Nick Roth - AdventureinAction Challenge

Chapter 2 - WattpadMilitaryFiction prompt

2001

"You have been temporarily reassigned to CID, for an escort mission aboard the USS Spearhead." The Warrant Officer handed Nick his order papers. "You leave tomorrow at 0600. You'll report to CID Officer Bateman at the Virginia Naval Base."

"Sir, may I ask why me?"

"No. You'll just follow orders . . . and don't screw up, Roth."

"Sir." A sharp salute, pivot and exit - silently fuming.

A quick bit of research showed that the USS Spearhead was a submarine doing trials in the South Pacific for the last month.

Nick tossed the orders on his bunk and swore. "A sub! What the-"

"Causing trouble again, Roth?" The appearance of the burly Master Sergeant surprised him.

"No, Sarge. And I didn't start that melee in the bar. I was trying to break it up."

"Tell that to the poor bastards that went to hospital." He moved around to lean on the bunk frame. "So what is it then?"

"CID has commandeered me for some reason . . . aboard a bloody sub!"

"Escort duty."

"Huh? Escort duty!"

"Yeah. They do that with potential recruits - check them out under real life conditions."

"Recruits? Who the hell wants to be recruited, not me?"

"Better behave, Roth, they wield a lot of juice . . . and they don't put up with any shit."

******

It was cold, damp and rainy when Nick presented himself to CID Officer Bateman. He was tired. Hungry and really pissed off. Bateman looked at his watch and frowned.

"Your orders said 0600."

"Yes, Sir."

"It's 0611."

"I guess I didn't walk fast enough from the taxi I had to take, Sir."

"Well that's eleven minutes you owe me, Private Roth. Get your gear on board and ask for Aurel Carver."

"Sir."

Carver turned out to be a thick stump of a man with a grin that looked pure evil when Nick found him. He was given an upper bunk that was barely a body thickness below the hull, in a small cabin for two.

"You know what we're here for?"

"Nope."

"Gonna sulk are you?" Carver shut the cabin door and took the only seat.

"Depends."

Carver laughed, nodding. "Okay, private. We are here to keep an eye on a team of five civilian observers, who have been sent to determine the viability of the expense needed to keep this tub in the South Pacific."

"Accountants."

"Probably, and full of congressional backing."

"So why do they need to be escorted?"

"The vetting of one or two turned up some questionable activities - and don't bother asking. You are just here to help see they behave."

"And judged." Nick scowled.

"That too."

******

Three days out and Nick had grown more comfortable with the other CID members, as well as his slot in the upper berth. The food was better than he expected and so far, the team of observers had done nothing suspicious. His complacency was soon exploded when a general quarters announcement came over the speakers.

Nick watched in awe as crewmen whizzed back and forth in the narrow passageways, all knowing exactly where they were going. At that moment, the CID team was with the observers in the control room, and were being ordered back to our quarters. The executive officer informed Batemen that they had picked up an unknown sub on sonar and were trying to identify it without alerting them. They were exchanging info with SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System)to see if they had ears on them.

CID first gathered everyone in the crew's mess for a briefing on the situation.

"Wait a minute, where's the red-headed guy with your team?" Bateman suddenly asked. "Anybody see him? Wasn't he yours, Roth?"

"I thought they were all together."

"Find him - now!"

Roth made his way clumsily through the narrow passages as fast as possible, passing from the crew's quarters, through the mess to the control room.

"You can't be up here!" The Chief of the Boat tried restraining Roth.

"One of the civilians is missing," Nick said, causing consternation among the officers.

"XO, get on the horn to all stations, and get this man out of here." The Captain turned back to the sonar. Roth waited to be moved out when he heard the sonar report on the mystery sub.

"Ready torpedoes one and two."

"One and two ready, Sir."

At the same time a message came through from SOSUS, insisting the craft was friendly.

"It's an attack class, Skipper. Missile capability. Range 1500 and steady."

Roth seemed to have been forgotten in the confusion of the reports, and he watched, fascinated at the developing crisis.

"Skipper, Sir!" A sailor rushed into the control room. "We caught one of the civilians in radio contact with the bogey, Sir."

"What? What did he send?"

"A launch code, Sir."

"But SOSUS verified them as friendly."

"Our bogey is preparing to launch, Skip."

The Captain looked to his XO, his face blank and confused.

"Sir, they're ready to launch."

"But the verification-"

"But nuthin'" Roth charged across the short distance to the firing station and slammed the torpedo launch button.

******

High senior military officials and representatives of the government's law enforcement agencies had met behind closed doors to create a report for the oversight committee, that skilfully skirted the subject of what happened aboard the USS Spearfish.

The bogus message from SOSUS was linked to a navy officer who had been detained for treason, and the wrecked submarine was in fact a foreign power attempting to start a conflict.

As well as Roth's activities being concealed from the original report, the civilian aboard the submarine was arrested and imprisoned. Roth went to the stockade, and was subsequently released and discharged under the pretext of having a medical condition.

The Spearfish Captain was both relieved of command and discharged. It was all covered up to save face, the true story buried deep in navy files.

******

2023

Roth finished his drink, his thoughts on who among those involved might be surfacing after so many years - and why?

To be continued next chapter