Echoes, Part 2
31 May 2017User4296
Tombaugh Station, Orcus SystemImperial Space
3279
"Where are we going?" I asked, as the sea of people carried my father and I through the spaceport. We had sold nearly everything, leaving us only with the few bags we possessed - my father had always believed in traveling light - and a nice pile of credits with which to fund the journey. The reason and destination, of course, was still an absolute mystery to a seven year old boy.
"Nothing you need worry about, kid," my father replied as he continued to push his way through the crowd. I barely managed to keep up, before he finally stopped. I was almost carried past him until his arm shot out, grabbed me by the collar, and pulled me out of the stream of people.
"Tickets?" The man at the counter asked, prompting my father to place his PDA on the counter. This was scanned twice before the attendant waved us through to join a line of people queued to board a waiting Type-7 transport.
I frowned as I looked over at the adjacent gate, where a Dolphin-class transport was docked. I pointed at it. "Why can't we take that?" I asked.
His eyes followed my outstretched finger, and he shook his head. "Way too expensive," he remarked, before turning to stare out into space.
"But the Type-7 isn't really designed for passengers, dad," I went on, adjusting my backpack. "They're loud, and noisy-"
"And perfectly serviceable passenger transports when outfitted correctly," he replied, cutting me off. "Don't make me regret letting you read my ship manuals. Just be quiet."
I fell silent as I longingly looked over at the Dolphin, its significantly shorter line of occupants growing ever shorter as it began to board.
***
The Type-7 was indeed serviceable, but it was far from comfortable, though this one was slightly better equipped than most. Outfitting a ship like this for transporting passengers often meant welding rows of benches to the floor and packing people in like sardines. This one, at least, had windows installed along the hull, allowing people to look out into space. In place of benches, this particular transport had actual rows of seats - complete with seat belts - and a large screen had been suspended on the front end of the cargo bay. However, it was hard to ignore the fact that it was still a cargo bay, though people didn't seem to mind as they found their seats and stowed their belongings.
The cargo bay had been divided into three blocks of seats, separated by two aisles that ran the length of the room. My father and I found ourselves seated on the aisle, the inside edge of one of the outer blocks of seats. He, of course, took the aisle seat, and I was relegated to the seat next to him. I turned in my chair and sat on my knees to get a better look toward the back of the room.
There were a number of portable restroom pods there, doubtless for those who needed to relieve themselves during the journey. I sighed - no food dispensaries. That was probably a bridge too far.
The front screen switched on, and I turned back around, only to see the words "WELCOME ABOARD, PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE" that had appeared there. The room had gotten noticeably quieter, now that people were no longer shuffling their belongings around. A quick survey of the room revealed that it was only about half full, and people had stopped coming aboard. A loud click from the rear of the room punctuated this, as one of the attendants sealed the airlock. The screen changed then, revealing an attractive woman wearing a blue air hostess hat and matching blue coveralls.
"Welcome aboard Eagle Spaceways, and thank you for choosing us for your travel needs today." The woman said, cheerfully. "Today's service is from Tombaugh Station in the Orcus system, to Ahern Ring in the Gabraceni System. We will be making stops in..."
I turned to my father as she rattled off a list of systems. "Why are we going there, Dad?"
He kept his gaze fixed on the woman on the screen. "Later."
I fell silent, looking at him for a long moment before I turned my attention back to the screen.
"In the event of emergency..." the cheerful woman droned on.
***
Ahern Ring, Gabracini Station
Imperial Space
The trip to Gabracini was a long but uneventful trip, as the ship stopped at virtually every system between Orcus and its destination. Sometimes the Type-7 had nearly filled up with passengers, while at other times it seemed mostly empty, but through it all my father remained transfixed on his PDA, leaving me to entertain myself - and this mostly meant I stared at whatever was playing on the giant screen, which happened to be Galnet news reports about whatever system we were in.
There was also a lot of hailing the Emperor.
By the time we arrived on Ahern Ring, I was terribly bored and happy for the chance to finally walk around, having rarely gotten out of my seat on the transport except to use the restroom pods on occasion.
The station was impressive as well - nearly everything in the starport looked brand new, and palm trees dotted the walkways, some of which were flanked on either side by streams of crystal clear water. Holosigns were everywhere, imploring the travelers nearby to “eat here” or “buy this”. My father and I passed all of it - he was focused on his destination, and as impressive as this place was, I didn't want to be left here alone.
We had been walking for several minutes when by father finally turned and stopped in front of the doors to one of the smaller launch bays. He banged on it once, and the door slid open a moment later.
A slightly heavyset man in a pair of grey maintenance coveralls stepped out, wiping his brow with the back of an arm. His thick, grey hair had been spiked up, and a large graying handlebar mustache adorned his face. His blue eyes lit up as he saw my father, and the two men embraced. He looked vaguely familiar.
"John! Ye made it!" he said, patting my father on the back.
"Not like it was dangerous," my father laughed. The two fell silent as they glanced in my direction.
"Ye brought him with you?" the man asked.
My father sighed. "There was no one to watch him. Quinn wouldn't forgive me if I left him alone."
The man grunted and turned to me, the smile reappearing on his face. He pat me on the head. "Young John! Ye've grown!"
I shot him a quizzical look.
"I don't think he remembers you, Justus," my father said. "You met when he was very young."
"Aye," Justus replied. He sighed next. "I'm... very sorry to hear about your mother. She-" He paused, and looked back at my father.
"He knows," my father nodded, turning away.
"I miss her," was all I could manage. I looked down.
"Aye, lad. Still, dyin' to protect a freighter from pirates is... very brave," he said.
I didn't reply.
The two men looked at each other, before Justus finally shrugged and stood. "Well, let's get ye to where yer goin'," he said. "Right this way."
He led us through the bay doors and onto the launch pad, where an Asp Explorer sat, already primed for launch. My father's brow rose upon seeing the ship. "You still have it?"
"Of course, lad," Justus laughed. "This ol' lass has seen us through too many rough spots - didn't seem right sellin' her off, so I keep her in storage for occasions like these." We followed him up the already deployed ramp, and my wide eyes took in all the sights.
"Your son looks a bit like yer wife with that expression," Justus said.
"He loves ships, just like she did," my father said. "Maybe he'll turn out to be a pilot like her someday."
"Yer no slouch yerself, lad," Justus replied with a chuckle as he stopped at one of the passenger cabins. "This one's yer son's, ye'll be right next door."
"Let's not do this now. Not in front of him," my father said, keying the door control. I entered the small room and tossed the bags I had been carrying onto the bed.
"Aye, then. I'll let you two get settled. We'll be getting underway in a few minutes," Justus said, before disappearing down the corridor.
My father and I stared at each other for a long, awkward moment.
"Where are we going?" I asked finally.
"Reorte. I’ve… I've been offered a job there."
I sat on the edge of the bed. "Us leaving... is this about mom?"
He hovered in the doorway for a moment. "It's been a long day. Try and get some sleep."
The door slid shut, leaving me alone in the small cabin.