Makarovia! Yes, I Know Where That is! Sophomore Year - 58. Chapter 58

I know, Daniel!   Thi computer wants to rewrite what I have.   If I type it, it should be where I type it.  That was at the end of a totally different chapter!  But, I can't stop writing!   I can't!  

Malta

I pulled Peter back a little as Mikell and the others agents discussed what to do. I was smiling the whole time I said it. “Do you need to flex or chest pound yourself?” I asked. “Roar, maybe?”

He knew I wasn't angry at all. He looked at Alec. “Did I do that?”

“I don't know.” I answered. “I hugged him and you hugged him after that. Have you hugged him before?”

Peter thought. “I don't think so.” He frowned. “You hugged him several times yesterday and today!”

I nodded and grinned. “It's who I am. Just a theory, but you seem to want even footing. I did it and you did it to tell what the limits are. Allowing a hug and giving Alec the hug evened things out and let Alec it was okay if you are included.”

“There's a lot of assumptions here.”

I nodded laughing. “Of course.” I joked. “That's why it's called...” I used air quotes, “a theory.”

We went up to the Duchess' bridge. Captain Agius greeted us.

I looked out the expansive windows at the city around us. “So, this is home.”

He looked out nodding. “This where I'm from.” The way he said it told me he wasn't from there now. “My brother and his partner still live there. He lives in the family home now. My son goes there when not in school.” He looked around the bridge. “The Duchess is really my home now.”

“We're here,” I said. “Don't you want to see your brother? See home?” Peter asked.

The Captain bowed slightly and chuckled. “If he and Steffan were here. My son's in Rome.”

I shook my head. “It sucks to be be you.”

The Captain laughed heartily. “I'm at home!”

“Fine.” I said a little testily. “You're from Malta. Can you show us around?”

He didn't have to think about it. “I'd love to!”

I looked at him. He was dressed like a Captain. We were indoors, so no cover needed. (No hat.) The other crew members wore uniforms, but varied to the white shorts and short-sleeved shirt. We were in the Mediterranean! It was warm. Having a casual Friday was somewhat normal in the West. They could wear jeans and nice button necked polo style shirt. The shirt even had “Grand Duchess” written in stitching on the upper left chest. Classy Casual? They had the ball cap hats, also with the name on them. The Captain never wore the shorts. The jeans, he did. No one got to see his legs. His legs hadn't seen the sun in quite a while.

“Can I ask?” Peter began. “Do you have to look so...” he stopped thinking of a word.

“Official?” I suggested to Peter.

Peter nodded. “That's it!”

I nodded. “Normally, I have no problem being proud of where you work and what you do.”

Peter nodded as I was speaking and added, “but you would be telling everybody we're from the Duchess.”

“Right.” I said. “We don't need them suspecting even what you do looking at you.”

The Captain nodded with a chuckle as he thought. “I think I still have regular clothes.” He tried to remember.

My watch sounded with the alarm. “There's time.” I took Peter's hand. “After breakfast.”

Henri was back to his happy-go-lucky self. He took the lid off again and the now familiar aroma hit my nose and Peter's who smiled. “I thought we were out of lobster.”

Henri sulked. “We are now!” He waved at our plates. “This is a lobster and crab quiche. The last bit of lobster we had.” He put his fist on a hip and in just a little above a mutter. “I planned to go to the open fish market after we arrived,” he wavered his head, “but oh, no. The port authorities in Malta said we were to wait in line. Three cruise ships were ahead of us.” He waved with both hands off ship. “The man to allow us in knew us!” He pointed up through the ceiling. “He knew the Captain!”

“What was the problem?” I asked.

“A petty little man with too much power.” Henri said lightly angry. “That's what the problem was. I couldn't even disembark to go to any market!”

“Are they still open?” Peter asked. “It's after nine and still morning.”

I chuckled taking Peter's hand. “They're open, but an open fresh fish market you need to be there very, very early.” I smiled at Henri. “Four or five in the morning?”

Henri nodded. “That's right.” He held his hands up. “But not to worry.” He sighed. “I called a friend who is a head chef on one of those cruise ships. He owes me a few. I'm cashing one favor in before he freezes anything.”

Peter looked at me asking silently how I knew that. I laughed. “I was raised on the Atlantic Coast. Fishing and crabbing a lot in life? It isn't new to me.”

“Oh,” Peter nodded, “you were. I forget.”

Henri shook his head. “I'll need to get enough for the others.”

“We can stay another night if me need to.” I said.

Henri shook his head and said the quick but firm French “NO!” He folded his arms over his chest. “Even if there's no deadline! We never bow to what he says. Then he wanted to know about the non-crew members here that looked military and why they were here .” He laughed at something. “He was talking terrorists and spies and demanded to know who we hiding.

“That's need to know!” I objected.

Peter said a little angrily at the same time I spoke and said. “You couldn't!”

“And we didn't!” Henri stated. “The Captain showed the signed agreement where we were contractually forbidden from telling him and would be prosecuted if we did. The Captain assured someone would call about his...dedication to duty. Your agents were prefect with the no English excuse. Count and Countess von Bar, Mario Basso will be sending words on that regard. He looked at our plates. “Eat, it's getting cold.” He quietly fumed and went in the galley.

Peter and I were laughing. Henri was like a show about his emotions and absolutely hilarious! Peter grinned at me. “Gay, straight, both, I don't care. I love that guy!”

“He's a mature human.” I said smiling and said. “I agree.”

More delicious sensations.

Henri didn't just cook for us. Remember? He cooked for the crew, too. Two and a half days and we'd pick up two more people. Those additional people would need a couple of days of food. Malta was it supply wise, until we were back in Athens and see Pano, Barry and Edger again. Henri could go to the fish market again. That took organization and advance planning, not just being a good cook! Rotating stock. Using business terms, FIFO and LIFO. First in-stock, First out. Last in-stock, Last out. Something along those lines. We're getting dangerously close to that demon of math, so, moving on. I wished everyone could go. The Duchess was a prime target. There were millions dollars about her. I couldn't even guess how much the computer system cost. It wasn't just the hardware, but the software as well. The Duchess' Artificial Intelligence didn't belong to just the Duchess. The von Bars had their own network! The estate, offices and extensions were interlinked by this. The Duchess was one area that stood alone. Sort of. The Estate was one. Montbeliard International and the Duchess were each a category to choose from. They were all interlinked. Montbeliard was the original family name of the von Bars. It was French! It was fascinating delving in the past! How do you know where you'll end up? You can't! You can see where you're been. That could explain why you're calm or have an explosive temper! Or if not, why?

I know, I took the side bar again.

The Duchess couldn't just be left. We left the crew and two agents to watch the Duchess. The guys did the rock-paper-scissors moves for weeding things down. I didn't ask, but hoped it was to see who was left behind and who had to stay, not who got to stay. You know the difference. Cosmo and Rolph were staying.

The law here restricted gun use in Malta. No automatic weapons allowed. At all. They allowed semi-automatic with a license held. Our agents held that license. They were to stay aboard just to be safe.

What really helped was Alec, Mercea, Mikell and even the Captain put those glasses and hat on. The Captain was in his forties and everyone knows if you sprang from this area, normally you don't go gray that fast. Maltese people were thousands of years of intermixing and became Carthaginian, Sicilian and Moor combinations! The Captain was showing only the beginning a receding hairline. Just a little. Otherwise his hair was black. He was nice looking. I wouldn't push him away. I would now, but I was married! Not that he was unattractive. We are much prettier that we were millions of years ago. You know about Lucy, right? She was three point two million years old! She was a Primate! Eve was a Human Primate! So, was Adam. She had human-like features but still retained some of the ape portions! A branch on the great ape tree. We're apes! Why did we get lucky on the evolution tree? I don't really know.

Getting off the side bar and back on topic.

The Captain looked like one of us like members of a team. He put the glasses on. “Alla tiegħi!” He said in awe. “This is amazing!”

I chuckled. “Wait until it gets dark. Then your mind will be blown all over again!”

Military men are in it as a career just carry a part it with them everywhere. He was still trim and well groomed. This “military bearing” could almost be physically felt. In Charleston there was Air Force, Navy and Marines. I could spot one without trying too hard. I grinned. “How long were you in?”

The Captain looked at me over the glasses. “What?”

I smiled bigger. “It was the Navy. When did you get out?” I waved at him. “Everything about you says the Navy. How long?”

He laughed back. “I guess it still shows. I got out two years ago right after Count von Bar bought this. No mileage.” He explained. “I was in the Navy twenty five years. My last Command was a P62 or Patrol Boat.” He shrugged. “The fleet were all Patrol Boats. P61s and P62s...” He said and slowly shook his head, “...and you don't know what I'm talking about.”

I pointed at him. “You're sort of right and sort of wrong. I'll admit to not knowing what those ships are exactly.” I looked at him. “I will tell you I understand why those ships are. Am I right to say the P61 and P62 are pretty much the same ships only the P62 has improved features.” I smiled as the Captain nodded. “The United States use a small ship for the same reason and for the same reason. They're powerful ships!”

The Captain nodded. “They are. They aren't the huge Aircraft Carriers or Battleships...”

“Why are you apologizing for what you don't have?” I felt like I was being apologized again like Peter when I first saw Stryia. “I'll tell you what I see you do have in plenty. This is a beautiful island country! Water so clear and it's warm! This island, Malta and Gozo are in beautiful part of the world. And though I haven't seen them, some very, very ancient treasures. Some of the oldest. Extending thousands and thousands of years.” I nodding really acknowledging what I knew. “A people that are kind and rational.” I waved at him. “I'm looking at one right now!”

The Captain nodded. “Thank you. I'll show you where to go.”

Mikell had arranged to have an SUV for us to take. It could be walked, but the need for a speedy retreat canceled that idea from consideration.

The island at it's widest was maybe three miles. The longest was ten to twelve miles. That was the big island of Malta. The Agius' home was on Gozo. If I say it was inside the triangle of Xlendi, Sanz Lawrenz and Gebel Ben Gorp? Is that make it more clear? No? It was near the beach. So was everything else. It was South of San Raflu Lake.

Not getting into the laws about property ownership, you know there were taxes. Some of the families owned their home for centuries. Left in wills to children there was a tax. A yearly tax. We are talking about family dwellings that stretched back for hundreds of generations in history! Give or take a decade, the Captain could trace his great, great whatever for eight hundred and fifty years!! It's so close, I'll say a millennium! I was jealous as Hell with the Captain about that!

I shook my head at those thoughts. “I'd be gloating, if I was you, Captain.”

The man nodded. “Call me Luke.”

His name was Lucian Agius. If he preferred it, I'd comply. “Sure,” I said, “Luke.”

“I can't leave you for a minute!” Peter mockingly growled and waved at the Captain. “I come back and you're doing it.” He grabbed me from behind. “Again.”

I shrugged. “It's an involuntary reflex.”

We could come back. Despite the size, Malta had a lot to see!

Being a practical military man, Luke planned to start North and progress South. Also, we'd travel the farthest West and work our way East and back to the Duchess.

We saw Mercea hand the keys to the Captain. Mercea simply shrugged and smiled. “Who is better to navigate in Maltese traffic than someone from Malta?” He asked logically

We waited for the ferry to arrive that would take us to Gozo.

Peter looked at Luke. “No bridge? The islands are close enough.”

Luke smiled back. “If it isn't broken, why look to repair it?”

"If it ain't broke, don't fix it." I nodded.

Luke looked puzzled. “Isn't that what I said?” He asked Peter, but I saw the undercurrent of mischief. He knew exactly what he did.

My eye narrowed looking at Luke. “See? I know you're trying to piss me off.” I said shaking a finger at him. “It's another clever idiom we think up to remind ourselves!”

The Captain nodded understanding with a smile. “He must have been from Malta.”

I chuckled at the irony. “That, is a given.”

“In 2019 Construction they began for the Malta-Gozo Tunnel.” He said. “The closest land mass would be Sicily.” He shrugged again. “If they do that, it could connect Europe with Africa. That could make two connections.”

Peter frowned. “There isn't even one now!”

The Captain nodded. “It's there.” He claimed with a knowing smile. “For now, just on paper. Plans are done and when,” he looked at Peter and me. “I say when, not if. When they start the bridge over the Strait of Gibraltar. It take only a bit more to unite Malta with Italy. Malta to Tunisia. Sicily to Tunis, Tunisian makes more sense mileage-wise. That will be the second connection.”

“You want this connection?” I asked cautiously. “To include Malta in the connection.”

The Captain shrugged. “Whether I want it or not won't be a factor. It will happen. If we do it, it will be under our control.”

I heard Grandma and asked him the magic question. “And you've considered the ramifications to Malta?”

Luke nodded. “I have.”

Peter wasn't dense or lacking anything intellectually. He just needed reminding. “When we heard that military plane overhead in Stryia, we knew that was going to be normal soon. We worried, and are still about worrying about the near innocence of Makarovians have will be threatened or just plain gone. “ I waved at the surrounding area of Malta. “This will become a stopover. To get gas, something to eat or just for the night. What made Malta will be threatened.”

Luke nodded. “Many on Malta see that and aren't too anxious to change things now.” He smiled. “We can wait.” He looked as the ferry moved into position. “I know they aren't looking forward to it. It's cutting into their revenue.”

The two islands were different. Not the the “over there” verses “over here” stuff. Malta was the urbanized island of the two. Gozo had more of the “farms.” That's not quite right.

We were driven to the “Azure Window' was first. It was a wonderful view! Breathtaking. The Captain nodded. “It's hard for me to accept.” He pointed to the rocky shoreline. “I grew up almost never missing a day of seeing it.” He smiled. “It was this natural archway to see the world through. In March of 2017, after more the six or seven thousands of years of being...beaten by the sea, storms, earthquakes and even the threat of modern bombs...it collapses.” He loved a memory he had. “My brother and I played here many, many times!” He snickered with a shrug. “It was always there!” Luke stated. “I believed it always would be.” He turned away. “Now, it's gone.”

We were so close to it. Peter and I insisted we drive by where Lucian Agius' home.

Expectations were there, but no one prepared me for this! Lucian, was wealthy? There was a story here. The family home was beautiful. It had a view of the beach across a road on a hill that the house sat on. This part of the house was the back! Across the street was what looked to be a park of wide, white concrete rails and wide walkways. The house wasn't alone. Next door and I mean right next door. So close the backyard patio seemed to blend into one long slab all the way from house to house. There was a stone wall that divided properties. There were planters with greenery from the back wall

to the street in a bushy green. Manicured, but bushy for added privacy. Luke knew where to go,to see through it. A nice sized swimming pool with three young people were in it. I guessed the eldest was a girl about twelve. Next was a boy about ten with the other boy maybe eight. There was another female lying on a cushioned lounge. Gay. Remember? She did nothing for me.

The Captain smiled. “Guests.” He shrugged. “When we're not using it, we rent it.”

I nodded my head. “That makes sense.”

Luke smiled. “Paying the taxes, maintenance fees, new appliances few years, renovations, remolding, WiFi and computer upgrades, money saved to make repairs...” he moaned, “and so on and so forth. It's tough. I gladly leave it to Thom and Steffon. They're more strict than I am.”

“More strict?” Peter repeated in disbelief.

I waved in the direction of the Duchess. “You keep that in shipshape.”

Peter chuckled. “Which leads me to ask. It's not talking about the house or whatever shaped like ship.”

I chuckle and shook my head. “No. Extremely tidy and knowing everything goes somewhere and where that is.”

Peter nodded. “That's what I figured.” He looked as the guys who smiled at him and looked lightly annoyed. “Oh, don't play like you already knew that all along.” He fussed. “It was new to several of you. I wanted to know. Now I do.”

“This house has been built and rebuilt, no one can remember what it originally looked like.” Luke confessed.

“Yet,” I observed. “It's home.”

Luke nodded. “Yep.”

The house as a good sized one. The resent reconstruction they increased the number of bedrooms. It originally had five. Luke's grandparents said it originally had three. New modern conveniences and clientele they now had eight bedrooms. Two baths? Now, there were five. Two kitchens, two living areas. Two families? Like many in Italy, Greece...a lot in the Mediterranean, the one color choice was white. Color was on the houses, but on umbrella covered tables, on awnings and doors to the garage or front door. None of your “ish” colors. Reddish, bluish or any other ish. Red, blue, green, yellow as bright colors.

We headed inland toward this...temple. It was one of two of the oldest man made religious structures EVER built. Some people get upset without Jesus Christ in it. He didn't exist yet! This was Old Testament times. It was before kings and pharaohs (I know they are both and considered gods.) The slaves of Egypt hadn't finish building the pyramids yet. This temple was old then!

I know, but I get excited about this sort of thing. Captain Agius grew up with this. Right here! In his backyard.

I love the connections. The past to the present. Making familial connections with others. I told Peter that I enjoyed making those connections. I get a sense that says “us”, not just a ”me.” I belong. I'm Human. One of billions. I'm not alone.