The crackling of the communication console woke me up. Still dazed from sleep, I didn’t quite recognise the sound. An indistinct voice sounded over the interference. I shook my head, dislodging my confusion and disbelief. I hadn’t heard external comms for quite a while. The voice grew louder and more distinct.
‘Outpost 311…in…read me. Outpost…’
I scrambled up and threw the seat cushion back on the chair. While rubbing sleep from my eyes, I straightened my chest plating and eased the back of my metal skirt away from my chafe marks. I should’ve undone the ties before I slept, but I had been too lazy and too tired to even think about it.
‘Outpost 311…please respond…’
I jumped. ‘Huh?’ Startled into action, I plopped into the command chair and spun around to activate the automated response and telemetry readouts.
‘This is outpost 311 receiving,’ I said in my best vidmovie tone. I’m sure Dad would’ve been proud of me.
‘Captain Stroder?’ came the surprised, posh-sounding voice.
I had to think quickly. It wasn’t a good idea to give things away too easily (especially when you didn’t know who it was). ‘Um, I’m the only Stroder here. Who are you and what do you want?’
I called up the telemetry and stared at it for a while. I traced the blip with my finger and tried to make sense of the readouts. From what I could tell the small cruise ship was still a way out but it was heading directly for the outpost. Turning the communication console off for a moment, I keyed the commlink.
‘Gris,’ I hissed urgently. ‘Gris.’ No answer. ‘Wake up, Gris. This is an emergency. We have a ship coming in. Wait.’ My eyes danced over the readouts looking for the ship’s ID. ‘Here’s the signature. It’s from AllEarth Corp. Who in hell is that I wonder?’
I reactivated the communications console. The impatient male voice was berating the outpost. ‘…are you reading me? This is Alwin Anton, representative of AllEarth Corp. Please activate landing beacon and ready the landing bay. I repeat…’
‘Shit, shit, shit,’ I began to fidget then pounced on the landing protocol checklist from where it hung on the wall. ‘Gris. What do I do? They’re looking for Dad. It’s official, not some scummy pirate. Gris?’
A crackle of static and I could hear him. ‘Ummph,’ groaned Gris into his commlink. The sound of him waking up flooded through the centre. He must have bedded down in one of the service conduits, probably on the other side of the air filters where it was warm. ‘Gris here. What…is…it Rae?’
‘Gris, thank god,’ I said, grateful to hear his mumbling. I scanned the checklist. ‘Ah, power up landing bay Alpha, quickly. We have official visitors. Then get up here and help me find the protocol sheets for official visitors—or was it for emergencies?—that Dad stashed away’
‘Visitors?’ he said, slowly enunciating the word. I could picture him, standing slack faced, mouth agape as he said it.
‘Yes, god dammit. Real visitors. Maybe they’ll have real food.’ I snapped off the commlink. I hoped that Gris understood what I was saying and would go and ready the landing bay.
I leant over the console and tried to get my bearings. Lights were flashing all over the place and displays were projecting three-dimensional images of the ship approaching in front of my face. I was shaking so hard I nearly tipped out of my chair. I had to get a grip. Clearing my throat, I opened a channel to the incoming ship.
‘Welcome to outpost 311, Mr, er, Anton. Landing bay Alpha is at your disposal. The Lollydrop will find all services available,’ I said in the same vidmovie accent I’d used before, though with a bit more polish. I flicked off the switch and mumbled to myself. ‘Except fuel, supplies, amenities and every other goddamn thing it’ll want.’
Gris entered while I was rummaging through Dad’s records. He’d been an old-fashioned man, keeping paper books as well as storage wafers.
‘Pirate,’ Gris grunted. I knocked my head on the cupboard I was leaning into and groaned.
‘Ow,’ I said as I rubbed my wounded noggin. I pulled myself out and bounded to my feet. ‘Really, Gris, you think he’s a pirate? His ship signature is genuine, matches the auto update we had two years ago. Look,’ I added with a smile. ‘I’ve never heard of a pirate that would call himself ‘Alwin Anton’ have you?’
Gris scratched his groin and thought for a moment. ‘Ah, no,’ he said slowly.
‘It’s not Rusty Claw or Cleaver the Curry Eater this time. This AllEarth Corp guy talks like his ship suit shrank a while back.’
Gris held up a hand and frowned. ‘Captain say you nice little girl. Speak nice.’
‘Sure. I can speak nice, when you’re my main company and the only other freaks that come here are criminals with weird names. If it wasn’t for you, Gris, I’m sure they would have sold me on the Centauri slave market ages ago.’
I reached up, standing on tippy-toes, and scratched behind his ear. His sagging face split with a grin. I really did love him and it brought tears to my eyes just to think of how much. ‘Now, enough of that. Do you remember where Dad put those notes? The emergency ones?’
Gris’ face went blank, his grey eyes glazed. ‘Notes?’ he replied.
I pouted and stared into space. The sounds of the monitors tracking the Lollydrop’s berthing were like little daggers digging into my flesh. I thought I was going to stress out completely until I suddenly remembered my little-girl stash.
Edging under the main console, I pulled aside the cabinet door. This was where I used to keep my mementos, broken doll bits, a piece of my mother’s uniform and a pile of papers. I drew out the papers and shook dust off them. A vidmovie disc dropped down. I bent down to pick it up and gave the title a quick glance. I scrunched my face up. It read Second Class Humans-Clone Revolt. ‘What’s this some kind of documentary? I turfed it back into the cabinet and rifled through the rest of the stuff. A couple of papers were infantile drawings that I flicked in the direction of the cabinet. Then on the next page were Dad’s hand-written words, ‘Rae, in case of emergency, follow these steps.’
‘Here it is. Gris, you’d better head down to the landing bay and switch on the lights and air. Make sure all of the side passages are sealed so that he can only come here. I’ll join you shortly.’
Gris nodded and headed out the door. I climbed up to the main console and checked the displays. The Lollydrop looked cute and sleek, unlike a hobbled-together pirate ship. It would be another 15 minutes before our visitor docked, enough time to get a few things done. I quickly read through my father’s instructions. I read them again just to make sure, then stuffed them under the seat cushion and sat on them. All the while, I was trying to understand how I was supposed to follow them.
The tracking beep of the ship’s approach made my heart twitch. I stopped staring into space and turned to watch the display of the ship. The Lollydrop had started docking manoeuvres by matching its speed to the asteroid’s spin. Then as the tongue of the landing bay crossed the horizon it would line up and descend down to attach itself to the outpost. Just then, I had a horrible thought.
‘Oh no,’ I said and bolted for the door.