The Golden Token #5
“Amaze me.” Charlie thought he’d figured out what their destination must be and he was right—one of the station’s hydroponic gardens—but the lushness and sheer variety of the vegetation took his breath away when he followed her across the threshold.
“I’ve never seen anything like this before, not even on the biggest battleships.
” He ventured a few paces into the chamber and did a slow 360, seeing several bushes of vibrant roses, a tiny vegetable garden full of sprouts, and the more standard plants usually grown in dense mats to refresh canned air.
“You have a serious green thumb. My mother would be beside herself with jealousy.”
“Really?” Rose was blushing and fiddling with the clasp on her toolkit.
He went to the garden plot, running his hand across the feathery carrot tops as he stared over at the neat row of chives. “Oh yeah. The dancing was amazing enough but having seen this, I can tell all your talents are wasted here.”
After setting the kit on the deck, she walked to the control panel and studied the readouts, adjusting a setting here and there.
“I’m in charge of the other hydroponics rooms too, including the one for the restaurant kitchen.
Some of my stuff I got from them. I ordered the roses from the Inner Sectors, hid them on a bigger order for a couple of fruit tree saplings we got specially for the station manager.
” She flashed him a mischievous smile. “After all, they’re in the same plant family so if the nursery made a slight mistake, shall we say, it was explainable. But no one ever caught on.”
He watched the robos moving through the gardens, pruning, watering, and noticed more than a few were inactive, displaying flashing red lights or no lights at all. “Why doesn’t Maintenance do something about the out of service mechanicals?”
She sighed. “As the mines go dark, the Station scales back. Used to be three of us techs, plus a lead. Management laid off the other two techs and didn’t replace Gus when he retired.
As far as the robos, Maintenance concentrates on the things Management cares about, which are the upper level hydroponics and the robots there.
I can manage pretty well down here as long as these three units keep working.
I do wish that one still functioned.” She pointed at an idle machine standing tilted and dark in a nearby row.
“It was specialized for the care of the basic plants. I get bored with them, no challenge.”
He bent over, rummaging through her tools. “Let me see what I can do, rather than standing around being useless.”
Hands on hips, she watched him. “Too late to tell me you’re a robo tech, soldier. Your cover is already blown.”
“You’d be surprised what a guy picks up in the military these days.
” After selecting a few items, he strode to the robot and commenced a diagnostic routine.
Nothing he couldn’t fix, especially with some bypass tricks and shortcuts he bet the Station techs had never heard of.
Charlie thoroughly enjoyed the next hour or so, puttering on an upgrade for the robot while Rose reprogrammed a couple of the other units, then weeded her vegetable beds by hand, humming a tune.
From time to time she checked in with him.
It had been years since he felt so relaxed.
So content. “Hey, come watch,” he said in a raised voice, knowing she was a few rows away.
“I’m about to initiate your friend here. ”
Rose hurried to join him, graceful even in the clunky work shoes and hideous coveralls.
With a bow, grinning like an idiot, Charlie sealed the final closure on the robot’s access panel and depressed a button.
The mechanical gardener came to life with a panoply of glowing lights, straightened and moved smoothly to the nearest empty growing chamber.
The robot ran a scan over the length of the tray before it rolled to fetch root sustenance chemicals, then activated the nutrient solution flow.
Seeds flew through the air in a graceful arc from an internal storage compartment, pelting the prepared solution trough as the horticultural unit moved away from them.
Rose clapped her hands. “I’m impressed. And grateful. Consider us equal on breakfast.”
“I still want to take you to dinner.” He dropped the tools into the satchel and stretched. “Hey, what’s the big open space for, over there?”
“Sometimes I come here to practice, or work out new dances. The security vids are mostly burned out in this area, so I know I’ve got privacy.
It’s not an ideal space, but the best I can do.
” She strolled to sniff the roses, avoiding his gaze.
“I dance for myself, the stuff I wanted to do, trained myself to do, when I was a kid.” Her voice was low.
Sensing this was something important to her, Charlie chose his words carefully. “Uncritical audience of one here. I’d love to see. Your show last night blew me away, you know.”
“Really?” Giving him a shy smile, she kicked off her shoes and moved into the center of the space, walking rapidly, as if to start her performance before losing her nerve.
She swept her mass of unruly curls into a messy ponytail.
As Charlie followed her, he realized she’d installed a couple of old solar reflectors, scratched and pitted, as a makeshift mirror.
While she made a music selection on her handheld, he sat cross legged at the edge of the dance floor. “I’m all attention.”
Rose inhaled and assumed a position, arms raised gracefully above her head, fingers pointed, feet heel to heel.
As the music began, she lifted and made a series of pirouettes, moving across the floor in a beautifully intricate dance, one motion flowing into the next, steps fluid and precise.
Charlie was transfixed, half-believing she’d transformed into a bird in front of him, utilitarian clothing notwithstanding.
When she ended the dance, frozen in a triumphant pose— back arched, head and neck in an elegant curve, hands impossibly graceful—as the music cut out, he realized he’d been holding his breath.
Rising to his feet, clapping, caught in the emotion of the dance, he walked into the center of the floor, catching her in his arms. “You transported me into some other world,” he said, holding her close.
“I’m sure my technique is rusty and I’m supposed to have a partner for some of the steps, not to mention special shoes.” She plucked at her overalls. “And a pretty costume.”
He hooked a finger under her chin, gently raising it until he could gaze into her eyes. “You were amazing. Just you. Nothing and no one else required.”
“Thanks.” She swallowed hard and broke away from him, going to retrieve her shoes. “This style of dancing wouldn’t go over well with the typical audience at the casino.”
“Screw them.” He followed her, helping her rise once her shoes were on.
“I’m too old to dance like that professionally anyway,” she said, reaching for the water. “But I could teach. Or choreograph.”
“You should follow your dream, not be stuck here on this station.”
She rested her forehead on the nearest column. After a moment he realized she was crying and he drew her into his arms. “What is it? What’s wrong? I didn’t mean to be disrespectful—”
Shaking her head, Rose said, “It’s not you. I’m scared.”
Protective instincts engaged, his adrenaline kicked in. “Of what? Let me help.”
“You can’t. No one can.”
Disturbed by the way she trembled, wanting to offer comfort, he guided her to a nearby workbench and lifted her to sit, perching next to her. “Tell me.”
“Last night Management told me the corporation is closing the mines. All of them. Not enough ore left to justify the cost of operations any longer. Kumisarc’ll be closing the casino, laying off the workers.
Probably keep a skeleton crew here at the station to assist in decommission and transition.
Management’s taking Hector, that bartender you met, the lead pit boss, a dealer or two and me. ”
“Taking you where?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. The destination hasn’t been decided.
” She clutched his hand. “We’ll be put into cryosleep, reawakened at our new assignment.
No guarantee we’ll even be together. And the idea terrifies me.
At least here I knew everyone, and I was close to home, not that I ever wanted to go back there but I could, you know?
If—if something bad ever happened, I could get there and there’d be people who would help me.
I won’t have that assurance anywhere else.
And even though my gramma doesn’t recognize me anymore, she’s there. ”
“Rose, this is bullshit. Come with me tomorrow. I have friends on the freighter crew, they’d cut me a deal on your spacefare.
I promise to take care of you if you’ll let me.
I’ll make sure you’re happily settled on my home world.
” Having to say goodbye to her tomorrow was increasingly unthinkable to him, even though they’d just met.
There was a connection between them, possibilities humming in his mind and heart.
Charlie shut down a thin thread of doubt.
Could she be playing him? Trying to use his obvious infatuation, sympathy and credits to get him to help her?
Rose didn’t seem like that type at all but really, what did he know about her?
He just needed more time—they both did—and if she came with him, no strings attached, he’d be doing a good deed.
And then they could take the time to know each other—
She was shaking her head, refusing his suggestion even as he half regretted making it. “I can’t leave, three years left on my contract, remember?”
“Buy it out.”
“I don’t have that kind of credits, Charlie.”