Outcasts of Gideon

Dawn Imara : Part 1

Dawn sat at the dispatch panel. She was in her seat behind the door, absently tapping her fingers. She frequently found herself waiting for something. This time it was someone, the pilot of the Aion.

Dispatch sat on an upper floor of Lackey Shuttle Service headquarters. It was a cramped room filled with electronic panels and monitors. There was little room to maneuver.

As she tapped, the shuttle emerged from the empty. It registered on all the tracking terminals with its call sign, 1119-XVF. It had emerged some distance from the southern pole of Pyroeis. She switched her screen from tracking to visual, zooming in on the shuttle.

She watched as Dewey fired correcting thrusters. After a few moments, he fired them again. This happened several more times. It may have been a testament to Dewey's piloting skills or his lack of precision. Neither made her comfortable.

Had Dewey not been the pilot, she would have called to make sure everything was okay. Dewey, was likely to read something into her concern, so she decided to wait. Besides, it was not uncommon for him to make multiple attempts like this. She expected to hear from him soon either way.

During their earlier exchange, she almost called him Creature. It was a reflex that she suppressed more often than she cared to admit. Times like this, when she was alone with her thoughts, that name would resurface. When it did, she always pulled it back, admonishing herself for the thought. Creature was a totem that conjured things she'd rather forget. Dewey made her think of her brother Paul, and Creature was what she called her brother before he died.

Dewey didn't look like her brother. Nor did he sound like him. If anything, it was Dewey's lack of precision that reminded her of Creature. That's why it bothered her so much. Of course, Dewey was not her little brother, and she was not likely to save him either.

She distracted herself with system telemetry. Her head popped back when she noticed the Aion's proximity. 70,000 klicks was too close for her taste. She knew why it was so close. That didn't make it any better. Had the Aion emerged from the empty inside solid matter, nothing could be done about it.

Prakit Chalo, the shift lead, poked his head into the dispatch room. He was careful not to swing the door into her. "Dawn, the Agesandros is preparing to depart from Armbruster Station. Should we delay the Aion approach?"

She weighed her response. This was a question he'd asked several times before. The names of the ships were different, but the response was always the same. "No, we don't need to worry about traffic out of Armbruster. Remember, they're on the other side of the city. Completely different flight paths. No overlapping airspace."

Prakit shook his head the way he'd done each time before. She wished she felt more convinced that he understood this time. As far as she could tell, he wasn't a fool. At worst, his promotion may have come too soon.

"It's just that, well, you know, it's Dewey."

"Dewey isn't the best pilot, but he's better than that." As the words came out of her mouth, she wondered if she believed them.

Her comm bracelet lit up. She glanced at it. A flush of surprise and dread ran through her. The caller was their boss. "Why would he be calling me?" she said aloud.

"Who's calling?"

"Sorry, Prakit, I have to take this." She waited for the shift lead to exit, then shut the door behind him.

When she accepted the call, the holographic image of Grant Lackey emerged from her wrist. He looked like he'd had a bad day. She couldn't make out his surroundings. Knowing his habits, she guessed it was a restaurant. The sound of a plate dropping confirmed that suspicion. The crash caused Grant to jump. He looked around before addressing her. "Dawn, are you working dispatch today?"

"Yes, Mister Lackey."

"Good. Two things. Is Dewey running his normal schedule?"

"Yes, the Aion just emerged from the empty."

"How far away?"

"About seventy."

"Damn, that's too close." Grant turned toward someone out of view. "Sharon, can I settle up?"

Dawn watched and waited as a pair of hands reached into the space before Grant. A plate and coffee dispenser obscured her view. "Did you want me to re-calibrate?"

"Re-calibrate?"

"You said it was too close. I was going to..."

"No, I meant I need to be there to meet the shuttle. It doesn't give me enough time."

Dawn's eyes widened. She tried to remember the last time she'd seen him at the terminal. It must have been months. She watched as he addressed his comm device. She assumed he was paying his bill. When he'd finished, he looked at her.

"Was there something you needed?" he asked.

"I was waiting for the second thing."

"The second thing?"

"You said there were two things."

"Did I?" He cut the transmission.