Calypso Jones Junior Versus The Imperial Empire of Japan

By Cal pflugrath

Historical fiction based on James A. Michener's south sea tales Calypso tackles World War Two at its' monster island apex. Legendary home to King Kong & Godzilla, the Princess of Bougainville manages chaos & restores order during tumultuous times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Sep 3, 2021
• ISBN: 9781312831025

Book preview

Calypso Jones Junior Verses The Imperial Empire of Japan

Historical fiction by Cal Pflugrath

PART ONE Brigadoon

Chapter one  That damn monkey!

His damaged torpedo plane’s engine sucked up those final precious drops of fuel. The wounded pilot descended through thick clouds towards an unknown surface.

Please let there be land down there, he grimaced. That’s when the motor sputtered, quit and that five-thousand-pound combat plane became a glider.

Australian Naval Lieutenant William Hawker woke abruptly when Bongo the orangutan came flying through his hut window. Landing on Bill’s stomach, that one hundred-five-pound beast shrieked, scampering away.

Ugh, Bantu! that young Coastwatcher groaned. Control your tree-demons or cook them up for supper!

Right on cue Bongo’s apprentice Menkie careened through the same window. Bouncing off Bill’s left shoulder that pair shambled out Lieutenant Hawker’s hut door and up some South Mountain trail.

Sorry, Boss, a flustered sixteen-year-old Bantu apologized. Those bad beasties work for Princess Calypso. Did you hear that plane?

Yeah. What of it?

Bongo’s been to nasty crash site. Plane’s a big mess. He says wounded man lays up on Mount Baibi. Hurt pretty bad, boss.

What’s on the wings? the lieutenant yawned, circles or red balls?

Stars, inside circles.

Yanks! Bill gasped. Strapping on boots he ordered, get Miss Remo’s boys and meet me at the wreck. Bring a stretcher.

Crash site spread across some rocky treeless slope. a screeching Bongo led the lieutenant to that lone survivor.

Unconscious in the cockpit from a head bump, an apparent gunshot wound to his right hip seemed the only other serious injury.

The lieutenant pulled that pilot out, laying him on soft grass.

Captain bars, Bill mused. You must really be some pilot to make it here. There can’t be an American carrier within a thousand miles of Bougainville.

Menkie’s squawking alerted Bill to the arrival of Bantu and those cot bearing Remo boys.

Stretcher the pilot down to Mama Remo and have her inspect his injuries.

What was it? Bantu asked, surveying that mainly intact blue and grey fuselage.

Some torpedo bomber called a TBD Devastator. According to those markings she’s off USS Lexington.

"Those other two men?

The lieutenant shook his head. Dead before they hit the ground. That baby got shot full of lead. Those two took most of them Jap fishing weights.

"Our wounded captain is some capable pilot. How he got this beat up bird down on South Mountain in one piece is remarkable.

Let’s get off the hill and find out what we’ve got on our hands.

Jada Remo looked over that leg and shook her head. This isn’t good, Bill. It’s already infected. He needs a real doctor and hospital.

That’s a two-day trip to the coast and then some coordinated black cat PBY night snatch.

He’ll be dead long before then, Jada insisted. "I’m also worried about that head wound.

The best medical chance is dropping him off at that Japanese camp hospital tent in Nanu Nanu. It’s a ten hour walk.

Their doctors might be able to save his life, but that leg’s a gonner.

Lieutenant Hawker fumed. Those fiendish devils then torture every scrap of knowledge in his head before chopping it off at their local public square.

William grimaced and considered.

I might as well put my pistol to his skull and save Captain Luckless a painfully humiliating ending.

Why are you sweating this? Mrs. Remo queried. There’s only one way to save him. You know what it is.

Contact the Princess, Bill sighed.

Captain Milton Farrel, United States Navy, Lieutenant Hawker reported, showing that leg. Jada’s boys Blake and Cel held his stretcher before my hut door.

Not a moment to lose I snatched healing salve from a medical bag and went after that festering gash.

What’s Captain Farrel doing in central Bougainville? I asked.

He’s the commanding officer of all USS Lexington’s’ torpedo bomber squadrons. Why Lexington might be prowling near these northern Solomon Islands is the mystery.

I nodded. Did you get all that scuttlebutt off the tele radio?

Hawker nodded.

"Stay off the airwaves, Bill. The Japanese are triangulating your location even as we speak.

Every minute you spend broadcasting, vocal or telegraph, brings your neck one minute closer to some date with a well-honed samurai blade.

Bill frowned. You give them too much credit, majesty.

Trust me, Lieutenant. I know you’ve only been up here two months but your adversary is persistent. That radio could spell your doom.

Can you save him?

I can’t. Only Bali Hai may restore him now.

Lieutenant Hawker frowned. I don’t believe in what I haven’t seen, Princess. My superiors expect me to provide medical support, however limited.

Grinning at the young Aussie I patted his cheek. "You may have noticed there’s a war going on and we’re deep behind enemy lines of a somewhat merciless opponent.

Even on a peaceful monster island we would never get Captain Farrel off Mount Baibi to that hospital in Tako before he expires.

I turned on my Polynesian charm and insisted, Trust me, William. This is that Yankee’s last chance.

Then I’m coming along.

No you are not. Bongo and Menkie will help with that stretcher.

Princess, the lieutenant fumed, "he’s a senior naval officer. Circumstances have placed his fate under my limited care.

"Should things not end well an allied board of inquiry featuring my Valhalla solution shall commence. Their first question is why I let the good captain out of my presence.

How would you answer?

"It was that or let him die from those injuries.

"I’m going to save his life. You are aware of our tribal taboos. Bali Hai’s location must never be revealed to your modern world. The consequences could be devastating.

Only Bougainville’s Princess can walk the portal’s path unchanged. Your safety and future cannot be guaranteed once you enter that gateway’s grasp.

I sighed, we’re wasting precious moments, Lieutenant. Milton’s medical solution becomes less likely as time passes.

Bill scratched his nose and looked at that unconscious officer. Okay, Princess. This is your show. Just don’t bring me back some corpse.

Taking hold of the stretcher from Cel I nodded. Walking off with orangutan assistants I again warned. Stay off that radio, Lieutenant.

Chapter two  beyond the world’s circles

We headed uphill through thick jungle. There was no path but from experience I knew this way.

Approaching a gravitational singularity involved navigating localized anomalies. Among other things these threw off some person’s equilibrium.

Visual distortions and subsequent related nausea expected, I gulped and continued on.

Bongo and Menkie carrying the stretcher behind squawked, complaining. They were equally effected by those debilitating influences.

Settle down, you two. We’re almost there.

My helpers sputtered and whined but endured.

In some deep dell well past Mount Baibi’s nine-thousand-foot pinnacle my party halted. Before us lay that gateway.

A pair of dead palm trees leaned together over some dark gloomy forest threshold.

Both Bongo and Menkie stopped and howled, unwilling to proceed further. This did not surprise me.

I’ll drag him through from here, I said.

Thank you. Wait for me up in the trees and be quiet.

Those simians complied hiding among deep foliage. I proceeded through that dark doorway.

As in past portal transits that absolute blackness always astounded.

This was followed by what my mind could best describe as passing through an intense pressure wave.

Sudden bright light partially blinding the portal guards walked up.

Recognizing that gateway’s commanding officer I smiled and said, hail, Captain Talou. I have an injured man requiring the Queen’s personal attentions.

Welcome to Bali Hai, Princess. Your Great Grandmother the Queen shall be pleased to see you.

I cannot stay long Kin and this man needs immediate medical care.

Talou’s soldiers carried the comatose captain. We strode down a paved forest trail.

Emerging from pine woods our procession gazed across a marble balcony and that vast valley of ancient Lemuria. Towering spires and amazing castles dotted a picturesque landscape.

Surrounding them spread out a fertile land of gentle hills surrounded by towering snowcapped mountains.

After a brief aircar flight my charge and I were led before great grandmother’s throne. She stood smiling beside some low table.

Captain Farrel placed on the counter Queen Calypso slowly passed slender hands over him.

Your visits are always pleasant, Great Granddaughter, but bringing outsiders here can result in complications.

I had no other way to save him. This decision was not lightly made or taken.

She nodded. His injuries are extensive but you got the leg wound to me in time. Return in an outside week and retrieve your recovered Captain.

Thanks, Grandma.

Captain Talou and his men escorted me back before the portal. How goes your war, Princess?

"It’s not my conflict or an affair of the Teva. Our efforts support those negatively affected, seeing to their physical needs.

What is this homo sapien world war about, Cal?

I sighed. "My mind has yet to fully understand its’ complicated nature. Part of it goes back to that last human war’s conclusion.

"Added to this time around there exists some deeply imbedded racist nature. A superior superman versus that common man, or sub-human theme prevails.

I’m uncertain what to think or if either side is worthy of First Folk support.

Be safe, Calypso.

I sighed and nodded. Bongo and Menkie are watching over me.

Taking my hand in his he grinned and mused, too long have you been away. I understand how busy things have become, but if you find the time and need some well-deserved relaxation your presence is always welcome at my mountain cabin.

I smiled and kissed Kin’s lips. We shall see, Captain.

Bongo, Menkie, and I made it back to Lieutenant Hawker’s hut at sunset.

What’s the prognosis? he asked.

Captain Farrel will make it, I replied, accepting a pottery cup filled with local native brewed hooch from Bantu.

You do a good thing, Princess, the native boy assured.

That remains to be seen. Why did some American navy pilot crash into the South Mountains?

"Bantu and I received the classified allied combat report this afternoon. Two American carrier battlegroups engaged an unknown number of Japanese vessels on the Coral Sea.

"Lexington was sunk, fleet carrier Yorktown damaged but they turned away an Imperial invasion force heading for Papua New Guinea’s Port Moresby.

Jap losses are uncertain but believed to include at least one small aircraft carrier.

I shook my head. Such needless slaughter.

How soon do I get my Yank captain back?

"Seven days local time. Set up his retrieval accordingly.