Chapter 2

I became aware of tapping on the soles of my feet. Gentle tapping that was annoying as hell to say the least. I opened my eyes intending...

Whatever I was intending died as I opened my eyes to see Captain Dale Buckley in full uniform standing over me in the pink light of pre-dawn with a tiny twig that he's been using to get my attention. Dale softly said, "Ted, we have a problem. I need you to join me on the ship immediately."

Dale always talked calmly and softly, even in an emergency; another hallmark of a good leader. I started to sit up. Adrian was stretched out with her head on my chest, her blonde hair a halo. I gently moved her, discovering my Sally Angel curled up with her cheek resting on my belly. I moved Sally Ann slightly until she was cuddled up to Adrian.

Dale helped me to my feet. I looked up to see the luscious Rhiannon standing in the shallows, holding the captain's personal Zodiac Proluxe 870 diesel jet tender. I climbed aboard, still naked. Dale tossed me a plush cotton robe, while she handed me a large mug of hot coffee.

Rhiannon expertly backed us off the beach, pivoted smartly, and headed for Sunrise's well deck. I stood quietly next to her helm station, sipping my coffee. Dale was standing in the bow, with a line ready to tie up to the dock.

When I stepped on the dock in Sunrise's well deck, I was naked and barefoot in an unbelted robe, clutching a coffee cup, as I followed Captain Dale to the bridge. He led me down to the communication center -- the Sunrise CIC -- that today was a briefing room filled with maps, charts and large-scale photos.

Rhiannon refilled my coffee cup while we greeted Tawny, who was very business like today! Dale started out, "Ted, somewhat closer to Madagascar in the north end of the Mozambique strait is the archipelago of Comoros, an independent country. Comoros is, however, a very unstable independent country, which has had 19 coups or attempted coups since its independence from France in 1975. Its natives call it 'coup-coup' land. Recently to resolve a 'dispute' separate presidential elections were held on each of the four islands as well as for an overall president of the republic!"

I nodded; even my morning fogged brain was getting the picture. Tawny had maps up pointing to the geography being described. Dale went on, "Comoros is one of the poorest countries, with fully sixty percent of its population below the poverty line! Ninety eight percent are Sunni Moslem. It is a recipe for disaster, and yesterday one struck."

Okay. I was fully awake now. Dale continued, "The lovely tropical volcanic island of Ekwueme, part of the Comoros chain, is the site of one of the cheapest nursing schools and yet most beautiful campus in the entire world. The government, in an effort to gain foreign 'hard' currency, subsidizes the school. The staff and students are entirely non-comorans. Not a policy so much as an economic reality that no citizen of the 'republic' can afford even the heavily subsidized tuition."

My foreboding was building as Dale went on, "The staff is European with many French, as you might guess, given Comoros' former French administration, with a smattering of Swedish and German. The students are primarily EU. I have been informed this morning that there are United States Citizens among these students."

I said, "Okay, great overview. Can I go back to sleep now?"

Poor Tawny looked she was going to have a heart attack at my comment to the Captain. Dale snickered, saying calmly, "No, you'll miss my punch line. I hate that."

Rhiannon refilled my coffee as I settled back. Dale smiled as he began sorting though satellite imagery tossing an eleven by fourteen to me. Dale said, "Sometime Christmas Eve Day the school was occupied by armed men. The circled items are the Soviet BTR-152 and BTR-60 APCs that are part of this assault. We believe that the date was not a coincidence nor is the feminine makeup of the hostage pool. Thus far no notice of the seizure or any demand has surfaced. We are unsure if this is an internal matter or an external raid. Given the proximity of Somalia either theory has a base in logic."

I nodded with a frown. I said, "Okay, so the SAS or GSG9 blast the shit out of a bunch of bad guys. If the US of A wants to play cop then Seals place a beacon and a shitload of Rangers float down to blast the fuck out of the bad guys, rescuing the damsels."

Dale nodded. "Good work, Ted. You have quite captured the flavor of what needs to happen. Sadly, none of those assets are readily available due to other global commitments -- but we are!"

I blurted, "What the fuck do you mean?"

Dale smiled his very calm Captain's smile as he said softly, "Ted, on the long cruise here, you and your lady friends demonstrated a certain competence with violence. We are close to the scene and by moving quickly before they consolidate we can effect rescue without the messy diplomatic fallout of an actual invasion by US or EU troops. We are at the south end of the Seychelles chain with Ekwueme at the north end of the Comoros." He smirked. "Practically next door."

I said, "Aw, shit, Dale. We're not that good. Even if we don't lose our people, you will certainly have collateral damage and lose hostages. Especially when we're blasting the APCs mixed in the buildings. What can you get for help?"

Dale replied, "Ted, to be cold hearted, the plausible deniability gained using you and your girls outweighs the hazards. Face it; the bad guys capture Blackhawk and your crew... "

He made eye contact, "... They got nothing!"

He went on, "The good news! For help, an unnamed aircraft carrier is standing by that will launch a Hawkeye E-2C AWACS to act as ATC and provide countermeasures including jamming the bad guys' radios during your attack. The carrier will also launch fast movers -- F-14 Bombcat fighter-bombers who will take out targets you designate."

Dale made eye contact as he slowly said, "Targets to include any wreckage, Ted. Scorched earth -- nothing on the ground with our fingerprints unless it's smashed flat."

I looked up as I said sharply, "My people. I want my people out before I call in the wrecking crew. Walking, wounded or dead, I want them. Now how about their rescue?"

Dale nodded as calmly as before saying, "I expected nothing less. A Ticonderoga class Aegis cruiser with an escort of Arleigh Burke class Aegis destroyers, and attack submarines will form a 'picket line' from the island. If your people can find the water we'll get em. Now..."

I gave deep sigh as I replied, "Show me where they've collected the 'kidnapped'. We go tonight to arrive at dawn tomorrow."

Now the detailed briefing began.

Dale shared the incredibly high-quality and extremely top-secret NSA satellite images of the school grounds. From the meticulous coverage, with exterior pictures of extraordinary resolution, we could pretty much tell who needed a shave!

The hostage heat signatures were all in the upper floor of one dormitory with the bad guys with the guns scattered in the other buildings and around the school grounds.

They were emplacing a couple soviet 12.7 'Utes' heavy machine guns by the roadway otherwise depending on their APCs for support. The orientation of their Utes with that of the armored vehicles seemed to be toward perceived threats approaching along the road from the beach.

Finally after adding another legal length yellow page to my to-do list I announced:

"I'm fucking fried. I need a shower and food. Where do you want me to hold the briefing?"

Dale said, "I'll set up a hangar. Anything right now?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Nikki, my suite, ASAP!"

The Captain merely pointed. Rhiannon was out the door at a brisk walk. I turned to Tawny, asking, "So this is why you missed the bonfire?"

She nodded. "Sorry. The captain needed me here in the Comm Center."

I replied, "Don't apologize, lover, there'll be other bonfires. Before I head for my suite somebody share the MET summary."

Dale smiled. "Clear tonight, moonlight with dawn CAVU."

Tawny mouthed, C-A-V-U?

I answered, "Ceiling And Visibility Unlimited! Perfect weather for flying." With that and a tired wave, I headed for my suite.

It was deserted. After my days and nights in the constant company of my bevy of women, it felt odd, to say the least. I tossed my notes on the dining room table before shedding my robe in the bathroom, stepping into my water haven shower. I turned on ALL the showerheads - the four horizontal and two overheads. I stood in the pounding spray of very hot water, letting my brain catch up!

The horizontal sprays shut off as soft arms gently encircled me. Amanda silently pressed her body in to my back holding me. I greeted her quietly. "Merry Christmas, Amanda love. Sorry to pull you off the beach so early."

I turned to kiss her as she replied gently, "It's OK, Ted. You needed me here. Is it bad?"

I snickered. "It is logarithmically beyond horseshit, on the way to total irretrievable fuck up. It is so far past bad..."

She gave me a little smile as she said, "You're going to fix it."

It wasn't a question. I shook my head at that then I asked, "How's your flying?"

She nodded with real enthusiasm as she replied, "Nikki has us practicing every day. I'm flying 'regular' Huey II and UH-60 very well. I don't feel as good in the gunship models."

I asked a follow up. "How do you feel about a night flight over some water?"

She nodded again. "I could do that. No problem."

That was cheering news. The scale moved from wholly impossible to merely incredibly unlikely. Yeah, much better!

Amanda began to wash me, squirting me with ropy strands of liquid soap before using her body as a sponge, the pleasant friction making thick suds on both of us. She washed my hair with deep scalp massage. Then she went to her knees, using her fingers to scrub my butt, reaching under me to spread soapsuds on my balls with gentle caresses. Both her soapy hands were stroking my cock. I turned to face her, as she continued to ply my cock with soapy strokes and caresses. She increased her gentle pressure as my arousal built, with her stroking becoming more insistent.

Her soapy fingers played with my balls, while her other hand stroked me toward her open mouth. My fingers went to her wet curls as I began spending. Amanda stuck out her tongue, her mouth wide open to catch the gooey cum. Most of it ended up on her face, running down her chin.

Amanda giggled as she kissed me on my tummy. She began rinsing me with the portable showerhead, then engaged the top sprayers full force. When I was squeaky clean, Amanda turned the side sprays on.

I could actually feel my body shedding stress, as I stood pummeled by water from all directions. The water shut off. I stepped out of the shower into the huge fluffy towel that Amanda held.

After a quick kiss, Amanda led me out of the shower into the suite's main room. I confronted a whirlwind of activity. Rhiannon had exceeded her instructions, but in a very good way.

Nikki was sitting at my dining room table, along with my favorite chauffeur Cyn and Akira Miori, reading briefing materials and studying images on a laptop. Clarice was sitting at one of the computers ordering up images and files.

Miriam, Dixie, Leticia, and Kimberly were sitting across from them at a another laptop, passing 11-by-14 and 16-by-20 high-res satellite photos back and forth, while pointing at images flashing up on one of the room's eighty-inch plasma monitors.

They were passing my legal sized to do list notes back and forth between their groups, adding their own remarks to mine.

20-by-24 high resolution pictures of the school site, with the same size close-ups of all the buildings, were propped up on chairs and sofas. Every table and flat surface had a computer or laptop sitting on it, surrounded by more photos.

Shannon, Sunrise's chef, was in the kitchen with stewards Carol, Anne Marie, Vickie, Kylie and Shana, preparing a family style breakfast. Honor brought me a mug of coffee with a distracting kiss. She asked, "You look tense, Ted. Do you need a blowjob?"

Several ladies snickered as I demurred, "Thanks, love. Maybe later."

Honor joined Adrian, Sally Ann, Rachel, and Nancy Jansen sitting at a keyboard in front of another large plasma screen throwing up more sat imagery. The rest of the Arkwright family - JR, Ardelia, Betsy Rae, Mavis, Kenny, and Catherine Jean - were sitting at the next table with another laptop and more photos.

Donna and Penelope, with Anna and Kristen my stewardesses come to stay, were circulating the room with coffee and drinks, as well as the most recent images that Clarice was pulling off the server.

Miriam spotted me standing with my coffee and towel over my shoulder. She asked loudly above the noisy room, "What's shakin', dude?"

I answered, "You tell me, my warrior."

Miriam smiled. "It ain't so bad, dude. This is doable."

I said, "No shit?"

Dixie looked up, laughing. "She wouldn't try to shit our biggest bullshitter."

I said, "Yeah, she would."

Leti and Kim together said, "YEAH, she would..."

About this time, Shannon announced breakfast. Concierge Donna, with the room stewards, swiftly set the massive table. Shannon and her helpers began shuttling outsized serving pieces with all manner of breakfast goodies. I stared at the array of eggs, bacon, sausages, ham and potatoes, realizing that I was famished. The group was now assembled around this gigantic table in my suite, eating breakfast. Through the meal, more and more members of my Sunrise family entered the suite, to be quickly brought up to speed.

Finally, after stuffing my face, I sat back with an espresso made by Anna, who was sitting on my lap after serving me. She was quietly holding me, while the group settled.

Dixie handed me the sheaf of legal sized notes that my to do list had morphed into. I reviewed it aloud, bouncing questions off the group to clarify the situation in my own mind. Finally I looked around the table to see my Sunrise family with expectant expressions.

I gave them necessary background about Comoros, then described the situation on Ekwueme.

JR very quickly asked, "Ted. What do you want us to do?"

I answered, "The ladies need help desperately. The powers that be have decided that the only brown boots on the ground at Ekwueme will be OURS! Somebody give me the start of a plan."

Miriam handed me a 16 by 20 print of a building roof with a feature circled, while Clarice put the same digital image up on the big TVs. Mir said, "This is the building the hostages are in. At least so far... Looks like some kind of roof hatch. This could be our entry point."

The tempo picked up briskly with this revelation. Clarice began tracking mission statuses, enumerated by phonetic alphabet, using PowerPoint displayed on the big screen. After we talked for a bit, passing the pictures back and forth, I said, "Nikki, I need you to check out the copters, then line ′em up on the runway, please."

She nodded. I continued, "Mir, Leti, Dix and Kim. Ladies, you're in charge of arming the choppers. Miniguns, door guns, rockets. Everything. Okay?"

At their four affirmatives I pointed to JR and Kenny, saying, "I need you two to pilot the AH-1S Cobra attack helicopters. Sally Ann will shoot for Kenny, with Mavis shooting for JR. Nikki will fly the OH-58D Kiowa with 2.75 marker rockets and the 50 Cal - XM296 machine gun with tracers, fingering the targets for you. Use the Hellfire Missiles and your twenty mil cannons to kill the APCs and clear out heavy machine guns."

I made eye contact as I continued, "I have help for you. The Navy has provided 'fast movers' for us. Nikki can paint the targets for them. Don't be afraid to waste their ordnance before it gets ugly!"

They were all nodding and smiling as I went on, "I'm in the command Blackhawk with my entry team, Adrian flying, with Nancy second seat. Cyn is cover, flying UH-60 Blackhawk gun ship shadowing us with Rachel second seat. I will need extra comm. We have an AWACS keeping us company."

There were more nods as people began sorting out crews. I interrupted loudly, saying, "They promise an Aegis cruiser with destroyers and subs will provide search and rescue. Get out over the water if you can. If you can't make the water... "

I looked around the table making fierce eye contact as I continued hotly, "... Then land and keep you fucking head down because I PROMISE that I will find you. I WILL get you home. Count on it."

"Now, last but not... We need rides for our new friends. How many are we talking about?"

Clarice perked up as she answered, "No one has the proper information about students and faculty. It's all locked up at the school, naturally. I've tried counting the signatures of the hostages Ted. They are so crammed together that I can't differentiate very well. My best guess is 75 to 110, with no more than 125."

I asked, "Nikki, can we put three Blackhawks for hostage transports in the air? We need to criss cross their cabin floors with rope lines. Cram twenty to thirty people aboard each one. They tie off to the lines. We haul ass for home."

I looked around. Everybody seemed to be smiling and nodding. I said, "Team briefings will happen throughout the day. Mission final 'go' briefing in hanger."

Adrian spoke up. "Ted, you need help?"

I replied, "I was just coming to that, love. Yes."

I looked around, grinning. "I need a shitload of help."

They were laughing as I continued, "Some of the things we need to get ready besides prepping our rides are refining plan with defining detailed mission statuses, and providing complete navigation charts showing course headings with GPS settings."

There was a quick show of hands, with my warriors designating Miriam while they headed for the armory. I sent Nikki with them - she had much work ahead of her.

Our mission planning team was a smaller group sitting around the table. Adrian sat next to me, applying her considerable intellect and organizational skills to our planning. Nancy Jansen, our romance novelist was on my other side, lending an imaginative "outside the box" perspective. Clarice continued displaying our information on one of the big screens.

Bridget Johansen joined us with our now annotated charts, with course headings and GPS waypoints. She had the latest metrological briefing as well. I thanked her then I said, "Bridget, please have copies of 'marked up' charts for each pilot. Also plan that you will program all the GPS."

I looked around as I said, "We're preparing to go there and return in a single group but everybody needs to be able to find their own way home."

We discussed the weather on Ekwueme. No surprises there. They were still forecasting clear air all the way. Rhiannon delivered the most recent communications. This included the news that the Navy now had a Predator on station above the school site sending back real time images and information supplementing the satellites. Clarice promised all the updates would be available before departure.

It was time to head for the hangar and line up our rides.

Amanda distributed coveralls in simple gray. Only after we worked on the copters would we change into our flight suits and BDUs, all in 'tiger stripe' jungle camouflage pattern. We belted on our personal weapons, carrying our gym bags as we headed for the well deck. A parade of Zodiacs streamed out of Sunrise toward the beach.