4 Days Later. 14:45 Co-Ed Dorm

John was smiling as he sighed with relief. He was finally home. The last few days were spent doing homework and goofing off in the rec areas of the ship. Two addendums to mission reports were filed as well, though nothing more was said about the mission.

He walked into their bedroom and put away the couple of things he brought back with him. Then he hopped into the shower to clean up. After he changed, he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. The TV was still set to the Ocho which was covering an ultimate frisbee game.

“Ugh, so boring,” John whined to no one in particular.

The match wasn’t stimulating enough for him. John’s eyelids felt heavy, and he fell asleep rather quickly on the couch. The short nap felt had been downright heavenly, until it was interrupted. The door opened, and a loud happy squeal reverberated throughout the room and down the hall. John was partially awake at this point but became fully awake when Alice tackled him off the couch and hugged him tightly.

“Love you too honey. But can you get off of me? This is not a comfortable position.”

“Nope, not letting you go,” Alice said hugging him more tightly.

John hugged her back and accepted it for what it was. A return to normalcy was overdue and quite welcome. They stayed on the floor in that goofy embrace until it was time to get some chow. Alice didn’t want to get up, but John was hungry, and he needed food.

5 Weeks Later, Wednesday. 17:35 Lee Airport

The group was waiting in one of the private rooms in the terminal. Andern was snoring loudly from one of the leather chairs. These chairs were criminally comfortable. John had pushed one up to see who manufactured it while Kristin was chewing him out. He ordered two of them to be delivered to St. Mary’s station while she continued on her rant.

“And another thing, did you really have to resort to piracy? Like full-on piracy?”

Kevin and Thomas were laughing in the background. That only managed to piss Kristin off more as she shot an angry glare at the pair of chuckleheads. John gave a surprised look at her when she focused her angst back on him.

“You aren’t even paying attention!”

John answered in a deadpan manner, “I mean, I had to order two of these chairs. My god, these are comfortable. And to answer your question, yes, I did have to resort to piracy. The other fleets will now know that if you try to double-cross ours then bad things will happen to their fleets.”

Nathan interjected himself into the conversation, “Spoken like a true pirate.”

“I was very clear with that other fleet. If they attacked us, they would forcibly lose ships,” John said sincerely, “Through any means necessary. Just because everyone else thought I’d blow them up doesn’t mean my method wasn’t tactically sound.”

“And then you traded the POWs you got from capturing those ships, for more ships,” Kristin said with disgust.

“That’s just a sound business tactic. And now we’re back to full strength. That is what I call a win-win scenario.”

Kristin rolled her eyes, “You know damn our fleet has a reputation with the rest of our class.”

“I totally agree,” John said enthusiastically, “No one will think to double-cross any deals with us because of yours truly.”

“Kristin, you are not going to win this argument,” Theresa was laughing.

“But he’s…” Kristin was trying to plead her case before getting interrupted.

“An unmitigated asshole and pirate at heart,” Alice said as she gave John the stink eye, “You should just be yourself and make sure in any reports that you disagreed with his actions.”

“Problem solved,” Thomas was giggling.

The door to the lounge opened and a middle-aged man wearing a blue suit walked in, “Excuse me. We’re terribly sorry for the delay. We are fueling and loading the plane now. We should be wheels up within twenty minutes.”

John looked up at him from the comfortable chair, “Do you want us to board now?”

“No, we’re not ready for you just yet. I will come back to fetch you.”

The man then left the room. Andern cut the silence by snoring loudly. Everyone looked at him and shook their heads.

“Can someone wake his dumb ass up? He might get left behind,” Nathan said with nary a hint of sincerity in his voice.

Kristin sighed and walked over to his chair. Poking him didn’t draw any reaction. Pulling on his shoe didn’t either. She then tried pinching his cheek but sure enough, Andern was still sound asleep. Drastic steps were then taken. Kristin grabbed both of his arms and pulled up, then let go.

“Wah?” Andern mumbled.

“So now that sleeping beauty is awake, how long is this flight?” Kevin asked.

“Two and a half hours, I think. We lose an hour traveling east too. Barring any issues, we should be at the estate between 22:00 and 23:00.”

“Dude, is this menu accurate?” Brian asked.

“A5 Wagyu strip steak, shrimp, truffles, and potato wedges. Girls, there’s a salad option too,” John was smiling.

“That sounds delightful,” Andern was rubbing his eyes, “The meat, not the salad.”

The conversation was interrupted by the worker in the blue suit, “Sorry about the delay. We are ready to have you board the jet now. The meal should be served thirty or so minutes into the flight.”

The group grabbed their personnel effects and followed the worker out of the room and onto the tarmac. Their bags had already been loaded while they were waiting inside. They immediately noticed that the private jet was different than the previous one they had flown in. It was a new style of widebody executive jet, so the cabin was extremely spacious.

John and Alice picked a pair of seats next to one another in the middle of the plane, in front of a bulkhead. A television appeared when a screen was withdrawn after John pressed a button on his armrest. He quickly turned the satellite TV on and immediately flipped it over to the Ocho. The public entertainment, much to the chagrin of everyone besides John, was a cornhole tournament being held in some Podunk town in Iowa.

23:15 Wyndham Estates, North of Parham Town

Thirty years ago, the main island of the British Virgin Islands was effectively destroyed due to a one-two punch of back-to-back category five hurricanes. The island’s residents defied orders to leave, which was a deadly mistake for many. Anyone whose residence didn’t have a hardened bunker was killed in the storm. Less than five percent of the population survived.

Unfortunately, that caused a mad rush on the property there. It was a rather ghastly and disgusting affair. It was further exacerbated by corporations planning and eventually building, large resorts for the wealthy and affluent to enjoy. The only good thing that came from it was the general quality of life and annual salaries for permanent residents of the island were substantially higher than it was before the hurricanes.

The group was staying at a new estate that the Wyndham corporation had built the prior year. Five new mansions were built on twenty-acre parcels, each with direct access to a shared beach. Their mansion was a football field away from the ocean. A golf course was a short mile walk from it as well.

John walked up to the front door and pressed his tablet against the reader. The double doors opened wide to expose the enormous entryway and living room. The white-gray marble floors helped brighten the room as the lights were turned up to their full luminosity.

Kevin walked up next to John and slapped his shoulder, “You outdid yourself once again.”

“I think this place is over the fucking top,” John said laughing as he waved everyone in.

“Standard room assignments. Fan out,” Andern shouted from the sidewalk.

“Is there a pool house here?” Jessica asked.

“There’s two, actually,” Alice replied with a laugh.

“We’ll take the second,” Thomas and Brian said in unison.

“Bossman, what’s the plan of attack?” Nathan asked as he walked down the hallway to their right to an unoccupied room.

“Drop my stuff off, grab a beer, then get the fire pit going. That seems acceptable to me.” John said as he and Alice were walking side by side up the stairs.

Ten minutes later the group was relaxing around the firepit. The guys were all talking with one another while the girls were doing the same from their separate enclave across the pit from them. The group was tired, but the mood was lively and bright. There was also a mild sense of dread that their carefree, or largely carefree, days in the academy were almost at an end.

“Dare I ask how much you spent on this place?” Andern said before finishing his beer, “There are five bottles of a twenty-something-year-old Papi VanWinkle inside. Those can’t have been cheap.”

“Or the wine, every last bottle in there is vintage from what Google tells me,” Nathan said as he sank deeper into his chair.

“Yeah, I got yelled at for whole-assing this trip. But my justification was it’d be our last one together. May as well make some good memories, right?”

Alice scoffed, “More like get rid of those credit chits.”

John looked around the pit, then grinned and winked at Alice, “You know it, honey.”

Alice groaned as the girls laughed at her visible discomfort with their surroundings. They then got quiet and were gossiping with one another about, things. The boys, except for John, didn’t notice that and continued being their loid and boisterous selves.

“Are any of you interested in golfing tomorrow?” John asked.

“You shipped your clubs here, didn’t you?” Andern cracked open the beer he just pulled from the cooler.

“Yup, shipped them out last week. They are hooked up to the golf cart in the garage. Oh, that reminds me,” John then stood up, “We have a pair of SUVs that I rented too that are in the garage. If anyone needs to run an errand feel free to use them. Keys were hanging on the rack inside.”

“Count me in,” Nathan said, “What time are we going?”

“07:45 tee time. You two in?” John was pointing at Kevin and Andern.

The two nodded with Kevin then standing up and proclaiming, “If that’s the case then I am heading to bed.”

The group then headed to their rooms one by one as their drinks were finished. Andern and Kristin were the next to follow. Kristin still looked annoyed with John for his unabashed piracy campaign in their current wargame. Nathan was the next, though he moved like a sloth to his room.

Eventually, all that was left was Alice and John. She got up and snuggled in next to John on the loveseat. John kissed her forehead and leaned back in the chair and stared up at the sky.

“Not going to be long until we’re up there.”

“How the hell has it been four years? In two months, that is.”

“Time flies. We’re not snot-nosed punks anymore. We’re like adults now.”

Alice snorted, “Some of us are. You in particular still have a lot of growing up to do.”

“You wound me deeply my dear.”

Alice pulled herself up to John and kissed his cheek, “I only speak the truth. It’s time for bed. Let’s get going.”

11:35 Estate Patio

The girls were enjoying a chicken and feta cheese salad with mixed greens with a side of wine. They were laughing it up and enjoying the gorgeous weather. Thomas and Brian were up to something because their antics were just barely audible.

“I swear to god if he comes home in some bright outfit I’m divorcing him,” Alice continued to hate her husband’s choice of golf attire.

“Kevin has a green and yellow outfit like that now. I don’t know whether or not he packed it though,” Theresa was smiling as she drank some wine.

“So did Jacob, and I know he packed his. Looks like you’re going to be looking for a divorce lawyer,” Kristin giggled as she speared some lettuce and spinach.

“Oh, my good lord, they have returned,” Alice sighed deeply then stood up and shouted, “MY EYES ARE BLINDED!”

John strutted toward the women with quiet confidence. His ensemble was a tribute to the Minnesota Vikings. It was an assault of purple, yellow and white on the eyes. Andern, Kevin, and Nathan were in fact wearing similar bright outfits. They lacked the swagger and confidence that John had though.

“We… are some sexy… bitches!” John pirouetted in front of the now laughing girls.

Andern, Nathan, and Kevin struck poses behind John. Alice was groaning as she recorded the four idiots in front of them. Theresa was whistling at Kevin which caused him to break out into a model walk for everyone. Jessica was videotaping the whole thing.

“Alice, I know you hate it, but…” Kristin began to say.

“I know, I know. I do love him and none of them give zero fucks about what we may think about them.”

Thomas and Brian then appeared covered in mud. Everyone stopped and stared at the two. Some giggling was had before John spoke up.

“Lover’s tryst or stupidity?”

“Stupidity,” Thomas sighed.

“Definitely stupidity,” Brian also sighed, “The mud hole on the edge of the property is basically a saltwater bog. Can someone bring that hose over to us?”

“I’ll do ya one better,” Andern hollered, “I’ll hose the two of you down.”

“Well, while he takes care of that I’m going to change then grill something for lunch,” John then turned to walk into the kitchen.

“I will change and help,” Kevin puffed up his chest and followed suit.

“I’m gonna get a beer, then do that,” Nathan spun about and walked inside.

14:30 Beach

John, Kevin, and Andern were each drinking a fruity-looking adult drink and smoking cigars from their beach loungers. The girls were walking back to the house to relax in the hot tub. Thomas, Brian, and Nathan were swimming just off the deck.

“This is the life, my friends,” John said as he took a puff from his Partagas Lusitania cigar.

“I can’t believe we’ve been smoking for almost two hours on the same damn cigar. Also, whatever this is that the girls made is making me drunk as shit,” Andern said as he stared at the cigar.

“They ordered a bunch of rum, vodka, and tequila. I think they used one bottle each along with some fresh ground fruit and whatnot,” Kevin said as he took another drink.

“What I’m hearing from you is that this shit is healthy,” John was laughing.

“Hey, you guys hear where you are being assigned to yet?” Andern asked, “I was told one thing and it’s been changed twice now.”

“I was told we’d find out while the rest of our class gets interviewed by the different fleets,” Kevin took a puff from his cigar, “This is fucking divine, John.”

John smiled, “Right? Well, I know Alice got a position on the station. She has two more years of psych school followed by two years of doing boards and on-the-job training.”

“What about you?” Andern took another drink.

“CNS Des Moines, she’s a tactical stealth cruiser.”

“There’s nothing tactical about a stealth cruiser. What a stupid ship designation,” Kevin spat the words out.

“Yeah, she’s the big guns of an e-war squadron. The standard squadron is made up of two of those cruisers, four stealthy frigates, and six to ten destroyers. Oslo classes are just weird ships. They have the extra armament of a heavy cruiser but lack the armor of one.”

Kevin snorted, “Yeah, and a hilariously bad power-sucking stealth system. Thank God they decided to cut that class short to only a few hundred instead of the several thousand they were planning to build. You know who the captain is?”

“Heard it’s a Lieutenant Commander who has an active-duty admiral for a dad in the Third Fleet I think. Haven’t talked to him yet.”

“Andern, do you know how you and Kristin’s deployment is going to be handled?” Kevin asked.

“I think that’s why their decisions are changing all the damn time,” Andern laughed, “At least that’s what I’m telling myself.”

“John, did she tell you what her plans are for command?”

“She liked being in command of a smaller ship, but it sounds like she wants to be on a bigger vessel until she’s a second lieutenant,” John tapped the ash off his cigar and took a puff.

“Which I think fucked me because it sounds like she’s on the battleship I was supposed to be assigned to,” Andern grinned, “I wouldn’t be opposed to a station assignment. That’d be rad.”

“You sir, are an idiot,” Kevin was laughing, “We’re in the bloody Navy, get on a ship and go someplace.”

Andern took a sip of his drink and grinned, “Kevin, you are not the boss of me.”

Kevin took a long drag on his cigar and then blew out the smoke slowly, “What are we doing for dinner?”

“I was thinking about using that flank steak to make fajitas. Alice and Theresa wanted to have fish tacos with the fish they caught after lunch,” John then finished his drink.

The three amigos would relax on the beach for another hour and a half before heading back to the house when they finished their cigars. The rest of the afternoon was spent either in the pool or around the pool. Up to that point, it had been a great start to their vacation.

22:35 Second Floor Stairwell

The two married couples were not leaving, much to the chagrin of the rest. John tossed a credit chit to Jessica to pay for the festivities. He then walked back into the bathroom where it sounded like someone was getting snuffed out.

“Are you two seriously not going out with us?” Nathan had a very judgy look on his face.

“Alice and Theresa are sick. Ditching your wife is a no-go,” Kevin said.

John hollered from his bedroom, “She’s literally puking right now. She’ll kill me if I ditch her now.”

“Sorry guys, it’s a fucking mess, but I can’t leave Theresa.”

John walked into the bathroom. Alice was cleaning herself up once more. She looked a mess and was on the verge of tears. John gave her a hug and then handed her some medicine to take.

“Here take this. It’s supposed to help settle your stomach.”

“Thanks,” Alice said meekly, “Why is this happening?”

“Well, if we catch any more of that fish, toss it back next time,” John said nonchalantly, “Apparently there is an enzyme in it that is toxic to us. Not life-threatening but you see its effects.”

Alice started to sniffle and whimpered, “I ruined the day.”

“No, no you didn’t. Remember I didn’t say anything either. You should be fine in the morning.”

Alice finished drying her face. She turned around and continued to have that pathetic look on her face. John gave her another hug.

“Ready for bed?”

“Yeah, I’m going to crawl in now.”

“I’ll join you later, but I’ll be out in the study. If you need anything let me know.”

John waited until Alice crawled into bed before walking out of the bedroom. He grabbed a book from the bookshelf, got comfortable in a chair, and began reading it. John could hear Alice roll around in bed a couple of times but shortly after that, she had fallen asleep.

He got up and checked on her every ten to fifteen minutes for the first hour. The worst appeared to be over. John felt relieved at that. He walked out of the bedroom and picked up the book once

Before he knew it John was sound asleep in the chair. There he slept soundly for four hours. He was stirred from his rest by his tablet. John grabbed it and swiped up to accept the call.

John yawned into the phone, “Sorry, John here.”

“Andern and Nathan got arrested. We need your help bad!” Jessica said frantically.