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tell them that we desperately needed some revenue.  The coffers were running dry even with our low overhead.  Galveston’s little hiatus had really put a crimp in our business.  I was just not good enough at marketing to keep the business afloat on my own.  I had gotten my private investigator license a few years before to make us a little more legal, so I was confident that Galveston could at least get us some quick business using that as a marketing tool.
    We adjourned our shareholders meeting after about another half hour of small talk.  Jane had a performance in the local theater that evening so she left early.  Alex followed closely behind to get back home to supervise his pool cleaning.  Galveston and I were left in the office.
    “ You’re still okay?” I inquired.
    “ Yes, enough already.  You’re like my ugly, nagging wife.  Good Lord, I’m okay, but I do need a raise,” he said with a smile.
    I felt relieved at his retort, but he needed to show me with his actions.  Things were formulating themselves on the horizon that would thrust us into action, and unbeknownst to us, we needed to be ready.

-Chapter 6-
     
    The day progressed slowly for the crew secured in the supply room.  Boredom was beginning to set in, and they tried to entertain each other with stories of past voyages. 
    Dimitri was doing his best to keep their spirits up, but the pain in his leg began to worsen.  He was concerned if he didn’t receive proper medical treatment he could become septic and potentially lose his leg.  The medic was doing his best to keep Dimitri comfortable despite a lack of adequate supplies.
    The crew wrestled with their lack of information.  Where were they going, why were they being held captive, and what did the pirates have planned for them?  The only thing the crew knew for certain was they could share a similar fate as their Captain.
    Dimitri thought through as many scenarios as he could for escape.  It was obvious, however, that they were outgunned and in no position to challenge the skills of the pirates.  These were not your run-of-the-mill type of pirates.  These men were highly trained with military experience, and the chances of surviving a coup were slim to none.
    On the bridge a different scenario played out.  The pirates had shed their black fatigues and changed to everyday sailor attire.  The ship had transformed itself into the Alterra , and they were only a few hours away from the southern Pacific shipping lanes.
    The men performed the duties of running the ship flawlessly, as if they had worked on a merchant vessel before.  The black speed boat that brought them aboard had long disappeared, but six more men had joined them before it left.  That left the final count of pirates at twelve.  The skeletal crew was just enough to run the ship effectively.
    The pirate known as Captain Marquette made another phony call to the Trusian’s company headquarters, giving them a false position report and explaining that the ship’s transponder was not able to be fixed.  The ship was not scheduled in Los Angeles for another full forty-eight hours, at which point the company would know that something was amiss.  By that time the Alterra would be so far off the original course that it would be almost impossible to find.
    The disappearance of merchant ships has happened before, even in this modern age.  In July 2009, a Russian freighter named Arctic Sea was hijacked in the Baltic Sea by alleged drug smugglers.   The vessel traveled through the English Channel and even made radio calls off the coast of France before disappearing.  The Russian government couldn’t find the ship.  Its position wasn’t known for eighteen days, until finally it was located near Cape Verde off the coast of Western Africa.  Even with all of today’s technology, the ship disappeared for more than two weeks from the eyes of the world.
    It was not a stretch then that the Alterra could do the same.  The most