TIM Chapter 1 - Graduation

The speeches were long and boring. It was uncomfortably warm and humid in the dim arena as we sat in our graduation robes. My dress whites would probably need cleaning. Did we really need to hear all this? My eyelids drooped.

“...with bravery and courage as you head out into the stars ...”

“Get on with it,” came the whispered voice of my classmate, Rodney. “We just have to flip the tassel.”

Eyes focusing, I glanced at the screens visible over all the rows the graduating class. “He’s gotta be getting close. He’s been dragging on for a while. I think it’s getting to him. He’s swaying back and forth,” I whispered back. I was on a timetable, after all.

“At least it’s not as embarrassing as the chief nerd’s speech. What a pleb! I would have fallen asleep if it wasn’t so cringey.”

I nodded. The valedictorian’s essay on why we should strive to make a difference was painful. Brown-nosing already and not even on a ship. There was a lot of eye-rolling and heavy sighing. A lot.

I listened as Dean Elpert droned on in resigned exasperation. Huh. He seemed to have a slight slur. I wondered again how much was left. Once he finished, I could start my career as an officer in the Imperial Terran Navy and get the glory and comfort I deserved. It had been hard fought to get here. I studied the Dean for some clue.

There was something decidedly odd going on at the lectern. Even from back here, I could see the man sweating profusely. What was left of his gray hair sticking out from under his mortarboard was plastered to the sides of his face. He had both hands on the podium and his swaying had acquired a circular component as though he was orbiting some point. He raised one trembling hand, finger pointed up.

“...for honor, freedom and planet...”

The dean stopped. His eyes went wide and the raised hand came down to his chest, fingers spread wide, before he toppled backward with a resounding thud. The faculty seated behind him looked at each other for a second or two before the Assistant Dean got up and came to the stand. Being somewhat younger than Elpert, she hopped over the prostrate Dean and coughed politely into the microphone.

“I believe this ends the formal speeches for this ceremony. Now, if you’d all please rise.”

I sprang to my feet. Rodney sat and stared open mouthed. I smacked his shoulder with the back of my hand and he got up.

“Congratulations, Class of ‘24. May you have future success and fame.”

We all flipped the tassel from one side to the other.

* * *

“That was insane!” Rodney still wore the black graduation robes over his parade uniform, the white peeking out from the open front. He didn’t have to worry about ruining them and not getting his deposit back, he could easily afford it.

I took another swig of my beer, careful not to spill any on my dress whites. The bar was crowded and there was a lot of jostling. Gobs of cadets were here, celebrating and having a drink before boarding shuttles to take them to their postings.

“What did you expect? It’s not like they could postpone things. Orbital mechanics doesn’t care for excuses. We all have ships to catch. Well, most of us. We all can’t land cushy, planetside jobs on Terra.” I held up my orders medallion. “Speaking of which.” I held my other hand out. I had a shuttle ride to orbit coming up.

“Yeah, yeah, well, you get to cover yourself in glory so you can’t complain to me, Mr. Ensign. I’m not going to need this now. Here you go. Maybe it’‘ll come in handy. Happy birthday.” He placed in my palm a black plastic cube with a slot on top.

I quickly bent down and dropped it into my duffel and looked around. “You know I don’t celebrate that claptrap. Mater couldn’t afford to waste time and money on it.”

Rodney had already hoisted his mug and was draining it. He slammed it down on the bar top with a loud burp. “Whatever. Got time for another?”

I looked at my wristcomp. “Sorry, Rod, I’m gonna have to take a raincheck. Save it for when I return.” I finished my beer and wiped my mouth with the back of my sleeve. My hand reached for the strap of my duffel bag at my feet. With a heave, I brought it up to my shoulder.

Rodney looked at me with some intensity. “Jimbo, take care of yourself. Don’t do anything stupid. I know you can make a difference.”

“Why, Rodney, I’m surprised. Were you actually listening to the Golden Boy’s speech? I didn’t think you cared!”

“I mean it. It is dangerous out there. Uprisings, pirates, who knows?”

I smiled at him, put on my cover and saluted him. No mean trick in a crowded bar. It immediately earned scowls from the other patrons as they ducked and got out of the way of my elbow. “Hot jets!”

“Hot jets to you, too.” Rodney saluted back, earning more black looks.

Dropping my hand, I headed to the door, humming some bars from Astro-Glide, the Ride of the Future as I stepped out of the Ad Astra and into the spaceport concourse. Security was a little ways off. I could see there wasn’t a crowd which I thought as lucky. I got in line and made my way around the tension barricades to where the scanning machines lay in wait.

Just on the other side of my scanner was a man wrinkled with age, bent over and leaning on a cane. He held a hand up to his ear.

“What? Why are you selecting me?”

“Sir, it is a purely random. We have a quota and you met the criteria.” The agent was beckoning the man with one hand.

“What criteria? That doesn’t sound random. I’m an old man. I can’t even walk without my cane.”

“Sir, you are going to have to step into the room to be specially searched.” He had his free hand on the old man’s elbow and tugging on it.

“Unhand me! You can’t do this! This is illegal!”

“Sir, after the incident, the Emperor decreed that all citizens can be subjected to a special search. Now, please come this way.”

“Let go of me! Someone! Anyone?”

Two other burly men flanked the struggling old man and lifted him by the arms and marched off with the elderly man still yelling for help. The spaceport security agent looked at me and said, “Next?”

I stepped into the cylindrical space, my duffel bag making it a bit crowded. The ring at the bottom shot up and slowly came down. I stepped out. The agent blocked my path, hand held out.

Oh, my medallion with my orders. I patted my front pants pocket and pulled it out. The man looked at it and brought a hand scanner over it.

“Got anything to declare? Any contraband, flyboy?”

I quickly shook my head no.

“Do you have any strong opinions on the Emperor?”

“He is wonderful and just.” I hoped I said it with just the right amount of sincerity.

The security agent squinted at me. I swear I could see the gears turning. I tried to relax and pasted a slight grin on my face, I tried not to look away. I didn’t want any special searches being conducted on me.

Finally, he handed my medallion back to me. “Thank you for your service.” He looked past me and said, “Next.”

Relief flooded me and I walked away. Not too fast. I didn’t want to set off any alarms. Not too slow either. That meant you were hiding something. I walked as medium as I could and headed to the gate.

* * *

My bag felt very heavy by the time I got to my gate. Why did they have to put it so far away? And besides all the people in civilian clothes - peons - obviously headed to their job assignment, was the valedictorian in shining white with two duffel bags. Golden Boy indeed. Can’t even pack light. He dared to nod at me in acknowledgement before boarding the bus to take us to the pad.

I had to look up the pad we were going to. It was all the way in the back of the spaceport. I gazed in envy at the other pads along the way, the machines on them growing older and less gleaming the further out we got. The AC on the bus couldn’t keep up and perspiration formed sticky spots under my arms, my back.

“Isn’t this exciting? Our first step. Space!” The golden boy sat on the bench behind mine, leaning forward and resting his arms on the back of the empty seat next to me.

“Uh huh.”

“Just look at these fine folks, going beyond the confines of our small planet, making the human dream come true.”

“Of course.” I tried not to roll my eyes but they might have, just a little.

“We will have a chance of playing an important role, safeguarding them, helping the human race go further into the galaxy,” the valedictorian said.

“Look..., can I call you Chuck? Chuck, of course we have an important role. We’re officers in the Imperial Navy. We can’t help being important. And while it’s our duty to serve and help the masses, we should be more circumspect in it. So put a cork in it. I’m trying to figure out what to say to the Captain when I first meet him. First impressions are important.”

He looked at me with eyebrows drawn together, lips a tight line. “Gary. My name is Gary.”

“OK, Gary, why don’t you go and talk to those people that you want to impress and let me do something important?”

“You know, you’re a jackass.” Gary got his bags and moved to the back of the bus where the others were seated.

I could still hear his voice but at least it wasn’t directed at me any longer. I tried my best to ignore the laughter coming from the rear seats and concentrated on staring out the front window, looking for my ticket off planet.

Ahead a single shuttle came into view, sides blackened with plasma scoring, white paint missing in patches which left the gray protective undercoat exposed. Here and there, bare metal caught the light of the subtropical sun in bright glints. The gantry next to it fared no better though it was a bit harder to tell where the red paint ended and the rust began.

I was appalled and felt slighted. Couldn’t there have been a better ride out? We had passed a bevy of new shuttles, some were even the takeoff like a plane kind. Seeing the old unsightly jalopy it was, though, justified why it was stuck all the way in the back. I grabbed my bag and stood in the aisle, waiting for the bus to stop rolling.

The door folded open and the heat and humidity hit me again full force. Sweat drenched me like a dip in a misery pool. My uniform would be soaked. I wondered if I could get the spaceport to pay for a cleaning.

Mercifully the walk to the bunker was short. Inside the thick, slanted walls was a dim windowless space with lockers taking up a wall. There was a drink vending machine and a couple of tables with an assortment of chairs around them.

I stood by the vending machine. Golden Boy and his admirers went to the furthest table.

“Excuse me, sir? I think this will fit.” A petite woman with a cart stacked with plastic wrapped packages held one up to me.

“What is this?”

“Your flight suit.”

“I’m in my uniform.”

“Yes, sir, you are. This goes on over it. All passengers are required to wear it. For safety reasons.”

“This is ridiculous. I refuse.”

She lowered the package back onto the cart. “Well, then, you can’t go up.”

“What?” I roared at her. My fists balled. She flinched.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s cool.” Gary was sticking his nose into business that didn’t belong to him. He sidled in between me and the insolent attendant, open hands held up. “I’m going to wear it, they’re going to wear them.” He nodded to the group in the back. “We should all wear them. I’m sure it’s roomy enough to go over our uniforms, no problem, right?” he asked without turning his head. The woman behind him nodded.

Gary leaned in and spoke quietly. “Besides, we’re going to be in zero-g for a bit. You’ll want to have it on then. You know, just in case?” He twitched his head toward his sycophants and gave me a look.

I squinted at him.

He actually rolled his eyes and dropped the volume of his voice further, forcing me to lean in. “Just in case it’s too much for them and they, you know...”

Ah! Yes, he raised a good point! The miscreants behind him looked as space hardened as my Aunt Mathilda. I reached past Gary and took the package the woman had tossed on top of the cart. She rolled her eyes and let out a sigh. I stomped off to the other corner, dropped my bag, ripped the package open and tossed the wrapper aside.

One foot went into the leg of the suit and I tried to ram my other foot into the remaining leg. No dice. I tripped over the material and fell forward against the wall, forehead stopping my motion.

Righting myself, I looked to the others. Thankfully, everyone else was struggling into their flight suits, too busy to notice my mishap. They were all talking to Golden Boy.

Hmm. Piece of crap.

I navigated the fabric of my apparel more carefully. Soon, I zipped up the front and picked up my duffel. Everyone was in line, waiting to march out to the gantry. The hot sun and high humidity once again cranked up my sweat production. I kept reminding myself that hopefully I wouldn’t have to deal with the spaceport madness for a long time.

We all easily fit in a large, square open elevator. The ocean came into view as we climbed higher on the gantry. The waves lapped a sandy beach bordered by thick vegetation, verdant fecundity run amok. The other people were looking out at it through the chain link fencing around the platform. Sheeple, every one of them.

I looked to the floor that was coming up, my escape from this cradle of mankind, this world of empty deeds bereft of glory and fame, head of the Terran Imperium of Man. I would be back, covered in accolades to claim my rightful place.

The round hatch in the side of the shuttle beckoned. I marched right up to it, hand on a handle and lifted my leg over the edge and placed my foot on the bulkhead. I had arrived. I stepped over the chair backs on the momentary floor and reached the central stairs. Hand over hand, I went up to the highest deck, the one with the view. Feet up, back down, I fastened my harness. I had a view out the front windows of a perfect blue sky. Below me, I could hear the other passengers shuffling in, snatches of trivial conversations about going up and when they were scheduled to come back.

Golden Boy poked his head through the gangway.

“There you are.” He climbed out and got in the seat across the aisle from me. “Look, I’m sorry we seem to have gotten off on the wrong foot. We have a lot in common as freshly minted ensigns and we should at least be courteous. Maybe even get some respect for each other as we go together into the universe at large.”

“Whatever.”

“I’m serious. We’ll be on ships where every action or lack of action could have huge consequences. And we could offer advice to each other.”

He managed to sound even more pompous and pitiful than during the speech he gave at commencement. He was really something else. I searched his face for a sign, any sign, that he recognized the level of cringe he was giving off. Nope. He looked totally earnest. What a loser.

But I needed him to shut up or he would probably talk the whole time until we docked at the station. A plan formed. I put on my best smile.

“Of course. That makes total sense. It’ll be you and me against these peasants.”

He frowned and looked straight ahead.

Finally, peace and quiet.

The piloting crew climbed past us to the command deck. The two ran through a prelaunch checklist and I sat there bored. This was clearly a task for some AI and just a waste of men’s time even though one of the pilots was a female. Something, something, tradition.

“You know, I could probably fly this hunk of junk. I’ve flown shuttles in lots of simulations,” I said out loud.

The woman gave me a dirty look. She opened her mouth but snapped it shut and returned to attending the preflight check.

“Prepare for countdown launch,” at last came over the cabin speakers. I checked my harness one more time and waited with anticipation.

“...3, 2, 1, ignition.”

It was very loud as I finally lifted skyward with the cargo, human and otherwise. A growing weight settled on my chest, pushing me deeper into the chair, squeezing my lungs. It became hard to breathe. My heart pounded and I gripped the armrests tight as hands started to slip backward. Vision tinged and I fought to keep my eyes open. The sun sailed through the window until only blue was left. It seemed like forever but the blue deepened, shades darker and darker until only black was left. I saw the first stars bright and steady and silence descended as the engine cut off. It was immediate relief.

My ears complained and my stomach flip-flopped.

* * *

“It’s alright. Everyone gets sick sometime.”

I glared at Gary with murderous intent. He casually wielded a vacuum hose on the shuttle, chasing down the ex-contents of my stomach.

“Aren’t you glad you wore the flight suit now?”

He just didn’t know when to shut up.

I would be even gladder to get out of the coveralls. They stank but they had saved my dress uniform from a worse fate. Vengeance would have to wait. My stomach still felt uneasy but at least it was empty despite the dry heaves I was still having.

A vast gulf of time later, with spasms wracking my poor stomach, I saw the bulk of the Earth Terminal Station slowly grow in the front window. It was a massive wheel turning slowly, a destination for all traffic to and from Earth. We approached from below, lining up along where the docking arm would snatch us up. A couple of attitude burns and a countdown started.

“Prepare for gravity.”

A jolt from the starboard knocked me sideways. Gravity, sweet, sweet gravity made itself felt again. It was less then our planet but enough to settle my stomach. I felt exhausted. I would have collapsed except I now sat upright in the embrace of the chair. A deep shame burned in my face.

The other passengers were getting up and peeling their suits off, depositing them in a bin by the exit. I got out of my harness, unzipped the disgusting costume and left it in the chair.

Once over the lip of the door, I was forced to wait in the docking bay. The air was chilled with the coldness of space. My breath made a plume before my face. As soon as the airlock showed empty, I pushed my way in and hit the cycle button. I climbed a short ladder to a hallway that switched back on itself and made my way to the receiving concourse along a wide corridor lined with all manner of restaurants and souvenir shops. A large, ostentatious space filled with all that heavy air greeted me with its far end curving up out of sight. There were hundreds of people here, sitting in molded chairs, standing and waiting, engaging in futile displays of dominance and courting. The smell of spices, both offworld and from Mother Earth competed with the slightly acrid smell of too many bodies in close proximity for too long. I was glad my stomach was empty.

I scanned the area, looking for a flight terminal to read my medallion and see where I was headed for my first duty rotation, tradition being that you are not told where you are to serve until you get to the Station. I marched up to the first line of them I saw in the plaza.

I admit, I had a little difficulty inserting the coin. My hand shook a bit but I finally slotted it in. I held my breath as the image formed over the terminal.

The Imperial Terran Navy ship Duty Calls came up. I read on. The ship’s main function was to resupply and remove wastes from deployed ships and return them to be reclaimed, reprocessed and reused. A garbage scow!

My hands now shook with rage. There must be some mistake. I ripped the chip out of the reader.

Gary came up to the reader next over. “Fancy meeting you here.”

He had the nerve to smile at me as he took his order token out from his pocket and casually flipped it into the reader.

At that moment, two things happened. One of the passengers from the shuttle called out his name, distracting him. He turned to look at the attractive woman and responded with a big grin. The other was that I saw his assignment.

In an instant, I knew what to do. Fortune favors the bold! I swept my hand over the protruding edge of the token and snagged it. At the same time, I dropped my own token on the floor next to him.

“Oops! Gary, my man, you missed. You dropped your orders.” I pointed to the floor with my now empty hand.

Gary turned back to look at the terminal, a puzzled look on his face, but followed my outstretched arm to the deck.

“Huh, thank you, James. That was careless of me.” He bent down and carefully inserted the order carrier into the slot and peered at the result. A slight frown formed on his features.

“Ooh, tough break,” I said, keeping a straight face as I peered over his shoulder.

Golden Boy put a smile on. “It’s not what I expected but it’s an important job. I will do my best. Gate 8-137.” He retrieved the medallion and put it back in his pocket. With a grin and a desultory salute, he said, “Hot Jets” and walked to join the woman. They headed into the crowds.

I stared after them to make sure they were gone before placing my soon to be new orders in the reader. A growing elation filled me. The image formed over the terminal.

This was more like it! The ITN Benefactor, one of the newest ships of the line. Reaching into my duffel, my fingers closed on the little black hacking console, the present from Rodney. I got the gate information and searched for a secluded spot to amend the orders before heading to my rendezvous with destiny.