Outcasts of Gideon

Lt. Apirat Ulkos : Part 1

Lieutenant Ulkos pressed a finger to the top of his forehead, then placed it in the center of his chest. It was an empty gesture to him. None of those around him would have noticed if he'd skipped it. He did it anyway. He did what was necessary even if he didn't find it necessary. It wasn't that his loyalty would be questioned, but dotting I's was important in the movement. Even if that wasn't true, it was important to him.

The ritual was part of Bhavatism, a spiritual movement purported to be the saving of humanity. He was not a religious man, but he'd signed on because humanity was important to him.

He turned his small frame and stepped into the aisle. From here, he could look out upon the surface of Titan. Behind the altar was a picture window looking west. It faced that way to capture Saturn just above the moon's horizon. The planet's surface was half lit by the sun nearing its apex in the sky. He liked that the movement incorporated natural wonders this way. If he approached any sort of spirituality, it was through witnessing these marvels.

He nodded to the worshipers who noticed his departure. Their faces were as he always found them, empty and devout. Once he would have called them vacuous. That was before he came to accept this as their expression of spirituality. He didn't feel it himself, but he found a way to accept it in others.

Lieutenant Ulkos wasn't a large man. What he gave up in stature he more than made up for in grit and determination. As he saw it, his function in the movement was to serve as the rod. That was the role he best fit anyway.

He stepped from the small temple into a long corridor. This passageway linked part of Menrva Metro with the largest open market on Titan. He headed in that direction toward Starfire Court.

The shops here once catered to the gamut of human needs. Such retail areas were common for a species expanding into the universe. As that expansion continued, fewer people remained to sustain the buzz. That was the case for Starfire Court. The spaces that had not yet closed supported a shrinking Titan populace.

The sun shone through large clear windows rimming this part of the facility. It bathed the area in constant light. These were the days he liked the market most, when sunlight illuminated every corner.

As usual, there were a few people already milling about. Some were preparing their shops to open. Others were waiting – like him – to get a start to their day. Within the hour, there would be dozens of people populating table tops and queues. Until then, he had the comfort of relative quiet.

He sat down outside of Grounds for Divorce and watched the owner through the grate. Akli Mutayyam raised the gate on his small shop. He left it half up and slid beneath it. Having already prepared a cup for the Lieutenant, he offered a nod and placed the mug on the table. "Thank you, Akli." Lieutenant Ulkos reached for the cup. He took in the drink's aroma before attempting a sip.

"Busy day ahead, Lieutenant?" Akli wiped a nearby tabletop.

"Not that I've heard."

"That's too bad. It does a man good to have purpose."

"Indeed it does." Lieutenant Ulkos had heard the sentiment before. He'd probably even offered it to Akli in the past. While not known for imparting wisdom, the Lieutenant did offer it on occasion.

Lieutenant Ulkos rose, pushing away from the otherwise empty table. He offered neither payment nor further acknowledgment. Feeling the warm cup in his hand, he worked his way back across the open market.

He reached the edge of the court and paused to sip his coffee. The smell of frying protein wafted from a nearby eatery. It was the scent of a local favorite, vat raised pork sausage with a heavy dose of spice. Titan's unique cuisine had never grown on him the way the locals assured him it would. He'd always preferred the sweets. At this end of the court, the assault of spice mingled with the smell of rising dough and confection. Unlike the other scents of this station, the smell of bakery fare always reminded him of Earth.

He turned the corner toward a long, empty corridor. This passage separated Starfire Court from the primary office of The Saturn Patrol. Midway down he paused again to sip the hot liquid. Before him was an uncertain day. If it resembled the recent past, he was likely to be disappointed.