Gregoris Pastolis
05 Mar 2016Jim Beaumont
A man who's stature is more girth than height, he has cast a dour look of late until his new found employment seemed to have put some wind back into his sails. What exactly that employment is, I wasn't in the know, like many things around here, but a relationship that was founded on doing courier service for him and ultimately went sour but has suddenly made an upturn as life's twists has brought us together once more. It is almost like something binds us.I was sat in a small coffee shop on the promenade, minding my own business, head down reading an election leaflet of promises from the Odu Coalition. It made for a bland read, of 'investment in station business and tax rebates for those creating jobs'. Maybe they should have tried that before the WP arrived. I'm not entirely sure people are going to buy it, certainly when you look at the Election Info Screen, with opinion in a 10% lead for the WP on the Coalition. And then he sat down opposite me.
'Jim, looks like I found you instead'
'Pastolis, hows you?'
'Gregoris, but that's only my mother, so Greg'
'Greg it is then' I replied as I immediately thought we are definitely making progress.
'And yes you have found me. But then, I haven't had any luck finding you of late. I asked about you on the outpost, and apart from knowing you turned a job down, there was nothing to be known about you'
'Well the job wasn't my line of work'
'Which is what exactly?'
'More commonly known as a Facilitator I believe. You might say I oil the wheels of governance'
I just looked at him and raised an eyebrow, knowing exactly what he meant.
'Anyway the reason I wanted to meet. I have some work lined up, post-election should we win'
'And your looking for me to carry it out. Why does this feel unerringly familiar? I wonder. The answer is just plain no. I am not going back to being your lackey, to some bigger and higher politik'
'Oh it's nothing like that, just some cargo shipments I want moving. I have a Engineering contract with a manufacturer, he sends me goods, I send him the supplies to make those goods. I was thinking post-election I would like a reliable pilot to do some runs for me. And despite our 'previous' experience, your a reliable pilot just the likes of what I need. Simple'
It was always likely I would do it, money is money. But he didn't need to know that.
'And for me?'
'ZP/S-55, number 4 on your list. I might happen to know who's registered vessel that is'
I put my coffee down and stared at him.
'I was pretty sure almost immediately after you showed me the list. Just took a little bit of time to make sure I was absolute.'
'And?'
'Bearing in mind who's the vessel is, I'd like to know where you got your list from'
'Well bearing in mind your reluctance to indulge me with whom straight away, I'll assume it's someone of some relevance or importance. And bearing in mind I know where the list came from, it may be best you don't know, for your own good. And then when I do know who's it is, I can make the judgement on if I were to tell you or not. How about that?' I gave him a dose of sarcastic serious.
'Why the reluctance Jim?'
'History is a great teacher Greg, and our past was one hell of a teacher'
'Well its that past that comes to the present Jim. Duta. It's his'
Now what would his ships registration be doing in this list. A little more thought is required on this.
'Please trust me then Greg when I say for now, your better off not knowing where I got the list from. This definitely is in your best interests. That wasn't exactly a name I was expecting to hear if I am honest' The truth of it was, I had no name in mind so any name would have been unexpected.
'Its his personal small jump ship. He owns it, not the government. But he rarely uses it. Whats your thoughts?' asks Pastolis
'None at the moment' I checked my watch, as if I had to be somewhere sometime soon.
'Right you will have to excuse me Greg. I have a job to collect and then deliver. And yes, I will do some of that work for you after the election.'
'Thank you.'
'And thank you too Greg. I'll let you know'. He nodded and I walked away, with plenty to think about.
I sat in the cockpit of the Corte-Real, the new Anaconda I had bought, leaning back in the seat, hands behind my head and feet up on the dashboard, assessing what I had learned.
So what I have I got: a list of vessels, one of which is Duta's.
No, what have I got: a doctored list of vessels, one which is Duta's, found in among a bigger list of ships.
No, what have I really got: a doctored list of vessels, one which is Duta's, found in among a bigger list of ships, supplied to me by the very man who has named it as being Duta's, and he wasn't exactly unhappy about the fact that it didn't make it's intended destination all those weeks ago when he asked me to deliver it!
Here we go again. Merc is just going to shake his at me when he hears this. If I tell him.