They bruised the sky with their thruster output. Once spaceflight had taken off the weather patterns had never been the same, as the massive engines plowed right through the clouds and dispersed them.
Her flyer came to a stop at the intake gate. Her adrenaline came flooding back, her breaths quickened, her palms dampened. Excited, she allowed her vehicle to be scanned and added to the docking base for storage. It drove her to its new semi-permanent parking spot.
Kat grabbed her bag and hefted it into her lap before opening her door to the arid heat of the desert city. Her lungs filled up with dry, hot air as she oriented herself to the new environment. With one last perusal, she locked her flyer up and headed for the port.
Her uncertainty grew with every step.
Kat switched her bag from shoulder to shoulder, trying to alleviate the strain it was putting on her neck and back.
I have no idea what I’m doing.Her jaw tensed. The entryway loomed before her, beautifully decorated reinforced glass and silver metal, it glistened to the point that it hurt her eyes.
Welcome to space,it said.Welcome to the gate of Hell,it meant.Did you know that your survival rate drastically decreases once you leave Earth?it implied.Let’s explore!
It said a lot more than that.
With a sigh, Kat walked through the doors. She was greeted by screens and holograms, all projecting and trying to sell her on a new adventure. A commercial cruise around Jupiter. A trip to see the battle monuments on Gliese. She flinched and looked to the next thing; a billboard listing hundreds of jobs.
She walked past it and toward the large, domed windows, where stores were set up to overlook the space field. They were up on a plateau, and the view outside showed everything.
Kat lugged her bag to a bench that looked over the commercial and private vessels where she could watch them enter the atmosphere and shoot up into the stars.
I’ll be on one of them before long.
She sat there an indefinite amount of time, people walked by behind her, her eyes trailed them in the window’s reflection. Loved ones coming together, people breaking apart. Kat circled her wrists, missing her grandma.
She debated contacting her uncle and going back to her extended family. To stay here and deal with them and curl up in their familiarity.
Kat was pulled out of her thoughts when a woman sat down on the bench next to her.
“You’ve been here for some time, are you waiting for someone?” she asked. Kat looked at her warily. The woman was older, with greying hair, and draped with scarves.
“Uh. No. No, I’m not waiting for anyone,” Kat answered.
“Ah, I supposed that might be the case. We get your kind here every now and then. Waiting for something to hit you over the head and change your life. Mmm Mm.”
Kat shuffled in her seat. “Didn’t realize I had a ‘kind.’ I wish I knew of my people before this.”
The older woman laughed, hoarse and mirthful. “I once saw a young man sit in this very seat, every day, for days on end, waiting and watching the ships. I went up to him after the third day, my curiosity always gets the best of me, and asked him what he was up to.”
“What was he up to?” Kat asked, intrigued.
“Well, he was discharged from the military for having a bum leg. He didn’t know what to do with the rest of his life, as his whole family was a military family. He felt hurt, lost, insecure. So after hearing this, I offered him a job.”
“Did he take it?”
“He sure did. He’s manning my exotic teas booth behind us. Been with me for damn near ten years. Can’t get rid of the sucker. He’s a good worker, though. Doesn’t talk enough for my liking so I have to talk for the both of us.” The woman rambled on.
Kat looked behind her at the tea booth and saw a middle aged man pouring a cup for a customer.
The woman continued, “I was the one that hit him over the head that day and made a decision for him. He’s great at lifting the heavy stuff. As you may have noticed, this port is large but only one terminal is still in operation. Everywhere else is barred off and unused but my tea shop still stands and it endures. There’s something about a nice cup of tea from another planet or the last chance to drink something from home–”
Kat cut her off, “Why is only one terminal in use?” She eyed the giant ships resting in the distance.
“Oh, honey, you know the answer to that. There’s just not enough people anymore. Even for the biggest spaceport in New America. This place should be a bustling bazaar but nope, can’t sustain it anymore. What’s your name, dear?” The woman was a word race-horse. Kat could understand why the man she hired never talked.
“Katalina. Kat for short.”
“What a pretty name! Do you want a job, Kat? You see, my knees are gettin’ achy and the long hours, well, are too long these days. John, my employee, is a friendly guy to work with and could use the extra help too. It’s hard to find help these days and who knows? Maybe you and John might like to take over someday. He’s a nice man, could use a nice girl. The job comes with free tea.”
