No Time for Rest
24 Jun 2023Silvia Sharpe
"Welcome home" I though to myself as I sat in Ranger staring at the ruins of my once majestic family Mansion. Memories of my childhood about me playing with my younger siblings and best friend rush around my mind. The memory of me running around the surrounding forest with our 4 Australian shepherds. My mom standing at the landing pad entrance watching my father leave on an archeological survey fills in the last bits of my mind. I power down the ship and remove my armor. As I exit the ship the faint smell of burnt lumber and fresh pine trees fills my nose. I step onto the landing pad and allow for the first time in months, the warmth of The sun to soak into my body. The sound of native birds chirping, the cool summer breeze blowing through the tree tops, and the soft rustling of leaves, are all soothing to my soul. The last time I was on Earth I was on the run, hiding from the same man who destroyed my home and kidnapped me. The same man who killed my wife.
"Oh Venus I wish you were here with me today. Earth is beautiful this time of year. The Rocky Mountains are calm and peaceful."
I make my way towards the remnants of the once great entryway. Looking around I see a few pillars with chunks blasted off of them from Grenshaw's ship, when he and Diaz attacked my home. Shattered glass, splintered wood, and broken stonework litter the ground. I notice fresh boot prints in the dust and see most of the valuable items that were left have been taken.
Melli sniffs around the ruins as we walk through them. I look at the debris and find myself standing in a pile of destroyed preserved flowers. The chaotic mess looks like a supernova. Hundreds of colors are scattered about in a beautifully chaotic display.
"Hmm not exactly how this is supposed to be displayed but this is a chance for something new. I think I'll make this part of the new floor." The thought comes about as I turn away, careful not to disturb the strange beauty of something that was never meant to be. I pull out my data pad and look up a construction contractor and request a team to come out and help rebuild the home.
A message alert comes through from Kira about her helping out with the war effort in the way she knows best and I smile. The thought of her trying to find her way brings me some semblance of peace. I look at the message I had sent to Willow and see no reply.
"I guess that answers my question. Damn. Well if I see her again I'll be sure to apologize in person." I think as I close the data tablet and find myself in what was once my bedroom.
"Hmm I wonder if Ina is doing ok. Better yet I wonder if Creamy and Vodan made it out of that storm alive."
I let the thought pass as I wander over to the armory which shows some signs of damage and breach attempts but the thick concrete and steel shell provided the protection needed. I tap the keypad which to my surprise lights up.
"Good the power is still on. Means no one got to the core."
I input the code and open the door. A treasure trove of unregistered weapons and ammo are placed around the room perfectly. I walk in and grab a rifle off the wall. It looks very similar to a SCAR 17 except not. The frame is the same but the weapon has a mag-rail barrel and a plasma chamber. By all accounts it is a kinetic plasma assault rifle.
I place the weapon sling over my shoulder while grabbing a couple boxes of ammo and carry them to my ship. I make several trips clearing out the armory of all tungsten ammo for my rifle and seal the vault off again. I perform an inventory check annotating 200 ammo cans equalling roughly 128k rounds and 20 magazines with a capacity of 20 rounds each.
"Damn I forgot how much ammunition I had available for this rifle. I'm glad dad kept it around."
I hear a ship approaching the ruins and as I exit the Challenger I see a Type-9 making its way to the large pad adjacent to the one I am on. Dust, debris, and even a few rodents get blown away by the landing thrusters. One of the rodents is sent flying directly towards Melli. She notices it and leaps into the air snatching it as it zips past me.
I laugh and shake my head as I make my way over to the ship. A single very muscular man can be seen walking down the ramp inspecting the damage of the home. He shields his eyes as the sun pokes through the clouds. Once I'm withing talking distance I speak to him.
'Hey there. You part of the building team?'
The man chuckles as I ask the question.
'Part of the team? Ha. Silvia we are the whole team.'
He motions back to the boarding ramp where 20 other workers are seen stepping off the ship and onto the landing pad. Every single one of them takes a deep inhale of the fresh mountain air and looks at the mansion ruins. The lead man speaks up again.
'What the hell happened here sis? I told you not to go pressing the big red trigger on your ship.'
I run up and hug the man realizing that it's my younger brother Jackson. Tears fill my eyes as I reach him.
'It's soo good to see you Jackie. You look amazing.'
'Ah come on Silv stop it your going to make me look soft in front of the crew. But seriously what happened here?'
'That's a very long story. Well this wasn't that long but the events that led up to it are long and without that you'd be confused.'
Not knowing what had happened with me Jackson asks about Venus.
'How is Venus doing? Haven't heard from either of you guys in quite a while.'
Sorrow and pain fill my face. My voice wavers and tears form in my eyes.
'Venus..... is dead Jackson...... she was killed by the same man who did this to our home. I... I wasn't strong enough for her....'
Unable to control the flood of emotions I burst into tears. My legs give out and I collapse to my knees. Jackson looks to his crew and motions for them to get started on unloading everything and setting up the work site. The crew rushes around as Jackson crouches down and hugs me in an attempt to console me.
I look up from my hands and through tear blurred eyes I see this 6ft4 250lb man in this awkward looking crouching position. A concerned look on his face that quickly fades into a mischievous grin as he thinks of a way to try to get me to laugh.
'Come on ye wee lass. Nows no time fer tears. Best cure for sadness is a nice cold pint of pickle juice.'
His cheeky Irish accent, heavily accentuated, and his stupid comment about pickle juice is enough to get a sisterly laugh out if me.
'Heh, ew.... pickle juice? Really? You're a fucking dork.....'
I sniffle and pick my self up and brush the dirt from my knees. I turn to the mansion ruins and spread my arms out to my side after attempting to wipe away the tears and snot away in a less than graceful manor. I sniffle a little more and let out a post cry laugh with with a heavy amount of sarcasm in my voice offer a welcome home.
'Welcome home little bro.'
'I have a few ideas on how I want the house to look this time around.'
I walk around with him and explain how I think the house should look. He takes notes on my inputs then gives his own thoughts. We talk for an hour or so then begin working on the blueprints for the project. Jackson calls in and requests for all necessary permits and the work to rebuild our home begins. Celeste alerts me to an incoming message from Citi Gateways work coordinator, as my brother and I finish drawing up the plans.
Good Evening Ms. Sharpe,
We have reason to believe that Mr. Goodness will not be available to cover their shift at the Galactic. As you may remember from orientation, a bartender is required to be available. Unfortunately, we do not have another staff member available to cover the shift. I know we had talked previously to allow you some time off to recover from your accident, but we must ask that you come in to cover the shift. I will have the back room setup as a sort of resting quarters. Let us know what amenities you require and we shall have them delivered and installed prior to your arrival. Station security has also informed us that you have a certain asset that is in need of protections you are allowed to keep it in the resting quarters. We look forward to seeing you back at Citi Gateway and in the Galactic.
Best,
Citi Gateway Galactic Managerial team
"Damn. I guess I should have seen this coming."
I looked to my brother and let out a sigh.
'Looks like you are on your own here Jackie. I just got called back to the station. I love you, take care and we shall see each other again soon. We should plan a party for when the house is completed and get us all back together.'
'Ya ok Silv. I'll keep you up to date on the progress. I love you too sis. I will have Melissa plan the event. She has become quite the event coordinator according to mom and dad. Take care and fly safe. Please try not to overwork yourself this time around.'
'No promises there.'
I compose a response message to the management team and let them know what I would need in the resting quarters. In my case a queen bed, a small kitchen, a bathroom with shower(which was already in the room) and a washer and dryer seemed reasonable enough. The room was about the size of a studio apartment at around 600sqft, so it provided enough space for myself and Melli to exist in the same space while not feeling cramped.
Since I had a bit of time before the room would be available I made my way to Jameson Memorial and gathered some additional clothes for my now extended shift at the Galactic. I grabbed some other items that I would like to have with me to include some entertainment and enrichment items for Melli. I load everything up and head to Citi Gateway to start my new extended shift.