Page 6 of Across The Stars
“It’s fine,” I told her. “Ifwe end up getting promoted at some point, we’ll probably have to shadow someone in our field for a while before we are put in rotation and by then we can try and come up with reasons why we can’t do it.”
“How do you know that they won’t just promote us right off the bat and screw us?”
I took another long, deep breath and stared out the window at the smoggy horizon. It used to be blue. I knew that from movies and photos. Now it was a weird sort of hot grey with a bunch of city lights instead of mountains.
“My dad worked up there,” I said. “He told me a bit about the process.”
“Your dad? I thought you said your dad was military on Earth.”
“He was. Army pilot. After that, they put him up there testing space crafts.”
“And?”
“And he died,” I said with a shrug. “It’s whatever. It isn’t like I knew him.”
Only, I did know him. Through messages and transmissions, I knew him and even if I’d never seen or touched him, I missed him.
“Why didn’t you tell me? I mean about your dad being on the Nexus.”
“Because it doesn’t matter,” I snorted.
But it did matter. To me it did, but how could I miss a guy I never even met?
A few hours later, I was pushing Sam off my shoulder and wiping a spot of drool from my jacket as the tram pulled into the next station. We changed trams and continued to the east coast, only now neither of us could sleep. We didn’t talk, either. Getting arrested was definitely on both of our minds, but I wasn’t about to turn back and spend my life shaking my ass at thirsty old men. Part of me was so eager to get into space that I felt tears forming in my eyes. I pushed them down. Remembering my mother’s cold words when she said my father didn’t want me rattled through my brain and I started to ball my fists in my lap.
I didn’t like being angry at my mother for not being around, so I pushed her from my mind and kept thinking about my father. He loved space. He loved adventure. He’d told me so in his messages. His example should have taught me to strive for more and I ended up being a stripper with nothing to live for. I almost laughed at the irony and as we ascended above the cities again, I stared out into the darkening sky and thought of what he’d say to me. A faint smile formed on my lips when I imaginedthe look on his face if he could see me now, sneaking onto the Nexus with a fake ID, half a dream, and no plan.
Finally, I saw the Nexus Transport Station and I perked up. Slapping Sam on the shoulder, I pointed out the window at the cluster of silver buildings straight ahead next to a giant, disc-like platform. We both stood and pressed ourselves against the window like kids in a candy shop. I could see three ships lined up on a massive dock. I’d never seen ships firsthand and now my heart was skittering around in my chest like a scared little animal. Or an excited one. I felt like it was doing somersaults.
The ships were white with sleek bodies and black lettering on the sides that read NTS with a number following. I could make out 43, 17, and 4. It hardly looked real to me and yet I was supposed to know how to pilot one of those things. I glanced at Sam and saw that she was looking a little pale.
“Hey,” I muttered. “Deep breaths. We just have to get up there.”
“Yup,” she said. “I’m not freaking out. Not at all.”
We sat back down, trying to act as calm and natural as possible as the tram pulled up to the platform. A monotone woman’s voice said “last stop on Interstate Tram 6-7-0.”
Sam and I stood up, straightened our shoulders, and walked toward the tram exit. When the doors slid open, I raised my chin and stepped out onto the platform. I immediately caught my toe on the threshold and nearly toppled over myself. Sam turned and grabbed my arm with a gasp.
“Inn!” she said.
I quickly righted myself and straightened my jacket, but the platform was large and sound carried. There were at least two dozen people looking at us and I could feel my cheeks catching fire.
“Oh my god,” I said through my teeth for only Sam to hear.
She hooked her arm in mine and we walked forward, avoiding eye contact with everyone we passed.
Up ahead there was a checkpoint and we saw people lined up to get through the gates to the giant station beyond. The space transports just kept getting bigger as we walked and I was feeling a little sick again, but not as sick as Sam. She kept swallowing like she was trying not to throw up.
“Did you eat anything this morning?” I asked.
“No,” she mumbled.
“Good. Regulations say no eating for at least 24 hours is ideal when exiting the atmosphere.”
“Doesn’t make me less nauseous.”
“Just breathe. We’re almost there.”
