0900
Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Oh, the joys of being sent to deal with the Joint Task Force. Orders were orders and quite honestly Captain McKinley slightly irked her when they had drawn straws. She had never been good at that game, especially not when her CO was involved. Well here she was, at the HQ. She was quite certain this task was going to be given to her anyway. As the newest member of the Pedro de Valle’s command, she was the least experienced on the bridge and getting her feet wet was just part of the job.

Victoria took a look around, she waited until everyone had arrived before she started jabbering. “Good morning and welcome aboard the USS Pedro del Valle.” There was a pause as she tried to figure out what she was going to say. Briefly introducing herself by name and rank she avoiding too much rambling. “The destination of the training exercise has been kept from you, and I apologize but the safety of everyone aboard is of utmost of importance. For a majority of this exercise, to say we do not need vigilance is an understatement. We will be in an area that is swarming with the possibility of uncertainty. This location was not chosen for safety but for strategical tactical training in lands unfamiliar to many on board this ship. We will be traveling just to the North of Somalia along the African coast line. This is a five week trip in one direction. ” Mentally she debated which would puke first; one of the flyboys or a ground pounder. The Marines and SEALS were not it.

“Communication home will be limited, likely more so than most of you are accustomed to. There is no room for margin of error when commands are given to you. With that being said, while we run a tight ship, we are not unapproachable. However the restrictions that are in place have their reasons. Deciding to ignore these restrictions will not be taken lightly.” She wanted to make sure that even the highest of the command chain in the JTF knew whose ship this was while being as polite as possible but getting across the severity of someone going against orders issued by Pedro del Valle personnel. Victoria always did have a way with words.

Glancing over at Vanessa who was listening, Victoria had no doubt that she was attentive and already knew how command structure worked on a ship. Though she wasn’t so sure about the Colonel who was known to throw her rank around when it was needed. She just hoped that it would stay under wraps for a few months. The last thing she wanted was the Captain in an ill mood because of this woman.

Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , Sgt. Jay Halstead , Petty Officer Matthew Cole , Sgt. Malachi Dovev, Cpt. Everett McKinley

(I am only tagging each person once. Please make sure to put all your characters in one post to keep things tidy)

0900
Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Be it that it may, Maxwell found himself feeling a little out of his element as he had stepped on board the Pedro del Valle - much more accustomed to the hectic dash on board their helicopter to be lifted into rescuing downed soldiers and the feel of the wind against his face mixed with the dust kicked up by the rotors as the heli had come in for the landing. It was here he found that he was not the biggest fan of being cramped into a ship for five weeks - but such was life. Max did not complain, but simply rolled with it.

He stood to the side of the crowd gathered, his hands clasped loosely behind his back as he listened to the lieutenant (whom he was told was the Tactical Action Officer) speak of what they were to expect over the five weeks along the African coastline. Tactical would have been his middle name if he had been born without one, and certainly something of a common point to discuss further actions with.

As Kirkwood spoke of the limited, if not any, communications back home - he thought of Tanya. She had put up with him for a long time now, with his missions and he had promised to come home safely to her and that a special dinner was in order once everything was finished. Maxwell tuned back into the conversation as she explained the tight ship that they ran, his head nodding once in silent acknowledgement.

*

Julien could not help but grin, stepping on board the ship with his Bergen slung upon one shoulder. An all too familiar yet welcomed sight as he ran his hand along the ship's walls. Perhaps he welcomed it with open arms, including the sleeping arrangements that they would inevitably have to put up with. Not that he was complaining. Having operated with Sherman before, they had thrown around their likeness for the ship as they had boarded, the two of them standing side by side as they listened in carefully to the woman. They were both in their element.

He glanced around, spying a couple of familiar faces from before, a grin tugging at the corner of his lips before it snapped back into the neutral face as he turned back to look at the lieutenant.

*

Once again, Gustav had left his wife and child. It was a regular occurrence but her worry of him not returning had not ceased. It pained him to have left Heidi, but she had grown used to his absence from the family that it did not seem to affect her in such a way.

Even so, there was the guilt that he had pushed to the back as he boarded the ship - putting his metaphorical work hat on and tuning out the rest.

0900
Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Savannah had never felt worse in her entire life, give her any amount of gore and she was elbows deep in it. Stick her on a ship where she felt like land was moving under her feet and she was turning greener by the second. She had practically swallowed as many motion sickness pills as she had to hand though it didnt seem to work well enough. Her stomach felt like it was doing loops as she just wanted to the moving to stop. Welcome aboard, yeah welcome to the puke train as she felt like running for the nearest toilet or side of the ship but finding her way around.

Nope, it all looked the same to her. No landmarks and no idea of what way was up apart from the uneasy feeling that went from her feet to her head. Savannah was used to not knowing things and it didnt bother her though the more she listened to the Tactical Actions Officer the more she felt like this ship was heading somewhere bad. Not the Costa Del Sol or even Mediterranean, was that too much to ask for a flat sea or ocean. One that didnt mess with her equilibrium to the point she felt like she wanted to puke forever more.

Somalia and a five week trip, well that made things a little more interesting though she hadn’t anyone at home waiting for her so it was probably a good thing. She had tried the army civilian thing and that had ended, well it had ended after distance and presence became one of the biggest arguments and issues in a relationship. Savannah just nodded her response, tight ship and ignoring them restricts not being taken lightly. Welcome to military 101, the handbook of by the book that never got tossed anywhere.

------------

JTF was certainly turning out to be interesting Malachi thought as he stood there in his combat uniform, no surname and no insignia apart from the army logos. It felt strange to begin with actually having a uniform as Mossad, he was always plain clothes though he could have turned up in the same plain clothes but he figured for this his combat uniform was best. The entire exercise was shrouded in secrecy, where they were off, how long for and when the mention of vigilance came along Malachi could only nod.

He was used to that, watching out, trying to work out the best way to solve a problem. Glancing around the room he recognised a few of the faces there from previous missions. It hadn’t been so long ago that his wife had dropped out of the sky and less still since she grabbed his throat when she was having a nightmare about it. Maybe it was good he was out of the way though at the mention of their destination he considered jumping off the ship immediately. The usual calm game face he had turned into something a lot less comfortable.

Somalia, he had been there before and that trip hadn’t gone to plan. He had been shot, made a choice he regretted and frankly nothing about that place had anything but horrible memories for him. If that was his only worry he might have shaken it off though the mention of five weeks. He had told Lizzie he was away, they had talked and agreed it but five weeks felt like an eternity. Malachi winced when they said communication was limited, he needed to check on his wife see if she was holding up okay on medical leave. How could he do that with limited communication though he understood why.

Malachi did his best to appear put together as he felt like he had a bigger stick than usual up his butt at this point. He wasnt comfortable or at ease with what they were doing or how it was happening but then he wasnt alone. He was sure the others had families too, wives and children who cared about them. He just needed to suck it up and get on with his job as he also disliked the close quarters they were going to be confined to. He was a land guy, he hated flying and ships were alright but he felt like this was going to be five weeks of the hair on the back of his neck standing on end and being his usual on edge self that took far too long to shift when he got back. All in all, a ship he didnt want to sail on too enthusiastically.

0900

Aboard Pedro del Valle

Charleston, South Carolina

Jay was on a ship. Why the hell was he on a ship? He was Army, not Navy, damn it! Oh right. Orders. Yeah, these were the types of orders that he had seriously considered disobeying. Okay, maybe not too seriously. After all, he'd never disgrace his uniform that way. Still...he didn't like being on the water. Yes he was a good swimmer and had a lot of stamina if he had to swim somewhere, but he didn't like it. He much preferred the air if he wasn't going to be on solid ground, thank you very much. But this was where the mission had taken them, so here he was. As soon as this mission is over and we're back home, I'm sleeping for a week, he thought to himself.

He then gave himself a mental shake and focused on Lieutenant Kirkwood as she started the debrief, apologizing for the secrecy of their location, but saying that it was of utmost importance. Okay, so it's bad then, he realized. Well, he trusted the lieutenant and if the location of their mission had to be kept a secret, so be it. Okay, let's do this, he thought to himself. He was ready to do what was needed...

0900
Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Everett had slipped inside the briefing to observe Lieutenant Kirkwood. For someone that possessed a strong understanding of an Arleigh Burke's weapons systems, this was an area Victoria needed to improve, if she hoped to sit in the XO's chair one day. Everett couldn't deny the kernel of potential buried beneath the surface, which was why he had ordered his TAO to conduct the briefing – a responsibility normally handled by himself or Lieutenant Commander Campbell. So Everett would continue to cultivate that kernel using these situations to provide the requisite experience, whether Victoria liked it or not.

More importantly, there was the bet to consider. The command staff had started debating which of their new arrivals might hurl first. Sure, he could have broken the wager up as unprofessional conduct, but where was the fun in that? Too often people assumed that because he commanded a guided missile destroyer, he lacked a sense of humor. Instead Everett had pegged one of the Army personnel currently aboard as the most likely to start emptying the contents of his or her stomach. Lieutenant Commander Campbell had named a woman as the most probable suspect, while Victoria thought it would be one of the officers. Even Lieutenants Garrett and Chang had gotten in one the action. The waters were rougher than usual and while the destroyer could handle it easily enough, Everett couldn't say the same for some of their guests. At least they didn't have to worry about the Marines.

Pedro del Valle had a different feel to her, but it wasn't because of the weather. Generally the only combat personnel he had aboard capable of maritime boarding actions was his Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team. A destroyer might even be asked to carry a SEAL team for a short time. Now Everett was practically bumping into someone who could shoot the eyes off of a flea from 500 yards away every time he turned. Leaning against the wall, Everett folded his arms across his chest and continued to watch the briefing from his position at the back of the room.

Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , Sgt. Jay Halstead , Petty Officer Matthew Cole , Sgt. Malachi Dovev , Lt Cmd Victoria Kirkwood

Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Lt Cmd Victoria Kirkwood

Right maybe it was time to introduce who this crew should listen to. "For those of you who would like to think about pulling rank on any of the following I suggest you heavily weight that decision." She pointed towards Everett in the back of the room. Did he really think he was going to be sneaky and hide? "Our Captain, Commander McKinley." The XO was on the bridge. He didn't want to be here anyway. Anything she said was just like sawing a sour note on a fiddle to his ears. "Executive Officer Lieutenant Commander Campbell is currently unable to join us as he is on duty." She took a sip of water before rattling off the few others in the command chain. “Mrs. Officer Vanessa Wilson” Victoria pointed at Vanessa. “She’s joining us from the USS Bristol to teach and train. Might I suggest picking her brain if you get a chance.”

It was then she noticed the look on Caffery's face. If it was Caffery who decided to toss their cookies first then the command staff would have hit the trifecta. Female, Army, and an officer. That would just be amusing. Not that Victoria didn't have a heart but when you spent years in the Navy you started getting amused by things like that. "Please see your Unit Commanding officers for any questions to do with your scheduled training exercises. They will be given exact dates as we get closer to the final destination. With that being said, there are several extra people aboard and quarters are tight. We will be traveling with an entire fleet. However, the other ships are also running low on room with the extra units being deployed for training. So please just be patient."

She was probably boring them all to death. "Unless the Captain has anything, everyone is dismissed and may see me for where you are to be quartered." It had taken a lot of doing to fit this many officers into the state rooms. Inevitably a few of the female officers would be on the floor. Especially since they had fewer rooms to shuffle around with. Victoria was running low on sleep as usual, she'd just gotten off her duty shift before the briefing but was trying to hide the fact she'd not slept well just before she was scheduled for duty. Oh the night shift was hell and a half. Don't yawn in front of the Captain Victoria, just don't do it.

---

Chief Vanessa Wilson

There were issues with being a warrant officer, many of which included a frequent change of station. Vanessa had changed stations alright, luckily though it hadn’t meant a move from Tierney. She was among the newest command in the fleet. Except she really belonged on the submarine. Here she was on a destroyer. Five degrees down bubble made a lot more sense to her than the TAO was making right now. Vanessa wasn’t exactly Kirkwood’s number one fan; but she had to get along with the command staff on board this ship if she wanted her job.

No, she had to focus on teaching these engineers on the job. Sure anyone with the right credentials could do it; but as a warrant officer it fell on her to teach these things to the fleet. For this training exercise it was exactly what she was going to be doing. Vanessa had never met many of the faces here but she knew that Mark worked with a good few of them. When Vanessa was called out by the Lieutenant she made a face. Maybe, she wouldn’t have them asking too many questions about the shared last name. It wasn’t that Vanessa was stand offish or unfriendly, she was just busy and could the Lieutenant just shut up already?

---

Col. Stephanie Huntley

JTF’s training mission was simple. It was just obstacle trials in some of the most searing heat available to them. Adaptation, survival, and other basic skills needed to continue. Not that this group didn’t know it but teamwork was something they were going to work on. There had been too many of the Colonel’s people trying to play hero last time. Too many injured in the chaos and she needed to make sure that it hadn’t affected them. This was by no means an exercise to be taken lightly, neither was it for punishment. Sure this could have been done in the confines of the JTF base but there was too much comfort there.

Not that Somalia was safe by any stretch but it was an area that had what they needed. Throwing her people into the jungle terrain would be probably as interesting as watching the doctor about to toss her cookies. The tension and anger of being on a boat, Stephanie could cut that with a knife for those around her. Maybe then they would have some breathing room. Well at least they were being respectful.


Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , Sgt. Jay Halstead , Petty Officer Matthew Cole , Sgt. Malachi Dovev, Cpt. Everett McKinley

0900
Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

It was as Matt boarded the Pedro del Valle that he was reminded that SEAL stood for SEA, air and land.
He had never been drawn to the idea of spending weeks or months at a time on a ship or in a sub out at sea so that was why he had originally joined the Army. It wasn't until he'd transfered to the navy to become a SEAL and actually spent some time on ships that he realized they wasn't that bad. Though he did still prefer land, if not air.

Whenever he boarded a plane or boat at the start of a deployment he always felt a mix of sadness knowing he'd be away from his family, that was always hard for Grace and Kaylee as wall, but it also felt good having a mission where he could put his skills to good use and knowing he would be able to pay the bills after. But somehow this time was different, Grace was pregnant and -for what was maybe the first time ever- part of him didn't want to be here right now and wished he could sit this one out.
When Kaylee come on the scene he had been able to spend around the first year or so at home, but the fact was he was here now, so he was just going to get on with it. He glanced around his surroundings, looking over the walls and the familiar decor of the inside of a floating tin can and though he wasn't frowning, he wasn't smiling either this time around.

Matt stood amongst those already on board and he felt the ship shrinking as the others joined them one by one. He gave a light nod to those around him as way of a greeting, and a salute if it was appropriate before he turned his eyes to Lt.Kirkwood as she began to speak.

The prospect of spending five weeks in Somalia on a cramped ship didn't put a twinkle in his eye, but he sank inside when she went on to say that communications would be very limited at best, and it showed on his face for few moments. Until he looked back at Lt.Kirkwood with a neutral expression once again, forcing himself to suck it up. He gave a nod of understanding when she went on to say they run a tight ship.

He paid attention as she went on to tell them to see their CO's for training schedules and to see her for quarter arrangements and he acknowledged his understanding. Though he wasn't sure how they was gonna juggle the sleeping arrangements of a mixed gender crew on a ship this size and this full...This one was gonna be interesting for sure.

Lt Cmd Victoria Kirkwood ,Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell ,Lt. Col. Savannah Caffery ,Sgt. Jay Halstead ,Cpt. Everett McKinley ,

Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Upon the visual cue given to them, Julien and Sherman had both turned around - their eyes meeting those of the Captain of the ship.

His eyes bounced to the next person who was introduced, making a mental note of who was who and who they needed to stay in the good books in - being that they were guests (as much as passengers) on their ship. Of course, cramped sleeping conditions were only to be expected but something that still would be uncomfortable for those who did not often find themselves on board ships. Julien eyed up Sherman, a smirk settling on his face as they exchanged a knowing glance; the man had settled with worse at this height of 6'4", who had previously claimed the floor space if there were no bunks available. And, he had signed up - interesting sleeping arrangements were part of the package as a Marine.

They could settle easily.

"Unless the Captain has anything, everyone is dismissed and may see me for where you are to be quartered."

Julien and Sherman had fallen into battle-buddy mode, whether they noticed it or not, having both gone over to the Doctor once they had dismissed in order to check that she was going to be alright, "You going to be alright?" Julien asked, first one to pose the question.

It was perhaps best to remove the 'it is only going to get worse' from the line of query.

*

Maxwell shifted his weight for the dozenth time, becoming more conscious of his breathing. It was not that he was terrified of being on board a ship but more so the fact that the waves had unsettled his stomach a tad. It was not going to be a fun five weeks; cramped up with other officers but, he stowed it. Not a good way to present oneself to those he worked with nor did it make a very good first impression to upchuck but was mildly glad that he was not the only one to be feeling as such as he slowly took another breath, stepping around a couple of others to stand by Stephanie. "Well, this is going to be entertaining, to say the least. Would you like me to find out where the others are being bunked?"

*

Gustav continued to remain silent, taking in the lieutenant's words carefully and making sure he had the names correctly stowed in his head - though his English fared well, he was not brilliant and occasionally muddled his words. Once they had been dismissed, he stayed where he was. There was no definite answer to their location, but he did not mind too much as he glanced over the crowd once more.

Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Savannah attempted to focus on listening rather than the world moving. She was army for a reason, she could swim and float but a ship. Close quarters, no she wanted fresh air and windows not steel walls and paint lines to follow. Savannah smirked when she heard about pulling rank, Captain of the boat well maybe not rank but she could at least ask that they drive the thing smoothly enough that the land lover’s didnt have to spend the day sticking their heads over board. Then Officer Wilson, great another Wilson hopefully it was just a common surname Savannah thought.

Training and schedule, that sounded like a great idea something to take her mind off the fact nothing was still anymore and five weeks of this she would be raiding the ships medical supplies to the bare bones. Savannah glanced around to see who else was looking a little green and there were a few though being female, army and an officer Savannah was trying her best to keep her insides to herself. She worked hard to get where she was and letting any Navy personnel see she wasnt made for the open sea, more a leisure craft that went slowly enough that it was a smooth sail.

The quarters situation didnt bother her much, she was used to cramped, confined spaces. It was usually a tent with a person right at her back treating the next gurney; it was life in the military. No room and no space, just lots of getting to know people on a slightly closer level than usual. Hearing the word dismissed Savannah relaxed a little though she stayed where she was, nope she wasnt taking a step until she found balance and Zen in the world where there were no windows and no hope of getting out of that room without people waiting for what she felt could be inevitable.

Savannah did her best to smile and nod at Julien and Sherman when they came over. “Oh yeah, I’ll be fine once the ship parks up for the night. Thanks for asking though.” She said as she took a slow breath. She knew there was no stopping the sea or ship from moving no matter how much she wanted to. “Or you can both tell me that this gets better and is only a temporary thing when you set foot on a ship?” She asked them looking between the two of them as she noted the battle buddy mode. Savannah appreciated it and found it funny too. “Least I’m not the only shade of green in here.” She said motioning toward a few others who seemed peaky to her.

“So are you both alright?” Savannah asked before deciding she was just going to ask the obvious. “How can you two be... okay with the... floor not being still?” The weather wasn’t helping she was sure but then again the ship wasnt doing much for her either. Five weeks with deep breaths and motion sickness wasn’t her idea of educational other than the resounding idea she wasnt made for the sea.

----------

The ship felt cramped, it felt like they had all crammed onto a toy boat with the amount of people in the room only to be added to be the Commanders appearance too. Too many people, too close to him, he hated confined spaces when other people were involved the sleeping quarters. Well that was just going to get awkward real fast. Give him a camp site outside or even on the flight deck he would take it and stay there though really if he got stuck with anyone who seemed green he was spending the entire night outside.

Land had a lot to do with life and right now it didnt feel like land was much to do with anything. Malachi listened to Kirkwood though who was going to be pulling rank? For all he was Malachi was serious and an American sense of humour for rank pulling, be that any sense of humour was often lost on him. Malachi glanced tow here Kirkwood pointed, McKinley well no you never played rank on your boss. A Campbell on duty and Wilson, he remembered a Wilson from the previous mission. If anyone was liable to prank anyone it was the walking tech robot singing idiot who thought that singing helped.

Taking notes, Malachi noted to ask her about that among a few others things though mainly was she related to the crazy one. The military had secrets it was how they worked but the not knowing was getting to him, Somalia wasnt a place he wanted to be or was it a place he trusted at all. He knew what happened there and what had happened previously with him and that just wasnt something he wanted to repeat. Tight quarters, low on room and no one to trust yet this deployment was just as much fun as the last one he thought.

Malachi stood back waiting for surge to see Kirkwood about where they were going to be quartered, Malachi wasnt looking forward to this at all. It was a little like trying to find the good in bad place, followed by a lot of things he hated. Then again it was what he had signed up for, the good and the bad though right now he just wanted to be home with his wife and children where he knew it was safe.

Tag: Lt Cmd Victoria Kirkwood , Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , Sgt. Jay Halstead , Cpt. Everett McKinley , Petty Officer Matthew Cole

0900
Aboard Pedro del Valle
Charleston, South Carolina

Everett couldn't help but shake his head, unable to keep the bemused expression off of his face, as he continued to observe the room, taking in the eclectic group of personnel they'd picked up in port. Nothing like being overly dramatic. That was one way to remind the other officers whose ship this was. She might as well put the fear of God into them while she was at it. Trust Victoria to be the fiercely protective one.

"I'm just here to observe, Lieutenant." In case Victoria had forgotten somewhere between the bridge and now, he'd placed her in charge of the briefing. Everett wouldn't be stepping in with any additional comments. It was, as he'd explained to Victoria, her show. Captain's prerogative – in this case, standing in the back and lurking – trumped even her attempt to turn this briefing back around on him. Aiden, at least, had gotten a good chuckle out of the decision to allow Victoria to handle this, but his XO probably viewed it as some kind of punishment, which couldn't be further from the truth.

---

Cameron may have been former Army, but when you did what he'd done for as long as he had, being on a ship – his daughter's ship, no less – didn't bother him. These days he counted himself as a civilian… well, a military contractor if you wanted to be technical about it. He still had a stronger stomach than most of the other, younger men and women gathered in this room. His eyes fell on Stephanie, the full bird colonel he had been assigned to protect. He was sitting far enough away to give her breathing room, while continuing to listen intently to Lieutenant Kirkwood.

Whether Stephanie liked it or not, Cameron would be sticking close by her side for the duration of this training exercise. Somalia couldn't, by any stretch of the imagination, be considered safe. So, if he had to pretend to be like glue, then that's what he'd do. He could practically feel the frustration, even this far back in the room. Forty-seven years old, but he could still keep up and handle everything these kids could. The skills he had learned as a Delta operator would serve him well here.

Lt Cmd Victoria Kirkwood , Petty Officer Matthew Cole , Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell , Lt. Col. Savannah Caffery , Sgt. Jay Halstead ,

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Combat Information Center aboard Pedro del Valle

The last of the training of the training exercises had finished up off the coast and it was near time to head home. Victoria was ready to get off the ship, not that any of it bothered her but she was getting really tired of the ship being stuffed to capacity. Though that didn’t deter her. “Cazzo” she cursed in Italian at the entire situation. Grabbing the phone on the wall she called for the Captain. Things had gone from bad to worse. Some of their smaller boats were still on the water and things were getting sticky. Once she had Everett on the line she started explaining the situation from the control room. “We have lost one of the RIBS. Sonar is picking up a rather large submersible, and it’s not the Bristol.” Sure she could make a decision but that wasn’t her decision right now. Victoria was still unsure which RIBS had returned and how many bodies weren’t returning to the ship. She just knew that the one of the boats had gone up in flames. She took a second look. "Looks like the RIBS belongs to the Oliver Perry." She corrected her earlier statement as she was waiting on the information for the sonar operator. "Someone give me a location on that submersible. Now" Victoria wasn't wasting time even if she was in communication with the Captain. "Torpedoes at the ready." She knew to be thinking a few steps ahead rather than reacting.

This had NOT been part of the training exercise. Victoria was well aware of the fact that someone was trying to attack the fleet. She began gathering all of the information she could from those who were in the control room. When Everett started asking questions or giving orders, she wanted to make sure that everyone was in place. Victoria was not someone who wasted time. Just as she thought things were heating up, the sonar operator explained that the signal was gone. “It’s there. Stuff doesn’t just disappear.” Victoria’s tone snapped with frustration. Off sonar yes, but that submersible was still in the water somewhere. Victoria heard the alarm going off. Her stress level raised just a little bit. She took over the sonar herself and sat down. Sonar had been her specialization before commissioning. She would find this submarine.

---------------------------------------------------

Col. Stephanie Huntley had the JTF that was finishing up with their training exercises and she was standing beside Victoria. When the RIB exploded Stephanie threw out more curses than any of the sailors. She pinched the bridge of her nose into a triangle with fingers on both sides. The Colonel started pacing in a very small space. Resisting the urge to yell at the sonar operator she took a breath. There was little she could do right now. At this point she didn’t know if the information from Kirkwood was accurate or one of the JTF that had gone under. “Chimera One and Two Report” she could issue that command to her own people. One that could help provide more information if she ever got a connection.

The special forces off ship could generally take care of things, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to try and keep things running smoothly. While they were special forces, right now she was their commanding officer for these JTF exercises. When Victoria asked her who was out there she rambled off some names. “Foxwell, Gustav, Cole” There was a pause. “Halstead, Dovev, and Jackson” They were in two separate boats with some of the other sailors but there were also several other boats still out. "All special forces," the Colonel decided to add. "Oh and Sullivan." She almost forgot about the Marine. Well he wasn't special forces but Kirkwood didn't need all the excess information on the MRAP driver.

---

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Rack Room -> Engine Room aboard Pedro del Valle

Chief Vanessa Wilson was off duty and was couldn’t sleep in her rack. She was staring up at the ceiling. Right now she was wishing she could call and talk to Mark. Not talking to him or the kids was killing her. She was having withdrawals and she remembered why she hated deployments so much. He was lucky, he didn’t have to leave as often as she did. Vanessa hadn’t slept well lately. She had finally closed her eyes for the moment.

The alarm blaring she sat up and cursed. Sleep was a luxury that she couldn’t afford right now as she made a beeline to help in the engine room. The more experience in there with the newer recruits the better off they were. Though when she got down there she didn’t see Garrett yet. Vanessa would take over until the Chief Engineer got down here. Headache time. She suddenly missed being on the submarine as she could feel her adrenaline rising.

---

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Flight Deck aboard Pedro del Valle

Cpt. Zachary Amberson had been cleaning up on the flight deck. He’d just landed from his training operation when the alarm blared. Sighing he started working faster with the others to get the chopper ready for flight again if he was called out. He would have more hands helping, but he was glad for the fact that he knew Madison was on the ship and not out in this mess. Granted he knew nothing about the submarine in the water.

He was just focused on getting things all together. He could see the chaos in the distance and the reality sank in. The fleet was under attack, more specifically those who were on this ship. His mother was safe on the ship, he knew that. Which also meant his father in law was on board too. Focus Zach Focus. He chided at himself as he looked to his co-pilot.


Tag: Gy Sgt. Julien Foxwell,Lt. Col. Savannah Caffery,Sgt. Jay Halstead,Cpt. Everett McKinley,Petty Officer Matthew Cole

OOC: Click me for assignments

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the coast of Somalia

Jay's eyes were clouded with focus---the same way they always were during training exercises and missions. Hey, just because it was training, didn't mean that they didn't treat it like the real thing. And yes, he had a habit of not pulling punches even in training, but it's how people---especially him---learned how to handle things. Okay, focus. He needed to focus. He had to concentrate. Yes, focusing would be good.

The next thing he knew, there was a violent jolt, causing him to fall to the ground. Son of a ....this is why I hate boats and ships, he thought to himself.
"Anyone know what happened?" he asked, looking around.

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Bridge

They had been finishing up their training exercises, everything seemed like they were going well - with little complications in the weeks leading up to their arrival. People had said that he would eventually gain his sea legs; and to some extend, they had been correct but at the same time, so wrong. Max could handle heights, he could handle the rocking of helicopters but he was much more an air person - and this proved it. He had eventually upchucked, which probably was amusing for whomever had been around at the time to see.

That was when things hit the fan.

Hard.

Maxwell did not think that to such realism that this would happen, thus coming to the swift conclusion that this was definitely not part of the plan.

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Chimera One

They were finally heading back to the ship; in all honesty, it had been an interesting exercise. Hectic but certainly allowed himself to hone his skills in combat situations in an entirely different manner due to different factors that were all working against them.

It looked like they had two SEALs and a Ranger on board the RIB. They bounced over the waves as the RIB planed, Julien could honestly admit to liking the motion and being out to stretch his legs after a five week journey.

“Chimera One and Two Report”

"This is Chimera One Actual, what's up, Colonel?" Judging by the voice and tone - nothing good. 'Making our way back to the ship now."

Alex had glanced over at the Marine, he had introduced himself as Julien Foxwell earlier on when they had been on the ship and before they had gotten assigned to the same RIB. It had been one hell of a training exercise, and he had been sure to push himself further in what he could do and building upon what he had been taught.

He could not help but notice the similarities but yet the differences, Alex had been working on his behavior, especially around a team mate and being guests on a Naval vessel.

He shifted his weapon from one hand to another, eyes scanning the world around him as he kept an ear out to what Julien had to say.

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Chimera Two

Gustav breathed out, closing his eyes for a moment as he thought about the past couple of hours; running through his mind whether he had done the right calls at certain times during the exercise, whether he had pulled off the right stops but seeing that he and his other team members had made it out showed that things had gone to plan. He wondered how his wife was doing, how his daughter was faring - knowing full well that they would be managing well on their own but couldn't help but feel the tug on his heart after spending such close proximity with those in the JTF that his mind had wandered elsewhere.

“Chimera One and Two Report”

"Chimera Two actual, we're on our way back to the Pedro Del Valle." He glanced over at Halstead, who had inquired to what was going on - to which he was willing to answer once he knew of what the situation was.

Sherman had tuned into the conversation, glancing back at the driver - a position he knew he wanted to be in but his expertise lay somewhere else. Something had happened, he could tell with the face that Gustav was pulling and the way Jay had reacted.

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the Coast of Somalia
Flight Deck aboard Pedro del Valle

No sooner did their wheels touch the deck did an alarm go off, the ship was under attack and even though the helicopter had just returned from a training exercise, it still needed to be refueled and readied. They were in a mad dash, Meg did not really even know what was going on, just that there had been some explosions and everyone was scrambling. Just another day at work. She was doing what she needed do to when she noticed the pilot of their bird looking at her, "You good Captain?" she asked, there was a look on his face and for a moment she thought he was nervous. They all had things to worry about, especially when you had a feeling that someone you care about might be in the middle of a not so desirable situation. "This is probably the fastest pre-flight post-flight I've ever done, so if we happen to miss something..." she glanced up and out to where the chaos was, "We have an excuse." she added quietly, the refueling was about done, soon as the ground crew gave them the signal they'd be up and moving. 

TAG: Cpt. Zachary Amberson  

Five Weeks Later 1435
Off the coast of Somalia

It was all almost over. Five weeks and there had hardly been any problems and it was all almost over, why did things always have to go wrong at the last minute?

Their RIB was bouncing over the waves, heading back to the ship after a successful run when the call came through.

“Chimera One and Two Report”

Matt's eyes had been on the water, casually scanning the horizon ahead out of force of habit, as well as enjoying the view with the satisfaction of knowing they would be going home soon. But his eyes quickly turned to Julien when he heard Col. Stephanie Reagan's tone.

It was a tone Matt had heard several times over his career and he knew it wasn't good. That tone never meant anything good had happened or was about to happen.

"This is Chimera One Actual, what's up, Colonel?" Making our way back to the ship now."

As Julien spoke Matt firmed his grip in his weapon and scanned the area around them and a frown grew on his face, "That can't be good." He said, nudging Julien with his elbow to direct the man's attention to a piece of debris that was now floating in the water a few yards out from them.