Author's Note:
Thanks to Whisperwings for her betaing services…
Voyage Two, Day One
Dearest friends and family,
The taxi I arranged to ferry us to Romano was late this morning, so we didn't get off of Los Terrano until noon. Thankfully, there is an energy increase in the solar winds, so it looks like we'll be able to arrive in Romano by mid-afternoon tomorrow.
I'm glad John's willing to provide us with available transportation, else the ferry to Emery and any other planets would have surely cost me greatly; now I'll only need to fund my escort and the provisions for each voyage.
The young slave boy, Scroop, has warmed up a little to the mercenaries, though he's still a little reluctant to talk. I've noticed that John's taken to him. He apparently knows the arachnid tongue -for reasons beyond me- but this seems to put Scroop at ease, similarly to when John and I speak about Treaka. There's no doubt that John has the ability to bring back memories…and to relax one's nerves. It must be his nonchalant, carefree attitude that does this…
Rebecca closed her pocketbook once the writing had dried and she looked around. She and Juanita were sharing a cabin with three other female passengers, who were currently chatting idly in their alien language on the bench across from them.
Juanita was busy writing down a report in her black notebook with a fountain pen, often shaking the utensil and complaining under her breath that it was low on ink.
John, Henry, Jarred, Martin and Scroop were in the cabin across the aisle from them. As far as Rebecca knew Henry was still in the cabin -working on reports- and John, Martin, Jarred and Scroop had left their cabin to visit the observation deck of the ferry.
The young woman sighed, cleaning her pen and putting away her things. Juanita looked up from her black notebook after trying to get her fountain pen to work once again.
"You going somewhere?" She enquired.
"I'm just going to look around, I'll be back." Rebecca reassured. "No escort required."
"Got'cha…" Juanita friendlily saluted and returned to her work.
Rebecca slipped out of the cabin and looked down the hallways. This level of the ferry was full of small cabins in which the passengers would sleep. Rebecca knew that below the passengers' cabins were a few other levels carrying cargo as this ferry doubled as a merchant transport of goods between Romano and Los Terrano.
The young woman walked down the corridor of the deck and turned down another hallway, which led up a set of stairs to the double doors entering the observation deck.
Rebecca slipped through the door and looked at the observation deck. This level of the ferry was a true marvel. The room dipped down another level, an ornate chandelier hanging from the ceiling of the deck, and she was standing at the top of a grand staircase.
The walls of the observation deck were made of thick glass, reinforced by metal frames, and allowing a fantastic view of the Etherium.
Rebecca noted that she had gone through the main entrance. There were two side entrances, a level up from the grand staircase. Each side entrance had a short staircase that joined to the main entrance, shaping the entire stair complex like the letter 'T'.
At the foot of the grand staircase was a dance floor. The polished wood of the dance floor glimmered under the light of the crystal chandelier and a few dancing couples danced elegantly to the ballroom music played by a group of musicians.
Rebecca began to wonder if she had bought tickets to a luxury cruise rather than a ferry to Romano, because there were many finely-dressed aliens wandering the observation deck and formal servants in suits answering the needs of the passengers.
The young woman slowly descended the grand staircase, looking around the crowded ballroom for a familiar face.
"There's Rebecca…" Scroop pointed out, drawing his companions' attention to the lady.
"Good eyes, kid." Martin complimented.
John was speechless. Under the light of the crystal chandelier, surrounded by the thousands of stars in the Etherium, Rebecca was absolutely stunning, despite still wearing her normal travelling clothes.
"John… John…" Martin prodded the young man in his arm.
"What?" John snapped out of his daze and looked at the squirrel humanoid.
"You're gapping at Miss Rebecca like a Space Fish." Jarred pointed out.
"Am not." John narrowed his eyes.
"Are too." Martin smirked devilishly.
"Don't yeh start," The young man grumbled.
"It's alright mate, she's a lovely lady to ogle." Martin stated.
"I'm not ogling her!" John retorted.
"He's in denial." Jarred laughed. The young alien's laugh was soon cut off when Juanita called to Rebecca from the top of one of the side entrances to the grand staircase.
Juanita casually slid down the banister of one of the side staircases, and she landed lightly on the platform at the head of the grand staircase. Rebecca laughed at the alien woman's antics and walked with her down the grand staircase.
"Who's ogling who now?" John raised an eyebrow.
"Ah… that's normal." Martin brushed off the comment, clapping his paw on Jarred's shoulder. "This chap's so head over heels for Juanita, he can hardly think straight when she's in the same room as him."
Jarred shook himself out of his ogling stupor, "I can so!" He stated firmly. "I just can't talk to her… like a normal person."
"An' why's that?" John enquired as the two women saw them and walked towards them.
"I don't know…" Jarred rubbed the back of his neck. "My tongue gets tied, and I say stupid things…" he sighed, "she probably thinks I'm an idiot." Jarred turned away and looked out the window. "Tell me she didn't see me…" He whispered desperately.
"'Red! Didn't know you were out here!" Juanita's enthusiastic voice called out.
"She saw you." Scroop stated bluntly. The young arachnid yawned and decided to leave the noisy ballroom to retire to his cabin.
"Ugh!" Jarred hit his forehead against the window in dismay. He turned around to face the approaching women.
"Thought you always got sea-sick went we're on sailing missions." Juanita smiled smugly as she looked at Jarred.
"Well…" Jarred's face flushed a darker blue, "it's funny that you should mention it… but I am feeling a little nauseous right now…" He laughed half-heartedly. "So, I think I'll be returning to my cabin…" The blue-skinned man tried to edge out of the crowd.
"Not until we dance a number!" Juanita stated cheerfully, grabbing Jarred by the wrist and dragging him towards the dance floor.
"But-I-can't-dance-and-we-need-to-guard-Miss-Rebecca-and-I don't-want-to-step-on-your-toes-and-" Jarred belted out every possible excuse while Juanita dragged him.
"Not listening!" Juanita retorted. Once she had effectively dragged Jarred onto the dance floor, she spun around and got into dancing positions.
Jarred froze, his face flushed up and he could feel sweat beginning to form at his hairline.
"I'm sure you're a fine dancer, Jarred…" Juanita stated quietly. "Miss Rebecca's got Marty with her -though I doubt anyone would try to attack her on a ferry- and if you step on my toes then I'll step on your toes right back." She smirked warmly.
Jarred relaxed a little and began to follow Juanita's lead in the dance number.
Rebecca laughed softly as she watched two members of her escort dance around on the dance floor. "Is Juanita always that forceful?" She asked Martin.
The squirrel humanoid chuckled. "Until Jarred finds the stomach to ask her himself, I'm sure that Juan will always be like that."
Rebecca smiled, shaking her head. "She knows what she wants…" She stated.
There was a pause then Martin cleared his throat. "Pardon me Miss Rebecca, but I have some reports that I've neglected to finish, and I'll need to write them up before I have a chance to slack off once more." Martin excused himself politely and left the ballroom.
The young woman chuckled lightly and then looked around. 'I wonder where John has gone off to…' She pondered to herself.
Rebecca walked down one of the hallways that branched from the ballroom. The exterior wall was made of glass. The light of the Etherium provided a gentle glow to the corridor, and so lanterns weren't necessary. Rebecca spotted John standing by the vast window overlooking the Etherium.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" She set her hands down on the railing that was installed along the wall, stood beside the young man and looked out at the night sky.
John wanted more than anything to add 'like you' to what Rebecca had said, but he kept his mouth shut and mutely nodded.
Rebecca smiled. "We're not that far from Romano now, are we?" She enquired.
John smiled weakly. "See that little blue planet on the horizon?" He stepped closer to the young woman and pointed at a blue dot.
"Yes…" Rebecca looked at the small sphere.
"That's Romano." John stated. "Most of it is ocean yeh see…"
"It must be a beautiful place." Rebecca stated.
"Well," John rubbed the back of his neck with a hand, "it tends teh rain a lot, but it's home." he smiled. "On the days when the weather's clear... it's like a miracle." He looked at the sphere, as if recalling something from a distant memory.
Rebecca looked at John; he had the far-off look in his eyes.
"The clouds part; an' it's warm enough teh go swimming…" John explained.
Rebecca smiled; almost seeing what John was remembering by the way he'd express himself with his hands.
John continued, "…an' at the end of the day, the sunset is the most beautiful yeh'd ever imagine..."
Rebecca looked into John's eyes. "I'd like to see that sunset." She whispered softly.
John chuckled. "Maybe yeh will…" He set his hands down on the railing. His left hand brushed against Rebecca's right hand.
The two young adults drew back their hands, as if the contact had caused an electric shock. They could clearly see the blushes on each other's faces in the glowing starlight.
Rebecca felt a giggle well up in the back of her throat and she tried to cover her smile with her hands. John raised an eyebrow at Rebecca but soon was trying to hold back a laugh himself.
Finally the young adults couldn't hold back their mirth and they burst into a chorus of laughter. They didn't stop laughing until tears welled up in their eyes and their stomachs began to ache.
"So much for modesty…" Rebecca wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled to John.
"Ah well," John shrugged, "sometimes laughing is the only thing yeh can do," he stated.
Rebecca giggled quietly and set down her left hand on the railing. She looked out at the Etherium, her body still turned towards John's.
The ship lurched unexpectedly and Rebecca stumbled forwards. John quickly caught Rebecca in his arms. The tremors stopped after a while, and a booming announcement follow afterwards.
"This is your captain speaking, do not be alarmed." The announcement continued, "We are merely experiencing some turbulence from a fluctuation in the solar winds, and the ship will return to its normal stability in a few moments."
Rebecca looked up into John's eyes and smiled. "I'm not very capable of staying on my feet, am I, John?"
John smiled back. "So long as I'm here teh catch yeh, I think yeh'll be fine…"
A bright light filled the corridor, and the two young adults looked out the vast window. A glowing body of bright light slowly edge past the glass.
"A comet." Rebecca whispered; she turned to face the window and she watched the mass of burning space matter.
"They say if yeh make a wish on a comet's tail, it'll come true…" John stated.
Rebecca wrapped her arm around John's as she looked out at the glowing comet. "I wish I could see the sunset on Romano when it's not raining…" She whispered.
John chuckled. "A fair wish." He stated. "I wish the same, Rebecca. I want yeh teh see the sunset after the rain…" His hand brushed against Rebecca's and he felt her fingers entwine with his own. "I know yeh'll like it."
They stood together watching the burning comet whisk away, taking their wishes with it.
Author's Note:
Yes, my design of the ferry was based loosely around the design of the Titanic…
MG#6