New Homeport Island Read Online Free Page B

well as the authorization to access and use the county
 snow plows and the authority to effect repairs to power lines and
 switching stations belonging to the electric company. As I left I
 said, “I’ll be down in central.”
Branson was standing petty officer of the watch and asked
Athena, “What was he talking about?” She replied, “Lyon’s
 doing a bunch of legal work for the captain to get the roads
 cleared.”
Branson laughed, “Nice choice they hate each other.”
Athena replied, “I wish they got along better Lyon’s a nice
 guy…” and with a shrug she added, “but, he’s an engineer.”  
Branson was a first class boatswain’s mate and the leading
 petty officer of the deck division. The first class petty officers
 were to function as foremen and Branson was one of the few
 that played that roll correctly; many others thought they had
    obtained a rank which signified they weren’t supposed to
 actually work anymore.  
“So what do you have deck doing today?” Athena asked.
Branson replied, “Don’t start that Williams; I run my crew.”  
Athena pulled her panties out of her crotch and with a sigh
 said, “Well, if Lyon’s stuff goes through we’ll be coordinating
 natural disaster relief efforts with multiple agencies and I don’t
 want to look like a stupid bitch when they come to arrest him for
 going to martial law and that’s what the captain said he would
 do.”
Branson was startled and asked, “Does he know that?”  
Athena respond, “The captain said not to say anything and
 honestly back in long beach they butted heads then too. This
 time the captain said, ‘I guess GSM3 Lyon knows what to do....’
 but no third class knows what to do...”
Branson replied, “Stay out of this Williams… Lyon may
 know what to do; I’ve been on bridge watch and the captain is
 just a guy”  
With a degree of irritation Athena responded, “You mean
‘just a Captain’ Branson…I’m gonna go get a soda” as she
 walked away Branson shouted to her, “Hey, Athena I used to be
 just like you…then I grew up. Oh, and I am a first class”.  
Athena yelled back, “I wasn’t saying you didn’t know what
 to do…” Branson waved her off and she headed down to get a
 soda from the vending machines on the main deck near the ships
 store.
The Officer of the deck was the ships supply senior chief
 and he poked his head out from the midship’s quarter deck to the
 podium at the gang plank. He asked Branson, “She being surly
 again?”
    Branson responded clearly and calmly as possible, “No,
 senior…” and with a degree of youth demeanor gestured with a
 shrug of his shoulders and continued, “…It’s just me and
 her…it’s a black thing.”
Senior chief Walson tends to turn very pale when things
 like that are said and looking white as a sheet he said, “…Oh,
 okay” Soon after that he received a call from the personnel
 office, the reply fax had been received.
The personnel man Chief petty officer Casius walked up to
 the quarter deck to hand the sign and verified orders to the
 officer of the deck. “There it is…” She said, “martial law. What
 the hell does he think he’s playing at!”
Senior Chief Walson read over the papers. Chief Casius
 growled, “Look at all the authority he now has…and it’s on his
 name not the captains because he called for special deputization
 by the D.O.D.!”
Walson replied, “Well, that may not sound right but there it
 is.” and in anger and disbelief Casius retorted, “He’s just a third
 class! Why would anyone take anything he says seriously? I
 know the captain doesn’t.”  
Branson interjected from just outside the quarter deck doors
 at the gang plank, “That may be why we fail so many
 engineering certifications chief.”  Casius moved to make eye
 contact with Branson and said, “The captain does those. He