A New Home, Part 2

Posted on Sat 27th Feb, 2021 @ 6:30am by Sergeant Paul Reilly & Kendra Lincoln

1,123 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Business Not At All As Usual
Location: Luxury Transport, Ticonderoga
Timeline: About 8 weeks ago in route to SB109

Previously,

"I guess I'll have to get used to thinking vertically instead of horizontally," Kendra commented, as the ship began to vibrate subtlety. Then she noticed a change in perspective as if the planet were pulling away from them.

Watching, she realized the ship was leaving the planet and said, "I think we're underway."

And now ....

Reilly nodded, "Yep, we're moving." A sad expression formed on Paul's face. Realization had finally struck him. He was leaving home and his family, and he didn't know when or if he would ever be back to see them. "I think I could use that drink now."

Realizing this was exciting for her and sad for him, Kendra nodded and said cheerily, "Me, too. And maybe some of that dinner you mentioned. Maybe we could spend dinner exchanging a little life story information. Then when we get to the base, we'll each know someone already."

Paul nodded in agreement, he would like that as well. He grabbed an electric menu and punched in an order for his drink, an Almeria Sunrise. "Your turn," he said as he passed her the menu.

She looked it over for a minute and then input Disaronno Amaretto and Milk, iced. She flipped to an electronic page of meals. "Oh, these are all included in the fare for getting to the starbase!" Her voice sounded relieved, as funds were tight, but there was nothing she actually needed except her room and food. "This 3D printed sirloin with baked potato sounds good." Passing the menu back to him, Kendra asked, "Have you ever had real vat-grown beef? I haven't, so I don't know what the difference is ... or why this is 3D printed instead of replicated. Do you know?"

Paul shook his head, "I haven't, but I believe the 3d printed is made from pure protein and doesn't have the taste that the replicated one has. I believe that the replicated one taste the best on of all the choices.'" He glanced over the menu, I think I will have the same, replicated with a loaded baked potato." He typed in his order for food and his drink on the PADD/menu and handed it back to her so she could order what she wanted.

She debated a moment before duplicating his order, with butter only for her potato, and a side of green beans. She put the menu PADD back in the holder, and looked at her companion. "So, I'll start by giving you a fact about me, and then you can give one back," she smiled.

Thinking for a moment about what to say, she told him, "I have two brothers and two sisters, and I fall smack in the middle of all five of us."

"I wasn't blessed enough to have a sister, but I was indeed blessed to have three brothers. I'm just one up from the youngest." Paul had no problem talking to her about himself so far. She seemed pleasant to talk to.

"Lucky parents! I think it's easier when children are all the same kind. Hand-me-down clothes saves on the budget, less drama. Girls, especially, can be drama queens - my sisters surely were!" She realized she'd told him more than she meant to. "Ooops, I guess I gave away that we were very working class, living on a budget and wearing hand-me-downs. I was born on the only asteroid in the Solar system which has rings!"

"So you grew up with artificial gravity? What was that like?" He asked curiously. He had never spent long in artificial gravity, this would be his first time.

"I don't know that I ever thought about it. Our city was inside the asteroid. Sometimes we would go out on the surface and stargaze, but we were more likely to go to the planetarium and view the skies through special windows. It involved tunnels up, and cameras and telescopes, and I don't know what else, but we had beautiful views. I miss that, actually. Gravity? It's just what holds you upright, so I don't know that I can tell the difference between planetary gravity and artificial. The asteroid had some of its own, because it was on a slow spin."

She looked at him with more interest. "That's a good question, Paul. I guess when I'm on the starbase, I'll have to pay special attention and see if it feels any different. Do you sense anything unusual with ship's gravity?"

Paul thought for a moment then stood up and lifted each leg like he was marching in slow motion, "I'm not sure," he said before sitting back down. "I guess it feels pretty normal to me. I'm not real sensitive on such matters." He shrugged his shoulders.

Nodding, Kendra agreed with a smile, "That's just how I feel. Now, I think it's your turn to tell me another something about you."

"Well?" Paul thought for a moment, "I've been a Police Officer in Alpha Centauri City for about 12 years. That's really all I've ever known, I guess." It was true, Paul had been a Cop since he was 21. Most of that he was on the Beat. Only in the last 2 years did he get promoted and become a Detective of sorts.

"Oh, really? Did you go to a police academy there, too?" Lincoln asked. "I had to go off Chariklo, of course, for training. There is a small university there, but it didn't run to a police academy. What was your favorite part of training?"

Paul nodded in understanding as she spoke, "The city had it's own Police Academy. As far as my favorite part of training?" He thought for a moment and shook his head slowly, "I'm not sure. I guess I like many things about it, but it was so long ago too." He paused for a moment, "Self defense is really good, weapons training is equally good." He shook his head again, not sure of an answer. "Did you have a favorite part?"

"Rehabilitation," she answered promptly. "I like taking a broken life and helping the person put the pieces back together in a new, more productive way. I've been a liaison officer with Federation social services a couple of times, and that was the most satisfying part for me. Especially when it involved young people who still had so many opportunities, if they could be shown where they were."

"This new job won't have any of that. We'll probably just be walking and enforcing the laws." Paul figured this work would be exactly like what he had been doing all this time at Alpha Centauri City.

Kendra smiled, but stuck stubbornly to her ideas. "You never know what's going to happen, do you?"

 

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