Stars Fell on Trieste

by M. Alan Marr

  Dev thinks about it and waxes poetic. “Eh, think about it, some newly promoted Lieutenant Commander on his first command, charged with the protection of an entire world. I doubt he’s complaining.”

  “No, probably not.” Chaz adds, laughing, “Pilots, on the other hand . . . we’re predisposed to complain.”

  Dev laughs at that as well. “Yes, perhaps a small blow to their egos they should have to stay aboard a ship that’s been out of service longer than they’ve been in.”

  Chaz thinks about their upcoming flight. “I didn’t even really ask, but what’s the plan here?”

  “The plan is, we wait until later tonight, and we bring up the ships, join them back up, and launch for New Zealand.”

  “We’re taking the fighter with us?”

  “Of course,” Dev says without hesitation. “Just in case we run into the Yeti on the way.”

  “Better safe than dead.”

  “I’ll say. Plus, I can’t leave the fighter here, in case we . . . never make it back.”

  “Oh . . . I didn’t consider that possibility.”

  “I didn’t really want to bring it up.”

  “Dev, I’m a military man. I know the realities of combat.”

  “I know, but I didn’t want to dwell on the negative.”

  “It will be fine,” Chaz says optimistically.

  Dev defers to Chaz’s optimism. “Assuming you’re correct, we’ll climb to eighty thousand feet and follow the terminator until nightfall in New Zealand. Then head on down and pray that Steve did his job and the crew is on board with this.”

  “And if not?” Chaz says seriously.

  “If not . . . we’ll send them back stateside and hopefully buy their silence.”

  “Buying their silence may not be so easy.”

  “Hopefully, we can prevail upon their sense of morality to save their world.”

  “What if they talk?”

  “They signed confidentiality agreements. The lawyers will go after them until they give up.”

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “So do I,” Dev says, “because I really do care for all of them.”

  “If they say no, we’re screwed.”

  “I know . . . ” Dev says, worried. “This has to work. There’s no time left to find other candidates.”

  “Well, like you said, the what-ifs are maddening. We’ll know soon enough.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We might want to get a few hours of shut-eye before we get going. I know we won’t get much sleep on the way.”

  Chaz and Dev talk by the lake for a while longer, until the damp and cold finally get to them. They maneuver through a small gap in the camouflage netting and climb aboard the floatplane for a couple hours’ sleep. Reclining their seats, they quietly contemplate the future. They each have a lot on their minds, but both manage to nod off.

  ***

  The alarms on their Ti-Phones sound off at 0300. The night is dark, and a low, overcast layer has settled over the area. Perfect weather for clandestine operations. Area detection scans reveal no one nearby, and very little air traffic.

  Dev uses the advanced side of his Ti-Phone to remotely activate the gravity drive on the Recon ship. Even though Chaz has seen this once before, it is still an amazing sight. Like a submarine breaking through to the surface, the waters part. But unlike a submarine, this ship continues to rise and break all contact with the surface. As the gravity drive reaches stabilization, all traces of water and mud are shed from the hull in one sheet, leaving the ship high and dry.

  Dev enters a few commands on his screen, triggering the Recon ship to glide quietly toward the beach and lower its wide boarding ramp.

  Wasting no time, Chaz hurries aboard and heads up to the control deck and sits at his pilot station and finds the controls for the comm system. The screen shows Dev’s signal, and with a simple touch, Chaz opens the channel. “Dev?”

  “Right here.”

  “Okay, good. I’m in position.”

  “Okay,” Dev replies, as he makes his way across the shoreline toward the area where the fighter is hidden. “Do you see the controls for the stealth system on the lateral panel?”

  “Uh, yes, got it.”

  “Okay, dial the Stealth selector to Active Cammo.” Dev looks behind his shoulder and sees the ship’s hull start to blend in with the surroundings. The ship isn’t invisible by any means, but its camouflage is nearly perfect. “Good. I can barely see you. But you need to raise the boarding ramp. The status panel in the corner should show the open ramp, select the graphic and select close.”

  “Whoops, sorry.”

  Dev watches the ramp close. Since Dev is going to need his Ti-Phone to raise his fighter, Chaz will be left to deal with the engine systems on the Recon ship.

  “Good. Now, on the portside engine panels, go ahead and initiate the reaction system. The sequence is main power converters first, auto ignition second, and propulsion system initiators third. They’re all on the same panel.”

  As Dev cautiously makes his way across the rocky shoreline, he hears the Recon ship’s engines initially powering up. The downward surge is next, and Dev sees the exhaust ports initially spark. He can tell by the subtle sounds, the engines are starting properly. “Okay, Chaz, sit tight. I’ll be there in a few minutes. I need to switch control to bring the fighter systems online, so you’re gonna be on your own in there. Man one of the pilot stations. If anything happens or the hover destabilizes, take the controls and climb, just like you did in the simulator.”

  In the ship, Chaz looks around at all the control panels. “Uh, how will I know if there’s a problem?”

  “You’ll see a lot of red warning lights and hear alarms.”

  “Red is bad, got it,” Chaz says, while sitting down at the portside pilot station.

  “If that happens, throttle up and get out of here. I’ll rendezvous with you on the dark side of the moon.”

  Chaz quietly talks to the ship. “Like I know how to fly to the moon. Come on, baby, keep it together.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Nothing, Dev, I’m good.”

  “Okay, ready? I’m switching to fighter control . . . Now. You have command of the Recon ship.”

  The control panels in front of Chaz indicate the changeover. “I have command.”

  The Recon ship drifts a little to the left. Chaz watches the compass azimuth on the panel and sees it slowly changing heading. He takes the control stick and ever so gently eases it to the right, correcting the heading.

  Dev raises his fighter out of the lake, climbs aboard, and starts the engines. Once the canopies close, he quickly banks the fighter around, scraping the surface of the lake with its lower stabilizer blade, sending a sheet of water arcing outward. The fighter whips around quickly, partly because Dev is happy to be back behind the controls, and partly because he doesn’t like to be in a compromised position. Dev expertly maneuvers the fighter close to the Recon ship, but there isn’t enough clearance.

  “Chaz, I need more elevation. Gently roll on the gravity drive and raise the ship up, but stay below the tree line. Throttle grips only.”

  “Standby.”

  Very gingerly, Chaz takes the throttles with one hand and very slowly rolls the motorcycle-like throttle grips forward. He hears the power increase and watches the altitude display rising slowly. He looks forward and sees the graphical profile representation of the tree line and altitude queues and releases his hand from the throttle grips. The hover stabilizes and Chaz exhales. “Okay, Dev.”

  “That’s good. Now, on the display ahead of you, there’s a list of auto-flight icons. Third one down reads All Stop/Station Keeping. Initiate that icon and select Station Keeping. Next, go to the navigation table. The mating system should automatically pull up when I get closer. Once I’m in position, you’ll need to activate the up-locks for mating the fighter to the ship.”

  “I’m on it.” Chaz finds the correct icon and touches it
. The display opens a subset with two options: All Stop or Station Keeping. Chaz selects Station Keeping. The panel display changes slightly, adding an x, y, and z axis and a dynamic compass ring over the ship. It appears the autopilot has captured the ship in the selected mode. The status screen indicates a green Station Keeping Active tag.

  Dev eases the fighter into position under the hull near the docking area. Chaz, meanwhile, moves to the tabletop holographic display where the mating system controls and mechanics automatically generates.

  Dev maneuvers slowly, easing the fighter toward the underbelly of the Recon ship. He is now looking straight up. The upper canopy projects graphics to help guide him toward the target.

  Inside the Recon ship, Chaz stands at the display table, now showing three-dimensional holograms of the profile view of the ships, a live shot down-looking view of the mating area and fighter and a separate grid outline of the fighter and mating targets. Mathematical lines extending from the fighter graphic slowly change as Dev inches toward the mating target. Chaz is seeing mating imagery from the Recon ship’s point of view.

  “Easy, Dev . . . slightly to the right . . . forward a hair . . . ” When the mating outline flashes green, Chaz hits the Mag-Lock button that captures the fighter. The sound of a solid thud confirms contact. “Gotcha!”

  “Good,” Dev replies over the comm line. “The key pad should now be populated for the up-locks.”

  Chaz looks at the multifunction keypad, now displaying the mating controls. “I have them.”

  “Okay, initiate up-locks.”

  Chaz presses the three buttons. “Done . . . done . . . and done.” The display shows all fighter systems syncing with the Recon ship.

  “My board is green. Mating complete. I’ll be up in a sec.”

  On the lower deck, the small green and blue hash-marked border around the airlock hatch flashes, alternating blue and green, then solid green and slides open. Directly below in the airlock well, the fighter’s center aft canopy hatch over the rear seats indents, then slides open, stowing behind the rear seats. Dev climbs out of the fighter and up the short ladder into the Recon ship. Once aboard, Dev accesses the recessed panel in the floor and closes the fighter canopy and the lower and upper airlock hatches and then joins Chaz on the main deck.

  “Nice work, Chaz.”

  “Piece of cake. It takes two people to do that? What if you were alone?”

  “It can be a solo maneuver, but it’s better with two. Plus, I want you to give you as much hands-on experience as I can.”

  That in mind, Dev allows Chaz to pilot the Recon ship away from the lake. Once at altitude, Dev programs the autoflight system to maintain course toward the South Pacific. “Nicely done, Chaz. The autopilot has it.”

  “Great. Now what?”

  “We have some time to kill. I say we enjoy it while we can.”

  ***

  The Oasis 767 lands in Auckland and taxis to a remote parking spot on a large ramp next to a line of heavy cargo aircraft. Normal shutdown procedures are followed, and Steve, looking sharp in a crisp uniform exits the aircraft, via the lower mid-deck door to meet the local customs agents. It is a gorgeous day in Auckland. Fresh air, cool, gentle breeze, and blue skies.

  Steve greets the four agents and presents them with the GenDec (general declaration) and CrewDec (crew declaration). As there are no passengers, the matter of paperwork is fairly quick. As a matter of routine, the agents ask to inspect the aircraft. Steve invites them aboard, and introduces the crew and will conduct the agents on the inspection tour of the entire airplane. The galley check is first stop, since it is nearest the mid-deck door. The agents point out which of the perishable food can be brought off the airplane, and what must be thrown away in large customs-provided bags. Franz watches, his eyes saddened, as all the USDA prime steaks, organic chicken, pork, and fish, are placed in bags for incineration.

  Steve sees Franz’s sad look. “Sorry, Franz.”

  The rest of the inspection proceeds without incident. Matt overhears one of the agents comment to Steve about the length of their stay. Steve explains his employers own a house here and want to spend the American winter below the equator, where it is now early summer. Matt wonders to himself, Why would they keep us in New Zealand for five months?

  The agents are all impressed with the aircraft. Crew passports are checked, and the entire crew is welcomed into New Zealand. The agents thank Steve for his cooperation, and also for the grand tour. None of them have ever seen an aircraft like this before, and likely never will again.

  After the agents depart, Franz asks Steve about the prospects of a freezer to store the remaining galley items, but Steve orders him to take whatever he wants to the house and trash anything that’s not sealed in a can or a jar. Steve ducks outside to avoid any further questions. Outside, the other pilots begin their postflight of the aircraft.

  “What a waste,” Franz tells Milo.

  “Si, is-a shame.”

  Outside, the water tanks are drained but not refilled. The lavatory tank is emptied, and the aircraft is fully refueled. Steve directs the pilots and the ground crew to the aft cargo bay near the tail of the aircraft, to pull the engine intake covers and exhaust plugs from their storage spaces. It takes a coordinated effort to remove the enormous covers, used to guard against birds, insects, or any other creatures and foreign objects from entering the engines. The customs inspection had taken over an hour—partly because the agents were so impressed with the aircraft and wanted to see every single inch of her. Steve didn’t mind because, if for nothing else, it kept the crew from asking him questions about what they’re really doing here.

  The inspection time allowed the engines to cool enough to install the plugs. Steve, Harrison, and the ground crew work together to hoist the giant covers over the intakes. They use a belt loader, with the belt cranked all the way up, to give them the elevation they need to reach the engine. Matt and Jen use a ladder to handle the lighter aft plug-rings for the engine exhausts.

  “Figures I get put on butt plug detail,” Matt jokes. Jen almost doubles over laughing.

  “What’s going on back there?” Steve yells.

  “Nothing, Captain.” Matt laughs.

  “You guys need help?”

  “It’s okay, Steve.” Matt laughs harder still. “I’m familiar with these.”

  Jen bursts out in hysterics. Steve just shakes his head.

  This is the first time the crew has gone through this particular level of postflight detail. Steve tells them it is a good exercise to practice. Matt doesn’t say anything, but he knows there is a lot Steve isn’t telling them. Once the engine covers are installed on both engines, the belt loader is positioned to the cargo bay, and the crew bags are offloaded. Steve tells the flight attendants to leave the Louis Vuitton collection where it is, again triggering both confusion and suspicion in his crewmates.

  Two Range Rovers and a sedan pull up to the aircraft. The Range Rovers were quietly purchased by Chaz last week, after he realized that renting two vehicles for five whole months and then returning them with no mileage accrued might look very suspicious. The sedan was there to return the delivery drivers to the dealership. Steve signs for the vehicles, and leaves the crew to load up their bags. Steve enters the aircraft one last time to do his final checks, making sure everything is secure and completely shut down. Leaving the aircraft, Steve takes a quick headcount, then closes the lower door and sets a four-digit entry code on the keypad before securing the external panel. Oasis is now locked up like a drum. Up to now, Steve has been busy enough to avoid questions from the crew. Now that everyone is off duty, the math will change. He can, however, mitigate the line of questioning during the drive to Chaz’s house.

  Harrison was the last to fly, so Steve volunteers himself and Jen for driving duty. If for nothing else, the assignment will spare Steve a painful line of questioning from Jen. Neither of them has ever driven on the left side of the road before. Steve takes one last look at the Oasis 7
67 and then gets in his Range Rover. Steve is aware Matt overheard the customs agent commenting about the duration of their stay, so he has Matt drive with him, along with Franz and Milo. Jen, Harrison, and Annette are together in the other vehicle. The address to Chaz’s house is programmed into the GPS units, and the two cars depart the airport.

  “We’ve never used the engine plugs before,” Jen says to Harrison acerbically. “Something’s going on here.” She adds, “Something’s going on, and Steve’s not telling us.”

  “What do you think it is?” Annette says.

  “I don’t know. But we just shut that airplane down for a long sit.”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing, Jen,” Harrison says.

  “Well, I’m sure it’s something,” Jen fires back.

  Steve diverts the two-car caravan to a local market to pick up whatever supplies they need. Franz takes charge in the market. Fresh fruit, meats, and dairy products were really all that is needed. They have an ample supply of wine and liquor from the plane, as well as the items customs allowed them to take off the plane. In no time, the two cars are on the road again.

  “How much farther to Chez Chaz?” Matt says.

  “Looks like about forty-five minutes,” Steve replies after checking the GPS.

  “How did they even find this place?”

  “Last time we were here, they rented it. Chaz liked it so much, he bought it.”

  “Cool. So . . . how long will we be here?” Matt says, fishing for information.

  “Hard to say, Mattsy.”

  The drive continues pretty quietly. And despite a couple of close calls on the road for the American drivers, both cars manage to arrive at Chez Chaz safely. Unsure about where or if the house has a garage, Steve pulls in and stops at the front door. Everyone gets out and looks on the beautiful landscape and stunning modern house. At first glance, it seems a simple design, probably with a couple of bedrooms, but upon closer examination, it is obvious that its size is deceptive. It is very much larger than it first appears. The house actually has five bedrooms and a large flowing kitchen and living area that seems to meld effortlessly onto the patio, the natural landscape, and ocean far below.