The Prize Rules Ch. 05

But it hadn't gone that way. She was fine and back home, and she had a job. What more could she want?

She knew the answer to it every time that she asked herself the question in her mind. She wasn't pining for him or anything that stupid. It had happened years before and it was best forgotten about.

And yet Eden knew that he'd left his mark on her heart, just as she was fairly certain that she'd left hers on his heart. That was the sad thing about it. She guessed that Cora-leen had been right. She had found the one – or at least one of them if her life held any chance of happiness in it for the long term. She'd met and loved a man that she'd known almost at once had been someone for her.

To have walked away from him still seemed so very stupid to her. But then there hadn't been any way around it. Now, she wondered what she really wanted out of life. She had Cora-leen. That had never been in question between them. It was a safe place for them both when they were together and doing anything – even just making breakfast.

She shrugged to herself as she watched Cora-leen kiss her boyfriend goodbye at the door. The previous night with him between them had just been to scratch an itch and little more. He didn't know it yet and she doubted that he'd ever think of it, but he'd failed the test with them and this was the only goodbye that he'd get.

She pulled her robe a little tighter around herself as she went back to getting breakfast started. If he was any sort of real man, he'd have noticed that Eden was getting ready to begin that task. If he was any sort of real man, he'd have already known by then. To have been to bed with two women and not been offered at least breakfast was a sure sign, she'd have thought.

It was Sunday and that meant that there likely weren't any missives to be ridden out. They just had to wait until Robert had come back from church. He'd stop in at his office and see if there was anything afoot and they only had to ride in to see if there was. Most Sundays there wasn't and they could just ride back home or do whatever they liked.

Cora-leen walked in then and kissed Eden, "There's another one off my list," she said.

"We both smell of his rubbers," Eden said, "I just want to eat and then get dressed to ride in. If there's nothing, then I think we ought to just ride out to the beach to get washed. The rest of the day is ours after that."

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Eden pulled up to the building on her bike and shut it off before she dismounted and put down the stand. A moment later, Cora-leen pulled up alongside. Eden was in a foul mood, having seen a particular watercraft out in the harbour on her way in.

She'd thought about it and wondered if she ought to raise a bit of hell over the matter and over the course of the previous five minutes had almost decided against it. She had her job now and she loved it for the freedom and the challenge – even for the knowledge that she was doing something important for the war effort.

But she knew that her job would only last as long as the war did.

And there was a motor launch out there in the harbour getting fitted out for it's first patrol.

With a bit of effort, she could tell herself that it was rather a poor example of the type, given the ones which she'd learned to crew on. She could also tell herself that it was none of her affair, but it still bothered her somehow and she knew whose door to lay the blame at, too.

Robert Kirkwall had to have known about this even before he'd had her transferred to the despatch rider's course because even a magician can't pull a 72 foot Harbour Defense Motor Launch out of his ass that quickly from this far away. The inquiries and negotiations had to have taken months, never mind the almost miraculous trans-Atlantic crossing – at likely 8 knots or close to it.

She wanted to spit, knowing that the ass had been able to tell himself that he was doing the 'right thing' to keep a woman from serving on a ship.

So she was back where she started – in a foul mood.

Despite their differences in appearance, she and Cora-leen were almost the same in many ways, though there were a few differences. Cora was quite a bit more outgoing initially than the way that Eden was when she met strangers or new people.

Which made things interesting sometimes, Eden admitted to herself as they chatted briefly before going in to see if there were any messages which had to go that day.

The stopped talking for a moment as a large black sedan slid past them to sit at the main doors. From what could be seen through the rear window, there was a kiss being exchanged between a couple in the rear seat and then the right rear door opened and they watched as Robert Kirkwall got out and walked up the steps into the building. The sedan pulled away and was gone an instant later.

Cora and Eden could be said to be best friends, but they didn't agree on everything and never had. About the largest divergence in the opinions which each one held had just walked inside. Cora liked just about everything about Robert Kirkwall while Eden now had little desire to even see the man very much anymore.

"Guess he has to put in an appearance every so often," Cora nodded on the direction of the doors. She sighed a little dramatically, knowing the way that Eden felt and as far as Eden could tell, Cora thought that the sun shone out of Robert's ass.

She herself wasn't that grandly impressed with the man at all these days. Not after ...

"Yeah?" she asked, "Who was that in the car?"

Cora shrugged, "His wife. You've never seen her?"

Eden shook her head, wanting to change the subject, "No. Until a little while ago, about the time that we reported to him that you were ready, I didn't know that he was married. He never wears a ring."

"I don't much care myself," Cora grinned, "He treats me alright whenever I see him."

Eden held her jaw shut, but what she wanted to say was that Cora would likely see a change in the way that he treated her if she were ever to get knocked up.

It hadn't happened to her either, but she had been foolish enough some time ago to believe the man's lies. It had happened when she supposed that she'd been a little weak – weak enough to believe that Robert cared about her and she'd been stupid enough to not try to think why – even if he was single, which she learned that he was not.

She didn't ask herself why a handsome man like him would want any sort of love with a girl like her – no matter how she looked.

She shrugged to herself. Robert was a civil servant and they were as near as dammit to being liars of a class very close to politicians – semi-pros at least.

She was about to send Cora upstairs to check for messages for her, but she decided that she'd better go along. If Robert felt like bending Cora over his desk for a quick fuck seeing it as his chance if she came up alone, then Eden could be here swatting at flies for a while and she wasn't in the mood.

When they reached the man's office, he had some news of a different sort for them.

After greeting them and demonstrating just what a pig he could be at times by carrying on a conversation with them while his eyes never left Cora's chest for a second, he got down to the point.

"I hope that Cora-Lee is now familiar with the routes," he smiled, "since she'll be riding them alone for a couple of weeks."

He chuckled at the looks that the girls returned to him and he shook his head.

"Nothing terrible, so relax. There's still a war on. Do you remember our conversation in this office a long time ago, Eden?"

She could remember a lot of conversations with him here, Eden thought, and she was purposely trying not to think of the times when he'd bent HER over his desk. She held it at a single nod.

She and Robert weren't very talkative these days, mostly once Eden had guessed that he was married. Well, she'd been an idiot and hadn't really guessed.

She'd been told.

She now didn't go to see him at the end of her work day. She rode straight home. It was either that, or go to see him with the cover of her holster unsnapped. In any event, he pretended to act as though nothing had happened.

"There is a program which the Americans are offering to nations such as ourselves. They have named it 'Destroyers for Bases'. In short, we have allowed them to lease a few spots of land from us where they intend to build air bases. In return, we are to receive – "

"A worn-out old destroyer?" Eden asked, her loathing of the man now causing her to want to hurry this along.

Robert shook his head, "Trinidad is not even in a position at present to know what to do with one of those. We are on the eve of being given a vessel which would probably suit our needs a lot better, having some facilities on board which might be used to rescue people ..."

He caught Eden's look and he said, "Alright. I did inquire to make certain that it has guns as well, Eden. Do you want to hear the rest or not?"

"Tell us," Eden said a little coldly, "Just leave out the happy sounds of the achievement. Save them for your boss the governor if you wouldn't mind. Why do I even need to hear this?"

He leaned forward, "Because, Eden Chang, you are the closest person whom I have working for me who has any military experience on board a military vessel."

She leaned forward as well, trying to hold her temper and almost losing, "If that so, Mister Robert, why is it that there is a patrol boat out there in Port of Spain harbour and I am here riding despatch? I came to you seeking that sorta work, if you'll recall. I even train for it in England.

Or are you now going to tell me that it not a place for a woman? It seem to me that it is a fine place for women – in England. Who do you think crews about a third of their boats like that?"

He regarded her coolly for a moment and she could see that she'd hit a nerve. "I do not need to justify my actions to you, Miss Eden. I am charged with the responsibility of trying to do what is best for this island with severely limited funds. That never changes, Eden. Never. Now will you let me speak for a moment?"

Eden nodded, feeling foolish over her outburst, though she had her reasons and not all of them pertained to the war. She nodded, "I apologize, Robert."

He nodded back, but he didn't appear to be willing to let it by just yet. Then the look was gone and she knew that he was switching gears with all the skill of his reptilian kind.

"I need you for something more ... important to us. Something that I have been working at almost forever, it seems to me – ever since a young woman came to me and told me over thirty times that Trinidad had better put something into it's own defence."

He tried to smile, but he didn't quite make it. That was how Eden knew that she'd stung him – and could expect a rough ride for it in the near future.

"You will fly to Florida and while your purpose en route back here on that vessel will be to take a good look and then tell me what it might need to make it ready for our use ..."

He drew a breath then and continued, "The purpose which you are being sent there for on paper is to advise the temporary crew on conditions along the way and specifically to help them to get into the harbour out there without mishap. There will be a ceremony after that as we accept our ship."

Eden asked what was an obvious question to her mind, "Why can't they get their own ship here all by themselves?"

"They will be a United States Navy crew who are used to move ships around," he said, "They are familiar with most Navy ships – at least familiar enough to do what is being requested and that is to deliver our ship to its new owners. They are not a full crew for whatever ship that they are to ferry to it's destination. I have been told that this particular ship ought to present them with no problems, but I have at least a small degree of ... uncertainty. Our ship is not a United States naval vessel and never has been."

He looked into Eden's eyes and he spoke – before she could say whatever snide thing that he saw present in her.

"It is a United States Coast Guard cutter," he said, "or more correctly, an Active class patrol boat." He looked down at some notes for a moment.

"What I have here – since I know that you'll ask me sooner or later – is that she is 152 feet long, cruises at 8 knots with a maximum speed of 13 knots, has a range of 3,500 miles, has a three inch deck gun and two depth charge racks."

He looked up at Eden, "Sufficient for you, I would hope."

"For what, Robert?" she asked, "Using the depth charges to scare up fish? How will it detect an enemy submarine? Will somebody hang a doctor's stethoscope into the water over the side?

Thirteen knots," she said, "U-boats, from what I have read – and that is me, a little Chinese girl from Trinidad – can do about EIGHTEEN knots on the surface - and if you'd read the accounts of attacks in the newspapers, they have deck guns as well, and they most certainly are not afraid to use them, since it saves them from the expense of wasting expensive torpedoes on small ships.

And their torpedoes – if they are at all similar to American or British ones - can travel at 40 knots."

Robert was almost furious, "It doesn't matter, Miss Chang. There aren't any of these U-Boats here!"

"And how would you know it if they WERE here, Mister Robert?" she asked, "They don't sail around waving a flag. Your first warning would come when they kick the hell out of your pretty harbour or sink a ship - or three.

But," she smiled airily, "you would know better than I about such things."

He seethed, but he held it in check and slid her tickets across the desk to her, "Get yourself on a boat to St. Vincent. You need to be there within ten days. Call the telephone number that I've written down there, and they'll send a car out to take you to the American airfield there."

He indicated a piece of paper with his finger, "See the man whose name is there, and he'll get you on the next plane they have leaving for Florida.

We don't have a proper military per se, but I needed something of a rank for you, since you'll be dealing with American military people. To that end, you are now a military attaché with the Trinadadian rank of Special Inspector. If anyone asks, tell them that it is the equivalent to the rank of Lieutenant."

He glowered over his desk at her, "I know that you will deport yourself well, in spite of our differences here. Even so, please do try not to ruffle any feathers. I've spent a lot of time and effort to make this happen for us. See to it that our ship is delivered here safely."

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1942 Lorient, Occupied France

As U-161 slid out of Lorient early on the morning of 24 January still in the dark and following the very few lights being shown in their direction by a minesweeper which acted as a pathfinder for them past the known fields of Allied mines, Ullman stood on the conning tower bridge feeling empty for the most part.

But he found that there were a couple of things bothering him.

His target was Trinidad, though a second meeting a few days after the first had expanded his area of responsibility northward, once it had become known that there would be at least one British submarine in the area. He was to hunt for her if possible and remove the threat that she might represent to the operation.

He didn't know exactly, but somehow there had been a leak and the Brits were sending one of theirs to deal with what they believed was only one U-boat being sent. So far, there hadn't been anything in intercepted radio traffic to indicate that the Americans had even been made aware of it.

What bothered him mostly was not the presence of that submarine. He just didn't like the idea of taking the war to a place like Trinidad on a personal level – not that his feelings mattered at all.

He'd been given another promotion to the rank of Korvettenkapitän, roughly equivalent to the United States naval rank of Lieutenant Commander. He smiled in a bit of humor for a moment as he thought that if this were the army, he'd be a Major. But he'd never been one to sail on humor for long – not when there was a sobering thought in back of it.

He was having that sobering thought now. He had a feeling that it was all done out of turn, since it was a little early for this and was out of expedience because of a detail – which was the other thing ...

The other thing which bothered him now stood beside him.

No one in his crew knew of it yet, but this was to be Ullmann's first and only long range war patrol in U-161. After this was over and done with, there was another U-boat waiting for him to command.

She'd been built up and crewed, but her commander had developed a severe case of appendicitis and was not expected to be fully recovered and ready for action until well after the end of the next month, which was too long. So he was to take command and begin the sea trials immediately upon his return and command that boat from there.

From now and until they returned to Lorient, he was to be saddled with Kapitänleutnant Willhelm Bucher, a recent transplant from the corvette navy; full of himself, a little condescending in his treatment of those in the U-Boat arm, and about as constantly annoying as a dull toothache.

More than full of himself, Ullmann decided, the man was plainly also full of shit for his overbearing attitude and his limited ability to command effectively without needing to resort to shouting.

'Hard to accept having to hand over a fine boat and her crew to this arsehole,' he thought. But that was what was to happen. Bucher was only along to learn the ropes and then assume command once they'd docked again at Lorient.

In the meantime, he seemed to like to spend his time questioning Ullmann's orders.

'God help my poor crew,' he thought, 'this overfed idiot will surely get them all killed.'

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1942 Caribbean Sea with Puerto Rico just visible in the distance.

Eden thought about the meeting in Robert's office after he'd given her the traveling information and the boat tickets for the first part of this little trek.

He'd asked her angrily about her snotty attitude of late and she'd asked for the rest of whatever this was going to be in private – since it didn't concern Cora-leen and wasn't any of her business.

And being the bastard that he could often be, he'd refused.

So she'd given as well as he gave her, calling him a man who was nothing more than someone who liked to exploit young women.

"I thought that I was supposed to report to you at the end of a day out of your concern for my safety, not so that you could try to use me in exchange for what you did for me, and not out of the kindness of your heart.

My mistake," Eden said.

It grew only worse and louder from that point and perhaps worst of all to Eden's mind, Cora-leen obviously didn't think that it could also happen to her.

Likely it already was, she thought, but Cora-leen hadn't tried to say no yet.

She looked out of the window of the military transport aircraft over the brilliant blue waters of the Caribbean for a moment. It was too bad that all men weren't like ...

She looked down and shook her head.

That had been a long time ago and though she hadn't known it at the time, that man had been different; so very different from the rest - at least as far as she was concerned.

But she was here and he was where she hoped that he was, perfectly safe and hopefully navigating a ship safely – and with any luck, it was not a warship taking him into harm's way.

She'd stopped writing to him a while before, having never gotten any response for any of a thousand reasons – the first being that she didn't even know that he was still alive. She'd liked doing it though. It felt a little nice to still think of him as someone who she could bare her fool heart to.