Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Four: Meteors #6

By the time Dan had gotten back to his room, changed and packed a bag, his trepidation at his diplomatic mission had been replaced with excitement. He hadn't had a chance to see Cheyenne since the banquet. But there was another reason for being excited. Not sure how much separation he needed between personal and diplomatic business, he waited until he was clear of the embassy, found a public cafe and sat in a quiet corner.

"System message to Bakala on the Corelean, courtesy," he said.

Bakala's holographic appeared and greeted him.

"You busy?" Dan asked.

"A bit," Bakala admitted. "Getting ready to dock with the base ship. But I have a few minutes for my honey bear. What's up? Been thinking, I have a three days off. I could grab a ship to Saras, if you have any free time that is?"

"Actually I have several days off," Dan said. "Gonna go see Cheyenne on Shin. Want to come?"

"Yeah great," Bakala said. "I'll make reservations as soon as I can and let you know. When are you leaving?"

Damn laughed. "You know I was so excited, I haven't made my own arrangements yet." He thought the moment in blushed. "Actually I haven't even message Cheyenne to see if she's available."

Bakala laughed. "Well, you work on that. Let me know. It will be a couple of hours before we dock anyway."

He let Bakala go and messaged Cheyenne. She was thrilled at the prospect of a visit and promised to have a guest room for him and Bakala. The next day would be a school rest day and depending on when they arrived, she'd even come and greet them herself.

He then messaged the spaceport and enquired about trips to Shin. "When do you wish to depart?" the woman asked him.

"As soon as possible, I guess."

"I don't have a direct flight until tomorrow, but I can probably get you there sooner depending on how picky you are about your flight path and ships."

"I'm not picky at all," Dan replied.

The woman stared at something outside of the holo-projection area for awhile and then turned her attention back to Dan. "I've a freighter headed to Angarak One. You can pick up another freighter from there to Shin."

"Angarak One?"

"The station orbits what you call Mars," She said.

Dan shrugged. "Sounds good."

She listed the port and departure time, along with the cost. Dan had maybe a half watch. He wasn't sure how long it would take to reach the port. He pulled out his slate and asked for the most direct route. Underneath the city of Saras, amongst the workings of the stations it rested on, was a maze of subways and mass transits. Dan found the nearest entrance and was soon on a train, streaking towards his port.

Once there he backtracked to a nearby market, a touristy place that fully lived up to Aloka's declaration of expense. Despite the prices he bought gifts; a nice silk shirt with Saras in Consortium letters for Bakala, a couple of beautifully painted wall hangings for Cheyenne and Lana for their place, a lucky coin, a traditional housewarming gift, for Janda who had recently moved into his own place. A cube with temple dances for Mackenzie and a toy saber tooth tiger for James. They were all the rage on the station. The zoo contained a number of animals that had been extinct for centuries on earth but were common elsewhere. But one its prize possessions was Sarasvat's "kitty cat," a three hundred and fifty pound sabertooth tiger.

He added the gifts to his meager bag and ascended the steps of the station with a half an hour to spare. The space freighter was smaller than the ship he'd arrived on, with fewer amenities. However it was comfortable enough and the trip was only four hours. He talked to Bakala while en route. Bakala said he could meet up with Dan on Angarak One and they could take the second freighter together. Warmed by the thought, the trip to mars passed quickly for Dan.