by M. Alan Marr
“Sydney it is, mate.” Matt smiles.
***
41,000 FEET OVER THE PACIFIC
TOKYO - SYDNEY
The flight to Sydney is long and quiet. Steve and Matt are in the flight deck. Matt’s takeoff out of Tokyo was very smooth.
Down in the mid-deck galley, the evening meal service is being prepared. Chaz and Dev are in the boardroom teleconferencing with an Australian realtor, selecting properties in Sydney and Brisbane. The hope is that there might be a quiet place along the coast, or the edge of the Outback, to stash a small squadron.
The virtual meeting ends with an appointment, but little in terms of mission success. Since secrecy requires a certain vagueness in terms of what they are really looking for, the realtors they deal with have to operate on the most general of expectations: privacy, space, and property. That leaves a lot open to interpretation.
Chaz leans back in his chair and rubs his eyes. “This is tough.”
“Like you said, Earth is a busy place.”
“I know. I’m concerned we keep coming up dry.”
Dev looks at the global map and has a thought. “Hey, what about New Zealand? My grandfather visited there and said it was beautiful.”
“How did he get there?”
“PanAm flying boat.”
“No way! When was that?”
“I believe it was 1939.”
“Wait, I thought you said your grandfather was here in the 1920s.”
“He was. Grandfather spent nearly fifteen years here.”
“Whoa, I didn’t know that. I assumed he was only here for a year, like your mission.”
“Originally, he was going to spend five years here. This world was still recovering from the Great War that cost thirty-nine million lives. At the same time, there was an unusual prosperity about. That, of course, ended with the Great Depression.” Dev thinks. “Hmm, Great War, Great Depression. Anyway, back then, traveling on Earth was incredibly slow going, so he convinced the Admiralty to let him stay, and that a much longer, worldwide mission would better serve to monitor the status of Earth. He arrived here in the height of the twenties, and left just before your World War II. It was an unparalleled mission. He traveled the world and experienced more than any other Observer ever had.”
“Until you came along.”
“Now that we have the relay buoy in orbit, we’ll be able to keep an eye on things here for generations to come.” Dev motions to the map. “Anyway, New Zealand.”
Chaz swivels gently back and forth in his chair as he thinks about it. “It’s not very populated. And the topography may give us some additional cover.”
“We’ll be in the neighborhood.”
“Sure, why not?” Chaz’s stomach growls. “I am starving.” He picks up the interphone and calls down to the main galley.
“Franz, we could use a bite up here.” He listens. “Oh, in that case, we’ll be right down.”
“What’s up?” Dev says.
“Dinner’s ready.” Chaz looks at the flight status screen. “I didn’t realize we’ve been working so long.”
They both close their laptops and head out of the boardroom.
The mid-deck dining room is elegantly set for two. Etiquette would have them sitting at opposite ends of the table, but Franz knows Dev and Chaz prefer to sit near each other, with Dev on the end and Chaz sitting adjacent to him.
Franz and Milo serve an appetizer of mahi mahi ceviche with tiny little shrimp in a light lemongrass vinaigrette.
For the main course, Franz and Milo wheel out an elegant trolley with large tureen. Inside, a South Pacific take on bouillabaisse: a delicious tomato-coconut based broth packed with the freshest fish and shellfish, procured from Tsukiji, the main fish market near Tokyo Bay. They serve the hearty soup with freshly baked bread.
“Grazie, Milo,” Dev says.
“Prego, signori.”
“Thank you, Franz,” Chaz says.
“Pleasure, Mr. Chaz.”
Chaz sees someone enter the galley from the crew deck side. “Is that Steve?”
Steve leans into the doorway holding a stalk of celery. “Yes, sir, it’s me. Harrison and Jen are flying now. Matt and I are going on rest.”
“Where’s Matt?”
“Already sacked out in his bunk.”
“Are you hungry? Come sit down.”
“I can eat in the crew deck.”
“Milo,” Dev says, “will you set a place for Steve, please?”
“Si, si, Signori.”
Steve smiles and takes a seat opposite Chaz. Milo returns with a place setting, bowl, and small plate of ceviche. He unfolds a cloth napkin and places it in Steve’s lap and then ladles out a large serving of bouillabaisse.
“Thanks, Milo.”
“Prego, Capitano.”
“How’s everything up front?” Chaz says.
“Fine as wine, Chaz. We’re under burn.”
“Under burn?” Dev says.
Steve explains, “We’re ahead of our scheduled fuel burn.”
“Ah. Well, you may have guessed our search so far has come up empty,” Dev says.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“So, we’ll try Australia.” Dev realizes they haven’t mentioned the next leg. “Oh, we’re going to head to New Zealand next.”
“I’ll have a flight plan ready,” Steve says. “Auckland or Christchurch?”
“Auckland,” Chaz says.
Dev looks at Steve. “Any thoughts on basing Oasis there?”
Steve smiles. “New Zealand is beautiful. I could live there easy.”
“What about the rest of the crew?”
“Well, Harrison, Jen, and Matt are all single and unencumbered. Annette is in it for the adventure. Franz and Milo? I’m not sure.”
Franz, overhearing the conversation from the galley, quickly grabs the bottle of sparkling water and hurries into the dining room.
“Franz and Milo are fine with that,” Franz says evenly as he pours water for Steve. “I’m sorry, Mr. Dev, I couldn’t help but overhear.”
“Not at all, Franz,” Dev replies. “Let me ask you both something, is there anywhere you would specifically not want to live?”
Franz looks at Steve, who raises his eyebrows at him, indicating to speak up. Franz puts down the water bottle and looks at Dev and Chaz. “As long as Milo and I won’t be persecuted for our marriage, we’ll go anywhere.”
“That rules out the Middle East,” Chaz says. “And Kentucky.” He laughs. “But those places were never in play anyway.”
“That’s a relief,” Franz says. “We’ll follow you anywhere.”
The vote of confidence makes the three men at the table smile. Franz returns to the galley, this time closing the galley door to give them the privacy he’s sure they thought they had.
Franz speaks quietly to Milo. “Would you mind moving to New Zealand?”
“Neozelandese? Why you ask?”
“Because Mr. Dev and Mr. Chaz might be moving there.”
“Dacordo.” Milo thinks a moment. “Is bellissimo there, no?”
“Si,” Franz replies. “Molto bello.”
The pleasant conversation in the dining room continues. Dev discusses the plan.
“Twenty-four hours in Sydney should be enough, then let’s head to N-Zed for say, four days.”
“I’d very much be in support of that, Dev,” Steve says. “No one has said anything, but I know they could use some true downtime. I mean, after the training evolution, the Atlanta move, and getting into the groove of work, a break would be a good thing.”
“Consider it done.”
Steve finishes dinner and thanks Dev and Chaz for having him. He leaves the dining room and goes upstairs to check on the flight deck before retiring to the Captain’s Quarters, where he set his alarm to go off in three hours. He changes into comfortable sleep clothes, hangs his uniform pants, and preps a clean shirt. Just before climbing under the covers, Steve checks the progress screen
and turns out the lights. It’s now all up to Harrison and Jen.
***
A couple hours after dinner, Chaz visits the flight deck, prepared to issue admonitions if he finds anyone asleep, music playing, or any other unapproved media going on. He is pleased to see that the interior cockpit lights are on, and both Harrison and Jen are wide awake and talking amiably. Chaz knows having the cockpit lights on during a long-range flight at night helps keep pilots alert and awake.
“Hey, guys,” Chaz says.
“Uh-oh, the big boss,” Jen says. “Come to see if we’re asleep?”
“Absolutely.”
“Don’t worry, sir,” Harrison says. “Steve made it very clear sleeping will only be done in the crew deck.”
“Good,” Chaz says. “How are you two? Need anything?”
“We actually just called down for some coffee,” Jen says. “Franz is brewing a fresh pot.”
“Can I see the flight plan?” Chaz says, pointing to the clipboard up on the glareshield panel. Jen hands it to him. Chaz looks over the numbers written on the margins, and goes through each page up to their current position. “Steve said we’re under our burn, that’s good.”
“We are,” Jen confirms. “We’re also running three minutes ahead of schedule. We adjusted our speed to be on time at the next reporting point.”
“Nice,” Chaz smiles. “Guess we’ll keep you guys around for a while.”
“Do you know how long we’ll be in Sydney, sir?” Harrison says.
Chaz hands Jen the flight plan clipboard. “Just twenty-four hours. But then we’re going to New Zealand, and we’ll spend four days there and give you guys a nice little break.”
“I’ve never been to New Zealand,” Jen says. “Or Sydney, for that matter.”
“It’s great,” Harrison says. “New Zealand is awesome.”
“Okay, I’ll leave you to it,” Chaz says.
chapter 12
STARS DOWN UNDER
☆ ☆
The stop in Sydney goes about the same as everywhere else they have been so far. Properties and large houses, but not the right properties and right houses. Australia, of course, is huge. And Sydney is very busy. A chartered helicopter flies the boys to the outskirts, where they have a great aerial view of land. The vastness and the emptiness of the outback is staggering. The land is geologically stable, which is good. Dev uses the guise of taking video with his Ti-Phone to scan the terrain from the helicopter. But the vastness of the Outback and the absence of anything going on could make even a secret operation stand out like a sore thumb. It could do in a pinch, but still doesn’t feel right for their needs. The search will continue.
That night in Sydney, Dev and Chaz walk along the wharf by their old haunt, the Cannery, the hotel they stayed in on Chaz’s lottery trip. Dev looks up at the sky but doesn’t smile.
Chaz notices. “What is it?”
“We’re in the Southern Hemisphere; the stars are different.”
“You can’t see the Crown from here.”
“No, I can’t.”
Chaz looks up. “But there’s the Southern Cross. You can’t see that from Atlanta.”
“I’ve been there.” Dev half-smiles. “We call it Crucis.”
“Is it part of the Crown?”
“No, turns out there’s nothing really there. Two of the stars have planets, but they’re uninhabitable.”
“Why did you go there?”
“We detected some radio signals. But about three-quarters of the way there, we figured out it was just radiation from a nebula reflecting off the planet. What we thought were engineered transmission gaps turned out to be several of the planet’s fast-moving moons blocking the source, creating a repetitive signal. We flew in, did some analysis, but it essentially turned out to be a long voyage to nowhere.”
“Sounds ex-Cruci-ating.”
“That’s just not right.” Dev laughs.
Chaz’s poor pun worked in taking Dev’s mind off the stars. “So, four days in New Zealand. That will be nice.”
“Yeah, should be.”
Chaz sees Dev is still preoccupied. “I think some downtime will be good for you as well.”
“You’re probably correct.”
“Good. Then let’s just go to New Zealand and recharge our batteries. I have it all set up.”
“Where are we staying?”
“We’re doing something a little different. This time we’re not staying in a hotel,” Chaz says, then adds, “I kind of need a break from people bringing me things.”
“What are we staying, then?”
“I rented us a house outside of town.”
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND
1500 Hours
The crew secures the 767 after the three-hour flight to Auckland, and then they are off to a downtown hotel. Chaz rented a car and drives to the rental house an hour or so outside of town. No staff. No maid. No concierge. No one fawning over them. Just them. Chaz and Dev visit a small market to buy enough groceries for the next few days. Chaz is excited to actually prepare his own meal for a change. Tonight’s menu: lamb burgers.
“Oh, what a luxury,” Chaz says, putting his napkin down. “I forgot how much I missed cooking.”
“I agree, this was a perfect idea. And dinner was delicious.”
“It’s just nice to be ourselves for a change,” Chaz says as he and Dev take their dishes into the kitchen. “I don’t know how long I’m going to be able to keep up with the whole private 767 thing.”
“We just hired all those people for five years.”
“Yes, and I’m glad we did.” Chaz nods. “But I don’t want to spend 24/7 being waited on.”
“Our search for a base is pretty important.”
“I know. And I’m completely okay with that. But every now and then, we need some time to just be normal people . . . your average, everyday, normal alien and Earth-man,” he says as if it’s the most natural thing in the world. They both start laughing.
Dishes done, they move out to the balcony to gaze out at the beautiful sea. Chaz turns around and looks at the house. It is large and ultra modern, constructed mostly of glass on the ocean-facing walls. The grounds are ranging and beautifully landscaped. It is one of the most relaxing, tranquil places either have ever seen on Earth. The balcony is several steps below the house in the form of a very large cantilever slab, extending outward from the hill. A glass guardrail along the edges is barely visible and offers an unimpeded view of the ocean. Large rock formations jet out of the sea like tall monuments to the land.
“This reminds me of home,” Dev says.
“This reminds you of Atlanta?” Chaz jokes.
“Bari.”
“I’m kidding.” Chaz nudges up next to Dev, and they look out at the sea. “I could definitely live here.”
“This house is for sale, isn’t it?” Dev says. “I saw a real estate pamphlet in the living room.”
“It is,” Chaz says. “Maybe I should buy it, what do you say?”
“How much is it?”
“If I’m converting it right, I think about three million US.”
“We’ve got that much on the plane.”
“Are you kidding me?”
Dev laughs. “Now I’m kidding.”
Chaz looks over the exterior of the house and takes a deep breath and nods. “I’m going to buy this house.” He turns around and laughs. “This deck looks big enough to land a fighter on.”
Dev turns around and looks at the living room through the glass. The light is just right to see inside. “The style and decor is very similar to current trends on Trieste.”
“Hey, let’s do some scanning here tomorrow,” Chaz says. “This could be the base.”
“Could very well be,” Dev agrees. “But even if not, buy the house, and we’ll spend part of the year here.”
“Do you think we’ll ever be able to spend time on Trieste?”
“Well, when we get the squadron fully up and running, we could have t
wo pilots from the Crown fill in for us to go on leave. That’s how it usually works.”
“That sounds really good.” Chaz smiles. “Hey, what does Lieutenant Bross do while you’re gone?”
Bross is Dev’s adjutant on Trieste. Bross essentially functions as Dev’s personal assistant, houseman, domestic help, and military liaison. One of the benefits of being a senior Commander of the Crown.
“When I’m away, Bross takes up other duties at the Admiralty.”
“Does he work for another officer?”
“Not as an adjutant,” Dev says and then he explains. “Just like Franz and Annette, Bross has gotten to know my quirks and preferences. He works very well with me, and if he were reassigned to another officer, he would have to learn a whole new routine. So, until he applies for a billet elsewhere, I’ll be the only officer he will work for in domestic ops.”
“You mean he could move on if he wants?”
“Of course,” Dev says. “He has his whole career ahead of him.”
“How long do they usually stay in that position?”
“Depends. Some adjutants follow their officers their entire careers. Bross has it pretty good. Since I’m a combat pilot, I’m away a lot. Bross has a lot of time to pursue his interests and learn new skills at the Admiralty.”
“Does he still live at your place?”
“Same building,” Dev says. “His quarters are actually a smaller dwelling adjacent to my own.”
“He doesn’t throw wild parties in your living room while you’re away, does he?”
Dev looks at Chaz. “I hope he doesn’t.”
Chaz jokes. “Might want to spring a surprise visit on him.”
“A little difficult springing a surprise from twenty-three parsecs.”
Chaz laughs. “Right. How long do you think he’ll stay with you?”
“I don’t know. Bross is very bright and capable. I’d hate to lose him, but I would never stand in his way of advancement.”
“What if he asks?”
“I’ll be fully supportive.”
“You’re a good man, Dev. And an exceptional officer.”
“Thank you, Chaz. So, what would you like to do tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, I want to make bacon and pancakes.”