained
 at the knees as well as at the crotch she asked, “What’s the
 political climate sir?” Artimus responded, “Bad things happen
 all the time, the waters we were operating in before the loss of
 the ship were non incidental, so it wasn’t a regular force.”
Swishzel said, “Sir, I don’t think we were attacked, we had an
 odd list for days. We were going to have shipyard divers check
 on once we were back.” Artimus replied, “The point is, the
 rescue is delayed because of ongoing operations.”  Lees stepped
 forward and asked, “What about the water sir?” Artimus asked,
“Where did it come from?”  Chief Casius, walked up in an
 irritated state and asked, “Permission to dismiss the crew sir?”  
Artimus replied, “Put them to work chief” and gleamed a smile
 at the junior officers to signal them to present as happy and
 confident. Spayner replied, “I’ll help you chief.”  
 Spayner stepped up to the ranks, her khaki shirt was open
 and her tee-shirt was sheer, the breeze teased her blouse and
 hair, she had a streak of dirt on her chin and her khaki pants
 were rolled up to just beneath the knee. With a flick of her dark

brown shoulder length hair she said, “Okay, let’s build these
 walls and set some guards.” She put her left hand on her hip and
 turn to her right, glancing back at the ranks to her left she said,
“We need to know where the water came from, so’s we can get
 more. That is all turn two.” Atrisia still barefoot walked up to
Sputali, still enjoying the breeze blowing through her hair and
 up her pant legs. Atrisia said, “An engineer brought the water
 through that hole in the brush.” Spayner had a wide smile from
 enjoying the breeze and had her head cocked back, she glanced
 over to Atrisia and said, “Show me.” Atrisia had short blonde
 hair that for a woman could only be referred to as ‘military
 style’ she ran her right hand through her hair and cocked her
 head to the left in a leading gesture and loosened a couple of
 buttons on her shirt as she turned to guide Spayner to the break
 in the brush, Atrisia had given up her tee-shirt so the
 unbuttoning revealed her bra and what cleavage a ‘b’ cup could
 produce. Jane Spurtlai noticed the gesture and leaned over as
 they walked toward the brush line to whisper, “Maybe you
 should leave that buttoned you don’t have much going on down
 there.” Atrisia looked back at her with a stunned goofy smile to
 which Spayner responded, “I’m just sayin’…you know woman
 to woman.” Atrisia laughed and took her dungaree shirt off
 completely and replied, “Let’s keep the woman to woman stuff
 going” and winked at Jane. Jane  pointed at an opening of the
 brush line and asked, “So…over here then?” and before she
 received a response she blurted out, “Okay, thank you.” Atrisia
 called to Jane as she hustled away, “Ma’am have you seen my
 panties?” To which Jane responded, “No, thank you.” EM1
Haydel said, “Is that them with the birdy on them?” pointing at
 various tee-shirts and pants hung on a bush. Atrisia responded,
“Doesn’t matter.” Charlie MCcree was nearby and said, “Mine

have a pink heart on them, used to be red but they faded.”
Hauldbalm sitting next to her added, “Bite marks too.” Atrisia
 looked over as she went to gather more sticks and rolled her
 eyes.  
Capt. Dave Artimus stood with the remainder of his
 officers discussing the situation. Dave said, “I’m not going to
 have our rescuers show up and discover we have failed to be
 officers, we’ll maintain leadership and prevent any hostilities
 from developing amongst the crew. The ‘pentagon’ as they have
 been calling it will be our symbol of fidelity, confidence, and
 hope. They’ll need leadership and a logo to follow.” Mr. Capes
 had been standing bent at the knee cradling his stomach and just
 collapsed to his knees, “Sir,” he said, “I need food.” Dave
 replied, “I was told they were making a fishing net, just hold
 on.” Clarkson asked, “Who?”  Dave replied, “The same bastards
 that got us into this.” Spayner had returned from her walk with
Atrisia and heard that statement and said, “I don’t understand?”
Dave replied, “The D.O.D. deputy that brought all this hell on us
 by declaring martial law over some snow.”  Ens. Swishzel
 asked, “They did this?” Dave responded, “That was why we
 needed this mission, to regain some damn credit with our
 superiors, but don’t say anything about this to any of them.”
Bruce Deckly glanced at Mormus sleeping in the sand and then
 at Mulner and mulner blurted out, “Fucking enlisted.”
Near the pentagon they were still arranging bush and sticks
 interweaving them as best they could to make a wall, when Ens.
Mulner was overheard saying ‘Fucking enlisted.’ Chief Brosuer
 looked over at her and said to himself, “They lose the fucking
 ship and she has the balls to say that.” Haydel heard her as well
 and despite Brosuer speaking under his breath to himself she had
 heard what he said as well. She sarcastically blurted out, “Well,

you know they’re all going to be admirals now.” Brosuer looked
 down at the sticks she was weaving together and said, “Don’t
 weave those any looser because of that; they won’t want us
 looking in, but I don’t want them looking out.”  
  Mulner saw Haydel looking at her with a glare and Mulner
 was heard saying, “We should courts martial them.” she was
 seen putting her hands and her hips as she said that smileing
 confidently and proudly at Artimus. Artimus seemed displeased
 that she said that a volume that could be over heard and he
 gesture to her. He was seen appearing to saying ‘over here’ as he
 and Mulner walked closer to the surf to further drown out their
 voices. Brosuer was still tring to lip read them in shock and
Mulner eventually turn and in a somewhat drowned raspy
 female voice he heard her say to him, “Get to work chief!”
Brosuer then strolled over to Master chief Hauldbalm and sat
 down with him. Mulner seeing this appeared enraged and started
 walking in his direction in an authoritative stride but Artimus
 grabbed her arm and could be heard saying, “This is what I am
 talking about!” Mulner brushed her hair out of her eyes and
 looked up at Dave with a look that seemed to be a spoiled
 daughter looking at her father in dismay as to why she was being
 chastised about the maid not having done the dishes. Clarkson
 folded her arms and glanced over at all the enlisted gazing in
 their direction and looked embarrassed. For some that was
 sufficient that resumed their activities. For others their look of
 disbelief continued, for them this was finally the proof of what
 they had suspected all along, petty motivations fueled by a sense
 of entitlement. And now it was that character that had landed
 them in the middle of the ocean floating on their backs for an
 entire week, only to be washed up on some would be princesses

new kingdom and she wasn’t the only one that seemed to regard
 herself that way.
Francesco had heard what was being said and glanced over
 at gunner’s mate Smity nearby he was preparing to post a watch
 he laughed at Francesco and said, “And you still have to respect
 them because there are certain realities…for example Sweden
 stays neutral, you know that right?” Francesco said, “Ya.” Smity
 asked, “Do you know why?” Francesco said, “They’re peaceful
 people but they stay uninvolved when it looks weak to stay out
 of the wars.” Smity chuckled and replied, “That’s what I’m
 talking about; because, I have no idea where you got that idea.
Sweden stay’s neutral and we acknowledge that and don’t try to
 pull them in to wars or police actions because as a government
 they are neutral…but as a people, they have been providing
 mercenaries to the whole world for hundreds of years now; and
 you thought they were weak idealist pacifists”    
Monica Villa joined Francesco and kissed him on the cheek
 as the three of them gathered brush and wove it together for the
 pentagon walls, just after Monica kissed Francesco’s cheek
Smity Said, “There you go, just handle what matters and let the
 officers handle the rest.”  Monica asked, “What were you guys
 talking about?” Smity interjected, “Nothing.” to which
Francesco added, “Just building a wall.” Monica said, “Ya, this
 is bullshit.” Smity said, “Ya, I know…but I’m still a second
 class so let’s get it done.” Smity walked away and Monica
 blurted out, “What an asshole.”  
Francesco said, “At least were doing something.” and
Monica watched him weave the stick together and said, “Ya…
 you better not be a lazy bastard when were married.” Francesco
 scoffed and said, “I won’t be.” and Monica blushed.

I had scoured the island on the Eastern side and found a
 couple of logs; soil erosion had taken out the trees root system. I
 looked for any rock I could use to attempt to hollow out some of
 the trunk, but knew it wasn’t absolutely necessary. So instead I
 started winding some rough plant materials together to form a
 rope, I had taken the fibrous brown material from around the
 base of the palm tree and it occurred to me we should be making
 the fishing net of it as well, it was tougher and more sturdy, the
 palm fibers were soft almost like silk. After making a short
 section way too short to actually use, but none the less proved it
 possible to make rope from that material, I knocked the log
 down the small cliff side it was on and carried the other down to
 the beach and dragged the over to our work site. Tommi gruble
 stepped Out from behind a bush pulling her pants up, watching
 me drag the logs; I didn’t smile because of the look of shock on
 her face, instead I looked out at a crashing wave and watched
 the curl collapse and noted how blindingly bright out it had
 become, must have been the glare off the sand. Tommi came up
 and said, “A boat?” I said, “Our fishing boat” she smiled with a
 huge grin and took the smaller log. I smiled back and realized I
 hadn’t smiled at first seeing her, she was relieving herself in a
 bush and I had startled her coming from further down the beach
 in the opposite direction then she had expected and the shock
 lingered, when she asked, ‘a boat’ she was hoping my answer
 would be that I had seen a boat, and not that the logs would
 serve as a fishing boat but at this point the phrase ‘any news is
 good news’ is true.
The pentagon walls had gone up and no one from the
 landing had ventured in our direction, we would soon be
 delivering three vases of water simultaneously leaving ourselves
 with one. Double rations for the work crew just seemed right.