by M. Alan Marr
“Aircraft secure. Disarm L2 door for arrival and call forward.”
Franz disarms the escape slide on the L2 door and picks up the interphone to the cockpit. “L2 door disarmed.”
Steve verifies the verbal report from Franz with the status screen in the cockpit. He picks up the PA microphone. “L2 door verified disarmed. Clear to open L2 only.”
The ground crew pulls a mobile stair truck to the aircraft.
Franz walks with Jen down the boarding stairs to a waiting limousine. She is wearing a trench coat over her uniform, dark sunglasses, and a scarf on her head. Milo carries her luggage down behind her. The ground crew doesn’t know who this woman is, but owing to the fact she just walked out of a private 767, they treat her like royalty. Jen plays right into it, as do the others.
Franz speaks loud enough for the ground personnel to hear. “It was a very great pleasure meeting Your Highness,” he says, and then he bows deeply.
Jen extends her hand out, palm down, for Franz to kiss. “Yes, dahling, yes.”
“Hey, Your Highness?” Steve calls out as he descends the stairs. “I’ll send you a text with rest of the itinerary.”
Jen places a dainty hand on her chest. “Very well, Dahling,” The ground crew opens the limo door for her. She waves with her fingers. “Safe flight, minions.”
The limo, instructed to take Jen wherever she wishes, leaves LAX and heads for Jen’s tiny rental house in Van Nuys. Minor royalty.
Steve meets with the fueler to verify the fuel density and temperature and then is taken inside the Fixed Base Operation, where he hands over his black American Express card to pay for the one hundred thousand pounds of jet fuel being uploaded to the 767 for their next leg to Hawaii.
“Wow, that’s quite an airplane,” a man inside says as Steve enters. “Whose is that?”
Steve looks at the nosy man. “It’s a private aircraft.”
“Yeah, I kind of figured that.”
The woman behind the counter takes Steve’s Amex. “One hundred thousand pounds of Jet-A. Thank you, Captain.”
The same man approaches Steve again. “A hundred thousand pounds? Where are you guys going?”
Steve looks at the man and simply smiles. “Sorry.”
“You think I can’t look up your flight plan?”
“Knock yourself out,” Steve says.
“I’m sorry,” the receptionist says as she hands Steve back his credit card.
“Does he work here?”
“Yes.”
“You might want to explain to him about privacy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Steve looks at the guy and scowls. “Anything else?”
The guy becomes awkward. “No, sir,” he all but mumbles, and he leaves the room.
Fuel loaded, engines restarted, clearances issued, and some fantastic coffee brewed, the Oasis 767 is cleared for takeoff out of LAX with Captain Steve at the helm and Harrison in the first officer’s seat.
“All right, Harr,” Steve says. “It’s just you and me this time. Ready?”
“Ready,” Harrison replies. “Let’s fly the boys to Hawaii.”
Steve’s takeoff is smooth. The departure has them flying north for about twenty minutes before going coast out toward the Hawaiian Islands. ATC clears Oasis to climb to their cruise altitude and to contact the oceanic controller. Now it’s just them and the ranging Pacific.
This time, Dev and Chaz take up residence not in the lounge, but in the boardroom, where they are online with a video conference with their lawyers in Atlanta.
“Oh, listen,” Chaz says to the lawyers, “it came to my attention that we had a disparity in first officer pay. I want to standardize the pay scale at two hundred fifty thousand, retroactive to their hire date.”
“I will take care of that,” Williams says. “Any other changes to crew payroll?”
“No, just the first officers. Steve and the flight attendants are unchanged.”
During the in-flight video conference, Chaz also informs the lawyers he located a floatplane for sale in Savannah, but they need an independent maintenance evaluation to inspect the plane. Assuming all goes well, Chaz tells the lawyers to buy the plane outright. One of the lawyers, Bloom, is an active private pilot with respectable general aviation experience, and agrees to drive to Savannah immediately with an aircraft mechanic to represent Chaz in the matter.
Call complete, Chaz explains to Dev why he raised first officer salary. Dev, of course, agrees there should not be a disparity between them. Dev is also dumbfounded to learn there is an endemic problem on this world of paying women less than their male counterparts, even for the same job. What a world this is.
Later, Dev is looking at available properties for sale in Hawaii, with ample acreage and privacy. Chaz looks over the maps and listings as well and shakes his head.
“I think this may be somewhat of a long shot,” Chaz says. “Islands are, well, islands. No matter how much space we have, it’s still on a tiny island, and I think that may become an issue of security.”
“Uh, you put Hawaii on the list,” Dev says.
“Yeah, I know, but now I’m having second thoughts about it.”
“Well, we’re on our way there, so we might as well have a look.”
“Yeah,” Chaz says and then explains, “I was initially thinking that being in the middle of the ocean would give us good cover on all sides.”
“That is a good point,” Dev says. “Fact is, this new mission is unproven. There’s no real standard to draw upon. Even if Hawaii doesn’t work, I’m sure we’ll glean insight we may not have considered. Ultimately, we’ll succeed.”
“You have a very unique way of looking at things, Dev.”
***
Another video conference is initiated over the Pacific. At 0900 local Hawaii time, they are able to confer with a real estate company in Honolulu that has a few properties they want to look at. The real estate company transmits the details via e-mail. The photos are put on the screen and printed up on the boardroom photo printer.
Franz brings in a tray of sandwiches served on ciabatta rolls and individual covered terrines of hot chicken soup. Annette drops off a tray of sparkling water and sets up the refreshment bar in the boardroom. Ice, waters, lemons, and limes are arranged in little dishes on a tray.
Chaz looks at some large Hawaiian estates as he eats. The properties have large main houses, ambling acreage, and most are located on or near the water.
“Wow,” Chaz says. “This really is the big league of real estate.”
“Oh my God, this soup is delicious.”
***
The Oasis 767 touches down uneventfully and pretty smoothly in Honolulu. Not as smooth as Chaz’s landing, but still pretty good for Steve’s first time with the real thing.
Dev and Chaz are met plane-side by the realtor engaged during the video conference. The crew begins a thorough cleaning process to ensure the aircraft is pristine and ready to go when their gentlemen are ready. Ground power is supplied to the aircraft via a mobile power cart that will run continuously, keeping the chillers and freezers working after the rest of the aircraft power systems are shut down. Steve ensures the ground power unit is fully fueled and verifies the unit will run continuously for the duration of the Hawaiian layover. He also lets the ground staff know that there are security cameras on board (there aren’t) and that no one is to enter the aircraft. A fully fueled ground power unit will operate for twelve hours. Steve set the alarm on his watch so he can be sure to call to make sure the GPU is refueled so power is not interrupted. He also intends to return to the plane just to make sure the ground crew does their job. Last thing Steve wants are ice machines filled with water and freezers full of spoiled food.
Throughout the day, Dev and Chaz are shown several large properties. While walking through the grounds of each estate, Chaz distracts the agent with questions, giving Dev time to scan the area with the more advanced features of his Ti-Phone. The results are not encour
aging. Chaz listens to the realtor’s description of the house and glances to Dev, who looks up from his Ti-Phone and shakes his head in the negative.
***
Dev and Chaz don’t have a moment alone until the bellman leaves them in their hotel room at the Four Seasons. Steve and crew are already checked in, and had the boys’ luggage delivered to their waiting suite.
“Finally,” Chaz says. “We haven’t had any privacy since we landed.”
“I know,” Dev replies. “That airplane generates a lot of attention.”
“Attention?” Chaz scoffs. “Fawning is more like it. Jesus, I don’t know how famous people handle all this. I felt like telling that agent to just relax.”
“As long as we keep the private stuff private, the rest doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Chaz says. “So, how’d they look?”
“Not good. The volcanic nature of the island has left the ground riddled with lava tubes. It’s like Swiss cheese down there.”
“I didn’t even consider that.” Chaz looks at his watch. “The rules concerning crew rest are different now that we have our own aircraft, but I’d like to give them at least eighteen hours before we leave.”
“Whatever you think.”
“I’ll send Steve a text,” Chaz says.
“Where to next?”
“We need to head back to Atlanta. I have a Madrid trip on my board.”
“Are you going to keep it?”
“It’s the only trip I have this month. Sitting idle doesn’t work for me, Dev.”
“You just flew a trip out of Seattle.”
“I know. That trip made me realize how much I missed it. Dev, I’ll devote whatever time is necessary to carry out our mission, but I can’t just abandon my airline job.”
Dev frowns at Chaz’s answer. “Okay.”
Chaz doesn’t let it go. “Dev, this is the same as if I asked you to resign your commission and live here on Earth.”
“I told you I’d do that.”
“I know you did. But I also know what your commission means to you. Would you really want to give that up? Could you be truly happy leaving everything you worked your entire life for behind?”
Dev concedes his point. “I suppose not.”
“I know not.” Chaz smiles. “I’ll do whatever you need me to do, Dev, I will, but I need to keep my airline job, at least for now. I mean, between the lottery, the secret mission, and the fact that Earth may have ten minutes left to survive, the only thing keeping my sanity in check right now is being able to do my job. I need it. It’s the only part of my life that’s all me.”
“I didn’t realize you were overwhelmed.”
“I’m not complaining. What we’re doing is . . . amazing, and scary, and exciting. But I need to just have this one normal thing.”
“Very well, Chaz.”
Chaz’s Ti-Phone receives a text. His eyes light up and his mood instantly changes. “Hey! We own a floatplane.”
“That flying canoe thing you told me about?”
“Yes, Dev, the flying canoe. They’re having it ferried to Atlanta.”
“Where are going to land it?”
“It has retractable wheels in the pontoons for land-landings.”
“That’s clever. Whose flying it up?”
“Dunno. Bloom had it all under control.” Chaz adds, “He said they bought and registered it under the LLC.”
***
Chaz and Dev wander around the grounds of the resort where they are spending the night. The weather is perfect, yet Chaz is a little pensive.
“Dev, what are you thinking as far as a flight plan?”
“I want to keep everyone flying as much as we can. They’re a new crew, and they need time to refine their working relationships. I think we should keep the flight plans fairly broad and unorganized.”
“To try and keep them from guessing something’s up?”
“That, and I want to keep it interesting.”
“Okay,” Chaz agrees. “On to more pressing matters, what would you like to do tonight?”
“I want one of those drinks served in a coconut with the little umbrella.”
“Good Lord,” Chaz jokes. “Planet’s about to be invaded and you want an umbrella drink.”
Dev quips back, “This may be my last opportunity to have one of those.”
“Oh, well, in that case, we better get right on it. Could be the last cocktail parasol in the entire cosmos.”
Later, the boys are sitting at the outdoor bar area near some tiki torches overlooking the moonlit beach. Dev has his umbrella drink. Chaz has a short glass of vodka on the rocks with a single spear of pineapple.
***
Twenty-four hours later, Jen is shuttled from her house in Van Nuys to the corporate aviation side of LAX. Her minor annoyance being at the mercy of LA traffic seems to melt away as she sees her 767 taxiing in to the ramp.
Harrison flew the leg from Honolulu to Los Angeles. And since Steve has now been in the seat for all of the first three flights, Chaz will take the helm for the LAX to Atlanta leg. He and Steve planned this out ahead of time, so Chaz made sure he didn’t drink any alcohol for the previous ten hours. Eight hours is the rule. Ten is Chaz’s rule.
Jen’s first time on actual flight duty is with one of the aircraft owners. Some pilots would be a little nervous about that. Not Jen. For all her defiance and sarcasm, she also has confidence and doesn’t shy away from anything.
Refueling and administrative details complete, Steve and Harrison retire to the crew deck for this flight and are ordered to relax, leaving Chaz and Jen alone in the flight deck. Harrison is asleep in a crew bunk, as is Annette, but not together. Or are they? There is some speculation on that point.
Dev has dispatches to write for the Admiralty and takes that opportunity to use the aircraft boardroom to work in total privacy. Phase One of the operation, he writes, is now complete. He further details to the Admiralty his plan for Phase Two, along with the various ‘known’ obstacles to overcome. Timing will be critical, leaving very little in terms of a contingency plan should anything go wrong.
A late lunch for the crew will be served in the galley itself, which provides a casual place to congregate and rave about Franz’s grilled cheese sandwiches and thick tomato soup. Milo sets up three trays, one for Dev, and two for the flight deck. Each tray is elegantly set with linens, china, silverware, and a single rosebud in a tiny vase.
Franz finishes the first three golden brown, buttery grilled cheese sandwiches and cuts the large artisan bread at an angle and arranges them elegantly on the plates, along with individual covered bowls of soup. He places all three trays in the dumbwaiter and sends it upstairs to the upper galley.
“Andiamo, Milo,” Franz says.
A short while later, Dev meanders down to the main galley, where Harrison and Steve are eating. Dev makes the perfunctory stay-where-you-are gesture.
“Franz,” Dev says, “lunch was delicious.”
Steve is savoring his sandwich. “Amazing, as always, Franz.”
Harrison shakes his head. “I can’t believe how good that was.”
Franz smiles. “Two more?”
“Yes, please.”
“Mr. Dev?”
“I’m fine, Franz, thank you.”
Dev directs his next comment to Harrison. “You should taste Franz’s gateau au chocolate. There are no words.”
“It is to die for,” Steve agrees.
“Oh, go on, boys.” Franz smiles. “And on, and on.”
Dev adds, “It has to be one of the most amazing things Franz has ever made.”
Franz looks at them with hopeful eyes. “Would you like me to make one?”
“Yes!” Steve and Dev say in unison.
While Franz prepares the next batch of grilled cheeses, Dev makes his way up to the flight deck to check on Chaz and Jen. He passes Milo, who is removing the finished lunch trays.
“Are we there yet?” Dev says from the flight
deck door.
“Hi, Dev,” Chaz says. “Come on in. We’re about to descend.”
Dev enters and sits on the jumpseat. “Still like your new toy?”
“Love it!”
“What about you, Jen?”
“This is just the most incredible plane.” She adds, “By the way, thank you for picking me up at LAX. That was a very nice surprise.”
“Eh, it was on the way.” Dev looks at Chaz. “What’s our ETA?”
“We’ll be in Atlanta in about forty minutes.”
“Damn.”
Chaz’s demeanor instantly changes. “What’s wrong?” The concern in his voice is obvious, since he knows something could be very wrong.
“Franz was going to make the chocolate gateau.”
Chaz is relieved, but annoyed. “I’m not going into a holding pattern so Franz can bake you a cake.”
“Fine,” Dev frets.
Chaz laughs. “It’s so damned good, I’d almost consider it.”
“God, must be some cake,” Jen says.
“Listen,” Dev says, “I was thinking, until we decide on a permanent base for the plane, we need to come up with a housing situation for the crew.”
Since Dev is speaking freely in front of Jen, Chaz doesn’t mince words. “What do you want to do with them?”
“Depends,” Dev says. “We could set them up at the W in Midtown, or put them in individual condos.”
“Ooh, I vote for condos,” Jen proffers up, not at all shy.
“Why is that?” Dev says.
“Hotels start to wear on you after a while,” Jen replies. “A condo would feel like home.”
“Then condos it will be,” Dev says.
“Um . . . ” Jen says, “my lease is about up on my place in Van Nuys. Do you have any idea where you might end up?”
“Not yet. Although it will probably be the Northern Hemisphere,” Dev says.
“Well, that’s helpful.”
“Jen?” Chaz said only one word, but his expression spoke volumes.
Jen has the stark realization she just mouthed off to both aircraft owners. “Sorry.”
Dev, who comes from a world where that kind of insolence would never occur, gives Jen a neutral look, then turns to Chaz. “The other candidate is still available.” Dev leaves the flight deck without another word. Jen is somewhat in shock and misses a radio call from ATC.