Sierra's Voyage - Chapter 2

Sierra ran and ran until her legs burned and her lungs felt ready to burst from the strain. Finally, exhausted, she slowed to a stumbling walk. Her thoughts were a whirlwind in her mind, full of panicked questions. Where would she go? She couldn’t go home, and she had no money, or food, or anything else, except the clothes she was wearing. At least it wasn’t cold yet. Maybe she could camp out somewhere, and decide what to do in the morning.

But no, that wouldn’t work either. Eventually, people would come looking for her, and she couldn’t get far enough away on foot that they wouldn’t catch up with her. She needed to get away quickly, or hide. She needed help.

Sierra looked around at her surroundings, wondering who could, and would, help her hide. She was near the spacer’s district, a warren of shops, bars, and restaurants catering to the crews of the ships that landed at the local spaceport. She could just see the tops of some ships over the buildings.

It was too bad all her money was at home. It she’s had her savings with her, she could have tried to buy a ticket somewhere. Minors weren’t allowed to buy tickets, but she might have been able to bribe one of the ticket agents. Her friend Francis worked part-time at the spaceport as one of the cargo inspectors, and he was always telling her stories about the different bribes offered for smuggling.

Then it hit her. Maybe she could sneak aboard one of the ships that was outbound. She was sure she could hide amongst the cargo, and by the time she was discovered, they would be in space. And then they would be stuck with her.

Having made up her mind, Sierra began jogging towards the spaceport. When she got there, she wandered amongst the ships, trying to be unobtrusive. At this point, she didn’t really care where the ship was going, so long as it was leaving tonight. As she was debating the best way to hide in a pile of containers waiting for delivery into the cargo holds of a ship, she heard her name.

“Sierra! What are you doing on this side town?” called a cheerful male voice. Sierra momentarily tensed, and then relaxed as she recognized Francis’ voice. Francis was a strange guy. He had been friends with her for years, but had never made a pass at her like the other boys their age. Turning to face him, she smiled.

“Hi Francis. How’s work going?” She tried to look innocent, as if she always prowled around the spaceport at dusk.

Francis just looked at her for a few seconds. Then, he put his arm around her and led her to a nearby bench. “I heard about Daren. I’m sorry.”

Sierra looked startled. “How did you hear? My parents just told me…” She looked down at her watch. Had it really been 2 hours already?

“Daren was bragging about it at school.” Francis was silent a moment, then asked again. “So, what are you doing here?”

Feeling sheepish, Sierra admitted “I’m trying to smuggle myself onto a ship and get out of here. Want to help?” She asked, half joking, half hopeful.

Francis looked thoughtful for a while. Just as Sierra began to fidget, he spoke up. “I have my own reasons for not likely arranged marriages.” Sierra looked up, startled. “You don’t need to know what they are,” he broke in before she could ask. “Just take it that you are my friend, and I don’t want to see you end up with someone like Daren. You deserve better. I’ll help you.”

While Sierra was still digesting this, he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her feet. They walked quickly, Francis moving purposefully towards a small ship that Sierra had overlooked. “This ship isn’t great, and it isn’t going to the Hub, but the captain owes me a favor.”

As they strode toward it, Sierra looked more closely at the ship. It was small, and older. Honestly, it didn't even look space-worthy. "Francis, are you sure that ship is safe?" she asked, giving the ship another dubious look.

"I'm sure. It may not look great, but it will get you off Theta 5, and that is all that really matters, right?"

"Well...." Sierra hesitated for a only moment before making her decision. "Let's go talk to the Captain."

Grinning, Francis led her around to the open door of the cargo bay. Once inside, he stopped next to a young man who was checking inventory against a list on his palmpad. "Hey Mike, do you know where the Captain is?" Francis casually asked.

"Last I saw him, he was heading out for a drink. I think he likes Pure Ice, just down the Row," Mike replied, never looking up from his checklist.