The Story So Far: Domino Green
21 Oct 2021Lily Flemmon
The next morning, I pulled up that email from Domino Green.“Hey, I checked your Apex travel logs (don’t ask how) and, uhhh, it looks a little weird, but you’ve traveled 100 light years, so I’ll send you an invite to my workshop in Orishis. See you soon, or just, you know, whenever, “Charlie.” I bet you have quite a story and I’m gonna be honest, I wanna hear it.”
I forwarded the email to Ronni to see what she thought, and before I even finished that, I had another email in my inbox. An automated request to fetch some cargo from The Jackrabbit in Orishis, and the manifest was just 4 tons, and the pay was good considering the small load.
I went over to Ronni’s place to let her know about “the security breach,” but she laughed a bit when I told her it was my Apex travel logs. “Tough baby at it again, huh? Domino just wants to help. Your Apex logs aren’t the sort to attract the attention of, say, identity thieves, or really anyone out to get people. And that delivery request? She’s just eager to meet you. Go see her. You only need to take your Sidewinder anyhow.”
“But what if-”
“Then smell this.” She handed me a bag of herbs. “This will remind you of me, and I think you know that’ll get you calm again. You’re gonna be okay.”
So off I went to Orishis, my 4 ton cargo hold empty. The trip went smoothly, and when I noticed the gravity on final approach, I was glad I hadn’t taken my Keelback. Went to meet Domino, and let me tell you, I’ve never seen a more clear example of ADHD in adulthood. I’m not gonna lie, she’s quite the personality. I thought she would recognize me immediately, but it took her seeing the shadow of a nameplate on my hardsuit to realize it was me.
“Ohhh, you’re Charlie! Riiight! Glad you could make it.”
“So, what’s the big deal about… all this?”
“Well, I was just curious, and I may have dug up a bit much about you. I dug up a bit on your dad too, looks like a few months ago he was dishonorably discharged from the Alliance military… I probably shouldn’t tell you why. Ranks stripped, and he was handed over to Archon Delaine who uh… Let’s just say your dad isn’t gonna pop up anytime soon.” She saw the waterfall of emotions flash across my face. “That… sorry that was probably a bit much, and sudden, wasn’t it? Look, my parents died when I was 7, after that I was raised by some pretty boring and mean people, but I’m still gonna say… you had it worse. I can tell your dad was a possessive parent who wanted to raise a mini-him. The absolute worst. I- I’m sorry.”
I started to stagger as my knees weakened, and she walked me over to the bench in her office and helped me sit down with her. I nearly collapsed into the seat as tears welled up in my eyes.
“Hey, whoa, it’s okay. Think of a friend.” Domino’s voice was… soft. It was kind of odd, and now I wonder how many people have heard her like this… it’s probably not a lot.
I remembered the herbs Ronni gave me, and I pulled them out of my backpack after managing to open it with my trembling hands, opened the bag, and when the warm aroma reached my nose, I breathed it in, and felt at home again. Calm. Almost like she was right there.
“Yo! that smells really good, what is it? I need some for my office-” Domino went back to her usual excited, punky, and surprisingly loud tone of voice, and I cowered a bit, the fear someone was about to hit me zapping my body into a protective position. Her voice dropped back down to that warm, comforting tone again. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted like that. Are you okay?”
I couldn’t respond, still paralyzed in fear that was embarrassingly disconnected from reality.
Domino carefully put her hand on my shoulder, and when I felt that gentle pressure, that little tiny bit of weight, I finally started to relax the tension in my body. I managed to get my hands off my head, and I realized I’d dropped the bag of herbs, and as I started trying to tell my hands to pick it up, Domino was already reaching for it, and she held it up in front of me, and I got that warm sensation again, of… being safe. I evened out my breathing and gradually pulled my head back together.
“I guess those herbs are important to you, and… can I ask why?
“A friend- well, my best friend gave it to me. Sometimes I think I see my dad when I’m out away from home, and she knew I would need something that could calm me down if that happened, and… hey, it worked, I guess. But… here, you can have some.” Domino grabbed a small airtight container out of a drawer next to the bench, and I poured some of the herbs into it.
“Oh, I… Thank you.” She closed the container and just held it in her hands for a moment, a bit stunned by the sentimental gesture.
“You helped me a lot just now, and it’s the least I can do in return. So, thank you for… all this, getting me out here, the meeting, and… being a friend.”
Domino stood up and held out her hand. “Hey, you have some plant stuff or whatever to bring back home right?”
“Plant stuff? Well, I guess it’s nice to know what I’m hauling.” I took her hand, got up off the bench, wiped the tears off my face, and gathered my composure. I started to head for the doorway, but then I stopped and turned back towards Domino. “So my dad, he’s… gone, right?”
“Yeah. The Kumo Crew isn’t gonna put him to use after what he did. Archon Delaine is a man of his word, even if that’s his only virtue. Silas probably isn’t dead, but I’d say he wants to be. So, yeah. No need to worry about seeing him out there.”
I took one last sniff of the herbs’ aroma and stowed the bag back in my backpack. “Thanks. See you around, or not, I guess we’ll see.”
“Thanks for coming, and yeah. We’ll see!”
And after a few deep breaths, I loaded up and headed home.