tomorrow we’ll see if we can get secure transport on
any ship departing within a couple of days.”
Two days and then we’d be off this forsaken planet and back
to our lives. I pictured the cure raging through the galaxy at the same rate as
the virus. Things likely wouldn’t go back to normal that quickly. Already most
planets in the galaxy were running on skeleton crews. Shaky financial markets
barely kept businesses running. Unreliable power sources made things even more
unpredictable as the galaxy struggled to maintain the most basic of its
infrastructures.
But at least there was hope. As the cure helped people, more
could return to work. It would take time, but the galaxy would recover. Within
all that upheaval, it seemed unlikely they’d be looking for a couple of
fugitives. Or so I hoped.
* * * * *
Two days later, we found ourselves on the spaceport grounds.
The planet’s giant red sun had barely crested the horizon. Two of Zombicus’
moons still battled across the sky. The cold air stung my cheeks. Gusts of it
made walking difficult.
Giant ships squatted on the ground. Some looked like huge
eggs with silver-white hulls and ovoid shapes. Others hung together with
multicolored spare parts. The thought of traveling through space in one of
those brought a pang of terror.
“Don’t worry,” Benson said, noticing my panicked expression.
“The ship I’m looking for is in a lot better shape than that.”
We walked between the massive vessels. The overwhelming
sizes made me feel very small. Any moment now, this will all be over and
I’ll be starting a new life on a nice planet somewhere. I chanted that
thought like a prayer.
“We don’t want to use the main office.” Benson pointed to a
metal structure that branched off in all directions. It didn’t look any more
solid than some of the ships. “Just in case they’re monitoring for unscheduled
departures. We’ll have better luck if we can bargain with the ship itself.”
I scanned the vast landing strip. “Which ship did you have
in mind?”
Benson’s gaze swept over the assortment of vessels. He
pointed to a gray circular craft. “That one. It’s big enough that we’ll have
some privacy and small enough to attract little attention. And it’s headed for
the Rodan quadrant.”
I agreed with him on that. The authorities would likely keep
a closer eye on the manifests of the big ships.
Benson squared his shoulders. “Let’s go talk to the
captain.”
The captain turned out to be a green-scaled female. She wore
only loose trousers, leaving her breasts bare. A belt bearing her insignia as
well as a holster for a mean-looking weapon cinched the cloth at her slim
waist.
The captain’s lidless black eyes swept over us, noting our
uniforms from the facility’s kitchen. She motioned for a crewmember to bring a
scanner. I held my breath as the invisible beam passed over me. Benson feigned
a relaxed posture. I don’t know how he did it. Maybe because he’d been cured
just a little longer than me and felt more certain of the outcome.
The machine beeped. A green light glowed on the handle.
We all relaxed a little, even the captain.
“You’d be more comfortable on the Andromeda .” She
motioned in the direction of one of the giant ships. Her green-scaled hand
ended in long black claws.
“ Andromeda makes too many stops,” Benson said. “We’d
prefer a more direct route.” He followed that statement with a financial offer
that made me blink. Whoever Lanny was, he had a healthy bank account.
The offer ended the captain’s questions. “We leave in two
standard hours. Be here on time.”
“We can wait,” Benson said. “We’re all ready to go.”
That much was true. We had little luggage. Mine was back at
the facility. Benson’s was in the apartment he couldn’t return to. We’d
borrowed the barest of necessities from Lanny’s closet and pantry. Lanny’s
clothes were far too big for me, but they’d have to do. I was really
any ship departing within a couple of days.”
Two days and then we’d be off this forsaken planet and back
to our lives. I pictured the cure raging through the galaxy at the same rate as
the virus. Things likely wouldn’t go back to normal that quickly. Already most
planets in the galaxy were running on skeleton crews. Shaky financial markets
barely kept businesses running. Unreliable power sources made things even more
unpredictable as the galaxy struggled to maintain the most basic of its
infrastructures.
But at least there was hope. As the cure helped people, more
could return to work. It would take time, but the galaxy would recover. Within
all that upheaval, it seemed unlikely they’d be looking for a couple of
fugitives. Or so I hoped.
* * * * *
Two days later, we found ourselves on the spaceport grounds.
The planet’s giant red sun had barely crested the horizon. Two of Zombicus’
moons still battled across the sky. The cold air stung my cheeks. Gusts of it
made walking difficult.
Giant ships squatted on the ground. Some looked like huge
eggs with silver-white hulls and ovoid shapes. Others hung together with
multicolored spare parts. The thought of traveling through space in one of
those brought a pang of terror.
“Don’t worry,” Benson said, noticing my panicked expression.
“The ship I’m looking for is in a lot better shape than that.”
We walked between the massive vessels. The overwhelming
sizes made me feel very small. Any moment now, this will all be over and
I’ll be starting a new life on a nice planet somewhere. I chanted that
thought like a prayer.
“We don’t want to use the main office.” Benson pointed to a
metal structure that branched off in all directions. It didn’t look any more
solid than some of the ships. “Just in case they’re monitoring for unscheduled
departures. We’ll have better luck if we can bargain with the ship itself.”
I scanned the vast landing strip. “Which ship did you have
in mind?”
Benson’s gaze swept over the assortment of vessels. He
pointed to a gray circular craft. “That one. It’s big enough that we’ll have
some privacy and small enough to attract little attention. And it’s headed for
the Rodan quadrant.”
I agreed with him on that. The authorities would likely keep
a closer eye on the manifests of the big ships.
Benson squared his shoulders. “Let’s go talk to the
captain.”
The captain turned out to be a green-scaled female. She wore
only loose trousers, leaving her breasts bare. A belt bearing her insignia as
well as a holster for a mean-looking weapon cinched the cloth at her slim
waist.
The captain’s lidless black eyes swept over us, noting our
uniforms from the facility’s kitchen. She motioned for a crewmember to bring a
scanner. I held my breath as the invisible beam passed over me. Benson feigned
a relaxed posture. I don’t know how he did it. Maybe because he’d been cured
just a little longer than me and felt more certain of the outcome.
The machine beeped. A green light glowed on the handle.
We all relaxed a little, even the captain.
“You’d be more comfortable on the Andromeda .” She
motioned in the direction of one of the giant ships. Her green-scaled hand
ended in long black claws.
“ Andromeda makes too many stops,” Benson said. “We’d
prefer a more direct route.” He followed that statement with a financial offer
that made me blink. Whoever Lanny was, he had a healthy bank account.
The offer ended the captain’s questions. “We leave in two
standard hours. Be here on time.”
“We can wait,” Benson said. “We’re all ready to go.”
That much was true. We had little luggage. Mine was back at
the facility. Benson’s was in the apartment he couldn’t return to. We’d
borrowed the barest of necessities from Lanny’s closet and pantry. Lanny’s
clothes were far too big for me, but they’d have to do. I was really
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