The Girl in the Tank: Galactic Consortium, Season 1

Episode Seven: The End of Quarantine, ch.16

The elevator opened into the lobby of the space port. The loose flowing clothing of Consortium civilians was combined with the tight fitting uniforms more common to space crews. A man and a woman in thick blue leggings and tight fitting blue tops strolled past, flight goggles like the ones that Cheyenne had only recently abandoned around their necks, chatting in Consortium.

Cheyenne froze, grabbing Lana's hand. The others stopped. "Go on, give us one second," she said and they started towards the ticket counter.

"Lana," Cheyenne breathed. "Lana, can I ask this? I know I have to do what is right for my kids. But you don't. I don't feel right, pulling you and Janda from the Corelean, the ship you've called home since..."

"Since a few weeks before we met, and I called it no such thing," Lana said. "We signed on only three months ago, Janda and I. Anyplace we've ever called home is light years away. For that matter, Janda only started his apprenticeship at that time. If he asked, I'd let him go back. There are other master healers he could work with. But he's not asked, so there you have it. For me, I am not sure I called those places back in the core home, either. And now the only place that feels like home is the place by your side."

"Lana," Cheyenne breathed again. Then their lips met, and Cheyenne forgot everything for a time.

When they broke their kiss, Barry and Badu were smiling at them, Barry's eyes wagging slightly. Mackenzie looked suspicious again, like she wasn't sure she approved. James was talking excitedly to Janda, oblivious.

"Well, let's go then," Cheyenne said, uncomfortable. Mackenzie would come around, eventually. Or Cheyenne hoped so.

"Five for Shin," Barry said to the woman at the ticket stand.

"Tickets are .45 each," the woman replied. Cheyenne startled. She hadn't thought about the cost. She tried to remember how much she had earned pushing the breakfast cart. It hadn't been much but at the time she didn't care.

"I can't remember how much I have," she whispered to Lana.

"Janda and I can pay our own way, help with the kids even," Lana consoled.

"How do I check?" Cheyenne asked.

Lana laughed. "I forget how new this is to you. Just hold your hand up like this, and say 'bank' and ask."

She held her hand up as indicated and said "Bank." A light formed around her palm and she remember the flash as Princess Sarasvat's touched her palm. "My account balance please."

"501.378," a disembodied voice said.

"Five hundred!" Janda gasped. "Where'd you get that much money?"

"Umm, well Princess Sarasvat did something. Said it was a personal gift of thanks," Cheyenne said.

"Some gift," Barry said.

"How much is that?" Cheyenne asked.

"Let's just say, I am the kept woman now," Lana said with a laugh.

"Best you start to think in Consortium terms," Barry said. "Though its a lot either way. The Consortium economy is built around what they call base one. The base one principle says that the simplest worker, day labor kind of stuff, should earn enough for rent, food, clothing and some small luxuries, like ten, fifteen percent above survival necessity. If you want more than that you either need to work more or train for a harder job. Anyway a month of wages is base one. So you have five hundred times what it takes to survive for a month in the Consortium. Some gift, I would say."

"Well, I guess I can buy the tickets then, right?" Cheyenne broke into a grin. She stepped up to the counter, "five tickets for Shin please."

The woman held her hand up. The light formed around her palm. She nodded and Cheyenne placed her hands to the light. "Five tickets, 2.25," the woman said.