The Moses Effect Ebook

THE MOSES EFFECTRacing for the back door I wondered if, what I couldnow only call my assailants, had thought to havesomeone at the back door. Without pausing to considerwhat I would do if there was, I burst through the door.This was only possible because the back door had aPanic Bar so that the door could be opened just bypushing the handle in case of a fire and escape wasneeded quickly. Additionally the door opened outwardly,I hadn’t thought of that previously and was very thankfulthat it did.The assailants had thought of having someone at theback door but the force of my pushing the door opensurprised the intruder, because of the door openingoutward instead of inward, which is the usual way anexternal door would open. He was pushed off his feetand fell down the stairs that lead from the back door tothe garden below. I rushed down the stairs as fast as Icould, all dignity and decorum dissipated.At the bottom of the stairs I jumped over the crumpledheap of what had been my potential attacker, if notmurderer. The stairs descended from the rear entrancedown to a pathway leading to the exit from the garden.The exit from the garden was via a door in a three meterhigh wall which surrounded the garden.Fleeing with my mind sharpened and somewhat spinningdue to the flow of adrenalin that my body wasproducing. Moving as quickly as I could, in myperipheral vision I saw a piece of wood lying next to thepath, I stopped momentarily to pick it up. 51

JAMES YOUNGI continued my dash toward the exit and ran out of thegarden. I hoped in my confused thinking I may be ableto defend myself with it if needed, what was I thinking,could a piece of wood defend me against probablebullets?Opening the exit door as quickly as my panic strickenmind would let me, I emerged into a communal piece ofcommon park land. I had often walked through this areaon a pleasant evening with Sarah before I’d moved hereand was pleased that this was where I was now billeted.It always reminded me of the Royal Crescent in the cityof Bath, England which made such a wonderful feature,stretching out in front of the elegant Georgian crescent.No time to consider that now.Bursting out or the rear garden door, I noted that therewas a handle on the outside of the door through which Icould jam the wood I’d picked up earlier with thethought of defending myself. The wood being forcedthrough the handle and long enough to extend past thedoorpost which would subsequently jam the door andwould delay my assailants opening the garden door andgive me those few extra seconds to put more distancebetween me and my pursuant and therefore aid in myescape.That accomplished, I duly ran off as fast as I could. Ichose to run on the grass not the pavement so that in theCHOG the pursuant’s would not hear my footfall anddetect which way I had headed.Running toward the garages I hoped that if all three of 52

THE MOSES EFFECTmy aggressors were following I wouldn't need toconsider an alternative to my plan. Plan what plan, all Iwanted to do was escape. Running toward the garageand thankful for the FOG, CHOG or whatever, I haven’ttime for this. Hopefully they wouldn’t be able to seewhich way I was escaping. Anyway, I ran for the garage.I could hear my assailants shouting abuse at the door Ihad wedged shut, it’s working for the moment I thought.I arrived at the rear door of the garage and entered. Noone there, I heaved a great audible sigh of relief. Iclimbed into the driving seat of my red MG started theengine and thought, “now what am I going to do?” Drivestraight out without opening the garage door or take achance that I’ll have time to open the door and get backinto the MG.Before I had time to think the front doors of the garageopened and there stood a somewhat bedraggled andblooded figure, he must be the one who had ratherignominiously been deposited at the bottom of thegarden stairs and he didn’t look very happy. He musthave decided to try and stop my escape by staggering tothe garage while his companions followed.Switching on the main beam of the headlights I flooredthe accelerator and the Roadster and sped out of thegarage taking the temporary blinded assailant bysurprise, causing him to leap out of the way. I must haveinjured him, as I heard quite an ear splitting scream. Justwasn’t his day, come to think of it, it wasn’t mineeither. 53

JAMES YOUNGThe MG roared down the road. The white light of themain headlight beams seemed like solid shafts of lightshining into the night through the CHOG. Sadly, onebeam appeared as though it was searching for low flyingaircraft.That headlight must have been the one that caused thescream of pain as it collided with the attacker. At leastthere was no sound of gunfire or anything else. Well, atthe moment I seem to be safe. Thank goodness for that.Now what, where am I going to go???, Uncle George’s. 54

THE MOSES EFFECT CHAPTER FOUREarlier, being blissfully unaware of the developmentsthat were taking place, I had taken my leave of Sarahand Max and headed home. These events were soconcertinaed that these things just couldn’t havehappened in such a short time. Had these things reallyjust happened?Sarah and I hadn’t noticed the almost imperceptible nodthat Maximilian had made toward the little Frog and aslight inclination toward me. Claude Wilmslow beingThe Frog's real name, from where did he get a name likeClaude Wilmslow.“I mutht take my leave. Pleath excuse me, I have a ratherurgent matter to deal with. With your permithion Max,could Grant pleath arrange for Thinthia to be taken to therailway thation. Thorry to leave tho thuddenly. “Noproblem Claude” came Max's response. “Can youarrange that Grant?” “With pleasure sir” he replied.It had been somewhat surprising and unexpected toGrant that Wilmslow departed so soon after my leaving.However, unknowingly it had been Grant that hadprecipitated Claude's departure by informing me of thetelephone call which had hastened my departure forLondon and had been observed by Max and Wilmslow.Wilmslow knew exactly what was required of him andwas quite willing and able to fulfil his assignment.Quickly departing, Wilmslow determined on his courseof action and headed for London in his Alpha Romeo 55

JAMES YOUNGSpider Convertible.Driving home, I was overtaken by a rather sleek lookingsports car and I thought at the time, nice Alpha. If I'dknown who it was and his intention, I'd have driven himoff the road.On the way to Uncle George’s my mind began to clearand recover from the maelstrom of the nights events. Irealised that the occurrences had all be orchestrated bynone other than Sir Maximilian Benjamin St. John-Smyth, it couldn't have been anyone else.It all became clear. Max's supposed migraine anduncharacteristic outburst at this evenings dinner was dueto this planned elimination of ME! No doubt that Max'sdilemma and stress was in part due to his concernregarding my planned demise and its effect on Sarah myfiancée. Sarah as stated being his daughter. I hoped andprayed that this was not being done with her knowledgeand approval, surely not!!It's hard to believe that the eventful evening at theSpanish Ambassador’s home when I first met Sarah, as Ithought and subsequently discovered incorrectly, bychance. That meeting with Sarah had led to thesetraumatic events and subsequent episodes.Maximilian did not want the secrets I had witnessedregarding the bullion that he had hoped would beretrieved from HMS Sussex, and how it was to be done,to be made known. Nor it's attempted illegal distributionin which I had been instrumental in thwarting. In fact I 56

THE MOSES EFFECTlater discovered that Max had been eliminating all thosewhom he thought had betrayed him.Obviously The Frog had been one of his henchmen.Grant the butler must have been involved somehowbecause of the way he reacted when he'd answered thetelephone. When Mother had called and he spoke of thepoor telephone connection without any indication thatthe telephone call was anything unusual.Things were beginning to fit into place.Only St John-Smyth knew I'd left his home and whenand where I was going. He had the resources to haveimitation Bin Men and be able to obtain surreptitiouslythe vehicle used. The so called Bin Men, obviously inhis employment, must have expected to find a dead bodyand had observed where it was located. It didn't matter tothem who the body was, they were hired to dispose of it.It didn't make me feel any better considering theseimplications, but it did sharpen my mind to the dangersand consequences that could be ahead and whetheranother attempt on my life would occur. In fact, morethan likely there would be. 57

JAMES YOUNG CHAPTER FIVEAfter I had arrived at Uncle George’s and hadexchanged pleasantries, he invited me into his study.After a few moments conversation, Uncle George got upfrom his desk where he had been sitting, stating he'd beback in a moment, leaving me sitting on a greenChesterfield chair, a traditional British design.One of the chairs and the sofa, the sofa having space fortwo, three or four to be seated depending on the design,being low backed leather covered furniture withmatching leather covered buttons securing the leathercover on the arms and backs of the chair and sofa,usually Red, Green or Blue leather.Between the buttons there was a sewn criss cross design.In addition to the low backed chair there wastraditionally only one high backed chair of the samecoloured leather all making up what is referred to as aChesterfield Suite. The suite in question being Green.Sat waiting for Uncle George to return, my mind beganto wander... Low backed chairs brought back to my mindmy Prep-School days where every school mistressseemed to bark out the instruction “Don't slouch boy, situp straight with your back against the chair back. That iswhat it is for boy!”My mobile phone rang. The same electronic voice I hadheard earlier at Max's spoke.“Were you not instructed to remain where you were!” 58

THE MOSES EFFECT“Yes,” I replied.The voice continued. “Then why didn't you?”“I thought I was about to be killed and had to escape!” Ireplied with some earnestness.“POPPYCOCK! Those men were sent to protect you! Ifyou hadn't shown your face in that infernal get up thatyou were wearing things would have had a differentoutcome. As it is, you've put one of our agents inhospital.”“But...”“SILENCE! And listen! The agent you'd put in hospitalwas sent around the back of your house to foil what mayhave been an intruders escape. The protectors at the frontdoor, on seeing what appeared to be a stranger in thehouse, burst in to save you.”“I thought they were assassins!”“Did you not wonder why you'd been instructed to staywhere you were and that there were no gunshots as youran away?“I just thought the SMOG, I used SMOG not CHOG asit's only me that uses that term, was hiding my retreatand they couldn't see me or hear my foot fall to be ableto fire.”Feelings of utter failure and depression overwhelmed meas the voice continued. 59

JAMES YOUNG“What about the attempt to stop you at the garage?Agent 28 could hardly get his breath back after beingknocked off his feet and running to try and explain whothey were and their purpose of being there. Only to beunceremoniously injured and deposited in the middle ofthe road by a deranged moron. Now your colleague,thanks to you, is in hospital!”“Sorry” was my feeble reply, but there was more tocome.The voice continued “Sorry! SORRY! You’re fortunatenot to be Hung, Drawn and Quartered,” a little harsh Ithought. “I believed my life was in danger!” I protested.Continuing and ignoring my protest, “Next time, if thereis a next time, follow instructions to the letter!”“Yes sir”, I assume it was a sir, as the voice as you knowwas electronic. The phone went dead.A few moments later Uncle George returned stating“Sorry for that I just had a little problem to deal with.Like some tea?” Uncle George seemed quite amiable incontrast to my demeanour.“No thanks Uncle George, I think I'll head home.”“If you insist.”“I think I will Uncle George, if you don’t mind?”“Very well, I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night.“Good night, Uncle George.” 60

THE MOSES EFFECTAs I drove home, I wondered whether it was a good ideato actually go home, but I did anyway.Approaching the house I wondered what I would find.To my amazement, I found that the front door showedno sign of being broken into. Unlocking the door andentering,again no sign of damage due to my manic attempt toescape my would be assassins. Everything was pristine. Iwas amazed.I’m sure Uncle George arranged all this through hisnefarious means.Sensing all was secure I retired for the night. 61

JAMES YOUNG CHAPTER SIXUncle George, was my late father’s older step-brother.My mother had remarried after the death of UncleGeorge’s father and because of such, I had not inheritedthe same surname of Pennsonby.He worked for Military Intelligence, MI6 to be precise,although as it always seems to be the case, that those ofUncle George’s level in MI6 were always recognized inthe select and exclusive Gentleman’s Clubs in the city ofLondon as something in the city, never as MilitaryIntelligence.Military Intelligence originally, prior to the earlynineteen hundreds, had been known as SIS, SecretIntelligence Services. In 1909 we saw the introduction ofMilitary Intelligence Section 5, MI5. The address of thedepartment was PO Box 500, which subsequentlybecame Box 500.It is of note that the Military Intelligence Sectionsbecame very unwieldy, the departments numbering oneto seventeen, MI1 to MI17. Each of the services Army,Navy and Airforce having their own various departmentsand all vigorously maintaining their own independence.All very intelligent, I’m sure you’ll agree. The schemingdepartments were mainly in the Admiralty Buildings,now they are at Thames House, Albert Embankment,also known unofficially as The River House, LONDONSW1P 1AESir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill, Prime Minister 62

THE MOSES EFFECTof Britain during World War 11, was instrumental inestablishing MI9. The Ministry of Clever Tricks as itcame to be known. MI9 was where the Boffin s’ orBackroom Boys made their little tricks. You know, thekind of things we’ve been used to seeing in the Bondfilms. MI9 eventually was incorporated into MI6, theSecret Intelligence Service along with MilitaryIntelligence there was the SOE, Special OperationsExecutive. An organization which was set up also byChurchill on 22 July 1940, again mainly involved withsabotage and reconnaissance, in fact, it came to be calledthe Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Definitely notCricket. The SOE was disbanded on 15 January 1945and various aspects of it’s operations were integratedinto MI6 and MI7.On my way to Uncle George’s I was reviewing in mybewildered mind the events of the day. How could, whathad been a perfectly normal, enjoyable day, develop intothe calamitous and cataclysmic events that had ensuedand how things had developed since that eventful daywhen Uncle George came to visit while I was still atCambridge University.As I mentioned, it was during my time at CambridgeUniversity that Uncle George approached me just priorto my finals, which incidentally I passed with a First inApplied Mathematics, including Calculus and QuantumPhysics, Advanced Computer Studies, a Pass in EnglishLiterature and a few other odds and ends that seem tohave disappeared into the ether.As I approached my destination, my mind reflected upon 63

JAMES YOUNGthat auspicious meeting that I had had with UncleGeorge when I had been summoned to his home. Thatoccasion now seemed like another age.The meeting began as follows. “Well my boy, he alwaysaddressed me in that manner, we have a little somethingyou may be interested in” was his opening gambit whilepointing to a leather armchair, inviting me to take a seat.Having led the usual stereotypical raucous UniversityStudent existence, I was somewhat taken aback at UncleGeorge’s approach. As a typical youth, I have virtuallyno idea what direction my future employment or furthereducation would be.“My boy”, he continued, “have you ever considered acareer within the Civil Service?”“Well… not really Uncle George” was my hesitantreply.“There are good prospects for someone with yourcapabilities within our Department.” How did he knowwhat I was capable or not capable of, I soon found out.“Let me know the results of your exams when you getthem and we’ll take it from there.”After that short and curious conversation with UncleGeorge I had departed.As intimated earlier and even within the family, UncleGeorge’s role In the City wasn’t exactly clear. Whenhe’d mentioned the Civil Service to me everythingseemed to fall into place, yes he’s something in the 64

THE MOSES EFFECThigher echelon of a Government Department I thought,I’ll see what Uncle George has to say.About the following August, Uncle George asked me tovisit him. When I had arrived at his home, I was greetedwith an amiable “Good to see you my boy, come rightin.” This was his usual pleasant and enthusiasticgreeting. Uncle George lived in a not dissimilarGeorgian edifice to which I was to be domiciled, onlylarger and more opulent than the one from which I had,in my opinion, earlier escaped with my life.Looking round the library to which I'd been escorted Ithought, this looks more like a retired General’sapartment than a Civil Servant, definitely ex-army. Withbusts of Napoleon, Alexander the Great, the Duke ofWellington and Julius Caesar.There was one additional bust that seemed to have anextra prominence, that being a bust of Admiral LordNelson. The impressive busts were ensconced in well litalcoves reserved for those I could only believe wereindividuals he admired.Although there was the usual display of familyphotographs. One particular photograph, which was ofme enclosed in a rather spectacular silver photographholder, was displayed on his elegant polished walnutdesk just right of the desks centre.The said desk was inlaid with red Moroccan leather,with a narrow gold border of a Greek Key design givingthe right effect of elegance to the immaculate polished 65

JAMES YOUNGdesk. On the desk to the left, shining down onto a largeleather ink-blotter, was a table lamp with a green shadethat was mounted on a polished brass base.It always gave me the mental picture of a conscientioussoul, working late into the night on some importantdocument or in the back room of one of those seedySpeak Easy establishments in the USA that the notoriousgangster Alphonse Gabriel Capone, also known as AlCapone, used to run during America’s Prohibition era.At the front of the desk, in the centre as one approached,mounted on a wooden base was a silver statuette of anIndian Elephant with a Bengal Tiger on its back.Included in the base were two cut crystal ink wells and areceptacle for writing implements. In which was anantique Waterman fountain pen. Watermen were one ofthe first, if not the very first, manufacturers of fountainpens.To the right of the desk was a large spherical global atlashoused in a truly magnificent mahogany stand. I laterfound that this was Uncle George's drinks cabinet. All ofthis opulence seemed so out of place for the UncleGeorge the family knew.“Sit!” Uncle George had instructed. “Now that you’vereceived your results. Let’s get down to business. I’vearranged an interview for you next Monday at ‘0’900hours”, what's this '0'900 hours if not definitely army ornavy.Is that morning or afternoon I thought. “Wait a moment 66

THE MOSES EFFECTUncle George. I’m very grateful and all that, but what isthe interview for?”“Don’t worry my boy. I’d promised your late father I’dtake care of you and I will” was the ebullient reply fromUncle George. “Just turn up at the address I’m going togive you and everything will be Tickety-Boo.” Tickety-Boo, is he soft in the head, when was the last timeanyone said that? I tried not to smile.“OK, Uncle George, I’ll do as you ask.” I thoughtnothing ventured nothing gained. “One thing though,what’s ‘0’900?”“9am my boy, be sure to be on time,\" he said with an orelse inflection in his voice.“Excuse me Uncle George, where am I to be at er…'0'900 or whatever time.”“'0'900. Get used to it my boy. You'll be needing it. I'llhave a car pick you up at '0'815 sharp.”“But!”“Just be ready.”At 8:15am, sorry '0'815 sharp, I thought.“Uncle George, you said you'd give me the address.”“So I did. Don't worry the driver will know. Just beready.” 67

JAMES YOUNGI thought, this is getting dafter by the minute. Who goes?Who knows where? With who knows who? Doing whoknows what?'As I proffered my goodbyes, I left thinking I don't knowwhat I've agreed to or what I'm getting myself into. I'lljust have to trust that Uncle George knows, even if Idon't and will I regret it?The alarm went off at 7am, O dear, I mean '0'700. Will Iever get used to this way of expressing the time? Idragged myself to the bathroom, completed my ablutionsand went down to make breakfast.Sitting eating my well browned toast, they say a littlecharcoal, even if it was unintentional, is good for you. Ibegan to think. What's this day going to bring and willthere be any way out of the situation should I desire todo so?Before I could consider further this dilemma, thedoorbell rang. Had I been mentally pontificating so longthat it was now time to go? I looked out of the windowof my flat. I was quite impressed. There was a smartlooking Silver Grey Jaguar XJ, the driver looked quitesmart. I could just make out the top of his head from myupstairs flat window. I picked up my jacket that I'd lefton the coat hanger in my wardrobe and departed.“Good morning sir,” was his cheery greeting as heopened the back door of the Jaguar. “Can I sit in thefront” I asked. In Australia, if you sat in the back of aTaxi Cab you were viewed as a little Up Yourself. That 68

THE MOSES EFFECTwasn't my reason and we’re not in Australia. “I've neverbeen in a Jag before.” I looked at the driver raising myeyebrows and nodding toward the front passenger seat.“It's a little irregular sir” was his reply.”“Go on, I'll not tell.”“Very well. Be it on your head sir.”I could hardly control my excitement as I almost leapedinto the front passenger seat. “It smells new,\" I said asthe driver slid behind the steering wheel.“Yes sir, it's only a month old.”“Have you had a chance to open it up yet?”“One doesn't need to do that sir” came his almostdismissive reply, but with a wry smile. Yeah, I bet you,haven't I thought.“Don't the police give you advanced diving and pursuittraining techniques?”“They give me a few suggestions” came his guardedreply. We're not going to get any further with this line ofconversation I thought and sat back to enjoy the ride.We arrived at our destination, Admiralty House, 26Whitehall, London. A magnificent Georgian edificeconstructed in 1785, administered by the British ForeignOffice. The Admiralty Building was adjacent to HorseGuards Parade where each year on the British Monarchs 69

JAMES YOUNGofficial birthday the British showed off their pageantrywith the Trooping of the Colours.The Trooping of the Colours is held on the Monarchsofficial birthday, usually in the month of June asopposed to the Monarchs real one, whenever that maybe, and has been commemorated since 1820.The trooping had its origins when regimental colours, aflag that had all the regiments battle honours, etc.embroidered on it, were shown to the troops, so that theywould recognize the colours and know where theirregiment was should they have been separated from theirregiment in the heat of battle.In modern times the Household Division, the monarchsown bodyguard, of the British Army were the regimentinspected by the Monarch during the ceremonialTrooping of the Colour. However, it could be changedoccasionally if a particular Regiment had distinguisheditself in some way, or recently returned from a Tour ofDuty.I entered this magnificent entrance and looked around. Itwas another world. The grandeur and opulence, Iwouldn't like to pay for the construction and repair ofthis monumental building at today's prices. It had beenbuilt when Britannia Ruled the Waves, no wonder theBritish Government were considering selling it. Theexpense to maintain the building must be prohibitive.Britain now doesn't even rule the proverbial Duck Pond,although sometimes those in Government still acts as ifit still did, Rule the Waves I mean. 70

THE MOSES EFFECT“May I help you?” was the request made by a tall,elegantly dressed individual bedecked in a well tailoreddark blue pinstripe suit, obviously Savile Row I thought.Savile Row, London was the centre of the highestquality bespoke tailoring anywhere in Britain. Theywould say the best in the world and of course boastedmany a Royal Appointment since 1804. Long beforeyour PRAVDA, GUCCI and all those other trendyDesigners.“I have an appointment.” was my sheepish reply.“With Whom?”That's when the wheels came off. “Er… I'm not sure..., Iwas just told to be here at '0'900”, thought the '0'900might impress, I continued, “I was picked up by car andbrought here to be interviewed.”“For what purpose?”“I'm er… not sure...” was again my pitiable lament.He raised himself to what seemed to be another 18inches, probably really an inch, and looked down hisnose through his wire-framed spectacles examining meas if I was something unclean on his shoe and theunsavoury object had to be removed.“You have come here, not knowing where you're going,what you’re doing here and whom you are required tosee. No communication. No identification. What sortof individual are you? Do you also expect to gain 71

JAMES YOUNGentrance with such a lamentable story and credibility?”My thoughts exactly.“That'll do Carstairs” came an authoritative voice fromanother elegantly dressed individual, again in what wasobviously a well tailored Savile Row lounge suit. Hadthere been a Clothing Sale? Heaven forbid, not in SavileRow.He was entering the Entrance Hall from one of therooms to the right. “Come in, we've been expectingyou.” Carstairs sought to see whom it was addressinghim in such a manner. Recognizing the person inauthority said “Just doing my job sir.”“I'm sure you were and thank you. I'll take it from here.”He opened the door, from which he had just entered, alittle wider and gestured for me to follow. I smiledrather proudly, raising my head to try and demonstrate anew found confidence. Crossing the entrance hall Ipassed under Carstairs withering bespectacled stare andnoticeably shrank a little, I wish I could reduce someoneto a nervous wreck with just a look like the lookCarstairs had just given me. Feeling somewhat deflated,I made my way across the entrance hall to the portal towhich I'd been invited to enter.The room had six large Georgian windows to the right,with what my pitiful knowledge of interior decorationwere large richly coloured thick maroon velvet curtainshung in what I believe are called Wags and Tails. Eachof the curtains were held open by gold braided ties. 72

THE MOSES EFFECTIn front of me as I entered, was a large oblong highlypolished mahogany table with twelve leather blottingpaper pads laid neatly around the table, one in front ofeach chair. Five on each side, left and right and one ateach end. Around the table were eleven identical chairs,if someone told me they were Louie the XIV chairs fromthe Palace of Versailles I would have believed them.The chairs looked somewhat elegant if not a little garish.The aforementioned windows looked out onto theentrance to Marble Arch and The Mall leading toBuckingham Palace, the official residence of theMonarch in London. Or is it?At the far end from me, at what I took to be the head ofthe table, there was an additional larger high backedchair of similar design as the others. As if to confirm theidentification as to which chair was for the head of thetable, on the wall behind the larger chair was a largerthan life elegant painting of the monarch King CharlesIII.Placed in the centre of eleven blotting pads was a scarletleather bound book on which there was the goldembossed emblem of the British Government, aPortcullis. The chair nearest the entrance had on thetable before it a blotting pad on which was not a scarletleather bound book but a brown A4 folder.I also observed that in front of the other eleven booksthere was a fountain pen. About a third of the way fromone end of the table there was a silver tray with a crystalwater decanter and six crystal drinking vessels and a 73

JAMES YOUNGsimilar arrangement the same distance from the otherend. Occupying the very centre of the table was a largesilver sculpture of St George slaying the Dragon.If I had had any doubt that I was in an officialGovernment building, it would have soon beendispelled. On the wall opposite the windows there werethree large oil paintings, one depicting the Battle ofTrafalgar, another the Battle of the Nile and finally theBattle of Waterloo. Either side of the entrance by whichI had entered were a further two portrait paintings. Tothe left of the entrance was a portrait of Admiral LordNelson and to the right, a portrait of the Duke ofWellington. Not forgetting the portrait of King CharlesIII and the silver sculpture of St George in the centre ofthe mahogany table.The room was carpeted by what is not your averageAxeminster, a carpet manufacturer in Britain. The pile ofthe carpet was so tightly woven together as one walked,there was no impression of the footfall. It was a darkblue carpet with what appeared to be gold Ostrichfeathers in the form of the emblem of the Prince ofWales incorporated into the weave. Finally hanging fromthe large, elegant ceiling rose was one of the biggestchandeliers I had ever seen, I wouldn't like to clean that Ithought.While there were twelve seats available around the table,there were only three of them occupied. At the far endtwo individuals sat at the right of the unoccupied chair atthe head of the table as I observed the scene, there wasone chair to the left, which was now occupied by 74

THE MOSES EFFECTEdmondson, the person who had rescued me fromCarstairs. I was able to ascertain his name as mattersdeveloped.This still left the large chair at the head of the tableunoccupied, the thought, is that where I should sit didpass through my mind for a split second, then I wasinvited to sit on the chair that was at the far end of thetable, nearest the entrance.I looked down at the brown coloured file, took my seatand then looked straight ahead at the unoccupied chair atthe head of the table wondering who would sit there andwhat was going to happen next.Edmondson began. “In front of you is a copy of theOfficial Secrets Act. Please open it and sign it!”Edmondson's voice indicated it wasn't a request, but anorder.“I haven't read it yet” was my reply.“Just sign it”“If I don't.”“We’ll shoot you!!” Came a Loud, authoritative, yetfamiliar voice behind me. The voice came from someonewho had just entered the room.At the entrance of this fourth person, the other three menstood up.Edmondson continued “'S' we were...” 75

JAMES YOUNG“I saw what was happening” 'S' interrupted. Hecontinued “Young man sign the document!”Trying to gain my composure, I had endeavoured to seewho it was that was speaking so authoritatively. If Ihadn't already been sitting down, I would have fallendown. My jaw dropped as I saw who it was.'S' was Uncle George. Some say the designated letter is‘C’ not ‘S’ for someone with Uncle George’s seniority,believe that if you will.He walked passed me without a glance, arrived at thehead of the table and sat down. The other three also tooktheir seats.“Most irregular 'S',” up spoke an army Staff-Officer, Icould tell that even with my limited knowledge of armyuniforms. The red ribbon on each of his collars indicatedthat he was a Staff Officer, I later found him to be amajor in Army Intelligence, sitting immediately to theleft as I looked at Uncle George, whom I should get usedto addressing as Sir if not 'S'. Definitely NOT UncleGeorge.'S' turned slowly to the Staff officer, becoming mosterect and gave a most disdaining look toward him. Ithought, there must be a school where they're taughtwithering or disdainful looks, they all seemed to do it sowell. Continuing 'S' said “you are only here for RubberStamping. On this occasion, the decision has alreadybeen made.” 76

THE MOSES EFFECT“This is outrageous! The First Sea Lord will hear aboutthis. You cannot ride roughshod over this process. Noract in this manner!”“All fuss and bluster Admiral” said 'S' as he continued.“The First Sea Lord already knows and the Air Vice-Martial also the Prime Minister. Shall we continue?”Addressing me he said, “Sign the document.” Again, thiswas clearly an instruction not a request.My head was spinning. First Sea Lord, Prime Minister,Air Vice-Marshall, Rubber Stamping.' What’s all this inaid of?'S,' his demeanour changed as he looked at me and afaint smile appeared on his face and a reassuring nod.I dutifully signed. I thought the Press Gang was a thingof the past. Press Gangs began to be used of the Englishnavy as far back as Tudor times, the 1500's, to force meninto the Navy. It was a practice by which groups ofsailors were sent ashore in the port or harbour wheretheir ship was anchored to press, or force men into thenavy.It wasn't uncommon for the Press Gang, as the group ofsailors assigned to this task came to be known, to waitoutside a Pub or Inn until some unfortunate soul, worsefor drink, would leave, be knocked unconscious andawaken on board one of His Majesties warships.This action was eventually incorporated into British Lawand only men over 16 could be Pressed into Naval 77

JAMES YOUNGservice. That Law was amended in 1740 to include menunder 55. Pressing was last used during the NapoleonicWars of 1803 to 1815.However, during WWI & WWII Conscription into anyof the British armed forces, Army, Navy or Air forcewas introduced and after WWII National Servicereplaced Conscription until 1960. Now it's a voluntaryservice, until the government changes its mind.“Edmondson” – ah, that's who he is. “Begin hisinduction.” directed ‘S.’“Yes sir.”“Please come with me and we'll complete your inductionand medical,” was Edmondson's instruction to me.Medical, no one said anything about a medical. “Weneed to know what we're getting” was Edmondson'sobservation as he saw my perplexed expression.After completing my induction. I was taken for theaforesaid medical examination. “All to see that you're fitand well” was Edmondson's cheery comment.“There's insanity in my family you know. Clearlydemonstrated by 'S'.” I informed Edmondson as wedeparted for the medical.“You know the saying. You've got to be mad to workhere. So you'll fit in quite well” was his reply, with atwinkle in his eye, he is human after all I thought.Medical complete Edmondson interjected with the 78

THE MOSES EFFECTcomment, “Well agent 96. I'll take you to meet yourcolleagues.”“What do you mean Agent 96?“That's your future designation and identity,” returningto his authoritative deportment.“How many agents are there?” I asked with sometrepidation.“You don't need to know that!” He continued “We re-use the agents numbers when required.”“When would there be a need to re-use the designation?”I enquired.“When the agent Retires or is Retired” that soundedominous. He continued “We can, as I've stated re-usetheir numerical designation.”Apprehensively I asked “What do you mean Retired?”“Do I have to draw you pictures?” was Edmondson'scurt reply.I felt an uncontrollable cold shiver down my back as Icontemplated the implication of his reply.Edmondson and I left Admiralty House and headed tothe opposite bank of the river Thames, almost oppositethe Houses of Parliament, the seat of the BritishGovernment. Our destination was the headquarters ofMI6, the River House. 79

JAMES YOUNGWe were conveyed to the River House by what wasrapidly becoming or seemed to be my own personalchauffeur, this time driving a black 1959 DaimlerStardust Limousine. Of course he wasn't really mypersonal chauffeur.“Where's the Jag? This is a rather elegant vehicle for usminions.” My curiosity getting the better of me.“It's in for repair,” was the chauffeur's short reply.“Isn't it brand-new. Why does it need repairing?” I askedincredulously.“Newness doesn't guarantee impregnability” was hisanswer. “And this vehicle was the only one available.”I asked with a smile “Had you wrecked all the othervehicles?”“That's enough chit-chat” Edmondson inter-seeded,obviously terminating this line of conversation.I faced Edmondson and nodded toward the driver andmouthed “Who is He? He seems to be everywhere I go.”Edmondson, to my horror, said. “Donaldson. I'm beingasked who you are.”“I'm your guardian angle,” the chauffeur replied.“May I introduce. Agent F19” said Edmondson.F19. I thought, have we run out of numbers now andalso need to start on the alphabet? There must be a 80

THE MOSES EFFECTmonumental number of agent if they have. I'm gettingmore and more confused by the minute.“Nearly there, Sirs” Donaldson, I mean Agent F19, orchauffeur, take your pick...We'd crossed Lambert Bridge from the north side of theriver Thames and proceeded down Horseferry Road andturned left onto Thorney Street to the rear of ThamesHouse, The River House, and took the entrance thatbrought us to a car park beneath the building.After the vehicle was parked, we alighted from theDaimler, myself, Edmondson and Donaldson. I musthave had a quizzical look on my face as I observedDonaldson accompanying us instead of driving off as healways did.Edmondson observed my expression, smiled and said“Donaldson is not a chauffeur as you will soon find out.I looked at Donaldson, who cocked his head and raisedhis eyebrows and gave a knowing grin, something Ilearned was one of Donaldson’s idiosyncrasies.All three of us crossed from where the Daimler wasparked and headed toward a lift located across theparking area against the back wall facing the car parkentrance. Edmondson pressed the Down button to callthe lift. Down button? I thought we were already Downbeneath the building.The lift doors opened. We entered the lift andEdmondson punched in a numerical code on the controlpanel located on the right hand wall of the lift. The 81

JAMES YOUNGcontrol panel not only had the ubiquitous directionalpush buttons for Up or Down, but there were alsoadditional alphabetical and numerical push buttons too.Edmondson entered a numerical code which wasfollowed by the designation ‘D8’, I’ve seen lessselection buttons on a Jukebox. The lift doors closed andwe descended.After a few moments of decent the lift stopped and thedoors opened. When the doors opened I wondered whatwe were entering. In front of us there was what seemedto be an underground, in point of fact, it was anunderground miniature production factory at one sideand behind a half glass partitioning wall an open planoffice with individual booths.“Welcome to the Ministry of Dirty Tricks” F19, I’ll giveDonaldson his identification as we’re in the RiverHouse, remarked with his usual grin.“Please follow me, gentlemen” greeted a man whoapproached us. “We’ve been expecting you.” Theperson who greeted us was middle-aged about fortyyears or so old, at a guess. About five foot eight inchestall, greying hair at the temples and dressed in a whitelaboratory coat and wearing safety goggles.“Not at the moment ‘Q’”, short for Quartermaster,“We’ll catch-up with you later. We need to settle Agent96 into his new surroundings” interrupted Edmondson.“Very well, Sir. Please ring when you need me” ‘Q’ saidand bid us goodbye. 82

THE MOSES EFFECTI looked at F19 and Edmondson. Edmondson remarked“Don’t look so surprised at ‘Q’s’ greeting 96. We doknow every movement in this building and who isexpected and who is not.” You may think Big Brotherdoesn’t exist. But it does! They’ll of course say it’s onlyfor security reasons.After that short introduction and apology Edmondsonsaid “Please follow me.” We both dutifully followed.We entered the door that leads into what I’ll call theoffice. As previously remarked, it was an open office.However, there were booths that were stationed aroundthe office in two straight lines of eight booths in each.The office had three aisles for access. One aisle downthe middle of the office and one at left wall and one onthe right wall near the glass partitioning wall.Each booth was surrounded by partitions to the height ofa man’s shoulder. Within the booths were two desks andat each sat an agent. On the desks were the usual array ofPC’s or Laptop computers and telephones synonymouswith the modern office environment.We walked down the centre aisle passing each booth, Icast a glance into each one as I passed. No casual looknor cursory glance from anyone as we passed. Wereached our appointed location, second booth from therear on the right.“No one acknowledged us as we passed” I recounted toDonaldson. “Andy please. If we’re going to worktogether. Why didn’t anyone even look up or turn their 83

JAMES YOUNGheads to see who was passing?” I inquired.“The less we know about each other and ourassignments the better. Hush Hush and all that. The lesswe know, the less we can pass on and perhapscompromise any situation or venture” he replied.Bemused, I said “I didn’t think that Hush, Hush meanssilence and ignorance!”“It’s just a protection. They’ll be there should you needanyone,” he reassured.“Well, here you are. Donaldson get him settled in andshow him the ropes” instructed Edmondson.Without any further comment he retraced his steps anddeparted.“First things first” Andy chirped. “Tea.. Follow me.” Heleft the booth with me following and turning right wentto the rear of the office where there was a neatlyarranged table with cups saucers and an array of biscuitsand various tea bags.There were also three pump vacuum flasks on the table.Andy informed me. “One hot water, one Coffee and theother milk. Sorry, there’s no cream. We used to have aDoris, our little tea-lady. She used to bring a trolley withall sorts of goodies. Sorry for this poor display ofgoodies, but cut backs and we’re reduced to this,” hesaid with a lament and almost a mock tear in his eye,well not really. “Grab your cuppa and we’ll get sorted.” 84

THE MOSES EFFECTComplete with coffee and a couple of Rich Tea biscuits Ifollowed him back to our booth. “This one's yours,\" hesaid, pointing to the desk on the left. I looked at the deskand saw a Laptop computer, telephone, desk-lamp and a24 by 18 inch ink blotter. “I thought these ink blotterswent out with the Victorians” I said.“Ink blotters are good for when you have to write yourreport or whatever and they’re excellent for doodling!”Andy replied.“Write a report! Don’t we have a Word Processor?Looking disbelievingly at Andy.“Of course. You can type your report on the Laptop andthe printer is on the small table to your left, under thedesk… Oh, you’ll find your quill pen in the right-handtop draw in case your wondering.”“Quill pen.” I looked at him incongruously.“As I’ve implied, ignoring my ironic expression, yourstationary is in your top right-hand draw and you’ve asmall alphabetical filing system in the bottom draw.Which should remain locked at all times.”“If you've finished your coffee, we’ll have to go down tothe shooting range” instructed Andy.“What!… I don’t shoot!” I protested.“You didn’t shoot… past tense! Come on! We’ve all gotto know at least the basics,\" he encouraged.Begrudgingly, I finished my coffee and followed. We 85

JAMES YOUNGleft our booth, past our seemingly disinterestedcolleagues and entered the lift. Andrew punched in therequired code and the lift descended yet again.“How do I get out of here when I don’t know the code?I asked Andy.Andy informed me “We’ve all got our own personalcode. They’ll give you your code before you leave. Orhave you brought your pyjamas?”“That’s not very funny” I retorted.Andy just laughed. “I’m sure it’s all in-hand.”On leaving the lift we entered a dimly-lit long, narrowstructure filling the whole width of the room, in front ofus to one side there was a row of four cubicle’s.About four feet inside the cubical was what looked like ashop counter, which was the full width of the cubicaland three feet deep. Each cubical had a total width ofjust over six feet.On the other side of the counters, at the far end of thegantry from where we were standing, there was theoutline drawing of a human figure printed on asuspended piece of paper. That printed figure was what Ipresumed to be a target. It was approximately onehundred and fifty feet away at the far end of the whatwas obviously a shooting gallery.To the left of the cubicles was a further shop, countertype desk and above the counter was a steel grill that had 86

THE MOSES EFFECTan eight inch gap the full width of the counter which wasseven feet in width and also about three feet deep. Thegrill stretched to the ceiling. The total width of the roombeing approximately thirty six feet wide.As we entered we were greeted by a short, baldingcorpulent man wearing horn-rimmed glasses and abrown coverall coat. Amiably he spoke “Nice to see youagain agent F19. It’s been some while since your lastvisit.”“Certainly has ‘A’, how have you been?”“Very well, thank you.” replied ‘A’ “What can I do foryou gentlemen?”“Agent 96 needs some small arms experience, if you’dbe so kind.”‘A’ looked a little aghast. “You’re not Agent 96. Iremember him, he’s older than you by a good number ofyears. Who are you before I call security!”“Easy ‘A’” said Donaldson stepping forward.Easing Donaldson to one side, I also stepped up to thegrill. “I think I can explain. You know doubt arerecalling my late father. I’ve been given his oldidentification.Pausing, ‘A’ said “Your father you say?”“Yes Sir. He passed away a few years ago.” I informed‘A’ 87

JAMES YOUNGBeing satisfied with that information ‘A’ said “Sorry tohear that. I liked your father.”I nodded my head to acknowledge the commiseration of‘A.’“May we proceed?” Enquired Donaldson.“Yes of course.” acknowledged ‘A’ “Small arms yousay?”“Sorry to interrupt, but that will have to be on anotheroccasion ’A’” said Uncle George as he entered theshooting gallery. How does he do that? He seems toAppear at will out of thin air.We all focused on ‘S’ as he entered. “We have apressing engagement at the Spanish Ambassadorsresidence this evening 96. F19 you’ll be needed too. F19you’ll need your Chauffeur’s uniform and 96 you’ll beaccompanying me! So you’ll need your black tie”“Is it a funeral?” I asked sheepishly.“Don’t be so facetious. It’s formal wear but not asformal as white tie” was the scolding reply of ‘S.’Donaldson stepped near to ‘S’ and whispered in his ear.“He has not been trained sir! We’ve only just shown himwhere his office desk is!”“I know that! But he’ll learn as he goes along” was thereply of ‘S’ “Let’s leave it at that.”Donaldson acquiesced “If you say so sir.” 88

THE MOSES EFFECTThe three of us left the Shooting Gallery leaving ‘A’alone in his domain. 89

JAMES YOUNG CHAPTER SEVENKarl Jorgensen, not his real name, stood on the starboardflying bridge of the Pegasus, an old forty thousand tonconverted oil tanker, at least that was its original design.Jorgensen was a large powerful looking man ofScandinavian appearance, although he wasn'tScandinavian, he only looked like one. An appearance,he deliberately maintained. He weighed around twohundred and twenty pounds and stood about six feet fourinches tall.Karl had a weather beaten face that was in keeping withhis life long affiliation with the sea and all that the seacould throw at him. Clear ice blue eyes peered out fromhis gnarled weather beaten face. Not a fat man, butpowerfully built. He sported a Van Dyke beard, don’t allScandinavians, even those pretending to beScandinavian?Unusually for the stereotypical Scandinavian his hairhad been black, but now in keeping with his years, bothhis beard and hair were showing wisps of grey. He worea thick padded checked shirt over a grey woollen turtlenecked pullover, faded blue denim jeans which werefastened at the waist with a large leather belt.His footwear, a pair of tanned leather boots that reachedhalfway up his calf. Rather than tuck the legs of his jeansinto the top of his boots, as seems to be the norm, Karlwore them with the tops of the boots inside the legs ofhis jeans. He had found it difficult enough to pull the 90

THE MOSES EFFECTboots on without the added effort of trying to pull theboots over the legs of his jeans as well.The configuration of Pegasus has not been dramaticallychanged. She still had her Superstructure at the stern, thenormal configuration of oil tankers. Pegasus had ahundred and ten feet beam and a draught of twenty fivefeet and a her deck was the length of three footballfields. On the deck, gone were the hatches that hadpreviously been one of the typical features of an oiltanker.Pegasus had previously had two rows of hatches, onerow on the port side and one row on the starboard side ofthe main deck, stretching from the stern superstructure tothe forecastle. The hatches were four feet high, five feetdiameter, the resemblance of which was similar to adomestic sewing machines cotton bobbin. Each hatchhad had its own hinged airtight cover.During the days that Pegasus carried crude oil it hadbeen imperative that none of the vapours from the crudeoil escaped the hatches, as the vapours were highlyinflammable and a simple spark could have ignitedthem.Previously, all the hatches had contained an internalsteel ladder that had led down from the hatch into thebowels of the great tanks themselves, these had nowbeen removed. Pegasus had had sixteen receptacles,eight on each side, Port and Starboard, all these had beenremoved when the deck had been redesigned. 91

JAMES YOUNGOther amended features of Pegasus were four entrypoints for access into the hold along the main deck. Thefirst one was in the middle of the deck, near theforecastle. Behind the foremost entry and in front of theforecastle lay a fully retractable Rolled Steel Joist. ThisR.S.J., as it is known, was the full width of the deckmounted on rollers and clamps and was against theforecastle.The stern entry to the hold was in front of the sternsuperstructure. At the rear of this hatch was an additionalR.S.J., complete with clamps and rollers.The remaining hatches were positioned half waybetween the stern Superstructure and the Forecastle. Oneof which was to Starboard and the other to Port.Forward of the stern superstructure and bridge of thePegasus, a little in front of the access point to the bowelsof the hold, there was a Crane, a Hammerhead designoften found on the dockside of many British docks.Perhaps the most iconic crane design that could be foundwere the overhead cranes that had been part of theskyline at the now defunct Harland & Wolf. A famousNorthern Ireland ship builders where the ill fated Titanichad been constructed.This particular Hammerhead design made it possible forthe large hook to transverse along rails affixed to thesquat jib of the Derrick and to lift a weight in excess offive hundred tons. There was also a crane Derrick justbefore the forecastle hatch. The deck beneath both ofthese cranes had been reinforced to take both the weight 92

THE MOSES EFFECTof the cranes and their enormous loads.Between the Derricks there was a raised section of abouttwo feet, twenty yards wide and three hundred feet long.This would have been the opening to the cargo-hold ifshe had been carrying commercial cargo, but she wasnot.Four hinged steel sections covered the hold. Each hingedsection approximately one hundred yards in length andfive yards in width. This was a gigantic accomplishmentof construction.Each of the four large sections, were welded together tocover the hold. In addition, each of these sections werehinged, one to the other.There could be no hindrance in raising the contents ofthe Pegasus hold, therefore the whole length of the holdentrance needed to be clear once opened.The hatches were opened and closed by two mammothhydraulic rams. One ram located at the stern section ofthe hold and the other situated in the fore section, asternof the forecastle. These rams or pistons opened andclosed the hinged plates. When open, the hinged steelplates concertinaed back to the starboard side of thehold.From his position on the starboard Flying Bridge,Jorgensen was able to look astern and see the smallflotilla of four ships. There was a slight swell thatJorgensen sub-consciously felt beneath his feet. Henoted the sun setting on the western horizon. 93

JAMES YOUNGThey were steaming Nor. by Nor. East. As was hiscustom, Jorgensen left the starboard flying bridge to passthrough the main bridge to the port side flying bridge.On the bridge there were a further two officers andhelmsman. All raised, or turned their heads towardJorgensen as he passed through the bridge of the ship.None spoke, they just nodded as he passed.Through all the years of seafaring that they had spenttogether, they had all grown to respect this amiable, butpowerful Scandinavian. It was the time of day whenthings on board usually quieted down. A nod ofrecognition was all that was needed between the three, asJorgensen passed amiably through.As the sun was setting he always felt duty bound toreassure himself that all appeared well with this smallflotilla, like a broody hen arranging her nest beforesettling down for the night. It was always a pleasing andproud sight for him, as he gazed to the stern of Pegasusand saw the following three vessels Aurora, Stella andCosmos.Sailing astern of the flotilla was Aurora. Aurora herselfwas also a converted oil tanker and had a similarconfiguration as Pegasus, although Aurora did not havethe large Derricks that Pegasus had. The Aurora had thenormal sort of Derrick that one would normally associatewith an oil tanker. Her deck had the same configurationas Pegasus.I always thought that these particular Derricks looked 94

THE MOSES EFFECTlike giant naked shuttlecocks which had had theBarbicels, Barbules and Barbs removed from the Shaftof the feathers. These Derrick’s would normally be usedto raise the flexible hoses that were used to load oroffload the oil or indeed any other cargo that wasrequired.While the Derricks were similar to their original design,they were slightly larger. As on Pegasus, one Derrickwas forward of the bridge and the other astern of theforecastle. The hatches for loading and offloading oil orpetroleum had been replaced with the same deckconfiguration as Pegasus.There was a slight difference however. The holdcovering of Aurora concertinaed open to the port side ofher main deck rather that to the starboard side as in thecase of Pegasus. There was a further configurationsimilar to Pegasus regarding the R.S.J.’s and rollers.They had the same arrangement as on Pegasus. OnAurora the R.S.J. was at the stern, in front of the SternSuperstructure and rollers and clamps were next toAurora's Forecastle.Ahead of the Aurora steamed Stella. She was thesmallest of the four ships. All four vessels were used inclandestine operations of the British Royal Navy,ostensibly labelled Survey Vessels, this was supposed toallow them to operate unimpeded on the High Seas.Every officer and most of the sailors on the four vesselswere Royal Navy personnel. However as the four vesselswere not Warships, they could be used by the British 95

JAMES YOUNGRoyal Navy, private British Governmental approvedcompanies or Universities for exploration andenvironmental study purposes.Looking at Stella one would be forgiven for thinking shewas out of place in this eccentric looking flotilla. Stella’sdesign remained the same as when she was built. Hername had been changed from Ocean Dream. She hadbeen purchased from the P & O line just prior to theirbeing taken over, although the new owners still operateunder the generic name of P & O. Her role was as an R& R, Rest & Rehabilitation resource. Additionally shewas fully equipped as a Hospital Ship if needed, foranything from injury to illness.Ocean Dream had been launched in 1999 from one ofthe Korean shipbuilders. She was designed as a luxurycruise liner for the Mediterranean tourist industry. Thereshe had spent the summer conveying rich American andEuropean tourists on their luxury Grand Tour of allplaces exotic. Exotic did I say? Well I suppose theystill had a faint shadow of their former glory.When one considers Alexandria, Istanbul, and Veniceand many other historic locations, modern commerceand industrialization have had a dramatic impact on theirvista. Considering Venice as an example. Only a franticships pilot who has lost the will to live would attempt tonavigate a luxury liner through the constant Armada ofTankers, Cargo and Container ships, not to mentionpleasure craft passing through the over crowded Venicelagoons. 96

THE MOSES EFFECTCosmos was sailing astern of Pegasus, she was aconverted cargo vessel. Her role was to carry auxiliaryequipment and one could almost call her a floatingconstruction site.In her hold was everything from electrical fuses, paint,wood, electronic equipment to steel plate and hydraulicequipment for cutting and bending.All this equipment was located in the various workshopswithin Cosmos. In other words Cosmos and her crewwould be able to repair, construct and produce whateverwas needed. This ensured the minimum number ofoccasions that the Flotilla needed to enter harbour.A further feature was at the stern where there was a largehelicopter landing pad and large aircraft hanger. Boththe helipad and hanger were large enough to permit aSikorsky S-92 search and rescue helicopter to both landand be housed for maintenance and storage.In addition to the Sikorsky there was Airbus EC135T2helicopter for emergency transport to hospital for anyone who may need it. The EC135T2 could accommodatea pilot, two medics and within the rear compartment twostretchers. We of course hoped we would never need thatone.In a clear evening sky the sun cast a crimson light fromthe west. Jorgensen again noted that low sea swellbeneath his feet and felt the contentment that only thosewho had a love of the sea and had spent a lifetime uponit could comprehend. 97

JAMES YOUNGA thought entered his head, which he immediatelyexpelled, but its import was noted, how many moreyears remain for him to sail the seas. It was almostunthinkable that there would come a time when hewould not be on the bridge of the Pegasus. His shouldersgave an incomprehensible shrug reflecting his innerfeeling of inevitability and apprehension at the thought.If anyone had observed his demeanour they would havethought, “what is he thinking… make sure the cut throatrazors has been safely hidden away.”Having satisfied himself that all appeared well, heentered the ships bridge. “What does the meteorologicalfraternity offer as a weather forecast number one?”The young officer dressed in a Navy Blue uniform and apeaked cap that concealed his reddish brown hair.Below the peak of his hat there were clear blue eyes, onthe bridge of his nose a few freckles. The young officerhad a compact figure. He replied “According to theBritish Broad Casting World Service shipping forecastfor the British Isles, issued at eleven hundred hours, setfair for the next twenty four hours sir.”With a twinkle in his eyes Jorgensen asked, “Whatmakes you think I’d be interested in the weather for theBritish Isles?”The young officer, in an attempt to impress hiscommanding officer, raised himself erect, pulled backhis shoulders presenting himself as imposingly as hecould stated “at our present course and speed, theBritish Isles will make one almighty dint in our bow, 98

THE MOSES EFFECTer… Sir” his confidence beginning to deflate.“My goodness, we’ll have to avoid that” repliedJorgensen in a mock demonstration of alarm. In that casewe’d better alter course. “Helmsman, 150 degrees tostarboard if you please.” “Aye sir” came the reply.The need to alter course was precipitated by Jorgensen’sreceipt of a message handed to him by the Radio Officerthat had just entered the bridge from the radio room atthe rear starboard side of the bridge.“Permission to signal the fleet sir?” came the requestfrom the first officer.“Certainly” came Jorgensen reply. “However you’llhave to instruct them that we disperse and meet at theStraits of Gibraltar. I’ll pass on the coordinatespresently. Please be sure to convey my compliments.”“Aye sir” was the reply from Christopher Chambers, togive the First Officer his name.Picking up the signal lamp, also known as the shipstelegraph, the young officer stepped out onto the portside flying bridge to signal the following vessels. Hereturned to the bridge almost immediately as he realizedthat as the ship was turning to Starboard he’d need to beon the Starboard side if he was to signal the followingvessels. Red faced he passed through the bridge passinghis smiling companions while departing to the starboardside.No instructions or orders were ever sent via radio link 99

JAMES YOUNGbetween the vessels in the small flotilla while operatingin such close proximity. Secrecy was to be maintained asto their location at all times. The small flotilla wouldneed to disperse to avoid detection from radar or GPS,Ground Positioning Satellite. A single vessel would bemore difficult to detect than a Flotilla of four vessels,assuming they hadn’t detected us already.“Permission to signal the fleet.” “The boys got delusionsof grandeur. He must think he’s Nelson. And pleasedon’t let him signal God’s Speed, that’ll really makeGeorge, Alex and Rafa, the respective captains ofAurora, Stella and Cosmos, think he’s a sandwich shortof a picnic and I’ll have to throw him over the side.”These words uttered from the First Engineer who hadjust entered the bridge and overheard the first officer’srequest.Jorgensen noted the helmsman attempt to suppress achuckle at the first engineer’s comments and permittedhimself a wry smile. “Don’t dampen his enthusiasm Pat,we may need it for what lies ahead”.“Ye’ sir” came the ubiquitous reply that permeated theRoyal Navy when replying to a senior officer. “But I stillsay he does think he’s at Trafalgar.”Patrick Montague McNamara, no prizes for guessingwhere Pat’s origins were. Pat was everything that thestereotypical inhabitant of the Emerald Isleencapsulated. Jovial, amiable and eloquent, althoughwithout a strong Irish accent, except when some criticalindividual who in Pat’s view had lost their will to live 100