Under The Aegis

The flight attendant takes Baudin and Dufresne to the galley, where the head of cabin crew is waiting.

Right, says the head of cabin crew. Let's hear your side of the story.

Captain Baudin, French navy, says Baudin. 

Captain Dufresne, ditto, says Dufresne.

You are lobsters, says the head of cabin crew. Do you expect me to believe you?

Irrelevant, says Baudin. Just explaining why we won't say anything further.

Fine, says the head of cabin crew. Into the freezer!

The flight attendant opens a metal box which serves as a freezer.

All right, says Baudin. We did it to cause a diversion.

From what? asks the head of cabin crew.

From the conversation below us, says Baudin. 

Ask them why, says Celia.

All right. Why? asks the head of cabin crew.

To avoid trouble, says Dufresne. Our friends thought it best that we travel as lunch.

Trying to save money? says the head of cabin crew. 

No. Remembering the skirt grabbing incident, on a previous flight, says Dufresne. I was classed as a sexual predator.

Ha ha, laughs the head of cabin crew.

That's not funny, Kevin, says Celia.

No, it isn't, says Kevin. I was laughing at a thought I just had.

What thought? asks Celia.

If the lobsters are travelling as lunch, they will have to be eaten before landing in New Zealand, due to the quarantine laws, says Kevin.

Gaius appears in the galley.

Excuse me, says Gaius. These lobsters are travelling under my aegis. 

They cannot disembark in New Zealand, says Kevin. They should have bought tickets.

Dear me, says Gaius. We haven't thought this through properly.

And what about the threats? asks Celia.

Yes, what about them? asks Kevin.

A mere hypothetical, says Gaius. I'll show you Katherine's book if you like.

Does it have a hypothetical about how to resolve this situation? asks Kevin.

No, says Gaius. I doubt even Proust could have dreamed this would happen. I have an answer, but it's risky, and requires perfect timing. By this means the lobsters won't disembark either as passengers or in a lunch box.

He looks meaningfully towards the freezer.