The Solar Wind

by Laura E. Collins

  Ava did a quick assessment of her two new acquaintances. Her trained eye observed many things about the two of them. They both appeared healthy and happy. Neither appeared malnourished nor overly thin like most of her patients, or like herself. They both had full, round cheeks, not the sunken ones like she was used to seeing on a daily basis at work and in her own mirror.

  The man looked as though he were in his early thirties. Ava could tell he was tall and well built. His skin was fair and had no blemishes. He had nice sized expressive dark chocolate brown eyes and full lips with straight white teeth. He had a perfectly proportioned straight angular nose, with high set cheekbones and a straight, strong chin. His hair was black, straight, thick and glossy; cut short in the back and gradually became a little longer on top. Ava could tell he took good care of himself. She thought he was very handsome. Although he was clean cut, he wasn’t dressed for typical office duties; he wore what looked like working class gear. He had on a heavy crew collar cropped leather bomber jacket half zipped up with a navy blue crew neck shirt, black pants, a utility belt that held various items and black boots. The jacket, still in good condition, looked very old. Ava had never seen much leather the entire time she had grown up. The use of leather for shoe and clothing construction had become rare due to the limited number of livestock left in existence.

  Ava glanced at the woman now sitting to her left. Her soft, shiny, full, light blonde hair flowed several inches past her shoulders. Ava estimated her to be around twenty seven years old. Her flawless fair complexion seemed luminous. She studied Ava with kind baby blue eyes. She also had full lips with perfectly aligned white teeth and a dainty well proportioned nose. Her attire consisted of a black sleeveless vest jacket, a crew necked mauve shirt, satin finished black pants and boots. She wore a small knapsack on her back. Ava noticed she had a glittering gold diamond anniversary band on her left fourth finger. How rare she thought. Jewelry, particularly diamonds were seldom seen in everyday life. Most of the precious metals were sold or collected decades ago to be melted down and used to assist with the delicate construction of the countless circuit boards and wiring needed for space migration and station technology. A majority of the jewelry and gemstones in existence were lost in The Great Impact, the rest were handed down through the generations. Only the most affluent people could afford to buy jewelry. The once time honored tradition of exchanging wedding rings was for the most part forgotten. Some couples had rings tattooed on, while others, including Ava wore nothing. Ava considered herself lucky to have inherited a pair of small gold huggie earrings from her grandmother, each with three tiny diamonds that were pave set. They were not flashy earrings, but Ava was proud of them and never removed them. They were the only pieces of jewelry she ever owned. Looking at the ring she wondered if the woman and the man sitting with her were married to each other.

  A waitress arrived and surveyed the table, giving Ava the once over to see if she was all right. Ava, still feeling flushed and self conscious, looked down at the ground. The dark haired man spoke quietly to the server in French. She smiled as she gave a quick reply and walked back into the café.

  The man turned his attention back to Ava. “I’m Wesley Robinson.” He stretched to shake hands with Ava. His hand felt warm and strong. Ava thought she noticed a strange sensation as their hands touched, almost like muted static electricity. It was so subtle Ava dismissed it.

  “I’m Ava Amherst,” she replied. “Thank you for helping me, I’m feeling a lot better now.” She managed a smile as she looked at them.

  “This is Naomi,” he nodded to the blonde woman.

  “Thank you, it was so nice of you to stop and help me.” Ava shook hands with Naomi. There it was again, so faint it was barely noticeable, tiny electric shocks. Ava thought she must be out of her mind.

  “We’re glad we could help. You must be new to Orionis.”

  “Yes, I’ve only been here a few weeks. How could you tell?” Ava replied, wondering how much she should divulge to these new strangers.

  “It’s not difficult to spot the new residents,” Wesley said. “The economy is so unforgiving here. So many people find it tough to survive in the beginning. We’ve seen more people than we should die of hunger alone trying to start a new life.”

  Ava detected a slight European accent when he spoke, but could not identify the exact origin. The waitress returned and set three large glasses on the table. Each glass held a fragrant, cold, thick, slightly sweet and fruity creamy shake. It looked and smelled delicious. Ava had been without a decent meal in weeks and this shake was calling her name. She looked down at the ground again. Ordering a drink in a café seemed like such a simple thing, but to Ava it was not. She already had a glass of water; she knew that she at least had enough credits for that. Looking at this fancy appetizing shake, she knew she could not afford it. Ava didn’t want to get in trouble for buying something she could not pay for. The last thing she wanted was to be deported back to Earth. She would have to send it back. She noticed that Wesley and Naomi exchanged quick glances.

  “Hey, it’s on me for both of you. I’ll call it my good deed for the day.” He smiled as he handed his card to the server. He never seemed to take his watchful yet concerned eyes off of Ava.

  “Why, thank you Captain,” Naomi exclaimed, half joking.

  “That’s very kind of you; the food here is so expensive,” Ava remarked wondering what the “Captain” comment meant. She disliked accepting help from people she did not know. She did not want to be in anyone’s debt. After Nathan’s death Ava worked very hard to maintain her independence and succeeded. Ava had a tendency to be too hard on herself whenever a mistake was made or something went wrong. Although she was relieved that someone cared enough to stop and help her, she could not help but feel that she had failed somehow to make it on her own.

  “I’m curious, where did the ITO recommend you shop for food?” Wesley asked.

  “No-where in particular. They just said to avoid going below Level 5 for pretty much everything.”

  “Of course the ITO would say that. They receive the most profit of sales from the top levels. They try to scare the new residents from shopping around by offering them a sense of safety. I suppose the first five levels are a bit safer, but the other levels have a lot to offer, if you are careful and know what you are doing.”

  “If you shop on some of the lower levels, you can get a little more for your money. Not to mention a little more colorful atmosphere.” Naomi added. “You should try ‘Infinity’ on Level 9. Their food is relatively fresh and the prices are the most reasonable. We do a lot of business with them to stock our ship.”

  “Your ship? Are you really a Captain?” Ava looked at Wesley.

  “Yes, on The Andromeda. We deal mainly in transportation of cargo, wherever or whenever it’s needed among the space stations and Earth. We do quite a bit of business for Orionis. Most of our food supply comes from Infinity. Mention my name to the owner, Graham, and he’ll give you a good deal.”

  “I’ll definitely remember that,” Ava smiled. She was half-way through her protein shake. She felt like a wilted flower that had suddenly been watered and started to perk up.

  “You can also buy protein shake mixes similar to this. It’s a good way to stretch your credits and still feel as though you aren’t starved.” Naomi described what the packaging looked like and spelled out the brand name in French for Ava so that she would be able to identify it. Then she revealed something Ava had been wondering about. “You’ll also start feeling better over the next few weeks as your body adjusts to the gravity here. The inducers maintain a gravity pull similar to that of Earth; however it’s just a little bit stronger. It’s enough to put a drag on your system and make you feel exhausted.”

  The three of them continued to talk and Ava learned many things from these two strangers. They seemed honest and friendly and she felt at ease. They were the first people, aside from Helena and her co-workers, that actually spoke to her. The en
counter seemed to chase away her loneliness. Anyone passing by in the square who observed them would think they looked like three friends hanging out.

  “I’m grateful for all of the advice. I wish I had known all of this two weeks ago.” Ava was grateful. She realized she had learned more information about Orionis from these two strangers in the past twenty minutes than from anyone else, including her coworkers over the last few weeks.

  “There is one thing that is very important,” Wesley’s tone indicated his seriousness. “Whatever you do, you should never, no matter how desperate you could become, go below Level 9 for anything. It is not safe for anyone down there, especially a lone young woman. The lower levels are mostly industrial. The few businesses that do exist down there aren’t credible. Security is present, but the people who do go down there are usually avoiding something or are up to no good.”

  “Okay, I’ll stick to Level 9 and up,” she smiled. Ava glanced at the large digital clock in the square, almost eight thirty. It had been a long day and she was feeling tired again, wanting to rest. “I’m sorry, but I think it’s about time I headed home. I want to thank both of you for all of the information and your kindness tonight.”

  “I guess it is getting late. You are quite welcome Ms. Amherst, anytime.” He held out his hand again, as did Naomi.

  “How can I get in touch with you to pay you back for the shake?”

  “That won’t be necessary,” he said as he smiled at her.

  “I’m sure we’ll run in to each other again sometime,” Naomi added.

  “Good night, thanks again,” Ava smiled at them, rose up, and turned to walk away, feeling a little disappointed that she did not pursue getting any contact information to get in touch with them again. Maybe they didn’t want to stay in touch with her. After all, if they came and went on a starship all of the time, how good of friends could they become? As she reached the end of the square at the avenue that lead her to the lifts and Level 4, she paused and turned back to look at her new acquaintances one last time, but they had already gone. As Ava readied herself for bed she reflected back on the evening. She liked Wesley and Naomi and wondered if she really would see them again. Being around other people near her own age socially was something she missed. Helena was some company but she was a bit immature at times. Ava felt uplifted as she went to sleep, tomorrow would finally be payday.

  Chapter 4: Helena

  Friday was a busy day for Ava at work. The day seemed to go by in a blur. After the clinic closed for the weekend Ava rushed home to change with one thing on her mind, food. She pulled up her first earnings statement online. As Ava reviewed the document she was surprised to see that she had earned a little more than what she had been expecting although it was still lower than her salary on Earth. The clinic had not given her an exact number, however she had looked up the pay scale range for her experience level and according to the statement she was slightly above it. Ava smiled. Thank goodness for small miracles she thought. Next she looked up the map for Level 9. She planned to take Helena with her to Infinity to shop for food. Ava called Helena to let her know she was on her way and grabbed the one and only knapsack she owned and was out the door in a flash.

  Ava met Helena at her quarters on Level 6. She could not believe the difference in the quality of the quarters between hers and Helena’s. Since Helena shared a residence it appeared larger than Ava’s however the furniture was not as updated and showed some wear. She noticed that the television monitor on the wall was not as large and modern as the one she had. Ava felt it best not to mention it. As they walked to the lift to Level 9 Ava told Helena about her encounter with Wesley and Naomi the previous evening.

  “And you think they were telling the truth about this store we are going to?” Helena asked as though she did not believe it.

  “They seemed very kind and honest; I doubt they would lie about something like that. Anyway we’ll find out soon enough. It’s a little bit of a hike from the lift according to the map, but it shouldn’t be too hard to find.”

  As they arrived on Level 9 they looked around cautiously as they stepped off of the lift with the other people riding down. Another large group was waiting to go back up. The design of Level 9 had much more character than the sterile clean lines and spotless tiles of Level 3. This level did not have a central square, however was arranged as a grid of blocks with wide avenues. It looked like a very busy place as people moved about. Trams were plentiful as were stores, restaurants, and offices. The lighting glowed somewhat dimmer here than on Level 3 and 4 and the flooring consisted of stone-like dark grey tiles. Each establishment had its own creative sign to catch the attention of the people passing by. Ava sensed a bit more of a hectic feeling in this new environment, however she felt safe. They followed the directions Ava had retrieved online to finally arrive at Infinity. The store wasn’t much to look at on the outside; it appeared to be almost a vacant warehouse front with a small sign and large double steel doors.

  As Ava approached the doors they automatically opened. Ava could see that the inside of the store was arranged as a large warehouse. There were several people shopping and Ava caught her balance as she was almost knocked over by two women hustling inside. “OK, this is it, let’s go Helena.” Ava brimmed with excitement now; she hoped that she would finally be able to buy some real food. She and Helena decided to split up to make the trip faster because they could not wait to actually get home and eat. Ava found that more items were described in English here than on the upper levels, however there was still a fair mix of items in French. The prices made the stores on Earth look cheap in comparison, however they were much less than the stores on Level 4. Ava thought carefully about her budget and the size of her knapsack. She knew that she would most likely have to make a few trips a week simply because she could not carry much home. She did not want to stress her already worn and practically threadbare sack. She found the protein shake mix Naomi had mentioned and picked up some pasta and sauce, a few kitchen staples, and some other items she would need. She met Helena at the checkout and noticed Helena hadn’t picked out as much as she had. Ava suspected she did not have that much to spend. The owner, Graham, happened to be at Ava’s checkout counter helping out.

  “How are you this evening my dear?” He said cheerfully as he began totaling up her items while Ava handed her knapsack to his teenage assistant to pack. He was an average sized man with slightly graying hair, a mustache and round glasses. He was dressed in a red and white thin striped shirt with a white apron and gray slacks.

  “I’m doing great, thank you. This is my first time here; you have such a wonderful store. Captain Robinson recommended that we shop here.” What the heck, might as well try it, Ava thought, he seemed like a nice man.

  “Captain Robinson sent you and your friend, how wonderful!” He exclaimed. “Any friends of the Captain are most welcome here. He and his crew are such loyal customers. They’ve generously helped to keep me in business when times were tough.” He reached under the counter and handed Ava two small plastic cards. “I don’t normally hand these out to just anyone” he said in a low voice, “but since Captain Robinson referred you here, I’d be happy to have your continued business as well. Here are some discount cards, one for you and one for your friend. You can use them anytime you come here, and we hope to see you often.”

  “Thank you so much, that’s very kind of you. I think you will be seeing me a lot.” She smiled at the man as he applied the twenty percent discount off of her total. It made a difference. The apparent good reputation that Captain Robinson had with Graham and his store verified Ava’s thoughts that she had indeed met two genuinely nice people in the Square. She found this comforting. Helena was elated that she also benefitted from Ava’s encounter with the Captain. She smiled with happiness as they left.

  As the two women walked back to the lifts Ava felt relieved that her life might finally be beginning to show some hope for better times. She thought of Wesley and Naomi and just how much th
ey had helped her in so many ways with a simple act of kindness and sharing information. She hoped she would have the chance to meet and thank them again.

  Ava made another trip to the store on Sunday to buy a few more items so that she would not have to go back until the end of the busy work week. Ava appreciated being able to afford more groceries, however it was a long journey back and forth. This time Helena declined to accompany Ava. She could tell something was wrong. Helena still continued to complain about how hungry she was. Anyone could see how undernourished she had become. Her salary measured significantly lower than Ava’s and she struggled to have enough to eat, though she never admitted it. Ava hated to see anything suffer. Although she herself could not afford to eat as much as she used to on Earth, Ava offered to help Helena buy food. She guessed that Helena always had plenty of everything on Earth and that her pride kept her from accepting any help.

  As a few weeks passed, Helena became more and more irritable. On Thursday Ava made some pasta after work, packed up the leftovers and some protein shake powder and decided to take them to Helena because she felt sorry for her. Helena answered the door on the second buzz. She appeared so tired and drawn. This time she did not argue as Ava heated up the pasta and mixed the small shake. Ava watched her devour the food in less than three minutes.

  “Helena, please let me help you, at least until you get on your feet. I know that life is tough here. It’s tough even for me.”

  “For you? Ava, you’ve got it made. You have a nice safe apartment and a job with a good salary. You don’t understand what I’m going through. I can’t keep accepting help to survive. I’ve got to make it on my own now. I appreciate your offer; and don’t take this the wrong way, thanks but no thanks.”