Traveller Probo

The helicopter landed with a gentle bump and they boarded quickly. The Traveller team members were dressed in their usual tunics while the trainers and Osborne wore military fatigues without insignia, which was a Traveller tradition. A military operation under civilian management, the Travellers were left to operate under structures unique to their own requirements. Following the initial settling-in period with the Turkish government and military, Osborne found they were now more than cooperative. Military ordinance was freely available and helicopters were diverted from normal military activities to prioritise the needs of Byzantium Traveller.

A typical example was when their priest experienced delays with commercial airlines. Their language training was to be in Medieval Greek instead of Latin. As Byzantine Greek remained the liturgical language of the Greek Orthodox Church, a bearded priest had been sourced to fill the role as their language trainer. His late arrival for their training saw the Turkish military and government swing into action. Clad in full priestly regalia, he was whisked from the normal Customs clearance at the Ataturk International Airport in Istanbul and flown in all haste to their training headquarters in Ilidag. Jammed into the back of one of Turkey’s AgustaWestland T129 attack helicopters he arrived green-faced and hat askew. There was some hilarity at how other passengers must have reacted when a Greek Orthodox priest was rushed away by members of the Turkish military. But it did not seem to dampen the young man’s enthusiasm for the project. He was an Archimandrite monk known to all as Brother Alex. Professor Askar frequently reminded them how the people of Byzantium thought of themselves as the inheritors of the old Roman Empire, even though they spoke Greek. They were also fanatically Christian, so Brother Alex was also to teach protocols in addressing members of Byzantine clergy and behave in a Christian church.

A small, timber church was soon built and decorated in classically ornate, Greek Orthodox style. The Turkish Muslim members of the team were intrigued to learn how to behave as Christians, to act out their roles flawlessly with genuflecting as required, whether it be inside of the church or without.

So, as they piled into the helicopter with their packs and gear, Osborne wondered how the new pilots would have viewed their new church, complete with a gold-painted crucifix. The craft was a new Eurocopter AS532 Cougar no less. He paused and noted the pristine interior, for it looked to be fresh from the showroom floor. There was a clatter as the men loaded, for their gear included blunted swords and spears the blacksmiths had manufactured. The pilot and co-pilot looked around at the noise, no doubt uneasy to have their new craft scratched and dinted. They were due to fly the team to a remote location in the hills. The mission was to hike back to base without maps or compass and with only minimal rations and water. Professor Taylor was to live off the land with them; not too onerous a task as the country was littered with figs, olives and pomegranates. The key was to build team-work, navigation, and have the men get used to their task of managing the ageing academic.

Unknown to the team, Osborne and the trainers planned for attacks to be launched at the most inopportune locations and times. Groups of similarly clad Turkish troops on horseback or on foot would also attempt to steal items in the night.

A few drop zones were selected and Hami referred to his mapping software to determine which could be best. As they approached the first, it was waved off because of an unidentified electrical cable draped across the landing area. The pilot deemed the site unsuitable, so they moved to the next. Hami gave the new coordinates to the navigator, the pilot nodded and, with a stomach dropping swoop, they were on their way. This time the ground was too uneven. Two more locations were selected and each deemed unsuitable. The pilot turned and pointed to a clear area, the remains of an old farmhouse in one of the many farms that littered the region. Osborne shook his head in disagreement, so the pilot hunched her shoulders and they flew to two other sites. In the end Osborne donned a microphone and asked for the pilot to find the location she had suggested by the old farmhouse.

As the men alighted with their gear, the pilot turned and spoke briskly to Hami. Osborne watched as they exchanged words and Hami shrugged and turned to Osborne with a wry smile. Once on the ground, Osborne joined them far enough from the chopper to give a last minute briefing. With packs donned and gripping their spears, the Travellers soon moved off. Professor Taylor looked back, uncertain, then walked off with the others.

Osborne watched them move between the olive trees and then went to walk back to the chopper. As he did so, Hami stopped him and leaned forward to speak. “The pilot seems to be a little precious I think,” he muttered.

“Why?” replied Osborne with a frown. Chuck and Baki moved closer to join the conversation.

“Seems she didn’t appreciate that we were so ill prepared as to take her precious time in moving from one site to another,” the New Zealander smiled.

Osborne looked at Hami with a frown and, together with the other trainers, looked to the waiting chopper. He asked Baki, “Do you know who this pilot is?”

Baki shrugged as he replied, “Our female pilots are very good but who knows with this one? She can fly but with that new chopper she might be used to more important people than us,” he explained with a grimace of embarrassment.

Chuck laughed and Osborne just shook his head in disbelief as he, like the rest of the team, had met all types in their careers. Big egos were just one of many issues they were to manage. “Well, she might have a point but there’s no need to be a princess about it.”

“Want me to have a word with her? Maybe she needs to be taken down a peg or two,” asked Chuck.

Osborne smiled, “No mate. She’ll be right. We’ll probably never have to deal with her again.”

The flight back was uneventful and, as they landed, Osborne donned headphones and asked helpfully, “Captain, my name is Osborne. I’m in command of this project. One of the men advised me that you might have some suggestions for us?”

Her head swivelled and she stared at him for a moment. Clad in helmet and aviator glasses she looked much like any other pilot except for her soft cheeks. Osborne knew the look was meant to intimidate, so he smiled to show it didn’t work. “Lieutenant Osborne,” she replied with an emphasis on the Lieutenant, “we have been assigned to your team it seems. I have been ordered to fly you wherever you wish and have also been ordered not to damage this craft.” The young man who acted as navigator also looked around, neither obviously happy with the assignment. “The landing sites your team selected were inappropriate and it is my responsibility to make the call.”

“Understood Captain, understood! However, I had not been advised as to a change of crew or craft,” he replied. “Our needs are varied, and we need to make sure we have the resources best able to suit those needs.”

The pilot paused a moment and then shrugged, “Maybe you need to talk to someone else but not to me. I follow orders. I won’t kill myself or my crew trying to land where we know we can’t. Especially not in this craft!”

Osborne nodded a moment before he replied, “Well thank you Captain. We most appreciate your service today.” He removed the headphones and threw them to the deck as he alighted. He walked with Chuck. “Fucking hell! Someone’s assigned us a ferry pilot for VIP’s and celebrities.”

Chuck shook his head and added, “Wonders will never cease.”

“Look, I normally don’t mind but all I want is someone who’ll be cooperative,” Osborne complained. “I don’t like to be spoken to like I’m a fucking rookie.”

Baki looked embarrassed at the obvious error by his military, so Osborne hastened to add, “Oh it’s normal everywhere Baki, you know that. Someone’s taking the piss, I think. It’s not hard is it?” he continued as he turned to his trainers as the chopper lifted and flew off. “We need a crew that’ll be a part of the team. We don’t need a stuck-up, sanctimonious bitch.”

“Want us to look into this?” asked Chuck.

“Nah mate. No worries, I’ll sort this,” responded Osborne grimly.