Chapter 230: Pirates

Wednesday, August 4, 1971

“Absolutely not!” Catherine said. “I am afraid I cannot support you in this, Michael. While the company has sufficient cash flow at the moment, most of it is earmarked for other projects. A wild-goose chase looking for buried treasure is not something that would be easily explained to the board, and...”

I was seated at a conference table in one of the many small meeting rooms Kalani had in her office suite, along with my grandmother, Catherine, and my sister, Nicky; my executive team of Grace, Vickie, and Adriana; and Izzy, my personal attorney. For the record, Catherine, Nicky, Adriana, and I represented the vast majority of stock in the company, with me as the majority stockholder. However, the meeting was definitely not going the way I wanted.

“Maybe I should just restructure the board,” I muttered in disgust. Ever since yesterday, when Thesan showed me the sunken spaceship, I had been wracking my brain to come up with a way to find and salvage it. But everywhere I turned, I was running into obstacles.

“As majority stockholder, that is certainly your prerogative, Michael, but then who would you have to run the company while you’re out treasure hunting?” Catherine asked.

“What about the half billion from the Russian sale?” I asked. But I knew the answer before the question ever left my mouth.

“If you touch those funds right now, the taxes will bury you,” Adriana thought to me. “And the other half billion is in trust for your foundation. Removing any significant funds from there would effectively destroy it.”

“And my personal account?” I asked.

“You just bought a plane! You might have enough left for a few weeks of searching with a TAS, but then, even if you found it, you’d have nothing left to pay to salvage it,” Vickie said.

“What’s a TAS?” Izzy, my personal attorney, asked.

“Oh, sorry. It’s an acronym for ‘Towed Array Sonar’,” Vickie explained. “You get a ship, and then you tow the TAS behind the ship on cables that are really, really long. Then you sail back and forth in a pattern and look for anomalies on the seabed. If you find one, you then have to find a way to investigate it, and that usually depends on several factors such as depth, currents, and weather.”

Catherine raised one eyebrow in inquisitive surprise.

“I, er, I spent some time on the phone this morning with a Navy salvage expert that Kip knows back at Pearl Harbor,” replied Vickie as she blushed.

“Very impressive, dear.” Catherine told her.

“Thank you,” Vickie blushed again.

“And Michael, while I understand your urgency to find this ... this Armor of Life, as you call it, I simply cannot see any upside of a massive search and salvage operation for Wagner Industries at this time. Why, how do you think the world would react if you did manage to find it and bring it to the surface? How would you explain it?” Catherine asked.

She did have a valid point, but I was not yet ready to let go of my obsession. So I did what any sixteen-year-old corporate president would do, I sat and pouted.

“Michael, you can have whatever is in my personal account,” Nicky offered. I knew that her personal account was well into eight figures, since she usually spent my money and never touched hers, so I was warmed by her very generous offer. Opening my heart to her, I briefly shared my love for her. By the time I was through, I had let go of my obsession.

Grasping Nicky’s hand, I squeezed it gently as I told her, “Thank you, Sweetheart. That is very generous of you. But as much as I hate to admit it, I think that Catherine is right. A search and salvage operation is simply much too expensive considering that it would only benefit me. I mean, I could hardly share any of the treasure with anyone else, could I?”

“That’s very wise of you, Michael,” Catherine said softly. Then turning to my executive team she asked, “Is there anything else you need me for?”

When no one said anything, Catherine said, “Then I guess this meeting is adjourned.”

“Michael, Kalani asked if you could stop by her office as soon as we finished here,” Adriana thought to me.

“Do you know what she needs?” I asked.

“You’re the one with the special guns, Cowboy” Izzy quipped, “Why don’t you use them?”

I paused. She was right. I had become very lax in using my talents. I also loved it when she reverted to Texas slang. So I scanned for Kalani and found her just down the hall, talking with a couple of State Department guys and a guy in a US Navy uniform. The uniform had lots of medals and decorations, I noticed as I headed that way.

“Michael. Come in. I’m glad you’re here,” Kalani said when I knocked on the door frame of the open door. Kalani rose and came towards me. All three of the men rose with the queen. Hooking her arm through mine, she led me back across the large room to where they had been seated.

“Gentlemen, may I present Crown Prince Michael,” Kalani began the introductions. The two State Department guys bowed. The Navy guy just nodded his head. A look from one of the State guys let me know that they would be coaching the Navy guy on royal protocol later.

“Michael, this is Mr. Simon and Mr. Coates from the State Department and this is Lieutenant Commander Arenas, from your US Navy,” Kalani continued with the introductions.

“A pleasure, gentlemen,” I said as I shook hands with each of them. “Adriana said you needed me?” I asked Kalani.

“Yesterday, as you know, we received information that pirates were attacking a private yacht off the coast of Hafu. Since we have no navy, I spoke to Mr. Coates who called the Secretary of the Navy, and Lieutenant Commander Arenas was kind enough to respond,” Kalani explained. “Commander, if you would...”

“Certainly, Ma’am,” the lieutenant commander intoned officiously as both of the State Department guys grimaced at the Lieutenant Commander’s gaffe. “Yesterday, at fourteen hundred hours, we received...”

“Excuse me, sailor,” I said quickly. “The proper form of address for a queen is ‘Your Majesty’.”

Arenas just glared at me, then looked to Kalani. “My apologies ... Your Majesty.”

Kalani just nodded. So after another quick glare at me, the lieutenant commander continued. “Yesterday, at fourteen hundred hours, we received word that an American, privately-owned yacht, was being attacked by pirates off the coast of Hafu. We responded and were on the scene in less than thirty minutes. We were able to stop the pirates before they could board the yacht. We proceeded to seize their ship and apprehended the crew.”

The lieutenant commander stopped and looked to Kalani as if she should complement his efforts. However, Kalani remained silent. After a moment of awkward silence, Arenas continued.

“Under Universal Jurisdiction, piracy is the responsibility of the arresting officer and therefore falls under the jurisdiction of that officer for prosecution. However, when the US Navy becomes involved and is, in fact, the arresting officer, then jurisdiction is determined on a case-by-case basis. Because the attack occurred within Tapato’s territorial waters, the United States Navy feels that Tapato should have jurisdiction in this case. I hereby transfer responsibility for both the ship and the prisoners to the Crown.”

Before anyone else could say anything, the lieutenant commander rose and with a deliberate “Good day, MA’AM,” he left the queen’s office.

“I think I know a certain lieutenant commander who will be a seaman second class by nightfall,” Mr. Coates said to no one in particular. “John Chafee (the Secretary of the Navy) is one of the good guys. We served together in the Corps, and I even introduced him to my sister. I know my brother-in-law well, and he is not going to be pleased to learn of the lieutenant commander’s blatant disrespect for the queen.”

“Well, what do we do now?” Kalani asked. “We are not equipped to handle prisoners.”

“If Your Majesty approves, there is a contingent of US Marines stationed out where the new airbase is being constructed, and I’m sure Mr. Coates’ brother-in-law would not object if we loaned the Crown a few of them for a brief period,” Mr. Simon offered.

“Thank you, Mr. Simon,” Kalani said graciously. “Your assistance is both appreciated and noted. And to you as well, Mr. Coates. The Crown thanks the gentlemen of the State Department for your assistance in this matter.”

“Now, can you explain, in English, what that was all about?” I asked Kalani after the two men had left. “I tried scanning you, but your thoughts all seemed to be in Tapatoan.”

“Sorry, Michael,” Kalani said, “but when I’m being the diplomat, I find it easier to think on my feet in my native tongue.”

“But you’re always the diplomat,” I said.

“True, but some situations are more, er, diplomatic, than others. The United States just did us three big favors and what you heard was me acknowledging those favors and pledging to return them at some time in the future. I’m just hoping it won’t cost us too much.”

“Three?” I asked.

“One, they captured the pirates. Two, they are providing us with a detachment of Marines to guard the captured pirates, and three, they are taking steps to address the lieutenant commander’s rude treatment of the Crown,” Kalani explained.

“Oh,” I said. I hadn’t realized how formal and diplomatic everything was. “And what does the crown need with a mere prince?”

“I want you to handle interrogating the pirates. I’ll send someone with you to handle all the paperwork, but I want you to help me decide what should be done with them,” Kalani said.

“Your wish is my command, Your Majesty,” I said with a big grin as I bowed. Then, before she could say anything back, I swept her into my arms and kissed her while I opened my heart to her, sharing my love for her.

Kalani melted in my arms. Then, when she remembered where we were, she quickly pulled away, straightening her clothes as she patted her hair.

“Go! Now! Before I have you arrested and confined to my quarters for the rest of the day,” Kalani said with longing in her voice.

“Your wish...” I said as I bowed again and left her office.

“I love you, My Prince,” she thought after my retreating figure.

I’m sure we attracted a lot of stares as I led my entourage through the docks to the pier where the pirates’ vessel was moored. By now, most of the natives were at least somewhat familiar with their teenaged prince who often went about in his jeans and a t-shirt and carrying a large sword. They were also used to seeing me in the company of several pretty women, of which this time, there were four. Two were there to transcribe the prisoner’s statements as I interrogated them (this was required by Tapatoan law), and another to take photographs and fingerprints. The fourth was one of my Executive Assistants, Adriana, who I suspect was there to ride herd on me.

” ... Ride herd on me?” I thought to myself. “Gee! I’m beginning to sound like Izzy!”

It was the last member of my entourage that probably raised the most eyebrows among the generally peaceful inhabitants of Tapato. His name was Kevin Palmer and he was responsible for my security.

Seeing as I was meeting with pirates, Kip came fully loaded. A former Chief Petty Officer and recent Special Forces operative with the SOG in Southeast Asia, he was dressed in a worn looking set of Type 3s and carrying enough firepower to take over a small country. In one hand was a compact, selective-fire M16A1 rifle, its barrel and flash suppressor chopped by eight inches and a handgrip installed below the forearm.

Hanging by a strap under his arm was his modified Heckler & Koch MP5N. And strapped to his back was his CAR-15, (or XM177e1 as it was officially known). This was a very wicked submachine gun version of the M16 with a barrel length of ten inches, a retractable stock, and a distinctive 4.2-inch flash suppressor. Kip had modified it with thirty round magazines.