| A Question of Loyalty |
| Nelson looked up with a smile as Lee Crane strode into his Institute office. "Lee! Welcome back."
Crane smiled back at him, crossing the room to perch on the corner of Nelson's desk. "Good to be back, sir." Their eyes met, speaking the words that stayed unsaid in public. Nelson again marveled at how much his life had changed recently. "So the real traitor is behind bars?" Lee nodded. "I turned him over to base security, and Adm. Johnson was sending out an ONI investigator to find out exactly who was behind this." "Any clues?" Lee shrugged. "Not my job anymore to worry about that." Nelson chuckled. He'd gotten a very distressed call from Adm. Johnson of ONI yesterday. It seemed that Lee's retirement paperwork had picked now to push it's way through the last of the process. "No, it's not. And Johnson doesn't like it one bit!" Lee laughed. "Well, I do like it. No more political nonsense. Seaview and her Captain are dedicated to research as you always intended." Nelson grinned. "Well, now that you mention it, Captain, there was some research I was hoping you could help me with later this evening �?" Lee thought it was a good thing Starke wasn't in the room just then, because Harry's expression alone would have given the man a heart attack. "I'd be delighted, sir �" Just then a knock at the door startled them both back to military decorum. Angie stuck her head in. "Admiral, there's a Mr. Jackson here to see you?" Like any good secretary, Angie had picked up on the subtle shift in the relationship between her superiors. // About time he let somebody get behind that crusty exterior! // Both of them looked startled, almost guilty, and decidedly flushed. Cautiously, she kept the door closed behind her, giving them a moment to compose themselves. Nelson coughed, clearing his throat, before speaking. "Yes, Angie, send him in." Lee got up from the desk, putting some much needed distance between himself and his lover. He extended his hand to his friend. "Joe! I'm glad you took my advice. You know Adm. Nelson?" Nelson also stood and shook Jackson's hand. "Good to see you again, Jackson." "An honor to see you again, sir." Nelson chuckled. "Relax, Jackson. From what I hear you're not in the navy anymore?" Jackson sighed. "Uh, no sir �" Nelson shook his head. "Forget about it, Jackson. I know the sordid details, and I don't care. We've proven it was an enemy plot to gain access to the new security codes. And as for the rest, well, as I said, I don't care. Let me make this clear. Adm. Starke is reversing your dishonorable discharge. You can go back to your Navy job if you want it. But there's something here at the Institute for you if you decide you wouldn't be comfortable there after the recent � revelations." Jackson looked back and forth from Nelson to Crane, realizing that there was absolutely no recrimination here. He could be himself, not have to hide. Maybe even pursue something more serious with Lee � "Um, what would you need a man like me for, sir?" Lee spoke up. "Joe, I've finally cut my ties with the Navy. Full retirement. Seaview will no longer be taking on ONI missions. She's a purely research vessel." Nelson cut in. "I'm going to be dedicating more of my time to our scientific missions from now on. I'll need somebody who understands subs, as well as bureaucracy, to take on the business of running the Institute. And besides, I've got other � personal reasons as well for wanting to lessen my workload." He glanced up at Lee before quickly refocusing his gaze on Jackson. "I need a good Administrator I can trust." That look filled in the final piece of the puzzle. Crane's departing wink as he left the bar in Honolulu suddenly made sense. He and Nelson were lovers! // so much for that idea � // For the moment he bit back his surprise and focused on the issue at hand. Nelson was offering him a dream job. A life still connected to the sea, but out of the reach of the narrow minds of the military. A life where he could be himself. He looked up into Nelson's penetrating blue eyes and understood in an instant why this man was so widely respected and admired. "Thank you, sir. I'll do everything I can to deserve that trust." Nelson grinned. "I'm sure you will, Joe! Welcome aboard! You can work out the details with Angie. Lee, why don't you show Joe around and get him settled, hmm?" As they left the office, Lee looked at his friend. "You have a place to stay yet?" Jackson shook his head. "After our talk yesterday, I just hopped the first commercial flight out here. Didn't really make any plans yet �" Lee nodded. "Then why don't you crash at my apartment until you can find a place of your own? We'll be sailing tomorrow anyhow, so I won't be using it." Jackson glanced surreptitiously back towards Nelson. "Somehow I get the feeling you don't use it much anymore anyhow, Lee �" His voice was pitched low so that only Lee heard his words. Crane chuckled. "Now where would you get an idea like that?" Jackson just raised his eyebrow as they came up to Angie's desk. "Angie, Joe is going to be joining the institute staff." The ever-efficient secretary gave Jackson a welcoming smile. "I've already got the paperwork ready, Captain. Adm. Nelson had me draw everything up yesterday." Crane laughed. "Well, then, I'll leave Joe in your very capable hands, Angie. I've got to run down to Seaview and check on a few things anyway." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ski puttered around the kitchen, checking on the status of dinner. Chief Sharkey had called that morning asking Patterson to come down to Seaview and help him check out a few things before their departure tomorrow morning. Although disappointed at not having the last day of shore leave together, Pat had gone willingly. Always loyal, recent events had shown them both just how lucky they were to work on Seaview. There was nothing they wouldn't do for Nelson, Crane, and the Institute. So instead of spending the day in bed as planned, Ski had run over to his apartment to tidy a bit before heading out again. It had felt strange to be back there, in the place where they had been spied upon. He still didn't feel comfortable in his own home, and that was really pissing him off. He swore that if Starke ever set foot on Seaview again, he was going to regret what he had done, Admiral or not. Chores done, he'd headed back to Pat's apartment and started making dinner for them both. Kielbasa and pirogies, good Polish cooking he'd learned from his mother. The cheese and potato filled pastries floated in a sea of butter and caramelized onions. OK, not so good for the cholesterol, but somehow when he was about to put out to sea, he wanted some 'comfort food.' Even Pat had gotten used to it, like a ritual 'last meal' of real food. Not that the food aboard Seaview was that bad, in fact as subs went, it was first class. But there was only so much you could do in that environment. The apartment door opened and Pat came in. He followed his nose into the kitchen where Ski was dishing up their dinner. "Mmm� smells good," said as he wrapped his arms around his lover from behind. Ski smiled as he felt Pat's lips press against his neck, and something hard and familiar pressing tight against his ass. He felt his own cock twitch as he pressed back. "Come on, let's eat. I�m hungry." Pat let go and they settled down to the table and dug in. As they ate, Pat filled him in on the goings-on aboard Seaview. "I ran into the Skipper this afternoon. They figured out where those photos came from. Sort of.� Ski looked up from his food. �What do you mean, sort of?� �Well, Adm. Starke didn�t have them taken. They were sent to him. And we weren�t the only ones involved.� That surprised Ski. He had been so sure the overbearing Admiral had been responsible � �Anybody we know?� Pat shook his head. �Just Starke�s Aide! Apparently it was all a plot to get both Jackson and Starke out of the office when the new security codes were delivered. The Skipper went over to Pearl and pretended to be the courier and caught the replacement aide when he tried to steal them. Turns out the poor guy was being blackmailed � they threatened to kill his mom if he didn�t play along!� �Shit!� Ski just shook his head. �So what happens now?� Pat shrugged. �Skipper said he turned it over to ONI. We�ll probably never know who was really behind it. Not that anybody ever tells us anything anyhow.� Ski laughed. �Yeah. Nice of the Skipper to give you that much.� �He said he owed it to us.� Ski nodded, not saying anything. Pat wiped the last of the butter from his lips and grinned across the table at his partner. �So � how about some REAL Polish sausage for dessert?� Kowalski laughed. �Long as you clean up the dishes afterwards!� ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~` After a busy afternoon filling out paperwork and getting a thorough tour of the Institute grounds, Joe was happy to find a few minutes peace at Lee's apartment. He found a bottle of whiskey and poured himself a glass, knowing Lee wouldn't mind. His mind was whirling. Talk about riding an emotional roller-coaster! Before Lee had walked into that bar yesterday morning, he'd been sure his life, his career, were over. Nobody would hire him with a dishonorable discharge on his record. He had always known it was a possibility; but he had been discrete. He wondered why they just hadn't blackmailed HIM with those photos? He'd always been loyal, especially to Starke. Had they thought him too honorable to be blackmailed? He certainly hoped so. Still, it was Starke's reaction which hurt him more than anything. Even with the discharge reversed, he knew he could never have gone back to being COMSUBPAC's aide-de-camp. There was too much trust in that relationship, trust that had been shattered. He was startled to hear a knock at the door. Thinking it was probably somebody looking for Lee, he cautiously peered out the peep hole. His stomach tied itself into a knot as he recognized Adm. Starke. He swallowed nervously and opened the door. "Admiral?" For once, the usually ebullient Starke seemed subdued. "Jackson. Harriman told me you'd be staying here until you found a local apartment �" Jackson nodded mutely and waved his former boss in. Once the door was closed behind them, they looked at each other awkwardly. "Joe � I � I'm sorry. I � overreacted �" Jackson nodded again, not sure what to say. But he realized that with Nelson's offer, this man had no hold over him anymore. "That's just not enough, sir. I served you for five years as your top aide. I thought I had earned your trust. And maybe even your friendship. I guess I was wrong." He quickly turned away to stare out the window. Jackson's words struck Starke to the core. His words came out very softly, quite a change from his usual 'bullhorn' style. "You weren't wrong, son." Joe spun around to face him. "Then how could you do this to me? You didn't even stop to think, did you? You took one look at those photos and declared yourself judge, jury and executioner! Do you know how many times over the years I've cleaned up your messes when you've done just the same thing to others? I defended your actions when even I felt they were abhorrent. Because you were the great Admiral Starke who has done so much in his career. I respected you! Was a little loyalty too much to ask in return?" Starke shook his head. "I'm sorry, Joseph. I don't know what else I can say. It's hard to learn that something you've always believed � no, KNOWN to be true, is wrong. I was taught that homosexuality was immoral. How could any man who embraced an immoral life style possibly understand things like loyalty and honor? If morality meant anything to you, you'd ignore those desires and do the right thing. You didn't, therefore how could I trust you to do the right thing under other difficult circumstances?" "Do you really believe that?" Joe asked, incredulous. Starke sighed; his entire demeanor was subdued. "Not any more. I've discovered someone else, someone whose loyalty and honor I can't doubt, is like you. He forced me to see the real truth �" "Adm. Nelson." Starke looked up sharply, then relaxed. Joe worked for Nelson now; and from the tone of his voice, Starke realized that he was already on his way to becoming 'Nelson's man,' just like Crane and the rest of the crew of Seaview. Harriman certainly had a way of generating loyalty in his crew. Starke simply nodded. Joe sighed. "I wish the honor and loyalty I'd shown you these past five years had been enough to convince you." Starke nodded again. "It should have been, son. It should have been. I've been a blind old fool. Can you forgive me?" As his anger wound down, Joe was stunned by the realization that the usually powerful Admiral suddenly looked like a tired, lonely old man. There was still enough affection in his heart for the old curmudgeon to respond. "I � think with time, yes." Starke's eyes closed as an unaccustomed emotion � gratitude � surged through him. He really hadn't let himself think about how much this young man had come to mean to him. "Thank you, Joseph," he said softly. "You're welcome, sir," came the equally soft reply. Starke shook himself back to something resembling his usual demeanor. "So, I don't suppose there's any chance I can convince you to come back to work for me? It's going to be hell training your replacement!" Joe smiled. He didn't envy whoever got the job. "Sorry, sir. I've already given my word to Adm. Nelson. And besides, I couldn't go back to the Navy now. Even without the dishonorable discharge, too many people know what happened and would be keeping too close a watch on me." Starke grunted. "I suppose you're right. But do you suppose that once I find a permanent replacement, you could come over to Pearl for a few days and help me break him in?" Joe laughed. "I think Adm. Nelson would be willing to spare me for a few days, for you." Starke smiled. Yes, Harriman would do that much for him, he was sure. "Well. I guess that's that, then." He looked at Jackson, suddenly a bit uncomfortable. "Seaview sails tomorrow, and I'm hitching a ride back to Pearl. Early morning and all that." As they walked to the door, Joe sensed his former boss' discomfort. "Yes, sir, you'd better get going, then." Starke stopped before opening the door, turning to look the young man in the eyes, reaching out to place a fatherly hand on his shoulder. "I AM sorry, Joseph." Jackson hesitated, deeply touched by the gesture. "I know you are, sir. It'll be all right." Starke nodded and gave the shoulder a quick squeeze, then turned and ducked out the door before things could get too emotional. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lee Crane stretched luxuriously; his body sated and his heart content. Harry�s auburn head was pillowed on his shoulder, and his hand lazily sketched random patterns over his lover�s back. �So, everything ready for us to sail tomorrow?� Nelson murmured sleepily. �All set. The Chief and Patterson got that new equipment installed that you wanted.� Nelson chuckled softly. �Patterson and Kowalski? I never would have seen that one in a million years �� Lee smiled. �It kind of makes sense; they�ve been best friends for so long. I wonder when it happened?� Nelson�s hand slid lightly through the dark curls covering Lee�s broad chest. �Does it matter?� Lee shrugged. �I guess not. Just curious.� �In a way, I�m glad we know. As long as they do their jobs and keep things discrete, we can protect them. And Joe, now �� Lee hugged him. �I�m glad he took your offer. Even with the discharge reversed, the Navy wouldn�t have been safe for him anymore. He�s a good man, Harry.� Nelson nodded. �I know. Jiggs has often spoken of how valuable an asset he is.� Lee sighed. �You�ve known the Admiral since Annapolis. Was he always like this?� Nelson laughed. �What, a pompous ass?� Crane couldn�t help chuckling. �Well, you said it, not me.� Harry sat up. �I know you and Jiggs don�t really see eye to eye, Lee, but underneath all the bluster, there is a good man. I�ll be the first to admit he makes it hard to find sometimes. But it�s there.� �I�ll take your word for it, Harry. Just � do you think you can keep him under control until we get to Pearl? We don�t need another crisis already.� Nelson reached down to brush back a stray curl from Lee�s forehead. // God, he looks so beautiful like this! // Sometimes it still amazed him to find his handsome young captain in his bed. It hit him at the oddest moments, like just now. He let his eyes take in the beauty of the long, lean body beside him. A beauty he�d only recently come to appreciate. He shook himself back to the moment. �He�ll be on his best behavior, Lee. This thing with Joe really shook him up. I think he may even have learned something �� Lee pulled him back down. �I hope so, Harry.� He yawned. �But it�s getting late, and we have an early morning tomorrow. This is our last night together until next leave. So come here and let�s get some sleep.� Nelson looked down at Lee, golden eyes drowsy with sleep, and smiled. �I love you, Lee Crane. No matter what Jiggs or anybody else says about it.� Lee reached out and shut off the bedside light. He pulled his bedmate closer. �Love you too, Harry. �Night.� They settled together comfortably, bodies fitting together as if made for each other. In moments, both were fast asleep. Tomorrow they would return to the routine of life at sea, a world where they were friends, but nothing more. So for now they would cling to each other, even in sleep. Send me some feedback Back to Voyage home Back to Site home Disclaimer: These characters belong to their original creators; I'm just borrowing them for fun, not profit. |
| Part IV |