by Ginger Booth
Dr. Acosta, dentist of Poldark, beamed as his son Benjy sauntered down the ramp. He clutched his girlfriend Eileen tighter, hoping the boy wouldn’t make her uncomfortable. Maybe he shouldn’t have brought her.
“Son! Benjy!”
Ben laughed. “I see you, Dad!” He wore no VR gear for a change. That was an improvement. The kid wasn’t carrying any luggage. When he reached them, he held out a hand for a firm shake before pulling his dad in for a hug.
Then, wonder of wonders, he offered the same handshake to Eileen, and a spray of flowers. “Great to see you, Eileen! Thanks for keeping the old man company.” His smile was warm and open, without a trace of his usual mocking and eye-rolling.
The dentist searched his son’s face. “You’ve grown, Benjy.”
“I go by Ben now, Dad,” he replied.
“Ben,” Acosta agreed, feeling the proud smile warming his face almost like a blush. “Oh, before I forget, I need to pay your rent.”
“No, Dad,” Benjy corrected him – Ben. “I’m on salary now with the Thrive. I don’t pay room and board. They pay me. In fact,” he pulled out his tablet, “I need to reimburse you for tuition. I pay that from now on.”
“Wow,” Acosta said. “Thank you, son!” Now he was definitely proud to bursting. Eileen’s eyes nearly glowed beside him, in a way that made the dentist a little nervous. Was that greed? His son always warned him about Eileen.
Ben didn’t seem to mind the girlfriend in the slightest now though. Distracted by the arrival of a baby, he excused himself for a few minutes, then beckoned.
“Dad? Come meet my room-mate I told you about. Copeland, meet my dad, Dr. Acosta, and Eileen. She teaches in the Poldark school. She wasn’t my teacher though.”
“Didn’t you luck out,” Copeland acknowledged to Eileen.
“Well, yes,” Eileen said. “Is this your son?”
“Ours now,” Ben said proudly. “Dad, Cope and I are domestic partners. So little Nico here is like your step-grandbaby.”
Fortunately Dr. Acosta’s face was in a warm smile when it froze, so he just kept it there. “Nico,” he echoed. “Well it’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Copeland, Nico.”
“Just call him Copeland, Dad, or Cope,” Ben replied, eyes lit.
Copeland jabbed him with an elbow.
Ben grinned back. “Dad, this just lets me into the city to visit Nico. If something happens to Cope, I get custody.”
“You can enter the city?” Eileen asked. “The real city?”
“Yup,” Copeland returned. “Actually, I was hoping I could name you as an emergency contact, Dr. Acosta? In case we’re off-moon. Ben’s told me a lot about you. We ain’t got any other family. Well, the Schuyler mob.”
“The Schuyler what?” the dentist replied.
“Never mind that, Dad,” Ben assured him. “But if we were in space and no one could contact us. You’d be willing to talk to the pediatrician for us, right? We can go meet him right now. Eileen too. You’re practically family.”
“I am forty-one years old,” Dr. Acosta murmured dazed. “I have never stepped foot inside the only city on Mahina.”
“Yeah, because settlers are barred, Dad,” Ben allowed. “I’ve been in before. It’s awesome. But now any time I want, I can walk in like I own the place. Pop Nico in a stroller and nose around to my heart’s content.”
“That is amazing,” the senior Acosta agreed. “By all means, lead on. Does our money work in there?”
Eyes alight, Ben looked to Cope, who shrugged. Neither ever tried to give an urb money. “Guess we’ll find out.”
“So are you actually, um…”
“Hm, Dad?” Ben tortured him.
“Domestic, er…”
“We share a berthing cabin,” Ben replied. “Cope is entitled to his own cabin. But there aren’t any free, so he gets paid extra and shares a four-man with me. Like a two-man but bigger. He’s too senior to share with me otherwise.”
“We’re not lovers,” Copeland clarified.
Ben grinned.
Acosta mock-slapped him upside the head, then coughed. “Although, I mean, if you were…”
Ben laughed out loud. “Let’s go. Maybe they sell ice cream.”
Acosta sighed in relief. He was delighted to see his son acting so grown-up. Even paying his own expenses! But the same Benjy was still there. Though if the father was any judge, possibly no longer a virgin. As to who his son had passed that milestone with, Dr. Acosta found he’d rather not know.
“I see what you mean about your dad,” Copeland said. “I would have drowned you.”
The stroller nearly careened off the walkway in the slapping match that followed, so Dr. Acosta claimed it. “Since I’m to be a step-granddaddy. You can count on me, Nico.”
Grandfather. Huh. Life held all sorts of surprises today. His pace quickened, eager to glimpse the inside of the citadel. He expected a full tour of the Thrive as well, maybe even a free ride back to Poldark.
Kassidy and her mother Dr. Paripati only made it as far as the cobbled plaza inside the city before they were shrieking at each other.
“– Because you are an embarrassment to me! When will you grow up? Do real work? Kassidy Yang, this colony requires your scientific aptitude, not silly somersaults!”
Kassidy demanded, “This colony? You mean MA! When was the last time you left the city?”
“My work is here!”
“Why is your work here?” Kassidy demanded. “You’re a doctor! Why isn’t your work out there, where people are sick?” She waved broadly at pedestrians who veered away from the evolving cat-fight. “These urbs look healthy to me!”
“I’m in administration. I take responsibility! Something you clearly know nothing about!”
Abruptly Kassidy saw her mother through Eliza’s eyes, and Beauregard’s, her imaginary stand-ins for her urb audience. Her mother was exactly the kind of entrenched older generation who blighted their lives.
But who created Eliza and Beauregard? Kassidy supplied their dreams and obstacles. And those reflected her mother.
Kassidy literally stepped backward. “Let’s not do this anymore, Mom. I know you don’t get what I do. But I chronicle a bigger world for people. I’m going to seek funding from the Director of Culture –”
“Culture!” her mother screamed. “Kassidy, this city does terraforming!”
Kassidy shrugged. “Guess they don’t get much of a budget then, huh? I’ll figure something out. You look healthy, Mom. Bye.”
A weight fell from Kassidy’s shoulders the moment she turned back toward the Thrive.
If Culture didn’t have funding, the networks did. If all else failed, maybe she could help Jules swab decks for room and board. Visions of docudramas danced in her head. The story of the Vitality. Life on the other worlds who shared Aloha as their sun, full of stories. All produced with her own flair for entertainment, for touching people, making them feel appreciated. Her dream was to expand horizons for people so mired in unhealthy lives of regolith and small-town squabbles.
She’d bankroll and produce them herself if she had to. Somehow.
Kassidy was going to Denali if anyone was. She intended to see her dad again. He’d understand her life work.
“Kassidy Yang!” A guy in lab coat hailed her from a sidewalk bistro, grinning ear to ear, Nucci by the name badge. “Where are your cameras?”
She drifted toward him, and waved at onlookers. “I didn’t think to bring cameras today,” she confessed. “Fight with my mom. I don’t record everything.” She clicked her forehead camera on.
“I’m a major fan,” Nucci replied. “Went through withdrawal when your livestream went offline. But those shows from orbit were so worth it! Is cargo hold EVA as fun as it looks?”
Kassidy laughed out loud. “Oh, better! Did I show…no. One game we pitted the Thrive crew against some guards from the orbital. A sham grudge match. Too rude to show. But funny!”
“You don’t kiss your fans anymore?”
“Wow! I forgot the kisses too?” She planted one firmly on Nucci’s mouth, to hoots and cheers. “Thank you for being my fan. You cheered me up. Rough meeting. Mom wants me to dump ‘this silliness’ and go to grad school, you know?”
“Don’t do it!” Nucci urged. “I listened to my parents. Now I’m a lab tech for life. I’ll never make scientist.”
She traced his jaw with a finger. “Just be the best you, you know? I’ve only known you a couple minutes. But I like you the way you are.”
He blushed and ducked his head. “You’ve changed, Kassidy.”
“Have I? I guess so. I got knocked down a few pegs in the rings. But I’m back!” She stepped back and waved to everyone. “Keep an eye out for my specials, OK? Kidnapped by pirates! Escape from the slave pits of Sagamore! Lots more EVA in the rings! I’ve got great footage from my trip!”
“Can’t wait!”
Kassidy turned to walk home to the Thrive with a new spring in her step. She hadn’t lost her touch. If some wanted to watch beer pong, let them. But they wouldn’t miss her programs!
“You were gone a long time,” Atlas said outside the Thrive. The homecoming reception was breaking up. Atlas stuck around to catch up with Sass.
“Couldn’t be helped,” she replied. “Only three star drives were ready when we got back to Hell’s Bells. Waiting a few weeks seemed more practical than coming back for more.”
She smiled at a stray memory of Benjy’s back door on the Hell’s Bells negotiations. He made sure Griffith and Seitz brought the porn VR with them, and unleashed it on the locals. Once they were back in range, the players on Thrive spoke directly inside the game with their MO allies on Hell’s Bells. Benjy claimed he avoided the sex features. Sass wasn’t sure she believed him, but his room-mate Copeland did.
She continued, “Eli managed to get freshwater agriculture off to a good start there. Then Copeland helped get an ESD field back online at Mahina Orbital. Between that and the new radiation meds, living at MO should be nearly as healthy as MA now.”
She had to break off that discussion for an introduction to Hunter’s kids, and his wife. Sass scowled at Hunter only briefly for that surprise. On the other hand, the man had kids after all.
As that interruption drifted away, Atlas said, “We broke ground, did I tell you? The first satellite creche will be at Schuyler. As the distribution hub, that’s the easiest settler town for everyone to reach.”
“Really? Good for you, Atlas!” Sass encouraged.
“Pirate town too.” Josiah joined them as Copeland merged into the Acosta family. “They wanted a defunct mine on the star side. Can you imagine?”
Sass grinned. “Sun and fresh air will be a shock to them. They’ve never stepped outdoors without a pressure suit, Josiah.”
“That’s why they need a base,” Josiah countered. “Can’t grow families out in space.” He mock-shuddered.
“And look at you,” Sass added. “Gone all respectable.”
“I ain’t giving up the bread and butter business,” he assured her. “Legal profits are good too. Besides, you said pirates. Hunter delegated.”
“I hope they give up the pirate part,” Sass replied. “Now they’ve got decent trade. The posarium is a wonder, Atlas. You’ll be amazed at Sagamore pharmaceuticals. Any chance of Carruthers coming down to give a practicum?”
Atlas shook his head. “MA won’t let anyone back from MO. Not yet anyway. You should have had a triumphant reception,” he critiqued. “I tried. The city sees your accomplishments as settler business. That’s nonsense. Your work benefits all of Mahina. The soy proteins? New radiation drugs? A proven safe gene mod that increases the rate of effective genius?”
Josiah suggested, “We’ll throw you a triumph party in Schuyler. Bands, boring speeches, the works.”
Sass laughed. “That’s alright, I don’t need adulation. Or speeches.”
“Not for you,” Josiah countered. “For us. Settlers make good.”
“Now that I can get behind,” Sass agreed in satisfaction.
She broke off again to greet Abel’s family. By the time they drifted away, Josiah and Atlas were discussing the plans for propagating Ben and Copeland’s gene mod.
“Half the urb children, the top third of settlers,” Atlas said.
“I’d argue they should be the same,” Josiah countered. “Truth is, I think a third is too risky. If urbs want more, go for it.”
Sass tended to agree with Josiah. School smart wasn’t everything, to the woman who’d based her long life on street smarts instead. “Science rules in MA.”
“That’s the thing,” Atlas agreed ruefully. “But it seems safe, 10 out 10 successes.”
Hunter had located the two unaccounted-for gene mods from Ben’s batch. They were both highly successful for young settlers. He re-examined the three deaths as well, simple accidents or illnesses in promising children.
“So Denali next?” Josiah asked.
Sass nodded slowly. “The next launch window is in a month. If we miss it, 14 months. We’ve got clues coming out our ears, vast amounts of data left to analyze. But we found Belker in the Sagamore data. He’s that Ganny nanite engineer.” Atlas knew who she meant. Josiah didn’t ask. “Belker left the system from Sagamore with the Vitality crew. Then he came back. Passed through Mahina Orbital and erased his tracks. That’s the trail Michael Yang followed to Denali.”
“A Ganny came back?” Atlas breathed. “That’s a tale we need to hear.”
Sass agreed, with reservations. Wilder and Cortez would stick with Sass as long she let them. The others? She wasn’t sure who would be up for Denali.
That was a long trip.
“Worth it,” Atlas opined, gauging her expression correctly. “Every minute. If it’s even a quarter as productive as the trip to Sagamore. I got the population numbers, Sass – 150,000 left on Mahina. From 280,000 original colonists, between the settlers and the urbs. Down to half.”
Sass sighed. “Well, it’s good to be home. Can I invite you both to dinner and drinks for Eclipse tonight? Hang out on the roof of my spaceship?”
“Absolutely!” Atlas said.
Josiah replied, “Maybe I should let you two get a room.”
“Not us two,” Atlas denied. “So are you and Clay together yet?”
Sass cocked an eyebrow. “No comment.”
46
Interstellar travel was almost unknown at this time. The Colony Corps left the settlers and took their warp lenses with them. Warp lenses were a challenging technology to redevelop for a colony struggling to survive.
Nora Greer, Abel’s older sister, passed the salad with a familiar glint in her eye. The dining room, the family house, the family business, were all hers now. “So Abel, did you make a profit?”
“Is that polite?” their dad objected. “The boy’s only been in business a few months!”
But Abel liked his answer. “ROI of 1500%.”
Nora recoiled into the back of her seat as though he struck her. “Surely not! How?”
Abel shrugged. “Outlays were small. Salaries low. Took a commission on 8 rebuilt star drives. Sagamore cutting-edge pharmaceuticals. Lots of things. We worked for it!”
“Congratulations, son!” Mr. Greer offered his boy a handshake. “Very impressed!”
Nora didn’t like that. “That profit margin is sinful, Abel. You should give it back. Amounts to robbery!”
“Not so fast, Nora,” their dad objected. “The risk was sky-high. Literally. Our business is low risk, low reward. But when you’ve risked your life and all your capital, you’d damned well expect 1000% return or better. Not that it’s easy to win.”
“That it was not,” Abel agreed, with a sad smile at Jules.
Nora pursed her lips and selected an easier victim. “Jules, you seem different somehow.”
The girl nodded. “I almost got ra
ped on Mahina Orbital. They were afraid it’d happen again when the pirates took our ship. I got thrown into a slave pit on Sagamore. Nearly got killed running back to the ship. I need to toughen up.”
For once, Nora was speechless.
“Abel, is this true?” their dad asked softly.
Abel deflated, and took a sip of his wine. “Nora, I was wondering whether Jules might stay here if we go off-world again.”
“I’m not staying with her,” Jules stated flatly. “Nora’s a bitch.”
Abel coughed. “Honey, let’s not –”
“Abel Greer, you’re not leaving me behind if you go to Denali,” Jules informed him.
“Jules,” Nora attempted, “of course you’re welcome to stay here. You’ve been through quite an ordeal. Clearly we need to spend some girl-time together and work on our –”
“I was talking to my husband,” Jules cut her off.
“Dear Jules, you’ve been through terrible trauma,” father Greer soothed. “I think your husband is right. Staying home with us and going to school would be far more appropriate for a girl of your tender years.” He looked daggers at Abel.
“Wrong,” Jules replied. “See, that’s the mistake. Everybody trying to protect me. But the captain says I’m smart! I have good ideas! And I keep the Thrive running.”
Abel nodded faintly. “Jules is on salary. She does a fantastic job with the housekeeping. You work awfully hard, sweetie. And you are smart. You deserve high school, instead of getting shot at.”
“No way, no how, Abel Greer. I can learn to protect myself! I won’t be no lily-livered coward, hiding in the cupboard.” Jules laid on a bitter falsetto. “‘Oh, please Mr. Pirate sir! Don’t rape me!’ Screw that!” She stabbed her steak vehemently with her fork.
Nora stared aghast at the transformation of her cute little sister-in-law. After they moved aboard the Thrive, the child made the most adorable mushroom stand to sell fruit. “Jules, this is a God-fearing household. Watch your tone at the dinner table.”
