The Time Stone (The Time Stone Trilogy Book 1)

by Robert F Hays

  “Anything you want?” the man asked over his shoulder.

  “No. You know the system better than I do. You decide.” Jim thought to himself. ‘At least this guy’s good for something.’

  “Two Veal Mastrianies. This time, not so heavy on the sauce.”

  The control lit up and announced, “Valet service is not available until after the liner is underway. Will you wait forty five minutes?”

  “Yes,” the man snapped. Then back to Jim. “Told you about the bad service.”

  * * *

  It was the third day. Time dragged for Jim. Circumstances restricted him to the cabin. A continual barrage of complaints from his roommate over the last two days had made Jim edgy. The man complained about everything, the bunk, the food, the shower, the valet service.

  Jim spent most of his time lying in his bunk. Reading the cabin’s data pad only depressed him more. The games rooms, bars and observation deck were only a short walk away. He lay biting his lip in frustration. His restrictions were slowly reaching intolerable levels.

  The liner was definitely not designed for the recluse. Cabins were only made to sleep and shower. Everything else was out in the public areas.

  The shower afforded some degree of amusement. The droplets appeared to float as they exited the shower head, then accelerated, taking an erratic path to the floor. The splash, as it hit the floor, formed a cloud of smaller droplets that seemed not to know which way to go. Swirling patterns formed that reminded Jim of the effect caused by a magnet on iron filings in a standard junior high school science experiment. But, there was a limit to the amount of time he could hide in a shower.

  * * *

  “I think I’ll go for a wander.” Jim stood and grabbed for his jacket then headed for the door.

  His roomy put down the pad he was reading. “The Jump is only a few hours away. It’s going to be chaos out there. Those traditional Jump parties. Don’t see what all the fuss is about anyway. It’s just applied physics. We zap in and out of parallel space and suddenly appear somewhere else. Nothing to get excited about. I would stay here if I were you. Just a bunch of stupid, ignorant people who think they’re having fun. A pain in the rear if you ask me. If you want to have an interest...”

  The voice trailed off as the cabin door shut. Jim walked with a purpose. He didn’t need directions from the frequent information screens. He had just about memorized the entire layout of the liner from the data pad.

  The observation deck was his first goal. He wanted to kick back with a beer in his hand and watch the stars.

  The soft glowing walls and ceiling of the corridor illuminated the way. It was a short walk with one turn to the lift tube.

  Two women, a tall brunette and a medium height blonde, stood at the door to the lift tube when he arrived. The door opened and the three entered. The blonde touched the control marked Observation Deck just as Jim reached for the same spot on the panel. He dropped his hand.

  “Going to watch the Jump from up there too?” the brunette inquired.

  “Sure am, can’t miss out on that.”

  Jim looked away in an attempt to ignore them in as polite a manner as possible.

  “This is our first time on a liner with an observation deck,” the brunette said. “We’ve been in space twice before, but it was on a passenger carrying freighter. Have you gone through it before?”

  Jim glanced back, both were smiling. He got the instant impression that these two women weren’t out on the hunt for an available male, they were just friendly. So why not be friendly back. They didn’t look like crazed religious fanatic murderers, but who could tell.

  “Ah.... no... This is my first time too.”

  “Come with us, we can celebrate together.”

  Both had cheerful personalities, quite a change from his roommate, so, why not? “Ok, so what is one supposed to do to celebrate this auspicious event?”

  “Just stand around, drink, and watch the stars change I suppose,” said the brunette.

  “What, no dancing on tables with a rose between the teeth, and telling bad jokes with a lamp shade on your head?”

  The brunette gave him a curious smile. “With what on your head?”

  “Sorry, a little sarcasm. I’ve had a rough bi millennia.”

  “Well, if you don’t feel like company...”

  “Oh, no, no. I think I need to yack with someone.”

  The brunette stepped back and shot a worried glanced to her friend. “We didn’t mean we should go that far.”

  “Oh... ah... I didn’t... I come from an isolated region. We use different expressions there. I mean talk.” Jim felt like kicking himself for using the old term. The initial excitement of release from confinement had made him careless. He straightened and reminded himself to think before speaking again.

  “That’s all right,” the brunette said, her smile returning. “I use a few local expressions myself.”

  “At least you watch the 3V,” the blonde said. “You said ‘ok’, that Old Earth term.”

  “Yes,” the brunette said, “it’s about the tenth time I’ve heard it today.”

  The door opened and they exited. The blonde moved around Jim as they walked. “I didn’t think there were isolated areas any more. 3V sort of keeps us all in touch.”

  “Well, trust me to find one. It’s difficult getting used to the rest of the galaxy.”

  “You’ll be fine.” The blonde grabbed his arm and gave it a congenial squeeze. “You’re good looking. The girls are going to like you. You’re not married are you?”

  “No I’m a widower, and I’ve been called a dork on more than one occasion.” Jim smirked at the pun only he understood.

  “Oh, we’re sorry,” the brunette said, grabbing his other arm. “We didn’t mean to bring it up.”

  “That’s all right. It’s been quite a long time. Shall we talk about fun things instead?”

  “What, lamp shades on the head?”

  Jim laughed. “If I get the chance I’ll demonstrate.”

  The crowded observation deck suited Jim, he was better off lost in the mob. The deck itself was dimly lit. Transparent walls and ceiling gave one the feeling of walking in the open under the stars. It was more impressive than Jim had anticipated. He considered it well worth the risk of leaving his cabin.

  They walked past fixtures with ornamental plants illuminated by artificial sunlight and glass tanks full of multi-colored tropical looking fish. Jim stopped to inspect a tank.

  “I wonder what would happen to the fish if they turned the gravity off.”

  The brunette flashed him a disapproving look. “That sounds mean. Here I’m thinking you are a nice person and you talk about doing cruel things to poor defenseless fish.”

  “Just hypothetically speaking.” An image came to mind of fish and blobs of water floating around the room.

  “Just in theory, that does sound funny. You could play flying fish without the launchers.”

  “How do you play that?”

  The brunette looked surprised. “You never played flying fish when you were little?

  “No.”

  “Boy, you are from an isolated region.”

  “It’s sealed,” announced the blonde, inspecting the top of the tank.

  “Well, there goes that idea,” Jim said, looking around for a place to sit.

  Seats and tables were arranged all around the gigantic room, all were taken. A line of armchairs positioned facing the sloping transparent walls were likewise taken. They stood with the crowd and grabbed a drink from a passing autoserve.

  “Celia is right. You are good looking,” the brunette said. “By the way, I’m Carol this is Celia.”

  “Mick’s the name, and thank you. I needed a bit of an ego boost.”

  Carol continued with the complements. “Yes, sort of rugged looking like you’re not used to an easy life.”

  Celia looked him directly in the face. “It’s all the fashion now. Called the Jim Young look. You do look lik
e him from a distance, but not close up.”

  Jim inhaled and swelled his chest. “Well we can’t all be that good looking.”

  Carol played reflectively with the floral garnish in her drink. “I wouldn’t mind meeting him.”

  Celia raised a hand, palm out, and shielded her mouth from Carol’s view then spoke to Jim in a stage whisper. “She probably wants to find out how they yacked back on Old Earth.”

  “I have heard they had a ritual back then,” Jim said, suppressing a grin.

  “Really?” Carol said, obviously playing along with the coming joke.

  “Yes, first they swung a cat over the bed by the tail then walked ‘round it three times chanting.”

  “Poor cat,” Celia said.

  “Oh, I’m disappointed. That’s how I do it anyway, nothing new.”

  “Speaking of new,” Jim said, looking around. “I haven’t tried the zero gravity games rooms yet. Nowhere to sit here, may as well be doing something.”

  “We tried them yesterday. It’s fun.” Carol had Jim by the hand and was headed in the direction of the lift tube. “Come on. We’ll show you.”

  Jim turned to Celia. “Coming?”

  “I think I’ll stay here,” Celia said. “Those games are mostly for two people, not three. If I find a partner I’ll join you.”

  They went one level down then took a moving walkway to the rear of the ship. Jim didn’t have to be shown the way, he knew it from the map, but it was nice to have company.

  In an entrance room, racks of overshoes lined one wall. Carol demonstrated how to put one on. The soles of the shoes were the same type of silent Velcro that Jim had on some of his clothing. In zero gravity they gripped the surface of the games room walls.

  Handrails lined the hallway to the main games rooms themselves. The gravity gradually weakened as they neared the end.

  Through a window, Jim could see a game in progress in the first area. A hoop, suspended halfway down a cylindrical room was being used as a target through which a ball was propelled. The game seemed to be a variation of volleyball with two people jumping from wall to wall knocking the ball back and forth through the hoop.

  “How about this? Looks like fun,” Carol said, pointing through the window.

  “No, too energetic for me at the moment. Don’t they have some sort of zero gravity pool?”

  “Are you still talking about floating fish?”

  “Ah... No, I don’t mean a swimming pool. Pool is a game played with colored balls on a table. Sorry I keep forgetting that here they don’t play the same games I’m used to.”

  “Well, we could try going down the row of rooms and seeing what....”

  Jim wasn’t listening. He was intent on the conversation of the two men waiting their turn to use the first room.

  “Mick? What’s so interesting?”

  Jim raised a hand and continued to listen. The phrase ‘Praise the Lord’ caught his attention. “I’ve seen enough. Let’s go.”

  Jim turned and attempted to walk quickly. In his haste, he forgot the handrails. Normal walking uses gravity to keep the upper part of the body in forward motion. The feet keep up underneath as the body falls forward. Without gravity, Jim’s feet took off and left him behind. At a body angle of a little over forty five degrees he decided to back up. This just moved him in the reverse direction at the same angle.

  “Need some help?” Carol asked, bending over him with a smirk.

  “Ah, yes, if you wouldn’t mind.”

  She gave him a push which sent him floating to the upright position.

  “Trust in the Lord but hold the handrails,” said one of the two men behind him.

  “I’ll remember that,” Jim called back.

  The gravity slowly returned as they walked back down the hallway.

  “What’s the matter?”

  “Weak stomach. Must have been something I ate. I didn’t want to see breakfast floating around instead of fish.”

  * * *

  They returned to the observation deck. Celia was still standing alone.

  “Didn’t find a partner?” Carol asked.

  “Yes but he had other games on his mind than volleyball. I think it would be great, but not with someone I just met.”

  “Well, I know I was perfectly safe there with Mick.”

  “What?” Jim said. His male ego had just taken a hit. “I’m not that harmless. Do you want to go back down there again and I’ll show you?”

  “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that you’re the get to know you first type.” She took a long look at Jim. “Is this a business trip?”

  ‘Think fast,’ Jim said to himself. He hadn’t mapped out a cover story and was now regretting it. “Fertilizer, I deal in organic fertilizers. That’s why I come from an isolated area. You can’t put that type of industry near a populated area.”

  “Really?” Celia said with a tone that marked more than a passing interest. “Does your company use the anaerobic or the new colloidal method of production?”

  “Ah.” Jim broke into a sweat. He tried to figure out an exit from this line of conversation. “Colloidal. You sound knowledgeable about the subject. What do you do?”

  “I’m a bio lab assistant. My company produces the bacteria for the new colloidal process.”

  “Did your company send you or is this a vacation?” Jim figured that the best way to avoid questions was to ask questions.

  “Vacation. La Raza was Carol’s idea.”

  Carol gave Celia a sour side glance. “It was better than your suggestion, the beach again? Gato has a lot more excitement, the gambling casinos, glamour, something to do every hour of the day or night. Things were getting so boring at home. I want to see Gato at least once in my lifetime.”

  Jim smiled and mumbled under his breath. “Stick around me and you’ll get more excitement than you can handle.” He looked around for an autoserve. “I suppose you’re going to grab yourself a wealthy je....” he caught himself before saying ‘jet setter’. The expression was probably not used any more. “ah... man, and party around the galaxy.”

  Carol’s face turned even more sour. “Yuck. I have no desire to join the space hopper clique. I like to work for a living.”

  An unpleasant thought dawned on Jim. He was now one of the super wealthy. Would he have to contend with the thought: ‘do they like me for me, or me for my money?’ In this case he felt assured that these two were talking to him for himself alone. The clothing he wore and his general bearing portrayed a man of less affluent means. Alfred had been a good teacher. From observing others, he had noticed the little things in action and speech that would give him away. Except for minor slipups, he was confidant that the portrayal of an average country minor business representative was intact. So, what would happen when he played his real self, the wealthy man with an exotic background?

  “So Carol, what do you do for a living?” Jim asked, still trying to keep the conversation away from himself.

  “I work at a 3V station.”

  “Ah... not news I hope, can’t stand nosey reporters.”

  “Nosey?” Carol said, looking confused again. “Well, I guess Brat Hart does have a rather large proboscis but I hadn’t noticed it as a general trait.”

  “Ah... sorry, personal joke.”

  “It looks like I’m going to need a Mick to English dictionary with you around, and I work in the communications engineering section.”

  “Jesse James here is the chief engineer,” Celia said.

  “Don’t call me that,” Carol said. “I hate it. Ever since that Old Earth movie came out, everyone has been teasing me about it. By the way, my family name is James.”

  “Look, vacant seats,” Celia said, already at a fast walk with Jim’s sleeve in hand.

  The seats were lined up. They sat facing the window wall and the vast outside. The stars had a hypnotic effect and they sat in silence for a while.

  “What are we supposed to do now?” Carol asked.

  “We cou
ld...” Jim’s suggestion was cut short by a beeping sound in back of him. He turned around. A young man in a business suit stood facing the other direction also turned. Their eyes met. Jim smiled, nodded, then turned back to the stars again.

  “What could we do?” Carol asked.

  “Oh, nothing.”

  Jim sat for a while wanting to look again but fought off the urge. Slowly, and as casually as he could, he turned in Celia’s direction then took a quick glance. The man was gone. He exhaled heavily with relief.

  “Yes?” Celia asked. “You looked this way like you wanted to say something.”

  “Oh... no... Just taking a peek to see if the beeping man was still there.”

  Carol had also turned around and was searching the room. “He took off. He was staring at you Mick.”

  “Must have thought I was a famous singer or something.”

  They continued small talk for another hour. Jim occasionally glanced behind him. He felt the desire to take off and hide, but reassured himself it was groundless paranoia.

  “What happens during this Jump thing?” Jim had his chair in full recline and was now looking up through the ceiling.

  “You sort of feel all tingly,” Carol said. “Then there’s some vibration and occasionally the floor bounces a bit. That’s why we have to sit. All the seats have restraints. Then the stars change and that’s all there is to it.”

  “What, no roller co... ah... wild ride through a spectrum of splashing color, that cascades around the craft, with past, present and future colliding and exploding into a myriad of twinkling, ethereal fragments as we shatter the very fabric of existence?”

  “No,” Carol replied.

  “Well, some people do feel a little nauseous,” Celia added.

  “I think I like my way better,” Jim said, sounding a little disappointed.

  Carol gave Jim a light thump on the shoulder with her fist. “So do I, and you’ve just shattered my conception of the thing.”

  Jim was rapidly tiring of watching his language. He wished he could just talk. He gave Carol a friendly glance and noticed something that intrigued him. She was pretty and in her early thirties. Not a great beauty, but he had little interest in the cover girl look. The thing that fascinated him was a small scar at the outer point of her right eyebrow. It was something that a quick visit to a cosmetic surgeon could correct. She obviously took great care in her appearance but the scar gave him the impression that she was not obsessed with her looks. This gave her a more human quality in Jim’s opinion.