{"data":{"id":18080,"title":"A Gift for Baba (Part 1)","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/comm-link\/serialized-fiction\/18080-A-Gift-For-Baba-Part-1","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-links\/18080","api_public_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/comm-links\/18080","channel":"Feedback","category":"Undefined","series":"None","images":[{"id":26927,"name":"Gift-For-Baba-Part-1-Crop.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/ekk6twmtccvyer\/source\/Gift-For-Baba-Part-1-Crop.jpg","alt":"","size":284506,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-04-12T17:55:55+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26927","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26927\/similar"},{"id":26928,"name":"A-Gift-For-Baba-Part-1-Box-Crop-2.jpg","rsi_url":"https:\/\/robertsspaceindustries.com\/media\/qwjvbuss6p9ibr\/source\/A-Gift-For-Baba-Part-1-Box-Crop-2.jpg","alt":"","size":80926,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","last_modified":"2021-04-12T18:22:00+00:00","api_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26928","similar_url":"https:\/\/api.star-citizen.wiki\/api\/comm-link-images\/26928\/similar"}],"images_count":2,"translations":{"en_EN":"A Gift for Baba\n04\/13\/2021 - 5:00 PM\n\nBy: Will Weissbaum\n\nWriter's Note: A Gift for Baba (Part One) first appeared in Jump Point 5.8. Original artwork by Sean Andrew Murray.\nPart One\nYela lightly knocked on the hatch to the rear restroom, \u201cDaymar?\u201d\n\nA deep, older voice replied, \u201cOccupied.\u201d\n\nThat was the last restroom on the transport ship. Suddenly, the hope that her younger brother had disappeared to use the restroom abruptly vanished, alongside the chances of her being able to go back to reading her new book anytime soon. Though, if she were being fair, the book was in large part to blame for her current predicament. If she hadn\u2019t been so wrapped up in Lord Falton\u2019s attempt to reclaim the throne for House Ashen Grey, then maybe she would have noticed sooner that her brother had vacated his seat.\n\nIt was their first time flying by themselves and it was already going wrong. Her father had almost canceled the trip when he found out he had to stay and give a lecture, but Yela had convinced him to let them travel to see Baba all on their own. Of course, the whole thing would have been simpler if dad had agreed to her original plan of administering sedatives before they launched. It would have been so much easier! If stasis was good enough for the early space travelers, why not for her brother and sister?\n\nInstead, when he was saying goodbye to them on Mars, their father had made Daymar and Cellin promise to listen to their older sister. So far, Yela felt like her two younger siblings had done almost everything but listen to her.\n\nEven her simple requests like don\u2019t touch the in-flight shopping kiosk had been ignored. Sure, oatmeal was her favorite cookie and it was sort of nice that Cellin had ordered them for her ... and they had tasted way better than the nutri-sticks their dad had packed for them, plus it did mean that they were all less tempted to eat the fancy chocolates they had brought as a gift for Baba . . . but still, it was the principle of the thing. These things weren\u2019t free after all, and her brother, all she asked him to do was stay put and even that proved too hard. Why did he always have to wander off like this?\n\nYela ran through her mental list of places to search one more time. She had already checked the lounge, the view port and the attendant bay, and had walked all the aisles twice. Cellin was watching their seats and hadn\u2019t seen him. If Daymar wasn\u2019t using any of the restrooms, then where was he? Had he found a way into the engine room? Was he hurt? Did someone take him? Her heart began to pulse faster at the thought that her brother might actually be in trouble.\n\n\u201cYou mind moving?\u201d came a deep voice from close behind her.\n\nYela nearly jumped out of her skin, then turned to see an elderly woman trying to exit from the restroom.\n\nStepping out of the way, Yela watched the silver haired woman grumble her way down the aisle.\n\nDerailed from her worrying, she took a deep breath and calmed herself, remembering the advice that Baba had given during their last visit. \u201cAs long as you\u2019re still breathing, you\u2019re already doing better than the billions of people who came before you.\u201d Dad hated when Baba said stuff like that, but Yela appreciated the way her grandmother could always put things into perspective. Okay, maybe it hadn\u2019t been perfect, but all things considered, their first time traveling through space by themselves could be going a lot worse. For example, on the bright side, since none of the pressure alarms had sounded, she knew that at least her brother was still on the ship.\n\n\u201cI swear, if you kick the seat one more time I\u2019m gonna have you tossed out an airlock!\u201d\n\nFor the moment, at least.\n\nHurrying down the aisle, Yela saw a large, red-faced man glaring angrily at the row behind his. Row 15. Her row. And just as she feared, there was her little sister Cellin, staring back up at the man, equally red faced. \u201cI\u2019d like to see you try!\u201d countered Cellin.\n\n\u201cOh, you would, would you?!?\u201d\n\n\u201cCellin, what is going on?\u201d Yela asked as she drew near to the heated scene.\n\nWithout taking her eyes off the man\u2019s face Cellin answered, \u201cHe was saying bad stuff about people who live on Europa.\u201d\n\nThat explained it. Europa was where Baba lived and Cellin was fiercely protective of the people she cared about. Dad described her as \u201cfilled with dangerously noble intentions.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat I say is my own business,\u201d said the man. He pointed a thick finger square at Yela\u2019s nose. \u201cDo you know how much I paid for this ticket?\u201d The man bellowed. \u201cWay too much to have some little snot-nosed brat kick my \u2014\u201d\n\nBefore he could finish his tirade, the door to the overhead luggage compartment near his head opened with a snap. From inside a tiny face peered out. Sleepily, the boy rubbed at his eye with the back of his hand. \u201cAre we at Baba\u2019s yet?\u201d\n\n\u201cDaymar!\u201d Yela cried in relief.\n\n\u201cHi, Yela. I found a bunk bed like at home,\u201d said Daymar, before reaching an arm out to the man. \u201cHelp me down, please?\u201d\n\nThe man, still a little bewildered by the sudden change of events, lifted Daymar from the bin and set him down gently on the ground.\n\nAlmost out of instinct, Yela prompted, \u201cWhat do you say, Daymar?\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said Daymar.\n\n\u201cUh. Sure,\u201d the man replied, not quite certain what else to do.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to need all of you to clear the aisle and take your seats,\u201d a passing attendant informed them. \u201cWe are going to be turning off gravity for our approach soon.\u201d\n\nThe man seemed to remember some of his anger at the sight of someone in uniform. \u201cHey, you. Wait a minute.\u201d\n\nThe attendant paused, \u201cYes, sir?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou got to do something about these kids. They\u2019ve been arguing, kicking my seat, and climbing all over the place.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that so?\u201d The attendant asked Yela.\n\nYela pulled herself up to her full height (which was a full five centimeters taller than last year) and used her most serious adult voice to say, \u201cHe said spurious and hurtful comments about Europa and its inhabitants.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, is that so?\u201d The attendant asked the man.\n\n\u201cWell, I \u2014\u201d\n\nCellin immediately jumped in.\n\n\u201cHe did! He said that people from Europa were all cold-blooded liars and when I said my grandma was from Europa, he told me to shut up, but I wouldn\u2019t because he was wrong, so I kicked his seat, and then he said he was going to throw me out an airlock.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, just wait a minute, here. You don\u2019t think that I \u2014\u201d started the man, but the attendant cut him off. \u201cSir, right now all I know is that we are approaching our transfer station and everyone needs to get strapped in, even people like you.\u201d She turned to the children, \u201cAs for you three, come along. Let\u2019s see if we can\u2019t find you somewhere better to sit.\u201d\n\nWith that, the attendant marched Daymar, Cellin and Yela past the man (Cellin glaring at him like a hawk as she passed) and up the stairs to the executive lounge.\n\nThe room was elegantly furnished in brass fixtures and dark woods, while the entire front wall was lined with a display that projected a realtime view of the ship\u2019s trajectory. Much better than the view from the small seatback displays. The room was mostly empty, with only a few of the plush chairs occupied.\n\n\u201cWe were a little light today, so we have extra seats in here, but I need you to promise me that you won\u2019t be any trouble if I let you sit up here.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe promise,\u201d they responded in near unison, with Cellin chiming in just a fraction later than her siblings, since she was never one to take a promise lightly.\n\n\u201cGood. Now, let\u2019s strap you into your harnesses.\u201d The attendant helped Daymar and Cellin position their zero-G harnesses into place, while Yela proudly did her own, glad of the instructions she had read earlier in the safety manual.\n\n\u201cThere, all set,\u201d said the attendant as she adjusted Cellin\u2019s last strap. \u201cOh, and my father was from Europa too,\u201d she said with a wink before leaving to attend to other passengers.\n\nDaymar sunk back into the thick padding of the seat with comfortable sigh. \u201cI like being an executive. Cellin, do you think you can kick someone on our next flight too?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d Cellin and Yela answered respectively and simultaneously.\n\n\u201cPrepare for zero-g,\u201d announced the tannoy. The little gravity warning light overhead clicked on, the counter-spin thrusters fired, and a moment later, they felt themselves lighten until they were pressing against the seat harnesses. \u201cMaking final approach to Transfer Station Banaru. Stand by.\u201d\n\nAhead on the viewscreen, a small speck was quickly growing larger until you could just make out that it was a spoked space station. Long arms jutted out from its central hub and connected to an outer ring, giving it the appearance of a robotic wagon wheel. The station spun about its axis, using centripetal acceleration to provide gravity to those onboard. However, as their ship approached, the spinning appeared to slow to a stop. Yela began to explain to Daymar that it wasn\u2019t the station that was slowing, but rather it was their ship that had begun rotating at the same speed, only making the station look like it had stopped. She would have gone on to explain more about docking procedures, but Daymar had already fallen fast asleep.\n\n* * *\n\nTransfer Station Banaru was a hive of activity. Situated just outside the Sol-Croshaw jump point, travelers from all over both systems arrived to switch between smaller local shuttles and larger starliners. Over the years, Banaru steadily grew from all the traffic passing through and now, as it proudly proclaimed in multiple signs posted throughout station, it had a full hotel, exotic food court and bustling marketplace. The food court was especially popular with people arriving from Croshaw, since it is recommended that you fly on an empty stomach through interspace, at least the first few times until you get used to the sensation.\n\nIn a quieter section of the station, the three siblings sat on chairs near the E-12 docking port waiting for their shuttlecraft to Europa to depart. They had just over an hour to go \u2014 precisely seventy-one standard Earth minutes according to Daymar, who had very recently learned how to tell time. Through the thick viewing-pane, Yela watched as the transport they had arrived on, having refueled and taken on new passengers, drift away from the station towards the flashing jump point beacons in the distance. Already she could see it spin as its rotation went out of synch with Banaru\u2019s own. As excited as she was to visit her grandmother, part of her longed to visit another system.\n\n\u201cWhat are you looking at?\u201d Daymar asked his older sister.\n\n\u201cOur transport ship is about to go through the jump point, see?\u201d Yela pointed to where the ship waited to spin up its drives.\n\n\u201cThey left without us!\u201d cried out Daymar as he rushed to the viewing-pane.\n\nYela got up and put a comforting hand on the boy\u2019s back. \u201cNo, remember? That ship is going to Croshaw. We\u2019re getting on a different ship to go to Baba\u2019s.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said Daymar. A tiny bright light flared and the ship breached interspace, disappearing from sight. \u201cThen why did we leave Baba\u2019s gift on that one?\u201d\n\nCellin and Yela shared a panicked look before both of them quickly dumped open their bags looking for the box of chocolates they had brought along for their grandmother. They had picked out the flavors together at Baba\u2019s favorite chocolatier in Port Retanus. She always talked about how it was the thing she missed most about living on the red planet, aside from the three of them and their father, of course. Baba even joked that the only reason she still visited was to refill her supply.\n\nThe first time they had visited her on Europa, they had sat curled up under a blanket together watching one of the crystal storms through the small porthole in her workshop. They each had gotten to select one of the chocolates from the box and Baba showed them how she would eat around the edge, letting each bite melt, before finally popping the filling in her mouth.\n\nAnd now, thanks to being so distracted by the argument, they had forgotten Baba\u2019s gift on the starliner and her chocolates were somewhere in a whole other star system.\n\n\u201cIt was in the back pocket of the seat,\u201d Daymar reminded them. \u201cYou said I wasn\u2019t allowed to touch it, even though I promised to be careful.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say something!\u201d Cellin demanded.\n\nDaymar\u2019s eyes got wide like they did when he was about to cry. Yela felt like crying too, but that wasn\u2019t going to help anything. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t his fault. I forgot too.\u201d\n\n\u201cBaba\u2019s going to be so mad with us,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cNo, she isn\u2019t,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cYes, she is,\u201d said Cellin. The thought of Baba being mad at him was enough to burst Daymar\u2019s seal and tears came flooding down his face. His face curled like he was about to cry out, but the sound never came. Daymar had always been a quiet cryer. Their father said it was like watching a vid on mute.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s my fault for getting into a stupid fight with that stupid man. It\u2019s always my fault.\u201d And with that, Cellin angrily crossed her arms and started to cry as well.\n\n\u201cIf anyone\u2019s to blame, it\u2019s me. I should\u2019ve remembered,\u201d said Yela. \u201cI\u2019m in charge.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right. It is your fault,\u201d agreed Cellin through her tears. That\u2019s when Yela started to cry too.\n\nNow, if a different attendant had been assigned to watch over them at the docking-port, things might have gone very differently for the three siblings. However, Tyva Montclair had been given the task and if asked, Tyva would quickly tell you that even from a very young age she has been no good with children. At the sight of the three siblings sobbing their eyes out, instead of going to comfort them and find out what was wrong, Tyva decided that she in fact really needed to use the restroom at that exact moment, and that is exactly what she did.\n\nLeft on their own, the children continued to cry for a few minutes longer. Daymar was the first to run out of tears. Sniffling, a thought occurred to him. \u201cLet\u2019s get her a new present.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose chocolates were from Mars, we can\u2019t get her more,\u201d explained Yela.\n\n\u201cWe can get her something better,\u201d said Daymar with growing enthusiasm.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s probably something stellar in the market! That sign says it\u2019s the best shopping in the whole sector,\u201d said Cellin, suddenly caught up in the idea that there might be an adventure happening soon.\n\n\u201cBut the attendant said we weren\u2019t supposed to leave,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cGood thing she isn\u2019t here then,\u201d Cellin pointed out. \u201cWe can go get a gift and be back before she even knows we\u2019re gone.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think we should. We could get in trouble.\u201d\n\n\u201cRemember what Baba says? No one\u2019s ever done anything great without getting into at least a little bit of trouble,\u201d quoted Cellin.\n\nYela remembered this as another of Baba\u2019s sayings that their father didn\u2019t like.\n\nBefore she could respond, Yela saw Daymar already heading down the corridor towards the central hub. \u201cWait up!\u201d\n\n* * *\n\nThe trio traveled down the connector spoke until it opened up into the vaulted central hub. Rimmed along the sides by multiple floors, the massive space was filled with people flitting from stall to stall \u2014 shopping, eating and talking. There was even a live musician playing complicated music on a lexion from Persei. Daymar covered his ears as they walked past, not yet accustomed to the recently-introduced instrument\u2019s rasping and buzzing.\n\nAs they walked, they stared wide eyed at the people flowing around them. Even though the town they lived in on Mars received its fair share of visitors, it was nothing compared to the hodgepodge of colonists, traders and settlers that crisscrossed their way through the hub. The children took turns pointing out the travelers\u2019 origins.\n\n\u201cThat old guy is from Mars like us!\u201d said Daymar, spotting someone wearing the smooth, thick jacket-style that so many Martians wore to keep out the dust.\n\n\u201cThose pressure lenses mean that person is from Gonn,\u201d noted Cellin as a person wearing a thick set of purple goggles walked past returning her stare.\n\n\u201cAnd those two women wearing the scaly green and yellow robes are definitely from Davien,\u201d observed Yela.\n\nDaymar wanted to talk to a gentleman slurping wide, fat noodles at a food counter who had the same triple-plaited braids that their own grandmother wore, and Cellin was about to go ask a tall woman with blueish skin where she was from, when Yela focused them on the task at hand. As interesting as the people were, they were supposed to be finding a gift for Baba.\n\nAfter instructing them not to touch anything, and writing E-12 on Daymar\u2019s hand so he would know which docking port to go to if he got lost, Yela steered her two younger siblings towards a row of stalls that featured beautiful jewelry. There were gilded rings, necklaces made from gemstone flowers, and even a broach that looked like a dust beetle, but after thinking for a bit, none of them could ever remember seeing Baba wear jewelry. \u201cMaybe that means she really needs some,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cOr that she hates it,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s keep looking.\u201d\n\nThey proceeded through the marketplace, visiting a stall with long scarves for filtering air, another stall with little bright red lizards for sale, and a hawker who was peddling genuine pitambu fruit all the way from Reisse, but after wandering up and down the market, they had narrowed down their options to two booths. Yela thought that they should get Baba a fancy bottle of lotion made from digary blossoms that, according to the vendor, only grew on Aremis. \u201cShe works with her hands a lot, and the cold weather makes them dry,\u201d explained Yela.\n\nCellin thought that they should get Baba a little silver multitool. It had a monkey wrench, five screw-drivers, a fullband burst scanner, a Geiger counter, an arc-torch, a nail file and a bottle opener. \u201cIt\u2019s like a hundred gifts in one!\u201d Yela pointed out that Baba already had most of those tools, and Cellin pointed out that lotion was stupid.\n\nIt seemed like there wasn\u2019t going to be any way to reach an agreement, when Daymar settled the debate saying \u201cWe should get her that.\u201d Yela and Cellin looked to where their brother was pointing and agreed instantly. He had found the perfect gift for Baba.\n\n* * *\n\n\u201cI am truly sorry, but I cannot let it go for any less,\u201d said Vasko, the owner of the stall. To show how dismayed she was, she gently shook her head, which caused the thick folds in her neck to wobble. Daymar stood in front of her, gently holding the gift in his hands, staring up with wide, hopeful eyes.\n\nThey had been negotiating with the woman for several minutes now, but she could see how much the children wanted the gift and was holding firm. And the children really did want it. Just looking at the gift, it was clear that Baba would love it, even more than the chocolate. Functional and beautiful, they would have paid twice as much as Vasko was asking, but since they couldn\u2019t even afford to pay once what she was asking, it was looking less and less likely they were going to be able to get it.\n\nYela quickly counted their pooled funds again. It was all the emergency money their father had given them, plus the allowance Yela had been saving for a new book and the dollar that Daymar had found walking through the spaceport in Port Renatus. Despite Yela\u2019s fervent hope that the amount would come out different this time, they were still eight short of the asking price. \u201cAre you sure you can\u2019t go lower?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m already charging ten less than I normally would because you seem like such nice children, but if you do not have enough money, I am afraid there is nothing I can do.\u201d Vasko reached to take back the gift, but Daymar stepped out of reach.\n\n\u201cPlease? We have to get this for our Baba,\u201d said Daymar.\n\n\u201cWhat do you have here?\u201d A big meaty hand plucked the gift from Daymar\u2019s grasp. The three children turned, surprised to see the man from the transport ship standing behind them. He held the gift up to his face. \u201cOh, look at this. Very nice.\u201d\n\n\u201cGive that back!\u201d demanded Cellin jumping up to try to snatch it back. The man raised it high above their heads.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s for our Baba!\u201d added Daymar.\n\n\u201cNow children, you had your chance,\u201d scolded Vasko. \u201cIf this nice gentleman wishes to purchase it, then well . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know what? I think I am gonna buy it,\u201d said the man, sneering at Cellin.\n\n\u201cExcellent choice,\u201d said Vasko. \u201cYou have wonderful taste.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe doesn\u2019t even want it, he\u2019s just doing it to be mean,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re wrong there, kiddo. I\u2019m actually a collector and this is a real find,\u201d said the man while examining it closer.\n\n\u201cThat it is. All that detail work? Hand done. Very few like it,\u201d said Vasko.\n\n\u201cPlease, there has to be some way we can \u2014\u201d Yela paused. Something caught her eye on the back counter. \u201cWait. Is that a Banu lockbox?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you ever opened it?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo . . .\u201d Vasko reluctantly admitted. \u201cNot yet.\u201d\n\nCrafted for the heads of Banu guilds to hold valuable items or documents, every Banu lockbox is unique in design. To make them extra secure, no two have the same solution and often not even the artisan who makes them knows how to open them. When the original owner passes away, whatever mysteries it holds can remained unclaimed for generations . . . though often they were simply destroyed in the process of opening them. That\u2019s what made intact ones so rare. Yela knew all about Banu lockboxes thanks to her father.\n\n\u201cI can open it for you,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cLike some kid can solve a Banu lock.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur father\u2019s a professor. He lectures on the Banu.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you really think you can open it for me?\u201d Vasko asked eagerly.\n\n\u201cShe can for the right price,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cYeah! Give us Baba\u2019s gift!\u201d insisted Daymar, reaching up to where the man still held it.\n\n\u201cI have been trying to open it for years . . .\u201d Vasko considered the proposition. \u201cIf you can actually do it, then we have a deal.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d the man protested. \u201cI thought you were going to sell it to me!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot anymore. Hand it here.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat if I pay you twice as much?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can pay me twice as much when the girl proves unsuccessful.\u201d Vasko took the gift from the man and then, very gingerly, she placed the delicate lockbox on the counter in front of Yela. \u201cNo forcing it. You have to open it the proper way.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know.\u201d Yela wiped her hands off on her pants before gently running them over the surface. Banu had a slightly different approach to numbers and geometry than Humans did, so the first step was to switch her brain to see the world the way they did. She took a deep breath and blocked the sounds of the marketplace from her mind. It took a lot of concentration to be Banu.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019ll never do it,\u201d said the man. \u201cHeck, I got a ten-spot right here that says she breaks the thing trying.\u201d\n\n\u201cQuiet!\u201d Cellin and Vasko said in unison.\n\nShe counted to twenty-seven over and over until she had the right rhythm. Every other odd number sound needed to strike between the beat of her heart. Placing her index finger on the smooth spot along the short side of the box and her thumb on the corner closest to her, she tapped along. When she felt she had it right, she pressed firmly in time, matching the black and white pattern that repeated on the edge of the box. On the fifth tap, the box clicked and a series of ridges rose along the top.\n\n\u201cShe did it!\u201d exclaimed Vasko.\n\n\u201cOnly the first part,\u201d said Yela, and thought to herself, \u201cthe easy part.\u201d Rotating the box, she adjusted her hands so that they interlaced over the ridges. As she began to count again, she was interrupted by an announcement from the station speakers.\n\n\u201cAll passengers for Europa, this is your last boarding call.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh no! That\u2019s our flight!\u201d Yela completely lost her train of thought. \u201cWe have to get back.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can\u2019t leave without the gift,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cWe can\u2019t miss our shuttle,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cI guess it looks like you don\u2019t have a deal after all,\u201d said the man happily.\n\n\u201cDocking-port E-12. Last call for Europa,\u201d said the voice on the tannoy.\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d said Vasko, holding out the gift. \u201cTake it. I\u2019ve had the box for years and I never even got this far.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d asked Yela.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s sure,\u201d said Cellin as she took the gift and placed it in her bag.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s crazy is what she is,\u201d complained the man.\n\n\u201cJust promise me that you\u2019ll stop by next time you\u2019re in Banaru.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe promise!\u201d said the three siblings before they turned and raced through the marketplace.\n\n* * *\n\nThe corridor was jammed with people. A starliner arriving from Croshaw had just docked, and passengers were streaming out from it, clogging the way. Yela and Cellin tried to find a way through, Yela by saying, \u201cExcuse me\u201d and Cellin by shoving.\n\nDaymar was having a much easier time weaving his way past the crowd. Soon he was ahead of his sisters. Yela tried to tell him to wait up, but he couldn\u2019t hear her over the din. Soon, he reached the point where the corridor split off towards the individual docking-ports. Yela was trying to squeeze past a group of sojourners hugging each other goodbye, when she saw Daymar pause and study the directional. He held up his hand, looked at the smudged E-12 Yela had written there earlier, and turned left down the corridor towards docking-port F-12.\n\n\u201cDaymar, wait!\u201d\n\nHe paused to look back at them. Rushing around a stalled luggage drone, Yela urgently waved for him to come back, but he just returned her wave and continued down the wrong way, disappearing from view.\n\nYela was instantly filled with regret for not spending more time helping him learn his letters.\n\nDesperate, Yela adopted Cellin\u2019s method of traversal and soon the two of them were pushing their way through the throng of people. When they finally cleared it, they saw Daymar standing in front of the docking-port\u2019s airlock.\n\n\u201cDaymar! That\u2019s the wrong \u2014\u201d\n\nToo late. He rushed on board. Yela and Cellin ran after him.\n\nPassing through the airlock, the sisters emerged into the cavernous hold of a large hauling ship. Daymar stood a few steps in, gawping up at the rows and rows of massive cargo containers.\n\n\u201cWe get to fly on this ship?\u201d asked Daymar, excited by the prospect.\u201dWhere are the seats?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, we\u2019re not. Come on. We have to go,\u201d said Yela. She grabbed Daymar and pulled him back towards the airlock when it sealed with a hiss in front of them.\n\nYela hurried to the controls and pressed the release button, but a red alert told her she didn\u2019t have permission. Before she could figure out what to do next, a loud rumble sounded as the engines came to life.\n\n\u201cLooks like we are flying on this ship,\u201d said Cellin.\n\nDaymar cheered as they disconnected from the dock.\n\nTo be continued","de_DE":"Ein Geschenk f\u00fcr Baba\n13.04.2021 - 17:00 UHR\n\nvon: Will Weissbaum\n\nAnmerkung des Autors: A Gift for Baba (Part One) erschien zuerst in Jump Point 5.8. Originalgrafik von Sean Andrew Murray.\n\n\nTeil Eins\nYela klopfte leicht an die Luke zur hinteren Toilette, \"Daymar?\"\n\nEine tiefe, \u00e4ltere Stimme antwortete: \"Besetzt.\"\n\nDas war die letzte Toilette auf dem Transportschiff. Pl\u00f6tzlich schwand die Hoffnung, dass ihr j\u00fcngerer Bruder verschwunden war, um die Toilette zu benutzen, zusammen mit den Chancen, dass sie bald wieder ihr neues Buch lesen konnte. Obwohl, wenn sie fair sein wollte, war das Buch zu einem gro\u00dfen Teil schuld an ihrer jetzigen Lage. W\u00e4re sie nicht so sehr in Lord Faltons Versuch vertieft gewesen, den Thron f\u00fcr das Haus Aschengrau zur\u00fcckzuerobern, dann h\u00e4tte sie vielleicht fr\u00fcher bemerkt, dass ihr Bruder seinen Platz ger\u00e4umt hatte.\n\nEs war das erste Mal, dass sie alleine flogen und es ging schon schief. Ihr Vater hatte die Reise fast abgesagt, als er erfuhr, dass er bleiben und eine Vorlesung halten musste, aber Yela hatte ihn \u00fcberzeugt, sie ganz alleine zu Baba reisen zu lassen. Nat\u00fcrlich w\u00e4re die ganze Sache einfacher gewesen, wenn Vater ihrem urspr\u00fcnglichen Plan zugestimmt h\u00e4tte, ihnen Beruhigungsmittel zu verabreichen, bevor sie starteten. Es w\u00e4re so viel einfacher gewesen! Wenn die Stasis f\u00fcr die fr\u00fchen Raumfahrer gut genug war, warum nicht auch f\u00fcr ihren Bruder und ihre Schwester?\n\nStattdessen hatte ihr Vater, als er sich von ihnen auf dem Mars verabschiedete, Daymar und Cellin das Versprechen abgenommen, auf ihre \u00e4ltere Schwester zu h\u00f6ren. Bis jetzt hatte Yela das Gef\u00fchl, dass ihre beiden j\u00fcngeren Geschwister fast alles getan hatten, au\u00dfer auf sie zu h\u00f6ren.\n\nSogar ihre einfachen Bitten, wie z.B. den Kiosk im Flugzeug nicht anzufassen, waren ignoriert worden. Sicher, Haferflocken waren ihre Lieblingskekse und es war irgendwie nett, dass Cellin sie f\u00fcr sie bestellt hatte ... und sie hatten viel besser geschmeckt als die Nutri-Sticks, die ihr Vater f\u00fcr sie eingepackt hatte, au\u00dferdem bedeutete es, dass sie alle weniger in Versuchung kamen, die ausgefallenen Pralinen zu essen, die sie als Geschenk f\u00fcr Baba mitgebracht hatten ... aber trotzdem, es war das Prinzip der Sache. Diese Dinge waren schlie\u00dflich nicht umsonst, und ihr Bruder, alles was sie von ihm verlangte, war an Ort und Stelle zu bleiben und selbst das erwies sich als zu schwer. Warum musste er immer auf diese Weise abschweifen?\n\nYela ging ihre mentale Liste der Orte, die sie durchsuchen wollte, noch einmal durch. Sie hatte bereits die Lounge, die Aussichtspforte und die Betreuerbucht \u00fcberpr\u00fcft und war alle G\u00e4nge zweimal durchgelaufen. Cellin beobachtete ihre Pl\u00e4tze und hatte ihn nicht gesehen. Wenn Daymar keine der Toiletten benutzte, wo war er dann? Hatte er einen Weg in den Maschinenraum gefunden? War er verletzt? Hatte ihn jemand mitgenommen? Ihr Herz begann schneller zu pulsieren bei dem Gedanken, dass ihr Bruder tats\u00e4chlich in Schwierigkeiten sein k\u00f6nnte.\n\n\"Macht es dir etwas aus, dich zu bewegen?\", kam eine tiefe Stimme von dicht hinter ihr.\n\nYela sprang fast aus ihrer Haut, dann drehte sie sich um und sah eine \u00e4ltere Frau, die versuchte, die Toilette zu verlassen.\n\nAus dem Weg gehend, beobachtete Yela die silberhaarige Frau, die sich murrend den Gang hinunter bewegte.\n\nVon ihren Sorgen abgelenkt, holte sie tief Luft und beruhigte sich, indem sie sich an den Rat erinnerte, den Baba bei ihrem letzten Besuch gegeben hatte. \"Solange du noch atmest, geht es dir schon besser als den Milliarden von Menschen, die vor dir kamen.\" Dad hasste es, wenn Baba so etwas sagte, aber Yela sch\u00e4tzte die Art und Weise, wie ihre Gro\u00dfmutter die Dinge immer ins rechte Licht r\u00fccken konnte. Okay, vielleicht war es nicht perfekt gewesen, aber alles in allem h\u00e4tte ihre erste Reise durch den Weltraum viel schlimmer verlaufen k\u00f6nnen. Zum Beispiel, auf der hellen Seite, da keiner der Druckalarme ert\u00f6nt war, wusste sie, dass zumindest ihr Bruder noch auf dem Schiff war.\n\n\"Ich schw\u00f6re, wenn du noch einmal gegen den Sitz trittst, werde ich dich aus einer Luftschleuse werfen lassen!\"\n\nZumindest f\u00fcr den Moment.\n\nYela eilte den Gang entlang und sah einen gro\u00dfen, rotgesichtigen Mann, der w\u00fctend auf die Reihe hinter ihm starrte. Reihe 15. Ihre Reihe. Und genau wie sie es bef\u00fcrchtet hatte, stand dort ihre kleine Schwester Cellin und starrte den Mann mit ebenso rotem Gesicht an. \"Ich w\u00fcrde gerne sehen, wie du es versuchst!\", konterte Cellin.\n\n\"Oh, das w\u00fcrdest du, oder?!?\"\n\n\"Cellin, was ist hier los?\" fragte Yela, als sie sich der hitzigen Szene n\u00e4herte.\n\nOhne ihren Blick von dem Gesicht des Mannes zu nehmen, antwortete Cellin: \"Er hat schlechtes Zeug \u00fcber die Menschen gesagt, die auf Europa leben.\"\n\nDas erkl\u00e4rte es. Europa war der Ort, an dem Baba lebte und Cellin war sehr besch\u00fctzend gegen\u00fcber den Menschen, die ihr am Herzen lagen. Dad beschrieb sie als \"erf\u00fcllt von gef\u00e4hrlich edlen Absichten\".\n\n\"Was ich sage, geht nur mich etwas an\", sagte der Mann. Er zeigte mit einem dicken Finger direkt auf Yelas Nase. \"Wissen Sie, wie viel ich f\u00fcr dieses Ticket bezahlt habe?\" Der Mann br\u00fcllte. \"Viel zu viel, um mir von einer kleinen rotznasigen G\u00f6re einen Tritt verpassen zu lassen -\"\n\nBevor er seine Tirade beenden konnte, \u00f6ffnete sich die T\u00fcr des Gep\u00e4ckfachs neben seinem Kopf mit einem Klicken. Aus dem Inneren lugte ein kleines Gesicht hervor. Schl\u00e4frig rieb sich der Junge mit dem Handr\u00fccken \u00fcber sein Auge. \"Sind wir schon bei Baba?\"\n\n\"Daymar!\" Yela rief erleichtert auf.\n\n\"Hallo, Yela. Ich habe ein Etagenbett wie zu Hause gefunden\", sagte Daymar, bevor er dem Mann einen Arm entgegenstreckte. \"Hilfst du mir runter, bitte?\"\n\nDer Mann, immer noch etwas verwirrt von der pl\u00f6tzlichen Ver\u00e4nderung der Ereignisse, hob Daymar aus der Tonne und setzte ihn sanft auf dem Boden ab.\n\nFast instinktiv fragte Yela: \"Was sagst du, Daymar?\"\n\n\"Ich danke dir\", sagte Daymar.\n\n\"\u00c4h. Sicher\", antwortete der Mann, nicht ganz sicher, was er sonst tun sollte.\n\n\"Ich m\u00f6chte Sie alle bitten, den Gang freizumachen und Ihre Pl\u00e4tze einzunehmen\", informierte ein vorbeigehender Flugbegleiter sie. \"Wir werden in K\u00fcrze die Schwerkraft f\u00fcr unseren Anflug abschalten.\"\n\nDer Mann schien sich beim Anblick von jemandem in Uniform an etwas von seiner Wut zu erinnern. \"Hey, du. Warten Sie einen Moment.\"\n\nDer W\u00e4rter hielt inne, \"Ja, Sir?\"\n\n\"Sie m\u00fcssen etwas gegen diese Kinder unternehmen. Sie haben gestritten, gegen meinen Sitz getreten und sind \u00fcberall herumgeklettert.\"\n\n\"Ist das so?\" Fragte die Flugbegleiterin Yela.\n\nYela richtete sich zu ihrer vollen Gr\u00f6\u00dfe auf (die ganze f\u00fcnf Zentimeter gr\u00f6\u00dfer war als im letzten Jahr) und sagte mit ihrer ernstesten Erwachsenenstimme: \"Er sagte falsche und verletzende Kommentare \u00fcber Europa und seine Bewohner.\"\n\n\"Ach, tats\u00e4chlich?\" Fragte die W\u00e4rterin den Mann.\n\n\"Nun, ich -\"\n\nCellin sprang sofort ein.\n\n\"Das hat er! Er sagte, dass die Leute aus Europa alle kaltbl\u00fctige L\u00fcgner sind und als ich sagte, dass meine Oma aus Europa ist, sagte er mir, ich solle die Klappe halten, aber ich wollte nicht, weil er falsch lag, also trat ich gegen seinen Sitz und dann sagte er, dass er mich aus einer Luftschleuse werfen w\u00fcrde.\"\n\n\"Jetzt warte doch mal einen Moment. Sie glauben doch nicht, dass ich -\", begann der Mann, aber der W\u00e4rter unterbrach ihn. \"Sir, im Moment wei\u00df ich nur, dass wir uns unserer Transferstation n\u00e4hern und jeder muss sich anschnallen, auch Leute wie Sie.\" Sie wandte sich an die Kinder: \"Was euch drei betrifft, kommt mit. Mal sehen, ob wir nicht einen besseren Platz f\u00fcr euch finden k\u00f6nnen.\"\n\nDamit marschierte die W\u00e4rterin mit Daymar, Cellin und Yela an dem Mann vorbei (Cellin starrte ihn im Vorbeigehen wie ein Falke an) und die Treppe hinauf in die Executive Lounge.\n\nDer Raum war elegant mit Messingbeschl\u00e4gen und dunklen H\u00f6lzern eingerichtet, w\u00e4hrend die gesamte vordere Wand mit einem Display ausgekleidet war, das eine Echtzeitansicht der Flugbahn des Schiffes projizierte. Viel besser als der Blick von den kleinen Displays in den Sitzreihen. Der Raum war gr\u00f6\u00dftenteils leer, nur ein paar der Pl\u00fcschsessel waren besetzt.\n\n\"Wir waren heute ein wenig schwach, deshalb haben wir hier zus\u00e4tzliche Sitze, aber du musst mir versprechen, dass du keinen \u00c4rger machen wirst, wenn ich dich hier oben sitzen lasse.\"\n\n\"Wir versprechen es\", antworteten sie fast unisono, wobei Cellin nur einen Bruchteil sp\u00e4ter als ihre Geschwister zustimmte, da sie nie jemand war, der ein Versprechen auf die leichte Schulter nahm.\n\n\"Gut. Nun lasst uns euch in eure Gurte schnallen.\" Der Betreuer half Daymar und Cellin, ihre Null-G-Gurte in Position zu bringen, w\u00e4hrend Yela stolz ihr eigenes anlegte, froh \u00fcber die Anweisungen, die sie zuvor im Sicherheitshandbuch gelesen hatte.\n\n\"So, alles fertig\", sagte die W\u00e4rterin, als sie Cellins letzten Gurt einstellte. \"Oh, und mein Vater war auch aus Europa\", sagte sie mit einem Augenzwinkern, bevor sie ging, um sich um die anderen Passagiere zu k\u00fcmmern.\n\nDaymar sank mit einem wohligen Seufzer zur\u00fcck in die dicke Polsterung des Sitzes. \"Ich mag es, eine F\u00fchrungskraft zu sein. Cellin, meinst du, du k\u00f6nntest auf unserem n\u00e4chsten Flug auch jemanden treten?\"\n\n\"Ja!\" \"Nein!\" Cellin und Yela antworteten jeweils und gleichzeitig.\n\n\"Bereitet euch auf die Schwerelosigkeit vor\", verk\u00fcndete das Tannoy. Das kleine Schwerkraftwarnlicht \u00fcber ihnen leuchtete auf, die Gegenschubd\u00fcsen z\u00fcndeten und einen Moment sp\u00e4ter sp\u00fcrten sie, wie sie leichter wurden, bis sie gegen die Sitzgurte gedr\u00fcckt wurden. \"Endanflug auf die Transferstation Banaru. Stand by.\"\n\nVorne auf dem Bildschirm wurde ein kleiner Fleck schnell gr\u00f6\u00dfer, bis man gerade noch erkennen konnte, dass es eine speichenf\u00f6rmige Raumstation war. Lange Arme ragten aus der zentralen Nabe heraus und waren mit einem \u00e4u\u00dferen Ring verbunden, was ihr das Aussehen eines robotischen Wagenrads gab. Die Station drehte sich um ihre Achse und nutzte die Zentripetalbeschleunigung, um die Schwerkraft f\u00fcr die Menschen an Bord zu gew\u00e4hrleisten. Doch als sich ihr Schiff n\u00e4herte, schien die Drehung zu stoppen. Yela begann Daymar zu erkl\u00e4ren, dass es nicht die Station war, die sich verlangsamte, sondern dass es ihr Schiff war, das begonnen hatte, sich mit der gleichen Geschwindigkeit zu drehen, so dass es nur so aussah, als ob die Station angehalten h\u00e4tte. Sie h\u00e4tte noch mehr \u00fcber die Andockprozedur erkl\u00e4rt, aber Daymar war bereits fest eingeschlafen.\n\n* * *\n\nIn der Transferstation Banaru herrschte reges Treiben. Direkt au\u00dferhalb des Sol-Croshaw-Sprungpunktes gelegen, kamen Reisende aus allen Teilen beider Systeme an, um zwischen kleineren lokalen Shuttles und gr\u00f6\u00dferen Starlinern zu wechseln. Im Laufe der Jahre wuchs Banaru durch den vielen Verkehr stetig an und verf\u00fcgte nun, wie es auf mehreren Schildern in der Station stolz verk\u00fcndet wurde, \u00fcber ein volles Hotel, einen exotischen Food Court und einen belebten Marktplatz. Der Food Court war vor allem bei Leuten beliebt, die von Croshaw kamen, da es empfohlen wird, mit leerem Magen durch den Interspace zu fliegen, zumindest die ersten paar Male, bis man sich an das Gef\u00fchl gew\u00f6hnt hat.\n\nIn einem ruhigeren Teil der Station sa\u00dfen die drei Geschwister auf St\u00fchlen in der N\u00e4he des E-12 Docking Ports und warteten darauf, dass ihr Shuttle nach Europa abfliegt. Sie hatten noch etwas mehr als eine Stunde Zeit - genau einundsiebzig Standard-Erdminuten laut Daymar, der erst vor kurzem gelernt hatte, die Zeit zu lesen. Durch die dicke Sichtscheibe beobachtete Yela, wie der Transport, mit dem sie angekommen waren, nachdem sie aufgetankt und neue Passagiere aufgenommen hatten, von der Station weg in Richtung der blinkenden Sprungpunktbaken in der Ferne trieb. Sie konnte bereits sehen, wie er sich drehte, als seine Rotation nicht mehr mit der von Banaru \u00fcbereinstimmte. So aufgeregt sie auch war, ihre Gro\u00dfmutter zu besuchen, ein Teil von ihr sehnte sich danach, ein anderes System zu besuchen.\n\n\"Was siehst du dir an?\" fragte Daymar seine \u00e4ltere Schwester.\n\n\"Unser Transportschiff ist dabei, durch den Sprungpunkt zu gehen, siehst du?\" Yela zeigte auf die Stelle, wo das Schiff darauf wartete, seine Antriebe hochzufahren.\n\n\"Sie sind ohne uns losgefahren!\", rief Daymar und eilte zur Sichtscheibe.\n\nYela stand auf und legte eine tr\u00f6stende Hand auf den R\u00fccken des Jungen. \"Nein, erinnerst du dich? Das Schiff f\u00e4hrt nach Croshaw. Wir steigen in ein anderes Schiff, um zu Baba zu fahren.\"\n\n\"Oh\", sagte Daymar. Ein winziges helles Licht flackerte auf und das Schiff durchbrach den Zwischenraum und verschwand aus dem Blickfeld. \"Warum haben wir dann Baba's Geschenk auf dem da gelassen?\"\n\nCellin und Yela tauschten einen panischen Blick aus, bevor beide schnell ihre Taschen auskippten und nach der Pralinenschachtel suchten, die sie f\u00fcr ihre Gro\u00dfmutter mitgebracht hatten. Sie hatten die Geschmacksrichtungen gemeinsam bei Babas Lieblings-Chocolatier in Port Retanus ausgesucht. Sie sprach immer davon, dass es das war, was sie am meisten am Leben auf dem roten Planeten vermisste, abgesehen von ihnen dreien und ihrem Vater nat\u00fcrlich. Baba scherzte sogar, dass der einzige Grund, warum sie ihn noch besuchte, der war, ihre Vorr\u00e4te aufzuf\u00fcllen.\n\nDas erste Mal, als sie sie auf Europa besuchten, sa\u00dfen sie zusammengerollt unter einer Decke und beobachteten einen der Kristallst\u00fcrme durch das kleine Bullauge in ihrer Werkstatt. Jeder von ihnen durfte sich eine der Pralinen aus der Schachtel aussuchen und Baba zeigte ihnen, wie sie um den Rand herum a\u00df, jeden Bissen schmelzen lie\u00df, bevor sie schlie\u00dflich die F\u00fcllung in den Mund steckte.\n\nUnd nun hatten sie, dank der Ablenkung durch den Streit, Babas Geschenk auf dem Starliner vergessen und ihre Pralinen waren irgendwo in einem ganz anderen Sternensystem.\n\n\"Es war in der R\u00fcckentasche des Sitzes\", erinnerte Daymar sie. \"Sie sagten, ich d\u00fcrfe es nicht anfassen, obwohl ich versprochen hatte, vorsichtig zu sein.\"\n\n\"Warum hast du nichts gesagt!\" forderte Cellin.\n\nDaymars Augen wurden gro\u00df, wie sie es taten, wenn er kurz vor dem Weinen war. Yela war auch zum Weinen zumute, aber das w\u00fcrde nichts helfen. \"Es war nicht seine Schuld. Ich habe es auch vergessen.\"\n\n\"Baba wird so b\u00f6se mit uns sein\", sagte Cellin.\n\n\"Nein, wird sie nicht\", sagte Yela.\n\n\"Doch, wird sie\", sagte Cellin. Der Gedanke, dass Baba w\u00fctend auf ihn sein k\u00f6nnte, reichte aus, um Daymars Siegel zu sprengen und Tr\u00e4nen str\u00f6mten \u00fcber sein Gesicht. Sein Gesicht verzog sich, als wollte er schreien, aber der Ton kam nicht. Daymar war schon immer ein stiller Schreihals gewesen. Ihr Vater sagte, es sei so, als w\u00fcrde man ein Video auf stumm schalten.\n\n\"Es ist meine Schuld, dass ich mich mit diesem dummen Mann gestritten habe. Es ist immer meine Schuld.\" Und damit verschr\u00e4nkte Cellin w\u00fctend die Arme und begann ebenfalls zu weinen.\n\n\"Wenn jemand schuld ist, dann bin ich es. Ich h\u00e4tte daran denken m\u00fcssen\", sagte Yela. \"Ich habe das Sagen.\"\n\n\"Du hast Recht. Es ist deine Schuld\", stimmte Cellin durch ihre Tr\u00e4nen hindurch zu. In diesem Moment begann auch Yela zu weinen.\n\nW\u00e4re ein anderer W\u00e4rter mit der Bewachung des Andockhafens beauftragt worden, w\u00e4re es vielleicht ganz anders f\u00fcr die drei Geschwister gelaufen. Doch Tyva Montclair war mit dieser Aufgabe betraut worden und wenn man sie fragen w\u00fcrde, w\u00fcrde Tyva schnell sagen, dass sie schon von klein auf nicht gut mit Kindern umgehen konnte. Beim Anblick der drei Geschwister, die sich die Augen aus dem Kopf schluchzten, beschloss Tyva, anstatt sie zu tr\u00f6sten und herauszufinden, was los war, dass sie in diesem Moment wirklich auf die Toilette musste, und genau das tat sie auch.\n\nAuf sich allein gestellt, weinten die Kinder noch ein paar Minuten weiter. Daymar war der erste, dem die Tr\u00e4nen ausgingen. Schniefend kam ihm ein Gedanke in den Sinn. \"Lasst uns ihr ein neues Geschenk besorgen.\"\n\n\"Diese Pralinen waren vom Mars, mehr k\u00f6nnen wir ihr nicht schenken\", erkl\u00e4rte Yela.\n\n\"Wir k\u00f6nnen ihr etwas Besseres besorgen\", sagte Daymar mit wachsender Begeisterung.\n\n\"Auf dem Markt gibt es bestimmt etwas Erstklassiges! Auf dem Schild steht, dass es die besten Eink\u00e4ufe im ganzen Sektor sind\", sagte Cellin, der pl\u00f6tzlich von dem Gedanken ergriffen war, dass es bald ein Abenteuer geben k\u00f6nnte.\n\n\"Aber der Aufseher hat gesagt, dass wir nicht gehen sollen\", sagte Yela.\n\n\"Dann ist es ja gut, dass sie nicht hier ist\", bemerkte Cellin. \"Wir k\u00f6nnen ein Geschenk holen gehen und zur\u00fcck sein, bevor sie merkt, dass wir weg sind.\"\n\n\"Ich denke, das sollten wir nicht. Wir k\u00f6nnten in Schwierigkeiten geraten.\"\n\n\"Denk daran, was Baba sagt. Niemand hat jemals etwas Gro\u00dfes getan, ohne zumindest ein bisschen \u00c4rger zu bekommen\", zitierte Cellin.\n\nYela erinnerte sich daran, dass dies ein weiterer Spruch von Baba war, den ihr Vater nicht mochte.\n\nBevor sie etwas erwidern konnte, sah Yela, dass Daymar bereits den Korridor hinunter in Richtung der zentralen Drehscheibe ging. \"Warte doch!\"\n\n* * *\n\nDas Trio reiste die Verbindungsspeiche hinunter, bis sie sich in die gew\u00f6lbte zentrale Nabe \u00f6ffnete. An den Seiten von mehreren Etagen umrahmt, war der riesige Raum mit Menschen gef\u00fcllt, die von Stand zu Stand huschten - Einkaufen, Essen und Reden. Es gab sogar einen Live-Musiker, der komplizierte Musik auf einem Lexion aus Persei spielte. Daymar hielt sich die Ohren zu, als sie vorbeigingen, da er sich noch nicht an das Rauschen und Summen des k\u00fcrzlich eingef\u00fchrten Instruments gew\u00f6hnt hatte.\n\nW\u00e4hrend sie gingen, starrten sie mit gro\u00dfen Augen auf die Menschen, die sich um sie herum bewegten. Auch wenn die Stadt, in der sie auf dem Mars lebten, ihren gerechten Anteil an Besuchern erhielt, war das nichts im Vergleich zu dem Sammelsurium an Kolonisten, H\u00e4ndlern und Siedlern, die ihren Weg durch das Zentrum kreuzten. Die Kinder wechselten sich ab und zeigten auf die Herkunft der Reisenden.\n\n\"Der alte Kerl ist vom Mars wie wir!\", sagte Daymar, als er jemanden entdeckte, der die glatte, dicke Jacke trug, die so viele Marsianer trugen, um den Staub abzuhalten.\n\n\"Diese Druckgl\u00e4ser bedeuten, dass diese Person von Gonn ist\", bemerkte Cellin, als eine Person mit einer dicken lila Brille vorbeiging und ihren Blick erwiderte.\n\n\"Und die beiden Frauen in den schuppigen gr\u00fcnen und gelben Roben sind definitiv aus Davien\", bemerkte Yela.\n\nDaymar wollte sich mit einem Herrn unterhalten, der an einer Essensausgabe breite, fette Nudeln schl\u00fcrfte und die gleichen dreifach geflochtenen Z\u00f6pfe trug wie ihre eigene Gro\u00dfmutter, und Cellin wollte gerade eine gro\u00dfe Frau mit bl\u00e4ulicher Haut fragen, woher sie kam, als Yela sie auf die anstehende Aufgabe fokussierte. So interessant die Leute auch waren, sie sollten ein Geschenk f\u00fcr Baba finden.\n\nNachdem sie sie angewiesen hatten, nichts anzufassen und Daymar die Nummer E-12 auf die Hand geschrieben hatte, damit er wusste, zu welchem Hafen er gehen musste, falls er sich verlaufen w\u00fcrde, lenkte Yela ihre beiden j\u00fcngeren Geschwister in Richtung einer Reihe von St\u00e4nden, die wundersch\u00f6nen Schmuck anboten. Es gab vergoldete Ringe, Halsketten aus Edelsteinbl\u00fcten und sogar eine Brosche, die wie ein Staubk\u00e4fer aussah, aber nach kurzem Nachdenken konnte sich keiner von ihnen daran erinnern, Baba jemals Schmuck tragen gesehen zu haben. \"Vielleicht bedeutet das, dass sie wirklich welchen braucht\", sagte Yela.\n\n\"Oder dass sie es hasst\", sagte Cellin.\n\n\"Lasst uns weiter suchen.\"\n\nSie gingen weiter durch den Markt, besuchten einen Stand mit langen T\u00fcchern zum Filtern der Luft, einen anderen Stand mit kleinen leuchtend roten Eidechsen, die zum Verkauf angeboten wurden, und einen H\u00e4ndler, der echte Pitambu-Fr\u00fcchte den ganzen Weg von Reisse her verkaufte, aber nachdem sie den Markt auf und ab gewandert waren, hatten sie ihre Optionen auf zwei St\u00e4nde eingegrenzt. Yela war der Meinung, dass sie Baba eine schicke Flasche Lotion aus Digary-Bl\u00fcten besorgen sollten, die laut dem Verk\u00e4ufer nur auf Aremis wuchs. \"Sie arbeitet viel mit ihren H\u00e4nden, und das kalte Wetter macht sie trocken\", erkl\u00e4rte Yela.\n\nCellin dachte, dass sie Baba ein kleines silbernes Multitool besorgen sollten. Es hatte einen Affenschl\u00fcssel, f\u00fcnf Schraubenzieher, einen Vollband-Burst-Scanner, einen Geigerz\u00e4hler, einen Lichtbogenbrenner, eine Nagelfeile und einen Flaschen\u00f6ffner. \"Das ist wie hundert Geschenke in einem!\" Yela wies darauf hin, dass Baba die meisten dieser Werkzeuge bereits hatte, und Cellin wies darauf hin, dass Lotion dumm sei.\n\nEs schien, als w\u00fcrde man sich nicht einigen k\u00f6nnen, als Daymar die Debatte mit den Worten beendete: \"Wir sollten ihr das schenken.\" Yela und Cellin schauten in die Richtung, in die ihr Bruder zeigte und stimmten sofort zu. Er hatte das perfekte Geschenk f\u00fcr Baba gefunden.\n\n* * *\n\n\"Es tut mir wirklich leid, aber f\u00fcr weniger kann ich es nicht gehen lassen\", sagte Vasko, die Besitzerin des Standes. Um zu zeigen, wie best\u00fcrzt sie war, sch\u00fcttelte sie leicht den Kopf, was die dicken Falten in ihrem Nacken zum Wackeln brachte. Daymar stand vor ihr, hielt das Geschenk sanft in seinen H\u00e4nden und blickte mit gro\u00dfen, hoffnungsvollen Augen auf.\n\nSie verhandelten nun schon seit einigen Minuten mit der Frau, aber sie konnte sehen, wie sehr die Kinder das Geschenk wollten und blieb standhaft. Und die Kinder wollten es wirklich. Schon beim Anblick des Geschenkes war klar, dass Baba es lieben w\u00fcrde, sogar noch mehr als die Schokolade. Funktional und wundersch\u00f6n, sie h\u00e4tten das Doppelte von Vaskos Forderung bezahlt, aber da sie sich nicht einmal das Doppelte leisten konnten, wurde es immer unwahrscheinlicher, dass sie es bekommen w\u00fcrden.\n\nYela z\u00e4hlte schnell noch einmal ihre gesammelten Gelder. Es war das ganze Notgeld, das ihr Vater ihnen gegeben hatte, plus das Taschengeld, das Yela f\u00fcr ein neues Buch gespart hatte, und der Dollar, den Daymar beim Spaziergang durch den Raumhafen in Port Renatus gefunden hatte. Trotz Yelas inbr\u00fcnstiger Hoffnung, dass der Betrag diesmal anders ausfallen w\u00fcrde, waren sie immer noch acht unter dem geforderten Preis. \"Bist du sicher, dass du nicht tiefer gehen kannst?\"\n\n\"Ich verlange schon zehn weniger als ich normalerweise verlangen w\u00fcrde, weil ihr so nette Kinder zu sein scheint, aber wenn ihr nicht genug Geld habt, kann ich leider nichts tun.\" Vasko griff danach, um das Geschenk zur\u00fcckzunehmen, aber Daymar trat aus der Reichweite.\n\n\"Bitte? Wir m\u00fcssen das f\u00fcr unseren Baba besorgen\", sagte Daymar.\n\n\"Was hast du da?\" Eine gro\u00dfe, fleischige Hand riss das Geschenk aus Daymars Griff. Die drei Kinder drehten sich um und sahen \u00fcberrascht, dass der Mann vom Transportschiff hinter ihnen stand. Er hielt sich das Geschenk vor das Gesicht. \"Oh, seht euch das an. Sehr sch\u00f6n.\"\n\n\"Gib das zur\u00fcck!\", forderte Cellin und sprang auf, um es zur\u00fcckzuerobern. Der Mann hob es hoch \u00fcber ihre K\u00f6pfe.\n\n\"Das ist f\u00fcr unseren Baba!\", f\u00fcgte Daymar hinzu.\n\n\"Nun Kinder, ihr hattet eure Chance\", schimpfte Vasko. \"Wenn dieser nette Herr es kaufen m\u00f6chte, dann gut ...\"\n\n\"Wisst ihr was? Ich glaube, ich werde es kaufen\", sagte der Mann und grinste Cellin an.\n\n\"Ausgezeichnete Wahl\", sagte Vasko. \"Du hast einen wunderbaren Geschmack.\"\n\n\"Er will es nicht einmal, er tut es nur, um gemein zu sein\", sagte Cellin.\n\n\"Da liegst du falsch, Kleiner. Ich bin eigentlich ein Sammler und das hier ist ein echter Fund\", sagte der Mann, w\u00e4hrend er es sich genauer ansah.\n\n\"Das ist es auch. All diese Details? Handarbeit. Es gibt nur sehr wenige, die so etwas haben\", sagte Vasko.\n\n\"Bitte, es muss doch eine M\u00f6glichkeit geben, dass wir -\" Yela hielt inne. Etwas fiel ihr auf dem hinteren Tresen ins Auge. \"Warte. Ist das ein Banu-Schlie\u00dffach?\"\n\n\"Hast du es jemals ge\u00f6ffnet?\"\n\n\"Nein ...\" gab Vasko z\u00f6gernd zu. \"Noch nicht.\"\n\nF\u00fcr die Oberh\u00e4upter der Banu-Gilden hergestellt, um wertvolle Gegenst\u00e4nde oder Dokumente aufzubewahren, ist jede Banu-Schlie\u00dfkassette einzigartig im Design. Um sie besonders sicher zu machen, gibt es keine zwei mit der gleichen L\u00f6sung und oft wei\u00df nicht einmal der Handwerker, der sie herstellt, wie man sie \u00f6ffnet. Wenn der urspr\u00fcngliche Besitzer verstirbt, k\u00f6nnen die Geheimnisse, die sie enth\u00e4lt, \u00fcber Generationen hinweg unentdeckt bleiben. . obwohl sie oft einfach im Prozess des \u00d6ffnens zerst\u00f6rt wurden. Das machte intakte Exemplare so selten. Yela wusste alles \u00fcber Banu-Schlie\u00dff\u00e4cher dank ihres Vaters.\n\n\"Ich kann sie f\u00fcr dich \u00f6ffnen\", sagte Yela.\n\n\"Als ob irgendein Kind ein Banu-Schloss l\u00f6sen k\u00f6nnte.\"\n\n\"Unser Vater ist ein Professor. Er h\u00e4lt Vorlesungen \u00fcber die Banu.\"\n\n\"Meinst du wirklich, du kannst es f\u00fcr mich \u00f6ffnen?\" fragte Vasko eifrig.\n\n\"F\u00fcr den richtigen Preis kann sie das\", sagte Cellin.\n\n\"Ja! Gib uns Babas Geschenk!\", beharrte Daymar und griff nach oben, wo der Mann es immer noch hielt.\n\n\"Ich versuche schon seit Jahren, es zu \u00f6ffnen ...\" Vasko \u00fcberlegte den Vorschlag. \"Wenn du es tats\u00e4chlich schaffst, dann haben wir eine Abmachung.\"\n\n\"Hey!\", protestierte der Mann. \"Ich dachte, du wolltest es mir verkaufen!\"\n\n\"Nicht mehr. Gib es her.\"\n\n\"Und wenn ich dir das Doppelte zahle?\"\n\n\"Du kannst mir das Doppelte zahlen, wenn das M\u00e4dchen keinen Erfolg hat.\" Vasko nahm dem Mann das Geschenk ab und legte dann ganz behutsam das zierliche Schlie\u00dffach vor Yela auf den Tresen. \"Man kann es nicht erzwingen. Du musst es auf die richtige Weise \u00f6ffnen.\"\n\n\"Ich wei\u00df.\" Yela wischte sich die H\u00e4nde an ihrer Hose ab, bevor sie vorsichtig \u00fcber die Oberfl\u00e4che strich. Banu hatte eine etwas andere Herangehensweise an Zahlen und Geometrie als die Menschen, also war der erste Schritt, ihr Gehirn darauf umzustellen, die Welt so zu sehen, wie sie es taten. Sie holte tief Luft und blendete die Ger\u00e4usche des Marktplatzes aus ihrem Geist aus. Es erforderte eine Menge Konzentration, Banu zu sein.\n\n\"Sie wird es nie schaffen\", sagte der Mann. \"Verdammt, ich habe hier einen Zehner, der sagt, dass sie das Ding beim Versuch kaputt macht.\"\n\n\"Ruhig!\" Cellin und Vasko sagten unisono.\n\nSie z\u00e4hlte bis siebenundzwanzig, immer und immer wieder, bis sie den richtigen Rhythmus hatte. Jeder andere ungerade Zahlenton musste zwischen dem Schlag ihres Herzens liegen. Sie legte ihren Zeigefinger auf die glatte Stelle an der kurzen Seite des Kastens und ihren Daumen auf die Ecke, die ihr am n\u00e4chsten war, und klopfte mit. Als sie das Gef\u00fchl hatte, dass sie es richtig hatte, dr\u00fcckte sie fest im Takt, passend zu dem schwarz-wei\u00dfen Muster, das sich auf dem Rand der Box wiederholte. Beim f\u00fcnften Klopfen klickte die Schachtel und eine Reihe von Rillen erhob sich an der Oberseite.\n\n\"Sie hat es geschafft!\", rief Vasko aus.\n\n\"Nur den ersten Teil\", sagte Yela und dachte bei sich, \"den leichten Teil.\" Sie drehte die Kiste und richtete ihre H\u00e4nde so aus, dass sie sich \u00fcber den Rillen verschr\u00e4nkten. Als sie wieder zu z\u00e4hlen begann, wurde sie von einer Durchsage aus den Stationslautsprechern unterbrochen.\n\n\"Alle Passagiere f\u00fcr Europa, dies ist der letzte Aufruf zum Einsteigen.\"\n\n\"Oh nein! Das ist unser Flug!\" Yela verlor v\u00f6llig den Faden. \"Wir m\u00fcssen zur\u00fcck.\"\n\n\"Wir k\u00f6nnen nicht ohne das Geschenk gehen\", sagte Cellin.\n\n\"Wir d\u00fcrfen unser Shuttle nicht verpassen\", sagte Yela.\n\n\"Ich sch\u00e4tze, es sieht so aus, als h\u00e4ttet ihr doch keinen Deal\", sagte der Mann fr\u00f6hlich.\n\n\"Docking-port E-12. Letzter Aufruf f\u00fcr Europa\", sagte die Stimme \u00fcber das Tannoy.\n\n\"Hier\", sagte Vasko und hielt das Geschenk hin. \"Nimm es. Ich habe die Box schon seit Jahren und bin noch nie so weit gekommen.\"\n\n\"Bist du sicher?\", fragte Yela.\n\n\"Sie ist sicher\", sagte Cellin, w\u00e4hrend sie das Geschenk nahm und es in ihre Tasche steckte.\n\n\"Sie ist verr\u00fcckt, das ist sie\", beschwerte sich der Mann.\n\n\"Versprich mir einfach, dass du das n\u00e4chste Mal, wenn du in Banaru bist, vorbeikommst.\"\n\n\"Wir versprechen es!\", sagten die drei Geschwister, bevor sie sich umdrehten und \u00fcber den Marktplatz rannten.\n\n* * *\n\nDer Korridor war \u00fcberf\u00fcllt mit Menschen. Ein Starliner aus Croshaw hatte gerade angedockt und die Passagiere str\u00f6mten aus ihm heraus und versperrten den Weg. Yela und Cellin versuchten einen Weg hindurch zu finden, Yela indem sie \"Entschuldigung\" sagte und Cellin indem er schob.\n\nDaymar hatte es viel leichter, sich an der Menge vorbeizuschl\u00e4ngeln. Bald war er vor seinen Schwestern. Yela versuchte ihm zu sagen, er solle warten, aber er konnte sie wegen des L\u00e4rms nicht h\u00f6ren. Bald erreichte er den Punkt, an dem sich der Korridor in Richtung der einzelnen Docking-Ports aufteilte. Yela versuchte, sich an einer Gruppe von Reisenden vorbeizudr\u00e4ngen, die sich zum Abschied umarmten, als sie sah, wie Daymar innehielt und den Wegweiser studierte. Er hob seine Hand, schaute auf das verschmierte E-12, das Yela vorhin aufgeschrieben hatte, und bog nach links in den Korridor in Richtung Andockstelle F-12 ein.\n\n\"Daymar, warte!\"\n\nEr hielt inne und blickte zu ihnen zur\u00fcck. Yela eilte um eine festgefahrene Gep\u00e4ckdrohne herum und winkte ihm dringend zu, zur\u00fcck zu kommen, aber er winkte nur zur\u00fcck und ging in die falsche Richtung weiter und verschwand aus dem Blickfeld.\n\nYela bedauerte sofort, dass sie nicht mehr Zeit damit verbracht hatte, ihm beim Lernen seiner Buchstaben zu helfen.\n\nVerzweifelt \u00fcbernahm Yela Cellins Methode der Durchquerung und bald schon dr\u00e4ngten sich die beiden durch das Gedr\u00e4nge der Menschen. Als sie es endlich hinter sich gelassen hatten, sahen sie Daymar vor der Luftschleuse des Andocktores stehen.\n\n\"Daymar! Das ist die falsche -\"\n\nZu sp\u00e4t. Er st\u00fcrzte an Bord. Yela und Cellin rannten ihm hinterher.\n\nAls sie die Luftschleuse passierten, traten die Schwestern in den riesigen Laderaum eines gro\u00dfen Transportschiffes. Daymar stand ein paar Schritte weiter drinnen und starrte auf die Reihen von massiven Frachtcontainern.\n\n\"Wir d\u00fcrfen auf diesem Schiff fliegen?\", fragte Daymar, aufgeregt von der Aussicht. \"Wo sind die Sitze?\"\n\n\"Nein, sind wir nicht. Komm mit. Wir m\u00fcssen gehen\", sagte Yela. Sie packte Daymar und zog ihn zur\u00fcck zur Luftschleuse, als diese sich mit einem Zischen vor ihnen versiegelte.\n\nYela eilte zu den Kontrollen und dr\u00fcckte den Ausl\u00f6seknopf, aber ein roter Alarm sagte ihr, dass sie keine Erlaubnis hatte. Bevor sie herausfinden konnte, was sie als n\u00e4chstes tun sollte, ert\u00f6nte ein lautes Grollen, als die Triebwerke zum Leben erwachten.\n\n\"Sieht aus, als w\u00fcrden wir auf diesem Schiff fliegen\", sagte Cellin.\n\nDaymar jubelte, als sie sich vom Dock abkoppelten.\n\nFortsetzung folgt","zh_CN":"A Gift for Baba\n04\/13\/2021 - 5:00 PM\n\nBy: Will Weissbaum\n\nWriter's Note: A Gift for Baba (Part One) first appeared in Jump Point 5.8. Original artwork by Sean Andrew Murray.\nPart One\nYela lightly knocked on the hatch to the rear restroom, \u201cDaymar?\u201d\n\nA deep, older voice replied, \u201cOccupied.\u201d\n\nThat was the last restroom on the transport ship. Suddenly, the hope that her younger brother had disappeared to use the restroom abruptly vanished, alongside the chances of her being able to go back to reading her new book anytime soon. Though, if she were being fair, the book was in large part to blame for her current predicament. If she hadn\u2019t been so wrapped up in Lord Falton\u2019s attempt to reclaim the throne for House Ashen Grey, then maybe she would have noticed sooner that her brother had vacated his seat.\n\nIt was their first time flying by themselves and it was already going wrong. Her father had almost canceled the trip when he found out he had to stay and give a lecture, but Yela had convinced him to let them travel to see Baba all on their own. Of course, the whole thing would have been simpler if dad had agreed to her original plan of administering sedatives before they launched. It would have been so much easier! If stasis was good enough for the early space travelers, why not for her brother and sister?\n\nInstead, when he was saying goodbye to them on Mars, their father had made Daymar and Cellin promise to listen to their older sister. So far, Yela felt like her two younger siblings had done almost everything but listen to her.\n\nEven her simple requests like don\u2019t touch the in-flight shopping kiosk had been ignored. Sure, oatmeal was her favorite cookie and it was sort of nice that Cellin had ordered them for her ... and they had tasted way better than the nutri-sticks their dad had packed for them, plus it did mean that they were all less tempted to eat the fancy chocolates they had brought as a gift for Baba . . . but still, it was the principle of the thing. These things weren\u2019t free after all, and her brother, all she asked him to do was stay put and even that proved too hard. Why did he always have to wander off like this?\n\nYela ran through her mental list of places to search one more time. She had already checked the lounge, the view port and the attendant bay, and had walked all the aisles twice. Cellin was watching their seats and hadn\u2019t seen him. If Daymar wasn\u2019t using any of the restrooms, then where was he? Had he found a way into the engine room? Was he hurt? Did someone take him? Her heart began to pulse faster at the thought that her brother might actually be in trouble.\n\n\u201cYou mind moving?\u201d came a deep voice from close behind her.\n\nYela nearly jumped out of her skin, then turned to see an elderly woman trying to exit from the restroom.\n\nStepping out of the way, Yela watched the silver haired woman grumble her way down the aisle.\n\nDerailed from her worrying, she took a deep breath and calmed herself, remembering the advice that Baba had given during their last visit. \u201cAs long as you\u2019re still breathing, you\u2019re already doing better than the billions of people who came before you.\u201d Dad hated when Baba said stuff like that, but Yela appreciated the way her grandmother could always put things into perspective. Okay, maybe it hadn\u2019t been perfect, but all things considered, their first time traveling through space by themselves could be going a lot worse. For example, on the bright side, since none of the pressure alarms had sounded, she knew that at least her brother was still on the ship.\n\n\u201cI swear, if you kick the seat one more time I\u2019m gonna have you tossed out an airlock!\u201d\n\nFor the moment, at least.\n\nHurrying down the aisle, Yela saw a large, red-faced man glaring angrily at the row behind his. Row 15. Her row. And just as she feared, there was her little sister Cellin, staring back up at the man, equally red faced. \u201cI\u2019d like to see you try!\u201d countered Cellin.\n\n\u201cOh, you would, would you?!?\u201d\n\n\u201cCellin, what is going on?\u201d Yela asked as she drew near to the heated scene.\n\nWithout taking her eyes off the man\u2019s face Cellin answered, \u201cHe was saying bad stuff about people who live on Europa.\u201d\n\nThat explained it. Europa was where Baba lived and Cellin was fiercely protective of the people she cared about. Dad described her as \u201cfilled with dangerously noble intentions.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat I say is my own business,\u201d said the man. He pointed a thick finger square at Yela\u2019s nose. \u201cDo you know how much I paid for this ticket?\u201d The man bellowed. \u201cWay too much to have some little snot-nosed brat kick my \u2014\u201d\n\nBefore he could finish his tirade, the door to the overhead luggage compartment near his head opened with a snap. From inside a tiny face peered out. Sleepily, the boy rubbed at his eye with the back of his hand. \u201cAre we at Baba\u2019s yet?\u201d\n\n\u201cDaymar!\u201d Yela cried in relief.\n\n\u201cHi, Yela. I found a bunk bed like at home,\u201d said Daymar, before reaching an arm out to the man. \u201cHelp me down, please?\u201d\n\nThe man, still a little bewildered by the sudden change of events, lifted Daymar from the bin and set him down gently on the ground.\n\nAlmost out of instinct, Yela prompted, \u201cWhat do you say, Daymar?\u201d\n\n\u201cThank you,\u201d said Daymar.\n\n\u201cUh. Sure,\u201d the man replied, not quite certain what else to do.\n\n\u201cI\u2019m going to need all of you to clear the aisle and take your seats,\u201d a passing attendant informed them. \u201cWe are going to be turning off gravity for our approach soon.\u201d\n\nThe man seemed to remember some of his anger at the sight of someone in uniform. \u201cHey, you. Wait a minute.\u201d\n\nThe attendant paused, \u201cYes, sir?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou got to do something about these kids. They\u2019ve been arguing, kicking my seat, and climbing all over the place.\u201d\n\n\u201cIs that so?\u201d The attendant asked Yela.\n\nYela pulled herself up to her full height (which was a full five centimeters taller than last year) and used her most serious adult voice to say, \u201cHe said spurious and hurtful comments about Europa and its inhabitants.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh, is that so?\u201d The attendant asked the man.\n\n\u201cWell, I \u2014\u201d\n\nCellin immediately jumped in.\n\n\u201cHe did! He said that people from Europa were all cold-blooded liars and when I said my grandma was from Europa, he told me to shut up, but I wouldn\u2019t because he was wrong, so I kicked his seat, and then he said he was going to throw me out an airlock.\u201d\n\n\u201cNow, just wait a minute, here. You don\u2019t think that I \u2014\u201d started the man, but the attendant cut him off. \u201cSir, right now all I know is that we are approaching our transfer station and everyone needs to get strapped in, even people like you.\u201d She turned to the children, \u201cAs for you three, come along. Let\u2019s see if we can\u2019t find you somewhere better to sit.\u201d\n\nWith that, the attendant marched Daymar, Cellin and Yela past the man (Cellin glaring at him like a hawk as she passed) and up the stairs to the executive lounge.\n\nThe room was elegantly furnished in brass fixtures and dark woods, while the entire front wall was lined with a display that projected a realtime view of the ship\u2019s trajectory. Much better than the view from the small seatback displays. The room was mostly empty, with only a few of the plush chairs occupied.\n\n\u201cWe were a little light today, so we have extra seats in here, but I need you to promise me that you won\u2019t be any trouble if I let you sit up here.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe promise,\u201d they responded in near unison, with Cellin chiming in just a fraction later than her siblings, since she was never one to take a promise lightly.\n\n\u201cGood. Now, let\u2019s strap you into your harnesses.\u201d The attendant helped Daymar and Cellin position their zero-G harnesses into place, while Yela proudly did her own, glad of the instructions she had read earlier in the safety manual.\n\n\u201cThere, all set,\u201d said the attendant as she adjusted Cellin\u2019s last strap. \u201cOh, and my father was from Europa too,\u201d she said with a wink before leaving to attend to other passengers.\n\nDaymar sunk back into the thick padding of the seat with comfortable sigh. \u201cI like being an executive. Cellin, do you think you can kick someone on our next flight too?\u201d\n\n\u201cYes!\u201d \u201cNo!\u201d Cellin and Yela answered respectively and simultaneously.\n\n\u201cPrepare for zero-g,\u201d announced the tannoy. The little gravity warning light overhead clicked on, the counter-spin thrusters fired, and a moment later, they felt themselves lighten until they were pressing against the seat harnesses. \u201cMaking final approach to Transfer Station Banaru. Stand by.\u201d\n\nAhead on the viewscreen, a small speck was quickly growing larger until you could just make out that it was a spoked space station. Long arms jutted out from its central hub and connected to an outer ring, giving it the appearance of a robotic wagon wheel. The station spun about its axis, using centripetal acceleration to provide gravity to those onboard. However, as their ship approached, the spinning appeared to slow to a stop. Yela began to explain to Daymar that it wasn\u2019t the station that was slowing, but rather it was their ship that had begun rotating at the same speed, only making the station look like it had stopped. She would have gone on to explain more about docking procedures, but Daymar had already fallen fast asleep.\n\n* * *\n\nTransfer Station Banaru was a hive of activity. Situated just outside the Sol-Croshaw jump point, travelers from all over both systems arrived to switch between smaller local shuttles and larger starliners. Over the years, Banaru steadily grew from all the traffic passing through and now, as it proudly proclaimed in multiple signs posted throughout station, it had a full hotel, exotic food court and bustling marketplace. The food court was especially popular with people arriving from Croshaw, since it is recommended that you fly on an empty stomach through interspace, at least the first few times until you get used to the sensation.\n\nIn a quieter section of the station, the three siblings sat on chairs near the E-12 docking port waiting for their shuttlecraft to Europa to depart. They had just over an hour to go \u2014 precisely seventy-one standard Earth minutes according to Daymar, who had very recently learned how to tell time. Through the thick viewing-pane, Yela watched as the transport they had arrived on, having refueled and taken on new passengers, drift away from the station towards the flashing jump point beacons in the distance. Already she could see it spin as its rotation went out of synch with Banaru\u2019s own. As excited as she was to visit her grandmother, part of her longed to visit another system.\n\n\u201cWhat are you looking at?\u201d Daymar asked his older sister.\n\n\u201cOur transport ship is about to go through the jump point, see?\u201d Yela pointed to where the ship waited to spin up its drives.\n\n\u201cThey left without us!\u201d cried out Daymar as he rushed to the viewing-pane.\n\nYela got up and put a comforting hand on the boy\u2019s back. \u201cNo, remember? That ship is going to Croshaw. We\u2019re getting on a different ship to go to Baba\u2019s.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh,\u201d said Daymar. A tiny bright light flared and the ship breached interspace, disappearing from sight. \u201cThen why did we leave Baba\u2019s gift on that one?\u201d\n\nCellin and Yela shared a panicked look before both of them quickly dumped open their bags looking for the box of chocolates they had brought along for their grandmother. They had picked out the flavors together at Baba\u2019s favorite chocolatier in Port Retanus. She always talked about how it was the thing she missed most about living on the red planet, aside from the three of them and their father, of course. Baba even joked that the only reason she still visited was to refill her supply.\n\nThe first time they had visited her on Europa, they had sat curled up under a blanket together watching one of the crystal storms through the small porthole in her workshop. They each had gotten to select one of the chocolates from the box and Baba showed them how she would eat around the edge, letting each bite melt, before finally popping the filling in her mouth.\n\nAnd now, thanks to being so distracted by the argument, they had forgotten Baba\u2019s gift on the starliner and her chocolates were somewhere in a whole other star system.\n\n\u201cIt was in the back pocket of the seat,\u201d Daymar reminded them. \u201cYou said I wasn\u2019t allowed to touch it, even though I promised to be careful.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhy didn\u2019t you say something!\u201d Cellin demanded.\n\nDaymar\u2019s eyes got wide like they did when he was about to cry. Yela felt like crying too, but that wasn\u2019t going to help anything. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t his fault. I forgot too.\u201d\n\n\u201cBaba\u2019s going to be so mad with us,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cNo, she isn\u2019t,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cYes, she is,\u201d said Cellin. The thought of Baba being mad at him was enough to burst Daymar\u2019s seal and tears came flooding down his face. His face curled like he was about to cry out, but the sound never came. Daymar had always been a quiet cryer. Their father said it was like watching a vid on mute.\n\n\u201cIt\u2019s my fault for getting into a stupid fight with that stupid man. It\u2019s always my fault.\u201d And with that, Cellin angrily crossed her arms and started to cry as well.\n\n\u201cIf anyone\u2019s to blame, it\u2019s me. I should\u2019ve remembered,\u201d said Yela. \u201cI\u2019m in charge.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re right. It is your fault,\u201d agreed Cellin through her tears. That\u2019s when Yela started to cry too.\n\nNow, if a different attendant had been assigned to watch over them at the docking-port, things might have gone very differently for the three siblings. However, Tyva Montclair had been given the task and if asked, Tyva would quickly tell you that even from a very young age she has been no good with children. At the sight of the three siblings sobbing their eyes out, instead of going to comfort them and find out what was wrong, Tyva decided that she in fact really needed to use the restroom at that exact moment, and that is exactly what she did.\n\nLeft on their own, the children continued to cry for a few minutes longer. Daymar was the first to run out of tears. Sniffling, a thought occurred to him. \u201cLet\u2019s get her a new present.\u201d\n\n\u201cThose chocolates were from Mars, we can\u2019t get her more,\u201d explained Yela.\n\n\u201cWe can get her something better,\u201d said Daymar with growing enthusiasm.\n\n\u201cThere\u2019s probably something stellar in the market! That sign says it\u2019s the best shopping in the whole sector,\u201d said Cellin, suddenly caught up in the idea that there might be an adventure happening soon.\n\n\u201cBut the attendant said we weren\u2019t supposed to leave,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cGood thing she isn\u2019t here then,\u201d Cellin pointed out. \u201cWe can go get a gift and be back before she even knows we\u2019re gone.\u201d\n\n\u201cI don\u2019t think we should. We could get in trouble.\u201d\n\n\u201cRemember what Baba says? No one\u2019s ever done anything great without getting into at least a little bit of trouble,\u201d quoted Cellin.\n\nYela remembered this as another of Baba\u2019s sayings that their father didn\u2019t like.\n\nBefore she could respond, Yela saw Daymar already heading down the corridor towards the central hub. \u201cWait up!\u201d\n\n* * *\n\nThe trio traveled down the connector spoke until it opened up into the vaulted central hub. Rimmed along the sides by multiple floors, the massive space was filled with people flitting from stall to stall \u2014 shopping, eating and talking. There was even a live musician playing complicated music on a lexion from Persei. Daymar covered his ears as they walked past, not yet accustomed to the recently-introduced instrument\u2019s rasping and buzzing.\n\nAs they walked, they stared wide eyed at the people flowing around them. Even though the town they lived in on Mars received its fair share of visitors, it was nothing compared to the hodgepodge of colonists, traders and settlers that crisscrossed their way through the hub. The children took turns pointing out the travelers\u2019 origins.\n\n\u201cThat old guy is from Mars like us!\u201d said Daymar, spotting someone wearing the smooth, thick jacket-style that so many Martians wore to keep out the dust.\n\n\u201cThose pressure lenses mean that person is from Gonn,\u201d noted Cellin as a person wearing a thick set of purple goggles walked past returning her stare.\n\n\u201cAnd those two women wearing the scaly green and yellow robes are definitely from Davien,\u201d observed Yela.\n\nDaymar wanted to talk to a gentleman slurping wide, fat noodles at a food counter who had the same triple-plaited braids that their own grandmother wore, and Cellin was about to go ask a tall woman with blueish skin where she was from, when Yela focused them on the task at hand. As interesting as the people were, they were supposed to be finding a gift for Baba.\n\nAfter instructing them not to touch anything, and writing E-12 on Daymar\u2019s hand so he would know which docking port to go to if he got lost, Yela steered her two younger siblings towards a row of stalls that featured beautiful jewelry. There were gilded rings, necklaces made from gemstone flowers, and even a broach that looked like a dust beetle, but after thinking for a bit, none of them could ever remember seeing Baba wear jewelry. \u201cMaybe that means she really needs some,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cOr that she hates it,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cLet\u2019s keep looking.\u201d\n\nThey proceeded through the marketplace, visiting a stall with long scarves for filtering air, another stall with little bright red lizards for sale, and a hawker who was peddling genuine pitambu fruit all the way from Reisse, but after wandering up and down the market, they had narrowed down their options to two booths. Yela thought that they should get Baba a fancy bottle of lotion made from digary blossoms that, according to the vendor, only grew on Aremis. \u201cShe works with her hands a lot, and the cold weather makes them dry,\u201d explained Yela.\n\nCellin thought that they should get Baba a little silver multitool. It had a monkey wrench, five screw-drivers, a fullband burst scanner, a Geiger counter, an arc-torch, a nail file and a bottle opener. \u201cIt\u2019s like a hundred gifts in one!\u201d Yela pointed out that Baba already had most of those tools, and Cellin pointed out that lotion was stupid.\n\nIt seemed like there wasn\u2019t going to be any way to reach an agreement, when Daymar settled the debate saying \u201cWe should get her that.\u201d Yela and Cellin looked to where their brother was pointing and agreed instantly. He had found the perfect gift for Baba.\n\n* * *\n\n\u201cI am truly sorry, but I cannot let it go for any less,\u201d said Vasko, the owner of the stall. To show how dismayed she was, she gently shook her head, which caused the thick folds in her neck to wobble. Daymar stood in front of her, gently holding the gift in his hands, staring up with wide, hopeful eyes.\n\nThey had been negotiating with the woman for several minutes now, but she could see how much the children wanted the gift and was holding firm. And the children really did want it. Just looking at the gift, it was clear that Baba would love it, even more than the chocolate. Functional and beautiful, they would have paid twice as much as Vasko was asking, but since they couldn\u2019t even afford to pay once what she was asking, it was looking less and less likely they were going to be able to get it.\n\nYela quickly counted their pooled funds again. It was all the emergency money their father had given them, plus the allowance Yela had been saving for a new book and the dollar that Daymar had found walking through the spaceport in Port Renatus. Despite Yela\u2019s fervent hope that the amount would come out different this time, they were still eight short of the asking price. \u201cAre you sure you can\u2019t go lower?\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m already charging ten less than I normally would because you seem like such nice children, but if you do not have enough money, I am afraid there is nothing I can do.\u201d Vasko reached to take back the gift, but Daymar stepped out of reach.\n\n\u201cPlease? We have to get this for our Baba,\u201d said Daymar.\n\n\u201cWhat do you have here?\u201d A big meaty hand plucked the gift from Daymar\u2019s grasp. The three children turned, surprised to see the man from the transport ship standing behind them. He held the gift up to his face. \u201cOh, look at this. Very nice.\u201d\n\n\u201cGive that back!\u201d demanded Cellin jumping up to try to snatch it back. The man raised it high above their heads.\n\n\u201cThat\u2019s for our Baba!\u201d added Daymar.\n\n\u201cNow children, you had your chance,\u201d scolded Vasko. \u201cIf this nice gentleman wishes to purchase it, then well . . .\u201d\n\n\u201cYou know what? I think I am gonna buy it,\u201d said the man, sneering at Cellin.\n\n\u201cExcellent choice,\u201d said Vasko. \u201cYou have wonderful taste.\u201d\n\n\u201cHe doesn\u2019t even want it, he\u2019s just doing it to be mean,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cYou\u2019re wrong there, kiddo. I\u2019m actually a collector and this is a real find,\u201d said the man while examining it closer.\n\n\u201cThat it is. All that detail work? Hand done. Very few like it,\u201d said Vasko.\n\n\u201cPlease, there has to be some way we can \u2014\u201d Yela paused. Something caught her eye on the back counter. \u201cWait. Is that a Banu lockbox?\u201d\n\n\u201cHave you ever opened it?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo . . .\u201d Vasko reluctantly admitted. \u201cNot yet.\u201d\n\nCrafted for the heads of Banu guilds to hold valuable items or documents, every Banu lockbox is unique in design. To make them extra secure, no two have the same solution and often not even the artisan who makes them knows how to open them. When the original owner passes away, whatever mysteries it holds can remained unclaimed for generations . . . though often they were simply destroyed in the process of opening them. That\u2019s what made intact ones so rare. Yela knew all about Banu lockboxes thanks to her father.\n\n\u201cI can open it for you,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cLike some kid can solve a Banu lock.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur father\u2019s a professor. He lectures on the Banu.\u201d\n\n\u201cDo you really think you can open it for me?\u201d Vasko asked eagerly.\n\n\u201cShe can for the right price,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cYeah! Give us Baba\u2019s gift!\u201d insisted Daymar, reaching up to where the man still held it.\n\n\u201cI have been trying to open it for years . . .\u201d Vasko considered the proposition. \u201cIf you can actually do it, then we have a deal.\u201d\n\n\u201cHey!\u201d the man protested. \u201cI thought you were going to sell it to me!\u201d\n\n\u201cNot anymore. Hand it here.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhat if I pay you twice as much?\u201d\n\n\u201cYou can pay me twice as much when the girl proves unsuccessful.\u201d Vasko took the gift from the man and then, very gingerly, she placed the delicate lockbox on the counter in front of Yela. \u201cNo forcing it. You have to open it the proper way.\u201d\n\n\u201cI know.\u201d Yela wiped her hands off on her pants before gently running them over the surface. Banu had a slightly different approach to numbers and geometry than Humans did, so the first step was to switch her brain to see the world the way they did. She took a deep breath and blocked the sounds of the marketplace from her mind. It took a lot of concentration to be Banu.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019ll never do it,\u201d said the man. \u201cHeck, I got a ten-spot right here that says she breaks the thing trying.\u201d\n\n\u201cQuiet!\u201d Cellin and Vasko said in unison.\n\nShe counted to twenty-seven over and over until she had the right rhythm. Every other odd number sound needed to strike between the beat of her heart. Placing her index finger on the smooth spot along the short side of the box and her thumb on the corner closest to her, she tapped along. When she felt she had it right, she pressed firmly in time, matching the black and white pattern that repeated on the edge of the box. On the fifth tap, the box clicked and a series of ridges rose along the top.\n\n\u201cShe did it!\u201d exclaimed Vasko.\n\n\u201cOnly the first part,\u201d said Yela, and thought to herself, \u201cthe easy part.\u201d Rotating the box, she adjusted her hands so that they interlaced over the ridges. As she began to count again, she was interrupted by an announcement from the station speakers.\n\n\u201cAll passengers for Europa, this is your last boarding call.\u201d\n\n\u201cOh no! That\u2019s our flight!\u201d Yela completely lost her train of thought. \u201cWe have to get back.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe can\u2019t leave without the gift,\u201d said Cellin.\n\n\u201cWe can\u2019t miss our shuttle,\u201d said Yela.\n\n\u201cI guess it looks like you don\u2019t have a deal after all,\u201d said the man happily.\n\n\u201cDocking-port E-12. Last call for Europa,\u201d said the voice on the tannoy.\n\n\u201cHere,\u201d said Vasko, holding out the gift. \u201cTake it. I\u2019ve had the box for years and I never even got this far.\u201d\n\n\u201cAre you sure?\u201d asked Yela.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s sure,\u201d said Cellin as she took the gift and placed it in her bag.\n\n\u201cShe\u2019s crazy is what she is,\u201d complained the man.\n\n\u201cJust promise me that you\u2019ll stop by next time you\u2019re in Banaru.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe promise!\u201d said the three siblings before they turned and raced through the marketplace.\n\n* * *\n\nThe corridor was jammed with people. A starliner arriving from Croshaw had just docked, and passengers were streaming out from it, clogging the way. Yela and Cellin tried to find a way through, Yela by saying, \u201cExcuse me\u201d and Cellin by shoving.\n\nDaymar was having a much easier time weaving his way past the crowd. Soon he was ahead of his sisters. Yela tried to tell him to wait up, but he couldn\u2019t hear her over the din. Soon, he reached the point where the corridor split off towards the individual docking-ports. Yela was trying to squeeze past a group of sojourners hugging each other goodbye, when she saw Daymar pause and study the directional. He held up his hand, looked at the smudged E-12 Yela had written there earlier, and turned left down the corridor towards docking-port F-12.\n\n\u201cDaymar, wait!\u201d\n\nHe paused to look back at them. Rushing around a stalled luggage drone, Yela urgently waved for him to come back, but he just returned her wave and continued down the wrong way, disappearing from view.\n\nYela was instantly filled with regret for not spending more time helping him learn his letters.\n\nDesperate, Yela adopted Cellin\u2019s method of traversal and soon the two of them were pushing their way through the throng of people. When they finally cleared it, they saw Daymar standing in front of the docking-port\u2019s airlock.\n\n\u201cDaymar! That\u2019s the wrong \u2014\u201d\n\nToo late. He rushed on board. Yela and Cellin ran after him.\n\nPassing through the airlock, the sisters emerged into the cavernous hold of a large hauling ship. Daymar stood a few steps in, gawping up at the rows and rows of massive cargo containers.\n\n\u201cWe get to fly on this ship?\u201d asked Daymar, excited by the prospect.\u201dWhere are the seats?\u201d\n\n\u201cNo, we\u2019re not. Come on. We have to go,\u201d said Yela. She grabbed Daymar and pulled him back towards the airlock when it sealed with a hiss in front of them.\n\nYela hurried to the controls and pressed the release button, but a red alert told her she didn\u2019t have permission. Before she could figure out what to do next, a loud rumble sounded as the engines came to life.\n\n\u201cLooks like we are flying on this ship,\u201d said Cellin.\n\nDaymar cheered as they disconnected from the dock.\n\nTo be continued"},"links_count":0,"comment_count":0,"created_at":"2021-04-14T02:00:00+00:00","created_at_human":"5 years ago"},"meta":{"processed_at":"2026-04-24 23:56:47","valid_relations":["images","links","translations"],"prev_id":18078,"next_id":18081}}