by M. Alan Marr
Chapter 2
STARS OF SEATTLE
☆ ☆
Dev and Chaz have a new mission. The weight of the world—check that—the fate of the world lies squarely on their shoulders.
One week after Chaz stepped aboard Dev’s Recon ship, they are back on Earth about to do nothing short of the fantastical. The Admiralty examined Chaz’s US Navy record and granted the continuance of his previously commissioned rank of Lieutenant Commander and serve as Dev’s second in command to carry out their new orders regarding Earth.
For the last six months, Dev has been chartering a Boeing Business Jet with reckless abandon. The BBJ is an elite corporate version of the Boeing 737. Needless to say, it is a somewhat addictive means of travel. Over that time, Dev and Chaz formed an excellent bond with their charter captain, Steve Fitzgerald, and the two flight attendants, Franz and Annette.
But in order to carry out their mission, Dev and Chaz need discreet, unfettered access to the world, away from the watchful eye of the charter company. Therefore, Chaz and Dev decided it is time to buy their own aircraft. And if you have more than a billion dollars at your disposal, why not go big—or more to the point—bigger?
The meeting at Boeing is unlike anything any of them have ever experienced. The capital sale of a large private aircraft is an event like none other. To say the boys were ‘courted’ is an understatement. The mere mention of coffee had staffers rushing to Starbucks. Hunger pang? No problem, catering was brought in. Dev and Chaz were invited to the Boeing executive dining room, but politely declined in favor of a working lunch with the vice president of aircraft sales. Several available aircraft were looked at. In the end, the boys made a fine selection . . .
***
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
BOEING CORPORATE SALES DIVISION
Buying an aircraft is easier than one might imagine. All it takes is money. A ton of money. The hiring of a crew is somewhat more difficult. Dev and Chaz both like their charter captain and flight attendants greatly. So, their unprecedented offer was met with enthusiasm. In anticipation of the hiring of Captain Steve, and flight attendants Franz and Annette, Dev instructed the law firm of Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom to draft employment packages that more than guaranteed the well-being of his new employees in the event he or Chaz should be killed in action, or otherwise vanish from the face of the Earth (either case more likely than anyone can realize).
During a break from airplane negotiations, attorney Bill Williams meets first with Steve in a vacant office provided by the Boeing team. The employment package guarantees Steve’s salary for five full years. It also immediately funds a retirement plan in the amount of two million US Dollars, which will accrue significant compounding interest over the course of Steve’s career. Also included are full medical, dental, and vision coverage, loss of FAA license insurance (an important clause for pilots), a monthly expense account, and a company car. In short, it is an unprecedented and extremely generous offer. Steve reads over the document, alternating glances between the page and the attorney.
“The five-year trust,” Williams says, “is wholly separate from the rest of the compensation package. In other words, at the end of five years, you get that money no matter what.” Williams adds, “Basically, Captain, that plus the retirement package means . . . you are set for life.”
Steve looks at the attorney. “These guys are on the level, right?”
“Sir, my firm does not deal with unsavory clients. Period.”
Steve looks back down at the paper. “I don’t know what to say,” he mutters.
“Hopefully you’ll say you accept.”
Steve looks at the document with wide-eyed disbelief. “I accept.”
Those are the words the attorney was waiting for. “Congratulations, Captain.” Williams pulls out an envelope from his briefcase containing a single check, which he hands to Steve. “Here is your signing bonus.”
“What? I told them I didn’t need a signing bonus.”
“Captain Fitzgerald,” Williams says with mild irritation, “Messrs. Caelestis and Ronaldi want to make certain you are able to fully concentrate on the task at hand. Whatever school loans, debts, loose ends, parking tickets, IOUs, or poker chits you may have, are distractions. This check will allow you to take care of your immediate expenses and, hopefully, allow you to focus on learning this, rather impressive, new aircraft. My advice is to accept it. Graciously.”
Steve looks at the check. “Holy shit.” It’s for one hundred thousand dollars.
“That is a cashier’s check,” Williams says. “You may want to deposit that immediately.”
The next few minutes are spent signing documents. First and foremost, the confidentiality agreement making Steve legally bound to keep his new employers’ secrets, secret.
“In addition to the confidentiality agreements signed by you and the crew, you are personally responsible for seeing that anyone, anyone, who flies in their aircraft signs one as well. It is my job to protect my clients’ interests, and I will use every legal means at my disposal to do so. Are we clear about that?”
“Yes.”
“Understand, I’m not worried about you. The gentlemen speak very highly of you and the two attendants. I want to make sure they are protected against any friends, guests, or business contacts who may travel with them. That job falls to you on the front line.”
“I understand.”
All documents signed and formalities satisfied, the attorney packs up Steve’s file and places it in his briefcase. “You may want to consider resigning your previous position now.”
“I take it two weeks’ notice is out of the question.”
The attorney looks over the half-glasses perched on the end of his nose for a quick second. “You are the chief pilot of this operation, sir. I will leave that to you,” Williams says. “If you wouldn’t mind sending in the flight attendants, I’d like to get this done quickly.”
“Will do.”
“Thank you.” Williams hands Steve a leather portfolio. “This folder contains a stack of non-disclosure agreements. After the person signs, you’ll need to countersign. Photograph the document with your cell phone and email it to me as soon as possible. That will serve as a time stamp. My office will then print up and keep the copy on file. Hopefully you have a secure area on the plane, where you can keep the originals until you return to Atlanta, and then I’ll need them messengered to my office.”
“I understand.”
“When I’m finished with the flight attendants, I’ll provide you with copies of their employment records for your files.” The attorney shakes Steve’s hand. “Captain, I believe you have a bright future ahead of you.”
In the conference room, where Chaz is looking over the maintenance logs of the aircraft, Steve enters carrying the leather folder. He has a light smile on his face.
“Well, Gentlemen, I am officially your chief pilot.”
Dev and Chaz each shake Steve’s hand and thank him for accepting the job.
“I forgot to mention,” Steve adds, “I hold an A and P mechanic’s license.”
“Score!” Chaz says, turning over the maintenance logs to Steve.
“What is that?” Dev says.
“A and P,” Chaz explains, “Airframe and Powerplant mechanic. That means Steve is licensed to perform maintenance on the jet. He’ll also be able to supervise any off-site maintenance and know if they’re trying to rip us off.”
“Well, then, the stars have aligned themselves, haven’t they?” Dev says, with appropriate inside joke snark.
“Yes, haven’t they,” Chaz replies, deadpan.
While Dev, Chaz, and their lawyer are in a closed-door session with the vice president of corporate aircraft sales, Steve, Franz, and Annette are taken to the training facility located in Renton, Washington, to tour the academic campus and facilities.
In the end, both Dev and Chaz transfer sizable sums from their respective Swiss accounts to the delight of the Boeing Airc
raft Company. Chaz doesn’t quite have Dev’s money and is, technically, minority shareholder.
Final certifications, aircraft registrations, paperwork, and certain administrative items will be handled in-house and delivered to the owners’ hotel in Seattle, where they will remain in place until the aircraft is properly crewed and training is complete. Two cars show up at the end of the meeting; one to take attorney Williams to his flight back to Atlanta, and the other to drive Dev and Chaz to the W Hotel in Seattle.
But first, the driver stops by the parked BBJ so they can pick up their luggage and personal belongings. The aircraft is shut down and closed, but Chaz has no problem accessing the jet. The power is off, but there is still enough ambient light inside the cabin to see.
“Seems different now,” Dev says, looking around the dim cabin.
“Yeah, seems small,” Chaz jokes.
Suitcases, laptops, and messenger bags collected, Dev and Chaz bid farewell to the aircraft that has taken them all over the world. Chaz gives the fuselage a couple of gentle pats as a thank-you-for-keeping-us-safe gesture. Luggage is loaded into the Boeing SUV, and they are driven to Seattle to settle in for the next few weeks.
***
W HOTEL
DOWNTOWN SEATTLE
The W Hotel, whose Midtown Atlanta property served Dev so well when he first arrived on Earth, becomes the temporary home for the officers and crew of The Constellation Cooperative, LLC, the new corporate identity crafted by Williams, Goldberg, and Bloom, Esquires.
Chaz and Dev take up residence in the largest suite on the top floor. Chief Pilot Steve is given a corner suite. Flight attendants Franz and Annette are given standard suites. Chaz, with the help of a resourceful concierge, arranged to have welcome aboard gift baskets waiting for their new employees by the time they reached the hotel.
Steve, Franz, and Annette arrive at the hotel a couple of hours later, after their visits to the various Boeing facilities, where they will be spending the next few weeks. They are all surprised by their individual accommodations. Steve’s corner suite has a spectacular view of Seattle. His desk has a printer and is fully stocked with sticky notes, highlighters, index cards, tape, pens, and pads. Steve suspects straightaway this is Chaz’s doing, since these are all the materials a pilot needs while studying a new aircraft. The large fruit and gift basket on the table contains a handwritten note:
Steve,
Welcome aboard.
We are so glad to have you at the helm.
The horizon is broader than you think.
Dev and Chaz.
PS: Get to work!
Franz has a similar experience in his suite, and the heartfelt handwritten note praising his professionalism, excellence, and superb culinary skills actually moves him to tears.
Annette’s room contains a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a note that simply says welcome to the next chapter, a personal motto she had said to the boys. Accompanying the baskets and flowers is also an impressive, and unexpected, signing bonus.
Although tired from the busy day, Steve unpacks quickly and then gets to work compiling a list of potential pilot candidates. They need at least four full-time pilots. Five if they include Chaz, who may want to fly on occasion. As Chaz is a current airline pilot, despite his millions in lottery winnings, the idea of being able to pilot his very own plane is obviously appealing.
Steve begins by writing down a few names right off the top of his head, then goes through his contact list from beginning to end, jotting down names in two columns, the “A” list and the “B” list, leaving space between each of the names to make notes as they occur to him. Once he reaches the last name in his contacts, the next step is to power up his laptop and sign into the hotel Wi-Fi. He spends the next hour on a couple of social media sites, gleaning cursory information on what some of the people on his list are currently up to; learning new information from various updates, postings, and status checks. A couple of people report new jobs. Referring back to his handwritten page, he draws arrows from a couple of names from the A side to the B side, and a few he scratches out altogether. He sends text messages to the remaining potential candidates, asking if they’d be interested in a new job opportunity. Most respond positively and e-mail current résumés to him. Steve details as much information as he can on each of the prospects and prints up hard copies to present to his employers. Referring back to the list, one name, Jen Spangler, is circled with a big question mark on it and several marks from the tip of a tapping pen. Steve had written her name in the A column and then thought about it—tap, tap, tap—then drew an arrow over to the B side. Tap, tap, tap. After thinking about it further, he scribbles out the line. For this one, he hesitates to contact her right away. Tap, tap, tap. Hmm. Steve manages to find and download Jen’s résumé from a professional networking website and talks to himself as he reads it. “Not bad . . . good hours . . . decent experience.” He ends up looking at the question mark on her name. Tap, tap, tap. Finally, he scribbles over the question mark and underlines Jen’s name with certainty.
Dev and Chaz, meanwhile, have been working at the large dining table in their elaborate suite. Laptops, paperwork, and a large map of the world covers the table. Several areas on the map are circled in bright pink highlighter. Chaz receives a text message from Steve, asking if he can have a few minutes. Chaz texts for him to come up.
“Steve’s on his way up,” he says casually to Dev.
Just a minute or so later, the doorbell rings. Chaz opens the door and invites Steve in. He immediately thanks his new employers for the thoughtful note. The initial conversation is about the exciting events of the day. Next order of business: pilots.
“I personally know each of these candidates,” Steve says. “Six men, four women.” He adds, “I’ve flown with all of them, either on the BBJ, Gulfstream, or at a previous job, with the exception of the last two on the list; those are people I went to college with. All, I think, would work well for you.”
Chaz takes the stack of résumés. “We’ll go over these tonight.”
“I made some notes in the margins for you as well.”
“How’s your room?” Dev says.
“Oh, it’s fantastic,” Steve replies. “I don’t think I’ll see much of it, though.”
“I spoke to American Express today,” Dev says. “They’re issuing you a black card for your expenses. There’s a spending minimum on it, so make sure you buy all your jet fuel and anything you need with it.”
“Yes, sir.”
“When can you get started?” Dev says.
“Anytime, but I’d like to hold off until we select the other pilots. That way we’ll all be in sync through the entire training evolution.”
“That’s good planning,” Chaz tells him.
Steve adds, “I’d also like to speak to you both about adding a third flight attendant.”
“What are your thoughts on that?” Chaz says, wanting to hear Steve’s take on a subject he has already given a lot of consideration.
“I know it’s typically just the two of you traveling, but I’d feel much better having the extra pair of hands back there. It is the safest option.”
“I agree.” Chaz nods. “Do you have anyone in mind?”
“Yes, sir,” Steve says. “Franz’s partner, Milo.”
“He works for the charter company, is that right?” Chaz says.
“He does,” Steve confirms. “Milo works in the Gulfstream fleet, and he’s great. His cooking is a bit different than Franz’s, but he can certainly hold his own. Milo is from Rome and spent years working in his family’s restaurant. On top of that, he’s an excellent flight attendant. He speaks Italian, of course, as well as Spanish and English.”
“What does Franz think?”
“Franz is hoping you’ll consider him.” Steve adds, “I spoke to Milo on the phone to see if he’s interested.”
“Is he?” Chaz says.
“Very much so.”
“All right.” Chaz nods. “L
et’s keep it in the family. Milo it is. We’ll go over these pilot résumés tonight. What’s their availability?”
“Well, I’m sure everyone would like to put in two weeks’ notice, but we all know the realities of the business.”
“Won’t be an option,” Chaz says. “We’re here for two weeks, maybe three, and then we have serious work to do. I want them up here in days, not weeks.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Steve?” Dev says. “I know this goes without saying, but Chaz has my proxy on anything to do with this aircraft. This is both of your specialties, not mine.”
“I understand.”
“Anything else on the docket?” Chaz says.
“No, sir.”
“Then I’m ordering you to take the night off.”
“Aye, aye, sir,” Steve says, appealing to Chaz’s Navy side, and then heads for the door.
Dev calls out: “Hey, let’s get Milo up here so we can meet him.”
Steve turns. “He’s on the red-eye from New York. He’ll be here in the morning.”
“Really?” Chaz says.
“Yeah, Franz bought him a ticket,” Steve says. “I told him I’d pick up the tab, but he wouldn’t let me.”
This shows that Franz is not out to take advantage. He did just double his salary, and got a healthy signing bonus, so picking up an airline ticket is no great trial. Of course, if Dev and Chaz had arranged the ticket, he would be flying in first-class. Turns out, though, a little of Dev must have rubbed off on Franz because he did, in fact, buy Milo a first-class seat on Chaz’s company, Triad Airlines.
Chaz adds, “Tell them to take the day to recuperate, and we’ll all meet for dinner tomorrow night.”
Steve stifles a yawn and nods. “I’m going to sleep like a log.”
Dev doesn’t understand that idiom, but waits until Steve is out of the room to ask Chaz about it. Turns out Chaz has no idea why logs sleep so well either.
Chaz reads through all of the pilot résumés. Just as Steve said, there are six men and four women, all qualified, all with well-rounded bases of experience.