New Homeport Island (41 page)

would some claustrophobically small. I give up on the
 brainwashing and this is a dress, keep it and it’s a kilt
 but…navy. All those ‘But…Navy’s have destroyed my life.”
As Tim walked passed Michelle she interjected, “Tim…you’ve
 got a nice package up that dress and I don’t mind seeing it. So
 relax.” Tim flashed back for an instant to when Michelle was
 actually one of his subordinates and briefly smiled, then it
 occurred to him she had caught him masturbating at least ten
 times over the past year.
Tommi was quick in her step and hadn’t been far from
Joseph since the island clothing became absolutely necessary.
She swung around him and held him then leaned in and
 whispered, “If you forget about me after we get back home, I’ll
 cut your nuts off and choke you with them.” Joseph got that look
 that really defined their relationship, it was the pitiful look of ‘I
 know what you mean to say but your saying all wrong.’ and he
 kissed her. Not unlike a young Pilipino wife speaking with her
 young American sailor husband while he learns Tagalog.
Athena had returned and after entering the gate she turned
 around and waved with a pleasant smile and said, “Good bye
 guys…close the gate.” Michael ran over and closed the gate and
 said, “I didn’t see anyone.” she looked at him and teared up. She
 said, “I thought I might have been followed.” and knowing
Athena, she wouldn’t want to present with the weakness of
 ignorance. Athena said, “It got even worse over there.”      
The ship was ready for a morning ‘test flight’, she would circle
 the island all day long testing steerage and sail then tie up for the
 following days deployment. The boat was well secured and
 anchored. we all sat and watched the sunset behind the
Woodenpeg it was a picturesque scene. Dave miles used what

dyes we had to capture the moment on his vest by finger
 painting it.
That night we could hear the difference in the surf, the
 slapping of the waves against the hull, the creaking of the
 supporting Wooden ‘X’s we had moored her to, it was hypnotic.
We heard a nymph laughing and giggling just outside our wall
 as we slept. But when we awake we realized that laughing was
Atrisia and in a panic we rushed out of our cabanas and saw the
 truth of Artimus.
As the ‘Artimus gang’ slipped through our wall, Atrisia
 giggled surprised she had been told of the hole before. Artimus
 had been spying and preparing all along, else wise we would not
 had been able to go so long unmolested.  
Our navigation circle had been destroyed and more stores
 than what we had loaded had been stolen. Mr. Deckly arrived at
 the gate soon after we woke and knocked at the gate with a long
 heavy stick with a stone weight tied to the end. We answered
 and before we could ask what the hell had happened Bruce
Deckly informed us, “You are all put on notice the Captain
 intends to seek criminal charges on desertion, consider
 yourselves under arrest and confined here to your side of the
 island.”
Michelle collapsed and Athena Ran away. I stood up and
 retorted, “Wait a second the mother fucker steals our boat and
 you expect to arrest us.” Mr. deckly stated angrily, “You are still
 property of the united states navy!” I yelled back, “Wrong
 branch motherfucker, this isn’t the army, I am not from
Mississippi, nor have I ever been there during my service…I am
 not a slave or property and my state of origin ratified that
 amendment long ago!” Brosuer stepped out from behind him as
 deckly realized the implications of what we both had said.

Brosuer said, “Please understand I had nothing to do with this
 but I do ask you don’t attack us. The captain bated us into
 football games to determine who the leaders would be month by
 month, it seemed like a game but it got out of control and
‘Football’ isn’t violent enough of a term to describe what it
 became.”
I replied, “None of you over there has ever managed to not
 disappoint me. Stay clear of our walls and gate and stay clear of
 us in the waters, do not interfere with any of our ‘operations’.
Now go back to hell you made for yourselves.”
Deckly smirked and sounded like a Halloween character as
 he leaned forward and asked, “And what if he comes back?”  I
 looked at him shocked and replied, “First I’m counting on that
 he would still report the stranded. Second, you seem to have
 forgotten he lost a god damn destroyer!!!” Deckly again looked
 stunned, then a bit dizzy and he and Brosuer walked away. As
 we closed the gate Athena yelled, “Make sure your drinking
 clean water you look too fucked up!”  
Everyone was distraught, he had betrayed us at every
 opportunity…he had created opportunities just to betray us
 again. He was vile and loathsome even before he had lost the
 ship. When we received calls to the ship he used the message
 board to harass our callers, be they wives or husband, girl
 friends or boyfriends or even parents and siblings.  
He had managed to fail evaluations by the navy by doing things
 his way rather than insuring compliance with the navy’s ways.
He found fault in individual strengths that an immediate superior
 was lacking but the subordinate had acquired. He made sarcasm
 of training deficiencies in the subordinates and invited mockery
 by superiors when they actually knew the subject matter. He
 split personality types by creating sibling rivalries based on navy

rates when the personality types got along with each other and
 demanded that the personality types that did not get along learn
 to work together through special projects for the captain
 intended to solicit a shared pride in their captain rather than their
 own accomplishments. He stole from our lockers claiming it was
 his ship and he would confiscate anything he deemed necessary
 which only complimented his opening our mail in a voyeuristic
 fashion. As we vented our hatred of him, our individual stories
 coalesced in the nightmare image of David Artimus Commander
United States navy, Captain of USS Paul F. Foster.  
I only remember seeing red the rest of the day. And just
 outside our walls the remaining militant’s originally planning
 god knows what heard our stories and realized they had the
 same experiences with the bastard. They left our walls and we
 found were the Artimus gang had entered and shored up our
 walls and fitted our gate with a quick release. We saw their foot
 prints and the hand and face prints they left pressing their faces
 to the wall to hear us, which I took as another stupidity it wasn’t
 drywall in an apartment. The slings we had used for boar
 hunting were made ready for defense. And once again I had to
 reveal a secret project risking looking like a fool.
I said “We’re all to pissed off to talk about it now but we
 need a lookout tower and you’re going to think the method is
 crazy but we may be able to do some other things with that
 method as well.”  Michael collapsed down and asked, “How bad
 is it Rob?” I replied slowly and monotone, “I built a very small
 model tower, with a model hot air balloon” Tommi laughed and
 smiled hysterically, and Megan blurted out, “Holy Jesus!!”  
We strolled over to my shop spot and I explained, “I really need
 this weather tower, and were not going to be able to fly home on
 one of these, but during world war two the Japanese successfully

bombed the west coast of America with balloons that released
 sand bags based on altimeter readings and the last sandbag was
 actually a bomb. So may be a mayday an S.O.S. or even a Hello
Kitty could be sent, but I’m afraid it would actually end up in
 brazil and I don’t speak or write Portuguese.” Michael said,
“Let’s just get a tower going and that patio deck we were
 planning on.” Tammy said, “Okay and I need to kill one of the
 militant douchebags.” Athena asked, “Anyone in particular?”
Tammy replied, “No, but at least one.” Athena said, “Okay, let
 just hold on that one. Hey Tommi, Atrisia asked how you were
 yesterday.”  Tommi reached over with a slight tremble and took
 joseph’s hand and said with notable uncertainty, “Okay, didn’t
 know her too well, but don’t want to see any of them now.”
They all stood there and looked at my set up. I took the charcoal
 and put it into the ceramic disc and used the small paper bellows
 to fan it until it glowed just right. Then I held the balloon in
 place and added un-burnt charcoal and watched the balloon fill
 and rise. The tether was still attached and the test weight was
 moderate for what the balloon had been capable of resulting in
 the balloon rising slowly. The test weight was attached to a loop
 of twine and once I untied it they saw that I could raise and
 lower it like a crane. That was my proof of process. Michael
 came over for a closer inspection and Athena walked up and
 shoved me aside saying, “Let us play with it.” Michelle stepped
 beside me and kissed my cheek then smacked my butt and said,
“Good boy…go tend the boilers so we can figure this out.” I
 kissed her back on the lips and said, “Okay.”
Tammy stepped in front of me so I stepped aside and waited
 then walked forward and she did it again, then she kissed me on
 the lips and I kissed her back she giggled and stepped out of the
 way and I went to tend the boilers.

I returned to our camp site and heard rustling sounds
 outside our wall. I knew the boar had been penned in so it must
 be the militants. I peered through a small peep hole in the gate
 and figured they were looking for the hole. So I ready a sling
 and surrounded myself with spears stuck in the ground for a
 ready grab. The noise subsided and I was in a braced stance
 when Tommi and Joseph came up behind me. Joseph asked,
“They out there again?” I replied, “I think so. Looks like we’re
 going to need to get more serious about making that wall a more
 dangerous place to be.” With Tommi and joseph there I walked
 around the wall but on our side it was braces, mountings, and
 frames. So said I was going to open the gate and joseph ready a
 couple of spears and Tommi had a couple behind him but was
 ready to run for reinforcements.
Once I got out there it was Francesco and Monica and they
 explained, “We were just getting the football?” and smiled
 oddly. I looked at the fence line it looked unmolested but
Monica looked somewhat molested and aroused. So I nodded
 and went in and closed the gate. I told joseph it was Monica and
Francesco and they seemed to be making out getting the
 football, they were all supposed to stay away from the wall but I
 had worked with them both and they didn’t seem to have
 changed too much. Tommi had also worked with them so she
 and Joseph patrolled the fence line while I tended the boilers.
After the raid and theft we needed to refill the cistern and vases,
 back on full production.
Out under the blue sky and upon crashing sapphire blue
 waves laced with foam the Woodenpeg was flying at eight knots
 away from us, our work, and our team with a crew comprised of
 whining dogs and whimpering mules. Mike Elper sat at the bow
 near the fixture point for the triangular sheet and its mast. At the

till were Eric Milson and Gunner Smity, Midship starboard side
 sat Atrisia Wells and down below were the Captain and Ensign
Clarkson, with Cabin boy and Senior Chief Johann.
They all were a gleam as Gunner Smity charted in relation
 to wind direction and current using our sextant, our line with a
 floating bob, and the streamer on a staff they he held up sitting
 next to the till. Measure of time was a trick, no one watch
 survived the depths we had all tasted when the ship was lost.
They had used charcoal and paper to copy down our
 navigational circle before destroying it, which also destroyed
 our farmer’s almanac information we needed to watch our farm
 of sorghum and knotweed sprouts. They were joyful to be a sea
 again and the experience of the fishing boat did not compare. On
 the fishing boat to lose sight of the island could have been fatal.
Now they intentionally headed north east cutting hard and flying
 fast as they could. It was a run for the money and a race against
 the clock of rations stored.
I stood on the beach next to our kiln and said, “I guess I
 don’t need to worry about an hour glass after all.” Athena
 responded, “Nope” I added, “I was going to do the glass work
 for the ship while they tested it around the island today.”
Michelle replied, “Ya, but now we’re on boiler tending and
 ultrafine textiles for your balloon babe.” I looked at her with a
 big smile, she had never called me babe before despite the fact it
 was my habit to call the females I liked babe. Athena walked by
 and gave me an encouragement groping of the ass with a wicked
 smile. At least I was still hopelessly in love with more than one
 woman at a time.
There was an onset of cold breath in the wind and on the horizon
 the clouds gathered for a circling of the wagons before their
 flanking maneuver. On the landing site beach stood the shadow

of a former navy sailor, a shell of what he once was. The
 silhouette spoke out into the breeze and over the water, “I was a
 fire controlmen, my recruiter told me, ‘It’s a simple job. Go
 there, press a button, become a hero.’ he said it was the result of
 technological advancements.” Now he stares at a rolling ocean
 and wonders when he will fade into the sea, left for dead, by
 ship, by captain, by mate.
Brosuer wandered the beach and walked into the pentagon,
 and Clarkson blurted out, “Excuse me, you aren’t allowed in
 here.” Brosuer mopping about asked, “Are you serious? We
 built this thing. And that asshole stole the ship they built. And
 you think you’re special?” Clarkson replied, “I remind you, it
 doesn’t matter who won the football game this area is for the
 selected only.” Brosuer stepped out and went to a spot familiar
 to him and returned with his hands full. Clarkson asked, “Did
 you forget something chief?” and Brosuer threw his feces at her.
Deckly got up and walked out and Clarkson crawled out of
Brosuers way, as he began throwing around the lean-too pieces.
Brosuer sat amid the chaos uttering, “He wins, he wins, the
 captain loses his ship, strands his crew on an island…so, he
 wins.”  
Branson had realized how bad things got when he woke to
 find out Artimus had left. Chief Dotz had been informed by
Milson he and the crew selected by the captain would be
 confiscating the native boat and setting in for friendly waters for
 a rescue. It should only take a week, the captain had reassured
Milson.  Branson had headed back to the enlisted club before
 everyone knew. He found it easier to maintain a leadership
 position when you are only available when success is assured, if
 upper management is AFU then be busy with something that
 requires your personal attention. This had been his modus