Ashley turned to drone pilot Nathan and said, “Hover over the area until the smoke clears so we can get some BDA (battle damage assessment).”
“Aye aye, Captain.” said Nathan, shaken by what he had seen on his monitor.
“I need to see Col. Bingham, NOW.” Ashley said to her aide Corporal Nesbitt.
When Bingham walked into CIC, Ashley grabbed him by the arm, looked into his eyes and said, “Matt, I want your entire platoon guarding our weapons systems, absolutely fucking immediately.” She quickly explained the Bradley defection and the possibility of more conspirators on the ship. Weapons guard duty was the Marines’ battle stations so they were ready to go. “And, Matt,” Ashley said, “safeties off. Shoot to kill anyone who approaches a weapon.”
Within four minutes, at least three Marines guarded each weapon battery.
The smoke had cleared from the sight of the blast at the weapons camp. What they saw wasn’t pretty, but it did show that the Tomahawk did its job. “If any weapon survived that blast,” Conroy said, “it will be useless.”
The drone then circled Beauregard’s headquarters. The site was one of chaos, with horses and men scattering across the monitor. Ashley hunched over the monitor next to the pilot. She was looking for Bradley and Beauregard, but they weren’t in sight.
Chapter 63
Ashley realized that she needed to communicate with her department heads as well as the crew. You don’t fire a cruise missile and not explain it to people, Ashley thought.
When the officers assembled, Ashley got right to the point.
“Our Executive Officer, Commander Philip Bradley, has committed treason and murder. He has defected to the Confederacy, taking eight sailors with him.” She read the letter from Bradley to dispel any doubts.
“A few minutes ago I fired a Tomahawk to destroy the weapons. There was no choice. They were already in the hands of Confederate forces. The SEALs have been murdered.” She passed around a still shot of the four graves with the SEAL caps on top of them.
“We don’t know if Bradley left any co-conspirators on the ship,” said Ashley, “but it’s likely that he did. Disabling our main weapon batteries would be an obvious part of his plan. I’ve ordered Colonel Bingham to assign marines to guard every battery, and they’re doing so as I speak. I’ve also ordered Master-at-Arms Ciano to put on extra security in the engine room, the reactor room and CIC. From this point forward, I want every officer on this ship to carry a side arm.”
Ashley then announced that the new Executive Officer of the California would be Lt. Cmdr. Ivan Campbell and that he would now have the rank of full commander. This surprised no one because it was obvious that Campbell was the de facto second in command for weeks. She also announced that Lt. Wayne Bellamy would be the new Navigator.
“Ivan Campbell has my full trust and support and I expect everyone to show him the same. He did a great job as navigator. Hey, he never got us lost,” said Ashley, attempting to inject a bit of levity into the tense situation.
“Never got us lost?” said Nick Wartella. “Then what the hell are we doing in the nineteenth-century?” They all enjoyed the laugh, a welcome one.
The open secret in the room, as Ashley and everyone there knew, was that a co-conspirator could be at this very meeting.
Chapter 64
Ashley’s phone rang. “Captain, a word with you please?” said Father Rick.
“Come on up Father. Bring Scotch.”
Father Rick walked into the Captain’s office wearing his usual smile.
“Father, I hope what you have to say begins with ‘Two guys walk into a bar.’ ”
“I take it, my friend, that you have had a somewhat stressful day,” said Father Rick.
“Well, let’s see. My XO defects to the Confederacy, steals half the ship’s weapons, commits treason and murder, causing me to fire a Tomahawk Cruise Missile, and I missed the bastard. Yes, it’s been a trying day, Father.”
Father Rick reached across the table and grabbed his friend’s hands, saying, “Let’s bow our heads in prayer, Ashley.”
“Heavenly Father, please watch over and bless those in peril on the sea, and please bless and give strength to your daughter, our leader, Ashley Patterson.”
That was it. Ashley lost it. She broke down, which is exactly what her friend hoped for. Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed. Father Rick didn’t attempt to console her; he wanted her to let it out. When she stopped crying, she said, sniffling. “You know Father, you’re the only one on this ship that I could do that in front of.
“I know,” said the chaplain, “that’s why I’m here.”
“Tomorrow, with your permission, I’d like to have a memorial service at 0800 for our fallen SEALs as well as for the misguided kids who died in the blast. And I would like you to speak at the service.”
“Of course. I’ll be there.”
“Anything else, my friend?” Ashley said as the chaplain got up to leave.
“Yes, one thing. How’s little Splashy doing?”
“She’s in the brig until further notice.”
Father Rick smiled and made the sign of the cross, giving her his blessing.
Chapter 65
Ashley called Jack Thurber’s line. “Could you come to my office please, Lieutenant.” said Ashley, trying to affect a command voice.
Jack sat down across the table from Ashley. Their eyes locked for a few moments before either of them spoke, something that was happening more frequently.
“How was your day, Captain?” asked Jack without any sense of irony or humor. He knew she had been through hell.
“Well, Jack,” said Ashley,” I just spent a few minutes with Father Rick. I’m feeling much better now. And thank you for asking.”
“Jack, I don’t have to review for you the last few hours. We have a defector who committed treason as well as murder, and I had to destroy half the ship’s small weapons as a result. Our drone tells us that Bradley wasn’t at the site of the blast but three miles away having a meal with Confederate General Beauregard. What we know is that a high ranking officer from this ship has gone over to the enemy, and is presumably spilling secrets all over Beauregard’s headquarters. But we also must assume, and I’m not alone in this, that there may be other conspirators on the ship. I’ve ordered high security for all of our weapons batteries as well as critical spaces on the ship, but we’re at risk. I’ve been combing my brain, imagining one of those actors from CSI, NCIS or Criminal Minds, and what they would do or think. Hell, they do it every week in less than an hour.”
Jack laughed.
“Then the thought occurred to me that we have one of the best investigative journalists in the country right on this ship, actually sitting across the desk from me. You know how to get into a person’s head and to think like a detective, as you’ve done in so many of your books and articles. You can pick up nuances in speech and behavior.”
“Well, thank you for those kind words, Captain. I do admit that I have a sixth sense for picking up subconscious signals from people.” Good, thought Ashley, then let’s run away and get married. Cut this out, NOW.
“Tell me about Bradley, Jack. Psych this guy out for me.”
Jack looked uncomfortable. “I’ve been thinking about this man constantly for weeks. But before I get into my thinking about him, Captain, I want to give you an apology.”
“Apology? For what?”
“I saw trouble with this guy weeks ago, but I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t think it was my place as a recent seaman to be giving you my opinions of a senior officer. I should have blown a whistle, loudly.”