Mail Boat , Part two

It was all very sudden , one moment she was standing on a small artificial island , twenty miles out at sea , talking with an Alien being .

No , not an Alien , An Atlantian and a guy whom she had just met a few hours ago who turned over his boat to her and handed her a , what ?

An owners manual ? , an instruction guide ?

She got back aboard the " Mail Boat " and watched as the island that she had just watched rise from the ocean twenty minutes before , now sink slowly back into the sea .

Martie stood there at the edge of the deck as the boat rocked gently side to side , did this really just happen ?

The radio crackled to life .

" MB 444 , this is Frank do you copy ? "

Martie snapped out of her moment of confusion .

She picked up the mike and answered .

" This is Martie I copy " , she replied ."

" You need to get under way " .

" you are still on a schedule , follow Opus , the big shark . He will lead you out of the dome , Read the manual "

" OUT "

" Roger , Martie Out "

Martie glanced at the compass , It was spinning left and then right , it was not making sense .

Then she heard a thump , the shark had nudged the boat .

Martie put the boat in gear and got underway .

Moments later she was following the big shark " Opus " back towards the main land , she hoped .

She opened the " Manual " that Frank had given her and flipped quickly through its contents .

There was a section on the operation and maintenance of the Mail Boat . Another on her specific duties , one which detailed her " Route " , and other sections / chapters as well .

But right now she needed to focus on piloting the boat back to the harbor .

She became aware that the water around her was especially calm as she engaged the throttle to one quarter and began following Opus , the giant shark who was her only guide . She would just have to put her trust in him .

She was somewhat concerned and confused that the compass was acting so strangely , but she just kept following Opus with the hope that he would lead her back to shore . Within a few minutes she noticed that just ahead of her the water turned to a more typical level of waves and a slight chop along a distinct line that arced back to either side as she approached , the sunlight seemed to become just a little brighter as she crossed that strange barrier , She glanced back and saw that the water that she had just left now matched the surrounding waters , wave for wave , the calm flat water was nowhere to be seen .

" The Dome "

Frank had said something about a dome .

Martie glanced at the compass which now pointed steadily to starboard ( Right ) , as it should if she was heading back to the west and the mainland .

Opus was still there just a few yards ahead of her and slightly to her port .

She pushed the throttle forward and the boat gained speed quickly , she tested the wheel , A little to port and then back , It was very responsive , she glanced at the gauges and brought the throttle to full .

Just under fifty knots and nothing but a mild whirr from the twin electric motors that propelled the craft forward , and a steady rushing of the sea as it met the bow , and the occasional dull thud of a wave or swell .

Before long she saw the shore line rise before her as she neared the harbor .

A few minutes later Opus leapt from the water like a dolphin , to her port , and then disappeared . She had never known a shark to do that , but Opus was obviously no ordinary shark .

Martie guided the boat into the harbor , cut the throttle back to a slow idle , and brought it into it's slip .

She tied the boat off , fore and aft , and then returned to the cabin and picked up the manual and began to read .

Martie spent the remainder of the day and all of that night on the boat , in the forward cabin , reading and rereading the Manual , as she first sat on and then reclined on the bunk , there was a chart in the manual which laid out her route to an old oil derrick which had been purchased by an eccentric millionaire and brought from the north sea . Which he then anchored sixty miles out and used as a private estate . This was all a ruse of course , But it served as a cover for the Derrick's real purpose .

At some point well past midnight , Martie fell asleep .

Martie startled awake … the boat had shifted slightly , Somebody had come aboard !

Her mind raced , Her years of service in special forces sent waves of adrenaline surging through her veins . There was light coming through the cabin's windows , It was just after dawn .

Something awoke in her mind , In the manual , it said there was a pistol , a 9 mm , stashed in a cabinet under the bunk .

As quietly as she could , she located the weapon . The clip was in , she slid the receiver back , and then let it forward , watching as the round chambered .

She sprang up from the cabin and onto the deck where she confronted an individual , standing on the deck of the boat .

HER boat now .

" Who the hell are you , and why are you on my boat ? "

She asked , as she aimed the weapon directly at his face .

" Whoa , hold on there , I'm here to visit Frank "

" Frank's not here and he is not coming back "

" Now get the HELL off MY boat . "

Martie quickly appraised the man , he was older , well into his sixties or maybe even older , he had his arms raised , one hand empty and in the other her held a bottle of what looked like whiskey .

" Have you gotten to the last page yet ? "

" What ? " she asked .

" The last page of the manual , where it mentions the tradition of " handing off of the vessel ? "

" No "

" O K "

The old man set the bottle down on the deck , and then stepped back over the side of the boat and onto the dock .

" Go read the last page few pages , " he said , and then walked to the land end of the pier , and sat on a small bench that was there .

Martie watched the old man as he went to the end of the pier , and then she ducked back into the cabin and opened the manual to the last page .

" Expect a meeting with an old man named Lincoln "

" He will be expecting a ride to the retirement party at the derrick , you can trust him , He was my predecessor . "

Martie set the manual back down on the bunk , and tried to think it all through , so much so fast .

She went back up on deck .

she stood there a moment before she beckoned the stranger back to the boat with a wave of her hand .

He rose from the bench and walked out onto the pier until he got to the side of the boat .

" Permission to come aboard Captain ? "

" State your name " She demanded .

" Forrest Lincoln " , he replied

" Permission granted . "

" You won't need that , " he said as he pointed at the pistol that she still held in her hand .

Martie had almost forgotten the weapon in her hand , almost

But she laid it on the control panel , still cocked and ready , and very near to hand .

" We should get under way , we have a retirement party to attend " He said

Martie put the boat in motion and guided it out of the harbor , at a slow idle .

The old man " Forrest Lincoln " had settled onto the "dog house", a wooden boxlike structure that housed the mechanical workings of the ship , directly amid ship and somewhat aft .

The craft cleared the harbor and headed due east , at a slow cruise .

A few moments later , Opus surfaced on the port side

Forrest Lincoln leaned over the rail and patted the big fish , as if he was petting a dog .

Opus responded by rolling over in the water , and then leaping out of the water , only to surge ahead and begin guiding the way again .

" Good 'ol' Opus " said the old man , " always reliable " then returned to his seat on the dog house .

For a moment Martie thought the old man might tumble over the side , but he was as sure on his feet as any fisherman she had ever known .

They followed Opus away from the harbor headed due East at about two thirds speed , but after a few minutes , Opus began to veer to the north .

" I thought we would be heading back to Atlantis , If we are going to meet Frank "

" We could be , but we aren't , " The man Explained , The island that you saw yesterday was not actually Atlantis , It was a submersible craft that the Atlantians use to make contact at the surface . It can appear anywhere they like , but no , we are not going there today ."

" Would you mind telling me where we are going then ?" asked Martie .

" Not at all " he replied , " We are going to the other stop on your route , It is an old oil derrick that was brought here from the north sea , it now serves as the residence of your other customer ."

" By the way , My name is Forrest Lincoln , but everybody just calls me Lincoln . "

" I'm Martie Miles , people call me Martie "

" Officially he is known as , Jack Smith , a billionaire entrepreneur , slash recluse who lives on the derrick for the sake of privacy , but that is just a cover story of course ."

" His actual name is , Naxivoo Croosh , and he is an emissary from a distant world in another star system . He came here in the 1940's , perhaps you have heard of Roswell and area 51 ? "

Martie just nodded slightly .

" Well that was all about him . That was a bit over a hundred years ago ."

" But wasn't that a UFO crash site with dead aliens , or so the story goes ? "

" All a cover story , There was no actual crash , or bodies , that was all made up to keep the public from panicking , after bits of the real story got leaked to the press . "

" I guess it didn't work very well then ."

" Of course it did , it worked perfectly , The initial landing and first meeting took place at sea . The whole Roswell " Crash " was a diversion , it was all staged . "

Lincoln pointed forward .

There about a mile in the distance loomed the old oil derrick . It was not what Martie expected .

It stood on five supports and had what looked like three decks that were enclosed against the elements , as well as two helicopters on the uppermost deck . Martie also noticed a bright green glow coming from the top deck .

Martie's first thought was that it looked more like a round cruise ship or maybe a high rise penthouse , rather than an oil derrick .

" He has had it modified to suit his needs of course ." Lincoln commented .

As they got near Martie could make a multitude of cameras , as well as what looked like gun emplacements .

Lincoln explained that security was a real concern , and while some of the cameras were fake , the guns were all very real .

Martie brought the mail boat alongside one of the support legs that had a floating pier attached by a gangway , There they were met by two individuals who were Atlantians . They tied off the boat and invited them inside .

The two of them walked up the gangway and through a door in the support leg where there was an elevator , which brought them up to the middle deck .

And there was Frank with a silly party hat on his head , and a drink in his hand , Martie felt an odd sense of relief as Frank came towards them with his arms wide .

He embraced them each in turn and then led them through the group assembled there , there was the Atlantian whom she had met her first day out , An African prince , A high ranking Chinese official , A British member of parliament , as well as An Emir from Saudi Arabia , and several others as well . their names were spoken , a couple she recognized from the media , but the others she had never heard of and was barely able to acknowledge them before Frank led her through the crowd to a set of stairs leading up .

And there was that green glow . It intensified as they climbed the stairs , her , Frank , and Lincoln .

When they entered the room at the top of the stairs the light was overwhelming .

Yet almost immediately it changed to a normal tone , and there in front of her stood a large being .

He had grey scaly skin , and a very large jaw , full of teeth , He stood somewhat hunched remining her of a giant hairless squirrel .

" Forgive my Illumitory , It is the natural light of my home world ."

" You get used to it in time said Frank and Lincoln as well , almost in unison .

" My home world orbits a binary sun , one is yellow much like your own , but the second is a blue dwarf , and the combined effect is an ambient green hue ."

" I am Naxivoo Croosh , welcome to my home ."

" May I introduce Madame President Ms. Cortez "

Martie could not believe it , here was the president of the United States , shaking her hand .

shortly after that introduction there was a ceremony officially ceding the role of " Mail Carrier for the Interspecies Alliance " to Martie Miles .

Frank gave a short speech , which he read from a rumpled piece of paper , and there were many toasts and shaking of hands .

And Then Martie's turn .

She managed to say a few words including humble and grateful and such , as she was totally unprepared .

There was another round of toasts and handshakes . as well as many well wishes and then still more toasts and handshakes .

It was all so overwhelming , her mind was reeling , there was so much to process , and perhaps a bit too much to drink .

Before she realized it Martie was back on the mailboat , her mailboat , tied back up to the dock in the harbor , as dawn was breaking .

She vaguely remembered Frank and Lincoln , getting her back on the boat and into the bunk in the cabin .

Lincoln had guided the boat back to it's slip . she remembered him talking to her about ... something ? coffee maybe ?

She went up on deck , Lincoln was nowhere to be seen , but there was a large cup of coffee , still warm sitting in the cup holder of the captain's chair .

She knew that she was going to love her new job .