Chapter 2: The Stowaways

Author’s Note: Please note that in some spots of the below work, you’ll find several deliberate misspellings of common words. I do this as a way to show emphasis on the accent for those speaking them. You should be able to quickly pick up the type of accent being conveyed but I’m leaving it as is as a way to add some flavor to the work. Enjoy!

“I don’t know about you but I sure as fuck don’t want to be dismembered and eaten.”

“Who said anything about being eaten? Don’t be such a baby, Smitty.”

“A baby? It was you that said we’d get captured and cooked up! The last thing anyone wants is to become lunch for some cannibal Fourthie tribe.”

“For crying out loud, how did they let such a baby into the navy? I’ll never understand.”

“They let me in because someone needed to watch out for your ass!”

Jack stayed glued to the wall of the ship as he listened to the argument between the two sailors. He was running a couple minutes late for an appointment but their raised voices stopped him in his tracks. One thing he liked to keep a close eye on was the mood of the ship’s crew. He could usually find out about trouble long before the other officers noticed it.

“They let you in because your mother paid off the recruiter just to get your ass away from home.”

“Don’t you dare bring my saint of a mother into this, you cocksucker!”

“Imagine that, your mother and the word ‘cocksucker’ in the same sentence. Too bad the recruiter didn’t have more of an imagination.”

“Why I ought to punch—”

“Good evening, gentlemen,” said Jack as he stepped out from around the corner. The commander deemed the conversation to have reached a boiling point and since all the talk about the Fourth Vector had ceased, he wanted to stop a potential fight from breaking out.

Luckily for him, the two sailors paled and quickly moved to stand at attention for their commanding officer. Jack had never seen a finer pair of crisp salutes than what the two nervous sailors offered.

“E-evening, sir,” stuttered the smaller one on the left. He couldn’t have been much more than a teenager. His eighteenth birthday present must have been the enlistment into the navy. Jack identified his voice as being the one most afraid of being eaten by cannibals.

Jack let slip a grim smile. It was one he had to practice often as an officer. A smile that offered the perfect combination of affable and seriousness. “I’m not disturbing you sailors tonight, am I?”

“No, sir! We’re just on our way to our quarters. No disturbances, no, sir!” said the one on the right, also no older than a late teen.

“Good. Well, don’t let me stop you,” said Jack while stepping out of the way.

The two men quickly shuffled by and were well on their way down the passageway before Jack called out.

“Oh, boys? One more thing.”

Stopping dead in their tracks, they both turned around at once.

Jack let the smile slip from his face. “The Fourthies don’t eat brave Javan sailors. We’re the toughest sons of bitches in the entire world, so we wouldn’t taste too good to them. Get my drift?”

“Y-yes, sir. We were just saying—”

“All right, boys. Dismissed.”

They didn’t need any further instruction and once again bolted. Jack had nearly blinked twice before they were gone from sight.

From his side, Twitch leaned in. “You’re evil, sir.”

Jack chuckled. “Am I really? I’ve got to nip those kind of rumors in the bud before they get more embellished and end up tanking the moral of the entire crew.”

Twitch began to smile. “I don’t think those two are going to be able to sleep or shit anytime soon.”

“Just what we need,” said Jack with a chuckle. “More anxious sailors.”

The two men continued walking down the passageway toward the marine barracks near the front of the ship. It had been just two days since Task Force 21 had left the port of Quiller’s Cove on their mission to the Fourth Vector, and Jack still hadn’t met the commander of the Marine battalion. Not that he’d been swimming in spare time—running three ships was a demanding job—but Jack made it a priority today to find out a little more about the Marine commander.

Jack and Twitch crossed into the barracks quarters and immediately came upon a sight of rowdy Marines engaged in a mock wrestling match in a nearby mess cabin. Jack raised an eyebrow at the sight and the stereotype of raucous Marines being true before continuing down the passageway to the quarters of the major in charge. A long row of various officer cabins passed by their feet until he came across the one he was looking for, immediately giving it a swift knock.

“Come in.”

Pushing open the door, Jack came face to face with a dark-haired, brown-eyed man. His features were typical of Java and Jack guessed he was somewhere in his late thirties. The man didn’t offer a smile but instead pursed his lips at the sight of the young commander.

“Major Greg Vaughn?” Jack asked.

“Yes, sir, you found him.”

Jack thrust his hand out. “I’m Commander Jack Easterbrook.”

Greg noticeably relaxed and then reached out to take his hand with a hearty shake. “Good to meet you, Commander. I apologize about my tense reaction just now. I thought you were yet another crew member telling me about some trouble my boys were in.”

Jack chuckled. “They do seem to be a rowdy bunch, don’t they?”

“Finest Marines in all of Java, sir,” said Greg with a grin.

“Glad to hear it,” said Jack while taking a seat in front of the major’s desk. “I have to ask your forgiveness as well for it taking me so long to get down here in person. I thought running two ships was bad until they gave me command of another one.”

Greg nodded. “Nothing to forgive, sir. Besides, I’ve gone whole deployments without so much as seeing the commander so you’re off to a better start than most anyway.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “A whole deployment? That’s not my command style. I prefer to know the officers on my ships. By the way, call me Jack, will you? No need for all the formality away from the crew.”

Greg cast an eye to Twitch before settling back on Jack. “I can do that, Jack. And call me Greg as well. I have to say—you’re a rather open-minded officer. I swear most officers get a hard-on for using their formal titles.”

Jack started to chuckle. “I’ve known my fair share of officers like that but I like to think you can’t get to know someone when you’re still being formal.”

“Well then, Jack, I think we’re going to get along just fine,” said Greg with a grin as he leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on the table.

“So tell me about you, Greg. What made you enlist in the Marines?”

“That’s a complicated answer right there, I’m afraid,” said Greg.

“What’s the short answer then?”

Greg assumed a sheepish look. “I got caught sleeping with the mayor’s daughter in my hometown and needed a quick out.”

Jack started to laugh. “Hold up, I might need the long answer now.”

“I knew you were going to say that,” said Greg, holding up his hands. “In my defense, she came on to me. She was also married and had several children but when a hot cougar grabs your dick in the bar, you just go for it.”

Jack nearly doubled over from laughing but Greg kept going. “Anyway, the next morning I see all these kid’s toys on the way to the bathroom and when I hit the kitchen, I saw her father there. Let’s just say he wasn’t too pleased to see me wearing just a pair of briefs.”

“I bet he was steamed,” said Jack.

“Oh, he was. Anyway, he vowed to make my life hell and said he’d make sure I’d never get a respectable job anytime soon. I panicked and did the only thing I could think of and made my way to the Marine recruiter’s office. You can say it’s been sunshine and daisies since then.”

Jack finally finished laughing. “So what do you do when you go back to see your family? Or have you been back home since?”

“I go back all the time. Thankfully, I think he’s forgotten about me, but he is still the mayor. After all, not much changes in my town of Lockhaven.”

Jack sat up a little straighter. “Did you just say Lockhaven?”

“Sure did. Ever heard of it?”

“Heard of it?” Jack asked with a chuckle. “That’s where I grew up.”

“No shit! What part?”

“Just on the south side of the city. Not more than ten minutes from the shore,” said Jack.

Greg smacked his desk. “I grew up on the west side! Near Lake Chamberlain.”

“That’s like ten minutes from our family home.”

“I don’t get to meet a lot of Lockies in the service,” said Greg before rubbing his chin. “So what’s your story? How’d you end up in the navy?”

Jack looked out the port window to the sea before answering. “I’m not quite sure to be honest. Something about the sea has always called to me. You can say I don’t feel quite myself when I’m on dry land. My father used to take me fishing regularly when I was a boy and my favorite place in the entire world was that fishing boat. You can say it was ingrained in me from a young age.”

Greg nodded slowly. “So I’m guessing he approved of your idea to join the navy?”

“I don’t think so,” said Jack with a chuckle. “Both of my parents hated the idea. They didn’t want me fighting for the empire. Anyway, they weren’t disappointed for very long.”

“Why’s that? Did they eventually come around?”

Jack shook his head. “No, they died shortly after.”

“Sorry to hear that, Jack.”

“Ancient history, Greg. Anyway, once they were gone, I felt like I had to get out and away from home. My sister went to live with our grandparents until she was old enough to move out, and I’ve rarely been back since,” said Jack.

“I bet your sister probably misses you then.”

Jack shook his head and smiled. “She’s got a whole host of rugrats now that I doubt she has time to miss me.”

Both men chuckled for a moment before it slowly fizzled out. Jack cleared his throat and looked to change the subject. Talking about his family was something that usually took a lot out of him. Thankfully, Greg seemed to sense this when he spoke up next.

“So, Jack. Let me tell you about my men.”

“That would be great. I understand you command two companies of Marines.”

“That’s right. We’re from the ninth regiment of the third division of Naval Marines. Some of the toughest bastards ever created call me their commander,” said Greg with a noticeable point of pride. “My men are well-trained and well-armed. They are all armed with the latest and most sophisticated assault rifle in all of Java—the NT-12.”

“You’ve been equipped with NT-12’s? I didn’t even know those were out yet. They weren’t supposed to be released until later this year.”

Greg grinned. “We’re one of the first regiments to be armed with them. We turned in our NT-11’s right before we left for Quiller’s Cove. They fire real sweet, Jack. Remind me to let you take a turn with them at the range.”

“I’ll be sure to do that,” said Jack. “I’ll sleep easier knowing you guys are so well-armed.”

“Well-armed and loyal to a fault. These men have marched together for ten years. They saw action right at the start of their enlistment with the short Desert War where they popped their cherries. Since then, they’ve only grown tighter. Each and every one of those two hundred men would march into hell if I gave them the order.”

“What about the Fourth Vector?” Jack asked. “Would they march there?”

“Even there, Jack,” confirmed Greg.

Jack let out a sigh of relief. “I’m a little concerned about my own crew. There’s been some ... grumbling on board. The crew is tense and a little quiet.”

“It’s only natural, I suppose. Hell, even I don’t relish the idea of going there myself.”

Jack shrugged. “Neither do I. But part of being an officer is being able to take bad news and not let it bring you down. My concern is for the green members of the crew. Can they?”

Greg mulled the idea over for a moment before responding. “I guess we’ll find out. So it’s my understanding that we’re supposed to make allies of these Fourthies. Is that right?”

“That’s the plan at least,” said Jack.

“All the help that will do us when they start throwing rocks at Occitanians. I don’t see that being much help. In fact, that’s more of a hindrance than anything.”

“Maybe the Occitanians will prefer to shoot at them first, allowing us to strike when they’re distracted,” said Jack.

“If that’s all we have to go on then this mission isn’t worth the paper it was printed on,” said Greg with a chuckle.

“Maybe if we find out there’s nothing the Fourthies can offer us, we can get back to the real war and fire on some Occitanian ships.”

Greg grinned. “Now you’re talking my language.”

There was a knock at the door at that moment. Twitch, who had been sitting quietly to Jack’s right, bolted up and opened the door. A quick nod of the head led him to invite the visitor into the Major’s quarters.

Jack turned around to look at the dark-haired, green-eyed beauty that just walked in and quickly recognized her as Abigail’s deputy lieutenant, Brittany Noble. Greg sat up more noticeably in his chair at her presence, a move that didn’t escape Jack’s attention.

“Evening, Lt. Noble. Are you here for me or for Major Vaughn?” Jack asked.

Brittany came to a stop and saluted Jack. She hazarded a glance at Greg before turning back to Jack. In her hand, she carried what looked like a dispatch in her free hand. “I’m here for you, Commander. Lt. Commander Wainwright asked that I send this dispatch to you right away. It was just received from Quiller’s Cove.”

She reached over to hand the small scrap of paper to Jack and his eyes quickly scanned the message.

ATTN: COMMANDER JACK EASTERBROOK

“What is it, Jack? You look like you’ve received some bad news,” asked Greg after Jack reread the message several times. Before he answered, Jack turned to address Brittany. “Tell Lt. Commander Wainwright that I’ll be stopping at her quarters in fifteen minutes.”

“Aye, sir,” said Brittany before slipping out the door. Jack waited until she was halfway down the passageway before opening up to Greg.

“It seems we’ve misplaced a few Occitanian prisoners back at Quiller’s Cove. Commodore Lucas is suggesting we search the ships,” said Jack.

“By misplaced, I take it you mean we lost them?”

Jack chuckled. “That’s a fair guess.”

“I guarantee you there’s nothing out of the ordinary in the Marine barracks, but I’ll have a search commenced right away. I almost feel bad for any prisoners who wind up in the hands of my boys,” said Greg with a chuckle. “Almost.”

“I think the Commodore is just being cautious. You can never be too certain though. I do appreciate your help in that manner though, Greg,” said Jack.

“Of course. I’ll say a silent prayer that we’re the ones to find them. The men could use some entertainment.” Greg laughed.

“As do we all! Anyway, I’ll let you get back to your work. I appreciate you letting me stop down here to talk.”

Greg reached out his hand which Jack quickly took. “No problem, Jack. I’m looking forward to working more with you. Oh, and by the way, would you happen to know if that Lt. Noble has a man or not?”

Jack found himself chuckling. “I have no idea. But if she’s anything like her commanding officer, you might be biting off more than you can chew.”

Greg raised an eyebrow. “Feisty, I take it? I like feisty. My type of woman.”

“I’m beginning to think the whole scenario with the cougar in the bar wasn’t entirely out of your control.”

Greg began to rub his chin. “Nah, I was young and innocent then. I didn’t know my dick from a hole in the ground. Now? I’m a grizzled, old Marine with a serious appetite for sexy women. Especially when they’re feisty.”

Jack’s thoughts drifted back to the night spent in Abigail’s quarters. He remembered the look on her face as they fucked and the sweet-sounding moans and coos she made when she orgasmed. Unfortunately, it was just a memory, having only spent the one night in her bed before she cut him off due to their working relationship.

“How about this? I’ll put in a good word for you with Lt. Noble and in exchange I’ll call up a little favor at some point when I need something?” Jack asked.

“You got yourself a deal, Commander,” said Greg with a face-splitting grin. “That looks like one fine woman.”

Jack stood up with a grin and then headed to the door. “It looks like your men aren’t going to be the only ones providing the entertainment on this ship.”

“Happy to be of service, Jack!” said Greg with a salute.

Jack found himself shaking his head in amusement as he stepped out of the Major’s quarters. Twitch fell in by his side at once. “I think he makes a good addition to the team.”

“Me too. I’m going to like that one already. I can just tell,” said Jack.

The two men made their way to the nearest hatch and proceeded to Abigail’s quarters. Upon arriving, Jack stopped to face his deputy before going inside.

“Twitch, I need a favor from you. Will you go to the bridge and have a message passed out to all the commanding officers? I want each and every ship searched from top to bottom. Every tiny, little nook or crawl space I want examined. Sound good?”

“Got it, sir. I’ll have them take care of it at once.” Twitch saluted and started to head topside. Jack watched the man go before delivering three swift knocks to Abigail’s door.

A faint voice inside called out. “Who is it?”

“It’s Jack. Can I come in?”

“Yes!”

Jack cracked open the door and snuck inside but confusion reigned on his face when he couldn’t see Abigail anywhere nearby. Her desk was already dark and her bed was empty. He was just about to call out again when he heard her voice one more time.

“Over here, Jack.”

Jack turned to walk to her attached bathroom and nearly halted in his tracks when he saw her. Her own personal bathroom was outfitted with a large bathtub inside and that’s exactly where he found the flirtatious commander of the Destiny. Abigail looked particularly demure sitting in the soapy water. She had one leg draped up over the side of the tub and was casually scrubbing like she didn’t have any voyeurs. Her long, elegant dark hair was carefully pinned up to keep it from being wet. Truthfully, Jack wished he would’ve arrived ten minutes earlier to catch the full show.

“Why, Commander, I do believe you’re speechless. Haven’t you ever seen a woman take a bath before?” Abigail fluttered her eyelashes before turning her attention back to her leg.

“Do you always take your baths in front of the crew?” Jack asked while leaning up against the doorframe.

She giggled. “Not at all, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before, right? You remember my body, don’t you, Jack?” Abigail shifted a little higher and what was once submerged under the water became visible once more. Jack tried not to stare too much at the sexy brunette but found it increasingly hard to concentrate on the reason he was there.

“How could I forget? I still see it in my dreams. And when I close my eyes,” said Jack with a morose smile.

“Now I know how you found your way into my bed so easily. You have such a way with words.” Abigail turned to face him and rested her elbows on the side of the tub. She rested her face on both hands as he temporarily lost sight of the rest of her body.

“All the good that will do me. I take it you’d still object if I slipped into that tub with you?”

“Mm-hmm,” she purred before taking her finger and swinging it back and forth. “Naughty boy.”

“I daresay you rather enjoy teasing me. Do you get off on turning me on?” Jack had to reach down to adjust his trousers. His cock was starting to poke out the front from watching her wiggle around in the tub.

“I am quite wet right now but you’re going to have to take my word for it,” said Abigail with a wink. “Anyway, I take it this isn’t a social call, right?”

“Not anymore,” said Jack with a chuckle. “I got your message. The one from Commodore Lucas.”

Abigail’s face turned serious. “And? What do you think? Do you think we have anything to worry about?”

Jack shrugged. “It’s hard to say. Even harder to talk about when you’re in that bath and my thoughts are elsewhere.”

She smiled once more. “I’m almost done if you don’t mind waiting back in the other room.”

“That’s fine. I’ll be right over there.”

“Thank you, Jack,” said Abigail who started to move and get out of the tub a little too quickly. Jack caught a full glimpse of her body just before he closed the door, the suds of water still covering her pink flesh and the drops of water dripping off of her tits. Jack gulped hard and closed the door firmly. He reached inside his trousers to adjust his cock again, trying to make it not so obvious that he was hard. It was exceptionally difficult to get rid of his erection especially as his mind kept bringing back the thoughts of her and their night of passion.

Finally the door to the bathroom opened once more, and she stepped out wearing a gray, terrycloth robe. The first thing she did was shoot him a flirtatious grin before crossing over to her dresser and rummaging for something to wear.

“So, where were we, Jack?”

“You mentioned something about not taking a bath with me and then we talked about that telegram,” said Jack with a cheeky smile.

“Oh, right. How silly of me,” she said with an eye roll. “So what are we going to do?”

“It’s already being done. I sent Lt. Buckner to get word to all the commanding officers to commence a search. If those three missing prisoners are on the ships, we’ll find them.”

Abigail stopped searching for clothes for a moment. “What if we do find them, Jack? There’s no telling what kind of mischief they might have been up to for two days. What if they’ve sabotaged something?”

“There’s not much we can do now if they have but we’d have to find them first. I’d be more concerned with how they found their way onto the ships. If three men could just waltz right into one of our warships then we have a serious security problem. Which reminds me, did Lucas say how they got loose in the first place?”

Abigail shook her head. “After I received the message, I radioed for him. He said when we sunk that Occitanian cruiser, they picked up thirty-seven men from the water—all the survivors. He said when they next did a headcount the next evening, they could only find thirty-four. He sent out an alarm and the garrison did a heavy investigation of the town and the surroundings but nothing turned up. They even sent the garrison into the hinterlands of the island but they haven’t found anything so far. It all points to them going missing from the time they were rescued to the time they made it to the jail cells.”

“I wonder ... could they have intentionally jumped off the ship? I know they were well-guarded on the Tiger but it was just right after a battle.”

She shrugged. “Who’s to say that they did anything intentionally? Maybe they fell off the ships and drowned in the harbor?”

Jack pursed his lips. “I don’t think so. Those bodies would have floated to shore.” Jack thought for a few more minutes before throwing up his hands. “What difference does it make at this point? They are either on the ships or they aren’t. Let’s not come up with theories before we even know what happened.”

Abigail smiled and then nodded. “That’s fine by me. I can assure you there are no Occitanians in my room by the way.”

Jack took a step closer to her. “Are you sure about that? Maybe I need to do a little search of my own.” He came to a stop mere inches from her chest.

Abigail pushed into him, leaning her body against his. “Maybe I can be of some assistance with that? After all, I don’t mind if we’re a little ... thorough in the search.”

“Thorough is good. Thorough is really good,” said Jack as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Abigail’s arms slipped around his neck rapidly as they began to kiss passionately. Her lips parted and Jack felt her tongue slip into his mouth and her body began to grind against his in a most enticing manner. Jack’s hands slipped across the smooth terrycloth material to grip her ass and pulled her closer to his body.

She moaned at the second his hands made contact with her body and soon Jack felt her hips align with his now throbbing erection. Abigail began to rub her mound against it, and soon she started to pant against his ear as his lips started to move down her jaw.

“Oh, Jack,” she mewled as his tongue traced a line across her neck. Both of his hands continued to manhandle her ass, treading the soft flesh as he struggled to pull her closer still. Jack began to move down to her chest as the robe started to slip away and one delicate, pink nipple popped into sight. His lips found it instantly and he bit her nipple in such a way to cause a gasp of excitement.

“Fuck yes, keep doing that, Jack!”

He bit it one more time before switching to the other one. He was just about to slide his hand around her hip and slip it between her leg when there was a knock at the door.

Never had two people separated more quickly. She pushed off of him and walked halfway across the room while struggling to cover herself once more with her robe. Jack hated to watch her nipple disappear from sight but it was gone just as quickly as it appeared. For his own sake, he had to adjust himself once more, getting fully tired of having an aching erection and no relief.

“Come in,” chirped Abigail’s slightly erratic voice. Jack hoped that whoever came through that door wouldn’t be able to tell what had just been happening.

Lt. Noble once again appeared at the door and stepped inside. She saluted Abigail right away before she noticed Jack and once again repeated the gesture.

“Ma’am. Sir,” said Brittany with a nod.

“What is it, Brittany?” Abigail asked.

“You asked to know right away if another report came in. Here it is,” said Brittany before handing another scrap of paper to Abigail. She saluted one more time and then left the room.

“Shit. It happened again,” said Abigail as she quickly scanned the report.

“What happened again?”

She handed the report off to him as the heat from their previous moment quickly dissipated. “I’ve been receiving some reports of ... insubordination on the ship. Nothing too major, mind you. Just little things. I think the crew is a little anxious about our destination.”

Jack frowned. “What have you been getting reports of?”

“Like I said, nothing major. Yesterday, I had two reports of seaman refusing to follow orders from their officers. One refused to clean up the mess kitchen when it was their turn in the rotation and the other wouldn’t go on duty.”

“What did you do with them?”

“Standard procedure, Jack. They went in the brig.”

Jack took a deep breath. He hated this part of being an officer. You could never be too careful with how you dealt with the enlisted men for any type of infraction. Too easy with them would take away their respect. Too harsh would demoralize the others. There was always a fine line to walk and not every situation was the same.

“And today? What happened today?”

“An outburst from someone down in the boilers. Went off on his officer about being sent to the Vector. And then he ... swung at the officer.”

“Tried to hit him? What the hell got into that man?”

“It’s not hard to see, Jack. I was afraid this would happen when we were told our mission. The sailors are a superstitious lot. If they think we’re on a suicide mission, they could begin acting out.”

“You don’t think we’re facing a mutiny on our hands, do you?” Jack asked.

She quickly shook her head. “I don’t think it would come to that, at least not on the Destiny. But I do want to keep a tight lid on this. Ringleaders and loudmouths are going into the brig so they can’t spread it to the rest of the crew. This is hard enough as is that we don’t need them stirring the pot.”

“Good idea. Keep me informed as well. I want to hear of these reports when they come up.”

“Of course, Jack. Do you want me to send a message to Luke and Vicky as well?”

Jack nodded. “Yes, all three ships need to report in on this as well. I don’t want the men more anxious than they need to be.”

“I’ll have Brittany get word to the bridge right away,” said Abigail.

Jack nodded and then took a deep breath. He looked back over at her a moment later and saw her eyes locked on him. It wasn’t hard to see her wheels turning internally.

“What?” he asked finally, shooting her a smirk.

“Poor you. If not for Brittany, we might have ended up back here.” She patted her bed for emphasis.