The advent of the FCCI's (term for public receiving services on the Apollo—Flag Case Completion Intensives) boomed while the Ship was in the Caribbean. The rates were high and the cost of delivery minimal. It was “easy money” and could go straight to Sea Org Reserves without any “bleed-off” or vias.
Due to security considerations the FCCI “Target Market” were established well healed Scios and Mission Holders and the focus was on expensive, “Flag Only” services, like the Case Cracker Rundown and L 10, 11 and 12. Early on during this expanded Public delivery it was seen that the Target Markets were not only viable but that there was a huge potential market in training the Mission Holders Staffs. There was only one big problem…the Apollo was not big enough and posh enough to make this possible. What small number of decent berthing spaces there was were increasingly being taken away from Senior Officers and Execs for FCCI’s, and even they were sometimes having to share tiny cabins on the MUD’s. The overcrowded course rooms were down in lower holds and that, let alone the non air-conditioned conditions in a tropical climate, was a big limiter. Confidential Missions were fired out to look for a full-fledge ocean liner (such as the Rotterdam) to replace the Apollo as “Flag”.
As I earlier said in, “Adios Apollo, Part 1”, this period was the rise of El Ron, The Director. Weekly “Theater Night’s” were held with the Aft Well Deck as the theater and Aft Fan Deck and Aft MUD’s gangways and Prom Deck as the balconies. A recent release feature film was rented by RONY (Relay Office New York) and flown in, along with the other Ext Comm bundles. Popcorn was made and everyone in attendance, upstats only of course, had a grand time. Just before show time El Ron (dressed in his finest tailored tropical white “Commodore” costume descended from the Prom Deck with Mary Sue and the Family. It was a grand entrance to cheers, hip hips and all that jolly good rot. There was a special, comparatively large, perfectly located elevated “throne area” where the family would sit in large easy chairs and watch the flick, all the while being attended to by personal stewards. When El Ron and family reached the “throne mezzanine” Hisself would smile a toothy grin, hush the audience and say a few thank-you, sat down and the flick was on.
On one of these movie nights “The Sting” was shown. The Flag Service Consultant network was being established under the command of the infamous Uber Reg, David Light, and a compliment of these soon to be unleashed buccaneers was aboard. El Ron and Family (who I guess were always upstate as they never missed a flick) made the customary grand entrance, to the obligatory cheers and hip hips. Once El Ron had quieted the crowd Hisself said, with obvious delight and joy, “Now, I want all the reges to pay close attention…there’s some real tech here that you need to know well and apply.” El Ron laughed heartily and hisself's audience joined in. That moment is still “disturbing” to me...we all know what came after with Flag Reges and Reging, and Reges and Reging in general. BLS went from a tool to the rule.
And then it happened…two events that would forever change El Ron’s and Scientology’s destiny.
The first event, Operation Snow White, I knew only general information about—that it was a “heavy and deep ops” re: the US Government and we were “getting the goods’ on “them”. That event would blow up later and is well documented. I was not a part of, nor involved in, Snow White in anyway nor privy to any of the details of what was actually being done until it “blew up”.
The second event, which I will discuss in some detail here, was…El Ron, The OT has a heart attack in Curacao. .
One could hear Hisself’s bellows and anguished shrieks of pain throughout the MUD’s. It was unnerving, scary and, in a way, “earth shattering”. After several of the yelps and bellows I knew it was not one of Hisself’s fits of rage (which had been less frequent and severe since the Atlantic Crossing). I knew El Ron was not only in agonizing pain but that Hisself was in great distress, helpless. I headed for the Research Room and while on the way realized that El Ron must be in his Cabin. I headed for his Cabin and when I got there several HU (Household Unit) staff and messengers were already there. A very frazzled Cathy Cariotaki (Co HU) saw me and took me aside and said that Kima (Douglas) was in there with El Ron and she thought Hisself was having a heart attack. I asked what I could do and she said “Nothing”. She suggested that the best thing I could probably do is go to my office and standby for any orders from El Ron, Mary Sue or Kima. I did so, for hours, even after Hisself was whisked away to the hospital. I was shittin’ bricks, and the entire MUD’s were spooked for days. But also, honestly I have to tell Yall folks, life was easier going, with much less “edge” to it with El Ron off the lines.
After Hisself was discharged from the hospital El Ron and a small entourage took up residence in the ultra-posh Intercontinental Hotel in Willemstad. Not too long after that the “inner circle” learned that we weren’t buying a bigger, better ship—we were not only heading to land, Flag would now be somewhere in the US. We were all thrilled, thrilled, thrilled that we were gonna be getting off that Ship. It was some weeks later before the majority of the Crew learned of the plans in an all Crew briefing.
The Crew briefing was, in my view, just another “Shore Story”.
I’ll pick things up from there in a few days in Adios Apollo, Part 3.
Face
A small anecdote - one which I have always been a bit "attached" to - I was DofP in Cape Town at that time and there was a night when for some unknown reason I simply could not get tp sleep.. I just lay awake feeling worried for no logical reason at all. Some sort of key-in I reckoned. Then towards early morning I got off to sleep and had this very vived dream of how the Apollo had crossed the Atlantic - something which she had never done before and was never designed to do.
I got to the Org at the usual time the next morning and told the guys the Apollo had crossed the Atlantic - this was their "North-west passage", I called it. Nobody believed that it had actually happened, even I was a bit sceptical of my dream.
Anyway, not too long after this I discovered that she had indeed crossed and at more or less the time of my dream.
Weird.
So worth the effort! 
Lots of good stuff over there...I'm gonna read that thread from Post 1 over the next few weeks.
Please feel free to add to it, too...it's a co-operative, collective effort! 
