Part 18: Are We There Yet?

Alex couldn’t help but admire the two-person shuttle he was fueling up. The shining chrome finish, the smooth, almost sensual lines. It was a good looking spacecraft, no doubts there. He turned around to look back at the Bucephalus, feeling slightly guilty for his admiration of this other ship.

The Bucephalus would understand though, she knew where his heart was. While she didn’t have the flash and style of this chrome beauty, the Bucephalus had substance. She was a ship that a man could count on.

Alex was pulled from his thoughts by the sound of Jade coming in the docking bay. Byron had outfitted her with the clothes to pass as a nouveau riche mining magnate. Her baggy and functional flight suit was gone, replaced with a formfitting dress/pantsuit combo that was popular with the wealthy back on Earth, albeit a tad more gaudy than those worn by the old money. But jade walked with a power and confidence all her own, and Alex couldn’t but be impressed.

She was pulling a small suitcase along behind her, and Alex, after remembering to stop staring, rushed over to take it from her.

“I’m sorry, but you don’t look like the type of woman who should be handling her own luggage,” he said, feeling slightly nervous. It wasn’t something he was used to with Jade.

Jade blushed a little, handing over her suitcase. “Thanks… I… uh, gotta look the part, right? In case we get stopped or something along the way, you know… this outfit is too much, right?”

“No, not at all, you look great! Uh, wait… no, I mean, uh, you look the part. Just perfect, you’ll do well.”

“Thanks, Alex,” she said as the two of them made their way to the shuttle. “I am really excited to take this little lady out and she what she can do.”

“Just remember, you need to make sure that John is flying when you two arrive at the SPARK. They won’t be expecting the owner of a mutonium laden asteroid mining operation to do her own flying, that’s what your ‘assistant’ is for.”

Jade sighed. “I know, I know…”

“I told him not to bug you the whole trip. I mean, forty hours alone with him, feel free to smack him around if he tries to come onto you. I could talk to Byron, send someone else…”

“No, it has to be John. I’m not spending any time alone with Kwame, that’s for sure. I like Michael, but he’s, well, a little strange, right? And you have to fly the Bucephalus. I mean, I’d rather not let anyone but me flying the Bu, but I guess this time I can make an exception.”

“I appreciate your permission to fly my ship,” Alex said. He looked down at his watch. “We better get you loaded up, can’t have you late for your rendezvous, that’d throw off all our plans. Have you seen John? Is he ready?”

Just as Alex finished his sentence, John came walking into the docking bay. He was grinning ear to ear, dressed in his finest business attire. Unlike Jade, he had the clothes already. As a matter of fact, it was the same outfit he was wearing when Alex “hired” him.

He strode over to the shuttle at a brisk pace. “Are we ready to go? I’m ready to go! Jade, is there anything can ‘assist’ you with?”

“Wipe that smile off your face,” Alex said, “you’re here to work. This isn’t a vacation.”

John quickly suppressed his smile, looking sheepishly at the ground. “Yes sir.”

Alex continued. “Pay attention to Jade when she teaches you how to fly the shuttle, you have to be the one piloting it when you arrive, or else you’ll raise suspicion. Don’t speak unless spoken to while you’re there. If you are asked a question, don’t offer any more than the bear minimum of information. As a matter of fact, you should defer all questions to Jade. Be alert, take notes, that’s what an assistant would be doing anyway, but don’t write anything that could be incriminating if someone saw what you were writing.”

John pulled out his note pad, and was nodding as he tried to keep up with Alex.

Alex reached over and grabbed John’s pen, making John look up. “And for the love of all things holy,” Alex said, “don’t pester Jade the entire flight. Don’t make me regret sending you out on this job.”

“What?” John whined. “What are you talking about?” He looked over at Jade, who was giggling as she was loading their supplies into the shuttle.

“You know what I’m talking about,” Alex said. “Everyone on the Rock knows you’ve got a thing for Jade. Just, just don’t be so annoying about it, that’s all I’m asking.”

“Ok, ok, I get it, jeez.”

“Good,” Alex said, smacking John on the back, “good. Just one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“Have fun… and be safe. I don’t want to have to find a new pilot… or intern,” Alex said, smiling at John.

Jade popped her head out of the shuttle. “Are you two done, or do I need to wait for you to kiss? Come, lets go!”

John smiled and shook Alex’s hand. “You heard her,” Alex said, “get going.”

John climbed into the shuttle, the door closing silently behind him. The interior was a little cramped, but far nicer than the accommodations aboard the Bucephalus. There was a sealed sensory deprivation chamber for sleeping, and a fully loaded bathroom, with shower. The interior was lined with polished oak, the seats leather.   

Jade was already settled into the pilot’s chair, going through the preflight sequence. John let out a low whistle. “This is nice, right?” he asked, climbing into the chair beside her.

“Probably like what your family had back home, I’d imagine,” she said, not looking up from the controls.

“No, not quite, this is a primo ride. I wonder where Byron got it from?”

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Jade said. John sighed and looked down, playing with his seat controls. There was a massage function, but he didn’t feel like using it now.

She pulled back on the yoke, and the shuttle gently rose. A smile spread across her face as she guided it out of the Rock, and into the asteroid field.

“I could get used to flying one of these!” she said. “Oh, it’s so smooth.” Jade fidgeted a little in her seat, the silence unnerving her.

Finally, as she pulled out into open space, she turned to John. “Are you going to be this quiet the whole way? It’s going to be a long trip if you don’t talk.”

“Do I annoy you?” he asked.

“Sometimes,” she said, typing the destination into the nav computer. It locked in the coordinated and indicated the ship was ready to jump. “That was quick,” she said, and with a few more button pushes, the ship jetted off into hyperspace.

With the ship cruising in hyperspace, Jade turned towards John. He was still looking down, trying to not make eye contact with her.

“Oh, c’mon, you’re not that annoying. Most of the time I think you’re pretty cute.”

John looked up, smiling.

“But I can’t imagine why you have a thing for me,” she said.

“Hey, I do not have ‘a thing for you’.” he said.

“Oh yeah?” she replied, cocking an eyebrow.

“Well, ok, maybe I do.”

“You know I’m almost fourteen years older than you.”

“I know, I know, but that doesn’t matter to me. You’re like no other woman I know.”

“On the Bucephalus, I’m the only woman you know,” she said with a slight grin.

“It’s not that. It’s just, you’re so sure of yourself…”

“What, the women where you are from aren’t sure of themselves?”

“No, they are, they are, but, it’s like when I was in college, the girls I knew, they were so worried about who they were going to become, what kind of life they would have. Even the older women I know, they are so worried about being taken seriously by men, or balancing careers and motherhood, or just worried about what other people think of them. You’re not like that… you just know who you are… you’re just so sure of it, so content. I appreciate that.”

Jade was a little taken aback. “Well… that’s, uh, good to know.” She said, smirking.

“Uh.. yeah..” John said, not really sure what else there was to say.

An awkward silence settled between the two. Jade couldn’t take that too long, so she changed the subject. “You remembered to bring some games with you, right? We’ve got about 39 hours until we get to the SPARK.”

“Don’t you need to show me the controls?”

“Yeah, but we’ve got plenty of time for that,” she said, getting out of her seat. She reached over and put her hand on his shoulder. “We can have some fun too.” She thought about that statement for a moment, and then added, “fun with the games, I meant games.”

Jade turned and walked to the back of the shuttle, John following behind. “I know,” he said. This time, he couldn’t suppress his smile. “This might be a good trip after all,” he thought to himself.