Pilot

  Chapter 14

  Elena followed Peter onto the deck and was handed into the skiff she had come to the ship in by the same unnamed man who had brought them. Peter introduced him as Thomas and she got the impression he served Peter in the same capacity as Marcus served her grandfather. The ride to the shore was quiet, and Elena basked in the scent of the sea. When she ceased piloting, she moved inland, away from the temptation the sea represented. She missed it.

  She looked around as they moved but could still see no markings to tell her exactly where she was. It was simply a port. Elena was certain their approach was intentional. Once on shore, she followed Peter and Thomas to a black sedan. Thomas took her bag and placed it in the trunk while Peter opened the door for her. She slid into the back of the car. Peter joined her while Thomas got behind the wheel to drive. Elena felt her nerves start to jump. He may have been nice to her and technically on her side at the moment, but Peter had a ruthless reputation.

  'Best not give him a chance to show me if the rumors are true or not,' She thought.

  "There is no need to be nervous," Peter said with a smile. She wondered if he could read her mind.

  "So you know exactly how you are going to deal with the military? You have some sort of clue as to how you will manage to get them to back off?" She asked.

  "Of course," he replied.

  "I don't suppose you would care to share this information?"

  "Its really quite simple," he said with a smile. The smile didn't make him look friendly. It somehow made him look dangerous, like a shark smelling blood. "We are going to give them just enough information to let them know their plans are not feasible."

  "And they are just going to look at you and say, Golly, gee thanks Mister for setting us straight. We won't be bothering you any more."

  "Not exactly," Peter said laughing. "Especially as I don't think anyone would actually say golly gee without a sarcastic undertone. We are going to invite them to join us on a trip through the channels."

  Elena stared at him, dumbfounded. "Could you repeat that?"

  "We are going to allow them to go through one of the channels," he repeated slowly. "And that no one says golly gee." Elena frowned at him.

  "I thought that is what you said," Elena tapped her thumb on her knee. "And this is going to make them not want to go back into space? They are going to see our ports and the trade routes and they are going to want no part of it?"

  "Oh, I'm sure they will want a part of it. But we will show them that for the purposes they are no doubt trying to use the channels, they are completely unsuited."

  "I see," Elena said hesitantly. Obviously, she was in the presence of a madman.

  "You are humoring me," he said. "Don't worry it will all be taken care of." Peter cleared his throat. "I should warn you though, we would like you to be the pilot for this excursion."

  "Me?" She asked, nearly squeaking.

  "Yes. We figured since they already knew you it would be pointless to let them see another pilot. Besides, your record is quite astonishing. And you are one of the few adult American pilots. We thought it would be best to keep this in one country. No use getting everyone's military involved."

  "And you are not worried about The Calling?"

  "Not really," he said waving away her concern. "I have studied the research and do not believe The Calling to be an illness. I believe it to be more of an evolutionary process."

  "Growing pains," Elena said, remembering what the two council members had said. Peter didn't comment. Elena shook the thought away and looked at Peter. "And if I decide I don't want to take a ship through with the military in tow?"

  "You won't decide that," he told her. She raised an eyebrow.

  "You are certain?"

  "Yes," he said.

  "Because if I don't you will slice the muscles in my thumbs to make them useless?" Elena asked. Peter laughed.

  "Where did you dig that story up?" he asked.

  "Is it not true?"

  "Oh yes it is quite true, but it was long ago." Peter thought for a minute. "Besides, you are not stealing from me and while you no doubt use your hands, your trade does not depend on them."

  "Oh," Elena said, unsure what else to answer.

  "You will pilot the ship because it is the only way to get the military to leave you alone," he said, clarifying his earlier statement.

  "So you say," she replied.

  "I say because it is true."

  Elena decided to let the conversation drop. Personally, she didn't see how confirming that she knew how to pilot would get Smith and MacMillan to back off, but she could hope Peter was right. Her only other option at this point would be to leave everything she had built and disappear. Not exactly her favorite option.

  "We do have another offer we would like you to consider," Peter said, interrupting her thoughts.

  "Oh?"

  "As I said before, your record as a pilot is quite remarkable. Even if you didn't want to return to piloting you have many skills. Skills that could be used to train others. We have a shortage of trainers."

  "That would require that I pilot," Elena said thinking of her training under Deana Lang.

  "Not necessarily," Peter said shaking his head. "There are many skills that can be taught without setting foot on a ship."

  "True," she answered.

  "I'm not asking you to decide now of course. Just something to think about in the future. When things settle back down. After all you will be quite busy. Not only do you have a business to run, but you will be acting as an intermediary for the council. I have no doubt that would take several months."

  "Months?" Elena squeaked. Peter laughed.

  "Of course. You didn't think this business would be over so quickly did you? After all they will want to talk and try to explain how they are right and we are wrong. They will not truly understand it is the other way around until they are shown and to show them we must take them through the channels. It is, as you pointed out yesterday, far too late in the season to do so now. It will have to wait until the spring."

  "Spring is usually when I schedule my buying trips." Elena mused. Of course if she were to take her grandfather up on his offer of a business partnership some of those buying trips might be off world. So far she had put off thinking about that. Too many things for her to think about.

  "Really?" Peter asked. "I was going to ask you about that." There was a gleam in his eye and Elena knew he was on the same page with her grandfather. Perhaps though, he simply wanted her connections and not a business partnership with her.

  "Were you?" She asked.

  "Yes, when my brother visited he told me that many of your wares were from distant places and not many were from large scale business operations. Many were from individual craftsmen or artisans. Is this true?"

  "Yes," she confirmed. "I like dealing with them more than the corporations."

  "No doubt your grandfather has spoken to you on the subject of business arrangements?"

  "He asked if I would be willing to consider it."

  "I see," he replied. "And are you willing to consider it?"

  "Yes I am willing to consider it." She said warily.

  "Then I would ask a favor. A personal one rather than a Council one." He smiled and Elena realized he was trying to be charming. She also realized he was quite good at it. He had the kind of looks that danger sat well on. "I would like for you to consider adding me as a partner as well. It should be a grand enterprise and I would like to get in on the ground floor as they say. Since the territories my family's ships trade with are different than the ones your family trades with there should be little overlap. Will you consider it?"

  "I will consider it," she told him. "However I would like to get this pesky little problem taken care of before I start a new venture."

  "Of course, of course." They lapsed into silence. She looked at him wondering what else needed to be said. Peter started as if
he had just received a jolt then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

  "Vibrate," he told her. "Do you mind?" he asked before answering.

  "No go ahead," she told him, pleased that he had the manners to ask before answering. Very few people did anymore. He answered the call and began speaking in rapid Russian to whoever was on the other end of the line. Elena didn't speak Russian, but figured even if she had learned he would be going too fast for her.

  Elena turned to look out of the window. They were driving down a long stretch of highway with tall trees lining both sides of the road, making it a long corridor of greens and browns with no distinguishing features. Secretly Elena hoped Peter's call took a long time. They had several hours left in the car and her head was already too full to take any more. Besides, what exactly was she supposed to talk to him about? Random questions popped into her head, but they weren't the sorts of things she could ask. She doubted he would answer anyway.

  'And if he did, the answers wouldn't be ones I would want to hear.' She thought. While it might be interesting to know how to keep a torture victim conscious throughout the process, it was not comforting to be locked in a car with someone who had that knowledge. She shifted her sight so that she was looking at Peter's reflection in the glass rather than the outside scenery.

  'Well I did ask for the dangerously attractive leading man,' she thought. 'I ought to be more careful when sending wishes out into the universe,' she thought. 'You never knew when it was actually listening.'