Page Title

Synopsis

It is the winter of 1981, a little over a year before the start of the Falklands conflict. HMS Virago, a brand new frigate is being prepared for sea. She is about to undergo trials on a system of highly classified equipment.

British scientists with American support have finally harnessed the techniques of cold fusion, a unique 'nuclear type' power source that will revolutionise the defence strategy of the NATO alliance. The Royal Navy has been given the task of testing this sophisticated source of power for a new breed of surface to surface and surface to air guided missile frigates. Hopefully these ships will be brought into service with the Royal Navy and possibly other NATO navies over the coming years if the trials of the new 'muonitors' are successful.

In view of the highly classified nature of her mission, Virago inevitably attracts unwelcome interest. Already subjected to some minor acts of vandalism to her missile launchers, a recent and more determined act of sabotage results in serious damage to one of its switchboards. Bad enough for the Captain of Virago, Admiralty and the Defence Secretary to seriously consider aborting the trials, but the Prime Minister vetoes their concern and insists the trials go ahead as planned.

Have spies and saboteurs seriously infiltrated the mess decks of HMS Virago? If so, she will not only have to contend with that, but she may also become an unwilling pawn in the shadowy world of international, power politics. Clearly there are some people, organisations or maybe even foreign powers that would dearly love to see the British Government embarrassed, or at least the Royal Navy compromised.

If the navy cannot conclude the trials satisfactorily the British Government would be forced to give up its responsibility for them and hand everything over to NATO. An option they fiercely oppose despite agreeing to that caveat at a high level NATO conference, several months prior to organising the trials protocols.

So who is trying to railroad the trials and what are their motives? Is it simply a question of monitory gain or nationalistic scruples? Could it be something entirely different, maybe an intense personal reason? Whoever is behind this disruption and mayhem, is probably the 'broker'- the person pulling the strings. They will be in constant touch with Virago's saboteur, who apparently, is not only content with selling secrets to the enemy, but will also stop at nothing, even murder, to achieve their evil ambitions?

Lieutenant Commander Philip Cassidy is called upon to assist. Sent to HMS Virago by the Admiralty and working under cover as a Petty Officer Gunnery Instructor, he sets about trying to unravel a web of espionage and deception behind the mystery acts of sabotage. His remit is to bring to justice whoever is responsible, thus allowing the ship to conclude the trials successfully. This is no ordinary mission, even for a man of Cassidy's ability, but then HMS Virago is no ordinary ship.

Unfortunately all is not quite as straightforward as he hoped. After only a few days of stepping aboard his new ship he becomes anxious he might himself be under surveillance. Could his cover be blown? Will his mission be jeopardised?

Some strange and unexplained incidents appear to be confusing him. But most importantly, why would the sudden death of an innocent, young sailor trouble him so much?

Not all the ships civilian crew, made up of scientists and laboratory technicians, are men. The whole crew quickly adopts the beautiful and vivacious Dr Barbara Willetts, one of the onboard nuclear physicists, as the ships sweetheart. Cassidy becomes captivated as he falls for her womanly charms, which she eagerly flaunts whenever she finds herself in the handsome Petty Officer's company. Will this blossoming relationship however, deflect him from his true purpose on board Virago, or does he take full advantage of the opportunity presented, to help him further his investigations?

When a sudden and vicious attempt on his own life temporarily halts his investigations, tension on board Virago heightens. Naturally the ships crew are quick to speculate. Will the trials be completed on time? Will they be successful? Strangely Cassidy finds the most unlikely of allies willing to help, while the Captain, Lt. Commander Livingston, continues to battle with his own private anguish since taking command.

Just when you think Virago's prospects are beginning to shape up, a further tragedy hits the ship which results in the death of another, innocent bystander. As a result of this latest outrage the Captain's career is severely threatened and he is immediately summoned to Admiralty House in London, to face a board of enquiry.

Cassidy's future also looks fragile, although from a hospital bed he isn't yet aware of the full extent of' the crisis. When he finally discovers the truth he is thrown into a personal turmoil. Uncharacteristically his anger gets the better of him and he vows to wreak vengeance on the evil perpetrator. But the Admiralty and the Intelligence Services also want their pound of flesh. They desperately need a success story if the Government is to be protected from mounting, international and political pressure. The heat in the kitchen has been well and truly turned up.

After many twists and turns Cassidy finally triumphs. But despite bringing an honourable conclusion to his enquiries, it is not without painful cost to a number of people, including himself. Will the lovely Barbara, caught up in the last explosive attempt to derail the trials and now the real focus of his affections, survive the creeping sickness - radiation poisoning? Alas, even with great courage and tremendous spirit, she appears to be losing her battle to live. Racked with grief and guilt, Cassidy waits patiently by her bedside, inconsolable and still extremely angry.

The saboteur fortuitously, is finally caught in the act. A Secretary of State is compromised and resigns under mounting pressure. Other political casualties, less significant, add to the excitement of the final chapters. But the puppeteer (broker) skips the country and lives to fight another day. However, even the Intelligence services are reasonably satisfied with the outcome.

Their Lordships at the Admiralty, of course, couldn't be more delighted. Virago magnificently completes her trials successfully. The data is safely handed over to the Ministry of Defence and other appropriate departments and along with her sister ships; Virago will soon be joining the fleet where she belongs.

A good result maybe. Or is it?

The cost in human suffering was high. So much misery, so much sadness.

The final throw of the dice sees Cassidy and his chum Geoff, jetting off to the Caribbean., hot on the heels of the slippery and evil malcontent who was responsible for creating so much havoc back in the United Kingdom.

They finally see an opportunity to wrap it all up. But that's another story….

Sample

The pretty QARNNS nurse smiled and looked him up and down with great interest, her large, spoon shaped eyes were fascinated, while her cheeks were tinged with an embarrassing, rosy blush.

"You must be Petty officer Cassidy?" She said in a soft, Hampshire accent.

"Err…. yes. that's right. But …" The nurse neatly interrupted him before he could finish the sentence.

"Oh, that's all right, everyone here knows who you are. Barbara has told us so much about you." She was still smiling, but slightly more mischievously this time.

"I sincerely hope not everything." he smiled back understandingly.

But her pretty smile gradually faded, her eyes turned serious and her manner more efficient. Hardly noticeable but Cassidy did in an instance.

'Something wrong nurse?" Cassidy enquired gently, slightly worried by her sudden change in behaviour.

"Course not." She smiled, the colour rising in her cheeks once more

"I expect you'll want to see Barbara now? I'll go and see if the doctor is available." She promptly scuttled away leaving Cassidy frowning.

A young looking man in a white coat sporting a stethoscope around his neck appeared at the door. He thrust out his hand, which Cassidy automatically grasped.

"Petty Officer Cassidy?"

"Yes that's right. You must be Barbara's doctor then?" He returned the compliment.

"One of them. We share duties up here at Haslar. But I have her notes." He waved an official looking folder under Cassidy's nose.

"I've not been involved with her case from the outset, but am familiar with her condition and her prognosis. Perhaps we can have a chat before I take you to see her?" His young, enthusiastic face masked his true feelings, but it was clear to Cassidy that all was not well, otherwise why the delay in seeing her? He suddenly felt a rush of fear for the first time since Barbara was taken into hospital.

"Of course doctor." Cassidy dutifully followed him into the office where he was offered a seat. They faced each other awkwardly. The young doctor collected his thoughts. Plainly trying to work out his best approach. He kept looking up, smiled and then went back to the notes. He repeated this a few times until Cassidy with a loud cough shocked him out of his uncertainty.

"I hear you are engaged to be married?" He finally asked.

"Yes, well, perhaps not officially, but we do intend to get married as soon as Barbara is well." Cassidy waited patiently while the doctor again briefly skimmed through Barbara's notes. Cassidy's eyes darted about the room, trying his best to remain calm.

"I'm afraid there is no easy way to tell you this, but I'll attempt to keep it as simple as I can." His youthful face which coloured embarrassingly, stood out in stark contrast to his clinically white coat.

"There's no denying it, Barbara is a very sick woman. Her physical injuries are responding slowly unfortunately, mainly because her general health and immune system are showing signs of deterioration. A few days ago an expert who specialises in radiation sickness and related cases, gave her a thorough examination. His prognosis wasn't very optimistic I'm afraid. At the moment she's receiving 24 hour barrier nursing and is currently isolated in our serious infections wing. Visiting of course is limited owing to the serious nature of the disease." Cassidy's face wore a numbed expression. The doctor avoiding eye contact with him, continued gamely

"Unfortunately she will soon start to suffer from acute abdominal pains, fever, loss of hair, diarrhoea and haemorrhage before infection sets in and damage to her main organs becomes irreparable. She is amazingly calm and thankfully in little pain owing to the drugs." While he struggled to give a reasonable analysis of Barbara's case and under the circumstances making a fair stab at it, he could plainly see the effect it was having on Cassidy.

Cassidy, polite and attentive to every word the doctor uttered, was deeply shocked and saddened to hear this news. The effect was immediate and overwhelming. Gradually his upper body started to shiver uncontrollably as if he'd suddenly been thrown into a cold room. His knuckles showed white as he tightly gripped the armrests of his chair to try and stem the shakes. He'd feared the worst from the start, but he still had to hear it directly from the horse's mouth. He now understood why the Captain had been so solemn when he told him about Barbara's recent set back. The doctor continued explaining.

"You see, her physical injuries were never going to cause us great concern, but the large dose of radioactivity the explosion exposed her to, even at that level of irradiation.., well, that was something we hadn't bargained for. A small dose over a short period would have been acceptable for a normal healthy body, but I believe it was much longer than normal in Barbara's case?"

"Yes, that's right. At least thirty or forty minutes." Cassidy absentmindedly responded. His shaking had subsided and was now replaced by a deep ache in his chest. He started to feel sick. The atmosphere in that small office suddenly became claustrophobic and unbearable. The very smell of the hospital was clawing at his nostrils.

"Can I go and see her now doctor?" He made to get up.

The doctor sighed audibly. "Well, I don't see why not, but I must warn you. She is very poorly and won't quite look like she did the last time you saw her. She's lost some weight and… err her eyes aren't quite so bright.., well you'll see. Please don't expect too much from her. She's very weak." The doctor droned on trying to prepare Cassidy for the worst.

They left the stuffy office and made their way through the main ward to the adjacent wing. After tramping down several corridors the doctor suddenly paused at one door and was about to grip the handle when a thought struck him. He turned to speak, took one look at Cassidy then immediately changed his mind. He quickly opened the door and stood to one side ushering Cassidy through.

She was half sitting, half lying on a bed, propped up by a mountain of pillows. From floor to ceiling the bed was completely covered by a thin, silky, transparent material, which formed a sterile, cocoon like environment. The bed covering which was loosely thrown over her, could hardly disguise her shapely femininity. Her blonde, silky hair still framed that beautiful oval face and the freckles were still conspicuous across her pretty cheeks. He smiled affectionately. He loved those freckles. He always had.

Her natural skin colour seemed to have been replaced by a paler yet creamier tone. She looked so angelic and serene that unless you knew her personally, you would be hard pressed to say there was anything wrong with her at all.

Cassidy said nothing, taking in every detail of what he saw before him, as if committing it to memory. She had certainly lost some weight and this was emphasised by her eyes, although closed, looked vaguely sunken in their sockets. He also noticed her cheek bones were slightly more prominent than he remembered. He moved slowly forward.

The dull ache in his chest moved up to his throat. He involuntarily put his hand over his mouth to stifle a groan. Despite her natural beauty plain for all to see, it was true, she no longer resembled the young, vibrant girl he had fallen madly in love with a few months ago.

He quietly edged towards a chair by the bed and instantly, as if by telepathy, she opened her eyes and uttered her first words.

"Cassidy, I've been waiting for days. Where have you been you horrible man?" Her voice purred softly but sounded a little laboured.

"I'm here Barbara, right here." He sat down quickly on the chair and reached out for her hand, slightly hampered by the silk covering. He could still feel it through the material, soft, warm and fragile. He stroked it lovingly and tenderly.

She turned her head to face him and smiled weakly. She brought her other hand over and placed it on top of his, squeezing it so gently, yet with all the strength she could muster. Her eyes were lacklustre; they had indeed lost their bewitching sparkle. But her indomitable character still managed to shine through despite her debilitating illness.

"I've told everybody we are going to be married Cassidy. So I hope you haven't forgotten the ring?" She giggled feebly at her attempts to tease him.

"I'll soon be out of here darling, then we can plan that sailing holiday you've always talked about." Again she smiled, flashing those perfect teeth, possibly the only thing about her that perceptibly hadn't changed one bit.

"Yes we will, but I think the doctors will want to see you get better first. We'll talk about it when you are up and about." He mentally rebuked himself for not thinking of anything sensible to say.

Suddenly his throat felt restricted and with sheer desolation getting the better of him, the tears started to trickle silently down his cheeks. He'd promised himself on the way to Haslar that he wouldn't let her see his pain, but he wore his heart on his sleeve, apparent for all to see. She squeezed his hand again and made little shushing sounds to comfort him.