The Letter

The wind blew over the cockpit of Jake Barnes' small ship as he entered the atmosphere. His broad forehead furrowed as he ran through the landing cycle. The triangular ship rocked back and forth as he blew through the thick grey clouds. "'C'mon Old Girl stay together," he said in his deep, rolling voice. He chuckled as he looked at the metal dashboard full of dials in front of him. A black placard was stuck in the center that said Old Girl, the very name he'd just said. "Mickey wasn't exactly inventive when he named you, was he?" he said to the air.

The old red freighter's pointy nose, laden with antenna poles that jutted out in front of it, cut spear-like through the blood red sky as he pushed the two-handled black control yoke down. Alarms blared as Old Girl tried to shake itself apart. "Come on, I didn't spend a thousand credits for you to fly apart on me," Jake groaned as he reached up to the low ceiling and yanked on a lever over his head. Two of thick metal panels on the outside of the ship blew open and large mylar parachutes ripped into the air, jerking the ship to a sudden halt.

Jake blew out a long sigh as leaned back in the cracked wooden pilot's chair as it swung around on the stanchion stuck into the cracked metal floor. "That was closer than I wanted, but Mickey was right about this planet's messed up gravity." Sure, he was talking to himself, but had to talk to somebody, didn't he? He slipped out of the chair as he looked at his attire. The dusty, grimy grey jumpsuit he wore smelled as bad as his thickly muscled body did. His brown eyes were red and tired after two months traveling here. His ruggedly handsome face was encased in a red beard that linked up with shaggy red hair by his cauliflower-shaped ears. He rubbed his ears as he remembered his time as a wrestler back home. Home. What did that word even mean anymore?

The ship's computer auto-rotated the conical engines in the rear to flame downward as the throttle lowered to half speed. Jake leaned over the holo-display in the center of the dashboard as he watched the ground rush up to meet him. The picture was fuzzy, but he could clearly see the ruins of what looked like an ancient city. “That's it," he said excitedly, slapping the dashboard. Two years Mickey's had me looking for this place, and I finally found it, he thought. The ship ran through the landing cycle, dropping the massive struts underneath that the ship bounced onto as it landed heavily. He sniffed himself. "After this, I'm takin' a loonnnng shower."

The dome lights in the cockpit flickered as the ship's power cycled down. Jake was already on the move, though. Behind the cockpit was a set of five lockers, but he only opened the first one. Inside was a thick orange space suit and grey metal helmet. Both parts were dusty and greasy, as if they hadn't been used in a long time. Jake unzipped the front of the suit and and slipped it on, curling his nose at the musty smell that came from inside. The suit self sealed onto him as he stepped into it with a loud hiss. He pulled on the helmet, which sealed over his head with a loud click. A see-through pane of transparisteel dropped down in front of him, making everything around him have an orange hue. His tongue flicked a tiny lever in front of his mouth. "Testing, one two, three." He could hear himself echoing out of the ship's speakers in the ceiling. He squeezed his right fist, making the two tanks on his back come to life with a whir of fans that buzzed to life inside of his helmet. "Right, well, this old thing still works," he said as he pulled on two heavy rubber boots over his own ankle boots he'd pulled out of the locker. It was a struggle in the suit, but once he got his feet in, the boots quickly sealed. One more thing was needed though. On a small shelf at the top of the locker, he pulled down a web-belt with a large leather holster attached. Inside the holster was a long-barreled pistol with a curved handle. "Can't be too careful, now can we?" he said as he strapped on the revolver around his waist. Then he walked away slowly.

Jake's steps were heavy and his breathing labored as he headed toward the airlock, sweat pouring down his face. The fans and the water recycler repurposing his sweat into drinkable water kept him from overheating, but just barely. "What I wouldn't give for a beer right now," he grumbled. He stomped over to the circular airlock and looked down at his hands. "Suit, activate gloves." There was a loud beep, and then two thick armored gloves formed as they flowed out of the cuffs of his spacesuit. He felt the coolness of the grey liquid that formed a mold over his hands. When that was done, he reached for a small box on the airlock and pressed a glowing green button. With a hiss of air, the grey metal airlock split open in the center. He walked inside as bright white lights clicked to life, illuminating the interior. Banks of blinking lights covered both sides of the sloping airlock that moved in succession as he walked toward the end of the lock. At the other end was a thick metal door with two thick handles in the center. He placed his hands on the handles and turned them both sharply right, straining as the metal creaked and popped. "Old Girl, gimme a little help here," he said as he turned them both.

Finally, the door squeaked open as metal ground on metal, pulling inside on rails. "Computer, activate boarding ramp." A long ramp rolled out of the underside of the ship down the fifteen feet to the ground. He clomped down the stairs and was immediately confronted by a powerful wind that howled over his old suit.

A whistling noise in his ear told him that one of the seals was broken. Of course it would. Piece of junk. He could smell a rancid smell coming from the nearest building the best he could describe smelled like death. The tiny whistle was annoying, but none of his sensors were being tripped. He took that as a good sign. As he finished de-boarding, his feet his hit ground that wasn't quite rock or grass. Ito looked and felt like beach sand, only much harsher. "Suit, activate drones. Scanner ground twenty feet around me." He felt a slight jerk as three small, sleek triangular drones whooshed off the large tanks on his back. They flew in a circle, light from their bellies washing over the ground. He watched on the rotating display on his helmet screen as they shot data his way. "Hmm. This ground looks like it was blown away by something powerful. Maybe they had a big war?"

Jake's musings were cut off as a sensor started beeping madly. "Drones, move to coordinates 1457 North of this position." He pulled out his pistol ad pressed on a button over the handgrip. The pistol turned blue, then red, showing it was ready on his display. "Alright, whatever's out there, I'm ready for. At least, I hope I am."

He followed in the drones' wake as fast as his bulky suit would allow, holding the pistol by his side. The sensor ping beeped incessantly, making him grind his teeth. That's gonna get old real fast. He felt the ground rumble up his feet, hard as a pane of glass. Glass. Yeah that's what it feels like. Something bad has happened here alright. It didn't take long to find what was making the sensors go ape. The drones stop over a large bundle, held by a skeleton that was covered in what seemed to be some kind of burnt clothing. It had its mouth open in what seemed to be an eerie kind of scream that never ended. Next to the skeleton was a pair of smaller skeletons which appeared to be children, or what used to be children. "You went out rough didn't you?" He felt a wave of sadness, even though he had no idea who these people were. The sensor beeped madly as he gazed at the bundle. "No way it's that easy, is it?" He knelt down as slipped his pistol back into the holster. He rummaged through the bundle, till he found a small blue crystal. "That's what Mickey said it'd be. Time for me to go."

He started to get up when a gust of wind hit him and blew him over. "Whoa! Where'd that come from?" His sensors starting going haywire as he squinted through the dusty haze. He could see row after row of shattered buildings. Then the drones illuminated a massive column of dirt and dust ripping through the wreckage. Pieces of building, skeletons and things that appeared to be vehicles were ripped into the air. "Oh, crap!" he yelled as he forced himself to his feet. "Drones return to suit!" he screamed, as he forced himself into a bounce that resembled a run. Sunlight blazed from the red sky, making him sweat profusely. Booted footfalls rumbled through his legs as he hit the glassed ground. He raised his wrist and tapped it. "Old Girl central computer, activate emergency pickup, time now!" His display told him the vortex was less than two-hundred feet away.

He rushed toward Old Girl as it rumbled toward him. "I'm coming! I'm coming!" His legs burned and his legs ached as he ran toward the boarding ramp. The wind howled as it closed on him. The ramp hovered just out of reach as the ship hovered over him, blasting dust over his face. He made a blind leap and grabbed the edge of the ramp. "Pull me in and close the airlock, then set course for Gamma Station!" The ramp jerked him inside, throwing him through the airlock as it closed behind him. He landed in a crumpled heap beyond the lock. "

The hustle and bustle of the dining area on Gamma Station ran by the small table like a freight train. Yet, the old bearded, bald man with the sad blue eyes didn't notice. He flipped the small blue crystal around in his fingers. He smiled at Jake, who was sitting across from his, this time dressed in a khaki vest, white shirt and khaki pants and boots. He slid a stack of round gold coins towards Jake. "Your payment, as we agreed on."

Jake frowned at the gruff-voiced man in front of him. "Mickey don't get me wrong, I'm not going to say no, but this is four times what we agreed on." He scratched his freshly shaven chin. "You're never, ever generous, pal."

Mickey nodded. "You're right. But this is more important than money. Let me show you. One second, Jake." He slapped a small black square onto the table with a dull thud and slipped the crystal into a small slot on the right.

The square beeped and bleeped for a second, then the image of a tall woman wear a high collared red silk shirt, khaki pants and boots. She had a heart-shaped face with bright blue eyes and long, black hair that was set in a ponytail. down her back. Standing by her legs were two little blond girls in long red dresses holding tightly to her legs. The woman's face was full of concern, and her eyes kept flicking around nervously. "Hello there, my dear Colonel Erick Michael Wainwright," she said in a soft, soothing voice. "The war gets closer every day, darling. I know you said we'd be safe here. But the missiles are getting through. Remember our poem, love."

The crystal winked out abruptly, as if something had cut it off. Jake was surprised to see Mickey's craggy face filled with tears. Mickey wiped his eyes. "That was my wife and kids. They got evacuated off my home in Erin's World during the war. I could never figure out where they were, because the government never told me."

Jake found himself struggling to not get emotional seeing stoic Mickey crying. He gathered up the credits and stuck them into the small pack he was carrying. Then he stopped. "So, tell me. What was that poem she said?"

Mickey smiled as he wiped his eyes. "Remember my dear the day we met. Love was in the air, but it was fleeting. For when time came, our love did end. We fought for love, but for naught. For there was one thing that were true for all of time, and lovers all but two had known." He smiled. " Summer was over. And so were we."