The elevator opened into the lobby of the space port. The loose flowing clothing of Consortium civilians was combined with the tight fitting uniforms more common to space crews. A man and a woman in thick blue leggings and tight fitting blue tops strolled past, flight goggles like the ones that Cheyenne had only recently abandoned around their necks, chatting in Consortium.
Cheyenne froze, grabbing Lana's hand. The others stopped. "Go on, give us one second," she said and they started towards the ticket counter.
"Lana," Cheyenne breathed. "Lana, can I ask this? I know I have to do what is right for my kids. But you don't. I don't feel right, pulling you and Janda from the Corelean, the ship you've called home since..."
"Since a few weeks before we met, and I called it no such thing," Lana said. "We signed on only three months ago, Janda and I. Anyplace we've ever called home is light years away. For that matter, Janda only started his apprenticeship at that time. If he asked, I'd let him go back. There are other master healers he could work with. But he's not asked, so there you have it. For me, I am not sure I called those places back in the core home, either. And now the only place that feels like home is the place by your side."
"Lana," Cheyenne breathed again. Then their lips met, and Cheyenne forgot everything for a time.
When they broke their kiss, Barry and Badu were smiling at them, Barry's eyes wagging slightly. Mackenzie looked suspicious again, like she wasn't sure she approved. James was talking excitedly to Janda, oblivious.
"Well, let's go then," Cheyenne said, uncomfortable. Mackenzie would come around, eventually. Or Cheyenne hoped so.
"Five for Shin," Barry said to the woman at the ticket stand.
"Tickets are .45 each," the woman replied. Cheyenne startled. She hadn't thought about the cost. She tried to remember how much she had earned pushing the breakfast cart. It hadn't been much but at the time she didn't care.
"I can't remember how much I have," she whispered to Lana.
"Janda and I can pay our own way, help with the kids even," Lana consoled.
"How do I check?" Cheyenne asked.
Lana laughed. "I forget how new this is to you. Just hold your hand up like this, and say 'bank' and ask."
She held her hand up as indicated and said "Bank." A light formed around her palm and she remember the flash as Princess Sarasvat's touched her palm. "My account balance please."
"501.378," a disembodied voice said.
"Five hundred!" Janda gasped. "Where'd you get that much money?"
"Umm, well Princess Sarasvat did something. Said it was a personal gift of thanks," Cheyenne said.
"Some gift," Barry said.
"How much is that?" Cheyenne asked.
"Let's just say, I am the kept woman now," Lana said with a laugh.
"Best you start to think in Consortium terms," Barry said. "Though its a lot either way. The Consortium economy is built around what they call base one. The base one principle says that the simplest worker, day labor kind of stuff, should earn enough for rent, food, clothing and some small luxuries, like ten, fifteen percent above survival necessity. If you want more than that you either need to work more or train for a harder job. Anyway a month of wages is base one. So you have five hundred times what it takes to survive for a month in the Consortium. Some gift, I would say."
"Well, I guess I can buy the tickets then, right?" Cheyenne broke into a grin. She stepped up to the counter, "five tickets for Shin please."
The woman held her hand up. The light formed around her palm. She nodded and Cheyenne placed her hands to the light. "Five tickets, 2.25," the woman said.
"Okay?" Cheyenne said.
"Transaction approved," the disembodied bank voice said again, "credits transferred."
"Please indicate ticket holders," the woman said. As Cheyenne point at her kids a light flashed over them and faded away. She repeated the process with Janda and Lana and herself. That was it. There was no need for physical tickets.
"Your flight is already boarding," the ticket woman prompted. "I suggest you hurry."
They left Barry and Badu in the lobby. Janda notified the hotel to have what little luggage they had brought loaded promptly and sent to them at Shin station. Cheyenne handed her slate to James and let him hold it, guiding them by the map it showed.
They traveled down a long wide hallway that sloped gently up. Janda stopped them at one point and showed James a faint line in the wall. "See, that is the seal. Cross this line and you're onboard the ship." Cheyenne started, she hadn't realized they were already boarding the ship.
They were halted partway up by a young man in a motorized cart. He wore a uniform that marked him as hotel staff and their luggage was in the back of his cart. "Quick service," Cheyenne said.
Janda touched his palms to the man's and said, ".01 for your trouble."
"Thank you, very generous, sir." The man replied.
They took their suitcases and made their way up into the ship. The top of the slope was a wide circular platform. Stewards and stewardesses greeted them there. The passenger section sloped downward at a modest angle. Seating was divided into three sections on either side, five seats separated by an aisle. They placed their luggage on another cart, to be stored for the trip and found their seats. Lana slid against the wall with Cheyenne next, followed by Mackenzie, James and Janda on the corner.
Their steward came by, made sure they all belted into a five point harness and then offered them drinks from a small cart, including nausea cans for those who might get motion sick. Cheyenne put aside a couple cans in case either kid got sick, delighting in even this tiny chore of motherhood.
Before long the ramp was being pulled up and the hatches sealed.
"Is it far?" Mackenzie asked, concerned.
"Shin station is currently orbiting just inside what you call the asteroid belt. Let me check the translation to your numbers," he checked his slate, "maybe two hundred million of your kilometers."
"That far?" Mackenzie clutched the side of her seat. "How long will it take? Weeks, months?"
Janda just laughed. "No, not nearly. These system transports are a lot faster than orbital hoppers."
"The speed of light?" James asked excitedly.
"Not nearly that fast," Janda corrected. "But fast. It will be a five hour flight or so, once we get underway. Don't worry, child, they have inertial dampening systems on these big ships, you won't feel much once we are under way, smooth sailing."
"How, how big is Shin?" Mackenzie asked. She seemed to be having second thoughts now.
"Huge, fifty million people huge," Janda explained. He pulled up a hologram display on his slate. Cheyenne studied it closely. She hadn't really thought about where they were going, just getting her kids safe. She was curious as well.
The station looked like a thick cylinder that swelled at the top and had a big dome over it. Janda explained that most of the people lived in the cylinder area, called the core. Life there was "like most stations, really." People had apartments and there were open courts everywhere for shops and congregating. The top dome was a smaller city, it sloped up at the center and the edges. People there lived in small villas, two or three stories tall. Giant lights traversed the upper dome, giving dome residents the impression of a sun rising and setting daily. There were parks, markets and public places throughout.
When the ship detached from the station, there was a period of weightlessness that set Mackenzie's nerves back on edge. The nausea cans had, unlike the ones on the Corelean, nipple tops meant for weightlessness. Cheyenne had Mackenzie suck on one and held her close to her side until she settled down, falling asleep in Cheyenne's arms like a little baby again.
James had his toy out and hovering in front of him. He made motions to match the movement of the ship, as though he were flying it.
Once they were free and had reached enough distance, the main engines cut in. They accelerated almost to 2g and then the dampers cut in and the g force fell back. They had gravity, or the illusion of it at least. The pilot came on the overhead, made a few short announcements, mostly that it would be smooth sailing from here on out.
Consortium culture was an active one. Most of the holo-displays and control panels onboard the Corelean had been waist level, meant to be accessed standing or on the go. At the time she had thought it was because it was a military ship. But even on the civilian portion of the base ship most of the displays were like that. Things that on Earth were desk jobs, were often done on the move. Outside of work they continued to move. Many ate their meals at small shops or cafes in public courts. Dance, yoga, and martial arts were popular. One day on the base ship she had seen a religious service that seemed to be nothing more than the entire congregation performing a long dance together.
In short, Consortium types were bad at sitting. No sooner had the pilot announced smooth sailing then most of them were up again. They made towards the back of the ship, were Janda said there was a upper level deck that was open and featured a number of shops, cafes and the like.
Mackenzie was out and James was rapidly following suit. Cheyenne was exhausted. "Do you want out?" she asked Lana. Lana nodded no. She seemed content to hold Cheyenne's hand and stroke her hair. Janda laughed at her and excused himself. The stroking calmed Cheyenne and before long she found herself drifting off as well.
This is the end of Episode Seven. Next week I will start posting the eighth and final episode of this season, Escape to Shin Station. It's been a fun serial to write and to share. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have. Don't forget to like and vote. Thanks.