pick her way back along the trail to her parents’ house. The Vastras were a wealthy family, one of a very few such families in the entire sector. Their home was a mansion, with thick, black marble columns and an imposing façade of transpiranium and white duranium siding. The home had its own hangar, a greenhouse, and even a pool with a retractable skylight. There were more rooms in that mansion than Ethan had seen in most hotels.
This was what Alara had come from. He should have known she wouldn’t be happy with a spacer’s life. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was getting cold feet. What if he couldn’t make her happy? What if they wanted different things and couldn’t build a life together without one of them being forced to give up on their dreams? Would she do that for him, or would he be forced to do it for her?
Something told him if she were willing to do that for him, then she wouldn’t have left him all alone out here to think . Ethan sighed and his brow furrowed in thought.
Would he be able to give up on his dreams for her, or would he just end up resenting her for it? Was there a compromise where he could have his freedom and she could have her security, or would they just fall apart trying to find that middle ground?
Suddenly Ethan realized that Alara had already tried to find that middle ground. She’d had her father offer him a steady job piloting freighters for the agri corps. That gave him his freedom and her the stability she wanted. Frek , Ethan thought. She’s busy compromising and I’m being just as stubborn as ever.
The problem was, compromise or no compromise, he finally had his own ship—he was so close to everything he’d ever wanted! He wasn’t ready to give up on his dreams of being an independent trader just yet. That was the ultimate freedom. Alara could have her home on Forliss, and he would have his ship. She could have the security she wanted. In fact, he would even do one better by giving her the added security of knowing that if they had to flee Dark Space in a hurry, then they still could. It was the best of everything. It gave them both what they wanted.
She just has to be patient, Ethan thought. We don’t have to start a family right away. What’s her rush? She’s twenty-three, not forty! The same wasn’t true for Ethan. He was already 46, and without longevity treatments which he’d probably never be able to afford, he wouldn’t make more than 100. His life was already half over, and if he couldn’t make his dreams come true now that he had everything going for him, then chances were he never would.
Ethan nodded to himself and turned back to watch the dying rays of the Alissan sun. Alara just needed his reassurance that he really was sure about marrying her tomorrow, and that he could make both their dreams come true. All he needed from her was a little bit of time and some faith in the man she’d agreed to marry.
Just be patient, Alara. You’ll get that cabin on a lake and the family you’ve been dreaming about.
* * *
Atton Ortane waited in the concourse between the Valiant’s port and starboard venture-class hangar bays. All of his gear and personal effects were stuffed into an 80 pound grav bag and slung across his shoulders. Thankfully the bag’s grav field generator made it weigh little more than 10 pounds. Atton stepped up to the bank of viewports which lay between him and the port hangar bay. He spent a moment looking up at the skyscraper-sized Intrepid, feeling suddenly very small. It didn’t help remembering that the 280-meter-long Intrepid was actually berthed inside of the five-kilometer-long Valiant where he now stood. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was living on board a starship, rather than some immense space station.
Atton watched the milling crowds inside the hangar bay. Most of the Intrepid’s 128 crew members were already aboard, so the crowds were ground crew. Here and there a mechanized load lifter could be seen carrying
This was what Alara had come from. He should have known she wouldn’t be happy with a spacer’s life. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was getting cold feet. What if he couldn’t make her happy? What if they wanted different things and couldn’t build a life together without one of them being forced to give up on their dreams? Would she do that for him, or would he be forced to do it for her?
Something told him if she were willing to do that for him, then she wouldn’t have left him all alone out here to think . Ethan sighed and his brow furrowed in thought.
Would he be able to give up on his dreams for her, or would he just end up resenting her for it? Was there a compromise where he could have his freedom and she could have her security, or would they just fall apart trying to find that middle ground?
Suddenly Ethan realized that Alara had already tried to find that middle ground. She’d had her father offer him a steady job piloting freighters for the agri corps. That gave him his freedom and her the stability she wanted. Frek , Ethan thought. She’s busy compromising and I’m being just as stubborn as ever.
The problem was, compromise or no compromise, he finally had his own ship—he was so close to everything he’d ever wanted! He wasn’t ready to give up on his dreams of being an independent trader just yet. That was the ultimate freedom. Alara could have her home on Forliss, and he would have his ship. She could have the security she wanted. In fact, he would even do one better by giving her the added security of knowing that if they had to flee Dark Space in a hurry, then they still could. It was the best of everything. It gave them both what they wanted.
She just has to be patient, Ethan thought. We don’t have to start a family right away. What’s her rush? She’s twenty-three, not forty! The same wasn’t true for Ethan. He was already 46, and without longevity treatments which he’d probably never be able to afford, he wouldn’t make more than 100. His life was already half over, and if he couldn’t make his dreams come true now that he had everything going for him, then chances were he never would.
Ethan nodded to himself and turned back to watch the dying rays of the Alissan sun. Alara just needed his reassurance that he really was sure about marrying her tomorrow, and that he could make both their dreams come true. All he needed from her was a little bit of time and some faith in the man she’d agreed to marry.
Just be patient, Alara. You’ll get that cabin on a lake and the family you’ve been dreaming about.
* * *
Atton Ortane waited in the concourse between the Valiant’s port and starboard venture-class hangar bays. All of his gear and personal effects were stuffed into an 80 pound grav bag and slung across his shoulders. Thankfully the bag’s grav field generator made it weigh little more than 10 pounds. Atton stepped up to the bank of viewports which lay between him and the port hangar bay. He spent a moment looking up at the skyscraper-sized Intrepid, feeling suddenly very small. It didn’t help remembering that the 280-meter-long Intrepid was actually berthed inside of the five-kilometer-long Valiant where he now stood. Sometimes it was hard to remember he was living on board a starship, rather than some immense space station.
Atton watched the milling crowds inside the hangar bay. Most of the Intrepid’s 128 crew members were already aboard, so the crowds were ground crew. Here and there a mechanized load lifter could be seen carrying
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