Chapter 2p4 – Wait For Clearance

While Milly deposited her backpack in the passenger cabin near the front of the Galactic Pelican, Tic went into the hold to inspect for any damage caused during loading. There were a handful of scuffs on the floor and one gouge in the starboard bulkhead, but the cargo itself looked okay.

“I’m all set,” said Milly from the doorway.

“Great,” said Tic.

“Are we ready to go, then?”

“Not yet.” Tic checked the tightness of one of the straps the teamsters had used to tie down a big, bulky machine of some sort. “We have to wait for clearance to launch. Once we get that, we’ll launch into orbit and start the Origami Engine up to charge for the jump.”

Milly wrinkled her forehead, which made her look like an unhappy toddler. “That’s a dimensional folding drive, right? Is Pelly a smooth flier?”

“Smooth enough.”

“I went through a dimensional fold a couple of weeks ago, and it felt like my stomach got turned inside out,” said Milly.

“That’s common for your first trip,” said Tic. “You must not have done much travelling before, then?”

Milly shook her head. “This is the first big trip I’ve ever been on.”

“I did something similar when I was your age,” said Tic. “I took a whole month to explore the solar system I grew up in. It was pretty eye-opening. I spent four days puking my guts out in a Rixxian hostel. If a guy with three eyes offers you a free drink, take my advice: turn him down and walk away.”

Milly laughed. “I will. I’m not on vacation, though.”

“No?”

“I’m actually on… Well, this sounds really pretentious, but it’s kind of a quest.”

About Tim Sevenhuysen

Tim Sevenhuysen writes sci-fi and other genre fiction. He is a microfiction expert, having written over 600 fifty-word stories. He is also a noncertifiable lunatic.

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