Ethan Rifts hates space, and yet he has joined a spacefaring crew of a small ship called the Hook Line to escape the troubles on his homeworld. The Hook Line crew needs an extra hand for an easy contract they took, and Ethan figures it will be worth it. They get help, and he gets away and can start over. Everyone wins. The crew heads to the distant planet of Onyx, but upon arrival, they find that something went wrong. The spaceport is missing, and they get a distress signal and an encrypted signal coming from a badly damaged colony ship called Bon Voyage. Upon entering Bon Voyage, they find a message on a wall.
One by one we go
When it stops, we don't know
One by one we go
After that, it becomes a fight for survival against an unknown alien species and psychotic survivors and watching it all is someone who calls himself the Voice. He claims he can help Ethan Rifts and his team, but first, they have to help him escape. However, there is more to Bon Voyage and the Hook Line, and maybe the events are not so random after all.
Planet: OROS
System: AMAZON
Sector: PORTUGUESE INTERSTELLAR
Date: FEB-28-2428
Ethan João Rifts hates space. In fact, he imagined his life going in a completely different direction when he was a kid, and it did not involve space in any way. He imagined himself growing up, growing old, and dying on Oros with an animal sanctuary in his name. But that never happened. Like many Orosians, he hopped from one job to another; from retail to grocery to fast food to retail to grocery to fast food and so on. Then a series of unfortunate events by a combination of his and other hands forced him from one situation to another, and now he is on a bus, resting his head against the back of a seat with his bag on his lap. In it is the last of his clothes, a few possessions, and some papers inside a sealed folder. The rest of his possessions have been sold off, he closed his bank account and purged his online accounts. For added security, he is wearing a gray hat to hide his dark red hair, and he has sunglasses to conceal his green eyes. He cannot do much about his pale skin, but without the hat and sunglasses he would stick out like a sore thumb, which is the last thing he wants.
The inside of the bus is white with a blue band streaking across the length that connects to the Federation of Sol Systems symbol: a golden Sculptor constellation surrounded by a golden wreath. And advertisements of vaccines, military service, universities, and movies run along the length of the bus, but they are covered in graffiti, ranging from squiggles to an actual gang sign of three machetes stacked over each other like a crossed out equal sign. Ethan does a lot to ignore that symbol.
Choro music is playing over the speakers and others on the bus talk among themselves, and Ethan believes he saw some of them look at him, but he pretends not to notice. The bus passes a scarce amount of people despite it being a sunny day, and the buildings range from high rising apartment complexes that look like bricks and steel to glass monoliths with corporate logos; with the absolute tallest belonging to a company called Arx Corporation, which its logo is simply a sharp A.
“Building the Future. Together.” is their motto, and the towering obelisk makes sure everyone knows that that is their motto.
The bus passes statues of warped proportions in front of the Museum of New Rio, advertising an exhibit for a long extinct race that used to live on the planet, and near the cultural center is a franchise restaurant with enticing holographic projections of burgers, drinks, and snacks, the most notable of these eateries is a Klumsy K’s with a 1920’s architecture design and full parking lot. At one point the bus stops the local mall, too. The mall is the Green Sky Mall because its glass roof is tinted green, and while its arches and pillars and exterior masonry give it a mediocre appearance, the interior is hollow and boring.
The bus picks up some more people from the mall bus stop, and Ethan keeps his head down as the newcomers file on, each sliding their pass across an orb at the top of the stairs. Once the new people are on, the bus resumes driving, and no trouble comes.
The longer the bus drives, the less urban the area becomes, replacing the tall buildings with short, rundown buildings such as diners and fuel stations, and a row of abandoned houses being retaken by trees, grass, and vines, and the smooth roads degrading to cracks and potholes.
The road continues on and expands into a six lane interstate with sparse traffic that slowly spreads to their own exits while the bus continues straight. The six lane road is nudged between two walls with electric fences and lampposts that would activate at night to give plenty of light to anybody driving, and the roads that split from it get the same treatment. The walls guard the infrastructure from the overgrown plant life, and the Orosian farmers must use terrariums to protect their crop and livestock, lest they want the pollen to kill their livelihood.
Thick, twisting trees, tangling vines, and heavy shrubs cover Oros, and no amount of projects could clear normal colony sizes because the plant life grew too fast. There is even rumor that the Federation resorted to a combination of fire and “salt bombs” to clear areas for settlers to build, but even keeping the cities, settlements, farms, and infrastructure operating is a monumental task due to pollen storms and the rapid growth of the plants. During pollen storms, masks are required and people are strongly advised to seek shelter to avoid getting buried or lost in the thick clouds. After the pollen storms end, clean up crews must act fast to sweep the pollen off the streets and clean the generators, which leads to frequent power outages. The fences do not do anything to stop the pollen, either, but they do stop the other plant life. But that brings the question, why would anybody settle on Oros?
For that, the answer is simple. Economics. Oros (and the Amazon Systems in general) has a lot to offer with lumber, minerals, agriculture, cattle, tourism (which include ruins of a long dead alien race), and businesses and guilds use its location as a hub. Oros’s location is good for connecting to other sectors in the Federation of Sol Systems.
To the North is the Anglosphere; to the East is the Prospect Sector; South has the Latin Planetary Republics, and West is the Expanse Colonies with the Sol System tucked behind it and surrounded by other regions in the Federation. Regions such as New Africa Territories, Grand Khazar Frontier, and the New Sun Conglomerate. Greater Arabia was also part of their Federation at one point, but a war with their neighbor did not end well, so it is no longer theirs. All this knowledge is courtesy of the public education system and the local library Ethan used to visit when he was not sneaking into the zoo.
The bus Ethan is on drives for another hour, dropping off most of the people along the way at other stops scattered along the interstate. When it reaches its destination, it stops at a sharp gate and a large cement brick wall with razor wire on top. In front of the wall gate is a large sign with “Fort Mirror” in bold white letters, and below the name is the Sculptor of the Federation, and next to it is a sailboat on top of a star with “AATS” inside said star.
This is the acronym for “Association of Assisted Transport and Security.” They are headquartered in a city called Blackwell, which is on Americana; a major planet in the Anglosphere. Ethan briefly remembers that planet, but only leaving it with his parents to head back to his father’s homeworld of Oros. It looked nice in space.
Anyway, with the bus stopped, a burly man in a red suit and black vest approaches the bus; he is followed by his partner, who is considerably smaller, but Ethan does not like the way he always keeps his hand on his holster. The driver opens the bus when the two guards approach, and the large guard gets on while the smaller one stays outside.
“Good day, Jerry,” says the guard.
“Good day, Luiz,” replies the driver, far from enthusiastic.
“How many are on the bus today?”
“Four this time.”
“Any contraband?”
“Ask them. I don’t know.”
“Do you have any contraband?”
“You serious?”
“Don’t get mad at me. I’m just doing my job.”
“No. No contraband, this time.”
The guard smiles thinly and slaps the driver’s arm with his folder as he walks on the bus. “Fico feliz em saber.”
The driver rolls his eyes, and once the guard is on the bus, he looks at everyone. His eyes are cold and black, sweat reflects off his dark tan skin, and his fingers tap on the clipboard and as he walks slowly down the aisle his partner walks after him. Each step is heavy and precise, and everyone tries to avoid eye contact as the large guard’s shadow looms over them. Unfortunately for Ethan, he is the first in line, and the guard looks at Ethan and motions him to remove his hat and sunglasses.
“Nome?” asks the guard.
Ethan reluctantly takes off his hat and sunglasses and pulls out his wallet (filled with colorful bills called “fedos”) and shows his ID. “Ethan Rifts, senhor. É meu primeiro dia como membro da AATS.”
The guard looks at the ID, and then at Ethan, saying as he returns it, “Qualquer contrabando?”
“Não, senhor.”
The guard snatches the bag and shifts through it, pulling out clothes, sniffing some of them, and running his fingers along the seams. He also pats the bag a few times and ends with ordering Ethan up and frisking him. When he is done, he forces Ethan to sit down by pressing his hand on his shoulder. Once Ethan is seated, the guard moves on.
“Você é bom. Boa sorte para você,” says the guard.
Ethan watches the guard go to the next person on the bus, and he sighs, returns his sunglasses and hat, and bangs his head against the seat while the guard searches the next person.
A little while later, the bus pulls to a stop in front of a row of block shaped buildings, all with one door and one window. In front of the line of buildings are three flag poles. The middle, and tallest, is the Federation flag with a blue background. The second one is the Oros flag, which is a tree with roots gripping a blue orb and a white background. The third and smallest is the AATS flag with a black background, and the plot of grass surrounding the flags is thick and green.
Beyond the buildings are blocks of hangars with air towers placed at equal distances. The pavement is carpeted in pollen, which is being vacuumed up by trucks with large hoses and tanks, and people wearing magnet boots are on ladders, using brooms to brush off pollen from the roofs of the structures.
Ethan and the three others get off the bus and immediately start sweating with the hot, wet atmosphere that is mixed with the smell of grass and fuel. The other three walk towards the row of buildings, and the bus drives off. Ethan looks over his shoulder, watching the bus go until it rounds a corner, then he swallows, takes a deep breath, and another deep breath, and walks towards the row of buildings. They are each numbered, starting at “01” and ending at what Ethan can only guess is “10”, and it is fortunate that Building 01 has two men sitting outside at a table and chairs, all bolted down with a fan plugged in and blowing cold air over them, as well as a radio playing. One is sunburned and muscular with blond hair and blue eyes, and the other has dark hair and eyes with copper skin. Both are wearing gray jumpsuits with dark sweat blotches around their necks and armpits, and the suits have fishhooks stitched on their backs and shoulders.
“-A polícia distribuiu uma recompensa de trinta mil fedos por informações sobre o tiroteio em massa nos Apartmentos Luxuosos do Rio Rise. O suspeito ainda é desconhecido e solto.”
Hearing that brings Ethan to stiffen and bile surges as he begins to wonder if this place knows what he did. Sure, the radio claims they have no information, but the media lies. Maybe the police have secretly passed the information on to the AATS?
“Are you serious?” says the blond man, bringing Ethan out of the paranoia trap.
“Yeah, I can’t find them,” says the dark haired man, who is searching through a backpack.
“How could you forget the cards?”
“Don’t bite my head off.”
“Getting the cards was your one job!”
“I can always go back to the ship and get it. No big deal.”
“Too late. We’re already here.”
“Excuse me,” says Ethan, feeling sick and gripping his bag with white knuckles as the radio continues its broadcast.
The pair look at him.
“Yeah?” asks the blond.
“I’m-” Ethan swallows “-looking for Captain Brown of the Hook Line.”
The dark haired man jabs his thumb at 01’s door.
“Right in there,” he says.
The blond kicks his shin. “Hey, we don’t know who this guy is… So, who are you?”
“I’m Ethan Rifts. I’m new.”
“Oh, okay. Get in there.”
Ethan blinks. “Uh…”
The blond gets up and opens the door. “Get in there. Captain’s waiting.”
Ethan takes a deep breath and goes inside. Upon entering, the door is slammed shut, making him flinch, and then he takes off his sunglasses, removes his hat. He goes to the only desk in the room, passing fans and quickly getting acquainted with the stuffy air. When he reaches the desk, he lays his bag by his feet and stands awkwardly with his folder in hand. In front of him is an elderly dark skinned man with gray hair, deep wrinkles, and gold eyes, wearing a navy blue suit with gold bars, a black belt, and black shoes; he also has a damp rag around his neck and his head shines with sweat. He is sitting behind the desk, and next to him is a lean woman, also sunburned and sweaty, with snow-white hair with blue roots and intense blue eyes; she is a head shorter than Ethan. Like the two men outside, she is wearing a gray jumpsuit with a black belt, but she also has a black vest and a gray hat with a black brim and decorated with the fishhook, and she has a pistol holstered on her belt. She is partially sitting on the table with her arms folded across her chest, one leg over the other, foot towards Ethan, and her eyes are locked on him. She also has three diamonds tattooed on her hand.
The old man stands up and holds out his hand, appearing disinterested. “Papers.”
Ethan gives the old man the folder, and he skims through it before taking out a few sheets and putting them in a folder of his own on the desk.
“So you’re Ethan Rifts,” says the old man.
Ethan nods. “Yes sir. I am here for the Hook Line. AATS said you were the only one available.”
“Your application sucks.”
Ethan shifts in his spot and looks down, and the old man puts the folder down on the desk.
“But you are the only one available, so let’s cut to it. I am Captain Abraham Brown and this-” he points to the woman, “is Marian Dartmount. She is my right hand gal.”
Ethan glances at Marian again, she furrows her brows slightly, and he quickly puts his attention back to Abraham when he starts talking again.
“Before we get too far, I want to make something clear,” says Abraham. “I did not want you on my ship, but Federation and AATS regulations say that I need a medic on board before I can go anywhere, so you’re being hired on as a medic. We’ve been stranded on this forsaken planet long enough and we’re about to lose a lot of money if we don’t get moving now.”
Ethan blinks. “But I don’t have any medical training, sir.”
“We got textbooks, a CPR dummy, and simulations. You can learn as you go,” says Abraham bluntly. “Now I run an easy ship. You do your job, do it well, and you are rewarded with a raise. Do it poorly and your ass is transferred to another ship as soon as we reach an AATS outpost. We all clean, we all cook, we all rotate for inspections, and we have game night every two days. Unfortunately, we don’t get television in space travel, so you’ll have to watch or listen to whatever disks are on board or read what we have in our library. If you want to fight anybody, keep it in the commons and do not wreck the furniture. Are we clear?”
“Yes sir.”
“Good.” Abraham returns the folder to Ethan. “Marian, show our new medic the ship and crew while I finish getting us prepped for launch. I want that engine hot and ready when I get on. We’ve already wasted enough time waiting for a replacement and I do not want that contract to expire.”
Marian gives a quick salute, slips off the table, and walks past Ethan while slipping on a pair of sunglasses she had in her pocket.
“Follow me,” she says, her voice being somewhat rough but oddly pleasant.
Ethan puts on his hat and sunglasses, picks up the bag, and then quickly follows Marian out while he puts the folder in his bag.
When they get outside, Marian says, “We’re going to have to make this quick. Captain got the word you were coming so we started the resupplying early. That means all we need is the Captain to come back with the exit code and we’ll be out in space.”
“Yes ma’am,” says Ethan.
Marian points at the large blond man. “That is Roger Whirling.” Then she points at the dark haired man. “And that is Calvin Darwish. You two, this is Ethan Rifts. He’s taking Julius’ slot.”
The two do not stand up, but Roger extends his hand.
“Hello again. Looks like you’re the lucky winner after all,” says Roger.
Ethan awkwardly shakes it. “I-I guess so.”
Calvin mimics Roger. “You’ll like it on the Hook Line. We’re like a big happy adoption home.”
Ethan shakes Calvin’s hand. “That’s… nice, I guess.”
“Cool. That is done. Time to go to the Hook Line,” says Marian.
Ethan follows Marian around the side of the building, and even though she is walking fast, he is keeping up with her. Their steps plus the wind from passing vehicles kick up clouds of pollen, and men shout orders in the distance.
“So why do you want to go to space?” asks Marian, having to raise her voice due to a passing vacuum truck making a path in the carpet of pollen.
“I just had to get away from Oros,” says Ethan. “With my mom buried I have no reason to be here, and I’ve seen enough of this place.”
“I can understand. This place is violent. I don’t speak a lick of Portuguese and yet I can tell plenty by the news.”
“Really?”
Marian nods. “Gang wars. Mob hits. Shit like that. Hell, earlier this week the news was blasting about six guys who got capped in a fancy apartment. From what I could tell it looks like the cops and locals are bracing for a mob war. I’m glad we’re leaving before that happens.”
Ethan feels sick again. “Yeah, I definitely don’t want to be around when that happens.”
And that is where that conversation ends.
Marian leads Ethan towards a massive hangar marked “01”, and inside is a large ship that is, from what Ethan can tell, 270 feet long, 170 feet wide, and 80 feet tall. It has a rectangular nose, round center, and two stubby wings with long, thin boosters, standing on braced wheels, and chained to a truck on treads waiting to pull it out. There are also smaller exhaust ports dotting the nose and running along its sides. The windows on the bridge are tinted, and on the nose is “Hook Line” with a fishhook next to it. Next to the Hook Line is a long truck (also on treads) with workers removing empty or half empty fuel canisters and replacing them with full glowing green canisters that are eight feet tall and four feet wide. The side of the Hook Line is open, and the workers are using an inclined conveyor belt and straps to guide the canisters inside. There is another truck with a massive air tank on its back that has a hose going inside the ship, and lastly is yet another truck that is parked near the back.
There is a red skinned man with long black hair, dark brown eyes, and a bead necklace, wearing his jumpsuit opened at his waist so his white shirt (wet with sweat) is exposed. He is signing the paperwork on a clipboard for a driver who is next to a robotic cart with orbs on its corners and bands of digital screens on its sides. After the paperwork is finished, the driver and his cart leave, and the red skinned man looks at Marian as she and Ethan walk up.
“Hey Marian, we just got the supplies reloaded. Can we please leave this planet now? Or is the Captain still waiting for the replacement?” he asks.
“We finally got our medic, so we can go within the hour,” says Marian. “Ethan, this is Moon Stone. Moon, this is Ethan Rifts. He’s going to be our replacement medic.”
“Oh really?” Moon looks up and down Ethan with his hands on his hips and his brows scrunched. “Where’d you study?”
“Nova Faculdad Comunitéria Do Rio,” says Ethan.
“The hell is that?”
“A community college.”
“Great. Did they have a medical course there?”
“I, uh, I didn’t study medical. I minored in business and majored in animal hospitality.”
“Nice.” Moon smacks his lips and glares at Marian. “Nice. Julius’ replacement isn’t even a trained medic. What kind of dumb shit is that?”
“Take it up with the Captain,” says Marian. “And stop being dramatic. It’s not like Julius is dead. He just changed crews.”
“The Captain should have hired someone with medical training.”
“Take it up with the Captain, Moon.” Marian shakes her head and walks up the Hook Line’s ramp. “Come on, Newbie.”
Ethan follows Marian up the ramp, and after making the mistake of looking at Moon his steps quicken to get away from the glare.
The interior of the ship is cooler and not as bright, so the two take off their sunglasses. The first area is wide with a metal floor and metal crates tied down, as well as a robotic cart with orbs on its corners and bands of digital screens on its sides; it too is strapped down and it beeps and whirs when Marian waves at it.
“That is HL-0001, but we call him HL,” says Marian. “HL, this is Ethan. Say hi, HL.”
HL-0001 beeps and rocks back and forth in its straps as green bars scroll across its screen, and Ethan quietly waves. After he greets HL, Marian continues walking, and once they exit that room they enter a hallway with lights that are spaced evenly down the hallway, which has labeled doors going down their length. The walls are sleek and have wood panels with pictures of various landscapes. But one section is a large, locked case holding various certificates and inspection reports. The floor has a thin red carpet stained with black footprints, and it leads to a door down the hall.
“Armory. Locker room. Fridge. Freezer. Dry storage. Broom closet. Back there was receiving,” says Marian, pointing at each room with snapping motions while muffled noises travel beneath their feet. “Down there is the engine room, which you shouldn’t be down there without explicit permission from either Captain Brown, me, or our engineer, Aiden Parsen.”
She kneels and pulls open a latch that reveals metal stairs and a room down below that is brightly lit, and the commotion of refueling and re-airing with talking workers floods out. Ethan cannot see anything much down there besides the stairs, metal walls, and a calendar of… He squints his eyes… The calendar has a canine, girl… humanoid… thing in a skimpy bikini leaned over a beach ball on a bright, sunny beach with white sand.
Ethan leans back and looks at Marian, who is giving him a knowing look.
“Aiden is a veteran of the Aarde Conflict,” says Marian. “That’s his calendar.”
“Is he… Is he into that?” asks Ethan.
“He married an Aarden, so, yeah, he’s definitely into it.”
Ethan wrinkles his nose but is quickly slapped on the back of the head.
“Don’t make that face,” snaps Marian. “His wife is sweet. Her English is terrible, and her accent is thicker than a milkshake, but still. She’s sweet.”
Then the door at the end of the hallway opens and a man with a mountain of height and sheer muscle mass enters. He has thick dark hair with streaks of red on his temples, and there is an orange tint in his hazel eyes, and when he sees Marian and Ethan kneeling by the engine room he smiles and strolls towards them.
“Hello, Mary. Who do we have here?” asks the man.
“Aiden, this is Ethan Rifts. Ethan is going to be our medic. He also peeked at your calendar,” says Marian.
Aiden shrugs. “Not like I hide it.” He looks at Ethan. “Medic, huh? What kind of training do you have?”
“None, sir.”
“Well, that’ll change soon enough. Now if you will excuse me, I have an engine to prep.”
Aiden slips between them and squeezes through the doorway, and he goes down the stairs.
“Better hurry. The Captain is already getting the clearance for liftoff,” says Marian.
“The engine will be hot and ready when he pulls up,” says Aiden. “Also, stay out of the bathroom for a while. I left a present for Taksheel to clean up.”
“You know he’ll get you for that,” says Marian with a grin.
“I’ll worry about it in the future.”
Then she closes the latch and motions Ethan to follow her. They go through the door Aiden came from and enter the commons. It is a circular area with a kitchen in one portion, a dining room in another, and an area with couches and love seats, a mounted TV with an entertainment center, and a full bookcase. The commons have doors, more wood panels, and lights, and in the center is a large thick door with “Bridge” above it. Off to the side at the far end is another door, white with a red center, and above it is “Infirmary.” Next to it is the community bathroom and showers. The community area is also decorated with the paraphernalia of fishing equipment, taxidermy of fish from various worlds, pictures of fish and fishing boats, and a blueprint of a crab fishing boat.
“Infirmary is where you’ll be most of the time,” says Marian while Ethan studies the decor. “The bridge is where we’ll have our meetings, and everyone is paired in their rooms. You get to bunk with Moon.”
Ethan looks at Marian with worry, but she ignores him and walks to a room marked “Moon + [Reserved].”
But before she can open the door, another door marked “Taksheel + Aiden” opens, and a light gray, slender man with a wiry build, curly black hair, and stone gray eyes walks out wearing black boxers. When he sees Marian scowling and Ethan giving him a blank look, he stops and nods upward a bit.
“‘Sup,” he says.
Ethan’s eyes flick up and down the man’s odd body, completely silent.
“You better be auditioning for an underwear commercial,” says Marian sourly.
“No, I’m banging Riva. Or was. We are done now. A little victory session for completing our tasks.” Taksheel ends with a click and wink.
Marian scoffs. “Pig. Ethan, this is Taksheel Iyer. He is a failed underwear commercial actor now resident conspiracy nut. Taksheel, this is Ethan Rifts. He’s a medic without medical training.”
Taksheel holds out his hand, and Ethan reluctantly grabs it and finds himself not liking how Taksheel locks his arm in place, squeezes his hand, and peers into his eyes.
“You’re not Section 0, are you?” asks Taksheel.
“I… What?” Ethan looks at Marian and then at Taksheel. “What are you talking about?”
“Knock it off, Taksheel,” says Marian.
Taksheel’s cold eyes warm up, and he smiles and releases Ethan’s hand. “I’m just trying to protect the crew. You know these Section 0 guys are bad news. I got all kinds of shit on them if you want to see my wall.” He starts counting off with his fingers. “I got maps, pictures, articles, leaked memos. You name it, I got it, and I am gonna make a screenplay about it one day. Starring me, of course, as my big comeback after being blacklisted from lotion commercials. Aiden’s going to help, too, with his experience in black ops and all.”
Ethan scrunches his brows and Marian sneers.
“You actually have to have talent first, Taksheel,” says Marian.
“Says the gender quota hire,” retorts Taksheel.
Marian narrows her eyes and Ethan’s eyes dart between them. Then Taksheel’s door opens, and an elegant woman shyly pokes her head out. She is fair skinned, and she has brown eyes, like melted chocolate, and messy dark hair with thick lashes, and she is covering herself with a sheet.
“Do we have a new person?” asks the woman.
“Yeah, this is Ethan. He’s replacing Julius,” says Taksheel.
“Thank God. Julius gave me the creeps.” The woman leans out slightly and extends her hand, which has three diamonds tattooed on it. “Hello Ethan, my name is-”
“Whoa, stop! I’m doing the introductions!” interrupts Marian. “Ethan, Riva Bonnevue. She is our computer specialist. Riva, Ethan Rifts. He is going to be our medic with no training. And do not shake her hand. You don’t know where’s it been.”
Ethan drops his hand and Riva retracts hers with a shameful blush.
“But I do,” says Taksheel with a smirk.
“Put some clothes on! Both of you!” yells Marian. “We’ll be leaving within the hour. As for you, Ethan.” Marian opens Moon’s door and points inside. “Make yourself at home.”
Ethan walks into the small room, finding two beds, two dressers (one with hair care and candles), and two little lamps above the beds, and one large light in the center of the ceiling. He sees one bed is tidy, and the other is messy with a dream catcher and marked calendar above it. So he puts his bag on the tidy bed and looks at Marian, who is leaning against the door frame, watching him closely.
“Excuse me, Marian,” says Ethan.
“Just Dartmount. We aren’t on a first name basis yet,” says Marian.
“Yes ma’am. But will we be gone a long time?” asks Ethan.
Marian stares at him critically for a few seconds before slowly speaking. “Yeah. The Captain hates this planet. No offense.”
Ethan waves dismissively. “None taken.”
“But we’ll be doing what we’ve always done,” continues Marian. “Help a stranded ship, do some resource delivery, serve as security or taxi. It all depends on the contract. Right now, we’re going to the Prospect Sector on a taxi job to pick up some guy at Onyx Station. The pay is really good, but Julius ducking out on us put us in a bind, so the Captain is grouchy now. You arriving probably saved our commission, but we’ll have to double time it now.”
Ethan feels a little bit of relief come in, but it is not about the commission. The Prospect Sector is not only the newest addition to the Federation, but Onyx Station is in the Peace System, which is the farthest system in humanity’s interstellar empire. He will be far from trouble out there.
“What is the route after we’re done?” asks Ethan.
Marian stares at him again, only longer this time and her finger tapping hard against her wrist. “We’ll head down to the Latin Planetary Republics, drop the guy off at Isabella Station, and then we’ll cross through the Expanse Colonies, pass through the Anglosphere and New Sun to get to the Aarde Union. Then we’ll spend some time on Aarde so Aiden can see his wife. You won’t see this place for a long time.”
“That’s fine by me.”
“You also came at a good time because we have a vacation coming up for the Hook Line, and if we’re lucky, the vacation will take us to Winter 9,” says Marian, her eyes drifting right.
“That is a specific planet,” says Ethan.
Marian shrugs. “Winter 9 has some amazing slopes and…”
Marian’s voice drifts off, and a few seconds later she taps the door frame and walks off.
“Never mind, chitchat is over. Get set up quick,” she says, her voice carrying in the ship. “We’ll be having a team meeting when the Captain comes back.”
Ethan watches her go, and after she is out of sight, he blows a puff of air and begins unpacking.