Excerpt from Persona Non Grata, Chapter 3
(Sitting aboard an Aeroflot 767 en route to Eastern Europe, Paladin Smith contemplates his unofficial mission to find and bring home a former student from Crimea – one of the most politically unstable and dangerous places on earth.)
After stretching his legs, Paladin returned to his seat, but part of him was still restless. He needed to ease and unburden his mind a little. Frankly, he’d been busy, but he couldn’t afford to let himself get this distracted—and he knew what he’d been neglecting. He opened the overhead compartment and took out the carrying case that held his scriptures before nestling back into his seat. Unzipping the case, he removed and opened the Book of Mormon. But out of the inside cover fell an envelope he’d placed there for safekeeping.
He smiled. Another momentary distraction—as well it should have been. No document in his possession, including his passport or visa, had been harder to come by or seemed more valuable.
“What do you mean a letter of introduction?” Chase had asked him.
“Nothing in that packet gives me any justification for being six thousand miles from home in hostile territory,” argued Paladin, “except for ten thousand dollars and the shadow of your smile.”
“Isn’t that enough?” protested the congressman. “What do you need a letter for?”
“Because if everything doesn’t go smoothly, which is highly likely, I want something to fall back on.” He paused. “Congressman, surely a little three-line letter can’t be that big of a problem.” Paladin had the distinct impression that, in Chase’s entire legal and political career, he had never made any concession less willingly.
The letter, delivered by Keaton the next day, was terse and official, typed on House of Representatives stationery. It read:
To whom it may concern, This letter is to present Mr. Paladin Smith to United States Ambassador Ian Keller at the American Embassy in Rostov, Crimea. Mr. Smith will explain his business with you upon his arrival. (signed) Philip Chase House of Representatives United States of America
Paladin smiled again and carefully replaced the letter in the envelope and returned it to the inside cover of his scriptures.
He took one more glance up at the huge GPS screen at the front of the cabin to see that the plane had left the empty expanse of Greenland and was now flying over the equally empty expanse of the Norwegian Sea. They had been in the air for almost ten hours now.
Paladin opened to 1 Nephi and began to read. He read and forgot about the flight, the map on the wall, the thousands of feet of space below him, and the strange mission ahead. His mind and spirit drifted to another time, to the journey of a family, to the quest of a young man, and to the whispered commands of God that changed the world.
He read intently, lost in the adventure, the words, and the simple faith in Jesus Christ that moved and still moves in the lives of ordinary men and women—allowing them to do the impossible. Pages turned and chapter after chapter passed before his eyes until gradually, almost imperceptibly, his eyes gently closed, and he fell into a peaceful sleep.
When Paladin slowly opened his eyes a few hours later, the 767 had passed through the latitudes over Scandinavia and well into the air space of Eastern Russia, heading south. He became instantly awake and looked at the map on the cabin wall. Mockba—Moscow was north and west of them. How long had he slept? He strained a look at his watch. 8:15 a.m., LA time. Who knows what time it was on the ground? Air speed—475 mph. Outside temperature—forty-five degrees below. Altitude—15,000 feet. The airplane was gradually descending, making a slow approach to his ultimate destination, Rostov, the capital city of Crimea, a few hundred miles ahead.
The minutes crept by as Paladin again contemplated the experience that awaited him. Soon the GPS jet was almost on top of the city point on the map. The passengers were asked to return to their seats. Paladin’s ears were stopped up. He held his nose and popped them. Yes, the plane was descending rapidly now. Rostov was below them. He could see it through the window up ahead and across the aisle. The Book of Mormon still lay open on his lap. He took the covers to close it, but the book slipped from his hands and fell open again to 1 Nephi 4. Paladin found himself staring at verse six—a scripture he’d underlined long ago. The three lines suddenly spoke volumes to him:
And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do.
Quietly, Paladin shut the book and held it on his lap with his eyes closed. Minutes went by as he uttered a silent prayer. Then he felt the jolt of the landing gear grabbing the runway as the plane touched down and rolled to a long stop.
Good Lord, he thought, his eyes still clenched tight in heartfelt plea, whatever am I doing here?
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