Seeking Safe Harbor: Suddenly Everything Changed (The Seeking Series)

by Albert Correia

  “It is good that you have your family with you,” Captain Wang said. “It shall make for a pleasant journey.”

  “I agree, and I do not mean to be abrupt, but I am still waiting for an explanation.”

  “Yes, of course. Forgive me for interjecting a moment of nostalgia at a time when so many things are of such grave consequence. I have a simple request.”

  Zach was not sure what the “moment of nostalgia” meant, but when the captain of a vessel that could blow his boat out of the water in seconds said he had a request, he would listen. “Please tell me what it is we can do for you.”

  “We have been following you for days, and by determining your course, based on the median of your tacks, I believe you are headed for the Central California Coast. I would like you to allow us to travel along with you.”

  Zach had not given any thought to what the request might be, but if he made a thousand guesses, that would not be one of them. His first reaction was an objection. “Captain, I have only recently become aware of what has happened in the world, but from what I’ve heard, your country and mine are at war. That means that, for all intents and purposes, we are enemies.”

  “I know what you say is true; however, our world is now in a situation that is without precedent. No government in the world is what it was two weeks ago. Almost all are gone forever. For all intents and purposes, to use your terminology, the war between us is over. No truce has been called only because there are no authorities in either country who have the power to call such a truce.”

  Zach looked to Stacey and then to Ron. Both shrugged. He looked back at the Chinese officer. “Why do you want to go to California?”

  “I know California.”

  “You know China even better.”

  “That is true, but the United States had more nuclear weapons than did China. My home and the homes of all of those aboard were decimated. They no longer exist. Nuclear missiles hit every population center. It will be many years before the radioactivity is eradicated from huge areas of China. On the other hand, nuclear missiles struck only sparingly in California. Please forgive my use of the term, ‘only.’ I know that your country, too, was devastated, and I use the word simply as a term of relativity. The San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego were hit with nuclear missiles. While there is radioactivity in those areas, it is quite possible that the central part of California is relatively free of major contamination.”

  “Your family?” said Stacey.

  They saw the same look they saw earlier flash painfully across his eyes, and the reason for his use of the word “nostalgia” became clear. “All our families were in the areas hit hardest,” he said.

  Zach’s heart went out to the man, but he knew he couldn’t let sentiment get in the way of reason. He considered what the man said about Central California and remembered what Commander Kotchel had said. The Chinese officer might very well be right. But, there were still questions.

  “You may have a point about the contamination,” he admitted, “but you don’t need us. Without us, in fact, you could get there a great deal faster. Why would you want to triple your travel time?”

  “Many who see us will consider us enemies and will want to fight with us. We do not want to fight.”

  “Are you saying that you want to become our prisoners?”

  Chapter 32

  THE officer was taken aback by the suggestion, but recovered quickly. “I can see how my words could be construed in that manner,” he said. “However, because I believe we are no longer at war, and my honor would not permit surrender if we were, I suggest a more amicable arrangement.”

  “We would be mutual protection for one another. As I said, we have observed you for some time and are aware that you have been attacked by marauders. There are many more out there, and they might want to do the same. None, however, will do so if you are guarded by a fully armed warship.”

  Zach looked around. No one spoke but it was clear that the thought of not having to worry about being attacked sat well with the others. And with him. “Yes, that would be beneficial to us,” he told the submariner. “However, we’re a small boat. We can’t offer you any protection.”

  “To the contrary,” he responded, “it is quite possible you will be able to be of even greater benefit to us. It is not the marauders that concern us, but that of your country’s warships. Before the communications systems went down, we caught several conversations between some of them. As with our navy, most of the U.S. force is gone, but a few of your ships are still afloat. They are now operating only on orders they received more than a week ago, when battles raged. If they see a Chinese submarine, they are likely to attack. As your movie people say, they will shoot first and ask questions later. That would force us to respond, and no good purpose would be served by our killing one another at this point in time.”

  “How do we know you won’t attack them?” Ron asked.

  “Ron,” Stacey objected.

  “That is all right, ma’am,” the officer said. “He has stated a legitimate concern. I can only respond by telling you that we had every chance to sink the aircraft carrier you met with before you went to Hawaii, but we did not. It was without the escorts that normally travel with a carrier, protecting it from attack by submarines and others. It was as easy a target as any combatant could ask for, and if I had considered us to be at war, I would have been obliged to sink it. As a matter of fact, sinking an aircraft carrier is a dream come true for a submariner. In this case, though, we instead watched from a distance and saw they were ridding the world of the pirates who prey upon the innocent and unarmed. It is a good thing that they are doing, and so we gave them a wide berth, and avoided contact.”

  “You’ve been following us since then?” Zach asked in amazement.

  “It was then that I came up with this idea. It would be impossible for us to set up this conversation directly with the commander of a warship, which is why I did not attempt to contact the captain of the aircraft carrier. I am sure he would have felt obliged to fight us. It, however, is quite reasonable for you, the captain of a private boat, to do so. You did, in fact, talk with them. As I watched you, I saw the name of a town on the back of your boat. I am aware that it is common to paint the name of the home port on a boat’s transom along with the boat’s name. San Diego is your home port. It is not where we want to go, but it is in California, and I thought if we stayed with you for most of the trip, it would get us close to our chosen destination. So I decided to observe you closely. As you can imagine, I was elated when I saw that your course was farther north toward Central California, which is the same area as we want to go.”

  “What makes you think that they’ll believe me if I tell them that you are not a combatant or that I even believe it myself.”

  “I understand your concerns. I don’t ask that you do anything that you feel will compromise your beliefs or that you think might put you or your compatriots in harm’s way. Just tell them what you know of me and my crew and what I have said to you. Let them decide if they are willing to talk with me. I believe they will. You see, for most of my adult life, I have dealt with military people from several countries. Most, like me, prefer peace to war. That feeling must be compounded a thousand times now, after what has happened. That is all I ask… that you simply tell them all I want to do is talk, and I believe they will then ‘ask questions before they shoot’.”

  “Wait here,” said Zach, and he motioned for the others to follow him to the bow, where George and Millie were standing.

  Zach got them in a huddle and asked, “What do you think?”

  “I think he’s sincere,” Stacey replied.

  “It seems to me it’s a rather, ah, unorthodox request,” George said.

  “True,” Ron responded, “but we’re living in a very unorthodox world right now.”

  “You said you’re ex-navy,” Zach said. “What do you think?”

  “Not speaking to whether I trust him or not,” Ron an
swered, “but his logic holds up. If I commanded a warship, I’d try to sink him, but I would talk with you.”

  “And so, speaking to whether or not you trust him?”

  “I was afraid you’d ask that. I don’t really know, but I believe it’s possible that he is being straight with us. One thing you might do is agree to allow them to go alongside us and see if we can figure it out by the time we have to do something about it.”

  “I realize I’m just an interloper here,” Millie said, “but it seems logical to me, especially being as they can go alongside us even if we say no, and there’s not a blasted thing we can do about it.”

  “Kids?” Stacey asked.

  “I think Millie’s right,” Glen said. “Besides, it would sure be good to have a big guy around to help if we run into a bully.”

  “Ditto,” said Denise.

  Stacey agreed.

  “Okay, that’s what I’ll tell him.” Zach went back to talk with Captain Wang. The others followed.

  “We accept your suggestion,” the sailboat captain told the Chinese officer.

  “I am pleased that is so. If it is all right with you, we will stay on the surface most of the time.”

  “It will be good to know where you are,” Zach agreed. “But keep in mind that we do not sail a straight course.”

  “I went sailing with friends several times when I was in Santa Barbara,” Captain Wang told him. “I am familiar with how sailboats maneuver to catch the wind, so I will be sure to stay out of your way when you change directions.”

  “You said you would be on the surface most of the time, which tells me you plan on submerging some other times. Is that when you will go under water, when we cross over into your path?”

  “No, we can stay out of your way easily enough on the surface just by changing speeds. However, if we pick up a large ship with our sonar, or a plane comes into view, we will submerge until we are sure it is safe.”

  “That sounds fair.”

  Captain Wang saluted Zach, and then shook hands all around. He got back in the inflatable, and the three Chinese mariners returned to their submarine. The crew of the La Sirena hoisted their sails.

  Thus, they resumed their journey to California, the sailboat tacking and the submarine motoring straight ahead at a very slow speed.

  Chapter 33

  THE first day and night were pleasant but unremarkable. The weather was sunny and the seas relatively calm, with enough wind to push the boat along at over six knots. The submarine stayed close and was never an obstruction.

  On the second morning, Captain Wang had the sub brought alongside the sailboat. Cupping his hands at the sides of his mouth, he called over to the sailboat, asking Zach if he could stop and talk.

  Zach agreed, and the crew dropped the sails. When the sailboat slowed to a stop, they dropped six rubber fenders over the side and the submarine edged up alongside. They tied one to the other. Once they were sure the fenders would prevent damage to the sailboat’s fiberglass hull, the submarine’s crew extended a “gangplank” between the vessels. The submarine was higher than the La Sirena, so Captain Wang walked carefully down the improvised walkway, which his crew had fashioned out of metal used for flooring on their vessel. He saluted and asked permission to go aboard before actually stepping onto the sailboat.

  “Thank you for stopping, captain,” the Chinese officer said, directing it at Zach, but looking around to let everyone know he intended it for all of them. “I have another request.”

  “Yes?” Zach said, waiting cautiously.

  “With your permission, I would like to have members of my crew ride along with you so that they might learn things about your country.”

  Zach thought for a second before responding. “I’m sorry, but that seems like a rather odd request. Why would you want that?”

  “No need to be sorry. You have every right to know why. Having lived in the United States, I know something about the people and how the country functions. Your combination of democracy and capitalism has resulted in a unique society. As I am sure you are aware, our attempt at straight communism resulted in abject poverty for a vast majority of our people.

  “I am a military person and not political, but I was happy when we changed to a capitalistic economy. It brought a form of wealth to many that we had never before seen. We did not change our form of government, however, and my crewmembers do not know the feeling of being able to make the choices that will govern their lives in a free society. If we are successful at getting to live in your country for a time, it would be very useful for them to know something about how you think and talk.”

  “For a time? Does that mean you plan on returning to China?”

  “I am Chinese. It is my country. Yes, if it is possible when the air is again fit to breath and the water fit to drink, I will return.”

  “And take democracy with you?”

  “As I said, I am not a political person. I like democracy but I shall try to fit into whatever system the people choose.”

  Zach looked the man in the eye. He wasn’t fool enough to think he could determine if someone was telling the truth or not, but liars often gave themselves away by either shifting their eyes or attempting to focus them unusually straight at a person. Captain Wang’s eyes did neither. He didn’t try to convince him that he was going to promote democracy when he had the chance, either. Someone trying to pull something would do that to build confidence, wouldn’t they? On the other hand, a smart operator might use that as a ploy.

  Zach had the same concerns he had with Ron, that the Chinese could use the opportunity to learn how to sail the boat. But, why? They already had a two-hundred-fifty foot boat of their own. Besides, Captain Wang already knew something about sailing, and the others could see them plainly from the deck of the submarine, which was going to be on top of the water most of the time. They could learn simply by observing for a few weeks.

  He decided to get more information. “How many do you have aboard?”

  “Thirty-seven men, five of whom are officers, including myself.”

  Ron, who was standing close behind Zach, commented, “That sounds like very few for a boat that size,”

  Captain Wang looked appreciatively over Zach’s shoulder at the ex-navy man. “You know about navy craft, I see. You are quite correct. The normal complement is fifty-five men, nine of whom are officers. However, before we left the South China Sea, we were involved in several skirmishes with the kinds of marauders your aircraft carrier is now hunting down. We rid the world of many bad people, but we lost eighteen men doing it.”

  “Thirty-seven is still a lot,” Zach observed, “and I don’t believe any of us speak any form of Chinese,” Zach replied, looking at the newest members of the crew. Millie, George, and Ron all shook their heads.

  “I would suggest only two or three at a time,” the Chinese officer said. “One of my officers and one of the enlisted men speak very good English. Two others have a working knowledge. I would also, with your permission, take a turn aboard to translate.” That last statement came as a bit of a surprise given the Commanding Officer’s lead role and responsibility.

  Zach looked around. The others, like himself, had considered the consequences. Stacey, Glen, and Denise nodded weakly. They didn’t have any specific objections but their expressions indicated there were reservations.

  “As a guest, I probably don’t have a say,” Millie observed, “but I would say yes, if I did.”

  “If there are unfortunate consequences, you will suffer them the same as us,” Zach replied, “so, as far as I am concerned, in this process, you do have a say.”

  “Then I suppose I have a say, also,” George said. “I have doubts about it, so if you allow them to come aboard, I suggest we watch them closely.” He turned to the submarine captain. “No offense, but we’ve had some bad times recently.”

  “No offense taken. There are members of my crew who are just as suspicious. It is to be expected in times such as these.”
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  “Very well,” Zach concluded, “we can take three at a time. There isn’t room for more. Does eight a.m. to six p.m. sound okay?”

  “That sounds very good. As we will be having lunch with you, we will bring food.”

  “I hadn’t given any thought to that,” Zach admitted. “What do you have?”

  “Rice,” said the Chinese officer.

  “Oh,” said Zach with little enthusiasm in his voice.

  The Chinese officer laughed. “It is my attempt at a joke. Having watched Americans eat for over five years in Santa Barbara, I am aware that rice is seldom on the menu. We have vegetables and meat. And we catch fish.”

  “We sometimes eat rice,” said Stacey, “but we don’t have any at the moment. Maybe we could use some.”

  Glen tried to be helpful. “I like rice pilaf well enough. Remember when we ate it at that restaurant in Mission Bay?”

  Denise made a face.

  “I will see what our cook can come up with,” said Captain Wang, smiling.

  Having decided to start immediately, the submariner captain brought one man who spoke English very well and one who spoke none at all over to the sailboat and introduced them to all those aboard. The two were obviously ill at ease in this strange situation, but the one who spoke English repeated the names of each of the Americans as they were introduced. He never forgot any of them. The other said nothing.

  Shortly afterward, a man came over with a large cardboard box. “This is our lunch,” said Captain Wang. He smiled. “It is mostly rice. However, there is one large portion of Cantonese Rice. That is flavored rice mixed with vegetables and various kinds of meats. My cook is very well known for that dish. There is enough for each of you to try for lunch today.”

  “Hey, that smells good!” Glen exclaimed, edging up close to the Chinese men.

  “I hope you will find that it tastes even better than it smells.” said the officer.

  Zach took the box and handed it down to Millie. Put this in the refrigerator, please. We can microwave it later.”