TheTraveler - book 1

by Robin Marienus Miller

  He listened for a few moments and said, "okay, tell the rest of them not to worry about water or getting off this rock, they still have me. And don't take on any more work unless it can't fly."

  He then called the station management and told them he had just closed the docks, and to please transmit, "Port closed," on repeat.

  Then turning to me he said, "well out of 15, I still have nine workers that are staying until the ships that need work on them are ready to go; which will be within 12 hours, if the work goes well. Five of my men have already secured flights with the captain of one of the ships, so that just leaves four dockworkers that may need a ride."

  I asked, "how long will it take for them to send a CMA to the mine?"

  Owsee, "it depends. The last one came by probe, so the ship is still out there somewhere, and most of the time they have at least two androids on board. So it could be here now, or in two days, why do you ask?"

  I said, "I'm just thinking about the miners."

  Owsee, "don't worry about them, the CM treats them very well. They will all be offered jobs and transportation. I was thinking of giving them a heads-up about the sale, but it's better if it comes from the corporation, and the Mining Guild. They have laws about interfering with miners moving from one job to the next, the guild has its fingers in everything. Here, have some more rum." He said as he poured a glass for me.

  Just then the doctor came in and said, "my aid and I have been in contact with the med office and doctors guild. They told us they could put us in a program on the planet, but we need to get there ourselves. Oh, and they don't care about what we leave behind. So I was thinking maybe you could take some of the things in med lab, and give them to a town that could use them. Also if it's not too much trouble, we would like a ride."

  Owsee, "I would be more than happy to give you a ride, and as for the stuff in your lab, I know of just the right place to give it to."

  Dr., "thank you. We will begin to move things as soon as we can."

  Owsee, "do you have any more of that firewater powder?"

  Doctor, "yes we do, I will have a bag sent over to you."

  Owsee said thank you, then the doctor talked to Goo da wa for a moment before leaving.

  Goo da wa went to the front door and said, "look, the guards are still gone, they never stay away this long.”

  "Owsee, "administration has declared this to be a closed port. There will be no more guards or sanitation police. Everyone is just looking for a way off this rock, as fast as they can."

  I said, "do you think you will be safe while I go over to see Kitty?"

  Owsee, "sure, sure, I have Goo da wa to watch out for me, and I can put up the security screening if I want."

  I said, "okay, I'll be back in just a little bit."

  I stood up, and took a deep breath, then went to the shop. Kitty was still packing, and I told her there was no hurry.

  She said, "no sense in waiting, I'm not going to do any more business with everyone going."

  Then she turned around, from stuffing a barrel with clothes, as I said, "as long as you are packing, put this somewhere." And I handed her the new collar.

  She said, "this is for me?"

  I nodded yes and she said, "why it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. And this dragon comes off for you to wear, to symbolize the empty spot that is only filled when we are together. It will be our coat of arms, our house seal. We shall be those two white dragons in spirit, together we will take on a world."

  I said that I hoped it would not be too much of a fight. We talked, for about half an hour or so, while packing some things. Then I told her I needed to be with Owsee, to make sure he was and would be safe. She said that Owsee could take care of himself, but the packing would go faster if she did it by herself. I told her not to work too hard at it, and left with a grin on my face.

  As I was going back to the Drink Drunk, I saw Goo da wa on a ladder, taking down the sign.

  He said, "I don't know what I'm going to call the next bar, but I'm going to keep this anyway; something to remember this place by."

  The bar was thinning out, just five still drinking. I walked over to Owsee and stood next to the screen for a moment, then I tapped on the screen to get his attention.

  The screen went down, and I sat as he said, "I guess I took a little nap, it's been a long day. Well, it's always a long day around here. The moon's rotation keeps one side in darkness, and the other in daytime. So it's been a 35 year, long day. When I first got here, I had 10 hours on and 10 off. Then I had those damn extra arms put on. It changed me, I could not sleep anymore, just nod off from time to time. Now that my body is getting back to normal I think I will sleep again. Maybe I will start to have nice long dreams. Hey, look at what the boys from med lab brought us."

  There between us was a large stack. "It's a 30 pound bag," I said, "is that firepower?"

  Owsee, "yes, and he said there is more that he is putting on the ship. I asked them how they came to have so much of it, and he said they used it in a bath for burn victims. I was going to give some to these guys at the bar, but then I decided to wait for you. Just the thought of so much drugs can make some go bad."

  He then yelled out to Goo da wa to bring him a clean mug. Goo da wa came over with a fresh clean mug for him, and one for me. Owsee dipped one mug into the large bag of powder and handed it to him saying, "tell the boys at the bar I'm sorry for the repair delays, and give them this for me."

  Goo da wa, "I'm sure they will appreciate it."

  Then he took the mug full of powder to them, and they all turned and thanked him.

  Owsee yelled out, "party on boys!"

  I said to Owsee, "don't mind me worrying, but is it safe to leave the ship open so med lab can load it?"

  Owsee, "I'm no fool, friend Nibor, with my remote I have only opened the loading bay compartment one through three. There is no way to get past the compartment without a cutting torch, and then you still cannot take the ship with it on lockdown."

  I said, "sorry, I know you have everything under control. I just worry about things like that."

  Owsee, "you have a right to, it's your future as well as mine. Oh by the way, while you were gone they dropped another corporate android at the mine. He told them to shut down and report to him for negotiations on a new work contract, and work location. I told the foreman to finish loading the last transport before shutting down. And if the CMA don't like it, to drop a mountain on him. I think he may just do that anyway, ha ha."

  I said, "does that mean the water will be shut off?"

  Owsee, "it's not that simple. Our water comes from the purification plant after it has been melted, and then there is a large pipe to the station. They could cut it off at the plant but we would still get water for a month. But if he shuts down the heating coil in the pipe, well, it would freeze up in a day. But none of that matters, this is a dead station. They may never reopen this place. The people are all that matter now. Talking about people, how did she like her new collar?"

  I said she loved it.

  Owsee, "I knew she would, it's a nice piece of work. Is she still packing?"

  I said, "yes, mainly small things. I told her there was plenty of time, but she said, "there’s not going to be any more business anyway, so there is no need to put it off."

  Owsee, "she will not stop until every last thing is on the ship, I know her, that's the way she is."

  I said, "I feel bad about leaving her to do all that packing, though she did said it would go faster if she just did it herself, but I felt you may still need someone extra to watch your back."

  Owsee, "I'm fine, but it's better to let her alone anyway. That way there will be none of that where is this, or where is that, to deal with later."

  I said, "you're probably right."

  And Owsee said of course he was right, with a short laugh, and a "drink up my friend, a whole new world awaits us."

  "I'll drink to that," I said, "and give you another poem."
/>   "When four to six grand years found old, life’s story destine, be foretold.

  That truth is myth and myth in fact, we all may see that we know jack.

  The world is flat or so I'm told, and die if off its edge I row.

  Yet for some have sailed past door of death, and then been seen to take a breath.

  Reality, what we believe, is truth or lie, as we perceive.

  So thus if truth unchanging law, we all have truths but some may fall.

  To pass or give to way that be, what call us now reality.

  And pressing forth that light of day, will change our laws, our hopes at bay.

  That what we seek to make or mind, will serve us for a longer time.

  Thus hope we lie not to ourselves, while leaving truth on dusty shelves."

  Owsee, "you leave me speechless. I don't have the words to express my joy for your poems, they speak for themselves. I hope when the day comes, that we can sit down and tell long stories, that they will all move me the way your poems do."

  I said, "well, a story gives the teller time to help the listeners to feel the way the teller did. But with, or in, a poem one must pour out his heart in just a few verses."

  Owsee, "and you do it very well, you are truly a rich man."

  I said, "well thank you Owsee, sometimes I do feel that way."

  Owsee, "here's to being rich men."

  "To being rich men," I said.

  Then we drank, smoked, and talked a great deal. I told him how back on Earth we made up songs about things, so they would be remembered. He said most of the music on his world did not have any words in it. So that people could just have a good time without the need to remember something new.

  “As the station dies”

  One of the pilots told Goo da wa that his ship had been loaded, from the gift shop, and he had to be on his way. He said thank you again for the party, and good luck to all of us. He then left just as Goo da wa's helper came in to tell him all the things from the back room had been put on Owsee’s ship. And Goo da wa told Owsee that all that was left to pack up was the odds and ends that were in the front of the bar. Owsee told him to take his time, so that we didn't run out of anything. Then two of Owsee’s workers came in to tell a pilot that his ship was ready. They had a drink then said their goodbyes to Owsee before leaving.

  Before long Owsee got up, saying he needed to stretch his legs.

  He walked over to the open-door and said, "this place has been here a long time, sorry to see it go like this."

  Then he turned to the pilots at the bar and said, "don't worry, the men working on your ships are not going anywhere until they fix you up."

  One man said, "I know they’re not, because three of them are going with me."

  Another pilot said, "and I got two."

  Then Owsee said to the last one, "you’re not waiting for repairs are you?"

  He said, "no, my ship is fine."

  Owsee asked if he was waiting to take someone, and he answered, "no one has asked. I'm just enjoying this fine party we are having. I’ll miss this place, I stop here all the time."

  Owsee, "can you take two dock workers and two from med lab to the fourth planet?"

  Pilot, "no problem, I'm going that way."

  Owsee, "how much?"

  Pilot, "the powder you gave us was more than enough."

  Then Goo da wa said, "drinks on the house until we all leave."

  This got a big yah from everyone, and a, "party on," from Owsee.

  The men from med lab came in, and said the last of the things from the lab were on Owsee’s ship. Owsee told them they could go with the pilot at the bar, or wait for him. They said they would go with the pilot and sat down with him.

  Owsee picked up a bowl of tracer nuts and brought them back to the table. Sitting them down he said, "have you ever had tracer nuts before?"

  I said, "yes, they are good to the last nut."

  I put one in my mouth and crunched it. Then I saw traces of light zipping by as the nut melted away in my mouth.

  Owsee said, "they taste so good you want to eat a big handful at a time. But that will give you a headache that can last for an hour, better to stick with just one at a time."

  So we kept popping them unto the bowl was empty. Then the rest of the dock workers came in and drank until their pilots were ready to go.

  Owsee asked Goo da wa if he had any more tracer nuts. He said he had packed them already, but there were some mush melts left. I had never tried mush melts before. They were like chocolate covered mushrooms, very tasty. I asked Owsee what they did, and he said, "they make you numb but feels strong at the same time, then there is some déjà vu. But first it happens in reverse; it's somewhat funny, but it doesn't last long."

  Goo da wa brought us a bowl of them. They were small and very tasty, I was on my third one before they started to kick in. I saw the pilots and dock workers leave and then walk backward, sit down, then get up and leave again, all in fast motion. It was kind of funny.

  When my head started to clear I could see that we were the only ones left, just Goo da wa, Owsee and me. Then Kitty came in as Goo da wa was putting some bottles in a box. She asked if he needed any help but he said that this was the last of it. She then walked over to our table and said next to me. She said her shop was all packed up and on the ship. Then she took a drink of my ale and smiled at me. I saw that she was wearing the collar I gave her, and commented about it. She said it was not like they were on her home world, and that she could not pack something so beautiful away in a box.

  Owsee said, "it looks very nice on you."

  She thanked him and said, "look at this spread you got here. Is this what you have been doing all these hours?"

  Owsee said, "no, this is what we have been doing." And he pulled the crystal credit ball out of his bag. Setting it on the table he said, "we have been guarding this!"

  Goo da wa walked over to the table and said, "I have never seen one so big."

  Owsee tapped the top, and numbers made up of different signs started to float around in it and lined up on the sides.

  "How much?" asked Goo da wa.

  Owsee said, "twenty-one trill."

  "twenty-one trill," said Kitty. You can buy a moon with have of that."

  Owsee, "yes, or change a world, and that is what we are going to do; for the better, I hope. I'm sorry I had to sacrifice this place, but it had to be done."

  After a few moments of silence Owsee asked Goo da wa if he had heard anything from the mine.

  Goo da wa, "yes, they all got on a transport, and the Forman left a message for you, "404."

  I started laughing, as did Owsee and Goo da wa. Kitty asked what was so funny. Owsee said, "I think they dropped part of a mountain on the CMA."

  She just smiled as the rest of us laughed it off.

  Then Owsee said, "is that all that is left, those two boxes on the counter?"

  Goo da wa, "plus the 30 pound bag of fire powder, and what’s left in that keg of rum."

  Owsee, "well, everyone grab something and follow me."

  So we picked up the bag, the rum, and the two boxes, then headed for the ship. There was a moving cart just down the hall, so we put everything on it just to make it easier. After we got on the ship Owsee told us to go up to the observation room while he made sure all the cargo was secure. So we took our stuff up to the room and sat down at the wide, half circle, table and waited for Owsee. He came up before long with a barrel of ale, saying, “it will not be easy to get to any of the cargo after we take off, as everything has been sprayed with secure string; and that stuff gets firm very fast."

  “A rude goodbye”

  Owsee flipped open a control panel on the table, and we were soon flying the bridge high above the main ship.

  "I don't like a rough take off," he said, "and this may turn out bad, so better we are up here."

  We watched as he started the engines to the main ship. Fire came out from underneath and started to burn half of the do
cks. The ship started to rise through the smoke and flames. There was an explosion! "The O2 on the docks I think," said Owsee.

  Then another ball of fire came up and around the ship as we all heard the thunderous sound of the explosion.

  "That would be the hydrogen, I think," said Owsee.

  We could hear the roar of the engines as the mountain of a ship tried to push itself higher.

  Owsee, "it's too heavy, I knew it would be."

  The ship moved a little bit more upward, but not much.