Farewell
19 Jul 2021Prochaska
After Zoe's visit to the Crow and her demise, her mission was complete. Zoe radioed her final report to headquarters on Bluford Orbital. In a few days, units of the FSS would take control on the planetary port. Until then, uncertainty reigned, local authorities were no longer trusted, their reputations damaged. There was unrest in the corridors of Cabana Hub, protesters and security forces clashed. Media reports overflowed, as did rumors and false reports. On the station, the local communications network had collapsed; rumors circulated as to the cause, sometimes it was sabotage, then overload, or it had been officially shut down, depending on whom you asked. Zoe left her quarters and pushed her way through the chaos. As expected, there was no way through some of the central hubs of the settlement, she had to take detours. She was only peripherally aware of the chaos, her thoughts centered on Jeanette. Zoe had to leave the planet, and she feared that Jeanette wanted to stay here. In her imagination, she saw a farewell scene in front of her, and she felt a lump forming in her throat.
When she arrived at the door, she hesitated briefly at the doorbell before ringing it."Come in, it's open," she heard Jeanette call from the inside. She stepped in. She stepped inside. There, Zoe noticed that Jeanette looked distressed, which made her lump in her throat grow bigger. "You're done here now, aren't you? You're leaving now?" asked Jeanette finally with a serious expression. Zoe hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, my job here is done, I'm going to fly back home now." A pause arose, neither said anything. "So, will we see each other again sometime?" asked Jeanette finally. The thought of seeing each other again gave Zoe hope. She took a deep breath and said, "Actually, I was going to ask you to come with me." "Then let's go, there's nothing to keep me here," Jeanette replied immediately. Zoe was speechless, she felt unreal. A smile formed on Jeanette's lips, she hugged Zoe and kissed her. Zoe felt Jeanette's tongue pushing forward into her open mouth, and she held onto her. She feared her knees would give way, and she was dizzy with happiness; she closed her eyes. Her heart beat violently, the touch of their tongues electrifying her. Both women breathed heavily as their lips parted. Jeanette looked at her, and tenderly stroked the back of her head, "let's get out of this place real quick," she said. Zoe just nodded, and once again embraced Jeanette tightly. She rested her head on Jeanette's shoulder, kissed her ear. "Let's pack your things," she whispered to her.
The packing went quickly. With many things Zoe wanted to put in the big backpack, Jeanette protested that she should leave the junk here, she wouldn't need it anymore. Then they stepped out into the hallway. Zoe took Jeanette firmly by the hand, and they pushed through the crowds, toward the spaceport.
In front of them stood the Adder with the registration HP-581. Jeanette looked at the ship in amazement; Zoe, for her part, looked at Jeanette, lovingly observing the astonishment on her face. "This will be your first flight?" she asked, and Jeanette just nodded, not taking her eyes off the ship. A smile formed on Zoe's face. "Come aboard!" she said, hooking her arm underneath and pulling Jeanette toward the boarding gate. They climbed into the cockpit and prepared for takeoff. Jeanette slipped on a remlok, and Zoe went over the preflight checklist. Then they settled into the two seats. Zoe checked to make sure Jeanette was buckling up correctly and then obtained the takeoff clearance. While waiting for the takeoff clearance, she looked over at Jeanette and asked, "You've never left the settlement before?"; Jeanette shook her head. The launch clearance came in over the radio system, and Zoe turned back to the controls. Using the vertical control thrusters, the ship lifted off the ground, and then the main engines accelerated it almost vertically into the air, toward the starry sky.
They exited the planet; here Zoe shut off the thrusters for a moment. Now Zoe leaned back in her seat, looked over at Jeanette and resumed the thread of conversation. "I don't even remember my first flight, I was that little," she said. "My parents had a small cargo transport company, I flew around with them among the stars when I was a kid. They took turns at the wheel, and I sat in the front of the pilot's seat, on their laps, when I was a little girl. I made it really difficult for the two of them to get me to lie down in the bunk to sleep; I always did that only under the greatest protest. The unknown stars, the planets - I didn't want to miss anything. Sometimes this led to arguments among my parents, because my father was less strict than my mother, who would then reproach him." Zoe had to smile at the memories, then she continued: "I hated school, because then I could not fly further with them. Always just going along up to the spaceport, and then watching the ship take off." She looked down at the ground, the smile disappearing. "And then at some point they never came back. Missing, somewhere in the vastness of space, without an explanation. Something broke inside me at that moment. There was not the slightest news, and no one wanted to give the young Zoe any explanation. Just platitudes, out in space it's just dangerous, pirates, technical defects, ships are lost out there all the time. I was angry, but never at the stars. The stars are not unfair nor good or bad, they are just there. They are just the stage for the human tragedies." She looked Jeanette in the eye again, and continued, eyes moist, "Even if I fly out today, leave the star port, there's still little Zoe in the pilot's seat. When I see some stars and galactic nebulae, I hear my father's voice in my ear, who never tired of telling me stories about them. The sad memories, they are all on Mars, memories of despair and aimlessness, of being alone. But among the stars, I still feel safe as I did then, on my parents' laps." Jeanette reached out and held her shoulder, "I'm leaving home for the first time, but I don't miss anything down there. It's awesome to be with you and listen to you. Take me wherever you want, the place doesn't matter to me. The only thing that matters is you. I love you." Zoe felt dizzy again. "I love you too," she breathed back. Her face beamed at Jeanette as a tear ran down her cheek. She activated the main thrusters again and operated the frame shift drive.