Ocean Research - 23. IOR Chapter 23

“Sir, if I am mistaken, this sounds like we are building our own private navy?” I asked, “You are correct in regarding these new additions as such, and as I stated before it is to protect my family’s investments and interests in the area. I have already had my own navy since Joshua was a small boy, starting with my first private giant submarine the Aquaria and soon followed by the Oceania.

Those are my first and most important investments, to protect and defend the world’s sea’s and oceans from pirates, over fishing and ocean pollution, as well as providing facilities to research our oceans, and I now have a fleet of 12 Oceania class submarines and one Poseidon class submarine, plus the city being my newest addition to those aims.

Once we have completed providing the fishermen with their own separate facilities, away from the city, the location where the submarine is currently located at Eastern Island, will become the new defence base for the Abrolhos Islands, with two barges joined together, to provide mooring for the submarine Poseidon, the patrol boat Armada and the supply and transport boat MV Storm, as well as recreational facilities.

The MV Warambie and Ashburton Research facility will remain the property of Kipling Ashburton, and can travel anywhere it wishes within the Abrolhos Islands. “I think that covers everything, is there any questions?” Mr Lloyd asked us all, and Joshua looked around the room as we all remained silent.

“No sir, that is all for now, enjoy the remainder of your evening at Wake Island, goodnight,” Joshua responded, and the call ended. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he starts up a private Airforce next,” I commented as a joke, and Joshua laughed.

“Well he does in a small way, a small fleet of private jets anyway, two based at Wake Island, one based in the Marshall Islands, two based in Townsville, Queensland, and one based in Geraldton, Western Australia,” Joshua replied which made my jaw drop open in shock and Joshua laughed again.

“That will teach me to be a smart arse eh!” I said once the others had left the board room, and Joshua just chuckled, “So how about we go for a cruise in your new swath boat, I want to see how it performs, now that the sea breeze is in and it is nice and choppy, I want to see how it handles the rough weather,” Joshua said to me, as we headed out of the board room and out to the foyer area.

“Go to a heading of 276 degrees for 300 metres, then 184 degrees for 1.2 kilometres, please skipper,” Joshua said to me, once we were on board the MV Warambie and I had started the engines. I looked at the electronic charts on the screen once it came to life, and I punched in the directions, and it showed me a small island, just south west of the city’s location, known as Wooded Island, near the western edge of the reefs, and is 42 acres in area.

Any reason, why we are heading to Wooded Island?” I asked my friend as I pushed the levers forward and we move out of the boat bay at the city. “No, not really, it’s just one of the many small islands that I haven’t had a chance to explore yet,” Joshua replied smiling, and I knew that he was up to something, what I was not sure, so I concentrated on skippering the vessel.

“You should find a deep lagoon area just 500 metres before you reach the central north beach of the island” Joshua said as we began to approach the island and the depth sounder was indicating very shallow water ahead, so I slowed right down, and as I steered to the deep area that Joshua suggested, I saw six buoys in the water, which are identical to the ones out at Eastern Island.

“Another mooring area, that you neglected to mention before?” I asked Joshua, who chuckled, “That’s right, I wanted it to be a surprise for you, a secure and sheltered mooring area with plenty of island land for you to do your research on, and still close to the city,” Joshua said to me, as we approached the buoys, and with the snatch hook, Joshua grabbed the first mooring rope, and after I had cut the engines, he tied it to the mooring post on the aft of the boat.

“Ready for a swim?” Joshua asked me, as he removed his shoes and shirt, and dived over the side into the water, and I did the same, surfacing next to Joshua, who had waited for me to surface before swimming to the island. After a relaxing swim, and a hike around the island, we returned to the MV Warambie, and headed back to the city.

I spent the next hour and a half looking at the science research facilities on deck six, and I met all of my staff as one group for the first time, and thanked them in joining the research team, where I hope to do and achieve great things.

At dinner time, I met up with Joshua on the Level One Sky Restaurant, and he had just finished reading a message on his phone when I sat down. “Anything interesting in that message?” I asked him, “You could say that, the both of us have a video conference with the Managing Director at 4 pm our time tomorrow,” Joshua replied.

“Do you have that strange feeling in your gut?” I asked, and Joshua smiled and nodded his head yes, and I groaned, which made Joshua laugh. “You never know, it might be something good for a change,” Joshua said when he had stopped. “Yeah right, and Kangaroos can sing!” I replied and Joshua stared at me for a moment before bursting out laughing.

Half way through dinner, I stopped eating to talk. “Before the video conference tomorrow afternoon, can I suggest that you go and check out the layout plan on board the Poseidon, as you may want to speak to Mr Lloyd about it,” I suggested. “Oh! What is it I am supposed to see, on this layout plan?” Joshua asked me, “You will see,” I replied smiling before I continued to eat.

After dinner I was sitting on the pool deck, enjoying the cool water on my feet as I dipped them into the pool, and listening to the distant noises of the city and the sounds of the ocean waves crashing on the nearby shores, when a very loud laugh came from somewhere outside, and could be heard by everyone who was outdoors.

“What on earth is that?” Amanda asked me when she appeared through the foyer door, “My guess is that it is Joshua, probably doing as I suggested and checking out the layout plan of the Poseidon,” I replied smiling broadly, and Amanda laughed, “Took him long enough to work it out,” Amanda said as she headed back indoors.

“Why didn’t you tell me that the layout of the Poseidon looks like a giant cock?” Joshua asked me when he appeared, “Because I originally thought that you knew. Everyone else within the city does, as a picture of the layout has been circulating around the city,” I replied.

“Hmm, I wonder if my grandfather knows?” Joshua said as he headed for the elevators, and I stood up and grabbing my shoes, I followed him in bare feet. A few minutes later in the boardroom in administration, Joshua was dialling up the video link with Wake Island.

“I’m sorry sir, he is not here, he is staying at the Mindil Beach Resort in Darwin at the moment, maybe you could try the resort,” one of Mr Lloyd’s senior staff said, when her face appeared on the screen. “Ok, Michelle, thanks for the update, by the way do you know about the layout of the Poseidon?” Joshua asked.

“Yes sir, and if you have just discovered what it looks like, your grandfather asked me to tell you, it is about time. Goodnight,” Michelle said before signing off, and Joshua just stared at the blank screen in shock, and when I saw the blank expression, all I could do is laugh. “It seems, my good friend, that you are the last to be let into the joke,” I commented before leaving the boardroom.

“About half an hour later, as I was relaxing in the executive lounge, Joshua came rushing in. “I was right, my grandfather is up to something, but he won’t tell me what it is. All he said is that he is putting a rush on plans for building the floating fishing communities, with now three engineering companies in two states working on building the barge communities as quick as possible, to his design requirements,” Joshua said as he sat down heavily near me.

“So, do you know if it is going to affect us in any way?” I asked, “All he would say is that be prepared for a relocation sometime next year, that is all,” Joshua replied, “Well nothing is ever boring, when working for Lloyd Family Corporation, that’s for sure,” I stated, and Joshua nodded his head yes in agreement.

“He said relocation, so that means it will still be within Australia somewhere, is there anything interesting in the news lately, that might attract your grandfather’s attention, maybe something loosely connected to the ocean or research?” I asked my friend, and Joshua began to shake his head then stopped as he began to think.

“Grab your laptop, and lets do some research, I have a feeling that we will be able to spot what my grandfather is up to, and get ahead of him for a change,” Joshua said to me, so I headed to my suite to collect my laptop computer, and returned to the living area, but I headed to the dining table in the corner, where we could research a lot easier.

After nearly two hours of searching different events that hit the news over the past year or two, we were about to give up, “Here is something that maybe interesting, you remember when your grandfather teamed up with that Swiss guy, who lives in Australia, extremely rich and he has twin brothers? Could he be teaming up with someone else?” Joshua asked.

“Yes, I vaguely remember it, I think his name was Sebastian something, his husband was a former Navy hero, highly decorated and he went onto be an Administrator for the Indian Ocean Territories of Australia, from what I remember,” I replied.

“Yes, that is the one, I wonder if Grandfather has another huge project that he is working on with Sebastian… Wagner was his last name, his partner is… Shaw, Sir Lewis Shaw,” Joshua said recalling the information, and I typed in the name on the computer.

“Just his profile information, and all the stuff he did as a diplomat, and a bit about his navy career, it says here that Sir Lewis is retired and living with is partner live in their mansion near Denham, in the coastal Gascoyne region of Western Australia,” I said to Joshua, reading the information out to him.

“I recall reading something about Wagner International restarting the airline service to the Indian Ocean Territories a few years back, do you think that it has something to do with that?” Joshua asked me, “I have no idea, I guess we will have to wait for the video conference tomorrow,” I replied.

“My grandfather said to let you know to expect a delivery in a few days, he didn’t say what it is, except that it is specifically for the Ashburton Research Facility,” Joshua informed me.

The following morning, with the assistance of Amanda and her crew, and my science team, the Ashburton Research Facility was towed to its more permanent mooring, just 300 metres north of Wooded Island, on a lagoon created by a circle of coral.

With the six mooring points located in a rectangle facing West & East in the centre of the lagoon, we pushed the facility into position, while the crew of the Silver Cloud got to work to secure the moorings to the facility. Once this was done, Amanda came along on the now northern side of the facility to tie up to the facility, while I moved around to the opposite side.

Once everything was secured, I shut down the motor of the MV Warambie, and headed over to my research facility, where everyone was gathered. “This is a great spot that Joshua has found for you, not too close to the city but not too far either, and is well sheltered from rough seas by the surrounding reef,” Amanda commented.

“So, in other words you are asking permission to us this facility to moor your catamaran yacht, which it is a more secure location,” I responded, and Amanda laughed, “Yes I guess I am actually,” she replied. “Permission granted,” I answered, which made the crew happy, “Peace and quiet, just how I we like it,” Trent said and Alex nodded his head in agreement, while Amanda and Olivia just smiled.

Two days later a medium sized cargo ship arrived in the area, and proceeded to unload it’s cargo of two small barges, each one is 32 metres square, which surprised me a lot, as I watched Amanda and her crew set off in the Silver Cloud towards the Cargo ship, and soon she was returning to our mooring with the two barges in tow.

“What am I supposed to do with these?” I shouted to Amanda from the short distance between the catamaran and the research facility. “They are extensions for your facility, one for each end, according to Joshua, when he contacted me this morning,” Amanda shouted back.

Once the two new barges had been secured to each end of the research facility, I stepped onto the first one, which has a square enclosed salt water pool, that looks to be about 25 metres in diameter, with decking on three sides , and a one level room at the end, which is fitted with research work benches on both sides.

“Interesting layout boss, I guess it is more research space for us,” one of the research staff stated to me, as I approached the door in the centre of the back area, and was surprised to find a spiral staircase downwards behind it. On the lower deck, I came out of the stairs into a very tiny lounge space, and two doors at each end, which I discovered to be two more staff cabins, so I guessed that it is the same on the other side.

We have an additional four staff cabins downstairs, two on each barge, I stated once I returned to the main deck, where the rest of the team where gathered waiting. “Well it looks like we have the extra accommodation for you all, plus two more work spaces and two enclosed tanks, so I will leave it up to you all who is allocated the lower deck cabins, which have a porthole view of the ocean,” I stated as I headed back over to my main office on the facility.