How the months had passed since Barret had landed on Aerth, returning from his very last military assignment….. months of renewing acquaintances, debriefings, ceremonies and parties both formal and wild, some quality time with the wife and children…… finally it was over. He was free…. And for the first day of the rest of his life he decided to start as he meant to go on - with his wife on a romantic holiday. Aaaaaaaahhhh!
The Principality class lifter slowly rose into the sky on twin pillars of shimmering air, fully loaded with holiday-makers, destination: the beautiful island of Tali-Hi.
Rotating its twin turbines, the ship made a smooth transition into level flight and left the launch-pad vicinity, gently pressing Barret and Melancthe, his wife, back into their leather seats.
Soon they were over the suburbs, the ship flying low, evidently enjoying itself.
‘What is that disgusting stuff down there!’ exclaimed Barret. ‘Pollution’, said Melancthe. ‘At this point in the binary solar cycle when we’re much closer to Gamma Cephei and Yark is distant, the atmospheric changes give us all headaches. So those chimneys down there are pumping out gases, fouling up the air and getting rid of our headaches. Normal terraforming stuff, really.
Barret accepted a cocktail and settled back, running his hands through his white streaked hair. He’d had himself aged a little, his wife’s idea. “You’re a retired ex-military officer now. You need to look the part! And I LOVE older men.”
She hadn’t shown the same enthusiasm to put on a few years, and still looked a demure and sparkling 25, but that was all right with Barrett.
“Hey, look what just came through!” enthused Melancthe, terminal in hand. “My God, what’s that?!” exploded Barret in shock “That’s dreadful! What happened to her?!” Melancthe covered her mouth an a typically Japanese gesture as she laughed. “It’s Chloe.”
“THAT’S Chloe? – But I was just speaking to her a month ago!” “No no, your mind’s playing tricks on you, it was before you left for your last trip. You haven’t seen her for, like 65 years. She decided to let herself age naturally. Just to see what it was like. This is her at 95! Well, 245, but you know what I mean.” “That’s truly awful, how could anyone do that to themselves?” Barret shook his head in disbelief. The things people got up to these days. Beyond comprehension.
Sipping their drinks, they fell silent and looked out the window. Out of the city limits now, they were climbing, with mountains up ahead. Soon they’d be above and away from the smog. All the passengers were looking forward to the big event this trip – a solar eclipse. Eneid would be passing before Yark just as it rose, a few minutes from now. The ship announced that conditions were quite clear and they should get a great view….
Ship was right. Yark was just rising above the horizon as they got above the haze….
Barret had seen so many sunrises, occlusions, dust clouds, ice fields and so on that a mere eclipse of one sun in a binary system was something of a commonplace, but even so, he found himself enjoying the excited buzz now arising among the passengers looking forward to the small spectacle ahead…..
More on the way...
Thanks for looking!
Krigl
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