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“You’re too late,” she said.
“Wait!” I said. “We have tickets!”
The stewardess checked them and shrugged her shoulders.
“I’m very sorry, sir,” she said. “The ship is about to leave.”
The giant ship pulled away from the terminal and took its spot lining up to take off.
“But we’re passengers!” I said “And I bought expensive tickets! Surely the ship can wait a few minutes for us to get on?”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Once the ship begins to taxi, it’s too late. If you return to the ticket office, I’m sure you’ll receive a full refund.”
“I don’t want a refund!” I said. “I want my seat!”
“I can’t help you,” the stewardess said and left armed with a boxful of equipment.
“Does that mean we can’t see her again?” Cleb said.
“I… I don’t know,” I said.
Still exhausted from our exertion to get there in time, we fell into a pair of seats. I hugged Cleb close.
“It’s okay,” I said. “We still have each other, right?”
Cleb sniffed and squeezed me harder.
“I miss her,” he said.
“So do I.”
I watched as Bianca’s ship moved up a place in the line. Interstellar ships were so big they needed a huge area to take off from, otherwise, they would blow so much dust and debris around the area that it would affect local weather patterns. Spaceports were designed to keep as much of the impact of them taking off within its confines as possible. Only one ship could take off at a time.
Ahead of Bianca’s passenger ship was an even larger ship. It was a merchant vessel that transported products, resources, and equipment from one planet to another. An intergalactic empire required an unbelievable amount of resources to be shuttled from one end of the galaxy to the other.
But it wasn’t the merchant ship that caught my attention.
It was the name on the side.
I grabbed my communicator and dialed the number I had on speed dial. After two rings, it was answered.
“Zauet Transportation,” the receptionist said.
“This is Traes,” I said. “I need to speak to the president.”
“What is it regarding?”
“I need a merchant vessel in Arctus spaceport to desist and not take off,” I said.
“Is a problem with a shipment?” the secretary said.
“No. It’s… something else. It’s an emergency. Put me through to the president.”
“One moment please.”
The phone rang. I stared out the window at the merchant ship, already getting into position to be the next to take off. Its engines thrummed.
Come on! Answer the phone!
