High Seas Series : The Mary Joyce

By nightfall, all the children were beginning to fade. They all had full tummies and the excitement the new kids had experienced, finally wore them out. It was not long before Causey Plantation was full of sleeping children who felt, finally, safe and cared for. Now it was time to console some adults, those who had experienced this for the very first time were wrung out and were fighting to keep their tears from overwhelming them. They could not imagine how these children had survived at all and that they were beginning to laugh and giggle a bit and they had only been here for a few hours.

Captain James Tollander called and requested an emergency meeting with the ship captains. Pat told him that his Father and his Uncle were still on station off the West Coast.

He replied, "Well, I will meet with you and you can recall them ASAP, this is an emergency situation!"

Pat told his Yeoman to get on the "horn" and contact Wil and Oscar that they had an emergency recall and to head for home ASAP!

Captain Tollander must have been in Honolulu, because he arrived that same afternoon. He sat down with Pat and spread out a chart of Borneo. He said, "Captain, we got a call from the Indonesian Navy that natives are disappearing from the small islands in Sitankai Bay. Whole villages are gone, leaving only the adult men with their heads chopped off. They have neither the manpower nor the ships to help these people. Every time a Naval Ship comes around, whoever is doing this lays low, probably in some jungle inlet, until they leave.

They have asked specifically for you guys, Admiral Yachi has been trumpeting your efforts to help them the last time your Dad pulled their irons out of the fire!"

Pat asked, "Are there any clues to who is doing this and why?" He also reminded the Captain that he had been a boy on the Mary Joyce when they had last helped the Indonesians.

Captain Tollander replied, "The why is easy, in a word, "OIL". The "who" is a bit more difficult, at first we thought local pirates, maybe from the Malacca Straits, but, now, we think it likely is the Chinese. They probably want the oil without having to pay pirates to get it for them."

Pat looked at the charts and asked, "There are no US Navy assets available in the area?"

The Captain sat for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He had been warned not to try to pull the wool over on these guys, they were sharper than most and had a long record of results!

He finally resumed, "I won't blindside ya', the situation in that area is very touchy, if we go in there, waving the flag, we might well have a war on our hands that we definitely do not want! You guys can go in as civilian ships, maybe even as a "flag of convenience", and nose around. The Indonesians will back you up, provided you can find out what is going on."

Pat thought for a while and then replied, "Yeah, I have been there before, those Indonesian Navy fellows are plenty tough, it is just there are damned few of them!"

They spoke at length about the problem and Pat told him that their two other ships were headed home from the West Coast and would be there in a few days.

Pat said, "I have not met them yet, but our best rocket layer is a Midshipman at the Merchant Marine Academy, Trong Robbins, and the best guy we have on the fifties is Pedro O'Toole, and he is in school back in Texas, at A&M."

The Captain said, "I can have them both here in twenty-four hours, if you think they can help in this situation."

Pat thought for a while, and finally said, "Yeah, I think they need to be with us." Pat added, "You had better figure on getting Jowto O'Toole out of the Julliard, Trong isn't gonna come without his mate."

The Captain raised his eyebrows, but said nothing, he had already been made aware of the fact that some of the men involved in this group were couples and that they were very dangerous young men. The last time they had been sent after pirates in that same area, the majority of the pirates never made it to trial, they had to be shoveled up, off the sand! As he thought about what he had been told, he realized that the Chinese had been involved then, also.

He smiled and replied, "Ya know, let me collect your young men off the mainland and get them out here to help, they have the experience we are going to need on this job!"

He got on the telephone and sent the ONI's Executive Lear Jet to collect the three young men and get them out to Lihue, pronto!

Captain Tollander spent the next five days enjoying the Kauai weather until the other two ships made it home.

Both Wil and Oscar were surprised when their sons, Trong, Jowto and Pedro were on the pier to greet them. Pat was with them and took both aside to let them know about the situation in Borneo.

Wil's first comment was, "Are those damned Chinese at it again?"

Pat snickered and replied, "It sure sounds like it, Dad, and the Indonesians have asked for our help, specifically. It's a DUMBO job!" Wil could not help himself, he laughed out loud at what his son had said.

Trong and Pedro were entranced with the new ship and climbed all over it, discussing where to put the rocket launchers and machine guns, they both had already gone into Warrior Mode!

Trong had learned welding at the Academy and he was busy attaching the rocket launchers and machine gun tripods to the upper decks of both the Wil and the Pat.

They had decided to use the Joyce as a spotter and investigator. They felt that a sailing ship would not be unusual in those waters and would likely pass through undetected.

Chief Bennagan arrived with a slightly augmented ONI crew and some large boxes of electronic parts. He explained that all three ships were going to be equipped with radio encryption gear and he added, "We are going to change out your radars, you need a longer reach!"

Trong and Pedro went over the engines and auxiliary equipment on all three ships, making sure, especially, that the distillers and generators were in first class condition. They loaded up the Pat with extra food and ammunition and had all the ships refueled.

There had been additional refrigerators and freezers installed on the Pat during its conversion, and those were stuffed to capacity in order to supplement what the Wil and the Joyce could carry.

Sailing day finally arrived and everyone was eager to be off. They had spent the night before listening to Jowto sing, at the very end, he sang Trong's words to his Happy Boy Song and amid many tears, everyone headed to bed.

The next day was going to be long and tiring. Chief Bennagan saw Trong and Jowto hug each other and them walk up to their bedroom, hand in hand. He asked Patrick, "Are they a couple?"

Pat replied, "Yes Chief, my two brothers are very much a couple, is that a problem for you? We all love them both very much."

The Chief replied, "No, it is not a problem for me, my own Grandson, Keith, is in love with another boy. They are both sixteen, maybe when we get back from this trip, I will bring them both out here and see how you guys live and act. They are both so frightened, they will hold hands only in Keith's bedroom, with the door shut and locked!"

Pat grinned and said, "They would be welcome to come and you, also. I know you are ready to retire and I'll bet there is a place for yourself, also! Think about it."

They sailed the next morning right at daybreak, the seas were calm and the Mary Joyce set the pace. Her sails fully extended, the Joyce was clipping along at twelve knots, looking very much like a racer in a regatta!

It was a long voyage across the Pacific Ocean, their first landfall was Hagathna, Guam, where they took on water and topped off the fuel tanks.

Chief Bennagan went ashore on ONI business and returned with a young Indonesian Navy Officer, who had been sent to meet them.

They all sat in the Mess on the Pat, drinking coffee and getting the latest intelligence from Lieutenant Singh Go'. They were listening to him explain what they knew about the missing villagers when Trong walked in and took a seat beside Jowto.

The young Lieutenant stopped in mid-word and stared at Trong. He began to stammer and tried to get his words out, "ttttttTtTrrro? God be praised, TRO! BROTHER!"

Trong stared at the man and finally uttered, "ggggGO?"

The two men leaped from their seats and locked arms around each other, both were shaking like leaves in a high wind.

Trong recovered first and he stood, leading the Officer over to Oscar and said, "Papa Oscar, this is my older brother Singh 'Go. I was once Singh 'Tro, now, I am Trong Robbins. We were separated when our village was raided and I never saw him again until now!"

He turned to Singh 'Go and said, "Brother, this man, Oscar Robbins, found me and cared for me. He reared me and made it possible for me to become an American and to attend the American Merchant Marine Academy, where I will be a senior when we return from this voyage. My name now, is Trong Oscar Robbins and these are ALL my brothers. I am happy now and I know I am loved by everyone here, especially the love of my life, Jowto!" He had his arm around Jowto and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Singh 'Go sat heavily in his seat, deep in thought. Finally, he said, "Were it possible, I would join you, those of our race are not well thought of here and I am given only those details nobody else will perform. I see that you are happy and I take great joy in seeing you so."

He reached for Jowto's other hand and said, "Take good care of my brother, I love him dearly, be good to him for he was always honest and true as a child and I love him very much."

Jowto leaned over and whispered in the officer's ear, "Brother of my beloved, consider joining us, there is room for you among us."

Wil was sure he knew what was being said and he made a mental note to speak with the young officer as soon as this meeting was over.

They concluded the meeting, 'Go had brought detailed charts of the areas the kidnappers and pirates were operating around Sitankai Island.

Pat remarked, "My God, there are a thousand little islands there, all the way to The Philippines! They could be anywhere."

Wil said, "Yeah, that is where the Joyce comes in, she is going to become an island trader and we will sail all through those islands trading and looking. You guys will hang back until we give you the high sign over the radio."

The next day, they loaded trade goods and bags of Indonesian Rupiah in old, worn bills.

They sailed the next day, Wil had convinced Singh 'Go to accompany them as an observer. During their forward voyage to Semporna in Borneo, he had many long discussions with the young officer and 'Go had decided what to do, but it would have to wait until the current operation was concluded. He changed out of his uniform and let his beard grow into a scraggly black wad of hair on his chin, he looked more like a pirate than a Naval Officer!

They made their way to Dravao City in the Philippines, where they again took on fuel and water. They topped off their food supplies and an American Naval Officer in civilian clothes, came on board with the latest intelligence for them.

They sailed in the middle of the night of the third day they were in port and headed down the island chain towards Sitankai Island. Pat and Oscar hung back with their ships and stood out to sea, where they could not be seen in the company of the Mary Joyce, which now sported the name, "Island Trader" on her bow. Her stern plate showed "Cebu City, The Philippines" as her home port.

'Go decided to stick with his brother, Trong, on the Patrick, Trong had been a very young boy when the two had last seen each other and neither were quite ready for another separation.

Wil had spoken with 'Go and he was seriously considering Wil's offer. His brother was a mighty magnet to a young man who, until just a few days prior, had no family or kindred. In a culture that prized family ties, it made him even more of an outcast.

After a few days of being confined on a ship at sea with his younger brother had convinced him that the course he had chosen was the right one for BOTH of them.

Wil brought the Joyce, now the Island Trader, down the island chain, stopping first at Basilon Island.

There were several moderately large towns on the island and each had its own port. They first called on Isabela City, the Provincial Capitol of the island. There was a small Naval Pier at the far end of the port and there were several Philippine Navy Patrol Boats tied up.

Wil slid the Island Trader in at the end of the pier and Trong, with 'Go at his side, meandered down the pier. They both had a pocket of Indonesian rupiahs in their pocket as they wandered through the few shops near the pier. By now, both looked thoroughly disreputable, 'Go's scraggly beard made him look almost like a pirate himself.

Trong sported a few wispy hairs on his chin and they both needed a shower and clean clothes desperately!

Trong whispered to his brother, "'Go, I can hardly stand my own stink. Let's get this over with, before I gag!"

'Go laughed, "Brother, how soon you have forgotten what it was like back home, you have truly become an American!"

Trong replied, "Yup, and I thank God every day that Papa Oscar found me!"

They bought a few trinkets and spread their rupiahs around, seeking any information. About the only thing they could find out was that the pirates really did exist. The presence of the Philippine Navy kept them away from Basilon Island.

They made one more stop on Basilon, at Al-Barka. It was a small port that served a farming area, but they learned little, the people were Muslim and spotted the two brothers as Sikh and would hardly even speak to them.

The two brothers got away as quickly as they could, there was very bad blood between Muslims and their folk and they felt their lives were in danger.

Their next stop was Tabuan-Lasa on Bubuan Island, there they got their first solid lead to the pirates. A tiny settlement on the north side off the island had been raided two weeks earlier and several young men had been taken.

Will immediately sailed the Trader around the island and anchored off a burned out pier. He decided to go ashore himself, he spoke some Tagalog and hoped he could convince the natives that he was Australian and was searching for trade opportunities.

He found the village headman, his arm in a sling and there were injuries on his body that had not yet healed. The headman told him that the pirates had taken everything, including his only son. He did not see how they were going to survive until the next crop of papaya came in.

Wil counted out one million rupiah, about one hundred American dollars, and gave it to the man, telling him to purchase the things they needed to stay alive.

The other three islands nearby were uninhabited, but they sailed all around them, hoping to find a place where the pirates were hiding, but, they saw nothing to attract their interest, so they continued down the island chain to the twin islands of Bacula and Bulan. They circled Tatalan Island, another uninhabited island and, again, found nothing of interest.

There were several small settlements on the twin islands and all of them had fought off the pirates, killing a few of them. One village headman proudly showed them the skull of one of the pirates they had killed. He shook his machete and said to Wil, "They not come again. We killem!" Wil hoped the man was right, but he feared there would be retaliation. South Pacific pirates were notoriously ruthless.

On a tiny, unnamed island just west of the Twin Islands, they discovered a small village and farms, totally burned out, with several bodies lying in the dirt. Most of the bodies were Philippine natives, but several were definitely Chinese and were dressed different from the local people, who were obviously farmers.

What they did not see was bodies of any young people, the dead natives were all older adults!

Wil anchored the Trader offshore, as the rickety pier was partially burned and unsafe. They combed the area, looking for clues. Pat and Oscar brought their ships near shore and sent men to assist in the search. They hoped the search parties ashore might find some survivors.

Trong and Jow were searching the brush near the burned out house that had a pier running out from it. Suddenly, Trong put his finger to his lips, telling Jow to be silent. As they listened, they heard English being spoken, "Shhhhh, they have come back and they might hear us."

Trong called out in English, "We are Americans and have come to rescue you. Come to us, we will wait right here for you, next to this large tree!" They both opened their packs, they had brought sandwiches and fruit, just for an occasion as this.

He turned to Jow and said, "Sing your Welcome Home Song. Maybe that will make them feel safe." Jow's clear voice sang out in welcome, it was all Trong could do not to cry himself.

They heard a young boy's voice call out, one of you is Chinese, you are just more pirates come back to kill us or make us slaves!"

Jowto called back, "I am an American man, my Father is the Captain of that ship anchored near that burned wharf. We have come to rescue you, please come to us."

They saw a young boy, peeking around a nearby tree, and Trong grabbed Jow, planting a kiss on his cheek. Trong called out, "This is my partner and my love, Jowto O'Toole, I am Trong Robbins, we are both Americans now, our Fathers saved us, just like we will save you."

A boy of about fifteen moved hesitantly closer to them, leading a younger boy of about six. The older boy said, "Yuuuu ypou won't hurt us?"

Trong replied, "No, I promise you that we will not hurt you, let my Jowto sing you his Happy Boy Song, then we will take you to our ship and get you something more to eat. Here, eat these sandwiches while we rest a few moments"

Jowto broke out in his favorite song and Wil could hear him singing all the way down the beach. He smiled and said to his companions, "Jow and Trong have found someone alive, we will wait for them to bring them to us."

He brought out his canteen of water and the sandwiches they had prepared for their lunch and set them on a nearby rock.

After Jowto had finished his song, they heard two boys crying, one sounded very young, while the other was obviously a teen. They watched carefully as Jow and Trong were seen coming down the beach, Trong was carrying a small child and a teen boy was leaning on Jow's shoulder.

When they got close, Trong said, "Uncle Wil, this is Robert and Carey Blasedale, their parents were Marine Scientists studying this island, the pirates murdered them, but their sons got away and hid."

Jow brought the older boy, Carey, up to Wil and said, "Carey, this is my Papa, Wilson O'Toole, he is Captain of that ship out there and we have two more ships that you cannot see. Let us call in the Patrick and get you situated, there is a Navy Medic on the Pat and showers, clean beds and lots of food for you. There are men on that ship whom we call Brothers, they will help you like we did."

Both boys shook their heads in a yes and Wil was already on the handheld, calling for his son, Patrick to bring his ship alongside the Joyce.

The Patrick arrived and dropped anchor next to the Trader. Those on shore had seen the ship racing across the bay; her engines could be heard straining to push the ship faster.

Trong whispered to Carey, "The Captain on that ship is my Big Brother, Patrick, and the ship is named after him. He will take good care of you, don't you worry."

They saw a boat being lowered and several men climbing down the rope ladder to get in the boat. They landed on the beach and started towards the people watching them.

Carey turned to Jow and whispered, "That man has only one leg, that other leg is metal!" They saw that Pat was wearing tropical shorts and his tanned leg stood out in sharp contrast to his artificial leg.

Jowto smiled and replied, "Carey, that is Captain Pat, our Big Brother. He was hurt in the Navy and he came home to help us, if you will let him, he will be your Big Brother, too!"

Little Bobby didn't wait, he went running up to this strange man with a metal leg and said, "Are you gonna be me big bruver, n' help Carey take care of me?"

Pat picked up the little guy and held him in his arms, "Yes, little man, if you will let me."

Bobby hugged Pat even tighter and planted a huge kiss on his cheek. He then said, "Good, cuz I like you, you are soft an' nice an' give good hugs!"

Pat was lost in the child's blue eyes and he knew immediately that he had found his son, if he needed to take in the child's brother, so be it, he WAS going to be a father!

It was a toss-up, who had chosen who? Little Bobby had an iron grip on Pat and he was not about to let go!

Despite the situation, Wil smiled as he saw his son bond to the two boys, he was remembering a small, Chinese boy, who had done the same thing to him! That small Chinese boy was now a man and was sitting on the sand, watching as the two boys bonded to his big brother, Patrick.

They all headed back to their ships, no one else had survived the pirate attack. They buried the few bodies that remained, including the two boy's parents.

Bobby had a death grip on Pat's arm and Carey was glued to his other side. They had found their place and NOBODY was gonna peel them off anytime soon!

Chief Bennagan watched them as they climbed back on board the Pat, he said, "Well, Cap'n Patrick, ya gots some new crew?"

Pat's grin was wide and radiant, he replied, "I sure do, they are called SONS!" The Chief made sure THAT information was included in his nightly, coded message to ONI, and he asked that they make damned sure approved adoption papers were ready to be signed the minute they got back home!

He liked and admired Patrick James O'Toole and was planning on asking his father for a job as soon as they returned home. He had thirty years in the Navy; that was enough.

He had found a home for himself and was looking for a son. He had been widowed and his only child, a son, had left home long ago. His one grandson was gay and in a budding relationship that he was planning on nurturing. Pat and little Bobby had him drooling. He thought, "Hell, I would take one like Carey, those two boys love Patrick and look like they would even die for him if they thought it necessary!"

They had found trash and wreckage that indicated the pirates were based on Bongao Island, almost at the end of the Philippine Territory, just a few hundred miles northwest of Borneo!

Just to be sure, they checked every island as they headed towards the tip of Borneo. Most of the smaller islands were uninhabited. The islands that did have populations all reported that they had been raided, but they had beaten the pirates off.

When they reached Bongao Island, they were met with suspicion and unfriendly people, all of whom appeared to be ethnic Chinese. That seemed strange to Wil, the island was part of the Philippines.

He took the Island Trader all around the island, while the Wil and Pat stood out to sea, where they could not be seen.

They were at anchor off a small atoll that had no name on any of their charts. It was hardly more than the top of a volcano sticking up out of the water, with a few trees on it. There wasn't even a beach, just surf crashing against the volcanic rocks. They sat there for nearly a week, receiving daily updates from Wil on the hand-held.

Finally, Wil called and said, "Bingo, look on your charts for a place called, Parang-Pantay. That is where they are holed up. They have four small ships tied up at a rickety old pier. Two of the ships are high stern sailing ships and the other two look like old PT boats. We didn't get too close, but they all look like floating junk heaps. There is a small village there, can't be more than a dozen houses and a bunch of floating houseboats. It might have been a fishing village at one time, but we have not seen a single fisherman come out to fish in the three days we have been watching them."

Pat replied, "We are on our way, we will be loaded for bear by the time we get there!" He called Oscar on the Wil and relayed to him what he had been told.

Within minutes, both ships were getting underway. As they emerged from their hiding place, throttles were slammed up against the stops and both engine rooms were howling as their engines struggled to meet the demands put on them. Exhaust was roaring out of both ship's stacks as fuel was poured through the engines!

The engines on both ships were bordering on overload as they raced to meet the Mary Joyce.

On both ships, crews were fitting rocket launchers and machine guns to the fittings Trong and Pedro had welded on the upper decks. In a short time, the ships were bristling with guns and rocket launchers and the gunners were helping the boys on board to bring ammunition up from the lockers below.

Pedro was on the Wil, organizing his gunners and hauling spare ammunition topside to be ready for battle. He had some "special" rockets he had "procured" made especially for pirates on flammable boats.

Trong, on the Patrick, did the same, but Trong had his own secret surprise for the pirates, he had procured some explosive heads for the 50's! The Pat also had five inch rockets, where the Wil had only three inchers. The pirates were in for an awful surprise, once the special "presents" had struck the ships, they were goners, there was no way to put the fires out! Even steel would be consumed by the chemicals in those warheads!

Trong had worked out a plan with Pat, where Pat would swing the Patrick broadside to their targets and Trong would sweep the target area with five inch rocket warheads. He promised Pat that there would not be a single board still attached to another board, by the time he had finished with the place!

It took them a bit more than an hour to arrive and work their way behind the island that shielded Parang-Pantay, they ran down the inland channel between the two islands at full bore, both engine rooms howling in protest as their throttles were held against the stops!

Pat zipped the Patrick sideways to the small village and, before he had the chance to drop the hook, Trong's crews were lobbing explosive rockets into the village.

Oscar brought the Wil in close, and a barrage of forty millimeter shells began streaming towards the village. The shells had an explosive head and they erupted into fire and explosion when they hit. When Trong's gunners started up their fifty's, with the explosive shells, all hell broke loose and, within minutes, a white flag was seen being waved on the end of a broken board!

Oscar brought the Wil up close and sent twenty men in boats, loaded with firearms, to take charge of the prisoners.

The pirate's largest ship was nowhere to be seen, so Pat used the Patrick to lay in wait for the remaining ship. The charts showed the southern end of the channel to be closed off by reefs, so Pat nudged the Patrick into a side channel that was directly opposite the town and waited for the pirate ship to return.

They had to wait two days, before the pirates returned; Pat's ship sunk the arriving pirate ship in the first barrage. The two old high stern sailing ships had already been sunk and they burned the two old PT boats so the pirates still on the island were trapped there and not going anywhere.

The waters were full of sharks, they could not even swim to any of the nearby atolls and the pirates escaping the last arriving ship failed to reach shore, the sharks had a feast!

Oscar sent men from the Wil to take charge of the prisoners on the island, they were a sorry lot, mostly Chinese and he strongly suspected the captain was a Chinese Army Officer.

Jowto went over in an attempt to talk with the man, but he turned away in disgust. The Chinese Captain did nothing but shout filth at him, so Jow shrugged his shoulders and turned his back on him. That was an awful insult, to them; Jowto was telling the Chinese Captain that he was trash, not worth even looking at!

The man trembled in rage, but could do nothing with his hands in handcuffs and two of Oscar's men pointing rifles at him!

The following morning, two more ships came into the tiny port, a sailing vessel and a small cargo ship, about the size of the Wil. Pat brought the Patrick out from hiding and blocked the only navigable channel out. The Wil came out from hiding behind the point, and they both started lobbing rockets onto the decks of the two ships.

They were hoping the pirates would surrender, they feared there were prisoners on board. Both vessels began to sink before they surrendered, Oscar brought the Wil alongside and began taking off those who had been captured by the pirates. It was easy to tell the difference, the prisoners had been mistreated and were without clothing.

At the final surrender, Chief Bennagan was on the radio to ONI and told them to send some help in caring for the prisoners. There were too many for their own ships to care for.

Transport Helicopters were dispatched from a nearby Philippine Navy Base.

After he had reported in, the Chief went out on deck to see what was happening. As he jumped from the Patrick, to the deck of the larger pirate ship, he saw that the main deck was already nearly awash, it would not be long before it sank completely.

Something, a sound perhaps, attracted his attention; he was not sure just what it was he heard. He went looking for the sound and, as he rounded the deckhouse, there was a teen boy, his arms wrapped around a small girl child. He was waving a stick and screaming. Chief Bennagan did not speak the local Tagalog language, but he was fluent in Spanish. He tried his Spanish on the boy and he got no response, so he tried English, hoping the boy might speak that also.

He did!

Will the teen consider the Chief a friend or a foe? Who is the small girl the teen is protecting? Can the Chief get them off the burning ship before it sinks?