Russell Moran: The Gray Ship

“I know you two have worked on this plan, but tell me,” said Ashley, “are there any downsides?”

“Yes, Captain, there are two big downsides,” Bellamy said, “monotony and seasickness. We’re going to be spinning in the ocean like a top until we hit that sweet spot of a wormhole that Lt. Jack is looking for. I recommend that we have a quartermaster next to the OOD at all times with a stop watch so we can execute the turns correctly. I also recommend that we have two people qualified as OOD on watch and that the watch be two hours, not four. I can’t overemphasize the monotony of these repeated maneuvers. The Williamson turn is designed to get the ship to the approximate spot of the guy who fell overboard. It wasn’t designed to be executed every three miles.”

“Nobody ever said getting home would be easy,” Ashley said. “I accept your recommendations gentlemen. Ivan, post the watches accordingly.”

“Aye aye, Captain.”

After the Navigator and the XO left, Ashley met with Father Rick and Jack. She told them about the Navigator’s warning of monotony as they carved circles in the ocean. She wanted to talk about morale, and what could be done to help during long and sickening maneuvers.

Father Rick talked about his most recent meal with the crew, which was yesterday after he made the announcement that the California was heading for home. It was a different experience from the sad, sullen and angry emotions he had seen.

“Handling periods of monotony and a rocking ship should not be a problem,” said Father Rick.

“I don’t want to throw cold water on people preparing for a big party,” said Jack, “but I want to talk about something we have to face. Nobody on this ship, and that includes me, can guarantee that we’ll ever find the wormhole. We’ve been making our plans based on my book research and my personal experiences. Find the place where you crossed the threshold and just cross back. It sounds easy and logical, but, as I’ve said before, I’ve never heard of this being done on the ocean. All of my interviews as well as my own experiences have always involved a specific spot on land. I recommend that we don’t put out a lot of ‘any day now’ reports. Truth is, we don’t know what’s going to happen. We’ve all heard stories of the Bermuda Triangle. What if all of those lost ships, boats, and planes went through a wormhole and could never find a way to get back.”

Ashley looked at him.

“Jack, I want you on the ship’s TV. I’m thinking of a sort of call in show where you tell the crew what you know, including a sprinkle of reality like you just gave us, and then take calls from the crew.”

“I couldn’t agree more, Captain,” said Father Rick. “Jack is the obvious person to talk about hunting for a wormhole.”

“We’ll arrive on location where we start our search tomorrow,” said Ashley. “Jack, could you be ready to go on tonight?”

“No problem, Captain.”

The ship’s TV station operated throughout the day. It was a valuable outlet for the Captain to get word out to the crew. Ashley called Petty Officer Wally Cabrerra, the host of TV California, and told him to start announcing that tonight’s special show will be entitled, “Lt. Jack Thurber Talks About the Hunt for the Wormhole.”

“This is Petty Officer Wally Cabrerra, host of TV California . I realize that I haven’t been much of a Leno or Letterman substitute these last four months, but hey, you get what you pay for. Tonight, however, you will get a break from my endless bad jokes. You will get to listen to a man who has a lot to tell us about something we’re mildly curious about — How the hell do we get home? Lt. Jack is a highly accomplished author of ten non-fiction books and three novels. He even won a Pulitzer Prize for an article he wrote about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident, something that happened before a lot of us were born. The book that we’re really interested in hearing about is Living History — Stories of Time Travel Through the Ages , which was on the New York Times Best Seller List for 48 weeks. This guy is no slouch. I think this is a man we should listen to. Lt. Jack has agreed to take calls from our viewers, which means I get to do my Larry King, Murray from Sheboygan, Michigan, You’re on .” Cabrerra prided himself with his excellent imitation of Larry King.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Time Travel himself, Lt. Jack Thurber!”

“Good evening, Wally, and good evening to my shipmates,” said Jack. “Some of you know me as Seaman Jack, some as Lieutenant Jack. In a pinch, Jack works fine. The Captain has asked me to talk to you about something I have done a lot of research on for the book that Wally mentioned. When I reported aboard the California I never thought I’d get the opportunity to plug my book, so I figure this is just a hidden Navy benefit.”

Jack discussed his book, especially the interviews with the six time travelers, how they crossed the portal and how they got back. He also went into detail about the time lapse in past and present time, and how when they got back to the present, they were amazed that so little time had passed.

“So the good news, folks, is that we may have been gone a short period of time, maybe hours or days from 2013. But Captain Patterson has asked me to be frank with you. I have never, in all of my research, encountered a person, not to mention a ship, that crossed a time portal or wormhole in the middle of the ocean. As I said before, the way to get back seems to be to find the way you got in. But the ocean presents something new to me. Now, I’ll be happy to answer any questions.”

“Lieutenant Cheryl Goveia from the engineering department — By any chance are you from Sheboygan? I love that word. You’re on Lieutenant,” said Wally the showman.

“I’d like to ask Lt. Jack if there is any chance that we may not make it back,” said caller Goveia.

“No,” Jack lied. “In all of my research and interviews there was a way back in time and a way back to the present. Sure the ocean complicates things a bit, but I’m absolutely confident that we’ll find our way back to 2013.” My lips to God’s ears, thought Jack.

“Yes,” said Ashley as she slapped her desk. She was watching the Jack Thurber show with Father Rick. “That’s leadership. That’s called taking command.”

It occurred to Father Rick that Jack could have belched and Ashley would have thought it was wonderful.

“Here’s a caller on line 2, Lieutenant Tom Lawlor from CIC. Talk to us Lieutenant,” said Wally.

“It seems to me that we changed a lot of history in the last few weeks,” said Lawlor. “Will the world be different when we get back?”

“I don’t know,” said Jack, “I really don’t know. We’re still in 1861. Whether our actions changed all history going forward or whether we carry our own time with us is something I don’t have an answer for. Some people believe that there is such a thing as a parallel universe, two realms of existence separated by a wormhole. We’ll find out soon.”

“Caller on Line 1 — Lieutenant Donna Perricone from Personnel. Go ahead Lieutenant Perricone.”

“I realize that this is a tough question, Lieutenant,” said Perricone, “but do you have any idea, any guess, how long it will take us to hit the portal?”

“I wish I did,” said Jack. “Once we hit the wormhole, it will be a matter of moments, but how long it takes us to find it is anybody’s guess. Our Navigation department has plotted a well thought-out series of maneuvers to try to get back to our last position in 2013. But I can tell you this. It may be a good while before we get there. On the other hand, it may be a short time. It won’t be comfortable. We’re going to be making circles in the ocean every three miles. It’s likely to get rocky, maybe even rough. But we’re going to do what we need to do.”