My Voyage of Submission Ch. 09

"And we need to refuel and resupply," Master mused.

"Yeah, we definitely weren't planning on doing either at Freeport."

"So definitely a leak somewhere. Interpol or our government?"

"More likely Interpol, sir. Might explain why they're having so much trouble finding the fucking bastard."

"Shit! And they know almost all of our business. Who we've recovered and where their families are if we know it. I wonder if someone knows where Fatima's parents are and they haven't told us. Wait here, Edgar. I need to call my wife. Why don't you let Beth out of her cage."

"Aye, aye, sir."

Edgar opened the door and helped me out while Master initiated a FaceTime call with Miranda. It was about two AM in Washington, DC we'd traveled far enough East to be a couple more time zones from Buenos Aires. We could see Maria naked in the bed beside her when she answered.

"Master? A pleasant surprise. What is it?"

"We think Mahmoud's men are waiting for us in Monrovia, not to capture the kidnapped girls parents, but perhaps to initiate an attack on us due to the number of men involved. Edgar thinks there's a leak in Interpol, so you need to quit sharing any information with them. I'd like to arrange for a fuel and food resupply from the US Navy, as we don't think we can resupply at either Freetown or Monrovia. Just to be on the safe side, don't send the girls parents to Monrovia anymore." He threw up a map of Africa on one of his screens. "Let's fly them into Dakar in Senegal instead. Leo will pick them up from there. Have the Navy send a supply ship South from the Mediterranean at flank speed. We'll adjust our course North to meet them. I still want to keep to our schedule so Mahmoud doesn't know we know what's going on. Do you think you'd have a problem arranging that?"

"I don't know, sir. I can ask and I'll let you know if there are any problems doing it. I'll be back in touch in an hour or so."

"Thank you, Miranda. We miss you."

"I miss you too, Master."

They terminated the connection. "Edgar, wake up the Captain and have him make all possible speed North towards Dakar. Send Smitty and a couple dozen other guys to Freetown. Have them remain hidden, no large gatherings. I don't want to give away our hand before we have to. Since we had a couple Interpol guys on board the ship, do a security sweep of the ship and make sure we don't have any tracking or listening devices on board. In fact, have the sweep done before the Captain heads North, just in case. I knew things weren't right."

"You got it, sir. Be done within the hour."

"I want the training to intensify. This looks like it's getting messier than I ever thought."

"Yes, sir."

"Let's hold an early, pre-breakfast muster, tell everything to the crew. I'll probably suspend the Employee of the Day, Week and Month for the moment. I want everyone focused on the situation. When we pick it up again, I'll try to double it up, make up for the missed time."

"As you wish."

"Get started."

Edgar gave the naked women a wide grin and left.

"Hannah and Angelique, you need to make sure you get some training too. I know you've had it before, Hannah, but Angelique hasn't. I know this isn't what she signed up for when she joined you for this voyage, but it's what we've got now."

"Yes, sir. We'll be ready when the rest are."

"Fuck!" He exclaimed. "This sure throws a monkey wrench into what I'd had planned for the next several days. Might as well get cleaned up and dressed."

Master let Hannah and Ange use the shower while we took care of our other needs, then when they left, we used it. He soaped me up and kissed me as our soapy bodies slithered against each other, but he was careful not to give me an orgasm. Some things hadn't changed. On the other hand, he didn't ask me for one either. Nor did he paddle my ass, still cautious after using the stingray barb on me. We heard the announcement for morning muster in fifteen minutes as we got out of the shower.

"I'm almost out of birth control pills, Master. Will you be breeding me, or shall I renew my prescription?"

"I don't want to breed you on this trip. I want a delectable, eminently fuckable slave on the ship who isn't carrying a baby around. We still have a large chunk of this voyage left."

"I'll speak to Manuel then, after muster."

"Please do."

We went to muster and Master had a whispered conversation with Edgar. He took the microphone to speak to the crew.

"We're making a sudden change in plans. We have reason to suspect there was an ambush planned for us when we arrived in Monrovia. We won't be stopping there or Freetown for supplies. Miranda is trying to arrange for the US Navy to resupply us. As a result, we're going to be steaming North toward Dakar. We still plan on going to Freetown to ransom the captured American Peace Corps volunteer, but we will be anchoring offshore. We believe someone in Interpol has been sharing information with Mahmoud, though we don't know which person it is, or if it was more than one. We've found both listening bugs and a GPS tracker on board the ship. Edgar believes there's something else on the ship, but he can't get a bead on the location as the signal is very weak and there's a lot of electronic interference from other devices.

"I need everyone to shut down their phones, iPads, computers and other electronic devices. The ship is going to shut down the radars and radios for a few minutes to see if we can find the source of the signal. Turn off everything now, and report back here. Fatima, please explain to the other young ladies how to shut down their iPads."

Everyone scattered to turn off everything. The radar mast stopped turning. I went to my room to shut down everything I owned, computer, iPads, printer, phone. Master was shutting off the stuff in his cabin. It was the first time I'd ever seen all the screens dark. I went out on the sundeck again and Edgar and three others security guys were walking to the four corners of the ship, looking for the signal. Ethan waved Edgar over and pointed down the side of the ship on the outside. Edgar called Master over and pointed to something.

"Ethan, bring a tender round and take that fucking thing off."

"Aye, aye, sir."

The ship came to a stop and Ethan and Rafael lowered a tender and brought it to the side of the ship. I went over to watch. While Ethan held the Tender close, Rafael stood on the front, stretched way up and pulled something off the side, which looked like a small bump. He threw it into the water. They came back aboard and the muster meeting resumed after the tender was lifted and the ship resumed steaming.

"Because we don't know how much information about us has been released, we're going to go into a piracy watch setting. I want watches doubled and the guards issued weapons. I want training to intensify. You'll be given body armor. I want you to keep it handy and put it on in the event of any emergency. I'm cancelling the Employee rewards for the time being. I want your minds on the dangers we face. I'll try to make it up to you later, but no promises. Go get some breakfast, ladies and gentlemen."

Before they went to breakfast, Fatima and the other freed slaves came up to Master and me.

"I'm sorry Joshua, but we don't quite understand what happened. Even speaking English, I'm not sure I understood. Could you please explain it better?"

"You knew we were going to Monrovia, didn't you."

"Yes, I helped the Captain plot the course."

"We were going there to refuel, take on provisions and get the parents of the latest girl that was taken by Mahmoud who we intend to pay ransom for. Edgar sent a few other men to Monrovia ahead of time to look for any potential trouble. Sometime yesterday, a bunch of bad looking men started showing up around the port, like they were waiting for something to happen there. We believe they were Mahmoud's men and he was planning to attack this ship, because he was bringing in more men than he should need for any other purpose, such as scouting for new women to kidnap. Because the only people who knew we were going to Monrovia in the first place were my government and Interpol, we believe someone from one of those places is working with Mahmoud.

"In addition to me, who would make a very tempting target for someone like Mahmoud as both the husband of a US Congresswoman and rich in his own right, there are a number of attractive women aboard, six of you who are already trained as slaves who could easily be resold, plus others. It could be a source of much money to him or others. No matter how well trained we are, if he had enough men, he could take this ship. We don't want to do what he wants us to do, so we're changing course and going somewhere else. We still have to show up in Freetown, but it's going to be on our terms, not his."

"Additionally, we found listening devices and GPS tracking devices on our ship, which means someone was trying to keep track of us. The only people who've come aboard since we became involved in the slave trade by recovering you, are Brazilian Police and Interpol agents. Which means one of those people planted those devices on my ship. It could have been someone in the Brazilian Police, but they didn't have time to plan it. Which gives me even more reason to suspect one of the Interpol agents is giving information to Mahmoud."

"I've asked my wife to quit sharing information with Interpol from now on, but they already know about us, the women we've rescued, where they came from, so we're going to take more precautions than usual. We're increasing the number of people on watch, training harder and doing more to be prepared."

Fatima started speaking to the others in Arabic and they told Hibbah and Ateefah in Portuguese. Both Maahnoor and Hibbah got very jumpy when told about Mahmoud and that he might have attacked the ship. Sahar started yelling at them all in Portuguese. She was getting in their faces and holding their arms as she spoke to them.

"What is she saying to them?" I asked Fatima.

"Spanish is close, but not the same as Portuguese. I'll ask her when she gets done."

When she finished, Fatima asked her what she told the others. Sahar answered back. Fatima said, "Sahar told them they need to get off their asses and learn to protect themselves and don't depend on others to protect them. She said she learned some things from you last night and she would show them how to shoot better. She told them not to be afraid, but be angry at the people who made them cower like sheep and resolve never to be so helpless again. She expected them to work like dogs to learn English and how to protect themselves and she'd be on them constantly until they did what she said. She told them they should worry about her and not Mahmoud, because she was worse."

I started laughing. "God, you have to love a woman who can kick ass and take names. By the way, you can turn your iPads on again."

Fatima and Master began laughing as well. Fatima told Sahar what I said and she smiled, a wide grin. She pointed to herself and said, "Ass kicker," which made us laugh harder.

I grabbed her and gave her a big hug. "Let's go down to the gym and kick some ass."

"Eat first. Kick ass second," Sahar said, then barked something to the others in Portuguese and they all headed to the mess, Sahar dragging Farah along because she didn't speak Portuguese.

"I've put off Pierre's ceremony. This seemed like a bad time to hold it," Fatima said.

"I agree," Master said, "but you still have to do things to establish his submissiveness. Some can be in private, but some should be in public, or at least with an audience. Doesn't have to be the whole ship, just some of his peers. Perhaps we'll have a staff meeting up in the game room. A little more privacy there, and you can do something. Plan on that."

******

I was waiting my turn on the gun range when Edgar asked me what I'd told Sahar last night. She was not only consistently shooting her target area, but all the others were shooting twice as good too. Sahar was standing behind them as they shot, coaching them.

"I taught her how to ignore distractions like I do. It's why I can shoot better than you when we're both cumming. She apparently told the others. They were frightened when they heard Mahmoud might have attacked us and she's lit a fire under them, telling them she was worse than Mahmoud."

"Whatever you taught her, it seemed to work. I'm going to start her on Hogan's Alley this afternoon. The rest of them might be ready then also. Most of them were somewhat afraid of firearms before."

"They needed to be reminded there are scarier things than guns."

"By the way, I thought about what you said and asked Fatima if she'd be interested in a date."

"Any answer yet?"

"She didn't dismiss it out of hand, but said she'd think about it."

On my turn, I tried the special forces clearing the ship scenario again. I made it ten minutes without getting killed this time. A hundred percent improvement, but dead was dead. Maybe I should stick to the usual.

******

At lunch, Master told everyone the Navy was sending an Arleigh Burke class destroyer to resupply us. "They loaded up with extra supplies and are headed our way now at 30 knots. Miranda said they can't be in on the ransom payment, but if anyone starts attacking us, they'll take a hand, defending US citizens from rogue forces. They're sending the destroyer because it can make better time than a supply ship, plus the extra firepower."

"Won't mind them watching our back," Captain Amundsen said, taking a quick break from bridge duty. Fatima was eating with him.

"What type of armament does a destroyer carry," I asked.

"The things we're most interested in are the ground attack weapons," Björn replied. "Five inch gun mount capable of firing twenty rounds per minute up to 20 miles, the Tomahawk Missile, which likely wouldn't be used if civilians could be injured, but it's also got two helicopters which can carry Hellfire missiles. The rest of its armaments are designed for anti-air, anti-ship, and anti-submarine warfare. Nothing fucking Mahmoud has would be able to touch it."

"This sounds so serious, Master."

"It is serious, Beth. The life of a young girl depends on us, plus I have the responsibility for every life on my ship. I told you before, people are the most precious assets I have. I depend on them the way they depend on me. I can't imagine a life anymore without you in it, nor anyone else on board. I've always believed in strategic thinking. I want to be at least three steps ahead of my opponent, whether it's another businessman, or Mahmoud."

"I understand, sir. They're like my family now, too. You said you were sending Smitty and a couple dozen other guys to Freetown. Who are these couple other dozen guys?"

"You don't think the people on this ship are the only ex-military people I hire, did you? These are just the ones with strong maritime experience. There are a few others as well. It pays to be prepared for emergencies."

"So Smitty is...?"

"Smitty is ex-Delta Force. He's kind of my Edgar on shore. Something like this, he goes in to get the lay of the land and let us know what we're facing. He's going into Freeport, let us know what's up, and bring a few friends, make sure we're not outnumbered, because Interpol and Mahmoud don't know about Smitty. Same thing Smitty did in Monrovia. Get the lowdown on the bad guys and let us know as we don't want to walk in there unprepared."

"Just like Mahmoud won't know we have a destroyer on our side."

"Nope. Won't know about that either. It's more than I expected. We could probably handle the situation with what we had, but any time you can bring overwhelming force, it reduces the chance of bloodshed. I doubt if these men are martyrs. They might risk a few of their number getting killed, but not everyone. Right now, all I want is the girl."

"You risk everyone, this whole ship, to save one woman?" Sahar asked.

She'd been following along on the conversation although she hadn't spoken at all and I couldn't be sure she understood all of it.

"I don't think I'm taking great risks. I promised her family and the US government I would help ransom her. Her family is depending on me to bring her home. I believe I have the people to make it possible without anyone being hurt. She doesn't deserve this anymore than you did."

"Is her family rich? Important?"

"Not rich or important," Master said. "Her family has some money, but they're selling most of what they possess to get her back."

"You good man, Joshua. I like you. No wonder Beth love you." Not translated.

"Thank you, Sahar. Coming from you, I consider that high praise." I did too.

"Edgar, you show me to kick ass."

Edgar stuck a hand up and cupped it around his ear. "Listen everyone, you hear that? My fans are calling me. It's kick ass time."

Even Sahar laughed.

******

That afternoon, Edgar was going through Hogan's Alley with all the freed slaves except Farah, the newest. She still hadn't managed to meet the minimum requirements. He pointed out that the scenario showed people considered to be good people you didn't want to shoot, and bad people you would. It was important to know the difference.

"Everyone on board the ship has a uniform, and hopefully, we'll all have time to put on bullet proof vests if attacked. They are distinctive, and it will help determine which are enemies, and which are not."

"We no have uniform. Beth no uniform," Sahar said. "We should have uniform, no get shot. Before Farah come, many naked. No uniform. All should have."

"You're right. Before we get close to land, everyone needs a uniform. I'll tell Joshua. Perhaps we can find something from stock that fits everyone, or share clothes. The purpose of this exercise is to stay alive. People appear who will shoot at you. If you are behind something, represented by this area here, enemies can't shoot you. If you stand in the open, they can.

"If they shoot you once, you're wounded, if they shoot you twice, you're dead. The same with enemies, if you shoot them once, they're wounded, unless you shoot them in the head. One shot in head, they're dead. Otherwise, shoot everyone twice. If you shoot a friend once, they're wounded. If you shoot them twice, they're dead. If you kill a friendly, you lose the game. If you die, you lose the game."

"You don't have to move to win the game. Enemies will come to you, but so will friends. Shoot the enemies, let the friends pass. If you can make it through the game twice in a row without dying and without wounding a friend, you'll be issued a firearm. If we are attacked for real, I want you to stay in one place. Get in any room and close the door, aim your gun at the door. Do not open the door for anyone except someone who's voice you recognize. They should give you a signal word that says it's okay to leave the room. If anyone comes through the door without giving the signal word, shoot them."

"What word, signal?"

"You pick it. Pick a word you recognize, but everyone needs the same word."

Sahar conferred with her fellows. "Liberdade, is Brazil word for Freedom. We shoot anyone who doesn't say Liberdade and enter room."

"I'll make sure everyone knows."

"We kick ass now. Go"

Sahar went first and died five minutes into the game. "Stay behind barrier, Sahar. Shoot from cover."

"Me not afraid to die, want kill bad man."

"Do you want Farah to die, or Fatima or Ateefah?"

"I no shoot them. Shoot bad man."

"You may be protecting them. If you die, they die. Put your gun down."

Sahar put it down and Edgar put her down in a crouched position facing the ladder up to a higher deck. "This is the room you had to come to, because it was the closest. You're watching for bad man to come down that ladder. Fatima is behind you, watching that door over there," pointing to another door out of the gym. "Fatima cannot watch both places at once. She needs you to watch ladder, shoot bad man come down the ladder. If you're dead, Fatima can watch that ladder, or that door, not both, so she also dies. Bad men get past this room, go someplace else, kill someone else who can't watch two directions.