Celebration

by Diane Kachmar

Admiral Harriman Nelson keyed his command code into Seaview’s conning tower. He didn’t have to check the computer to know who’s code had preceded his. Lee had locked the hatch behind himself for a reason.

Harry smiled to himself as he closed the hatch and keyed it back to the locked position. Security needed to be observed, even if Nelson was sure he wouldn’t be staying all that long. Only long enough to pry Crane out of here.

Nelson took the down ladder into the control room and swiftly passed through to the spiral staircase that went up into officer country. Lee would be at his cabin desk, working, totally ignoring the fact that he had been missed or that his friends wanted his company this evening.

Harry wasn’t particularly in the mood for a party, either, but it was New Year’s Eve. When the clock did strike midnight, there was no better place to be than with the people he loved the most. Even if one of them had silently disappeared without even replying to the invitation and effectively put himself out of reach of the telephone.

Lee would not escape by coming here. Nelson was prepared to apply whatever leverage he needed to get his Captain over to his house for the party. There was no way he was going to host the plank owners alone.

Nelson had a feeling that was most of the problem. As much as Lee had become one with the boat, there would always be other members of the crew that had been there from day one. Sharkey wasn’t a plank owner, either, but his place as bartender of choice was assured and the owners would no more exclude the COB from this anniversary gathering than they would Crane.

If only Lee would see that. He was part of them, even if he hadn’t been there when the keel was laid. Harry had wanted Crane to be there and he had never quite forgiven Henry King for not giving him Lee until John Phillips was killed. John had been a good man and was an integral part of what they were honoring this night – lest old acquaintance be forgot... Nelson stopped in front of Lee’s closed cabin door and debated knocking, then found himself pushing the door open and going in.

Crane looked up in irritation and was about to let him have it for disturbing him, when Lee realized who it was he was about to yell at. The anger in Lee’s eyes died, turning to chagrin and then resignation as his features relaxed. Crane muttered very softly about it “being inevitable” and dropped his eyes back to the stack of papers in neat piles all over his desk.

“What are you working on?” Nelson hitched up onto the edge of the desk as Crane was seated in the only chair. “We don’t sail again for three weeks,” he added pointedly.

“I’m trying to get ahead, while it’s quiet,” Crane answered, as pointedly. “Tonight, with the crew on liberty, everyone else has something else to do so there won’t be any interruptions or matters that need attending to. I should get quite a bit done.”

“Only you would work on New Year’s Eve. Have you forgotten you have something else to do?”

Crane glanced up at him. “I don’t belong there. I’m not a plank owner.”

“Neither is Sharkey or Riley, but they didn’t refuse to come when they were invited.”

“To help host,” Crane replied.

Nelson looked over at his Captain. “If you think you are supercargo, you’d better think again, mister. The men want their Skipper there, no matter where he came in their history. They want you, as their Captain, to do the honors.”

“That’s your place, as ranking officer, as builder, as plank owner....”

“Takes a commissioned officer. I’m retired.”

Crane laughed, without humor. “Only when you want to be.”

“True,” Nelson granted.

“Chip, then, he’s a plank owner.”

“Why don’t you want to do it, son?” Nelson asked quietly, raising a hand. “And don’t tell me that you aren’t out here so we couldn’t find you to make you go.”

Nelson lowered his hand as he watched Lee struggle through denial to acceptance.

“I’m not a plank owner,” Crane said at last, lowering his gaze to the desk.

“No, you aren’t,” Harry agreed. “You are more than that. You are Captain of the Seaview. The Captain she was always supposed to have.”

Lee looked up at that, surprised. “John Phillips...”

“Was not my first choice... he ended up being the one the Navy would transfer to me.”

“Who did you ask for then?” Lee’s curiosity was aroused.

“You,” Nelson admitted. “ONI said they needed you, that any competent Academy grad could command my sub. The Atlantic Fleet Commander sided with ONI. Had he backed me, you would have been a plank owner. You should have been.”

Crane continued to look at him. “Why are you telling me this now?”

Nelson smiled. “I thought you knew how it was, with me and the crew, but if you did, we wouldn’t be having this talk and I wouldn’t be all the way down here trying to persuade you to go to a party you don’t think you belong at.”

Lee smiled sheepishly. “Am I being ordered to go, sir?”

“I don’t think that’s necessary, son. Up until now, the Captain of the Seaview always knew what his duties are. He would never let something like fate stop him from doing it.” Harry grinned at the younger man to take the sting out of his words.

Crane glanced at his watch. “They will be arriving within the hour. I’m not dressed appropriately to do the ceremony...”

“Then you’d best go home and change, hadn’t you? I trust you to make it on time.”

Lee stood up. “There’s no anchor watch. I gave them the night off, since I planned to be here. I don’t want them called back.”

Nelson smiled. “I’ve notified Institute security to assign someone who is already scheduled to keep an eye on the boat. I figured you would dismiss the men to go celebrate.” Harry raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?”

Crane met his gaze. “Something tells me there better not be.”

“Splendid. I’ll lock up.”

Lee paused in the doorway. “You asked for me?”

“Yes, son, I did. You’ve had Admirals fighting over you since you graduated the Academy. Don’t tell me you were not aware that they were.”

Crane shrugged. “I went where the orders sent me. I never really wanted to know what maneuvers were behind them. I wanted to be here, too, but the orders never came, until...”

“Not for lack of trying, son. King still won’t let you go completely.”

“I won’t reconnect my phone until after the party, sir,” Lee offered, with a smirk. “So you are stuck with me until at least tomorrow.”

“I’ll take it,” Nelson replied. “Now get going.”

“Aye, sir.” Crane ducked out the door and a few moments later Harry heard him going down the spiral stair to exit the submarine.

Nelson closed the cabin door behind him and walked slowly down the corridor to the staircase. It had been a long, frustrating five years getting her built and launched, but now he had the crew he had always hoped for, he would fight anyone to hang onto them. Honor the ones who were no longer with them, and cherish the ones who were.

The End