The Thren’s Fated

Chapter 1

“You signed up for the space station?”

Lena’s face immediately flushed bright red, her palms sweating as she trembled before her boss. Not the reaction she had expected to receive when giving her two weeks’ notice, but the dig hurt, whether he’d meant it to or not.

“Uh, I did. And I got accepted.”

“Wow,” Greg continued, shaking his head as he wiped down the counter in the dingy bar. “They must be desperate for workers.”

A knot welled in her throat, and she tried to stifle the tears burning the corners of her eyes, all of her muscles tensing in an instant.

“I guess so,” she finally said, looking at the floor as her entire body heated with shame.

He was right, of course, but she hated hearing it aloud.

They had to be desperate if the sheer number of advertisements meant anything.

“Best wages in the galaxy!”

“Industry is our passion!”

“Find your true calling at the Alliance’s new sparkling gem—Henios Space Station!”

When she had first seen the ads pop up on her console, she’d dismissed them immediately.

The thought that she, a forty-two year old bartender who’d spent her entire life in a single small town on Earth could move across the galaxy like that?

No, that was for someone a lot braver than her, someone a lot more adventurous.

Someone excited about change.

But as the weeks had gone by, the ads remained a nagging thought in the back of her mind, something she couldn’t forget as much as she wished she could. Even when she tried to sleep, visions of galaxies danced behind her closed eyes, tempting her with their whirling beauty.

On a particularly frustrating sleepless night, she’d picked up her console and clicked on one of the ads, scrolling through information about the types of workers Henios was looking for.

There were six drinking establishments on the new space station, all needing employees to serve the hordes of thirsty travelers passing through on the edge of Alliance space.

Plenty of humans made one of the nine government-run space stations their home, and though the travel was pricey, it wouldn’t be impossible for her to manage.

Over the past two hundred years, the Alliance had been building orbital stations across the galaxy, spreading their influence far and wide as they absorbed new species into their fold.

For months, Lena had researched incessantly, because if she was even going to consider such a drastic change, she wanted to have all the details sorted out. It was frightening, nearly unfathomable, but little by little, she saw her life on Earth for what it was.

Sad. Unfulfilling. Lonely.

What did she really have here? Family? No, she’d distanced herself from her parents long ago, not that they had bothered to care.

Not even a vidchat on her birthday, their only child, still too caught up in their hatred of each other to remember that they had a daughter who had been desperate for their love.

Friends? Most of those had left Westlip long ago, attending school and getting fancy city jobs, some even traveling off-world. The ones who stayed were tied up with their own families, spouses and children that took up all of their time.

Lena had been left behind, and she had no one but herself to blame.

Whenever she saw happy couples, she tried to imagine herself in their position, but the fantasy was too preposterous. She’d had intimate partners in the past, but they’d always been casual, guys who had taken her home from the bar and never called her the next day.

It didn’t take long to realize that there was something wrong with her, that she was only good for a one-night stand and nothing more permanent. Why else would all the people she tried to connect with on the dating apps fall through every time?

As the years had gone by, it became more and more apparent until she no longer bothered putting herself out there. It was easier to be on her own anyway. It meant less chance of getting your feelings hurt, caring for someone more than they cared for you.

Less chance of getting attached.

“Well, I’m sure you’ll be back soon enough,” Greg said with a sneer. “Space life isn’t for everyone.”

He’s right. You’ll be just as lonely on Henios as you are on Earth. Do you think people will like you there just because you’re new? They’ll always be able to tell how pathetic you are.

Lena took a deep breath, trying to ignore the voice in her head. Her therapist had told her they were anxiety-fueled intrusive thoughts, ones that had beaten her down until she’d remained stuck in this town for her entire life.

Telling her she wasn’t smart enough to go to college, wasn’t bold enough to travel to the city for a better job, wasn’t daring enough to actually move to a space station.

In the end, she had chugged a bottle of cheap red wine and hit ‘send’ on her Henios application before trying to forget about it.

Much to her surprise, she’d been notified of her acceptance two days later, to the station and for a job at Ochin’s, one of the casual bars looking for new bartenders.

She’d waited until she had her transpo ticket purchased before telling Greg, but now she wished she would have just left without saying anything.

“Maybe…” she said, clasping her hands in front of her to stop herself from shaking.

“Anyway, I need you for the full two weeks. It’s supposed to be busy around here this weekend.”

It was never busy in Westlip, and she’d been planning on asking for a reduced workload so she could get her final travel details organized, but she bit her tongue, not wanting to argue.

When she just nodded, Greg looked her up and down, that same repulsive smile that made her feel like he was undressing her with his eyes.

“Well? Get to work, babe. The floors aren’t going to clean themselves.”