Dust

by Jason Hutt

  DUST

  Jason T. Hutt

  This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Published by Hutt Publishing

  Copyright © 2012 Jason T. Hutt

  Cover art copyright © 2012 J. Corey Davis

  All rights reserved.

  For my father, who left my life far too soon.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Epilogue

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  Thanks to my wife, Melinda, for supporting me throughout the writing of this novel and pushing me to pursue this goal. Thanks to Clint Balmain and Bill Frank for providing feedback on the initial drafts. Finally, thank you to Corey Davis for his dedication and attention to detail in developing the excellent cover art.

  Chapter 1

  Nick Papagous sat in the unlit home office of his father, looking through his father’s files, when he heard a noise coming from the hallway. His head jerked up suddenly and he sat perfectly still for a moment, waiting for the door to fly open. The young man’s gaze was drawn to a family portrait on the wall, illuminated by the light of two moons shining through the window. In that painting, he saw himself as he was ten years ago, smiling with his father’s hand on his shoulder.

  Nick grimaced and looked back at the computer screen built into the top of the desk. He tapped a folder labeled ‘Progress Reports’ and copied it to a small data crystal inserted in a notch on the desk. It was an archaic method of data storage, he knew. It had taken him several months to track down a working crystal, but he wanted the files stored somewhere safe, somewhere offline.

  In an instant, the files were copied. Then, Nick selected his father’s mail archives and made a copy of those. He shutdown the system and glanced at the curved face of the paper-thin computer he wore on his wrist. The taxi would be arriving in ten minutes.

  He grabbed his bag and stood up. He could feel the pounding of his heart. After a moment, he crept out of the room. He looked back and forth down the hallway; no one was there. He stepped into his bedroom and took one last look around. Trophies and picture frames littered his desk; clothes were strewn around his room. He grabbed a shirt from the bottom of a pile of clothes at the foot of his bed. He’d love to bring more, but nothing else would fit in his bag.

  He closed the door to his room and silently made his way down the stairs. He looked out the front window just as the taxi descended onto the front lawn. He smiled nervously. He touched his thumb to the pad to the right of the door and it quickly slid open.

  Nick had one foot through the entryway when his mother called out from the darkness behind him.

  “Where will you go?” She asked softly, her arms folded across her chest. Nick could barely make out her silhouette in the shadows of the hallway.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  “Your father won’t be back for a few days. You could wait-”

  Nick shook his head and said, “No, not this time. I have to go.”

  He heard her sniffle and he hesitated briefly.

  “I love you, mom,” he said, “But I can’t live with him. Not anymore.”

  “Be careful.”

  Nick nodded and stepped through the door. It slid shut behind him and he hesitated to take the next step. He exhaled slowly and walked to the taxi. Within moments, he was away.

  ***

  After three days, Nick was sitting at a table in a music-themed chain restaurant just off the main concourse of Nexus Station, one of eight city-sized space stations that served as hubs to the many worlds of the Republic. His mother would never have been caught dead in a place like this, he thought. Nick chewed the last rubbery bite of his bland steak when an alert popped up on his wrist computer.

  Account Balance: $0.00

  Nick gulped down the final bite of his meal. It seemed to lodge in his throat. Seconds later, another message popped-up.

  I know.

  As he read the short note from his father, the world beyond Nick seemed to fade; his hands began to sweat. The server robot rolled up to his table. Nick looked in its direction with wide eyes.

  “Can I get you anything else?” The robot asked in a sweet, feminine voice.

  Nick stammered, “I…uh…no. I don’t need anything.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Another alert popped up on his computer as the check for his meal was delivered by the server. Nick didn’t know what to do. The silver robot waited next to his table. Nick brushed crumbs off of his steel-gray pants and pulled slightly at the collar of his shirt.

  “Payment, please,” the robot said.

  “Uh…I’m sorry. I don’t know how this happened,” Nick whispered, “But I don’t have any money right now.”

  In the blink of an eye, an appendage deployed from the chassis of the robot and hovered over the back of Nick’s neck.

  “Nicholas Papagous, you have twenty-four hours to remit payment,” the robot said in a voice that seemed ten times louder than it needed to be, “If no payment is received in twenty-four hours, you will be fined one hundred dollars. At that point, you will not be allowed to leave Nexus Station until the fine and the amount owed has been paid.”

  The delinquency notice appeared on his wrist computer. Nick let out a heavy sigh as the robot abruptly turned and left. Nick’s shoulders slumped as he stood shakily and smoothed some wrinkles in the sleeve of his red satin shirt. He avoided eye contact with any of the other patrons. His cheeks turned as red as his shirt as he quickly made his way to the exit.

  When he was safely embedded in the throng of people that filled the concourse, Nick finally felt he was able to breathe again. He leaned against the wall of the corridor as others sped past him. He ignored the aggravated glares of those who had to step around him. Nick had to stop for a moment; he had no idea what to do next. He looked through the chaos around him for anything that might help.

  Families were hurriedly rushing through the corridor trying to catch a passenger liner that was soon departing. Long separated relatives embraced and said tearful hellos while forlorn lovers embraced for a final time and shed tears of sorrow. A dog broke free from its leash and started sprinting through the flowing crowd. His owner set off after him at a breakneck pace. Black uniformed security guards kept watch over the entire scene.

  Bright colored signs for dozens of businesses lined the corridor. Three dimensional holograms featuring highlights of the latest baseball game floated directly over the crowd. Monitors lined the far wall just above head height and showed a constant spool of the latest news broadcasts. Right above those, tote boards showed the latest arrival and departure statuses for hundreds of different flights and destinations.

  A restaurant to his left was exuding a subtle odor of grilled steak and baked beans with bacon. Nick even thought he caught a whiff of apple and maybe cherry pie. A dessert bar across from him created the luscious smell of sweet chocolate with a hint of marshmallow.

  Nick blinked heavily as tears threatened to spill from his eyes. He let himself get caught up in the flow of the crowd. He fretfully marched with the current of traffic until he came across a waiting area that was only partially full. Nick sat down heavily on a bench and rested his forehead in his hands.

  He scrolled back through the recent messages on his wrist computer. He stopped at th
e one from his father.

  I know.

  The slight bulge of the data crystal in the pocket of his pants seemed as if it was growing in size every second. His father would be coming for him; he had no doubt of this. Nick pulled at his collar again; his forehead was covered in sweat.

  Nick looked at the message on the screen again. This time his eye caught the tab for local notices. Nick tapped it with his finger and found the help wanted listings. Nick gritted his teeth. In order to get out of this, he was going to have to do something he had never done before.

  ***

  Nick entered the sterile, nondescript interview room wearing his best wrinkle-free, white faux silk shirt and black pants. The man sitting on the other side of the gray table looked up at Nick with an intense glare. The man was short, stocky, and wearing a suit that must’ve been at least a hundred years old. Nick noted that the suit was pulling in all the wrong places.

  “Kid, if this is some sort of joke,” he said, “Just go ahead and turn around. I don’t need you to waste my time.”

  Nick resisted the impulse to slump his shoulders and sigh. His left eye twitched slightly. He blinked to try and focus.

  “I promise I’m not here to waste your time,” Nick said, offering his hand. The older man hesitated a moment, but stood and shook Nick’s hand firmly.

  “Max Cabot,” the old man said, “You must be Nick.”

  “That’s me.”

  Max gestured to the seat across from him.

  “Tell me, Nick,” Max said after he had taken his seat, “Why does a twenty-year-old kid drop out of the University of Delle, where he’s on an academic scholarship, in order to come to Nexus Station and apply for a job as a freighter co-pilot on the ass-end of space?”

  Nick hesitated and said, “I decided it wasn’t for me. I want to get out, see the galaxy. I figure before I settle down into my career, I should have some fun.”

  Max frowned and looked Nick in the eye. Nick fidgeted in the seat, inspecting the cuffs of his shirt for any loose threads. Max scratched at the sides of his ill-fitting suit coat.

  “Kid,” Max said, “You don’t sign on for six months on a freighter just to have some fun.”

  “I know, that’s not what I meant. I need some real world experience. Things weren’t going too well at U-D.”

  Nick found it difficult to maintain eye contact with Max; the older man’s stare was penetrating.

  Max exhaled loudly.

  “Do you have any experience with spaceship maintenance?”

  Nick shook his head and said, “No, but I was responsible for the boats on our crew team. And I’ve taken some basic circuits courses. I’ve also had a couple of programming courses.”

  “How about Astronavigation?”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Do you have any prior work experience?”

  Nick rested his head on his right hand and rubbed his temple. He could see this was going as well as the three previous interviews.

  “No,” he admitted, “I’ve never had a job. Never needed one.”

  “And you’re from Valhalla?”

  “Yes, that’s right,” Nick said, “But-”

  “Well, Nick,” Max said, “I think that will about do it. Thanks for spending the time with me today.”

  Max started to get up to shake Nick’s hand, but Nick protested.

  “Please, Mr. Cabot,” Nick said, “Just give me a chance.”

  “I just don’t think you’ll be a good fit for this operation.”

  “Look, I know I don’t have the right experience, but my mechanical aptitude scores are above average and my learner skills also test out high,” Nick protested, trying to keep an even tone.

  “And you have no practical experience and no relevant training,” Max said, “Given your background, you’re not going to be a good fit for living on Dust. The people there are, well, private. They’re also a bit more free-spirited than where you’re from. People from Valhalla generally aren’t a good fit out there.”

  Nick sat back heavily in his chair, almost pitching it backwards.

  “Wait,” Nick said, “I just need a chance here. Look, the truth is my father and I have had a bit of a falling out. So, I’m trying to strike out on my own. Yes, I’m from Valhalla. I’ve already heard how we’re regarded as straight-laced and narrow-minded, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel like I needed a change. It would have been easy for me to carve out a niche there, to be the person everyone wanted me to be, but that’s not an option for me anymore.

  “I’m not here to go on a mission for the Church or to get people to see the error of their ways. I’m just trying to live my life. The corner of the galaxy that I happen to be from looks very pretty from the outside, but there are a lot of warts under the surface. I need to get out of this place. So, if you’re looking for someone who’s willing to try hard and follow directions, then I’m your man. Otherwise, well, I appreciate that you gave me the time.”

  Nick cast his gaze down at the table, disappointed at letting his desperation show. Nick knew what came next. He knew that now Max would get up and extend his hand, thank him for the time, and send him on his way.

  “Dust is pretty far off the beaten path, kid,” Max said, “Six months can seem like forever in a place like that.”

  “The farther away from here the better.”

  “What’s the matter, kid?” Max asked, “Did you get some girl pregnant without a permit?”

  Nick was taken aback.

  “I would never…”

  “Relax, Nick,” Max said, “It was just a joke. You know, my last three co-pilots were two drunks and a drug dealer. None of those worked out for me. I could stand to hire someone with a bit better moral compass.”

  Max extended his hand and said, “Welcome aboard, kid.”

  “Oh, thank God,” Nick said. He gave Max a crooked smile and had to resist the urge to leap up and hug the older man. Nick felt tension drain from his shoulders as he enthusiastically shook Max’s hand.

  “I don’t have a whole lot of people banging down my door for this job,” Max said, “You get one flight out and back to prove you can handle it. Otherwise, I’ll drop you back here and we’ll go our separate ways.”

  “Sounds good to me. You won’t regret this,” Nick said.

  Max gave him a long, slow look. Nick braced himself for a change of heart. Max then looked down at his wrist computer, tapped a couple spots on the screen and extended his arm to Nick. Nick wasn’t sure what to do.

  “Put your thumb on the white spot,” Max said, “It’s your contract.”

  “Sorry,” Nick said, hurriedly pressing his thumb to the thin screen wrapped around Max’s wrist.

  Max shook his head. “I must be getting soft. I’d like to get going as soon as we can. How soon can you be ready?”

  “I need about an hour,” Nick said.

  “Very good. Meet me in docking bay twelve.”

  Nick nodded, eager to be out of here as well. For the last few hours, Nick had felt his father’s grip tugging at him. With no money and slim prospects for a job, Nick was effectively trapped. He felt positively giddy now. He was about to escape his father’s grip. The only problem was this wasn’t a one-way ticket; he would be expected to come back.

  I’ll deal with that later, Nick thought. Nick got up to leave before he realized he needed one more thing from Max.

  “So, any chance I could get a small advance?”

  ***

  Nick entered the spacious, brightly lit docking bay thirty minutes later. He immediately saw Max waving to him from across the hangar. Nick returned the wave and stepped through the customs scanner. The scanner beeped and Nick saw his personal information appear on the monitor in front of the security guard.

  Nick always felt the urge to itch the back of his neck in these situations. He knew he couldn’t feel the chip that was implanted there, but it seemed to itch just the same. The security guard nodded for Nick to proceed.

  Nick t
ook a step away from the counter when another message arrived on his wrist computer.

  I will find you. - Love, Father

  The message made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. Nick couldn’t help but look around, even though he knew there was no way his father would be there. The security guard gave him a funny look which Nick returned with a weak smile. The sooner he got out of here the better. Nick jogged over to Max who stood at the foot of the entry ramp of a hulky, rusted, dark purple-colored behemoth of a freighter.

  “Welcome to the Hannah, kid,” Max said, “She’s my pride and joy.”

  Nick nodded politely and didn’t say a thing.

  “You’re going to hurt my feelings,” Max said dryly, wiping his hands on a rag.

  “She’s, uh, big,” Nick said.

  “The technical term is she’s got a lot of cargo capacity,” Max said, “But, yes, she’s big. And old. And rusted. And a piece will fall off if I’m not paying attention.”

  “Maybe you should invest in something newer,” Nick said.

  “Are you trying to get fired on your first day?”

  Nick shook his head. Max laughed and gestured towards Nick’s travel bag.

  “Is that all you’ve got?”

  “Yep,” Nick said, “Traveling light.”

  “Good,” Max said, “Go on up the ramp and take a right. Your quarters are the first on the left.”

  “Great,” Nick said, “What do you need me to do first?”

  Max gave him a wry smile.

  “You’re not allowed to touch anything until you’ve read every manual I have on file, gone through all the maintenance training programs, and run as many launch and landing simulations as you can stomach. Until then, I don’t even want you to set foot in the cockpit. I may have had a momentary lapse of reason in hiring you, but that doesn’t mean I’m a complete fool.

  “You’ll do what I say, when I say. No exceptions. Got that?”

  “Yes, sir,” Nick said out of habit.

  “Good, but drop the sir.”

  “Yes, Max,” Nick said. Max gestured toward the ramp and Nick hurried into the ship, eager to get moving.