Voyage of Deception

Prologue (September 30, 1930, Hong Kong) The night was warm and humid with what appeared to be a thick haze that hung over the harbor. The workers, carrying large wooden crates up the gang plank into the ship, found the ramp slippery from the dampness in the air and from their own sweat. Over the past two hours they had loaded roughly 20 wooden crates of various sizes, all of which were heavy and awkward to handle, especially on such a hot and muggy night. All were dressed in similar black uniforms and were small in stature in contrast to the much larger foreman that yelled orders to the men harshly in a dialect of Chinese the workers appeared to understand and fear. When the last of the cargo was loaded, the workers scurried aboard as the ship’s foreman, Lee Wai Han, walked over to the long dark Rolls Royce parked nearby. In the darkness, it was impossible to see into the backseat and view the occupant or occupants inside. As Han walked toward the vehicle a cold sweat formed on the back of his neck. Strange, he thought, that he should feel chilled on such a warm night but he knew that this feeling was not due to the weather but to his own anxiety. He knew how easily his employer could be angered. Han approached the vehicle tentatively. Just as he was about to speak the voice he feared most spoke to him. “All is loaded?” “Yes sir. All is set and the men are on board and ready to leave port.” “Good. You know what to do when you arrive?” “Yes sir. I have been told the space is being readied as we speak and it should be complete upon our arrival.” Han shifted nervously as he spoke. He peered in the dark and could see the glow of a cigarette from the occupant in the back seat. The blue smoke drifted out the window into the night. After a second drag on his cigarette, the man again spoke. “You realize the importance of the cargo and what will happen if word of this is spoken to anyone?” Han nodded quickly and stepped back slightly as he did so. “Good, see that all goes as planned. You will be contacted when you arrive.” “Yes sir.” “Then make haste and, Mr. Han…no mistakes.” The finality of these last words caused the cold sweat Han felt earlier to run freely down his back under an already drenched uniform. Han returned to the ship and directed the captain to depart immediately. Although it was not uncommon for cargo ships to depart in the middle of the night, many of the crew noted with great curiosity that no one from customs or the local port authority had been present to inspect what was being loaded. Other more observant workers saw that the ship was departing without using the assistance of a pilot boat, which was standard procedure for a large freighter of that size. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble to conceal the cargo and departure of the Golden Star.