GO TY By Mike Austin
nasstop@yahoo.com
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V.
The ship-board action netted 1800 immigrants in near slave conditions- cages, gated walled off units, inhuman conditions who had been there since departing Colon, Panama. Tons of high-end explosives, rocket launchers, holds filled with an array of assault weapons and grenades, varied types of IEDs and UVIEDs, $200million in counterfeit cash and 50 terrorists, one the #10 on the Interpol wanted list who was coordinating the daily operation onboard, not to mention other conglomerate operatives and the ship compliment of workers and command. It was clear why Terrazon wanted Kirk's help and provided a link to the internal operation of the ship, when the ship's details were provided by Greg and Pete. Kirk would help intervene for the captain's assistance. Carl Donaman remained on the run and all Federal teams were on his track. Kirk knew they had to get Donaman and he called Beth for any clues. She told Kirk about the plantation house and the small hunting lodge they maintained and teams were dispatched to those locations, but revealed nothing. Beth was of no further help and seemed to be the trophy-wife blonde oblivious to her husband's real nature and business. Kirk turned to Marco and his brother Captain Terrazon for help, but both were clueless. On closer query, Caesar Terrazon mentioned a small fishing village really just a series of huts on stilts that they often used to transfer migrants that had access to the Gulf. It was near La Cocode, about 90 miles SW of New Orleans, near 6 Points. Before Terrazon had finished, Kirk was on the cell to CoS Melancon and Garret for assistance. Garret dispatched a helo to the area and a pair of speed patrol boats. Melancon tried to dispatch any airplane in the area but the ones he needed were too far away. Donaman might grab a flight and be out of US Air Space before then. He remembered Gary Walters, another former college roommate of he and Kirk's, who had purchased and restored a Grumman HU-16 Albatorss, a twin-engine amphibious seaplane that was retired by the USCG and Walters lived in nearby Houma, LA. In no time, Melancon secured Gary's help and began fueling his HU-16 and his Parish Sherriff brother, would join the flight to the suspected area. Melancon had coordinated with Garret's helo, a Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk en route and confirmed all items back to Kirk who was now en route to the scene himself, by another Sikorsky MH-60T Jayhawk helo with Pete. Greg was left to begin the ops wrap-up at the base and report to Kirk any new events. Marco Terrazon and his brother remained in secure holdings away from the other conglomerate and crew members.
As both helos and the Albatross converged on the small spot of land in the delta region SW of New Orleans, Carl Donaman waited anxiously for his own private seaplane, a N29KL 2003 BERIEV BE 103. He heard the sound of a distant plane approaching, grabbed his binoculars and saw his blue and white escape glinting in the sun. He radioed confirmation and got confirmation as the BERIEV began a circle to descend past the Bay Couteau, and follow the Houma Navigation Canal and swampy marsh to the house on stilts that was Donaman's. Donaman was ready for this escape, and would be eager to escape the 200 mile US territorial zone and meet his yacht for continued escape south. Donaman's plane had landed on the Canal, was taxing through the marshy area to the wharf that encircled the Donaman walled compound, as Donaman paced rapidly back and forth. There was the usual onshore wind blowing. That wind muted the sounds of the approaching pair of helos and the larger Grumman seaplane. "Get up get up get up fast" Carl demanded of his pilot, "I need to be rid of this fucking hole". Donaman's pilot pivoted the BERIEV and slowly threaded the pontoons through the swampy marsh to the now wider open canal and began revving the engines. The engine whine grew as the seaplane edged forward then began the bumpy jump motion as the water and air friction competed with each other. A couple more hops and the plane lifted free of the muddy canal. As the BERIEV began a slow climb, the first helo buzzed ahead and began to hover as Donaman's pilot asked for direction, "get around it" yelled Donaman, but the Grumman appears off the starboard side of the Donaman's path and began a head-on approach. The more nimble BERIEV began to flank the Grumman approach and then Kirk's helo began to track above the BERIEV and was lowering slowly with speaker announcements to land the plane. Now the three Coast Guard authorized planes tightened their approaches and Donaman's pilot threw up his hands. Donaman, grabbed the yoke and pulled back. The BERIEV soared up and almost collided with Kirk's helo. The quick action of the helo pilot prevented a mid-air disaster. One of the onboard marksmen took aim at the BERIEV's tail struts and fired. The BERIEV careened down and into Bay Couteau. The big Grumman ALBATROSS settled adjacent to the BERIEV as did the pair of helos. Donaman crawled from the cabin as did his pilot. Both men had their arms up in surrender. The pilot is cuffed and loaded into one helo while Donaman is cuffed and loaded into Kirk's. Donaman said nothing during the return flight to the base where all forces were beginning to convene. Donaman's pilot was a chatterbox on his flight back however and revealed smuggling and such as well as arms stocks and anything he felt he could trade for immunity or from which he could gain concessions. The big Grumman landed at the base and Gary Walters greeted Kirk and Melancon with hugs, handshakes and gratuities.
In the briefing room, recorders and cameras rolling, Kirk read Carl Donaman his rights and assigned operational charges to Donaman for smuggling, human trafficking, incitement to riot, sabotage, distribution of arms, drugs and counterfeit currency, and murder in the first degree of Federal Agent Tyrone Thomas. Donaman was led away in cuffs and shackles. The pilot's and Caesar's contributions were already leading to arrests in other parts of New Orleans, Baton Rouge and 12 other states and four countries. Mac from his vantage point at The Hub, when he got the arrest confirmation and smiled to himself, gave a thumbs up air signal of job well done to his consultant agent. He met Kirk, Pete and Greg as well as Melancon, Garret and their civilian pilot Gary Walters at a celebratory dinner held at the Commander's Palace. It was bittersweet as Kirk had to relay the events to Beth that Carl was the agent of Ty's murder. She was at a loss and wailed alone, long into the night. Pete and Greg flanked their mentor Kirk at the head table. Mac relayed the amazing stats of the capture in cash, materials, weaponry, trafficked contraband and arrests. Those numbers can't be repeated here but they were substantial and widespread.