Traveller Probo

Major Helen Murdoch hurried after her guide who led her to the office of the Minister of Defence in Whitehall. While she was accustomed to the machinery of security and bureaucracy that was government, she could not help but feel a little intimidated to be here. She was promptly admitted to a boardroom where the Commander in Chief of Traveller missions in the UK, four-star General Sir Gerard Humphrey greeted Murdoch with a curt nod. Murdoch had never previously met the General. He had taken over the role after his predecessor, the wily General Victor, retired. With General Humphrey sat a US General, introduced as General Connor, and a couple of suits. One looked rather dapper, while the other had the military haircut popular with the United States forces. Murdoch guessed they were representatives of the British and United States intelligence communities, though which was anyone’s guess.

Barely had she taken a seat when all stood as the Minister for Defence, Maureen Paddington, strode in with her personal assistant. The years since the initial Traveller projects had changed the Minister. While she had grown more decisive as the power and influence of her portfolio grew, she had sourced a stylist who had changed her look from frump to fashion. However, the events of the last days seemed to have added a few unfashionable lines under her eyes. They all sat as she wasted no time in bringing the meeting to order. “Well, what do we have?”

“Major Murdoch has put together a report of what we know so far about the theft of the Transporter,” replied General Humphrey.

All eyes turned to Murdoch. For the past two days she had done everything she could to find an answer. How in God’s name could the Transporter have been stolen and, to make matters worse, Zak Chandler and two engineers kidnapped? Now her husband was stuck in Saxon Aengland! She set her face to her habitual protective, icy demeanour and began her report.

As she spoke, she watched those in attendance. Minister Paddington kept her anger in check while General Humphrey looked tense. The American General was plainly annoyed while the two spooks kept their faces carefully neutral. Is someone to be a scapegoat here?

After her introduction, she continued, “Our security footage shows the Ukrainian Traveller team secured the guards and then used the engineers to dismantle the Transporter and place the components into their specialised carry-cases. They then loaded the components, with their captives, into a hire-van. The details of the two engineers and Zak Chandler are in the hardcopy report in front of you. They then drove to a small airport near Chesterfield where they boarded a Let 410 Turbo-prop that had been purchased at a recent air show by Ukrainian oil tycoon Aleksei Vasylenko, who just happens to be an uncle to one of the Kiev Travellers, Sergeant Maksym Vasylenko. The aircraft was cleared by Customs earlier that day but was loaded in the middle of the night and took off for a logged flight path to Cheb in the Czech Republic. There, the aircraft has remained. We’re checking to see other flights that might have been used, though we’re currently of the opinion that the Transporter and those kidnapped are now in Ukraine.”

“Aleksei Vasylenko, that slimy bastard. We have him implicated in the usual illegal activities - human trafficking, drugs, illegal oil sales, and a lot more,” commented the dapper English suit with a suave, Etonian tone. “He’s suspected to be up to his neck in the sale of illegal arms to Angola and Pakistan. We have no intelligence on his connection to the missing Transporter. Surely the heat will be more than even he can bear?”

“There’s been a lot of nationalist sentiment in the Ukraine lately,” suggested the American suit. “Might the theft be linked with the threat of the Ukraine Traveller project being taken over by the Russians?”

“But would they be so stupid?” mused Minister Paddington. “What do they hope to gain?”

“My guess is that this is to demonstrate that they don’t like their Traveller project being placed under risk,” interjected General Connor. “They’ve sprinkled a few curly, black pubes into the gumbo of our Traveller project, that’s for sure. How the hell are we to launch our project on time if the Ukrainians have stolen the first Transporter? Senator Benton is ready to carve someone a new asshole!”

“I suggest the Ukrainians plan to go ahead with their Traveller project,” added General Humphrey. “Why else remove the technology in its carry cases, or take the engineers and Chandler?”

“You mean like this is a statement of ‘Don’t fuck with us’ perhaps?” added the American suit. The English suit made a fleeting frown of distaste at the language.

“If that’s the case, then perhaps we can ask for the Transporter to be returned,” proposed Minister Paddington with a small laugh.

“Or at least see what they say,” added General Humphrey. “I’d wager that the Ukrainian President and Parliament conveniently know nothing of the theft. However, the Ukrainian media are proclaiming the Kiev Travellers as heroes.”

“We can put our usual diplomatic pressure to bear,” added General Connor angrily, “but we don’t think anything will happen too quickly. It will mean we have to postpone our Mississippi Traveller project and, let me tell you, the President is pissed! We’ll see what we can do!”

“We have to put together a report for Traveller Corp. They’re furious, and frantic, as we can understand!” murmured Minister Paddington and she pinched the bridge of her nose a moment before she continued. “This was obviously an insider job, something we could hardly foresee but to have the Transporter stolen on our watch is unforgivable. General Humphrey, I look to you to get the Transporter back. Use every resource at your disposal. I’ll talk to the Prime Minister about putting pressure on the Ukrainian government to find and return the Transporter and, of course, the hostages.”

She turned to Murdoch. “Major Murdoch, keep digging. Report to General Humphrey. I acknowledge your own personal interest in the return of the Transporter.” The Minister stood and looked to the Major with a brief flash of sympathy. After all, Murdoch’s husband was marooned a thousand years in the past. With the meeting over she simply declared, “Let’s get our Transporter and engineers back!” and then she turned and left.