Storm Chaser: Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Elena left the library with more than 30 volumes tucked into her reader. She had the feeling all of her spare time would be spent with the reader in front of her.

“Policy and procedures,” Elena said to herself as she left the archival quarter. “Fun stuff.”

“I think so,” Peter said. Elena looked over to find him standing near one of the stalls. She hadn’t seen him since he had resent the odd valentine’s gift and really hoped he didn’t bring it up. His smile was a pleasant one.

“You find policies and procedures fun?” she asked.

“After a fashion.”

“I knew you were warped,” she told him. Peter laughed. The laughter sounded surprised. He walked over.

“In more ways than one.” He tilted his head towards the library. “Doing research?”

“Yes,” Elena told him. “I’m thinking of giving up the store and becoming a pirate. I figure the eye patch may take some getting used to but at least I would have my own parrot. I was researching how long it takes to teach a parrot to curse in the Fegarsol tongue. I figured it would seem more menacing that way. Any thoughts?”

“Many,” he replied with a smile acknowledging the rebuff. “However if you could take a moment or two away from planning your new career I would like to get a few more details on the ship you encountered.” After meeting Thompson, Elena had sent a brief report to Peter about the incident, trusting him to take care of it. “Perhaps over dinner?”

“I haven’t been to my quarters yet. I would need a shower and a change of clothing before I’d be fit company for a meal.” She shifted her weight and adjusted her bag on her shoulder, drawing attention to the standard travel bag and the fact that she had not yet dropped it off.

“Of course. Shall we meet again in two hours at Danvers?”

“I’m not sure Danvers will let me in,” Elena commented, thinking of the ruckus she caused the last time she ventured into the place. Peter smiled.

“I’m sure they will if I guarantee your good behavior.” He paused. “Unless you are planning a replay of the last brawl.”

“It wasn’t a brawl,” Elena said. “Just a minor altercation.”

“Of course,” Peter replied with a humoring look. “The blood and broken bones were just a side effect of the argument.”

“It was one broken bone, Troy’s nose. And all of the blood came from the same nose.”

“Of course. I will try to give you no incentive to break my nose and then perhaps Danvers will be accepting of your presence. Two hours then?”

“That will be fine,” Elena said, bowing to the inevitable. Elena cut back through the merchants quarter at the same brisk pace she had entered it. Her speed kept people at bay.

‘Either that or my just of the ship smell,’ she thought. ‘I’m amazed both Riko and Peter would still talk to me.’ Apparently they were serious enough about their business to risk it. Elena let herself into her quarters and found someone had slipped something under the door. She dropped her travel bag on the chair and bent to retrieve the envelope from the floor. It had an emblazoned D on the flap. It was the symbol of Danvers.

“Apparently they are preemptively rejecting me,” she muttered as she broke the seal. She opened it as she walked towards the bathroom. She slid the card out and stopped as she read the words.

“That has to be a mistake,” she said. She read the card again. Apparently she was invited to attend one of the exclusive tasting events. These events were where the high and mighty sampled the luxury goods from around the galaxies while politically schmoosing.

“Maybe they think I’m Therese.” She said setting the opened card on the bathroom counter. She thought about the card while she showered. It had happened before. She and Therese shared a similar build and coloring. Their features were even somewhat similar. Of course Therese still wore the long hair of the typical pilot while Elena’s was now a great deal shorter.

“If that isn’t incentive enough to cut it I don’t know what is,” Elena decided rinsing out the conditioner from her shortened locks. A short while later Elena was clean, dressed in a nice shirt and a not very wrinkled pair of slacks and heading towards Danvers. She held the invitation in one hand tapping it against her leg as she moved. The door of Danvers was sleek black glass with a large gold filigree D placed in the center. The handle was discretely black as well so as not to distract from the gold letter. Elena thought of he last time she had entered Danvers and shrugged. Troy had deserved to have more than his nose broken. She tugged open the door and stepped inside.

Danvers had a hushed atmosphere that reminded Elena of a church sanctuary. It was quiet with low murmurs of conversation. There were tables stationed for those who wished to see and be seen as well as those more discretely placed. Therese had always favored the former.

‘Apparently her tastes haven’t changed,’ Elena thought as she spotted her cousin with a group at one of the central tables. Isa spotted Elena before Therese did and lost no time in informing her of Elena’s presence. Therese’s head swiveled sharply and her eyes narrowed to slits. She pushed her chair back and excused herself from the table. Elena braced herself. She knew Therese would not make to big a scene but the conversation was not likely to be pleasant.

“What are you doing here?” Therese hissed through clenched teeth. It was more of a demand than a question.

“Hello to you as well Therese, you are looking well this evening. Is that a new blouse? The color is quite becoming, it matches the red blotches in your cheeks very nicely.” Elena smile politely. She could practically hear her cousin’s jaw crack as she clenched it.

“You aren’t allowed here.” Therese said, her voice low. The manager was walking towards them and Therese’s lips curled up in a smirk. “Apparently I’m not the only one who thinks you should leave.”

“Good evening George,” Therese said sweetly when the manager was in hearing range. He nodded to her.

“Good evening Miss.” He replied. He turned his attention to Elena and smiled warmly. “Ms. Calabrese, welcome to Danvers. I had hoped we would be seeing you soon.” Elena blinked hard and was unsure if she or Therese looked more surprised by his words.

“Thank you,” Elena replied, recovering from the surprise. “I am meeting Peter Baranov for dinner and I don’t know if he has arrived yet.” To her right Elena could practically feel Therese’s eyes narrow, after all Peter was one of the people she and her group wanted to be seen by and with.

“Of course,” George answered. He has not yet arrived but his customary table is available.”

“That is good to hear George,” Peter said as he entered the door. If possible George’s smile grew warmer and more inviting.

“Mr. Baranov, how wonderful to see you again.” George spotted the card Elena still held in her hand and turned his smile back on her. She found it vaguely disturbing. “I see you got the invitation to our little gathering.

“Yes,” she replied. “Unfortunately I will be unable to attend. I will be shipping out in the morning.” She heard Therese’s sharp intake of breath. For one of Danvers little gatherings she knew her cousin would delay shipping out. Elena had no such compunction.

“Of course,” George replied, his smile drooping a little in regret. “Business before pleasure, the life of a pilot. If I may show you to your table?”

“Of course,” Elena replied. She turned to her cousin before leaving. “It was good to see you again Therese. Please give Aunt Elizabeth my regards.” She turned and followed George. Peter followed her lead and they left Therese standing alone. For all the attention Peter paid to her she could have been one of the support columns. Elena inwardly sighed. Therese was not likely to take any of the evenings events well. She settled into her seat while Peter sat across from her.

“Trouble?” Peter asked when George had departed.

“That obvious?” She answered.

“I like to think I pick up on the less than obvious,” Peter said with a smile. “Although your cousin’s face would qualify as obvious.” He laughed when Elena sighed. “Care to elaborate?”

“Therese and I have never exactly been friends. For Grandfather’s sake we tolerate each other.” Elena paused as their waiter brought sleek black and gold menus and listed the specials. Elena mentally decided on one of the specials, delighting in the open mixing of intergalactic ingredients. “The way we tolerate each other is through distance,” She continued.

“Makes sense. I have several relatives I feel the same way about.” Peter replied. He sipped from the glass of water the waiter had brought. Elena couldn’t imagine anyone actually sniping at Peter the way Therese seemed to delight in sniping at her.

“And by coming here I more or less violated that unspoken guideline.”

“Ah,” Peter said with a smile. “Danvers is her turf, so to speak.”

“Exactly,” Elena replied. She looked at Peter. “You are enjoying this aren’t you?”

“It shows?” He said. Elena could see the laughter in his eyes. She shook her head.

“Mateo finds is amusing as well. Actually he goes out of his way to get Therese all worked up.”

“And you don’t?”

“No I avoid her when possible and tolerate her when it isn’t. One of my goals in life is to have as little interaction with Therese as possible.” The waiter returned and their orders were given.

“Now about that ship,” Elena said, firmly changing the subject.

“About that ship,” Peter said smiling. “Your report was very brief, I would like some elaboration.”

“Understandable,” Elena replied. “Unfortunately I don’t have much to add.” She repeated the incident and Peter periodically interrupted with questions, pulling out little details, primarily about the ship. Elena found it easier to discuss the ship rather than Thompson. She felt a strange reluctance to bring him to Peter’s attention.

‘Perhaps it because he is the guy in the field trying to keep his people alive the same way a captain or a pilot would while Peter is like Smith, just playing the angles.’ She thought. The discussion took most of the meal.

“And of course the ship was entering the Marta channel not the Augustine,” Elena pointed out, sipping her after dinner coffee. Peter grinned and took a sip of his own.

“I had a feeling Andre would pass that information along.”

“Which is why you told him.”

“Which is why I told him,” Peter confirmed. “And for the record there have been sightings near the Augustine. We are reasonably sure there is a shipyard in the vicinity.”

“So they are building in more than one place then?”

“So it would seem,” Peter confirmed. Elena thought for a moment, rolling a thought around in her head before she spoke it. She looked at Peter and knew he had already had the same thought.

“I doubt Ian would have been able to give them much information about the Augustine. The Anderson pilots don’t generally use it.” Elena said thinking of the former guild member who had passed along secrets to the military.

“Indeed.” Peter replied, sipping his own coffee. Elena didn’t follow that line of conversation. She didn’t need to. If the military had information Ian didn’t possess then Ian wasn’t their only source. Elena tried not to sigh. She finished her coffee and set the cup down in it’s saucer. The leak was no her problem. It was a council problem and she wished them luck in dealing with it. With the meal concluded Elena and Peter left Danvers, each going their separate ways.

Therese and her friends still occupied a central table. Therese pointedly did not look in Elena’s direction as she left. Elena wondered what form Therese’s petty revenge would take this time. When her cousin felt slighted she resorted to childish tricks in order to get even. They would continue until Therese had vented her temper. Elena rubbed her eyes, feeling the tired sink in. She had the feeling tonight would take quite a while for her cousin to get over. Mentally she reviewed her list of errors, knowing how Therese would see them. Elena had gone to Danvers, she had been welcomed by name by the manager who escorted her to a table with a council member. She had been invited to an exclusive event and turned it down. Elena sighed and rubbed her eyes again.

“I could probably add the fact that Peter ignored her completely to the list,” Elena muttered. “At least I’m leaving in the morning.” It would be difficult for Therese to pull anything before she left especially since she was still at Danvers. When Elena and Therese had been much younger their Aunt Catherine had sympathized with her even as she admonished her and Mateo for banding together against Therese. Apparently Elizabeth, Catherine’s sister and Therese’s mother, had a similar disposition growing up.

“Still does actually,” Elena said to herself thinking of some of the interaction she had witnessed between her two aunts. “At least Therese comes by it honestly.” Elena turned down the corridor leading to her quarters and paused when she saw an elderly gentlemen standing in front of her door patiently waiting for her to arrive. Elena dug out her electronic key and dredged up what little politeness she had left. She smiled as she walked closer, inwardly hoping whatever he was here for could be dealt with quickly. As she came closer she noticed an emblem done in gold embroidery on his left breast. Elena blinked hard, recognizing the symbol of the House of Librarians. Elena pushed her tiredness away and really hoped this meeting didn’t hurt. The librarians were too powerful to upset.

“Good evening,” Elena said when she was in speaking range. “May I help you?” Privately Elena hoped he was either lost or mistaking her for someone else. Both hopes were dashed immediately.

“Good evening Ms. Calabrese. I was wondering if I might have a word with you.”