<strong>The Hawk</strong>considered what the commander had just said. He was glad to see the commander had assessed the situation well and was making a good suggestion. Macheath was good, as he'd found out from his contacts. The Hawk nodded and replied,<strong>"Thank you, Commander. Rest assured, I won't let anything get into the way of officers discharging their duties with utmost efficiency on the Triton, as they've always done."</strong>And after a moment's pause, he added,<strong>"And I have full faith in your capabilities of keeping your men in line."</strong>Then with an almost imperceptible nod, he signaled that the commander may take his leave. He didn't wish to tell anything about his plans to the commander.<br/><br/>Within a few minutes, the doorbell buzzed, and five ladies filed in, followed by Harden.<strong>"Thank you, Officer Harden, good job done"</strong>, he said.<strong>"Now if you'd please wait outside, while I de-brief the ladies here."</strong>Even before Harden had made his way out, he heard one of the ladies ask him about docking plans. And then another, the red haired one who was easy on the eyes inspite of her state, spoke about being the owner and skipper. She also went on about her father, but the Hawk decided it wasn't worth paying any attention. He did pay attention to her body language though, and couldn't help telling himself he was going to have special fun with this one.<br/><br/>He smiled one of his own charming smiles, generally reserved only for the wives of his superiors, his best defence against their constant yakking.<strong>"Now, now, we'll have enough time to go over the details, Miss Rockefeller. And I'll answer all your questions in due time, Miss Rickshaw. Before that,you'll need to answer some of my questions though."</strong>Pointing to the sofa and his king size bed, he added,<strong>"Please do sit down, all of you."</strong>Lighting up a cigarette, he wondered how these girls, darlings of their rich fathers and given to yachting holidays, would fare down in the ocean's depths. He wouldn't go soft on them at all, of course. If anything, his resolve was now stronger that they needed an experience of what living by rules meant.<br/><br/>He began,<strong>"Now, I imagine you're all relieved to have been spotted and rescued from your malfunctioning boat, and you have good reason to be so. But given that you are now on board a US Navy vessel - and mind you, I'm risking my job putting civilians in a US Navy sub - the least you can do in return is respect your surroundings and the rules here."</strong>Taking another puff, he continued,<strong>"Do that, and I shall personally ensure that you enjoy a comfortable stay till the time we surface next. But if there's one thing the people in this submarine have zero tolerance for,"</strong>he said, looking straight into the skipper girl's eyes,<strong>"it is breaking rules. Trust me, you don't want to be on the wrong side of these men." </strong>He let them digest that, as he stubbed his cigarette into the ash tray.<br/><br/>With another smile, he announced,<strong>"Now, I imagine Officer Harden was kind enough to let you join him on the way down here without getting a chance to search you or your bags. He probably didn't want to hassle you then and there, but now that you know you're safe, perhaps we can get done with it."</strong>Holding his arm out, he said,<strong>"Please come forward, one by one and empty the contents of your bag on the floor before you. Don't worry, I won't strip search you, but of course given that there are no women on the sub, you have to submit to a pat down by me."</strong>