Peacekeepers (1988) by Ben Bova

Author:Ben Bova [Bova, Ben]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2014-07-06T16:00:00+00:00

For two days the plane stayed anchored in the harbor of Sao Vicente, in the Cape Verde Islands. Alexander remained aboard, constantly locked in his office, speaking by coded tight beams to contacts over half the world. He must have his own private network of communications satellites, Pavel thought. Then he realized. Of course! He must have free access to commsats owned by half a dozen nations and private capitalist corporations.

The rest of the crew apparently had nothing to do except guard the plane and replenish its stores. Pavel watched closely, but saw no weapons brought aboard.

There was no way for Pavel to make contact with Moscow. He was watched every moment, and each night the plane was moored far from land.

On the second day, though, Alexander insisted that Pavel take Kelly into the town for an afternoon of relaxation.

"Do you both good to get out and away from here for a few hours," he said.

Pavel wondered what Alexander had planned for the afternoon, that he wanted Pavel out of the way—escorted by his watchdog. Or does he want his daughter to have a free afternoon, escorted by her watchdog? It was too devious for Pavel to unravel.

Kelly had stayed distant from Pavel since the day they had swum together. But now the two of them took one of the inflatable Zodiac boats to the port and spent an afternoon gawking at the town, like any ordinary couple.

They wore inconspicuous cutoff jeans and T-shirts—and generous coverings of sun-block oil over their bare arms and legs.

A big passenger liner was tied to the main pier, and they mingled with the brightly dressed tourists, watching the black-skinned islanders unloading bananas from boats that plied the waters between the Cape Verde Islands and Dakar, nearly a thousand kilometers eastward. Then they climbed the volcanic rocks to the crumbling old Moorish castle that had flown the red and green flag of Portugal for half a millennium.

He stood on the bare hilltop with Kelly beside him and looked back at the harbor, the ships anchored along the modem concrete quay, a rusting hulk half sunk next to a rotting old pier, the seaplane riding the gentle swells out by the breakwater. The equatorial sun was baking its heat into his bones, yet the trade wind was cool and refreshing.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Kelly said, smiling out at the view.

Pavel turned his gaze to her. "You are beautiful, too," he said. And he kissed her, wondering just how much he meant by his words, his actions. Kelly clung to him for a moment, then broke away.

Shaking her head slightly, she said, "Don't play games with me, Pavel."

"I'm not playing games."

"Not much."

"Kelly, honestly . . ."

"Let's see the town." She turned away from him, and started down the steep path that led back to the port.

Pavel followed her down the sloping path. They reached the quiet, sun-drenched streets where the stucco fronts of the buildings were painted brilliant hues of blue, yellow, green and white. Children in school uniforms sat up on the roof of a single-story building, intently reading.

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