by Dave Lemel
“Yeah, yeah, love you too.” Sasha bent down to collect Penny. “And yes, I believe Lombargnor and I will be in touch with you guys in the very near future.”
Simon walked to the door and, just before turning the handle, took one last look back at his wife. He shook his head slightly. “Nah,” he muttered under his breath, “love you both,” he added much more audibly. He opened the door and ended the call.
Chapter 10
The glow from the ambient light put off by the station and the port itself was the first visible sign to the naked eye that the Henrietta was finally approaching something on its journey. Todd observed from his seat on the bridge as one faint glow slowly separated into two distinct sources. Soon many smaller points of light became clear, emanating from the two larger objects.
Todd opened the all-ship intercom. “Marshal Cain, please report to the bridge. Engineers, please prepare for decel and arrival at the port station.”
“We have names, you know,” a voice came grumbling back in response.
Todd chuckled. “My sincerest apologies. Ben and Foggen, please prepare yourselves and the good ship Henrietta for arrival at her destination.” Todd paused for a second. “Was that up to your standards?”
“Much better.”
The door to the bridge opened, and Simon strolled in. “Is that it? Up ahead there? Oh, yeah, that’s it. I’ll never forget what it felt like seeing it for the first time.”
Todd winked and tapped an icon on the screen by his right hand. “Marshal ship seven four seven four requesting permission to dock.”
The response came quickly. “Permission granted, vessel seven four seven four. Please proceed to D arm and use slip twelve. That’s D as in delta, slip twelve.”
“Read you loud and clear.”
Todd steered the Henrietta to the slot that had been indicated to him and leveled the ship into place. A loud grinding sound was followed by a pleasant series of rising tones.
“You are safely docked, seven four seven four. Open your airlock when ready and enjoy your stay at our port.”
Todd re-opened the all-ship intercom. “Everybody in the garage as soon as possible. I know I’m not the only one dying to get off this ship for a bit and see some other faces.”
“And eat something interesting,” added Simon as he rose from his seat. “I remember there being some pretty exotic options available for consumption last time we were here.”
“That’s right. I’m actually starving right now, too, so love that idea.”
A minute later, Todd and Simon entered the garage to find Ben and Foggen already anxiously awaiting their arrival. “You guys hungry too? ’Cause we are famished, and there’s this amazing little Ginbari restaurant ’bout midway down C arm. If you’re interested, that’s where me and Foggy are headed.”
“Never had Ginbari,” Todd responded in a skeptical tone. “What’s it like?”
“Oh, man, it’s the best. They’ve got all sorts of good stuff, but my favorite are these little things they call dinkara. You get this big pot with a lid on it, and then you pull the top off and this incredible aroma hits your nose.” Ben’s eyes closed and he inhaled deeply through his nostrils. “Then inside is this broth covering dozens of…” Ben’s eyes re-opened as he stroked his mustache a few times, deep in thought. “They’re like shellfish. There’s a bunch of different kinds, and each one more delicious than the last. Then they give you these crusty roll-like things to dip in the broth and soak that up with. It’s absolutely heaven, man.”
“Well, I’m not a big shellfish guy, but Simon is.”
“I’m literally drooling.” Simon wiped under his bottom lip.
“They got anything else?” Todd inquired. “Or is it all stuff like that?”
“Oh, no, man. They got all sorts of stuff. Tons of sandwiches on that crusty bread they make too. I’m sure you’ll find something you like.”
“Well, I’m going for sure, so you’re eating alone if you can’t,” said Simon.
“I’ll find something. I’m not picky, I just don’t really dig shellfish-type stuff.”
“Right on, let’s go.” Simon moved toward the door leading to the airlock.
“Hang on, hang on, aren’t we supposed to go over some kind of plan here before we…” Todd looked around at the three forlorn expressions looking back at him. “Forget it. We can discuss on the station. Let’s get off this ship. ”
Smiles instantly spread across the previously exasperated faces, and the group made its way through the airlock. The door to the port station opened, and beings of all shapes, colors, and sizes appeared. Some scurried about hurriedly, others sat quietly by themselves passing the time with a book or entertainment device, many walked in groups talking amongst themselves as they perused the shops and restaurants lining the long hall.
“This way to C, gentlemen,” announced Ben as he hung a left and led the group down the blue and yellow painted hallway. As they came to the start of the arm they had docked to, they entered a massive space with towering ceilings. From here three arms spread outward in different directions. There were also much larger shops and restaurants lining the edges and up the sides of the space. In the center, an enormous cylindrical structure dominated the space from floor to ceiling with tiny windows dotting its exterior all the way around.
Ben flicked his head toward the structure in the center. “You guys ever seen the inside of that hotel?”
All three shook their heads. “Mmm, mm,” replied Todd. “Is it nice?”
“Maybe if you’re a sardine. Totally bizarre, man. It’s little tubes with those small circular windows you see all around the outside of it. That’s it. That’s your whole…” Ben made quote gestures with his hands, “room. ”
“Oh, man, I’d lose it. I’m kinda claustrophobic.” Simon shivered a little. “Not bad or anything, but no way I could spend the night in a little tube.”
“Well, if you get stuck here waitin’ on a layover, you ain’t got much choice.” Ben threw a thumb backward over his shoulder as they made their way into the entrance of a new arm. “That’s the only show in town.”
This arm had orange and red walls, and Ben quickly veered toward the right side of the hall. After passing a few open doorways, he turned into one, and they found themselves in a small space. A few booths lined the back wall, and a couple of small tables were up against each side wall with stools tucked underneath. The foursome chose one of the back wall booths and slid in.
A door in the corner swung open, and a slim being standing seven feet tall on three legs walked out. The being more glided than walked. As it neared the table, the single arm protruding from the center of its torso flipped a mess of long green hair out of its face and up over the top of its head. A very odd, high-pitched voice came out of the wide, thin lips at the bottom of the creature’s face.
“Drinks? Food? Both?”
“I need a menu,” replied Todd.
The orange hand with six short fingers and a fat thumb pointed over towards the side wall by the door the server had recently emerged through. “Menu’s on the wall there. I’ll give you a few minutes.”
Todd leaned in closer to Ben. “Is that a male or female? I can’t get a read by looks or voice this time.”
“Not sure. Never figured it out myself. Maybe they don’t even have male and female in that species.”
“Male,” Foggen stated from across the table. “Ginbari males walk on three legs and have a single arm while the females are bipedal and have two arms.”
Simon turned back from reading the wall menu. “Seriously? That’s odd.”
“It’s not overly common, but there are other species that have been documented with similarly large differences in fundamental body structure between genders.”
“Hmm, guess I should’ve paid more attention in my biology classes at academy.” Simon turned back to the menu. “So what was that shellfish thing you guys were talking about called
again?”
“Dinkara. Third one down on the right side. Todd, the sandwich things are all on the left.”
“All right, my translation upgrade is working, but most of the ingredients they use must not be things with an English counterpart. Either of you have a recommendation?”
Foggen responded quickly. “Chicken, beef, or pork?”
“What about ’em? ’Cause I don’t see anything up there with any one of those. ”
“They use proteins that taste very similar to them, so which do you feel like?”
“Beef, I guess. Wait, is it sliced thin like a cheesesteak, or chunks, or one thick piece or what?”
“Usually on Ginbari daknis—that’s what they call the sandwich things—the meat is diced up into small bits.”
“Okay.” Todd thought for a moment. “Pork.”
“Go with the lifnali. Top one, left side. It is quite popular; you should enjoy it.”
Just then the three legged waiter re-appeared through the doorway in the corner and made his way back to the table. “Ready?”
“Dinkara,” Ben gestured wide with his big, callused hands spread open, “the big one.”
“Same,” said Simon.
“Dinkara for me as well,” said Foggen, “but the small one.”
“And I will take a…” Todd looked over his shoulder at the menu again, “lifnali. The lifnali.”
“Sounds good. Any drinks?”
“Just a pitcher of water, please,” replied Ben.
“I will return shortly.”
“So after we eat,” said Ben, “I need to go see an old friend. ”
Todd smiled. “You know we don’t have long here, Ben. You gotta get your restocking done, too, so no losing track of time as you two catch up.”
“Killing two birds with one stone, boss. Randy and me been buddies since we were both cruiser mechanics back way before you were even born.”
“How does that kill two birds with one stone?”
“He took a stint workin’ out here a year ago. Pays real well, and he had some unexpected debt to pay off for one of his kids. So long story short, I sent him a list of everything I need, and he’s got it ready for me.”
“Excellent,” said Simon, “and I just have to pick up a few things to restock the freezer and pantry, so we should be able to get moving again real quick.”
“So, what’s the plan again?” asked Ben. “I really wasn’t focused at the start-up meeting.”
“I wanted to go over everything one more time anyway,” replied Todd. “After everyone’s back on the ship, we contact H.Q. and let Lombargnor and Sasha know we’re ready. Then they have the port shut down for,” Todd made air quotes, “maintenance. Soon afterwards, they will turn it back on, and we go through as the,” he made air quotes again, “test ship.”
The door swung open, and the waiter emerged pushing a small cart. He placed two large contraptions in front of Ben and Simon, a smaller version in front of Foggen, and finally a plate in front of Todd. On his plate was what looked like a sub sandwich that had been made on a whole baguette, cut in half and placed in a V that hung over the sides. The server put the pitcher of water down and placed a small cup before each of them before heading back through the door with his cart.
“Can we finish the discussion after we eat, because this smells…” Simon lifted the top off his contraption and his eyes bugged out significantly, “and looks amazing.”
“Dig in, fellas,” Todd responded as he conspicuously inspected his sandwich. “We’ll cover it all before we go.”
Chapter 11
Sasha and Lombargnor sat side by side on the screens flanking the Henrietta’ s windshield as Todd and Simon brought them up to speed. “Ben and Foggen should be back aboard shortly. They just needed to grab a few more things to finish their restock,” said Todd.
“And you and Marshal Cain have finished restocking all necessary items that you needed?” asked Sasha.
“It’s really weird when you refer to your husband as Marshal Cain,” said Todd.
“We will be keeping this formal when our communication is for official purposes, Marshal Jordan.”
“All right, Sasha, all right. I can follow protocol with the best of them.”
“Mission Commander Cain.”
Todd’s left eyebrow came down as the right shot up. “Huh?”
Simon grinned as Sasha responded. “You will address me as Mission Commander Cain in official assignment communication, Marshal Jordan. I will not remind you again.”
Todd sat up straighter. “It will not happen again, Mission Commander Cain. What is our next step, ma’am?”
“That’s better, but you do not have to call me ma’am. We have already notified the appropriate personnel to begin shutdown of the port. Once Ben and Foggen are back on board, have them bring the key up to the bridge. At that time, contact us. We will then put the wheels in motion to re-start the port. Once they have it up and running, we will instruct them to contact your ship and notify you that the Henrietta will be the first ship through.”
Simon looked up from his link. “I just got a message from Ben that they’re heading back now. I guess this is it till we’re on the other side.”
“Marshals,” Lombargnor leaned slightly forward, “you are two of the more decent beings I have come across in the galaxy. You care about your fellow living creatures and instinctively treat them with respect. Your friendship is effortless and obviously genuine to all those around. I mention this now not to flatter you but to remind you to focus on these qualities when this assignment gets rough. I promise you it will present the likes of which you have not dealt with to this point in your careers.”
Todd and Simon simultaneously looked away from Lombargnor and at each other. They turned back to the monitors as Todd replied, “We won’t let you down.”
“Do not worry about me, marshals. On this assignment, you must not let each other down.”
Silence hung heavily in the air on the bridge. Finally, a low repeating tone broke the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere. “That’s the airlock,” said Simon. “Must be Ben and Foggen. ”
“Go and help them load everything. We will inform the port master that it is time to restart the port.” Lombargnor’s face softened into a comforting smile. “Marshals, one last thing.”
Todd and Simon looked back as they rose from their seats. “Yes, sir?” they responded in unison.
“I have the utmost faith in you two. Just keep finding your way back to the best of what makes you, you, and I have absolutely no doubt that you will succeed on this assignment.”
“Thank you, sir,” replied Todd.
“Good luck, you two,” added Sasha, “and we’ll be in touch soon.” The screens returned to navigation displays as the pair of faces disappeared.
“Geez,” said Todd as he stepped around his chair, “the big Bopecan was getting a little heavy there at the end, huh? I mean, I know this assignment won’t be easy, but our last one wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.”
“I found that a bit odd myself. The guy’s not exactly light and fluffy usually, but that seemed strangely serious even for him.”
“Well, I’ve got enough on my mind, so I’m not going to dwell on it.” Todd waved Simon after him. “C’mon, let’s give the mustachioed mechanic and his Bopecan sidekick a hand so we can get to another solar system.”
A few minutes later, the airlock had been resealed and the last of the equipment was being locked into its place by Foggen. Ben pulled a chair off the wall and swung it around. Just as he plopped into it, Todd’s link lit up and vibrated. “Don’t get too comfortable. The bridge just notified me we are receiving a transmission from the port master.”
Ben popped right back out of the chair and slid it back into its place. “All right, all right, all right…let’s get this show on the road.”
Todd and Simon briskly made their way out of the garage and up the nearest flight of stairs. As they entered the bridge, Todd smacked
Simon on the chest with the back of his hand. “Here we go, man!” He faced the screens and announced, “Call port master.”
They took their places in the side by side horseshoe consoles. The screens changed to show a Bopecan woman sitting behind a small metal desk cluttered with objects of varying shapes and sizes. “How do you do, marshal vessel seven four seven four?”
“Doing well,” replied Todd. “I received notification that you wanted to speak with us.”
“That is correct, marshal. I have received orders to inform you that you will be first vessel through after re-starting the port. Please unmoor your ship from the port station and position yourselves appropriately. Now would be the time to remove your key from storage and prepare it for activation as well.”
“Read you loud and clear, port master. We will get ourselves in position and await your final instructions. ”
The port master nodded before ending transmission. Todd opened the all-ship intercom. “That was the call, gentlemen. Please bring the key up to the bridge. We are a go.”
“Roger, boss,” responded Ben. “Be up in a minute.”
A grinding sound preceded a series of clunks, and the Henrietta gently floated a few hairs away from its previous position. Todd pulled the ship out backwards and rotated it slightly before slowly advancing under the arm they had just detached from. He steered the Henrietta out from beneath the port station, and up ahead in the distance the port itself came into view.
The giant circle hung ominously. It dwarfed the structure they had departed from, and at the moment it sat very dark and quiet. Suddenly it began to show signs of life. A faint glow formed in a box-like region at the top. The purplish color of the scaffolding-like structure that made up the majority of the ring became clearer in the new light. Then, in a flash, a bright blue orb appeared in the glowing box at the top.