Chapter 2: In Transit

43821 grew progressively smaller as the Roarin’ Lion pulled out of its gravity well. Solan had offered to help pilot the ship but was politely told to sit in his chair and not touch anything. So now he sat quietly and tried not to fidget. It had been three years since he had been at the controls of anything but a mine cart.

“How long until we get to Vosta?”

“‘Bout three days. There’s an asteroid field that we’ll have to hop around, otherwise it would only take two.” The Captain didn’t look up from the controls. Everything had to be entered into the computer correctly or they would risk flying into a passing comet or a nice big moon.

“What do you do to pass the time out here?” He had plenty of studying to do but he was curious for any information about the Captain.

The big man finished his work and the stars stretched and blurred around them as they slipped into hyperspace. The autopilot was locked in and he turned face to face with Solan. “The same way you spent time on that ice ball. Can’t go outside, so you use your time to do work. I do maintenance on the ship, balance the books, watch the news. In your case I’d start studying your database. Learn everything you can about alien customs. Some of the other species aren’t the most friendly beings around. And in Fringe Space if somebody is offended and decides to shoot you, nobody’s gonna stop him.”

“Is there no law out there at all?”

“Well, it’s like any other region of space. Some systems are rougher than others. Most conventions are still followed. If he’s caught, a thief is still a thief. The biggest thing is that a man’s supposed to be able to look after himself there. If you’ve got a problem, it’s your problem, other people don’t get involved. Each planet’s got its officials and security detail to investigate murder, arson, and the like. But if you mouth off to somebody and they decide to handle it, that’s considered fair game.”

Solan was having second thoughts, “Maybe this isn’t the best place to be going.”

The Captain waved away his concern. “Nah, I worked the fringe for years. There’s nothin’ to it. And if you’re lookin’ for excitement there’s no place better. Look, we’ve got three days to kill, stay close and I’ll try to teach you a few things so nobody’ll try puttin’ a new hole in your head the first day out.”

“Does that come with the ten thousand or do I need to pry out a few fillings to make up the difference?”

“We’ll call this a charitable contribution. Educating the youth of the galaxy.”

For three days the Captain taught him the basics of deep space navigation and spaceship mechanics. Solan knew he was a good pilot in normal space, but he had never had to travel between systems before. The older man also shared his wisdom on how to survive in a galaxy of hostile aliens and opportunists.

“If you’re unsure what the right thing to say is, don’t say anything. You’re better off keepin’ your trap shut than throwing out what you think is what they want to hear. Most beings aren’t gonna be offended by silence. It also adds an air of mystery to you and gives the impression you can keep a secret. Hand me that electrolyzer will ya?”

They were in the engine room working on the environmental systems. The huge man was on his back with his head and arms under a terminal looking for a loose wire that was causing it to short circuit. He kept a running monologue going the whole time he worked.

“You ever fired a gun before?”

Solan dropped the tool he had been passing to him. The thought that he would have to shoot someone caught him off guard.

Hi teacher poked his head out to look at him. “I’ll take that as a no. When we’re done here I’ll show you something else to pass the time.”

“That’s it, sight along the barrel. Breath nice and even, take your time. When you’re ready just squeeze the trigger.” The Captain closed his eyes and stepped behind the younger man. He hoped the boy would get it right this time. They had already been at this for an hour.

Solan did as he was told, tried to relax, and pulled the trigger. The bolt left the gun and sped across the room to the training dummy. In the blink of an eye it was to the dummy’s head ... and past it. A full half meter to the left. The Captain threw up his hands in disgust. “I don’t know what to tell ya kid. You’re doing everything you’re supposed to. It’s just not coming together.”

“I don’t get it. I was a great shot with a stunner rifle when I was a kid.” He handed the large pistol back to the towering pilot and massaged his shoulder. “Maybe if this thing didn’t weigh as much as my leg the recoil wouldn’t almost knock me over every time.”

“Sorry. I’m a big guy, I like a big gun. But you can’t always have a perfect situation can you? Keep practicing and try not to blow a hole in my ship. When you get to Vosta you can pick something that’s more suited to you. Just remember to get a holster that straps low on your hip. The grip should sit in your palm when you’re standing at ease. Shoulder holsters are for idiots. In a tense situation if you reach up to your armpit it’s gonna be obvious to everyone in the room what you’re planning. If you place it right and practice a bit, you can have the gun up and firing before anyone knows what’s going on.”

The big guy handed the gun back and walked out of the room. Solan went over to look at the dummy. It was just a legless torso on a stand made of a rubber composite that turned black when a stun blast hit it, then faded back to normal in a few minutes. The shooting range was an empty cargo hold on the lower deck of the ship. After an hour of being shot at the dummy had only turned black once. And it was when Solan had watched the Captain’s demonstration.

He looked down at the weapon he’d been using. It was a Vostan CK-12 and the big freighter pilot had told him it had enough power to take the head off a Betostic swamp elephant. The older man was able to lift it as though it only weighed a few ounces, but it took the strength in both of Solan’s arms to sight it properly. His shoulders were already sore from the strain. He looked down at his wrist. According to his chronograph there was only nine hours left until they got to Vosta.

Screw it.

Solan dropped the gun on the stand with the practice dummy and went back to his bunk. His time would be better spent studying.

He must have nodded off over the computer because the next thing he knew the intercom was buzzing in his ear. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and used his other hand to search for the com. “Yeah, I-I’m here.”

“Mornin’ Sunshine. We’re coming up on Vosta, so get it down here boy. Time to learn how to do a proper landing.”

Vosta traffic control had the ship logged in as the Veteran Beggar and they were directed to a port outside the largest industrial center. Solan was dragging his crates over to the hatch where the Captain waited. “How many names does this tub have?”

“I’m a sailor. A girl and a new name in every port.”

“I’m sure your wife loves that joke.” Solan said with a glance at the ring on the man’s finger.

“Depends on which one you ask. All right boy, I got you here in one piece so if you’ll kindly hand over the rest of my fee.” Solan gave the Captain a thick bundle of credits. “Now a few last pieces of advice and then you’ll never have to listen to me ramble again. First and foremost, buy yourself a gun you can actually shoot worth a damn. Next, change your appearance as much as you can. Ditch those Syndicate coveralls fist chance you get. As soon as your father gets back to work and puts together what happened there’ll be a company warrant out on you. Once you leave the United Systems that won’t mean much but there’s always the chance that someone will try to make some quick cash by turning you in. So change the way you look and get a decent phony I.D. Somewhere in this city there’ll be a forger or two that knows what they’re doing. Too big a place to not have at least one. If you ask in the right places you’ll find what you’re looking for.”

The older man opened the hatch and the bright light of the shipyard streamed onto the ramp down to the surface.

“That’s all I got. Try not to do anything stupid like getting’ yourself killed. And if you get arrested or dragged back to the Syndicate, be sure to tell them it was a pretty little blonde girl that picked you up.”

Solan laughed at that. “Absolutely. Thanks for the ride Captain...”

“Ha, nice try. I wouldn’t tell my own mother my real name. Good luck kid.” The enormous man held out his hand and Solan didn’t hesitate to shake it. He still didn’t know how he felt about this guy but he had gotten him off of 43821 and that was no small thing. He let go after a moment and they nodded to each other. As he walked down the ramp the Captain went about his work unloading his ship.

The passenger liners were on the other side of the docks from where they had landed. Solan had trouble navigating his way through the maze of freighters. Loading drones were everywhere moving cargo, not caring who they might run over in the course of their work. Service crews dragged hoses to their ships, creating a tangled mess on the pavement. Solan was even more thankful to the Captain for loaning him an antigrav sled for his crates.

“Why the hell don’t they have directions posted?” It had been three years since he had been anywhere that wasn’t just him, his father, and a bunch of empty space.

He tried asking a few of the dock workers where to go and received nothing but sour looks. By the time he got past of the mess he was sweating and frustrated. He leaned against a wall and looked for a clear way through the docks while wiping the grime from his forehead. There were so many different species moving about he could only recognize half of them. Callorna orbited a star deep in the center of the Unified Systems. As a child the only aliens he’d ever seen were those on the news, and they had been too far away to be real. Now they were everywhere he turned, haggling over the price of fuel and yelling at each other in a hundred different languages. He could feel himself beginning to buckle under the pressures that now faced him. He stared around wildly. A thousand different eyes stared back at him it seemed. And not one of them cared what happened to him as long as it didn’t affect their lives.

Solan took a deep breath and closed his eyes, trying to shut everything out.

Turns out the old man was right. It’s time to grow up. Nobody cares what happens to me here, but that isn’t any different than the way things were with dad. He only cared that I followed orders. I’m working myself up over nothing. These beings are the same as all the others I’ve known. Just keep my mouth shut and stay out of the way. You know where the passenger liners are, you saw them on the way in to land. One step at a time.

He opened his eyes and took another look around. Everyone near him shuffled past without seeming to notice him. There were no hostile glares or whispered conversations. He was just another face in the crowd.

Feeling more reassured he grabbed the sled and started moving through the flow of people. He remembered something his mother had told him when he was a child before they visited Callorna’s capital city. “Act like you belong, even if you don’t. Thieves and con artists look for people that stand out so no gawking or pointing. Make it seem like you’re bored, as though we’ve done this a thousand times before.” Easy for her to say, she’d been born in the capital. She had done it a thousand times. Still, it was good advice, so Solan squared his shoulders and tried to look as relaxed as possible. The crowd ahead began to thin out and he spotted a slidewalk that looked like it circled around the dock area. After carefully stepping onto the moving pavement, he looked up and waited to catch a glimpse of the huge passenger ships.

Signs popped up every so often listing short term and long-term docking bays all the way through to privately owned hangars and the shipyards for the local division of planetary security. He was starting to think he’d gone in the wrong direction after all when the slidewalk curved around the security administration building and stopped abruptly in front of the terminal for commercial liners.

Solan breathed a sigh of relief and hurried through the entryway. The inside of the terminal was even more of a confused mess than the freighter docks had been. Businessmen paced around talking into portable com units trying to get the latest information on their clients. Families crowded around piles of luggage while they decided which parent would watch their offspring while the other one bought tickets. It took twenty minutes for a service booth to open up long enough for him to get close to it. There was a few seconds of lag before a hologram of an attractive female was displayed in front of him.

“Good afternoon, how may I assist you?”

“Um, I need some information on flight schedules I think.”

“Of course, please state your desired destination or service provider.” The hologram was certainly well programed. Her smile seemed genuine, and she spoke in a friendly, pleasant manner.

“I need to know if there are any flights to the Zendi system.”

“There are three flights to that system in the next standard week. The next one is scheduled to leave tomorrow at seven A.M. local time.” Another patient smile.

“Are there any seats available?”

“This flight takes you outside of United Systems territory and will last for approximately eight days. The only space available is a private cabin. Would you like to book one now?”

“Maybe. If I get a ticket now is there any way to leave my things on board overnight?” He didn’t want to wander around the city dragging one hundred kilos of illegally obtained tenactite with him.

“Oh yes! As soon as your ticket is processed you will have access to your cabin. And for added security each room can be coded to the occupant’s thumb print for the duration of the voyage. Would you like to book this flight now?”

“Just hold on, ok? How much is a one-way ticket?”

“What currency will you be paying with today?”

“United Systems credits. Cash.”

“Excellent, the total charges will come to five thousand two hundred and fifty credits. Would you like to book this flight now?”

Solan smiled to himself. He should have known the Captain was ripping him off. This trip was almost three times as long and he’d probably have a nicer room. “Yeah, I’ll take a room for one.”

“Of course. If you would place your payment in the slot, I will begin processing your ticket. Do you have any known allergies or other special needs?”

“No.”

“Thank you for your business. Your ticket should be printing out now. Is there anything else I may help you with?”

“No. Wait, yeah there is. Do you know if there’s a place nearby where I can get some new clothes and something to eat?”

“Yes. When exiting this building the third slidewalk from the right will take you to the local shopping center.”

Good. Time to ditch this jumpsuit. “Thanks for the help.”

“You’re welcome. Please enjoy your stay in our city.” The hologram bowed her head politely and winked out.

He picked up the ticket and moved away from the booth. As he was leaving the next person bumped into him in their hurry to get to the service booth. Normally he would just brush off the incident, but his nerves had been on edge since he landed, and this was the last straw.

“Hey buddy, there’s no need to be rude.” He reached out to grab the alien by the shoulder but it quickly moved out of the way.

“It’s not my fault you weren’t smart enough to move out of the way human.” By the sound of its voice Solan guessed it to be male. He was a small wiry creature with dark grey skin and indigo colored eyes. When he opened his mouth to talk he revealed rows of little pointed teeth. “And if you want, I can be even more rude.” With that he slid his hand up over his hip to let it rest on the handle of a gun.

Solan reached his hand into his pocket as though he too was grabbing a weapon and stepped closer to the little alien. He leaned over him trying to use his size to intimidate him. “I wouldn’t want things to get messy. Even if you can shoot me before I stick ya, with all these humans around, what’re the odds of a little runt like you makin it out of here in one piece?”

The alien peeked around Solan’s chest and saw that there was indeed a large crowd forming around them. It wasn’t possible for him to go pale but his eyes certainly did get a little wider.

“That’s right. Now just take your hand off of that stun gun and say you’re sorry.” Solan smiled pleasantly but the alien had his eyes on his pocket. He started to pull his hand out and the smaller being moved back a step. The smile had turned into a cold glare.

“All right, all right! I’m sorry!” The alien pulled his hands clear with a huff.

Solan pulled out an empty wrapper and threw it in the trash can near the service booth. Several of the nearby people began to laugh. The smile came back for real this time. “Good. Next time you’re out in public be more polite.”

He grabbed his things and started walking to his ship again. The crowd broke up, leaving the alien fuming at the ticket counter.

As he pushed through the remaining gawkers, he kept his face neutral and tried not to make eye contact. He used the sled to make a path, and no one seemed keen on talking to him. A brisk walk got him to his boarding ramp in a few minutes.

There was no attendant standing around, so he just crossed the ramp and boarded the ship. According to his ticket he was in cabin twenty-one, C deck, port-side, aft. There were plenty of crew members on board to help him and he found his bunk in no time. The door wouldn’t open right away so he slid his ticket into the scanner.

“Thank you, Mr. Darkner. You may now access your cabin. Would you like to key the lock to your thumb print now for added security?”

“Yes.”

“Please place your thumb up to the scanner.” Solan did as he was told and a few seconds later the machine beeped telling him it was finished. “Thank you for your cooperation. We hope you have a pleasant trip.”

The door slid open into a spartan one room suite. A bed was against the far wall under the window, with the bathroom to one side and a large closet on the other. He stepped into the room and the door slid shut behind him. The crates on their sled were pushed towards the closet so that he could collapse on the bed.

He was dirty, exhausted, and hungry. But all of that was slowly slipping away. The encounter with the dark skinned alien had left him feeling strangely exhilarated. Once again, he had been in a dangerous spot but had kept his head and come out in one piece. Luck had been the deciding factor and he knew it. It was his own fault that the whole thing had even happened. Still, he had handled the confrontation nicely, and that gave him a little hope for how he would do out on his own.