Chapter 14

Three days before the concert at Boston’s Bank of America Pavilion, the Pavilion manager, Mr. Reid, called Chloe, to confirm the arrangements. During their conversation he told her that the Mayor, and most of the City Council, were attending the first concert. They were also expecting the Governor of Massachusetts and his wife, along with several other members of the state’s government to attend. He said that other inquiries had been received from the Governor’s offices in three neighboring states, but had not received requests for tickets.

“We have room to accommodate them, don’t we?” asked Chloe.

“If the inquiries turn into requests, then we won’t have enough room.”

“Why is that?”

“We are using quite a bit of the VIP area to accommodate some patients from the Children’s Hospital of Boston. The space needed for them has turned out to be more than we anticipated.”

“Why not enlarge the VIP area?” questioned Brenda, as she joined the conversation.

“That is not real easy to do.”

“Okay, how about putting the children on the stage, at the sides, being sure they don’t block anyone’s view.”

“We considered that, but then there wouldn’t be enough room for the choir.”

“If we use our risers we should have more space. We need to talk to our staff, but plan on us bringing our own risers.”

“Wait a minute,” said Brenda, “why not have a special afternoon performance, just for the children? If we do that, all these problems go away, besides, then the children won’t be up so late. Another advantage is that we can also accommodate more children, families and staff.”

“We are agreeable. I have to admit we considered that option also, but you already agreed to two additional concerts and we didn’t think it was fair to ask for another. I don’t see any problem with a concert at say, 1 PM, but it will make it tight getting setup for the evening performance.”

“Then, let’s do it late in the morning. Arrange to cater lunch, we will cover the cost. Also, admission will be free to the children, families, nurses and doctors. Let us know how much we owe you when the arrangements are finalized.”

“I don’t suspect there will be any charges to bill you for. I suspect everyone will donate their time.”

“So we’re set, then,” asked Chloe.

“Yes. I’ll let you know which time the hospital decides is best.”

“Guess we’d better tell the choir,” said Brenda, after the phone call was completed. “We need to tell Siobhan’s Clan as well, because they will be the Command Staff for these performances.”

“I hope they are not upset with us.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Some of them will be wondering why we didn’t think of it. Hm ... I wonder if we can stop by Walter Reed on the way to the White House barbecue?”

“You want to do a concert there?”

“No, just visit. I understand that some of the patients don’t have many visitors.”

“I wonder if we could sing in the wards,” said Brenda. “With our mind-link, we wouldn’t necessarily need to be together. We could all sing the same song as duets, trios or quartets, in different locations. The close contact would really make some of the messages personal.”

“An interesting idea, let’s discuss it with the choir tonight. If we do simultaneous duets, we should try it first at either Comrie or An Clochán. We could do that at the barbecue as well. Oh, the more I think about it, the more I like it.”

“Chloe,” replied Brenda, “I don’t want to be a wet blanket, but let’s see how it works first.”

“You’re not. The idea just has a lot of potential. It would be like performing in the round.”

The three shuttles carrying Beyond the Star choir were approaching their entry point to Boston when Siobhan said, “Boston this is Dóchas Alpha2, we are 5 minutes from entering your air space.”

“Dóchas Alpha2 repeat request please,” replied the air traffic controller in the Boston Air Traffic Control Center.

“This is Dóchas Alpha2. Flight level 9 5 0. Heading 9 0. 100 km south east of Logan.”

“Acknowledged. I have your flight plan. It shows three aircraft.”

“Affirmative. We have not initiated our transponders yet.”

“Initiate transponders.” As soon as air traffic controller spoke, her display showed DSTA02, DSTA03 and DSTA04 representing the three shuttles. “The note with your flight plan shows a request for a vertical descent to Logan 9 glide path. Correct?”

“Affirmative.”

“Begin descent when ready. Noise abatement rules apply.”

“Noise abatement, acknowledged,” replied Siobhan smiling as she realized the Air Traffic Controller did not know who they were. Unknown to Siobhan, the ATC’s supervisor did know who they were, and was quietly monitoring the ATC’s actions.

“Boston, Dóchas flight group beginning descent.”

“Dóchas, acknowledged.”

In BATCC the ATC watched her radar screen apprehensively as the altitude legend began to change rapidly as the shuttles’ descended. She soon said, “DSTA02, intersecting Logan 9 glide path. Handing off to Logan approach control. Have a good day!”

“Thank you. Have a good day. We hope our peculiar arrival has not disrupted your operations.”

“Not at all.” The ATC leaned back in her chair and took a deep breath. She felt her supervisor step behind her.

“Are you okay?” asked the supervisor.

“Yes. I have never seen an aircraft do a controlled descent at that rate. Thanks for the note when I came on shift pointing out the way they were entering our air space. I don’t think I have ever seen a request quite like that.”

“You haven’t. Those were three space ships bringing the Beyond the Stars choir to the Pavilion for this evening’s performance.”

“Oh, my. We tried to get tickets for tonight’s performance but they sold out almost immediately. We put our names on a waiting list. We were really surprised when we heard from the ticket agent saying they had tickets for Saturday and Sunday night. So we are going Saturday.”

“I hear their music is very good.”

“United 943, cleared to 2 3 0, maintain heading,” said the ATC as her supervisor stepped away so as not to distract her.

“Dóchas Alpha2,” said Logan Approach Control, “on glide path, continue descent.”

“Affirmative. You’re aware we will divert from the glide path when over the inner harbor.”

“Affirmative. We need you to leave your transponders on.”

“Affirmative.”

Melissa said, “Cloaking activated for underside only.”

“Dóchas Alpha2,” said Eileen, “Alpha3 underside cloaking activated.”

“Dóchas Alpha2,” said Tiff, “Alpha4 underside cloaking activated.”

“Logan,” said Siobhan, “do you want to maintain verbal contact until we are over the basin?”

“Affirmative.”

“Dóchas Alpha2 at diversion point. Beginning right turn and descending to 75 feet.” In Logan approach control, the controller watched the three blips turn off the glide path over the inner harbor then move a short distance. This placed them 200 feet above the harbor basin between Fish Pier and Fish Street West.

“Logan AC, we are in position.”

“Affirmative. Have a great day!”

“Thank you. We wish you the same.”

Over the bay, Alpha3 and Alpha4 hovered side by side, facing toward the inner harbor, while Alpha2 took up a position above them but facing the pavilion area. None of the three ships could be seen from the ground.

“That went smoothly,” said Siobhan to her clan.

“Yes, it did.”

“Tiff, Eileen, make sure the navigation lights are on,” said Melissa.

“They are,” came the reply from both.

“Siobhan,” said Caoilinn, “we are going down to the Pavilion to check the arrangements.”

“Okay. We will be down when the VIP’s start arriving.”

The line of IPTP’s carrying the security teams quietly exited the partially cloaked shuttles. Those on the ground did not notice their approach until they had almost reached the harbor side of the pavilion area. They parked their IPTPs next to the service entrance on the harbor side.

Caoilinn, Sal, and Christina went to find the Pavilion staff’s office, while the others split up into groups of three, and began exploring the area around the facility. Caoilinn, Sal, and Christina entered the grounds and paused in the open courtyard. As they scanned the courtyard, they only saw a few people preparing for the evening’s performance.

“Can I help you?” asked a man wearing a security uniform.

“Yes,” said Christina, “we are with the group performing tonight, and we’re looking for Mr. Reid, the manager.”

“Let me give you a map, as that will make it much easier for you to find his office.” With that he walked back toward the gate they had come through. “Here is a map. The theater manager’s office is here and we are here,” he said as he pointed to the map. Then as he drew a line, he said, “The easiest pathway is to go this way. He probably won’t be in his office, but his administrative assistant will be. She can locate him for you.”

“Thanks,” replied Sal as they started to walk away.

“Say, are those your scooters out there?”

“Yes. Are they in the way?”

“They could be. It depends on how many more delivery trucks we have today. My primary concern relates to them disappearing.”

“Why don’t we move them across the street, to the vacant area? They should be out of the way there. Don’t worry about them disappearing; they have a special lock.” The security guard watched in amazement as the 12 IPTPs quietly lifted off and moved across the street to settle into a clear area.

“Amazing,” said the man in the security uniform.

“Thanks again. By the way, nine of our associates are looking around outside the facility. They are dressed pretty much the way we are.”

“I’ll give them a map when they come through the gate.”

“Is this the only gate open?”

“No there are two others. I will tell the other guards that you are here.”

Christina, Caoilinn and Sal went off toward the theater manager’s office.

“Did you guys pick all of that up?”

“Yes. From what we have seen so far, we think a set of drones at each corner of the grounds will be sufficient to cover the outside area. Their primary focus should be the grounds and entry points.”

“Agreed. Some should also be placed to allow them to cover the approaches to the entrances.”

“We planned on factoring that into the drones scan parameters.”

“That will work.”

After Caoilinn, Christina and Sal met with the theater and stage managers, they joined the rest of their security team, so they could spend time getting acquainted with the site and its staff while waiting for the choir. Just like FEDEX stadium, some of the attendees for the performance arrived more than an hour before its scheduled start. Abbie was the first to notice that the early arrivals kept looking up to the sky, as if anticipating the choir’s arrival.

“Let’s play our instruments as we descend,” said Sorcha to the other choir members. “There are a couple of instrumentals that fit the event.”

It was a half an hour before the performance, when a gold ring formed in the sky over the harbor where the shuttles were hovering. The sight of the gold ring grabbed the attention of everyone on the ground. A hush settled over the audience, as all eyes turned toward the ring. Then, almost magically, choir members began to float out of the circle in pairs, each riding an IPTP while playing their instruments. At the Pavilion, the sound of harps, fiddles and flutes began softly and grew in volume as the choir made their descent. Their music ended as the IPTPs touched the ground in the courtyard. The silence quickly gave way to applause. The choir bowed, before following Melanie to the dressing room.

Nainsi of Christina’s clan watched a young woman with two teenagers come over to examine the IPTPs the choir had arrived on. When Nainsi started toward them, she heard one of the children say, “Oriel, someone’s coming.” Oriel looked up toward Nainsi and smiled weakly.

“Hi,” said Nainsi. “So what do you think of our Individual Planetary Transport Platform or IPTPs?”

“They are amazing. When we first saw the choir, they appeared to be floating on air. If someone had told me about it, I wouldn’t have believed them. I’ll bet it really feels neat to just float through the air on those.” Oriel looked longingly at the IPTP as she tried to understand the purpose of the controls. To Nainsi, it was clear from Oriel’s expression that she wanted to stand on one, and she really desired to do more than that.

“It is pretty neat.”

“Sophia, is it okay, if a young lady stands on the IPTP you used?” asked Nainsi.

“Sure. Let her take it for a spin.”

“We’ll see,” replied Nainsi. “Oriel, Sophia doesn’t have a problem with you standing on it.”

“Really! Wait, how did you know my name?”

“I heard your friend call you as I was approaching.”

“Okay. Are you sure Sophia is okay with my standing on it?” replied Oriel a bit apprehensively. “Wait, how does she know?”

“I just asked her with our instant messenger.”

“By instant messenger, you mean telepathically?”

“Yes,” replied Nainsi, as she looked over at the two teens. Each of them was completely focused on Oriel and her, while occasionally glancing at the IPTPs. “You may want to slip your shoes off before you step up on it. It will be easier to fit your bare feet into the foot pads.”

Nainsi and the two teens watched, fascinated, as Oriel slipped off her shoes and then stepped up onto the IPTP, slipping her feet into the foot pads. Nainsi watched Oriel’s expressions and body movements as the girl stood on the IPTP and held the controls. Nainsi queried the IPTP AI as to whether she could sense the girl’s intentions. When the AI confirmed the connection, Nainsi told the AI to give her a ride up to the shuttles and back and to let her feel the controls response.

“Affirmative.”

“Oriel, relax and go with the flow. You will be fine.”

“What?” said Oriel. She gasped, as she realized that the IPTP was rising. The movement also drew gasps from the two teens, and several others who were watching the interaction between Nainsi and the three young adults. Louise, of Christina’s clan, came up behind the teens while Nainsi focused on Oriel.

“She will be fine,” said Louise, causing the teenagers to jump. “Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Is she really flying it?” asked the teenaged girl.

“Kind of. Nainsi is monitoring her and the IPTP’s AI.”

“I hope, Nainsi takes good care of Oriel.”

“She will. It sounds like you like Oriel a lot.”

“You bet,” replied both children quickly.

“She is the best companion we have ever had,” added the girl.

“Why is that?” as the enthusiastic endorsement tweaked Louise’s curiosity.

“Oh, there are lots of reasons. She is smart. She is going to college to be an engineer while we are in school. She helps us with our homework. She listens to our problems. She treats us like an adult. We love her.”

“I should have introduced myself, my name is Louise, and I’m in Christina’s Clan, as is Nainsi.”

“I’m Adrian, and this my sister, Joanna.”

“You said Oriel was your companion?”

“Yes, our mother always seems to worry about our security,” said Joanna. “Oriel is the most recent companion they have hired to stay with us, as both of them work. Our mother would probably be upset to see us talking to you.”

“Where are your parents?”

“They are meeting us, as they are coming directly from work.”

While Adrian and Joanna talked to Louise, they only took their eyes off Oriel for a few moments at a time.

“Can we meet them?”

“Sure. They will likely be upset with Oriel, if they see she is not near us. Our mother is always afraid something will happen to us, or that we will just disappear.”

“Most parents worry about their children’s safety,” replied Louise.

“Ooh,” said the boy as he looked past Louise, “this is could be ugly.”

“This isn’t where we agreed to meet,” came an irritated voice from behind Louise, drawing everyone’s attention. “Where is Oriel? She is supposed to be with you all the time in public places.”

Louise winked at the children, before she turned and said, “You must be these children’s mother. I’m Louise, one of the choir’s security team. Your children and I were just starting to get acquainted before you arrived. Oriel stepped away for a moment, but she will be back momentarily.”

“Oh,” replied Selena Jackson.

“You must be very proud of your children.”

“We are,” replied a man who joined them as she finished speaking. While they were talking, Louise had moved around so Selena’s back was to the choir’s IPTPs.

“Dear, are we ready to go in?” said a man that had joined the group. “The performance will be starting shortly.”

“We’re all here except Oriel. She went off somewhere, leaving Adrian and Joanna with Louise.”

“Good evening,” said the man to Louise, “I’m Blaine, with the Boston Police Department.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Louise of Christina’s clan. That’s Nainsi over there. We are part of the choir’s security.”

While they were talking, Oriel quietly returned and landed. Her arrival was noticed by everyone except Mrs. Jackson. Oriel’s face showed concern upon seeing the children’s parents talking to a woman who looked like Nainsi. As she approached the group, she realized that Louise and Mr. Jackson appeared to be having a friendly conversation, so maybe there wasn’t a problem, although Mrs. Jackson appeared to be upset.

“Hi,” said Oriel, as she stepped up to the group.

Mrs. Jackson started to speak, but Mr. Jackson said, “Hi, Oriel. You have our tickets, right?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Why don’t we show you in?” offered Nainsi, and she began to lead them to the stage door entrance.

“This isn’t the way to our seats,” said Mrs. Jackson.

“Well, it isn’t the way we usually go,” replied Mr. Jackson, “but I am sure they know their way around here better than we do.”

Nainsi led the group in through the stage door and then back toward the VIP section. When they reached the seats, Nainsi said, “We would like all of you to join us back stage after the performance.”

“Thank you, we would enjoy that, but these aren’t our seats,” said Mr. Jackson just as the tones were sounding for everyone to take their seats.

“Consider them compliments of the choir,” said Louise. “Mrs. Jackson, I am sorry if my being with your children upset you.”

“It is I who should apologize, and please call me Selena. Blaine tells me I worry too much.”

“We were not offended. One of us will meet you here after the performance.”

As Nainsi and Louise walked away, Nainsi said, “Thanks. I don’t think I could have handled Selena that well.”

“She works in the IT Department at CPS. She has noticed that some children just disappear after they leave CPS’s custody. That seems to be the basis of her concern, though it is not clear why.”

“You looked.”

“I didn’t need to, she was broadcasting. Oriel is telepathic, and it is likely that the Jacksons are as well.”