FicWad

Chapter 3
Making the Rounds

After eight hours of constant training, a trip to the mess hall was in high demand. Even the elite, were not immune to the effects of empty stomachs. But two servings of cube steaks, green beans, and mashed potatoes quickly replenished their calorie deficits.

With a few minutes left to spare, the sailors took time to relax and talk amongst themselves. A few minutes may not have been a long time. But considering the fact their day would not be coming to an end for another twelve hours, any chance to relax was a welcome change of pace.

"You know, after thirteen years in the Navy, I still haven't figured out why the last few weeks of predeployment workup are the toughest." Brigham wondered aloud.

"Assurance." Ackerson replied.

"That's the best answer you can come up with?"

"Well damn Chief, what else would you want me to say?" Ackerson asked irritably. "Repeat the mission statement of our training cadres?"

Brigham chuckled. "Relax Carl, it was just a simple question."

"Yeah, a simple question that you knew was gonna make me just a wee bit irritated." Shaking his head.

"And after putting up with my antics for about five years, I thought you would've learned to ignore 'em by now." Brigham replied. "Besides, you should be happy you had me around this long. Isn't everyday you get a chief who stays with his team more than five years."

"Guess I should consider myself lucky huh?"

"Damn straight, because Chief Brigham here is a god among men, a sage with a wealth of knowledge."

"Feeling your oats as usual." Ackerson quipped.

"Is that any way to talk to a chief? I'm appalled."

"You're right. That is not a way to talk to a chief and I'm sorry you're appalled. But I can make an exception in your case."

"Ouch. Lay off the sting will ya."

"Don't take it personal Chief." Ackerson smiled. "After all, I would've expected you to ignore my antics after dealing with 'em for five years."

"There you go turning the tables again."

"Just doing my job."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." Brigham retorted. "So what you gonna do when you're done with all this?"

"The workup or operation?"

"You know what I'm talking about." Brigham looked Ackerson in the eyes.

"Oh. That."

"Very enthusiastic I must say."

"Sorry, just isn't something I really haven't thought about a whole hell'uva lot."

"C'mon man, you gotta have a game plan at least."

"I do. I mean my fiancé and I have planned on getting married right after I get discharged. But besides that, nothing but a bunch of question marks in my future."

"Probably just something you gotta get off your chest. Talk to me buddy."

"I spent a solid seven years in the SEALs, training, forming friendships, leading, fighting and now the prospect of leaving this organization has hit me like a ton of bricks. Simply put I love my job and its gonna suck to just up and leave one day."

"Well I'm not going to bullshit you here. It really does suck to leave this job, especially when you've put your heart in to it. But sometimes we've got to make decisions we don't want to, just like we do in the field. You should know that better than anyone."

"I know Chief and I do believe its time for a change. Guess I didn't anticipate my decision being this difficult."

"Having to choose between settling down and being in the teams?"

"Hit the nail right on the head."

"Okay. Now let me ask you something. You really love this woman?"

"Hell yeah. We've practically been dating for three years."

"And have you discussed leaving the teams with her?"

"Yes and no. I've told her that I'm willing to leave to make our relationship real but at the same time I haven't really told her how I feel about it."

"Hate to be the bearer of bad news here, but maybe you should. This is a big step and I'm no marriage counselor here, but don't you think it would be fair to the both of you to tell her how you feel?"

"I agree wholeheartedly. But I don't want to be the one to complicate things in the relationship."

"Let me tell you something Carl. Any relationship's gonna have complications of some sort. Believe me, I have two divorces to prove it. I can give you horror stories of how stress can tear people apart. Only advice I can give you, to not have the same experiences I've had, is to be honest as hell with the one you love, even if it's bound to make the two of you upset. Better to discuss it when there's no problems than when there are."

"You know I trust your advice more than anyone Bill especially when you relate it to your life. Really appreciate it."

"Shit Carl, don' t make me get all misty here." Brigham laughed. "But hey, just doing my job. Sound familiar?"

"Sure does. Should probably start thinking who my best men are going to be."

"I think I got a pretty good idea, but I don't wanna get my hopes up just yet. I mean Lieutenant Ackerson is kind of a fickle guy."

Brigham and Ackerson continued to discuss life after the teams while Asher and Kaufman spoke about the mantra, there's more than meets the eye.

"So let me get this straight, you were the projected first round draft pick in the NFL and one day you just announce to the world that you're joining the Navy? How much money did you throw away again?" Asher asked.

"About nine millions dollars, plus a two million signing bonus." Kaufman grinned.

"Bigger man than I am, because if I was you I would've jumped right at the opportunity. I mean, you were the most feared linebacker in all of college football. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I've always seen myself as the kind of guy who loves to make a statement. You were right about me being the most feared linebacker in all of college football. Not that I'm bragging our anything." Kaufman smiled. "But anytime someone got injured on the field I would be the first one out there just to make sure the other guy was okay. I loved football but I also wanted others to enjoy the game as well. If that's not a powerful statement than I don't know what is."

"Then I guess joining the Navy was making a statement as well?" Asher assumed.

"You could say that. I figure it was my way of showing people that more important things are going on in this world other than football. Even though I've idolized some of the game's greatest heroes, I've always believed it was those in uniform that were the epitome of heroes. And one of those men was my teammate. Matter of fact he was the back up kicker. We seemed like the most unlikely of friends, a big hulking linebacker and a second string kicker. We worked out together, partied together, and were roommates as well."

Continuing. "Really nice guy. Got to know his folks and I always admired him for the strength and perseverance he showed as an athlete. He may not have been the best, but he sure as hell didn't let that stop him. But what really stood out to me was the fact that he enlisted in the Army and at that time joining the military was the last thing I wanted to do. But I remember him telling me that football was great but he wanted to do greater, make himself a bigger man. Now I'm telling this guy, dude, you're one of the toughest guys I know, believe me your more of a man than a lot of folks. But the stubborn bastard bought none of it. He thanked me for the kind words, but he said joining the Army was a conscious decision on his part, a decision that he had been contemplating for a very long time. So being his good friend I respected his decision and wished him luck."

"But one day that changed my life happened a few years ago. I received a call from his mother, who told me he was killed in action, in some far away place that the Army could not disclose. I was shocked, couldn't believe it. My best bud came back here in a flag draped coffin. And you think this big guy doesn't cry? I could barely hold it together at his funeral. Shit, you woulda thought I made a damn fool outta myself. But that was my biggest inspiration a definite hero in my book. The only way I could pay him back for the impact he had on my life was to do what he did, make a big decision to do something heroic. Football, the Butkiss Award, a stint in the NFL, none of that stuff mattered to me anymore. I wanted something greater and I wanted to make a better man out of myself. So guess what, I enlist in the Navy and find my way into the SEALs."

"Jeeze." Asher was amazed. "That's probably the most inspiring story I've heard in a while. I'm serious."

"It was, I mean look what it made me do. And it was my memories of the guy's courage and strength that got me through BUD/S. I mean if it weren't for him I would've washed out like the hundreds of other guys. But I pulled through, because I made a promise to myself and a promise to my biggest hero to make it through. And I am more than convinced that it was his spirit nudging me towards reaching my goal. I never slacked off at anything I did, because I believed I would be disrespecting the life he lived. So I worked hard in BUD/S, SQT, ULT, and the specialized demolitions schools that enabled me to be an EOD qualified SEAL."

"Well anyone that can disarm bombs and not shit himself gets a medal in my book." Asher joked. "But sounds like your friend helped you out a lot."

"He did, but let me remind you that that everything I told you was easier said than done."

"I believe it, especially being an Arab American in the Navy. And just like you said easier said than done."

"I figure your life wasn't exactly a cake walk?" Kaufman guessed.

"A cake walk it was not, especially growing up in Detroit, which has once again claimed the title as America's most dangerous city."

"I'm a boy from the 'burbs, couldn't really imagine what it was like."

"And you don't wanna imagine what it was like. I grew up in a rough part of Detroit, run down buildings, crack addicts, gunshots, you name it. We had it all. The only thing that kept my folks and I sane, at least from my point of view, was the fact we were devout Muslims."

"In hearing you say that, how'd your parents take to the idea of you joining the Navy?"

Asher laughed nervously. "Yeah, about that. Being devout Muslims my parents did not necessarily harbor the best of feelings towards this country's government, much less the military. And to be honest I was much the same way too."

"What made you switch up then?"

"Well I wouldn't necessarily say switched up per say. I personally still think this country's government has fought wars for reasons other than democracy and liberty. But I wanted to join the Navy to prove something to myself and to others."

"Your parents?"

"No, not at all. My parents still think I'm a nut for joining the military, but they still wished the best for me. But I was a little guy in Detroit and being so I was usually the guy that got picked on a whole lot. So some way or another I hear about the Navy SEALs and for the longest time I wondered what it would be like to be one of those guys."

"But considering how you felt about this country's government..."

"I didn't become a SEAL because of patriotism. I joined rather because I wanted to be with the best and fight with the best. Kind of a way of reconciling with my past if you know what I mean."

"Well I bet anyone who ever gave you a hard time back in Detroit would be jealous as hell to see where you are right now."

"Definitely." Asher said proudly. "It's the sweetest form of revenge if you ask me. And I didn't even have to do anything."

"Still though." Kaufman wondered. "How'd you manage to reconcile with being a devout Muslim in an organization that has a long standing history in the Middle East?"

"I had to wrestle with that issue for quite some time. This country's government may have a bad rep among the Muslim and Arab-American population as well as Arab and Muslim communities around the world. But I saw this group of warriors being professionals who follow orders and have a high emphasis on accountability and teamwork. We don't kill innocent civilians blatantly and we only go after the guys who got it coming for 'em. In other words we only go after other guys with guns. In exchange for not killing innocent people, I say that's a fair trade."

"But not everyone else is going to look at us that way, you know that. I mean anytime some person in a foreign country sees guys with an American flag patched to their shoulder holding a rifle, especially in the Middle East, won't necessarily be happy to see us."

"This is true and I agree with you a hundred percent. But this is moreover a mission for me, a personal jihad if you will, to find myself. Now, someone could ask me, how in the hell are you trying to find yourself knowing damn well you kill people for a living? I'd just tell 'em that it's not about the killing. Rather it's being a part of something that is bigger than the individual, it's about the team. Hell, it's more than that. Every guy on this team, I can say with confidence is one of my brothers. It's a brotherhood and working with the best, you guys, is a privilege."

"Damn." Kaufman mused. "Reminds me of a pep talk my college coach gave us right before a bowl game. After hearing you speak, I feel proud to be in this group."

"I'd say team. Glad to be part of this team. But hey, like I said earlier, this a brotherhood. And being part of such a closely knit fraternity is a privilege."

"Couldn't have said it better myself. I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

As Asher and Kaufman's conversation trailed elsewhere, Oliveira was busy probing the "new guy" for any hint of apprehension relative to the impending deployment.

"So you ready to pop this cherry?" Oliveira asked.

"Does everything always have to with sex?" Silver replied.

"Nope." Oliveira admitted. "But after being in the teams for a while, you start to realize that sexual aphorisms are a fact of life around here."

Silver laughed with a hint of disbelief. "Okay, I believe you. But you could have spared me the vivid metaphor, don't ya think?"

"Maybe I could have. But I don't think you would've understood the question too well." Oliveira grinned.

"Oh, I understood what you said. Only at the expense of grossing me out." Silver complained.

"Like you haven't watched a porn flick." Oliveira smirked. "But back to the question at hand. You ready for this?"

"As long as I don't have to deal with anymore of your sexual aphorisms, then yes, I'm good to go."

"I would've believed that. Except your voice gave you away. What's up?"

"My first time out man. Why wouldn't I be nervous?"

"Great, now we're getting somewhere." Oliveira teased. "But hey, don't look at nervousness as a shortcoming. Matter of fact, I would be quite concerned if you weren't nervous. Every guy who enters this organization is scared shitless before his first mission. Regardless though, we find the strength to saddle up for the ride anyway."

"But how do you get over the fear?"

"You don't and I know that sounds crazy but hear me out on this one. Fear means you respect something, which in this case would be combat. Since we respect and understand the dangers of combat, our fear, instead, becomes caution and circumspection. Basically, we harness our fear and turn it into something positive. Our fears by making us cautious and circumspect, allows us to do our jobs professionally. In being professional, we plan and train, train, train just to make sure we're ready to rock when the real thing starts. So my advice? Don't spend these last days of workup worrying. Just stick to your training regimen and always look to your teammates for guidance."

"Well, hearing that from you makes me feel a whole lot better towards the fear thing. But the responsibility and the scope of this mission is so big I feel like the weight of the world is resting just on me."

"You remember hearing the words, the only easy day was yesterday? As you're probably beginning to realize, your instructors weren't just saying that because they liked the sound of their voices. This job is only going to get tougher, no matter how you look at it. Fortunately, we are constantly evolving to tackle the increasing difficulties of combat. Hence, why we train."

"I understand that. It's just that I'm the team sniper and the new guy. Most snipers in this business, even before they go to sniper school, have a few deployments under their belts. I have none. The responsibilities of being in such a position are immense and to be honest they've hit me like a pile of bricks. I haven't had the luxury of combat experience yet. I know the team is counting on me to get the right information and make the right shot. Knowing this, I'm just hoping I don't botch things up when I get to the field."

"Hey, listen. No matter what your job on the team, whether it be the SAW gunner, radioman, team lead, sniper, or rifleman, all these responsibilities are equivalent in weight. There is certainly pressure to perform well, simply due to the fact that in this business it pays to be a winner. But you must also remember that the teams are not made up of individuals. We all have something to offer, not for the sake of showing everyone how good we are, but for the sake of the team. The team is the most important element here, not the single individual. Our responsibilities may be hard as hell, but we rely on each other out there. No man on this team is alone in the realm of responsibility. We all share the responsibility of getting the job done and getting home in one piece. Remember that."

Silver paused to regard Oliveira's words. "Makes sense to me and clears a lot of things I've been worrying about."

"Glad to hear it." Oliveira replied. "Now, are you gonna finish that? Because I'm hungry."

Oliveira took time enjoying the last remnants of steak. At the other end of the table, Rios and Moore were joking about experiencing hypothermia.

"There's two things that suck about hypothermia. One, you're cold outta or mind, and two, your nuts shrivel up like they just rolled over and died." Moore recalled.

"Shoot, try the whole area. Only thing I remember about hypothermia was that my equipment was aching all the time."

"Looks like someone had a new case of blue balls."

Rios nearly spit out his water. "Jesus Cristo!"

Moore laughed heartily as Rios coughed himself back to normal. "Sorry." Moore apologized. "Didn't think it was that funny."

"So funny it nearly killed me." Rios said between coughs.

"Well, I'm sure the good doctor would have found a way to revive himself." Moore kidded.

"Just for that, I hope you get shot in the ass."

"You'll just have to save me then."

"Who said anything about saving you? Far as I'm concerned you're on your own." Rios grinned darkly.

"Cold blooded." Moore sang.

"Don't try and kill me next time."

"It was an accident."

"You mean friendly fire?"
Moore giggled at the sarcasm. "Don't get mean."

"Sure thing Willy." Rios sassed.

Moore stood up and put Rios in a playful chokehold.

"I'm turnin' blue." Rios faked.

"Say uncle!" Moore almost yelled.

"Never!"

Rios wrestled his head free of Moore's grasp, while a few soldiers cheered the two of them on.

"Okay, okay, I give." Rios managed behind a red face.

"Aw c'mon." Moore panted. " I expected a better fight than that." Moore groaned.

"Oh you'll get one eventually." Rios promised. "You gotta fall asleep sometime."

"And if I wake up dead..."

Rios laughed. "If you wake up dead, I'm gonna have more than an ass whuppin' to worry about."

"Yeah, that didn't make a whole lotta sense did it?"

"Naw." Rios chuckled. "Not at all."

"That's what I thought." Moore admitted. "So how about it? You ready to get this show on the road?"

"Sure am. Just ready to get this job done and put all this training into action."

"The dogs of war are getting a little restless I must say."

"That they are." Rios agreed. "Just hope I don't have to put a certain skill set to use if you know what I mean."

"You mean choking the chicken, because you are quite good at that." Moore cracked.

"No dumbass." Rios laughed. "Having to save someone's life. You remember Colombia don't you?"
The humor quickly faded. "Yeah. Don't want to though, but memories are still there unfortunately. But you did all you could for the guy. Hell, we all did."

Rios stared blankly across the room. "Just felt like I could've saved the guy if I had gotten there quicker."

"There was nothing you could have done differently. We got stuck in one shit fest of firefight. You were pinned down if I remember correctly. No way you could have gotten to Jacobs in time, unless of course you wanted a bullet to whack you in the skull."

"But I feel sometimes I was too busy covering my ass."

"No, you were watching your sector, following protocol. We made contact with the enemy and training took over."

"I'm a combat corpsman. It my job to fight and to save lives."

"And by following your immediate instinct, you probably saved us all. I remember you nailed that bastard with the RPG. If you didn't pick him off, a lot less of us would be sitting here at this table. Real shitty that Jacobs didn't make it. But to be honest he was practically holding his insides right after he tripped that explosive. You even told us he was just about gone when you finally got to him. I mean, even if you did manage to get out of being pinned down and had gotten to Jacobs sooner, you would've neglected your sector, allowing some of the bad guys to slip through the cracks. It just so happens we were in one of those fights, the kind our instructors always used to warn us about. We will lose friends in this line of work and I hate to say it, but sometimes there isn't a damn thing we can do about it."

"You're right." Rios resolved, throwing his arms up. "Some things are just beyond our control. I just followed the rules, neutralized the threats and protected the team. Harsh as it may seem, saving Jacobs just had to wait. The threats were priority and they had to be taken care of or all of us would've been goners. Just need to remind myself that it's a team effort out there. I love this job, but sometimes it just plain sucks."

"That it does and you made a very difficult decision, one, that in all honesty, I don't think I could have ever made. And just so you know, we all accept the risks of this job. Our next step, out on the battlefield, is not promised to us. There are times when things don't go as planned and we react based on training. We all understand that if one of us goes down, but the firefight is too heavy, we unfortunately have to hang on the best we can, while our teammates try and counter the enemy. Jacobs knew this, you did, and everyone else did too. This is the kind of life we live."

"This is true and I shouldn't really dwell on the past. It could get in the way of an opportunity when saving someone's life is a definite reality."

"Exactly. You're still the best damn corpsman I know." Moore complimented. "Would talk some more, but looks like Boss Hog's callin'."

"Oink, oink." Rios joked.

"Like I said. Cold blooded."

"Only way to go amigo."
---
Ackerson may have been a stickler for training. But he was also no fool to the risks involved either. Training for combat was a two-sided coin. Train the troops too hard and they might hurt something. Train the troops too little and they won't learn anything. Establishing equilibrium between the two extremes is a very tricky process. But through trial and error, trainers and trainees eventually find their niche, so when the real thing starts everyone is ready to go.

As the rest of the team caught up on some sleep Ackerson, Brigham, and Moggs were in a briefing room, sketching out plans for the final round of training. Working the graveyard shift was certainly a pain in the ass, but a necessary one nonetheless. Preparedness was essential to a successful mission, and if that meant burning a few hours of midnight oil, then these sailors were all for it.

"Next thing on the menu." Moggs announced. "Skill sets. What needs to be worked on gentlemen?"

"My guys are shooting, at worst, marksman." Ackerson grinned. "And yes Senior Chief, that includes me and Brigham."

"Well, at least you boys aren't shooting with blindfolds on, so I take your word for it." Moggs joked.

"Aw hell, I shoot better with a blindfold on." Brigham bragged.

"Wanna put money on that?" Ackerson asked looking over his notes. "'Cause last time I checked, you don't own the range record."

"Jesus." Brigham grumbled. "By one lousy shot. I wouldn't have missed if you hadn't coughed."

"Hey Chief, don't be a sore loser. Even though it does pay to be a winner." Ackerson winked.

"Do you have any qualms?"

"Not when it comes to kicking your ass. Besides, didn't I read somewhere that the enlisted are the experts of the teams?"

"Senior Chief, you gonna let him take pot shots at me like this?"

"Ordinarily I wouldn't. But let's face it Bill, you lost. After all, it pays to be a winner."

"Goodness. Is this pick on the Chief day?"

"That's everyday Bill." Ackerson quipped.

"Can I kick his ass now? I mean really?"

"Give it a rest Chief, you two can settle this testosterone fest on the range, later this week. But let's get back on track. What else?"

"Wanna perfect our room clearing times." Ackerson pointed out.

"Yeah, same here." Brigham added. "Even though twenty seconds more may be a very small number, it's a big ass number when you gotta clear out a building full of bad guys."

"Noted." Moggs wrote something down. "Anything else?"

"Think we need to put more emphasis on our IADs, since we won't have the luxury of CAS or additional troop support." Ackerson said.

"Definitely that." Brigham nodded. "Wanna be able to survive out there."

"Preaching to the choir on that one." Moggs admitted. "But we'll get back to those points in a few. For now we got that meeting with your better half."

"Oh, those guys? SDV training in Panama City right?" Brigham asked.

"Yup, we'll be inserting as a full platoon." Moggs got up to turn on the videoconference projector. "But once we got boots on the ground, we're split."

A few seconds of static and two men in jungle cammies appeared on the screen.

"Meretti, Tangelin, good to see ya." Moggs began.

"You too, Senior Chief."

"How's the weather down there?" Moggs asked.

"Sunny everyday, but not that we notice. We've been training underwater twelve hours a day." Meretti replied.

"I could imagine. How's that going by the way?"

"Cold." Tangelin answered. "But we've been breaking records as a matter of fact. Some of our guys managed to break the fastest time for set up to launch on one of the SDVs."

"Score one for the enlisted." Brigham grinned.

"Don't get used to it Brigham." Meretti interrupted. "You still forget that us here officers can shoot better than you all."

"Hey, we know they cheat." Tangelin jumped in.

"Yeah." Brigham gave Ackerson a stare. "A lot."

Ackerson chuckled and shook his head.

"Glad to see you boys still got that winning spirit." Moggs said. "But there's lots more ways we can settle that. But lets get down to business shall we. We head to Roosevelt Roads in a few days. Over here, we've proposed focusing on IADs. You boys think that's a good idea?"

"No arguments here Senior Chief, think that's an excellent idea." Tangelin nodded.

"Same here." Meretti agreed.

"Good." Moggs took some notes. "Anything else?"

"Definitely need to fit in some FTXs, for each phase of the mission. Insertion, over the beach, approach to target, and most importantly the assault on the power sources." Brigham announced. "I know that's not everything but a good idea I think we need to consider."

"Point taken." Moggs concurred. "Meretti, Tangelin, you guys been thinking about anything else?"

"Nope."

"Um, know we're not supposed to do this. But I think we should talk about the possibility of linking up with resistance forces." Ackerson spoke up.

Moggs took a breath. "I don't know Lieutenant, if Defense Enterprises gets a hint that we're watching them and stirring things up, they could beef up their forces in places we previously did not anticipate."

"That is a risk to look out for Senior Chief." Ackerson said. "But if those marines and soldiers are planning to punch through once we disable that shield, they're gonna need some help. And these resistance forces, if we run into any that is, could be a big help to our guys in the fight."

"Not to mention the information they could give us." Brigham added. "Those boys have a lot more knowledge of the situation than we do. No better information than that spoken from those on the front."

"I concur Senior Chief." Tangelin said.

"Same here. I mean, part of our mission does incorporate recon and those resistance fighters could save us a lot of time and possibly a lot of trouble." Meretti stated.

"Good points there, gentlemen. I'll try to get the brass at SOCOM to give us the go ahead to change the ROE. That'll be like herding cats. But I'll see what I can do."

"I think it's really something to look in to. If you give them the same argument we gave you, then I'm sure they'll bend the rules a little. And if I remember correctly, we got an admiral there who was a SEAL." Ackerson reminded Moggs.

"I agree." Moggs nodded. "And I believe it will be a big help to us and others to contact these resistance guys. But Meretti, Tangelin, that is all. Look forward to meeting up with you guys at Roosevelt Roads."

"Hooyah Senior Chief." Tangelin and Meretti said.
Moggs cut off the projector. "So how do you two wanna finish up the last two days here?"

"I'm thinking of giving the boys a rest. Light PT and rounds at the range." Ackerson advised. "That way I can shut up Brigham here, once and for all."

"Keep talking." Brigham teased. "But in all seriousness. I agree, 'cause once we get to Roosevelt Roads, we'll all have that thousand yard stare."

"That's the spirit." Moggs smiled. "Glad to see you guys wanna push yourselves. But remember don't wanna push yourselves too much, we still need to have healthy sailors y'know."

"We'll have you to make sure we don't get in trouble. But for now, I think we should get some shut-eye. Won't have much sleep once the real training starts." Ackerson stood up.

"Have to follow Carl's lead on that." Brigham added. "It was fun Senior Chief."

"Won't hold my sailors up." Moggs said. "I'll bid goodnight to you all."

"Sleep well Senior Chief." Ackerson headed to door.

"And don't let the bed bugs bite." Brigham laughed.

"Dully noted Bill."