Precise in her time-estimation, llhaesa again called Coast Guard Sector Northern New England, this time to inform of their arrival just as Jahrae slowly set Chekresu down in their parking lot.

Heavy, windswept rain fell throughout New England, but particularly so along the coastal region, where wind held its strength, unimpeded by hills and trees. The rain stung as it struck one’s face, driven by winds at times gusting over 110 kilometres per hour.

As the craft touched ground, a team of four emerged from the Coast Guard building, dressed for immersion in sea, carrying their standard safety gear. The four struggled toward Chekresu, leaning into the wind and protectively shielding their faces as they moved forward.

M’traliel depressurised the craft, released the door, with the rescuers quickly climbing aboard, and quite relieved to be out of the storm. Once inside, M’traliel closed and re-pressurised, while Jahrae, not willing to waste any time in the life and death emergency, rapidly took the craft skyward, the usual force passengers might feel eliminated by the in-craft suppression system.

Llhaesa handled the introductions of the Arrhazonans, while Master Chief Petty Officer Weston introduced his team in return.

The Master Chief, at llhaesa’s invitation, took over communication with their headquarters, obtaining current GPS location information on the distressed fishing boat, the Sea Pup. The current location of the boat was 300 kilometres south-southwest of Portland.

The Sea Pup carried a crew of five, and so far, all were safe, but they reported water was rapidly flooding the boat, so much so that their pumps could not keep up and had failed.

With this news, Jahrae felt increased urgency, and the rescue team was shocked to see she had Chekresu on location in less than a minute after the flooding report. The rescue team contrasted the elapsed time with what would have been an hour-long flight had weather conditions not grounded their helicopter.

“Master Chief,” llhaesa spoke, outlining a possible option. “Jahrae can set this craft down virtually side by side with the distressed boat, so there is no need for you or your team to go in the water in order to facilitate the rescue. This craft will remain stable, unmoved by outside weather.

The four cylindrical devices you see by the door are for you to place on the fishing boat, one on each side, one front, and one back. It matters not where you place them, other than in that rough pattern. Just set them on the deck and activate.”

Llhaesa walked over and grabbed one, instructing the rescue team on the location of the device switch. “Activate each on by pressing on this coloured area – that is all you need do – besides getting the boat crew onto this craft. The device, once activated, will latch on and do the rest.”

With their craft now within two metres of the fishing boat, M’traliel again ran through depressurisation and door release. With the door open, the full fury of the massive northern Atlantic storm forced its way into Chekresu, reminding everyone aboard of the incredible power of nature, but the advanced systems on the craft easily compensated for the swirling wind and rained that forced itself inside.

The Master Chief stuck his head out the door and saw two of the boat crew waving toward him, giving him the thumbs up sign signifying all on board the boat remained ok.

Ready for the rescue, he made the short jump onto the boat, and quickly rigged a line to take each person onto Chekresu without danger of slipping into the sea in a jump. The other three of the Master Chief’s rescue team then boarded the boat, and helped the crew prepare to transfer to Chekresu.

The transfer of all five of the boat crew flowed smoothly and efficiently, the task complete inside of five minutes.

The rescue team checked the boat, and that done, set about placing the devices provided by llhaesa, unsure of their purpose, but dutifully following her instructions. Once complete, they re-boarded Chekresu, and the craft was sealed and pressurised.

While llhaesa, Khahishra, and M’traliel saw to getting warm refreshments and dry clothing for the crew, Jahrae lifted Chekresu slightly, and then repositioned it over the fishing boat. She called out to llhaesa just as she finished handing out the dry clothing, and llhaesa quickly activated the interface that interacted with the devices placed on the fishing boat.

“All devices are operational and locked on, Jahrae. OK to proceed,” llhaesa called out. Jahrae moved far slower than the trip outward, aware of the need for caution.

“May I ask what the devices are for?” Master Chief Weston inquired.

“You may!” llhaesa replied. “If you look at this screen and the one next to it, you will see that in addition to the boat crew, we have brought along another passenger – their boat, which we carry underneath, via interface between the devices placed on-boat and the complementary equipment on this craft.”

“Well, I’ll be damned!”

“We very well couldn’t let them lose their boat, now could we?” Khahishra commented, winking as she did so.

“Where can we get one of these things?” Master Chief Weston joked. Turning serious, he began to ask questions about Chekresu. “How fast does this thing go?”

“That depends, Master Chief,” llhaesa began to explain. “In atmosphere, we really don’t like to do more than twenty thousand kilometres an hour, but once beyond the atmosphere the craft could have you a kilometre above the surface of the moon in less time than it took us to go from your station to the boat.

Underwater, it can do two hundred kph, but in order to protect sea life, we would never operate that fast.”

“Under water – this craft can submerge?”

Llhaesa laughed, thinking of how this must seem so exotic and advanced to one from this world, yet in truth, she had uttered many of these same things when learning of the craft’s capabilities. “Yes it can, and it can reach to the deepest parts of your oceans.”

One of the rescue team members, Seaman Marlene Somers, whistled upon hearing all of this information, adding, “What an incredible craft; its rounded upper body reminds me of a sleek sports car, albeit much larger. It is astounding that it can move that fast, yet we feel nothing!”

Master Chief Weston mentioned how they watched llhaesa, Jahrae, and M’traliel on Irreverence, “and all of you were great, funny on one hand, incredible musical performances on the other.”

The boat crew, having spent their night fighting the sea, wished to know more, and so the Master Chief happily obliged, the topic dominating conversation for the better part of the return to South Portland.

An hour later, Jahrae manoeuvred Chekresu deftly, setting the boat down on land at the Coast Guard station. Llhaesa shut down the carrying devices, and now free of its burden, Chekresu landed to allow the rescue team and boat crew to disembark.

Each of the boat crew expressed their gratitude for their rescue as well as the saving of their boat, obviously touched by the caring and effort of the Arrhazonans. The rescue team departed last, expressing their own gratitude for facilitating a rescue that was otherwise impossible in the current weather conditions.

Within a minute, Jahrae had the craft back in the air, headed for home.

“Well, that was interesting!” Khahishra observed. “To think I went to watch the three of you perform on a comedy programme, which each of you did brilliantly I might add, and yet we all performed and had a little adventure on the way home.

I like those guys; they are friendly and devoted to their profession, whether that profession is rescue or fishing. Had that boat sank, imagine how they would feel now, even with all safe.”

Her mind working ahead in time, llhaesa resorted to sharing the thoughts that swirled through her mind. “I was just thinking on how it might be nice to have the rescue team and the boaters at the White House reception Alicia is holding for us this coming week.”

“What a wonderful idea, llhaesa,” Jahrae acknowledged, “and I think we can pull a few strings to make it happen. What an honour for them, to meet President Ellenwood!

I will call tomorrow and see to such an arrangement.”

Jahrae navigated to Khahishra and M’traliel’s northern New Hampshire Inn, and after dropping them off, made the short hop back to Henna, their long day now mercifully at an end.

Braving the wind and rain long enough to enter their home, they realised with a start that it was now past four am. “It looks like tomorrow is a day off from work, Jahrae,” llhaesa pronounced.

Llhaesa, tomorrow – today – is Sunday, and you were not planning practice anyway!

“Oh, yeah. I guess it is ok to sleep until eleven, then!”

“And do you have plans thereafter, my love?”

“No, no, I don’t. I sense a very lazy day ahead, one well spent with my wife and a book, and any family that might drop by.”

“Family? The girls went away with Ronnie to Vermont for the weekend to visit Ronnie’s relatives. Is your mum coming over?”

“She told me she might stop in, Jahrae.”

“In that case, the two of us will need to do some cleaning at some point!”

“Yes, I know, though I prefer to not think of that task until I rise in the afternoon.”

“In the afternoon? Moments ago you said you would sleep until eleven!”

“Sleep inflation. Surely you would cut a pregnant woman some slack?”

“Oh, please! Not bloody likely!”

“Are we on air again?”

Jahrae started laughing, knowing what llhaesa meant. “It surely feels that way, ‘essa. I cannot believe we blew off their entire script for our own dialogue.”

“Yet they ultimately loved what we did, go figure. Perhaps you should give up diplomacy for comedy, my dark haired goddess.

Shall we collapse into bed?”