Starship: Free Mars

Part 4: Sunset

Their chess games continued, and most nights Glory came to Tate’s apartment to play in person. Sitting across from each other, they gradually started to have more casual conversation. Although a bold commanding officer of a Martian space craft, Glory was painfully shy. With a chessboard between them, Tate gradually drew her into a little chess-oriented banter. Although there was no way to find out directly, Tate had seen enough victims of abuse, to suspect it lay behind Glory’s odd behavior. He would find out if and when she chose to tell him, but he would not ask. He liked Glory. He liked her a lot. Right now, she needed a friend. But so did he.

Some weeks later, Tate was grading exam papers and had lost track of time when Glory knocked on his door. He welcomed her into his apartment. “Hey, a reprieve,” he said and gestured for her to take a seat on his couch. “Do you mind if I grab a quick bite before we start?”

“Would you like go to Mansuco’s up on top level overlooking the Hub?”

“Ah,” he said wistfully, “are you sure you want to be seen with me in public? I seem to attract a lot of unwanted attention every time I go out.”

She frowned. “What do you mean.”

He shrugged. “Seems like every time I go out when there are people around, they stare.”

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with your wardrobe would it?”

“Okay,” he said recognizing a more playful note in her voice, “what’s wrong with my wardrobe?”

“Your flared slacks with purple and pink stripes? If I saw you on the street, I would look too.”

Looking down at himself, Tate said, “But all the other faculty at…” He looked up at her. “But this is not New Chicago is it?” He sighed. “I guess I should pay more attention to things like that.”

No, this was not New Chicago. The loneliness and disappointment inside him swelled and spilled over. “I’m sorry, Glory. I guess I’ve been an all-round disappointment for you. I obviously didn’t fit in for the project you ‘borrowed’ me for, and I don’t fit in at the university either.” He shrugged. “You didn’t help your career when you picked me that day onboard the shuttle.” His throat was thick with emotion, and he had to stop.

She walked over to him and put her arms around him. She hugged him close, the first time they had touched since that first night she had come to his apartment. “Never think that,” she whispered in his ear, her voice cracking. “You’re important to me.”

He hugged her back. Tate held her in his arms until he felt his despondency ebb. Moving his hands to her waist he stepped back so he could look at her. “Thank you, Glory.” He cleared his throat. “So,” he said with more of his usual jaunty air, “is your offer still good?” He smiled slightly. “Assuming I go change into something a little more suitable?”

She chuckled and pushed him away. “Do you have something in beige?”

“With a flowered print?” He winked, and she laughed.

They dined together in a pleasant dining hall with a view of the Hub, the center of Hellas City. The large grotto which formed the Hub had a shaft connecting it to the surface. One of the great architectural achievements on Mars, the dome of glass over the surface end of the shaft created one of the few indoor spaces on the planet lit naturally by the sun. Sunlight on distant Mars was not as bright as on Earth, and since it was late in the day, the sun was low in the sky. Still, it was the first sunlight Tate had seen in weeks, and it lifted his spirits.

Glory asked him questions about Earth, and he was happy with his familiar role as a raconteur. After they finished eating, they lingered at the table. Tate was recalling how he and his grandfather always watched sunsets together when he visited his grandparents’ lake cottage.