Chapter 5 - Divisions
24 May 2023GoblinCoffeeShop
**Dear Reader, you are in the possession of a manuscript that has not yet been made public. For the purposes of RP and squadron lore, this story is secret and will not be known by your commander character. This story contains some mature language and content. Thank you, and enjoy.**Shortcut to Chapter 4
Chapter 5
“Divisions"
Bean Terminal, orbiting Anekaliti 2
July 18th, 3304
(1 week later)
Conversation with Max
G - Max, something happened to Jordan’s cruise. They’re not sure if he made it.
G - You think we can set the drama aside for a minute, it’s Jeffrey’s brother, man. He’s really worried.
G - Hey Max, been a few days, have you been getting my messages? Let me know if you got this.
G - Max, it’s important. We need to talk.
[sent]
Goblin pulled his eyes from his new PDA and gazed at the stars stippling the cafe window, his lips pressed in frustration. He could feel Jeffrey’s gravity from across the table, but nothing he thought of saying felt good enough. To his surprise, Jeffrey broke the silence.
“I’m going to enlist with AEC.”
Goblin turned to examine Jeffrey, who was still staring at his mug, his expression a reflection its emptiness. “Uhm…”
"I’ve been thinking about it and I want to join up with them instead of going back home.”
Goblin’s stomach clenched as he scrounged for some kind of sensitivity to offer. “Jeffrey… what makes you want to do that?”
“Search and rescue said there was over a dozen people killed on the cruise that had nothing to do with AEC. They killed fuckin tourists, Gob. Just to get at the company. The employees were innocent too, everyone was. Fucking wrong, Goblin.”
“I know Jeffrey… it’s really horrible.”
“So I’ll join their security force. To make sure that doesn’t happen again.”
Goblin fell silent. He tried to imagine how Jeffrey felt, but his friend hadn’t been right since the attack. It had been days now since S&R sent out their report, and each day after had been the same dreary hell.
It sickened him to see Jeffrey’s grief and know there was nothing he could do about it. But joining a side in this pointless fight wouldn't bring Jordan back. Finding the words felt was becoming exhausting, but he forced himself...
“I understand how you feel, man. That’s a… noble thing to want to do, to protect people.”
Jeffrey’s expression pinched and he raised a hand to squeeze his eyelids. “It’s just fucked up, Gob…”
“You haven’t heard from Max, have you?” Goblin asked quietly.
Jeffrey just shook his head.
Goblin looked down and picked at his fingernails. “What about your parents?”
“Yeah they know.”
“So you gonna go see them?”
“Eventually. I gotta get the recruitment thing figured out first.”
“You’re really gonna do this.”
“Yeah. Fuckin Blues will just keep murdering people. Ruining lives. Another week and it’ll be someone else dead. Fuck that.”
Goblin nodded. “Okay… well. You’re still gonna be at the apartment tonight, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there.”
“I think we need groceries so… I guess I’ll go get those while you’re handling things.”
Jeffrey raised eyes that wounded Goblin, eyes that cupped gratitude over a glassy void. “Why not come talk to them, Goblin? Get yourself in the door, you could get your pilots license, like you always wanted. Do something that really matters, you know?”
Goblin returned a worried look, but Jeffrey pressed on.
“I know, the settlement, but that’s the thing. They don’t want you to be who you are. All you’ve ever wanted was to fly. This could be your chance… do what you were meant to do, and never have to go back to that… place.”
Goblin felt sweat prickling the back of his neck. “I don’t know Jeffrey, The Commitment… you know, it matters to me too. I can’t just dismiss it for something like this.”
Jeffrey tilted back his mug to be sure there was nothing left inside. “Life is fuckin’ short man. You want to know what matters? Keeping people alive matters. Not some guilt trip they preach to keep people working the forge.”
Goblin’s face flushed. “Jeffrey, it’s not like that. And I’m not trying to talk you out of joining AEC, so why talk me out of what I need to do?”
“I’m not talking you out of anything, man. But I’ve seen the way you are in the hangars, watching the docking bay, you're actually happy here… Goblin, you’re never going to sit in a pilot’s seat if you go back home this year. It’s not going to happen. And you’re going to regret it, I know you will. That Commitment only matters to you because they told you it matters. I don’t want to see you be miserable your whole life. You could be here with someone who really has your back, like you got mine.”
A selfish longing snaked it's way up from deep inside of Goblin. It pushed its way through the defensiveness, and he fearfully tried to stuff back where it came from. What if no one cared about what Goblin wanted except for Jeffrey, and maybe Steve? Max, well… he thought Max cared before, but now he wasn’t so sure. He stared at the mottled dregs of his coffee.
“You’ve always had my back. I don’t want to lose that,” Jeffrey said, pushing himself up from the table. “Just think about it, alright?”
Goblin nodded, “Yeah. …I’ll think about it.”
===
Goblin was stocking the kitchen when Griffin walked in.
“Hey Gob,” he said with an awkward half-wave.
“Oh hey Griffin. What’s up.”
“You have a minute, I needed to ask you about something?”
“Sure.”
“You know… I moved in ‘cause Jordan needed a roommate, and now…” Griffin shrugged and fussed with his frizzy hair, “with, you know, what happened to him… it’s awful and I know Jeffrey has it way worse than me right now. But my thing is…I can’t really keep the place without signing another lease. I know you said you were just visiting here but… any chance that might change? I wanted to give you guys dibs on the room.”
“Oh, you mean move in?” Goblin imagined himself staying in this dusty box while his parents freaked out about his life, and he held in a smirk. “That’s cool of you man, but I think we’re sticking to the plan. How long do we have, did you ask the other guys?”
Griffin shook his head, “I haven’t had a chance to ask Jeffrey yet, you know… it’s kinda soon I guess. And since Jordan was his brother… I dunno. But since Max got some other place now, he’s not an option.”
Goblin let a frozen meal fall to the countertop. “Max has… wait, what?”
“Oh… you didn’t know.” Griffin scratched his patchy stubble. “Sorry, I thought…”
Goblin dismissed his anxiety with an impatient wave, “No it’s fine, but what did he say? I haven’t been able to get a hold of him for a while.”
“Ah… I don’t wanna get in the middle of things but…”
“Griffin. It’s fine. I’m not upset with you. I just want to know what’s going on.”
“Okay, well yeah, I thought you knew he packed up today and moved out. I think with his girlfriend? Not real sure.”
“Fuckin A…”
“Yeah it’s like… kinda fucked up timing huh.”
Goblin pinched the bridge of his nose. “I can’t believe what a fucking dick he’s been.”
“He hasn’t always been a dick? I thought that’s just like how he is.”
Goblin stared at the boxes on the counter and slowly put them in the freezer. “I don’t even know…”
“Well, rent’s paid for this month but.. Gotta try to sort it out by August. So I got like a little over ten days? I’m gonna have to start looking for a different place in case I can't find someone”
Goblin nodded and scrunched his lips. “Fuck. Alright, let me talk to Jeffrey tonight and I’ll uh, get you an answer.”
“Okay man, but like, no pressure. I can tell he’s… taking it pretty hard.”
“Yeah… It really fucking sucks. I’ve never lost someone close like that. I don’t even know…” Goblin trailed off, shaking his head. “I don’t think he’s got money for the room but we’re gonna have to figure something out now. I’ll talk to him.”
“Okay. Thanks, Goblin. I know this was like supposed to be a vacation for you.”
Goblin coughed up a disgusted laugh and tossed the empty bags in the trash. “Yeah… it’s been great, huh.”
Griffin frowned at the floor, “I am glad I met you guys, though. And I got time to hang this afternoon if you wanna like play some games or something.”
“Yeah, I mean, I’m glad I met you, too. But I work the late shift today, then probably have to talk with Jeffrey afterwards. Maybe tomorrow though. We’ll see how he’s doing.”
“Sounds fair, man. You’re a good friend. Make sure you take care of yourself too.”
“Yeah… yeah.”
===
“Goblin, what the fuck is this?” Steve slid open the bake case and pulled out a sweaty pitcher of cold brew.
“Oh… shit, sorry Steve. I don’t…” Goblin tossed his hands up with a grimace. He grabbed a washcloth from the drying rack. “I’ll take care of it.”
Steve stared closely at him. “Goblin. What’s going on? You’re not usually like this.”
“I’m not sure I should get into it, y’know, with the customers…” Goblin gestured beyond the counters.
“Are you okay?”
Goblin’s mouth pulled to one side and he nodded, looking at the crumbs in the bakecase.
“Something happen to Teabags?”
A quiet snort of laughter escaped Goblin. He couldn’t help smirking at the nickname Steve had given Max. He shrugged again, unsure what to say.
“He was with that girl a while ago, but he hasn’t been with you guys since.” Steve went back to the terminal to check on some shipments, one eye still on Goblin.
“Yeah he’s… he’s just an asshole.”
Steve nodded. “Oh, I know.”
Goblin laughed a little more. “No it’s not exactly that. It’s Jeffrey… he… you know his brother’s place, that’s where we’ve been staying.”
Steve nodded intently.
“So…” Goblin sighed, stuck on the words, “Jordan, his brother… he… he died a few days ago.”
Steve’s eyes widened, “Oh. I’m very sorry to hear that, Goblin.”
“Yeah… I’m fine, it’s just, Jeffrey is taking it really hard. And S&R said it was a Blue League attack. So now Jeffrey is looking to join AEC, like, one of their guards or something,” Goblin’s eyes pleaded for Steve’s understanding, “just to keep people safe after what happened, you know, with his brother… he feels like…”
Steve nodded wearily. “It’s a terrible thing what happened to his family, Goblin. But I’m not sure either of you know what he’s getting himself into.”
“Well… I talked with Barcelona...” another glance to see if Steve reacted to this, but nothing telling was on his face. “...so I kinda know. But I don’t think Jeffrey even thought about it, he just kinda makes his mind up and does it”
“That’s very unfortunate.”
Goblin caught himself staring at Steve’s tie, and his eyes darted around for something productive to do.
"Did you know him well, his brother?" Steve asked gingerly.
"No, not really. It's just…" Goblin cringed slightly, "Jeffrey wants me to join with him. So we can stick together."
Again, Steve showed no reaction. "Is that what's bothering you, Goblin?"
"I dunno… I guess. A lot of things are bothering me." Goblin found himself holding a mug, unsure if he had already washed it or not.
"It's fine Goblin, put the shit down, we can talk." Steve rolled the little step stool over with his foot. "Have a seat. I’ll make you a drink."
Goblin sat on the stool, nestled in the corner of the cabinets, relieved to be mostly out of sight and off duty. "Yeah, if you want to. Surprise me?"
"Challenge accepted." He got to work on the espresso machine, grabbing bottles of cream and syrups. "So, you were going to go home soon, and now Jeffrey's staying? He's a good friend to you."
"I thought he'd be kinda close to home at least so I could see him once in a while. Like we used to."
"And you'll be leaving him here. I'm sure he'll have trouble accepting that you aren't joining."
"Well, I'm not totally sure yet."
"That he'll stay?"
"No, that I'll go. I'm thinking, like… I know it’s not a great idea, but he's got no one here and he's telling me the company might train me to fly. So like…"
Steve interrupted gently. "There are many ways to become a pilot, or to stay near your friends, Goblin. You don't need to get involved in this."
"I know, I know, and I don't think it's right. But at the same time, there’s no chance to be a pilot back home. And I should go back home, I know that but…"
“But you don’t want to.” Steve handed a foamy mug to Goblin and leaned back against the counter.
Goblin made an evasive shrug and took a sip of the drink. "Huh. This is good."
Steve nodded, "Have I ever let you down, Mr. Coffeeshop?"
Goblin smirked a little. "No, you have not. Except maybe with the name."
"Eh." Steve shrugged. "You put me through a lot of trouble to make sure your tracks were covered here. What's the deal with that? You a wanted man? A Goblin fugitive?"
"It's our settlement, they have… they're just really strict about things and they wouldn't want me being here. I'm on my senior trip far as they know, with the other Faithful."
Steve's eyebrows went up at that. "Oh, Religious? I think I've had some of them come through before." He rubbed his beard as if trying to recall. "They're not terribly close though, are they?"
"No," Goblin whispered. "Zhang Fei, it's about a hundred light years I think."
"And they'd find you out here, out of all these stars?" Steve looked skeptical.
"Almost for sure. It's… they're intense about stuff."
A worried look softened Steve's eyes. “Are you safe there, Goblin? Are they treating you okay?”
“Yeah, no it’s alright, that’s kind of the reason why. They want to make sure the ins and outs at the settlement are really secure and stuff.” Goblin shrugged with upturned palms, hoping Steve would understand.
Steve seemed hesitant, still trying to read Goblin’s face. “Okay… but if things were ever unsafe for you there, we could help you out. Just so you know. I promise I’d help you any way I could.”
“Yeah, thanks Steve. I’m good. The real issue is my parents, they don’t even know there is such a thing as a good commander. There’s no way they’ll pay for flight school.”
“Can you save up? Maybe make a five year plan, or even ten?”
“No.” Goblin chose his next words carefully. “I have a career path already laid out for me there. It will be good pay, but it’s a long term commitment.”
“Hm.” Steve crouched to be eye-level with Goblin, leaning back on the cabinets. “Well let me tell you something, Goblin. You might commit to something you think is right, you can have all the job security, the pay, but if it isn’t the right fit… you’re fucked. At a certain point you just… you have to make sure you stay sane. Or you won’t be helping anyone.”
Goblin looked at his feet for a moment before speaking again. “I heard you were a really good doctor before you left.”
Steve shifted his weight a bit. "It wasn’t an easy decision, Goblin. But the operating room is a brutal place to be when a system is fighting. You try to keep people alive, you’re not sure if they're victims or killers or… I wanted to help people, Goblin. In the big picture though, I just enabled the savagery. It’s hard on you.. You start losing yourself, and you start helping less and less. And you look around, plenty of regular people are caught in it and suffering too. I just needed to go."
Goblin paused again before answering. “I can’t imagine leaving the settlement though.”
“It’s hard to imagine leaving something you care about. But can you imagine being a pilot? A commander, maybe?”
Goblin smiled sadly.
“What does that look like to you, Goblin? What does Commander Coffeeshop mean to you?”
“Freedom.” The word fell out of him before he realized it. He felt a rush of shame. Freedom from what? The Light? The truth? Freedom to follow a selfish path?
“Freedom is beautiful, but what does Goblin do with that freedom? How does he support himself? What is his purpose if he’s free?”
Goblin hesitated. “I’m really not sure what that would mean.”
“Well what matters to you, Goblin? Not to your settlement or your friends – you. What matters most?”
Goblin waited for the answer to come. What came to him was Barcelona’s sadness, Jeffrey’s hollow grief, the comfort that Steve gave to his patrons. “I… want to help people. I’m not sure what that means, but… I really want to do good in this life, you know, to be good.”
Steve nodded, “I know you do.”
Goblin sighed. “I just, the right thing to do is go back home, to my family and the settlement that have supported me and, you know, give back to that community. To do good there. That’s what matters.”
“So do you think, Goblin, if you became a commander, that you would do nothing that matters?"
“No, but… it’s not all about me.”
Steve stood up slowly, smoothing out his apron. “If you have a calling and you didn't choose it, the calling chose you. And if all you do is what you think you’re supposed to do, that calling may not let you go. It isn’t always about you, Goblin, but only you can really know that calling."
Goblin fiddled with the tie of his apron. "You know, sometimes I wonder … why would the Father make me this way, like, give me this dream if I was never meant to actually do anything about it. It doesn't… it doesn't seem right."
"Well if you think there's a Father, how would he tell you what's right?"
"He speaks to our hearts."
Steve nodded. "Seems like it's about time you started listening, Coffeekid."
The lights in the cafe flickered and dimmed for a few seconds, followed by a thud that rattled the plates on the drying rack. Steve's face clouded with concern. "That's not normal…"
"Power failure someplace? Maybe something blew out?"
"Yeah …could be." He walked to the terminal and brought up a window. "Hm. Not much on dispatch, but whatever it was…” Steve stared at the screen for a few seconds more and closed the window. “Goblin, can I ask you to go check on something?"
"Uh, yeah sure," Goblin said, pulling himself up from the corner.
"It's the Galloway Building, down past the center line of the docking bay. Emergency services. See if there's any commotion there and let me know."
"Wait, why? What do you think happened?"
"I don't know, Goblin, is just better to check. They'll be able to tell us if it's something serious. Just get back to me if you hear anything, alright? Out and to the left."
“Sure, I’ll call you?”
Steve gave a single nod and a thumbs-up.
Goblin set his mug down and hurried out to the great hall, where several shopkeepers and employees stood outside their doors. Other citizens were passing at a jog, and the occasional station services tram barked its way through the foot traffic. The pace seemed to pull Goblin along like a river current, his feet hastening to a steady trot.
As he came to an intersection, he saw a small group of AEC guards in their yellow and black uniforms jogging towards him. His trot slackened to a walk when he saw the guns in their hands. The group turned at the intersection, turned down the hallway he walked every day when he went home. Whatever was happening, it was in the direction of their apartment, and it was definitely not normal.
Should he keep going to Galloway? Should he just Call Griffin? Or Jeffrey? He looked down to see an incoming call from Steve, the screen lit up silently. He swiped to answer. “Yeah.”
“Goblin, I already got word. It’s not good. Find your friends, make sure they’re okay. I’ll be here if you need me.”
To be continued...