***** Vol.1 Chap.8 Temporary truce *****
In the ensuing weeks since the christening of the submersible, Kristin avoided seeing Jonas as much as possible, but this morning, she must see him again regarding the location to stow the sub on Mayflower.
With much trepidation, she headed over to his office. Surprisingly, he stood behind his desk in his office, waiting for her with an open door. When he saw her standing at the door, he waved her in. She saw the engineering drawings of the Mayflower all over his desk. She stood speechless.
Before she opened her mouth, he said: “I have looked over the drawings for the upper deck and the lower deck. The best location for the sub is right here on the upper deck, next to the rear crane.” With his finger, he tapped on the drawing to show the location.
Flabbergasted, she leaned forward to look at the drawings. The location was close to where she wanted to stow the sub, though not the same spot.
“The upper deck is good, but a better location is the lower deck.” She leaned forward and fumbled for the drawing for the lower deck.
“The sub is going to be the centerpiece of Mayflower. It should be prominent on the upper deck for display.” He countered.
“Yes, but on the lower deck, the sub is protected from the weather and it would still be quite visible on your ship.”
She took a paperweight on his desk as the sub and put it on the drawing.
“On the upper deck, we will have a full view of the sub’s launching operations.” He retorted.
“From the top deck, you can still see the sub stowed on the lower deck. Besides, once the crane has hoisted the sub overboard, you will have a full view of the sub-launching operation.”
“Maybe so.” He considered the suggestion, though unconvinced.
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“Furthermore, it may be messy when we hoist the sub from the ocean. Just being practical, the sub, dripping with sea water, would make a big mess on the upper deck.” She persisted.
“Hmmm. The vessel must be always spotless.”
“Especially when we have important guests on board to see the sub operating. So, the upper deck is more suited for viewing but the lower deck for actual operation.”
Jonas thought for a moment and then gave his consent. “Ok, the lower deck it is.” He conceded. “We will change the deck with additional power cables for light and charging the sub.” He continued in a professional tone.
She wondered if they actually had a real discussion here. Well, that was a first. She satisfied herself. Did he have a change of heart? She wondered.
“O Captain, I almost forgot. I would like to add a remote launch capability to the crane operation.”
He looked at her, puzzled.
“Just a minor modification on the crane control.”
“What kind of modification…”
“The crane keeps all the current manual operation capabilities. But when launching the sub, a special code entered on the control panel allows the crane’s operation to be remotely controlled from the sub.”
“Hmmm. I am not sure about this…”
“The goal is to free your crew and officers from any complicated maneuvers…,” she said, and silently to herself, …and your idiot crew who do not know what they are doing.
“I am not sure about this. I will have to really consider this one.” A typical stalling tactic.
“No one but me would have the code to automate the crane operation. The remote control will be stored inside the sub.”
“We don’t have time to test such contraptions.” He insisted.
“The modification is an upgrade from the crane manufacturer. According to the manufacturer, the only action needed is to swap the old controller with a new one.” She persisted.
“Hmmmm.”
“There will be no re-training required for your crew. I will be the only one who will enter the remote-control code and operate the crane remotely.”
“Well…”
“I am paying for the upgrade from my meager budget.”
“OK, but I want all the operation manuals for the sub, not just the remote control, before we set sail.”
“Why?”
“For backup.”
“And I want to be the first to pilot the sub.”
“After I tested the sub’s operation. Captain, the honor is all yours.”
She caught him with a small smile on his face.
A wide smile stretched across her face as she happily strolled back to her office. For once, Jonas seemed quite professional and even to the point agreeable, unlike the past encounters. She wondered if he reconsidered about the sub on the Mayflower, though she found that very hard to believe. Yet a doubt, an uneasiness arose from her subconsciousness. Perhaps the man had something sinister and alarming that she had underestimated him. What was inside that man’s mind? No one could know or fathom.