Chapter 11

Cara led Tom down a hallway to a lift.

“I’m going to put you on level three. We are fully staffed, so the only room we have is Lee’s old room. We keep it available for VIPs if none of her or her husband’s family are on board.”

“The room won’t let a lot of people into it, but since you’re a special case, I think it will. You can call me on your Mad or rather your vambrace if you need my help.”

Once they got out of the lift, Cara stopped in the hall and fronted a device that was in a small alcove. She typed on the screen for several seconds and then stepped back. “Place your hand on this pad, and once it acknowledges you, step back a few paces so it can scan you.”

“What is it?” Tom asked while looking at the device with fascination.

“Oh, this is a replicator interface. See that chute, you can put your dirty clothes or any other rubbish in it, and the items will get recycled. You can get a lot of items from the replicator. I have given you VIP status so you can access a lot more than most of our tourists can without having to pay for anything.”

“If you need money, I think you can see if any of your items from your time are considered collectables and get it that way. I can take you to see an agent for our bank to set up an account. They can also appraise the item for you.”

“Thanks,” Tom replied. He stepped up to the machine and placed his hand on the pad. It glowed green and then a menu popped up on the main screen.

“Please step back Mr White, so you can be scanned if you wish to order clothing,” a pleasant female voice asked him from the machine. Tom did as requested and then waited while a thin green light scanned his body from head to toe.

The voice then said, “Thank you. You can now make your choices from the menu provided. Since you already have an account with the B&C Bank, items that require coin will be displayed.”

Cara looked at Tom, oddly, “Huh! I wonder why it says you have an account?”

Tom just shrugged, “Your guess is as good as mine. I’ve never seen one of these things before.”

Cara had to take him at his word and proceeded to show Tom the clothes and shoes that he could select from the menu. He learned that a lot of the tourists liked wearing the jumpsuits for comfort, but he could also get gym clothes and night attire.

Since Tom found the halls a little chilly after being in the desert, he selected a blue and black jumpsuit for now, and a sturdy pair of boots. Cara then showed him how to get to toiletries and then linen so he could get some towels if he didn’t like the air-dryers, and fresh sheets if he needed them.

Tom was utterly fascinated with the selection of items and took in everything Cara told him. They collected his pile of goods from the hatch that opened with them neatly stacked inside. Cara then took him down the hall to the room he was to stay in, while he was on board the ship.

“None of the other rooms are as big as this one is,” Cara explained. “When the ship was built, this room was designed by the ship’s Vet for him and his wife, but she didn’t want to be down here.”

“When Queen Lee was a member of the crew back in ninety-four, it had been halved and turned into a normal bunk room. However, she had a pet pig and needed more room when her now-husband, Sean Watson, moved in with her, so she had the room reinstated back to its original design.”

“When she became a Lord Wizard, she put spells on the room so only people she approved of could use it. Put your hand on the door and see if it opens for you,” Cara asked Tom.

Tom placed his free hand onto the door and was relieved that it opened. “Wow! This is some nice digs.”

The room had a queen-sized bed against the back wall. To his left were a two-seater blue velvet couch, a glass coffee table and two wheelie chairs under a long slim bench. A row of cupboards ran down the right side, and the entrance to a bathroom was to his right.

“Well, it looks like it is yours for now. Let’s dump this stuff, and I’ll give you a quick tour of the ship, so you know where to get food and where the recreation areas, the lounges and the gym are.”

Tom agreed as they put the items away.

Tom was given a Cook’s tour of the major features of the Starship Fortune.

Cara took Tom to the dome first, and Tom was entranced. “This ship is disc-shaped. She is 550m at her longest point, 260m at the widest and 65m at the deepest, excluding the dome. Officially, there are nine levels, and it carries two, ten-man shuttles.”

“The outer walls of the dome are 60cm thick. It is considered Level One, but it actually has two levels in the inner core. It is approximately 150m in diameter at the base and 25m at its highest point. It comprises of three rings. The core, the inner ring that has six sections, and the outer ring also has six sections.”

“The two outer sections of the dome used to be used for hydroponics. However, we only keep about a third of it in use these days. We also shifted the animals up from Level Three, some years ago to sections of the inner ring. They seemed to prefer being up here too.”

“The top of the core is rad as we have several telescopes you can use as well as the recreational areas you will see. We even have a playground for the kids and chess and gaming tables for those who like those activities.”

“I’ll definitely have to come back up here to explore,” Tom told Cara after their quick look around.

Cara smiled at him and took him down to the main canteen on Level 2. She and the cook on duty helped him collect some supplies that he could have in his room, like a bottle of milk, tea bags, a box of sugar cubes, a jar of instant coffee and a variety of snacks.

They then went back to Level 3. Cara pointed out the gym and one of the other entertainment rooms on the way to his room. Once they had put away the snacks, she showed him how to use the loo, shower, and air-dryer.

Cara also noticed that her charge was starting to yawn and realised that for him, it was now very late at night. “I’ll let you get some rest. Comm me in the morning and I’ll make sure you get some breakfast.”

“That would be great, thanks, Cara. I’d also like to check on Lorena in the morning too, please,” Tom told her.