“Looking forward to it, cousin.” He gave Holly a lazy salute and loped out of the hotel with his sandals slapping against the stone floor.
Holly watched him go, blinking in confusion, then turned to Alyce. “How is he that oblivious?”
“I don’t know that he is,” Alyce murmured, her gaze hard on the door. “Well, on to more pleasant topics. I’m a little early, but are you ready for your station tour?”
“Let me grab a quick breakfast and we’ll head out.” Holly and Alyce went inside Holly’s residential unit and released Bean, who immediately took up his spot on the couch. She inquired about cleaning bots as she tucked into the bowl of hot porridge dotted with blue and pink berries that Luv had waiting for her.
Alyce explained that cleaning bots had not been in operation there for about five years. “They dwindled, one by one, until the last one broke down and Sam couldn’t get approval for the parts to repair them.” Judgment was heavy in her voice, making her views about Charles’ inability to manage something as vital as sanitation, clear. “They’re not gone. Sam still has them in storage.”
Holly nodded as she ate. “The forest paths are gross. I’ve been cleaning up after Bean when I take him out, but there’s a lot of old messes out there, and other creatures living in the forest. It’s too much for one person, but fixing the bots would be more work for Sam.”
“One thing you need to know about Sam—hewantsto fix things,” Alyce said. “He’ll tell you how much it will cost and you can approve to purchase the parts or not.”
“I’ll do that.” Holly spooned her porridge into her mouth, focusing on the delicious berries. “I think next week is when I’ll hold a meeting for the residents. Here, at noon. I shouldformally introduce myself and find out what they’d like to see happen with the station. Canyoumake it?”
“Absolutely,” Alyce said. “Put it in the station calendar and I’ll remind everyone. You won’t get a big turnout, I’ll tell you that. But those who come will be the ones you can depend on for support.”
“Thanks.” Holly realized she would have to get the hang of the station calendar.
Holly finished her breakfast and they exited the hotel. Sitting just outside was a small vehicle. It had four seats, a steering stick, and hovered about ten inches off the ground. Aside from that, Holly was shocked it was operational. It had once been painted red, but now it was mostly gray metal edged with rust. Hull tape held the back seats onto the chassis and one side listed to the left. Alyce gestured toward it. “We’ll be taking azigfor this excursion. Otherwise, we’d be walking for hours.”
“That’s…interesting,” Holly said, charmed and a little worried, as she slid into the seat beside Alyce, who had chosen the one beside the steering stick. “How many of these vehicles do we have?”
“There are two left,” Alyce replied. “The rest are inoperable. They are housed in the control tower—with the cleaning bots and everything else that’s been decommissioned. These can be taken out by any resident, but you, as the owner, get preference.”
“I don’t think I—” Holly began, but she stopped talking when Alyce pressed the accelerator and they jolted forward. It was clear that Holly’s role was to sit there and listen, so that’s what she did.
Twelve
Alyce clearly enjoyed her tour guide role.
“We are traveling on Loop Road, which is entirely paved, thankfully.” Alyce pointed at the smooth white surface that spanned before them. “It travels in a closed loop around the station. There are other, smaller roads and paths through the interior, but if you become lost, find this one and it will always bring you back to the town square.” Alice spoke loudly to be heard over the buzz of thezig.
“As we leave the town square, we enter the primary residential zone. As you can see, we have various-sized homes for individuals and family units, housing up to ten per unit. An exception was made for Mish, of course, who needed to house her numerous offspring.” She pointed to a small, blue, round-topped dwelling. “That is my home.”
The houses were intact and neat, but most were empty. The small neighborhood had a forgotten air about it.
“How long have you lived here?” Holly asked, curious about this woman who had been holding everything together.
“My parents arrived here when I was a baby,” Alyce replied, sending Holly a mischievous glance. “They were laying low after some…questionable life choices. They stayed, although I movedaround a bit before coming back about twenty years ago to look after them before they passed on.”
“The edge of civilized space would seem a good place for laying low,” Holly said with a smile. She was curious, but smart enough not to ask what kind of trouble Alyce’s parents had gotten up to.
“My choices have always been on the up-and-up,” Alyce said. “But, yes. This kind of place was ideal for them. They started over and led quiet, happy lives.” She nodded toward Holly. “I’m a little older than your mother, and I remember her. We were both children, and we played a few times. Before she and your grandmother left.”
Holly’s throat tightened. “What was she like back then?”
“Mirth was a sweet, fun little kid.” Alyce smiled. “Happy, but you could tell there was tension in the family. Charles wasn’t a hands-on parent.” She cleared her throat and went back to tour-guide mode, as if concerned she’d overstepped. “Moving on, you will see the open land space. The ground cover is a combination of drought-resistant grasses from various planets, lending it the striated green and blue colors you see. In the past, the field was the event space for parties and art and music gatherings. Residents enjoy relaxation activities here, and it remains our largest open space.”
Thezighad reached one of the far ends of the rounded rectangular-shaped dome. The field gave way to a different type of foliage as a round body of water came into view. The water was clear and smooth as glass, and became purple toward the center, where it was presumably deeper. The plants here looked more tropical. Holly saw some palm trees, and some alien varieties that were more vividly colored than in the forest region.
“Here you can see the pond,” Alyce explained. “It is appropriately ten feet at its deepest point and is available for swimming. The ground here is mostly sand, so the climate herewas adjusted to accommodate more tropical plant life. The water gets its purple color from minerals in the sand, which is original to the moon’s surface itself. To date, no one has drowned in the pond.”
“Good to hear,” Holly murmured, amused by the pride in Alyce’s voice as she made that proclamation.
“There are six additional residential units located on the pond,” Alyce went on, then pointed to a small building with a cone-shaped roof barely visible through thick foliage. “That is home to a resident named Tyer. He likes to keep to himself, but he’s a good one. He’ll likely turn up at the meeting. The rest of these units are empty. That one,” she thrust a finger toward a small brown building that was all but engulfed by trees, “used to be occupied by your great-grandparents. It was a sort of vacation home for them. Charles did not use the unit, but you may revive it if you so choose.”
Thatwas interesting, Holly thought. There were many things to do before rehabbing a vacation cabin, but the thought of having a spot on the water was exciting. “Are there any fish in that water?” Holly asked above thezig’snoisy buzz.
