Storm Chaser: Chapter 55

Chapter 55

“Home sweet home,” Mateo said as they coasted into port.

“So it would seem,” Elena said. “You made arrangements for the samples to be transported?”

“Yes,” he replied. “Kiera and I will take them to the lab. Before we left she added a few pieces she would need for her work.”

“Great, but don’t get too comfortable,” She warned. “As soon as Andre can pull the final presentation packets together we ship back out. I want to get as many samples home before the season ends. You’ll have all off season to analyze.”

“I think we can deal with that,” he said. To his left Kiera nodded. Since she didn’t ask details about the season, Elena figured Mateo had filled her in.

“We can put things on ice until we return. Except for the plants. But that is where my terrariums come in.”

“Good,” Elena said. “And try to make a list of equipment you will need as well so we can get it ordered and hopefully in place for the return. We are going to be out longer this time than last.”

“How long?” Mateo asked.

“Not sure,” she replied. “We will leave here as soon as possible and take a second ship with us. The second ship will stay with you while Benjamin and I go to the Docking Facility to meet with Riko and the council. Riko will naturally want to pay a visit before committing so we will have to come back and then return out for final council meetings. I have the feeling it might be the better part of a month.”

“That’s cutting the season pretty fine,” Mateo answered.

“I know. The samples and supplies will be our only cargo and it can be divided between the two ships to help out with the weight. This will probably be the last trip to the planet this season so we need to make it count.”

“That means setting up long term sensors to record conditions throughout the off season as well.”

“And probes and such for the buildings to see if they are safe to examine,” Kiera added.

“Get what you need,” Elena told them. “I want this done right.”

“You got it,” Mateo replied. “That looks like our transport,” he said indicating the approaching truck. “Do you need us here?”

“Nope,” Elena said. “I’ll let you know when it is time to ship out with as much advance notice as possible.” Kiera and Mateo went off to supervise their samples’ transfer.

“So plan for about a month?” Benjamin said as he and Andre approached.

“Sounds about right,” Elena said.

“Some of those later meals might not be as good but I think I can handle that.” He walked off.

“Do you have the information for the presentations?” Elena asked Andre.

“Right here,” he said holding up a small storage box. “I put your flash drive of information with it. It shouldn’t take too long to come up with something spiffy.”

“Great,” Elena said feeling relieved.

“Getting nervous?”

“A little. I never like addressing the council and I like dealing one on one with Riko even less.”

“Has to be done,” he replied.

“True. Do you need a ride?”

“No,” Andre told her. “I drove in last time.”

“Of course.”

“I wouldn’t say not to dinner tomorrow night though, if you are interested.”

“I could be interested,” Elena said with a smile.

“Good, it’s a date. Now I have work to do.” Andre sauntered away in the direction of his vehicle while Elena, followed by Spin returned to hers. On the drive back to town she put in a call to Maria, luckily not only was Maria in but she and Jasmine had decided to room together which saved Elena considerable time. They were more than willing to meet her when she returned and Elena found herself diverting towards their apartment before heading home. As the two welcomed her in there was an air of excitement and Elena smiled.

‘A pilot is a pilot,’ she thought to herself. As she was seated on the couch, Spin cautiously approached the two resident cats, Toby and Figaro. Elena was pretty sure Figaro belonged to Jasmine while Toby was Maria’s.

“How was the trip out?” Maria asked.

“Very well,” Elena replied. “Everything looks well on track for a prosperous venture.” As both women were more or less sitting on the edges of their seats Elena took pity and ended the polite small talk early, explaining what she wanted with the two. As she thought they were ecstatic by the proposition. Both hated the feeling of being grounded. Even the thought of possibly dealing with Riko didn’t dim Jasmine’s spirits. Elena left with a smile on her face and the two women planning the stocking of supplies on Maria’s ship.

The next few days passed in a whirlwind of activity. In addition to supplies for the ship she needed to make certain the stores were well stocked. She listened to Roger’s report of the open house they had held and the partnerships they were forging with the specialty meat shop and expanding with Doug’s wine shop. Susan ran figures past Elena until her head spun. Several times she thought she saw Jonathan out of the corner of her eye but he did not approach for which she was grateful. Too much was already on her plate.

“You could hire an assistant,” Andre pointed out as he handed her the completed stack of proposals. There was one for Evan Greggs and the librarians, one for Riko and then a copy of the third proposal for each member of the council including Riko.

“I’d be happy to hire an assistant,” Elena told him. “As soon as I get enough time to sit down, interview, vet and train them I just might.”

“I think that is what the off season is for,” he told her. She laughed and her phone rang with yet another request for a moment of her time. During the time it took for Andre to put together the proposal and supplies to be gathered Elena’s only down time was at the salon where she managed by the grace of god and someone else’s last second cancellation, to get an appointment.

There Gia clucked her tongue at the condition of Elena’s hair, chided her for not giving it proper maintenance and gave Elena a full hour and a half to relax without being pulled in a million directions. Elena thought that alone made the salon visit priceless. It was with relief that she returned to the docks. In addition to her usual duffle Elena carried a hanging bag for her council appropriate clothing.

“I like the hair,” Benjamin said as they were loading.

“Thanks,” she replied while Mateo squinted at her.

“Did you do something to it?” Mateo asked. She rolled her eyes.

“Had to get all spiffy for the meetings,” She replied. “Do we have all our supplies?”

“Yes,” Benjamin said. “Everything is loaded on both the Storm Chaser and the Crazy Chicken. We are ready to shove off as soon as you give the word.”

“Crazy Chicken?” Mateo asked.

“Maria’s ship,” Elena clarified. “Officially El Pollo Loco del Mar. Crazy Chicken for short.”

“Her ship is the Crazy Chicken of the Sea?” Mateo asked.

“Yup,” Elena answered. “All aboard,” she called. Mateo, Benjamin, Andre and Kiera boarded to Storm Chaser with her while Jasmine and Maria boarded the Crazy Chicken.

A short summer squall slowed them down slightly adding a day to the Marta’s mouth. Elena didn’t expect to see Thompson and crew until they had worked out how to get back from an outgoing trip without needing rescue but flipped on her sonar just in case. The ocean was clear, both above and below when they slipped into the channel.

At the entrance to the new channel Elena opened the channel with Mateo’s gear in place so the Storm Chaser would not go through. Maria tried opening and closing the channel as did Jasmine. To Elena’s relief both had no problems. With a sigh of relief both ships entered the new channel and headed towards land.

Storm Chaser: Chapter 54

Chapter 54

“Good Afternoon to you USS Maine, I hope you and your crew are doing well today,” Elena responded into the radio’s microphone. Beside her Mateo and Benjamin tried not to laugh. There was a pause on the other line as though they were unsure how to respond. Elena guessed she was not following proper protocol. At this point she was not in the mood to make concessions.

“Good afternoon to you as well,” came the hesitant reply. Elena did not respond.

“I have a feeling they are going to want to come over for a chat,” Mateo said.

“I agree,” Elena said. She grinned wickedly. “We could always invite them to dinner.” She looked to Benjamin.

“I could pull something fairly fancy together if you give me a couple of hours,” he told her.

“We’d have to make discrete plates for Andre and Kiera,” she said. “But I rather like the option.”

“What are you thinking?” Mateo asked.

“I think we need to make this as un-military as possible.”

“Switch the game up?” Mateo asked.

“Something like that,” She said. “Mostly I just don’t feel like playing any more. The official channel of communication is Peter. They know that. So if they want to by-pass official channels then they are going to have to adapt.”

“USS Maine to Storm Chaser.”

“Still here,” Elena replied.

“The unnamed craft you assisted is the property of the United States government.”

“I had the feeling it was governmental. Budget cuts must have hit pretty hard if you are scrimping on the basics.” There was a pause.

“Basics.” The word were repeated slowly as if the listener doubted his hearing. Elena wondered if she was speaking with the radio operator or if the captain had put her on a loud speaker. She had the feeling that if it was the latter the USS Maine probably had a few crewmen trying to stifle snickers much the same way as Mateo and Benjamin were.

“Was there something you required USS Maine or were you just informing us of your prior claim of ownership so we would not think you were pirates and report you to the maritime authorities?” Benjamin pulled a notebook from his pocket and began writing.

“The officer in charge of this project wishes to speak with you.”

“Yet a crippling karaoke experience prevents him from taking the microphone,” she responded. “I understand of course. The same thing happened to a friend of mine. She still gets the shakes when she hears “The Safety Dance.”

“In person,” came the terse reply. Elena smiled. This was starting to be fun.

“I see.” Benjamin handed her his notebook she read it nodded at him and turned back to the radio as he headed down to the galley. “So will it just be Thompson this time or will the others be joining him?” Again there was a pause.

“There will be three men sent over,” came the response.

“Wonderful. Dinner is at seven we will expect your men a little before so they have time to freshen up before the meal. Dress is of course casual and under the circumstances we will not be expecting your men to bring the customary bottle of wine. Chef has informed me that tonight’s menu will begin with stuffed mushrooms followed by a light salad, chicken pasta with a basil cream sauce and finished with what he refers to as drunken figs. I believe those are poached with a reduction of port and honey of some sort. Are there any food allergies or dietary concerns I should warn Chef of, peanuts, shellfish that sort of thing?”

“No, ma’am, no food restrictions but...”

“Very well,” Elena said cutting him off. “We will expect your men shortly before seven then. Until then, Storm Chaser out.” Elena switched off the radio and Mateo broke out into laughter.

“Chef informs me,” he repeated shaking his head.

“I couldn’t resist,” she said.

“This should be fun,” Mateo said.

“I think that depends on their sense of humor,” Elena replied thinking of Smith. “Would you mind letting Kiera know to stay in her cabin? And it might be a good idea to have Andre watch the wheel during dinner. That way no one will actually be able to identify him. Maybe Benjamin can send up a plate.”

“Sure,” Mateo said. “I’ll also let chef know how many to expect for dinner.” Mateo left the pilot house chuckling to himself. Benjamin went to work, scents drifting up to Elena and making her hungry. In addition to letting Kiera and Andre know the basic plan, Mateo managed to clean himself up and change for dinner. He then relieved her at the helm and she retreated to her rooms to do the same. She settled on a nice shirt and a pair of slacks. She didn’t want to seem too dressed up but she did want to look like she and her crew made an effort at meal time. After all they had all been in worn jeans and t-shirts after a night of riding a storm the last time the military boarded her ship which was not an impressive sight. She put in a pair of emerald studs into her ears and ran a quick brush through her hair.

“Definitely need to make an appointment when I get back,” she promised herself. As it was nearing seven she made her way back to the pilot house. Andre was sitting on one of the folding chairs and eating from the plate Benjamin had sent up. Mateo was at the wheel looking envious.

“You get to eat at the table,” she reminded him.

“I know,” he said. “I dropped a plate off with Kiera too.”

“Good,” Elena answered. “It looks like our guests are on time.” She indicated the approaching motorized raft. “Will you let Benjamin know while I go and greet them?”

“Show time then,” Mateo said. Andre stood to take the wheel as they left.

“Have a good time,” he called after them. “Just don’t get us into too much trouble.” They walked to the deck with Mateo making a quick side trip to the galley. He was by Elena’s side as she lowered the latter to the approaching raft. As advertized three men were aboard the craft. Two climbed the ladder while one stayed on the raft. As this was their last approach, Elena was not surprised. Thompson and his minion were dressed as before but seemed surprised by their change of attire.

“Welcome aboard,” Elena said with a smile, gracious hostess mode kicking in. “Will your companion be joining you or remaining with your craft?” Thompson looked to the ladder.

“Remaining with the craft, actually.”

“Very well, we will make sure to send a plate back with you for him. If you will follow me.” Elena turned and walked towards the galley. Mateo made certain to be a few steps ahead of her so that he could open the door. She made sure to thank him and heard two uncertain thanks from the others as Mateo continued to hold the door for them. Elena had to blink hard as she entered the galley, certain that this was not the place she had shared many means with her crew. The table was laid with a snowy linen cloth. A tray containing mushrooms filled with a crab mixture was lace in the center with a stack of small plates next to it. A bottle of wine was uncorked next to a row of glasses. She turned a warm smile on her guests even as she wondered how Benjamin had managed to pull off this hat trick.
“Please, won’t you take a seat.” She gestured towards the table. They left the chair at the head of the table available for Benjamin as he would be traveling to and from the side board throughout the meal. Mateo sat to Elena’s left and with some hesitation Thompson took the seat across from her, the other man dropping into the last available chair. Benjamin moved from the cooking area to the table.

“Benjamin, this looks wonderful,” she told him. “Gentlemen this is our chef Benjamin and you have met Mateo. Benjamin, Mateo this is Thompson, of the USS Maine and his friend, um I’m sorry I don’t believe I caught your companion’s name.”

“Murphy, ma’am,” he replied after shooting a glance to Thompson.

“Murphy, then. Welcome.” As she was speaking Benjamin began pouring glasses and handing them around. Elena handed Thompson and Murphy plates and then handed one each to Mateo and Benjamin before taking one for herself. “Please help yourself, we are rather informal here after all.” As the words came out of her mouth she saw the edge of Mateo’s mouth quirk up and deliberately refused to look at him, afraid she would laugh and shatter the scene.

“Thank you ma’am,” Thompson said. He placed two mushrooms on his plate and then set the plate in front of him. Murphy did like wise. Mateo took three mushrooms and popped one into his mouth before the plate was even set down.

“These are excellent,” he told Benjamin after swallowing.

“I do try,” he said as he and Elena each took a serving from the tray and began to eat.

“Yes, we wished to speak with you about the ship you rescued.”

“For the second time,” Elena added. “Aren’t you eating?” Thompson looked at his plate picked up a mushroom and popped it into his mouth. Murphy followed suit. She had the feeling Murphy would have eaten earlier had Thompson not been there. “It was the same ship of course.”

“How do you know that?” Thompson asked, swallowing fast. Murphy chewed more slowly but reached for the second mushroom as if afraid his commander would order them to leave before he was done.

“The markings,” Elena replied calmly taking a sip of her wine. “The first ship had a dent and some scrapings from it’s time sky side. This one did as well. I am pleased to see it survived the storm.” Thompson eased and took another bite. Both men avoided the wine and she wondered if it was because they were on duty.

“Yes, well.” Thompson replied. Elena could almost see his brain sort through responses. This was not how he had pictured the evening. Elena smiled, please that for once she was not the one discomfited by conversations with the military.
“Yes, well, thank you very much for rendering assistance to the vessel.”

“So you still haven’t named it?” Elena asked. “Very unlucky for a ship.”

“Almost as bad as sailing with out a cat,” Benjamin added.

“True but maybe their sailors aren’t the superstitious type,” Mateo added reaching for another mushroom.

“All sailors are superstitious,” Benjamin added. “It goes with the breed.”

“Is that true?” Elena asked turning to Thompson.

“Some are I suppose,” he replied. She turned her gaze to Murphy.

“I carry a rabbit’s foot,” he admitted. Color rose to his cheeks.

“Very wise,” Elena said. “We make sure there is a cat on board.”

“Keeps more of the rabbits alive,” Mateo added. As no one was taking any more of the mushrooms Benjamin began clearing the appetizers from the table. Mateo stood and helped with the dishes. He also assisted Benjamin in bringing out individual bowls of pasta with chicken and basil cream. Elena sniffed appreciatively at her bowl.

“Smells delicious,” she said as Benjamin set down a basket of bread.

“Thanks” he said. “I figured a home-style recipe would go well with an informal meal.”

“So have you given thought to a name?” Elena asked. Thompson looked at his bowl as if she had asked him to name the pasta. “For the ship I mean? After all even without superstition it is a little cumbersome to keep referring to it as the unidentified ship.”

“Especially if we keep rescuing it,” Mateo added. Thompson poked at his pasta with a fork while Murphy eagerly dug into his bowl. Elena had the feeling his normal ship board fare paled in comparison to Benjamin’s cooking. Since her normal fare paled in comparison to Benjamin’s cooking she wasn’t going to fault him on it.

“Yes about that,” Thompson said. “We managed to solve the heat differential issues that cause the systems to overheat on the last voyage out,” he began glancing at Elena. She realized he didn’t want to out her as the source of the information. She nodded slightly in acceptance. While Benjamin and Mateo would do nothing with the information others would not take kindly to her assistance.

“Glad to hear it,” She replied. Elena picked up a piece of bread and dipped it into the basil cream sauce. “Are we allowed to ask what went wrong this time or is that classified?”
“Technically nothing went wrong,” Thompson replied, spearing a bite of his meal.

“So they were just hanging out?” Benjamin asked.

“Not exactly.” Thompson said. He took bite and chewed slowly. Elena had the feeling it was more to give himself time to figure out how to frame his reply than for any desire to fill his belly. Elena passed the bread to Murphy. He mumbled a thanks and used a piece to sop up the sauce.

“There were unforeseen complications,” Thompson said.

“I see.” There was silence while everyone ate and Thompson chose his words.

“The coordinates were off,” He began. “Our ship could take the channel out but not find the way back in.” Mateo snorted and nearly choked on his pasta.

“I believe I had a conversation with Smith about this topic quite some time ago,” Elena replied. “Although I can’t say I’m surprised he wasn’t listening.”

“Would you mind repeating the information?” Thompson asked. Elena took a sip of wine, feeling somewhat sorry for Thompson. She would hate to lead a crew based on Smith’s intel.

“Put quite simply the coordinates for a channel are based on where you enter. If you enter from earthside you would use the coordinates from your position on the globe. When you are sky side you would use the coordinates from your position in space. The entry coordinates are all relative to your current location.”

“And you told this to Smith?” he asked. His eyes locked on hers. There was no more hesitancy in his gaze.

“Yes, quite some time ago,” she said. “I believe Peter has stressed it a number of times as well as he is now the official correspondent.” Elena looked around and realized that everyone but Thompson had finished eating. “Are you finished?” She asked indicating his plate.

“Oh, yes ma’am, it was excellent I simply don’t have much of an appetite.”

“Of course,” She replied. “We’ll send it back with you as it can be reheated.” Again Benjamin and Mateo cleared the table. This time they returned with desert plates, each containing a couple of figs. Their tops had been split with an x so that they looked like blossoming flowers. The center had been filled with a dollop of sweetened cream. Again Elena marveled at Benjamin’s ingenuity amazed that such creations could come from her ship’s cupboard. Coffee and its various accoutrements joined the desert plates.

“And how do you determine coordinates sky side?” Thompson asked. The words sky side were hesitant and Elena wondered if the military had been using the term outer space.

“We use a very complicated machine,” she informed him.

“Really?”

“Yes it is called the human brain. A pilot’s brain to be precise.”

“Surely you have sensors…” he began. “You can’t just know where the channels are.”

“Actually she can,” Mateo said. “That’s why she is a pilot.”

“I believe all of this was discussed before,” Elena told him.

“There has to be a way,” Thompson said.

“If you find it let us know. It would serve as an excellent safety device for when our pilots are incapacitated,” Mateo said. Thompson looked deflated for a moment. He took a bite of his desert and looked thoughtful for a moment.

“And you say all of this was discussed?”

“Yes,” Elena replied. “In great detail.”

“With Smith?”

“Yes with Smith.”

“I see,” anger replaced some of the defeated look in Thompson’s eyes. Elena wondered if Thompson outranked Smith. If so she had a feeling Smith was going to be in some hot water very shortly. She also had the feeling there might be a new list of questions drawn up. Hopefully she could pass them to Peter.

“We will have to speak with him about that,” Thompson said.

“You might want to also discuss including a proper set of semaphore flags on board. Not everyone would stop for men waving white t-shirts.”

“We will do that,” he assured her. Thompson and Murphy did not stay long after. They took up the Tupperware containing their extra crewman’s meal and Thompson’s leftovers. Thompson thanked them for the meal and they made their way back to their ship.

“Well,” Mateo said leaning on the rail and watching the raft’s progress. “I have to say that was a very in military like meeting.”

“It was, wasn’t it,” Elena commented. “I guess we should go let the other’s know they can come out again.”

“Yup, and I’m going to see if Benjamin has any more of those figs.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 53

Chapter 53

The trip back to the channel went smoothly and the ship slipped from the ocean into space like a dream. Elena smiled with relief as the Storm Chaser headed towards home.

“One less problem to worry about,” She said. Mentally she listed the other issues. Chief among them was the hope that another pilot with the Calling would be able to open the same channel she had. Maria had never officially been grounded and still had her ship, now docked at Grant’s Inlet near the Storm Chaser’s berth. Elena tapped the console in thought.

“Two pilots would be better,” she mused. With another channel rider she could leave a crew with a second ship on the planet while she went to the Docking Facility with her proposals. Riko and the council would both want proof that she was providing legitimate information so she would have to return planet side with a councilor on board.

“Just one pilot planet side is too risky,” she said thinking of her crew’s legitimate fears. “Jasmine has made real progress. The trick would be to keep her out of Riko’s sight.” Elena didn’t think Riko would have a problem seeing her former family member but Jasmine certainly would. “If Jasmine were to ride along with Maria she could serve as an extra pilot and just stay hidden during the council visit. As long as one of the pilots always stayed on the ship it would be too much of a problem.” Elena smiled to herself. “Not a bad solution if they are willing.”

The distance to the Marta from the new channel was not great which was a plus in Elena’s mind and they very quickly approached the channel mouth. As the channel came into sight so did the outline of another ship. It wasn’t moving like a channel rider and had a similar profile to the previously encountered military ship.

“Ah hell,” she muttered. Elena clicked on the ship’s intercom. “We have company,” she said into the microphone. Immediately the galley door opened and Benjamin stalked out. He was quickly followed by everyone else. Andre still had half a sandwich in his hand. They looked to her and she pointed. All heads swiveled to see what she had spotted. Elena opened the window and called down.

“You might want to make sure the cargo hold is locked down,” she said. Mateo flashed her a thumbs up and he and Andre retreated to make sure their samples were all under lock and key. Kiera and Benjamin joined her in the pilot house.

“Are they aliens?” Kiera asked. Her face looked half hopeful and half frightened.

“No,” Elena told her. She noticed Benjamin hiding a smile as well. “More like the military.”

“Military? Who’s military?”

“Ours,” Benjamin replied. Elena studied Kiera’s face for a moment.

“You know we try to let them know as few of the people involved as possible. They have already seen Benjamin and Mateo. Perhaps you and Andre should stay out of sight until they are gone.”

“That might be best,” Kiera said. “I can stay in my room until we are clear of them.” Elena nodded.

“And Andre can stay with the cargo,” Benjamin said. Kiera left the pilot house and headed towards her quarters. Benjamin and Elena watched her go.

“She definitely doesn’t like the military,” Benjamin said.

“I know,” Elena replied. “Kind of makes me wonder why.”

“She was vetted?” he asked.

“Yes, by Peter. She came out squeaky clean. Not even a parking ticket.”

“Too clean?” he asked. Elena shrugged.

“I don’t know. If you looked at my record I’m willing to bet I come out pretty squeaky myself.”

“True,” Benjamin replied with a smile. “But you also take ships into space and onto other planets when no one is paying attention.”

“A girl does need a hobby.”

“So what are we going to do about our company?” Benjamin asked, shifting his attention back to the ship they were rapidly approaching. “Same as last time?” Elena stared at the ship for a moment.

“I don’t know,” she began. “They aren’t listing like they were last time. Let’s get a little closer.” Elena adjusted their course but didn’t add any more speed to the mix. If they had to tow a second ship through the channel again she would need the energy. Benjamin stayed in the pilot house with her, his eye to the telescope.

“I see movement,” he said as they approached.

“Really?”

“Yeah and I think they have spotted us. Take a look.” Benjamin stepped back while Elena peered through the lens. The ships crew came into focus. They were waving their arms in the air and appeared to be shouting in the hope of attracting attention.

“Do they actually think we can hear them?” she asked.

“Who knows,” Benjamin answered with a smile. “Anything is possible these days.”

“Yes military voices able to piece the vacuum of space in a single shout. How are your semaphore skills?”

“I am pretty handy with a flag,” Benjamin replied. “You think the military still teaches its sailors?”

“I guess we will find out.” Elena gestured to the cabinet where the signal flags were stored and Benjamin retrieved them. “I’d suggest keeping it simple. See if they need help and if they do tell them we are shooting them a tow line.”

“Will do.” Benjamin took the flags to the deck, the yellow and orange squares swinging in his large hands. He took position and signaled for attention. Elena looked through her telescope and saw one of the men pointing at the ship in what she hoped was Benjamin’s direction. They shifted and one man was brought to the front. Benjamin began signaling the messages. The ships crew looked relieved and Elena wondered what had gone wrong this time. The three men in the ship scrambled for a moment and Elena laughed when one of the men held a white t-shirt in each hand and signaled back that they needed help.

“In more ways than one,” Elena muttered. Benjamin replied and then returned to the pilot house.

“Apparently the kids were allowed to pack for summer camp by themselves this year and forgot some of the essentials like signal flags,” he said as he tucked the flags back into their cabinet. Elena laughed.

“Nice improvisation though. And at least someone over there knew the signals.”

“That is true.” He agreed. Elena steered the ship closer to the access point where they could attach a tow line. Benjamin went to the deck where Mateo joined him. Together they managed to affix the line. They signaled Elena who aimed for the Marta and brought them back into the Atlantic. She scanned the sky. It was a deep blue with not even a wisp of cloud to mark it. She signed with relief.

“No storm this time thank god.” Elena flipped on the radio. She wondered if they had turned theirs back on yet.

“This is the Storm Chaser to unidentified craft,” She began feeling like she was in a bad movie. There was no response. Elena turned on the sonar. Sure enough the two small ships had company. She waited a minute and repeated her message. This time she got a response.

“Unnamed craft to the Storm Chaser we read you.” Elena rolled her eyes.

“Do you require further assistance?” She asked.

“We are all clear,” came the response. She sighed.

“Good to hear. I don’t suppose you would mind unhooking my tow line then? I’d hate to loose it.” There was no response but through the window she could see one of the men move to the deck and unhook the line. Mateo ran the wince to haul the line up.

“Thanks,” she replied. Deciding sticking around was not a great option; Elena engaged the engines and began to pull away. The radio crackled to life. On the sonar she could see the marked leviathan begin to surface. Off starboard the water rippled as first the antenna broke the surface followed by the rest of the submarine. Benjamin and Mateo joined her in the pilot house.

“This is the USS Maine to vessel Storm Chaser, do you copy.” Elena sighed.

“I don’t suppose there is a chance that they just want to offer us lobster rolls as a thank you is there?” She asked.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath,” Mateo said.

“I figured as much. Well, I suppose we had better see what they want.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 52

Chapter 52

The next morning at first light, everyone but Elena left the ship and headed to land. Spin watched them leave with an air of distain. Elena rubbed her ears.

“At least it will be quiet,” she told the cat. Spin meowed in response and went to find a sunny spot on deck to curl up. While it was bright on the ocean, with the morning mists kept low to the water, the land was still shrouded in mist.

“I hope they step carefully,” she said aloud. She shrugged, recognizing something completely out of her control and went back to her quarters. Elena cleared her maps to one side and took her laptop out of the protective casing that kept its circuits from being fried during crossings. While it booted up she gathered her notes for the proposals. A message box appeared as she settled herself in the chair.

“No wireless connection available,” She read. “Good to know, although I would be kind of surprised if there was a connection available.” Elena closed the message box and began to formally prepare her proposals. Periodically she shifted to her reader and ferreted out phrasings and protocol from council records, other times she used her small collection of Guild approved books. For lunch she made herself a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich and walked on deck in the bright sunshine. There was no sign of her explorers other than random aerial disturbances as the local birds reacted to the intruders’ presence. The mist had lifted as the sun rose and Elena hoped they had brought enough water with them.

“It looks like a scorcher,” she commented. After a little while she gratefully returned to her somewhat cooler quarters. As the light faded she heard the sounds of people and put her work aside for the day. She reached the deck in time to see them climb into the dinghy and begin their way back to the ship. She lowered the clamps and let the winch haul them up. The day’s exertions had not dimmed their excitement. Elena could see they were hot, dirty and sweaty, but still eager to show off their prizes. Benjamin excused himself to go wash up and start dinner while Kiera and Mateo showed her their day’s samples and Andre flipped through his slide show of new photographs.

After a quick clean up and dinner, Elena found herself left alone on the deck as she continued her mapping of the constellations. All of the others had been exhausted from their early morning and heavy exertions.

“Besides,” She thought. “They will be doing it all over again in the morning.” Elena yawned and realized she too would need to get to bed soon. She folded up her star chart and glanced at the map Mateo had given her. It showed the pier, the road and the location and size of the buildings they had come across. Since Mateo’s stride was just a little over three feet long, the distances were marked in approximate yards. Elena squinted at a second set of numbers placed below his yard measurements. They were written in a different hand and the notation at the bottom of the page regarding the second numbers made her smile. Apparently Kiera had brought a pedometer with her and was keeping track as well.

“I wonder how you mark that on your daily exercise log,” Elena mused as she folded up the map and went inside. “Three hundred and eighty six calories burned while walking on an alien planet.” Elena chuckled to herself. “I hope she isn’t reporting to a personal trainer.” When she reached her quarters she plugged her laptop into the small portable generator so it could charge in the night, changed into her pajamas and slid into bed.

The rest of the time on the planet passed much the same way. Elena would be left alone to work while the others explored, fleshing out and expanding their map as well as adding to the samples in the cargo hold. Fruits, nuts, and berries joined the fish, water, soil and plant samples. Andre’s sketch pad was full and he was quickly running out of space on his memory cards.

In addition to the flora, Andre had added images of birds, snakes and the impressions of several animal tracks. Many of them looked to be feline in nature. Andre had wanted to stay close to shore one of the evenings to see if he could catch images of some of the creatures but Elena nixed the idea as too risky this time out.

“We have no medical staff on board,” Elena explained. “In addition the pier would be a little tricky to negotiate after dark so you would have to stay the night on shore.” Andre wasn’t happy but gave in. “Next trip maybe,” she told him as consolation.

It was on the day before they left that Elena finally made it to shore. Mateo was left in charge of the ship. She had the feeling Benjamin was left in charge of her. It felt odd having a body guard and she wasn’t sure she cared for the feeling, but as Mateo had pointed out if anything happened to her everyone was stranded. She settled herself in the dinghy and in no time found herself on the steep stairs leading up to the pier’s surface.

The lower steps were slicked with seaweed and algae and the steps were a little too steep for comfort but she made it to the top with no mishaps. To her surprise the surface of the pier was not smooth stone as she had imagined it to be but marked with long cuts into the stone in a hatch work pattern. Much of the hatching was worn down and the rock face nearly smooth in those sections.

As she walked she realized the hatching was there to make the wet stone less slick. She nodded in appreciation. She felt a little wobbly walking on solid ground anyway due to her length of time on board the ship and hoped she wasn’t reeling like a drunken sailor.

Periodically there were places that were divots in the rock and she could see why the others thought smaller craft were tied up closer to shore. In her mind’s eye Elena could see this place as a bustling port with ships of every size carrying exotic cargo. Kiera pointed out some other half hidden steps near these peers that would have allowed pedestrian access. They reached the coast and Elena paused to look around.

“The buildings you need to see are this way,” Benjamin said.

“In a rush?” She asked. He smiled.

“The less time you spend off the ship the safer you will be,” he pointed out. Elena shook her head and bowed to the inevitable. This trip out she would not be given the leisure to sight see.

“Lay on, Mac Duff,” she told him.

“Hopefully without the hounds of war,” he relied. He pointed towards the roadway. “This way,” he said leading them under the trees canopy. Cool green enveloped them and the temperature dropped. Elena shivered a little in reaction to the simple lack of heat. Their footsteps were muffled as they moved from bare stone to sad to the loam of the forest. In places she could see that the accumulated dirt and debris was over the ancient road bed. It offered a wide flat spot on which to walk. In some places the stone was still visible. It appeared to be the same stone the dock had been made of and she wondered if the blocks were as huge.

“That would account for none of the tree roots busting up the road,” she thought. “Although that would make this an absurdly overbuilt road.” Occasionally she could see the outlines of buildings, or of building remains to be more precise. The stones used for these buildings were smaller than the pier and many of the outlines were obscured by growth. The odd glimpses of raw stone looked to be the same as the road and the pier. The roofs of these smaller structures were either flat or missing. From Elena’s vantage point she couldn’t tell which.

As they moved, Kiera pointed out several plants and Elena could see where some of their samples had been collected. On the left she recognized a vine that bore clusters like grapes. The ‘grapes’ in this instance looked more like red currants. They had been in one of the first day’s samples. While Kiera chatted excitedly, Andre’s camera snapped shots of bugs, birds, nests, and animal tracks. Benjamin simply looked out for danger. She noticed they were not stopping to collect samples today and smiled to herself. She knew they were moving at a much faster pace than the team had moved in prior days.

In time they reached a clearing. Elena felt as though she had entered a valley as large mountain like buildings towered above them. There were five buildings in this cluster. The road met in a cross road like pattern. One giant building sat in the center of the cross roads, to Elena’s mind it reminded her of the stepped design of Mayan or Aztec architecture, although she was pretty sure neither of those groups topped their structures with spires they way these were. The other four buildings were stationed around the central structure. The main entrance to each lined up with a different corner of the central building while the roads ran between.

“Each of the central building’s corners points in a cardinal direction,” Kiera said. Her voice was somewhat lower than it had been on the trail, as if she didn’t want to disturb anything. Elena nodded.

“You have pictures of these?” She asked Andre.

“Both inside and out,” he told her.

“You went inside?”

“Only into that one,” he said pointing to the building on her left. The one with the doorway facing east.

“What is inside?” She asked turning towards the building.

“We didn’t go too far in,” Andre explained with a glance at Benjamin.

“The building has a central atrium and then walls divide the interior. I thought it best not to explore the interior until either more information was gathered or medical personal had been brought in,” Benjamin added. Elena nodded in agreement.

“Wise,” She said. “We have to take safety first this time out. Perhaps the next trip out Mateo can bring his probes in to scan the building rather than just the landscape.” She walked towards the indicated building. There was no door left in the entry way. Either it had been carted off or lost to the ages. She could see recesses where a door could presumably be attached.

“Did you get a picture of this?” she asked. “That way they know a door could be put in.”
Andre dutifully took a picture. He shot a grin her way.

“Yes I know I am restating the obvious,” she told him with a laugh. “I’m just nervous about the librarian that’s all.”

“Of course,” he said. “I would be too. Direct away.” Elena stepped through the door and into the atrium. As mentioned it was a wide space that ended in a wall with two doors. The space was dim and dark, the recesses lost in shadow.

“Must have been lit by torches,” she said. “There certainly wasn’t a sky light.”

“Which is a good thing as a skylight would have let in the rain,” Kiera commented. Elena didn’t see any carvings that looked like her dream. For that she was grateful. Since Benjamin was getting fidgety she stepped back out of the building and let them lead her around the square. Apparently each of the roads led to clusters of smaller buildings.

“It is possible that the plaza around the central building served as sort of a market square,” Kiera said. “As to the function of the larger buildings they could be ceremonial, commercial governmental,” she laughed. “Well they could be anything really. Without any records it would take a vast amount of digging to come up with any theory that could be substantiated.” They followed one of the roads leading to a cluster of smaller buildings.

“Smaller, I guess is relative,” Elena commented as each of the buildings she estimated around two stories tall. There were smaller buildings around these that had been covered over to the point of looking like small hills around the larger buildings. Elena took note and to Benjamin’s relief she signaled that the tour could be concluded.

“I’ve seen what I need to pitch to all the parties involved,” she told them. The pace at which Benjamin marched them back to the ship made Elena laugh and Kiera keep the commentary to a minimum. She noticed Benjamin did not relax until they were back on board.

“So,” she asked him as the winch pulled them from the ocean’s surface to the Storm Chaser’s deck. “What did Mateo said would happen if I got hurt?”

“Oh the usual,” he said. “We’d be stuck here, those you had gathered to your house would be abandoned and shunned, commerce would fail and the world would basically come to an end.”

“Really,” she said not quite bringing herself to laugh. She had only thought of those on her ship being stranded and had given no thought to the pilots she left at home.

“Something like that.”

“I see. Well you will be happy to know we set sail for home tomorrow and will soon be in a lot less risky a position.”
“Sure,” Andre answered. “As long as there aren’t any sea monsters here.”