by Henry Vogel
“Will it help if they see that you’re off the market?”
“Maybe, but then the men aren’t going to be happy with you.”
“Too bad for them.”
I gave Michelle a long kiss. When we came up for air, the glares of the women were less intense. But, as Michelle predicted, the men turned hostile glares on me. It made for an uncomfortable trip to Pegasus Station.
Hours later, the lot of us were herded into a large room where a middle-aged woman, who identified herself as Miss Ospin, waited. Each seat had a basic data entry station and we spent the next hour entering all sorts of personal information for taxes and insurance and stuff like that. Miss Ospin addressed us briefly once paperwork was complete.
“When I dismiss you, please proceed through the doors behind me where you will find med techs waiting to inject your ID chip into your arm. After-”
One of the very big guys, one who had glared most nastily at me, interrupted. “Nobody said nothing about putting no ID chips in me.”
Miss Ospin checked her pad. “Mr. Crane, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.”
“If you interrupt me one more time, I will dock you one week’s pay. Is that clear?”
“Um, yes?”
“Are you asking me or are you telling me, Mr. Crane?”
“Um, telling?”
She sighed and tapped on her pad. A screen lit up behind her, showing the signature page from a contract. “Is that your signature, Mr. Crane?”
“Um, yeah?”
“You’re not exactly the most prized knife in the kitchen, are you Mr. Crane?” Miss Ospin muttered as she scrolled back through the contract and highlighted a paragraph. “This paragraph grants GenCo the right to insert an ID chip into your arm, Mr. Crane.”
“Huh.” Crane was quite the conversationalist.
“You did read your contract before signing, Mr. Crane?”
“Uh, sorta?”
“I thought as much.” Miss Ospin glared at the rest of us. “I shall assume Mr. Crane isn’t the only one who failed to read his contract. The ID chip serves several purposes. It controls your access to secure sections of the station, saving everyone the trouble of fumbling for an ID card. I’m told that is very difficult to do in a spacesuit. And-”
“Oh yeah, that’s for sure,” Crane blurted.
“That will be one weeks pay, Mr. Crane.”
Crane’s eyes bugged out and his face reddened. Fists balled, he rose and stalked toward Miss Ospin. Michelle jumped out of her seat and landed a kick to the back of Crane’s knee before anyone else reacted. Crane wobbled and she yanked him backward, tripping him over a planted leg. As he crashed to the floor, she drove an elbow into his throat followed by a knee to the groin. Gasping for breath, Crane curled into a ball.
Two security men burst in from the door behind Miss Ospin, stunners in hand. Michelle calmly returned to her seat as Crane was dragged to his feet and marched out.
“Thank you Miss…” the woman checked her pad, “Norwood. That was very neatly done. Now, where was I?”
As if nothing had happened, Miss Ospin told us the ID chips also served as locators, helpful in a warren like Pegasus Station, as well as containing medical alerts and other data useful in an emergency.
“Is all of that clear to everyone?” When no one spoke, she continued, “Once your ID chip is inserted, you’ll be directed to housing where you’ll be assigned a room in the men’s or women’s dormitory.”
“Dormitory?” one woman asked. “I don’t get a room to myself?”
Miss Ospin consulted her pad, then said, “No, Miss Epps. Individual apartments are in short supply and are issued based on seniority or to married couples.”
“Well what if I want to spend the night with someone? You don’t expect us to just go at it in a dorm room, do you?”
“Rooms are set aside in the dormitory for such purposes. There are also several businesses on the station which rent rooms by the hour. You will have to make do with those options until such time as you qualify for your own room, get married, or complete your contract and leave. Are there any other questions?” Miss Ospin’s gaze swept the room. “No? Then please exit through the doors behind me.”
Everyone stood and began shuffling through the doors. As Michelle and I reached Miss Ospin, she spoke to us.
“Miss Norwood? Mr. Atwood? May I have a word with you?”
Drawing curious glances from the others, Michelle and I stepped out of line and joined Miss Ospin. She stood quietly, waiting for the last of the new employees passed through the doors.
“Miss Norwood, let me once again thank you for handling Mr. Crane.”
“Please, call me Michelle. You’re more than welcome, Miss Ospin.”
“And you may call me Nora.” She turned toward me. “Do you prefer Matthew or Matt, Mr. Atwood?”
“He goes by Matt,” Michelle answered.
“You’re already answering questions for him, Michelle?” Nora smiled. “Well, perhaps that’s just as well.”
“Just as well what?” I asked.
“Oh, you do speak.” Nora smiled, making sure I understood she wasn’t being serious. “Well, young Matt, is it a safe assumption you’ve noticed that Michelle here is quite an attractive young woman?”
I grinned. “Very safe, Nora. I’d have to be blind to miss it.”
“Yes, and you can bet none of the other single men on the station will miss it, either. Nor will any of the single women.”
“But won’t they all leave us alone once they realize we’re together?” I asked.
“In normal society, perhaps. Pegasus Station is not normal society. People who end up working here generally do so because they have nowhere else to go. Attractive women almost always have some options beyond signing on here, even if it means trading on their looks. Put simply, in the wider galaxy you’re a very pretty woman among many very pretty women. On Pegasus Station, it’s entirely possible you’re the prettiest woman here.” Nora leveled an intense gaze on Michelle. “We had a woman as attractive as you arrive on station a year ago. She was lured into a dead end hallway and attacked. Her face was cut so badly, she’s still undergoing reconstructive surgery. I’m told she still screams if more than two women approach her.”
“I can take care of myself, Nora. You’ve seen that.”
“I’m sure it’ll take a bigger mob to really hurt you, Michelle, but it’s not worth the risk.” Nora placed a hand on Michelle’s arm. “I have the authority to release you from your contract. You can be on the next transport back to Eridani Station, along with a healthy contract termination bonus to compensate you for your time.”
“But I came here to be with Matt. I can’t just leave him.”
“We really need good computer security personnel, so I’ll hate to do it, but I can release Matt from his contract, too.”
“No, I have to stay here.” Nora drew back in surprise at the intensity of my words. I temporized. “Sorry, but this is an important step in my career path. But of course, Michelle should go back.”
“Oh no you don’t, Matt!” The force behind Michelle’s words made mine seem mild in comparison. “You are not shutting me out of your life now.”
Nora looked back and forth between the two of us, certain she was missing something but unsure what it was. “So you’re both determined to stay here?”
We both nodded.
“Very well, if you’re unwilling to take my first suggestion, then please seriously consider my next one.”
“Certainly, Nora,” Michelle said. “What is it?”
Nora’s gentle smile returned. “Get married.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m just a dim-witted guy,” I said, “but how will getting married solve the problems you just described?”
Nora patted my arm. “I’ve seen your test scores, Matt. Dim-witted, you most assuredly are not. But I notice your first thought is to ask how marrying Michelle will solve the problem rather than to protest you don’t wan
t to marry her. Do you?”
“Want to marry her?” I looked at Michelle and found her watching me intently. “I didn’t want Michelle thinking I was rushing into anything, so I planned to date for a while longer. And I had a much more romantic scene in mind—a crisp night on a deserted beach with a fire crackling next to us, the ring hidden somewhere she would find it… God, I don’t even have a ring.”
“But you most definitely were going to propose to Michelle?” Nora asked.
I glanced back at Michelle and found the same intense gaze on me. Why hadn’t she said anything? “Of course.”
Nora turned toward the doors behind her. “Why don’t I give you two a moment alone?”
“Um, you still haven’t explained why this will help keep Michelle safe.”
“I’ll explain that a little later. Just rest assured that it will.” Nora pushed one of the doors open. “Besides, I think the two of you have more important matters to discuss right now.”
As the door swung shut behind Nora, I turned back to Michelle. Throughout my conversation with Nora, her expression hadn’t changed and it finally got to me. “What?”
“You’ve already planned how you were going to propose to me?” At my nod, she added, “It sounds lovely and very romantic. When did you have time to come up with this?”
“It’s gone through a few revisions, but I came up with the basics in the ninth grade.” Michelle’s eyes widened. “If you think that’s something, you should see the ring I picked out.”
Michelle ducked her head, but not before I saw her bite her lip. My heart, racing and soaring now that my plans were out in the open, plummeted. What could she be puzzling over except how to let me down gently? Her head rose slowly, she no longer bit her lip but tears glistened in her eyes.
“Matt, I can’t marry you.”
I tried to find something clever to say, something to hide the pain I felt. I found nothing but a gaping void where my heart had been. After a few seconds, I simply said, “Oh.”
“When someone like you marries, there’s got to be a prenuptial agreement. You’ve got to protect your family fortune and-”
I put a finger on her lips. “You mean the fortune I was prepared to liquidate to fund a search for my parents? I don’t give a damn about the fortune, Michelle. But there are two things in this universe I do care about—that’s rescuing my parents and you.”
Michelle was determined to finish her point. “But it would look suspicious if a couple with as little as we’re supposed to have insisted on a prenup agreement and your inheritance is over a hundred billion credits and… And… Oh, Matt, I’m so used to knowing exactly what to do and when to do it. But this…”
“You know what you want to do, you’re just afraid it’s me making the mistake. And I know I’m not making a mistake.” Taking Michelle’s hands, I went to one knee. “Michelle Elise Young, will you marry me?”
Michelle gazed in my eyes for the longest three seconds ever experienced by mankind and then said, “Yes.”
Nora took one look at us as we came through the doors and beamed. “Let me be the first to offer my congratulations to the happy couple.”
“Thank you,” I replied. “Now, before we take one more step into this space station, please explain how our marriage will protect Michelle.”
“It’s very simple, really. The founder of Pegasus Station felt that married employees were better and happier workers. There’s plenty of research supporting his opinion, but I have no idea if he was aware of it. Anyway, he instituted rules to protect marriages.” Nora looked at her pad. “For example, both parties in an adulterous relationship have their contracts canceled, pay a hefty fine, and must pay for their own transportation off the station. There’s a whole list of other rules, too. The end result is that people on the station simply are not willing to take the risk of pursuing a married woman or man.”
“So a married Michelle isn’t a threat to the other women on the station,” I said.
“And a married Matt isn’t a threat to the men,” Michelle added.
“Like that was something to worry about,” I scoffed.
Nora cocked her head and looked at Michelle, who said, “Yes, he’s serious. No, he doesn’t realize it.”
“Realize what?” Both women laughed at my question.
“Okay,” Nora said, “let’s get you two married and finish your new employee processing.”
The ceremony wasn’t as grand as I’d assumed my wedding would be, but the end result was the same. The first thing we did as a married couple was complete the processing. It was far from romantic, but I did feel different than I had before we took our vows. Finally, with forms filled out and signed and ID chips injected into our wrists, Nora escorted us to our apartment.
“Does everyone get this level of personal attention from you?” I asked.
“Hardly, but I do owe your wife a debt of gratitude for handling Mr. Crane so neatly. Plus, the station guides have to take all the other new employees to the dormitories and get them settled. From the looks you two have been giving each other, I get the idea you’d like to get settled in and do a little celebrating.”
It didn’t take long to settle into the little apartment. It couldn’t have been more than twenty-five square meters, but it had a small kitchen area, a small sitting area, and a bed.
As soon as the apartment door slid shut behind us, I kissed Michelle and swept her off her feet.
She laughed. “Why Matt, don’t you want to start searching for your parents?”
“Absolutely, but I think we can spare a few minutes. We have just gotten married, after all.”
I carried Michelle to the bed, where we spent considerably more than a few minutes.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Settling In
Instead of hopping out of bed and getting right to work on finding my parents, we fell asleep. In our defense, we’d been very busy for the last several days. And all the novels and vids will tell you it’s common to fall asleep after a couple of rounds of connubial bliss. Who’d have guessed the entertainment industry got something right about sex?
I awoke slowly, feeling the sense of contentment which accompanies a particularly good dream. My mind was still trying to remember the dream when it realized something was different from other mornings. I opened my eyes and found a pair of bright blue eyes staring back at me.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“Good morning yourself.” I kissed the tip of Michelle’s nose. “How long have you been awake?”
“Minutes and minutes.”
“That long, huh? And you couldn’t think of anything better to do than watch me sleep?”
“Nope.” She sat up and swung her feet off the bed. “But now we need to get ready for our first day at work.”
I hopped up and began pulling on clothes. “Right. Work. It can’t be any worse than a day at school, right?”
I was so wrong it was ridiculous. My first day of work was packed with such exciting events as filling out even more forms, getting a remedial introduction to station computer security, and countless jokes about my age from the old-timers in the department. That was all before lunch. After lunch it was more of the same.
The interminable day finally crawled to an end and the CompSec team, as they called themselves, invited me to join them for a beer after work. Not wanting to alienate the people I’d see every day, I agreed.
“Just let me make a quick call.” I tapped Michelle’s comm code on my pad and her smiling face materialized. “Hello beautiful. You mind if I catch a beer with the guys before dinner?”
“Go ahead, Matt. I’ve got the same invitation from the real security team.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Real security?”
“You know, as opposed to you lame computer security guys. At least, that’s how my team leader explained it to me.” Michelle giggled. “There’s apparently a big rivalry.”
“Maybe in the minds of real security. No one mentioned it up h
ere in CompSec.”
“Whatever. Have fun with your friends. First one home cooks.”
“And second one home cleans,” I added and signed off.
I looked up to find all the guys staring at me. “What?”
“Who was that?” asked John, the member of the team closest to my own age.
“Michelle, my wife.”
“Wow, Matt. Just…wow.”
Greg, my manager and one of the older guys said, “She’s a very pretty girl. How long have the two of you been married?”
I checked the time. “Twenty-three hours.”
Greg laughed. “Let me give you some advice, son. If someone like her is waiting for you at home, don’t waste time guzzling beer with us old farts.”
“She’s not waiting at home. Her team asked her out for a beer, too.”
“In that case, we’ll hoist a few in honor of you and your lady.” Greg looked at the rest of the team. “The newbie’s first round is on me.”
The bar was packed. That’s not surprising when you consider Pegasus Station wasn’t what you’d call a plum assignment. There must be other forms of entertainment beyond drinking, but drinking is easy, dulls the senses, and provides camaraderie of sorts. Certainly, my new coworkers knew a lot of people in the joint, calling out names, waving, and making straight for a particular empty table.
Greg made me sit next to him. “This is the CompSec table, Matt. All these dumb lugs know to stay clear or we’ll drain their bank accounts and add black marks to their personnel records.” He looked around and raised his voice. “Ain’t that right, boys and girls?”
The people around us—mostly men, but there were a few women as well—raised their drinks and called out, “Aye!”
I think that’s what they said, anyway. It had the sound of a well-practiced ritual. As the mugs slammed down, a waitress came by with a tray full of beer mugs. Unbidden, she put one down before each of us, including me.
“Welcome to the Wingspan Bar and Grill, son,” she said. “How’d you get stuck with this bunch of losers?”
