Fall Getaway part 1
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| Fall Getaway part 1 |
Alicia was humming a tune as she finished decorating the reception with dried flower bouquets. Tomorrow hundreds of guests would be arriving from Corridor station. Most of them would be natives of the space station that hovered halfway along their star system. Alicia went to the veranda at the back of the cabin. She sat down in one of the rocking chairs. The air was getting chilly and she hugged a flower printed cushion for warmth.
The reception cabin was surrounded by a forest ablaze with fall colours. Just as she was making herself comfortable, her spacecom chirped. She had left it somewhere inside. Alicia got up with a sigh to find the device.
“Alicia, it’s me Nola, am I interrupting?” “Nola, hi! No, you’re not, I’ve got everything under control. What’s the matter?” “I was wondering if you have room for a few last minute guests? I know it’s late but a ship of Independents docked a couple of days ago and now five of them want to visit the planet.” “But I thought Independents never set foot on any planets?”, Alicia said.
“I know right?! So I wasn’t counting on this at all or I would have booked something sooner. Can you help me out?” “Hang on, ok, I have one cabin with a cancelled reservation… It’s meant for three. I can get some extra beds in there but it’ll be a bit cramped.” “There’s five of them but I don’t think they’ll mind. You’re a life saver! I’ll tell them to get ready. See you tomorrow!” And just like that Nola had cut off.
Alicia knew it wasn’t personal. If that shuttle didn’t take off in the next three hours, they’d miss their landing slot at Paradise port. She went back to her veranda for a quiet look at the starset. The next day Alicia was up and ready before dawn. Although she had prepared and checked the reception cabin the day before, she went over it all again.
The cabin was built with wood that resembled pine. Its nut brown colour was a bit dull in summer but now it fitted the forest perfectly. Barrels with fall flowers stood along the veranda. Inside there were a few large vases filled with autumn leaves. Cliona, one of the receptionists, had suggested it. She knew how to arrange it so that the leaves seemed suspended in the vase spreading out evenly from top to bottom. Anne, a fellow receptionist, had helped her fix it.
It brought a smile to Alicia’s face when she thought about it. Around nine everyone stood at their post. Jason would be assisting the arriving guests at teleport station one. Tom and Anne manned the reception desk. Cliona and Keevan were standing by at the self-service check-in machines. While Meira would help the guests teleport to their cabins from station two. With more than 500 people arriving the same day, keeping the flow moving was an absolute necessity.
Nola’s party started coming in around midday. Nola herself came through last together with the Independents. Alicia had never seen Independents before yet it was easy to tell. Their skin was pale and their clothes were all made from the same materials. When they moved, they did so in a close huddle, each of them scanning the environment as if something might attack at any minute now. These people acted as if they had never been in such a wide open space before…
Alicia had to suppress a laugh at the irony of it. She stepped forward to greet these rare guests. Only one of the Independents returned her greeting. He seemed to speak for all of them. Nola’s bright flower dress formed a colourful contrast beside the dark outfits of the Independents. Her skin had a more natural look too. Corridor had been built with a complex lighting system that recreated the daily cycle of starlight on a planet. A safe ration of UV-B was included in that system.
Nola was a true space station native. She talked with the easy manner of one who was used to dealing with people from all corners of the universe. Alicia saw that the cabin for the Independents had been properly prepared. Staff member Jinn was there to assist the first time visitors with everything they needed.
Satisfied, Alicia went back to the reception cabin. Around four in the afternoon, the flow of incoming visitors grew thinner. Alicia retreated into her office to take a break before checking her financials. She would be free after that. Her resort only stocked their cabins with basic food supplies. There were plenty of restaurants in the commercial hub located in the North East section of her forest. The hub also had a grocery store which meant Alicia seldom had to worry about what her guests were eating.
In the evening Nola came to visit her. Alicia’s home was within walking distance from the reception cabin. It had been built from the same wood but had been treated with an umber finish. Her living room was spacious yet cosy. A room divider hid the kitchen from view. The women sat together drinking honeyed milk. Though they both would’ve enjoyed a kick in their drink, they were on call 25/7. As they leaned back in Alicia’s caramel coloured armchairs they talked.
“So tell me about those Independents. Why this sudden desire to see the planet?”, Alicia said. Nola sighed. “There are a few space travelling nations you know. They’re all a bit secluded but none are as weird as the Independents. You should see them around the station. They always move in groups of ten with a handler to watch them. “
“A handler?! You make it sound like they’re animals or something…” “But that’s exactly the way they’re treated Alicia! It’s as if those handlers think they’re herding cattle! Anyway, one of the handlers came up to me last minute, said he needed to take four charges to see the planet. I have no idea why but something’s been off with this ship ever since they arrived a few days ago.”, Nola said. In the back of her mind Alicia felt these guests would cause trouble.
“Maybe the cattle is getting tired of being handled?”, she asked. Nola frowned, “Could be, I don’t know. I’ll tell you what though, my friend Dhriti, you remember her with the dark wavy hair? So Dhriti told me, the Independents had a meeting in one of our conference rooms, apparently their ship doesn’t have any place big enough to hold them all at once.”
“Now this meeting started with an atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife. As they got to talking, the whole thing escalated into a fight and the handlers were losing control. Then the leader took out a device, pushed a button and the whole group collapsed in pain. She had to call in an extra cleaning crew when some of them lost their bladder control, amongst other things if you know what I mean…” Alicia wrinkled her nose and Nola nodded.
“Alicia, it’s me Nola, am I interrupting?” “Nola, hi! No, you’re not, I’ve got everything under control. What’s the matter?” “I was wondering if you have room for a few last minute guests? I know it’s late but a ship of Independents docked a couple of days ago and now five of them want to visit the planet.” “But I thought Independents never set foot on any planets?”, Alicia said.
“I know right?! So I wasn’t counting on this at all or I would have booked something sooner. Can you help me out?” “Hang on, ok, I have one cabin with a cancelled reservation… It’s meant for three. I can get some extra beds in there but it’ll be a bit cramped.” “There’s five of them but I don’t think they’ll mind. You’re a life saver! I’ll tell them to get ready. See you tomorrow!” And just like that Nola had cut off.
Alicia knew it wasn’t personal. If that shuttle didn’t take off in the next three hours, they’d miss their landing slot at Paradise port. She went back to her veranda for a quiet look at the starset. The next day Alicia was up and ready before dawn. Although she had prepared and checked the reception cabin the day before, she went over it all again.
The cabin was built with wood that resembled pine. Its nut brown colour was a bit dull in summer but now it fitted the forest perfectly. Barrels with fall flowers stood along the veranda. Inside there were a few large vases filled with autumn leaves. Cliona, one of the receptionists, had suggested it. She knew how to arrange it so that the leaves seemed suspended in the vase spreading out evenly from top to bottom. Anne, a fellow receptionist, had helped her fix it.
It brought a smile to Alicia’s face when she thought about it. Around nine everyone stood at their post. Jason would be assisting the arriving guests at teleport station one. Tom and Anne manned the reception desk. Cliona and Keevan were standing by at the self-service check-in machines. While Meira would help the guests teleport to their cabins from station two. With more than 500 people arriving the same day, keeping the flow moving was an absolute necessity.
Nola’s party started coming in around midday. Nola herself came through last together with the Independents. Alicia had never seen Independents before yet it was easy to tell. Their skin was pale and their clothes were all made from the same materials. When they moved, they did so in a close huddle, each of them scanning the environment as if something might attack at any minute now. These people acted as if they had never been in such a wide open space before…
Alicia had to suppress a laugh at the irony of it. She stepped forward to greet these rare guests. Only one of the Independents returned her greeting. He seemed to speak for all of them. Nola’s bright flower dress formed a colourful contrast beside the dark outfits of the Independents. Her skin had a more natural look too. Corridor had been built with a complex lighting system that recreated the daily cycle of starlight on a planet. A safe ration of UV-B was included in that system.
Nola was a true space station native. She talked with the easy manner of one who was used to dealing with people from all corners of the universe. Alicia saw that the cabin for the Independents had been properly prepared. Staff member Jinn was there to assist the first time visitors with everything they needed.
Satisfied, Alicia went back to the reception cabin. Around four in the afternoon, the flow of incoming visitors grew thinner. Alicia retreated into her office to take a break before checking her financials. She would be free after that. Her resort only stocked their cabins with basic food supplies. There were plenty of restaurants in the commercial hub located in the North East section of her forest. The hub also had a grocery store which meant Alicia seldom had to worry about what her guests were eating.
In the evening Nola came to visit her. Alicia’s home was within walking distance from the reception cabin. It had been built from the same wood but had been treated with an umber finish. Her living room was spacious yet cosy. A room divider hid the kitchen from view. The women sat together drinking honeyed milk. Though they both would’ve enjoyed a kick in their drink, they were on call 25/7. As they leaned back in Alicia’s caramel coloured armchairs they talked.
“So tell me about those Independents. Why this sudden desire to see the planet?”, Alicia said. Nola sighed. “There are a few space travelling nations you know. They’re all a bit secluded but none are as weird as the Independents. You should see them around the station. They always move in groups of ten with a handler to watch them. “
“A handler?! You make it sound like they’re animals or something…” “But that’s exactly the way they’re treated Alicia! It’s as if those handlers think they’re herding cattle! Anyway, one of the handlers came up to me last minute, said he needed to take four charges to see the planet. I have no idea why but something’s been off with this ship ever since they arrived a few days ago.”, Nola said. In the back of her mind Alicia felt these guests would cause trouble.
“Maybe the cattle is getting tired of being handled?”, she asked. Nola frowned, “Could be, I don’t know. I’ll tell you what though, my friend Dhriti, you remember her with the dark wavy hair? So Dhriti told me, the Independents had a meeting in one of our conference rooms, apparently their ship doesn’t have any place big enough to hold them all at once.”
“Now this meeting started with an atmosphere so tense you could cut it with a knife. As they got to talking, the whole thing escalated into a fight and the handlers were losing control. Then the leader took out a device, pushed a button and the whole group collapsed in pain. She had to call in an extra cleaning crew when some of them lost their bladder control, amongst other things if you know what I mean…” Alicia wrinkled her nose and Nola nodded.
“Mind you, this was only their first day. They have been having these daily meetings with fewer and fewer people allowed to attend. Yesterday’s meeting went on for hours. After that, the handler came to ask about tickets to see this planet and here we are.” Nola shrugged.
A growing feeling of unease had come over Alicia. “So all the Independents live together on one space ship?”, she asked. Nola made round eyes at her, “Oh goodness no! This is just the main ship that holds the ‘prize cattle’. The entire nation of The Independents is a fleet with almost a hundred ships.” Alicia shivered. “How many Independents are on board each ship?”, she asked.
“Oh that depends, the smaller ships carry two thousand, the big ones can take about twenty thousand people.”, Nola said. Alicia blinked, “How big is the nation of The Independents?”. “I heard it was something like 850.000 people, but it’s probably less. Most space travelling nations make themselves out to be bigger than they really are.”, Nola said. Alicia was quiet for a moment. “Still, that many people living in a fleet of space ships… Being treated like cattle? I don’t know, sounds like trouble to me.”
Nola shrugged again, “Oh well, what can you do?”. She changed the subject after that. It was fun catching up with Nola. But Alicia couldn’t stop thinking about the pain button and the handler that had ordered a cabin at the last minute.
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