FREE  on  the  SEA

 ARKON CH-07     Spot the Intruder

ARKON STAR launched just after sundown 27 January 2025. After a 2-week Shakedown Cruise it started southeast towards Arkon One at 5 kph. For evasive maneuvers they could exceed 50 kph for 45 minutes. As they got in range, Captain Jenkins of the Arkon Star sent a coded message to Arkon One, Commodor Kaiser, on Saturday. The plain text read as follows:

Greetings Commodor Kaiser. This next week we plan to test your radar and visual detection capabilities as well as our stealth features. Just before dawn we will cruise at 3 kph into visual range of your Crow's Nest which is 70 m above the sea, giving a horizon at 30 km. If one of them spots us do not react but let the fantail Lookouts have a shot at catching us since they are 40 meters above the sea, giving a horizon at 20 km. We will be on a zigzag course. If they do not spot us by sundown on the first day we will hold position and resume slowly zigzagging our approach the next day. Good Luck!

With a wave piercing bow design Arkon Star made little ripple as it cut the sea. Folds in the hull and carbon paint made the radar image almost zero. Waves painted on the hull made the optical image difficult to see also. The diesels were on very heavy duty vibration isolation mounts and the exhaust was cooled and dispersed through five different exhaust stacks topside.

   ...
         ...

               Tuesday, 0900, Arkon One

"Bridge, Crows Nest. Have intermittant visual contact, unknown object, relative bearing 285 degrees, range 25 km just below horizon." " Bridge Aye. Continue scan 360. Will alert radar plot for confirmation." "Crow's Nest Aye Aye."

"Radar, Bridge. Do you have any Target at that location?" "Radar, negative. Sea clutter is heavier, but no target signal." "Bridge Aye."

   ...
       ...

           Tuesday, 1400, Arkon One

"Bridge, Fantail Lookout, module F. Have intermittant visual contact, unknown object, relative bearing 275 degrees, range 10 km, midway to horizon." " Bridge Aye. Continue scan 360. Will alert radar plot for confirmation." "Fantail Aye Aye."

   ...
       ...

By 1700 hrs a strange vessel was clearly visible as it turned south and approached its mooring slot in reverse. Captain Jenkins liked to be ready to leave suddenly when necessary.

        Tuesday, 1730, Arkon Star

As the stern winches eased them into the berthing slot and the fenders compressed slightly, Stakka called out, "Now anchored. Secure the stern winches." Renka, his partner on the sea detail, called out, "Deploy the Stern gangplank." She enjoyed the sea detail because it gave her first look at a new Port.

           Tuesday, 1800, Arkon Star

ATTENTION  ALL  HANDS - NOW  HEAR  THIS -  LIBERTY  CALL  20.00  HOURS -  CINDERELLA  LIBERTY,  BACK  ON  BOARD  BY  MIDNIGHT.

"Hey Renka how about Liberty tonight," said Stakka, "Some beer, pizza, and shopping sound good?" "Sounds great," said Renka, "Let me call Nobi and Loki."

"They're good to go," said Renka, "we'll meet on the Quarterdeck at 2030. Nobi was worried about the currency but I explained to her we use the same as Arkon One. Five creds equal one hour unskilled labor. "

As they headed toward City Center Loki said, "Wow, this is just like downtown." "Except it's quieter and no cars," said Stakka. "I see Tony's Pizza up  ahead on the right," said Renka, " Let's go, I'm starving." "There's a Smokey Dokey shop just on the left I want to visit first," said Nobi.

At the pot shop she bought a 5- pack of Red Ringer cigarettes that were 70% sativa and a handful of little seed packs, some were red, others blue, about 5 centimeters long and 6 mm diameter.

Entering Tony's Pizza, the hostess took them to a quiet booth in the back corner. After they ordered and while waiting for the beer, Nobi shared one of her Red Ringers to help relax for the evening. Each booth had a plexiglass canopy with a quiet exhaust for smokers benefit.

After finishing the pizza and ordering another round of craft beer, Stakka asked, "Has anybody heard the rumor that we're really going to be looking for  sunken treasure?" "Well, we do have a four-man deep sub capable of 6000 meter depth, and a high-resolution sonar," said Loki, "but I think we're actually going to do ocean, atmosphere, climate research." "That is not going to take up all of our time," said Nobi, "I think there is another mission that has not been declared." "I agree with Nobi," said Renka, "We have all these stealth features and that would make us ideal as a spy ship or pirate hunter- killer ship, or ... we might even be the pirate." "I think the spy ship concept works," said Stakka, "We're cruising up and down the west coast of North America and there is very little news coming out of America these days." "Yeah, ever since 2020, when their last humanitarian intervention in the Congo failed to bring democracy and Burger King to the people, they haven't been in the headlines or the 6 o'clock news," said Loki. "I heard the Russian cargo clipper ships have a little office in every major port city up and down the coast," said Renka, "but if they're spying they're not publishing anything.""I am sure it is a very expensive business," said Nobi, "and they're probably selling the information to other governments." "So how would we compete with them?," asked Loki, " They've been in the business a few years now." "Well," said Stakka, "we could offer some different information or perhaps some other feature."

As they cleared their tab to head back to the ship, Stakka asked Nobi, "Could you share one of your Red Ringers with me? Renka and I have some Kundalini Yoga to practice before sleeping, heh."

    Wednesday, 0900, Arkon Star

ATTENTION ALL  HANDS - NOW  HEAR  THIS- 

 WE   WILL  BE  TAKING  ON  MORE  CREW  MEMBERS  FROM  ARKON  ONE  

AS  WELL  AS  ANOTHER  

HERD  OF  PIGS  AND  ANOTHER

  FLOCK  OF  CHICKENS -  

SO  IF  YOU  SEE  SOMEONE  

THAT  LOOKS  LOST,  

SHOW  THEM  THE  WAY.

With the extra pigs and chickens Arkon Star would be self- sufficient in animal protein but would still have to make calls to port for fresh and dried vegetables. The cargo hatches were waterproof doors 4 by 10 m, just aft of midships and 2 meters above the water. The big gangplanks extended out hydraulically from Arkon One and had 2 meter high side walls to prevent things falling in the water.

     Wednesday, 1600, Arkon Star

ATTENTION  ALL  HANDS - NOW HEAR  THIS -  LIBERTY  CALL  17.00  HOURS -  CINDERELLA  LIBERTY,  BACK  ON  BOARD  BY  MIDNIGHT.

 At 1830 Renka's como pod buzzed. It was Nobi, "Do you guys want to go for beer and pizza again tonight?" Stakka heard the exchange and said, "Yes, let's meet on the Quarterdeck at 1930."

As they were walking toward Tony's Pizza Renka said, "I want to pay a visit to Smokey Dokey first." At the pot shop she bought a 5- pack of Red Ringer cigarettes that were 70% sativa, a 5- pack of Blu Zinger cigarettes that were 60% indica, and a handful of little seed packs. Nobi also bought two 5- packs of Red Ringers.

Entering Tony's Pizza, the hostess took them to a quiet booth in the back corner. After they ordered and while waiting for the beer, Renka shared one of her Red Ringers, saying, "Last night while Nobi was checking out at Smokey Dokey I read a brochure on the little seed packs. They've been genetically engineered. The Red Ringers have 50% more THC, are 70% sativa strain, tasting and smelling like blueberries. The Blue Zingers also have 25% more THC and 50% more CBD and are 60% Indica strain tasting and smelling like vanilla. The little tubes have 10 seeds each and are back filled with nitrogen, so they will stay fresh and viable for at least a hundred years. These could be seeds for a start-up shore based business, hmmm." "The product from Arkon Star grow room is not bad," said Nobi, "but you have to process it by hand. Ready rolled is so nice."

After finishing the pizza and ordering another round of craft beer, Loki asked, "Has anybody seen our new livestock? We now have three different breeds of pigs and three different breeds of chicken. That should make them more resilient to any viruses we might come in contact with." "Arkon One also sent volunteers for each group to man them for three shifts this next year," said Renka. "They also sent extra staff with sniper and small arms skills," said Loki. "I think Captain Jenkins is holding out on us," said Stakka, "Mabe we are going to hunt pirates while we count clouds, heh." "I don't know about you guys, but Loki and I have some Kundalini Yoga to practice before sleeping, heh." "And tomorrow morning we get underway," said Renka.

      Thursday, 0900, Arkon Star

ATTENTION  ALL  HANDS - NOW  HEAR  THIS -

SET THE SEA AND ANCHOR DETAIL - CAST OFF ALL LINES AND PREPARE TO GET UNDERWAY.

Their plan was to cruise Northeast until they got to 170 degrees west then turn north and proceed until they hit sea ice. They would log that point and the density and then proceed further north until they got to 49 degrees north latitude and turn East heading towards Vancouver. In Vancouver they would rendezvous with Captain Kuznet of the Vladivostok Cargo Clipper named 'Joy- Luck 8'.

After cruising North 5 kph for 25 days they turned East and 16 days later were approaching Vancouver.

      Wednesday, 2100, Arkon Star

Two days after turning east, Captain Jenkins invited our usual suspects to his quarters for a private interview after dinner.

"It has come to my attention that you four are the only ones who suspect our mission might not be only about climate. You are correct. What I am about to tell you is top secret. If I hear any word of this among the crew you will be marooned on a desert island," said Captain Jenkins with a scowl.

"We understand and agree sir," they said in unison.

"Very good," said Captain Jenkins, "be at ease now, this will be informal. The four of you were chosen because you have some unique skills that will help you blend in to a low-tech Seaside community.

"You have all spent 1 year or more in the rougher parts of San Fran or LA- Dago. You all have better-than-average small arms skill and minimum passing skills at hand to hand combat. You have spent one or two summers working on a farm. You are all sociable and outgoing," Captain Jenkins enumerated.

"The mission I am going to describe, you will have 7 days to consider before your answer," said Captain Jenkins. "While you are on this mission you will receive 50% hazardous duty pay saved in a bank account in your name on Arkon One." "Your mission will take place in San Fran and you will be paid your regular salary in San Fran creds. That currency is good for 300 km around San Fran and the exchange rate is one to one for our cred. The city is run by a benevolent dictator, named Chako, who maintains Law & Order, such as it is, for a stable economy. He is 47 years old, has a large family, has no surviving enemies, is in good health, and expected to live at least 20 more years."

"First, you will set up a primitive weather forecasting station with hardware we provide. This will give cover and possibly a small income. Second, you will survey the small farmers in the Central Valley and see how sophisticated their crop growing skills are. Arkon One and the Russian cargo clipper business are interested in long-term availability of certain crops, such as soybeans, tobacco, sorghum, and one or two others," said Captain Jenkins. "For the last 2 years the Russians say the crops available at the San Fran Marketplace have been sporadic and highly variable in quality. The LA- Dago Market is the same story. That brings us to the third part of your mission," said Captain Jenkins. "Depending on what you find with the farmers, you will nudge one of them into setting up a primitive Co-op to help them improve yield and crop rotation policies among themselves. You could even guarantee they will make some minimum profit from the Russian buyers if they follow your crop rotation directions and products planted."

"This is a lot to take in all at once," said Captain Jenkins, "What I would like you to do is in the evening find a table on the fantail food court away from the others and have a beer and discuss this amongst yourselves. In three days I will invite you back about this same time for a question-and-answer session. You will not have to make a decision for another 7 days after that," he concluded.

Stakka stood up and said for all of them, "Thank you for this opportunity Captain Jenkins. See you in 3 days, Sir." They left and headed immediately for the fantail food court.

They took their craft beer and snacks to a table on the edge with no one close to them. Loki opened the discussion by saying, "Wow! this is really exciting. I think one of our questions should be, 'Can we run a small grow business on the side if it doesn't interfere with our regular mission?" "I would agree," said Renka, "What do the rest of you think?" "Yeah." "OK."

"Here's a question that may be a little tricky," said Nobi, "We will probably have to work with the Chaco organization as we get bigger setting up a co-op. Will this be okay?" "That's a good one," said Stakka.

"Here's another tricky one," said Stakka, "How close are we supposed to coordinate with the Russian Outpost?"

"How about this one," said Renka, "Can we get a monthly care package of hard to get things, like vitamins, antibiotics, genetically modified super soy seeds, mabe 9mm ammo?" "good one" "yeah"

After another hour of back and forth chat they didn't come up with any more questions. They unanimously chose Stakka to contact the captain and say they were ready tomorrow morning. He left a note under the captain's door.

      Thursday, 2100, Arkon Star

When they were all gathered in the captain's cabin he said, "Well that was quick." "We read a lot of spy novels in our misspent youth," said Nobi.

Stakka related their questions to Captain Jenkins, who addressed them one by one.

"There will be no problem running a small ganja grow. It might even give you a good introduction to the Chaco organization."

"You will probably be contacted by some representative from Chaco on the co-op project. He is going to want a cut of the action. If his representative says he wants 10%, make a counter offer of 7%, and try to settle on 8%. Do not try to get the best of him and haggle too long."

"As for coordinating with the Russians in their shipping office, there will be no problem sharing plans and ideas. Sergei and Natasha have been there three years and have good local contacts. They are only a few years older than you guys. The Russians want this project to succeed as much as we do. Everybody will benefit, even the landlubbers, heh."

"A monthly care package of vitamins and antibiotics and other hard to get items is a good idea. Just give a list to Natasha and she will have it sent by one of their cargo Clippers."

Stakka said, "There's no need to wait another 7 days captain; we're all good to go, Sir."

"Very well," said Captain Jenkins, "Here's what will happen: in the next two days you will receive a small backpack that looks scruffy on the outside but is very well made. Put a few personal items you would like to take with you and maybe a few undergarments; local clothes and jackets will be provided by the Russians. When we anchor in Vancouver, the first night we will send you guys in a row boat to the Vladivostok Cargo Clipper named 'Joy- Luck 8'. Captain Kuznet will introduce you to his team coordinating events with the shore station. They will provide you with street worn clothes and boots so you fit in from day one."

"Thank you for this opportunity Captain Jenkins," they said in unison. "Goodbye and good luck," he replied.

    Tuesday, 0900, Arkon Star

ATTENTION  ALL  HANDS -  NOW  HEAR  THIS -

SET THE SEA AND ANCHOR DETAIL -

APPROACHING VANCOUVER HARBOUR.

           (expect posts Sat 8 am EST)
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