The Hodkin Chronicles Part 13: Revelations and Elevation
03 Feb 2017S. Hodkin
29th June 3301 to 6th July 3301The Wandrin’ Star Bar, 30th July 3301
It seemed like Jem wasn’t the only woman this “Caz” had left with a life-limited child, as well as their mother’s organs of life in tatters. She’d been speaking with a Suzanne Telford while we were staying around Chowei after my accident. Her son had died from the same condition as Jem’s Bekka had done. I’d looked up the conditions involved from medical papers while killing time in hospital, and determined I would more into NTUP* and Lothario Syndrome soon.
I assured Jem that I would do anything within my power to see Caz pay for what he’d done to Jem and others in the years gone by, but I was understandably rebuffed. Jem was on a mission to kill Caz if she found him on Earth, and I would do nothing to impede her revenge. As we continued to converse in the bar, I brought out a holocube of Romeo-134 Wing, the combat wing I was in during those awful events of Rotanev the year before. On the left was my brother James, evidently a Hodkin judging by him looking very similar to myself though not quite as tall. Asher to the right of him, a stocky lad same age as me but with a heart of gold and beard well kept, then myself and Díaz.. evidently close as we very much were at the time. I explained how close we were and Jem could sense the pain as I discussed the wing I’d have given more than an arm for if needed.
4th to 5th July 3301, Barnard’s Star
A reasonably uneventful few days barring a humorous occurrence while at 70 Ophiuchi when we inadvertently took shots of whisky at a bar that appeared to also house a brothel, to much laughter entwined with subtle embarrassment - the only downer having been seeing Jem being mishandled by some git in a long black coat, Gaia forbid he tries anything like that again in the galaxy.
Today didn’t start too well either, having received notification that Asher had been found in Liaedin and hauled up on desertion charges, not so fun when you’re in one of the more isolated Empire systems. So next week I’ll be speaking in his defence, I’ll put any potential commissions on the line for it..
On the plus side, I couldn’t resist diverting out stopover in Barnard’s Star to Miller Depot, the first time since Eravate that I could patronise a relative’s bar, namely the King George, more like a pub as my father’s Rose. In the case of the George, his father Alf owns it, and let’s just say I’m a fondly thought of grandson. There was a twinkle clear in his eye as he served Jem and I in a near empty facility, no surprise for late on a Sunday evening, but he was grateful for the company as of late with my grandmother having passed on a few months ago. He isn’t lonely by any stretch, but company in his humble pub and comfortable accommodation is always welcomed.
6th July
During the next couple of days in Barnard’s Star, I continued casual research on what was now known as Necrolysing Transuterophylomycaemia, rare but prominent enough for numerous research papers to have been published. Then Jem recounted while preparing for the last leg to Sol that she’d met another woman who this Caz had ruined from the aforementioned condition. It made both of us wonder how many more women were out there in the galaxy, it was surely more than three..
In the early evening, we set off from Miller Depot and charged our FSDs for the birthplace of humanity, the Sol system, breathing a contented sigh as I dropped out of hyperspace in view of the Sun. A few minutes later and we were over Earth, the place that only the wealthy reach and most others only dream of or see in image form, and here was the real thing. Jem received a message from Caz about meeting up, so it became clear we would be in the system for a while yet, and then I promised her a tour of the system so far as navs permitted.
By around 8 we docked at M. Gorbachev starport, built by the Russians and naturally popular for those liking vodka and good food. In our case, it was the Vostok bar, again my networking was paying off as the bar is owned by Vlad, a good friend from my Navy days who helped me through a lot. Nowadays he’s popular not only with the Russian diaspora throughout the galaxy, but also due to the stereotypically large vodka range he offers, despite hating the drink himself.
Jem looked stunning in her well-measured makeup and short blue dress, and I was feeling relatively lucky, not only to be near Earth, but to have had a strong companion for the journey. It was after a drink or three that I let on that I’d gone to the trouble of booking a double room for the night. Her reaction was enough to ensure I hadn’t messed up, nor was what we got up to once the night got later, our relationship had now become a lot more intimate and personal..