by Topaz Hauyn
Death was her escape. Or had been. Before she had signed the contracts at twenty.
Lisbeth chewed her lips and absent-minded checked out the customers. In the books she sold, and sometimes read at night on her own, people always fought for what they wanted. Usually they found a way as well. Didn’t all those heroes and heroines start alone, thinking nobody had similar goals or problems? She couldn’t be the first wanting to form a connection with a customer. There had to be a way. And if not, there had to be records of failure of others trying to find a way.
She smiled at the last customer in the current row. The shop was full of people, but at the moment, nobody needed her. She put the automatic check out scanner on the little table she stood at and weaved her way through the crowd towards her storage room.
In front of the screen she asked the research assistant: “Connections between crew and customers in the history of this starship, please.”
The assistant didn’t answer instantly as usual. Instead, she said: “Searching. Please wait.”
Lisbeth raised an eyebrow. Did she break something? She had never heard such an answer before. The research assistant of the starship knew everything, had access to all contracts and documentation and would, if one had the rights to know something, answer the question.
Should she wait? Should she raise an alarm? A malfunctioning starship meant all their lives were at risk. If she raised the alarm, everyone would want to know what question she asked. Maybe waiting a few seconds wouldn’t cause too much trouble.
Seconds ticked by.
She sweated.
Should she now raise an alarm?
Before she could come to a conclusion an answer came back.
“There are 67.402 results. Please ask more precise”, said the assistant.
Lisbeth let herself sink back against the wall behind her. So many results. She had been right, she wasn’t the first or second. Maybe Timotey and she would have a chance of finding a way?
“Stories of crew and customers who connected successfully in a legal way reduced to how they did it, please”, said Lisbeth.
She leaned forward waiting for a list to appear on the screen or the voice of the assistant coming back. But she got the searching message again. Which was still in place a few minutes later.
Could it be, that none of the reported cases had been successful?
She couldn’t wonder now or wait longer. She had left the shop unattended for too long. Voices asking for the clerk floated through the half closed door into her storage room. She had to work and check back later with what the assistant found.
Lisbeth closed the storage room door behind her and looked around. A group of young women stood in front of the jewelry shelve and marveled at the sparkling stones. From their look they were teenagers. She stepped closer.
“How can I help you?”, asked Lisbeth.
Timotey dropped the empty food boxes into a recycling station in front of a restaurant. He wiped down his hands on his suit. He sweated. Kissing Lisbeth had been Heaven on Earth. Well, the old saying didn’t work anymore, but creating poems and creative speakings had never been his strength. Talking business had been. And he had business to solve.
Something tugged at his mind. Something with the contracts. He remembered reading one before his family bought their tickets. Late at night he had read one sentence of fine print after the other, wondering about the implicit goal to regulate each and every possibility. In the discussions some had said the contracts were too long. Others had argued, it was necessary to foresee as many cases as possible, because there would be no judges awake for more than a day and cases that couldn’t been closed in that day meant to be continued ten years later. Clarity was key.
Timotey ran down the long halls, back to the spot, where his sleeping box stood, right below the one of his mother and next to his fathers and his sisters. It looked like honeycombs, not very inviting, but it worked great. The boxes of two lawyers were nearby. He stopped and knocked in the faint hope one of them might have chosen to stay out of the crowds.
Bad luck. Both were walking around. No chance at finding them in the crowd in time. Sure he could let the starship locate them and ask them to meet him, but the chances they knew something were small.
Timotey leaned against the metal front of the stapled sleeping boxes.
“What’s the matter, Timotey?”, asked his mother.
He looked down to her box. She had stuck her head out, her hair in disorder from sleeping, but her eyes were open and awake. His mother preferred a few hours of real sleep over the artificial sleep.
Timotey sat down on the floor. Now his head was level with his mother.
“Both lawyers are walking around”, said Timotey.
“So?”, asked his mother and caressed his cheek. “What would you need from them?”
She was always curious and always caring. Her warm fingers were as soft as his. A contrast to Lisbeth’s fingers, that were rougher from the work she did all day, although it wasn’t hard work. But touching things, carrying them around regularly or doing so once a decade made the difference.
Timotey sighted.
“Bad news or a bad mood?”, asked his mother.
“Both. I fell in love with a wonderful woman today”, said Timotey.
He leaned back and looked up. Up and up and up went the rows of sleeping boxes. He couldn’t see the ceiling for it was blocked by aisles allowing the others to get to their boxes easily. He was in a more central area, therefore had to wait longer for a new world. The others, who got delivered first, had been sleeping on outer modules, that could be decoupled from the starship, once empty. Reducing the need for energy and allowing each group to have some processed material in addition to all the tools and machinery they brought with them, to start on each new planet.
So no spare boxes he could claim for Lisbeth.
“That’s wonderful, Timotey”, said his mother. “I’m happy for you.” She trailed off and drew her eyebrows together. “Those are good news. What are the bad ones? I don’t see her around. Is she married already?”
Timotey shook his head. Married wasn’t the problem. Marriages could be ended and formed new if all parties agreed.
“Crew member?”, asked his mother.
Timotey looked at her.
“How did you know?”
“Did you really think you’re the first to fall in love with a crew member?”, asked his mother back and chuckled.
He hadn’t thought about that. But asked this way? No, he didn’t think he was the first case.
“Do you know a way for us?”, asked Timotey.
His heart beat faster, and he leaned a little closer to his mother making sure he really heard each word correctly. It wasn’t loud around them. Contrary, it was silent. Everyone was someplace different, moving, walking, doing other things. It would be a few hours before the room became loud with chatter, clatter and discussions before it would be silent again.
His mother ruffled through his hair.
“Sure. You read the contracts yourself. There is a sentence addressing your situation. I’ll have to find it though”, said his mother and vanished in her sleeping box. He heard some rustling.
The contract. He had been right, when thinking about the lawyers.
Timotey reached into his sleeping box, pulling out his electronic reader with his version of the contract. He heard his mother page through a stack of paper. Old-fashioned as she was, she brought important documents in paper, after it had been treated to survive for thousands of years.
Timotey typed into the search box. “Crew, customer, marriage.” The contract would probably use the old terms.
The screen showed one result.
Great.
Timotey read the two sentences. And read them again. Then he showed them to his mother.
“Ah yes, I remember. A long discussion on that one.” She smiled. “Many were against that rule and I do not know if it was ever executed, but yes, that was the idea. T
o have a few spare boxes and keep a few spare boxes from each batch that found a planet for such and similar cases.”
“Similar cases?”, asked Timotey.
“You know. Babies being born during our travel, or the crew growing too much in a generation to reduce their numbers without having to kill them. They should be sent away with the next possible batch to a planet. It’s the same rule that allows the crew to stay on a planet the starship reaches during their lifetime.”
Timotey stopped listening. Why did his mother care about all those details? He pushed that thought away as well.
“You mean, by paying for another passage Lisbeth could marry me?”, asked Timotey.
“Lisbeth, what a wonderful name”, said his mother.
“You would have to check with the current captain of the starship”, said his mother.
Timotey got on his feet. He had work to do.
“Keep in mind, she might not want to say good-bye to her family”, he heard his mother add, as he ran down the aisle back to the hallways outside the sleeping area.
There was a way for him and Lisbeth. He could marry her.
He felt like he was flying down the aisle not touching the floor anymore. He already saw Lisbeth on his side, sleeping next to him enjoying food together and another kiss. Raising children, building a new existence on a new planet.
Timotey pushed the last words of his mother away.
Lisbeth wouldn’t have to give up her family. She could see them every time she woke up. No issue. He only saw his parents and sister every ten years.
In the hallway he stopped at the first communication panel, used his id batch and requested an immediate talk with the captain. A door he didn’t know existed opened next to the panel and a voice invited him to step in, for a more private conservation.
The room was small. Only large enough to step in. One wall was filled with a display. The door closed behind and left him in a dimly lit space. No chair or place to sit. So a short talk was in place.
“Hello Timotey, what can I do for you?”, asked a female voice.
The woman who appeared on screen looked exactly the same as Lisbeth. The only difference was in the signs on the shoulders of her suit. While Lisbeth’s shoulders were fabric only, this suit had the captains symbols: Three golden stripes on a black ground with two stars between both stripes. The symbol of crew and customer on one starship. Together yet separated.
What was that? Did she play a mocking game with him?
“Lisbeth? Are you kidding me?”, asked Timotey. “I’ve asked for a talk with the starship captain, not with you in disguise.”
Timotey turned to the door.
“As surprising as it might be, I am Eleni, captain on this starship. I will not accept being insulted by such behavior. And I will not accept such talks about my sister. Neither from crew nor from customers. Have a nice day”, said Eleni.
The image on the screen turned off.
Timotey stood alone in the narrow room.
The door didn’t open.
He banged his head against the metal wall. It was hard, hurt and smelled of metal. New metal. This room might be aired out by the ships air filtering system, but the room had been empty for a long time, otherwise the metal would have lost its smell already.
Timotey leaned back. He would have to apologize. Drawing conclusions too quick could have bad backlashes like this one. Obviously the sisters were close and looked out for each other. What if his mother was right, and Lisbeth was afraid of losing her family?
Lisbeth was back at her usual place opposite of the entrance door where she checked out the customers or acquired new used items from them. The group of girl had been fun to help. All were giggling, planning for some after school party and looked into a positive future.
She was still alone.
Timotey hadn’t come back, and she hadn’t had a chance to check if the research assistant had found any answers for her questions. She checked the clock on the scanning device. Only a few more hours. The day was coming to its end. And for the first time she couldn’t wait until she was allowed to close.
A movement at the door caught her attention. Everyone stepped aside instead of moving in and out like two streams without limitations.
Heads turned around to the newcomer.
Hopefully Timotey didn’t organize something stupid. She wanted to form a connection with him, not being embarrassed in front of everybody.
Her face heated at the thought of a grandiose public display of affection after knowing each other for less than a day. Would she have the courage to say yes? Her cheeks got hot. Her heart beat faster and her hands got sweaty. She breathed faster as well, taking in the mixture of metal and human.
The crowd in front of her separated.
The woman who walked towards her was Eleni. Not Timotey.
Lisbeth let out her breath. Her shoulders slumped down with relieve.
For a moment.
Did Marimbe call her oldest sister?
Would this become a public speech about rules?
Lisbeth shuddered. Now she wished Timotey would have caused the turning of heads and the change of attention.
“Good afternoon, captain”, said Lisbeth. Maybe trying to stay official was the best way to get out of this quickly. She knew everybody could see they were sisters. Only the difference on the shoulder decoration of their suits set them apart. Together with her red cheeks.
“The backroom”, said Eleni and marched straight past her.
Lisbeth set up the scanner for self-checkout for the second time today and trailed after her sister. Eleni was always overly correct and formal. She had to. Being the leader of the whole starship was a big responsibility. So, what happened, that her sister took the time to come personally? Did her request break something?
She felt awful. Awful for looking twice at Timotey, awful for asking the research assistant. Everyone knew the no mingling with the customers rule.
She sighted and closed the door to the storage room behind her.
Normally the room was large enough for her to take a break and stretch. Now, with her sister standing in the middle, displaying a stern face, it felt crowded and narrow.
“Did Marimbe call you, or did the research assistant crash something important?”, asked Lisbeth. “I am very sorry, no matter why you are here.”
She hung her head.
Arms wrapped around her. Warm arms. It felt awkward being so near to her sister. But it was comfortable, although the embrace from Timotey had been so much warmer.
“Silly little sister. Why would Marimbe call me?”, asked Eleni. “The search results please”, ordered Eleni from the starship.
Lisbeth looked up. When her sister didn’t know about those two things, then why was she here?
“Why did you come?”, asked Lisbeth.
Eleni didn’t answer but read the screen.
Lisbeth showed up from her position in Elenis arms.
On the screen was one result, a sentence or two from the contract she had signed. She couldn’t read it perfectly from her position.
“So. You did find yourself a man you want to connect with?”, asked Eleni.
“I’m sorry”, said Lisbeth, “but yes. What will happen now. Can I read this?”
Eleni leaned against the screen blocking the view.
“I won’t waste time telling you my opinion. Marimbe surely managed that already. Look. What you want is insane, yet”, Eleni made a pause, “it’s possible. But did you think it through?”
What was there to think about? Sure, she would see her sisters less than before and survive them by generations. But she had found her connection, wanted to follow her feelings. Feelings no other man ever so much as sparked in her.
She nodded.
“You will be omitted from the family line. If it didn’t work out, you will be on your own. No money, no help, only yourself and how much you can work. There is no way back into the crew”, said Eleni.
“Fine wit
h me. I’m sure there are many spare people who will be happy to take over my little shop”, said Lisbeth.
Eleni nodded slowly. They both knew there were, thanks to the last generation getting an average of three children per connection, filling most of the gaps they experienced.
“So I can go with Timotey?”, asked Lisbeth.
She couldn’t really believe it. There was a way she could be together with him in a way that was allowed and covered by her contract.
“Why does nobody know about this?”, asked Lisbeth.
Eleni shrugged her shoulders. “We would lose educated people to love at first sight. Besides, resources are limited. Add too many people to the customers and the balance would be tipped to one side. A bad idea for everyone.”
Lisbeth nodded. She could go with Timotey. She could. She couldn’t really believe it.
Now the only thing missing was Timotey. How could she find him? He hadn’t bought a present for her. She didn’t have his id badge scanned in into her system.
“You two need my consent to connect”, said Eleni, “and, Timotey didn’t make good first impression on me. He told me to stop mocking him by playing captain.” She trailed off.
“So he knew he had to ask you? You know, he didn’t know you was my sister”, said Lisbeth. Hopefully Eleni would accept that as an apology. She knew her sister could be harsh, when confronted with behavior she hated. One was not being treated right.
»Do you know where he is? I’m sure he will apologize when I explain everything to him», said Lisbeth and stepped closer to her sister. “Please.”
“If you insist”, said Eleni. “I’ve other things to do. So make it quick. Starship connect to the solitary room with Timotey who talked to me earlier.”