{"data":{"id":13981,"title":"The First Run: Episode Eleven","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/13981-The-First-Run-Episode-Eleven","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/13981","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/13981","channel":"Undefined","category":"Undefined","series":"The First Run","images":[{"id":1571,"name":"SorriLyrax_test2.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/khggyuby7bo7rr\/source\/SorriLyrax_test2.jpg","alt":"","size":1760627,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2014-04-17T20:30:23+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1571","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/1571\/similar"}],"images_count":1,"translations":{"en_EN":"When the door opened, bringing with it the chatter of a pair of officers walking past, I expected it was Captain Hennessy. If you would have asked me to guess, before the door opened, I would have never gotten it right. Not even if I\u2019d had until the heat death of the Universe.\n\nIn my twenty years of life in the Empire, my father had never left the Golden Horde. Until now.\n\nUpon first sight, I couldn\u2019t believe how gray he\u2019d gotten. And the little tufts of hair in his ears that Mom used to make him trim had gotten out of control.\n\nBut his face, it surprised me the most. I expected rage, or one of his patented scowls, but not dead calm.\n\nHis eyes had that quality I remembered from Mom\u2019s funeral: glassy and distant, like whatever hard emotions he\u2019d held on to before had been drowned by sorrow and turned to mud.\nHe stayed standing with his hand on the chair. I\u2019d rarely seen him without a rag or mug in his hand. It\u2019s almost like he didn\u2019t know what to do with his hand, as it flinched each time he touched the back of the chair.\n\n\u201cSorri,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry \u2026\u201d\n\nHis eyes creased in anger. \u201cIs it not enough that I had to lose your mother? Captain Hennessy tells me you were protecting that thief, whoever it was that put you into this mess.\u201d\n\nI spread my hands across the table for stability. \u201cI swear I wasn\u2019t. I didn\u2019t know what was going on most of the time.\u201d\n\nHis gaze drilled into me. He\u2019d always been adept at sniffing out my lies.\n\n\u201cSorri Abigail Lyrax. I\u2019ve never known you to not know what was going on. You gave the same excuses when you were running with that band. You\u2019re a smart girl, smarter than even your mother, and she could have \u2026\u201d His face scrunched up as he bit down on his feelings, \u201c\u2026 she could have done anything she wanted, just like you.\u201d\n\nMy heart felt stretched until it was going to break. But as I sat there, reeling in the emotional backlash, my hands, that were splayed out on the table, slowly morphed into fists. I squeezed them until the knuckles were white and my face was red.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s dead, Dad. Dead and gone. I have to live my own life now. Make my own mistakes. I can\u2019t treat her memory like a fragile glass vase. And she wasn\u2019t perfect like you make her out to be. She was as messed up as the both of us. She just made it look better.\u201d\n\nI wiped my nose with my long-suffering woolen sleeve and sniffed. \u201cYeah, this whole experience was a mess. One bad thing led to another until I was slinging through space hoping not to get blown to fragments. But they were my choices and I made them. I think I did pretty damn well considering the circumstances. You should have seen me, Dad, you should have seen me.\u201d\n\nHe squeezed his lips together and picked up the chair with his thick, bartender hands. He couldn\u2019t look at me, keeping his gaze on the stainless steel table.\n\nWhen he finally looked up, we remained staring at each other for quite some time. Then he dropped the chair and marched out of the room.\n\nI wish I could have said that we\u2019d come to a silent agreement in that moment. That we reconciled our differences without speech, between father and daughter. But like everything else, it wasn\u2019t that easy.\n\nI knew it\u2019d take him a long time to forgive me for what had happened. He might never forgive me, for all I knew. But that was okay. I think I\u2019d forgiven myself.\n\nI\u2019d spent my time at the beginning of the trip worried about what he\u2019d think about my choices, recording the events so I could show him that it wasn\u2019t such a big deal. But that hadn\u2019t been for him, that\u2019d been for me. Somehow, by proving it to him, I\u2019d prove it to myself.\n\nBut I guess I hadn\u2019t needed that after all.\n\nCaptain Hennessy came in through the door with a questioning look on her face. Her features had softened.\n\n\u201cHow\u2019d it go?\u201d\n\nHer concern surprised me until I remembered our conversation the first time we\u2019d met, when I\u2019d gotten held up in Oya Station. I\u2019d briefly implied the difficulties with my father, guessing she\u2019d had her own issues. She must have been the one to contact him.\n\n\u201cHe didn\u2019t understand,\u201d I said, shaking my head, earning a low sigh from the captain. \u201cBut maybe it makes a little more sense to me now.\u201d\n\nCaptain Hennessy gave me a knowing nod.\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll be freed on bond tomorrow, while we sort the remainder of this case.\u201d She gave me a reluctant smile. \u201cJust formalities, I hope.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho paid the bond?\u201d\n\n\u201cFTL.\u201d The captain dug into her pocket and produced a printout. \u201cHere, you can read the message they sent.\u201d\n\nI grabbed the sheet with both hands and read the message. I had to read it three times just to be sure. My head was swimming by the time I understood.\n\n\u201cCongratulations,\u201d said the captain. \u201cI read it when it came through. Full employment after your first delivery. That\u2019s quite a feat.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I didn\u2019t even make my delivery.\u201d\n\nShe shrugged. \u201cAs they said, you tried to recapture the MobiGlas, at risk to your health, and never gave up any corporate information, and eventually helped them locate a leak in their security system.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll have the trip back to Castra to figure that out.\u201d\n\nThe next day, Captain Hennessy led me out of the station and handed me FTL\u2019s voucher for my return trip.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry about your father,\u201d she said before I left.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry about your vacation,\u201d I replied.\n\nShe shrugged. \u201cNothing ever works out as expected.\u201d\n\nWe parted ways and I took a hover taxi to New Alexandria\u2019s port. The trip up and onto the ship that would take me to Castra didn\u2019t seem to take as long as it had the first time.\n\nI was sitting in the Solar Jammer strapping into my harness before long. My excitement about being in space had been tempered by the events of the last week, which was fine by me; I was looking forward to some uneventful rest. I\u2019d like to think I\u2019d earned it.\n\nI was settling into my seat, pulling the sleeves of the woolen sweater over my hands to keep warm, when the steward came into the cabin carrying a familiar case. I quickly sat up and started looking around to find Dario.\n\nBut then the steward stopped at my row and set the animal carrying case on the empty seat next to me.\n\n\u201cYour pet, ma\u2019am, sorry about the delay,\u201d he said before returning up the aisle.\n\nGreat big, golden eyes peered out of the cage, so I unlatched the front and let the red-tailed lynx climb into my lap. Its tiny fists buried into my woolen sweater and as it nudged its furry face against my chin, a box inside the case caught my attention.\n\nI pulled it out. A note on it said, \u201cFor Sorri.\u201d\n\nI opened the box to find a brand new MobiGlas. I checked as though I could detect any hidden files on it before I shoved it into my pocket. And then I opened the note that was attached to the box.\n\nThe note read: \u201cThank you for the adventure. I hope we can do it again sometime. You know how to get hold of me if you need to. Your friend. \u2014D.\u201d\n\nA quick check on the MobiGlas revealed a little program with a big red button that said, \u201cFor Adventure.\u201d I smiled and buried the program at the bottom of the lists. I didn\u2019t want to accidentally trigger it. For now.\n\nAs the Solar Jammer thrust away from Oya Station, the red-tailed lynx snuggled deeper into my woolen sweater and wrapped its tail around my arm. I leaned my head against the cushioned seat and sighed, letting the exhaustion from the last week claim my consciousness. As my eyelids fluttered closed, one last thought settled in my mind:\n\n\u201cI think I\u2019ll name her Abby, after my mother.\u201d\n\n\nThe End\n\nAbout the Author:\nThomas K. Carpenter writes in diverse genres including: YA dystopia, post-cyberpunk sci-fi, steampunk, dark fantasy, and alternate reality historical mystery. His latest series, the Alexandrian Saga, has garnered rave reviews from readers and critics. His best-selling novels, audiobooks, and short stories can be found at all major online retailers. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, two kids, and one oafishly large labrador retriever. Visit him online at www.thomaskcarpenter.com, or join his newsletter for free books and information about his next release here.","de_DE":"Als sich die T\u00fcr \u00f6ffnete und das Geschw\u00e4tz eines Offizierspaares mit sich brachte, erwartete ich, dass es Captain Hennessy war. Wenn du mich gebeten h\u00e4ttest, zu raten, bevor sich die T\u00fcr \u00f6ffnete, h\u00e4tte ich es nie richtig gemacht. Nicht einmal, wenn ich bis zum W\u00e4rmetod des Universums gehabt h\u00e4tte.\n\nIn meinen zwanzig Jahren Leben im Imperium hatte mein Vater die Goldene Horde nie verlassen. Bis jetzt.\n\nAuf den ersten Blick konnte ich nicht glauben, wie grau er geworden war. Und die kleinen Haarb\u00fcschel in seinen Ohren, mit denen Mom ihn trimmen lie\u00df, waren au\u00dfer Kontrolle geraten.\n\nAber sein Gesicht, es hat mich am meisten \u00fcberrascht. Ich erwartete Wut oder einen seiner patentierten Gesichtsausdr\u00fccke, aber nicht die totale Ruhe.\n\nSeine Augen hatten die Qualit\u00e4t, an die ich mich bei Mamas Beerdigung erinnerte: glasig und distanziert, wie alle harten Emotionen, an die er sich zuvor gehalten hatte, von Trauer ertr\u00e4nkt und in Schlamm verwandelt worden waren.\nEr blieb mit der Hand auf dem Stuhl stehen. Ich hatte ihn selten ohne einen Lappen oder eine Tasse in der Hand gesehen. Es ist fast so, als w\u00fcsste er nicht, was er mit seiner Hand machen sollte, denn sie zuckte jedes Mal, wenn er die R\u00fcckseite des Stuhls ber\u00fchrte.\n\n\"Sorri\", sagte er.\n\n\"Es tut mir leid....\"\n\nSeine Augen knitterten vor Wut. \"Ist es nicht genug, dass ich deine Mutter verlieren musste? Captain Hennessy sagte mir, dass du diesen Dieb besch\u00fctzt hast, wer auch immer dich in dieses Chaos gebracht hat.\"\n\nIch breitete meine H\u00e4nde \u00fcber den Tisch aus, um Stabilit\u00e4t zu gew\u00e4hrleisten. \"Ich schw\u00f6re, das war ich nicht. Ich wusste die meiste Zeit nicht, was los war.\"\n\nSein Blick bohrte sich in mich hinein. Er war immer geschickt darin, meine L\u00fcgen zu erschn\u00fcffeln.\n\n\" Sorri Abigail Lyrax. Ich habe nie erlebt, dass du nicht wei\u00dft, was los ist. Du hast die gleichen Ausreden benutzt, als du mit dieser Band zusammen warst. Du bist ein kluges M\u00e4dchen, kl\u00fcger als deine Mutter, und sie h\u00e4tte....\" Sein Gesicht knirschte zusammen, als er sich auf seine Gef\u00fchle biss, \".... sie h\u00e4tte alles tun k\u00f6nnen, was sie wollte, genau wie du.\"\n\nMein Herz f\u00fchlte sich gedehnt, bis es brechen w\u00fcrde. Aber als ich dort sa\u00df und den emotionalen R\u00fcckschlag sp\u00fcrte, verwandelten sich meine H\u00e4nde, die auf dem Tisch ausgebreitet waren, langsam in F\u00e4uste. Ich dr\u00fcckte sie zusammen, bis die Kn\u00f6chel wei\u00df und mein Gesicht rot waren.\n\n\"Sie ist tot, Dad. Tot und weg. Ich muss jetzt mein eigenes Leben leben. Mach meine eigenen Fehler. Ich kann ihr Ged\u00e4chtnis nicht wie eine zerbrechliche Glasvase behandeln. Und sie war nicht perfekt, wie du es vorgibst. Sie war genauso durcheinander wie wir beide. Sie hat es nur besser aussehen lassen.\"\n\nIch wischte mir die Nase mit meinem l\u00e4stigen Woll\u00e4rmel ab und schn\u00fcffelte. \"Ja, diese ganze Erfahrung war ein Chaos. Eine schlechte Sache f\u00fchrte zur anderen, bis ich mich durch den Raum schleuderte und hoffte, nicht in Fragmente geblasen zu werden. Aber sie waren meine Entscheidungen und ich habe sie getroffen. Ich denke, ich habe mich unter Ber\u00fccksichtigung der Umst\u00e4nde ziemlich gut geschlagen. Du h\u00e4ttest mich sehen sollen, Dad, du h\u00e4ttest mich sehen sollen.\"\n\nEr dr\u00fcckte seine Lippen zusammen und hob den Stuhl mit seinen dicken, barocken H\u00e4nden auf. Er konnte mich nicht ansehen und seinen Blick auf den Edelstahltisch richten.\n\nAls er schlie\u00dflich aufblickte, starrten wir uns noch eine ganze Weile an. Dann lie\u00df er den Stuhl fallen und marschierte aus dem Raum.\n\nIch w\u00fcnschte, ich h\u00e4tte sagen k\u00f6nnen, dass wir in diesem Moment zu einer stillen Einigung gekommen w\u00e4ren. Dass wir unsere Differenzen ohne Sprache, zwischen Vater und Tochter, miteinander in Einklang gebracht haben. Aber wie bei allem anderen war es nicht so einfach.\n\nIch wusste, dass es lange dauern w\u00fcrde, bis er mir verzeiht, was passiert war. Er wird mir vielleicht nie verzeihen, so viel ich wei\u00df. Aber das war in Ordnung. Ich glaube, ich hatte mir selbst vergeben.\n\nIch hatte meine Zeit zu Beginn der Reise damit verbracht, mir Sorgen dar\u00fcber zu machen, was er \u00fcber meine Entscheidungen denken w\u00fcrde, die Ereignisse aufzuzeichnen, damit ich ihm zeigen konnte, dass es keine so gro\u00dfe Sache ist. Aber das war nicht f\u00fcr ihn gewesen, das war f\u00fcr mich. Irgendwie w\u00fcrde ich es mir selbst beweisen, wenn ich es ihm beweisen w\u00fcrde.\n\nAber ich sch\u00e4tze, das hatte ich doch nicht gebraucht.\n\nCaptain Hennessy kam durch die T\u00fcr mit einem fragenden Blick ins Gesicht. Ihre Gesichtsz\u00fcge waren weicher geworden.\n\n\"Wie ist es gelaufen?\"\n\nIhre Sorge \u00fcberraschte mich, bis ich mich an unser Gespr\u00e4ch erinnerte, als wir uns das erste Mal trafen, als ich in der Oya Station aufgehalten wurde. Ich hatte kurz die Schwierigkeiten mit meinem Vater angedeutet und vermutet, dass sie ihre eigenen Probleme hatte. Sie muss diejenige gewesen sein, die ihn kontaktiert hat.\n\n\"Er verstand es nicht\", sagte ich, sch\u00fcttelte den Kopf und verdiente einen tiefen Seufzer vom Kapit\u00e4n. \"Aber vielleicht macht es jetzt ein wenig mehr Sinn f\u00fcr mich.\"\n\nCaptain Hennessy nickte mir wissend zu.\n\n\"Nun, du wirst morgen auf Kaution freigelassen, w\u00e4hrend wir den Rest dieses Falles kl\u00e4ren.\" Sie schenkte mir ein widerwilliges L\u00e4cheln. \"Nur Formalit\u00e4ten, hoffe ich.\"\n\n\"Wer hat die Kaution bezahlt?\"\n\n\" FTL.\" Der Kapit\u00e4n grub sich in ihre Tasche und erstellte einen Ausdruck. \"Hier kannst du die Nachricht lesen, die sie geschickt haben.\"\n\nIch packte das Blatt mit beiden H\u00e4nden und las die Nachricht. Ich musste es dreimal lesen, nur um sicher zu gehen. Mein Kopf schwamm, als ich es verstand.\n\n\"Herzlichen Gl\u00fcckwunsch\", sagte der Kapit\u00e4n. \"Ich habe es gelesen, als es fertig war. Vollbesch\u00e4ftigung nach der ersten Lieferung. Das ist eine tolle Leistung.\"\n\n\"Aber ich habe nicht einmal meine Lieferung gemacht.\"\n\nSie zuckte mit den Schultern. \"Wie sie sagten, haben Sie versucht, das MobiGlas zur\u00fcckzuerobern, das f\u00fcr Ihre Gesundheit gef\u00e4hrdet ist, und haben niemals Firmeninformationen preisgegeben und schlie\u00dflich geholfen, ein Leck in ihrem Sicherheitssystem zu finden.\"\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df nicht, was ich sagen soll.\"\n\n\"Nun, du wirst die Reise zur\u00fcck nach Castra haben, um das herauszufinden.\"\n\nAm n\u00e4chsten Tag f\u00fchrte mich Captain Hennessy aus der Station und \u00fcberreichte mir den FTL-Gutschein f\u00fcr meine R\u00fcckreise.\n\n\"Es tut mir leid um deinen Vater\", sagte sie, bevor ich ging.\n\n\"Es tut mir leid wegen deines Urlaubs\", antwortete ich.\n\nSie zuckte mit den Schultern. \"Nichts l\u00e4uft jemals so, wie erwartet.\"\n\nWir trennten uns und ich nahm ein Schwebetaxi zum Hafen von Neu-Alexandria. Die Reise hinauf und auf das Schiff, das mich nach Castra bringen w\u00fcrde, schien nicht so lange zu dauern wie beim ersten Mal.\n\nIch sa\u00df im Solar-Jammer und schnallte mich in meinem Gurtzeug fest. Meine Begeisterung dar\u00fcber, im Weltraum zu sein, war durch die Ereignisse der letzten Woche gemildert worden, was f\u00fcr mich in Ordnung war; ich freute mich auf eine ereignislose Erholung. Ich w\u00fcrde gerne glauben, dass ich es mir verdient habe.\n\nIch setzte mich in meinen Sitz und zog die \u00c4rmel des Wollpullovers \u00fcber meine H\u00e4nde, um mich warm zu halten, als der Steward mit einer vertrauten Tasche in die Kabine kam. Ich setzte mich schnell auf und begann mich umzusehen, um Dario zu finden.\n\nAber dann hielt der Steward an meiner Reihe an und stellte die Tiertragetasche auf den leeren Sitz neben mir.\n\n\"Ihr Haustier, Ma'am, entschuldigen Sie die Versp\u00e4tung\", sagte er, bevor er zum Altar zur\u00fcckkehrte.\n\nGro\u00dfe, goldene Augen blickten aus dem K\u00e4fig, also \u00f6ffnete ich die Vorderseite und lie\u00df den Rotschwanz-Luchs in meinen Scho\u00df klettern. Seine winzigen F\u00e4uste vergraben in meinem Wollpullover und als er sein pelziges Gesicht gegen mein Kinn dr\u00fcckte, fiel mir eine Box im Inneren des Koffers auf.\n\nIch habe es herausgezogen. Auf einer Notiz stand: \"F\u00fcr Sorri\".\n\nIch \u00f6ffnete die Box, um ein brandneues MobiGlas zu finden. Ich \u00fcberpr\u00fcfte, als ob ich irgendwelche versteckten Dateien auf ihr entdecken k\u00f6nnte, bevor ich sie in meine Tasche schob. Und dann \u00f6ffnete ich die Notiz, die an der Box befestigt war.\n\nDie Notiz lautete: \"Danke f\u00fcr das Abenteuer. Ich hoffe, wir k\u00f6nnen es irgendwann wieder tun. Du wei\u00dft, wie du mich erreichen kannst, wenn du willst. Dein Freund. \u2014D.\u201d\n\nEin kurzer Blick auf das MobiGlas ergab ein kleines Programm mit einem gro\u00dfen roten Knopf, auf dem stand: \"For Adventure\". Ich l\u00e4chelte und begrub das Programm am Ende der Listen. Ich wollte es nicht versehentlich ausl\u00f6sen. F\u00fcrs Erste.\n\nAls der Solar Jammer von der Oya Station wegstie\u00df, kuschelte sich der Rotschwanz-Luchs tiefer in meinen Wollpullover und wickelte seinen Schwanz um meinen Arm. Ich lehnte meinen Kopf gegen den gepolsterten Sitz und seufzte, so dass die Ersch\u00f6pfung der letzten Woche mein Bewusstsein beanspruchte. Als meine Augenlider geschlossen flatterten, setzte sich ein letzter Gedanke in meinem Kopf fest:\n\n\"Ich denke, ich werde sie Abby nennen, nach meiner Mutter.\"\n\n\nDas Ende\n\n\u00dcber den Autor:\nThomas K. Carpenter schreibt in verschiedenen Genres, darunter: YA-Dystopie, Post-Cyberpunk-Science-Fi, Steampunk, dunkle Fantasie und historisches Geheimnis der alternativen Realit\u00e4t. Seine neueste Serie, die Alexandrian Saga, hat bei Lesern und Kritikern begeisterte Kritiken erhalten. Seine meistverkauften Romane, H\u00f6rb\u00fccher und Kurzgeschichten sind bei allen gro\u00dfen Online-H\u00e4ndlern erh\u00e4ltlich. Er lebt in St. Louis mit seiner Frau, zwei Kindern und einem vertrottelten gro\u00dfen Labrador-Retriever. Besuchen Sie ihn online unter www.thomaskcarpenter.com, oder abonnieren Sie seinen Newsletter f\u00fcr kostenlose B\u00fccher und Informationen \u00fcber seine n\u00e4chste Ver\u00f6ffentlichung hier.","zh_CN":"When the door opened, bringing with it the chatter of a pair of officers walking past, I expected it was Captain Hennessy. If you would have asked me to guess, before the door opened, I would have never gotten it right. Not even if I\u2019d had until the heat death of the Universe.\n\nIn my twenty years of life in the Empire, my father had never left the Golden Horde. Until now.\n\nUpon first sight, I couldn\u2019t believe how gray he\u2019d gotten. And the little tufts of hair in his ears that Mom used to make him trim had gotten out of control.\n\nBut his face, it surprised me the most. I expected rage, or one of his patented scowls, but not dead calm.\n\nHis eyes had that quality I remembered from Mom\u2019s funeral: glassy and distant, like whatever hard emotions he\u2019d held on to before had been drowned by sorrow and turned to mud.\nHe stayed standing with his hand on the chair. I\u2019d rarely seen him without a rag or mug in his hand. It\u2019s almost like he didn\u2019t know what to do with his hand, as it flinched each time he touched the back of the chair.\n\n\u201cSorri,\u201d he said.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry \u2026\u201d\n\nHis eyes creased in anger. \u201cIs it not enough that I had to lose your mother? Captain Hennessy tells me you were protecting that thief, whoever it was that put you into this mess.\u201d\n\nI spread my hands across the table for stability. \u201cI swear I wasn\u2019t. I didn\u2019t know what was going on most of the time.\u201d\n\nHis gaze drilled into me. He\u2019d always been adept at sniffing out my lies.\n\n\u201cSorri Abigail Lyrax. I\u2019ve never known you to not know what was going on. You gave the same excuses when you were running with that band. You\u2019re a smart girl, smarter than even your mother, and she could have \u2026\u201d His face scrunched up as he bit down on his feelings, \u201c\u2026 she could have done anything she wanted, just like you.\u201d\n\nMy heart felt stretched until it was going to break. But as I sat there, reeling in the emotional backlash, my hands, that were splayed out on the table, slowly morphed into fists. I squeezed them until the knuckles were white and my face was red.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s dead, Dad. Dead and gone. I have to live my own life now. Make my own mistakes. I can\u2019t treat her memory like a fragile glass vase. And she wasn\u2019t perfect like you make her out to be. She was as messed up as the both of us. She just made it look better.\u201d\n\nI wiped my nose with my long-suffering woolen sleeve and sniffed. \u201cYeah, this whole experience was a mess. One bad thing led to another until I was slinging through space hoping not to get blown to fragments. But they were my choices and I made them. I think I did pretty damn well considering the circumstances. You should have seen me, Dad, you should have seen me.\u201d\n\nHe squeezed his lips together and picked up the chair with his thick, bartender hands. He couldn\u2019t look at me, keeping his gaze on the stainless steel table.\n\nWhen he finally looked up, we remained staring at each other for quite some time. Then he dropped the chair and marched out of the room.\n\nI wish I could have said that we\u2019d come to a silent agreement in that moment. That we reconciled our differences without speech, between father and daughter. But like everything else, it wasn\u2019t that easy.\n\nI knew it\u2019d take him a long time to forgive me for what had happened. He might never forgive me, for all I knew. But that was okay. I think I\u2019d forgiven myself.\n\nI\u2019d spent my time at the beginning of the trip worried about what he\u2019d think about my choices, recording the events so I could show him that it wasn\u2019t such a big deal. But that hadn\u2019t been for him, that\u2019d been for me. Somehow, by proving it to him, I\u2019d prove it to myself.\n\nBut I guess I hadn\u2019t needed that after all.\n\nCaptain Hennessy came in through the door with a questioning look on her face. Her features had softened.\n\n\u201cHow\u2019d it go?\u201d\n\nHer concern surprised me until I remembered our conversation the first time we\u2019d met, when I\u2019d gotten held up in Oya Station. I\u2019d briefly implied the difficulties with my father, guessing she\u2019d had her own issues. She must have been the one to contact him.\n\n\u201cHe didn\u2019t understand,\u201d I said, shaking my head, earning a low sigh from the captain. \u201cBut maybe it makes a little more sense to me now.\u201d\n\nCaptain Hennessy gave me a knowing nod.\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll be freed on bond tomorrow, while we sort the remainder of this case.\u201d She gave me a reluctant smile. \u201cJust formalities, I hope.\u201d\n\n\u201cWho paid the bond?\u201d\n\n\u201cFTL.\u201d The captain dug into her pocket and produced a printout. \u201cHere, you can read the message they sent.\u201d\n\nI grabbed the sheet with both hands and read the message. I had to read it three times just to be sure. My head was swimming by the time I understood.\n\n\u201cCongratulations,\u201d said the captain. \u201cI read it when it came through. Full employment after your first delivery. That\u2019s quite a feat.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut I didn\u2019t even make my delivery.\u201d\n\nShe shrugged. \u201cAs they said, you tried to recapture the MobiGlas, at risk to your health, and never gave up any corporate information, and eventually helped them locate a leak in their security system.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t know what to say.\u201d\n\n\u201cWell, you\u2019ll have the trip back to Castra to figure that out.\u201d\n\nThe next day, Captain Hennessy led me out of the station and handed me FTL\u2019s voucher for my return trip.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry about your father,\u201d she said before I left.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m sorry about your vacation,\u201d I replied.\n\nShe shrugged. \u201cNothing ever works out as expected.\u201d\n\nWe parted ways and I took a hover taxi to New Alexandria\u2019s port. The trip up and onto the ship that would take me to Castra didn\u2019t seem to take as long as it had the first time.\n\nI was sitting in the Solar Jammer strapping into my harness before long. My excitement about being in space had been tempered by the events of the last week, which was fine by me; I was looking forward to some uneventful rest. I\u2019d like to think I\u2019d earned it.\n\nI was settling into my seat, pulling the sleeves of the woolen sweater over my hands to keep warm, when the steward came into the cabin carrying a familiar case. I quickly sat up and started looking around to find Dario.\n\nBut then the steward stopped at my row and set the animal carrying case on the empty seat next to me.\n\n\u201cYour pet, ma\u2019am, sorry about the delay,\u201d he said before returning up the aisle.\n\nGreat big, golden eyes peered out of the cage, so I unlatched the front and let the red-tailed lynx climb into my lap. Its tiny fists buried into my woolen sweater and as it nudged its furry face against my chin, a box inside the case caught my attention.\n\nI pulled it out. A note on it said, \u201cFor Sorri.\u201d\n\nI opened the box to find a brand new MobiGlas. I checked as though I could detect any hidden files on it before I shoved it into my pocket. And then I opened the note that was attached to the box.\n\nThe note read: \u201cThank you for the adventure. I hope we can do it again sometime. You know how to get hold of me if you need to. Your friend. \u2014D.\u201d\n\nA quick check on the MobiGlas revealed a little program with a big red button that said, \u201cFor Adventure.\u201d I smiled and buried the program at the bottom of the lists. I didn\u2019t want to accidentally trigger it. For now.\n\nAs the Solar Jammer thrust away from Oya Station, the red-tailed lynx snuggled deeper into my woolen sweater and wrapped its tail around my arm. I leaned my head against the cushioned seat and sighed, letting the exhaustion from the last week claim my consciousness. As my eyelids fluttered closed, one last thought settled in my mind:\n\n\u201cI think I\u2019ll name her Abby, after my mother.\u201d\n\n\nThe End\n\nAbout the Author:\nThomas K. Carpenter writes in diverse genres including: YA dystopia, post-cyberpunk sci-fi, steampunk, dark fantasy, and alternate reality historical mystery. His latest series, the Alexandrian Saga, has garnered rave reviews from readers and critics. His best-selling novels, audiobooks, and short stories can be found at all major online retailers. He lives in St. Louis with his wife, two kids, and one oafishly large labrador retriever. Visit him online at www.thomaskcarpenter.com, or join his newsletter for free books and information about his next release here."},"links_count":2,"comment_count":135,"created_at":"2014-06-27T00:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"11 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-05-14 00:12:54","valid_relations":["images","links"],"prev_id":13980,"next_id":13983}}