sector…the rough side of the tracks.’
‘Tracks?’
‘Old Earth saying. Never mind,’ he said dismissing the antiquated turn of phrase. ‘You just probably want to steer clear of that.’
Ellie cocked an eyebrow. ‘Service sector?’
‘Bars, nightclubs, flesh markets. Trust me, not the sort of place you want to hang around. That’s where you’ll find the majority of off-worlders.’
‘And aliens?’
‘Yup, a few.’
‘I’ve never seen an alien. Well, sure I’ve seen them on the toob, but never in person, face to face. Have you?’
‘A couple of times when my Dad took me to the west end. Kinda freaky. I mean, I guess you must get used to them if you live around them all the time, but some of them are just too damn weird. There’s this one kind, they call them ‘boojams’. They’ve got these long trunk-like noses that sniff pheromones. Basically that’s how they communicate amongst their own, by sniffing each other’s sweat.’
Ellie chuckled. Getting to meet off-worlders was going to be a wonderful experience. Humans from other planets with vastly different cultures, accents and mannerisms would be fascinating, but then again, seeing aliens and maybe even talking with them was going to be something she would relish forever.
‘I can’t wait to meet some,’ she said.
‘Well, one step at a time, Ellie. You’re gonna find city folk strange enough let alone other species.’
She was looking at something on the horizon. Sean followed her gaze. To the west the normally sharply defined horizon seemed slightly softened, almost like a section of the horizon had gone subtly out of focus.
‘Dust storm,’ she said. ‘We better head inside.’
‘About time anyway. If we stayed up here much longer, tongues would have started wagging.’
Ellie looked at him. ‘I presume you mean Shona?’
He nodded. They got up off the rock and headed towards the buggy. The wind was beginning to pick up. Ellie glanced towards the approaching storm. The sky was darkening.
CHAPTER 9
The alarm clock chimed with a soft, persistent tone and Ellie was awake almost instantly. She raised an arm. The clock’s motion sensor detected the movement and the holographic time display appeared in the middle of her habi-cube.
Ten past five in the morning. Sean was due in fifty minutes.
She climbed out of bed and silently dressed by the faint orange glow of the clock’s display. She pulled a shoulder bag out from under her bed and double-checked the contents; birth document and educational certificates, her money, voice-diary and several changes of clothes. Anything else would be merely dead weight, emotional clutter. Sean had told her to pack very little and travel light. The ticket price for the shuttle to New Haven would be extremely expensive however the surcharge on baggage weight would be astronomical.
There was little that Ellie felt she would want to bring anyway.
She zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder and was almost out of her cabin before she remembered her promise to Sean. From her desk drawer she pulled a mem-card out of her writing tablet and left it on her pillow where it would not easily be missed. She had written a brief note to Mum and Dad letting them know where she was going, apologizing for leaving this way and promising to write or call as soon as she was settled.
She had surprised herself with a few guilty tears whilst writing her letter…guilt for running out on them like this, without a hug or a kiss or a goodbye. She assured them she was going to be in good hands, Sean was with her, and helping her settle into the city. She cast one final glance around her room.
Not much to show for the twenty years of her life. Jonny, her stuffed tartan sausage dog, sat morosely on the end of her bed, one large cloth ear drooped miserably over his sewn-on button eyes. She picked him up and pushed him carefully into her bag. Jonny, threadbare and faded, had dutifully provided her comfort through
‘Tracks?’
‘Old Earth saying. Never mind,’ he said dismissing the antiquated turn of phrase. ‘You just probably want to steer clear of that.’
Ellie cocked an eyebrow. ‘Service sector?’
‘Bars, nightclubs, flesh markets. Trust me, not the sort of place you want to hang around. That’s where you’ll find the majority of off-worlders.’
‘And aliens?’
‘Yup, a few.’
‘I’ve never seen an alien. Well, sure I’ve seen them on the toob, but never in person, face to face. Have you?’
‘A couple of times when my Dad took me to the west end. Kinda freaky. I mean, I guess you must get used to them if you live around them all the time, but some of them are just too damn weird. There’s this one kind, they call them ‘boojams’. They’ve got these long trunk-like noses that sniff pheromones. Basically that’s how they communicate amongst their own, by sniffing each other’s sweat.’
Ellie chuckled. Getting to meet off-worlders was going to be a wonderful experience. Humans from other planets with vastly different cultures, accents and mannerisms would be fascinating, but then again, seeing aliens and maybe even talking with them was going to be something she would relish forever.
‘I can’t wait to meet some,’ she said.
‘Well, one step at a time, Ellie. You’re gonna find city folk strange enough let alone other species.’
She was looking at something on the horizon. Sean followed her gaze. To the west the normally sharply defined horizon seemed slightly softened, almost like a section of the horizon had gone subtly out of focus.
‘Dust storm,’ she said. ‘We better head inside.’
‘About time anyway. If we stayed up here much longer, tongues would have started wagging.’
Ellie looked at him. ‘I presume you mean Shona?’
He nodded. They got up off the rock and headed towards the buggy. The wind was beginning to pick up. Ellie glanced towards the approaching storm. The sky was darkening.
CHAPTER 9
The alarm clock chimed with a soft, persistent tone and Ellie was awake almost instantly. She raised an arm. The clock’s motion sensor detected the movement and the holographic time display appeared in the middle of her habi-cube.
Ten past five in the morning. Sean was due in fifty minutes.
She climbed out of bed and silently dressed by the faint orange glow of the clock’s display. She pulled a shoulder bag out from under her bed and double-checked the contents; birth document and educational certificates, her money, voice-diary and several changes of clothes. Anything else would be merely dead weight, emotional clutter. Sean had told her to pack very little and travel light. The ticket price for the shuttle to New Haven would be extremely expensive however the surcharge on baggage weight would be astronomical.
There was little that Ellie felt she would want to bring anyway.
She zipped up the bag and slung it over her shoulder and was almost out of her cabin before she remembered her promise to Sean. From her desk drawer she pulled a mem-card out of her writing tablet and left it on her pillow where it would not easily be missed. She had written a brief note to Mum and Dad letting them know where she was going, apologizing for leaving this way and promising to write or call as soon as she was settled.
She had surprised herself with a few guilty tears whilst writing her letter…guilt for running out on them like this, without a hug or a kiss or a goodbye. She assured them she was going to be in good hands, Sean was with her, and helping her settle into the city. She cast one final glance around her room.
Not much to show for the twenty years of her life. Jonny, her stuffed tartan sausage dog, sat morosely on the end of her bed, one large cloth ear drooped miserably over his sewn-on button eyes. She picked him up and pushed him carefully into her bag. Jonny, threadbare and faded, had dutifully provided her comfort through
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