Chapter 6

Silver and Gold; Friends New and Old.

“Hey Gang,” Will called over his comms unit. I’ve sold off the rad batteries and found us dinner for tonight. What have you been up to?”

“Ah, well, we’ve had quite a bit of excitement this morning. Meet us at the cafe at booth 23C and we’ll tell you all about it,” June replied, underselling the morning’s activities.

“Sounds good, I should be there in twenty minutes,” Will said, ending the conversation.

June, Interface, and Ben returned to the little cafe where they had been drinking coffee while they waited for Will. They found that while everyone watched events unfold in the street just outside, no one had cleared their table of beverages. So the trio reclaimed their seats and watched the security detail wrestle four large body bags into an ambulance, no doubt heading to the station’s morgue.

The hostess came out from the kitchen and up to their table with a look of awe and admiration. “Everything is on the house today,” she said shyly. “I saw what you did for those people. You were so brave,” She glanced around at each of them, but her eyes lingered on Interface slightly longer.

“You deserve a reward. Order anything you like on the menu, and I’ll have the kitchen whip it up quick,” Then she paused, seemed to muster up some courage, and reached into the pocket of her black apron, retrieving a small slip of paper.

“I get off work at Five, maybe if you’re not busy, we could go get a drink...” the hostess said, giving Interface her number, blushing and smiling sheepishly.

Glancing at the paper in her hand, “I have plans this evening,” the hostess’s heart sank. Interface looked to June, who was wearing a wide smile, subtly nodded her head, and then she said, “But I’m free tomorrow. Would that be okay, Diana?” Interface said, reading her nametag. The smile returned to Diana’s face, slightly brighter than it had been.

“Yeah, tomorrow would be great,” She said. “Meet me here at seven?” Diana said with hope in her voice.

“Seven sounds perfect,” Interface said, face beaming with excitement.

With a wide smile, Diana topped off Ben’s coffee and asked June, “Would you like another espresso?”

“That would be lovely, thank you,” June replied. As soon as Diana disappeared back into the kitchen, June looked at Interface and Ben and said, “I told you, didn’t I?” she said with a big smile.

As they chatted and laughed, Will found them seated out front. He pulled another chair up from the empty table beside them and squeezed between June and Ben.

“So what was all this excitement you were talking about?” Will asked as he broke off a corner of the lemon scone June had been nibbling and popped it in his mouth.

Their faces at the table darkened, so Will leaned forward, growing concerned.

“June spotted a bunch of slavers hiding people in crates, shipping them off to God knows where. But we stopped them,” Interface said with a hard tone of satisfaction.

“Feels like there’s more to this story,” Will responded.

After a pause, June picked up where Interface left off. “The really strange part was that all of the kidnapped people were painted with a silver design like our markings, only more crude. It feels like it was supposed to signify something, but who knows.”

“Did the security folks have anything to add?” Will asked.

“They seemed as stumped as we were,” June said, shrugging her shoulders. “We do know that security didn’t get a chance to get any information out of them; the bastards were killed before they could talk.”

“Sounds like someone was close by watching it go sideways, and pulled the plug. I bet they’re pouring over the security cams as we speak.”

Then Ben scratched his chin for a moment and spoke. “If they were close enough to know when to execute their fall guys, it stands to reason that they could have been close enough to see one of us. If the paint on those people do have significance to them, it would make us stand out in their eyes.” The group looked around at each other with uncomfortable looks on their faces.

“There is something else that was super weird about that whole thing,” Ben gestured broadly at the now cleaned-up and back-to-normal scene just outside of the cafe, “We took out four muscle-bound, gorillas. Three weeks ago if I had gone toe to toe with a dude that big, he would have flattened me. Now Interface I understand, she’s one mean mama jama,” he said with a smile to Interface, “but there should have been no way June and I could have taken those guys out, even if we tag teamed one of them. You should have seen it, June shattered a guy’s jaw!” He raised his hands over his head in bafflement.

“Well, the simple answer is that you’re not entirely human anymore,” Interface said. Will, June, and Ben’s mouths dropped open, surprised at the statement. “Well, you’re still mostly human, but your bodies are changing as your connection to me grows stronger. You’ve already experienced some of the changes, your increased libido, for one.”

“I’ll say,” June concurred with an ear-to-ear grin.

Interface smiled back. “Other things you’ll notice is that your strength, agility, and reflexes will improve. I keep close tabs on your health, and so long as you get regular doses of precursor fluid into your system, you won’t get sick anymore. I’ll be able to maintain your bodies at peak physical condition for a very long time.”

“When you say a ‘very long time’, what do you mean exactly?” June asked, tilting her head to one side, trying to parse Interface’s meaning.

Interface was surprised at the question, having not given it much thought. “Well, when my crew and I were exploring the galaxy, we roamed all over space for hundreds of years,” Interface said.

“Wait a minute,” Will said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Are you saying we won’t age?”

They all paused, contemplating what Interface’s revelation meant. “You mean to say, we’re immortal now?” Ben asked in astonishment.

“Well, I don’t know about immortal, accident and dismemberment are always a possibility, but I knew several flesh and blood people who were over a thousand years old,” Interface said.

They all thought about that momentarily, and then Will broke the silence. “Well, I don’t even know what to say about that. Crashing on that planet and meeting you was like falling into shit and coming out smelling like roses!” He leaned over and gave Interface a peck on the cheek. “This is something I’ll probably need time to wrap my head around.”

Will’s face grew serious, his thoughts returning to recent events. “But this business with the slavers,” he said, changing the subject, “we simply don’t have enough information to act on, so for now we will need to be vigilant and careful. We don’t know who they are, what they want, or why they painted those people to look like us. If Ben is right, their attention is something we don’t want to draw,” Will said, looking around at his family with loving concern.

They all nodded in agreement. “They better hope that WE don’t find THEM,” Interface said, her voice like cold iron. Their expressions of determined agreement told her they shared the sentiment.

“Now, changing topics,” Will began, turning the conversation to the more immediately practical, “We made six grand from those batteries, which will be plenty to get us to Centrailia Spaceport. Three months on the ferry, and from there, it’ll take us, what, two weeks at our current speed to get to Peirault Headquarters on Durinheim?” Will looked at June, seeking confirmation that his travel estimate was correct, and she nodded in agreement.

“That will give us close to four months to plot our next steps. And we’ll need to find a way to make some cash to finance our expeditions looking for leads into Interface’s past. We promised to find your people and we will,” Interface’s face beamed with appreciation.

Diana appeared at their table with a cup and carafe and offered some coffee to Will, spotting a moment ago that he was the only person without a beverage. He accepted gratefully, then she left to attend to another customer.

“You mentioned you figured out what we’re going to do for dinner,” June prompted.

“Indeed I did,” Will said, sipping his cup. “You’ll never guess who runs the maintenance shop here on Penrose,” He said to June with a big smile.

“Who?” She asked.

“Jeremy Walters,” Will revealed.

“No kidding! Wow, it’s been ages!” June exclaimed.

“Yeah, he settled down, with a wife and a kid, the whole nine. Seems pretty happy. We’ve all been invited to dinner,” Will said.

“An old friend of yours?” Interface asked, excited to possibly meet someone new.

“Yeah, met him first year in the academy; we went through a lot together,” He smiled, thinking about the shenanigans they had gotten up to in the past.

“So I thought we’d purchase our passage on the ferry, then head right over to their apartment, stopping to grab a bottle of wine on the way. He said dinner was at six, so we should think about getting a move on,” Will said.

They all stood up from the table and headed outside to the busy street. Interface caught Diana’s eye on her way out as she was wiping down an empty table and waved goodbye. Diana smiled and waved back, watching the group leave.

As they exited onto the street, they looked around and were surprised at how efficiently the station personnel had cleared away the morning’s crime scene and returned everything to normal; the vehicle lanes were choked with slow-moving traffic, and pedestrian walkways full of busy people heading off to appointments.

The group was tight on time and, with a little cash in their pockets, decided to take the tram to the far end of the station where the administrative offices were. Will paid their fare with the cryptostick Jeremy had given him with his payment for the batteries. They took the seats facing each other, Ben and Interface on one side, their arms around each other’s waist, and Will and June on the other, sitting close. The doors closed, and the scenery out the tram window scrolled by, picking up speed until it was almost a blur.

Will thought about Interface’s revelation for a moment and the long march of time suddenly in front of him. The scope of it felt daunting at first, but then he realized that it also meant that there would be enough time to accomplish anything he wanted and that he would be with the people he loved the whole time. Will slipped an arm around June’s shoulders and hugged her tight, and she laid her head on his shoulder. Will smiled.

The tram made several stops along the way and finally arrived at the end of the line, just outside the station administrative offices. They disembarked and made their way over to the large glass double doors with a sign in large letters above them spelling ‘Administration’.

They entered the atrium, a wide open space with tall ceilings and large potted plants surrounded by benches dotting the space. Walking past these, they found the office directory on the far wall and scanned it for their target. A surprising number of businesses were listed, all renting space in one of the many suites available, so it took a moment to find it among the close to a hundred listings.

“Inter-Planetary Ferry Services LLC. Suite 412,” Will read out loud. “Looks like they’re on the fourth floor.”

They piled into the elevator, and as the doors closed, Interface ran her hands up and down June’s sides from behind, kissing the crook of her neck.

“Insatiable,” Will muttered with a smile, which she returned, looking over June’s shoulder with smoky eyes.

The lift door chimed and opened, and when they stepped into the hallway, they found the sign pointing out the direction of various suite numbers. They followed the directions to number 412, which had a plain, light brown door with the letters ‘IPFS’ stenciled on it.

They opened the door, entered, and were greeted by a sign that read, “Please take a number and be seated.” A small white ticket dispenser hung below the sign. Interface smiled at the novelty of it, pressed the button on the dispenser, and it spat out a ticket, which she took with a giggle. “This is all so exciting,” she said. “Watching actual bureaucracy in action is fascinating.”

Ben thought she was out of her mind. “If you think this is great, wait until you see the Department of Motor Vehicles,” Ben joked, but it was wasted on her.

The waiting room was half full, with six or seven people spread throughout. They picked a group of seats together and sat across from a dour-looking man with a briefcase in his lap who watched them sit across from him.

Interface clutched her numbered ticket with both hands and smiled wide at the dour man across from her. His bad mood was no match for the silver girl; in a sundress, bare feet, ample cleavage, and a big smile aimed at him, he cracked, and his darkness lifted. He smiled back at her, and when his number was called, he stood, nodded at her, and said goodbye with a soft “Ma’am” to her.

As the man went to the counter, Will smiled at Interface and how she never failed to amaze him with her easy charm and ability to make people feel good.

They waited another hour and a half as the people who had come before them were called to the counter and taken care of. “Number thirty-seven?” an older woman, in a tired and rough voice, called into the waiting room.

“That’s us!” Interface said, excitedly waving the ticket she still clutched in her hand. June smiled, and Will led them to the counter.

“We’re number thirty-seven, Gladys!” Interface proclaimed jubilantly, reading the frumpy older woman’s nameplate sitting on the counter, then presented the ticket to her.

“Good for you,” Gladys said flatly. “What can I do for you?” She said, in a tone that said of all the things she could be doing, this was her least favorite.

“We’d like to purchase a berth for our shuttle on the next ferry to Centrailia Station,” Will said. “She’s a seventy-meter shuttle; we’re working on getting a temporary transponder from Penrose control before we leave,” Will said.

Looking down at her terminal, “Hmm. I’m afraid I just sold the last berth of that size in the passenger hangar. You’ll have to pay for the next size up,” Gladys said coldly.

“How much would that cost?” June asked, concerned.

“Let me see,” Gladys punched some keys, pulling up the info. “Twelve thousand.”

Will’s face blanched. “We really can’t afford that. Are you sure there isn’t any more room?” A hint of anxiety crept into his voice.

“All the passenger berths that size are taken. You’ll need to upgrade or you can purchase a berth on the next ferry,” Gladys said, still punching keys and looking at her terminal, with no hint of emotion or empathy for their plight on her face.

“When’s the next ferry due?” June asked.

“Six months,” Gladys said, not looking up from her typing.

“Is there anything you can do to get us on this ferry, anything at all?” Interface’s expression had slid from joy to crushed defeat. Her eyes pleaded with Gladys, and when she finally looked up at her, a tiny crack of humanity shone through for the briefest of moments.

Gladys typed more into her terminal and replied, “There is a spare berth in the maintenance section for a shuttle. You’ll have to pay extra for the transfer fees, though. Thirty-five hundred.”

“Oh, thank you so much, Gladys!” Interface said with genuine gratitude. “I could kiss you.”

“Don’t,” Gladys said, the frumpy expression returning to her face.

“Thank you very much. I can’t tell you how much this means to us,” Will said, handing Gladys their crypto stick so she could process the payment. She inserted it into her payment terminal, typed some more, and then handed the crypto stick back to Will.

“And one more thing,” Gladys said as she bent under the counter with a groan, the flexibility of youth having long ago left her. “You’ll need this to dock,” She said as she dropped a large square, gray object on the counter with a thud. “This temporary transponder will allow you to dock with the ferry ‘Dallas’ when it arrives. It will be active for four months at which time you need to return it to our offices on Centrailia.”

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Will pulled the transponder toward him, slid it across the counter, and picked it up. “Thank you so much for your help, Gladys. I hope you have a nice rest of your day,” Will said, then turned to leave.

Gladys harumpfed as Will thanked her, but after they left her office, she smiled ever so slightly. Then her disgruntled expression returned. “Number thirty-eight,” She called in a flat tone.

In the hallway just outside the IPFS office carrying the bulky transponder, Will told the group, “This saves us from having to go get a transponder from Penrose Control. However, we’ll be late to Jeremy’s if we swing by the ship and drop it off. We’ll just bring it with us.”

“We don’t have to if we don’t want to,” Interface said. “ I could displace it to the ship if that would be easier.”

“Really?” Will asked, his eyebrows jumping up in surprise. “Just like that?”

“Yeah, Ship’s idle right now, except for the ‘wrinkle’. The ship has loads of power available. Plus it’s always easier displacing back to the ship,” Interface said.

“So you’d displace it and let it drop on a workbench somewhere?” Ben asked, fascinated, trying to understand her process of near magic. The wheels in his mind turned over possibilities.

“No, I’d hand it off to my other instantiation, then I’d set it down somewhere, or install it if you want,” She replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

June did a double-take and asked, “Wait, you have another body on the ship right now?”

“Yes, and before you ask, I have plenty of energy to maintain a couple of bodies if I wanted to, especially if one stays on the ship. I can handle, oh probably three max at the moment,” Interface said.

June smiled mischievously, “You mean to tell me that I could have multiples of you ravaging my body?” she asked, eyes suddenly full of lust.

“You can have as many as you think you can handle,” Interface said in a low, sultry voice, stroking June’s cheek.

“It’s a date! I can’t wait to have you coming at me from all angles!” June said excitedly, pressing her thighs together. She draped herself over Interface like she physically was incapable of waiting.

“You’ll have to, at least until after dinner, unless you would like me to make an excuse for you two?” Will said, only managing to dampen June’s excitement slightly.

“No, I suppose you’re right. I can wait,” June said, managing to rein in her libido.

Then Interface turned to Will. “Why don’t you give me that now, and I’ll take a quick 4-D walk with it,” Then she paused with a twinkle of mischief in her eye. “No wait, I have a better idea.”

As she stood there, a thin thread of silver appeared next to her, about as tall as she was. Then, as if rushing closer but not moving, another Interface developed and stood next to the first. They were identical twins, right down to the sundress, and then they both sashayed over to June, kissing her on both cheeks.

June reached an arm around both Interfaces and hugged them close. “This is going to be so much fun!” June exclaimed, beaming with lustful excitement.

Both Interfaces giggled, and then one approached Will and took the transponder from him. “See you soon,” she said with a wink. Then, a thin layer of silver swept out from her hands, covering the transponder, and then she shrank away to nothing and was gone.

The remaining Interface kissed June on the cheek again. “Oh honey, the things I have planned for you,” June’s eyes lit up. If they had even the slightest bit of privacy, Will was certain legs would be flying over someone’s shoulders, and a whole lot of moaning would ensue.

Ben watched the whole exchange with a watchmaker’s gaze, and Will could see the wheels turning in his head, planning something. He would check in with him later to see what Ben was thinking.

“Well now that’s settled, let’s go pay a visit to an old friend,” Will said as they headed out of the office building.

Unnoticed, a shadow of an eavesdropper slipped away down the hall and around a corner, heading in the other direction.

Glancing down at the paper in his hand, Will compared the number above the entrance to the number scribed on the paper. “This is the place,” he said to June, Ben, and Interface. He looked over the list of apartment numbers and 302B and pressed the call button. A brief second passed when they heard the door buzz, and then they opened it and stepped inside. The foyer was small but clean, painted in an off-white. They found the lift down a short hallway and pressed the button to call it. The door opened, and they stepped in. The lift was on the small side and would be uncomfortably close if more than four people wanted to ride it simultaneously.

The lift door opened on the third floor, and they found 302B at the far end of the hallway. Will glanced at his party, June carrying the wine, and knocked on the door. It immediately swung open, and Jeremy stood on the other side, holding the door open. His wife Sarah stood just behind her, with little Tara peeking out from behind Sarah’s leg, clutching her pant leg tight.

“Will! I’m glad you came,” Jeremy said, hugging Will. He was a big man with red hair, a couple of inches on Will, much broader shoulders, and muscles defined by years of working in the maintenance shop moving heavy parts around.

“Jeremy, let me introduce you to my...” Will struggled only a moment to find the right descriptor that wouldn’t sound weird but decided to call it as it was, “family. This is June, Ben, and Interface.” Jeremy hugged all of them, but after hugging Interface, held her by her shoulders at arm’s length to get a good look at her. “My aren’t you an unusual one.”

“That she is,” Will said. “She’s the main reason we’re all together, but that story is for after dinner with wine. Right now, you need to introduce me to these two ladies,” he said warmly.

“This is my wife Sarah, and my daughter Tara.” Sarah went up to Will and gave him a big hug. Will hugged her back, the top of her head just below his chin. The petite blonde hugged him with a surprising fierceness for a moment longer than you would expect from a friendly hug. She stepped back and looked up into Will’s eyes. “It’s so good to finally meet you, Will,” she said with an enormous smile; her eyes sparkled and were moist with a held-back tear.

“It’s good to meet you too Sarah,” Will returned the smile.

“Say hi to my friend Will and his family, Tara,” Jeremy said reassuringly.

She smiled at them shyly, gave a little wave, and then scampered back into the apartment proper from the entryway.

“She’s a cutie,” June said to Sarah warmly.

“Don’t let that fool you, she’s a little mischief maker, like her father,” Sarah said, beaming up at Jeremy, who returned the smile, putting his arm around her shoulder.

“Come in, come in, let’s not hang in the hallway,” Jeremy said, leading them into the living room. The apartment was well furnished but cozy, with an open design. The living room, dining area, and kitchen were all in sight of each other, allowing easy conversation from all three well-appointed rooms. The living room had a long couch, and opposite it, across a low coffee table, was a love seat with two stuffed, comfortable-looking chairs on either side.

Sarah took the bottle of wine from June and said, “Let me get this chilled,” then carried it to the kitchen area.

Jeremy gestured to the couch, so Will, June, Interface, and Ben squeezed down onto it, comfortably close. Will put an arm around June, and Interface sat between June and Ben, snaking her arms around their waists.

“Anyone care for some tea?” Sarah called from the kitchen.

“Yes, please,” Will, June, and Ben said in chorus. “Water, if you don’t mind,” Interface requested.

After a short time, Sarah returned to the living room with a small tray containing six tea cups and a cold glass of water. Everyone took a cup, sipped the warm, aromatic liquid, and smiled pleasantly.

“This is a nice apartment, roomier than I would have expected on a station like this,” Will said, looking around at the living space.

“Yeah, station management recognized that if you want to keep quality workers, you need to make sure they’re comfortable and well taken care of. Penrose is not a major hub, but it is an important link for a lot of the systems on this edge of the galactic trade network. They’re very supportive and foster a close community aboard the station,” Jeremy explained.

“For instance,” Sarah jumped in, “there are a lot of station-sponsored group activities, club sports teams, pottery and painting groups, and the like. I participate in a book club and a sculpture class on the weekends. It’s a lot of fun and a great way to make friends on the station.”

“What are you reading in your book club?” Interface asked, intrigued.

“We’re currently reading a historical account of the settling of Tertisus Major. A fascinating read. The failure of the colony was tragic and the book handles it well, and also provides a smoothly deliberated discussion of how at almost every step, they could have prevented the disaster if only they had made one different choice.”

Sarah smiled to herself and then continued. “Though we don’t only read historical books. Everyone takes turns picking out the book to read, the book before that was one of those romance books with a bunch of naughty parts. That was a hoot to read as a group,” Sarah said, blushing a little.

“Sounds fascinating and fun,” Interface said warmly. “Do you also work here on the station?” She asked.

“Yes, I do part-time data entry for the administration offices,” Sarah replied. “I have a terminal in the apartment, so I can work and be with Tara. It is a great setup,” she smiled, patting Jeremy’s knee. So what do you all do?”

“That’s an excellent question,” June said with a slightly exasperated smile. “Will and I still technically work for the Peirault Shipping Company, though current circumstances will probably change that. We’re heading back to Centrailia then to Durinheim to return the ‘Heart of Saturn’s’ Transponder. After that, it’s kind of up in the air.”

Sarah looked confused. “Returning just the transponder?” She questioned.

“Yeah, we recently shipwrecked not far from here, about ten lightyears,” June answered.

“Oh, my! That must have been harrowing!” Sarah exclaimed.

“Yes, it was. It was simultaneously the worst thing I’ve been through and the best,” Will said, glancing at all of his couch mates. Sarah noticed his gaze and thought to herself to ask about it later.

“Smells like dinner is almost ready. I’ll go check on it,” Sarah said, giving Jeremy a peck on the cheek.

“Smells great!” Will said, catching the delicious aroma wafting in the living room. “What’s on the menu?”

“Nothing fancy, lasagna and a green salad,” Sarah said in a slightly self-deprecating tone.

“We’ve been eating emergency rations for weeks now; a home-cooked meal sounds fantastic,” June said earnestly.

“Well, it’s done. Who wants to help me set the table?” Everyone got up and headed to the kitchen to help. In a flurry of movement and helping hands, the table was set in no time; even little Tara helped by putting the spoons on the table, although at odd angles to the rest of the silverware.

Jeremy carried the tray of lasagna, and Sarah brought the salad and wine, which were now chilled. Everyone sat, and then Sarah dished portions while Jeremy poured the wine. Tara got a cup of milk and smiled like a cherub.

With everyone seated, Jeremy raised his glass of wine, “To good friends, old and new. Salute!” They all echoed his toast and sipped their wine. They chatted while they ate, mostly about the mundane comings and goings of the station, how busy and understaffed the maintenance shop was, and the like. Jeremy and Sarah exchanged glances as Interface sipped her water but didn’t eat anything, and enjoyed the conversation nonetheless. As everyone finished up, little Tara’s head nodded as she sat in her booster chair, face covered in pasta sauce, sleepy from a hard day of play.

“It’s time for bed, honey,” Sarah said, picking Tara up from her seat.

“Not seepy,” Tara mumbled into Sarah’s shoulder, smearing sauce on her blouse.

“I know,” Sarah said. With a contented maternal look, she carried the little one off to get washed up and into bed. June and Interface watched the two leave, smiling warmly.

While Tara was being put to bed, the dishes were cleared from the table, washed, and put away, leaving only the half-full bottle of wine and glasses on the table. They had just finished cleaning up when Sarah returned.

“Out like a light,” Sarah said with a soft smile, then took her seat next to Jeremy.

“She is a sweetheart,” Interface said to Sarah and Jeremy.

“Yeah, we’re pretty lucky,” Jeremy said. June caught an unspoken exchange between Sarah and Jeremy as they briefly looked at each other. For a brief moment, Sarah’s expression was of longing and want. Jeremy responded with a sympathetic look to his wife. The brief exchange ended, and then they turned to their guests.