by Charles Mead
PROTEUS DSV
EPISODE ONE (PILOT)
“I guess the rumours are true about you, Admiral, you have clearly gone insane,” said Ben, unsure whether to laugh or be furious about the proposal he had just had put to him by Fleet Admiral Herd. He stood up to leave the bar.
“No, I am not, it makes the most sense and you know it too. Please sit back down and hear me out,” replied Herd.
“You do remember why I was fired, right?” queried Ben as sat back down at the table.
“Of course I know why you had to leave the U.E.S.”
“So everyone at the United Earth Seas is on board with your proposal?”
“The U.E.S. is quite a different organisation from the one you left, Ben, we no longer have the influence we once had. We’re much more focused on peace keeping now and at least trying to get along under the oceans.”
“You didn’t answer my question!”
“Well,” said the Admiral with a sigh, “I am the only one who has had this idea, and I answer to nobody else at the U.E.S. so, yes, they are on board.”
“You might not answer to anyone, but this isn’t going to work, I am ‘disgraced’ remember.”
“Yes, yes, I know all of that, but I am prepared to put all of that to one side. Things are bad, really bad out there, Ben.”
“Yes I know, that’s why I prefer a simpler life these days. The corporations can fight to the death over ocean colonies and their resources all they like. I am out of it.”
“We really need you back in command to help redress the balance under the seas.”
“The U.E.S. is an ineffective organisation, Richard, full of bureaucrats who let this mess form. They created it and are now scratching their heads wondering what on earth happened. These morons all need to be fired.”
“We are where we are,” said Herd.
“Oh brilliant, Admiral, just brilliant. I can see why you are in charge now,” replied Ben, clapping sarcastically.
“I meant it more as we don’t have to like where we are right now, but we do have to accept it in order to start to change it.”
“Very spiritual, Admiral. So you propose I come back to the U.E.S. as a captain and explore the oceans, whilst at the same time trying to keep the peace between all the other undersea factions and not straying into other territorial waters?”
“Yes.”
“It’s still crazy talk, which crew would ever work with me? As soon as you announce it nobody will work under my command.”
“Oh they will, I have already hand-picked most of your crew.”
“I haven’t said yes to anything.”
“I think you will. We need your expertise, you’re the only person I know with the skills required. Plus, when our enemies hear you are back at the U.E.S., it could be invaluable when it comes to negotiations and trying to keep peace under the seas.”
“Flattery with me will get you nowhere. We’ve known each other for decades, what the hell is going on under the surface now that makes the U.E.S. think a ‘disgraced’ captain is the way to go?”
“It’s classified, Ben.”
“Then the answer is still no,” replied Ben as he got up to leave from the bar.
“Ok, ok, let’s take a walk away from people who might be listening in.”
“Nowadays even the streetlights are listening to us for our safety,” replied Ben.
“I … err … have some technology that gets rid of all of that.”
“Sounds like the only piece of useful technology the U.E.S. didn’t sell.”
“We’ve still got some. Come on, let’s go.”
***
“So, what’s going on down there?” asked Ben as they walked along the wharf near U.E.S. headquarters.
“Well,” said Herd, sighing, “our colonies are coming under attack.”
“Defend them then!”
“Not as easy when you do not know who your enemy is, in this instance.”
“Meaning…”
“It’s some kind of submarine that we cannot trace and appears autonomous.”
“So it’s not a U.E.S. submarine that has gone wrong?”
“No, definitely not. We have autonomous submarines, of course, mostly supply ones, but none of them are armed.”
“So, who do you think it is doing this?”
“No idea, that’s why we would like you to come back and help us find the submarine and capture it.”
“Just so I have this clear, you want me to find a submarine nobody at U.E.S. is able to and then, should I find it, capture it?”
“Yes, you’re the only person I know who can do this and stop our colonies being attacked by it.”
“When I left the U.E.S., you didn't have anything nearly enough advanced for a job like that, compared to what other undersea factions and alliances have,” said Ben.
“That’s not completely accurate.”
“What do you mean?”
“We built Proteus.”
Ben stopped and stared at the admiral. Several seconds passed.
“You built my boat?”
“Sure did. It’s in dock now, almost ready to go. I want it to go into active service with you as captain.”
“How on earth did you… I mean I designed it over a decade ago … and in any case the U.E.S. doesn’t control those technologies anymore. So what technology did you put in it?”
“It’s got the very latest of everything.”
“How’s that possible if the U.E.S. doesn’t own the technology?”
“Well, it’s true, Ben, we don’t control the technology that would have made it work. However, we have created our own, there was nothing to stop us…”
“Apart from agreements with the other alliances and factions, Admiral, they’re not going to be happy when they find out.”
“Oh, they will be furious, but come on, Ben, you know how the game is played. One thing in public and an entirely different thing in private. It’s not as if the Macronesian Alliance or whoever are not doing the same thing. We just might be the first ones to market with this technology.”
“You’re not, so reel your neck back in,” replied Ben.
“Explain.”
“Well, someone has beaten you to it if there is a submarine going around destroying our colonies that is untraceable.”
“Not really what I meant, but I take your point. Our technology is the latest stuff. Until a few days ago, this was a highly classified project, but with this submarine out there has been a rush to get it ready to go.”
“So Proteus isn’t even ready to go?”
“It is, well, almost, just certain things have had to be completed fast. We have had five crews of engineers working on it twenty-four-seven for weeks. We took the line that we wanted Proteus ready as soon as possible. Someone has to try to keep the peace out there.”
“You think that someone is me?”
“I wouldn’t be asking if I didn’t, Ben. Come and see her. Come and see Proteus and your crew. If you’re not interested after seeing it, you can go back to your normal life.”
***
The sea shuttle carrying Herd and Captain Ben Roberts left the launch bay of the main U.E.S. headquarters and hummed along under the sea at a comfortable speed.
“When’s the last time you got your feet wet, Ben?”
“This morning; I swim at least a mile every morning in the ocean. It’s the best way to start the day.”
“Unless a shark gets you for breakfast…”
“Highly unlikely, what few sharks are left only attack humans by mistake.”
“Lighten up, Ben. I know plenty about sharks; the U.E.S. conserves them now in our waters. We have seen an increase in some numbers, slowly but surely…�
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“In a good way perhaps, I will have to be more careful from now on.”
“Maybe.”
“Anyway, to answer your question, the last time I was properly under the oceans was the day I left the U.E.S.,” said Ben.
“Thought so, it will all come back to you I am sure. Wait until you see Proteus. She’s a complete masterpiece of engineering and excellence.”
“I will reserve judgement until I see her, Ben. How on earth did you manage to build it without being found out? The other factions have their own satellites now so they can spy on us just as much as I am sure we spy on them.”
“Actually, it was really simple. We built some shells of regular submarines and then built Proteus under that.”
“You’re kidding! Nobody has asked any questions about it at all?”
“No, the satellites will see the image of the submarines, all pretty regular, and the behemoth of Proteus underneath is hidden.”
“Won’t that create a problem, though, when it does launch? If you’ve designed Proteus based on my blueprints it’s going to be hard to hide it when we launch. We need the element of surprise.”
“We’re working on it, one option is to hack the satellites we know are spying on us and loop them with an old image until you are completely launched.”
“That could only buy me so much time. This boat you want me to find is going to take longer than a few minutes to find,” said Ben.
“Potentially, but don’t worry about it, Ben. I know you are a details guy and your crew will help fill in the blanks for you.”
“My crew? I haven’t said I am going to do this yet, Richard.”
“I am an optimist, Ben. Honestly, Proteus is everything you had in your blueprints and more.”
An announcement came over the intercom into the cabin. “Gentlemen, we are now on final approach to Proteus, please be seated for docking.”
Ben took a look out the window and there it was, Proteus; his stomach swirled in excitement as much as he tried to control his emotions. For the first time since the admiral had approached him with this crazy idea, he thought he could take command of this boat—a boat he designed from the ground up.
The intercom buzzed again. “Gentlemen, we have now arrived at Proteus, docking bay four. A seal has been established. Please feel free to prepare to disembark.”
The pair walked through the docking collar and climbed up into Proteus. As soon as the admiral arrived in the main launch bay, someone shouted, “Admiral on deck,” and everyone became a statue.
“As you were, as you were,” said the admiral as he turned to Ben and pinned a “visitor” pass on his T-shirt.
“Do I really need this, if you are going to be escorting me everywhere?”
“No, but come on, Ben, you know the rules. Now follow me, lots to see on your boat,” said Herd.
The two men walked down several corridors, all brightly lit and with windows on one side.
“I don’t remember these windows full of water from my blueprints,” said Ben.
“Yes, that’s one of the things we changed, and they’re not windows full of water.”
“So what are they?”
“Swim tubes.”
“I don’t think I am going to go swimming in those,” said Ben.
“They’re not meant for humans, they’re meant for marine life.”
“Why would marine life need to swim through this boat?”
“Well, we have a team on board that assist in rehabilitation of injured or sick marine animals. These tubes give them an opportunity to swim and exercise. Crew are welcome to swim in the tubes the marine animals don’t use, though, for exercise. It will be easy to get your mile swim in every day, Ben.”
“A lot of thought has gone into this.”
“It has. Back to the shark conversation we had previously, our team can treat the sharks and then we release them back into our waters.”
“Sounds great, I guess, so long as the sharks aren’t accidentally put in the same tubes crew swim in.”
“Indeed Ben.”
“Given this hasn’t even launched yet, how many animals have been treated?”
“A high number. We’ve been bringing the animals to Proteus, treating them and then releasing them. It’s a successful program we think will go some way to redressing the balance in the oceans, which we as humans have completely messed up.”
“Hmm ok. I will have to see it working, I guess, but it seems odd on a military vessel,” said Ben doubtfully.
“Oh, it still is a military vessel. Those that have signed up to serve on Proteus are fully aware of the risks, and the military requirement comes first, although the marine science team sometimes forget that.”
The pair walked into a room labelled, “Sea Deck,” which had various scientific research stations centred around a large pool.
“So I am guessing all the swim tubes go off from here?” asked Ben.
“Yes that’s right, Ben, another design feature we added was Proteus now cleans the water it travels through. Any contaminants it will detect in the water it removes, so the water behind Proteus will be technically cleaner than that in front of it in most cases.”
“Well, credit where due, that’s something I didn’t think of.”
“Thank you Captain,” said a female voice behind them.
Ben turned and saw a lady in her thirties, of Hispanic descent, looking straight at him.
“Ah excellent, Captain Roberts would like you to meet Chief Medical Officer and part-time marine vet Sarah Martinez. Dr Martinez helped design the system that cleans the water.”
“Wow, excellent work, Doctor,” said Ben, genuinely impressed, as he extended his hand towards hers and shook it.
“It’s a team effort, sir. If this boat is going to make a difference it should from the outset, don’t you agree, Captain?”
“Well, yes, I do, but I don’t know how we can balance cleaning the water, helping marine life and also carrying out military operations.”
“If anyone can, you can, Captain.”
“Nice of you to say, but I am not a magician,” replied Ben.
“I would hope not, Captain. This is, after all, your boat.”
“Well, I designed it and am just having a look around really,” replied Ben unconvincingly.
“I am looking forward to serving under you,” said Sarah and she turned and left the sea deck.
“She’s … err … direct,” said Ben.
“She is, but you won’t find a better qualified doctor in the U.E.S. She’s battle experienced for almost a decade and her no-nonsense attitude has saved lives in the past. That’s why she is here for you now.”
“Ok, ok, I am warming to the idea of doing perhaps a single mission to find this boat for you and then see how I feel.”
“Great to hear,” replied the admiral.
Ben walked towards the pool and placed his hands on the edges and looked into the water. He thought he saw some movement beneath the surface. As he went to look closer a man exploded out of the water with a ball in one hand with his arm pulled back. He fired the ball off with extreme force, but it was off target and went straight into Ben’s nose, sending him flying backwards.
“Oh Ben, are you ok?” asked the admiral as blood pooled out of his nose.
“Let’s start with a tissue,” said Ben as he tried to catch the blood pouring down his face in his hands.
The admiral handed him a tissue and turned to face the man in the pool.
“Explain yourself, sailor, as my patience is wearing thin.”
“Err… I am Steve Kennedy, sir, senior engineer. We…”
“Kennedy as in the famous Spanish-American Kennedy family with a steep naval history?”
“Yes sir, I was born in America but raised in Spain.”
“Great, you could well be the first of your family to be dismissed in disgrace. Now explain to me what the hell you are doing in the pool.”
“Well, sir, we were playin
g a version of water polo in our downtime and I was trying to hit that target goal there”— Steve pointed towards the ringed target hanging from the ceiling—“and evidently I went off target.”
“So you did. I would say you need to work on your shot a lot more, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes sir.”
“Now, you said, ‘We.’ Where are the rest of the players?”
At that exact moment another man emerged with a different ball in his hand and also aimed poorly and slammed his ball into some of the scientific equipment, smashing it into the floor.
“Oh, this just keeps getting better,” said the admiral. “Do neither of you understand you only have one ball in play in water polo?”
The second man froze when he saw the admiral.
“Name, sailor, now, before I decide to make you swim the tubes for the rest of the day,” said the admiral.
“Will Weaver, science officer, sir,” said Will, still frozen to the spot in the pool.
“Well, I certainly hope you are better at science than you are at water polo, Mr Weaver.”
“Yes, sir, I am.”
“Such modesty, sailor! Your blood clotting now, Ben? Shall I get Dr Martinez back here?” asked the admiral.
“Yes I think so. No damage done… I think.”
“Excellent. You two, come and say hello to Captain Ben Roberts.”
The colour went out of Steve’s face when he realised who he had hit, and in front of the admiral. He quickly walked to the edge of the pool towards Ben and extended his hand.
“I’m very sorry, Captain, about hitting you, it was sincerely an accident.”
“Relax, sailor, I know it was, I am not going to make you or Will swim the tubes for it, providing my precious face recovers, of course.”
Will also sheepishly shook hands with Ben.
“Right you two, clean up this mess, and if you want to play whatever mixed up version of water polo you guys play in your spare time again, put a god damn net up so you keep your balls in the pool,” said Admiral Herd.
“Yes sir,” they both said in tandem with a smile on their faces.
“Grow up, the pair of you! Dismissed! This way, Captain,” said the admiral as he led Ben out of the sea deck.
“Those two seem odd, you can’t have handpicked them surely?”
“No, I didn’t, but both come highly recommended. Steve apparently has excellent knowledge of Proteus as he has been involved in every stage of the build. His bizarre sense of humour and terrible ball control skills aside, he will be an asset.”
